Guide: Setting Up Your Own Outdoor Hydroponics Garden

Hydroponic is a method of growing plants excluding the use of soil. Hydroponics garden are gaining popularity for cultivating crops in your home garden that gives you higher yield and save your home space. Due to hydroponic system, you can grow and sustain crops in drought prone regions like deserts and rocky mountain. Hydroponics gardening is break up into two parts i.e. outdoor gardening and indoor gardening.  Summer is the best weather for outdoor gardening, as you get natural light from the sun. With a small preparation, you can set up your own outdoor hydroponics garden with the use of homespun hydro technique. Growers can make the use of hydroponic system through the system of circulating bucket. They are moderately simple to assemble and maintain. It will surely help you grow large plants that endure the elements and generate vast harvests. Here is your complete guide that will help you start your outdoor hydroponics garden easily:

Requirements and Fittings:

1. Outdoor garden requires more water than the indoors, so you need a growing medium that can hold good amount of moisture. Use a good growing medium for this.
2. You will need a 5-gallon buckets and a Standard Controller Systems that includes an 8-gallon controller module and a 13-gallon master reservoir. The controller is situated beneath the master reservoir and is connected with a float valve. As the water level drops, the float valve prompts and fill up the controller through the master reservoir. This helps to maintain a continuous supply of nutrients and water into it.
3. You will require a 3.2-gallon bucket which should be fitted with farm kit. This includes a pumping column and a support that expands from the base of the 5-gallon bucket to the 3.2-gallon bucket, from there it attaches the drip ring. It enables the nutrients solution to pass from the bucket to the drip ring.
4. Water Farm Kit is used to connect the buckets towards the controller; this allows the nutrient to flow between the buckets and the controller. This makes sure that the level of pH and TDS remains constant. It enables the grower to constantly check the parameters straight from the drain level that reduces your time and labour.
5. To ensure that your pH level is mixed and adjusted properly, you will require a Shutoff Valve between the controller and the master reservoir.
6. To oxygenate the nutrient, you will require air pumps that move from the pumping area towards the drip ring. Use air pumps as per the buckets used in the system.

Setting Up:

Remove the handles from the buckets with the use of pliers. Drip ring needs to be placed in the centre of the bucket, which is 1 inch above from the bucket’s side. Use a driller to drill holes in centre bottom of 3.2 gallon buckets that will easily drain off the excess material. On the opposite side of the 5 gallon buckets about 1 inch from the bottom, drill a hole and insert a ½ grommet. Place the 5-gallon buckets, controller module and the master reservoir as needed and join them using the blue tubing in the middle of each bucket. Bring together the float valve and insert the grommet and “T” fitting in the bottom of the controller. You need to install Shutoff valve and tubing between the controller and the master reservoir. Due to this, the nutrient solution is easily mixed in the master reservoir.  Place the Eco Air in a dried up area and join each outlet towards the air tube from the pumping column. Now, you can plug the timer and air pump and set the irrigation timer for 15 minutes, two times a day. You can also reduce or increase the irrigation timing and cycle.

Filling up:

This is the last process of outdoor hydroponics garden set up. The master reservoir needs to be placed on top of the controller quite close to the Shutoff Valve. Fill in the water in the master reservoir to check out for leaks. Close the shutoff valve before you fill the master reservoir and close it when the nutrient solution empties. After the procedure, it is perfect time to shift your plants into the buckets.

Tips:

For new indoor plants, sunlight would be very harsh for them. Choose a shaded area for indoor plants in first few weeks or you can introduce plants to sunlight one hour a day. Gradually, increase the number hours of sunlight per day in a week.

Pesticides are the biggest problem for outdoor gardening and hence use good quality pesticides for the plants. You can also rely on spray mix for prevention from pests and insects. Find shady spot for less heat-bearable plants and make sure the electrical equipment you use for the gardening should be protected from rain.

