There are various reasons you may choose to move away from traditional gardening techniques and migrate to hydroponic methods. You may want a higher yielding crop in a smaller space, want to avoid certain fertilizers, or you may simple want to try the technique and compare it to others you have tried. Regardless of the reasoning, there are a few things you should consider before you visit your local hydroponics stores to begin down this path.

Growing Space

A mistake that some people coming into hydroponics is not judging their growing space properly. You may know what plants you want to grow and how much you want to see them produce, but having the room for that production is a totally different story. Make sure you have the measurements for the growing area, whether it's a closet or an entire room, when you go to the store. This will help them determine what you need, and help the employees determine if there is anything you should consider before you purchase supplies.

Electrical Needs

One of the things that you may look over is the need for growing lamps. This is not only something to consider for the space constraints they may cause, but it is also a consideration for the amount of power you will need to operate them. You may want to have the lights on a timer. You may also want to run the lights off of a solar power options. These are all things to consider in regards to what you want and what you'll need before going into the store. Knowing what sort of electrical needs or power source you want to use will also help the store determine what kits you may need or grow lights that may work best for your needs.

Growing Media

You need to know what type of growing media you may want to use. For example, some growing media like coconut fibre and cubes require no real prep. Clay media, on the other hand, requires rinsing and some mild prep work before using it as a growing media. It really depends on what you want to do and how much time you want to put into the initial set-up of your hydroponics garden.

These are just a few of the things you should consider before visiting your hydroponics stores. By knowing a bit about what you want your end results to be and what plants you want to grow, you can save time and help speed the buying process along. If you have any questions, your hydroponics store can always offer a consultation.