Grow Boxes

Gardening is a universal hobby which is so much fun. The health benefits and stress relief which we get by growing plants (especially in grow boxes) and taking care of them cannot be replaced by any other activity. The most novel technique of gardening is hydroponics. This Greek word means water and labor and involves growing plants without soil but just use the nutrients in the soil with water. Hydroponics is emerging as a favorite not only in teaching and research but also in homes.

Many people want to grow their own different varieties of of plants from the comfort of their own homes. But space constraint has become a universal issue. Hydroponics and hydroponic grow boxes are an ideal solution for all gardening fans. As mentioned earlier, this involves growing plants without using the artificial medium of sand or gravel. Research has shown that plants do not need the soil or sand for growth, but rather only the nutrients. Hydroponic grow box gardening does not require any special agricultural skill and also is very environmental friendly. The setup can be done by anyone even without any expert help. Soil is not at all needed and water can also be reused. Many people have started learning the art of hydroponics because of the benefits - like a very high crop yield for example.

The main tool of hydroponics is a grow box which as the name suggests is a self contained growing environment. Grow boxes have built in Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium bulbs that provide light. Intake and also exhaust fans which are helpful for plant growth and also provide odor control are available in grow boxes as well. Grow boxes are very useful for those who do not have enough place for a traditional garden. This technique is apt for growing plants which are out of season. This means you can grow any plant of your choice during any time of the year. The hydroponics grow boxes are very simple to use and maintain and provide all the nutrients required for good plant growth.

Setting up a hydroponics tank or arrangement is very simple when you are aware of certain basic rules. Choose your own grow box or create one. A fish tank or reservoir painted black or covered with black paper can act as an ideal grow box. You should consider the size of grow box needed for the variety and number of plants you wish to grow. You should have a good stock of plant nutrients which will suit the nature of plants you plan to grow in your grow boxes. Pest problems do not occur when you resort to the hydroponics method as the container itself can be shifted conveniently. One main disadvantage is that some soil based plants may get extra hydrated. It also may become unnecessarily difficult to maintain if you are trying to grow your plants that have different fertilizer needs.

Our planet Earth is constantly troubled by pollution and global warming problems. Growing more plants in a grow box is the only solution to protect us from the impending danger. In the art of gardening, hydroponics has turned it beautiful and nature friendly.

Soil is just one of those things that for some is extremely dull and for others, like gardeners, is quite exciting. There are five things below about soil which could not be understood already.

One: It is a known fact that an estimated 25 per cent of all the world’s soil is being degraded through intensive agricultural practices such as tilling and poor crop rotation.

2. Whilst human-beings don’t tend to live in soil, other animal life does do and can reach the density of up to 10 tons per acre.

3. About 10 percent of all the land on Earth is used to grow the food that feed the cattle that then feeds people.

4. So that plants can find the necessary water, their roots can travel through the soil at about ½ inch per day which is quite extraordinary.

Fifthly, it is amazing to think that a simple earthworm is able to digest about 36 tons of soil before recycling it back into the soil layer making it rich and nutritious.

Six: In one acre of open grassland, there is the potential for at least one million earthworms living in the soil.

7. Just 1 spadeful of soil could contain more species of living things than the Amazon rain forest contains in total above ground.

Eighth, as seeds, nuts and other things buried by wild creatures in the soil decompose, the soil benefits from the added material making it richer and more nutritious and improved.

9. If one was to count all of the people in the entire world, there would still be more clay particles in one handful of clay.

Tenth, soil is made up from minerals, air, water and organic matter at 45 percent, 25 percent, 25 percent and 5 percent respectively.

Soil is clearly a massive subject and to know everything about it could take you some time. However, most people don’t have that much spare time to learn about soil, and so this list points out the most interesting.

The two pH readings are acknowledged to having distinctions in the field. This can get several growers confused with the true worth of the pH of the medium on which their plants grow. Properly then, your confusion ends right here as you examine this post.

When growing plants, you require a pH meter to measure the acidity and alkalinity of the soil because this is super important. pH in fact stands for power of Hydrogen which involves basic methods obtaining OH- ions concentration and acidic types getting H+ ions. Nutrition are related to the pH in a way that the pH for hydroponics plays a great part in plant’s growth in which the availability of these vitamins is directly connected to.

Nonetheless, pH readings may differ when making use of two distinct meters in the exact same nutrient answer as some growers have observed. There are a number of possibilities that can be attributed for this fluctuation. 

One particular of the probable causes is that the two pH meters use distinct manufacturers of electric batteries. A single pH meter might be using older batteries unlike the other a single which is utilizing a new 1. Clearly this is simply because the older batteries are much weaker then the newer types even though it has the same voltage. Additionally, even a slight corrosion on power packs can also cause variations in pH readings. 

The accuracy of the pH for hydroponics reading can also be impacted by even a minor dirt on the probes. This signifies that to avoid dirt and salt crystals accumulation, you have to clean the probes often. 

Growers have to have as nicely to understand that pH meters have a limitation in the correct measurement of the pH worth. Hobby meters, which are typically utilized by growers, may well display a slightly various reading from the laboratory bench meters. 

Hobby meters can price up to $250 but they are more affordable versions in contrast to the laboratory pH meters. $1000 is the typical price for laboratory pH meters. Typically, your interest meter won’t be regarded as as inaccurate when the readings are just 0.3 or less variation. Therefore, growers have to have not to be concerned about their pH readings from interest meters. After all, who would invest a thousand dollars for a standard hydroponic garden?

There are other methods as nicely which are possibly much more practical.  Not only “spa” test strips actions pH, it also measures normal water hardness, alkalinity and copper levels, plus it only charges $10.  A single organization even makes a nutrition package that automatically adjusts the pH quantities of your normal water to the correct levels.  Amazingly ample, plain old tap h2o is normally really close to accurate specs.