Flower Gardening: Top Five Elements For Designing a Flower Bed

Do you love flower garden or dream of creating garden you can be really proud of? If yes, then flower bed is an excellent choice for your backyard. When someone considers a flower bed, they always pick shrubs because they grow faster with minimum maintenance. Choose a perfect plant for your garden that not only enhances but also add colors to your landscape. Once your plants are scattered, start outlining the flowerbed, digging and amending the soil. But before you start with this, there are few more elements that need to be considered. Here are few simple yet effective elements for designing a flower bed.

Theme: Now, the theme for your flower garden depends on the style of your home. Step outside and look at your home style. Is it country? Traditional? Modern? Or Ranch? Once you decide your style, don’t mix up the different style. For example, a formal garden with a dash of country garden will not look good, if you’ve plenty of space. Once you decide your garden style, choosing plants becomes easier. I pick country style flowing theme flower bed with stones for my landscape.

Garden and Plant Size: Plan a flower bed twice the depth of the tallest plant by adding stepping stones. Stepping stones proves to be helpful in rainfall when the soil is saturated. Consider the mature size and growth habit of the plant before getting one for your garden.  Butterfly bush or Joe Pye Weed starts off as small plants but they grow in size and cover almost all your space. Have you seen plants growing out of their way? This spoils the entire look. So, whether you plant near to a pond or against a fence, size does matter. You can even try raised garden beds called as garden boxes useful for growing flowers and veggies in your yard. A raised flower beds is constructed with structured wooden frames that adds style and depth to your yard. They are used to define spaces in your garden or lawn and are easy to maintain and care.

Color Contrast and Texture: When deciding on color contrast, any color can be used. Just ensure the colors should harmonize quite nicely. Red, yellow and orange are warm colors whereas green, purple, blue are cool colors. Hence pick colors that match your flowerbed style and plants.  You can also blend different colors if required. Try blending different colors for example; a silver or white color is quite apt for Silver Brocade or Dusty Miller flowers. Planning and picking colors comes on individual’s choice. Consider use of different color textures while designing Palm Sedges or Velvety Lamb’s ear for a graceful touch in your lawn. A tropical flower with the large leaves adds good contrast. 

Shrubs: I like colorful shrubs in my garden. Shrubs with flowering, variegated leaves and changing color often add contrast in your scenery. Flowering shrubs is the best choice that most gardeners prefer. You can try flowering shrubs for instance, Camellia produced beautiful rose shaped blooms,
Lynwood gold forsythia is a fast-growing shrubs with yellow flowers. Flowering shrubs not only make your garden look more attractive but also give out pleasant fragrance.

Bloom Time: Besides choosing plants as per the garden design theme, the consideration should be given to the bloom time. Everyone enjoys colors in flowerbed from spring to frost. For examples, Leopards Bane with bright yellow blooms, Welches Iris with yellow and purple color flowers and tall spikes lavender Salvia Eveline looks nice in spring season. Summer blooms like Bluebeard Shrub, Butterfly bush and Carolina add little life in the garden.

If you like to have water feature in your garden, then you can include pond-covering plants such as Hardy Hydrangea, Creeper Vine and Arctic Blue Willow. You can also design water feature that matches your garden type and theme. A proper style water feature will surely add interest and showcase the natural form of your garden.  If you still find room for improvement then what’s better than getting a feedback from your friends and relatives. Feedback either positive or negative will always improve your work. 

Four Best Method for Grafting Your Fruit Trees

If you want to increase your fruit trees diversity then try grafting, an age old skills to reproduced original cultivar from the seeds. Grafting is a technique that connects a part of plant with another plant, grow together to form a single plant. The top part that produces leaves, branches, fruits and flowers is called as scion. The lower part includes the root system at the bottom of the trunk called as rootstock or simply stock. The scar which remains visible on the tree is known as graft union, simply union or bud union. There are several method of grafting used for different plants in different situation. Here are four best methods for grafting your fruit trees.

