• Everything other than hot peppers. Questions, discussion, and grow logs. Cannabis grow pics are only allowed when posted from a legal juridstiction.

My hydroponic Tomatoes ect.

Honestly,

My solution isn't diluted at all. I have one dwc and one kratky. If you take a look at my posts you'll see both. The dwc is almost double in height now.

I looked at your pics but don't see the wilting. How many times a day do you spray them?

Air stone. I'm using the one that came with my pump. It's a small ball the size of a golf ball. Pump is set in the middle for power but I was using it at low when they were less than a foot tall.

Also, all of my lower limbs on the plant did have a little wilt at the end of their branches until the first flower. I know some people just prune those off.

Hope I helped!

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So i decided to make a slight temporary change in my hydro system. I custom built some DWCs using spare parts from Wal mart. I bought some net cups and drilled a hole in the side of a plastic bin. I cut holes in the top with a heavy Xacto knife and sealed the area around the air hose with silicone. I used black tubing to prevent algae growth.
 
I made two additional units, and added another grow light to my inventory. So now I have three working units that I could grow in at any point.
 
Right now, I felt there was something wrong with the nutrient solution as I previously mentioned. I suspect a deficiency or too much salt/nitrogen ect. When I pulled the plants out of the clay pebbles, I did note that they were growing healthy roots. But my instincts said transplant or they wont make it. So I changed the solution to a milder version and subtracted some ingredients. I also added a long aquarium air stone to fit the shape of the container. I plant to clip the plants up so they are not lying down like that. I haven't filled the second unit yet, depends on if I want to grow peppers or strawberries. I might try both and see what takes.
 
Here is the scratch made growing bin I made:
 
IMG_0262.jpg

 
And here is what it looks like on the inside.
 
IMG_0263.jpg
 
AvidLiving said:
I'm really liking how this looks. Where did you find the supplies?

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Click to expand...
 
Oh it was fairly easily actually. And much cheaper too. Frankly, if I had known it was that easy, I might have not bought the Active Aqua unit at all. That being said, Active Aqua has a much better pump and a bigger basket. I feel I could have replicated theirs on some level if I had the right parts, minus the feed tube on the outside which I felt a bit unnecessary in their unit.
 
As for mine, I got most of the necessary from the pet section at Wal-Mart. Lol. I never thought to look there. I think at one point I decided I needed an air stone, and I went online. I noticed that aquariums are another application for Air stones, and I happened to be going to Wal Mart. So I went to the pet section and looked and I was astonished! You can get a single channel air pump for 20 gallons for about 6 dollars plus tax. The air stones were a few dollars each. The plastic bins you can find in the food section at Wal Mart for a few dollars each. They came with a snap lid. The only real problems were the piping, the net pots, and a second grow light. All of which I ordered on Amazon for around 5 dollars or more, minus the grow light which cost $30.00 on Amazon (I got a clip-on 3 head 15W like yours.) The black tubing for "algae-prevention" was a bit tricky, since the clear plastic tubing Wal Mart sells is not the same size as the tubing that comes with the Active Aqua unit I had. But a bit of online research told me standard aquarium tubing of the kind Wal-Mart sells for their air stones is 3/16 cm. Which made it easy, once I figured that out, to search for 3/16 cm tubing on Amazon. It fit perfectly, and even came with suction cup clips to hold the tubing in place. I initially ignored them, but once I figured out that they were necessary to keep the larger air stone in place (short of pouring in aquarium rocks or using hot glue) they were invaluable. The net pots might be a bit small, they are 3 inches. But I think I might try them to see how they work with the tomatoes. I can also increase the size if necessary. All told, I made two additional units for about 30 dollars minus the cost of the grow light.
 
I was initially concerned whether the silicone would hold the weight of the water against leaks, but it seems to be holding. I let it dry overnight and haven't had any leak issues.
 
Granted the air stone I have is a cheap one, probably not kiln fired at 1200 degrees for optimum air dispersal. But at about 3 dollars vs 20 dollars a stone, I might be able to live with that considering its size.
 
