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How to Buy Hydroponic Gardening Supplies. If you're a beginner who wants to grow plants
indoors year-round, learn how to buy the right hydroponic gardening supplies. You will need
Peat, sand, gravel, rock wool, or vermiculite Premixed nutrient solution pH testing kit
and artificial light. Step 1. Know what hydroponics is: a method of cultivating plants in liquid
nutrients without using soil. Consider starting out with an inexpensive hydroponic gardening
kit. Hydroponic gardening kits and supplies are available at gardening centers as well
as hydroponic specialty stores. Step 2. Learn about hydroponic systems. Ebb and flow delivers
nutrients via a pump. With the wick system, plant roots absorb nutrients via dangling
ropes. Because the wick system requires no pump, it's easier to maintain. Ebb and flow,
however, can produce a heartier yield. Step 3. Use porous materials like peat, sand, gravel,
rock wool, or vermiculite in an ebb and flow system. These materials deliver liquid nutrients
to the roots. Step 4. Get a premixed nutrient solution at a garden supply store. You'll
typically use 2 to 3 teaspoons of nutrients per gallon of water. Step 5. Get a pH testing
kit to measure a nutrient solution's hydrogen content. If pH levels are too high or too
low, plants won't be able to absorb nutrients. Get a water pH test kit at any pool or aquarium
store. Step 6. Consider buying artificial lighting such as High Pressure Sodium (HPS)
lights for flowering plants, or Metal Halide (MH) lights for leafy vegetables. Now start
hydroponic gardening with confidence. Did you know In 1938, early hydroponics experiments
occurred on Wake Island, a Pan-Am Airways refueling stop -- hydroponic vegetables fed
the airline's crew.