How to Grow Hydro Plants Indoors

Once you learn how to grow hydro plants indoors, you can enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs year round. Hydro plants are not grown in soil, like typical gardens. Rather, they are anchored into a container system and are fed water and nutrients via pipes and UV rays from special lights hung above the plants. The setup takes some expense, if you purchase a kit, or some work if you follow plans to make your own, but once it's all set up the fun begins.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
   NASA indoor hydroponic garden

   Make or set up the garden base, which is a system of containers connected by pipes attached to a pump that brings water to the plants' roots, lets it drain, and pumps it up again throughout the day. Some systems aerate the water instead of pumping it up and down. The system is fairly simple, and can be created with PVC pipes, soft drink bottles and other inexpensive parts, or purchased as a kit and assembled.

2. Plant seeds or seedlings in the material of choice, whether it's a clay pebble, rock wool (a popular choice), perlite, styrofoam or other medium that will hold the plant in place and allow roots to access the water, and get oxygen above the water level.

3. Provide proper lighting for the indoor hydro plants. Special grow lights or plant lights are available for this purpose, and unless your indoor garden is in a sun room with glass on three sides, you will need artificial lighting for your plants to grow properly. Regular bulbs don't provide the right spectrum light, but a bright fluorescent lamp will do the trick.

4. Feed the hydroponic plants a nutrient solution, which can be bought or made from scratch using potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium phosphate, and magnesium sulfate with the addition of trace minerals such as boron, manganese, iron and zinc to nourish your plants and ensure they bear nutritious produce.

5. Monitor the level of the water as well its nutrient content. Plant roots need exposure to the air for oxygen, so the water should be aerated or a portion of the roots should stay above water. As the plants absorb nutrients from the water, its content and Ph balance will change. It's important to adjust these levels so that the water does not become too salty or have the wrong Ph for your plants.

6. Harvest your produce as it ripens, and remove dying plants to make room for new ones in their places.

Tips & Warnings

• Growing hydro plants indoors means no weeds--an excellent benefit.

Resources

• Hydroponics for the Home Gardener: An easy guide
• Hydroponic garden kits and supplies at Kalyx
• AeroGarden with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit