We need food, water, and air, to survive. The purity, amount, and quality, help determine how healthy our bodies will be. Plants, in the same way, have certain needs to survive.
LIGHT
The Intensity of the light or brightness.
The quality of light or wavelength of the spectrum.
The duration of light or amount of exposure,
are all determining factors on how well your plant will grow.
HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lamps include;
High Pressure Sodium
Metal Halide
These are great for indoor gardening although they need to be ventilated as they put off a lot of heat.
The HID lamps also use more electricity than fluorescent, and LED grow lights. Compare lights here.
Light Reflector Kits
WATER
Required for photosynthesis.
Helps to cool the plant through evaporation.
Keeps the plant turgid or rigid.
AIR
The plant gets it's carbon dioxide to aid in photosynthesis,
and oxygen for respiration from the air.
The roots of the plant may experience problems if they aren't irrigated properly, and receive
adequate Oxygen, especially in DWC (Deep Water Culture)
Note the affected Brown roots on the left verses the light colored, firm, smooth roots on the right.
If using the DWC method for growing indoors it is very important not to leave your plant roots in stagnant or warmer temperature water. Many growers use air stones or bubble buckets to enrich the water with Oxygen. Check out these awesome Root Spa buckets.
Root Spa
MINERALS
Plants need nutrients to produce their own food through the
process of photosynthesis. There are Macro, and Micro nutrients.
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfur.
Iron, Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Molybdenum, Boron.
Growing in soil provides most of the nutrients your plant needs, especially for the first part of the growing stage. Other micro nutrients are provided through using tap water, but when using DWC, or other Hydroponic Systems, using pre mixed nutrient packages makes providing your plants with all they need easy and affordable. Here's a basic 2 part package.
Feeding Package