Saturday 31 December 2011

CFL Light Bulbs

CFL Light BulbsCFL light bulbs are very economical and reliable. When you turn on the light switch, an electric current passes through a mixture of argon and little bit of mercury gas. This gas produces an ultraviolet light that ignites the phosphorus covering on the inside of the bulb. This is turn causes the bulb to be illuminated.

As it may be apparent now, CFL light bulbs are ideal for growing hydroponic foods since they provide the appropriate amount of light for rapid plant development. If you decide to grow plants using the hydroponic method, you can set up you indoor garden in an area where you can take good care of the plants. Additionally, if you opt to grow food in your kitchen, CFL lights bulbs are very beneficial in supply the right amount of light needed for development of plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Plants that are grown in an outdoor garden may are exposed to various risks such as inclement weather, pesticides, and animal attacks. By developing an indoor garden, all these risks are eliminated, and you can grow more healthy and strong plants. CFL lights bulbs will appropriately supply the right amount of light that is required for indoor plant cultivation. What’s more, full spectrum CFL light bulbs will make it appear as if the plants are constantly receiving sunlight, even if they are cultivated in a basement that has no window!

Full spectrum CFL light bulbs produce about 6500 kilowatts of electricity. It is also guaranteed that this amount is ample to help with rapid plant growth. The technology used in producing CFL light bulbs resembles sunlight, and these bulbs are therefore extremely useful in growing plants wherever they are sown. Besides, CFL light bulbs emit very little heat, and so your plants remain well protected from any possible harm or damage.

If you opt to grow plant through the hydroponics process, you may purchase a kit that also comprises of CFL light bulbs. You will in the lit, a user manual that will state all the necessary information on how to correctly use CFL light bulbs.

Hydroponic has acquired immense popularity, given the fact that people can so easily indulge in hobbies such and plant cultivation and gardening. Through hydroponics, one can conveniently make use of all the necessary tools that are required for growing plants and food indoors. Additionally, CFL light bulbs coming in handy not just for growing food, but they have proved to be excellent gardening tools as well. They may be used to cultivate plants and flowers indoors that will create a very beautiful ambiance inside your home.

Organic Hydroponics Gardening

Organic hydroponics is rather a straightforward process. Hydroponics itself is the method of cultivating plants without using any soil. Instead, it involves using water, and certain nutrients like nitrates, phosphorus, and sulfur. These nutrients are mixed with water and supplied to the plant for nourishment. With organic hydroponics gardening, however, the usage of nutrients involves natural ingredients natural rather than manmade chemicals. Several vegetables, fruits, and tray plants can be cultivated using the process of organic hydroponics gardening, and the results are usually very pleasing!
A good example to review would be that of growing strawberries, hydroponically, in an organic hydroponics garden. You would begin by first procuring the appropriate nutrients for this process. Strawberries usually prove difficult to grow well in water, and so it is necessary that proper research be conducted as to what steps need to be taken to ensure that the hydroponic strawberry plants flourish. Once the plant has been put in water, coconut fiber may be added as nutrient supply. One can also look around at local organic gardening shops to see if there are any items available that would help to maintain the process of the strawberry plant’s growth. Additionally, it is possible to a large variety of organic nutrients on line that one can use for cultivating the organic hydroponics strawberry plant.
Regardless of what one decides to grow in their organic hydroponics garden, one can rely on the fact that the results will be simply amazing. Moreover, the organic hydroponics gardening process is also very efficient. And what even better is the fact that since organic material is being utilized, the nutrients that are supplied to the plants can be recycled. This helps not only in lowering the cost of purchasing the necessary nutrients supplies for the plants, but there is also a considerable reduction in the impact of the waste that emanates from organic hydroponics gardening. Everybody is well aware of the importance of this fact, and thanks to all that organic hydroponics gardening affords, one can freely pursue their desire to have an indoors organics hydroponics garden, consisting of beautiful plants, fruits, or vegetables. All that is required is some research and knowledge on how to obtain the best results in plant cultivation.
Organic hydroponics gardening is especially popular, given the fact that it can be carried out anywhere indoors, regardless of how big or small the size of your home. It is also a very good option that enables one to cultivate plants in those parts of the world where there the soil available to grow food is rather scarce. 

