Learning the Basics of Organic Hydroponic Gardening

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Are you looking to get into the growing trend of organic hydroponics gardening? Well, the first thing you to need to do is understand what hydroponics is before you can know to use it for organic purposes. hydroponics, simply put, is the process of indoor growing plants in water and nutrients under LED grow lights, compared to the normal method of using just soil.
There is a growing majority of gardeners starting to grow their plants this way, feeling as though it is better for the plants. It should come to no surprise then that so many people are using organic hydroponic gardening to grow our vegetables and other food items.

Most opponents of hydroponics kits, mistakenly claim that it is non-organic. This isn't true. Water is organic, and so are the nutrients used to feed to the plants. Fertilizer anymore can be adapted to be organic. Your plants are grown using indoor gardening methods, along with water and lighting such as LED lights or grow lights. Organic hydroponic gardening is as easy as it comes..
The word hydroponics is of Latin descent that when translated means "working-water." It refers to a gardening method much safer for the environment and that's never a bad thing. It is a method of growing plants without soil and has been found to be used as the 1600s. People have been growing plants in water since before they began using soil.

The science behind it is that plants need nutrients to survive and the key to hydroponics is the plants receive these nutrients. Not only are water and oxygen require but most plants depend on large amounts of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Along with those, iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc are used but in smaller amounts.
Water and nutrients aren't the only necessity plants need to survive. They also require ample amount of oxygen and nitrogen and the proper amount of light using grow lights or LED lights. Don't forget about the pH (potential Hydrogen) levels and balance, either. Your plant will also use molybdenum and chlorine but the amount needed for them to thrive is usually found in their water or from the other minerals. I wouldn't worry too much about them to make it an issue.
Now when a hydroponics kit is combined with organic indoor gardening, a gardener starts to see the fruits of his labors. Organic gardening is considered to be so when it comes from the earth. For example, the vegetables at your supermarket supplied from a local farmer are considered to be organic. Anything used in organic gardening needs to be organic and not artificial. With water being organic, you are free to use both hydroponics and organic or semi-organic gardening in the same garden for your vegetables.

When you organic hydroponic indoor growing as a supplement with organic fertilizers, you will find you can grow healthier and better plants.


About the Author: Anne Harvester has a great deal of experience with indoor gardening. Hydroponic gardening is the way of the future. Known to some as “soil less gardening”, hydroponics are proven to grow plants 20-30% faster than their soil grown counterparts.

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Organic Gardening Requires Strict Certification

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There is a shift in buying habits among some families, seeking a healthier, more natural lifestyle, that has moved them to become involved with organic gardening. While some of the major players in the industry have moved into offering all organic gardening as part of their business strategy, some buyers believe that not everything on the market claiming to come from organic gardening fits the bill.

To qualify for the designation of organic, food items must be planted in soil where artificial pesticides and fertilizers have been used for a minimum of three years and the farm must offer sustainability for organic gardening beyond one or two years. For individuals, it is easier to produce their own vegetables from their small plots of land, but is does leave open the need to buy products if they cannot grow enough to meet their annual needs.

While some stores sell only organic gardening produce, many grocery stores offer their customers a choice of organic and traditionally grown merchandise, attempting to slice off a piece of the natural market. It is also not only the fresh produce section that is touting the presence of organic gardening as many other food items are being labeled and sold as containing only organic ingredients.

Questions Arise About What Is In The Name

It are these other products that causes some confusion with consumers as the ingredients from organic gardening resources may contain some that are not truly organic. There are different labeling requirement for products that contain only organically grown ingredients and those that contain mostly organically grown items. To carry the designation of 100 percent organic, obviously that has to be the case, however those products that claim they contain organic ingredients need only contain 80 percent organically gown ingredients.

It is this disparity in labeling laws that has some people moving to organic gardening to grow their own food, making their own compost fertilizer and natural products to keep the insects away from their plants. The belief of organic gardening is to put everything back in nature that has been removed and not to add anything that will harm the environment or the person consuming the food.

Many folks who grow produce and vegetables with organic gardening firmly believe there is a cleaner taste to their products and will recycle the organic waste from their garden to use as compost fertilizer for the following year. They will make sure that nothing other than organic materials are used in the growing stages, keeping their organic gardening sustained for years to come.
Author Resource:- For more information about gardening please visit my Gardening and Moon Phases website where you can find more articles and information about organic gardening
Article From New Ezine Articles
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Plus Points For Organic Gardening

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Organic gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature.
Why would one want to indulge in organic gardening?

1.One can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it certainly helps to put garbage to good use and so saves the environment.

2. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diseases later on in the child's life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose - to kill living things.

3. Less harm to the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat.

4.Organic farming practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion.
The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 - 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands every year.

5. Cost savings. One does not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop. An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.
Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

6.A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.

7.Organic gardening practices help to keep the environment safe for future generations.

