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http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/ Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop Hydroponic Food Factory by NathanWilliams on March 19, 2009 Table of Contents Hydroponic Food Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Intro: Hydroponic Food Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Step 1: The Green side of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Step 2: What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Step 3: The concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Step 4: The hole template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Step 5: Making the cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Step 6: Support Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Step 7: Support for the pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Step 8: Drill the end caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Step 9: Lock the hose in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Step 10: Cap the ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Step 11: Overflow! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Step 12: Prepare the cups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Step 13: Planting time! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Step 14: But the roots are too big! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Step 15: Water & Potato bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Step 16: Drip ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Step 17: Hydroponic potatoes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Step 18: Add the float valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Step 19: Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Step 20: Update 1 - Flush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Step 21: Update 2 - Nutrients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Step 22: Update 3 - Flooded potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Step 23: Update 4 - Hose blockages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Step 24: Update 5 - Potato status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Step 25: Update 6 - Dirt vs Hydro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Step 26: Update 7 - Is it natural? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Transcript
Page 1: Hydroponic Food Factory

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/

Food      Living       Outside        Play        Technology       Workshop

Hydroponic Food Factoryby NathanWilliams on March 19, 2009

Table of Contents

Hydroponic Food Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Hydroponic Food Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   The Green side of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3:   The concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4:   The hole template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 5:   Making the cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 6:   Support Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 7:   Support for the pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 8:   Drill the end caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 9:   Lock the hose in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 10:   Cap the ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 11:   Overflow! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 12:   Prepare the cups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Step 13:   Planting time! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Step 14:   But the roots are too big! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Step 15:   Water & Potato bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Step 16:   Drip ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Step 17:   Hydroponic potatoes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 18:   Add the float valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Step 19:   Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Step 20:   Update 1 - Flush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Step 21:   Update 2 - Nutrients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Step 22:   Update 3 - Flooded potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Step 23:   Update 4 - Hose blockages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Step 24:   Update 5 - Potato status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Step 25:   Update 6 - Dirt vs Hydro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Step 26:   Update 7 - Is it natural? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Page 2: Hydroponic Food Factory

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/

Author:NathanWilliamsSoftware engineer, using electronics and micro controllers as a hobby to keep me sane!

Intro:  Hydroponic Food FactoryBuild your own outdoor hydroponic system to grow Potatoes, Strawberries, Lettuce and Celery!

I have been interested in hydroponics from a very young age when a relative gave me a "grow light".Being young, I didn't realise hydroponics meant growing without dirt, but that didn't stop me trying to grow plants under my parents stairs!

Ever since seeing my strawberries growing under that purple fluorescent glow, I was mesmerised by the idea of growing plants in different ways.When I learnt that hydroponics was about growing without dirt (and not artificial lights!), I was hooked even more.

I have researched for years, and recently took the plunge growing a small hydroponic chilli plant, that shot up above it's dirt bound siblings. That was it for me, I wantedmore, and I wanted bigger!

So here is how I built my new hydroponic garden, I hope to inspire others to jump in, it is a great hobby!

Image Notes1. Celery2. Strawberries3. Lettuce4. Potatoes5. Water tank6. Resivour

Step 1: The Green side of lifeHydroponics is not only an enjoyable hobby, it is also a green one.

Hydroponics use as little as 10% of the water needed for plants grown in dirt , and results in higher yields due to the plants always having the necessary nutrientsavailable to them when they need it.

Being a closed system, it also means that fertiliser is kept out of the water table, which is great for the environment.

An added benefit is that there is a less chance for weeds and dirt bound insects to attack your plants, so there is less of a need for chemical poisons.

Going furtherKeeping with the green spirit, this instructable uses recycled materials where possible, and uses a low power pump, to keep electricity use low.

From using old PVC pipes, an old wooden baby's crib and other miscellaneous junk, not only is the cost kept down, but so is the waste.

As for power, the only thing needed is a water pump.A small submersible pond pump kept the power usage down to a small 18 watts, which is about that of a CFL and less then a third of an Aerogarden!

When it comes to lights, it is hard to beat the Sun!Free, effective and carbon neutral, it provides the exact spectrum that plants have evolved to use.

Food

By growing food in my garden, it is a little bit less food I need to buy, a little less food that has been shipped across country, by trucks.No packaging, and no transport makes this food the greenest in my kitchen.

Page 3: Hydroponic Food Factory

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/

Image Notes1. My wife's dirt based plants, now heading for a life outside!2. My little greenhouse I got for Christmas

Image Notes1. This is a powered greenhouse!2. Clear and ready for its new life as a hydroponic greenhouse

Image Notes1. 18 watt submersible pond pump

Page 4: Hydroponic Food Factory

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/

Step 2: What you needThis won't be everything, but it the majority of what you need to build a hydroponic garden like this one.

PVC PipeI had one long piece from a friend, and I bought two precut pieces from the hardware store.

End capsA cheap way to seal off PVC pipes (who would have guessed!)

BucketThis is where our water starts and ends. You want this to have a decent capacity, so the pump won't run dry.

Submersible pumpI bought a small 18w pond pump.It is important that you look for one with a plastic impeller, as metal ones will most likely corrode from the dissolved salts (nutrients) in the water.

Plastic cupsThese will be the new home for your plants.Buy more then you need, as you will probably have to destroy a couple for measurement purposes.Also, don't get clear ones, clear cups will let light in, and encourage algae growth.

Silicon sealantIf I was to do this over again, I would have opted for grommets, but silicon does a decent job, and it is handy if you have any small leaks you need to plug!

Garden HoseA friend insisted I use a bit of his expensive hose, as it will bend better with less kinks.He was right, but in the end it wasn't enough for everything, so I also bought a cheap hose for extra length where I needed it.

As a bonus though, I got some hose fittings, which I was able to turn into a handy float valve! Read the instructable for it here: Hydroponics Float valve

SawOnly needed if you need to cut up a long piece of pipe like I did (and the wooden frame).Looking back, I should have left it out of the picture, it wasn't as important as I was thinking.

