To begin your hydroponic gardening project you will only need a few things to get you off to a great start. Many of the items you need for hydroponics can already be found around your house so you can save money before you go full tilt into this hobby. The first thing any hydroponic gardener needs is a dedicated area for their gardening. The hydroponic systems also require less space, because the plant roots don’t have to spread and search for food and water. The small space requirement makes hydroponics perfect for limited space home gardeners. The greatest benefit to hydroponics is the ability to automate the hydroponics system with timers and remote monitoring equipment. Standard fertilizers sold in garden stores are not generally suited for hydroponics, as they do not contain specific trace elements, which are necessary for a balanced hydroponic formula. Many formulas also contain buffers to help prevent extreme swings in the pH level. PH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline the nutrient solution or water is. Your garden should also be able to support the predator insects. Many biological insects will not survive if the temperature is too hot, or if there isn’t a good source of water. Other ways to protect your hydroponic produce against spider mites include using non-toxic yellow sticky cards. The cards are useful for monitoring spider mites and many other small bugs. Some of the positive aspects of hydroponics include the ability to produce higher yields than soil-based agriculture and they allow food to be grown and consumed in areas of the world that cannot support crops in the soil. Hydroponics also eliminates the need for massive pesticide use, which makes the air, water, soil, and food much cleaner. Plants can be placed much more closely together than in traditional fields; as many as four times as many plants can be grown in the space using hydroponic techniques as opposed to traditional methods. Secondly, hydroponics eliminates many of the problems associated with traditional farming that leads to sickly, damaged, or wasted crops.