Blood And Bone: Enriching Lives Through Gardening

Blood And Bone: Enriching Lives Through Gardening

Supplies You Need to Build Your Own Hydroponics Starter Kit

Darren Stevens

Taking on DIY hydroponics as a gardening project may seem easy. You know you'll need something to hold your net pots, the pots, growing media, and other items. What  you may not know, as a beginner, are the extras you may not think about. Before you grab up the supplies on your list and get going, make sure you consider these hydroponic supplies as well.

Full Size Nutrients

When you start out, you may be tempted to go with trial size nutrients to give them a try. There are some good and bad points of this method. The good is that you can try them out and get a nutrient balance and mix that works with your pH and water balance. The bad point of this method leaves you with very little nutrients once you have worked out the right mix for your water pH and leaves you needing larger bottles. You may be thinking you'll need those anyway. You will, but in some cases, if you buy the full size at the time you buy your other items, you may end up spending less and getting them in bundled packages.

Growth Lights

One of the things that some people who are new to DIY hydroponics, and hydroponics supplies as a whole, is the need for growing lights. You may think that regular light or direct sunlight will be enough. The truth is, you will likely need some kind of growing light to get the results you want. When plants are outdoors they get at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day. They also get it on a routine basis. Having a growth light helps emulate this and allows you to set timers for the light to automatically come on and go off, which resembles the normal day and night cycles plants get on a routine basis. This should be considered when you are starting your DIY supply list, especially if you are living in a flat or small home where the kit will be housed indoors.

Seed Starters

The quick jump is to start the seeds in the net pots and inside of the growing media you choose. This may not be the best option since you ideally want a root system that can reach the water in the hydroponics system. With that in mind, you may want to consider purchasing seed starter kits that are soil free. These kits are usually made of some form of hydroponics growing media in a smaller, more compact amount. It allows the seed to grow and allows you to take that media, with the growing plant and root system, and place it into the hydroponics station you have created. It makes things easier and may help the plants grow better and faster.

These are just three of the hydroponic supplies you should consider for DIY hydroponics as a beginner. If you are ready to start, consider visiting your hydroponics store to get everything you need in a single stop while you ask any questions you may have as well.


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About Me
Blood And Bone: Enriching Lives Through Gardening

I am a teacher at a special school. It is a rewarding job, and sometimes I think that the students are teaching me! Last year, I began a garden project and it has literally grown beyond my wildest dreams. I don't have a green thumb, so most of the time I depend on my students and garden centres for advice. From preparing the earth to using such additives as blood and bone to enrich the soil naturally, I have become quite the backyard farmer! The students and I now sell produce at a local market. Of course, I do make some mistakes along the way. Carrots are most definitely not a summer vegetable! This blog is designed to highlight the best techniques and products I discover in this journey towards the perfect garden. I hope that amateur and professional gardeners alike find something of interest. Enjoy your day.