Image Notes1. 20 Litre bucket to act as our reservoir.2. PVC pipe3. Submersible water pump4. PVC end caps5. Silicon sealant (water proof)6. Cheap plastic cups7. Garden hose (this wasn't enough, I had to buy a cheap hose for more length).8. Saw. I needed this to cut up my long piece of PVC

Step 3: The conceptIn hydroponics, it is all about getting the nutrient rich water to your plant's roots, while making sure there is enough oxygen in the water so they don't drown.

NFTHere we are building an NFT (Nutrient film technique ) system using PVC pipes.

The basic idea is that we want a small, but constant flow of water that the plant's roots can sit in.The water contains all the nutrients the plants want, and the constant flow means there is plenty of oxygen in the water.

The plants need something to support them though, seeing we won't have dirt to hold them up, this is where hydroponic mediums come in.I have three that I have been working with, perlite , vermiculite and expanded clay balls .

These will give the plants support, and a small buffer to hold water.

Now, we don't want these being washed away, so we will be putting them in little plastic cups, and let the roots grow out small holes into the stream of water.

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Image Notes1. vermiculite2. perlite3. expanded clay balls

Image Notes1. Celery2. Perlite / Vermiculite mix.3. Holes, and inside there is a small layer of clay balls, to stop the lighter mediumswashing away down the holes

Image Notes1. Strawberry plant2. Cup in the pipe, sitting above the water flow

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Step 4: The hole templateNow that we know what we want to achieve, lets start building!

Make a templateGet a plastic cup, and line it up to the end of one of your PVC pipes.Choose how deep you want the cup to go.

Don't have it sitting in the water level, leave it a little above the bottom, don't worry, the roots know how to find water.

Mark the point onto the cup.Cut the cup along the line you marked.

Get a scrap of cardboard, and draw a line around the cut off cup (the top part).Cut out the hole, and test it with a new cup, to make sure it fits, and is at the height you want.

Work out how many cups you want in your pipe (I picked 10 for two pipes, and 3 for the other two).

As my pipes were 1 metre long (~3 feet), I centred my templates around a 10 centimetre (4 inches), and made a small whole on each side of the big hole.

The two small wholes give you an easy way to make sure each cup is spaced evenly apart from each other.

Image Notes1. Above the bottom2. Make your mark!

Image Notes1. Cut at your mark2. Use the cup top as a template3. Just a piece of cardboard (from a fajitas making kit!)

Image Notes1. 10 cups looks like a reasonable amount, right?

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Image Notes1. New, uncut cup

Image Notes1. Big hole2. Small guide hole3. The other small guide hole

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Step 5: Making the cutStart by putting the end caps on your pipe.This will give you a safe area to cut in.

Get a piece of tape, and run it along the pipe, making a straight line.It doesn't need to be perfect, but you will need the cups to line up for the most part.

Now, move the template along this line, making a mark in the two holes.When you move to the second spot, line the first hole up with the mark left by the template.Do this the whole way along.

When you are done, remove the tape, and go back and draw in the circles.I used a black CD marker, but anything that will draw on PVC pipes will do.

Now, get your drill bit ready!Drill small holes to mark out the circle.The closer they are, they easier the next step is.

Now push your drill bit, slowly from hole to hole, just connect the dots until the middle drops out.

The result is a bit rough, but put a cup in, and figure out what needs cleaning up.

Get your dremmel tool, with a grinding head and clean up the hole until the cup fits as you wanted it too.This is messy, don't breath in while you do it, protect your eyes, and expect to look a bit like a snowman by the end of it all!

Do this for all your pipe.

My two strawberry pipes, I did 10 cups in each.The other two, I wanted more spacing (for the lettuce for example), so I put only 3 cups in, equally spaced.

Image Notes1. Tape in a straight line2. Using the template to mark the spacing.

Image Notes1. Line this up with the dots you made.2. And this one too, to make sure it is as straight as the tape line!3. Draw the circle, it doesn't have to be neat!

Image Notes Image Notes

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1. Drill a lot of close holes2. You can join the small holes by pushing your drill bit between them, connect thedots!

1. Cut, but a bit rough2. The middle bit, you can throw this away3. Grinding bit for a dremel tool

Image Notes1. Better fit2. You make a lot of mess with this, don't breath it in, and protect your eyes!

Image Notes1. For the strawberries, 10 cups per pipe2. Only 3 cups per pipe, for more space.

Step 6: Support FrameWe need a frame to support our pipes, nothing fancy, it doesn't even have to be all that strong.

Not everyone will find the same unwanted junk as I did, so be creative, look at what is around, and imagine what you could create.

I found an old discarded baby's crib, it was structurally sound, but I wouldn't use it for a baby, it just didn't look healthy enough for that.So, instead of being discarded, it has now found a new home, doing something useful!

Building itI put the crib in my greenhouse, and found that half of it fit in perfectly, right before the hinge point.So I unscrewed the hinge, removed the section from the hinge to the front, and then rejoined the front.(I also go rid of the entire top section)

Now, this doesn't support itself, so I took the metal locking strips, bent them, and turned them into a support.

I only had the two piece of metal, so the front and back only had one support each.This did make it a bit wobbly, and later on caused some issues.I'll show you how I fixed that in a later step.

Image Notes1. Old baby's crib. Looking at it up close, and no responsible parent would wantto use it, so it was time to repurpose it!

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Image Notes1. Half of it fits perfectly inside my mini greenhouse, I just need to separate it atthis hinge point2. This section is removed

Image Notes1. It was once used to lock in the hinged section. I used the gap in my pavers tobend the metal

Image Notes1. When screwed into place, this holds the front and back pieces up.

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Image Notes1. Metal strip screwed into place2. Other metal strip

Step 7: Support for the pipesTo support the pipes, I decided on using a plastic mesh (plastic chicken wire?) I had left over from a different project.I ran it from the top frame of my greenhouse (cover off), down to the front, making sure it was at a decent angle to keep the pipes going on an approximate 45 degreeangle.

