Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics. If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you. Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results.
1.    Location
The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great results you should make sure that the temperature from the room is not too high, nor too low, that there is enough light for the plants to prepare their food and that no wind or extreme weather conditions will reach them. Also, make sure that no harming chemical substances can get inside the water as this means death for both your fish and your plants.
2.    Oxygenizing the water
The happier your fish are, the better your system will work! This is why you need to oxygenize the water on a daily basis and make sure your fish have all the “comfort” they need.
3.    Choosing your fish accordingly
The aquaponic system works well with almost all types of fish. Yet, there are states in which you are not allowed to grow whatever type of fish you want, so you will want to see what types of fish you are allowed to have before starting your aquaponic system as you do not want any problems with the law.
4.    Placing the pots
In order to make the harvest much easier, you should place the pots or the entire system at your waits level. This way you will not have to bend over, making the daily care routine a much easier activity.
5.    Adding additives
There are cases in which your fish may not provide all the nutrients needed for your plants. If the quantity is lower than what the plants need, then you will have to supply them with the respective substances. In most cases you will need to add iron, calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.
Aquaponics is an easy activity which will provide you with the necessary vegetables and fish in a short amount of time. Just follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great success in your attempt to grow organic food in your home.

The urban gardener asked:


The most widely-spread growing medium is, perhaps, rockwool. Originally used for insulation purposes and also known as mineral insulation, rockwool was first used as growing medium by Dane gardeners. Now, it is frequently used for drip-style indoor gardens around the globe.

Rockwool is produced by a process similar to making cotton candy: a particular mixture of sand and rock is melted and then turned into fibers by spinning the mixture to form products of multiple shapes and dimensions, from 1″ starter cubes and up to large slabs of  3″x12″x36″ in size. The variety of available forms and sizes turns rockwool into one of the most widely-used growing mediums.

Key advantages, as well as disadvantages, of this popular growing medium are listed below.

Rockwool’s Strong Points

HOLDING WATeR – rockwool as a growing medium in hydroponics systems is capable of holding a large amount of water. This creates an additional protection for situations, when water is not supplied because of power outages or failures in pumping or other gardening equipment.

ACCUMULATING AIR – up to 18 % of air are constantly kept by rockwool. Due to this capability, there is a very little risk to over water rockwool; besides, the plants are always supplied with enough amount of oxygen.

MULTIPLE SHAPES AND SIZES AVAILABLE – whether it is a small 1″ cube for seeds propagation or a large 3x12x36 inches slab for huge plant, rockwool offers a wide variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. Besides, loose rockwool is also available, designed for filling different plant containers.

NO DUST AND EASY TO USE – since rockwool maintains its form almost perfectly, it cannot be scattered accidentally. Besides, usually packed into plastic rockwool is a very clean material that is easy and comfortable to work with.

Rockwool’s Weak Points

NOT A “GREEN” MATERIAL – rockwool is claimed to be not environment-friendly material, because of its almost indefinite time of breakdown.

HEALTH HAZARDS – rockwool particles and fibers pose serious health danger, especially for human lungs. That is why it is necessary to wear a protective dust mask, while working with rockwoll.

pH PROBLEMS – because of rockwool’s high pH level, it is necessary to balance pH level in the nutrient solution properly and make it suitable for the plants, you are growing. In general, the use of rockwool requires more routine work to keep pH level of your nutrient solution at steady level.

LONG PRE-SOAK PERIOD – before rockwool can be used in the hydroponic system, it should be soaked for at least 24 hours beforehand. Other growing media usually do not require pre-soaking, it is enough just to well-water them.

Organic Gardener asked:


Perfect soil

What is the function of soil in our yards and gardens? Simply put, soil provides plants with mineral nutrients, water and anchorage. The basic types of soil are clay, sand, and silt. The percentage of each determines whether you have sandy clay loam, silt, loam, etc.  There are so many variables that affect soil that your yard may have a different soil type than the one across the street.

Some soil properties that are influenced by the texture of soil include aeration, drainage, water holding capacity and temperature. For example, sandy soil has excellent aeration, warms quickly in spring and has a low water-holding capacity. The exact opposite is true for clay. It has poor aeration, warms slowly, and has high water-holding capacity.

Here are the four major components of soil:

The solid portion, or rocks and minerals Decaying organic matter, microorganisms, living or dead plants and other organic matter Liquid Soil air

 

Amounts of each of these components determine whether or not plants will grow and thrive in the soil. Ideal or perfect soil consists of 25% air, 25% water, 40% mineral matter and 10% organic matter. As you already know, this never happens!

