Starting seeds for hydroponic gardening-So you want to start hydroponics and are about to plant some seeds…
But you don’t even know where to start?
When I first started gardening, I did the same thing as you.
I didn’t know how to start seeds for hydroponics gardens until I began building deep water culture and ebb and flow systems. After I built them, I had to figure out how to start seeds in water.
One of the best things about hydroponics is that you have complete control over the environment in which your plants grow. Knowing that, I didn’t want to start the seeds in soil and then move them into my hydroponic system, which would have added a lot of dirt to it.
There must have been a different way.
Here are a few reasons why you should use a hydroponic system to start seeds instead of soil:
- Much easier to clean than planting seeds in soil
- Seedlings grow faster after germination
- Simple to move into a bigger hydroponic system
That’s a cool second reason. A hydroponic system will help your tap root grow faster than it would in soil and keep it from getting stuck.
Table of Contents
Starting Seeds for Hydroponic Gardening
Step 1: Gather your stuff
To start, you don’t need much. If you make your own cloner, the rest of the materials will cost less than $50 and will last for a long time. If you buy a cloner from a store, it will cost a little more, but the product will be of much higher quality.
List of items for starting seeds
You can build your own hydroponic cloner or use something like the Clone King and starter plugs (see #3).
- 2″ Net Pots
- Rapid Rooter Starter Plugs
- Find seeds at a local nursery if you can, or buy them online. RareSeeds.com is one of my favorites.
- Air Pump
- Stone Air
- Tubing
Step 2: Put water in the clone.
This is a pretty easy step. All you have to do is fill your reservoir until it’s just a little bit below where your net pots are. Right now, you don’t need to worry about adjusting the pH of your water or using reverse osmosis. Tap water will work just fine.
Step 3: Put the air pump together
Put the air stone in the reservoir and connect the tubing. Plug in the other end and connect it to the air pump. You should start to see some lovely bubbles coming out of the air stone. These bubbles are what will keep your seeds’ roots moist and help them grow.
Step 4: Plant the seeds and starter plugs.
Put some water on each starter plug and then put it in a net pot. The water will help the seeds start to grow.
Drop 2-3 seeds in each starter plug. We use more than one seed because not all seeds will grow, and we want to make sure that every starter plug has a seed that has grown. If not, we’ll have to replant!
Step 5: Keep it up
As your seeds grow, this system is very easy to keep up.
You can put a clear cover over the top if you want to keep in some moisture and raise the temperature, but it’s not necessary.
Make sure to spray some water on the starter plugs every day with a spray bottle so that your seeds have enough water to grow.
When your seeds start to grow, cut off all of the seedlings except for the strongest one from each starter plug.
All done! Most plants will start to grow from their seeds in 3–5 days, and you’ll be ready to grow some truly amazing plants in your hydroponic system in no time.
Pros of growing plants in water
Many growers think that crops grown with hydroponic systems have a slight edge over crops grown the old way.
The best thing about hydroponic gardening is that, unlike outdoor gardening, the grower can control all outside factors. You can change the lighting, temperature, nutrients, and, of course, water to make the perfect environment for growing a wide range of plants.
Pests and diseases tend to affect hydroponically grown plants less than traditionally grown plants, and when they do, they are easier to control. Hydroponic systems make it possible to grow even seasonal crops all year long. These gardens can be moved outside when the weather is good.
Even when people build their own hydroponic systems, they tend to take up less space and use less water than outdoor gardens. This makes the equipment a good investment for many people, especially those who don’t have a lot of space or resources for growing plants.
The best part is that there are no weeds in hydroponic gardens. Unless you put in weed seeds on purpose, that is.
