Growing Herbs Hydroponically

Herbs grow very quickly in a hydroponics system. They flourish in pretty much any type of hydroponic setup with very little attention. Most growers prefer a variety of herbs and so it is important to choose herbs that like similar environmental conditions and feeding patterns or to grow different varieties in different systems.

We have a friend/supplier who makes marquees and has decided to branch out and try his hand at grow tents. They are far stronger than anything else we have seen in the same price bracket, they can even be thrown in the washing machine between grows. We have them on display in the shops; another advantage over other grow tents is that they can be built to any shape or size specified so if you are interested, let us know your dimensions and we can give you a price.

Anyway, I wanted to display this tent, an ATAMI Wilma 10 pot Drip Feed System and a Canatronics ECO Cooler 600w Air Cooled Grow Light which I thought would make a nice little combination. I chose the following herbs:

• Chives
• Golden Thyme
• Greek Oregano
• Rosemary
• Thyme

I didn't grow from seed, I was too impatient. I used cuttings and some small potted herbs from a nursery. This meant I had to wash all the soil off the roots to prevent contamination before introducing the plants to the system. I used Hydroton Expanded Clay Pebbles as a medium and feed them Ionic Grow Hard Water at an EC of 1.4 and pH of 5.8. I wanted to be able to grow them big enough to be useful (I love cooking and everything we grow gets used!) so I staggered them with ivy cuttings so they could grow larger without overcrowding each other. That way I could still have something growing in all 10 pots.

The oregano didn't like its feet too wet to begin with so I moved the dripper stake to the edge of the pot. Also, the fan on the lamp is only for display and doesn't work. It ran a little hot for them at first, especially being mid-summer. Here's how they looked after a month in their new home:

And a month later, at the beginning of this month:

Next time - Trying to grow flowers from different natural seasons at the same time...