Tag: Hydroponic Systems

Confusion about Food Grade Plastics

Food grade plastics should be a minimum requirement in all hydroponic systems. When designing a home hydroponics set up or buying one from the local hydro shop, check the labels and do your research. If you don’t demand food grade plastics you could be digesting harmful chemicals and toxins with every harvest. It may also be beneficial to your plants to use food grade plastics so they don’t absorb deadly contaminants.

I use plastics with a Number 2 or Number 5 on them for the parts in my own hydroponic setup. Reservoirs, flood trays in a recirculating system, and plant containers are all possible examples of things that require these type of plastics. To find out if your drip lines, water pumps, and emitters are food grade plastic you may have to contact the manufacture. If you are unsure of a product’s quality I would stay away from it until you can do further research. High grade food plastics can also have an FDA approval which should be easy to research.

Remember: Always check the quality of the plastics you are using and double check their qualifications. To clarify the information here I have provided a link to The Daily Green which has an outstanding explanation of the 7 types of plastics.

Soil-less Growing – Happy Medium

Soil-less growing is the alternative to growing in soil or hydroponics.  Some soil-less grow systems could be considered hydroponic.  An example would be a top feed system in rockwool cubes placed on rockwool slabs.  I would also consider a container plant using hydro clay as the medium would be a soil-less grow.  These systems can be easily maintained using a  water pump to feed water and nutrients to each container or plant.

There are a multitude of reasons to choose a soil-less grow over a soil grow and vice versa.  First, soil can be VERY messy.  Accidentally knocking over a container that is pre-filled with dirt for a fresh transplant costs minutes of cleaning and a loss of soil.  You can also contaminate your soil with whats on the floor if you try to put it back in the container.  Soil is also a nesting haven for a lot of different bugs like gnats and crawling insects.  Gnat nests buried in soil can be hazardous to your plants.  The bugs can eat at the roots of your plants without you even knowing.

Simply switching the growing substrate to hydroclay or hydrorocks can help to control the problem.  There are a wide variety of mediums to choose from when growing soil-less.  There are also rockwool grow cubes, coco coir, and perilite.  You can always mix a variety of things to create your own soil-less mix to create the environment you want for your plants root system.

Safety tips: Building the Grow Space

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.

Safe growing!

Another Reason Hydroponic Gardening is Important

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!

GUIDE: Building a Simple Drain Table – Part 2

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.

Hole from above
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.

GUIDE: Setting Up A Simple Drain Table Part 1

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.

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Continue reading this guide: Part 2

Hydroponic Economics Has Officially Launched!!!

What a glorious day for hydroponics!  Welcome to the MOST DEDICATED hydroponics blog on the net.  I will be trying to get as many articles and guides up in the next few days as possible so be sure to check back.  Here’s a look at what’s coming:

Guides for building efficient home hydroponic systems for maximizing garden space.

Horticulture tips for growing plants of all kinds from fruits to vegetables to indoor house plants and flowers.

Articles about hydroponics in general and ways to avoid gardening misfortunes.

Unbiased opinions and reviews on all types of hydroponic supplies and tools spanning from nutrients, containers, mediums,  pest control, pest sprays, organics, soil, fans, filters, and of course grow lights, ballasts, and hoods.