Gardening with Hydroponics

 

One of the biggest benefits of hydroponic gardening is that you can grow a wide variety of plants in a small space. For example, vegetables yields are generally higher in hydroponic systems than those grown in soil. If you’ve ever been interested in learning about hydroponic gardening, you should know we have a section of the store dedicated just to hydroponics.

 

In this area, we have set light displays from T5 to T12, Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) to High Intensity Discharge systems.

You can view each system type independently and pick the right grow bulb for your particular needs. We have air-cooled hoods including Cool Tube® and gull-wing and parabolic reflective hoods.

We have a full line of replacement bulbs in stock, from 400 watt to 1,000 watt. In nutrients, we feature General Hydroponics, Fox Farm, Advanced Nutrients and Botanicare.

We carry Plant!T® grow media, made from 100% natural clay, Grodan® and Plant!T® Coconut Coir.

We have Deep Water Culture (DWC) bucket systems, nursery pots from 1 gallon to 15 gallon and Smart Pots in sizes from 1 gallon to 10 gallon.

We carry timers, reflective Mylar, cloning gel, cables, pumps and tubing. Everything you need to start gardening hydroponically. Most important, we have the expertise to teach you how each system works and to help you make a decision on which system fits your needs best.

 

Get your seeds started right with the right grow light.

 

 

Light is essential for seedlings as well as plants to grow and develop properly. If you want great pepper plants, for example, start your pepper plant seeds under the right light. Here are some of the different grow light options. Incandescent bulbs usually come in low wattage (60-90) and tend to emit more heat than light. They will cover an area of approximately 2 feet.

A better choice would be one of these CFL’s. Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) will fit a stand socket, just like your incandescent bulb, but they run cooler, so they can be closer to your seedlings and they tend to be brighter, and less expensive to run, than incandescent bulbs.  A 23 Watt CFL is equal to a 100 watt incandescent bulb. A 55 watt CFL is equivalent to 230 watt incandescent. These CFLs are full spectrum bulbs. This means is they produce light similar to natural daylight.

Standard fluorescent bulbs come in two sizes, T12 and T5. T12 bulbs are the familiar “shop light” bulbs. They are available in full spectrum also and work great for growing sturdy seedlings. T5 bulbs are smaller, run cooler and with this system, you may choose between a vegetation bulb and a flowering bulb, depending on what you are growing. You can grow tomatoes and peppers indoors under T5 system, like this Jump Start system, for example.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) systems are more complicated because they require a ballast, a hood and a lamp.

With HID systems, you can choose between Metal halide (for vegetative growth) and High Pressure Sodium, for flowering and fruiting. Regardless of the system you choose, you will typically run your lights 10 to 12 hours per day.

You can simplify things by adding a timer to your lights. The point of this is, don’t be confused by the number of choices. Stop in and talk to us. We’ll show you how each option works and help you select the one system that’s right for you.