5 Pieces Of Advice For Hydroponic Beginners

There’s an old saying that as a beginner “You don’t know what you don’t know”. As with any hobby, this holds true for hydroponic gardening. I recently had a thought.. what advice would I go back and give myself when I first started the hobby?

I posed this same question to the followers of my Hobby Hydroponics Facebook group to gather some more ideas. Here are some of the best pieces of advice we would give beginners looking to start a hobby hydroponic garden!

Start Small

When starting my first hydroponic garden I made the mistake of trying to build too big of a garden. I wanted to have one of each type of system and grow a variety of different plants, which was a mistake.

Looking I didn’t have as much time to fully take in what I was learning from my success and mistakes. There was just too much going on

Start Simple

When first starting hydroponic gardening it’s best to keep things simple. This goes for both the type of system and the types of plants you grow.

Some hydroponic systems and methods have easier maintenance than others. Start with a simple system like a 5-gallon hydroponic bucket or DWC system.

Leafy greens and herbs are the easiest plants to start with. They only require nutrients for the vegetative stage and grow quickly. If looking to start growing flowering plants I recommend starting with growing tomato plants.

Research Hydroponics

When I first start getting into hydroponic gardening I was having trouble finding good information. That’s why I started this website.

Luckily there is a lot more information on hydroponic gardening compared to what there used to be. When researching hydroponic gardening it’s a good idea to check out:

Websites
I’m kind of biased when it comes to websites. I’ve found there are not a lot of websites out there that present hydroponic gardening information in a simple easy-to-digest way. One website in addition to NoSoilSolutions that I would recommend is Epic Gardening.

Youtube
One of my favorite places to learn new things is Youtube. I don’t have a person in particular I recommend, but there are many videos of people doing different product reviews, tutorials, and comparison experiments.

Facebook Groups
Joining a Facebook group is a great way to network and learn from other people. Check out our Hobby Hydroponics Facebook Group!

Books
Even with all the other sources of information, there’s nothing like sitting down with a good book. Check out this article on the 5 best books for hydroponic beginners.

Reddit
Reddit is a great place to learn from people interested in the same hobby. Check out the hydroponics Reddit group.

Buy Quality Supplies/Products

For best results, It’s important to buy quality products and supplies for your hydroponics garden. That’s not saying that you have to spend a bunch of money to start your hydroponic garden.

 

Check out these articles for some quality affordable hydroponic products:

• 4 Best Nutrient Regimens For Hobby Hydroponics
• Top 5 pH Meters For Hydroponic Gardening
• How To Choose The BEST LED Grow Light For Your Hydroponic Garden
• The Best Net Pots For Your Hydroponic System

Mistakes Are Okay

As with any new hobby, you’re going to make mistakes with your hydroponic garden. It will be okay!

Don’t get discouraged as mistakes are really learning experiences in disguise.

Hydroponic Gardening Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

When I first started looking into hydroponic gardening it seemed pretty complicated. The information I was coming across wasn’t very clear.

While you can get into the weeds, plants have some basic needs in order to grow and produce. While hydroponics can be complicated, it doesn’t have to be.

Just Start!

This piece of advice is really important. No matter how much you research you’re never going to know everything beforehand and some you’ll just learn by doing.

Don’t let the research and planning portion of things hold you back from starting! Dive in and use some of these resources to learn as you go!