Anyone do hydroponics?

[Saltwater60]

I’m thinking of doing a small hydroponic system just out of capped PVC pipe and a small pump running for a few minutes in the morning and at night with LED light. Just looking to grow some veggies. I’d probably do 4-6 8 foot tubes.
thoughts? Resources? Been thinking about this for a few years now.

 

[Acer-m14]

long time ago .. 2004 .. i did it ... the thing with hydro .. is its liquid food .. plants do not know how to stop eating it ..
the roots don't have extra work to do .. like break down the soil to extract the food they need ..

so its easy to burn them up with to much food nutrients and water has to be at a certain Ph too .. or you
can get nutrient lockout ..

all the pvc ,, the water pump runs 24x7 .. recirculating .

the tomato plant is in what they call a bubble bucket .. a bucket of water and food and a air pump and air stone ( aquarium )
but you have to check it every day to top it off .. check ph , check PPM .

PPM .. parts per million ( the food ) .. how u measure it .. need a PPM meter ..

its a big learning curve .. then just growing in potting soil .. ..

and you have to be the pollinator .. unless you want to let some bees in the house to just fly around for vegies ..

Spices , mints no need to pollenate them unless you want seeds ..

any more questions .. just ask .. i will do my best to answer .. its been a while




hydro catnip for the cat .. she is testing it ..



catnip overload . lol

 

[Saltwater60]

Those peppers are amazing. I plan to adjust my ph because I’m at an 8 and need to be around 7 or so. What media did you use and did you make your own plant carriers?

 

[Saltwater60]

I may just do a large flood and fill system. I have a 4’x8’ tortoise table I can build it on top of her cage and make a large one so I can do large plants inside. I’ll do and overflow drain on the one side and allow it to overflow and run for 15 minutes three times per day and then when the pump shuts off it will symphonic back to the sump. I figure I’ll need a 32-40 gallon sump for 4” of water in the bottom of a 4’x7’ table with no plants in it for volume. I’ll build it out of plywood, waterproof it, and tack a pond liner there and cover the top with a pond liner. I’ll make ot so the top liner is removable fo ease of maitenance. I’m well versed with pumps and aquarium stuff. I have an RO already.

 

[Acer-m14]

most of the pvc had no media ,, just clay balls in the net pots to hold the seedlings up till there on there own .. the roots were just flooded with
water mist and food .,.

the cat and the catnip .. that was pvc house gutters on the wall .. pump water to the top and it flows down to the next gutter and to the next one
then back to the reservoir ... in the gutters were just clay balls ..

in the other planters was coco coir ... shredded coconut hulls ..


"I may just do a large flood and fill system." ebb n flow .. you can do that on a timer .. flood it .. time it to how long it takes to drain and then
set a timer on the pump .. time to fill .. off to drain .. back on to fill .. .

here is a vid on media .. i used just about all he mentioned ..

 

[Acer-m14]

here is what i used for the peppers .. i just made my own .. 4x4 pvc fence post covers and end caps and some vinyl 3/8 air line and drilled 1/16"
holes every 6 inches ..

 

[Acer-m14]

for nutrient PPM .. i had them up to 3000 - 3500 PPM .. very high and hot .. but they just ate it up and showed no hate lol ..

it was like every 3 or 4 days i had to fill the 45gal tote back up and add new batch of food ..

 

[Saltwater60]

Cool thanks. I was thinking a mix of clay balls and rock wool for media. I like the vinyl fence posts, but may go round pvc pipe since I’ll bet it’s cheaper.

 

[Acer-m14]

ohh and on growing pepper .. if in the house .. you need climate control .. when i had them in the room they were flowering and then dropping
the flowers .. to warm and humid and that .. had to move them outside .. then they took off growing and producing ..

that was a chore moving them plants in the tube and there 3 foot tall and resetting it back up ..

 

[Acer-m14]

this is the only hydroponic book i have .. between that and forums back then is how i learned ..

i have the 6th edition .. the prices are crazy so look for a used copy ..

