Do-it-yourself hydro system

Kinda hard to water your plants by hand if you have a real job or a life.


I am in the process of building an Ebb and Flo system. I didn't have all the cash at one time, so I bought a little at a time.


I have 2 old 400wt Hortilux I used for my mother plants before and some floros I had set up for clones, so i didn't have to buy them this time. I sold all my 600wt lights to a friend last year thinking I'd be outa the game for a while. But it's something you can't shake, most of you longer members know this


I bought a little with each pay cheque over a course of 3 months:


1) PH/TDS meters (first time out)


2)air/water pumps (picked out last month so straight to store)


3)nutrients/PH up and down + rockwool then hydroton + trays, ressies, tubes and fittings


5)last, is a couple new timers, one digital for pumps since controling seconds n minutes are easier + new fan + new dryer ducting + mylar


6)black feeding hose 60ft, 20 X high-pressure 360degree fine sprayers for aeroponic cloner.


6)Final step seeds, which I will buy next month.


Already purchased years ago


Rooting compound, Schults, works for me.


one 30X eye loope, one 40X eye loope with light


Propargation tray for clones


Two 1" X 1' long air stone for ressies


Two 400wt MH bulbs, One 400wt Philips HPS bulb (backups for emergencies)


One back up exaust fan


Two Thermometer and Hygrometers, one digital for better accuracy


Now you can see there are a lot of things that go into a hydroponic system. There's absolutely no need to rush things and getyourself substandard equipment.


I am only running a 400wt Hortilux for flowering and 12 X 3' 30wt cool/warm white floros for veg/clones/mother. 2 Ebb & Flo


trays, 22" X 28" each holding either 4 or 6 plants depending on size.


The price tag for this relatively simple system is still about $1600. price includes $50 for seeds and 2 X 400wt Hortilux bulbs w/ballasts, 12 X 3' cool white and warm white floros and pretty much all of the above I listed. Give or take a hunder bucks ere and there.


.For a decent setup it really isn't cheap, but keep in mind you don't have to run out and get everything all at once! I'm proof of that dood.