What Grow Medium should I Use?

For new growers, the question can seem daunting -- what's the best hydroponic growing medium for my grow space?

However, some experts have boiled it down to a fairly simple set of ideas. Having the right grow media allows plants to flourish by getting plant roots the access that they need to water and nutrients.

Safe and Sterile Grow Media

The first fundamental rule of hydro grow media is that your hydroponic grow medium should be sterile and free of any harmful elements that can be harmful to the plant atmosphere. Elements of the grow media shouldn't change the pH value, or distort that careful chemical equations that the grower has put in place to nourish plants. For example, some experts warn against using certain kinds of lava rock as a hydroponic media, because it's not considered neutral or sterile enough.

Simple Solutions

Other seasoned growers have put hydroponic grow media into several different categories. For example, although you may often hear about items like vermiculite and rockwool mentioned in the same sentences as coco coir, perlite, and hydroton or clay balls, some growers like to put these last three into a different category of simpler and more versatile materials, shunning the others.

For many growers, the question comes down to what’s simple and organic -- and coco coir certainly has an advantage in this category. So do the simple clay balls that so many growers use in their hydroponic grow areas.

Drainage

Other aspects of choosing a hydroponics grow medium depend on the hydroponics system that you have set up. For instance, many experts on ebb and flow technology recommend using clay pellets up top, and coco coir and perlite at the bottom. For some other types of setups, this equation is inverted, with the clay balls at the bottom and the other stuff up top. The idea is that the clay pellets have better drainage, and so they should be put where the plant roots get access to the water.

Use these easy tips to start thinking about a hydroponic grow medium. Along with choosing the right grow medium, look at all the hydroponic lighting setups, nutrient solutions, maintenance tools and other equipment available to set up your hydroponic grow space. You also need adequate pumps, tubing and other materials for the size or scale of hydroponic garden that you want.

Through all of this, you can rely on trusted hydroponic retailers to bring you to gear that you need to put your detailed plans into action. Good luck and happy gardening!