Support the mesh by tying it to the greenhouse, and frame with twist ties.I had a large roll of the stuff (useful for training plants too), and used it liberally to hold the mesh down.

When I knew how far to take the front, I cut the frame as needed.

You will also need to cut out the middle poles so you can get your hand in, and work with the bucket if needed.

Add the pipesAdd your pipes to the mesh, and tie them into place with more twist tie wire.

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Image Notes1. A lot of little green twist ties2. Cut to size3. Middle poles removed for easy access to the bucket

Image Notes1. Twist tie wire2. More twist tie wire, I used a lot of this stuff!3. You want each pipe lower then the one above it, and out enough so the plantshave some room to grow4. The height difference also means we can make the most of gravity to make thewater flow from pipe to pipe

Step 8: Drill the end capsMake another template on cardboard, based around the hose.

You will want to cut a little smaller then the hose, we want the fit to be tight.This is much the same as cutting the holes in the PVC, just aim for a tight fit, this will hold the hose in, and provide a bit of a seal.

Image Notes1. Hose2. Cardboard3. Template

Image Notes1. I want the hose to be a tight fit, so I drew a smaller inner circle to cut out

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Image Notes1. Use the template to mark the end cap

Image Notes1. Drill and cut like you did for the PVC pipes Adjust until the hose fits tightly

Step 9: Lock the hose inA tight fit won't be enough to ensure the hose stays put, and the last thing you want is water pumped all over the ground, dead plants and a burnt out pump!

Get some stiff wire, such as a coat hanger, cut a small piece.Drill a hold right through the end of the hose, push the hose into the end cap, then lock it in with the wire.Bend the wire a bit so it doesn't just slide out of the hose.

Before you seal the joint, put the end cap on the pipe, and measure the length of hose needed to go to the next pipe down.

Use some waterproof silicon sealant on both sides to finish the job.Let the silicon set overnight.

Image Notes1. Coat hanger wire2. Drill a hole in the end of the hose

Image Notes1. The wire through the hole in the hose, locks the hose in

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Image Notes1. Water proof silicon sealant

Image Notes1. Sealant on the inside too

Step 10: Cap the endsPush the caps onto the pipe, and mark how far it goes.

You only want to glue in one half of the cap pair at a time, as the hose will push outwards and pop the cap off otherwise.

Line the caps up so the drain hose is at the bottom, and the other end goes to the top of the next pipe.This way, when the water flows, it will splash around more, dissolving more oxygen into the water, which is important for the plant's roots.

The blue stuff I'm using is a plumber's cement.A friend gave it to me, it is about a decade out of date, but we aren't doing anything too important here, so it does the job just fine.

You want to paint it on liberally on both the pipe, and the inside of the end cap.

Push the end cap on, and make sure you have the hose lined up right, hold the end cap firm for about 5 minutes while it sets.

You need to give it a day to fully dry properly before you complete the other join.

Image Notes1. A mark for how far the cap goes on2. The blue stuff is plumbing cement

Image Notes1. It is about 10 years old, but it did the job perfectly (I probably wouldn't trust it fora sewer line though!!!)2. The lid has a small brush attached to it, to paint the cement on to the pipes

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Image Notes1. Do one at a time, otherwise the hose will flex, and weaken both joins

Image Notes1. From the water pump2. Back to the bucket

Image Notes1. Drain from the bottom of the pipe2. Send into the top of the pipe (helps aeration)

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Step 11: Overflow!I powered up the pump, and very quickly there was an overflow.

There were a few steps to fixing this properly:

1. Turned the pump down to a lower flow rate.There was a small dial on the front of the pump for this.

2. Add more support to the frontI used a piece of square guttering that I found laying around.At first I tried to bend it, but it ws way to strong, so instead I held it in place, and put screws there to hold it in place.This worked really well, and was a simple fix.

3. Raise each pipe until they flow from one to the other better.I moved everything up a lot more then I first planned, but this really helped the water flow from one pipe to the next.

These steps helped a lot, but apparently, my small pump (on low!) wasn't small enough, and I actually needed to kink the hose a little to reduce the flow further.

Image Notes1. Hmm, could do with some adjustment....

Image Notes1. This isn't helping either!!!!

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Image Notes1. Junk bit of guttering I found2. Gate latch I didn't use in the end

Image Notes1. Screw2. Screw

Image Notes1. Raised and on more of a slope2. Fixed the gap between these, to ensure a better flow3. Potatoes will be going in here....4. This will be the bigger water tank

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Step 12: Prepare the cupsSo, our little plants will need somewhere to live, so get your cheap plastic cups ready.

You just need a small drill bit, and some patience.

I would recommend lining up all the cups, and making a drill pattern that you can repeat per cup.That way you know they all have enough holes, and you can drill each cup without thinking.

I drilled the base (cup upside down), and then around the sides on little plastic marks around the cup.

Now, left like this, perlite and vermiculite will simply wash away through those holes, so you should put a small layer of clay balls to prevent that.

The clay balls have a fine orange dust over them, so you will need to wash them off.I found it easiest to put them in the drilled cups, and lower the cup into a bucket of water.

Image Notes1. A lot of nice little holes for the roots to get through

Image Notes1. You have a lot of cups to drill, making a pattern makes this easier

Image Notes1. Just rinsing the balls....

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Step 13: Planting time!I wanted to have plants in my setup quickly, and I couldn't wait for seeds, so I liberated some dirt based seedlings!

Before you work on the plants, you will need to get your planting mediums ready.

I mixed perlite and vermiculite in a 50/50 mix, to provide good aeration and water retention.If you aren't doing the potatoes later, you don't need anywhere near as much as I have there (a 12 litre bucket).

If you have the time, you will get best results by growing from seeds, but if you are impatient like me, then buy some seedlings and follow on.

