(Part 3) Top products from r/Hydroponics

The kratky method is a great beginners method to get into hydroponics. I currently have about 30 plants all doing the kratky.

General Hydroponics is a good brand and mix of nutrients. Its simple to use and doesnt require a scale to mesure stuff out. Use a tablespoon to measure stuff or a syringe.

Buy the PH up/down from GH too but be warned you will need to dilute it first or youre in for a fun time trying to correct your PH. (let me know when you get to this step and I can give better directions.

Get a simple PH tester. It will make your life a lot easier. Once I figured out that adding nutrients to my water brought my PH to around 5.9 I stopped testing everytime. (but i recommend that you do use it everytime)

You DO NOT need to grow in soil first, but like /u/BroposkisRump said you can just be careful washing off the roots. GOTO the youtube channels mentioned on check out Khang Starr's video first.

Some advice:

• Kratky is BEST for leafy plants like basil, lettuce, kale, etc.
  You cangrow those with no effort.
  
  
• Make sure all containers are opaque to prevent algae growth.
  
  
• Get seedlings and sprouts under a grow light to prevent stretching!!
  
  
• If you live in anything but a hot climate you will want a grow tent to grow peppers over winter - And a grow light - Get a digital timer and give your plants around 16 hours of light (you can get cheaper ones but I am showing you what i bought)
  
  
• Get 2 inch net pots and a 2 inch hole saw for your containers
  
  
• A fan on your peppers will help make then thicker and stronger plants and may help polinate them. You can also shake your plant ( thats what I do)
  
  
  Thats all I got for now. Once you understand this method try hydroponics using a different method as well.
  
  

>With the raft, don't the roots sit in water?

 

Yes and no. What you want to do is get enough foam so that about half of inch sits outside the water at all time. This allows the roots to breath outside of the water (like the DWC). Again, don’t let this part get dry or it can cause air pruning. You can do this by allowing the net pot to sit a little higher in the foam, planting higher in the net pot, or getting a little thicker foam.

 

I am attaching a link to MPH Gardener. I would say look over his stuff. He is pretty freakin’ awsome.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDYeffYcVkY

 

>Can you recommend all the testing equipment I need or provide an Amazon link?

 

You will need a PPM and pH meter. These are two cheap version I use. You can go as crazy as you want, just remember the cheaper the more you replace them.

 

pH: http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity%C2%AE-Accuracy-Measurement-Resolution-Handheld/dp/B00FJFEB2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427150876&sr=8-1&keywords=ph+meter

 

pH Callibration Liquid: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007X5KAV4/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687462&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004HE7W42&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=118RAVZJW5YGE1CB5EE9

 

PPM: http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427150876&sr=8-3&keywords=ph+meter

 

>With lettuce greens, I think the raft would work. Perhaps I'll do DWC with tomatoes; I think it would be hard with greens.

 

That sounds great. Watch the MPH Gardener on his Dutch bucket tomatoes first. I will preface with he does use MiracleGro for his nutrients, which is a highly debated topic. So take the nutrients with a grain of salt.

 

>How do you swap out water? Do you just do a 100% water change? Is that cost-effective with the price of nutrients?

 

I do do a 100% water change every two weeks. You can check the level of nutrients and try adding them; however, I have an outside garden during the summer and just put the nutrients there which does wonders for them.

 

Also, it gives me a chance to add in bacteria as I need it.

 

There are methods for balancing the pH, nutrients, and keeping the same water; however, as a beginner I would not get into this. If you want to we can talk but just swap the nutrients out as you go.

 

And this is where I will highlight that you want a shallow reservoir because you want to keep the minimum water you need to not to waste nutrients. I would say go to a hardware store and ikea and see what bins will work.

 

>Do I need to paint my plastic bin black to deter mold growth? Thanks so much for your help!

 

Yes and no. There are ways to go around managing algae with either pond products or barley straw mats, but to be honest sealing off holes and painting things black is the easiest.

 

Keep in mind that if you are going to have high heat in the room a white reservoir might be better than black.

No problem. Hope some of this helps.

I've never used rooting powder. RapidStart is a liquid you mix into the reservior for young plants. It comes with instructions for hydro systems.

If you don't recirculate the water to the fishtank, and it's not bubbling through a waterfall or something, then you should add an air stone. It will cut down on the algae at the very least.

> I'm thinking my initial failure was the way I germinated. Now, a bunch of my tomato roots are pretty long and good, and sit in the water.

Most likely. Skinny, leggy seedlings usually means not enough light or light too far away. They can also damp off which can cause the stem to become thin and brown until the seedling falls over.

I never use anything but pure pH balance (usually pH 5.5) water with my seedlings until they develop a true leaf set. The seed contains all the nutrients the plant needs up to this point. Presoak your cubes in the ph balance water for 24h before planting.

I also recommend investing in a germination setup. Add a thermostat to keep from cooking your plants :)

I usually plant 25-50% more seeds than I need, and select only the most vigorous seedlings.

Google for optimal germination conditions for the plants you're growing. It can vary significantly. Lettuces do not usually want the same conditions at tomatoes.

> But I have like 2 or so inches of water at the bottom of this thing. Is that super bad?

As long as the plants look healthy and the roots don't develop a layer of dark slimy crap on them (root rot) then you're cool. Optimally you want nice white roots. Some discoloration is OK if the plants are still healthy.

If you are worried about root rot, fungus, algae, etc, the nuclear option is Physan 20. Just don't use it on plants within a week or two of fruiting if you plan to consume the fruits (according to a company rep).

Growing from seed is a big challenge. Keep at it.

Here's what I have so far and my quick write up.

My dad started the tomato plant that I am using in soil. He had too many for his garden, so I used that instead of starting one from seed in rockwool. My next plant will be started from seed.

