ive been searching for days on several sites & no luck finding planes on homemade hydro systems 2'x4' i got 10 4' flourecents & 2 100 watt compact in same area looking for ideas thanks in advance
Wolf, there are so many types and ways to build systems. You are only limited by your own ingenuity and resources (or resourcefulness). Hydro is fun because you are the master, YOU are the omnipotent. MU HAHAHA Anyway, I'll step off that soapbox and put down my commandments. LOL I have seen some very simple, very effective methods of hydro, first you have to decide what is the right on for you. A few of of the more common are: Ebb&Flow- of which I am very familiar with, consists of a reservoir and a flood table that is periodically filled and drained of the nutrient solution. This style is very easy to construct of STURDY plastic storage boxes with th appropriate holes drilled, if you interested in this style I'll give you more info later. Deep Water Culture (DWC)- This style is also too easy. Consists of a 5 gallon bucket, BUKU amounts of airstones in the bottom (pumping air of course) of the nutrient solution with the plant sitting in the lid supporting a netpot; the roots grow into the solution. NFT (I don't remember what it stands for, Nutrient Film Technique?)- Some one else would have to give you detail about this one, and maybe able to provide details or pics. But I have seen them contsructed of salvage spouting from houses. Basically they raun a constant stream of nutrients through the "gutters" falling (to allow oxygenation)from the spouting into reservoir, then back back up and continueing the cycle. Aeroponics (best for quick growth) there are too many systems and methods of Aero for me to list Any one of these types of systems can be configured to be utilized in your space. You have a total of 8 sq ft available which a total of 600Watts available. That's 75 Watts/sqfoot, you well into that sweet spot. I would suggest looking into an HPS light before you get to the flower cycle, not that the flos are THAT bad, they just are not THAT good either. If you are going to invest in hydro, invest in a light. Take care, and good luck. I'll try to assist you in any other manner that I can. JE
i was thinking of either ebb n flow or flood n drain ive got all my my general hydroponics ferts flora micro,grow,bloom & the jug of overdrive ive done some flood n drain before but the table was so micky mouse that i didnt do to great time or moneys not a factor but i also dont want to spend 300-400 to build a system also i have all testers & 2-3 different pumps thanks ive also got the 1000hps &1000mh but right now the space is only 5'-6'high so i wasent sure about having enough clearence (Edited by wolf at 9:09 pm on Dec. 6, 2003)
OK, 5-6 ft of headroom should be plenty. You would be best to flower in the hydro, grow with clones, and you should be just about right with 2-4ft plants allowing yourself air space between the light (if you use the 1000W you will need this space, or at least a tempered glass shield) I keep my mothers in soil, under the same flos I clone under, the clones are rooted and vegged 2 weeks in a Rainforest. I take those clones once rooted and vegged slightly and place them in 4x4 rockwool cubes for ebb& flow floweringI put 2-3 new clones every two weeks. I shuld be able to support a small perpetual harvest in this manner, I expect about 1oz/week. If you want to build a nice "poor-boy" version of I would shop at a home repair store like Lowe's or Home Depot. Before I spent the money on my table I had my eye on a utilty room sink, they are the deep kind, made of fiberglass and can be had for $19.99 depending how nice of one you want, they also make trough versions (bit more pricey) anyway, aditionally all you would need is a pump with enough cojones to push the solution 36 inches vertical to fill the sink, a piece of pipe placed over top of the drain could serve as a standpipe to control your depth of feeding solution. When the solution reaches the top of the standpipe it spill down into the natrual sink drain and is caught in a reservoir containing the pump to recirculate the solution. The pump will run about $60-80, I wouldn't skimp on the pump. I helped a friend build one of these and he had about $170 total in it. This included a few extras like decorative panels to block light out of the reservoir (good idea to have this) and a small aquarium powerhead to add additional oxygen to the solution when not in cycle. Anything else I can help with, just ask. I'll see what I can do.
thanks alot thats an excellent idea to stagger the plants going into the bud chamber i think what im going to do is go with the nft system with 3-4 4 ft sections using the utility room sink as the resavar with a lid that has holes for hoses good to go now
if your handy with PVC you might consider putting one of theese together,i haven't built one myself,but for the cost it might be a worthwhile project. http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/11plan01.htm
Bonbon- that's a great link, would work extremely well for clones I would suspect. The only additional thing that should be taken into acount that I can see woud be to light proof the res, other than that, it's excellent.
thanks bonbon i was looking at that 2 liter bottle methed but my question would be with the bottle tapperd at bottom like that wouldent you run into problems with the roots closing or dramaticly slowing down the drain on it anybody else got any plans or good bed setup ideas for the 2' x 4' thanks well i managed to find a page that had several good diagrams & excellent ideas allmost good to go (Edited" target="_blank">http://www.sharprubberduck.com/ (Edited by wolf at 8:17 pm on Dec. 7, 2003) (Edited by wolf at 12:51 am on Dec. 8, 2003) (Edited by wolf at 3:57 am on Dec. 8, 2003)
I wouldnt use the two ltr bottles,they are too thin for a good root system in ebb and flow.12 inch pots with clay pebbles are the way to go.For more yield you need bigger roots.$2.oo a pot and you can reuse.
