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Hello! Great Site, I have learned a lot here. I am new to HP but have done a lot of indoor growing in dirt. I am intrigued by the aeroflo idea and would like to build one. It seems similar to a NFT technique are there any differences between the one general sells and a home built NFT like the one at http://www.maximumyield.com/vol1num2/nft_systems.html ?? Thanks-AJ
Re: Watts without worry- It depends on the history of your electric bill. If your bill is usually a certain amount, then jumps up a lot of kilowatt hours (you can tell by the amount of the bill, you would be open to an investigation. Many states have policy that whoever turns in a grower, they get a cash bonus. Imagine that poor old meter reader, who comes by to look every month....They probably don't earn very much. It would be worth their while to turn your address in as suspect. When the people look at the readings over time, then see a jump that stays for more than a couple of months, they would be prone to launch an investigation. Don't know exactly what that process is, but I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end. AND....Electrical consumption isn't the only thing to be concerned about. Remember, these things smell quite a bit as they mature. A grow room has to be vented someplace. Make that someplace AWAY from the electric meter. Most homes have the meter around the back, or on the side. I'll bet you were planning to vent out there, right? Good luck! Use common sense, and you should be alright. By the way, I just completed 5 months growth with a 400 watt HPS. Even on 18 hours a day, my power bill wasn't noticeably higher. You can "work up" to a higher bill a little each month by leaving things on around the house, but that gets expensive in a hurry.
watts with out worry sounds like you got an answer mayby its something you just cant put your finger on good luck & smile
Hi everyone, I just want to thank all of you for your questions and answers. You answered every question I had and then some. I just setup my first hydro ebb & flow system in the garage 3 days ago and so far so good. Coming from a computer backgroud I love detailed information about this kind of stuff.
I'll send pics when I can..
PappaBravo
Question to Ron.
What vegetable have you had the most success with in the 2 liter/16 oz. system?
I have had the most luck with herbs and spices. Short
veggies like peppers and other smaller growing plants.
I will even be selling live rooted starters this fall, ready to drop in
your 2-liter garden, shipped overnight express.
I'm now in the process of trashing my corn stalks. The roots have completely blocked the pipes and no nutrient is being supplied to all plants. I'm thinking of making a manifold and installing a inlet and overflow to each individual pipe in the system so that all plants will be fed when roots clog up the pipes near the main inlet, or I may convert the system to using emitters on top and draining the system back to the tank.
The temperatures here have been in excess of 100 degrees for the past 3 weeks and humidity has been less than 20%. The wind is hot and dry as well. I've been using between 10-15 gallons of water per day. The nutrient solution is in excess of 90 degrees.
My conclusion is that ebb & flow outside are a tough nut to crack and may be more suitable in a greenhouse where temperature and humidity can be controlled.
Tailwheel
I will start to fill up my shade cloth greenhouse this September with tomatoes and other plants..
What is the best way to control the water's Ph in a 11 plant system.
Eric
pH up or down from any hydroponic supply source.
Yo, Ron; This is update to soil grown plant. Since switching to the proper amount of Formula-one, this plant is VERY healthy. About ready to harvest. Read in another site about using just plain water for a week or so before harvest to purge out the chemicals that may give it a bad taste, or make it harsh. Do you agree with this? Would the period without nutrients degrade the health of the plant, or try to kill it? And, how can I send you a photo of this marvelous achievement?
Taste test have been done growing vegetables with organic fertilizers compared with vegetables grown with chemical fertilizers and their was no measurable differences in taste. So I would feed it with more not less nutrients.
ive made the 11 plant garden but i would like to know more about how to you put the plant in the 2litre bottles. do you use soil and if so how do you keep the soil from going into the bottom container. Same with pebbles
Hi. Elvis here. Just to thank you for all the information you sent me on hydroponic growers. Geez I never expected hydroponically grown pickles & suchlike to become popular. Please dont tell the feds im still alive as I noticed you had sent an "enc" of your hydroponic growers to the FBI. Regards Elvis "Hydro" Presley
I don't think you are growing pickles.
worried customer, ordered parts a week and a half ago, still not received. what's going on. parts a must. are they in the mail? Or did I get scamed? Please let me know. will update in one week or when parts received.
J. Wright
It's on the way. Your order was so large it took a little longer to send to Canada. They said it takes longer because it has got to go threw customs.
you can make indefinite c02 with yeast water and sugar all you gotta do is add sugar
can potatoes be grown hydroponically? If so what would be a good system?
I did grow a
small red potato in grow rocks years ago.
Tune in to the HydroRon
Live Show this fall.
I will be building a potato growing system
and other systems live online and take
questions live from members.
ron Could you tell me how to hand pollinate tomatoes also could lettuce be grown properly in a bubbler system?
Attn: Bill S.
