Using Substrates

In the last post “Pure Hydroponics” I wrote about the advantages of not using substrates. Although there are many advantages, there are also some drawbacks; however, that’s not the only reason for using substrates. This kind of hydroponic systems have their own advantages and there are some watering systems and equipment that work better with substrates, not to mention that there are some plants that grow better that way.

When using pure hydroponics, roots can clog your pipes, more thinking has to be done and it can take a little more effort to get results. But, as I already stated, pure hydroponics problems are not the only reason to use substrates.

Easier Hydroponics
Using a substrate is pretty much alike traditional agriculture, so it is easier to get a grasp of the technique. There are a lot of substrates that you can use and many of them do not require you to make anything, just to put your plant and you are ready. If you have any previous knowledge about horticulture, you can use it right away and the transition to hydroponics will be a natural one.

Not So Much Infrastructure
Unlike pure hydroponics, everything must be correctly set up just to keep your plants alive. Most of the time, you need more equipment to pull this out, even if the results tend to be better. Using a substrate, you can have a hydroponic plant with only a pot and the corresponding substrate.

More Forgiving
Well, you are supposed to take proper care of your hydroponic system, but, most of the time, substrate hydroponics will let you make some mistakes without too much of a problem. This does not mean that you can be reckless, but it gives you some time to get acquainted with hydroponics. Pure hydroponic systems are not that flexible; in most of them, a failing pump or a clogged valve can get your plants dry in a couple of hours.

Of course, all of this depends on the kind of substrate you are using. The results will vary, but most substrates will give you an easier hydroponic experience.

Hydroponics is all about imagination, once you did your homework. If you have the basics, you can use anything to get healthy hydroponic vegetables without much problem. It will take some work, but the rewards are great. You will not regret giving a try with hydroponics.

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Pure Hydroponics

Since I started in hydroponics, almost 10 years ago, I have used almost any technique I have read about. Well, if I can get it working at home, that is. Hydroponics has a lot of options and I am the “get your hands dirty” kind of guy.

Anyway, after testing a los of hydroponic systems, substrates, nutrient solutions and the like, I like pure hydroponic systems like NFT and floating raft; both of them because they don’t use a substrate.

Hydroponics without substrate have a lot of advantages; al least for me.

Less work
Using substrate means dealing with cleaning, washing and disinfecting. Getting all that work done, especially with heavy substrates like gravel, can be really hard on your back and your butt. Good if you want to have firm buns but can take the fun out of hydroponics. There are other substrates that are easier on you, but, when the season ends, you have to do it again.

Cheaper hydroponics
This is a little obvious. If you don’t have to buy it, you can use that money on other things. Some substrate can be pricey, so not using them is an alternative worth considering.

You can use your imagination on containers
This does not apply to all of them, but, if you are using a heavy substrate, you are limited in the type of container you can use. Bags, for example, cannot handle gravel very well because of the weight. When you are only using water, new options are available.

Lighter structures
When you have several plants, a structure to hold them properly may be needed. If you are using heavy substrates, the structure has to be ready to deal with a lot of weight; when only water is used, things can get much easier.

Now, I’m not saying that substrates are bad; this is only my choice. There a lots of plants and hydroponic watering systems that require substrates to work. A lot of commercial greenhouses have been using substrates and are doing pretty well.

Using pure hydroponics can save you a lot of work, but it is your choice. This is not a recommendation; is an option. After all, everything will depend on what can you do in your house. Maybe you want to do something but you just can, or you bought a fancy hydroponic system that requires some substrate.

Hydroponics is a versatile technique that only requires a little knowledge and imagination.

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A Simple System

Over the years, a question that keeps popping out is the one regarding the simplest hydroponic system. Although there are a lot of things involved in this, and some of them will change the choice, the wick system is one of the easiest, cheapest and labor free hydroponic installations you will have.

