How to Grow Vegetables with a Hydroponic Tower?

In previous articles, we have seen that there are two ways to create a hydroponic vegetable garden to grow your own fruits and vegetables:

• We have first discussed the an all-in-one hydroponic growing system method that works automatically and continuously and is powered by electricity.

• Then, we talked about Kratky method, also called passive hydroponics - which allows you to grow fruits and vegetables very simply with a Mason Jar for Plants.

Both of these methods are effective, yet they have one weakness: they have low yields.

Hydroponics is more and more seen as a future solution in agriculture and gardening and that's why hydroponic towers were created recently.

In this article, we will see: 

• How do hydroponics towers work;
• What are the advantages of a vertical hydroponic system;
• How to create a diy hydroponics tower

Are you ready? Then let's go!

How do Hydroponics Towers work?

This is probably the first question you ask yourself. Well, hydroponic towers work just like any other hydroponic system, with the exception of being a bit more complex - but that's okay since they generate more yield.

Just like a conventional growing system, indoor hydroponic towers have:

• Holes: they allow to plant seedlings
• A hydroponic pump: it allows the water to be always oxygenated and to allow an optimal distribution of the hydroponic solution.

There are only 2 things that change from a traditionnal hydroponic growth system:

• Pipes: indeed, they are necessary to allow the water to travel on both sides of the system and thus reach all the plants. Of course, this means that you will need more space for such systems!
• Lights: indeed, hydroponic tower garden with lights are rare. This means that you will need to buy one. Depending on where you live and the amount of sunlight you get, you may not need one. However, we advise you to buy separate LED grow lights just in case for low sunlight periods like winter.

What can you Grow in a Hydroponic Tower?

Like any other soil-less system, a hydroponic tower will allow you to grow vegetables and fruits that don't need a lot of resources to grow.

Hydroponics towers will be ideal for growing tomatoes, lettuce and all sorts of leafy vegetables. However, you can also try to grow more complex vegetables and other fruits as this kind of hydroponic system is more powerful.

What are the Advantages of a Vertical Hydroponic System?

The main difference is the number of seedlings you can grow at the same time. Indeed, where the Kratky method allows you to grow one plant at a time, a hydroponic tower will allow you to grow a large number of plants (up to more than 100 for some models), and this at an average cost if compared to other methods.

Are Hydroponic Towers worth it?

Though most of them are pvc hydroponics tower, they are relatively efficient and low cost systems!

Indeed, the materials used can sometimes scare the buyer but in reality hydroponic towers have an excellent quality-price ratio.

The most expensive part of these systems are the pumps, which sometimes have a long way to go on both sides of the system. Depending on the size of your system and the number of plants you want to grow, the price of this component may vary.

How to make a Hydroponic Tower Garden: a step-by-step guide

Do you like to do-it-yourself? You are looking for a cheaper, customizable and 100% home-made alternative? With this guide, we will be able to make your own hydroponics grow tower to grow hydroponic vegetables and fruits.

To make a diy hydroponics tower, follow the steps bellow: 

• Buy a PVC tube depending on the size of your plantation (the tube has to be flexible enough). Take a container and make a round cut according to the diameter of your tube using a saw or an electric saw
• With the saw again, make incisions at regular intervals - you can make pencil marks to help you/to be more precise.
• With a cylindrical object (bottle or other), spread the incisions made so as to obtain a bump in relief. If the plastic is still too stiff, you can use a heat gun to soften it.
• Take a large container, place a hydroponic water pump at the bottom and insert a hydroponic pvc pipe in the space provided.
• At the top of the tube, place a cover with holes in it to allow water to circulate efficiently through your system
• Once water has been added to your container, run your system and check to see if water is traveling from the bottom to the top of your system.
• Finally, fill in the gaps with hydroponic baskets to which you have added your seedlings and growing medium so as not to overload the plants with water.

To learn more, visit this page to learn more how to build your own tower garden.

Choose the best Hydroponic Tower Garden!

Thank you for following this article to the end!

We hope that you are now experts in hydroponic towers and that the content of this article has given you enough information to get started.

Get a head start by getting a high quality hydroponic tower that will allow you to multiply your yields!

For Christmas time, we have our hydroponic towers for sale, so take advantage of our discount now!