LED Grow Lights for Hydroponics

With the progress of scientific technology, it has become possible to produce economical bright LED Grow lights which radiate the level of light which is comparable to the chlorophyll absorption limit. These are known as LED growing lights for their usefulness in indoor plant cultivation. The indoor LED grow lights are available in four different kinds. As already mentioned, they are extremely beneficial when it comes to healthy plant growth, and indoor food production through the hydroponics process. Mentioned below are main merits of LED grow lights:

  • Low cost and economical

Led grow lights are very cheap in comparison to other ordinary bulbs and consume only about six to nine watts of energy.

  • Long life and durability

Led grow lights easily last from about 12 to 18 years

  • Reduced heat wastage

Led grow lights stay warm enough to touch even after they have been used for many hours.

  • Light weight, yet strong

The common LED grow light weighs less than a pound, yet it is much less fragile than other bulbs, and they hardly pose any risk or danger to the environment.

If you are desirous about having an indoor garden, even if you are living in a place which is very cold, you can be sure that LED grow lights will it possible for you to grow a beautiful, flourishing area, where you can grow plants, fruits, vegetable, flowers, and herbs all year round.

There are three spectrums of LED grow lights that can be used to cultivate plants. These include blue, red, and a combination of both colors, and they can be used with the appropriate growth cycle of a plant. The blue light spectrum is used mainly for young seeds and vegetable, the red one is used for leafy plants, where as the combined spectrum of blue and red lights is used during the midst of plant growth cycle.

LED grow lights are a very good option indeed for growing plants indoors, especially during the months of winter. They operate by alternately turning on and off automatically, and provide and day and night like simulation.

It is advisable that before purchasing LED grow lights, that one should consider the following aspects for their own protection:

  • Be wary of any hidden costs
  • Do not make any advance payments unless you are purchasing lights from a reliable store
  • Examine the quality of the lights, the guarantee that comes with it, and be sure to purchase a licensed product.

Technological progress has indeed made it possible to avail LED grow lights for cultivating a variety of indoor plants, fruits, and vegetable, and much more! Happy Gardening!

Hydroponic Tomatoes

It might seem a bit difficult at first when you attempt to grow hydroponic tomatoes, but a little bit of time and money will reap tremendous benefits in the form of ripe, juicy, and delicious tomatoes. Hydroponics is rather a rigorous plant cultivation process, involving the usage of artificial lighting, as well as nutrients and growing media. The nutrients are supplied to the plants through a water based solution. The pH level of this solution has to be carefully monitored and maintained. The proper cultivation of tomatoes depends quite significantly on an adequate supply of water and light. But if these requirements are met, the produce is so delicious that a lot of people are more than willing to take the hydroponics route as compared to purchasing commercially available, soil grown tomatoes.

Hydroponic tomatoes require a lot of extra care and nurturing when they are first set for cultivation. Like other growing plants, tomatoes also require adequate exposure to light and darkness, and it is therefore necessary that the artificial lighting used for hydroponic tomatoes is controlled with a timer. This has its own benefit, in that you can provide some extra light to the plant during cloudy periods of the day. It is always best to place the hydroponic tomato plant in proximity to a big window. Additionally, the roots of the plants should be supplied with all the necessary nutrients it needs, like potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous etc. On the note of benefits, growing hydroponic tomatoes implies that there would be no harmful pests that come from soil. This in turn eliminates the need to spray the plant with any harmful chemicals that used to kill the pests.

As far as the nutrient solution systems are concerned, there are two kinds of them, the open or non-recovery systems, and the closed or recovery systems. With the latter, it is possible to recycle and reuse the nutrient solution, but this is not so with the open system. The closed system is therefore less costly and more economical, since it prevents the nutrients from being wasted. It may also be noted here that since the tomatoes plants imbibe the nutrient solution directly through their roots, they don’t require a lot of it for creating energy. This implies that the extra energy leads to larger plant yields. Hydroponic tomatoes that are cultivated with the appropriate proportions of nutrients, light, and water, turn out to be strong and robust, and are very tasty in quality.

Once people have had a good experience with hydroponic tomatoes, they are quite likely to grow their tomatoes, given the tremendous advantages and fun that come along with the process! Go ahead, try hydroponic tomatoes, you won’t be disappointed.

