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i saw on a site some where this stuff you add to your water & it will keep you from getting root rot & if you already have it it will stop it & new healthy roots will appear it was at econo enterprises or something like that ever here of it thanks Ron it was a hydro co. in seattle
Thanks I will investigate.
hey i built a 6 plant system i used green bottles & left the lables on them in the cups i punched to or 3 small holes one near the bottom so i was sure it would drain with hydro corn 2 month iv only had roots grow through one & its not bad they are nice 2 foot killer tomatos
Hey Ron Thanks for the great site. I have a little question about water pumps and i would be most grateful if you would please answer it for me. How many GPH model of water pump do you need?
You can use from a 50 GPH up to a 120 GPH or even larger if you use an flow control valve to slow the flow to you garden.
I also discovered that 1/2 inch pvc pipe fits snug inside the mouth of the bottle, can you for see any major problems with using 1/2 inch? that would make it half as much to build. Any comments are greatly appreciated .Thank you
I use to use 1/2 inch PVC. Here is a gluing tip for you. Because the bottle is such a tight fit around the 1/2 pipe use PVC Cleaner instead of the thicker PVC Glue so can seep down and give you a leak free connection.
hey ron- hows it goin? have a question on seed germination. looking back on old posts i see you recommend the wet paper towels, then vermiculite tray. my question is this: is the tray on a flood and drain set-up, or is it a flood and stay flooded set-up? also- do you put the vermiculite in the grow rocks, or try to wash off as much as you can before putting in the hydro garden? thanks op
You can forgo the napkin step if you want to and just
use a cutting tray filled with vermiculite soaked with about 1/2 gallon of plant
starter solution like Olivia's Cloning Solution or Ortho's Plant Starter. Don't
forget to adjust the pH to around 5.5 Make small holes about
1/4 inch deep and plant each seed in it's own hole. You can cover the tray with
a clear top until the seeds start to sprout then remove it.
When the plants are big enough to grab hold of, use a fork to loosen the
vermiculite and dip the root ball in a glass of water and the vermiculite will
fall away from the roots. Carefully put your grow rocks around the plant roots
in your cups. Water immediately.
Greetings! I made your home-built garden (adapting it to my space for eight (tomato) plants. I bought Geolite grow rocks for the medium. My pump works fine, raising to the level of the out-flow pipe, but there's a problem: the grow rocks float! They go up as the water fills the pop bottle halves, then go back down as the water empties. Is this going to screw up the delicate hair-like roots of my (tomato) plants? I was under the impression that once planted, the roots couldn't be moved. Help!
Michael in Durango, Colorado
Your water height is to high. Lower the overflow pipe until the water only rises high enough to wet the root ball. About half way up the container that holds your plant should be high enough.
I am a first time grower. I want to know what the best timing schedule for an indoor hydroponic system would be. I have a 460 watt bulb.
It depends on what medium you use. Grow rocks hold a lot of oxygen so you can water every 1/2 hour. Rockwool holds moisture more so you can water less maybe every hour. And it also depends on the size of your plants. Small plants don't need to be watered as often as larger plants. You might be a last time grower after that answer.
i tried buding killer tomatos under flos. years ago it worked alright but not nearly as good as hid for density weight & every thing else if its for your self its wereth it also depends on the strain of tomato
hey ron greetings from south africa. kick ass site for the uninitiated (like me) really difficult to get good literature on the subject down here and this site really gelled it all together THANX BIG TIME
Hi. I have a question. How do the cut-off-upside-down water bottle systems work? Where do roots go? What is the water flow?
It looks like it might be a good idea, but w/o more info., the channel and spray method sounds better to me. Whaddya think?
Hey Everyone.....I am growing (tomatoes) for the first time under a 460 watt bulb and I am unsure of the lighting schedule I should use, How long can you give the babies 24 hours of light (or should you) before they need to be on a more regular schedule such as 16 on, 8 off? What is the best lighting timing schedule? And when it's time to bud them, does the light need to be cut gradually or instantly cut in down? Thanx a lot for the info!
