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Ron, have you ever thought of using tums as a source for calcium? I have been using the extra strength ones. They contain 800mg compared to 600mg for the regular ones. I have been dissolving 2 and adding it to my 10 gallon solution along with a little epsom salts and a little miracle grow with the blooming nutrient solution. I read a bunch of your posts and I found what the ppm was suppose to be. Thanks for answering my last post. My tomatoes are doing great. I have 2 baby tomatoes so far......thanks indy
Can you give some examples of vegetables & fruits that can be grown using hydroponics.
tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers
AHHHHHHHH HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!! eBay, what a way to go. Auctions. Gotta love 'em, over-priced and everything. An example of the "how do I pump hydro if I cain't plug into the electric mains!?" solution: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1227421253
Over-priced, but a simple solution -- you know they're out there. Could probably put the same thing together for about 1/2 that. 6 W solar cell, 100 GPH DC pump that runs off of the 6 W solar cell, 3' head (either a BIIIG head, or a really short dude), but no battery. So who cares? It pumps while the sun is shining. If you weren't so lazy, you'd find a 12v 7AH gel cell (for about $7, if you shop around) and be able to store up an extra 84 WH for pumping during shady days or even at night. If you weren't so lazy, you'd get yer pal to run by Radio Shack and put together a simple 555 timer circuit and turn the pump on and off and just let it run continuously. Or maybe if yer buddy weren't so lazy. Whatever. Too damn much fun. Set it up to run, un-attended for a week or two at a time, and show up just long enough to swap out yer nurtient swill for new nutrient, and then take off again. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Rule of thumb... if you can find solar cells for less than $6/w, delivered, it's a pretty good deal. Of course, if you weren't so lazy, you'd find it for about $4/w...
Goober says "Hey!"
Heh...
Found a CHEAPER one... http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1227505278 Beat THAT, Mickey Fickey!
Hi Ron. I think you've got a great site but I have yet to find a page that tells how to do everything step by step. I see pictures with no explanations and pictures or plants in stages. I'm going to build a outdoor flow system & a indoor one. I'm about to go blind from reading all this from different little tidbits. Can you help.? Thanks - Bruce from Ks.
Sounds like information that someone might be willing to pay for. I will have to take a few minutes out of my busy schedule and think about that for awhile.
Is growing plants in sand, considered "Hydroponics system"?!
RE:Is growing plants in sand, Considered "Hydroponics system"?!
Yep - _any_ inert medium can be used in hydroponics. beach and river sand contain no nutrients, and is therefore inert.
I use GH Flora series nutes and I have seen different proportions of the 3 parts over the net. The differences are very large. For example, I've seen this 3 formulas:
The Standard:
Young Plants: 5ml of each for 1 US Gal Veg. Phase: 5ml of Bloom, 10 ml of Micro and 15 ml of Grow for 1 US gal Bloom or fruiting : 5 ml of Grow, 10 ml of Micro and 15 ml of Bloom for 1 US Gal.
A formula for constant feeding or aeroponics:
Young Plants: 3ml of each for 1 US Gal Veg. Phase: 2ml of Bloom, 4 ml of Micro and 6 ml of Grow for 1 US gal Bloom or fruiting : 2 ml of Grow, 4 ml of Micro and 6 ml of Bloom for 1 US Gal.
A formula for intermittent feeding or drip:
Young Plants: 3ml of each for 1 US Gal Veg. Phase: 3ml of Bloom, 6 ml of Micro and 12 ml of Grow for 1 US gal Bloom or fruiting : 4 ml of Grow, 7 ml of Micro and 13 ml of Bloom for 1 US Gal.
Actually, I use a 11 plant system, but not like a real ebb-flow system. The feeding is a drip system on grow rocks that runs 15mn on / 15mn off. The pipes are used to collect the drain flow.
So, can this system be compared to a ebb-flow/intermittent system, or a constant feeding unit. And which formula should I use. I thing that the 3rd formula, which is half between the Standart and the constant one, is approx. the better for me. Am I wrong? Thank you for the HUGE support on your site.
