Friday, 13 February 2009

Hydroponic Gardening Made Easy With a Greenhouse

By Garry Betsworth

If you're into hydroponic gardening, you might want to think about purchasing or building a greenhouse. Many people start off with some sort of homemade hydroponics setup in their basement or spare room. However, it's a lot easier to manage all the conditions necessary for a thriving garden if it's located in a greenhouse. It's a lot easier to manage lighting conditions, air movement and temperature.

If you grow hydroponically inside your home, it's not likely to be as good a setup as you can arrange in a greenhouse. A hydroponic greenhouse allows for better lighting and watering system setup. Most people don't want their hydroponic gardening hobby to dominate their living space.

You need a lot of room in order to install the irrigation and lighting systems that are needed for hydroponic gardening. If you have a greenhouse, you can position these systems optimally with much more ease. When it comes to hydroponic gardens, this is particularly important, since the proper levels of light and water are critical.

The major benefit of using a greenhouse for your hydroponic gardening is all about the light. In order to flourish, plants that are grown hydroponically require plenty of light. But keep in mind that an excess of direct light lets algae flourish, and you don't want that.

In a greenhouse, sunlight is filtered and dispersed as a matter of course. By installing shutters or shades, you can also have more control over the amount and angle of the light. Another advantage is that you'll use less energy because you don't have to keep grow lights on at all hours.

You'll also find that your nutrient delivery system is simpler to install and maintain if you have a greenhouse. Of course this is highly important to the health of your hydroponic plants. If your plants aren't growing in soil, the pH levels are much more inclined to vary as well. Because water is always present, levels of alkaline and acid can vary dramatically. A greenhouse setup makes it easy to implement a system of automated pH control, so you're not constantly checking the numbers.

And you don't have to worry about keeping your plants warm in the winter. A good greenhouse can maintain an acceptable temperature even on cold days without supplementary heat. This is particularly true if you live in a region with cold temperatures but lots of sunshine.

As well, you can easily install vents and fans that prevent the greenhouse from becoming overheated. Remember, temperature control for hydroponically grown plants is critical.

You can either build your own greenhouse or purchase one ready made. You can get them in various sizes and styles. Some of them can even be added to if you find you need more room down the road. Maybe it's time you switched to a hydroponics greenhouse.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment