9 Tips For Beginners Creating A Hydroponic System
Working with a hydroponics system for the first time can be challenging for some folks, especially if they want to work with a complete system with all the bells and whistles.
If you are one such hobbyist, then worry not, there is an abundance of free information available nowadays to help you with your hydroponic system journey.
We wanted to do something different in this article compared to our other posts. Rather than give you a huge in depth article to go through, we wanted give you some quick tips.
If you prefer an more in depth guide then no worries, we have you covered with that as well. Check out our hydroponics guide.
No, let’s get started with our hydroponic tips!
Tip #1: When selecting a plant for your hydroponics system, consider the amount of space you have, the kind of system that you’ve set up and the gear you’ve invested in.
Some plants are just too big for small systems; others are just right. Find the right cultivars for the scale of system that you happen to have.
Tip #2: If you’re not ready for plants that require special attention throughout the growing season, stick to plants that you know will grow well and easily, too: herbs like basil are excellent choices for hydroponics systems.
You can level up to more demand crops later on when you’ve mastered how to tweak your system. But until such time, we highly recommend that you stick to the basic types of crops.
Tip #3: Be as observant as possible when you’re working with your system. This applies most especially to the germination phase, when you’re going to grow seeds for the first time without any soil.
Things to look out for are: the period needed for full sprouting, the appearance of seeds as they sprout, and the physical appearance of seeds as they germinate.
Studying these aspects of germination will help you determine later on if something is wrong, as the general consistency of appearance is something we can rely on as hydroponics growers.
Tip #4: First of all, don’t be frazzled with your system! The best approach is to monitor and study your hydroponics system section by section.
Start with the nutrient reservoir, then the piping, the area where your grow pots are located. The actual components will depend on what type of hydroponics system you have in the first place.
But the drill will always be the same: go at it section by section and you won’t feel frazzled anymore.
Tip #5: Pay extra attention to pH level and electroconductivity of your nutrient solution.
Problems with these two can immediately cause nutrient deficiencies in your plants, which can then lead to stunting and even plant death.
Tip #6: It is best to note growth phases of individual plants at specific weeks, so you will have a handy reference next growing season.
Tip #7: Adjusting the pH level of the water usually fixes most problems, as fluctuations in the pH level of plants can prevent the proper uptake of nutrients.
Tip #8: It would really help if you are familiar yourself with the various symptoms that are commonly associated with nutrient deficiency in plants.
Tip #9: Keep a detailed log of your garden growth.
Here is an app we recommend that can help with that & more.
GroLog by GroDan app is an excellent organizing app that lets you jot down and store specific types of data related to your hydroponics setup.
First of all, it helps you get organized – you will have a space to write down your progress, what you’ve observe from your system and what you’re seeing right now in your plants.
GroLog allows you to document the ups and downs of your attempts, with an additional feature to jot down and record notes.
Very cool for first time hydroponics growers who sometimes feel they are scatterbrained because of all the stuff they have to observe, note and remember.
This app gives data-driven approaches help you understand trends in your system, so you can plan ahead in the next growing season.
This type of data-keeping is excellent if you want to be really careful and scientific with how you grow your plants.