Hydroponic Grow Room Setup – The 4-Step Guide
Growing indoor is kind of a dream that every gardener has. And as you’ve landed on this page, we assume that you’re one of them.
But to be honest, setting up an entire hydroponics grow room is a mammoth task. You have to care about the setup structure, the nutrition facts, and the environments- all in one place!
So, what you need is a clean and clear guide containing actionable steps. And this article is going to serve you with those exact values.
Go through this 4-step guide on hydroponics grow room setup process, and you’ll have a clear perception of the whole process.
Things to Know Before We Start
Before taking you through the steps of setting up a hydroponic grow room, we would like to inform you a couple of important facts-
What Type of Hydrophonics Do You Grow?
As a matter of fact, there are four different kinds of hydroponics setup that can be placed in a grow room. Before stepping into the steps, let’s learn about each of them-
Standard Hydrophonic System
In the standard kind of HP system, the nutrients are dripped directly into the growing medium. And then the nutrients for the plants get drained into the holes of the plant reservoirs.
Deep Water Culture Hydrophonic System
This method is for inducing a faster growth for plant roots. It’s done by bringing on two or more air stones and creating an oxygen-rich environment.
Nutrient Film Technology Hydrophonic System
For most of the hydroponics grower, it’s the best method of growing. A technology called Nutrient Film technology is used here to induce more growth to the plants and bring on more harvest.
Flood and EBB Hydroponic System
The backbone of this method is a regular interval, which can be set manually. Nutrient and water are pumped from the tank, and the flood table lets it go away with the EBB method. Plants get rich in nutrients and oxygen.
Do You Have The Essential Items?
A lot of products, items, and accessories are needed to be there in a hydroponic grow room. If you want to make a thorough check, here is the list-
- For Grow Setup
– Ducting
– Carbon filter
– Air extractor
– Inline and clip-on fans
– Air Filter
– Aluminum Foil Sheeting
– Setup accessories - Nutrition
– pH dosing pump
– CO2 Enrichment
– Fertilizers
– Growing Media
– Bugs and Pest Controller - For Environment Control
– Hydroponics monitor
– External Odour Controller
– Ventilation control
– Climate Controller
– Temp and Humidity Monitor
4 Steps of Hydroponics Grow Room Setup
Alright, now we’re at the core of the article, where we’ll take you through 4 basic steps of building a DIY hydroponics grow system. Here you go-
Step 1: Select The Right Location
Find out the proper area to create your hydroponics setup. You need to select a schematic area and measure the amount of area manually. This measurement is essential to determine what would be the light, temperature and electricity requirements, however.
The perfect kind of area for hydroponics grow system setup is the basement or the garage area. In case you’re growing on a smaller scale, you can go with a small closet as well.
Step 2: Ensure Abundance of Electricity and Ventilation
Once you are determined about the area of your grow system, it’s time to select the electricity, ventilation and plumbing right. Because all three of these are super important for a proper hydroponic system.
First of all, it’s electricity. If you’re living in an average, modern home, there would be 200 amp of electricity power. And it’s sufficient for the grow setup as well. In case you’re on a bigger grow system, consider upgrading the system panel.
Secondly, it’s ventilation. Ensure that there is a constant and regular incoming supply of natural air. Don’t forget about setting up a system to take the insider air out as well. Don’t forget that, fresh air is no less important than the sunlight or CO2 for the plants.
Thirdly, it’s the plumbing or irrigation. As we’re dealing with hydroponics, adequate water-flow and running water are super essential for the plants to live.
Step 3: Set The Grow Table Up
The most important part of a hydroponics system is the grow table, which works as the harvesting beds for the plants.
As a matter of fact, the position and height of the table should be comfortable enough for both your plants and you. As an example, it should be at a perfect height which is decently close to the lights, and accessible for the user as well.
Also, make different spaces for the water container and the growing media as well. Keep it in mind that, these two parts of the system should be kept at a constant temperature anyway.
Step 4: Insulate And Ensure Reflectivity for the Setup
You don’t want to waste any of the heat and light energy that you’re providing to the growing plants, right? If yes, then ensuring proper insulation with reflective material is a must.
What most growers do is, they cover the whole surface around the grows spaces by reflective material as aluminum Foil. In fact, aluminum foil is the most convenient type of DIY insulator for grow room.
But there is a problem with aluminum foil, and that is- it’s reflectiveness. The usual aluminum foil material is just 55% reflective, which is not good at all. Also, it’s a possible threat to create a fire hazard in case you’re running HID light systems in the grow setup.
To get rid of this problem, you can try putting some reflective paints and coatings over the aluminum foil. There are many such coatings available in the market, but we prefer Elastomeric paint personally as it’s mildew resistant. It will enhance the reflectiveness of the wall by 90% without any further risk of danger.
You may also like to read: How To Set Up A Grow Tent
Building a Grow Room in the Garage
Bottom Line
So that’s the wrap-up, guys. These 4 steps are all you need to kick-start your hydroponics grow setup. Once started, there are many more of the facts to consider, but this is a perfect startup guide for the growing system of your dream.
Cheers to indoor gardening!
