Use a green light bulb to work in your grow room during night cycles. Plants do not photosynthesize green light, therefore their photo period is not disturbed.
Indoor gardens have a day period just like outdoor plants. The length of day is controlled by timers. Indoor gardens are meant to be convenient to the grower, but we can’t always work on our garden when it needs us. If you care about your plants, you don’t want them to suffer due to your neglect. On the other hand you can not neglect your life to tend for your plants. There is a solution for this dilemma!
Install green light bulbs next to your grow lights. If you know some basic wiring, you can wire a switch to the outside of the environment. Turning the green light on from outside of the environment will allow you to enter the environment with light. You don’t want to knock over what you are trying to protect!
If you live somewhere that does not allow you to grow outside all year round, you may want to start an indoor garden. You could also be looking to start a small plant propagation area in your house. A small indoor garden can do many things, including a head start when spring comes.
This grow box uses hand wired Compact fluorescent grow lights. CFLs go in any normal lamp socket.
Making a small grow box is easy and cost effective. Small grow setups use compact fluorescent grow lights. Basically you just want daylight color spectrum bulbs. Compact fluorescents are a great way to set up a cheap indoor garden. I use the equivalent to 100 watt incandescent bulbs. In CFLs that is roughly 23watts.
To get the most out of your cheap grow lights, position them so the bulb is either horizontal with the floor of the grow box or hanging at a 45 degree angle. The bars of the compact fluorescent grow lights are what gives off the “sun” effect.
The fluorescent grow light bulb is attached to a socket coming from the wall of the grow box.
Fluorescent grow light bulbs stay relatively cool. You may need some air circulation and an exhaust fan to keep the grow box at a cool temperature.
To avoid wiring sockets for your cheap indoor grow lights, you can buy some conversion pieces that will save you loads of time. Start with an extension cord or surge protector. You can plug sockets into the plug spaces that convert the plug space to a lamp socket. You can turn your lamp sockets into two lamp sockets with a Y adapter. The Y adapter is also the perfect tool for getting 45 degree angle lights from the ceiling or walls. Refer to the pictures for clarification.
This compact fluorescent grow light is on the ceiling and uses a Y adapter to split one socket into two 45degree angled sockets.Small grow lights for small gardens.
Vented hoods reduce the temperature of your high pressure sodium, but plants still need to be pretty far away to stay cool.
Grow Lights come in various sizes. The bigger the bulb the hotter it will be. Most plants thrive at temperatures under 82 F. Some high pressure sodium grow light kits come with a reflector, but no hood. An enclosed hood is one of the most important pieces of a grow light setup. On the left there is a picture of an enclosed vented hood. The hood is not technically air cooled. Air cooled hoods are much more efficient for cooling hot grow lights. High pressure sodium and metal halide bulbs both require air cooled or water cooled hoods to run at cool temperatures.
Air Cooled Hood with intake and exhaust ducting.
Use powerful inline fans to push air through your hood. The air needs to be ducted outside the grow environment to keep the grow box cool. If you are looking for high performance air cooled hoods, go for the ones with bigger ducting holes. The hydroponics shop and local hardware stores will carry duct converters for increasing or decreasing duct size. Ultimately a bigger fan will be needed to drastically reduce HID light temperatures.
TIP: Get Vinyl Ducting to reduce the annoying sound of intense air flow.
Open ended 1/4 tubing provides the fastest rate of watering.
Automated gardens are the most efficient way to grow fruit and vegetables. An outdoor garden can still be automated because the sun is the light and you have no control over that. Watering and feeding can also be automated to ensure your plants are getting everything they need. Self-watering containers may be the only way to keep plants from drying up in the middle of a hot summer day. If temperatures are getting above 85F your plants are probably thirsty! It is too big of a hassle to hand water your plants all day to ensure they get what they need. You may not be there when they need the water and your plants should not rule your life. You may be making a homemade irrigation system to water your plants while you are on vacation, but when you return you will ask yourself, “Why don’t I always use an automated system?”
