Indoor Gardening Tips - How To Make A Hydroponic System

The drip system is one of the most widely used techniques for home made hydroponic gardens. It is also one of the simplest, as it uses a timer mechanism to ensure that the plants get their nutrients at regular intervals. With drip system hydroponic gardens, nutrients are dripped into the root system of each plant so they get the most concentrated mix of nutrients possible. There are two types of drip systems for home made hydroponic gardens. The recovery drip system collects the excess solution so it can be used again. The nonrecovery drip system, on the other hand, just allows the excess nutrients to be disposed of.

Another widely used home made hydroponics system is the Nutrient Film Technique, commonly referred to as NFT. With these hydroponic gardens, the plants receive a consistent supply of nutrient solution and there is no timer for the pump. The plants are supported in the air and the roots of each plant are left to dangle in the nutrient solution. The solution is pumped into a growing tray and then it is exposed to the roots of the plants. With this home made hydroponics system, the excess nutrient is drained into a reservoir for later use with the plants. With the NFT method, oxygen is the main growing medium that helps to save the expense of needing to replace the soil or other medium.

Gardeners can use more high tech methods for hydroponic gardens with the aeroponic method. This method also uses air as the primary growing medium and the roots of the plants dangle in the air while the plants are suspended. At regular intervals, a mechanism mists the roots with nutrient solution every few minutes. While this is an ideal home made hydroponic system for many situations, a power outage can be damaging. If the roots go too long without being misted, they can dry out quickly, and as a result, die. Only use this home made hydroponic system if you have a backup power source so the roots are not subject to long intervals of no nutrients.

If you want to know how to make a hydroponic system, your first consideration is deciding on what to grow and the method you want to use to grow it. Many hydroponic gardens have kits so you can make a garden yourself. Others are more technical and require some skilled knowledge in order to be successful. Home made hydroponics offer convenience at a less expensive price, but the better yields are the main advantage of a successful home made hydroponic system.