Sealing it Up

After the maiden run of the ebb and flow system I noticed the ports into the grow tables were leaking slightly. So today, I pulled the system apart and siliconed the ports. Below are some photos of the process.

I removed the ports and applied silicone around the holes.

Silicone was placed on the lip of the port.

Then the port washer was placed and turned 1/4 turn to evenly disperse the silicone.

The port and tubing was threaded through the hole in the tub and the fitting tightened.

View of one of the grow tables (tubs) completed and siliconed.

A detailed view of the ports. These were purchased from the hydroponic supply store. Others have made a similar design from PVC and supplies from the local home supply store, but for $3.00 they were worth it to be right and work.

View of the tubes running into the reservoir. The drain tubes are 3/4" and the fill tubes are 1/2". Since the reservoir is 28 gallons, I decided to place two air stones into the tank to ensure proper aeration of the nutrient bath.

Another view of the tubing and reservoir. The timer on the outlet strip controls the water pump. I have it set to run every 3 hrs for 30mins at a time. The air pump is also plugged into the strip.

More to come...

-Sam

Seeds!

I stopped by a local garden shop for the first time today on the way home from work. I went in not expecting much, but was very surprised at what all they offered! They had some great prices on bulk seeds and had a good selection of herbs and vegetable seeds too. Here's what I picked up, minus the herbs.

Yes, you are seeing that right... 1/2oz packages for $1.00! They may not be the best seeds in the world (I'm not sure, but will find out), but for a dollar I would have been crazy not to grab them. I packed them in zip-loc bags and now have them stored in the freezer for later use.

Going back to the herbs; I picked up a good variety for my wife today. I'm in the process of building her own DWC (Deep Water Culture) herb setup. It is based upon the window herb garden that I mentioned in an earlier post. I picked up all the materials at the store today and am about half of the way done with the project. I am documenting the process step-by-step and will be posting a How-To for those of you who want to give hydroponics a try with minimal investment.

More to come...
-Sam

A Better Look

Here are a few better quality photos of the seedlings/sprouts and my setup.

Sorry for the cord mess below, I was testing the pump and system for the first time so they're just thrown around.

I am not sure if I like the blue tubs or not. During tonight's maiden run of the ebb and flow system, the right tub leaked slightly due to the bottom of the tub not being totally flat. I have found some good priced grow tables from an online source ( http://www.discount-hydro.com ) and may end up buying a true grow table very soon. They're more durable, plus have build in drainage canals for proper drainage. The local hydro store has some for probably what the discount online store would cost me with shipping. I am also concerned about the plants getting crowded in the tubs as they are somewhat limiting. I am looking to get a 2'x4' grow table and from what I can find, they run from $45-$100 depending on brand and quality. While that may seem like a lot of money, consider that the blue tubs were $9 each, plus I had to purchase double the fittings, pipes, overflows, etc.. for the second tub. Who knows... maybe one will make it through our gas fireplace this weekend. :)

Closer photo of how I have the seedlings set up. They're on their 18-6 light cycle now and I can tell a difference.

Sprouts! The front ones are broccoli and the three in the background are mixed lettuce.

Another view: broccoli in the main foreground; lettuce mix in the background (right).

The seedlings as of 12/22/2010. The 12 lettuces to the far right are about 4 days behind the larger sprouts. The herbs were planted today.

More Sprouts!

I am once again amazed at how quickly the seeds have sprouted. I came home to find these little guys standing proud.

I forgot to label the packs of which seeds were planted in which, so I'm not sure which are the lettuce and which are broccoli. I learned my lesson and the other two packs (in the far background) are labeled with the vegetable and date.

Since they have begun to sprout and have tiny leaves I have started the light cycle. Previously they were just sitting without any additional lighting. As of today they are on an 18hrs-ON, 6hrs-OFF cycle. I have the lights connected to a timer so this is done for me automatically.

I also filled my reservoir tank today and placed the air stones and water pump. I still need to grab a few more items from the store to compete my setup and finish drilling the holes in the reservoir cover to call it done.

More to come...
Sam

Sprouts!!!

Just a quick post to announce the first appearance of the seedlings!

More to come...
-Sam

Ebb and Flow

What is Ebb and Flow? It is one form of hydroponics. There are six main types of hydroponic setups:

• Wick System
• Deep Water Culture (DWC)
• Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain)
• Drip (recovery or non-recovery)
• NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)
• Aeroponic

Visit this link to read more about these systems and their advantages and disadvantages:  http://www.simplyhydro.com/system.htm

I decided to go with an Ebb and Flow system for a few reasons; reliability with components, ease of operation, and economical design (water pump does not continuously operate). Below is a simple diagram of the concept of Ebb and Flow systems.

I will probably also build a small DWC system to grow herbs. The easiest way for you to get into hydroponics is to build a Deep Water Culture (DWC) setup. Here is a link to an easy DIY DWC setup for a window herb garden: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxVHS9o5yDA

All for now...
-Sam

DIY Hydroponic Setup

I have read enough about hydroponic growing to make me want to give it a try. Luckily there is a hydroponic store relatively close by that I was able to pick up all of my necessary items to build my own ebb and flow (flood and drain) system!

After spending countless hours on the web looking for ideas and inspiration on how to setup my table/light system, I didn't find anything that called out to me. So, I wrote down my priorities and went from there designing a table that fit my needs. My priorities in a table were:

• Economical (cheap--preferably built from existing materials in my garage)
• Sturdy (since it will be holding some weight when the grow tables are full)
• Versatile (I didn't want to have to re-build a table as my setup grew/developed)
• Open-Top Design (for passing tubing and fittings through)

After some head-scratching and sleeping-on-its, I came up with the following design.

30" deep x 50" wide x 30" tall

I constructed the table from 2x4 lumber leftover from another project and some 3/4" metal electrical conduit. The table is large enough for a standard 2'x4' growing table to be placed on it without any problems. Spacing the the conduit approximately 6" apart allows for any fittings or tubes to run to the reservoir unobstructed. Below are some photos of the setup as it is now. Keep in mind it is still a work in progress and will most likely change as I learn and adapt my methods.

Growing Tubs are blue, the seedling tray is atop the clear/white tub in the middle. The black and yellow tub on the floor is the reservoir. You can also see some of the other items (timers, seedling trays, pots, tubing, fittings).

View from left side. Lighting is two 4' dual T8 daylight spectrum florescent lights hanging from the upright 3/4" conduit pipes. We'll see how well this setup works. I suspect I will be re-doing the lighting setup soon.

View of one of the grow tubs. The six pots are full of hydroton and ready for the seedlings. The fill/drain port is in the foreground and the overflow port is in the background.

The seedling tray. The seeds were just planted and have yet to sprout.

Table view. The pipes are inset about 1" into the ends of the frame.

Another view of the table. The strip of wood on this end covers the through holes that were drilled to pass the pipes through. They were set into 1" deep holes on the other end.

Looking down to the reservoir. I have yet to drill the holes for the lines/pipes in the lid.

More to come soon...

-Sam