devero420
Active Member
This is the way that I make my hydro setups, I learned a couple of lessons my first time around so i figured I would share the knowledge.
Here is what you will need:
First if you cannot buy a black container you must start by painting the tops of the containers white and the bottoms black (I bought mine based on size so I had to take whatever they had). You want to do this because if light gets to your res water you will have an algae problem. You can use whatever size containers work for you.
You want to make sure you put a few coats on the so that you are blocking out the light. Dont worry about making it pretty, your plants wont care.
Here are the reservoirs all painted:
Now we take our weatherstripping and we line the perimeter of the lid. If we do not do this then condensation will gather on the top of the lid and then leak down out of the sides. Lesson learned!
Here is the weatherstripping in place:
Now you replace the clamps. At this point you should have a light tight sealed container:
We have to prevent the water from stagnating and get oxygen to our roots so we lay the flexible air stone around the bottom of the reservoir:
Now we drill holes for your netpots and a small hole for the air tubing. If you want to go the xtra mile you can take a piece of tubing and cut it lengthwise to line the hole for the netpot. It just makes for a more polished look and a you get a better light barrier.
Fill with your ph'd nutrient solution. Add plants. Dont forget to hook up your air tube to the aquarium pump.
You want to make sure that the bottom 3rd of the netpot is submerged and once your plants start to grow roots you can let the water level go down a bit. Also make sure that you keep the air pumps above the waterline or you may have water flow back into your system.
Other Tips
- It is good form to change your water every two weeks, but I have gone longer and suffered no ill effects. You should fill with nutrient solution then add back plain ph'd water until you added back the same amount of nutrient water that you started with. Then change the wanter and start with a new batch of nutrient solution.
- It is a good idea to cover the tops of your netpots with some kind of light blocking material (I use electrical tape) once the plant has sprouted. Remember that light and water do not mix.
- For newcomers to hydroponics you want to avoid the number 1 noob mistake OVERFEEDING. You want to follow the directions 25%-35% of the recommended dosage for your plants life-cycle. Then if you see no signs of nute burn you can then experiment upwards.
- You want your PH to be between 5.5 and 6.0 (5.8 if you have a digital meter)
- When making your water it is best to add all of the nutrients then correctly ph the water then feed it to your plants. If you write down the amount of PH up or PH down that you have to use each time you can save yourself time the next go around by simply referring to your notes and adding the correct amount of UP or DOWN and then you will only have to check your PH at the end to make sure you are correct.
- Clean the unpainted inside surfaces with bleach water between grows, every two or three grows you can throw on a fresh coat of paint if aesthetics please you.
Thats It! Happy Growing!
Here is what you will need:
First if you cannot buy a black container you must start by painting the tops of the containers white and the bottoms black (I bought mine based on size so I had to take whatever they had). You want to do this because if light gets to your res water you will have an algae problem. You can use whatever size containers work for you.
You want to make sure you put a few coats on the so that you are blocking out the light. Dont worry about making it pretty, your plants wont care.
Here are the reservoirs all painted:
Now we take our weatherstripping and we line the perimeter of the lid. If we do not do this then condensation will gather on the top of the lid and then leak down out of the sides. Lesson learned!
Here is the weatherstripping in place:
Now you replace the clamps. At this point you should have a light tight sealed container:
We have to prevent the water from stagnating and get oxygen to our roots so we lay the flexible air stone around the bottom of the reservoir:
Now we drill holes for your netpots and a small hole for the air tubing. If you want to go the xtra mile you can take a piece of tubing and cut it lengthwise to line the hole for the netpot. It just makes for a more polished look and a you get a better light barrier.
Fill with your ph'd nutrient solution. Add plants. Dont forget to hook up your air tube to the aquarium pump.
You want to make sure that the bottom 3rd of the netpot is submerged and once your plants start to grow roots you can let the water level go down a bit. Also make sure that you keep the air pumps above the waterline or you may have water flow back into your system.
Other Tips
- It is good form to change your water every two weeks, but I have gone longer and suffered no ill effects. You should fill with nutrient solution then add back plain ph'd water until you added back the same amount of nutrient water that you started with. Then change the wanter and start with a new batch of nutrient solution.
- It is a good idea to cover the tops of your netpots with some kind of light blocking material (I use electrical tape) once the plant has sprouted. Remember that light and water do not mix.
- For newcomers to hydroponics you want to avoid the number 1 noob mistake OVERFEEDING. You want to follow the directions 25%-35% of the recommended dosage for your plants life-cycle. Then if you see no signs of nute burn you can then experiment upwards.
- You want your PH to be between 5.5 and 6.0 (5.8 if you have a digital meter)
- When making your water it is best to add all of the nutrients then correctly ph the water then feed it to your plants. If you write down the amount of PH up or PH down that you have to use each time you can save yourself time the next go around by simply referring to your notes and adding the correct amount of UP or DOWN and then you will only have to check your PH at the end to make sure you are correct.
- Clean the unpainted inside surfaces with bleach water between grows, every two or three grows you can throw on a fresh coat of paint if aesthetics please you.
Thats It! Happy Growing!
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