Before You Start Your Indoor Garden
1. Always test your water before you start. pH and TDS (total dissolved solids) meters will let you know what kind of water you are working with and what needs to be done to it. (filter or ph adjustments)
2. Most plants will need their medium (what the plant is growing in) and water to be in the 5.5-7.0 range.
3. If your tap water is above 300 ppm (parts per million) this might be a sign of hardwater or polluted water. You might want to consider a reverse osmosis filter or using distilled water.
4. Make sure to assess your gardening space before you decide on what technique to use. Do you have easy access to water, or a place to drain water? Is there a way to assure proper ventilation? If something floods will it be costly? Is there enough space to work in? Are there enough electrical outlets? How high are your ceilings? (plants cant be to close to the grow lights) Knowing these things will help you set up the proper system that fits your needs.
5. If you are growing indoors you will need to seal the room with a reflective material to maximize the light available to plants. Cover the floors as well if you don't want to get the floors wet or dirty.
6. Setting up all ventilation and electrical should be done first before anything.
7. Hanging lights with ceiling hooks and light pulleys will allow you to raise and lower lights as you please.
8. Inline fans and oscillating fans are recommended for proper circulation and ventilation.
9. Humidity must never be allowed to go over 60%, this promotes mold and will reek havoc on an indoor garden. Ideally 40% humidity is where your environment should be but as long as its not over 60% plants will be fine. Humidity gauges are a must. Proper ventilation will help with humidity but in some cases a dehumidifier will have to be used.
10. Temperatures can range anywhere from 50-90 degrees but ideal temps for most plants will be 65-80 degrees.
2. Most plants will need their medium (what the plant is growing in) and water to be in the 5.5-7.0 range.
3. If your tap water is above 300 ppm (parts per million) this might be a sign of hardwater or polluted water. You might want to consider a reverse osmosis filter or using distilled water.
4. Make sure to assess your gardening space before you decide on what technique to use. Do you have easy access to water, or a place to drain water? Is there a way to assure proper ventilation? If something floods will it be costly? Is there enough space to work in? Are there enough electrical outlets? How high are your ceilings? (plants cant be to close to the grow lights) Knowing these things will help you set up the proper system that fits your needs.
5. If you are growing indoors you will need to seal the room with a reflective material to maximize the light available to plants. Cover the floors as well if you don't want to get the floors wet or dirty.
6. Setting up all ventilation and electrical should be done first before anything.
7. Hanging lights with ceiling hooks and light pulleys will allow you to raise and lower lights as you please.
8. Inline fans and oscillating fans are recommended for proper circulation and ventilation.
9. Humidity must never be allowed to go over 60%, this promotes mold and will reek havoc on an indoor garden. Ideally 40% humidity is where your environment should be but as long as its not over 60% plants will be fine. Humidity gauges are a must. Proper ventilation will help with humidity but in some cases a dehumidifier will have to be used.
10. Temperatures can range anywhere from 50-90 degrees but ideal temps for most plants will be 65-80 degrees.
Common Mistakes
1. Most common mistake for beginners are that the put their lights to close to the plants. Some grow lights give off a lot of heat and plants cannot develop properly when exposed to high temperatures. A good rule of thumb is holding your hand under the light and if you can feel the heat on your hand it's too close.
2. Next biggest mistake is over feeding and overwatering. Overzealous, novice gardeners tend to drown or burn their crops with too frequent of waterings or over-fertilizing. Both will severly stunt growth and in some cases even kill the plant. With ferilizers, it's important to start with 1/4 strengh of directed use and move up from there, depending on how your plants react. Crispy/discolored leaf edges will appear if fertilizer is too strong. If this happens plants should be flushed with plain water or a clearing agent before nutient burn progresses. Overwatering usually happens in soil grows without proper drainage. The overwatering does not allow the plants roots to get enough oxygen, essentially drowning them. This is not a problem in hydroponic gardening because of good drainage and the use of aerated water. Overwatered plants displays signs of droopy curled leaves, stunted growth and a crispy look and feel to the leaves.
3. Another common mistake made by novice growers is poor climate control. Air circulation, temperature and humidity control is key to maintaining a healthy garden. Too high/low temperatures will stunt growth, poor air circulation and high humidity promotes mold and pest infestation. Ideally you want your humidity around 40% your temperature around 75 degrees and your air circulation steady. Temperature can be allowed to fluctuate(50-90) but air circulation and humidity should remain constant especially during flowering/fruiting stage.
1. Most common mistake for beginners are that the put their lights to close to the plants. Some grow lights give off a lot of heat and plants cannot develop properly when exposed to high temperatures. A good rule of thumb is holding your hand under the light and if you can feel the heat on your hand it's too close.
2. Next biggest mistake is over feeding and overwatering. Overzealous, novice gardeners tend to drown or burn their crops with too frequent of waterings or over-fertilizing. Both will severly stunt growth and in some cases even kill the plant. With ferilizers, it's important to start with 1/4 strengh of directed use and move up from there, depending on how your plants react. Crispy/discolored leaf edges will appear if fertilizer is too strong. If this happens plants should be flushed with plain water or a clearing agent before nutient burn progresses. Overwatering usually happens in soil grows without proper drainage. The overwatering does not allow the plants roots to get enough oxygen, essentially drowning them. This is not a problem in hydroponic gardening because of good drainage and the use of aerated water. Overwatered plants displays signs of droopy curled leaves, stunted growth and a crispy look and feel to the leaves.
3. Another common mistake made by novice growers is poor climate control. Air circulation, temperature and humidity control is key to maintaining a healthy garden. Too high/low temperatures will stunt growth, poor air circulation and high humidity promotes mold and pest infestation. Ideally you want your humidity around 40% your temperature around 75 degrees and your air circulation steady. Temperature can be allowed to fluctuate(50-90) but air circulation and humidity should remain constant especially during flowering/fruiting stage.