Grow Box Expert Guide

In the advanced stage of grow box management, you've already created a basic environment for plants and started the deliberate process of testing plant cycles to figure out what works best. As you continue to make progress in hydroponic project management, you may want to look to more sophisticated aspects of getting good results in harvests.

Grow Box Automation

After you have figured out the right way to maintain things like temperature and pH value, you can start to look at advanced industry tools that will help you to do this routine maintenance with less labor. Grow box automation allows growers to get the same good results, while spending less time in the vicinity of the grow box, and doing other things. For instance, some types of grow box automation will help the grower to be able to take vacations, while also managing a hydroponics system. Common features of automation kits include automatic timers, thermostats, and pH value adjusters that will test the water and add elements like pH up and pH down accordingly.

Adding Aquaponics and/or Canopy Techniques

In advanced stages, growers may also look at adding certain kinds of elements to a hydroponics grow space.

One advanced technique is the “sea of green” or SOG, or “screen of green” or SCROG, that helps plants to benefit from a consistent canopy inside the box.

Another advanced element of hydroponics is aquaponics, where growers actually add aquaculture or fish in the reservoir, to help plants benefit from biological synergy.

Either of these often necessitates more research and reading, and additional resources to enhance the overall grow box system.

Inducing Flowering

Growers can also start to look at how to shorten plant cycles by inducing early flowering in plants, to get more product in the same time frame. There are numerous techniques for inducing flowering. Some relate to adding carbon dioxide to a grow box kit or system. Others involve changing the light and dark cycles to trick plants’ circadian rhythms into thinking that it's time to flower.

Harvesting

Growers can also look at more effective methods of harvesting, for example, adding things like drying racks and specialized harvesting shears or gear into their toolbox.

All of this helps the more advanced grower to branch out into more sophisticated methods for running a grow box system. For more, check out all of the modern gear that’s available from manufacturers and retailers, to help you become a true master of hydroponics.