Hydroponics for High Growth Speed and Yields
Deciding to start indoor growing can be a very exciting prospect. It is true that there is a lot to learn. However, don't get daunted, getting to grips with the basics is fairly simple, the rest you can just enjoy learning along the way.
What you will need
You will need equipment to successfully grow indoors. One of the most economical ways of getting started is with one of our essentials kits which provide you with everything you need, except for the grow system, medium and nutrients (these are deliberately left out so that you can choose your own). We also have Intermediate Kits which include other parts like pots, soil and nutrients. However, you can just as well choose the parts for yourself if you prefer, learn more about our Intermediate Grow Kits in the video below (this kit is our go to for beginners who want fantastic quality and value for money).
Where to do it
Before choosing your equipment (or kit) you should ideally decide where you are going to grow. Many choose a small bedroom that's out of the way to start with. It doesn't have to be particularly big, unless you are feeling really quite ambitious from the get-go. A 1.2 metre square tent is a common size of starter tent. A 600w HPS light suits that size of tent very well. Of course, a similar wattage of LED grow lighting will also work perfectly well, but they do represent a larger initial investment.
Power Cables and Ducting
We would recommend that you have a good think about the power cabling to supply the equipment. Try to avoid creating any trip hazards. If you will be using trailing sockets make sure they are not damaged or really old. Also be sure that they have a high enough current rating for the equipment that they will be supplying. Some of the light duty trailing sockets are only rated at 3 amps which is nearly as much as a 600 watt grow light will draw just by itself. If in doubt, we'd suggest you get a new one with a high (10 or 13 amp) rating.
So, having thought about the electrical feeds into the tent, you should also, have a think about the ducting for the extraction system. The air inside a grow tent needs to be extracted to remove heat, moisture, and to refresh the CO2 levels in the air. This means that the ducting from the extraction system will need to be fed out of the room.
Like the electrical feeds, the ducting from the extraction system needs to be run in a way so that it does not cause access problems to the tent. It will also need to be fed to outside of the room. It's a good idea to plan how it will be run and where it will exit the room.
Choose a kit
Once you have decided where you will grow and the size of the setup that you want, as we mentioned before, our essentials kits or standard kits are a great way to get the bulk of the equipment that you'll need to get started. They also represent a saving over buying the items individually. They contain:
- Grow Tent
- Grow Light
- Extraction Kit (duct fan, ducting & clips, carbon filter)
- Heavy Duty Timer (for switching the lights on and off)
- Air Pruner Fabric Pots
- Hanging equipment for the light and extraction kit
- Some pot saucers
- A thermometer, preferably with a hygrometer built in
- A small clip-on circulation fan
- A bucket for mixing nutrients
- Some grow medium, such as soil
- pH and EC meters, for measuring nutrient strength and acidity levels of the nutrient solution
- Some nutrients such as the excellent Biobizz range
- Ecothrive Neutralise to remove the chlorine in tap water to avoid killing the beneficial microbes in soil
Once you have got everything you need why not take a look at our guides to getting it all set up:
- Setting up your grow tent
- Setting up your extraction kit
- Setting up your grow light
So you've got set up. What now?
Well, by now you should be ready to get growing. But first you are going to need plants!
You can either grow from seeds or cuttings from a friend. Here are a couple of articles that should help:
How to grow from seeds
How to grow from cuttings
There's lots of great articles in our blog articles, but if you need any extra help then we are only a phone call or an email away (get in touch with us here)
Happy growing!
