Compact, Cheap, and Expandable Hydroponics System

Step 4 Conclusion and Results

Some Cheap Alternatives
I wanted to go all out and get some real hydroponics equipment but it's not needed. My old system, as stated above, used tap water and just liquid fertilizer (~$3.50) as nutrients to grow an aloe vera plant and did fairly well. Instead of expanded clay, or any other hydroponics media, I just used some aquarium gravel I bought for a few bucks. Instead of buying a light, you can use the sun as long as there is a good location that receives a decent amount. You don't need to spend a lot of money to make your system work. Buying good equipment does provide benefits but it is definitely not needed for the amateur hydroponics enthusiast!

Results
I decided to order some small herb plants online since starting them from seeds taking way too long and is often quite difficult. I got my plants in the mail and transplanted them. The cilantro started to droop and most of the plant died off... but! there was one little sprout in the middle that survived! In a few days it doubled in size and then I noticed more little sprouts starting to grow, so it's coming back to life! The parsley is doing well, a leaf or two started to die off, most likely due to the shock of transplanting them. I was a bit rough trying to get the dirt off the root. The majority of the plant, however, is deep green and looking good. The basil is pretty small but is responding to the light and directing its leaves toward it. The thyme is surviving. No real signs of it flourishing though. I also bought a few small spinach plants but I haven't had time to make more containers for them yet.

IMPORTANT
After I had transplanted my herb plants I noticed that the nutrient solution was not coming up the whole way in some of the pots. This was due to the fact that one pot had less solution than the others, allowing it to push all of its nutrients up into the plant and bubble, releasing the pressure needed for the other pots push the water up. In order to fix this, flood the system by turning the pump on. When one container starts to bubble, add more water/nutrient solution to it. When you add more, it takes more pressure to make it bubble and allows the other containers to fill up higher. It took me a bit of filling up but I eventually got it all evened out.

I hope this is all straightforward!!! Message me with any questions or comments, I love to help!!! Thanks for viewing!

Comments

[coco j]

do u guys happen to have a more simpler way for me to understand how to make one of these, you know like for dummies? lol!

[jrossetti]

This is a pretty ingenious system you've designed here. I suppose there's a theoretical limit in the number of containers you can connect, based on pump output. I've seen higher output pumps, though, with 2 and 3 output nozzles, so I suspect it's possible to have a huge network of containers. This is one of those ideas I'm definitely going to have to try. Thanks!

[Dandeman321]

Well I later found out that it is difficult to balance the amount of water in each module so that all of them will bubble. Usually one fills up and starts bubbling and then the air pressure in the network drops and does not push any more water in the other ones. I pump with multiple outputs, each hooked up to one module, would work very well.

[jrossetti]

Yes, I figured this out too last night. The problem is the low pressure output from the air pump, I believe. It's possible to add a second air pump and put airstones in the base of each of the upper containers, but I feel that overcomplicates the whole system. As it is now, it's simple and elegant - and elegant in its simplicity! I think forcing it to bubble isn't terribly critical in a system this small, and since each plant has its own reservoir, that makes it exceedingly easy to correct any problems with aeration or with the nutrient solution. I've set mine up with 3 plants total: one in hydroton, one in perlite, and one as a soil-based system. I will keep you updated how they all fare.

[Dandeman321]

Very cool! Yeah, I thought that more air pressure may help but I'm unsure. It is really simple! That's how I tried to design it. I didn't want containers that would take a lot of effort to create and I wanted to make them cheaply. I wouldn't know if the plants would die without bubbling since I killed mine accidentally :( Yeah! Let me know how they work out! Hope they do well!

[bustedit]

are you going to Scarborough Fair?? (couldnt resist)

[Dandeman321]

huh?

[jtroc6]

I just wanted to say you are the man! never have i seen a hydro system this cheap!!keep doing what you do man.

[Dandeman321]

Ha, thanks for the compliment.

[poppieann]

Can I use different sized nutrient containers? Say I wanted to use take out containers and they are all different sizes, will this effect the systems ability to pressurize or should I just adjust the fluid in each container?

[hilojohn]

The containers can be wider, but not taller... the air is going to push untill the lowest amount of liquid is gone then because of bubbling it will lose a lot of preassure.

[Dandeman321]

You should be able to. You just need to make sure they are air tight.

[bigt4616]

i would think it would be fine, unless you dont have any leaks, it would still push out the same amount of water to the top.

[plowboy07]

Could i have just one, Instead of haveing three containers

[Dandeman321]

Certainly!

[MaxPowers96]

Very awesome Best one I have seen so far! Great job keep it up

[Dandeman321]

Thanks!

[medcare651]

way to go college student!!!

[Leroy]

The aquarium air hose just uses air to provide downward pressure on the liquid, right? The liquid does not move from pot to pot. It just stays in the single pot you put it into. Is that correct? Each pot has to be at the same level for this system to work. You can't have one pot sitting on the countertop and another pot sitting on the floor and another sitting on the windowsill. Is that correct?

[Dandeman321]

Correct. Air is pumped into the chamber and forces the nutrient solution up into the pot "flooding" the system. Each pot has its individual water supply. I designed it this way just in case one plant I was growing needed a slightly more basic or acidic pH. Also, if I have plants that need to bloom, like strawberries, I could add a blooming nutrient solution to just that pot while leaving the regular growing nutrient solution in the other pots. Having a pot on the counter top and another on the floor may work. I would think that the pots would still need the same amount of pressure to force the nutrient solution up to the roots. If the water was moving up through the hosing, then yes, the pot that is higher up would not fill as high. Since it's just air, it should be fine.