Plant Gardens 101

Lighting is one of the essential aspects of hydroponic gardening. Indoor grow lights are commonly used in hydroponics to provide lighting to plants. This is because, for an indoor garden, indoor grow lights are a suitable alternative to sunlight.

There is a wide variety of indoor grow lights available. Here are some tips to help you choose the best lighting system for your needs:

High Intensity Discharge Lights

High intensity discharge lights or HIDs are electrical lights that are highly efficient. Depending on the spectrum of light they produce, they are classified into two types, i.e. metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS). While MH lights provide light in the blue spectrum, which promotes leaf and shoot growth, HPS indoor grow lights are more suitable for flowering, as they emit red or orange light. Here are some tips to maximize the benefits of HID lights: (more…)

Hydroponics in Summer

Summer is synonymous with rising temperatures, which is the primary concern for most gardeners. Although most hydroponic gardens are indoors, excessive heat can still pose a problem. Summer brings with it other plant problems involving water and nutrient uptake, insect attacks, air circulation, etc. Gardening in summer requires you to check that your plants are growing properly and are not experiencing distress.

Tips for Growing Plants in Summer

Here are some tips to make your plants comfortable in summer and ensure their active growth using hydroponics:

Space: In summer, you may feel the need to bring your plants indoors especially if they are sensitive to the high temperatures. When growing plants indoors, it is better to invest in a grow room, which has been designed and tested to accommodate plants in an indoor setting without compromising on their growth. (more…)

Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil. It works on the principle that plant growth can be optimized by controlling the conditions of growth. Towards this end, different hydroponic growing systems have evolved to suit different growing requirements. The choice of an appropriate hydroponic growing system depends on the type of plants, the scale of the growing unit, and the expense and time that the grower is ready to invest. Described below are some hydroponic growing systems:

Wick system. This is the most basic hydroponic growing system. It makes use of an absorbent ‘wick’ such as a nylon rope suspended between the growing medium of the plants and a reservoir of nutrient solution. The wick draws in nutrients based on how soon the plants absorb it. A suitably absorbent medium is needed for this system such as a combination of perlite with either vermiculite or coconut coir. This system can be built using simple materials at home and is ideal for hobby growers having few plants. (more…)

Hydroponics uses several different types of lights for optimum plant growth. While using different grow lights, it is important to invest in a specialized digital ballast, which is a necessary component of any lighting circuit. Simply put, a ballast is an electronic component in a lighting system that controls the amount of current in a circuit. Without it, a grow light would fail to work.

Why Digital Ballasts
Earlier ballasts consisted of resistors, which is an inefficient way to control current, as it leads to loss of electricity. Modern digital ballasts limit current flow without wasting electricity. They also help to extend the lifespan of grow lights. Moreover, they help to reduce flickering, a common feature in older ballasts. Also, the performance of most conventional magnetic ballasts worsens after few years of operation, while digital ballasts provide a consistent lumen output and efficiency over its lifetime. As a bonus, digital ballasts offer noise-free operation and less startup time, or the time required to achieve full brightness. (more…)