If you want your regular meals to be free from glutens or toxins, you must familiarise yourself with the hydroponic herb garden. It denotes a gardening system that requires less soil and provides organic and best-quality herbs.
The entire mechanism of a hydroponic herb garden involves growing the herbs in water and nutrient-rich solutions adding more flavors and aroma. This type of herb garden can be used both for commercial and private purposes but today we are more focusing on home use.
A hydroponic herb garden also comes with several other benefits. Let’s understand the concept of a hydroponic herb garden along with other details here:
What is a Hydroponic Herb Garden?
Before we learn further about the herb garden, let’s understand the term hydroponic first. Hydroponic means when plants are grown without soil.
It’s harvested with water and nutrient-rich solutions where roots are exhibited in liquids or other mediums like gravel, wood fiber, etc. The nutrient sourced to these plants comes from artificial nutrients, chemical fertilizers, and even fish excrement.
The herb garden that is grown through the hydroponic method is called a hydroponic herb garden. Hydroponic herb gardens are useful for those who do not have a lot of space or an outdoor area.
It could be either built personally or you can now buy hydroponic herb gardens from your local nursery, garden centre, Amazon etc. It’s said that herbs in hydroponic gardens grow faster and better than in traditional soil-oriented gardens.
What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of a Hydroponic Herb Garden?
A hydroponic herb garden offers several benefits along with a few disadvantages. Let’s check it out for more information:
Advantages
- The hydroponic system uses 10% water to grow plants. This amount is less than what’s required in traditional gardens. So, it’s a water-saving process.
- As it doesn’t require soil, you can stay stress-free from unwanted soil-borne pests and ailments.
- While it may sound hectic, Hydroponic gardens don’t require much labor. The process is easy, and you just need minimal ingredients.
- It allows you to grow herbs even if the land space is less or contaminated.
- A hydroponic herb garden offers complete environmental control. Whether it’s the temperature, light, or humidity, it helps to manage everything.
- It doesn’t require too many herbicides and insecticides to grow the hydroponic herb garden.
Disadvantages
- Hydroponic herb gardens are susceptible to water-based microorganisms and power outages.
- It requires time and money to understand the working principle.
What Hydroponic Herbs Can Be Used in a Hydroponic Herb Garden?
There are numerous herb varieties that you can grow in a hydroponic herb garden. You can select the variety as per the type of herb you use quite often. Here are our top-5 picks for the best herbs to use in a hydroponic herb garden:
1. Chamomile
A popular herb variety for making herbal teas is chamomile. It’s filled with several antioxidants and keeps diseases like heart issues, digestive ailments, and cancer at bay.
The herb requires about 16 hours of sunlight and a pH of 6.5 for optimal growing results. Its germination takes about 1-2 weeks, and the flowers are visible after eight weeks.
2. Rosemary
A popular herb that’s used for both culinary and medicinal use is Rosemary. When it’s harvested hydroponically, the time taken is about 12 weeks. However, the hydroponic is still quite efficient for growing rosemary.
Make sure to keep the pH within the 5.5 to 7.0 range and do not get overboard with the humidity. It’s recommended to maintain the average humidity and expose the herb to about 11 hours of sun.
3. Oregano
Yet another popular herb is oregano. It is great in pizza, pasta, chicken, and the like. It belongs to the mint family and helps with several ailments like UTIs, menstrual cramps, and skin problems.
To grow the herb hydroponically, its ultimate harvesting from seed will take about 50-55 days. The pH should be within the 6.5 to 6.7 range with a temperature of 40-75 degrees. Keep the moisture and humidity at optimal levels, as long-term exposure can cause bacterial spots.
4. Anise
Whether it’s in baked goods or alcoholic beverages, the licorice-tasting herb, i.e., Anise, is used in several dishes. It keeps health problems like digestion issues and cramps at bay, along with respiratory issues/nausea.
Besides that, Anise could be grown hydroponically in a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 (6, being ideal for optimal growth). It should be free from direct sunlight and harvested once its head turns brown.
