Hydroponics, Grow Lights and Plant Nutrients

The following is a hydroponics and grow lights introduction covering the fundamentals of the systems and methods commonly used for growing plants via hydroponics based systems.  Our expectation is to give you enough information to get you started with evaluating the different hydroponic systems and choosing the right one for your needs.Hydroponics systems include:  Nutrient Film Technique (NFT); Drip (or Top) Watering; Aeroponic; Cloning; and Ebb & Flow (flood & drain) methods. Primarily, all systems feature a reservoir and some type of container for the plant(s) to grow in, such as pots, trays, etc. What separates them is how the hydroponic nutrient solution is delivered to the roots.

Media-based systems use some form of growing media or plant nutrients, which provide support for the roots.  There is a greater selection of media-based systems to choose from to accommodate diverse plants and plant sizes.  Water culture systems can be used either with or without growing media.  These systems, however, require more attention since growth rates are very high.  Abundant and high-quality clean water and electricity must be readily available. Also, quickly growing plants need to be maintained. Vines call for trellising and fruit and flowers must be harvested in a judicious manner.  Some familiar water culture systems are raft nutrient film practice and aeroponics.

There are three principal grow lights choices; Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium (HPS), and Fluorescent.  Fluorescent grow lights gives off little heat, lower light output and are primarily used to establish seedlings and cuttings.  New T8 and T5 higher output systems are now obtainable that produce enough lumens to grow various plants to adulthood. Metal Halide grow lights are green/blue/violet-oriented in the spectrum depending upon the Kelvin temperature, and is an excellent light when natural light is not available and predominantly during the vegetative growth stages. High Pressure Sodium grow lights are  red/orange-oriented in the spectrum is the great lamp choice for secondary or supplemental lighting and promotes budding, flowering and fruiting.