In the latest issue of Maximum Yield there was an article about high yields in tight spaces. The article is motivational for new gardeners who may be discouraged to start an indoor garden. A simple indoor garden can provide cheap organic food for a family. It’s economical and eco-friendly. The gardener knows exactly what is going into the food. The knowledge of the food’s growth can ensure there are no harmful chemicals or pesticides being used. Despite the food and agricultural industry’s best attempts to bring families clean food, sometimes there are contaminations. Think of all the times you have heard about major food recalls on the news. These kind of things seem to be fairly rare and random, but there are ways to protect your self.
“Ever consider container or vertical gardening? Container gardening is an intriguing option for anyone living in tight quarters, as they are compact and easy to move around. Indoor container gardening is a natural extension of an outdoor garden. Any size home is a great space that will accommodate all kinds of plants. ” – Aubree Gail Gagne
Read the rest of this great article at Maximum Yield.
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.
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
Today I was watching TV and saw a special on the damage a high magnitude earthquake would do to a city like San Francisco, California. The damage was unbelievable! Traffic in and out of the city would be at a stand still, if it was even operational. Communication lines would be down. A whole mess of things I don’t want to be in. A specialist said the people who were the most independent and self-sustaining, would be the most likely to survive in a crisis like that.
Hydroponics is a clean and green way to grow food practically anywhere. Not only can you grow anywhere, you can MAXIMIZE anywhere. Hydroponic systems are very efficient and practically run themselves with the right equipment and knowledge. The point is the people of San Francisco and all other urbanized areas, can be just as green as anyone else. Just because you are a renter in a small apartment with zero yard space does not mean you can’t have a small wheat grass box, a flood and drain tomato table, and a simple deep water culture herb tote for all your cooking spices. 35-40 cubic feet of space(a 3×3 box about 4 or 5 feet high) is more than enough to take up a serious hydroponic hobby and home food production center. There is nothing better than the satisfaction of eating your own harvest.
Hydroponics are by no means limited to vegetables. If you are like me and really like fresh strawberries all year round, you have a reason to start an indoor garden! Not only will you have your favorite fresh fruit to eat whenever you want, but you will also learn A LOT about the plant you choose to grow. You may find that you can grow a better berry than the local farmers depending on your area.
Pass this knowledge on to a friend whom you think is wasteful or unaware of the many benefits of having a home hydroponics garden.
If you have wilting clones there could be a number of issues with your hydroponic cloning method. Make sure to have a thermometer to measure temperature and humidity accurately throughout the day. You can find digital ones at a department stores or hydro shops that will tell you the current and high/low temps and humidity throughout the day. The digital ones aren’t expensive in comparison to the knowledge you’ll have. If you are using a metal halide or other high powered lighting system, the clones must be a few feet away so they receive minimal light. If they get too much light they will try to work too hard with roots they don’t have.
If the temperature is getting to be in the 80’s F move the lights up more or add a circulation fan on a timer so the humidity stays high. Having a fan on for an hour at a time 2 or 3 times a day will really help to move the hot air. Try to use cool burning bulbs like fluorescent tubes so your temperature will stay down. A high humidity of 90% or higher will help your fresh cuttings more than anything else. Spray the walls of a clear container with water and put it over your cloning system. You can also attach spray emitters to a small water pump to spray water automatically for the first few days to ensure success rate. The humidity needs to be high so the leaves of the cutting can absorb water from the air because it does not have any roots to do that job yet. It may need a small hole or two for air flow so the temperature stays low and the cuttings have access to as much oxygen as they need.
Use an aeroponic or deep water culture method with aerated water to keep the roots or stems in a 100% humidity environment until they are established for transplant. You can find cloning systems at your local hydroponics store, online, or even build your own! Hardware stores and hydroponic shops should have pretty much everything you need to build your own.
Here is a list of a few tips everyone should consider when putting together a hydroponic system or a hydro grow room/box.
1. DON’T OVERLOAD YOUR CIRCUITS. This goes for circuits, outlets, custom wiring(check the max load), timers, extension cords, and surge protectors. Its easy to get a room to use enough electricity to trip your circuit. If the power is too great you could start an electrical fire. High pressure sodium and metal halide lights 400 watts and over may need to be plugged into a lighting controller that is wired to the house electricity or plugged into the dryer socket. If you are doing wiring to the main circuit box make sure to shut the power down and have a clear plan of what you are doing.
2. Keep outlets, surge protectors, timers, light controllers, ballasts, and all electronic components off the floor. Make sure electronic components are out of reach of sprayers, drip hoses, and any reservoir that could crack or spill. Plan for the worst! Keep your electronic components away from the water!
3. Line the room or box with a water proof floor and walls so if something does break or water is spilled it doesn’t ruin the floor or create mold. If the liner is something like mylar or black and white poly it will be very easy to clean up the water. Even if you think you have a really tight hydroponic system that will never leak or spill, you are probably wrong. At some point in time through filling up multiple reservoirs and changing nutrients you will most likely spill something on the floor. It is much better to already have water proofing there to prevent a mess and mold possibility and its easier to clean up.
4. Turn off fans open or caged fans that you are working by. I’ve cut my fingers on computer fans in my mini veg box and clipped my ear in one trying to pull a bulb out from deep in the box.
5. Wear gloves – Wearing gloves can protect you and your plants from stress. Human hands constantly rubbing on your plants is not good. It may not show negative effects, but it will unlikely show any positive effects. We want our plants in the best condition possible all the time. The gloves will also protect you from sprays or bugs on the plant and the possibility of an allergic reaction.
