Gardening Where To Begin- 4 Starting Points Of Your Backyard Hobby

Everyone can start a new hobby with a proper starting point and preparation. Sometimes, it does not need too much or crazy planning to learn, initiate, and make the hobby a routine. It includes fun relaxing gardening. You can start with your backyard or small land. If you want to try it, here are the gardening where to begin steps to do.

Five Initial Steps To Start Your Gardening Hobby 

1. Know Your Climate And Plant

The first thing every gardener enthusiast needs to do is understand the climate area so you can pick the right plant, place, and time. Sometimes, you can learn the proper care for your plant. In this first step, you will need to familiarize yourself with the options and climate of your place. Remember that different climates will cause differing care.

As you know the climate zone, you can determine the plants to grow. In this case, try with your personal preference and ideas. Do you want to grow a flower, vegetable garden, herb, or a combination? Don’t forget to consider the place, plot, and type of plants. You can grow from seed or transplant seedlings, pick whatever fit your need.   

2. Determine The Location

So gardening where to begin? Along with the climate information, you will need to pick the proper location to grow your garden. First, you will need to see what kind of best location for your plant. Be aware that each plant may need a different amount of sunlight, wind, humidity, and many others.

If your plant needs to grow under full direct sunlight, be sure you got a place with enough sun exposure so the plant can grow to its optimal potential. Some plants do not need to bask under sunlight. So, be sure you know the proper area. It is worth considering a flat piece of land with wind cover.

3. Get The Tools

At this point, you will need to get the essential tools. No need to worry! Your gardening where to begin can start with an almost minimum budget since the tools are easy to get. You can use hand tools to start with a small plot of garden. Hori Hori knife, hand pruners, saw, or small hand shovel will be enough. You can buy more on the later state.

4. Start Planting And Caring The Garden 

If you do have land, try to make a garden bed for your plant to grow. In this case, you will need to clear any vegetation, prepare the plating spaces, and spread compost on the area. But if you don’t have an area, it is always welcome to start with potting plants or planters. After that, you can start planting and continue caring for it to end the gardening where to begin steps.

This relaxing hobby is one of the easiest options to do. You can start by understanding your potential lawn and garden plot. After that, you can determine the plant and plan the place. Don’t forget to get the essential tools, make the garden bed, and start with planting plus caring for the garden. And, so you are ready to continue the gardening hobby.

The Basic Understanding about What Is Deep Water Culture

The best definition about what is deep water culture is its characteristics as the most effective and efficient kind of hydroponics planting system. it requires a very low budget and maintenance at the same time. What’s more, it is also very easy for beginners.   Even so, expert gardeners still apply this method for the fastest process of cultivating and harvesting.

However, there are certain kinds of Deep Water Culture plantation systems that users have to find out.  It is true that this method doesn’t use any kind of growing media. The method allows roots to suspend over a reservoir that has a water-based plant solution that is oxygenated and rich in nutrients.

What is Deep Water Culture and Its Overall Performance

Many gardeners are deeply falling in love with this method, thanks to its efficacy of nutrients and oxygen absorption to the roots. Besides, roots also get a good exposure to water that enhances their growth very well.  This planting method allows an easy supply of oxygen through the collaboration of air pumps as well as air stones.  Both components work together for aerating solution that can dissolve bubbles.

As the name implies, water is the soul of this system.  Unlike common plants, water is the key to growing the roots instead of soil.  Certainly, the water is placed within a reservoir should be oxygenated and filled with nutrient-rich solution to ensure the best growing progress.

The reason why the water should be oxygenated is that the submerged roots within water constantly need a good amount of oxygen. Instead, they will not grow well or even die.

Another important element that this planting system needs is the rich nutrition within the solution. It replaces the function of soil which becomes the nutrient source for common plants. It doesn’t only ensure maximum absorption, but also reduces hassles in washing plants, particularly for green-leaf vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and so forth.

Excellent Benefits Of Deep Water Culture

This method is indeed full of benefits, whether it is for beginners and advanced gardeners. The first benefit is definitely the use of water.  Just like a common hydroponic plantation system, this method boasts effective water conservation because there is no soil that can absorb water too much.  With such a method, there will be a higher amount of nutrition that roots will suck up from water-based nutrient solutions.  Water also ensures that roots get lots of oxygen.

Unquestionably, there will be a great impact on maintenance costs. There is no land preparation and pH testing at all. Besides, gardeners can rest assured that the watering system works automatically. Gardeners can save much time and money in applying the deep water culture cultivating method.