-Key
 
keybrdkid said:
 
. The net pots might be a bit small, they are 3 inches. But I think I might try them to see how they work with the tomatoes. I can also increase the size if necessary. All told, I made two additional units for about 30 dollars minus the cost of the grow light.
 
I was initially concerned whether the silicone would hold the weight of the water against leaks, but it seems to be holding. I let it dry overnight and haven't had any leak issues.
 
-Key
Click to expand...
Honestly, three inches work great for me. My plant is about 4 feet tall no issues there.



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AvidLiving said:
Honestly, three inches work great for me. My plant is about 4 feet tall no issues there.



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That's good. Shouldn't be any issues then. 
 
Here is my second unit with the grow light active.
 
I store bought some tomato plants and washed most of the dirt off. I think these plants are going to need staking very soon. The roots are not stable enough to hold the stem. The stems are already putting out flowers in this case, so I decided to modify the nutrient solution to reflect this. Transition type formula.
 
I don't like what I have the grow light attached to. I need to find a better way to hold it up. I'm afraid that one day it will come off and cause a fire by falling into the hydro water or unit while I'm not at the house. Or electrocute someone AND cause a fire.. lol. Maybe some grip tape under the clamp or attaching it horizontally rather than vertically would do. What goes up must come down as they say. 
 
IMG_0264.jpg
 
 
finally seeing some signs of life with my pepper plants.
 
Peppers definitely don't sprout as quickly for me as my tomatoes do. But seeing as they are PL, they are probably worth the wait. I can't remember which is which. Assuming they all make it to adulthood, I will know. I think the one on the left is my only sprouted "Devil's Brain." The other two might be Aji Melocoton. 
 
IMG_0286.jpg

 
Also seeing some nice improvement in my white wonder tomatoes since I swapped out the nutrient solution for a more dilute version. Healthy looking green leaves and new growth.
 
IMG_0288.jpg

 
IMG_0287.jpg

 
My store bought plants are doing less well. It appears the old add-age of a certain wattage minimum might hold true for tomatoes. The healthy plants have a combined 30 watts of LED spread over a larger area at the moment. The store boughts only have 15 LED watts on a small area atm. I ordered a second grow light that supposedly will provide an additional 30 LED watts on a small area. If that doesn't help, I may end up moving the store tomatoes outside anyway. Because I need the indoor space for the new pepper plants. Could be candidates for an outdoor kratky system. But outdoor stagnant liquids in my area are a breeding ground for worms. I need to make sure they don't get into the reservoir or there will be trouble. XD.
 
 
 
keybrdkid said:
finally seeing some signs of life with my pepper plants.
 
Peppers definitely don't sprout as quickly for me as my tomatoes do. But seeing as they are PL, they are probably worth the wait. I can't remember which is which. Assuming they all make it to adulthood, I will know. I think the one on the left is my only sprouted "Devil's Brain." The other two might be Aji Melocoton. 
 
IMG_0286.jpg

 
Also seeing some nice improvement in my white wonder tomatoes since I swapped out the nutrient solution for a more dilute version. Healthy looking green leaves and new growth.
 
IMG_0288.jpg

 
IMG_0287.jpg

 
My store bought plants are doing less well. It appears the old add-age of a certain wattage minimum might hold true for tomatoes. The healthy plants have a combined 30 watts of LED spread over a larger area at the moment. The store boughts only have 15 watts on a small area atm. I ordered a second grow light that supposedly will provide an additional 30 watts on a small area. If that doesn't help, I may end up moving the store tomatoes outside anyway. Because I need the indoor space for the new pepper plants. Could be candidates for an outdoor kratky system. But outdoor stagnant liquids in my area are a breeding ground for worms. I need to make sure they don't get into the reservoir or there will be trouble. XD.
 
 
Click to expand...
I have some pretty intense lights.. tomato p love them.. the more light the better.

Good luck!

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AvidLiving said:
I have some pretty intense lights.. tomato p love them.. the more light the better.

Good luck!

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Click to expand...
 
As strange as this sounds, I might have to eventually move the whole operation outside or to a different house room-much to my dismay.
 
