(Part 2) Best products from r/Hydroponics

The kratky method is a great beginners method to get into hydroponics. I currently have about 30 plants all doing the kratky.

General Hydroponics is a good brand and mix of nutrients. Its simple to use and doesnt require a scale to mesure stuff out. Use a tablespoon to measure stuff or a syringe.

Buy the PH up/down from GH too but be warned you will need to dilute it first or youre in for a fun time trying to correct your PH. (let me know when you get to this step and I can give better directions.

Get a simple PH tester. It will make your life a lot easier. Once I figured out that adding nutrients to my water brought my PH to around 5.9 I stopped testing everytime. (but i recommend that you do use it everytime)

You DO NOT need to grow in soil first, but like /u/BroposkisRump said you can just be careful washing off the roots. GOTO the youtube channels mentioned on check out Khang Starr's video first.

Some advice:

• Kratky is BEST for leafy plants like basil, lettuce, kale, etc.
  You cangrow those with no effort.
  
  
• Make sure all containers are opaque to prevent algae growth.
  
  
• Get seedlings and sprouts under a grow light to prevent stretching!!
  
  
• If you live in anything but a hot climate you will want a grow tent to grow peppers over winter - And a grow light - Get a digital timer and give your plants around 16 hours of light (you can get cheaper ones but I am showing you what i bought)
  
  
• Get 2 inch net pots and a 2 inch hole saw for your containers
  
  
• A fan on your peppers will help make then thicker and stronger plants and may help polinate them. You can also shake your plant ( thats what I do)
  
  
  Thats all I got for now. Once you understand this method try hydroponics using a different method as well.
  
  

>With the raft, don't the roots sit in water?

 

Yes and no. What you want to do is get enough foam so that about half of inch sits outside the water at all time. This allows the roots to breath outside of the water (like the DWC). Again, don’t let this part get dry or it can cause air pruning. You can do this by allowing the net pot to sit a little higher in the foam, planting higher in the net pot, or getting a little thicker foam.

 

I am attaching a link to MPH Gardener. I would say look over his stuff. He is pretty freakin’ awsome.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDYeffYcVkY

 

>Can you recommend all the testing equipment I need or provide an Amazon link?

 

You will need a PPM and pH meter. These are two cheap version I use. You can go as crazy as you want, just remember the cheaper the more you replace them.

 

pH: http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity%C2%AE-Accuracy-Measurement-Resolution-Handheld/dp/B00FJFEB2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427150876&sr=8-1&keywords=ph+meter

 

pH Callibration Liquid: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007X5KAV4/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687462&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004HE7W42&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=118RAVZJW5YGE1CB5EE9

 

PPM: http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427150876&sr=8-3&keywords=ph+meter

 

>With lettuce greens, I think the raft would work. Perhaps I'll do DWC with tomatoes; I think it would be hard with greens.

 

That sounds great. Watch the MPH Gardener on his Dutch bucket tomatoes first. I will preface with he does use MiracleGro for his nutrients, which is a highly debated topic. So take the nutrients with a grain of salt.

 

>How do you swap out water? Do you just do a 100% water change? Is that cost-effective with the price of nutrients?

 

I do do a 100% water change every two weeks. You can check the level of nutrients and try adding them; however, I have an outside garden during the summer and just put the nutrients there which does wonders for them.

 

Also, it gives me a chance to add in bacteria as I need it.

 

There are methods for balancing the pH, nutrients, and keeping the same water; however, as a beginner I would not get into this. If you want to we can talk but just swap the nutrients out as you go.

 

And this is where I will highlight that you want a shallow reservoir because you want to keep the minimum water you need to not to waste nutrients. I would say go to a hardware store and ikea and see what bins will work.

 

>Do I need to paint my plastic bin black to deter mold growth? Thanks so much for your help!

 

Yes and no. There are ways to go around managing algae with either pond products or barley straw mats, but to be honest sealing off holes and painting things black is the easiest.

 

Keep in mind that if you are going to have high heat in the room a white reservoir might be better than black.