So, everyone who is wondering what is deep water culture should understand its overall performance.  It is easy to summarize that DWC ensures high-quality crops yield within a very shorter time than those from the conventional soil-based plantation system. With the very easy setup and low cost of preparation and maintenance, deep water culture is highly recommended for every modern gardener.

What are hydroponic system in a nutshell?

Maybe you’ve been wondering about what are hydroponic system that you can do? There is suddenly a rush of articles and advertisements on various media about hydroponic farmers.

If you want to grow some plants but have no time to do regular gardening, then you should try your hands on hydroponics. You don’t need a lot of space and the materials are affordable.

So, what are hydroponic system?

In laymen’s terms, hydroponic is planting without soil. To replace the soil, the farmer uses other mediums such as wood fiber and pumice stones. The key for the hydroponic system is by having the water filled with nutrient solutions to help the plant to grow.

The nutrient can come from fertilizers, manures, and other types that you can get. Of course, you need to put the plant types into account. As long as you are patient and keen enough to continue on the work. You can grow almost any plant using this system.

In a nutshell, there are two hydroponic systems. The sub-irrigation and the top irrigation. The difference between each system lies in where the water is in the process.

The sub-irrigation means that the plant is floating above the water level. being suspended and the water is right below the root. While the top irrigation is akin to dripping or sprinkling the water.

Each system is the basis of other techniques such as wick, run-to-waste, aeroponic, deep water culture, and many others. A farmer may combine several techniques to get the best result for their plants.

Why is it so popular lately?

To be fair the hydroponic system has been around for many decades. It’s not only recently popular. But the recent trend on urban farming brings hydroponic back to the spotlight.

You can see a lot of rooftops converted into a small garden. This is a refreshing breath of fresh air in concrete and glass-filled cities. Many urban farmers use this method to promote the local produce.

Another benefit from hydroponic is the massive reduction in water consumption. Hydroponics uses almost a quarter less than the regular planting method.

This may come as weird since water is one of the main elements here. But there are several methods on hydroponics such as aeroponics and deep water culture. But even with the deep water culture, you will use less water than in a regular garden.

Hydroponics can be the solution for areas with yearlong drought. As we know, some countries are suffering from a lack of water.

There are so many plants that you can grow using hydroponic. As a beginner, you may want to start with herbs like rosemary, mint, and rockets. As you get better, you can start growing lettuces, tomatoes, and strawberries. And before you know it, you will have a mini garden without having to expand your house.

And now that you know what are hydroponic system is in a nutshell. Good luck with your effort to start growing your plants. It may take some time to get used to it, but the result pays it off.

The best hydroponic vegetables

Several hydroponic vegetables are more popular than others. You sure have heard the same variants over and over again. Lettuces, mints, beans, spinach, cucumbers, and so on. They are popular mainly because they are easy to tend to and have a monetary value.

Now you can see some pictures on Instagram and videos on TikTok of hydroponic farmers showcasing their works. And with the rise of alternative farming, hydroponic is gaining popularity again. Now the question is which vegetable is the best one to have?

Hydroponic vegetables that perfect for beginners

Being a beginner means your options are pretty limited. But don’t worry, as soon as you get the hang of hydroponic systems, you can expand to other plants.

Most beginners will start with lettuce, spinach, and beans. These vegetables are popular because they are the fastest to grow among others. They also require a small amount of care. Long story short, these are your foolproof options.

As a beginner, you shouldn’t be too ambitious and think about growing many vegetables at once. It’s best to start slow and learn about each plant. Keep in mind that the weather situation in your location plays a big part in your hydroponic garden.

Anyway, most people will suggest lettuce for a hydroponic beginner. It’s understandable since they are sturdy and can grow in almost any system. As long as you give the basic nutrients and keep good water quality for the plants, you can see the result in a month.

Don’t be discouraged when some of the plants don’t grow. It happens all the time, but remember that there is always a solution for each problem. You can start small by only having a small patch or several pots instead of a full garden.

Which vegetables are best for hydroponic?

The best vegetables for hydroponic are the ones that you enjoy growing. When taking care of your garden counts as a chore, then it’s when you need to seek other plants to challenge yourself.

Do your research on each vegetable. Understand what nutrients they need, and how long they need to grow. Most vegetables take 30-60 days before you can start harvesting.

Remember that your vegetables may take a while to grow. It’s best to be patient while tending them. Also, remember that some vegetables may need special care. Take bell peppers as an example. The plants require pruning when they reach seven or eight inches tall.

You can alternate between vegetables and fruits to understand which one is more your style. Again, each plant is unique and has different needs. Eventually, it returns to your purpose for growing them.

After mastering growing lettuce, you can start growing tomatoes and bell peppers for a change. And when you have mastered them as well, you can look for other vegetables as a challenge.

