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Apr 24, 2011. 9:41 PMHousedog
says:
A perfect, inexpensive, creative system! Way to go, dude. I wondered if you weren't able to take a pic of the original because of the "tomato" plant that's growing in it. ;) lol
Jan 7, 2011. 4:11 AMquadracer
says:
Nice work. I think mist nozzles, like on a ezclone, to spray the roots would work well, in addition to the ebb and flo. Keep up the good work
Jul 8, 2010. 10:51 AMJpaul
says:
The airstone under the pump effects the pumps performance, I learned this working with aquarium sumps. Why wouldn't you just put the airstone in the top bucket?
It doesn't effect it that much. Putting it in the top bucket only aerates the water when the top bucket is filled, only accomplishing half of the two-fold goal: provide oxygen to the roots, and to inhibit algae growth. These little impeller pumps aren't severely effected by bubbles in the water, and I've had this bucket running for months now without any problems.
Jul 10, 2010. 1:54 PMJpaul
says:
Good to know. I suppose with such a short head on your pump it really wouldn't matter. Thanks!
I'm new to hydroponics - so this is a silly question: What is the advantage of oxygenated water? What is the performance advantage to using an externally powered hydroponics setup to 'regular' soil? Great build!
Thanks! There's a few benefits to supplying air to the roots. First, it kills off pathogens that live in the water but cannot live in air, which keeps the nutrient solution fresher longer. Secondly, adding air into the nutrient solution changes the electrical charge of the solution making it easier for the roots to break down and assimilate the nutrients. Roots will use as much oxygen as they can get, so while keeping the nutrient solution aerated is nice, it helps to feed the roots in a flood/drain system like thism since while flooded, the roots are still getting oxygen. One other advantage of the flood/drain system is that root rot is a dramatically lower risk. The best advantage that any hydroponics system has over a soil-based system is that you have ultimate control over the nutrients that the plants get. This means that you're able to adjust your nutrients to fit particular plants and promote optimal growth, which in turn grows healthier, faster, and produces bigger and higher quality fruits. You just don't have this same level of control over a soil-based system.
Thanks for the quick reply - good info!
It just caught me off guard as plants themselves expel O2 - so their roots would already have lots - but the WATER needs it, not so much the plant itself.
It just caught me off guard as plants themselves expel O2 - so their roots would already have lots - but the WATER needs it, not so much the plant itself.
Sep 2, 2009. 3:02 PMstonecold11
says:
Plant expel O2 from the leaves, so in the water, there is still no O2 unless you oxygenate it.
Again, I thought it was for the plant, not the water itself - so it didnt make sense to add it 'for the plant' (in my mind).
Jun 7, 2010. 6:00 AMjongscx
says:
Well, no it IS the plants that need the O2. Plants respire and metabolize with a similar, almost identical pathway to animals. Unfortunately, it doesn't have blood to carry that oxygen around like animals. The leaves get enough oxygen from the air, and in nature, the roots would get oxygen too b/c there are air-spaces in the ground (between the soil particulates). If you read some guardening literature, it will tell you not to over water your plants or else you will "drown" them. That's the same thing here, except we're always watering the plant, so we need to get them the oxygen some other way. This is also why we "aerate" the lawn with the big spiky boots...
Jun 5, 2010. 9:46 PMChancreScolex
says:
Excellent. Rather than paint, Id probably just go with the black plastic buckets made specifically for hydroponics. Less work, and I suck at spray painting.
Sep 5, 2009. 10:41 PMskuntz
says:
Very simple and straight forward... I like simple and straightforward. Nice job.
Really nice instructable jrossetti, Interesting that you gone with Ebb & Flow over deep-water on such a small scale.
Aug 30, 2009. 5:15 AMycc2106
says:
Please, can you put a photo which shows us what it'll look like in a room? with the painting and the plant?
Check out the pic on the last page. I don't have access to the original finished bucket that's growing plants, just this one that I built for this instructable. Enjoy!
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