JustBeginning
Beginner's guide

So you're getting into hydroponics

Growing plants without soil sounds like science fiction until you see a tomato plant with roots dangling in nutrient-rich water and zero pests in sight. Hydroponics is surprisingly beginner-friendly — once you pick the right system. Here's what you actually need to start, what to skip, and why that first decision matters more than anything you'll buy after it.

By Colin B. · Published May 23, 2026 · Last reviewed May 23, 2026
person holding green leaf vegetable

Photo by Ona Creative on Unsplash

The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

  1. General Hydroponics WaterFarm Complete Kit — WaterFarm puts bucket, net cup, and air pump in one box — the standard beginner DWC kit for 20+ years.
  2. General Hydroponics Flora Series (3-part Liquid) — The Flora Series 3-part is what NASA used on the space station. It's the nutrient industry standard for a good reason.
  3. Apera Instruments AI209 pH20 pH Meter — pH swings kill plants faster than anything else. The Apera PH20 is the most reliable entry-level meter available.
Budget total
$120
Typical total
$280
A Kratky jar setup costs almost nothing. A full DWC system with lights and nutrients runs $200–350. You can go bigger fast, but you don't need to on the first grow.
At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

CategoryTop pickPriceWhere to buy
Growing SystemGeneral HydroponicsGeneral Hydroponics WaterFarm Complete Kit$$ See on Amazon →
NutrientsGeneral HydroponicsGeneral Hydroponics Flora Series (3-part Liquid)$$ See on Amazon →
pH & EC MetersApera InstrumentsApera Instruments AI209 pH20 pH Meter$$ See on Amazon →
Grow LightsSpider FarmerSpider Farmer SF-1000 LED Grow Light$$$ See on Amazon →
Growing Medium & Net CupsHydrofarmHydrofarm Hydroton Original Clay Pebbles (10L)$ See on Amazon →
Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Pick your system before anything else. Kratky, DWC, NFT, and ebb-and-flow all use different equipment and have very different learning curves. Most beginners should start with Kratky (for herbs and lettuce) or a single-site DWC bucket (for tomatoes and peppers). The variants chart below explains the tradeoffs. Don't buy lights and nutrients for a system you haven't chosen yet.

Start with easy crops. Lettuce, basil, and spinach are forgiving — they grow fast, forgive pH swings better than fruiting plants, and give you a harvest in 4–6 weeks. Tomatoes and cucumbers are for your second grow. Cannabis is for your third.

pH is the job. More hydroponic plants die from unmonitored pH drift than from anything else. Nutrient solution should stay between 5.5 and 6.5 for most crops. Buy a real pH meter before you buy anything else optional — not strips, not drops. Strips lie.

The gear

What you actually need

Plastic bags wrapped around a wooden post with plants.

Photo by runda choo on Unsplash

Growing System

Your system is the decision that determines everything downstream — which nutrients apply, which grow medium works, how much maintenance you'll be doing. Kratky is passive (no pump, no electricity for water, perfect for herbs and lettuce on a windowsill). DWC is more active and handles any plant. NFT and ebb-and-flow are for growers who've already done one successful grow and want more control.

Growing System — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

Kratky (Passive)

No pump, no electricity, no moving parts. Roots hang in still nutrient solution that slowly depletes. Refill when low.

Setup time
< 30 min
Best crops
Lettuce, herbs, spinach
Maintenance
Check every 3–5 days

Best for Complete beginners, small spaces, windowsill growing

Tradeoff Not suitable for large fruiting plants; limited to calmer crops

↓ See our pick
DWC (Deep Water Culture)

Roots hang in oxygenated nutrient solution kept moving by an air pump. The workhorse system for most home growers.

Setup time
1–2 hours
Best crops
Anything — tomatoes, lettuce, peppers
Maintenance
pH check every 1–2 days

Best for First serious grow, fruiting plants, versatility

Tradeoff Needs an air pump and more frequent monitoring than Kratky

↓ See our pick
NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

A thin film of nutrient solution flows over bare roots in sloped channels. Highly efficient, no growing medium needed.

Setup time
2–4 hours
Best crops
Lettuce, herbs, strawberries
Maintenance
Daily monitoring; pump failure = dead plants fast

Best for Growers on their second or third system, high-volume lettuce

Tradeoff No root buffer — a pump failure kills plants within hours

Ebb & Flow (Flood & Drain)

A timer floods the grow tray on a schedule, then drains back to the reservoir. Most flexible but most complex setup.