I am looking for a TDS meter. I was wondering if you knew of an instrument company in Korea that produces a water PPM meter. I know there is one over there that competes with Hanna Instruments. I need to find one that reads up to 500 ppm in water. If you know of this company I would appreciate the name or email address.
Thanks Steve
What exactly is hydroponics? Who can give me a good definition?
Growing plants without dirt.
I'm confused.
How do you set up the 11 plant system for flood and drain?. What i mean is how often should it be flooded and how far up the pot (for want of a better word) should the water + nutrients come? i will be very grateful for any help u could offer me
RE: I'm confused
Checkout http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/11plant13.htm
yea!!!
are the underside of seed leaves suppose to be brown? also how many weeks/days should i wait to go hydro with them
Just a couple of questions. 1. Does regular PVC cement work on gluing the plastic bottle cap to the thinwall? Or do you use another type here?
Yes It just softens the PVC to except the bottle cap. It doesn't soften the cap plastic so you could pop the cap out if you had to. You could also use a little silicon if you have any leaks.
2. I notice that most of your designs are grid patterns. Still, the 1-gallon bottles on the 4" appears to be linear. Are there any problems associated with running a single, linear, run of containers? Thanks, Aaron
No it doesn't matter how the gardens are laid out or how far apart the bottles are. As for the ebb and flow gardens it only matters that they are all level.
may i know the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics
from suling
I am having a problem with my PH changing almost daily. What can I use for a buffering agent?
Faye T Herl
re: confused about 11plant13html
its a bad drawing. there is only one over flow pipe which in the picture is crossing blue water with the horizontal feeder pipe- it should be broken in diagram cause it does not reconnect with the feeder pipe. the feeder pipe should also be broken at its end to show that it could extend to other bottles.
i think im going to make something similar without the cut off two liter bottle. in its place could go a plastic sack (filled with 10 liters perlite) supported by a thin wire upside down lampshade type thing and sealed around a tube extending from the tee with a rubber band. a screen would have to be stuck in the extension tube and pea gravel laid on top of perlite. What can you grow in a cut off two liter bottle? a head of lettuce?
Yes Lettuce and Tomatoes and Greens and Herbs all grown not in a two-liter bottles but in a 16 ounce cups sitting in a cut off two liter bottle. Hydroponic plants don't need a lot of roots when you are delivering all the nutrients to the plant. Hydroponically grown plants don't need a lot of roots unlike with dirt growing where the roots have to go looking for water and food. You want all the energy for producing fruit and not for root production. Unless you are growing potatoes or carets.
I am looking for a timer that runs on 12v dc. I have thought of using a 555 timer chip. Does anybody have any plans or sources for timers? Thanks
www.aquaticeco.com has 12 v timers and pumps. Add a battery and a solar charger and you got a remote garden.
hey i saw the post a while earlier on the tomato bloom spray 2 made by green light. that stuff works great. i dont know where to get it real cheap, but i did buy it at ace hardware for 5 bucks which is a good deal considering all the potential peppers i was losing. thanks ron
does anyone have directions on how to use the 11 plant hydro lab?
Please help!
My tomatoes were thriving under my 400W MH grow light, on 14 hour days. In fact, they were blooming like crazy and the little tomatoes were about the size of shooter marbles. Then disaster struck. They started to wilt. The wilting just continued for about 5 days. I changed the nutrient bath to straight water, I even cleaned out the tank and all the parts. I'm wondering if this could have been caused by the MH lamp? Would switching to a HP sodium have saved my babies? Or does this sound like another problem. This was my first crop and I was so excited to see them fruiting. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Erik - erik@fencefarm.com
If a plant just wilts overnight it is most likely pinch
off where the capillaries are cut off and the plant dies. If all the plants wilt
in a garden then it is a root problem cause by a solution or pH problem. You did
right by flushing and changing the solution.
Lights shouldn't have anything to do with wilting.
Hi ron, I've had my 11 plant garden running for 2 weeks now, but the plants are only about 2 1/2" tall. I have a feeling it is due to the temperature which is about 65-70 degrees. Do low temperatures inhibit vegetative growing? Also, some of the leaves on the plants are yellowish with round brown spots. Do you think this is due to too weak of a solution? Thank You!
