Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The Personal Benefits of Hydroponics Indoor Gardening

Everybody enjoys freshly grown fruits and vegetables; but traditional gardening can be more trouble than most people are willing to endure. A person can put in hours of hard work digging, planting and watering an outdoor garden only to have insects or the weather destroy everything. Venturing into hydroponic growing of fruits and vegetables can eliminate disasters caused by insects and the weather by allowing the gardener greater control at every stage of growth. Fruits and vegetables produced through hydroponic growing are healthier than either store bought or dirt-grown produce. If that isn’t enough, a person can save money in several ways with hydroponics.

Setting up a hydroponic system inside enables the gardener to control nearly every aspect of the growing process. Outside, plants are at the mercy of drought or too much rain. The indoor system allows for manual adjustment of temperature, humidity and amount of light and moisture available to make sure plants get the ideal environment. Soil may not have the ideal mix of nutrients or the correct pH balance needed to produce the best fruits and vegetables. Hydroponic systems help monitor the pH balance so that it can be adjusted properly. By using hydroponic nutrients such as Connoisseur or Nirvana, plants are given the exact combination of nutrients for optimal growth. With the use of special high intensity discharge lights, which mimic the sun, a gardener can guarantee that clouds and poor weather do not rob plants of the necessary amount of sunlight they need to grow strong.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are known to be healthier for everyone. By eliminating soil, hydroponic growing eliminates such impurities as pollution from the air, rain or the neighbor’s cat thinking your garden is his litter box. Diseases that find soil the perfect breeding ground are eliminated completely. Being indoors and within the controlled environment of a hydroponic system, insects can be eliminated from the start. This makes it unnecessary to use pesticides on your fruits and vegetables. This not only makes the produce healthier to eat, but also eliminates the risk of damaging the plants.

Hydroponic growing is economic as well as healthy. The cost of fruits and vegetables varies according to season. By growing your own produce you will be able to save hundreds of dollars a year on the purchase price alone. Hydroponic systems allow for greater yield. Your plants are healthier and larger and the controlling of the environment allows for faster growth, enabling a person to produce a greater number of crops each year. Water usage is lower because the hydroponic system makes it unnecessary to constantly hose down your plants to prevent damage from dry weather and “recycles” the water that it does use. Gardening tools can cost a great deal of money, but an effective hydroponic system can be set up for little cost. Something as simple as a fish tank, with pump, can be a container and grow lights are inexpensive to run. If a gardener opts for LED grow lights, which are just as effective as high intensity discharge lights, the cost can be reduced even further.

For more information on hydroponics, visit the Advanced Nutrients website.
They have informative articles as well as products to help you on your way. The personal benefits of hydroponic growing of fruits and vegetables indoors are numerous. A gardener has greater control over every aspect of the growing process from temperature to number of crops per year, the resulting produce is much healthier for consumption and the cost will appeal to the most frugal of gardeners—and insects, weeds and the neighbor’s cat won’t think your garden is their personal playground!