My Hydroponics
This page shows what my hydroponics entails
and what methods I am following.
I do not think I can deal with this topic of My Hydroponics in one page. There is a lot to show you and to talk about, so it will become multiple pages.
I will be discussing the greenhouse or hothouse. Then I will talk about the growing methods. That includes various aspects. To mention, the merits, the technicalities and potential problems. Then some details about the control systems and controlling the plants. We also should not ignore the environmental aspects. And I should hasten to mention one other huge hidden benefit of a green house. That is the ability to change the climatic and atmospheric condition inside, to perhaps mimic a subtropical climate, allowing some plants to grow all year around. Plus last, but definitely not the least, the nutrient system. And as I am getting carried away, writing, I may discover other items that are worth mentioning. Perhaps I should also draw comparisons on how the professionals are dealing with some aspects.
Now, please do not forget my objective. I am not into efficient mass production.
My mission is to provide ongoing, continuous crops becoming ready to harvest for a small group of people. And do some experimentation to find the best solutions.
My Hydroponics basic building philosophy.
Over my lifetime I have designed hundreds of things, objects, systems, whatever. I have always taken this basic step. Use mass produced items as much as possible, which are usually well priced, and adapt them to your purpose. This is rather than buying or making tailored items, which are often unique, rare, and consequently expensive.
This project is no different. I know all the theory, but now we need to take the step of creating functioning reality. That often means trial and error. If one option runs into a dead end, regroup and try another approach.
The green house.
I purchased the green house from Sproutwell as a kit. It is a 3m x 6m unit plus a shade cloth. I want the green house to be eventually removable, so I am first building a stable, level timber floorgrid. Then the green house is bolted to the timber frame. The kit and instructions were first class, very professional. The cost in October 2023 was greenhouse $5800, shade cloth incl. frame $1550, delivery $550, all including GST.
I wanted to install the greenhouse, so it could be removed. For that purpose I built a timber grid from H4 treated sleepers. That grid was pinned to the ground with Reo bars and the sections are interconnected by nailed on brackets.
The installation book says construction is a 2 man job. But I decided to do it by myself. And, although a bit testing at some points, it worked.
Plant requirements.
There are several vital things that a healthy plant needs. They are:
The roots do need to be in touch with nutrient solution. Not 100% of the time but often.
- The roots need consistent exposure to air.
- The roots should not be flooded or drowned in the nutrient solution, because that will cause root rot.
- The leaves of the plant need exposure to light. In preference sun light, but growing lights will be OK. But often, burning sunlight causes stress.
- Plants require an undisturbed dark time for several hours a day.
- Although the daily temperature & humidity will fluctuate, plants like that fluctuation to be moderate. Extremes will stress the plant, which might inhibit growth. Usually both temperature and humidity above average, to mimic a subtropical climate, works best for most plants.
The systems.
Above is a display of 3 methods. I will describe the methods below in detail. I am using 4 methods.
Methods:
- Kratky. Basically a bucket method. When the plants are young the water level touches the net pot. But as it growth it consumes nutrient and the level drops. We allow the level to drop, because well formed roots will get their air and nutrient.
- NFT – stands for nutrient film technology, using nutrient running in sloping tubes. There is a head bucket, which allows a controlled nutrient flow into the tube. Then that flow is collected in a lower bucket or reservoir. From there the nutrient is pumped back to the head bucket on top.
- Ebb and flood (or sometimes named as flow). Here the nutrient alternately floods the net pot and then drains it to expose the roots to air. The time interval between being flooded and drained varies greatly, however mostly the drain period is 2 to 4 times longer than the flood time. Again this system needs a head bucket on top, and a small pump inside the tube, to move the nutrient back to the top. In my case there are two static periods, a full tube and an almost empty tube. These periods are boarded by a short time to fill the tube or empty the tube.
- Then there is the straight tube, that I used as a passive method instead of ebb and flood. Here I fill the tube with a fixed amount of nutrient. Initially when the plants are small and no roots hang below the net pot, the water level touches the net pot. But as the roots develop below the net pot, I will drop the nutrient level permanently. So far I have obtained most of my plant crops with this method. But it needs a lot of time looking after this method.
What do I have?
First dot left picture – Kratky, second dot – NTF setup, Third dot – Ebb & Flood, fourth dot – straight tube.
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