About The Hydroponist
We are here for the person who has never grown anything successfully, and who suspects hydroponics is not for them. It is.
Most hydroponics content is written by people who have been doing it for years, for people who have been doing it for years. It assumes you know what EC means, that you own a pH pen, and that a “res change” needs no explanation. If you are standing in a shop holding two bottles and wondering which one is the food, that content is not for you.
The Hydroponist exists to fill that gap. Every guide here assumes zero prior knowledge and explains terms the first time they appear.
What we believe
- Budget first, always. Your first system should cost about $10, not $300. If you enjoy it you can spend more later, and if you do not, you have lost the price of a coffee.
- Specific beats vague. “Fill the jar to this line” is useful. “Ensure adequate reservoir levels” is not.
- Failures are worth publishing. Every guide here includes what goes wrong and why, because that is the part most sites leave out.
- No gatekeeping. Nobody should feel stupid for not already knowing something.
How we make money
Openly, and in three ways. Some links to products are affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission if you buy through them at no extra cost to you. We sell our own premium plans and guides. And in time we will run display advertising.
What we do not do: recommend products we have not researched, write reviews in exchange for payment, or claim to have tested something we have not. Where a guide is based on specifications and grower consensus rather than our own hands-on testing, we say so on the page.
Full details on our affiliate disclosure page.
Where to start
If you are new here, read what hydroponics is, then build the $10 mason jar system. That is genuinely the fastest route from curiosity to a plant you grew yourself.
Questions, corrections, or a build to show off?
We read every message, and corrections are genuinely welcome.