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How to start a roof garden

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One of the coolest new ideas for hydroponics is to set up plants on an open roof and grow them in natural sunlight. This type of idea attracts a lot of urban gardeners and others who are trying to make use of roof spaces, but it's even popular in country areas as people look at picturesque Austrian chalets or other types of places where roof gardening is common.

Here are some of the common steps in setting up a roof garden for hydroponics.

Source power and water

You're going to need a power source for the hydroponic system. So look for power outlets on the roof or other ways to route power up to the top of the building. It's also going to be helpful to have a water connection on the roof -- so that you don't have to carry water up to the central reservoir system. Look for these utilities and how to get them to the points where they need to be.

Map out space

You can choose a stacked vertical system to save space with roof hydroponics, or you can use a larger area of the roof for a laterally distributed system. Anyway, look at what's practical in the space that you have, and whether any types of roof installations will obstruct that space and make it difficult to do gardening.

Plan for light

On most rooftops, there's an abundance of light. That's one reason why this type of garden is so popular. But you don't want too much light, or you may end up over-stressing the plants. Think about awnings or hangings that will shade plants just enough to keep them feeling good.

Stabilize against the elements

You're also going to have to deal with rain and snow, sleet, hail and all other kinds of weather -- so think about how to shield plants when a storm comes along. You’ll need to make sure that excessive winds will not have a negative impact on your crops, or even destroy your hydroponic structure. And this is important because of the height and relatively unprotected nature of many roof areas.

Maintenance

You’ll have to be coming up onto the roof regularly to check the plants temperature, humidity and pH value is as issues with light and irrigation. So be sure you have an easy way to get up there to do that regular maintenance. You'll also want to be pruning plants and preparing them for harvest in various ways.

This is just the beginning of how to create a vibrant hydroponic roof garden. For more, check out what Dealzer has to offer online.

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