Aside from being one of the easiest hydroponic systems, the wick has also countless variations. You can make it with recyclable materials, the thing is easy to set up and the wick will take almost all the work away.

Although I don’t use it a lot this days, I had my share of wick systems and worked fine for almost every plant. As you can see in the photo, you can start it with an empty plastic bottle and a used cleaning cloth. Well, I prefer to use a new one, but I’ve known some guys that are really cheap. Anyways, although you can do it with recyclables and garbage, you can also use the great variety of plastics we have available and let your imagination take over.

The wick is supposed to be a very simple system, but it is also very effective. And the most important thing; they take case of themselves. As long as there is enough nutrient solution on the reservoir, the plant will be alright. You can check them out every week to change the nutrient solution and prune your plants, so it will be a simple activity for the weekend.

The wick is perfect for small plants like spices and little flowers. Although you can make a large one for bigger plants, I simply select another type of hydroponic system. Well, since hydroponics has enough variations to please everybody, it is your choice.

So, forget about the “don’t have time” of “don’t have money”; you can get started in hydroponics with a soft drink bottle (1 gallon if you can find one) and an absorbent substrate like perlite, vermiculite, pear moss and other mixes. Using pebbles, leca or the like is not exactly efficient, but it can work.

Just cut the plastic bottle, make a small hole on the cap to pass the wick through and you are in business. This may not be the fanciest hydroponic system you can make, but it works. If you want to start in hydroponics, the wick can be the best system to try.

So, finish that soft drink and get a new plant.

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Do I Need A Greenhouse?

When you read about hydroponics, most of the time you see big greenhouses with a lot of technology, people in white coats, and automated operations. Although you can have that in a small scale if you want, it really is much simpler.

Hydroponics has been around for hundreds of years, and believe me, there where no automatic greenhouses back then. A greenhouse can be a great investment, if you have the time and budget to build one, but seems a little bit of an overkill if you just want to test hydroponics.

After all, if it is supposed to be a simple technique, there should be no big deal to start a small hydroponic system at home. A greenhouse will be great, but it is not strictly necessary. Unless you live in a region with very harsh weather, you will be ok. Besides, having a greenhouse brings other considerations, like automation and maintenance.

If you are thinking about that, also consider that a greenhouse can also be a simple thing. Yes, you may want to have those automated beauties that you see on photos and magazines, but that will raise your costs dramatically.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a greenhouse; people use them because they are cost effective and, if properly managed, can be a very good thing.

The point is that having a greenhouse is not a must. It can be a bonus, but for now you can start simple. Just pick a plant you like and be ready to see it grow. I will recommend tomatoes, since they are sturdy, grow fast and have many uses.

So, if you are waiting for a greenhouse to start, wait no more. Most of the plants will be ok without it and you can “get your feet wet” before you make any big investments. After all, you want hydroponics to be a good experience and not a big mistake. It’s not my advice to be cheap, but it’s an option. Also, you can save that money to invest in a good book, special seeds or high end nutrient solutions.

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When To Start

How about today? In almost ten years of doing hydroponics, I have met a lot people, some of them very excited about hydroponic system. We talk for hours about the way it works, the potential, the ways we can do it and a lot of stuff.

I have friends from way back, still very excited about hydroponics. The curious thing is that some of them are still “studying” and “preparing” to have a “perfect” start. Well, I can tell you something about the “perfect moment”. In my experience, is the perfect way to never start anything; you see, when you want something, you do what you have to do to accomplish whatever it is that you want. It doesn’t matter if you are not “totally ready”; as the commercial says you “just do it”.

Waiting for the perfect time to start is the way for never doing anything

If you want an excuse, you will find it, basically because nothing is perfect. No matter how good you are, there will always be room for improvement. What you did before, you can do better. So, if you want to build a hydroponic garden in your backyard but you are waiting for the “perfect time”, you will find the way to stay there forever.