Pop your plant out of it's tray, and gently remove as much dirt with your fingers as you can, all the while trying not to disturb the roots too much. (picture 3)

With a bucket of plain water, dip the plant roots in and gently wash the dirt away.You won't get it all, but do your best. (picture 4)If the roots are tangled (like with my celery), you will need to slowly pull the plants apart, do your best being careful with the roots. (picture 5)

Now, grab your cup with already washed clay balls at the bottom, hold your plant in there, and pour in your medium mix. (picture 6)

When you are done, you should have a plant that can hold itself up (picture 7), if not, pack it down a little more.

You should give the cup (with plant in it) a quick dunk in the water bucket, and then move it to it's new home in the PVC pipe (picture 8)

Image Notes1. 50/50 Perlite / Vermiculite mix

Image Notes1. 10 Strawberry plants2. Celery - 9 pack, more then I needed3. 6 pack of iceburg lettuce

Image Notes1. Loosen as much dirt as you can with your fingers, without disturbing the roots

Image Notes1. Washing the dirt away

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Image Notes1. Clean enough, just separate them slowly and gently

Image Notes1. Even with macro, it is hard to get a good shot while pouring, and hoping theplant holds itself for the shot!

Image Notes1. Celery2. Perlite / Vermiculite mix.3. Holes, and inside there is a small layer of clay balls, to stop the lightermediums washing away down the holes

Image Notes1. Now in their new home

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Step 14: But the roots are too big!So, you get to the strawberries and wonder how you are going to fit that massive root ball into the small plastic cup, right?

Before you even wash off the water, get some clean scissors, clean them with some rubbing alcohol and carefully cut through the dirt.Do this as little as possible, as it will stress the plant.

It is better to make one big cut, then to make many small cuts.

With the root ball being so big, I also found I needed a little pressure from the garden hose to wash the dirt off.

Once you have done that, the plant should fit nicely into the cup.

The strawberries were also a bit more expensive then I had planned, so I have planted them in alternate cups, leaving the other spaces spare.I have two ideas for this, either leave them spare (the plants are quite big anyway), or wait until these plants send out runners, and I will get the other 10 plants for free!(also they will be free of dirt!)

Image Notes1. Just too big for the little plastic cup

Image Notes1. After a cut & clean, the strawberry plant will fit the cup

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Image Notes1. Strawberry plant2. Cup in the pipe, sitting above the water flow

Step 15: Water & Potato binsThe water and potato bins need the exact same modifications, so just do the following twice.

Drill a hole big enough for the hose to squeeze through (you should have some practice in this by now!)

You want the hole as low as possible, so you can drain out as much water as you can.

Hook the metal wire, and silicon seal the joint just like you did for the end caps.

The potato bin will simply drain back into the small reservoir, while the water bin will need to be hooked up to a float valve.

You can either buy a side entry float valve, or even better, just follow my instructable on how to make a very cheap one here: Hydroponics Float Valve

I'll go into more depth on mounting the float valve later

Image Notes1. You want the hose as close to the bottom as you can

Image Notes1. Just like the end caps, nothing new to see here

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Image Notes1. Can you believe this is a working float valve?!! Follow my other instructable tomake your own

Step 16: Drip ringThe potatoes shouldn't be in a stream of water, but they do need a steady supply of water and nutrients.

This is where a drip ring comes in.

You will need two T pieces that fit your garden hose.Cut a length of hose that will make a nice sized circle, and join it with the T piece.

Use a pin, and make a lot of little holes around the hose.

On the pump line, cut it above the height of the potato bin, and rejoin with a T piece.Join the drip ring to the pump line with a piece of hose long enough that the ring can reach the bottom of the bin.

Image Notes1. T piece

Image Notes1. Now it is a ring!

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2. Garden hose 2. Poke holes in the ring, a lot of holes

Image Notes1. Tap into the supply hose with a T-Piece

Image Notes1. Being a drip ring, it won't take too much pressure away from the rest of thesystem

Step 17: Hydroponic potatoes!Hydroponics isn't just for above ground plants, with a bit of creativity (and a good hydroponics book!!), you can find ways to plant pretty much anything without dirt.

Potatoes can be started from any potato with eyes.You can even start from a small slice of a potato, as long as it has an eye to start a root from.

Ideally you will want to get a seed potato from your local nursery, as it will be disease free and healthy.I was a bit impatient however, and just grabbed a potato from the cupboard!

The plan here, is to plant the potato at the bottom of the bin, and as it grows, add more medium around the plant. (look at the second, badly drawn picture!)This will give us more potatoes, and let us grow vertically.

One very important note here, don't let any potatoes grow uncovered. Uncovered potatoes will go green, and green potatoes are poisonous !!

Start by lining the bottom of the bin with some clay balls, this will allow the water to drain better.

Place the potato in the centre and cover with a 50/50 perlite & vermiculite mix and put in the drip ring.

Now, being so deep down in the bin, it would help if we could direct some more light into the area.

One of the best ways to reflect the light that plants like, is to use a reflective material called Mylar.

Mylar in rolls for hydroponics is a bit expensive, thankfully it isn't just for hydroponics, you will find it on shiny balloons, and chip packets!

Having a big multi-pack available, I cut it open, and stuck it into place.So shiny!!

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Image Notes1. It looks like it wants to grow already!2. eye

Image Notes1. As the plant grows above the medium...2. Cover it up!

Image Notes1. Potato2. Clay balls

Image Notes1. 50/50 mix of Perlite and Vermiculite2. Almost covered, don't stop here though, cover it fully!

Image Notes1. Covered2. Drip ring

Image Notes1. Chip bags, a good (and cheap!) source of mylar!

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Image Notes1. That is a lot of highly reflective mylar that would have been discarded!

Image Notes1. The mylar will help get the sunlight to the plant while it is still low in the bin

Step 18: Add the float valveFix the float valve to the water bucket so the float sits in the water, and the water flows into the bucket.

