Hydroponics is a process of growing vegetables/flowers/plants in a hydroponic solution. Instead of using soil as the growing medium, you will use water and nutrients in this system. A small hydroponic system has become common in urban areas, cities, and towns because people living here don’t have sufficient space to make a garden. People are now planning to grow plants hydroponically, especially vegetables. In addition, they are also growing flowers for commercial purposes.
Hydroponic system can be of various types –
- You can use a giant space to grow plants hydroponically.
- You can use an entire room for this system.
- You can use a small space and containers to grow the favorite plants.
This post will discuss only the small hydroponic system because it can be the best choice for the people who like to grow plants hydroponically.
What is a small hydroponic system?
Small hydroponic system can be installed at home, and anyone can do it. In addition to this, a smaller system doesn’t cost anything. You have to buy hydroponic cups, hydroponic solution, and a container. Remember that in this small system, you will need a porous growing medium like compost, vermiculite, perlite, or even coconut coir. To set up a medium hydroponic system, you may need to buy a motor and PVC pipes, but that’s not our concern right now.
Figure 1: Small hydroponic system
There are two best and simplest methods for this system – i) Wick system and ii) Deepwater culture system.
- Wick Hydroponic System
The things that you need for installing a Wick small hydroponic system are –
- Hydroponic cups (buy these cups based on the number of plants you want to grow)
- Hydroponic solution (if you don’t want to buy it, then you can make a solution at home)
- A container
- A growing tray that will hold the cups
- Water
- Light
There is nothing expensive on this list, and it may cost around $50 to set up the system. Besides, anybody can manage these things easily.
Figure 2: Grow plants hydroponically at home.
Now it is time to discuss the installation process –
Step – 1: Prepare the hydroponic solution
If you can buy hydroponic solution, then it will be okay. If you want to make a solution, we will help you to prepare one for your plants. Many people like to prepare hydroponic solution at home because it is more economical and offers flexibility.
To prepare this, you need to buy fertilizers. You can make liquid organic fertilizer like compost tea and dilute it, or you can dissolve inorganic fertilizers in water to make the nutrients water-soluble. While dissolving inorganic fertilizer, you must be careful because adding too much fertilizer can cause an imbalance in nutrients and cause root injury. To get the maximum benefits, use 2 tsp of ammonium phosphate, 4 tsp of potassium nitrate, 4 tsp of magnesium sulfate, and 4.5 tsp of calcium nitrate per liter of water. To add micronutrients, mix some boric acid with the water. Try to avoid mixing chlorine in the water.
Step – 2: Get the plants
As a beginner, the best plants to grow in small hydroponic system are – lettuce, kale, basil, mint, tomatoes, strawberries, parsley, oregano, spinach, and so on. This system is also ideal for growing plants from cuttings.
Step – 3: Set up the growing tray and the container
At this step, you will add the growing medium and the plant into the cup and keep it on the tray. Repeat this with all the cups. Once all of them are prepared, fill the container with the prepared hydroponic solution. Place the tray over the container.
The tray will cover the container, and the water inside the container will touch the lower section of the cups. The capillary action of the porous medium will deliver water and nutrients to the plants. Slowly, your plants will start thriving.
Step – 4: Maintenance
Your installation is done. Now, you need to maintain the system. It is a good decision to place the system in the balcony, where the plants may get sufficient light to thrive. In addition to this, you should replace the solution with a new one after every two days because slowly, the water will be loaded with carbon dioxide due to the root’s respiration.
- Deepwater culture system
This is another small hydroponic system that anyone can install in his/her home. In this hydroponic system, you will place the plants in a Styrofoam platform. This platform will float on the top of your reservoir, in which you will add the hydroponic solution.
Figure 3: Deepwater hydroponic system.
This system is different from the wick system because you will have to aerate the water from time to time. This is why most experts recommend using air pumps, but don’t worry. You can keep the water aerated by changing water.
Things that are needed to set up the system –
- Hydroponic solution
- Styrofoam (or a growing tray)
- Hydroponic cups
- Water
- Reservoir or container
- Growing medium
Step – 1: Prepare the hydroponic solution
To set up this small hydroponic system, the first step is to prepare the hydroponic solution, which is described previously. Fill the container with the solution once it is prepared.
Step – 2: Set up the system
To grow plants hydroponically, it can be an easier method. Set the Styrofoam platform on the top of the reservoir, where it can stay perfectly. After that, cut holes so that the net cups can be inserted. Remember, you don’t have to drown the cups completely. These perforated cups will contain the porous growing medium that will supply water to the plants.
Step -3: Maintenance
Once the entire installation is done, you need to maintain it properly. Lack of maintenance can destroy the whole system. To maintain it, you must change the water every two days; otherwise, the water quality may exacerbate. If you want to supply more light, you will need to add light bulbs, which may cost you a little. As a beginner, it will be a good decision to use natural light for the pants.
These are the major two small hydroponic systems that can be installed at home very easily. One can easily grow plants hydroponically in the wick or deepwater system as both systems are significantly cheaper. In addition to this, there are other advanced hydroponic systems like nutrient film technique (NFT), aeroponics, Ebb and flow system, and so on. Since you are a beginner, we will advise you to grow plants hydroponically by using the easiest system.