Summer Growing Tips for the Hydroponic Garden

Hydroponics in Summer

Summer is synonymous with rising temperatures, which is the primary concern for most gardeners. Although most hydroponic gardens are indoors, excessive heat can still pose a problem. Summer brings with it other plant problems involving water and nutrient uptake, insect attacks, air circulation, etc. Gardening in summer requires you to check that your plants are growing properly and are not experiencing distress.

Tips for Growing Plants in Summer

Here are some tips to make your plants comfortable in summer and ensure their active growth using hydroponics:

Space: In summer, you may feel the need to bring your plants indoors especially if they are sensitive to the high temperatures. When growing plants indoors, it is better to invest in a grow room, which has been designed and tested to accommodate plants in an indoor setting without compromising on their growth.

Heat: It is important to keep track of the temperature in your garden to ensure that your plants are not subjected to excessive heat. The temperature in the garden should vary from 70 to 80 ˚F and night temperatures should be a few degrees lower than daytime temperatures. For indoor gardens, light cooling kits can reduce the amount of heat produced by grow lights and thus keep grow room temperatures down.

Air circulation: Proper air supply is essential to keeping plants healthy. An oscillating fan; is a good option to ensure adequate air circulation in the garden. Oscillating fans are easily mounted on walls and their blades distribute a cooling breeze throughout the room. Other air circulation options are Active Air blowers and axial fans.

Pests: Summer is boom time for insects. This is the season for them to breed and thrive by feeding on plants. There are many pest control products that can keep your garden pest-free. Some of the pest control products available are sticky traps, diatomaceous earth, insecticidal soaps, etc.

It is important for you to monitor your plants’ health and growth progress. The only way to do this is to examine them on a regular basis. A healthy plant will constantly sprout new shoots and have a nice rich color.

Indoor Grow Light Tips for the Hydroponic Garden

Lighting is one of the essential aspects of hydroponic gardening. Indoor grow lights are commonly used in hydroponics to provide lighting to plants. This is because, for an indoor garden, indoor grow lights are a suitable alternative to sunlight.

There is a wide variety of indoor grow lights available. Here are some tips to help you choose the best lighting system for your needs:

High Intensity Discharge Lights

High intensity discharge lights or HIDs are electrical lights that are highly efficient. Depending on the spectrum of light they produce, they are classified into two types, i.e. metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS). While MH lights provide light in the blue spectrum, which promotes leaf and shoot growth, HPS indoor grow lights are more suitable for flowering, as they emit red or orange light. Here are some tips to maximize the benefits of HID lights:

• Use MH lights for 18-24 hours daily to promote growth. HPS lights generally run for around 12 hours per day, to ensure optimum flowering and fruiting.

• HID lights should be positioned slightly away from the plants so that the plants are not exposed to the heat that the lights generate. Small systems (up to 250 watts) should be hung 1-2 feet away, while large lighting systems (over 1000 watts) need to be fitted at least 2 feet away from the plants. Using air cooled lights will allow you to keep the lights closer to the plant canopies thereby giving your plants a higher lumen output.

Other Light Sources

Apart from HID lights, there are many other indoor grow lights available for hydroponic gardens. Full spectrum T-5 fluorescent grow lights produce high light output and generate less heat, making them ideal for young plants and shade-loving plant varieties. Incandescent grow lights are cheap but ineffective as far as light output is concerned. A newer light source that is now available is the light emitting diode (LED) light. Although advertised as highly efficient, it has not yet been proven to outperform currently available indoor grow lights.

How to Use Hydroponic Growing Systems

Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil. It works on the principle that plant growth can be optimized by controlling the conditions of growth. Towards this end, different hydroponic growing systems have evolved to suit different growing requirements.

The choice of an appropriate hydroponic growing system depends on the type of plants, the scale of the growing unit, and the expense and time that the grower is ready to invest. Described below are some hydroponic growing systems:

Wick system. This is the most basic hydroponic growing system. It makes use of an absorbent ‘wick’ such as a nylon rope suspended between the growing medium of the plants and a reservoir of nutrient solution. The wick draws in nutrients based on how soon the plants absorb it. A suitably absorbent medium is needed for this system such as a combination of perlite with either vermiculite or coconut coir. This system can be built using simple materials at home and is ideal for hobby growers having few plants.

