Daily DIY

Here’s another hydroponic system, it is, again, passive, set and forget it. I did this during lunch one day at work so assembly goes pretty quick.



Let the debate whether or not this is hydroponcs begin.





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By: Tool Using Animal

This is the next edition of my cheap and at home hydroponic garden series. Today I noticed that my lemon basil and Italian basil has collapsed on itself. I planned on building supports this weekend (same method), but I had to do it early to prevent damage.



There are several methods you can use to support your plants… You can build a lattice, stake and tie etc. I am going to show a cheap/possibly free way to make a loop and stake support. This works well for tall plants with a stalkier base (in my case, Italian Basil).



In this picture you can see the problem with my Lemon Basil. Note that I was too quick to install my support so you can’t see how my other plant (in back right) was folding over itself :/



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Second picture: Two weeks of growth

Thrid Picture: Right after planting



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Coming Soon: Drain/Fill Level Tube ||| Dealing with Reservoir Light Leakage ||| Perpetual Harvesting (for fruiting plants)


By: trebuchet03

I am pushing this project early. I want to clear out my unpublished projects so this is now public. Hopefully it will force me to finish sometime soon (all I need to do now is buy plants)



If you’ve heard of this word, it may have been on the news due to some illegal drug growing operation in someone’s garage. That, or you saw the word on the packaging on some very good looking and expensive lettuce. If not - kudos to you



Basic Intro:

What is hydroponics?

Basically, growing plants without the use of a traditional dirt medium and using a nutrient rich water solution. Those mediums range from fiberglass to sand and from fired clay balls to nothing at all. Several branches of hyrdoponics include aeroponics (using air as the grow medium), aquaponics etc.



How do I get started?

Well, you can buy a kit - but its going to cost you… a lot. Or, you can improvise and create your own kit to suite your needs. My local hydroponic supplier’s cheapest multiplant kit is $185, does 8 plants but is not very versatile and is very compact. It uses the ebb and flow method. They also offer a single pot (bucket) bubbler system for $50. We are going to combine these two systems into a more versatile and much cheaper system.



What are my options

There are many different methods. NFT (nutrient film technique - stream a thin layer of nutrient solution over the roots) is common among professional kits - a long with ebb and flow (temporary flood your root system and allow to drain). The most interesting method involves suspending your plants in mid-air and spraying the root system very frequently (aka aeroponics). Drip systems are also common and has its own advantages. There are MANY methods - all of which do not use dirt



What method is used here?

By far the simplest and cheapest is a bubbler system. That is, keep your pots filled with your choice of medium just barely above your nutrient solution level — then keep the solution well aerated. The popping of the air bubbles will keep your medium moist. Remember that more simple and more cheap does not mean less effective



What Medium is used here?

I have used several different mediums in the past. Chopped rockwool, rockwool cubes/blocks/slabs, fired clay and a combination of rockwool and fired clay. This system will work best with chopped rockwool (cubed) or fired clay (extra attention is needed if starting from seed with this medium).



Cost?

I’m in college - so cost is very important to me. This can be a very cheap project if you collect parts slowly. And luckily, the parts list is not long and they’re not rare. I believe I have spent a total of $30 for new materials - however I did buy a few items in bulk and I splurged a little



Lastly

WHY HYDROPONICS?

Hydroponically grown foods not only taste better and are more nutritional, you can change the properties of your food, monitor what goes into your food and pollutes less. You can also grow more in less space. This is especially great for those of us that do not have a backyard to grow in. With the right plant selection, you can also keep pests away. I plan on planting a citronella plant - not only do I like the smell of citronella plants, but their oils keep away mosquitoes and other pests.



This design is in no way novel… but, it is easy to do - especially for someone just starting or someone with little money.



Excited? I am. Lets go!


By: trebuchet03

(Click Image to Enlarge)

“At the Greenhouse we use Aeroponic units for plant propogating. Areoponic units work by fogging, misting or spraying fertilized water on plant cuttings to promote rapid root growth. The combination of warm, fertilized and highly, oxygenated water produces roots much faster then standard Hydroponic units.
These units can be very expensive to buy […]