Posts Tagged ‘Hydroponic Drip System’

Tips for Havesting your Hydroponic Garden

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

The harvest is one of the most enjoyable parts of  running an indoor garden; It is your reward for all of the time and energy you have put into it.

Generally speaking, healthy, well maintained plants are going to produce plentiful harvests, but there are plenty of additional things you can do to get the most out of your plants.

Pre-Harvest Tips:

  1. To avoid the taste of organic or chemical fertilizers, you should flush the garden with plain water 10 to 14 days before harvesting. Some gardeners will use fertilizers up to 3 or 4 days before harvesting and use clearing solutions to remove the fertilizer residue.
  2. If you are growing herbs that will be dried, do not water them for 1 or 2 days before harvesting them. The soil should be mostly dry, but not too dry to where the plants begin to wilt. Done correctly, this will reduce your drying time by about a day and will not in any way effect the end product.

Harvest Tips:

  1. Harvest timing is critical, as plants and fruits need to be harvested at the moment of peak ripeness. This window is very small, usually between 5 to 7 days.
  2. Growth of the plant or fruit will stop at harvest. Make sure to keep plants from prolonged exposure to the light, temperatures above 80°F, excessive friction, or damp/humid conditions.

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Hydroponic Drip Systems

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

A Hydroponic Drip System delivers nutrient solution in small quantities using a low pressure plastic people with friction fittings. Water flows down the pipe and out the emitter at a very slow rate, typically one drop at a time.

Drip systems offer several advantages, primarily that it allows gardeners to spend less time watering and maintaining their plants.  This is especially true for drip systems that also incorporate fertilizer injections, which allows you to provide your plants with nutrients as well as water.

Drip  irrigation kits are available at garden stores and building centers, and available online at gardenindoorsllc.com.

Click Here to learn more about Garden Indoors’ Hydroponic Drip Systems.

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Common Problems Facing Indoor Gardens

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Is something going wrong in your indoor garden despite all of your hard work? Take a look at this list of the most common problems that can arise when gardening indoors.

  1. Lack of Ventilation: Leaves cannot function correctly without a steady supply of fresh air; Poor ventilation causes slow growth and poor absorption of water and nutrients.
  2. Inadequate Lighting: This can slow down photosynthesis which leads to poor use of nutrients, and give the plants a scrawny appearance.
  3. Too High / Too Low Humidity: Either one of these conditions will cause  stress to the plants from over-consumption or under-consumption of water.
  4. Temparature: A low or high temperature can slow a plant’s growth, and wide temperature fluctuations of more than 15 to 20 degrees can retard growth altogether.
  5. Overwaterting / Underwatering: Overwatering prevents the roots from taking in air, severely limiting nutrient intake and possibly causing them to rot. Underwatering slows the transport of nutrients, ultimately leading to sickly / dying roots.
  6. Light Burns: Foliage burned by HID Lamps is at an increased risk of attack from pests and disease.
  7. Indoor Air Pollution: This can slow plant growth to a crawl. Make an effort to check for vaporization from building materials and other chemical air leaks.
  8. Hot Soil: Soil over 90 degrees can cause harm to a plant’s roots.
  9. Roots Receving Direct Light: Roots require a dark environment; Light shining through to them can turn them green and their function will slow significantly.

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Setting up Your Indoor Garden

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Before you can begin growing your indoor plants, the garden itself must be properly constructed. Here are some step-by-step instructions to follow for getting your garden ready to use.

  1. Step 1: Location - The best locations for your indoor garden will be areas that are out-of-the-way, and see little to no traffic on a day to day basis. The  corner of the basement, or spare bedroom are both ideal. Ceilings lower than 5 feet should be avoided if possible, as sufficient space for plants to grow may not exist. However, routine pruning and/or using smaller wattage lamps can compensate for this is there is no other alternative
  2. Step 2: Enclose the Room & Paint it White - If the room is not already enclosed, make it so. Furniture, drapery or anything that does not pertain to the garden should be removed, as they may harbor plant-killing fungi. Erecting makeshift walls out of plywood or plastic is also an option. After this is accomplished, every reflective surface should be painted white to maximize the light energy reflected in the room. When done correctly, HID lamp effectiveness can increase by as much as 20%.
  3. Step 3: Air Ventilation and Water Supply - A constant supply of fresh air from the outdoors is essential; This can be accomplished by ducting in air from the outside through a door or window. A Garden also will also require a large supply of water, so running a water hose to the indoor garden is usually much more efficient than carrying it in manually.
  4. Installing HID Lamps - Hooks must be mounted on the walls / ceilings for each HID Lamp fixture that will be used. Each of these hooks must be able to support at least 30 lbs. It also is a good idea to hook up an adjustable chain or pulley to the system to allow for easy adjustments to the light fixtures.

And that’s it, Your Garden is now ready to house your seedlings and plants!

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Posted in Hydroponic Growing System, Hydroponic Shop, Hydroponic Supplies, Indoor Growing Lights, Online Hydroponics | 2 Comments »