Indoor and greenhouse tomatoes are indeterminate, which means they produce fruits continually. They are not triggered to produce fruit by the length of darkness like pot. The more light tomatoes are given the bigger they grow and the more fruit they produce. They can handle 24 hours of light as soon as the first true leaves appear for their entire life.
Ron, I have a cool mist fan type wicking humidifer to use in my garden room, is it safe to add the small amount of bacteriostatic solution recommended by the manufacturer to the water in the humidifier, or will it harm my plants? Just making sure. Thanks again for all your advice.
I don't think so.
Watering length to time. I have a 11 plant garden. I know I can water every 1/2 hour or pending on the plant, I can water every hour. How long is the time do I water??? Is it a 1/2 of continuous watering??? Or water for a 10 minute period every 1/2 hour? Sincerely, Middle School Tech Guy
You don't have to let it water for any length of time. As soon as the water rises to the correct height it can drain immediately until the next watering cycle in about 20 or 30 minutes. The reason for the over flow pipe is because cycle timers cost to much and people can use a cheep timer that runs for 15 or 30 minutes.
Hi I would like to grow some hydro. I am planning to use the 11 plant garden. Anyone with tips for a successful batch would greatly be appreciated. I plan to germinate them by leaving them in a wet towel for a day or two and then putting them in.
What kind of nutrients should I use to get a potent crop?
Any concentrated hydroponic nutrient solution will work.
I am growing them indoors so can you tell me what type of lighting I should use as well? I know the lights can get pricey, what is the price range usually at, and how much does it cost to operate them, because I heard that in the early stages the lights should be on 24hrs a day.
About 60 dollars per 1000 W room per month. That includes vents, fans, pump and light.
How long does it take before, I can enjoy the fruits of my labor?
About 6 months from germinating the seeds, sexing the plants (male & female), Cloning mother plants, 6 weeks veg. stage, and 8 weeks bud stage. Enjoy.
Thank you in advance for any help that can be offered. I would like to also say this is a wonderful site. Hydroponics is very cool!
novice KB (kiler bud)
I am attempting to build a 100 plant garden in my classroom. What suggestions do you have for me. Is it possible??? I hope you can help or it can be done! Sincerely, the Middle school tech man
A 100 plant is no different than the 11 plant or 16 plant garden. Just a bigger pump and reservoir. Don't use an over flow pipe for large gardens. Just set your cycle timer to how many minutes it takes the water to rise to the correct height every 30 minutes or so.
hello ron, hope all is good with you. have 11 tomato plants in the garden, been there for about a week. im noticing some yellowing on the upper leaves, and was wondering if this could be due to a lack of nutrient. the solution i prepared is about 1/4 strength (for seedlings). when should i graduate to stronger solution? can i jump into full strength- or should this be done gradually? seedlings are about 6" tall and~ 24" from the 400wt hps. as always, much thanks for your help. op
Something's not right. Could be low nutrients. I am having the same problem. Let you know when I figure it out.
I want to have information about if plants can grow without soil and some pictures.
No Da!
Can plants grow without soil?
Yes Da!
Hydro Ron: You were at one time using a dry powder fert from Hydro-Gardens,Inc. From your description it was Chem-Gro. What kind of luck were you having with it compared to liquid ferts? What ppm were you running with tomatoes and are you still using it? You were using Miracle-Gro at one time and had problems with it. Were the problems due to salt buildup? I am intrested in finding a fert other than General Hydro due to price. I have not posted for a spell but still love the site. Hope your brother is doing well.....Nurse Duckett
I am getting ready to set up test gardens with different solutions and post the results. I lost track of what I was adding to what tank.
Can you give me the specifications to build an aquarium using a tall clear glass vase, hydrophonic peace lillies, and Beta fish. Key i need is how to keep the peace lilly at top of vase (what can fasten it for removal when needed) and where can i obtain peace lillies?
Assistance would be greatly appreciated
No
What is the cost per cu/ft of CO2 when manufactured from natural gas? What is the cost of CO2 when purchased from a supplier?
