For those of you who have used a waterfarm by general hydroponics you know how massive your roots will become in the 2 gallon bucket.
That being said the roots that exit the bucket via the provided drain holes are somewhat lacking. This simple DIY mod will show you the steps you need to follow to increase drainage and promote root growth into the reservoir.
Materials required:
Waterfarm by general hydroponics
Power drill with 1/4" drill bit
A conical rasp bit
Exact-o knife or a razor blade.
First off this is the bottom of the waterfarm container that we will be using.
You can see a pattern of holes drilled in threes. Drill out an extra hole in each direction. Keeping in mind your spacing and lines.
You are done with the drill bit now. Attach your rasp bit to the drill.
Using the rasp, make the hole larger but be careful to not make the holes larger than the medium you are using.
Drill every other hole in a checker board pattern. The reason for this is to keep the structural integrity of the bottom of the bucket.
You will want to go ahead and flip the bucket over and using the rasp on the same holes drill them out to keep it uniform.
You are done with the drill and rasp now.
put your tools back up so you know where they are for later projects.
The finished holes may have a little bit of plastic left around the edges.
Using your razor blade gently cut it off both inside and out. This is done easily by setting the blade at an angle and rotating the bucket and blade. You won't need a lot of pressure to do this at all.
Wash it up and make sure you have no bits of plastic that may get caught in the water line during use.
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This is great to promote drainage and prevent your roots from rotting in the bucket and also allows more root growth through the holes.
Once your roots reach the reservoir below you can run a second pump with an airstone on 24/7 instantly converting your waterfarm from not only a drip bucket but to DWC.
Also here is a quick and easy way to clean and prep your hydroton to remove dust and other particulates from it.
All you need is your pre measured amount of hydroton a mesh laundry bag and a water source.
Note: I don't recommend doing this on the grass as you will get grass on your laundry bag but this is for demonstration.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully it helps/inspires future DIY!
caveman
That being said the roots that exit the bucket via the provided drain holes are somewhat lacking. This simple DIY mod will show you the steps you need to follow to increase drainage and promote root growth into the reservoir.
Materials required:
Waterfarm by general hydroponics
Power drill with 1/4" drill bit
A conical rasp bit
Exact-o knife or a razor blade.
First off this is the bottom of the waterfarm container that we will be using.
You can see a pattern of holes drilled in threes. Drill out an extra hole in each direction. Keeping in mind your spacing and lines.
You are done with the drill bit now. Attach your rasp bit to the drill.
Using the rasp, make the hole larger but be careful to not make the holes larger than the medium you are using.
Drill every other hole in a checker board pattern. The reason for this is to keep the structural integrity of the bottom of the bucket.
You will want to go ahead and flip the bucket over and using the rasp on the same holes drill them out to keep it uniform.
You are done with the drill and rasp now.
put your tools back up so you know where they are for later projects.
The finished holes may have a little bit of plastic left around the edges.
Using your razor blade gently cut it off both inside and out. This is done easily by setting the blade at an angle and rotating the bucket and blade. You won't need a lot of pressure to do this at all.
Wash it up and make sure you have no bits of plastic that may get caught in the water line during use.
-----
This is great to promote drainage and prevent your roots from rotting in the bucket and also allows more root growth through the holes.
Once your roots reach the reservoir below you can run a second pump with an airstone on 24/7 instantly converting your waterfarm from not only a drip bucket but to DWC.
Also here is a quick and easy way to clean and prep your hydroton to remove dust and other particulates from it.
All you need is your pre measured amount of hydroton a mesh laundry bag and a water source.
Note: I don't recommend doing this on the grass as you will get grass on your laundry bag but this is for demonstration.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully it helps/inspires future DIY!
caveman