If your pH for hydroponics normal water is not in its correct ranges, you will need to know how to right it.  There are “spa” chemicals which will either bring the pH amounts up or down depending on your needs.

For a super party on a hot summer night, light up you yard with garden lights. True, a summer party can be a lot of work, but if it means that you finally have a good enough reason to buy patio lighting and candle lanterns and path lights- then don’t waste the opportunity.  Just think how wonderful it will be to see your night time garden in a whole new light 

You see, garden lighting is more than just lights.  Its a way to set up a mood around an event and transition from different sections of the property.  Have you heard of the concept of garden rooms?  It’s a delightful way to make small spaces to seem bigger than they are and you’ll love to use the same concept with the lighting, at night and define different areas with a different style of lighting.

  To start you can use lights to literally move traffic. If you’re having a party or expect a lot of people, start with  how you light the path.  There are so many wonderful choices.  I love solar path lights. Honestly,they’ve come such a long way from early, boring lights that I don’t know why a person would ever buy anything but solar.  But now you can also select between basic white light – or  spot lighting or solar lights that change color.  I’ll use white closer to the front of my home and hide my new colored lights out back.

I’m still really excited about the path lights that change color.  Not only do these solar powered garden lights switch from red to orange to yellow to green to blue and purple,  then back to red, you can keep them at the color of your choice so the possibilities are not quite limitless, but pretty darned close.

  And, there are solar powered, color shifting spheres that you can place on a little stand or just roll around the yard or ( check this out) – you can just toss them in the pool.  This is very, very cool. 

  Now, I can finally buy myself some of these wonderful new outdoor candle lanterns.  I know they’ve been around for a while, but there are so many choices.  Since I’m free to set up them around  all the tables and hang a few from  the odd branch, I can choose between iron and clear glass,  iron and mosaic glass and some simply wonderful pressed and crackle glass lanterns in fuchsia, amber, dark green and  turquoise.

  I spend hours every week trying to make my garden as beautiful as I can.  It means a lot to me and it’s exciting to have any chance to show it off in a new way. 

Can you build your own grow box?

Hell yeah!

In fact, you can build your own grow box out of a lot of different easy to find (and cheap materials).

There are a lot of free grow box plans out there on the internet (some are listed below) so I won’t get into specifics, but what are the best materials to make your homemade grow box out of?

Well the first thing to consider is pests and mold. You want to use a material that is not porous. That means no wood!

If you build your grow box out of wood you run the risk of moisture build up and a whole whack of problems that you don’t want anything to do with.

If you get mold in your grow box it’s toast… especially if it’s made out of wood. You definitely don’t want to have to rebuild your grow box after every crop.

What does this mean? Well you really want to stick to materials that are easy to clean and won’t absorb moisture. Materials like steel, aluminum, or vinyl will work well.

In the case of vinyl, your grow box is actually more like a grow tent. This presents a number of advantages and disadvantages.

First up, security is a problem. Anyone can really check out your grow box, and it’s pretty easy to tell what it is.

Second, your grow box won’t be sturdy at all, and some problems might arise in the poles you’re using to support your tent.

Third, you basically have no mobility. Meaning you can’t just pick up your grow box with a crop inside and move it (if your land lord comes a knocking for example).

The main advantage is that you can break down your grow tent and move it very easily when it’s empty.

A grow box made out of steel is quite easy to create as you can find metal boxes that are pre fabricated at most hardware stores (think filing cabinets).

These types of prefabbed metal boxes are cheap and they work well. If you’ve got a bunch of tools hanging around you can even cut holes for grow box fans, electronics, and even add some reflective paneling.

Always remember to clean your grow box after every crop VERY THOROUGHLY… I really can’t stress this enough because bugs and mold can ruin a whole crop.

As for the plans I promised, there are a ton of them out there but here is a pretty complete set of plans:

http://www.onlinepot.org/grow/growbox.htm

Let me know in the comments if you’ve had any experience with growing your own or building a grow box.

I want to do a series of articles about the basics of grow boxes. These articles are just for the beginners, but I hope you find them useful.

Hydroponics is a form of gardening that is generally done indoors in a controlled environment. It uses a lighting system, an environment (also known as a grow box) and a feeding system (a mixture of water and nutrients)… oh, and of course your plant of choice.

The main piece of equipment needed when indoor growing is the grow box. This is your environment. It controls the temperature, the humidity, the light timing, the watering etc. It also protects your plant system from bugs and other pests.

The grow box is made up of a number of key parts. The box itself which is usually made of a material that is reflective to enhance the light inside the grow box. Plus, you want your material to be sealed so that it doesn’t allow any build up of mold or bugs.

You also need a lighting system. Many grow boxes use a lighting system that runs either an HPS (high pressure sodium) or a MH (metal halide) bulb.

Because the lighting system in your hydroponic box creates a lot of heat (and our favorite plants don’t like too much of it) you will need a way of cooling the inside temp, and venting the excess heat. These fans will not only control the air that comes in and out of your box, but can also prevent smells by blowing air through an external carbon filter.

Another primary component of the grow box is the rooting system. A lot of indoor grow boxes are hydroponic, and this will require a hydroponic system.

This system includes a hydro bucket (to hold the plants and the water/nutrient mix), a watering system (with a water pump and a timing system to automate it), mesh pots (to allow the plants to be right above the water/nutrient mix), and a growing medium (to allow the plant to grow roots that will reach towards the water/nutrient mix).

That’s pretty much it. These are the basic components of a hydroponic grow box. I will be posting another article on lighting systems when I get around to it. In the mean time, leave me a comment or question, I’d love to hear from you.