Creating an Indoor Hydroponic Garden

!±8± Creating an Indoor Hydroponic Garden

Many people choose to set up an indoor garden as an alternative to a traditional plant growing area established in the outdoors. One of the advantages of an indoor growing space is that it is possible to control external factors such as temperature, lighting, and ambiance, making it easier to grow a variety of fruits, vegetables, plants, and crops out of season. If you are interested in setting up a garden indoors, here are some tips on creating your very own hydroponic indoor garden.

1. Choosing an area to grow your plants

Although it is possible to grow plants in just about any indoor space, you will want to ensure that this space receives plenty of good ventilation, as good ventilation is fundamental to healthy plant growth. Also, make sure that your growing area is established with access to stable electricity and water. An excellent place to create an indoor hydroponic garden is within your basement, as here the air tends to be cool and dry.

2. Preparing the area

An important part of growing plants indoors involves adequate control of external lighting. You can block your windows with thick curtains or wooden boarding where necessary. Another point to remember is that plants tend to elevate the overall humidity levels of the area in which they are placed, and if you are growing an indoor garden it is possible that mold growth could occur. Make sure to keep the area as uncluttered as possible by removing any unnecessary furniture and carpets. You can set up an appropriate ventilation system by channeling air in through a plastic duct built close to ground level (so as to avoid external sunlight) and installing a fan to blow out air brought into the room via the ceiling area.

3. Growing

This is the tricky part. Basically you will need strong lamps to stimulate optimum plant growth and photosynthesis. Some plants require a specific period of light over a 24 hour period that varies from other plants. For this reason, you will want to study the fundamentals of how to grow the plants you are going to have well in advance of setting up your hydroponic system.

4. Hydroponics

Since you will not be using soil, but rather a water-based solution of nutrients and minerals, you will likely be saving a reasonable amount of money on extra fertilization for soil. Using a hydroponic system allows you to control the exact nutrient balance necessary for your plants to grow strong and healthy, but you will need to research and find out exactly what nutrients and what quantities should be included within your nutrient solution. There are plenty of books available on this subject and a wealth of information to be found form online sources.

You can purchase all of the equipment and products necessary to building an indoor garden at a local hydroponic store or at an online retailer. Make sure that you are aware of your space requirements as on many occasions you will need a lot more room than you might have originally thought.