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#1
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Noob looking at a "dual-mode" system
Hola to Everyone,
Admitted newbie here! I want to start an outdoor hydroponics system for a variety of veggies and fruits. I have an old, unused fountain on a large open patio that can hold around 220 gallons in the base. It is circular with a center podium and a very thick outer retaining wall (good thermal insulation?). From what I have read so far, this would lend itself nicely to a DWC or raft type system for lettuce, spinach, lighter plants and perhaps strawberries. But I would also like to do some heavier plants like tomato's, cucumbers, beans, peas, bell peppers, etc and and would like to consider a drip bucket system for those. One kicker is that I live in the Sonoran desert in northern Mexico and the summer heat can be brutal. I had planned on building some custom Peltier coolers to take care of keeping the water temps low enough to not damage the roots during the hot months. I was thinking that a fairly tight fitting raft lid made of perhaps 2"-3" styrofoam would help insulate the water better than the usual 1" foam, but I can experiment with that when summer arrives. So, if I put a properly sized pump in the reservoir for the drip buckets, what are the negatives to running both a raft type system and a drip system out of the same large reservoir? Another question is about bubblers. I have read that some kinds of nutrients recommend to not use a bubbler with their product. Any thoughts on that with this kind of setup? I would prefer a liquid part AB type nutrient system as it seems easier than having to stir a lot to dissolve flakes, but like I said, I am new at this and still in the research stage so am certainly open to comments from you more experienced folks! Thanks for any and all ideas! MJ |
#2
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I'm gathering that you want to use one reservoir and do both leafy greens (lettuce) and flowering veggies like tomatoes?
That won't work... The nutrient requirements are greatly different in these - you would end up burning the lettuce to feed the tomatoes, or starving the tomatoes to keep the lettuce level right. |
#3
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Quote:
MJ |
#4
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Basil, lettuce, kale, chard, parsley, cilantro will all do fine around 700-800ppm (thats everything I run in my NFT system).
Tomatoes would be fine for a little while, but once they get 8-12" they're going to need much more. If you gave the first group of plants tomato nutes (1400-1800ppm), they'd burn out in a few days. Lighting is also different for both, but not sure that matters if you're outdoors. |
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