My greenhouse came with two metal meshes to act as a floor, or something, so I tied one to the bucket, and tied the float to it.

Attach the hose to the float, and you are done with construction!

SafetyOne last thing you want to be sure of, is where your power cord is.Keep it up high, and off the ground.One overflow and you could be electrocuted, don't mess around with electricity!

Image Notes1. Screen tied to the bucket2. Normal hose attachment3. Top of the floating bottle4. To my water bin!5. I had to seal up a tiny leak (it is a cheap hose fitting after all!)

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Step 19: MaintenanceSome of your plants won't take to the new system right away, for the first week or so, you will need to add a little bit of water from above while the roots find there way tothe flowing water.

My Strawberries did this to me the second day, they were wilted and not happy.A small dose of nutrient water from above, and the next day they were standing up happy!

Nutrients

I have a small box of nutrients from a previous project, so I started with this.In future I'm planning on buying in bulk for the longer term.

With a powder based nutrient mix, you will generally have two parts.Follow the instructions on the box, and fill your small reservoir and your bigger tank.

My small bucket is 20 litres, and the bin is 60 litres.

The box has instructions for 100 litres, so it is simply 80% of the instructions, mixed straight into the water.

Lettuce & Celery

While the strawberries will go on happily, I will have to harvest the lettuce & celery at some point.I'm planning on replacing them with seeds, as lettuce will come down to only a few cents each, instead of the $1~$2 I would pay at the shops!

Image Notes1. Potatoes2. Water tank3. Float valve4. I noticed this later, you want to move the power off the floor, put it up somewhere safe5. Notice how quickly the lettuce has grown in about a week?6. The greenhouse is open for the picture, keep it closed to keep hungry birds away!

Step 20: Update 1 - FlushIt has been a while, so I thought I should make an update on maintaining the system.

I wanted to address the questions about nutrients properly, so I thought it would be a good time to flush my reservoir, and make up some fresh nutrients.

Flushing

About once a month, it is a good idea to start fresh with the water, as the plants would have taken most of what they want by now, and the nutrient level will be a bit low.

Start by disconnecting the bigger water tank (I just put a normal hose fitting onto it in the closed position to stop the flow).

Turn off your pump, and disconnect the pump hose.

Attach a spare hose piece and send it out to your grass (or dirt plants, there are still good nutrients they can use in here!).Turn your pump on, and let it empty your reservoir.Don't let the tank run dry, it can damage it, you might need to tip out the last litre or so of water.

Give your reservoir a clean if it needs it (some of the orange dust still on the clay balls probably washed away by now).

Hook your hose back up, and make up your nutrients (next step)

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Image Notes1. Keep an eye on it, it empties quickly

Image Notes1. This water is still a great fertiliser for dirt plants

Step 21: Update 2 - NutrientsSome comments below made me realise I was a bit lacking on the nutrients section, so I thought I should clear some things up.

Hydroponics needs special nutrients, normal fertilisers won't work.

In dirt, there are a lot of microbes, that break down things such as manure to produce the elements plants need.In hydroponics though, there are no microbes, so we need to give the plants the elements they need directly, no middlemen (or is that middle-microbes?).

Hydroponics nutrients can come in different mixes for different stages of plant growth.If you really want to get into hydroponics seriously, you will eventually use different mixes for the veggative and flowering stages. These will be more fine tuned to whatyour plants need, but they need more attention to detail, so you switch them at the right times for best results.

Personally I just want this as a hobby, not a full time job, so I am going for a general all round mix, which will give good results, but probably not the absolute best results.

Make sure you flush your reservoir as per the previous step.

Now mix your nutrients as per the instructions.

My box gives instructions for 100 litres, but I only wanted to fill my 20 litre bucket (not the 60 litre tank).

So, I divided the instructions by 5, and then mixed it into a 2 litre bottle (it was easier to shake!)

After it is well mixed up, pour it into your reservoir and then top it up with fresh water.

Turn your pump back on and your plants will be happy :)

Image Notes1. The only one I could find in my area (next time I'm shopping online!)2. Part 13. Part 24. 5g (grams)5. 1g (grams)

Image Notes1. We will have to scale that back slightly!2. You don't have to follow the instructions exactly, but if you really get into it,you might get better results3. I don't have a pH meter, so I just have to go by the health of my plants fornow. (close enough IS good enough, check the dirt comparison for what I mean)

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Image Notes1. I mixed a 20 litre ratio into the 2 litre bucket for convenience. This will then bemixed into the 20 litre bucket with fresh water.2. Not any more! (don't drink from this container ever again!!!)

Image Notes1. Mixed in to the 20 litres

Step 22: Update 3 - Flooded potatoesA week or so after I set my system up, it rained, hard.

It made me realise a small flaw in my design, any rain that falls on the potatoes floods it with fresh water, which then drains back into the reservoir, overflowing it.

A simple fix was to get a clear garbage bag, cut it open, and attach it to the greenhouse, hanging over the potatoes.

I even got to test this 1/2 an hour after I finished it, as it started to rain!

Image Notes1. Clear garbage bag protects the potatoes from being flooded in the rain

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Step 23: Update 4 - Hose blockagesMy hoses haven't blocked yet, but a couple of people noted that when the roots really take off, I could be in for some trouble.

So I found some old fly screen mesh, cut a few squares out of it, and pushed it into the ends, covering the hoses.

Hopefully it will be enough!

Image Notes1. Old fly screen for a window

Image Notes1. Now it is a bit of a filter!

Step 24: Update 5 - Potato statusI was asked in the comments how my potato was going, and I was curious myself, as nothing seemed to be happening.

So I started digging it back up, expecting disappointment, but the potato seemed to be logged in pretty strongly.

I carefully got it out, and I think the picture speaks for itself!

Now I just have to be patient and wait for a green shoot!!

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Image Notes1. I was just being impatient, the potato seems to like its new home!