If you are new to drip systems you will want to read the Introduction to Drip Systems to get acquainted with the parts I’ll be discussing. For this project you’ll need:
As always, your first step is to plan out your container garden. Find the arrangement you want to use to maximize sunlight. Keep in mind that your tubing will have to reach from your reservoir to your container garden. The size of your water pump will
Look at the arrows - The half inch tube is spraying with plenty of force through two holes.
determine how much reach you have to play with. Don’t forget your water pump also has to power through your connections and drip emitters. Water pumps are one of the most expensive parts of the home made drip system, but they usually come with at least a one year warranty. Once you realize the productivity ratio of self-watering containers you will not want to go back to daily hand watering.
End clamps are an easy way to ensure your half inch tube is closedKink the tube at the end.
Put the end of the half inch tubing through one end of an end clamp and create a kink. Wrap the tube around the kink 2-3 times and thread the end through the other side of the end clamp. The result should be a closed off water proof end to create pressure throughout the drip system tubing.
half inch black vinyl tubing clamped at the end.
Put the other end of the 1/2 inch tubing on the end of the water pump.
Make sure the half inch tubing is on tight to prevent leaking and loss of pump power.
Once your pump is assembled you are ready to make your drip lines. Punch holes in the half inch tubing where you want your 1/4 inch drip lines to start. Don’t push through the vinyl or whatever material tubing you are using too hard or you will go through both ends and create a leak.
1/4 inch Drip Lines
There is a wide array of drip emitters you can choose from at your hydroponics shop. You can get inline or compensating drippers which are explained in more detail in the Introduction to Drip Systems guide I mentioned earlier. You can also get mini sprinklers and other types of emitters for different purposes. This system is built with compensating drip emitters because the half inch tube sits on the ground and the 1/4 inch tubes climb the length of the container.
T Connection bridging the main drip line to 2 drip emitters.Straight Connectors are used to connect the 1/4 inch tube to 1/2 inch tubeConnect your 1/4 inch drip lines to your 1/2 inch main line.
Put 1/4 inch straight connections on the end of the drip line with no drip emitter. The straight connector goes into the hole you made earlier in the half inch tubing. The connection is how water gets from your 1/2 inch main tube to your individual drip lines. Fewer connection bridges and fewer drip emitters means more power and further reach.
These drip lines are ready to be staked into their containers.
This is a lengthy guide for a homemade drip system, but bare with me and you’ll be on your way to irrigation freedom! Next step is to prepare your water reservoir. You’ll want to drill or burn a hole through the side of your reservoir to put the half inch tube through. If you just want your lid to sit on top of your reservoir that is fine, you can tape it down. Expect greater evaporation rates and contamination if you don’t use a sealed lid. Keep in mind a cleaner grow space is better grow space.
You will have to put the end of the half inch tube that is connected to your water pump through the hole before connecting the pump. The water pump will not fit through your 1/2 inch hole! This step is really easy using a drill with a 1/2 inch circle drill bit. If you are using plastic make sure you don’t crack the side of the reservoir. If it does crack easily you are probably using a material that is too weak to hold water for long periods of time.
I used a hose to fill the 14 gallons of this reservoir.
For this outdoor reservoir I bought a container that already had holes in the handle. Since it could rain in the area where the reservoir is it could fill with rain water and knock the lid off the top. You can drill your own drain holes with a simple drill bit if you are planning to use a container without them.
Once your water pump is in place and suctioned down to the bottom of your reservoir you are ready to add the aeration device. The air pump will oxygenate the reservoir and ensure the water keeps moving. Stagnant water can get pretty nasty and your plants love oxygen in the root zone. If you are unsure on how to set up an air pump check out my guide on installing air pumps in hydroponic systems.
I like to make sure my reservoirs have over flow holes so they cannot flood.
One thing you will probably not find at your local hydroponics shop is a cheap water proofed air pump. The lack of water proof air pumps seem to
A standard aquarium air pump will work fine. Different air stones will create different aeration patterns. Test different air stones to see what creates the best results.
discourage most hydroponics gardeners from using the natural sun. A smart do it yourself gardener can find a solution. You will need to get a plastic container of some sort that comes with a lid that seals tight. Poke a hole in that container near the top. Make sure the hole is just big enough for your electric plug and air tube to come through. I used a screwdriver to create a small crack for both things to go through.
