The Best Hydroponic Plants

Once you’ve begun hydroponic gardening, the options are endless as to what you can grow. The system is simple: supplement nutrients for soil, and you can grow anything you would grow in soil in your hydroponic stand. 

There are a few plants that truly flourish hydroponically, while there are other plants that require a bit more work. We suggest focusing on herbs and lettuce, then adding in a few flowering plants to experiment with. Try to grow a few edible flowers and house plants for fun. Or, if you want to tackle one thing at a time, learn how to grow microgreens or the basics of jar sprouting. Here are some of the best plants to grow hydroponically. 

hyrdoponic cilantro, basil, and eggplant in a hydroponic stand

Herbs

Planting herbs in a hydroponic tower is a brilliant idea. Here’s why: for a marginal amount of space, you can grow several basil plants and stock up on homemade pesto for months. If you love chimichurri sauce, you can focus on growing cilantro and parsley in your stand. From just a few plants, you’ll be able to prep and freeze enough sauce for months. If you’re a big juice person, you can have all of the mint in the world and juice to your heart’s content. Other herbs that are popular to grow hydroponically are: sage, rosemary, oregano, lemongrass, and dill. 

Herbs are pretty foolproof when it comes to growing them hydroponically. Most herbs require both oxygen and water, so a tower that provides both can create a system even more ideal than outdoor soil. Plus, the herbs will grow quickly and make a bigger yield when allowed these ample growing conditions. 

hyrdoponic plants on white hydroponic tower against white background

Leafy Greens

Lettuce is a happy plant to grow, and one of the best hydroponic plants to grow. Lettuce is quick to mature and thrives in a high water and high oxygen environment. It’s adaptability makes it a great crop to grow alongside other plants, as it does well even if its lighting and watering scheduled are tailored a bit more to a high-maintenance plant, like berries.

A few of our favorite leafy green varieties to grow include: romaine, spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy, and butter lettuce. One of the other great things about growing lettuce hydroponically is that you can reap continuous harvests from just a few plants, so long as you know how to prune your plant properly. If you’re like me, and you’re a daily salad person, the bucks you will save on greens each month will totally transform your budget. Learn to grow lettuce hydroponically here.

Another reason to consider growing your own leafy greens is the opportunity that it allows you to try new ingredients. Personally, I never learned to cook with swiss chard or bok choy until I began growing them hydroponically. Now, they’re some of my favorite iron-rich staples. One of the reasons I love Lettuce Grow is that they constantly rotate their starter plants, and I’m constantly challenged to try new ingredients and learn to cook up new flavors. It’s a significant and exciting element to my salad routine, and it makes eating healthy a grand adventure.

hyrdoponic plant budding against a white hydroponic stand background

Flowering Plants

One of the trickier plants to grow hydroponically is any form of flowering plant. For example, if you want to grow hydroponic plants like peppers, squash varieties, tomatoes, or berries, all of these plants bloom before they bear fruit. Each of these plants are a bit more temperamental, requiring optimal conditions to reach full maturity. Your best bet is to read up on each variety you’re planting and customize your grow lights, nutrients, and water to give these fragile plants their best chance of success. 

Some of the best flowering plants to grow hydroponically are cherry tomatoes, strawberries, mini bell peppers, mini eggplant, and jalapeños.

Also, flowering plants tend to need a bit longer than lettuce and herb plants to grow. For example, an eggplant plant takes an average of twelve weeks to reach maturity and begin to bearing fruit. So, when planning your hydroponic garden, be sure to account in the wide range of growing cycles. Just like outdoor garden planning takes time to master, so does indoor garden planning.

hyrdoponic arugula with a white background

Edible Flowers

One of the lesser known jewels of hydroponic gardening are flower plants. If you’re a sucker for edible florals like pansies, give them a whirl in your Lettuce Grow farmstand. Flowers, much like herbs, are content to blossom even in less than ideal conditions. These happy, fool-proof plants not only are fun garnishes for cocktails, smoothie bowls, or summer salads, but they truly bring the outdoor garden indoors, by allowing you beautiful color and life to you sea of green hues.

Our personal favorite flowers to grow hydroponically are: zinnias, chammomile, pansies, marigold, petunias, hibiscus, lavendar, honeysuckle, and rose.

One of the other wondrous benefits to growing flowers hydropnically, is creating your own loose herbal tea blends. Simply dry your flowers out and steep them in water for a homemade, comforting, herbal tea routine. It also makes floral moon milk seem a bit more accessible. Plus, having dried lavendar on hand from your hydroponic tower will come in handy in more ways than one. Use it to make sachets of fragrance for friends, garnish pastries, make a homemade candle or make a soothing sugar scrub.

Answers to Your Questions About Hydroponic Plants

What do hydroponic plants grow in?

Hydroponic plants grow in water without soil. However, they still require nutrients. Hydroponic plants should be planted in a base, such as coconut fiber.

How do you look after a hydro plant?

Fertilize your plant by adding nutrients to the water base. Trim the roots of your plant about once a week so that they don’t exceed being about two inches long. Keep your hydroponic plants under grow lights for 12 hours a day.

What is the best hydroponic plant?

The best hydroponic plant for beginners is one that doesn’t bear fruit or flowers– so lettuce, basil, cilantro, kale, or arugula.

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