Hydroponic Gardening

[LazyBkpr]

I have nothing to hide at all... but I am here to tell you, they kick in my door they better already be shooting because I sure will be if they don't announce themselves first.   As long as they announce who they are first they are welcome to search all they want.

[kebee]

 I have a problem with my hydroponic garden leaking, I try stop it the other day by gluing the end on it where the pump hose goes in, than found out that it is pushing the liquid up around the first tomato plant, I puled it up and pushed the hose in passed it. now it leaks even worst than before. I am learning a lot on my first try, don't put tomatoes plants in first. I had the timer with 15 on and 15 off, change to 15 mins once an hour now, hope this kind of slows it down for it is coming out at 3 gals an hour before.

Ken

[rrog13]

I run my pumps continuously ...no timer.  But, I'm also able to control the pump flow to some extent.  If you're not able to reduce the flow at the pump, try putting a valve on the input line and close it down enough to stop the water from overflowing around the plants.  The roots of those tomato plants do tend to get massive.  If you're able to remove the end caps on you're runs, you could take a section of 1/2 PVC, drill/cut the pvc where it falls between you plants.  If you want you can also secure some weed blocker on the 1/2 pvc in those areas to keep the roots from getting in there and still let the water flow in and underneath the roots.  That should help relieve some of the backup.

[Zulu]

I run my pumps continuously ...no timer.  But, I'm also able to control the pump flow to some extent.  If you're not able to reduce the flow at the pump, try putting a valve on the input line and close it down enough to stop the water from overflowing around the plants.  The roots of those tomato plants do tend to get massive.  If you're able to remove the end caps on you're runs, you could take a section of 1/2 PVC, drill/cut the pvc where it falls between you plants.  If you want you can also secure some weed blocker on the 1/2 pvc in those areas to keep the roots from getting in there and still let the water flow in and underneath the roots.  That should help relieve some of the backup.

Richard I hope you mean a valve on the input to the bed, ie pressure side of the pump.....

the other way to make a manifold with wide area for the incoming water to disperse , make a T and cut or drills lots of holes on the outward legs and bury this in the media

Never got mine started as my CFO shut me down from buying any parts.... SWMBO is on my case about my hobbies .... so beer making took priority

[kebee]

 Thanks rrog13, I am going to have to order some fitting to get the flow down for that seems to be the only way I can do it, this place around here has nothing in way of supplies, and when they do you would think it was gold at the prices.

Ken

[kebee]

 Forgot about TSC Tractor Supply, was in there looking for something about a month ago and remember I saw some plumbing supplies, so went in yesterday and low and behold they had what I was looking for in the size also, so now it is fixed with no leaks and running all day and only some breaks at night. Thanks again rrog13 for the suggestion and Zulu I knew what he was talking about on this one.

Ken

[Zulu]

Forgot about TSC Tractor Supply, was in there looking for something about a month ago and remember I saw some plumbing supplies, so went in yesterday and low and behold they had what I was looking for in the size also, so now it is fixed with no leaks and running all day and only some breaks at night. Thanks again rrog13 for the suggestion and Zulu I knew what he was talking about on this one.

Ken

Glad it worked out, seen people throttle the input to a pump and kill it soon thereafter ....

[rrog13]

...now it is fixed with no leaks and running all day

Glad to hear it Ken.

Zulu.......yeah, I see what you're saying. Restricting the flow of water to the pump itself would cause it to cavitate and wouldn't be a good thing.   

[Gypsi]

The book I am using is called Aquaponics, and instead of nutrient the ideal food is fish waste from either goldfish or food fish.  However I had to pull the fish from the 1000 gallon pond that I raise my water lilies in due to a disease *(not using medicine and growing food on same pond) so for right now instead of hydroton I have my plants potted in organic potting soil via Living Earth.

I just added the tomatoes yesterday.  Hydroton has zero nutrients and it would cost me about $450 for enough for my setup. I spent $10 on the potting soil. I will be picking up some 4 inch catfish for the pond in the next week or 2, have to drive a ways to get them, but I want a food fish in there.

I have tilapia in my setup in the greenhouse, but no food plants on it yet, haven't had time to work out the plumbing issues.  The tilapia started in the outdoor pond but a temp below 45 degrees becomes fatal fairly quickly, I have 45 in the greenhouse (having lost the big ones to a late season cold snap IN the greenhouse), and a few in the house.
Greenhouse: raising aquatic iris and pickerel rush for my pond business. The fish at that time was a customer's injured koi, Feb 2014

tilapia Nov 27 2013, in the house


Before adding vegetables. I actually got the dirt idea when my blueberries died of drought and I tossed them in pots and set them on the big wide tray... they came back to life, noticed yesterday, bought some tomato plants. $450 for hydroton is a LOT of money. built the tray from curb wood - old garage shelves out of 5/8 plywood with 2x4 frames and braces.  Scrap pond liner 11 x 12 taken off a customer's pond when we put in a hardshell. Cinderblocks ran about $20




Will post veggie photos when I get the trays filled up, maybe this weekend. Ideal time to plant in Texas is April, and I worked every day.

[kebee]

 Looks good Gypsi, looks like you put a lot of work into this.

Ken

[rrog13]

Nice set up.  Do you have to do anything to keep the water temperature from getting to hot?

[Gypsi]

Thank you guys.

The fountain in the center (off in this photo) and another fountain help keep the temp down to 80 or below. The pond is in full sun.  The media stuff is going to be the tricky part, mainly trying to hold my costs down to a reasonable level. Had a guy trying to sell me 3/4 inch expanded shale last week, and I'm just not into that volume I think. I gather it lets all the nutrients run through but until I have fish in the pond, my plants will starve on that pond water.

[riverbee]

wow gypsi, very cool, thank you for the pictures!!!

[Gypsi]

Mine is a maximum low budget system. My garden cost me so much to water last year and produced so little with the drought that I am giving this a try. The guys up thread are real hydroponic, I am taking a course on permaculture and a part of that is being cheap, recycling, reusing and getting animals to feed the plants and plants to feed the animals.

I spend so much time dealing with plumbing leaks on customer sites and I am gone so much I would be afraid to do a pipe system. My fountains aerate, the spray bar in to the plant tray oxygenates the water too, the whole thing drains back  to the pond, the sidewalls are strong enough that if I blocked up the tray with media to a 6 inch depth and ran the water level up I believe it would hold water (keeping tall aquariums teaches you a thing or 2 about water pressure),  and like hydroponics, no weeding.

If I can get some catfish in there and feed them heavily for the freezer I will not have to add any fertilizer and can gradually eliminate soil in pots to feed the plants.

In Texas if you go to the hydroponic store you will be followed home, I'm pretty sure.  Cops used to sit in the parking lot taking plate numbers. I don't want my dogs shot, and am much more interested in fish and food than testing water for fertilizer additives, although I expect to have to add some soluble iron (tried tomatoes over the tilapia last year, finally put them in the ground due to chloriosis.) 

I like your big systems guys, they are beautiful and neat and MUCH tidier than mine.