Step 25: Update 6 - Dirt vs HydroGive a general description of the Step it might be interesting to see the difference in growth between dirt and hydroponics.

Luckily, when I had leftover lettuce and celery plants, my wife planted them in dirt.

The plants all came from the same punnet, the only difference is one is hydroponic, and the other dirt.

Have a look at the pictures to see the difference!

Image Notes1. This celery plant is pretty happy!2. This is the first time I have grown iceburg lettuce, and I am not sure why ithasn't formed a core, but it is growing fast!

Image Notes1. Lettuce2. Celery

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Image Notes1. My big celery plant

Image Notes1. Celery in dirt

Step 26: Update 7 - Is it natural?I had a question in the comments which I thought was important enough that I should make a step just for it.

The question was: (from arirang777)"People usually complain about using fertilizer because it is not "natural" or organic, etc. but here we are feeding the plants with pure chemicals diluted inwater. I am having this crazy idea of veggies on stereroids. Can we still call it "natural"?"

Natural & Organic are misleading terms.Plants only take in basic nutrients, such as nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium etc.Have a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition

If you have ever done a science class, you will notice they are all basic elements from the periodic table.There is no such thing as inorganic nitrogen, it either is nitrogen, or it isn't!

When you feed dirt plants things such as manure, they can't eat it. They rely on tiny micro-organisms to break it down to the base forms they need.

All we are doing here is skipping the manure & micro-organisms and giving them what they need directly.

The reasons the plants grow so well, is not because we are drugging them, but because we are giving them a massive buffet of all the foods they want!

I'll add a picture from the side of the box later, showing the composition of the nutrient mix, and how each part is simple an element from the periodic table.

Page 33: Hydroponic Food Factory

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 229 comments

 jmarshall35 says:  Jan 20, 2014. 2:18 PM  REPLYlove this idea this year i am going to give it ago.

 NathanWilliams says:  Jan 22, 2014. 9:06 PM  REPLYGreat!Good luck, post pictures!

 vincent7520 says:  Apr 26, 2013. 4:49 PM  REPLYWhat does this poor potato do sitting alone in this deep bucket : do you really expect to have a potato harvest with a single plant ???…

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 NathanWilliams says:  Apr 27, 2013. 12:53 AM  REPLYActually yeah, if I was more patient it would have given me a good yield.

I read it from a book where the guy used 2 5-litre buckets joined together and got a lot of potatoes out.

The trick is to keep covering up the stem as it grows, and more potatoes will grow from the covered stem.

 diy_bloke says:  Sep 13, 2012. 12:40 PM  REPLYwith this all being some 3-4 years ago, I was wondering wether u r still using the system and if u are happy with it

 NathanWilliams says:  Sep 13, 2012. 5:56 PM  REPLYIt lasted me about a year before I stopped taking care of it.I have so many projects, and I become a bit scattered!Then I moved and threw it all away.

I want to build a new system someday that needs less maintenance.This one wasn't perfectly stable, and I had algae grow over the perlite (the white mix).

I want to do something with flood & drain next, and put a black plastic over the medium with holes for the plants to stick through.

I'm hoping being in buckets on a properly built frame, and no way for sunlight to grow algae on the medium, that it might be easier to just keep going.

 diy_bloke says:  Sep 13, 2012. 10:50 AM  REPLYWhat I wondered with the NFT: how do roots get water when they have not developed completely to the bottom of the cup, or at least far enough to be in the'film'

 NathanWilliams says:  Sep 13, 2012. 5:51 PM  REPLYI wondered this initially too, but I read in a book that tiny splashes of the water add moisture to the surrounding air, enough for the roots to grow towardsthe source.

 guythebuilder says:  Jun 28, 2012. 2:51 PM  REPLYThis system is great in the winter time.plus it can almost support itself

 sandspr1254 says:  Mar 25, 2012. 4:16 AM  REPLYThanks Nathan !

I did setup systems similiar to your and it's works. I didn't have the clay balls but used gravel from some fish tanks we have left over. I have attached acouple of pictures. I am still experimenting with this over the summer. Hopefully by the winter I will have all the bug out of it. I can't locate the hydroponic foodin my area but I am using a mixture of Miracle grow and seem to be working, everything is growing. Thanks

 NathanWilliams says:  Mar 25, 2012. 6:06 PM  REPLYWhere are the pictures?I would love to see your setup! :)

 sandspr1254 says:  Mar 26, 2012. 1:21 AM  REPLYHere are the pictures. The first picture is the general setup and second is about two week of old and the last one is when I started with some plantsstarted in dirt, wihich told about 2 weeks to get started. I have also try some from seeds. Lettuce is doing pretty good and the cucumbers are dying. Iam just trying different soil mixtures to see what will do good. I will keep you updated. Thanks

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 NathanWilliams says:  Mar 27, 2012. 2:39 PM  REPLYWow, that looks fantastic!I really like it, it looks so neat and professional (compared to mine which was a bit of a hack!)

One suggestion I would have is to cover your water tank to stop light getting in, otherwise you will have algae growth.

 ishii.oren.ishii says:  Jan 27, 2012. 5:40 PM  REPLYNice tutorial NathanWilliams! I was going to go the hydroponic equipment route, but if DIY is this simple and affordable….I’m sold.

What veggies are the easiest to grow for a n00b and how much did you spend? I can across this hydroponic FAX which was pretty helpful for a novice likeme. Any good tutorials out there that could aid me?

Thanks!!! :)

 NathanWilliams says:  Jan 28, 2012. 10:44 PM  REPLYThanks for the complement :)It has been a while and I can't recall how much I spent. The most expensive part was the pump, which here in Australia I think it was about $40, if youare in the US you should get it much cheaper.

As for the best veggies, I had the best results with celery, I would only be guessing at others.

Start with above ground veggies (not carrots etc), and as you get a feel for it you should just experiment with what works!

In the end all I did was experiment. Some things went well, others didn't. It is fun just trying!