Reservoir system. This is another simple hydroponic growing system that is somewhat more advanced. Instead of a wick, the plant containers are directly placed in the reservoir of nutrient solution. An air pump is used to keep the nutrient solution aerated with oxygen. This system can be used with mediums having limited absorbing properties, such as volcanic chips or clay pellets combined with vermiculite. This system is inexpensive to set up and easy to maintain, but may lead to a root rot situation as the plants are always submerged in the water so much aeration is required for the reservoir full of water.

Flood and drain system. In this system, the plant container is separated from the nutrient reservoir below. A pump attached to a timer is used to periodically draw up the solution into the plant container and flood the roots before being drained out. It is important to set the flood drain cycle to suit the growing medium. Less absorbent mediums, such as clay pellets or perlite, may require flooding for 5 minutes, 10 times a day. More absorbent mediums, such as rockwool, will require less flooding. This popular hydroponic growing system is used by both hobby and professional growers. It can easily be built at home at little cost.

Drip system. In this hydroponic growing system, the nutrient solution is fed to plants from above using thin tubes. The flow is controlled using different emitters. More absorbent mediums require a slower drip as compared to less absorbent ones. This is an advanced system that can serve the needs of the serious hobby and commercial grower. It cannot be used with organic nutrients that can clog the emitters.

The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). This hydroponic growing system involves using a running thin stream of nutrient solution flowing through the plant roots. This system is good for larger growing units and can easily be set up at home. However, it is only ideal for plants with a root system that is large enough to benefit from the flowing stream.

Aeroponic system. In this hydroponics growing system, the roots of the plants grow in the air, suspended above a reservoir containing the nutrient solution. A pump is used to spray the roots through tubes with a fine mist of oxygenated solution. While it is an excellent system for advanced hydroponic gardening, it requires the most attention. Also, it requires regular maintenance. As with the drip system, it cannot be used with organic nutrients.

Setting Up Grow Lights in Hydroponics

Lighting System

Most plants require light to carry out photosynthesis, a process that enables plants to make their own food. For an outdoor garden, plants get their light quota from natural light sources like sunlight. However, in the case of an indoor garden, an artificial light source has to be provided. The best way of providing light in this case is to use grow lights.

What are grow lights?

Grow Lights are lamps that mimic outdoor lighting conditions in an indoor setting. These lights emit light in the same electromagnetic spectrum or wavelength as that emitted by sunlight. Most grow lights available emit light of a particular wavelength only since plants rely on different wavelengths at different stages of growth. For example, light in the blue spectrum promotes vegetative growth while flowering and fruiting relies on the red spectrum of light.

How are grow lights used?

Grow lights have a wide range of uses, both domestically and industrially. To maximize the efficiency of the lights though, it is necessary to install reflectors as part of the lighting system. The most commonly used reflector is a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) sheet painted white on the inner side for reflective purposes and black on the outer side to prevent fungal growth. Other reflectors used are white paint containing titanium dioxide, or special reflective substances like Mylar, Astrofoil, and Foylon.

Another way to obtain maximum light is to set-up grow lights as close as possible to the plants. The disadvantage of doing so is that the plants also receive excess heat produced by the lighting system and may get damaged by it.

What are the different types of grow lights available?

Many different types of grow lights are available. The choice of lighting system will largely depend on the lighting needs of the plant itself. The preferred systems for most plants are high intensity discharge (HID) lights like metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS) systems. Other popular lighting systems make use of incandescent, fluorescent or LED (light-emitting diode) grow lights.

Dark Room 4’11”x4’11” Grow Tent

Indoor Gardening with a Dark Room Grow Tent

Dark Room Grow Tent, Dark grow tent, hydroponic system

Indoor gardening can be a satisfying alternative for people who don’t have the resources to build an outdoor garden. The key to successful indoor gardening is to maintain the system’s equilibrium and manage the light, heat, and air circulation. One of the best options to do that is to use a Dark Room grow tent.

What is a Dark Room grow tent?

A Dark Room grow tent is used to house plants so they develop successfully in a controlled environment. Creating the ideal growing conditions requires careful monitoring of the available light and heat sources. For that reason there is a layer of thermal film on the inside of a Dark Room grow tent. The film’s most notable characteristic is that it is highly reflective, which contributes to an optimal lighting medium for the plants. In addition, it is waterproof and offers high heat insulation because of its reflective quality. As an added benefit, the film does not produce any toxic gases, and therefore, there is no risk of harming the plants.

