Building Your Own Hydroponics System

Building an indoor hydroponic systems can be quite simple. You do not need to purchase a lot of materials to start building. However you should first determine the size of your planned system. This obviously depends on how much interior space you have available.

If you have an old aquarium tank lying around unused, you basically have the first step already done. You can use the tank as a reservoir to contain the nutrient solution. If you are familiar with operating an aquarium then the other steps may already sound familiar--most indoor systems consist of a growing tray or tube, a timer, and a pump.

You will also need to provide a source of light. But not just any old table lamp will do, you should look for lighting device specifically designed for growing plants. They are known as HID lighting and can be found in garden shops.

Aerate the solution continuously. For small hydroponic growing systems, an aquarium pump and porous stone will work. Just as an air pump provides clean oxygen for the fish in the aquarium, the air pump for your hydroponics system is responsible for keeping oxygen levels in the nutrient water adequate for the plant roots to survive. A kind of porous stone known as an air stone is used to produce the oxygen necessary to plants. Do not bubble the solution too vigorously because excessive movement may damage the roots and consequently damage your plants.

For plant holders, you can use a plywood top or a piece of one-inch thick styrofoam or even a thick plastic cup. To place plants, just insert them through holes drilled through the plywood or puncture the styrofoam or cup.

Nutrient Solution

The nutrient solution is by far the most important element in an indoor hydroponics system. While we can tell you that nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorous encourages fruiting and rooting, and potassium is responsible for the overall health of the plant, or that there are about ten other nutrients that you have to find the right balance for. So there really is no simple way to concoct your own unless you own a degree in chemistry. That simplifies matters quite a bit.

But to complicate matters a bit more, you also have to know about the dilution rate recommended for the nutrient solutions. There has to be a pH balance applied and that would be between 5 and 6. Simple pH test kits and pH modifiers are available at fish supplies stores, where they sell the aquariums. Then you also have to determine the rate of depletion, that is whether certain nutrients have depleted faster than others.

There are a lot of publications about hydroponics. They will give you information about how to care for your indoor garden, the latest technologies available and other pertinent topics. If you are just starting out or even if you are a seasoned veteran, these books and magazines can help tremendously.

Prefab Solutions

The good news is that most garden stores that cater specifically to hydroponics have pre-packaged nutrient solutions that you can add to your system. You can even buy a fully built indoor gardening system such as the Aerogarden.

The appeal of these prefabricated solutions is that they make the system wholly manageable and simple especially for beginners. Much of the guesswork is taken out and there is not much wastage. It also saves a lot of your valuable time.