However, what we do to improve our soil will affect our plants.

You can re-mineralize your soil by adding Minerals Plus or Texas Greensand. You can increase organic matter by adding a good organic compost. This also increases earthworm activity and beneficial bacterial growth.  Spray-N-Grow increases microbial activity that helps keep air and water moving in the soil. To find out more about your soil, use the Sunleaves Three Way Meter.  It allows you to test your soil for pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and will give you immediate results.

Naturally, some soil needs more work than others, but with a little work and some good organic garden products, you can pretend that your soil is perfect! All of the gardening products listed in this article can be purchased from Spray-N-Grow.  

The urban gardener asked:


“Ebb and flow” hydroponics system is an example of the common arrangement of the indoor garden. Such system is composed of the upper grow bed, which is a box or tray that holds containers with plants. Those individual containers may be filled with various mediums, the most frequently used ones being rockwool, coconut fiber, lava rock, perlite, vermiculite or styrofoam pellets. The best mediums are those that are porous and can accumulate some water for a long time: lava rock is said to be the best in this respect.

The other part of the hydroponic system is the lower bed – the reservoir with the mix of water and nutrients dissolved in it.  Aquarium pump, regularly triggered by a timer, sends water solution up into the tray with plants.

The most important thing is to keep the correct composition of water solution in the reservoir – this is the key factor of the hydroponic garden flourishing. Many beginners find it difficult to maintain the right pH level of the water, necessary amount of nutrients, and their correct ratio. 

Standard organic plant nutrients are available to fertilize plants; however, many people are reluctant to do that, as they think such fertilizers will quickly make the water reservoir dirty. Indeed, organic nutrients interact with the organisms in water, which leads to their decomposition. Specialized concentrated nutrients, on the other hand, keep the reservoir relatively clean, since they are synthetically made and thus they cannot interact with the organisms in water. Nonetheless, such “clean” fertilizers will severely burn the plants roots if used in access.

Being pumped into the grow bed, water with a fertilizer saturates the plants and returns to the reservoir lacking the previous amount of nutrients and ppm (parts per million). Thus, its composition is always different and changeable. That is why a gardener should always monitor water solution, controlling its pH level and plant nutrients amount.

The urban gardener asked:


 

Along with water, hydroponics plant nutrients, CO2 and oxygen, grow lights is the key basic component, required by plants to live. Providing additional light is necessary for indoor gardening. Furthermore, light should resemble the sunlight as much as possible. The major concern with other types of lights is that they do not produce light in the appropriate spectrum, required by plants.

Being the most efficient bulbs, HPS bulbs are commonly used by gardeners. Producing light in red and yellow spectrum, light generated by high pressure sodium lamps resembles the natural sunlight during autumn. Due to this peculiarity, HPS light is the best for promoting plants blooming. However, some plants may react negatively to this type of light, growing with oblong stem, etc. To address that issue, new HPS bulbs with color correction have been developed. For example, Son Argo feature properly balanced light spectrum, which suits perfectly for the needs of indoor gardening.

High pressure sodium grow lamps are made of a semi-transparent ceramic arc tube, filled with a mixture of sodium, mercury, and xenon. The arc tube is placed into the protective outer glass shield, similarly to metal halide bulbs. The power ranges of HPS bulbs vary from 35w to 1000w, while the most popular are 250w, 400w, 600w and 1000w.

HPS bulbs are more durable in comparison with MH bulbs: they can be replaced once every 24 months. Though HPS grow lights lose their brightness slowly, in order to keep the brightness at the steady level, it is still recommended to replace the bulb within the specified period.

Among the brand new types of grow lights are sulfur lights, which are said to feature extremely high brightness and effectiveness. However, these bulbs are still rare on the market in view of the high price, so it is early to evaluate their practical value for those gardeners, for whom indoor hydroponics growing remains a hobby.

The urban gardener asked:


Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Systems

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as described in the previous paragraphs is one of the most important elements needed for plant growth. CO2 is combined with nutrients, water and energy from light (grow lights/ sunlight) is utilized during photosynthesis producing essential sugars that provide energy for the plant. Any factor missing needed for photosynthesis will limit the plants growth potential. In order for a plant to grow to its utmost potential and for it to yield the best results all of the elements must be present. 