Setup time
3–5 hours
Best crops
Almost anything including large fruiting plants
Maintenance
Multiple parts to monitor; most complex

Best for Experienced growers, large plant varieties, experimenting with media

Tradeoff Most moving parts; steepest learning curve of any home system

Best starter
General Hydroponics

General Hydroponics WaterFarm Complete Kit

$$

The WaterFarm is a single-site DWC system that's been the standard beginner kit for over 20 years. It includes the bucket, drip ring, net cup, media, air pump, and tubing — everything you need minus nutrients and a light. There's no mystery about assembly, and GH's support materials are excellent. Handles tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers without outgrowing it.

Watch out for: Single-plant only. If you want four plants, you want four WaterFarms or a multi-site system.

See on Amazon →
Budget pick
VIVOSUN

VIVOSUN 6-Pod Smart Indoor Garden Kit

$

An all-in-one countertop system with a built-in full-spectrum LED light and recirculating pump — everything in one unit. Grow six sites of herbs or lettuce without buying a separate light, reservoir, or pump. Produces a real harvest in 4–6 weeks and is genuinely the lowest-barrier entry into hydroponics.

Watch out for: The integrated LED is sized for greens only. Don't expect tomatoes or peppers to thrive — stick to basil, lettuce, mint. Want fruiting crops? Use the WaterFarm instead.

See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
PowerGrow

PowerGrow 8-Site Deep Water Culture System

$$$

Eight net-cup sites sharing a central reservoir — the step up when one plant isn't enough. Each site runs off the same air pump and nutrient solution, so you're still only managing one pH reading. Runs tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber in the same system simultaneously.

Watch out for: A larger reservoir means a bigger nutrient bill and more volume to keep pH-stable. Easy once you've done one grow solo.

See on Amazon →

Nutrients

Hydroponic plants get everything from the water — so the nutrients you use are the soil substitute. You need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and trace elements in specific ratios that shift as the plant moves from vegetative growth into fruiting. A 3-part liquid system lets you tune that ratio precisely. A simpler 2-part or 1-part system makes fewer decisions for you. Either works for a first grow.

Best starter
General Hydroponics

General Hydroponics Flora Series (3-part Liquid)

$$

GH literally developed nutrients for NASA's plant growth experiments, and Flora has been the industry standard for 40+ years. Three bottles mixed in different ratios by growth stage. Exceptional documentation, a free mixing calculator online, and stocked at every garden center. Once you see how the ratios shift, nutrient chemistry stops being mysterious.

Watch out for: Three bottles sounds like more work than it is. Their 'Lucas Formula' simplifies it to two parts for beginners.

See on Amazon →
Budget pick
General Hydroponics

General Hydroponics MaxiGro Plant Food

$

One dry powder, one scoop per gallon for vegetative growth. Much simpler than a 3-part liquid — you lose some fine-tuning control, but you gain simplicity. Good for herbs and lettuce where you're mostly in veg the whole crop. Pair with MaxiBloom when you want to push fruiting plants.

Watch out for: Powder dissolves better in warm water. Cold water leaves undissolved particles that throw off your EC reading.

See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Advanced Nutrients

Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Grow/Micro/Bloom

$$$

The main selling point is 'pH Perfect' technology — the formula buffers your reservoir to the ideal pH range automatically, reducing how often you need to manually adjust. It's a real quality-of-life difference once you know what you're doing and want less babysitting. More expensive than GH, but the time savings add up across multiple plants.

Watch out for: pH Perfect works only with RO or soft tap water. Hard municipal water will overwhelm the buffer. Check your water's PPM before switching.

See on Amazon →
person holding white smartphone near green plant

Photo by CRYSTALWEED cannabis on Unsplash

pH & EC Meters

pH tells you how acidic or alkaline your nutrient solution is. Most crops want 5.5–6.5. Outside that range, plants lock out specific nutrients even when those nutrients are present — they just can't absorb them. EC (electrical conductivity) tells you how concentrated your nutrient solution is. Too high and roots burn; too low and plants starve. You need both meters. This is non-negotiable.

Best starter
Apera Instruments

Apera Instruments AI209 pH20 pH Meter

$$

The PH20 is the meter most experienced growers recommend for beginners on a budget. Two-point calibration, replaceable electrode (so it's not disposable when it drifts), and a waterproof housing that actually holds up to wet hands around a reservoir. More accurate and more durable than the cheap pens that flood Amazon.

Watch out for: Calibrate with pH 4.0 and 7.0 solution before first use and every 2–3 weeks. Store the probe in storage solution, not distilled water.

See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Vivosun

Vivosun pH and TDS Meter Combo

$

A two-meter bundle under $30 gives you pH and EC (as TDS) readings at once, which is the practical minimum for running a hydroponic reservoir. Accuracy is adequate for beginners — not research-grade, but good enough to keep plants healthy if you calibrate it before use.