No problem. Hope some of this helps.

I've never used rooting powder. RapidStart is a liquid you mix into the reservior for young plants. It comes with instructions for hydro systems.

If you don't recirculate the water to the fishtank, and it's not bubbling through a waterfall or something, then you should add an air stone. It will cut down on the algae at the very least.

> I'm thinking my initial failure was the way I germinated. Now, a bunch of my tomato roots are pretty long and good, and sit in the water.

Most likely. Skinny, leggy seedlings usually means not enough light or light too far away. They can also damp off which can cause the stem to become thin and brown until the seedling falls over.

I never use anything but pure pH balance (usually pH 5.5) water with my seedlings until they develop a true leaf set. The seed contains all the nutrients the plant needs up to this point. Presoak your cubes in the ph balance water for 24h before planting.

I also recommend investing in a germination setup. Add a thermostat to keep from cooking your plants :)

I usually plant 25-50% more seeds than I need, and select only the most vigorous seedlings.

Google for optimal germination conditions for the plants you're growing. It can vary significantly. Lettuces do not usually want the same conditions at tomatoes.

> But I have like 2 or so inches of water at the bottom of this thing. Is that super bad?

As long as the plants look healthy and the roots don't develop a layer of dark slimy crap on them (root rot) then you're cool. Optimally you want nice white roots. Some discoloration is OK if the plants are still healthy.

If you are worried about root rot, fungus, algae, etc, the nuclear option is Physan 20. Just don't use it on plants within a week or two of fruiting if you plan to consume the fruits (according to a company rep).

Growing from seed is a big challenge. Keep at it.

I have savory, basil, and valerian growing in amber mason jars right now. I started them from seed 6-7 weeks ago, and already have to harvest weekly to keep their growth under control. Mine are 32oz, but there are some 64oz ones on amazon.

Though I’m pretty sure my jars were much cheaper in the canning section of the grocery store when I bought them a couple years ago.


The wide mouth jars are perfect for 3-inch net pots, and the rings hold the nets in place. I painted mine with black chalkboard paint so I could label what was in each jar, but used a strip of painter’s tape so i could make a window to check root growth and water level.

Edit: I also have Tyler Baras’ book, and his PPM to EC tables are super helpful, as well as the EC/pH/temp recommendations in the back of the book. I’m doing an experiment with my kid this fall, comparing the Kratky method in jars vs in 20gal storage tubs with air stones. So far the jars are winning, but I’m thinking the tubs will overtake them soon.

After hours of asking and researching for my own sake, Ive landed on this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F111RL7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d9bvCb2M4RBHG
Bear in mind, its purple. Roleadro makes a white full spectrum one thats pretty good too.

Basically, without going into detail, HID lights (HPS, CMH, etc) will require ventilation of some type due to heat.

T5/T8 can be a decent solution, but make sure to get a mix of daylight and soft white. Careful of your wattage usage. It can easily spiral out of control.

Then theres quantum boards, which are cool, but are more for milking efficiency out of every last watt. You pay a premium for this.

Chinesium LEDs seem to be the best middle ground for beginners, especially the burple ones. While not pleasing to look at, offer a lot for your plants. Theres a reason why the Biotechnology lab (Collab with USDA) in the Living with the Land exhibit is using 'burple' lights. Its proven effective.

Id say stay away from lower wattage solutions like the bendy LEDs. Unless its 1 or 2 plants, there's just not enough to go around for everyone.

If you want to research for yourself, look at wattage and PAR (photosyntheticlly active radiation). Higher is better. The one I linked uses 180w, and puts out ~600 PAR at 18". I plan on expanding a bit, to ~12 plants - I really dont like the idea of 5 medusa lamp stands and clamps on every corner looking like a mad scientist up in there.

Here's what I have so far and my quick write up.

My dad started the tomato plant that I am using in soil. He had too many for his garden, so I used that instead of starting one from seed in rockwool. My next plant will be started from seed.

I picked up a 5 gal bucket and Lid from Home Depot. <$5.

