Need an explanation...!:o

[Powder Puff]

Could anyone give me an explanation how hydroponics work? (not to complex)

I'm would really like to start on something like a hydro setup!

Powder Puff Reviewed by Powder Puff on 12-20-2005. Need an explanation...!:o Could anyone give me an explanation how hydroponics work? (not to complex:o) I'm would really like to start on something like a hydro setup!:) Rating: 5

[Herbus]

Hi PP,

Hydro is just soilless growing you are simply eliminating the nutrients normally found in soil and replacing it with an inert (containing no plant food) medium and watering with a solution which each time given is giving all of the nessesary stuff to your plants roots. (some sentence huh) I personally use gravel in a net pot. I just plant my clone or seedling in the gravel and then flood the gravel with nutrient solution once every six hours.

How hydroponics works is unfortuanely technical but you don't need to know all of that to grow hydroponically. The key to hydro is the nutrient solution containing all of the elements normally found in soil. The biggest problem is the all of these nutrients must in be in solution at the same time and since some of these nutrients are chemical binders for others of these nutrients sometimes you can run into nutrient lockout. (especially if your PH is over 7.4) In soil the soil holds much of the nutrients and releases these to the added water from your watering can as needed. This is why so many new hydro folks have problems. Soil by nature acts as a buffer for all of the screw ups that occur during a grow. In hydro if your nutrient solution is incorrect then your crop will not thrive. In soil even if your nutrients are out of wack you may not even notice it in you plants. In no way should this discourage anyone from growing hydroponically as once you get it it is in my opinion much easier and more satisfying then any soil grow.

I hope this helps,

H

[Powder Puff]

Thanks!

I just don't want to start on something like this, when I don't understand it!

Seeing that I'm on my first grow, so didn't want it to get tooo complex!

[muffinmanlow]

i'm a soil man, ooh yeah, i'm not a newbie to growing, but i am to hydroponics, my question is, can you mix the nutrients thats for soil and use it in an hydroponics setup, or do you have to get special ferts for hydroponics, cause the nutrients that i have you have to mix it with the water before you can send it to the plant......

i have been growing for 2 years so far, but this is my first time at hydroponics, i'll show you pics of my setup made it my self this thing is sweet

[Herbus]

As long as it is relatively water soluable. But for best results you should use a formula specifically made for water culture.

Herbus

[muffinmanlow]

i was planing to start veg in soil then move them to ponics in flowering. thanks for the help i'll put some pics up of the setup i made from scrap

[Zandor]

If you start them in dirt then you can't remove them and transplant it to Hydro. Not only is there a certin bacteria in dirt that is not good in hydro you can't transplant them with out stress to the plant or worse.

If you start in dirt then you must finish in dirt.

The idea of growing Hydroponics is soil less gardening.