How-To Hydroponics by Keith Roberto (Fourth Edition)

Overview 

How-To Hydroponics is an introductory guide to both the scientific and practical aspects of hydroponic gardening and crop production.  The book is divided into several different sections, such as:

• Hydroponic Technology
• Plant Nutrition
• Problems in the Garden
• Hydroponics as a Business

How-To Hydroponics is geared toward both the beginner and the enthusiast.  It features both general background knowledge about hydroponic gardening and techniques and more advanced topics, such as insect control.  Additionally, it contains several sample projects that detail how to build your own hydroponics systems.  Plans included in the book are:

• A basic hydroponic planter
• A "lettuce raft" system for low-growing leafy produce
• The "Aerospring" home-built aeroponic spray system.
• The "Dutch Bucket" system / hybrid "Dutch Bucket" fogger
• PVC "Pipe Gardens"

Acquisition

We purchased our copy at the local Barnes and Noble for the cover price of $24.95.  The book published by Futuregarden, and is available both through their website and most major retailers.  The ISBN of the fourth edition is 0-9672026-1-2.

Opinions

How-To Hydroponics is a useful little book.  It contains several important features that you will likely find helpful.  Particularly, it contains a few items that you do not see frequently:

• It lists several "recipes" for making your own nutrient solutions.  Admittedly, I have not yet tried it, but I like that the information is available.
• The plans for building your own gardens are very useful and practical.  We were in the process of building our own aeroponic unit from PVC fence-post material when we read this book.  Several of the suggestions presented were very practical, and improved the design of our own unit.

Our only suggestion for an improvement to the book would be a more details materials list.  Although the materials listings included are very helpful, a list of "part numbers" and potential sources could be very helpful, especially for rural readers that do not have a local hydroponics shop.

Recommendations

How-To Hydroponics is a great introduction to the DIY side of hydroponic growing.  Even if you're already experienced in building your own systems, it's worth a read.  We've built several of our own systems, but some of the ideas presented are simply elegant in their practicality.

How-To Hydroponics can easily be obtained online, or through your local book retailer.