I've had the same problem too. I just trashed my corn crop just as it was setting the ears. When I cleaned out the system, I was amazed that the roots had plugged the system up 100%. No nutrient was circulating at all. After cleaning out the pipes, I decided to convert the system to a top feeding emitter system.
The inlet fitting was removed and a drain fitting back to the tank was installed. A separate pipe system was made and the nutrient is now sent to the top of the cup and supplied by emitters I bought at Home Depot. All the nutrient is now immediately drained back to the tank. No more that 1 gallon is in circulation at any time. Because of the water mass in the tank, it now remains much cooler and the roots are assured of a constant nutrient supply. The roots no longer have to seek water cause the feed system cannot be blocked. When I transplanted the new seedlings, I set the emitter off to one side of the cup so the nutrient solution wouldn't contact the plant stem and cause root rot.
It's just a guess on my part, but I believe that when it's super hot, the plant will grow more roots in its quest for water. If roots clog up the pipes near the inlet, then the system becomes starved and other plants then send out more roots for their needs, compounding the situation. The result is total stagnation.
I'll try to get a picture off to Ron showing the changes.
Tailwheel
Hey Ron,
I germinate my seeds in the paper towel method with no problems! Now how do i prepare my 1" rockwool starter cubes to accept my seedlings? PS im thinking a ph level of about 5.8-6.2 is perfect? Also im using the GH flora series for nutes.
To prepare Rockwool Starter cubes, soak them in Ph balanced water @ 6.0 for 24 hours prior to inserting seeds. Once seeded, a seedling mat (or warming mat) may be used to stimulate germination and initial root growth. If ya don't have a seedling mat, put the cubes on top of your water heater. Keep the cubes moist (not soaked) during the germination period. Good luck!
Can you substitute Super Triple Phosphate for Calcium Nitrate during the blossoming stage of a tomato plant?
Tailwheel,
I had reached the same conclusion as you that converting the 2 liter system to drip might take care of the root clogging problem.
I am going to grow something in one of my 2 liter systems this fall to see what happens.
Bill S
Eugene,E-Mail me at westa@intekom.co.za for details of supplies in ZA.westa
Is anyone out there practicing aquaponics (i.e. aquaculture and hydroponics)? Would appreciate some discussion as we just completed the fish tank (2000 gal) and started building up the hydroponic beds, outside in West Central Florida.
Not yet. Everything I know about it I read in Aquatic Eco-systems catalog. I'm sure you have it if you are into fish stuff. They are in Apopka FL
Attn: Bill S.
Re: 32 oz. Solo cups
I've been to Sam's Club, Price Club, Smart & Final, and www.solocup.com trying to find these puppies without success. The website says they are in their consumers products Party line and the catalog# is WMC 32. They are packaged 12 pks./18 ct. to a case.
Could you give me the name of the store you found them? I'm 15 miles East of Los Angeles (San Gabriel Valley) and am getting desperate cause I've got plants ready transplant and need them quick.
I fail to understand why they would be difficult to find cause they are the ONLY size that is right for having a beer bust. I'd really be up the creek if I were a party animal and served beer from a keg.
Tailwheel
Tailwheel,
The 32 oz. cups I used were Solo DM32. They are listed in the Solo website under institutional products. This cup is made of clear plastic, which turned out to be good since you can see the roots of your plants.
The store where I bought them is called Central Cash & Carry in San Jose. It is an independent wholesale/retail outlet. The store sells a variety of food and packaging products as well as cleaning and party supplies. It sells to businesses and to the general public.
I looked in the local Yellow Pages and noted that this store is listed under the following headings. Paper Dealers Paper Products Party Supplies I am sure it is also listed under many more headings.
I am sure these cups are available in you area, the problem is finding them. You miight ask a restaurant manager about the location of one of these stores as they are constantly mailing advetising material to businesses.
Good luck.
Bill S.
1 more time ron Could you tell me how to hand pollinate tomatoes also could lettuce be grown properly in a bubbler system?
Re: Hand pollinating tomatoes
Very gently flick the blossom using your thumb and forefinger to shake the pollen loose. You may also try a hormone for tomatoes that is sprayed onto the blossom available from a garden center.
As far as growing lettuce is concerned, I've never tried it, but why not give it a shot using a bubbler system. Seems that it is somewhat close to aeroponics used for lettuce. It might work.
Tailwheel
Attn: Bill S.
Thanks for your input. It never occurred to me to use a phone book cause there's so many stores around. I didn't find anything in the Yellow Pages, but I tried the white pages and Lo and Behold, I found a listing for Solo cup company just 15 minutes from my house. I'll give them a call later and ask if they have a cash and carry counter or if they can refer me to a jobber or store that stocks the cups.
Incidentally, I was told by the manager of a party store yesterday that I would have to have them shipped from their main factory back East. Special order only.