Easy Light & Temperature Control

A Dark Room grow tent has multiple intake and exhaust ports that assist with the light and temperature control of the structure. The dual-sock design of the ports is flexible enough to work with a range of duct sizes. The ports’ configuration allows for the passage of equipment attachments from the inside and outside while guaranteeing a lightproof atmosphere. Drawstrings replace cumbersome duct clamps, thus allowing easy installation of ducting and fans.

Effective Air Circulation

To regulate the flow of air, the grow tent provides a dual-sock port where you can attach an exhaust fan on the external side of the tent. This eliminates any accidents involving the fan damaging delicate plants or producing excess heat and altering the temperature. If you are working with smaller plants that don’t require much space, consider using a Dark Room 3′11”x3′11” Grow Tent. Or, take one step up in size and check out the Dark Room 4′11”x4′11” Grow Tent.

Durable Construction

The Dark Room grow tent is strong enough to handle the effects of daily wear and tear. The ceiling poles are adjustable so you can shift the unit anytime. In addition, you can reallocate the weight distribution with no negative consequences since the poles can support the weight adjustment, especially at the center. If you’re constructing a larger garden, consider the Dark Room 9′10”x4′11” Grow Tent.

Dark Room grow tent is creating the ideal growing conditions requires careful monitoring of the available light and heat sources.

“http://www.hydroasis.com/hy/productdetail.aspx?id=1837&product=dark-room-3’11″

Dark Room 3’11”x3’11” Grow Tent

The Dark Room is the newest grow tent to the market and has several favorable attributes – easy to assemble, light weight, and highly reflective. The Dark Room also utilizes innovative, adjustable Dual-Sock Ports that enable the grower to attach equipment or ducting to both sides of the tent while maintaining a lightproof environment, and doesn’t require the use of clamps or tools.

• Highly Reflective Material
  significant increase in reflectivity for improved lighting performance
• Thermally Protected
  reflects 97% of light – somewhat insulative
• Completely Non-Toxic
  will not react under light and heat
• Light-Proof Material
  prevent light from escaping or entering for controlled light cycles
• Movable Roof Cross Members
  easily adjust lighting and accessories
• Easy Assembly and Disassembly
  includes carrying bag for portability
• Dual-Sock Ports for cords, fans, and filter attachments
  no more clamps or reducers needed!
• Solid Construction
  supports 65lbs on the cross members

FloraNectar Gal.

• Optimizes the greatest transfer of sweetness and aroma into your fruits and flowers.
• Contains all natural raw cane sugar, molasses, malt syrup, select plant based esters, L-amino acids, organic acids, polyflavonoids, vitamins and essential minrerals.
• Promotes strurdier plant structure to support heavier yields during the vegetative phase when high levels of nitrogen are present.
• Balances rate of respiration and photosynthesis to ensure optimal metabolic rates occur during flowering and fruiting when nitrogen levels have been reduced.
• fulfills the additional energy requirements of your plants throughout all phases of growth and during stressful times of transistion.

MagiCal 20 Litre

MagiCal is a highly enriched formulated blend of Magnesium and Calcium that promotes vigorous and healthy plant growth for both soil and soilless gardens. Incorporated in your regular feeding program MagiCal increases flower bud absorption and improves the nutritional quality of plants while reducing leaf chlorosis and deficiency related disorders such as blossom end rot, stem rot and tip burn.
The NPK for MagiCal is 2-0-0

SugarDaddy 20 Litre

SugarDaddy is a revolutionary plant nutrition product that supplies essential carbohydrates and all twenty amino acids in a rapidly available form which greatly enhances the fragrance and essential oil production of flowers, fruits and buds during all stages of plant growth. A unique formula, SugarDaddy provides needed stress relief during transition changes, and ensures continued rapid growth rates throughout the flowering stage as nitrogen levels in your fertilizer formulas are lowered. SugarDaddy is suitable for use in soil, soilless, and hydroponic based gardening mediums and is fully compatible for use with all Technaflora products or any premium quality soluble fertilizer.

The NPK for SugarDaddy is 0-0-0

C-M PowderGard 4 oz. sprayer

What is C-M PowderGuard? C-M PowderGuard is an OMRI-listed organic insecticide. The formulation allows CMPG to quickly control insects without the need of chemicals, toxins, or poisons. CMPG is a fine dry powder and can be mixed into a liquid solution. Both allow for easy application to homes, gardens, lawns, and agricultural settings. How does CMPG work? Mint clogs the insect’s spiracles (respiratory structures) causing the insect to suffocate and over stimulate the nervous system. Limestone helps clog the spiracles as well and abrades the exoskeleton helping the mint reach the nervous system.