How to not fail as a Hydroponic grower

Uh – ok, that's random. So you want to know not to “fail” in hydroponics?

Of course, that’s the whole thing for beginners. They just want to make sure they're not pouring money into something that will leave them high and dry later.

But hydroponics is a complex equation. It's all about micromanaging plants, and there are a lot of things to think about. With that in mind, here are some good pieces of advice for growers.

Get the Lighting Right

Without enough high-intensity, broad-spectrum light, plants just aren’t going to thrive the way they should. Take a look at where to position lights for best distribution and think about strategies like super cropping that can help you make the most of available light.

Monitor Plants for Bacteria Problems

Some of the worst threats to plant health involve bacterial invasions. Look for beginning signs such as yellow or withered leaf tips, and keep that material out of the grow space to give plants a better chance of survival.

Build Your Microclimate

This one is ultimately important as well. You’ll want plants to be comfortable where they happen to be: that means controlling things like temperature and humidity. You'll also want to check pH value over time, and that's very important, because water with too much of an acid or alkaline quality can harm plants. This will change over time, so you want to always be measuring these aspects of your environment to make your way towards healthy harvests.

Control Water

You also have to be very specific in the ways you control water in a grow space. If it's supplied by piping and tubing, make sure these are set up well and protected against leakage. If it's a drip, tray or table setup, make sure that irrigation is happening at those particular times when it will benefit plants.

Always Be Checking

Get into the grow space every day and take a close look at plants. Try to diagnose problems before they get bad, and correct them as necessary. Again, look for any deterioration or withering of leaves and stems, roots systems or other parts of the plant that just don’t look right.

These are few beginning steps that can help you through the hydroponic process. For much more, check out how advanced and sophisticated hydroponic grow systems will help make these projects less labor-intensive and protect you against different types of failure.