The Whip Graft: The whip graft is commonly used for young fruit trees such as apple and pears when the branches are small and the under stock is also the same as scion of the new tree. They are commonly used for grafting root and scions but can be used for joining small branches. They are sometimes called as tongue or bench grafting to unite plants easily. This type of graft is complicated for beginners but is widely used by experienced gardeners. The under stock is cut at an angle and second cut is made with the first in order to create a tongue. Similar process is conducted on the scion and placed on the under stock in a way that the tongues get lock.

The Cleft Graft: The cleft graft is mostly used on older developed fruit trees either on the small tree trunk or on the branches of a large fruit trees to propagate hard-to-root plants such as ornamental and fruit plants. The advantage of this method is that it joins two or four scions to stock, giving better chance of the graft to hold. Cleft grafts are done in late winter season to early spring when the tree is inactive. If the scion is cropped frozen, this can take longer to heal. During the growing season, the scions must sprout from the buds and start to grow. After the seasons, the best bud should be selected and rest needs to be removed.

The Side Graft: The side graft is used on branches which are not too large for the whip graft and too small for cleft graft though they are used on a wide range of branch sizes. In this, the scion is placed on the side of the stock, larger in diameter.  Side grafting produce effective results when done throughout the late winter and the beginning of spring, before the new growth season has begun. This method is used for sapling trees to turn them into different kind of tree to create a weeping form.

Budding: Budding is a grafting form where a single bud is used instead of section of stem. It is normally used method for fruit tree production but can be used on young fruit trees such as plum, cherry, peach, pears, apples and apricots. Budding is done in summer season when the stocks slips quiet easily and have full-grown buds. Budding needs the same safety measures as grafting. But make sure the rootstock and scion are well-suited; scion has mature buds where the cambia of rootstock and scion should match. Be careful to prevent contamination or drying of grafting materials. Generally deciduous and shade fruit trees are perfect for budding. 

Are Hydroponically-Grown Vegetables Healthy?

Every time you visit supermarket to buy vegetables, you always find vegetables labeled as hydroponic. But the confusion still exists whether hydroponically grown vegetables are healthier than the conventional grown vegetables. Does the hydroponically grown vegetables are healthier for you? The answer is simple. Here’s why. Hydroponics is the method of growing plants in water filled with nutrients instead of using soil. Hydroponic gardening is a cost effective way of growing large crops indoors in an easy manner. In this, the farmer creates an environment for maximum plant growth. Thus, plants grow faster, healthier and no pollution in the environment. Researchers have found that hydroponically grown vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals and thus they are healthier. The vitamin content was 50% higher than the conventionally grown vegetables.

Health Benefits:
                Hydroponic vegetables are grown in controlled indoor environment thus the gardeners can control the plant growth, soil settings. The gardener control the climate, nutrient levels, lighting, air circulation etc. planting crops that stay disease-free. Eliminating soil, reduces the risk of pests and fungus and hence less use of chemicals, fertilizer, and pesticides. Therefore, the vegetables are free from harmful chemicals caused due to the use of pesticides.  The gardener can control the mineral and nutrient solution in the water and hence by increase the nutrients and minerals in the water, the growing plants can absorb more nutrients and minerals. It eliminates the risk of food-borne illness and offers safety against food poisoning. Hydroponic vegetables are often fresher than the conventional produce. Due to this, they do not lose antioxidants and nutrients.
                In conventional growing method, the farmers use fertilizer to increase the quality of poor soil. But hydroponic method eliminates the use of soil and fertilizer and thus makes it safer to eat. If you choose indoor hydroponic gardening it reduces the risk of salmonella contamination. Salmonella may cause food borne illness or food poison if eaten. Thus, this method makes the vegetables safer and healthier to consume.  Hydroponic vegetables are grown indoors under the beneficial conditions that give you healthy, fresh and delicious produce all year.

                You can grow any vegetables with hydroponics from tomatoes and peppers to cucumber. Just do a little research and start your own hydroponic garden in your backyard. It’s important to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you want to try something new and distinct, hydroponics gardening is a great step towards sustaining a healthy lifestyle. You can try different techniques and methods of growing vegetables and fruits hydroponic in any season even in limited space available. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Go ahead and add veggies in your plate.