Indoor Gardening – A Quick Look At Hydroponic Drip Systems
Let’s briefly cover hydroponics, and what it is before we talk about hydroponic drip systems. Hydroponics is a from of growing plants in a controlled indoors environment with no soil and the aid of artificial lights. Instead of using soil, the plants are grown in solution full of nutrients. Hydroponics is generally set up inside using special lights to promote growth. This allows you to grow whatever you want no matter what season is in. Of all the hydroponic systems available, it’s hydroponic drip systems that are mainly used. The process and layout of this type of system is very straight forward. A timer controlled pump is submerged in the solution. The timer is used to pump the solution at specified intervals, thus supplying the plants with nutrients via a thin drip line. If you use a recovery drip system, any unused solution will be recycled back into the reservoir, where it can be re-used. Unless you have a recovery unit on your drip system, the excess solution will accumulate at the plants base. A recovery system is much more efficient as it makes use of the solution more effectively, as a result, a cheaper pump can be used as getting the drip rates dead on is not necessary. If you intend on building your own drip system without a recovery system, be sure you know exactly how much water and nutrients is required by the plants so you can set your timer at the optimum rate to minimise saturation and run off. Unfortunately, hydroponic drip systems that incorporate a recovery system will generally require more maintenance time. This is because the nutrient strength and pH levels will vary as the excess solution is recycled back into the reservoir. To ensure your garden grows at it’s healthiest levels, monitor these levels and adjust them when required.