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Super Stripped Down & Improper Hydro Experiment

dan5505

dan5505

So I had an extra Aji Amarillo seedling and decided to try to create a kratky setup with what I have on hand.  I have never tried hydroponics, so I don't have net pots, proper nutrients, or rock wool.  But, I do have solo cups, tinfoil, string, Carl Pool BR-61 fertilizer, and epsom salt.  Seems to be healthy so far!
 

 

 

 
 
Jalabenjo said:
To me it looks like the roots are fully covered in water with the top on. I'm pretty sure you want some of the roots above the water to give them oxygen.
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Thanks for the tip!  I'll dump a little out.
 
hogleg said:
You could add a stir straw and blow bubbles.  lol  J/K
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you mean something like this ?
 
th-6.jpeg
 
This is pretty close to what I have going on with a few of my plants. For me the plants seem to do alot better when I top them off every few days. I think the new nutrient solution adds oxygen to the mix. I have a decent sized plant that now has a single pod starting to form growing in just a hydro solo cup.



The net pots are suspended above the cup with tooth pics. No airstones required.
 
Isnt the Kratky method where you just use a static medium and the plant creates the air gap by using the nutrient solution?
 
I had wanted to try this a couple years ago but never got around to it.
 
able eye said:
Isnt the Kratky method where you just use a static medium and the plant creates the air gap by using the nutrient solution?

Yes exactly. No need for air airstone. You will get some minor root rot as the plant gets older but it should have enough "air roots" to get the job done. Here's what my podding plants roots look like. Notice a little brown in there but not enough to affect growth.

This plant sucks down about half a solo cup per day!

 
dan5505 said:
Still growing.  I haven't changed the nutrients


When they are young like that you shouldn't have to change them for a while. Only if it starts yellow or curl. But for the most part I don't ever change the nurtients. Just top off with new solution. Looking good!
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5 gallon buckets, garbage bags (to block the light from the roots) and aquarium pump from wally world is cheap.
 
I have done "ghetto hydro", and it worked.
 
But seems to work much better with equipment designed for the job.
 
Though the initial investment costs a bit, most is reusable season after season.
 
Buckets, net pots, air pump and clay pebble media can be reused every year.
 
I use *somewhat similar* every season to start my plants.
 
But it's in a pricey Aerogarden.
 
I don't know names of methods or whatever.
 
I knew a Lady who was disabled who dug a trench and lined it with plastic.
 
Stuck her plants in 1Gal (#1pots,not really 1 gal.) pots in it (potting soil in the pots).
 
She kept watering with light nutes in the water just to keep an inch of water under the plants.
Worked great for her.
Kinda Hydro I guess.
Lots of people gave Her crap about how it would never work.
 
IT DID and I haven't seen her post about it sense then,years ago.
 
She got chased off by the armchair experts on GW a long time ago.
A real shame....
Sites don't matter,it sucks she was given crap when she was just trying to spread some knowledge about HER grow around and was given crap for doing so.
 
It WAS way before THP was here.LONG before...
 
I wish I could remember the Ladies name.
She was cool and I traded with her several times too.
A great Lady to know.
Sucks to see a lot of people go away over the years...
 
Side tracked as usual when I'm bored at work. LOL
 
As far as your grow-If it works don't fix it.
Only thing I did was I used 5 gal. buckets and kept the water as high as the longest roots were.
I had 3in. baskets with rockwool cubes with the seeds in them.
Water at first was just touching the cubes.
As soon as roots reached out to the water I let the water evaporate OR took some out so the cube wasn't too wet.
Eventually I added an air stone and never put more than 2 1/2 gal. of water in the bucket.
 
I've had plants without the airstone in the same buckets do great too as long as I kept the water level low so only the ends were under water.
IF too many roots were under water they died and made the water nasty and killed the plant.
 
IF you do it right you get a bucket full of nice white roots and about a quart of water/nutes.
 
As a side note.
Forget the basket.
Cut a hole the size (slightly smaller) of the rockwool and hang it in the 5 gal. buckets lid.
 
smokemaster said:
 
 
I knew a Lady who was disabled who dug a trench and lined it with plastic.
 
 
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That is one Abled Disabled person! I would assume she is not wheelchair bound? LOL (not to make fun of the disabled, but I did think this line was hilarious)
 
I don't remember her dissability.
 
I just remember she couldn't plant or take care of her in ground garden or  larger pots - watering etc. ,as she was able to before.
For several seasons she asked questions and posted her experiments,until she got it right.
 
Trench sounded like it was only deep enough to line with plastic and put an inch of water in it...could be done with a hoe.
I think she had family help on occasion...as I already posted an inch of water or so deep trench.
Not the WW1 trench type thing, not even deep enough to do much more than she needed.
 
I never said she did it without help.
Hauling soil around I'm sure took help,along with probably other things.
 
Either way,the Lady seemed to adapt and overcome.
 
I knew another person -  wheelchair bound , that saw all the old waterbed frames in the free adds.
They turned them into wheelchair height raised gardens.
Waterbed liners protected the wood frames for years.
 
Put plants around the outside edges.
 
I'd think both probably had help at one time or another.
Neither were all that young if I remember right.
 
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