My instincts are kicking in again, and they tell me that for some reason the grow lights (which are currently in my bedroom,) are somehow messing with my eyes/sleep pattern. Normally I'm not at home when the lights are on the timer system, but this week I was off for Christmas break. And thus I have been in my room more.
 
Whenever I look indirectly at the blue LED light field I see stars. I took to wearing sunglasses sometimes if I needed to work around them for a longer period.
 
I do not look directly into my lights (I know better,) but based on a few plants I had sitting in an odd place, I determined the radiation field might be larger than I first anticipated. I want to make sure I don't accidentally injure myself in the process. 
 
-Key
 
keybrdkid said:
 
As strange as this sounds, I might have to eventually move the whole operation outside or to a different house room-much to my dismay.
 
My instincts are kicking in again, and they tell me that for some reason the grow lights (which are currently in my bedroom,) are somehow messing with my eyes/sleep pattern. Normally I'm not at home when the lights are on the timer system, but this week I was off for Christmas break. And thus I have been in my room more.
 
Whenever I look indirectly at the blue LED light field I see stars. I took to wearing sunglasses sometimes if I needed to work around them for a longer period.
 
I do not look directly into my lights (I know better,) but based on a few plants I had sitting in an odd place, I determined the radiation field might be larger than I first anticipated. I want to make sure I don't accidentally injure myself in the process. 
 
-Key
Click to expand...
be careful,
I'd enclose them in something for safety. I will admit grow tent are pretty amazing at sealing the light in.

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AvidLiving said:
be careful,
I'd enclose them in something for safety. I will admit grow tent are pretty amazing at sealing the light in.

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Click to expand...
 
Yeah I'll have to see about something. I have some black costume fabric I  could use to block the brightness, but I need to do some research on the rays. see if it will really be a problem or not.
 
keybrdkid said:
starting to see some new root growth.
 
[Unit 2] Store bought plants
 
IMG_0290.jpg

 
[Unit 1] Seed grown plants
 
IMG_0291.jpg

 
 
 
 
Click to expand...
Roots look good man!

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I wasn't happy with the size of my original hydroponic units, so I decided to build two new smaller ones for the peppers that were almost ready to transplant.
 
My goals are to change the nutrient solution more frequently, use a smaller reservoir, waste less nutrient solution, and be able to more closely keep an eye on the plant roots and the waste residue building up on the bottom. 
 
I am considering buying a small under-gravel filter of the type aquariums use to see if I can extend the life of the nutrient solution without filtering out important nutrients such as phosphates that the plants need. Or else I might need to custom build a small filter into a recirculating pump to take out what I don't want and keep what I need.
 
My next long term goal is to build a mini ebb and flow system. I have a design in mind, but not the parts. I'll get to it when I can.
 
IMG_0313.jpg

 
IMG_0315.jpg

 
 
Version 4.0? or so of my hydroponic DWC experiments. I have tried experimenting with the best size container for my space, and keep trending toward the smaller is better side of the scale-within reason.
 
I am toying with the idea of testing an undergravel aquarium filter to see how well it filters nutrients and if it can leave behind what I need to not kill plants.
 
This is a tall container version with clear tubing instead of black. transplanted some giant pumpkins into these. They probably wont stay there since vines travel and I don't have space for that. But just doing it for lol's. 
 
IMG_0345.jpg

 
Also, interestingly, I had a TDS meter still in its packaging sitting in my nutrient cabinet. Forgot it was there. So I pulled it out tonight and for laughs tested the water. As it turns out, my total dissolved solids of the various solutions averaged about 200. which is half again as strong as it needs to be I think. I heard a TDS of anywhere between 400-500 is a good range. So I plan to double the concentration tomorrow per gallon. Also, I ordered some Armor Si and Diamond Nectar (humic acid) from General Hydro to help improve the health of the plants. I need to figure out my humidity problem. Seems the containers could be holding too much. I tried to drill some holes in the top to vent, but not quite what I wanted. Might need more. 
 
Looking good man.

Your smaller containers look very neat.

How are the older tomato plants fairing?

What's the average temperature in house right now?

My house is at 60 from 730am to 530pm.. 70 after that until 930 PM.

The grow tent is actually humid and very warm so the plants are thriving.

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