There are numerous choices of hydroponic kits for those who are considering hydroponics for the first time. Trying to determine the right hydroponics system can be overwhelming. We’re here to try and keep it simple.

LOCATION

Your first consideration must be location. There are three essentials to consider. First, your chosen location must be near an electrical outlet unless you don’t mind running electric cords all over the place.

Second, your chosen location must be in a light tight area. You will need to make your hydroponic growing area completely dark for twelve hours a day once you hit the flowering stage. There are several solutions for this: A built in closet can usually be made light-proof with just a little effort. Additionally, you can purchase a grow tent, designed and built to be light-proof. For the advanced grower, there are many grow boxes on the market that offer a sealed environment, however you might find their prices prohibitive, especially if you are just starting out.

Finally, you need to place your location in an area that allows you to easily drain the reservoir. Every two weeks or so, you need to completely drain your hydroponics system and add clean water and fresh nutrients. You don’t want to be lugging around six gallons of water on a bi-weekly basis. The easiest way to drain your reservoir is by siphoning the water. This requires that the bottom of your reservoir is higher than what you drain the water into. I’m lucky, my place is built on a slope with the front door less than 12 feet from the reservoir….I just hook up the garden hose to the drain on my reservoir and let gravity do the work.

COMPONENTS

Hydroponic kits vary greatly, and sadly most of them do not contain everything you need to grow your own crop. At a minimum, you need to make sure you have a reservoir, air pump and air stones, water pump and feeder system, plant holders and grow medium, lighting system and timer, and nutrients, along with the necessary electrical cords and multi-taps, air hoses, etc.

So, while you’re comparison shopping between available hydroponics kits make sure that you are comparing apples to apples—in other words, make sure you know just what components are included in your kit when comparing prices.

KITS vs. DO-IT-YOURSELF

The biggest difference between buying a starter kit package and doing it yourself is convenience. While you may save yourself a few bucks the do-it-yourself way: assembling the components and modifying them to your needs, any savings will be negated if you have to buy additional tools besides those you already own.

Don’t worry, if you need to feel like a do-it-yourselfer, there is enough challenge in assembling a starter kit to make you feel like a craftsman. (I’d place the skill level at about that required to assemble any piece of Ikea furniture).

Do-it-yourself Hydroponic Kits

The main reason anyone goes the Do-It-Yourself route is to save money. Unless you happen to have a lot of the components lying around your house already, these savings are very elusive when trying to build a do-it-yourself hydroponics starter kit. This is especially true if you value your time at more than three bucks an hour.

My rule of thumb on whether to buy a pre-configured hydroponic kit or to go the do-it-yourself route is this: if you already have three or more light reflectors then you should consider the do-it-yourself method. If not, buy a starter kit.

Assuming you are undaunted by the preceding obstacles, you will need to acquire all of the components. Start with the reservoir (usually a plastic tub) that is light tight. The reason for this is that bad things happen when light hits the roots of the plant. Then you will need to purchase an air pump, air stone and tubes to oxygenate the water; a water pump and tubes to irrigate the plants. Mesh pots, growing medium and rock wool cubes to secure the plants; and lighting source (metal halide MH, high intensity discharge HID, compact fluorescent lamps CFL, high pressure sodium (HPS) and LED are commonly used. Make sure you have both “cool” and “warm” lights (a measure of Kelvin temperature) to mimic the natural lighting conditions during the vegetative and flowering cycles of the plant. A timer is very helpful when you switch your lighting to 12 hours on, 12 hours off. Finally, you will need to come up with nutrients to feed your weed, or other plants.