I never thought I would be writing about plants. I’ve never been good at gardening until more recently. It took me a long time to start following the directions such as sun plants like the sun and shade plants like the shade. I always kind of thought all plants liked the sun. So once this clicked, I have found that I really enjoy it. It’s fun to grow something from a seed and see it develop.  

So I’ve started experimenting with hydroponics because why not?! I thought it looked cool and the reviews I’ve read have all been positive. The basics of what hydroponics is, is growing plants in a water based nutrient solution. There is no soil in this type of system. I have experimented with wicking (which is supposed to be easier) and deep water culture (its a bit decieving because the water is only a couple inches deep!) There are other systems out there, but these two seemed the most feasible for an amateur.  I personally had a difficult time with wicking.  The idea is that the plant sits above the water, and the wick connects the plant with the water to keep it hydrated. It takes some experimenting with wicks to get the right one. And unfortunately I did not find it. The wicks I used absorbed too much water and kept the plants very saturated. The wicks also started to come apart in the water after a couple hours. So I decided this method was not for me and moved onto the deep water culture.

For this method, the plant is completely submerged in water. The water has a nutrient solution in it to feed the plant and some sort of oxygen bubbler in the water to keep the plant from suffocating. For this method I used a mason jar with a net pot (the net pot is where the plant grows). I filled the net pot with perlite which is essentially a growing media that allows for drainage, unlike soil that retains the water.  I then submerged a moss ball into the jar. I had read that for this type of hydroponics that the plants need oxygen in the water or they would suffocate. The reviews all recommended a bubbler system, but for the size of my system hooking up a bubbler to a mason jar seemed like overkill. So while I was at the pet store looking for other options, I came across moss balls. The woman said they are tough to kill, need minimal light, and live completely submerged in water. So it seemed perfect! And I think it looks neat in the jar.

So the only thing left for this system is the nutrient solution. I add a drop of the Flora Grow solution to the jar since it is such a small system. Each week I give it fresh water and another drop of the solution. Another recommendation I would make when you’re just starting off is to plant your seeds in soil first. Once you see growth and roots, you are safe to transfer them over to the hydroponics system. If your feeling real confident than go right for the hydroponics! I started them off in soil first just to give them a root system before I switched. And my last piece of advice is to keep them in the sun and watch them grow!

So far everything is alive! I can only assume I’m doing something right.  Hope you enjoy! And if something else worked for you let me know, I’d love to try something new!