5. Dill
While common in food like soups, salads, and dips, dill also has several medicinal uses where it can relieve stomach issues, cramps, and headaches.
It requires a pH between 5.5 to 7.5 with a germination period of 7-10 days. Dill can grow vigorously, so it’s best to ensure that there is enough room for it to grow.
What is a Hydroponic Herb Kit?
To ease the process of creating a hydroponic herb garden, today’s market has a hydroponic herb kit. These kits are designed for beginners who want a quick and easy solution for growing plants. It maintains an environment with adequate sunlight, water, and other essentials to flourish the herb garden.
Besides that, it doesn’t have any particular area requirements. You can grow herbs in the kitchen, your room, or even in basements. But again, to get the best from a hydroponic herb kit, you must consider several factors, including size, style, and height, that fits your house.
Hydroponic herb garden kits are useful because of their clean and comfortable process for growing herbs. It allows you to harvest herbs all year round in a nutrient-rich and soil-free environment. As it’s free from soil, you can stay assured of a dust-free and fuss-free growing process.
Here are some of the popular indoor Hydroponic Herb Gardens on the market:
1. Click and Grow – Smart Garden 9 + The “Herbs go with everything” Kit
The Smart Garden 9 is the most advanced and easiest indoor gardening solution. Plug it in, fill the tank, and your smart garden will take care of the rest. Comes complete with a set of Chives, Rosemary and Parsley plant pods that’ll last you a whole year.
2. AeroGarden Sprout with Gourmet Herbs Seed Pod Kit – Hydroponic Indoor Garden
- Experience better plant growth from your AeroGarden Sprout indoor garden with a sleek modern look, new silent pump, and simple soft-touch button to control lights and reset plant food reminders.
- Up to 3 plants can be grown at a time, up to 10″ tall. Plants grow in water, not soil – an advanced indoor garden made simple.
- Energy efficient full spectrum 10-watt LED grow lights tune to the specific needs of plants to maximize photosynthesis, resulting in rapid, natural growth and abundant harvests
- INCLUDES GOURMET HERB SEED KIT (3 POD) – Genovese Basil, Curly Parsley, and Dill & a 3oz bottle of our patented, all natural plant nutrients (enough for a full season of growth)
3. iDOO WiFi 12 Pods Hydroponic Growing System
- WiFi Enabled with App Control: Pair the hydroponics growing system with the “Gennec” app using WiFi to remotely control your hydroponics system at any distance. Freely adjust the light time to fit for day shifters or night workers. Adjust the fan and pump runtime according to the different growth stages of your plant.
- 6.5L Large Water Tank: iDOO 6.5L super large water tank is a must for matured plants. It provides a larger space for the root development and will keep your plants fresh for about 2 or 3 weeks without watering, never worry about lack of water while you are out of the house or on vacation.
- 2 Planting Modes & Adjustable Light Height: Choose ‘Vegetable’ or ‘Flowers & Fruits’ mode for your plants to get specific light conditions. The light height can be adjusted to provide sufficient light at every stage of your plants’ growth (Max. 14.5 inches).
- LED Grow Light & Fan: 22-Watt full spectrum LED grow light of hydroponics growing system simulates the sunlight to ensure your plants grow prosperously no matter what season. A built-in fan helps disperse heat during germination and spreads pollen to promote flowering.
Growing Tips for Hydroponic Herb Garden
- Take care of the growing system and ensure that things are in order
- Clean the system regularly with mild detergent and water
- Ensure that growing media is free from chemicals, else, it can damage the roots
- Use high-quality water and nutrients for herb growth.
- Make sure that the water you provide is free from any algae or related contaminants.
- Try to set up an oscillating fan to provide humidity and air circulation to the herb.
- Keep the temperature between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit
We hope you now know everything about the iconic and useful hydroponic herb gardens. If you are short of space, this one’s a must-try technique. Make sure to keep the above tips in mind to get the best outcomes for your hydroponic herb harvesting.
