What you need

What you need:

Fresh water

Were talking primo, filtered stuff with a balanced pH. Most plants like water with a pH level around 6-6.5. You can adjust and acidity of your water with over-the-counter solutions found at your local hardware, garden, or hydroponic store.

Oxygen

Don't drown you plants! In traditional farming, roots can get the oxygen needed for respiration from pockets of air in the soil.

Root Support

Even though you don't need soil, your plant's roots still need a little something to hold on to. Typical materials include vermiculite, perlite, peat moss, coconut fiber, and rockwool.

Nutrients

Your plant is going to need plenty of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and other nutrients to stay healthy and productive – just like plants growing in the ground need healthy soil and fertilizer.

Light

If you're growing your plants indoors, you might have to invest in some special lighting. Each kind of plant will have a different requirement for the amount of light it needs and for the placement of lights (typically referred to as Daily Light Integral or DLI).