Customer Reviews

Hobby Hydroponics

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read several books on hydroponics and have found this to be the most comprehensive and useful (this is the first book I have read by this author). There are things I would have liked to have seen included, such as what size pumps that are needed for different applications, or how to determine this, but the book is full of useful information. The education and experience level of the author seems to be much greater than that of other hydroponics authors whose books I have read. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a greater knowledge of how to develop a small scale hydroponics program.

The book gives a good overall understanding of hydroponics so that a beginner (like myself) can feel confident in a general knowledge of the subject to get started. The only complaint I had is that the author goes through a variety of hydroponic systems and describes them all. For someone that wants to try and build their own that could be a bit of a time waster.

I will start by saying that I don't think this book is a waste of time for everyone. If you are interesting in shelling out hundreds of dollars to get a hydroponic garden established, this book would be a good starting point because about half the book is dedicated to providing an overview of what systems are available for purchase. I was disappointed because these systems do not seem very complicated, yet the only part of the book that goes over building your own system is a half-page discussion of how some Latin American countries supported the creation and distribution of a homemade type of system. There are a lot of pictures and diagrams, but they don't tend to supplement the descriptions of the concepts in a way that improves the reader's understanding. I would have liked to see more breadth and diagrams dedicated to the fundamentals of the different types of hydroponics and how they work.

As a total beginner to gardening and hydroponics I found this book quite appropriate. Seems to have about the right level of detail and complexity for a new gardener. Emphasis is on the commercial hydroponics apparatus available and apparent advantages of each with rough cost data.

After I have consumed my first crop I will be able to review this book with more authority.