In general, the best hydroponic vegetables are those that you enjoy growing and consuming. If you’re a business-savvy person, you may be able to turn this hobby into a company. You may reap the profits in less than a decade.

Three easy hydroponic system tips for beginner

You sure want to know some hydroponic system tips for beginner. It’s okay, since it’s your first time you sure want to make sure that you’re doing it right.

Many people are afraid when starting something, and hydroponic is no exception. They think that the preparations and installations will take a lot of time and are expensive to set. Not to mention the misconception that growing with water in hydroponic means wasting water.

What are the three keys hydroponic system tips for beginner?

If it’s your first time gardening using a hydroponic system, there are three things that you need to know. These are to ensure that your journey to hydroponics starts with the right foot.

  1. Have a solid plan

Before you start anything, you need to have a solid plan. Make sure that you run thorough research about the plant you want to grow. It’s more than just choosing a plant and figuring out the space.

You also need to figure out the budget and how are you going to do the hydroponic garden. You may have the budget to start an aeroponic, but that can be a waste when you don’t understand the basic hydroponic.

Choosing which technique to use is also essential in your plan. Understand that not all techniques are suitable for all plants. Take the aeroponic as an example, you can grow lettuce using aeroponics, but it will be a waste of your time and money to do so.

Don’t forget about the nutrients for the plants. You need to know what they are and the composition for the best results. You can go on a full beginner route for this part. But at least, you need to plan when you will level up and have more complicated plants.

  1. Get the best types of equipment you can get

Remember that best doesn’t mean expensive. It means that they fit your budget. Therefore, you won’t be missing any basic pieces of equipment necessary for hydroponic.

Some of the essential equipment that you may not spare cash on are the water pump and filter. As you know, water quality is crucial in hydroponic.

  1. Light is crucial

Your plants need a regular and healthy dose of light to ensure their growth. That is why light is crucial in hydroponics. Some farmers install artificial lights in their gardens. That is to ensure that their plants are getting enough light and growing at the same pace,

Anything else that I need to know?

For starters, you need to remember that your plant is a living thing. You need to check it regularly to see which stage of growth it is now. And while you do that, don’t skip on checking the water and pH level.

You may be reading so many Hydroponic system tips for beginner that you can find online. But these tips won’t change a thing unless you get up and start planning. Good luck with your endeavor to start a hydroponic garden.

All about Hydroponic for Herb Garden

Hydroponic for herb garden is undoubtedly the most effective choice for anyone who has a lack of space for an outdoor plantation.  Controlling plants without or very little soil is much easier. Besides, the yield of plants is much healthier and bigger, thanks to the very low risk of diseases and pests.  Yet, it is important to keep in mind that the nutrient should be adequate because there is very low access to natural soil that becomes the main source of nutrients of common plants.

Hydroponic for Herb Garden; Important Things to Notice

Well, not all kinds of herbs can grow well through the hydroponic method.  Yet, many gardeners have proven that some herbs like lemongrass, ginger, garlic, basil, mints, turmeric, onions are easy to plant with this method.  Obviously, this is good news for everyone who wants to get home remedies from those herbs.

Many people expect to plant those kinds of herbs. Yet, some of them might wonder how they can plant them if they have no yard.  So, a hydroponic garden indoors is the best solution. Herbs still can get the best nutrients from water with good pH balanced. Owners should know the right composition.

Hydroponic for herb should also apply the electric pump system for providing roots with adequate water containing nutrients. Without the existence of soil, then roots will be able to absorb nutrients for creating good quality herbs.   Keep in mind that the growth media plays a major role in the growth process.  Among the most common growth media include cellulose fiber, peat, and many more though they should be designed for hydroponic gardening.

How Nutrient Solution Bring Good Impact to Hydroponic Herbs

Some beginners will need to learn better about the right nutrient solutions. Some of them buy commercial solutions, while advanced gardeners usually create their own compositions.  The ingredients of the hydroponic solution include calcium nitrate, potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, zinc sulfate, and copper sulfate.  However, inexperienced gardeners shouldn’t even think of mixing them if they are not sure about the right compositions. Or else, they will damage plants.

Unlike green-leaf vegetables, hydroponic herbs require more special attention. This is because different herbs require different nutrient compositions.  In this case, gardeners have to learn comprehensively about the balanced nutrient solution.

Best Systems for Hydroponic Herbs

Basically, all plants can grow well with hydroponic herbs. But, some gardeners may choose among several kinds of hydroponic systems.   The common hydroponic system is the window farms that require pumps and tubes along with containers for growing the plants.  Owners have to prepare a container that contains water. The pumping water then will go through the channel to soak the roots when it is trickling.