5 Pieces of Equipment Gardeners Can't Live Without
Gardening is fun and rewarding and may be considered a hobby, talent or both and sometimes it's just luck. Gardening is not as easy as it looks and involves dedication, time and consistency and many trials and errors. There are many aspects to maintaining a healthy garden, but some aspects are more important than others. An individual who likes to garden can have the knowledge to produce the best garden in the world, but without the right equipment and materials it just wouldn't be possible.

Below you will find a list of the top 5 pieces of equipment which gardeners simply cannot live without:

1. Trowel. A trowel is a shovel-like piece of equipment which is used to dig up dirt and set small plants. There are many styles to choose from and type of handle on your trowel will determine how well it works. Easy grip, non-slide and non-slip grips are the best form of handle to choose. These will be easier to use and will require less work than any other form of trowel.

A trowel with no grip will be difficult to use and could end up ruining your garden. Try one out in your hand first to ensure it feels comfortable. There's nothing like having your hand cramp or the trowel slip while using it to dig in a beautiful, new plant.

2. Pitchfork. A pitchfork is a gardening tool which has 2-6 prongs and a long handle. The sizes of pitchforks vary, depending on what they are being used for. The space between each prong varies as well. Pitchforks are used to separate, lift and throw loose pieces of material such as dirt and leaves.

3. Spade. A gardening spade has a long, thick handle and a heavy flat blade. This tool is used to dig up and move pieces of dirt from one place to another. It can also be used to pack down dirt once the flower has been planted.

4. Pruning Shears. Pruning shears are tools which have a long handles and blades. This type of gardening equipment is used to allow gardeners to precisely prune rose bushes and other plants and unruly vines, etc. It can also be used to cut the grass at the edges of walkways and garden beds, in those hard to reach places. It is also used to trim the edges and remove dead leaves or wood on flowers.

There is no other piece of gardening equipment which can do the same job as pruning shears. Without the use of this piece of equipment, your garden will end up looking messy and disorganized. Always, always, always invest in good quality pruning shears. Good ones have a lifetime guarantee and low-end ones will make shrapnel of your heritage rose.

5. Wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow is one of the larger pieces of garden equipment. It is a cart with a handle and at least one wheel which is designed for easy transportation of materials from one place to another. Purchasing a wheelbarrow will save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you are off to the compost heap, and will make for a pleasant gardening experience. Another option is the 4-wheeled gardening cart.

There are many pieces of gardening equipment which will make this hobby easier and more efficient, however the ones listed above are recognized as the most important. These pieces of equipment will likely last a very long time.

Article Source: http://www.articlenorth.com

Organic Facts is an informative resources site on everything Organic related. Find out how Organic Facts can expand your horizons.

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4 Most Popular Books On Organic Gardening

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Martha Stewart's "The Martha Rules", New rules: polite musings from a timid observer by Bill Maher, Body-for-LIFE by Pamela Peeke, The Biggest Loser - what is common between these books, except that they are all New York Times bestsellers? They have all been published by Rodale Inc, as have the titles under the South Beach Diet and the Abs Diet franchises. However, what Rodale Inc specializes in is the subject of organic gardening, despite countless books on fitness and health (particularly preventive health management).

Organic gardening is the primary focus of Rodale Inc and the founder Jeremy Rodale in a pioneer in this field. Rodale books are marketed through both direct and retail channels. The South Beach Diet is popular worldwide.

Among the many books on organic gardening published by Rodale Inc, the best and the most admired are outlined in this article. Rodale's "All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" costs $29.95 and provides comprehensively, all the information related to gardening with natural products, and without the use of harmful chemicals. It is a hardcover book of 704 pages, written by Ellis, Barbara W, Bradley, Fern Marshall. The chapters are illustrated very well which makes it easy for the reader to visualize the activities and experiments outlined in this book. The complete reference book deals with every topic related to organic gardening under the sun. A serious organic gardener should definitely own a copy.

Another Rodale book, "Rodale's Organic Gardening Basics: Roses" is a florist's delight. It teaches the readers the basic about growing roses the organic way. The book is 112 pages long and covers basic flower varieties, the most practical and practicable org'anic gardening tools, pest control and even garden designs. The price of this book is listed at $14.95.

Of course, agencies other than Rodale have also published organic gard'ening related books. One such popular book for reference among or'ganic gardeners includes "Gardening for the 21st century" by John Fedor. It emphasizes on the fact that one thing as important as how you're growing something is what it is that you're growing. It takes the reader back to natural remedies including vegetables and herbs used before pesticides and chemicals were invented. It talks about issues such as crop rotation, greenhouses, raised beds, functional food, etc. It comes with an illustrated directory of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Another great book for organ'ic gardeners to add to their collection is the "Sunset Guide to Org'anic Gardeni'ng". Published by Lane publishers, it talks about how or'ganic garde'ning has made a come back in today's world. It is basically a reference book for planning the organi'c garden and working in it.

BlueWaterArticles.com: - 4 Most Popular Books On Organic Gardening


About the Author

Abhishek is a self-confessed Gardening addict! Visit his website http://www. Gardening-Master.com and download his FREE Gardening Report "Indoor Gardening Secrets" and learn some amazing Gardening tips for FREE! Create the perfect Garden on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available!. http://www. Gardening-Master.com



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