Be Like Water
We’ve all heard of hydroponics and the great things that can be done with it. However, choosing which type of hydroponic method to use in your individual situation can be a dilemma. That said, I’ve taken it upon myself to inform and educate you, the information-hungry grower. I’ll cover the commonly used methods, outlining the pros and cons of each. Hopefully, these lessons will rub off on you, and you’ll make the proper decision to suit your individual requirements and situation.
Your hydroponic setup can be as complicated or as simple as you like—it’s up to you. You can incorporate pumps, aerators, valves and switches, or you can fill a bucket with nutrient solution and simply pour it over your soilless growing medium. The flexibility of hydroponics is one of the main reasons it’s so effective and popular.
Peat & Perlite (Soilless Mix)
This most basic of methods uses a common planting container filled with peat moss and fortified with perlite. This method is the ultimate no-brainer, requiring little or no maintenance for the entire life cycle of your plants—you simply feed them some nutrient solution once or twice a day and watch them explode into lovely green foliage.
Perlite is required to increase the moisture-holding capacity of your growing medium. It’s cheap, commonly available and wonderfully inert, so it won’t interact with your nutrient solution to rob your pride and joy of essential nutrients.
A rockwool cube with your rooted clone or seedling is slightly buried in the pre-moistened peat and perlite. Be sure not to cover the top of the cube, just its sides and bottom.