Not to mention that technology is changing everyday. There are new materials, substrates, nutrient solutions, pumps… you name it. So, no matter how hard you study, you will always be behind the scientists that work on this stuff all the time. Hydroponics has been evolving for decades and, because of the great results, it is improving constantly.

So, if you say that “I still don’t know enough”, well, you will never know enough. Hydroponics is not only a hobby; it is a science with a lot of research going on.

If you want to build a hydroponic garden, the time is now. Maybe tomorrow or next week, but not any further. Plants take their time to grow, so you have a couple of months to get your stuff together.

Reading and watching photos on the Internet does not compare to having your own plants. When I started, I just read a book and took action. I was son excited about the potential of hydroponics that I didn’t wanted to wait. Yes, I made a lot of mistakes, but learned more in a few weeks of practice than in several months of reading.

If you want a hydroponic system, start today. Maybe tomorrow. Don’t wait for the “perfect moment” or you will wait forever.

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Is Really That Easy?

When I started in hydroponics, I found a lot of people interested, but just a few of them decided to go along and actually make something. Most of them just said that it was too complicated and left it like that.

Over the years, I have found a lot of people that like hydroponics but think is too difficult, something like a rocket science thing. However, making your own hydroponic system is really easy, if you know a couple o basic things.

So… if it’s really that easy, why are those people on forums and communities talking about strange things and funny words? Well, hydroponics can get very complicated. Right now, hydroponic production is more a science than a hobby and there are several very serious studies about many aspects of it.

Hydroponics can be as easy or as hard ar you want it to be

However, hydroponics can get as hard as you want them to be. If you have a basic system, hydroponics are really easy. There is no need for complex machinery, timers or fancy nutrient solutions. Although you will have better results with state of the art equipment, most of the time you can live with the difference.

With a couple of hours of reading and a few experiments, you will have healthy plants that can give you fresh vegetables on a steady basis. Hydroponics can be set in almost any space you can get in your house very easily.

There are hundreds of materials, some of them made specially for hydroponic use and some of them for other things, but they work just as well. The best low cost manual is How To Hydroponics, that covers almost everything you will need in a basic form in only 102 pages, so, how hard can it be?

The better way to do this is to try it. You can buy a ready to go hydroponic system and see how it works. If you like it, you can then turn your house into a hydroponic greenhouse. Not only it will look very nice and give you fresh vegetables for years to come, but you will also have a cooler house and with a nice natural smell.

Not bad for an easy technique, right? Anyway, if you are thinking about hydroponics, don’t think it too much. Better to get your hands dirty right away that wait for the next season.

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DIY Hydroponics

Since I started with hydroponics, several years ago, a lot has changed. There are new systems, equipments and information to make your hydroponic venture a happy one. As for me, I stick to the basics, specially with “do it yourself systems”. After all, buying a hydroponic system and setting it up is very easy, but what’s the fun in that?

There is nothing wrong in buying a ready to go system; you can just as well have a great start without the problems associated with the hydroponic system as a whole, but there are certain advantages of getting your hands dirty.

Learning. This is probably the most important. When you buy your “plug and play” hydroponic system, there is really nothing to learn; you just follow the instructions and you will be fine, but when you do your own system, you have to learn at least the basics for everything to work.

Control. A commercial system needs space, power and maybe a certain layout. When you do things by yourself, you decide what you want to do to fit your house, garden, space or whatever place you want to use. If you have enough room, there is no problem, but if you live in the city, space can be a headache.

Cost. No need to elaborate on this. If you do your hydroponic system by yourself, you can save more than 50% the cost of a commercial one. At least, that will be so for many kind of hydroponic systems.

Fun! Well, that’s just me. I have always been a DIY kind of guy. I had to do many things by myself to save money or because I could not avoid it. If you like using your hands, making your own hydroponic system is fun and relaxing.

So, if you are thinking about a hydroponic garden, consider making your own. There are thousands of ideas and materials, so, in this case, the sky is really the limit.

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