Hydroponic Plant Cloning

Since hydroponic plant cloning implies that the mother plant is going to be replicated, it is imperative that it be of superior quality. It is important therefore to consider the following when choosing a mother plant for cloning:
  • It should be well shaped, compact, dense leafed, and comprise of aesthetic features
  • It should be capable to bearing plenty of fruits and flowers
  • It should be immune from diseases and pests
  • It should grow rapidly
  • It should afford good plant cloning
The mother plant should be strong and healthy for good hydroponic plant cloning. Cuttings obtained from a weak or stressed mother plant may result in unhealthy cloning, slow growth, and low quality plant replication. It is necessary to bear in mind that the quality of the mother plant of great importance for successful hydroponic plant cloning. As a general rule of the thumb, one should only cut about 20 to 30 percent of the vegetative material from one mother plant.

Stated below is a list of supplies that will enable to successfully carry out hydroponic plant cloning:
  • A fluorescent fixture consisting of two full spectrum T5 or T12 tubes
  • Drip and seedling trays, and a plastic dome top of 1020 flat size, consisting of 32 or 72 cells.
  • Rockwool grow medium blocks, slabs, or cubes.
  • A gel based hormone rooting compound
  • A 24 volt heating or plant propagation mat.
  • An anti-stress plant agent
  • A plant root zone or root stimulator to boost the grow of the roots
  • Organic or traditional plant nutrient solution, depending on the kind of plants being cloned.
  • A thermometer or thermostat designed especially for hydroponic plant cloning
  • An adjustable timer to operate and control the fluorescent grow lights, and provide the appropriate day and night time simulation that are required in hydroponic plant cloning.
  • A single edge razor blade or a cutting scalpel
  • A spray bottle to moisten the hydroponic plant clones.
It would be a good idea to gather all of the above supplies prior to obtaining the plant cuttings. These equipments should be clean and the plant cloning space should be well bleached and sterile.
To ensure that your hydroponic plant cloning activity is successful, you can obtain your plant cutting a night prior to starting the process, and wash the Rockwool grow medium blocks with some of the nutrient solution. The Rockwool may be also be soaked in the Rockwool conditioner for about 10 hours before the plant cloning process is begun. It is important however to ensure that the level of pH is appropriate before the plant cutting s are placed into the Rockwool grow medium

Once all the necessary supplies have been gathered and the Rockwool grow medium has been well soaked, you may begin the hydroponic plant cloning process.

Hydroponic Plant Cloning

Since hydroponic plant cloning implies that the mother plant is going to be replicated, it is imperative that it be of superior quality. It is important therefore to consider the following when choosing a mother plant for cloning:
  • It should be well shaped, compact, dense leafed, and comprise of aesthetic features
  • It should be capable to bearing plenty of fruits and flowers
  • It should be immune from diseases and pests
  • It should grow rapidly
  • It should afford good plant cloning
The mother plant should be strong and healthy for good hydroponic plant cloning. Cuttings obtained from a weak or stressed mother plant may result in unhealthy cloning, slow growth, and low quality plant replication. It is necessary to bear in mind that the quality of the mother plant of great importance for successful hydroponic plant cloning. As a general rule of the thumb, one should only cut about 20 to 30 percent of the vegetative material from one mother plant.

Stated below is a list of supplies that will enable to successfully carry out hydroponic plant cloning:
  • A fluorescent fixture consisting of two full spectrum T5 or T12 tubes
  • Drip and seedling trays, and a plastic dome top of 1020 flat size, consisting of 32 or 72 cells.
  • Rockwool grow medium blocks, slabs, or cubes.
  • A gel based hormone rooting compound
  • A 24 volt heating or plant propagation mat.
  • An anti-stress plant agent
  • A plant root zone or root stimulator to boost the grow of the roots
  • Organic or traditional plant nutrient solution, depending on the kind of plants being cloned.
  • A thermometer or thermostat designed especially for hydroponic plant cloning
  • An adjustable timer to operate and control the fluorescent grow lights, and provide the appropriate day and night time simulation that are required in hydroponic plant cloning.
  • A single edge razor blade or a cutting scalpel
  • A spray bottle to moisten the hydroponic plant clones.
It would be a good idea to gather all of the above supplies prior to obtaining the plant cuttings. These equipments should be clean and the plant cloning space should be well bleached and sterile.
To ensure that your hydroponic plant cloning activity is successful, you can obtain your plant cutting a night prior to starting the process, and wash the Rockwool grow medium blocks with some of the nutrient solution. The Rockwool may be also be soaked in the Rockwool conditioner for about 10 hours before the plant cloning process is begun. It is important however to ensure that the level of pH is appropriate before the plant cutting s are placed into the Rockwool grow medium

Once all the necessary supplies have been gathered and the Rockwool grow medium has been well soaked, you may begin the hydroponic plant cloning process.