I once grew a massive chilli plant using hydro once, way more chillies then I could use.

Don't be afraid to try, plants are pretty tough and they love hydro.

Good luck!

 ohyaitsthechad says:  Jan 26, 2012. 3:52 PM  REPLYI don't really understand the purpose of the large water reservoir, does the irrigation channel end in it instead of the bottom bucket or is it just to make sure thatthe bottom bucket never runs out of grow fluid? Im a little unclear of its purpose and am wondering if it is necessary if a person is willing to check the h2o level ofthe lower bucket on a regular basis.

 NathanWilliams says:  Jan 26, 2012. 6:16 PM  REPLYIt isn't really needed.

I added it as I tend to get distracted easily, so I could imagine forgetting to keep the water topped up and burning the pump out when it all went dry! (notto mention killing the plants!)

I found the lower bucket of water lasted a fair while, but I would suggest a dark bucket, preferably light proof, as all that water and nutrients makes a niceplace for algae to grow, and I found I had to dump the water and clean it after a while.

 GhettoEngineer says:  Dec 13, 2011. 7:49 PM  REPLYThat is the coolest float valve!

 GhettoEngineer says:  Dec 13, 2011. 7:50 PM  REPLYSimple, cheap, ingenious!

 NathanWilliams says:  Dec 13, 2011. 8:47 PM  REPLYSuch kind words, thank you!

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 GhettoEngineer says:  Dec 13, 2011. 6:56 PM  REPLYWith cheapy plastic material, you could also heat the drill bit (or a nail for that matter) and poke right through. When I tried on a similar project, I found that thedrilling broke several of my cheap pots.

 ???? says:  Nov 18, 2011. 1:27 PM  REPLYhi, thanks for this w9nderful tutorial. i read it all and planning to give it a try on our new home next month.i'm reallt new in to growing plants and got some very basic questions:1. how long it takes to grow the celery? and the strawberries?2. is because it grows on water the plants grow stronger and bigger?3. when the celery is fully grown, i need to take it out and plant a new one intead, right? or you just take few leafs every time and let it regrow?

thanks!

 NathanWilliams says:  Nov 18, 2011. 3:09 PM  REPLYThank you for such nice words!

It was quite a while ago now that I did this, so I don't quite remember how long it all took.

1. The celery was pretty quick, the strawberries didn't go as well as I had hoped though

2. The reason they grow stronger is that they have a lot more food to eat.Plants need a few basic elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and a few other minor elements.In dirt the plant roots have to dig far, and even then they only get a small amount of what they could use, so they grow slowly.

In hydroponics the water is full of nutrients, so the plants take up as much as they can and grow fast.

3. I cut stalks off the celery and just left the plant to regrow, but if you want it all at once, then you could cut it down and plant a new seedling.Either way works!

I'm considering doing a new garden sometime soon, I want to try and get the strawberries to grow better then they did in this setup.

 ???? says:  Nov 18, 2011. 8:13 PM  REPLYThanks for your fast reply and detailed answer.I can't wait to get started. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful work.

 daliad100 says:  Jun 13, 2011. 12:36 PM  REPLYI really want to design something with stackable sections that can somehow can have the bottom potatoes harvested, the bottom section removed andplaced on the top then the entire tower dropped down making a conveyor belt of potatoey goodness.

 NathanWilliams says:  Jun 13, 2011. 3:43 PM  REPLYI like the idea!

I was at one point wondering if I could use a worm farm for this by cutting out the base of each layer. (like this:http://www.canterbury.nsw.gov.au/resources/images/worm_farm.jpg)Unfortunately those things are expensive, so when I finally got one I used it as a worm farm!

If you figure it out, please post it up, I would love to see it!

 daliad100 says:  Sep 5, 2011. 11:57 AM  REPLYJust had a potential idea that could make your idea for the Potatonater?, Tower of Potatoey DOOOOM!!!?, other Potato related name? easier to workand possibly cheaper after seeing a milk crate at work.

A set of stacking boxes with holes smaller than the growth medium in the bottom and solid sides should end up with an easily removable layer ofpotatoes if you can devise a way of moving a very heavy stack of crates.

Some sort of winch or jack that has a travel of the box height + a couple of inches should suffice to allow the bottom drawer to be removed and therest of the tower lowered to the ground. Don't know how this lifting mechanism will connect to the boxes but I can't make it too easy for everyone ;)

 NathanWilliams says:  Sep 5, 2011. 12:54 PM  REPLYI love it!Milk creates with some sort of wall would be easy, and if you could hinge one of the side walls, you might even be able to put your hand in to justpull potatoes out without moving it at all!

You could have a perpetual potato plant that you never have to replant!

 Ttalos says:  Apr 9, 2011. 8:39 AM  REPLYVery nice design. I was poking around on the net and found the link below. It might be interesting to use it as a small greenhouse.

http://www.amazon.com/Covered-Extra-Clothes-Closet-Clear/dp/B002UPY2PW

Keep up the good work.

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 Pizzapie500 says:  Feb 18, 2011. 4:07 PM  REPLYWhere do you buy expanded clay balls and nutrients?

 NathanWilliams says:  Feb 18, 2011. 6:54 PM  REPLYI got the clay balls fro an ebay hydroponics store.I found the nutrients at a local hardware store (bunnings).

The prices on ebay aren't always the best but it is a convenient place to start looking.From there try googling for an online shop near you that caters to hydroponics

 Pizzapie500 says:  Feb 19, 2011. 12:02 PM  REPLYThanks! Googled hydroponics and found one 15 mins from me.

 NathanWilliams says:  Feb 19, 2011. 12:37 PM  REPLYNow I'm jealous! (There is nothing anywhere near me that does hydro, and I live in a decent sized city!)

The ebay store I bought from was:http://stores.ebay.com.au/HYDRO-MASTAhttp://www.hydromasta.com.au/

But they are an Australian company, so I don't know if that is helpful for you!

