Alrighty folks here's an Ebb and Grow project for your holiday weekend

[treemanjohn]

1. You will have to determine how many grow sites you will need. I did this system with 20 2 gallon buckets, because I had a 80 gallon reservoir. You'll need 2 buckets for each grow site. You can get by with 1 bucket, but the bucket in a bucket system is great for change outs. One bucket has 1/4" holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and the bottom bucket is drilled out to accommodate a 1" grommet. I painted the bottom buckets matte black to reduce algae growth and to promote root growth

2. Then you will need to build your frame work out of PVC. Personally I prefer 3/4" because of the amount of water that needs to flow and irrigate the buckets. I've used 1/2 " in the past and it works great but it floods and drains MUCH slower. 3/4" is only a little more money and does a better job. Especially when the roots start wandering around.

3. Daisy chain all of your bottom buckets together. At the beginning of the system you'll need a larger bucket to catch the flow from your reservoir. I used a 6 gallon bucket for mine.

 

[treemanjohn]

4. You will now have to put your pumps in. You'll need one pump in your main reservoir and one pump in your larger dump bucket. I used 450 gph Danner pumps in each. I want to flood and drain my grow sites as quick as possible. The idea behind and ebb and grow system is to use gravity to fill and drain. Your large res will flood your larger bucket and gravity fills the others. Once the system fills, I prefer to let the water sit for 5 minutes before I start the drain. I do this by using digital timers from Home Depot.
( pictures of pumps coming soon)
Timers and air pump in a water resistant 5 gallon bucket with a lid.

5. Add a growing media and plants to your system. I prefer Hydrocks because it's the same as Hydroton, but it's not marketed to reefer growers so it's a tiny fraction of the cost. You can use any other media you see fit. I added Tabasco, Bhut, 7 pod, Naga, Scorp, Fatalli, Morouga Red, and something else, but I forgot. Here it is 2 weeks after completion. I always start my plants in a boot camp system, so adding healthy plants to the system is a piece of cake.

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Nicw setup. You have any problems with plant support?

 

[Datil Patch]

Do you have much problem with the rigidity of the piping VS life- such as with mowing the yard, and the inevitable having to move one pot just a bit...

Also how does the growth fair against the other system you have shared with us that is gravity return timed drip? How does maintanence fair against the other system.

Thanks for sharing your set up with us.

 

[wordwiz]

Treeman,

I'm adjusting my NFT/Aeroponics system this weekend. Instead of trying to build troughs (12" tall x 8" wide) and having to find a way to keep them from leaking, I'm using 56-quart Sterilite containers. Ordered some Botanicare misters and a 526 GPH water pump. I hope to grow 18 tomato plants under a 600 watt MH lamp.

Mike

 

[treemanjohn]

Nicw setup. You have any problems with plant support?

SS, I use bamboo only if necessary. I'm a mean ass gardener. I like to make it tough on my plants, and let them toughen themselves up. I stake probably 25% of my plants. I weave tomatoes because they just can't take the weight. I've experimented with letting tomatoes fall to the ground and grow. It works pretty good

Do you have much problem with the rigidity of the piping VS life- such as with mowing the yard, and the inevitable having to move one pot just a bit...

Also how does the growth fair against the other system you have shared with us that is gravity return timed drip? How does maintanence fair against the other system.

Thanks for sharing your set up with us.

PVC is pretty tough stuff, but I don't have to move it at all. The grommets are rubber so they'll give a bit without any trouble.

Despite what you read and hear all recirculating hydroponic systems do the exact same thing. One is not better than another. This system could be done with one pump and gravity, but I did not have any more shelving to raise it above the res. This ebb and grow system is an experiment, but next year I'm going to go with a 100% hydroponic garden using a run to waste system. Run to waste it by far the best system in my opinion. I'll surely be detailing my RTW build in the near future

 

[LUCKYDOG]

Im thinking of something like this to start my season in my basement this winter smaller scale till I move operations outdoors -- Thanks for sharing

 

[Moshman]

This question may look a bit stupid thanks to the chivas regal 15 year I drank last night,
but can you explain the entire water flow process
I.e. Do you pump the water from the resorvoir into the large bucket then gravity moves it into the pots, then do you pump the water out of the pipe system after 5 mins?

 

[treemanjohn]

Moshman, that's exactly how it works. I will post a video showing the flood/drain process in the next few days. You can buy controllers with high and low water switches http://www.aquahub.com/store/diygbuildebb.html , but they're expensive and not reliable. I chose to run it on a timer and it works like a charm!