Things you’ll need to grow hydroponic strawberries

First of all, determine how many strawberry plants you will require. Generally, fruits from 3 to 6 plants will be sufficient to feed an average size family. Next, you need to decide whether you want to build your own hydroponic system or purchase a ready made hydroponic kit.

Hydroponic kit is a complete hydroponic system that comes with detailed instructions and basic components including fertilizer. It usually costs about $100 and above, but it makes your life much easier. All that required are the plants and water to get the system running.

However if you are on a tight budget, you can always build your own system. Hydroponic system is pretty simple to set up. You will definitely get lots of fun and joys building it yourself, plus it is rewarding to see your DIY hydroponic system producing luscious strawberries.
Hydroponic growing works best with sufficient sun light. Thus, it is always best to be able to position your hydroponic system near a sunny south-facing window. Otherwise, you will need some artificial grow lights on a timer to provide the much needed lighting for photosynthesis process.

When you are building the hydroponic system yourself, decide whether you want to use growing medium to support the plants. If it is a full water system without the use of growing medium, these are what you need: reservoir to hold the water, water pump, tubes or pipes, aerator stone, organic fertilizer and some tools.

Drill small holes with few inches apart to hold the plants. Assemble the tubes with a slight incline and to be rerouted to the reservoir where the water pump is. Fill the reservoir with clean water and add the fertilizer according to the instruction. Turn on the water pump to make sure it is running accordingly.

Now clean the roots of the strawberry plants before putting them in the system. Gently shake off as much of the soil or dirt from the roots. Soak the entire root system in cold water follow by rinsing the roots under cold running water. Wrap the roots in wet burlap to retain moisture before transferring them to the hydroponic system.

If growing medium is used in your hydroponic system, you will need these additional materials: nursery pots and growing medium to hold the strawberry plants.
Common growing mediums that work well for hydroponic strawberries are perlite, coco-husks, pebbles, rockwool, vermiculite, or heydite. Presoak the growing medium in pH balanced water prior to using. This will prevent the medium from sucking all the moisture from the roots.

Place the strawberry plants carefully in the pots and use enough growing medium to support the plants so that they can receive sufficient light and fresh air. Place the nursery pots above the water level in the reservoir and make sure to direct the outlet of the tube up to the top of the pots to channel the nutrient solution. It is never a good idea to let the root system standing in still water.

Immerse the aerator stone in the water inside the reservoir to oxygenate the nutrient solution. Oxygenated solution allows the roots to breathe and speeds up the uptake of water and nutrients.

You will need to change the nutrient solution every once a week. Monitor closely for any changes to the pH of the solution. The pH of the nutrient solution shall be maintained between 5.8 and 6.2. You will need to frequently pick off any runners from the hydroponic strawberry plants in order to produce more fruits.

This is how you can simulate strawberries growing conditon indoor with hydroponic technique. Now you can enjoy luscious strawberries fresh from your indoor garden year round without having to wait for its season or fork out extra pennies for the of-out-season berries.

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Most hydroponic kits are equipped with elementary features that make the task of hydroponic gardening an enjoyment. Below are the basic fundamental features for a practical hydroponic kit:

Nutrients and Oxygen

Plants require adequate nutrients and oxygen in order to grow healthily. Therefore, hydroponic kits these days are essentially equipped with high-oxygenated nutrients. In some hydroponic kits, aerator stones are used to alleviate the supply of oxygen to the root zone of the plants.

With adequate supply of oxygen to the root zone, root system is able to absorb the essential nutrients and minerals at its optimum rate. This improves the growth rate of hydroponic plants tremendously.

Hydroponic Lighting

Light is important for the process of photosynthesis. Usually, a full-spectrum lighting system is integrated into a complete hydroponic kit to promote proper photosynthesis. This lighting system used shall be ideal for all phases of plant growth.

Ease of Maintenance

Hydroponic kits these days are designed for easy maintenance. The grow boxes used are usually simple and uncomplicated in terms of maintenance. This is perfect for beginners who have limited knowledge of hydroponic gardening.

The feature of detachable side panels for most hydroponic kits allows the moving of plants effortlessly. This makes the maintenance of hydroponic plants a bliss within the hydroponic kits.