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Injectors

One of the most cost effective way of adding CO2 to an indoor hydroponic garden system is with the use of CO2 injectors. A valve, regulator and gauge are used to measure CO2 levels injected to the air. Sophisticated CO2 injectors are also used to control CO2 release. CO2 tanks are readily available from medical supply outlets and restaurant supply stores.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Generators

Investing in CO2 generators would also be wise for long time use in your indoor hydroponic garden systems for several crops. CO2 generators burn propane, natural gas or other carbon based fuels to produce carbon dioxide. More expensive than CO2 tanks, they provide a more convenient way of producing CO2. Long period and continuous use of CO2 generators has proven to be more efficient and economical than purchasing injectors and many tanks.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitors and Controllers

CO2 monitors with controllers automatically maintain indoor hydroponic garden systems CO2 levels. It is advised for large-scale gardeners or hobbyists and enthusiasts with that extra cash to invest. Often in the hundreds of dollars, they are quite expensive but are really effective if you can afford it. An electronic CO2 monitor together with a CO2 controller are used to maintain CO2 levels. Monitors could be sold separately and can be used with various types of controllers giving room for flexible indoor hydroponic garden designs. 

Water

Water quantity requirements vary according to the type of indoor hydroponic garden system. Adequate levels of water should be maintained whatever type of indoor hydroponic garden system used. Water deficiency even if reversed and corrected cause permanent loss in production.

Not only the amount of water but also quality of water is important. Poor quality also causes serious problems for any indoor hydroponic garden system. The use of tap water can affect the nutrient balance in hydroponic nutrients solutions. Tap water naturally contains mineral and salts. Often referred to as “hard water,” tap water is offset by constant monitoring and adjusting nutrient solution. Salt content should always be kept below 325 ppm (parts per million) whenever possible.

Temperature

 

Temperature is a gauge for optimum production for every plant. When plants are exposed to extreme ranges of temperature, stunted growth and poor fruit yields are the result. Plants have specific temperature ranges for their ideal growth. Warm-season vegetables and most types of flowers have 18o C and 260 C as an ideal temperature range. Cooler season vegetables like lettuces have a 10o C to 18o C range.

The urban gardener asked:


Soil less Mixtures

There is a great amount of soil less mixtures available, which contain different ingredients. Sphagnum moss, perlite, and vermiculite are the most widely spread hydroponics components, used in such mixtures.

Being organic, soil less growing media are usually used for container gardening wick systems or on-recovery drip systems. It is also possible to use soil less mixtures in recovery systems, however, it is necessary to remember that because of very fine particles in such mixtures, they can clog tubes, pumps and drip emitters, when used without a good filtration system. By the way, according to the urban gardeners, one can use panty hose as a filter: just fit it to the return line and to the pump inlet, and all the tiny particles will be filtered out.

Most soil less mixes form a good growing medium for multiple hydroponic and organic gardens, because they can hold water well, have great wicking action, and, at the same time, they provide a reasonable amount of air to the roots of growing plants.

 

Coconut Fiber

The popularity of coconut fiber as growing medium increases rapidly around the world. Being the first totally organic growing medium, providing highest performance for hydroponic systems, coconut fiber may soon become the most popular growing medium ever. It is interesting to note that coconut fiber is, actually, a waste product, which contains the powdered husks of coconuts.

In comparison to rockwool, coconut fiber is characterized with higher oxygen capacity and water retaining. These features are important advantages for hydroponic systems with intermittent watering cycles.

Coconut fiber also contains a lot of root stimulating hormones, thus offering some protection against fungus infestation and other root diseases. The mixture of 50% coconut fiber and 50% expanded clay pellets is considered to be the perfect growing medium.

However, it is necessary to underline one precaution when buying coconut fiber. Avoid purchasing a low grade coconut fiber, which is very fine grained and contains a high level of sea-salts. Such coconut fiber will have negative and disappointing effect on hydroponic system.

The urban gardener asked:


Complete freedom from environmental factors gives indoor hydroponic gardening its ultimate advantage. All the elements needed for optimum plant growth are provided by the indoor hydroponic gardening system. Light, temperature, pH, CO2 and Oxygen are important factors that should be considered in planning your indoor hydroponic garden system.

 Light and Photosynthesis

 Essential sugars are created by plants through photosynthesis which is the process of converting carbon dioxide, water and nutrients into energy. Light is considered the most important factor because it provides energy for this chemical reaction. Studies show that an increase in light intensity directly increases the amount of sugar produced. This steadily goes up till the saturation point for light is reached by the plant. Increasing the level of light received by the plant should also be considered. Normally, a plant receives around 8-12 hours of sunlight in a day depending on the season. Plant exposure to this amount of light received in a day should be maintained in an indoor hydroponic garden system. Spacing is also important, be sure that they don’t block the light and ensure all plants received equal amount of light.

