Common Mistakes in Hydroponic Gardening
Whether you want to discover the world of hydroponic gardening for fun or commercial gains, you need to know everything there is to know about it before investing your time and money. In the process of gaining more experience on growing plants without soil, you can easily become accustomed to the complexities of hydroponic gardening. And with proper analysis and planning, you may be able to avoid a number of costly and time consuming mistakes most beginners make. Here are some of the most common errors in hydroponic gardening.
1. Using cheap lights. Some gardeners think that they can use fluorescent lights for their plants at all stages. Although, fluorescent lights are suitable for young plants, flowering plants or plants in the vegetative stages require red, orange and blue lights. And because flourescent lights only provide white light, they cannot sustain the lighting requirements of other plants. Instead of being able to save money, fluorescent lights may actually cost you more because they yield bad quality crops that demand frequent maintenance.
2. Not providing enough air movement - Your grow room should have enough carbon dioxide and oxygen but it should be free from air pollutants and other airborne debris. In order to yield more in a hydroponic garden, you need to have proper ventilation. However, you just cannot put a fan in your grow room. You should use the right size of fan to produce adequate air. Put the fan in constant motion to avoid dehydration.
3. Using too much water and fertilizer - Thinking that your plants should get truckloads of water and fertilizer can result to disastrous results. Giving the plants too much water may kill them. On the other hand, using too much fertilizer such as best bloom enhancers may result to salt deposits or other harmful microorganisms on the growing media. These microorganisms will slow down the growth of the plants. So, make sure that you don't only use the right hydroponic garden supplies but the right amount as well.
4. Lack of understanding on pH requirements - pH generally refers to the alkalinity or acidity of water or nutrient solution. Tap water is commonly used in hydroponics because it contains just the right pH level. However, not all tap waters have that property. The pH level of your growing medium should be neutral (7.0 pH level). Anything lower than 5.6 or higher than 6.3 may result to nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, you need to have a better understanding of the right pH level for your growing media and plants. You may also consider investing on a pH meter to ensure that your plants are growing with the right pH levels.
About the Author
To find out more about this topic, visit the CX Hydroponics at www.cxhydroponics.net or through the following URLs:
http://www.cxhydroponics.co.uk/products/bio-balancer http://www.cxhydroponics.net/how-to-buy-hydroponic-garden-supplies
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here