One of the main reasons I chose to start an indoor gardening project was to produce my own fresh, good-tasting, safe food. Some stores sell fresh produce, but my area lacks in availability for year round fresh fruit. Strawberries were one of the first things I tried to grow in a hydroponic system. Once you learn the basics of hydroponics you could set up a system to grow tropical fruit inside your house! If you have a big back yard you could even create a tropical green house with the sun and the addition of high power grow lights. Once you are familiar with all the equipment available you can create any environment for any plant. You can tend to plants with very delicate environmental needs.
If you do not trust the source or are unsatisfied with the quality of your local produce then start a hydroponic or indoor gardening project to perfect the fruit of your dreams! Anything is possible if you learn enough about the plant requirements. I try to find books on Amazon.com about organic gardening and plant care. The books on Amazon don’t cost very much and are usually pretty detailed. Buying a book centralizes large amounts of information for you to consume. Searching on the internet for the information you need is fast, but sometimes it is not detailed enough if you are just beginning. If there is a topic you are confused about or don’t know where to start, try getting a book to get your feet wet. On the other hand experience is the most valuable knowledge you can get. Good luck green thumbs!
This is part 2 of the DIY Drain Table Guide. Look at part one here.
Okay after you have the right size tub and trays for your set up you can get started. The size you get depends on your needs but I recommend getting a really sturdy bottom tub(drain off tub where waste goes). The tub should be able to withstand the pressure of water with out bowing out enough to make your trays fall and CERTAINLY without cracking or breaking.
If a water container you have in one of your hydroponics systems is too weak to withstand the pressure of water constantly pushing on it could crack or break and leak the potential GALLONS of water all over your room and whatever electronics you may have on your floor(Even though all indoor gardeners should be making sure all of their electrical parts are placed on the wall or above where water could potentially spill or spray on them RIGHT?)
You’ll want to use a drill to drill holes 1 or 2 inches wide in the lids of the containers. Position the hole so that they will drain into the tub the lids will be sitting on. Refer to the pictures below.
Notice there is a two inch hole drilled into the lid of the container with a two inch diameter PVC joint connector put through it as a drain hole.
Sealing the drain so water is FORCED through PVC.
To seal the PVC elbow drains in place you can get water proof silicone or a type of strong water proof caulking and apply it with a caulking gun.
Let the sealant set long enough that its not loose – this could take up to 24 hours so BE PATIENT. Better things come to those who wait. Once the bond is tight you will be able to sit your trays on top of the lids and the drain wont fall off under the pressure of your plants plus extra water.
Position your tray on top of the lid like you will have it in your final set up. You want to put a hole in the space where the PVC hole is so the water from the tray drains out of the hole and through the PVC drain down into the bottom tub/reservoir.
This is pretty much what you’ll have at the end – You can drill holes where the white circles are to drain the clear tray.
A drill should work fine if you are careful not to crack the plastic. It shouldn’t be a problem either way considering you should be using containers sturdy enough to hold a lot of weight over long periods of time. If one of your containers break your plants could end up submerged in their own dirty waste water. You want to plan and account for things like this in the planning of your hydroponic set ups to ensure safety of equipment, plants, and most importantly you and your house.
Another way to put holes in the plastic trays is to burn a hole. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE FIRE! I heated up a glass rod with a camp fire starting torch – one similar to what you use to start a grill. Once the rod was glowing orange I pushed it through where the PVC drains were to make a perfect hole.
Good luck in your constructions and please comment or contact me with any questions.
This guide is as detailed as possible so that people that are just starting with hydroponics can understand it. There are ALOT of pictures – You were warned.
Left side – Soil container strawberries Right side – Rockwool cubes waiting for fresh clones
It is very easy to go to a hydroponics shop and just pick up a drain table and an assembly for it to sit on. This may also include a $100 reservoir to go with the system. Hydroponic parts add up fast and thats where Do it yourselfers try to save. By building your own simple drain table you may be able to save money on your hydroponic setup. The saved money can be used to get bigger containers and more medium for your roots. The type of table I am going to show you how to build allows you to freely move your plants around in their containers. This table is useful for soil and hydroponics alike because it allows the excess water and nutrient run off from watering/feeding to drain into a run off container that can hold many gallons so it rarely has to be changed. It can greatly reduce the amount of maintenance needed daily in between harvests.
Blue tub is for the water to drain into after it goes through the plant.
The clear tray is like a table for your plants. The lid of the container is what the tray sits on, on top of the blue tub from the previous picture.
The blue tub from the first picture can fit two of the clear trays which have about 6-8 inch tall walls.Another view of previous image.
This is a variation of the table I am making for people with less space. For this version the lid of the blue container would be latched on and the clear tray would sit on top with a drain going to the blue tub.
Its good to be back! I recently visited California to meet up with some other indoor gardening enthusiasts and check out some west coast hydroponics stores. Sacramento hydroponics stores are on point! I visited a couple different hydro shops in the Sacramento and San Francisco area and every shop that I went into had good prices and a good selection of hydroponic equipment. The ‘vacation’ is what has kept me from posting new articles so I’ll be sure to post some good information tonight to make up for it. Be sure to check back through the next week to see my hydroponics DIY guide. I’ll be posting a pretty detailed guide on how to construct some simple and cheap hydroponics systems.