I picked up a 5 gal bucket and Lid from Home Depot. <$5.

I cut a hole in the Lid to fit the 3" Net Cups. I put one right in the center. I quickly found out the cup it too small to support the plant so I had to use a support stick. I just bought this 6" net cup bucket lid.

The plant is supported in Expanded Clay balls. I chose this material as apposed to 'Hydroton, Coco coir, Viagrow stones, pearlite...' because from my very little research I found the clay to be the most environmentally friendly and easiest to use, disclaimer: I could be very wrong here.

The nutrient solution used General Hydroponics Maxi Grow. Simple to use, add X scoops per X gal of water. I am about to switch to Maxi Bloom. She is flowering and starting to produce fruit. I do now know when the best time to switch solutions. I am learning by experiment here.

To keep the nutrient solution oxygenated, I used this Air pump,two of of these air stones, and tubing. Any items will do, I used this products because I know an employee of Penn Plax and got them for cost $. Any pump will work, I got a two outlet pump for future expansion.

You should also be sure to have the correct pH for your particular plant. Here is a chart and a great site. I used this pH Test Kit and pH adjust.

It's that simple. Right now the plant is outside and gets about 8 hours of sun. I plan on keeping it outside as long as possible, then will bring it in and have to choose a light source for it.


tl;dr What I used for my first DWC tomato plant experiment. Step 1: Click all links above. Step2: Buy. Step 3: Tomatoes

Edit: Also, Watch this video

This stuff may seem a bit expensive, but a little goes a long way. I'd say somewhere around 2 ML per gallon should grow your lettuce and salad quite well. If you're going to start to grow fruiting plants, like cucumbers and tomatoes, you'll want to switch to the bloom version once you start to see flowers, but for tomatoes, I'd go half grow and half bloom for flowering veggies. You can thank me later. :)

Bok choi has been the easiest thing for me to grow by far so there's definitely something off in your system.

Having a pH pen and an EC pen is pretty much critical to diagnosing nutrient solution problems. This is the pH meter I have, which is kind of mid-tier but comes with calibration solution. Also pick up some storage solution as it will reduce how often you have to recalibrate the pen vs keeping it dry. EC meter you can go cheap on, I use this one and get good results.

I don't sell anything yet. My profession is software-development, and I'm not very good at sales, so I'd probably spend more effort on trying to sell, versus what I could get otherwise.

If I had more land, and a green-house, I might be able to scale it to the point it would be worthwhile selling.

> I'm just eager checking the plants twice a day to turn the lights on and off etc.

Get a timer, turning lights on and off manually is not sustainable. I have 2 of these and they work quite well, and are inexpensive. That said, if you're only growing basil, darkness is not really needed, unless you're trying to conserve energy.

Watched a few youtube videos to get a high level knowledge. Checked amazon to get a rough idea of costs, Went to a local hydroponic store, asked for help and they helped me pick out the nutrient solution, ph balancer, stakes, tube etc. Bought the rest off of amazon. Read the instructions on the bottle. I'm sure there are better ways of doing things but this worked for me.

Light : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JQBQZQ/

Shelf: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CL9204C/

Tray: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XFZHF93/

Automation: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075GWQSYH/

Ph Control: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNKWZY/

Pump (overkill): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012UZYMG/

Reservoir: Ikea storage box I had already.

White Basket (Not needed): From Target that I had already.

Rest I got from local hydroponics store.

I've used hanging work lamp with a pair of 26 watt CFLs on a Y splitter. Hanging lamp was cheaper at walmart ($10) Warm white CFLs seemed to work slightly better than cool white but may depend on what you're growing.

They make blocks that fit inside each other, however you don't gain anything unless you have a giant plant that needs a lot of support.

The rockwool does nothing except give the plant something to anchor to so it doesn't just fall over.

Example: https://www.amazon.com/Grodan-Rockwool-Plant-Plugs-50-Pack/dp/B0030KJUQC

They fit into rockwool blocks.

I would be careful with trying to fill up that sterlite container all the way either as a grow bed or as a water reservoir. On our first attempt at aquaponics, we used a cheaper, thinner container and it busted out the side.

We bought a "brute" from Rubbermaid and it works well as a grow bed for our small aquaponics system.


We bought this in the 20 gallon size:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001B1C4G0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502282096&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=brute+rubbermaid&dpPl=1&dpID=41uT2oDRwFL&ref=plSrch

I would try to shade the area, insulate the bucket and then add an Ice Probe. Check out the amazon links. I use the Ice Probe and double insulated my 5-gal bucket.

https://www.amazon.com/IceProbe-Thermoelectric-Aquarium-Chiller/dp/B001JSVLBO/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=iceprobe&qid=1570125812&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Reflectix-BP48010-ubble-Pack-Insulation/dp/B000BPAULS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=reflectix&qid=1570126123&s=gateway&sr=8-1 (cheaper at Home Depot)

How about this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001JEPX4Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503295268&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=weatherproof+outlet+cover&dpPl=1&dpID=41JDtKQ1OVL&ref=plSrch

sorry, was on my phone when first responded.
So - this is what you need!
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000JG80WU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this guy:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPGID2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1" exit pipes are a must if you want this guy on max, .75" if you put it on the lower setting. Otherwise vacuums don't break. Can't say it's not made in china.. never checked. Don't care. Has lasted me years.

Get some food grade diatomaceous earth

Nature's Wisdom Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 1 lb. Jar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00404X0AE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_slj1CbT7Q751N

Get the prime one of this manufacturer .
I can speak on this manufacturer as a purchased it. Sprinkle on and around counters windows patio doors I'm cabinets around plants etc.

Pet safe , don't allow it to get wet .

The ants will go in the DE and eat it , the silica will cut into them internally , also some will take it back to nest before the die, other pest that eat the ants will also die,