Usually, beginners prefer to buy a hydroponic herb garden kit that is ready to use.  The internet offers various kinds of kits that they can choose to avoid hassles.  Such kits are easy to install, even in an indoor kitchen for owners to pick the herbs for cooking or other purposes.  The kits provide the hydroponic urban windowsill garden with very easy maintenance.

How To Grow Hydroponic Onions With The Fastest And Best Result

If it is very simple to grow all plants through a hydroponic plantation system, then it is not less difficult in learning how to grow hydroponic onions. It is easy to plant onions because they are suitable in either low or medium lands. However, the most important thing about growing this plant is adequate sunlight for keeping them free from dampness. It is also crucial to ensure that the plants are not waterlogged as they can rot easily.

Now, planting onion is highly popular through hydroponic techniques. This technique is very popular among gardeners in urban areas. It is also amazing to find out that they can grow hydroponics onions. Say goodbye to hassles in preparing soil because all gardeners need is an adequate amount of water to ensure the growth of those onions.

How to Grow Hydroponic Onions Easily

Growing hydroponic onions is as easy as preparing all the materials required. They include Styrofoam, a 30-cm plastic box, recycled plastic cups, husk, onions for seeds, flannelette, cutter, and hydroponic nutrition. The ingredients of the nutrients can be adjusted based on the planted onion seeds.

Once all the materials are ready, then follow these steps

  1. Prepare a big plastic box as the big pot for several plastic cups. Create a 5-centimeter hole in the lid of the box. Depending on the size of the box, then you can arrange how many holes are in one box. Make sure each hole has a 10 centimeters distance.
  2. Prepare plastic cups. Create a hole at the bottom and on each side of the plastic cup.
  3. Prepare the flannelette. Cut it into pieces with certain measurements to be inserted into the bottom hole of each plastic cup. It is the media for roots to absorb water.
  4. Fill the water box with the nutrient solution that is specifically designed for nourishing hydroponic plants. Usually, gardeners use 5 ml of each nutrient with 1 liter of water.
  5. Next, fill each plastic cup with burnt husk before placing all plastic cups into the holes in the lid of the box. Shower each of the husks with adequate water.
  6. Choose dry, old seeds of onions that contain roots for a better planting process. Clean them and cut the ends with cutters. Then, plant the onion seeds. Each seed within each plastic cup until half of the body is immersed in the soil.
  7. Keep the under the shade that still gets adequate sunlight.

When Onions are Ready to Harvest?

It is important to notice that the maintenance should be very careful if you want to know how to grow hydroponic onions very well. Plants should get enough water and nutrient with the right solution. Checking the water volume and quality is very necessary because it will determine the quality of the harvesting plant. Water sanitation is very important for ensuring that the hydroponic cross-section is free from moss. Moss can interfere with the absorption of nutrients in plants. Onions are ready to harvest for approximately sixty days. For the sake of the best yield, it is important to keep the surrounding environment clean for minimizing the spread of diseases and pests.

Mistakes Often Made by Hydroponics Beginners

Hydroponics using the best hydroponic system with all its advantages is increasingly popular among the public. Apart from being an independent food self-sufficiency business, hydroponic farming can also be an option to channel your hobby of planting even if it is only in a narrow space.

Hydroponic growing can be said to be difficult and easy. It’s not as complicated as planting on agricultural land. However, hydroponic farming also often fails. Especially for beginner growers who are cool with the hobby of hydroponics. Therefore, for you hydroponic novice players, consider five mistakes that are often made in hydroponic farming. The hope is that the same mistakes will not be repeated in you.

Most hydroponic players are hobbyists or home-scale growers. Hydroponics is indeed the right choice for those of you who are stuck in a routine and bored with the chaotic city life. However, the busyness of daily activities should not even kill your hydroponic plants. Schedule to water the seedlings in the morning before the activity and in the afternoon after the activity. The seedbed period is a critical period for the growth of a plant. The seeds will absorb a lot of water to grow leaves and roots. If your seedlings dry out, your plants will stress and die.

Do not put the seedlings in a place that does not have enough sunlight. Plants need sunlight for the process of photosynthesis. Lack of sunlight makes the hormone auxin in plants continue to be produced so that the plant will only grow elongated. Long, but pale in color so lack of nutrients in the plant will cause your plant to die.

Each plant has a different growing season. This period relates to when plants can be harvested and when to sow seeds again. If you don’t understand this, crop failure can happen. In addition, if you miscalculate the schedule, it could be that after harvesting, you don’t have seedlings that are ready to be planted. For example, if you plant kale, the harvest period is 20-25 days, while the time it takes to sow the seeds is 7-10 days. When the kale plants you plant are 10-15 days old, you must start sowing new seeds so that your hydroponic cultivation can be sustainable.

