Valuable Advice for Beginner Indoor Gardeners

Taking up hydroponic gardening as a hobby is something that piques the interest of many green fingered amateurs in the UK. There was a time when this particular growing method was too pricey and impractical for the home grower. These early hydroponics systems could cost many thousands of pounds, and were simply too big and bulky for most homes. Luckily, it wasn’t long before innovative companies were able to take the principles of commercial hydroponic growing and scale it down for use at home. 

It was this step that really took hydroponics into the mainstream, making it something that is much more accessible for hobbyists and home gardeners. SInce then, hydroponics has only become more and more popular over time, with more people thinking of trying it out than ever before. If it’s something you have heard of and you are convinced that it might be the right approach for you then you are probably wondering where on Earth to start. 

As with any new hobby or venture, it is always best to start with the very basics. Once you have a good understanding of the fundamentals of growing plants using hydroponics then you will quickly begin to gain confidence and before you know it you’ll be an experienced indoor gardener with a thriving set of plants you can be proud of. 

Back to basics

First things first you will need to have an understanding of what hydroponics actually is. The main difference between growing plants using hydroponics and traditional growing methods is that no soil, compost or other organic matter is used when growing plants in a hydroponic system. Instead of rooting into soil and drawing resources from it, hydroponically grown plants are rooted into an inorganic growth medium such as clay pebbles, vermiculite, or gravel. 

As they are grown in this inorganic environment it is up to the grower to supplement all of the plants’ needs in order to keep them healthy and thriving. Unless you are placing your system in a place with the ideal natural lighting conditions that means you’ll need to ensure your plants receive enough supplemental light by using a grow light. The most popular kind are LED grow lights but you can also choose something like a CFL rig if you prefer. 

As well as supplementing your plants’ light levels you will also need to ensure your plants get adequate hydroponic nutrients for their growth stage. For optimal growth plants will need a different blend of nutrients depending on whether they are focused on putting out new roots or leaves, or are getting ready to produce fruit or flowers. Luckily it is pretty simple to blend your own nutrients or you can simply buy them pre-mixed from a reputable grow shop. 

Growing your first crop

Once you have decided which system you’d like to use you will need to do more research into the kind of plants you want to grow. It’s not enough to just pick a type of vegetable, flower or herb; you need to be more specific and look into the different cultivars that are available in order to find one that will suit your needs. 

For example, if you plan on growing tomatoes you will have to decide on whether a bush, cordon or vining variety will work best. You’d also need to decide on whether you want to grow small cherry tomatoes or large beefsteak ones, and whether to go for an heirloom tomato variety or a more modern one. 

As you can imagine, there are lots of small and seemingly inconsequential decisions that will need to be made whenever you are ready to start growing, but these small choices soon add up and will have a large impact on your system and growing style. Rather than jumping straight in, make time to read up on and research any plant species or variety you want to grow, and where possible look for examples of it being grown successfully in a hydroponic system. 

The online community of indoor gardeners is huge and getting bigger all the time. Most newcomers to the hobby will find it very useful to reach out to these communities to share knowledge and useful tips and this is probably the best way to get started as a complete beginner.