More and more people are choosing to raise their own plants, such as flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. In addition to doing so in traditional outdoor gardens, they are also creating indoor gardening areas.
Household and Community Gardens
In 2014 alone, there were approximately 42 million households in the United States that either participated in growing food at home or in neighborhood community gardens. During the same year, 76% of these households were growing vegetables. Just imagine all that wonderful fresh produce!
If you don’t think you have enough space for an indoor garden, think again. You’ve likely seen 2-to-4-tiered metal plant stands in sun rooms, patios, and other outdoor areas at people’s homes and gardening supply stores. These stands can hold quite a few plants in a small area. As long as they receive sufficient sunlight, nutrients, and water, they, too, will be able to thrive.
Hydroponic Gardens
If you’re planning to purchase an indoor hydroponic system, growing plants in this way is a bit different than with soil-based gardening. In order to thrive, plants grown in this way will need a minimum of 8 to 10 hours of direct daylight every day. An alternative to this would be to use a high-intensity indoor lamp, or a hydroponic lighting system, to provide the necessary amount of light for your plants.
It’s been demonstrated that some aquaculture crops will grow twice as fast as their soil-based counterparts. The good news is that you will experience an increased yield when your aquaculture crops receive just the right combination of base nutrients, oxygen, and water.
While the type of nutrient solution you’ll need to use will depend on the types of plants you’re growing, the pH should usually be between 5.5 to 6.0 for most growing mediums. Remember that it’s important to test the pH levels on a regular basis to ensure that there is a proper balance.
Not sure what type of hydroponic system to purchase? The Ebb and Flow is the classic system, and you can either purchase it already constructed or build it yourself. Another benefit of this system is that any size of pots will fit on it.
Basically, once your system is constructed, all you have to do is arrange your pots on the drain table. After your pots are arranged, just fill the table with 2 to 3 inches of water along with the nutrient solution. This solution is then pumped into the drain table, which keeps the fluids ebbing and flowing.
Ensuring Clone Health
When you’re growing plants from clones, you want to be sure that you have the right type of clone nutrients and supplements. When you have just the right clone nutrients for your plants, it is a step in the right direction to ensure their health and a productive yield. If you’re not sure what type of clone nutrients you need, your indoor gardening store will be able to assist you with this.
Having the Right Tools
Whether you’re growing flowers, herbs, vegetables, or table types of plants, you may also need other indoor or outdoor gardening supplies. A pair of new pruning snips, gardening shoe or boot covers, and mite pest control might be a few of the items on your shopping list.