Hydroponics: The Indoor Growers Choice
Hydroponics is not new, in fact, growing in water has been done since ancient times. The Floating Gardens of China and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon utilized this growing technique.
The word hydroponics comes from the roots “hydro”, meaning water, and “ponos”, meaning labor. When growing in “hydroponics”, it means to grow in water and not a traditional soil.
The reason hydroponics is so popular amongst indoor growers is due to the fact that there is strict control over the growing environment. Specifically relating to the hydroponic setup, the actual growing container/medium, one can control the water, pH, nutrients, and more. When growing outdoors in a soil based medium, you’re more at the mercy of what Mother Nature has to give you. This could include the lighting cycles, watering cycles, nutrients in the soil, insects and more.
Indoor growers typically have designated areas that allow them to control more than the elements in their grow setup. Lighting is one area that many will employ. There are a variety of lights, but one can grow with a single fluorescent bulb if they so choose. The options are endless. In later tutorials, we may get more into this.
Anything in the growing environment can be manipulated and controlled by the grower. This is why growing indoors in a dedicated space such as a vacant room or a grow tent/box has become so popular.
I plan on introducing a series of posts related to growing indoors and growing in hydroponics. Growing in hydroponics is NOT the only way to grow indoors. You could grow using a soil based medium as well, but you are introducing elements that would be beyond your control such as bugs in the soil, and the composition of the soil. These can be amended of course, but it is a whole separate skill set. Some times it is easier to start from zero and build what you want.