Each pound of fuel (propane, natural gas) burned produces approximately three pounds of CO2. one-third of a pound (5.3 ounces), produces about one pound of CO2. At 68 degrees (20 C), one pound of CO2 displaces 8.7 cubic feet.
Bottle CO2 cost 16 dollars for 20 pounds.
why is it that when you smoke weed you get hungry is it a mental thing do yo just think you are hungry????????
I would say mental because I get the munchies right
after I smoke a joint even though I just ate. Pot maybe one of the main reasons
why their is so many obese people.
Got to go and fix something to eat.
I AM USING PAIRLIGHT FOR MY NEDEM IS THAT OK ARE DOES IT GET TO HOT I AM USING THE 11 GUG SYS
You can use perlite as your medium if you use something like a paint strainer to keep the perlite from being flushed from the garden. It wont get hot.
Ron, Do your plants transfer well to soil? I've had problems losing them during the transfer or right after (over 50% usually) Any pointers? Thanx D.
They do go thru a shock period. Use a tray and water from the bottom so the roots will need to grow to get to the water and don't put them under full sun until they root.
NEED HELP FAST! I AM DOING A SCIENCE PROJECT GROWING PEPPERS WITH HYDROPONICS. I HAVE HAD GREAT RESULTS UNTIL NOW. THE PLANT IS FLOWERING AND HAS FORMED ONE PEPPER. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO WILT. I HAVE CHANGED THE NUTRIENT SOLUTION. WHAT COULD THE PROBLEM BE?
You aren't shouting at your pepper plants are you? They
hate that.
You may have a problem that is called damping off. Just change the focus of your
science project from Growing with Hydroponics to Common Problems
when Growing with Hydroponics.
ron i used pvc glue to steady my cups i glued them to the bottle at the bottom of the plastic cup it works fine
if you glue the cup to bottle how do you clean the cup after a grow
Ron, you've been a great help and we are getting ready to build a permanent greenhouse is northern Texas. I have read your sight and now have a question about how to control the temperature here when it reaches 100+ - do I understand that since I have a low dewpoint (less than 60) that I cannot use a swamp cooler and must use and air conditioner? if so, what size to you recommend of a 12 x 14 greenhouse that will get a lot of shade, but the temps are high - thx novice
Here in florida most greenhouses have to shut down the hottest months and use that time to clean the greenhouse and all the equipment for the next growing season. Some growers switch to plants that can tolerate higher heat like ornamentals and most herbs and spices. To cool it with an air conditioner it would have to be a big one because you would ware out a window model fast.
What type of rock or other media is used to hold up the plants? Wanted to know if small lava rock could be used.
I use grow rocks but small lava rock would be the next best.
I'm in the process of setting up a hydroponic system, I am going with a 400hps & 400mh I am in now in search of ideas for a sun circle. I have found them but not cheap, HELP.
Here is my first mover I built 15 years ago and it still works. Made from a barbeque rotisserie motor and a 90 degree gear reducer that weighs about 30 pounds. The light is connected to a ball barring made from a bicycle axel. The light cord is connected to a wall causing the light to rotate as the mover goes around and around. This set up will only work with one light because with two the cords would get tangled.
I am new to this type of gardening and would like to know about indoor use and lighting. I would like to know how stable the plants are in a outdoor situation when it is windy. Thanks David dngspot@kscable.com
Growing under natural sunlight is best or under sky
lights or near a sunny window helps a lot. For just indoor use MH or HPS.
As outside plants grow the wind causes small tears in the stems thus strengthening
them. That is why it is important to add a lot of fans to an indoor garden to
help strengthen the stems to be able to hold up those big juicy fruits.
You have a great sight ron thanks for all the ideas. Marcel Fex
a pleasure
When you plant in the bottles using the cups, what medium are you putting into the plastic cups that you have your seeds in?
When you place the cups in the bottles, are the cups "planted" into a medium such as gravel?
PS: I am new to hydroponics and I found your site very helpful. Thanks for your efforts!
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