How to start growing indoors for the first time – A-Grade Hydroponics
Growing indoors is generally quite easy once the equipment is in place and the environment is under control, for someone venturing into hydroponics for the first time if not guided correctly its like building a computer without any IT knowledge.
The aim of this article is to make sure that no matter where you get your equipment from, we will still provide you the right advice on how to install it all properly.
After the initial decision has been made to start growing, most gardeners usually have an allocated space for where they wish to set up their indoor garden.
Good equipment is not cheap, and cheap equipment does not last, so we really urge you take your time before rushing in and buying, most gardeners come back and upgrade to the professional brands anyway.
Rather than incrementally listing all of the necessary components to complete your indoor garden, we will just break it down simply (more of a basic introduction) and then once the understanding has formed we can then divulge further into the world of hydroponic accessories.
Most importantly you will need an indoor grow room as your foundation, they come in many sizes and shapes so finding one to slot into that space shouldn’t be too hard.
At this point we need to install our ventilation systems, most rooms require an exhaust system (to remove used air, excess heat and humidity) and an intake fan (to replenish the fresh air) without ventilation systems in place your plants would be exposed to temperatures way beyond their capabilities, causing them to quickly suffocate, stress and die.
Most ventilation systems whether exhaust or intake, come standard with the fan, carbon filter (removes the smell & prevents problems entering the environment) and ducting to connect.
Good, so now your ventilation is taken care of its time to install your lighting system!
Lighting technology is rapidly changing the way we grow indoors, there are many cheap alternatives but be warned, these alternatives can potentially be very dangerous. We have all seen houses that burn down exposing an indoor grow room, thankfully innovation decided to show up and thus created the digital wave of lighting we now all use safely and effectively indoors!
“Be sure to buy a digital timer with your new light as you will be dictating the light hours the plants need for each stage.”
Be sure to speak to your local shop about what light will best suit your space, stage and need, ill talk more about lighting technologies and differences in another blog when my fingers stop bleeding.
Great now the lights in, now it is time to decide on what type of system you wish to grow in. There are many choices here, you can grow in soil, coco coir or hydroponically and there are many other variations to these methods of cultivation.
We recommend for first time growers to start off with something easy and manageable like coco coir as it is very easy to use, once success has been attained with the coco style of growing most become comfortable in upgrading to a hydroponics system.
Nutrients, there are lots of them. Don’t become overwhelmed as they generally all grow plants, like everything – some are better than others. Speak to your hydro guy and get their personal recommendations as to what you should grow with.
The remaining accessories needed are things like a pH meter (to test the solubility of your water) and an EC meter (to check how much nutrition is present within the water)
So now you are setup! Its time to start growing, be patient, observe your plants carefully and don’t worry about it, if something’s wrong the plant communicates this too you via the leaves!
Happy growing!
