hydroponic DIY guide: how to make off grid hydroponic self watering container

Wont the roots eventually dip in the water? or that is the purpose of that correct? And from what i previously saw the solo cups will make sure that the soil will be kept moist no more or no less that it is actually required!?
Also the solution contains nutrients right? could it be done without nutrients, just water? Very intrigued by this since you can obviously do this on a smaller scale :D.
 
kingduckling said:
Wont the roots eventually dip in the water? or that is the purpose of that correct? And from what i previously saw the solo cups will make sure that the soil will be kept moist no more or no less that it is actually required!?
Also the solution contains nutrients right? could it be done without nutrients, just water? Very intrigued by this since you can obviously do this on a smaller scale :D.
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Yes, the roots will eventually grow vigorously into the water, that is a good thing.  Under normal conditions this might cause a plant to drown, but the top portion of roots get plenty of oxygen.  This basically the same idea as Kratky hydroponics, but there is a soil reservoir instead of just "air".
 
Yes, the combination of solo cups and the plastic sheeting on top mean that as long as you keep water in the reservoir the plant will never be over or under watered.
 
The solution is nutrients, if you want to do it without nutrients in the reservoir just make sure to add the proper nutrients into the soil.  I recommend doing this project with the specific nutrients and method that I listed though.
 
You can do this on a smaller scale.  But you will have smaller plants :|   For example, I used this same technique in smaller pots suspended in a 5 gallon bucket, and the plants are noticibly smaller.
You can see them toward the end of this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSWWzWY7tmQ
 
looks really nice :welcome: ......well minus the sad garden along the fence :mope: lol
 
Do you have any problems with insects or ants trying to make their home in the soil of this hp system? Do you cover the water/nutrient entry or leave it open like that? Do you only use more matured plants with a root system long enough to reach the water reservoir when you start these systems?  
 
Thanks
 
Hi,
The only insect problem I've had was Mosquitos in he reservoir, I don't cover the fill hole, but now that I think about it I will put a solo cup upside down over the fill pipe. The only reason I start with an established plant is I have more plants than hydro grow boxes, so I pick the best looking ones to go into the containers. You could use a smaller plant or even start from seed in the container of you wanted. Until the roots each the bottom it will still grow happily in the soil.
 
No. Some will initially, but since no water comes in from the top there really isn't anything to cause it to fall through. Also, think about a regular potted plant, eventually you can pull the plant out and the soil is all one mass stuck together from the roots. Even if you shake it, it stays together and dirt doesn't fall out of the clump.
 
pepper_rancher said:
No. Some will initially, but since no water comes in from the top there really isn't anything to cause it to fall through. Also, think about a regular potted plant, eventually you can pull the plant out and the soil is all one mass stuck together from the roots. Even if you shake it, it stays together and dirt doesn't fall out of the clump.
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how about if i would like to put granule fertilizer in the soil instead of in the water? or could i actually place the fertilizer  in the lower section of the pot(in case its not strong enough to burn the roots)?
I am assuming the water will not be wicked up towards the top of the soil, or even enough to release the npk from the granules.
 
kingduckling said:
how about if i would like to put granule fertilizer in the soil instead of in the water? or could i actually place the fertilizer  in the lower section of the pot(in case its not strong enough to burn the roots)?
I am assuming the water will not be wicked up towards the top of the soil, or even enough to release the npk from the granules.
Click to expand...
Fertilize as you would any potted plant in that case; results would be typical to bottom watering a large potted plant.
 
Can you see how much water is in the reservoir or do you have to lift it and check for weight? I live in a pretty mild climate and wouldn't have to water every day like you. 
 
ColdSmoke said:
Can you see how much water is in the reservoir or do you have to lift it and check for weight? I live in a pretty mild climate and wouldn't have to water every day like you. 
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You can use a bamboo stick as a 'dip-stick' to see where it is wet, or to get really fancy you can make a float stick with styrofoam and mark what height the stick should be sticking up when full.
 
You can still however water the plants normally through the top right? You would just do it like once a week or two weeks.(this was my concern with soil falling through the holes). Im really just curious since i have no clue how fast the fertilizer granules release the nutrients since im assuming the description of the package is related to watering the plants normally.
I also really love the concept i just got some black hungarian peppers and jalapeno's and il do something similar, probably with buckets. 
 
My only problem with this thread is the title. If you have to buy nutes from someplace it really isn't "off-grid." Carry on! Nice looking plants and set-up though.
 
how much space do the roots need in the water compartment, planning to use 3 gallon possibly 5 gallon buckets for the soil, and im curious how much space i should leave bellow for the water(using another bucket for that).
 
kingduckling said:
how much space do the roots need in the water compartment, planning to use 3 gallon possibly 5 gallon buckets for the soil, and im curious how much space i should leave bellow for the water(using another bucket for that).
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The project is completely scalable, go big for a big plant or go small... for a small plant.  There is no minimum size, but the smaller the container, the smaller the plant will end up.
 
Appreciate the info.  I built 10 self-watering containers using 19 gallon muck buckets and have planted four C. annum plants in each in the past, and just used granular fertilizer in the stocking per the Earthbox folks (I think).  They did just okay but it was more an experiment and I was happy enough with it at the time...but not any more!
 
Based on your experience, I'm going to try to plant just one superhot in each this year.  I got the Masterblend and calcium nitrate from the the aforementioned Morgan County Seeds, 10 lbs of each plus shipping was about $59.  Called in my order, super nice people.  
 
Also, I've found these containers fall apart from UV within a few years.  So I try to cover them as shown.
 
Thanks again for the info.  
 
OyFawPY.jpg

swc_2.jpg
 
Wow, what a beautiful view Oleic!  Please post updates, I would love to see more pictures from this season :)
 
 
 
edit:  Forgot to mention, I think 1 per container is the only way to go... good luck this year!
 
Oleic said:
Appreciate the info.  I built 10 self-watering containers using 19 gallon muck buckets and have planted four C. annum plants in each in the past, and just used granular fertilizer in the stocking per the Earthbox folks (I think).  They did just okay but it was more an experiment and I was happy enough with it at the time...but not any more!
 
Based on your experience, I'm going to try to plant just one superhot in each this year.  I got the Masterblend and calcium nitrate from the the aforementioned Morgan County Seeds, 10 lbs of each plus shipping was about $59.  Called in my order, super nice people.  
 
Also, I've found these containers fall apart from UV within a few years.  So I try to cover them as shown.
 
Thanks again for the info.  
 
OyFawPY.jpg

swc_2.jpg
Click to expand...
 
What a beautiful view, I do miss mountains.
 
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