Anyone do hydroponics? Want a DIY setup.

[fuzzybabybunny]

My parents have a garden and they like to grow green leafy Chinese veggies. Every winter their plants die and every spring they have to regrow everything.

I'd like to look into a hydroponics system for them that can also work during winter. I've read about Ebb and Flow, Deep Water, and Raft systems but was wondering if there was an even simpler way to grow their veggies.

1. Roots need to be in contact with water.
2. Roots also need to be aerated.

#2 is kind of an issue. That's why Ebb and Flow exists, because the Ebb cycle allows the roots to aerate. Deep Water systems require an air pump and an aerater stone to be running to aerate the water because the roots are completely submerged.

But what about if only the bottom half of the roots are submerged while the top half is not?

For example, I can get a shallow plastic bin, make holes in the lid, and put the plants in perforated plastic cups surrounded by Hydro Stones.

I make a note of how long the roots are and make sure that the water level inside the plastic bin always leaves like two inches of the roots exposed to air. With this method, will they get the aeration they need without any kind of electronic pump?

 

[paperfist]

I've only used the Aero Garden and it worked well, but you were limited by 1 type of plant at a time.

I've been interested in something bigger, but haven't put a lot of research into it.

 

[mindless1]

It is a lot of work and expense for small yield, are they willing to put forth that? The thing I like about my garden is that it's not nearly the work or expense, just save the seeds, compost to re-enrich the soil, and add some fertilizer and water from time to time.

Unless they specifically expressed an interest (originating from them) in hydro, I'd instead shoot for a traditional soil based grow and put the effort into cost effective lighting.

 

[sdifox]

Did you look at RPI + arduino?

https://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/raspberry-pi-arduino-diy-vertical-hydroponic-garden.html

 

[Thebobo]

I would look at the 420 forums they have tons of information on hydroponics. With hydroponics you have to worry about the more things, PH level, water level etc, personally I would just grow the "green leafy Chinese veggies" in soil.

 

[kage69]

I would look at the 420 forums they have tons of information on hydroponics. With hydroponics you have to worry about the more things, PH level, water level etc, personally I would just grow the "green leafy Chinese veggies" in soil.

This.

If you need expertise go talk to the people who really know this stuff. One of my old neighbors is from Connecticut and is the epitome of a city dweller. Never gardened, never even had to take care of a lawn far as I know. His place is a jungle now, a by product of him getting a mmj card and spending time chatting with people at a grow shop in Maine. IIRC he started off with hydro but then decided on something involving coconut mulch because he said it was easier and less fuss. Also, power outages > couple minutes when using hydro = dead plants. There seems to be a consensus on hydro having the highest growth rates though, if you do it right.

I hear people rave about some new technique, lighting, or supplement all the time, but nothing works better for me than just planting outside in good soil, then periodically using a homemade compost tea. Having to treat my whole garden with diatomaceous earth and/or neem stuff for bugs is getting old though.

Good luck with all that bok choy fuzzy...

 

[NetWareHead]

If your parents already have outdoor space, then consider a small greenhouse? You can still grow outdoors and have the ease of growing in actual soil without having to replicate that environment indoors through hydroponics, grow lamps etc...

A greenhouse can get your growing season jumpstarted earlier in the spring. When it warms up, open the windows so it doesnt get too hot and grow as normal. Later on in the season as it starts to cool down, close the windows again and preserve the heat inside to extend the growing season into the winter

Ive seen people grow lettuce into early december and start growing again in early march with a greenhouse. If you want to grow throughout the winter you need to look into heating the greenhouse and doing something about less sunlight available.

The greenhouse is also going to be cheaper than the large amounts of electricity needed to ruin grow lamps and water pumps IMO

 

[mindless1]

It should be pointed out that the goals of the 420 crowd are quite different. Their product doesn't need to be at peak freshness, instead they spend great time and expense indoor because it's a higher value crop, that might be illegal, that might be stolen if spotted outdoors, or they might not have outdoor area. The latter is similar in winter, but when they put forth the expense and maintenance of the equipment then they make use of it year round rather than only getting a few months a year out of it.