Hydroponic Lights

A lot of hydroponic users cultivate plants in a greenhouse or in a room at their home. Since hydroponic gardening involves much less space than soil based gardening, it is possible to grow a more plants within a small space. In setting up this kind of a garden, one can opt to purchase a hydroponics kit that has all the necessary supplies that one would need. The kind of hydroponic lights that one should get depends entirely on what one wants to cultivate in their indoor hydroponic garden.

If one chooses to grow a small sized herb garden, that they should select fluorescent lights for the best results in this kind of a garden. Florescent lights are set near the growing plants and they help to provide the adequate illumination that is need for healthy and strong plant growth.
For the cultivation of fruits and vegetable, HID hydroponic lights are the best choice. Two kinds of HID lights may be used for growing this kind of a garden, Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium HID lights. The Metal Halode lights are used to boost for plant growth, whereas the High Pressure Sodium HID lights enable the plants to blossom and carry fruit.

HID hydroponic lights are now available in special designs, so that one can have the Metal Halide as well as the High Pressure Sodium bulbs in one lamp. This probably helps to save the cost of purchasing two separate lamps. It may be suggested here that one should purchase hydroponic lights that come with reflectors, since these can serve to direct the light in the area where you want it to shine.
Turning to the amount of hydroponic lights that one would need, this varies and depends on the kind of plant being cultivated. The amount of artificial light required for the indoors hydroponic garden depends on where one resides and whether they make use of a green house or a room that receives light from the outdoors or not.

If a greenhouse house is being used for the hydroponic garden, there will likely be scarce need for artificial lighting during the later day of spring and the months of summer. However, during the fall and winter, when sunlight is scarce, it would be necessary to use more artificial lighting, especially if one resides in an area where there are storms and inclement weather conditions.
There are some indoor hydroponic gardens that depend completely on hydroponic lights. To make sure that a hydroponics garden develops well, it is necessary that the plants be provided with the appropriate quantity of water, hydroponic nutrients, and sufficient lighting. And through using hydroponic lights, one can rest assured that their plants will be well taken care of in terms of receiving all that they need to flourish.

Homemade Hydroponics

Homemade hydroponics is a budget-friendly way for newbies to get acquainted with the world of hydroponics gardening.  While starting off in the field of hydroponics, building something from scratch you or just going to a gardening shop and getting something off-the-shelf and ready-to-use is an important question that pops up.  While there are pros and cons for going the way of either route, if you are an avid Do-It-Yourself fan then building one yourself is going to be a gratifying experience.

One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to put together a homemade system as long as the basics are clear.  The first important lesson to learn is the difference between soil grown plans and hydroponic grown plants.  For soil grown plants the soil acts as the reservoir for the nutrients that the plants require.  On the other hand, hydroponic systems use nutrient rich water in which the plants are suspended.  As long as a homemade solution takes care of elementary components of any plant growing exercise – light, air, water, nutrients and heat – anyone with rudimentary knowledge of DIY can put together a workable homemade hydroponics system.

There are many ways to build your homemade hydroponics system.  The simplest of these methods requires nothing more than a large, plastic grow bag filled with a growth medium.  Such bags already contain nutrients and the only thing left for you to do is planting and watering.  More sophisticated methods require using large plastic storage boxes or glass aquariums fitted with air bubblers and Styrofoam floaters that hold your plants.  Some of the easier to build systems involve the ebb and flow, drip and water culture techniques.  These are best suited for novice gardeners who have just taken up hydroponics.  Not only are they easier to build yourself, such systems are also relatively cheaper than the more complex ones.