Plants not receiving enough grow light will have lasting negative effects on its growth even when corrected. Some characteristics are stems which are spindly and elongated leaving them ineffective in supporting plant growth. A decrease in the amount and size of the leaves is also one problem. More damaging effects of improper lighting are a decrease or absence of fruits, decreased overall quality and a change into a yellowish pigmentation for the plant.

Carbon Dioxide also plays a major role in Photosynthesis. Plants utilize the CO2 present in the atmosphere than anything else. CO2 systems are available which increase the levels of CO2 in your indoor hydroponic garden system

Good ventilation should also be considered as they maintain temperature and a steady fresh supply of CO2 and oxygen at all times. Complex setups require more complicated ventilation systems but an oscillating fan set on the same timer as the lights would ensure airflow that eventually allows for optimal plant nutrients in an hydroponic system.

How toHerb Garden Team asked:


Stop! Before you take the shovel, before you plant a single herb. Stop to consider why you want an herb garden. What are your intentions for planting these marvelous plants?

Are you planning on using them both fresh and dried for culinary purposes — to add to your meals to enhance the flavors? Are you planning on making flavored oils or vinegars to present to friends and family members as gifts (while keeping a couple stashed for yourself?)

Or have you discovered the many natural health benefits of herbs and would like to grow your own to brew teas, infusions, pastes to use to help your minor health conditions?

Oh, yes, it does matter! First, you may be planting totally different plants if your aim is to embolden your entrees than to empower your health.

Here are just a few of the different “classes” of herbs, each used for a different reason”

Culinary herbs — sometimes referred to as sweet herbs – are those plants, whether they be annual, biennial or perennial, that have tender roots or ripe seeds. They also possess an aromatic flavor (yes, they smell darned good!) and they have a great flavor.

Medicinal herbs are grown with the intent of eventual use to remedy specific health conditions, from serious heart related problems or the pain of arthritis to loss of energy or memory.

Ornamental herbs. Just as the name implies, these herbs are grown with the intent of pure enjoy. They’re cherished for their beauty.

Then there are the herbs that are grown in order to enjoy a great cup of tea. And believe it or not, there are gorgeous, imaginatively designed gardens, grown for this express purpose.

The herbs you ultimately grow depend on large part, which class of herbs you want.

How to Herb Garden team http://howtoherbgarden.bytinet.com Information for Successful Herb Gardening

The urban gardener asked:


Hydroponics implies growing of the plants without soil; however, they still need medium to grow in. Hydroponics stores online or local ones offer a wide range of mediums to choose from, and it is better to know them to make the optimal choice.

Different Types of Growing Mediums

Although almost any substances can more or less serve as the growing medium, the most popular are those named below:

- Water / Air / Sand / Gravel

- Vermiculite / Perlite

 - Lava Rock

 - Sphagum Moss / Sawdust

 - Expanded clay pellets

 - Oasis Cubes

 - Coconut Fiber

 - Fiberglass Insulation

 - Proprietary Soilless Mix

 - Rockwool

Although rockwool is the last in the list, it can definitely be named the most popular growing medium among hydroponics gardeners, because it is easy and cozy to use.

Rockwool was initially used as insulation material in building. However, hydroponic gardeners in Denmark were the first to discover its advantages when used as a growing medium. Nowadays, rockwool is highly valued and commercially available in the forms of rockwool cubes and rockwool plugs. To produce rockwool stone and sand are melted together and then spun into various shapes and sizes, which sounds similar to the production of cotton candy.

Rockwool Advantages

Rockwool cubes (sized 36” by 12” by 3”) are very convenient to use, because they can be easily cut to a shape matching your needs. This material perfectly holds water and air, being very porous. Therefore, the roots of the plants will be protected both from rotting and drying out in case of the pump malfunction or other event long enough for you to be able to correct the situation.

 

The granules of the rockwool plugs keep together well and are not less easy to use.

Precautions

Unfortunately, rockwool has weakpoints as well, besides the benefits mentioned above. It can hardly be called environmentally friendly, as it is made of rock and thus does not bio-degrade, requiring some efforts to eliminate it. Moreover, it can be dangerous for the human health, causing silicosis if accidentally inhaled. For this reason, it is recommended to wear a face mask with a HEPA filter and handle rockwool carefully. 

One more thing, a gardener should keep in mind while using rockwool, is that this material has a very high pH level, which should be reduced with available acidic substances and regularly checked.

In spite of the rockwool cons, it is still so easy and comfortable to use that it remains the most popular growing medium type among the hydroponics gardeners. The only thing to do is to take necessary precautions while working with it.