The technique of growing in hydroponics is taking off in many places.  I encourage you to read this article and start thinking about a space in your home where you can set up an efficient, small in home garden and enjoy the nutritious benefits of home grown food.

Written by Danny O. Calleja / Correspondent

Monday, 28 December 2009 18:34

PILI, Camarines Sur—Even urban areas in the country can now produce in commercial scale high-quality vegetables and other agricultural crops through a revolutionary approach in farming called hydroponics. This newly introduced urban-farming system is a potential approach to revitalize agriculture by fundamentally altering the manner of how crop is produced. This included eliminating the dependence of plants on soil by completely changing their growing medium. The concept of hydroponics proves that soil is no longer crucial for the plant to thrive when the required mineral nutrients are artificially introduced into the plant’s water supply and plant roots absorb them, said Jose Dayao, the regional executive director for Bicol of the Department of Agriculture (DA) based here. Dayao explained that hydroponics makes use of crafty facilities, and resource-efficient and cost-effective cultures and systems to allow the effective use of land, nutrient, water and labor in a comfortable and sanitary working condition. Read more………

Here’s another wonderful idea for adapting hydroponics to people’s needs.  Again, seniors in nursing homes are mentioned as having great knowledge about gardening and growing, which is all going to waste while they play bingo!

“When John Copp, 43, of Kettering was a student at Ohio State University, many of his friends were paraplegic and he became aware of their needs.

“One man loved gardening, but was unable to get into the soil,” said Copp. “This gave me the idea that growing things in water, hydroponics, would be the answer. I have always loved to cook and grow my own produce.”

Copp designed a unit holding cups of potting soil over recycling water enhanced with nutrients. Fluorescent lights add to the energy needed for growth. The result is a six foot high, four foot long, three feet wide wood framed unit holding 20 gallons of re-cycling water he calls Legacy Hydroponic. It’s high enough to accommodate wheelchairs on both open sides.”

Read more….

A closet hydroponic system can give you substantially better results than traditional gardening methods. Hydroponic closets come in various shapes and sizes but ultimately all do the same job.

Hydroponic is quite liberating for gardeners as it removes the usual constraints associated with outdoor growing. A gardener has no control over his outdoor environment. Using hydroponic gardening methods, the indoor gardener becomes the boss and controls the environment using basic sciencentific principles.  There are many, many books written on the subject so no-one need to be in the dark as to how to start and obtain fresh produce all year round.

Growing plants has many shapes and forms. The traditional garden is the one with rows of seeds that have been planted in soil. People till the soil, plant the seeds, kill the weeds and protect it from insects and other animals. Then they  fertilize it and harvest the bounty of their work. If the soil loses its nutrients, plants cannot grow. Scientists and plant enthusiasts have come to the realization that it is not the soil that is necessary for growth but the nutrients and minerals stored there. Enter the world of hydroponics.

“Hydro” is Greek for water and “ponos” (ponics) is Greek for labor or work. Hydroponic gardeners grow plants without soil, letting the water or other solution do the work.

The beauty of growing hydroponic lettuce is that it is one of the easiest plants to grow int this “no soil growth movement”. It means that the yield for beginners could be quite promising. Hydroponic gardening is the growing of plants without the use of dirt or any type of soil at all. It has proven to be a successful way of growing more plants in a smaller, more controlled area.

An hydroponics grow cabinet is a handy item to use for growing plants indoors. The cabinets are compact units. Even if you want to garden indoors and live at the top of a very tall building in a small apartment, you can enjoy bringing fresh vegetables and flowers to life with a growing cabinet. Hydroponics enthusiasts love to use a grow cabinet for hydroponic gardening indoors as well.

Using an indoor growing situation such as that offered by a growing cabinet, you will be imitating what comes naturally in the outdoors, giving plants what they need to grow. Water, light, food and warmth are the four necessities for plants to live and thrive.

Here are some features that you should consider when looking at hydroponic systems.

Although you could grow plants in less space, it would be ideal to grow your plants in a vertical hydroponic system. Vertical hydroponic systems allow for about 4.5 feet of growing space. This is ideal for growing. You can grow some types of plants in grow boxes that allow for only 2 feet of growing space, but 4.5 feet is ideal.

Most grow boxes are about 3 feet wide. There is really no need to worry about the width when buying a grow box. Most manufacturers allow for 3 feet of growing space.

Nearly all grow boxes are 1.5 feet deep. Only a few grow boxes allow for 2 feet of depth. Although 1.5 feet of depth is ok, 2 feet is ideal.

With winter coming, are you thinking of starting some indoor growing? Climbing costs and crazy chemical coatings on grocery produce are creating fans flocking to join you. Planting an edible garden indoors to grow some of your own vegetables and herbs all year is a low cost alternative for safer healthier produce. No more worrying about chemicals or worse…scary bacteria like E. Coli on your food.

Getting started is oh, so easy, if you go the hydroponic indoor growing route.
Starting with an indoor herb container garden makes the most sense for lots of reasons. Growing three of the most popular herbs to start with makes even more sense.  We suggest dill, chives and basil.  Imagine just snipping off a few leaves and throwing them in the pot.  Yum!

The hydroponics grow closet is the perfect place to house your plants, be they flowers, fruits or vegetables. Hydroponic gardening is growing plant without soil.  The art of growing vegetables, fruits and flowers in a controlled environment. Time and again, hydroponically grown produce yields a better crop of vegetables and fruits and more flowers.  The produce is rich in nutrients and can be stopped and started any time of year.

There is no soil to contend with, no fighting the weather, no shrinking with embarassement as Nosey Mr Jones pokes his head over the fence pointing and laughing at your shrivelled cauliflowers.

You can choose to build your own little closet, if you wish, or you can fast track your new hobby and buy one. Whichever route you take, once you have the seeds and a good “how to” hydroponics guide book, you’re all set!

Indoor plants can do a lot to bring charm to your office or home. You might be more than happy to spend a bit of time tending plants indoors when the winter weather postpones other hobbies. Indoor gardening, especially if you use an hydroponic technique, is not at all hard to do.  Bring your garden inside and enjoy the hobby even though it’s bitterly cold outside.

There are many benefits to indoor gardening. The plants provide oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. They are also a welcome sight for those long and gloomy days of winter. A small hydroponic garden can be tucked into the gloomiest corner if you provide it with its own light and will reward you over and over again.