How to Make an Indoor Hydroponic Grow System
While traditional gardening requires plenty of outdoor space, hydroponic gardening eliminates the need for digging in the soil, while still allowing you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Commercial greenhouses often use hydroponics as a way to produce masses of fresh fruits and vegetables. Creating an indoor hydroponic grow system provides a smaller scale method that uses techniques similar to commercial producers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Seeds
- Fish tank or terrarium tank
- Styrofoam sheeting, 2 inches thick
- Measuring tape
- Serrated knife
- Pencil
- Plastic plant pots, 4-inch diameter
- Perlite
- Aquarium pump
- Plastic tubing
- Air stone
Instructions
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1
Select the varieties of plants you will grow in your indoor hydroponic grow system. Avoid large plants and sun-loving plants, such as some types of tomatoes and peppers that typically require large garden plots. Opt for small bush beans, lettuce, radishes, broccoli and strawberries.
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2
Measure the width and length of the top of the glass tank. Transfer these measurements to your piece of Styrofoam sheeting, outlining the shape with a pencil. Use a serrated knife to cut out the shape, making the cuts slightly inside of the lines to ensure a loose fit.
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3
Evenly space the pots upside down on your cut piece of Styrofoam, allowing 3 to 5 inches of space between each circle. Using your pencil, outline the shapes of the rims of your pots. Make holes for your pots by cutting about 1/8 inch inside the pencil lines.
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4
Insert the pots into the holes in your Styrofoam sheeting, pressing them down until only the tops of the rims are above the surface of the sheeting. Fill the bottom 4/5 of your pots with perlite. Lay a piece of clean paper towel over the surface of the perlite to keep small seeds from washing away. Place five or six seeds in each pot, evenly spacing them over the paper towel. Sprinkle a layer of peat over your seeds, creating a thickness equal to about two times the size of your seeds.
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5
Set the tank in its permanent location, selecting an area that allows adequate space for changing the water, pruning and harvesting. Choose an area that receives at least eight hours of bright sunlight -- or attach a grow light above the tank to supply adequate amounts of artificial light.
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6
Hook the plastic tubing between the pump and the air stone. Set your airstone in the tank, centering it in the middle.
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Mix the hydroponic solution, according to the package instructions. Pour the mixture into the tank to a level between 1 and 2 inches below the rim. Turn on the pump and adjust the setting to supply a steady stream of bubbles.
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Place the Styrofoam sheeting of pots onto the surface of the water. The hydroponic solution will seep into the perlite, moistening the seeds. Siphon out about 1/2 of your solution every week. Replace with fresh hydroponic solution to encourage healthy growth.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase concentrated hydroponic powder or liquid from local or online gardening centers.
Keep the hydroponic system in an area of your house that sustains a steady temperature, rather than areas near windows, doors or heating ducts that can cause the temperatures to rise and fall.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