Control of Air

It is vital to have proper air flow within a hydroponic system. The hot air trapped inside the hydroponic kits must be channeled out to reduce the temperature within the system. This is usually aided by the use of a fan that mounted to the hydroponic kits. In some hydroponic kits, a cooling fan is used to further facilitate good air circulation within the hydroponic unit.

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Concept of Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System

A reservoir filled with hydroponic nutrients and water is placed under a growing tray. The growing tray holds the plants pots, which are filled with growing mediums like rockwool, perlite, clay pebbles, or coconut fiber. The plants are flooded with hydroponic nutrients and water on the timed schedule by using a pump and a timer. When the timer is off, the nutrient solution is slowly drained back to the reservoir providing oxygen to the root system of the plant. To prevent overflow of hydroponic nutrients, an overflow drain is usually installed to adjust the maximum height for filling the nutrients.

Things you need to build an Ebb and Flow hydroponic system

1. Hydroponic tray
Plastic tray is more preferable as it is lighter and more durable to hold up the plants, growing mediums and nutrient solution. Take note that light should not shine through the tray in order to protect the roots system. The tray must be able to drain thoroughly to prevent root rot and mold problems due to standing water pools.

2. Growing medium
You can basically use any growing medium in an Ebb and Flow system. Though grow rocks or clay pebbles are more effective as this type growing mediums does not hold lots of water.

3. Support system
You will need a support system to hold the growing tray above the reservoir. The support system used must be strong and sturdy to bear the weight of your plants, growing mediums, and nutrient solution. You can use table, sawhorses, or milk crate as the support system in your Ebb and flow hydroponic system.

4. Plant pots
You can use almost any plastic pot as long as it has a hole at the bottom to allow the fill and drain of hydroponic nutrients.

5. Reservoir
Large plastic container works best as reservoir as it does not rust over time. Make sure the container is light proof to prevent algae growth problem.

6. Water pump
For a small scale setup, using an aquarium pump is adequate.

7. Drains
Basically there are 2 types of drain required in an Ebb and flow system. One for the filling and draining of the water from reservoir. Another drain is for controlling the overflow where you can adjust the maximum water level for your hydroponic system.

8. Timer
You can use any timer that allows the adjustment for an interval of 15 minutes or 30 minutes.

9. Flexible Tubing
Flexible tubing is required to connect the pump to your growing tray. Make sure you use non-transparent type of tubing to prevent algae growth.

Watch this video to learn how to build Hydroponic Ebb and Flow System easily.

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The basic things that you will need to make a solution of hydroponic nutrients are as follows: sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium sulphate, super phosphate, and magnesium sulphate. Each of these is essential to proper plant growth using hydroponic gardening techniques. You will also need iron sulphate, zinc sulphate, boric acid powder, manganese sulphate, and copper sulphate.

These particular ingredients are important to proper plant health. Each ingredient for hydroponic nutrients plays its own role in hydroponic gardening. Nitrogen is essential for the building and growth of plant cells. Phosphorus helps with root growth and the development of fruits and flowers. Potassium and chlorine are used during the photosynthetic process. Sulfur is a catalyst for the phosphorus. Iron helps to make chlorophyll, the green color of your hydroponic plants. Calcium helps the roots to grow. If you do not know the proper amounts of each nutrient, then you should probably buy the ready-made solution of hydroponic nutrients from the store. The mixing of nutrients needs to be very precise and accurate. If not, the solution can be deadly to your plants.

Another thing that you need to remember when making your own solution of hydroponic nutrients is that the solution will need to be stored somewhere out of the reach of children and pets. This is simply because the solutions used for hydroponic gardening are deadly and dangerous. This is a very complicated science. If you are not a scientist, it is not advisable for a beginner to be trying to make a nutrient solution. There are plenty of different ones that are available in the markets. The nutrient solutions must be exactly precise in order to benefit the plants and not destroy them. Plants have a certain pH level that must be maintained. Usually, the natural minerals in soil are sufficient to monitor or maintain the pH level of the plants. However, because there is no soil being used in hydroponic gardening, you must constantly check the pH level of the nutrient solution so that the plants remain healthy. This is essential to your plants’ long healthy life and longevity.

Certain solutions will only help certain types of plants. Other solutions will only enhance certain functions such as root growth or fruit development. You should always know the difference between the different types of solutions or your hydroponic gardening experience will be fatal.  Yes, the store bought solutions may cause you to have to research and ask questions. In the long run, it will save you a lot of headaches.

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