After successfully sowing seeds with a hydroponic system, it will usually make you addicted to trying other types of plants. Wait a minute. Different plants require nutrients and have different harvest schedules. So sowing all kinds of plants together regardless of the time of planting and the type of nutrients they need will cause all of them to fail. Therefore, it is better to study the character of each type of plant before planting. Try easy plants first, such as spinach, lettuce, and kale. If you have successfully harvested all 4 of these vegetables, proceed with planting more difficult crops such as Mint or Basil.

Hydroponic Ornamental Plants that are Easy to Cultivate

Many types of ornamental plants are collected using a hydroponic system. Hydroponics is a plant cultivation system that does not use soil media but uses a special solution that contains the nutrients needed by plants. Generally, hydroponic cultivation systems are used for vegetable crops. However, now many types of ornamental plants use the hydroponic method to be cultivated. The best hydroponic system method is also not too difficult, and easy to maintain.

Cultivation of hydroponic ornamental plant species is not only done in a large area but can also be done in a narrow area. You can cultivate various types of ornamental plants at home using the hydroponic method which saves more space and is practical. Here are some types of ornamental plants that can be grown using a hydroponic system.

Sunflower
The types of sunflower ornamental plants that usually grow on large lands can also be planted using a hydroponic system and replacing the planting medium which is usually soil into charcoal husk or sand. You can plant them in pots and place them in your yard using stacked shelves to save space. This sunflower ornamental plant usually lives in a place full of sunlight so that in its cultivation this ornamental plant must be placed outside the room. Watering with water and nutrient solution on this type of sunflower ornamental plant can be done once a day with manual watering or it can also use a drip system to save time.

Aloe vera
The next type of ornamental plant is aloe vera or aloe vera that you usually encounter can also be grown hydroponically. By using hydrogel growing media or husk charcoal, this type of hydroponic ornamental plant will grow well and can be displayed on the living room table as a decoration. The use of hydrogel planting media will enhance the appearance of these types of ornamental plants by adding using pots of asbestos or glass pots so that the hydrogels are more clearly visible. This type of hydroponic ornamental plant is more drought resistant so that the watering can be done every 2 days or every planting medium has started to dry. Use a small aloe vera plant to be placed as a living room table decoration or place it hanging in the yard.

Dracaena
As an ornamental plant, dracaena is an example of a familiar type of hydroponic ornamental plant. The reason is, not a few people put this dracaena ornamental plant in a container filled with water to keep this hydroponic ornamental plant alive. With such easy-care, dracaena is suitable for use as an indoor or outdoor ornamental plant or can also be used as a table decoration plant in the living room.

Advantages of Planting with Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a plant cultivation technique that is currently much loved by modern society. This planting technique uses the working principle of planting with media other than soil and sufficient nutrients for plants by using Mix nutrient solution which is flowed to plant roots. Learn more about the best hydroponic system on our website.

Some plants such as vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants are very suitable when used as plants that are cultivated with hydroponics. Cultivation using hydroponic techniques has several advantages when compared to conventional planting using soil media for cultivation. Here are some of the advantages of hydroponics that can be your consideration for choosing this cultivation technique over conventional.

 

Hydroponics knows no seasons and places
The current weather anomaly makes it difficult for us to predict the weather conditions in the next few days. Sometimes we often encounter a time when it should be raining instead of dry without the slightest rain falling. This causes us to find it difficult to determine the right planting time for plants, especially for vegetables.

Not only the problem of the existing weather conditions, but in this modern era, rice fields are also decreasing due to the conversion of the function of rice fields into residences and office buildings. This problem will be very often encountered in urban areas which are dominated by skyscrapers. This is certainly a serious problem considering the narrowness of the land that can be planted.

For those of you who want to garden, but are hindered by the two conditions above, hydroponics can be the best solution. Hydroponics can be installed on the roof or even in a narrow house because the installation does not require a large space. The key to growing with hydroponics lies in the fulfillment of nutrients and sufficient sunlight for plants.

The use of this screen house or greenhouse is not only to protect from excessive sunlight and rain that falls out of season, it can also be used as a barrier for pests to enter and damage plants.

Not only that, this hydroponics does not use soil as a planting medium so that the possibility of plants being attacked by organisms in the soil will be smaller. The use of planting media other than soil such as husk charcoal, gravel, and Rockwool will be much cleaner when compared to conventional techniques.

With the use of hydroponics, the plants produced are healthier and of better quality than planting using conventional techniques.