One of the biggest benefits of homemade hydroponics is that it while you can certainly start it as a do at home hobby, it is actually a very environmentally conscious way of growing some of your own food especially fruits and vegetables.  Hydroponics saves water as it uses only a fraction of the amount than a regular farm to produce the same amount of food. The water table can be impacted by inefficient water use and run-off of chemicals from farms, but hydroponics minimizes this impact.  Such homemade systems are not only an inexpensive way to replace store-bought fruits and vegetables with your own homegrown variety, they are also a great way to minimize the adverse impact that flying produce from far-flung areas has on the environment.

Homemade hydroponics solutions also provide a larger yield while working with very little space and because you can grow indoors you do not have to be limited by seasonal constraints. Easy availability of modular and inexpensive components for putting together a homemade system also means that you never feel stranded for tools or parts.  A quick run to your local gardening shop is usually enough for everyday hydroponic gardening needs.  

Grow Tents

Grow tents are box shaped, and are usually created with a canvas, along with PVC that holds them up. On the outside, grow tents are black or dark blue in color, while on the inside, there is a Mylar like material. The dark exterior of grow tents produce extra heat through absorbing it. As a result, on the inside there is a sufficient amount of light that is need for plants to grow well. One can choose from various different styles of grow boxes that are available at local shops as well as on-line.

The cost of grow tents ranges between $200 to $500, so they are usually rather affordable for many people. Once the grow tents and the plant growing equipments are set up, all that one needs are the seeds and plant food. Some people also make use of grow tents to grow plants for commercial reasons.

It is indeed possible to cultivate any kind of a plant in grow tents using the hydroponics method. All that one needs to ensure is that there is sufficient heat and lighting, water, and the nutrients that the plants require for their growth. Additionally, one can even grow vegetables like peas and tomatoes in grow tents. Grow tents have proven to be the ideal covered facility to cultivate any kind of plants that you want to cultivate.

The use of grow tents has also made is easier to save water, something which is not quite possible with the conventional methods of gardening. In the hydroponics process, there is a much more efficient usage of water, and equipments like timers server to preserve more energy as well. The level of water and energy control that a grower is equipped with in using hydroponics is the main reasons why indoor grow tents work out so well for indoor gardening.

Cultivating plants indoors with the use of grow tents and hydroponic has proven to be a very happy solution for those people who find themselves with very limited spaces to grow plants in. This is especially the case in densely populated cities, where large concrete buildings have taken most of the available empty spaces. Indoor gardening has therefore gained rather rapidly in popularity.

The availability of grow tents has afforded people the chance to continue to pursue their interests in gardening and growing fresh plants, fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Additionally, there is an added incentive with this, for the trouble with bugs, weeds, and tilling is eliminated. Growing plants with grow tents and hydroponics is not only a fun past time, but it also makes it possible to beautify your home with blooming plants and flowers.

Hydroponic Greenhouse Systems

CFL Light BulbsThe usage of hydroponic greenhouse systems to cultivate plants is rather a good idea. It becomes much easier to take care of all the means and requirements involved for an indoor hydroponic garden to thrive. One can control all the fundamental factors like lighting and aeration, and the environmental temperature. Additionally, a lot of space is needed to set up the watering and lighting systems for hydroponic gardening. One can place these systems exactly where they should be kept. This is a critical factor in hydroponics, since the supply of water and lighting is more important than in a conventional garden.

The biggest advantage of hydroponic greenhouse systems pertains to lighting. Hydroponically cultivated plants require an appropriate amount of lighting. With hydroponic greenhouse systems, daylight is naturally cleansed and filtered away. It is also possible to manage the amount and direction of the light that enters the greenhouse through shutters. Moreover, much less energy is utilized since there is hardly any need to keep the grow lights burning continuously.

With hydroponic greenhouse systems, the process of supplying nutrients to the plants is very simple and easy to manage. This is an important point to consider, since a well growing hydroponics garden, need an appropriate supplement for soil. Since hydroponics does not involve soil, the pH levels of alkaline and acids may vary considerably, since they all rely on the quality of the water that they are dissolved in. With hydroponic greenhouse systems, one is able to set up an automatic pH controller so that there is no need to regularly check the level of pH.

Maintaining the environmental temperature in hydroponic green house systems is also rather critical. Even when the climate is chilly, a well built greenhouse will maintain the appropriate temperature, and it would not be necessary to use a heater. If one resides in an area where the climate is cold, yet there is plenty of sunshine, it is best to use a hydroponic greenhouse system. One may also install fans and ventilators to aid in maintaining and regulating the temperature in the greenhouse.