Tailwheel
Tailwheel,
If it becomes too big of a problem I will send you some 32 oz. cups.
Bill S.
Hey Ron, HELP
Just bought some Formula 1 A&B can you give me a feeding schedule for various vegetables and herbs that you use per gallon. do not have tds so can you give in teaspoons per gallon. example. Week one 1tsp per gallon=200-400ppm
THANKS
1 1/2 teaspoon per gallon will give you a ppm of 1160. So start out by using about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon should give you a ppm of around 700 and slowly increase the amount as the plants mature. Up to about 2 teaspoons per gallon for flowering should give you a ppm of about 1500. Without a TDS pen it is very hard to keep track of how strong the mix is.
ATT: Bill S and Tailwheel
Solo cups can be found Cheap at costco wholesale 100 for 6 buks
Pingman
Att: Tailwheel Try costco for solo cups they are very cheap.
Pingman
Parts STILL not recieved! Becoming unpatient! Where could they be, ordered approx. 1 month ago. Need part desperitly to begin culivation. Please let me know the date that the parts were shipped. And how long it should take to get from Florida - Toronto.
J. Wright
Shipped 8-24-00. They said it would take 12 to 14 days because of customs. It cost me $2.60 to mail them to Canada so I made 40 cents on that deal. Sorry no more orders outside the US.
Attn: Bill S.
Thanks for your offer, but I need a couple hundred cups. I want to keep some around so I don't have to go looking next time.
I ordered a case of 300 pieces yesterday. The cost was $73.37 which comes out to two bits a cup. Seems kinda high to me, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Also want to mention that my 16 plant system has been on the top feeding system for 1-1/2 weeks now and is working perfectly. I'm now experimenting with a top feed system for the 49 plant garden. I'm setting up a header tank to use gravity to assist pumping all the nutrient through all the piping. At the moment, there's not enough flow to get more than a dribble through the tubes. If that doesn't work, I'll probably have to look for a larger pump capacity.
I'm using the system made by Dig Corp. that I bought from Home Depot.
Tailwheel
Attn: Pingman
I went to two different Costos and only found 16 oz. cups. I'm looking for 32 oz. size. I want more root space for the plants. I grew some corn that actually pushed the grow rocks out of the tops of the cups. I'm hoping that the 32 oz. will be enough for tomato plants and I'm also putting more corn in my garden.
Tailwheel
Att: Tailwheel
When are you going to post the drip emitter system sounds pretty neat I would like to try. also are you using clorox jugs for your 32 ounce cups
Pingman
Pingman
I'm using a 1 liter water bottle and not rolling the edge. The bottle acts only as a collector for the nutrient running back to the tank. There is no more than a small trickle of nutrient flowing through the cup/bottle at any one moment. In fact, when it's flowing, NO nutrient collects at the bottle bottom, it's a straight shot back to the tank.
I'm working on my 49 bottle system now and just assembled a poor design. I want to take pics of it before and after so people can see what NOT to do. I'm assembling a 1-1/2 in. header tube and feeding five 1/2 in. laterals that go to the cups. At this time, I feeding the five laterals from a 1/2 inch pipe from the tank. The 1-1/2 inch area is 1/3 larger for EACH of the 1/2 in. tubes. This should give me more than enough capacity to feed all the cups.
I'm super busy for the next few days, so I will get some pics out around Thurs. or Friday.
Tailwheel
Just A thought!
If 32oz. cups is what you are looking for then might I suggest those plastic Coca-Cola cups that you buy from a fast food joint (McDonald's, Burger King, etc...). They are usually 32oz. and a lot more durable then solo cups. Mind you, this is a last resort as they are a little pricey for what they are.
P.S.-- I am the one who originally asked about the bigger cups for bigger roots.
J. Wright
IVE GOT WORMS!!! I just found them today - i saw a little sign of them the day before but didn't find them - by this afternoon they almost ate my whole plant:( what should i do? i would prefer some sort of natural way to go but then again im desperate -Josh
The natural way is to watch for their droppings on the floor below your plants. You will see that before you see the worms. Then you will know the bugger is there and then you can pick it off by hand. But if you have to many plants for that to be practical then just use Sevin Dusting Powder and a lot of it.
I'm a small-time, first season hydroponics hobbyist and thanks to all this free information on the web, I've been doing very well up to now. With increasing frequency, my tomatoes are turning up with rot - always on the bottom, and usually, when they are fairly young and green. There is no internal or external visible insect infestation; although, some problems with aphids (I think). I'm low on money and do not have PH or PPM test equipment - maybe a problem?. Any ideas - thank you, Tim.
Attn: Tim
Re: End Rot
Most of the info. I've found says that this condition is the result of low calcium in your solution. I would suggest that you try to find a stock solution from a hydroponics supplier. What are you feeding your plants now?
Tailwheel
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