"Hydroponic Food Production: A Definitive Guidebook for the Advanced Home Gardener and the Commercial Hydroponic Grower, Sixth Edition

Resh, Howard M. "​

Hydroponic Food Production: A Definitive Guidebook for the Advanced Home Gardener and the Commercial Hydroponic Grower, Sixth Edition - Resh, Howard M.: 9780931231995 - AbeBooks

Hydroponic Food Production: A Definitive Guidebook for the Advanced Home Gardener and the Commercial Hydroponic Grower, Sixth Edition by Resh, Howard M. - ISBN 10: 093123199X - ISBN 13: 9780931231995 - CRC Press - 2002 - Hardcover

www.abebooks.com

 

[Saltwater60]

ohh and on growing pepper .. if in the house .. you need climate control .. when i had them in the room they were flowering and then dropping
the flowers .. to warm and humid and that .. had to move them outside .. then they took off growing and producing ..

that was a chore moving them plants in the tube and there 3 foot tall and resetting it back up ..

They will be in the basement and my basement is large and cool I’m hoping that won’t be an issue. I can add a vent fan to the window that is there if I need it.
Did you have a forum you liked and would recommend. I hate reading books honestly.

 

[Acer-m14]

i haven't been a gardening / hudro forum in years ..

i don't care to read books either

now there are tons of you tube vids .. didn't have that back when i was learning it .

 

[Saltwater60]

i haven't been a gardening / hudro forum in years ..

i don't care to read books either

now there are tons of you tube vids .. didn't have that back when i was learning it .

I tried listening to some podcasts, but there weren’t many. The one guy was from India and I can’t stand Indian accents so it annoyed me terribly.

 

[Acer-m14]

@Saltwater60

back for a update .. i got to thinking .. what food does not need to be pollenated and can be done with hydroponics

all below .. Corn would be a bitch for in doors lol ..

basically all spices and greens and tubers .. i did do peas once and got a hand full to eat in my learning hydro .. but peas would be like
growing corn in doors .. u need lots of room space for quantity

taters .. carrots ect .. you could get a lot in a small space ..

What veggies do not need pollinators to produce:

• All leafy greens
• Brassicas: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kohlrabi
• Below ground root veggies and tubers such as carrots, parsnips, salsify, potatoes, sweet potatoes, horseradish
• Ground level root veggies such as beets, turnips, rutabagas
• Most legumes including peas and beans
• Corn—like other wind pollinated veggies, giving them a little shake helps distribute the pollen.
• Herbs, like the lemon balm pictured
• Celery
• Onions and leeks

Vegetable Crops That Do Not Need Pollinators

Not all edible crops need to be pollinated by bugs. Some don’t need bees, or other pollinators, at all; and some benefit from them but can still produce even if

www.hortmag.com

 

[Acer-m14]

Found it .. my water PH nute chart .. watch out for nute lock out ..

 

[Saltwater60]

@Saltwater60

back for a update .. i got to thinking .. what food does not need to be pollenated and can be done with hydroponics

all below .. Corn would be a bitch for in doors lol ..

basically all spices and greens and tubers .. i did do peas once and got a hand full to eat in my learning hydro .. but peas would be like
growing corn in doors .. u need lots of room space for quantity

taters .. carrots ect .. you could get a lot in a small space ..

What veggies do not need pollinators to produce:

• All leafy greens
• Brassicas: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kohlrabi
• Below ground root veggies and tubers such as carrots, parsnips, salsify, potatoes, sweet potatoes, horseradish
• Ground level root veggies such as beets, turnips, rutabagas
• Most legumes including peas and beans
• Corn—like other wind pollinated veggies, giving them a little shake helps distribute the pollen.
• Herbs, like the lemon balm pictured
• Celery
• Onions and leeks

Vegetable Crops That Do Not Need Pollinators

Not all edible crops need to be pollinated by bugs. Some don’t need bees, or other pollinators, at all; and some benefit from them but can still produce even if

www.hortmag.com

Thanks. I have yet to start this project since I was on vacation. I have to do some more research and get a plan then I’ll move forward. Probably a few months from now, but May and June are just insane months for me.