SunCity: Advanced Hydroponics

Advanced Hydroponics

Once you have mastered the basics of hydroponics gardening, here are some tips that will make your garden grow faster and fuller than you ever thought possible.

First and foremost the majority of our products are meant for a growing environment that is somewhat sealed in form outside contaminants and for those who have some basic indoor gardening experience.

CO2 enrichment comes in various forms. Bottled C02 is an easy to use source. Note that one disadvantage is carrying heavy tanks and depending on the size of your garden they may need to be refilled quite often.

A CO2 generator (burner) is a little more costly but very inexpensive once it is set-up and running. This type of unit creates C02 by slowly burning propane. The down side of using a generator is that it can create some unwanted temperature increase.

A Digital C02 controller is my all time favorite piece of equipment! After you have made the choice of C02, this computerized processor takes out all of the guess work. With the controller you simply type in what amount of CO2 you want and off you go (1,000-1500). I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed. The one downfall is it can be a costly product but it is worth every penny. If you are growing for profit this pays off with its first use!

Atmospheric controllers are a must for serious gardeners. There are numerous types depending on what you are looking to do. Some will simply turn on an exhaust fan when the temperature gets too hot. Other systems will run everything for you including heat, humidity, cooling and control C02 levels. These controllers are a must for serious gardeners. Once you decide what sort of environment your plant will thrive in you are able to program the controller to fit their needs. This type of system will keep your environment at perfect levels. All you need to do on a regular basis is watch water levels and keep the CO2 source full. Everything else runs itself.

Digital nutrient pens
These instruments allow you to know how much fertilizer is going through your hydroponics system. Simply dip the pen in reservoir and the pen displays a digital read out. Most plants grow best between 1000-1500 ppm.

Digital PH pen
This tool offers digital read outs of water Ph levels. Most hydroponics plants do best between 6.0-7.0

Light meters
After you have mastered indoor gardening, light meters are invaluable tools. As time passes the intensity of the light your bulbs and ballast produce slowly diminish. Being serious about gardening requires this type of meter. For under a hundred dollars this tool reads out the amount of light your plants are receiving and lets you know exactly when to change the bulbs or replace ballast.

Carbon filters
This type of system can not be beat when it comes to cleaning the air in your gardens environment. Air is pulled through a canister, filled with small carbon pellets using a centrifugal fan. Air comes out of the fan clean and fresh. All odors and impurities are trapped in the carbon. There are 2 types of carbon filters available, one system enables you to change the carbon filter out as needed (usually once a year). The other system is disposable and the entire canister must be replaced as needed.

Light movers
These products can be very useful when you are looking to cover a little more space with your lighting system. There are 2 types. One uses a rail unit that moves the light back and forth allowing extra coverage. The other type moves one, two or three lights slowly rotating in a 360 degree circle. Some growers prefer this type of system as it allows you to mix the types of lighting (high pressure sodium and metal halide).

Taking your indoor gardening experience to the next level? I will be glad to listen to your needs and recommend which product I think will work best for you. Remember we are not a faceless company.
Feel free to stop by our retail store and I will be glad to demonstrate any of these products for you. We will make sure you leave feeling confidant about your ability to use what you have purchased.

Our goal is to make your gardening experience a pleasant and rewarding one. Please call or email us with questions or concerns.