How to Build a Hydroponic Garden with a MEGAPot System

Growing with hydroponics is essentially the art of gardening without a medium, such as soil. It’s also known as growing in a soilless medium. We’ll explain all about hydroponics systems and how you can build a hydroponic garden with a MEGAPot system at home below.

A hydroponic system is so versatile it can be used by large scale farmers or homeowners. And now you can learn how to build a hydroponic garden for yourself by reading on further. Typically, the traditional way of gardening or farming involves sunlight, water and soil. However, with a hydroponic system, this is not the case.

MEGAPot is a revolutionary hydroponics system produced in the UK. There are no water pumps or plug sockets required. It’s an intelligent solution to enable growers to produce better results.

What is a Hydroponic Garden?

Hydroponics is the Greek word from ‘hydro’, which means water, and ‘ponos’ which means work. Therefore, ‘working water’ is its original meaning.

It is a method of soil-less cultivation of plants.

The basic idea behind hydroponics is to allow the plant roots to get in direct contact with the nutrient solution. Furthermore, also giving great access to oxygen, known to be essential for proper growth.

Hydroponics allows the grower to fully control the nutrition a plant gets. As a result, it can be a simpler and more productive garden in comparison to an underground garden.

Some people find that hydroponic gardening is difficult or requires a lot of knowledge. Subsequently they may give up too easily. In fact, it can be as simple as a bucket with water-soluble nutrients and a small amount of styrofoam.

What is Included in the MEGAPot System?

Depending on the system you use, will depend on how the plants will grow.

MEGAPot is a hydroponics system where the roots of the plants are suspended in coco. The base used in the system gives your plants stability and a safe environment to grow in. Ultimately, it is aimed at growers who want the benefits of a gravity fed system and prefer growing in large pots.

There are four main components to the MEGAPot system, including;

1. MEGAPot module

This is designed for the fabric pots to sit inside them. They act as a tray and catch any excess water and nutrients. You can then drain off and reuse the excess liquid to use again in the system.

2. Fabric Pot

The Fabric pot allows the roots of the plants to develop and grow as needed. It doesn’t constrict the roots, so they can take in all the nutrients. Thus allowing the nutrients and water to move about freely.

3. White pipe

The white pipe ensures that when growing outside, the system doesn’t attract the sun. The water and nutrients can pass through and not be affected. The pipe is key to ensuring that the water and nutrients are passed first to the plants, afterwards any excess is drained off.

4. MEGAPot valve

The valve controls the flow of water and nutrients. This helps to ensure the plants are receiving the right amount of both during the growing process. As a result, an effective valve is essential to our system set up.

How to Build a Hydroponic Garden with a MEGAPot System

Some people think that starting a hydroponic garden is too complicated, but it can be easy if done correctly. Here are our top tips for growing your own hydroponics garden:

Firstly you will need:

1. Water-soluble nutrients, either liquid or powder, which are specific to hydroponics. Most garden stores will offer this.
2. A 5 gallon bucket and a 32 gallon plastic container like a storage box or similar item. Make sure it is opaque so that it’s free of algae.
3. Expanded styrofoam, half or 3 quarter of an inch thicker than the opening of the container.
4. Half inch tube or funnel to fill the container.
5. Plants that have sprouted and started rooting.

Secondly, you can set it up like this:

1. Cut the styrofoam so that it fits the edge of the container like a lid. It must be tight enough to prevent too much light from entering the container. But it must be wide enough to float up and down a few inches when the water level fluctuates freely.
2. Make a hole in the styrofoam to prepare the basket for use and insert it into the hole. The bottom of the basket must fit snugly so that it hangs under the foam. It will be the fill port for adding water to the system.

Thirdly, when this is in place, you should:

1. Place the plant in the basket in a container (mix according to the instructions).
2. Then, close the lid, place the plant and start growing the hydroponics.

Caring for your Hydroponic Garden

Caring for your garden can be simple. Most edible plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. 12-16 hours is good. Set the lighting system timer to turn the lights on and off at the same time every day.

The best lighting for hydroponic systems is high intensity discharge lamps. A halide bulb emits a more reddish-orange light and is an ideal choice for vegetative plants.

In addition to this, the ideal temperature is 68-70 degrees fahrenheit. High temperatures can slow plants’ growth, too high and a temperature can cause root rot.

Ideally, relative humidity in hydroponic growing rooms is between 40 and 60%. Higher levels can cause powdery mold and other fungal problems. Furthermore you may wish to consider using a humidifier or dehumidifier to adjust the relative humidity.

To Conclude: How to Build a Hydroponic Garden with a MEGAPot System

From this article, you know how to start up your very own hydroponics garden. By the same token, you know how to keep your plants healthy and happy.

At MEGAPot, we believe we have the best hydroponic system in the UK. The design has the grower in mind, both beginners and experts. Moreover, the MEGAPot system is easy to use and therefore anyone can have a go at growing.

There are many benefits of using a hydroponics system. It’s fast growing, high yielding and great for small spaces. Not to mention that a hydroponics system uses less water than traditional gardens. Furthermore, you can prolong the winter growing season if required.

To find out more about how to build your own hydroponics garden, just get in touch with us at the MEGAPot website and we can talk it through further.