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hydroponic My hydroponic project: 1st attempt, follow along :)

TXCG

TXCG

Well, its getting that time of year where the growing season in most of the northern hemisphere is coming to an end. Since I can't stand that fact, I'm doing something about it this year and setting up an indoor hydro system(or two). First project that starts tomorrow(pay day) is a DWC system for lettuce under fluorescent lights.

Plan 1: Lettuce

I'm going to construct a simple DWC(deep-water culture) system out of a rubbermaid container for growing lettuce. I choose lettuce for 3 reasons: 1) It is a fast growing plant (
 
Tx,

Good luck with the system. I'm trying to grow some pepper plants and basil in hydro systems now, and hope to add tomato and cucumber plants in a couple of weeks.

Mike
 
Sounds a great project and wish you all the best,On your d.w.c system try and get an all in one pump and you wont have to use an airstone..makes a lot less noise as well,you will see them at most hydro/Aquarium dealers :)
 
wordwiz said:
Tx,

Good luck with the system. I'm trying to grow some pepper plants and basil in hydro systems now, and hope to add tomato and cucumber plants in a couple of weeks.

Mike
Click to expand...

What kind of system are you using? Also what kind of lighting and what substrate? I'm still undecided on whether or not to stick with coconut coir since I know its awesome or go with rockwool or hydroton.
 
talas said:
Sounds a great project and wish you all the best,On your d.w.c system try and get an all in one pump and you wont have to use an airstone..makes a lot less noise as well,you will see them at most hydro/Aquarium dealers :)
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'll check this out. I already have a 2 outlet air pump & 2 air stones that I used for building a small aero cloner. The cloner works great with no need for rooting hormone(although it doesn't hurt).
 
Txclosetgrower said:
Hmm, I'll check this out. I already have a 2 outlet air pump & 2 air stones that I used for building a small aero cloner. The cloner works great with no need for rooting hormone(although it doesn't hurt).
Click to expand...

No thats great..mine just hummed a little to loudly and i nearly ended up in a divorce court,your system is kewl my friend :)
 
ive been wanting to set up a hydro system for some time now, but ive been too worried id screw it up... good luck with yours, let us know how it turns out for you
 
Be sure to add drain holes at the bottom of the container... filling and emptying those totes is not an easy task and be sure the water temp doesnt get to cool depending where you are you may need an aquarium heater as well
 
Chiliac said:
I wish I had the space to try hydroponics once! Good luck with your project, keep us posted!
Click to expand...

I made a system out of a 5-gallon bucket! Not sure what I will grow in it, probably a cucumber plant.

One thing if you make your own, be sure to cut an extra hole in the top so you can add nutrients and check the pH level.

Mike
 
Welcome back :)
Long time no see.
Txclosetgrower said:
Well, its getting that time of year where the growing season in most of the northern hemisphere is coming to an end.
Since I can't stand that fact, I'm doing something about it this year and setting up an indoor hydro system(or two).
Pics will be posted as progress comes along:shocked:
Click to expand...
Cool,
I still have some bug-free plants growing inside under lights from this winter.
Once you take them outside, they are never the same again.
...for many reasons.
 
Yesterday I got the spray nozzles, a pH up & down kit, seed starting kit, mesh pots, hydroton pellets , and a elbow, grommet & tube for monitoring water level & panda plastic for building my grow tent.

I decided to go with an aeroponic system, an Aerospring to be specific. You can find plans for this in How-to Hydroponics. I've been meaning to stop at the bookstore and pick this book up, but instead I broke down and bought the .pdf version.(so if anyone needs plans, just ask)

I still need to get a rubbermaid tote, the pvc pipe for the spray fixture & shell of my grow tent, a water pump & a hole saw. One of my friends is coming down to Austin this weekend and we're going to the hydro shop to get more materials, he's building a system too.
 
Txclosetgrower said:
Yesterday I got the spray nozzles, a pH up & down kit, seed starting kit, mesh pots, hydroton pellets , and a elbow, grommet & tube for monitoring water level & panda plastic for building my grow tent.

I decided to go with an aeroponic system, an Aerospring to be specific. You can find plans for this in How-to Hydroponics. I've been meaning to stop at the bookstore and pick this book up, but instead I broke down and bought the .pdf version.(so if anyone needs plans, just ask)

I still need to get a rubbermaid tote, the pvc pipe for the spray fixture & shell of my grow tent, a water pump & a hole saw. One of my friends is coming down to Austin this weekend and we're going to the hydro shop to get more materials, he's building a system too.
Click to expand...

make sure you use non-organic fertilizers, bassically the spray nozzles will NOT handle them
 
Ok, shopping trip round two got a larger air pump, air hose, exchanged net cups for smaller net cups & got nutrients. Also got a site plug to allow access to fill the reservoir.

Still need:
14 gallon rubbermaid tote
2' x 2' x 1.5" rigid foam
hole saw
& pvc pipe + fittings for building grow tent|

I'm having a hard time finding that rigid foam sheet....anyone got any ideas? I checked hardware store & arts and crafts store. At the hardware store I found large styrofoam insulation...not what I need. At the arts & crafts store I found styrofoam that is extremely weak, I broke a piece trying to pick it up. So the search continues.
 
wordwiz said:
What's the rigid foam sheet for?

Mike
Click to expand...

I decided to stick with my original idea and build a lettuce raft. You cut the foam to be just a little smaller than the internal dimensions of the reservoir, which allows it to float up and down some. This works well for short stature crops like lettuce, since they tend to have shorter roots. This makes sure the roots stay submerged.

I'm just having a hard time finding suitably strong styrofoam.
 
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