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Hydroponic Gardening Tips And Tricks

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Hydroponic gardening is a special method of gardening that involves growing plants in nutrient solutions without the use of soil. This keeps the plants healthier and more productive, but before you dive into this practice, there are a number of factors you need to watch out for. Planning is the ultimate key in being successful in this field, and here are some tips that will help you better plan.

Nutritional requirements

Get to the point where you can identify the nutritional necessities of your plants even before you get started on your garden. Do your research, know how much of the nutrients they are going to require each week and how strong they need to be. Most plants usually need high nitrogen quantities at first, and they then slowly transition into requiring phosphorus to produce fruit and flowers. You can use an EC meter to measure the strength of your nutrients and keep track of them throughout the plant's life.

Give your plants adequate lighting

Ensure that your plants have enough lighting, especially when it's an indoor garden. Sixty watts per square feet is the minimum amount your plants would require to keep them in their healthy condition, and if you purchase metal halide or sodium lights, then the effect would be better. Fluorescent lights don't do a very good job for mature plants so try and avoid them, unless you are gardening seedlings or clones.

Take care of the roots

The roots well-being affect the whole plant in general. If they don't function appropriately, the plant will be unable to take up nutrients and may get sick or wither out. Keep your nutrient solution properly maintained and minimize the amount of light coming into contact with it. Keeping light at a low will prevent the formation of algae or fungus with are the most common causes of root damage.

Temperature control

The temperature is a major factor that affects the growth of your plants, and if they go higher than 85 C, then your plants instantly stop growing. Some types of lights produce a lot of heat, which makes it difficult to keep your temperatures stable. A good way to start off would be to get a centrifugal fan, but in most instances, this is not enough. You can also have air conditioning to generate cool air when the temperatures spike up.

Following these tips will help you in achieving the best hydroponic garden; just remember to have all the necessary materials and tools before you start. For more information, contact a business such as Epping Hydroponics.


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