Yes low temperature will and yes a low a mix causes yellowing
how many sq feet does the 11 plant garden take up?? ? x ?
2 x 3
I have a medical marijuana growers card so it is legal for me to grow a certain amount of plants for medical use.....My question is does anyone know if the 16oz cups that come with the 11 plant system are large enough for plants to go start to finish?
Yes
How do you use a TDS Meter in regards to fertilizer solutions for non-hydroponics? I bought a $20 Hanna TDS & the directions are more specs than instructions; what should I look for, readings, etc. I want to water/fertilize seedlings in soil-less mix which obviously lacks nutrients with 3-2-2 liquid fish solution & maxicrop 1-0-4 seaweed mix. Seed;ings aren't big enough for transplanting [outdoors] yet, most 2-3" tall. Mostly veggies like tomato & peppers & cauli. Thanks. korney19@adelphia.net
TDS ( total dissolved solids ) means just that. Even though your TDS reads OK for the maturity of the plant you are growing it does not tell you if the combination of ingredients are correct. That is why you change your solution every two weeks because there is no way of telling how off you are with only a TDS meter.
Hi everybody I'm new to this (I mean Hydroponics) and I have a few questions I was hoping some one could answer for me. I'm only 15 years old and I live In Palm Bay, Florida.
I don't know what some of the terms like pH, ppm, TDS, NPK, milliseismens, EC, Urea, CF, ebb, NFT, and CFH stand for. Some just aren't clear to me and some I just don't know what they mean and may just be the same, I just don't know. Next is, I am thinking of starting off with a (n) 11 plant garden, I was wondering if you would be able to point me to a site that would show me pretty much Exactly what I need (including a sub. pump's GPH, ect...), or close enough too? Also, what do I, if anything, need covering my garden (A greenhouse or can I just put it in my garage [or even my shed]? Third is, is there any specific times of the year to grow crops or not. Fourth, if I grow something and it gets too big can/should I transplant it into the ground. And what should I do to it. Finally, you say that you need an air pump and air rock but how do you set it up so that each plant gets air, do you have to put a rock in/under the plant (or it's gravel)? Diagrams would be helpful if you have any. I have learned so much from this site and I hope someone can answer my questions.
Kyle Paisley kyro_1234@yahoo.com
Hi Ron, great place! My question is how can I make my hydro veggies taste more like they were grown in soil? I've got the hydro thang down except for this last mystery. I'm using general hydro 3 part formula...I'm not sure if I need to just run straight water through the ebb and flow the last week of flowering or if there's an additive that I can put in the water. Any tips for a less chemical taste?
Chemical boy
I don't seem to have that problem with the tomatoes that I grow because I know what a good tomato taste like but with plants like herbs, spices and most other eatable plants I'm not enough of a food connoisseur to know what taste good or bad.
Date:
I've never had a "chemical" taste with any of my hydroponic vegetables. However, I have heard it said, that flushing the system with water 2 weeks before harvest is good.
hi RON. My 11 plant system !!!works!!! I have 5 tomato plants and left one of the same age planted on plain soil. The growth difference has been dramatic, but lately my hydroponic tomatoes have a white powder like in the stem at the base where come from the growrocks. Is this salt? or maybe fungi? What could cause the problem? Even if my plants die I wouldn't call it a failure. I plan to keep trying. thanks for the help CARLOS AT PLANTATION
Yes that is fertilizer salts residue. Nothing to worry about. You can flush with clean water every couple weeks to get rid of salts buildup and any mold that will inevitable be present.
hi, i just want to know the benefits and disadvantages of hydroponics
disadvantages - cost of equipment
benefits
-
year round controlled growing environment
labor saving cost by automation
fruit produced in relation to square
footage or meters
ron i read a while back that you might be selling the mix, instead of using miracle grow, have you started selling it? if not whats the best stuff to use? great page keep it up. steve
Steve: Go to Hydro Gardens and Parts. It is the third item down listed under Hydroponic Plant Food. Nurse Duckett
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