Plus if they put forth crazy effort and end up with something 20% more potent, to them it's a win. For decades I've faced a similar situation growing hot to super hot peppers. I could spend over 50X as much (no exaggeration) growing indoors for less than 1/4th the yearly pod yield from growing outdoors (by merely having more grow area if nothing else, though I suppose I have improved my skills over time too), but have them 20% hotter. Not worth it to me, not even remotely close.

 

[NetWareHead]

It should be pointed out that the goals of the 420 crowd are quite different. Their product doesn't need to be at peak freshness, instead they spend great time and expense indoor because it's a higher value crop, that might be illegal, that might be stolen if spotted outdoors, or they might not have outdoor area. The latter is similar in winter, but when they put forth the expense and maintenance of the equipment then they make use of it year round rather than only getting a few months a year out of it.

I have a few friends who grow and they told me the main reason for growing indoors is to prevent stray pollen from coming into contact with the female plant and thus beginning seed production. The longer the female stays untouched, the more powerful, the stronger smelling etc... the result 420 will be. Outdoor plants are always exposed to stray pollen and don't develop as potently. However your concerns about it being stolen are valid.

 

[sdifox]

I always figured a grow op is a good site share for server farm, all the excess heat from the server farm can reduce heating cost and the pot farm is a heat sink for the server farm.

 

[mindless1]

I have a few friends who grow and they told me the main reason for growing indoors is to prevent stray pollen from coming into contact with the female plant and thus beginning seed production. The longer the female stays untouched, the more powerful, the stronger smelling etc... the result 420 will be. Outdoor plants are always exposed to stray pollen and don't develop as potently. However your concerns about it being stolen are valid.

IMO, outdoor quantity far more than trumps that. Unless you're talking about a warehouse or mansion (far bigger house than you need) the space indoors to grow is relatively small.

However if you want to isolate the females more you can just overplant a bit then pull the males out before their pollen sacks open. Otherwise "always exposed to stray pollen" is more false than true. Yes a bee can travel for miles, as can pollen in wind, but it's not remotely reasonable to worry about, maybe you get 1% pollination but that other 99%, far more yield than a small indoor grow. I mean if your grow is on your properly, not out in a secret field somewhere that you can't monitor and remove mature male plants. Essentially it's the same thing except higher volume than indoors where even if you don't have insect pollinators you're still going to want to isolate the females.

 

[mindless1]

I always figured a grow op is a good site share for server farm, all the excess heat from the server farm can reduce heating cost and the pot farm is a heat sink for the server farm.

I suppose you mean piping it out to an outdoor greenhouse because indoors, a typical home environment mid-'70s temp range is just about ideal, a grow room may even need some heat removed if not using highly efficient lighting.

 

[sdifox]

I suppose you mean piping it out to an outdoor greenhouse because indoors, a typical home environment mid-'70s temp range is just about ideal, a grow room may even need some heat removed if not using highly efficient lighting.

Indoor commercial grow op with sensors and high efficiency led lighting. Summer time it may need some cooling but winter time it will take all the heat it can get.Talking about Canada here.

 

[KMFJD]

Indoor commercial grow op with sensors and high efficiency led lighting. Summer time it may need some cooling but winter time it will take all the heat it can get.Talking about Canada here.

They can control every aspect when growing indoors, light,humidity,heat,cold,airflow, pests, disease etc...the only thing outdoors has over it is costs, no one growing commercial does it outdoors here, you should see all the greenhouses that are beeing purpose built...

 

[mindless1]

They can control every aspect when growing indoors, light,humidity,heat,cold,airflow, pests, disease etc...the only thing outdoors has over it is costs, no one growing commercial does it outdoors here, you should see all the greenhouses that are beeing purpose built...

You try to dismiss cost. That's everything. E V E R Y T H I N G. That idea "no one growing commercial" means nothing more than legal vs illegal. It is a good point, but not about THIS topic, not relevant when it goes that far off topic.

The fact is that the vast majority of pot is grown outdoors, because the only reason to grow indoors that outweighs the severe detraction from doing so is legal or security issues - Except there is one special case with pot, as with any highly competitive product, that if yours is just a "little" bit better, your sales may be disproportionately higher than the competition, if priced right.

If someone has those issues, of course grow inside. It's a topic about vegetables. Realize that.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Forgot hydroponics. I grow a number of asian greens. All you need is some 30-36" planting containers from Home Depot for $15/ea with soil and the proper lighting.