Thanks for the 5 stars too :)

 Pizzapie500 says:  Feb 24, 2011. 2:01 PM  REPLYWhich one do you think is better for growing in? Perlite or Expanded Clay Balls? I'm deciding which one to buy. From the Hydroponic Storei'm buying it from they sell 50 liters of Perlite for $22.00 and 25 liters of Expanded Clay Balls for $25.00

 NathanWilliams says:  Feb 24, 2011. 4:20 PM  REPLYIf I was to do this again, I think I would have gone completely with the clay balls.The perlite started growing a green mould after a few months.You could fix that by covering the top of the container with a thick black plastic though.

 Pizzapie500 says:  Feb 19, 2011. 12:06 PM  REPLYAlso, can you give me a link to the ebay store you bought them from? Do you reccomend them? 5* by the way

 bkeeven says:  Aug 20, 2010. 11:36 PM  REPLYCould I use bamboo instead of PVC?

 gardenheaven says:  Jan 11, 2011. 7:40 PM  REPLYi think you may try in bamboo to hydroponic vegetable

 pins says:  Oct 30, 2010. 7:56 AM  REPLYThings to remember when using bamboo:--Bamboo is organic and may carry pathogens into your system.--It might be hard to find end caps that fit your bamboo.--Is the interior surface of bamboo smooth? If not, this gives pathogens a place to grow.--Bamboo will absorb more light than pvc, which will make managing proper nutrient temperature more difficult.

That being said, I think bamboo is an excellent idea and I hope you try it!

 NathanWilliams says:  Aug 22, 2010. 5:55 PM  REPLYI don't know much about bamboo sorry. If it is able to hold up to a constant stream of water running through it, then I would assume yes. Only way to findout is to jump in and try! Let me know what you find out.

 PapaGeek says:  Jan 4, 2011. 12:48 PM  REPLYI read the entire guide carefully and imagined myself doing my own version of the project, I hope I'll make something similar to this. Thank you for taking thetime to document and share your knowledge and experience.

BTW, why aren't you using Gatorade? It's got electrolytes! Isn't that what plants crave? Sorry, I had to reference a joke from the movie "Idiocracy".

Other readers, please don't use Gatorade as plant nutrient. That was a joke!

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 NathanWilliams says:  Jan 4, 2011. 1:14 PM  REPLYThanks for taking the time to comment, it is a nice way to kick off the day!I never got around to seeing Idiocracy, is it worth a look?

 bountycrops says:  Nov 15, 2010. 1:49 AM  REPLYI finally found a helpful post that can teach me to grow the finest potatoes in hydro! Thanks for taking the time to post this one. :) I just want to ask what lightcycle do you recommend for the vegetative stage?

 NathanWilliams says:  Nov 15, 2010. 2:25 PM  REPLYThanks for the nice comment, it was a good way to kick off my day!

As for light cycles, I only know what I have read, as I used sunlight for this project.From what I understand, the vegetive stage should be between 18 and 24 hours preferably for most growth.When it comes to fruiting a 12 on & 12 off cycle is usually recommended and the dark period should be as dark as possible for best results.(Light inhibits a certain hormone used during fruiting, so absolute darkness gives you the greatest amount of fruiting hormones)

That is general info for fruiting plants, I'm not sure how it works for a plant like potatoes though.

Good luck, and if things work out well I would love to see an instructable about it!

 spidermike3 says:  Jul 25, 2009. 12:26 AM  REPLYWITH POTAOTES THE NEW POTAOES GROW FROM THE STEM, SO THE BEST THING TO DO IS AS THE STEM GROWS YOU COVER IT THENCARRY ON TILL THE TOP OF YOUR CONTAINER

 finton says:  Oct 22, 2010. 11:41 PM  REPLYHey spidermike, your Caps Lock key appears to be stuck! Writing in capitals when not necessary is equivalent to SHOUTING ALL THE TIME in aconversation and is not considered well-mannered.My having said that, you raise a good point. Another way to achieve the same result is to lay the potato stem along the gravel, when it is long enough,and bury a length of it a few centimetres/inches deep. Repeat as the stem grows.

 Johenix says:  Mar 2, 2010. 3:02 PM  REPLYFirst comment: Go to the hardware store and ask if they have a circle cutter saw that fits in an electric drill. It will save you HOURS of time.

2.) Some systems use a 'Flood and Drain' cycle. You can build a complex motor driven cam opperated controler or you can put a "Hero's Syphon" on thedrain of each pipe and let it measure the maximum flood before beginning draining to the next pipe down the rack. 

3.) What a shame some of the best Hydroponic experts in America are in Federal Prison for growing Marijauna!!!

4.) Put black plastic sheeting over the potato roots.

5.) A good rack for the pipes could be made from stair risers from the lumber yard.

 finton says:  Oct 22, 2010. 11:27 PM  REPLYJohenix, would you explain how a Hero's Syphon works, please? I Googled it and came up with "Heron's siphon", but I'm still not sure how one wouldapply it in this situation. Cheers.

 Johenix says:  Mar 2, 2010. 3:26 PM  REPLY6.) See about getting a plastic 55Gal (US) 44Gal (IMPERIAL) 220L barrel for the potatoes  and add another as a water reserve (sump) barrel to catch thewater as it comes out of the cascade.

7.) Often Grocer's potatoes are treated to discourage sprouting.

8.)The Irish would often cut out just the sprouted eye and plant it and cook the rest of the potatoe.

 Richard_4d says:  Apr 11, 2010. 8:00 PM  REPLYI have done the same thing but instead of using a garbage can I used 5 gal. buckets. The bottom one has a small drain hose back to the main water supply.As the potato grows past the top of the bucket you place another bucket over the top of the first one (The second, third and fourth buckets have the bottomscut out completely). this makes for easy storage when not in use.  When it's time to harvest you just pull the buckets off one at a time and if you have tomove it or harvest.  Just use a dolly to move it over a big sheet of plastic.

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