Watch out for: Budget pH meters lose accuracy fast. Recalibrate before every reservoir change and plan to replace the pH pen in 6–12 months.

See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Bluelab

Bluelab Combo Meter

$$$$

pH, EC, and temperature in one device with laboratory-grade accuracy. The Bluelab Combo is what you see at every serious hydroponic operation and commercial greenhouse. The probes are user-replaceable and last years with proper care. Once you've killed a reservoir trying to trust a cheap meter, this starts looking like a bargain.

Watch out for: Higher upfront cost. Worth it if you're running multiple plants or doing multiple grows per year.

See on Amazon →
Shelving unit with plants and watering can

Photo by Phước Sang on Unsplash

Grow Lights

If you're growing near a south-facing window with 6+ hours of direct sun, you can skip this category for herbs and lettuce. Almost everyone else needs a grow light. Modern LED panels are the clear answer — they've dropped dramatically in price and run cool enough to hang close to plants without burning them. Match your light to your footprint, not your ambitions: a 2×2 foot space needs a 100–200W LED.

Best starter
Spider Farmer

Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED Grow Light

$$$

The SF-1000 covers a 2×2 foot vegetative footprint (3×3 for herbs and greens that don't need flowering intensity). Samsung LM301B diodes, dimmable driver, and a build quality that's lasted years in real-world grows. Spider Farmer has become the go-to recommendation on r/hydro for exactly this reason — it's not marketing hype, it's a light that works at a fair price.

Watch out for: Hang 18–24 inches above your canopy for seedlings; lower as plants establish. Too close early causes light stress.

See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Barrina

Barrina T8 LED Plant Light Strips (4-pack)

$

For a Kratky jar setup or a small herb rack, T8 LED strips mounted under a shelf beat most panel lights at a fraction of the cost. Full-spectrum, linkable, and they run cool. Not enough for tomatoes or fruiting plants, but for a 2–4 jar lettuce/herb setup they're excellent value.

Watch out for: These work for greens and herbs only. Don't try to push tomatoes under T8 strips — they'll stretch and produce poorly.

See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Horticulture Lighting Group

HLG 100 V2 4000K LED Grow Light

$$$$

Quantum board technology from the company that pioneered it. The HLG 100 produces more usable light per watt than almost anything else in the 100W class — growers who've switched from blurple panels to HLG boards call it a revelation. Built in the USA, backed by an actual warranty, and the 4000K spectrum works from seed to harvest without swapping bulbs.

Watch out for: Pricier upfront than Spider Farmer. Worth it if you're doing multiple grows annually and want the best photon efficiency in the class.

See on Amazon →

Growing Medium & Net Cups

Hydroponic plants still need something to anchor their roots in the net cups. Clay pebbles (LECA/hydroton) are the default — inert, reusable, drain freely, and work in every system. Rockwool cubes are what you start seeds in before transferring to the main system. You need both on your first grow.

Best starter
Hydrofarm

Hydrofarm Hydroton Original Clay Pebbles (10L)

$

Hydroton is the clay pebble brand most growers default to. Pre-rinsed, consistent size, and pH-neutral. Rinse them again before use anyway — it takes two minutes and removes any loose dust that would cloud your reservoir. A 10L bag handles 6–8 two-inch net cups with room left over for a second grow.

Watch out for: Cheap generic clay pebbles vary in size and dust content. Hydroton's consistency is worth the slight premium.

See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Grodan

Grodan Rockwool Starter Plugs (1.5" cubes, 50-pack)

$

Germinate seeds in these before they go into your net cups. Rockwool holds moisture at the root zone and drains enough to prevent damping off. Soak in pH 5.5 water before use (rockwool is naturally alkaline), place one seed per cube, keep under a humidity dome until sprouting. The established seedling transfers straight into the clay pebbles with zero root disturbance.

Watch out for: Pre-soak in pH 5.5 water for 30 minutes before use — fresh-from-the-bag rockwool runs pH 7+ and will stall germination.

See on Amazon →
Going deeper

Your first month of hydroponics

You don't need a greenhouse or an agriculture degree to grow food hydroponically. You need the right system, a basic grip on pH, and the patience to not over-tinker for the first few weeks. Everything else you'll figure out as you go.

