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My DIY aero/hydro whatchamacallit
- Thread starter fineexampl
- Start date
they do. they cost about $50 or more usually and that's still without light.LGHT said:
I've also found i could have made it cheaper. Similar containers at Walmart on sale for $3.50. Could have used a large air stone and cheap $5 air pump, etc.
All this said...
The unit works WONDERFULLY! Nice hairy roots too! I have nothing but water inside and some guano tea. So far i'm extremely happy. I'm using it more as a cloner right now though. For that function it's perfect and i highly recommend it.
Any suggestions on a system already made? I basically just want something to hold 3-10 plants and is already setup and easy to use. More or less just a plug and play system for the guy that has a hard time using an electric drill. I already have tons of lights from old fish tank setups that I could use.
fineexampl said:they do. they cost about $50 or more usually and that's still without light.
I've also found i could have made it cheaper. Similar containers at Walmart on sale for $3.50. Could have used a large air stone and cheap $5 air pump, etc.
All this said...
The unit works WONDERFULLY! Nice hairy roots too! I have nothing but water inside and some guano tea. So far i'm extremely happy. I'm using it more as a cloner right now though. For that function it's perfect and i highly recommend it.
Want a FineExampl special?LGHT said:
pics
the one long root with tons of rootlets is a cucumber seedling less than a week old. this will be transplanted in a few more days.
the 2 larger pepper cuttings are red habanero i just put in a day and half ago. i used rooting hormone in the rockwool.
the red vein is a slow rooter apparently. i used no root hormone on it.
the other 2 pods are romaine lettuce.
the one long root with tons of rootlets is a cucumber seedling less than a week old. this will be transplanted in a few more days.
the 2 larger pepper cuttings are red habanero i just put in a day and half ago. i used rooting hormone in the rockwool.
the red vein is a slow rooter apparently. i used no root hormone on it.
the other 2 pods are romaine lettuce.
Instead of using a mister / sprinkler that may clog couldn't you use a really big air pump that has the ability to run 4-6 air stones all at once? I have a large fish tank that's 180 gallons and only use 1 air pump, but it's a 2.9 psi super Luft piston pump that's connected to 4 long air stones.
That thing really pushes out a lot of air and the bubbles pop around 2" above the water level. Cost of the pump is around $65.00, but well worth it. Although I don't run it on a timer I guess you could set it up to pump every 30 minutes or so??
That thing really pushes out a lot of air and the bubbles pop around 2" above the water level. Cost of the pump is around $65.00, but well worth it. Although I don't run it on a timer I guess you could set it up to pump every 30 minutes or so??
I looked up the waterfarm and that's a drip system. What i'm talking about is putting an air stone under each plant and allowing the spray of mist put out above the water level to keep the roots wet. Basically water the roots from the bottom instead of the top. This way you can can get rid of all the extra hoses, valves, misters etc. Just a canister, air pump, and air stones. Even I could probably make that system!!
FiveSix said:That's basically what my waterfarm 8 pack uses
AC 120V, 0.2 amps
3 psi, 320 gph (20 l/min)
It would work, but it wouldn't be aeroponics (i don't think at least).
FiveSix said:
Ohh ok. My apologies for the confusion. I'm just looking for a way to get my plants growing fast and I already have just about all the equipment such as air pumps, stones, c02 system, timers, lights etc sitting in a close as most are used for aquariums and I no longer run 8 tanks at home. However I want the easiest fail proof system possible without requiring me to actually "make" anything. The air stones I use are elite long air curtains. These are a lot better than blue stones as they are flexible and distribute tiny bubbles for the entire length of the hose. Plus you can get them in lengths as long as 47" If I had 4 of the 23" curtains I could essentially make a ring of air bubbles just below each plant if they are combined with the powerful air pump that could easily moisten the entire root.
that's cool, but you know how it is when you get an idea and don't plan it out over weeks and decide one day on lunch "today i'm going to build my own aerogarden." Shit gets complicated.LGHT said:Instead of using a mister / sprinkler that may clog couldn't you use a really big air pump that has the ability to run 4-6 air stones all at once? I have a large fish tank that's 180 gallons and only use 1 air pump, but it's a 2.9 psi super Luft piston pump that's connected to 4 long air stones.
That thing really pushes out a lot of air and the bubbles pop around 2" above the water level. Cost of the pump is around $65.00, but well worth it. Although I don't run it on a timer I guess you could set it up to pump every 30 minutes or so??
fineexampl said:that's cool, but you know how it is when you get an idea and don't plan it out over weeks and decide one day on lunch "today i'm going to build my own aerogarden." Shit gets complicated.
Yeah I know what you mean that's why i'm trying to keep this thing as simple as possible with the least amount of equipment as possible.
Update:
This setup is working nicely. Running 24/7 with 3 100 CFLs for lighting. It makes nice hairy roots and is as quiet as my aquarium.
Liquid volume is 1.25gal
I first used with plain water and it's fine for rooting the old fashioned way. I switched it up with bat guano tea and that has done very well. I'm going to try some Fox Farm product in it this week to see if there's any improvement.
Very happy this far and no leaks that i've noticed.
This setup is working nicely. Running 24/7 with 3 100 CFLs for lighting. It makes nice hairy roots and is as quiet as my aquarium.
Liquid volume is 1.25gal
I first used with plain water and it's fine for rooting the old fashioned way. I switched it up with bat guano tea and that has done very well. I'm going to try some Fox Farm product in it this week to see if there's any improvement.
Very happy this far and no leaks that i've noticed.
I know next to nothing about hydro growing but hubby is trying out DWC upstairs. I'm much more comfortable with growing in dirt. That said I saw the roots of one of Willard's peppers on another site and wow is all I can say. He's definitely doing something right for those kind of results. I bet those roots were at least 3 feet long...awesome!
fineexampl said:
Are these 100 watt equivalent bulbs or actually 100 watt cfl bulbs? I was able to find some 42 watt cfls that are rated at 3,000 lumen, for $5.00, but anything higher than 42 watts makes the price jump around 4-5 times higher per bulb so I'm still trying to find either a better deal on higher wattage bulbs or I'll just get 6 of the 42 watt cfl's for a total of 18,000 lumens.
LGHT said:
I did a lot of research on CFLs back in the day, and the best lumen/watt & lumen/dollar ratio will be the 42W ones. Get those and a couple of clamp lights (basically a light socket with an extension cord attached that comes with a reflector & a clamp). About 5-8 dollars depending on what size reflector at your local home depot or lowes. They can be found on the same isle as extension cords:
What he said. Those are the exact lights i use.Txclosetgrower said:I did a lot of research on CFLs back in the day, and the best lumen/watt & lumen/dollar ratio will be the 42W ones. Get those and a couple of clamp lights (basically a light socket with an extension cord attached that comes with a reflector & a clamp). About 5-8 dollars depending on what size reflector at your local home depot or lowes. They can be found on the same isle as extension cords:
the 100w equivalent are what i use.LGHT said:
199? not sure what you mean. i use the "daylight" CFL 100. they're cheap and readily available. my Walmart never has them. i think you'll be fine. mine are only 23w CFLs and they work just great.patrick said: