There’s something special about starting your garden using hydroponic seeds. Watching the full growth cycle from seed to harvest can be rather rewarding. In this post, we will explore many of the benefits of using hydroponic seeds, how to go about using them as well as which veggies and herbs grow best from hydroponic seeds.
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Want to start a hydroponic garden at home easily? Check out our recommendations for Best Hydroponics Starter Kits for Beginners.
What Are Hydroponic Seeds?
These are seeds grown in a nutrient-rich solution rather than soil. Starting your seeds hydroponically has many benefits compared to using saplings.
The biggest benefit is being able to control the growing process from start to finish. You can closely monitor how the seeds are developing as well as protect them from pests and diseases.
One of the easiest ways to get started is using a hydroponic seed starter kit. For those new to gardening or hydroponics, a hydroponic seed starter kit has everything you need.
Most importantly, these kits include the equipment needed for closely monitoring your seeds. This equipment includes electroconductivity meters, grow lights, thermometers, test kits, and pH strips.
Ensuring your seeds germinate properly is extremely important. After all, no germination, no plants. You should great care in following how to properly germinate seeds for hydroponics. Failure to do so will result in seeds that grow in vegetable or herb plants.
Practical Tips For Using Hydroponic Seeds
While using hydroponic seeds can be a challenge for new home growers, it’s not impossible if you keep in mind a few practical tips when getting started.
Grow Medium
Having a good grow medium is very important. It’s the foundation from which your plants will grow. Choose a suitable growing medium that allows the seeds to directly germinate. Rock wool is one of the easiest to work with. Ensure you soak the growing medium until it is evenly moist with no dry patches before seeding.
Crops
Choose your crop varieties that do well in hydroponics. Most vegetables and herbs respond well to hydroponics. For new home gardeners, lettuce is one of the best vegetables to grow first. It responds well and grows fast.
Planting
To plant seeds in rock wool, make sure you follow the required crop-specific depth requirements. Ensure the seeds are covered so that they are kept moist during germination.
You can cover using a fine layer of vermiculite until the seeds germinate. Use plain water to irrigate them frequently so that the seeds remain moist during germination.
Watering should be done gently by hand, overhead mister, or sub-irrigation/seepage irrigation.
As a gardener, you should not use full-strength hydroponic nutrients at this stage because the slats found in the nutrients can make it hard for the seeds to absorb water and start growing.
The growth of roots might also be less vigorous. Ensure the optimal temperatures required are constant. You can use a heat mat to adjust temperatures as needed.
Growing
Once the plants sprout, add a dilute hydroponic nutrient solution as indicated on the product labels. Provide supplemental light if needed because some seed crops need light to germinate.
However, the need for light depends on the environment, setup, and the variety to be grown. You can closely space the plants because they do not compete for nutrients when grown hydroponically, unlike in soil.
The Best Plants To Grow From Hydroponic Seeds
The good thing about growing vegetables hydroponically at home is that you know what you are consuming and what was used to grow it.
Rather than buying vegetables at the grocery every day, why don’t you go for hydroponic seeds and start your own hydroponic garden?
Benefits Of Growing Hydroponic Vegetables At Home
- You are aware of where the food comes from
- Avoid using pesticides because the water solution used is rich in nutrients
- Faster growth and higher yields
- Hydroponic plants require less space to grow.
- Save lots of water.
- Fewer pests and diseases
Seed vegetables suited for hydroponics include celery, cucumber, hydroponic pepper seeds, spinach seeds, tomatoes, hydroponic lettuce seeds, and bok choy.
Seed herbs suited for hydroponics include sage, basil, oregano, green mint, rosemary, lemon balm, and stevia.
Our 7 Top Tips For Hydroponic Seeds
When using seeds for hydroponics, several factors need to be considered.
Temperature
Extremely high or low temperatures lead to poor germination and increased risks of pests and disease attacks. The optimum temperature depends on the crop and its lifecycle stage.
The temperature of the nutrient solution should also be maintained and should not be warmer than ambient temperatures. Higher temperatures in the solution cause root damage.
pH Level
Most nutrient solutions are acidic in nature, and when added to water, the pH level reduces. The recommended pH range for hydroponic crops and systems ranges between 5.8 and 6.2. You can use a pH meter or litmus paper test strips to conduct a pH test.
As the plants take up nutrients, the pH rises, and when you replace the solution, the pH falls. Other adverse pH changes may be a result of disease attacks.
For instance, algae raise the pH above the required levels, while root rot causes the pH to fall drastically to as low as 3.0.
Light
Most plants require 14 hours of sunlight a day for optimum growth. Plants grown indoors or in greenhouses typically receive 25%-50% less light as compared to those grown outdoors.
Supplemental lighting is provided for specific periods or all year round, depending on the crop to achieve optimal growth.
When using supplemental lighting, light color is essential. Tomatoes prefer lights that emit more immense proportions at the red end of the light spectrum to promote flowering and fruiting.
Leafy vegetables and herbs prefer lights that emit more considerable proportions at the blue end of the light spectrum to promote vegetative growth. In strawberries, ultraviolet light promotes fruit development.
Nutrient Solution Concentrations
You should monitor the nutrient solutions regularly. The EC varies from crop to crop. A higher EC is needed in cooler seasons, while you require a lower EC in warmer seasons and when the crops are ready to produce fruits.
Air Circulation
Good aeration reduces the chances of diseases occurring, ensures plants get enough carbon dioxide, and helps seedlings develop thicker stems, which produces shorter and less leggy plants.
Oxygen Levels
Compaction of growth media and over-watering limits the amount of oxygen reaching the plant roots hence causing the death of roots. It is essential to use a growth medium with good aeration.
Water
It is highly advisable to test your water sources to know how the natural elements found in the water can affect your plants. For instance, hard water (water that is rich in magnesium and calcium concentrations) will need a nutrient solution that is specifically made for hard water.
Treating water with sodium or other chemicals used to soften water can be dangerous to plants. The water has high levels of salt that prevent calcium uptake hence causing diseases.
N/B: research shows that 3000ppm salt levels in water reduce yields by 10-25%.
FAQs – Hydroponic Seeds
No. Thankfully with hydroponics, you don’t need any specially formulated seeds to grow plants. Readily available garden seeds are perfectly suitable to use in any hydroponic system.
Yes. Growing hydroponically doesn’t require any special seeds. It is important to remember that once you select the seeds to grow, use coco coir or rockwool as a grow medium.