Basics

Hydroponics is a fun and satisfying hobby that is both challenging and rewarding. To start you will need a hydroponic system, hydroponic nutrients, an inert hydroponic media (may be dependent on type of hydroponic system), a light source (natural or artificial), pH and EC meters, time and plants.

Visit our What Is Hydroponics? page to find out more.

Anywhere. Indoors, in a greenhouse as well as outdoors. Any plant can be grown with hydroponics, though some are more delicate than others. If there is enough light for the plant to grow, you can probably bet somebody has grown it using hydroponics.

Aeroponics is a method of growing in which oxygen is infused into the nutrient solution, allowing the roots to absorb nutrients faster and more easily. Typically, an aeroponics system utilizes foggers, misters or sprayers that create very small droplets of nutrient solution. Another name you may hear used for this method is “fogponics”. Because the nutrient and oxygen rich solution is so easily absorbed by the plants roots, less fertilizer is required. This facilitates rapid growth resulting in fantastic yields.

There is a huge popular debate about the value of “organic” fertilizers and methods. Many people would like to apply “organics” to hydroponics. Currently accepted organic fertilizer components are dependent upon organisms in the soil to convert the “organic” materials into a useable form for plants. In hydroponics we provide the minerals required for plant growth directly, completely eliminating the need for soil and soil organisms. The result is much higher growth rates and yields than organic methods can achieve.

Hydroponic produce is cleaner than its soil grown counterpart, and the grower has the ability to adjust the nutrient feed for maximal growth and yield in the shortest time.

Hydroponic produce frequently exceeds soil grown produce in terms of flavor and nutrition. This is because all of the nutrients required by the plant are immediately available when the plant needs them.

Certainly. About 160 years ago scientists determined that ten elements were required for plant growth. Three of these ten were provided by air and water: carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). The others, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and iron (Fe) were obtained by plants from the soil or other growing medium. Six additional elements have been determined essential for plant growth: manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), boron (B), molybdenum (Mb) and chlorine (C1). These six also are generally supplied through the growing medium. FloraSeries® contains all of these elements.