Read the guide →
Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

  • CO2 supplementation — CO2 enrichment helps at high light intensities in sealed rooms. At home LED wattages, ambient air CO2 is the limiting factor only in expert-level sealed grows. Ignore this for at least two years.
  • A reservoir chiller — Chillers keep nutrient solution below 68°F to prevent root rot and algae. Necessary in hot climates with large reservoirs. Most beginners running a single WaterFarm in a conditioned room never need one.
  • Reverse osmosis filtration — RO water removes minerals that interfere with precise nutrient mixing. Useful if your tap water is above 200 PPM. Test your tap first — many city water supplies work fine as-is.
  • A grow tent — Useful for light control and humidity management. Not necessary if you have a dedicated indoor space with no light pollution. A spare closet or shelving unit works fine for a first grow.
  • Automated dosing systems — Auto-dosers continuously monitor and adjust pH and nutrients. They cost $300–1,000+ and solve a problem you should first learn to solve by hand. Manual management teaches you what the plants actually need.
First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

  1. Choose your system and crop before buying anything. Kratky + lettuce is the lowest-risk start. DWC + tomatoes if you want something more ambitious. · Action
  2. Order your system kit and nutrients together so they arrive at the same time. · Buy
  3. Order pH and EC meters — you need these before your first reservoir fill. · Buy
  4. Soak your rockwool starter plugs in pH 5.5 water, plant your seeds, and put them under a humidity dome or plastic wrap until they sprout (3–7 days for most crops). · Action
  5. Mix your first batch of nutrient solution at half-strength. Check pH and adjust to 5.8–6.2. Measure EC and write it down — this becomes your baseline. · Action
  6. Join r/hydro for real-time diagnosis help. Attach a photo when asking questions — most problems are visible before they're measurable. · Learn
    • r/hydro · Reddit · active community for all system types
    • Epic Gardening · Kevin Espiritu's site and YouTube — most beginner-friendly hydroponic content available
FAQ

Common questions

Do I really need a pH meter, or can I use drops?

You need a real digital pH meter. pH drop kits are imprecise and hard to read in tinted nutrient solution. Plants lock out specific nutrients when pH drifts even slightly out of range, and a $30 meter will tell you what drops can't. It's the one piece of gear you shouldn't try to save money on.

What's the easiest crop to grow hydroponically?

Lettuce and basil, by a wide margin. They're fast (harvest in 4–6 weeks), tolerate small pH swings, and tell you quickly when something is wrong. Tomatoes and peppers are fantastic hydroponic crops, but they take longer and have more specific light and nutrient needs. Get one lettuce grow under your belt first.

What's the difference between Kratky and DWC?

Kratky is passive — you fill a reservoir with nutrient solution and let the roots drink it down without a pump. It's the easiest possible system and works beautifully for herbs and lettuce. DWC uses an air pump to oxygenate the solution continuously, which keeps roots from suffocating and lets you grow larger fruiting plants. DWC needs more monitoring; Kratky is almost set-and-forget.

Can I use regular fertilizer in a hydroponic system?

Not reliably. Soil fertilizers often contain slow-release coatings, organic matter, or compounds that cause issues in solution — they cloud the reservoir, clog pumps, or deliver nutrients in forms plants can't absorb without soil bacteria. Use hydroponic-specific nutrients formulated for solution culture.

How often do I need to change the nutrient solution?

Every 7–14 days for most systems. You top off with plain pH-adjusted water between changes as the plant drinks. A full reservoir change flushes any salt buildup and resets the nutrient ratio. The reservoir gets funky faster in warm conditions — more frequent changes prevent root problems.

How much does it cost to start hydroponics?

A Kratky herb setup costs under $50 (jars, nutrients, a pH pen, some net cups, and seeds). A single-plant DWC setup with an LED light runs $150–250 depending on the light you choose. A multi-plant DWC setup with quality lights and meters runs $300–500. The equipment pays for itself in produce after a few grows.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

  • Epic Gardening — Kevin Espiritu's site — the best beginner-friendly hydroponic and gardening resource online. His system comparison guides are genuinely unbiased.
  • r/hydro — Active community for all hydroponic methods. Post a photo of any plant problem and get a diagnosis within hours. The wiki has solid starter guides for each system type.
  • General Hydroponics Nutrient Calculator — GH's free mixing charts and calculators. Even if you're not using their nutrients, their feeding schedule explanations teach you how to read any nutrient label.
  • Maximum Yield Magazine — Trade publication with deep technical articles on all system types, substrate science, and lighting. More detailed than most YouTube content — worth reading once you have a grow or two under your belt.
  • Lettuce Grow (YouTube) — Focused on the Farmstand system but has excellent foundational content on Kratky and NFT growing. Their harvest-to-harvest videos show realistic timelines and yield expectations.
person holding red fruit with green leaves

Photo by Per Lööv on Unsplash

As an Amazon Associate, JustBeginning earns from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commission from other affiliate programs linked on this page. Editorial recommendations are independent — we don't choose products based on commission rates.