I cut a hole in the Lid to fit the 3" Net Cups. I put one right in the center. I quickly found out the cup it too small to support the plant so I had to use a support stick. I just bought this 6" net cup bucket lid.

The plant is supported in Expanded Clay balls. I chose this material as apposed to 'Hydroton, Coco coir, Viagrow stones, pearlite...' because from my very little research I found the clay to be the most environmentally friendly and easiest to use, disclaimer: I could be very wrong here.

The nutrient solution used General Hydroponics Maxi Grow. Simple to use, add X scoops per X gal of water. I am about to switch to Maxi Bloom. She is flowering and starting to produce fruit. I do now know when the best time to switch solutions. I am learning by experiment here.

To keep the nutrient solution oxygenated, I used this Air pump,two of of these air stones, and tubing. Any items will do, I used this products because I know an employee of Penn Plax and got them for cost $. Any pump will work, I got a two outlet pump for future expansion.

You should also be sure to have the correct pH for your particular plant. Here is a chart and a great site. I used this pH Test Kit and pH adjust.

It's that simple. Right now the plant is outside and gets about 8 hours of sun. I plan on keeping it outside as long as possible, then will bring it in and have to choose a light source for it.


tl;dr What I used for my first DWC tomato plant experiment. Step 1: Click all links above. Step2: Buy. Step 3: Tomatoes

Edit: Also, Watch this video

Design and design considerations:

• Outside Design photo - rooster crowing
  
• Outside Design angle view
  
• Inside reservoir view
  
• Inside close up view
  
• Inside full view
  
  
• I anticipated issues with heat and so I placed my reservoir inside the shed on the concrete floor for a heat sink effect
  
• reservoir holds ~30 gallons of water filled from my well
  
• pump pumps up to ~ 11 feet high in shed (~12-13 feet outside). Pump was rated for 220 GPH at 10 feet, 0 at 13 feet. I figure I'm getting 150-200 GPH at ~11 feet.
  
• I used old hoses, hose repair ends (male and female) with hose clamps to attach, run up and through the shed wall, use a 'Y' splitter and run into the top of each system.
  
• 4" diameter 10' long sewer pipe (cheaper than PVC), elbows and extensions to extend the distance between the elbows. I was concerned about them being too close and over shadowing each other and so there is ~22" gap at the narrow end, and ~28-30" at the far end
  
• target drop was 4" for the 10' run.
  
• at the bottom, I used sewer pipe to PVR converter and joined together with a bottom drain coming out (1 1/2").
  
• this returns through the shed wall with a ~1" drop over 2 feet to re-enter the reservoir at ~2 ' height above concrete
  
• I used these net cups
  
• I'm using Inkbird Pre-Wired Dual Stage Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Thermostat 110V, 1100W Heating and Cooling.
  
  Heating/Cooling:
  
  
• The Inkbird dual stage controller is set to 71F. If the temp goes below that then the heating plug kicks on to active this 800w heater
  
• As seen below in my temp graph, when the temp outside goes high enough, the water temp goes above my target max of 75 F. I need to come up with a cooling solution. Updates to come.
  
• 5/23 update: Decided to get an active cooler Hydrofarm
  Active Aqua Chiller, 1/4 HP - Note in the temp graph below the blunting of the green curve as the red (ambient temp) went high. I have the dual stage temp controller set to kick on the cooling plug at 68, and this starts the second water pump that pumps through the cooler. The cooler is set for 69 currently so when the temp reaches 70, cooling kicks in. I am continuing to fiddle with this setting.
  
  Nutrients:
  
  
• I ordered General Hydroponics Maxigro, Maxibloom, Each 2.2 lbs. - and I started at 1/3 concentration of recommendation of the Maxigro.
  
  Plant photos:
  Plants received dry bare root with no green growth from starkbros.
  
  
• 5/15 2 week old plant - notice the new white growth
  
• 5/23 growth and increase in root mass A lot of the brown is old roots from before the planting, white roots with a bit of browning is visible.
  
