I dont think I'm missing the point the experiment is worthy. But if its not impacting a community its not going to catch on. Also its layed out to complicated looking the average person does not run a single
pump in there day to day lives let alone solar panels generators and a barge. I realize thats not what there selling to the public but it looks like a college science project. which it is and since most visitor have not been through college i think the intimidation factor is immense.
I know with my simple bucket system I find that most people looking at my system for the 20th time are still lost and that's after i have given the grand tour and how it works stuff several times.
Not there fault its wildly under funded. Its a difficult concept to grasp at best. most persons do not under stand pressure or vacuum and have never heard of water friction or water balance in tanks.
I remember years ago setting up my first DWC (DEEP WATER CULTURE) system and i think it was 9 buckets. It took me weeks to figure out that you can not hook each tank in series and expect them all to be at the same height for H2o inside with out a balance tube. I had buckets stacked up a inch or so higher at each bucket and in the end had a stair case with a pump at the bottom. Any how even with good books there is so much trial and error.
Another factor in showing hydro off is that the people you show it to that think they know everything and comprehend a lot less than they think leave and then give out poor or the wrong info to others seeking the info. Drives me crazy to be some where and some knuckle head family member is tell a good dirt Gardner about my system and how it works and is going against nature in there thesis. I have yet to find the person that wants to go through it all again so they have the correct info and even less interested in trying it.
So we need a better tech delivery system that is super low tech. I have thought about this and i may be building it right now. A single bucket or barrel (55 gal for me) with a simple fish tank air pump to add oxygen and stir the
nutrient. I think the plant is a big factor in how it is perceived as a viable simple project. I think you have to allow them to see foliage growing as well as how natural the roots are growing. I say roots because most gardeners truly have no idea what roots truly look like. they see them but they see them with dirt they dig plants up and dont get the full view of the entire plant like in hydro.
So when they see hydro they think mad scientist and it doesn't help that we talk about larger yields increased size of fruit. Or even worse grwoing in doors with out sun light. We use to burn witch's at the stake for less of a offense.
Any how my barrel design is for my own green house but i am installing a door in the side and growing potato's in it with hrdo of course. this way the kids can go out and open the door harvest the potato with scissors and the plant wont even know.
for those of you that dont trim roots i have been trimming my roots like a hair cut for many years now and never have seen a issue from it. i like to keep them 3 inch's off the bottom of my buckets so that they dont plug my drain lines.
With potato's grown this way people would be able to see the root is still normal the plant is still normall for foilage. This i believe would help the average dirt farmer see the whole plant in action and take away the anxeity of the alien technology recovered from area 51.
Also it will be a must to make tea nutrient from the basic two bucket, five gallon bucket method. two buckets put together with the top bucket having small drain holes then it filled with the gardeners compost and then water poured in it to wash the nutes out and leave the matter behind. With out this you will never bring over the first group of growers to the new technology and they will be the easiest because they are already the back yard gardener. Every one wants to be organic from the earth and these people wont buy processed nutes from big corporations. Miracle grow,and lawn care stuff from the chevron company doesn't count they all were sold to them as the best stuff on earth. imagine if shell oil wanted to sell going green in hydro that's what we need. big money big ad company's.
Once you show them a simple set up like this and they use it they can start experimenting like all of have done on there systems and in just a few years it would be common to have raised gardens of hydro. how many gardeners would like to never till soil again!
The barge is awesome but it is done by teachers and it should be ran by a ad agency "selling it is what we need".
GPS are you growing anything under
lights this fall winter besides starts for spring?