Easy Hydroponics

Learn to make your own homemade hydroponics system to grow virtually any plant, vegetable and fruit without soil.

General Hydroponics:

• History of Hydroponics Growing
• Introduction to Hydroponic Farming
• Hydroponic Supplies 101
• Effects of Hydroponics on Vegetables
• Overview of Six Growth Systems
• Common Hydroponic Nutrients
• Types of Hydroponic Growth Media

Hydroponic Systems:

• Basic Concepts of Home Hydroponics
• Advantages of Major Growing Systems
• Finding the Best Hydroponic Systems
• Are Cheap Systems Worth It?
• Hydroponic System Buyer's Guide
• How to Save Money on Systems
• Pros & Cons of Ebb and Flow
• Hydroponics Drip Versus Ebb and Flow
• Advantages of Vertical Systems
• Lunar and Mars Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponics Growing:

• Hydroponic Tomatoes
• Hydroponic Lettuce
• Hydroponic Strawberries
• The Hydroponic Strawberry Revolution
• Pros & Cons of Strawberry Systems
• How to Build a System for Strawberries
• More Tips for Strawberries
• Using Hydroponics Year-Round?
• Florida's Hydroponic Strawberries
• How to Clone Plants with Hydroponics

Homemade Hydroponics:

• Why Homemade Hydroponics?
• Pros and Cons of Home Systems
• Making A Simple Hydroponics System
• 5 Free Hydroponic System Plans
• Building A Bottle Hydroponics System
• Make a 5 Gal Pail Hydroponic System
• A Build Using Hydroponic Planters
• 5 Steps to Building from Scratch
• What is The Cheapest System?
• 3 More Tips To Building Your System
• Building a Raft Hydroponic System
• The Beauty of DIY Hydroponics
• How to Build an Aeroponic System

Hydroponic Lights:

• Introduction to Grow Lights
• Types of Hydroponic Lighting
• Choosing the Right Hydroponic Lights
• Assessing Minimum Amounts of Light
• How to Maximize Light Efficiency
• Metal Halide Hydroponics Lighting
• Fluorescent versus HID Systems
• 5 Types of HID Hydroponic Lights
• Hydroponic LED Lighting
• Hydro Farm Hydroponics Grow Lights
• Importance of Color Temperatures
• Setting Light Timing Schedules
• Hydroponic Grow Lights Safety

PVC Hydroponics:

• PVC Hydroponics FAQ
• Hydroponics and PVC Pipe Tubes
• Advantages of Using PVC
• Using PVC in a Dutch Pot System
• How to Build PVC Pipe Hydroponics
• How to Build a PVC Hydroponic Tree

Hydroponics System Buy Guide

It's often difficult to make the best hydroponics system buy because there are far more products out there than we can handle reviewing. Getting the right system depends on several factors and I'm going to try and help you out in making your choice in the following hydroponics system buy guide.

I know how difficult shopping for hydroponics is and I remember how confused I was at first when I was faced with the numerous options available. There are literally hundreds of different hydroponics systems out there for sale, so how do you get to choose the best one? I'm going to provide you with a couple of tips that can make your hydroponics system buy session a bit easier to handle and I'm also going to recommend a few shops and products that I found particularly great to work with.

The price range on a hydroponic system can vary so much it's quite shocking. You can get a smaller system for as little as $80-90, whereas some indoor hydroponic grow box systems can go up to around $3,000! The difference is not always justifiable and unless money is really not an issue for you, I would recommend against buying such an expensive system, only to gain a few more millimeters in your plant's height. But if you're really looking for a wider range of products at such a huge price gap, there are online stores out there that make it relatively easy to compare.

You might be tempted to buy a hydroponics system that's more expensive, because you'll think it gives you a better environment to grow your plants in. Although that might be the case sometimes, it's not a general rule. A lot of plants that do very well in a particular system will not have a spectacular growth in another one, despite the latter being more expensive.

For example, strawberries, who are very keen on large amounts of water, will do better in an ebb and flow system than they will in an aeroponic one. You should first find the type of system that suits the plant you're growing best, then go for a store that gives you several options to choose from, such asone dedicated to online hydroponics purchases.

Also pay attention to the grow lights that come with your hydroponics system buy. Sometimes it's the lights that make up most of the price and in order to cut down costs, companies sell poor systems with good lights, boasting on the back of the quality lighting system to make you overlook the shortcomings of the system itself. If you have an option, I would say you're better off buying the hydroponic grow light system separately.

If possible, try getting a lighting fixture that allows you to operate both a metal halide lamp and a high pressure sodium one. Metal halide lamps are great for the growing period of the plant whereas high pressure sodium is best during the plant's flowering.

A system that allows you to switch between these two types of lights when needed is incredibly effective, although they usually come at a higher price.