A small crack in a food storage container.
Put the air tubing through the hole before you connect it to the air pump. You do not want the hole to be bigger than it has to be. A large container is safer because the hole can be higher off the ground and away from potential flooding. Do not put the hole through the lid of the container because rain will get into your electronics!
The electronic air pump is sealed in the container the cord and air stone are on the outside.
I placed the reservoir and water proofed air pump in a covered area with electrical outlets. I had to use extension cords to get the air pump to reach the outlet. I also needed a 3-prong extension cord for the water pump. The digital timer you use to automatically turn your water pump on and off also needs to be in a covered area where rain can’t get into the parts.
Novice gardeners – don’t get the idea air pumps are too complex or unnecessary for you. That’s your first mistake as a novice gardener! Automate your irrigation and add oxygen and whatever else the plants need. Reaching for 100% is how you get perfect plants! Click on the picture below to see what an air pump does.
Left: Before air pump || Right: After air pump is turned on
Your friends will be jealous when they see how “high tech” your garden is! Now that your reservoir is up and running you are ready to finish your automated drip system.
Position your containers so that all your drip lines reach your desired target.
Position your containers around the drip line so all the lines can reach their desired area. I use two drip emitters on most of these containers because they are three gallons and up. On 1 -2 gallon containers one drip emitter may cover the whole medium over a drip period of a few minutes. At the very least it will keep your plants alive while you are on vacation. Having a small drip cycle with outdoor plants will adjust for rain. Say you are gone for a week and it rains for three of those days. Those three days it was unnecessary for your drip system to run! It may have had a detrimental factor because of excessive watering. Make sure your containers have good drainage and choose your medium carefully. Well mixed growing mediums are key to ensuring your plan’ts success. Different plants benefit from different growing environments and growing mediums.
TIP: People who have been paying attention can skip this tip because they already realized from the article I suggested on Digital Timers, there is a way to automate their watering schedule. Some digital timers come with a day setting. The day setting will allow you to run your drip system every other day or in different intervals. You may want your drip system to run 3 times a day alternating with 1 time a day. If this tip is confusing you, come back to it later when you have worked with timer settings for your drip system.
1/4 inch hose split into two drip emitters for two container plants.
Compensating drip emitter in outdoor drip system for container gardens.Two drip emitters in a homemade container garden irrigation system.Different styles of drip systems and drip emitters can be used to find new ways to efficiently water and feed your container garden.Inline drip emitters can run through 1/4 inch tubing without ending the drip line. They also come in varying drip speeds.
Notice all the bubbles being created, it is hard to see, but there are actually multiple air stones in the reservoir. These plants are thriving in this system.
Virtually all hydroponic and aquaponic systems will require an air pump of some type. The nutrient reservoir must be oxygenated to maintain maximum efficiency. If you do not want perfect plants what are you doing here?
Setting up an air pump in your nutrient reservoir is really simple. I’ll outline the steps below.
1. Figure out the length of air tubing you need for the air stones to sit in the reservoir where you want them. Leave a little extra tubing- you don’t want too much because air loses power over distance.
2. Put a hole through the side of your reservoir if you want your lid to seal. Put the hole close to the top where water won’t spill out. The hole is where the air tubing goes through.
3. Put your air tubing through the hole you made before connecting the air pump or air stone.
4. Connect any T connectors you plan on using. T connectors connect two air lines together to aerate two separate stones. One large air pump can aerate many air stones in one reservoir or provide all the oxygen to many reservoirs. I use small air pumps for each reservoir so all my eggs aren’t in one basket. If one air pump aerates all the reservoirs and it malfunctions, all your reservoirs are donezo!
T connectors are used to bridge multiple air lines to the main air line.
5. Cut your air line before it meets each air stone to put in check valves. Check valves ensure you air pump does not siphon water in the event of power loss. Siphoned water into your air pump means a broken air pump.
Check Valves prevent water from being siphoned to your air pump.
