Hydroponics for Beginners: Your Complete Guide to Growing Food Without Soil

by Jeree Harms

Overview

You don’t need the sun or soil to grow food.


Wouldn’t it be great if you could plant and grow food in your house year-round? No more needing to be out in the summer sun. No more needing to find the right soil combination. No more needing to wait until spring or autumn to begin planting. With hydroponics, you can grow food inside your house without having any sun or any soil.

Hydroponics for Beginners has all the information you need to set up your own inside garden, including the benefits of hydroponics, the equipment required, and the best system to use. This book also includes these features:

Step-by-step techniques for building your hydroponic system

Expert guidance on how to start your seeds and how to light your system

Planting recommendations for the best kinds of foods to grow hydroponically

Nutrient guides to help your plants burst and thrive

Troubleshooting tips to help maintain your hydroponic system

Hydroponics for Beginners will explain everything you need to know to not only build a hydroponic system in your home but to also ensure you’re successful with whatever you grow. Also, if you’re ever stuck on the Moon or on Mars, if you can find a little water and happen to have some nutrient-rich solutions, you can grow food and survive until someone rescues you. Just make sure you also have a copy of Hydroponics for Beginners with you!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780744045710
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Jeree Harms is known as the Hydro Guy. He’s been involved with hydroponics since 1991 and he previously owned a tropical plant store before discovering the wonders of growing plants without sun and soil. Jeree opened greenhouses in New Jersey in 1998, fully committing himself to growing plants hydroponically. Although his business, EasyGro Hydro, does serve hotel and corporate office clients in the New Jersey metro area, he also has a store in Venice, Florida, where he helps everyday people learn the best methods for growing plants indoors.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

A Brief History of Hydroponics 10

The Future of Hydroponics 12

1 Hydroponics Basics 14

What Is Hydroponics? 16

How a Plant Grows 18

How Hydroponics Works 20

What You Can Grow 22

2 Getting Started 24

Garden Planning 101 26

Types of Hydroponic Systems. 28

Choosing the Best System 32

Setting Up a System 34

Types of Lighting 36

Buying a Lighting System 38

Types of Growing Mediums 40

Equipment Needed 42

Monitoring the pH Level 44

3 Growing Microgreens, Herbs & Sprouts 46

All About Nutrients 48

All About Seeds 52

Germinating Seeds 54

All About Sprouts 56

Growing Sprouts 58

All About Microgreens 60

Growing Microgreens 62

All About Herbs 64

Growing Herbs 66

Moving Seedlings to Containers 68

4 Growing Vegetables 70

All About Vegetables 72

Growing Vegetables 74

Companion Planting for Vegetables 76

All About Leafy Greens 78

Growing Leafy Greens 80

5 Growing Fruits 82

All About Fruits 84

Growing Fruits 86

Growing Strawberries 88

Retraining Plants from Soil to Hydroponics 90

6 Growing Houseplants 92

All About Houseplants 94

Choosing the Best Houseplants 96

Converting Houseplants from Soil to Hydroponics 98

Starting Houseplants from Cuttings 100

Growing Orchids 102

Growing from Bulbs 104

7 Maintenance 106

Routine Maintenance 108

System Maintenance Between Crops 110

Lighting & Other Equipment Maintenance 112

Cleaning Hard Water Deposits 114

8 Troubleshooting 116

Diagnosing & Treating Insect Infestations 118

Diagnosing Nutrient & Lighting Problems 120

Diagnosing & Treating Fungi & Diseases 122

Common Problems with Sprouts 124

Common Problems with Microgreens 125

Common Problems with Herbs 126

Common Problems with Fruits & Vegetables 128

Common Problems with Houseplants 130

Common Problems with Orchids 131

Resources 132

Photo Credits 133

Index 136