  
  Temp graph:
  
  This is with the La Crosse wifi temp probe (https://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-926-25106-Wgb-Wireless-Monitor/dp/B06ZYJ5L5B/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) so I can check remotely. Red line is ambient temp, green line is water temp.
  
  
  
• 5/15 temp graph
  
• 5/23 temp graph with heater and cooling effect
  
  
  Water changes:
  
  
• 5/20 - pumped out old water, filled and allowed to heat to ~58 degrees before being impatient and starting the pump. Ambient temp was low 60s.
  
  
  

IceProbe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller - 4 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 7 1/2 in. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JSVLBO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pYyvCb4BFVD71

Something like that should be pretty easy to make - the only thing stopping me is I don’t feel great about having another hole to seal/possible leakage from it.

Basic introduction to DWC for total newbies. I combed the internet and here are my initial recommendations.

1. This video by Kevin at epic gardening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3-9u-HtFG8 from 2013 but a good intro.
   
   
2. All in one DWC container kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K15K8DQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 includes everything but lights, if you need them.
   
   
3. If you don't have a southern exposure window to put this by, you'll need a light. I'd suggest: https://www.amazon.com/AeroGarden-45w-Grow-Light-Panel/dp/B0725QBG1G It may seem expensive, but it can be used for other growing needs such as starting seedlings. I'm growing rosemary, parsely, oregano, and newly propagated cuttings for christmas presents in mine
   
   I am using shop lights with my mini grow bin all in one DWC listed above. But mine is in my basement so doesn't have to look diningroom-worhty where my aerogardens are.

I would start with a deep water culture system, because they are super low maintenance.

Use a bucket and a fish-tank aerator... watch the video here. Buy a kit here.

General Hydroponics makes good products. Their liquids are good, but the Maxigrow and Maxibloom powder represents exceptional value. If you just have a few watermelons, just start with the liquid.

With all products, read and follow the directions.

Well that's great to hear it didn't affect pH in anyway. As far as the system goes, I've already went through and built the setup in the video. I'm making a few modifications to link together another tote to the current one. I'll likely use the same pump for both systems.

Here is the pump on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Homasy-Submersible-Fountain-Aquarium-Hydroponics/dp/B01LHC8UX8/ref=sxin_2_osp105-95984b9e_cov

https://www.amazon.com/Light-4lamps-DL824-Fluorescent-Hydroponic/dp/B009GU4RMC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=grow+light+t&qid=1567157547&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Daylight-Spectrum-Vegetables-Greenhouse-Hydroponic/dp/B07RKTQ355/ref=sr_1_28?keywords=grow+light+cob&qid=1567157598&s=gateway&sr=8-28#customerReviews

A T5 or LED setup like the ones in the links should work pretty well. There are definitely still other cheaper options out there, but I haven't done my research on that end of the market so I rather not give you possibly incorrect information.

It looks like a textured mylar film (at least the back wall). I've used some of this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZ72PAH

It's pretty sturdy. I used binder clips to attach it to some thick poster board to make reflective panels that I use to line a large shelf unit where I have some deep water culture buckets.

Yes, I taped an air pump needle to the airline tubing with some duct tape. The air-line with a couple of layers of duct tape will fit snuggly through a water bottle sports cap.

EC meter you can get away with a cheap one. PH Meter, the cheap ones are junk, spend around $50+ for a good PH meter. PH is critical to get right, so spend some money on a PH meter to make sure you always have that dialed in.

​

I have this PH meter, had to calibrate it, but it has been ROCK solid so far.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ST3VTQ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would try to shade the area, insulate the bucket and then add an Ice Probe. Check out the amazon links. I use the Ice Probe and double insulated my 5-gal bucket.

https://www.amazon.com/IceProbe-Thermoelectric-Aquarium-Chiller/dp/B001JSVLBO/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=iceprobe&qid=1570125812&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Reflectix-BP48010-ubble-Pack-Insulation/dp/B000BPAULS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=reflectix&qid=1570126123&s=gateway&sr=8-1 (cheaper at Home Depot)

Two 4-bulb 2-foot T5 lights.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GU4RMC