6. Connect your air lines to your air stones and place them where you want them. I like heavier air stones that stay in place at the bottom of the reservoir. If you have multiple air stones, spread them out so your entire reservoir is oxygenated.
7.. Now is good time to hang your air pump if you plan to do so. Air pumps can be noisy and sometimes give off a loud vibration that gets really annoying. A hanging air pump should be a quiet air pump.
8. Connect the other end of your air tubing to the little connector coming out of the air pump. (shown below)
9. Plug in you air pump and oxygenate that reservoir!.
Hanging air pumps reduce noise by eliminating loud vibrations.Air pump connected to 1/4inch air tubing oxygenating a large nutrient reservoir.
A large hydroponic system can use a lot of water. Most indoor gardeners are concerned about the environment and wan’t to reduce their carbon footprint. Growing your own food at home is a great way to be green. Gardeners don’t want to be consuming more than they have to because that would be completely counter productive. There are ways to get your water for free and recycle at the same time. You can use any sturdy food safe container that can withstand your area’s outdoor conditions as a reservoir for rainwater.
Depending on when it rains in your area you may need to plan to catch the rain water during its season. Collecting rainwater is easy and even though it may not cover all your water uses, it will certainly reduce the amount of water you pull from your city or well. You don’t have to be an indoor gardener to have uses for rain water, although you should run your water through a reverse osmosis system to make sure its clean. RO water is better gardeners anyway because you know exactly what you are putting in. If you would just like to go buy a water collection system your local hydroponics shop should have something you can use. The water barrels at the hydroponic store are usually 55 gallon barrels with a lid.
I plan to write a detailed guide in the near future on how to start your own homemade rain collection system. In the meantime, Hydroponic Economics will be accepting pictures of anyone else who has started a rainwater collection system. Send your pictures to mailbox@hydroponiceconomics.com and you may be featured on the website!
Drip systems are economical and save time. They ensure plants are fed daily with the correct amount of water and nutrients as specified by the gardener. A digital timer is a useful tool for any drip system. The timer will turn your water pump on daily at a specified time so you don’t have to be there to manually turn it on. If you are trying to plan for a new garden, sketch out your ideas before you go to the store. You may be overwhelmed by all your options. If you have a rough idea when you get to the hydroponics shop, you can show someone working there. They will help you choose the tools you need. Setting up your first drip system or building your own hydroponics set up may seem hard, but it is actually simple. Gardeners can choose to build a really simple drip system or a very elaborate system with self regulating levels of nutrients. Start with what you understand so you can experiment with more options as you learn. I suggest reading the Introduction to Drip Systems if you are new to drip hydroponics and do not understand all the parts required.
The two types of water tubes used in this system are 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch Connect clear air tubing to an air stone to add oxygen to your nutrient reservoir. The size of air pump you need depends on how many gallons you plan to aerate. The box will usually tell you the size range the pump is meant for. A little extra aeration doesn't hurt!!!This is one configuation of drippers you can use depending on your needs.
Before you buy anything do some research. Find out what parts you need for your drip system. Be creative! Since you are not buying an out of the box drip system you get to choose what parts to use. I recommend a filter for your half inch tubing. The filter will catch nutrient pieces and other contaminants that could potentially clog your drippers. Also grab on/off valves for your 1/2 inch tubes and your 1/4 inch tubes. The on/off switch will allow you to use the same tubes every time without having to cut the ones you are not using. Don’t forget to turn the switches back on when you go to use the system!
TIP: Always test your drip systems! A clogged dripper or a mistake in a drip line could leave you with wilted plants. MAKE SURE TO WATER PROOF YOUR GROW SPACE! If you are growing plants inside make sure the space is water proofed and all electrical pieces are off the ground and away from water spray range. Spills happen in ways you wouldn’t think of and can cause major problems including mold or an electrical fire. Keep towels around the grow space in case a spill does happen you will be prepared. Having a “it won’t happen to me” attitude will not save your precious plants or floors.