While there are a variety of hydroponic greenhouse systems available for purchase, one can construct a self-made system as well, right from scratch. There are several kits available in various sizes and designs, and some of these will also make it possible to increase the size of an indoor hydroponic greenhouse system. It’s well considering then to get a valuable structure for an indoor hydroponic garden.

On a final note, hydroponic greenhouse systems are a marvelous new concept to understand and utilize in your pursuit of indoor gardening!

Ebb & Flow Hydroponics System

CFL Light BulbsThrough using the ebb and flow system, the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the plants is considerably enhanced. This has a very beneficial impact on the health of the plants and they are growing faster and turn out richer.
The main purpose of the ebb and flow system is to supply nutrients to growing plants through the water contained in a sizeable reservoir. This reservoir is connected to a pump that supplies water mixed with nutrients to the tray in which the plants are kept. The duration for pumping the nutrition solution to the plants takes about half an hour. The plants are thus well soaked with the liquid solution and received the appropriate supply of nutrition that they require to flourish. After each pumping cycle, the nutrition solution accumulates back into the reservoir for subsequent usage.
In the ebb & flow process, the plant roots take in only that amount of nutrients that they need. Concurrently, the nutrients take away any stale air from the roots. Hence, the plants receive air that is replete with oxygen, and grow well through being supplied with the very best combination of nutrition and air.
Given the way the ebb and flow system works, one can be sure that the plants that will grow will be stronger and much healthier than if they were cultivated using soil. And the rate at which they develop is considerably enhanced, since they are relieved of any poor quality ingredients, and receive rich nutrition and oxygen filled air.

The ebb and flow system comes with a timer and it can operate autonomously. It is therefore perceived as one of the most adept kind of hydroponics systems. One can rely on the fact that the produce from the ebb and flow system will be lust and vigorous. It is suggested, however, that this system be used indoors, and a grow box be utilized so that the plants have exposure to a more conducive environment to develop adequately. Grow boxes take away any kind of gardening hassle, and are a better alternative to creating one’s own system since several potential obstacles in plant cultivation can be avoided.
On a final note, the ebb & flow system will render healthier and rapid plant growth, and will make it possible to have a very good looking indoor garden. Go ahead and try it today, you’ll be amazed as to what you achieve with it! Happy gardening!

Aeroponics

One can safely say that the aeroponics method is technically the best of all the other hydroponics systems that have been developed. No grow media are required with to provide nutrition to plants. The most basic aeroponics system comprises of a reservoir and channels punched with holes to hold the plant. The reservoir contains the nutrients and the channel is used to spray the roots of the plants with these. A nutrient pump is also a valuable part of an aeroponics system that is used to supply organic aeroponics nutrients to the plants’ roots.
As already mentioned, no growing media is needed in aeroponics gardening to supply the essential nutrients to the plant roots. Yet it is entirely possibly to provide them with the most necessary ingredients to grow well – air, water, and nutrients. This method alone renders aeroponics as the most technically designed hydroponics systems.
Building a basic aeroponics system at home also proves to be rather simple and economical. One can make use of some very basic materials that are available at considerably cheap prices. However, for the best results, it is recommended that one should purchase a fully built aeroponics tool kit from a hydroponics shop.
As stated above, the main tool used in aeroponics is the reservoir that holds the nutrition solution that is to be supplied to the plants. The plant roots hang in this reservoir, and this makes it extremely convenient to watch how well they are growing. Additionally, it is also very easy for the plant roots to imbibe the nutrition supply through hanging the reservoir. The Aeroponics cloner that is included with most aeroponics kits helps to make sure that all the plants roots receive a fair and equal supply of nutrients through the reservoir. And it is extremely easy to change the nutrition solution in the reservoir.

Most people prefer to have freshly cultivated herbs and vegetables to use as ingredients for cooking. The aeroponics system has therefore become extremely popular, for it helps to save a lot of time and energy that is consumed in growing these ingredients the conventional way. Moreover, with this system, plants grow more rapidly and turn out to be healthier than if they were grown through any other method. And one can rest assured that that they will also experience consistent good results with aeroponics.