The pictures are pretty easy to follow, but I’ll add instructions to go along with the pictures. The system that the pictures model is an open recirculating system. An open recirculating drip system is used as a nutrient reservoir and waste run off all in one. The plants are fed and the run off runs back into the reservoir which is not air tight. If you don’t have a PH or ppm meter I suggest using run to waste methods until you are comfortable with reservoir changes. The run to waste method does blow through nutrients, but it ensures a good crop and a relatively steady PH. Use the guide on Building a Simple Drain Table to use the run to waste method. The exact same system explained in the drain table guide can be used for a recirculating system. You just add the components I am about to discuss in the bottom reservoir and fill it with your nutrient solution.
Be careful not to punch the hole all the way through the other side.This is a hole put in the 1/2 inch tube by the tool in the picture. You use a connector to connect the hole to a 1/4 inch drip line.
Once you have your home made drip system planned out you are ready to get into the action. Punch holes into your half inch tubing where you want 1/4 inch tubes to come out. If you mess up there should be plugs with the hole punch you bought. You can get extra plugs at the hydroponics shop. Try not to mess up because the plugs are some what of a duct tape fix and they may leak if the hole is too big.
Having a picture to look at will give you an idea of what you want to do. This picture has 2 types of feeding delivery systems. There are rings of drip emitters and open ended 1/4 inch tubing.The connector at the end can go to another 1/4 inch line or be place in the holes created by the hole punch to bridge 1/4 inch tubes to 1/2 inch tubes.
I use the straight connectors to go into the 1/2 inch tubing instead of T connectors. Every time I have tried to use a T connector directly from 1/2 inch tubing, it leaks. Other indoor gardeners sometimes have better luck, but I don’t like to take chances. Be sure to push the tubing as close to that inner circle as you can to avoid leaking. I cut my tubing straight at the ends so there is no open space for leaks at the connections. Home made drip systems require basically the same work as an out of box drip system. Systems don’t usually come pre-cut because you don’t know what lengths you want or the amount of drippers per plant. Drip kits usually just come with the parts you need to build a starter drip system.
Put the connector in snug so it doesn't leak.This is what the bridge looks like sitting in the 1/2 inch tubing before the 1/4 inch tubing is connected to it.The T connector can turn one 1/4 inch tube into 2 drip lines or be used to complete a circle drip delivery system so the whole root zone is watered
Connect 1/4 tubing to your bridge and run it the length you need plus some extra. I used a T connector to start the circle for the drip system. This type of system will ensure the whole root zone gets water/nutrients. It is hard to remove once the plants get big but they should need a transplant by the time they reach that size. Be careful on the type of drip emitters you choose. There are many to choose from. The main difference you need to know about is the difference between inline and compensating drip emitters. Inline drip emitters are meant to be in a straight line on a flat surface. I used inline drippers for this system. If you are watering different types of plants in different types of containers you may need compensating drippers. Compensating drip emitters can go up hills and drip at the correct rate. Inline drip emitters may not work properly on a hill. Compensating drip emitters also go at the end of the 1/4 inch tube and are usually not run in a series.
This T connector connects the 1/4 inch tubing coming from the 1/2 inch tube to the 1/4 inch tubes that are connected to the circle of drip emitters. Connect your Inline drippers to form a circle or straight lines depending on your garden.Connect as many drip emitters in a series as you need but make sure your pump is strong enough to handle the load.Circle of Inline Drip Emitters to be placed in a container with the plant in the middle.
Repeat the process as many times as you need for the amount of containers you want to water or feed. They don't have to be the same size!
Bend the 1/2 inch tubing so there is a good kink. Wrap it a few times so it is triple kinked.After a triple kink the 1/2 inch tube should be closed off so it wont leak. The clamp will pressurize the tubing so the whole system is filled with water.
Put the other end of the 1/2 inch tubing snugly onto the 1/2 inch connector.
The water pump is submerged in the nutrient solution which is aerated by your air stones connected to your air pump. For this open system I use a grate that was once a shelf to hold the containers for the plants. The containers in this system only have holes on the bottom. The nutrient solution rinses through the growing medium then back into the reservoir.
This picture shows the end of the 1/4 inch tube that is cut off and pumps out your nutrient solution at the fastest rate.
These are some shots of what your system may look like. This guide is to serve as a sketch for you. It should spark ideas on exactly what you want to do with your system. Experiment with different things to find what works best for you and ultimately your plants. You will have to play with your timer settings to find the right amount of time for the drip emitters to run to obtain maximum absorption. If anything is unclear please mention it in the comments and I’ll clear it up for you! Hydroponic Economics is here to help you set up the most efficient hydroponics garden possible! Good luck Green Thumbs!
Longer Answer: When you are trying to decide when to change your nutrient reservoir in your hydroponic recirculation system, there are a few things to consider. The size of your reservoir, the amount of nutrients remaining in the solution, ph, and how clean the water is. If your water looks gross, it probably is gross. Gross water = Gross plants. Gross deserves a capital G for that equation.
The bigger your reservoir the further you can go between res changes(Res change is short for water/nutrient reservoir change ). Big reservoirs may be more forgiving then a small reservoir. Small reservoirs may change by hundreds of ppm in a single day. Hydroponic systems require close monitoring of nutrient levels to avoid burning plants. If your reservoir loses water to evaporation make sure to top it off with plain water or a very low ppm solution. Res changes mostly apply to recirculating systems. Non-recirculating or “run to waste” hydroponic systems only require you to change the solution every two weeks. The nutrient solution stays clean and the PH is maintained in a non-recirculating system. The most important part of a good hydroponic system is a clean nutrient reservoir.
A clean nutrient reservoir loaded with Earth Juice Bloom and Azamax
If you are concerned about high yields and high quality, you are concerned about sanitation. A factor most indoor gardeners forget about is air cleanliness. With the right air filtration in enclosed chambers, grow rooms can stay clean. Putting an organic air filter on the intake fan of your grow room will help reduce mold, dust, pollen, and insects from entering. Air filtration is one of the many reasons why all indoor gardens should be enclosed and air tight. These filters are put on the same way a carbon filter is put on to the exhaust portion of the grow room. The filter is attached via clamps. The clamps hold the ducting on the lip of the filter. Try to find insulated or sound proof ducting to reduce the noise of air movement which can become quite annoying. You can also get mufflers to reduce the noise of air flow. The type of filter needed for a hydroponic system can be found at online hydroponics retailers or at your local hydro shop. Keep your green thumbs up!
When you buy a new hydroponic system or build your own, you have to be careful and observant the first time you use it. Since you are not familiar with how your plants will grow in your new system you have to be extra careful to make sure you do not push them too hard. Many things come into play when trying to figure out how much to feed your plants. The first season you have with your system will most likely be the worst one. Once you get a feel for your system you realize where you can make adjustments. The next season will be much better because you already know what to expect. Nutrient burns and salt lock ups are very common mistakes made by new indoor gardeners trying to push their plants too hard before finding out what they are actually using. In my opinion, it is safer to diminish your overall harvest weight for the sake of quality. If you cut back on the feeding regimen before there is salt lock up or over fertilization, you will end up with a better quality food product.
You should always stay on the light side of a nutrient solution when using a hydroponic system for the first time. To dilute your solution you just add plain water. Use hydroponic fertilizers that are water soluble so the nutrients will soak into the water in your reservoir. When oxygen is being delivered to the reservoir you will get much better results with your nutrients. The aerated nutrient delivery is a much more efficient way to feed plants over traditional watering practices. Usually OMRI listed nutrients are safer and more forgiving. If you have questions about a specific bottle just ask the person working at the hydroponics shop. They will be more than happy to show you which nutrients are more forgiving. I suggest using only half what the bottle recommends for the first run. When you start to see signs of over fertilization you know your solution is too strong. If your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiencies you may need to strengthen your nutrient solution. PH and Electrical Conductivity (EC) meters can help keep you in the safe range, but they are not always necessary if you can’t afford them. Of course there is much much more to nutrient solutions, but it cannot be covered in one post. These guidelines will help you stay out of trouble and keep your plants healthy until you fully understand YOUR hydroponic system.
