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#1
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Starting from scratch
I'm new to the forum and hooked. We live in SW Louisiana and have acreage with plenty of room. I plan to design a greenhouse with Hydroponics on the south side of an existing horse barn(steel frame). The south wall of the barn with be the north wall of the green house and i will have to fill in 3 walls. The greehouse will be 60' long. I need a rec for the width. 10', 12' or 14'? I wish to have a center alleyway with hydro on both sides. Plans are to have 2-55gal tanks for nutrients, buried. one for fruiting and 1 for vegetative plants. the frame will be galv sq tubing and have a door on both ends. I plan to use polycarb panels on the roof and 3 walls. Would like to grow. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, some melons, zuccini, squash, and others. Now for details?
1. venting. Where and how much. Probably east and west walls? 2. panels. clear, white or smoke. We are in zone 8or9. Very hot summers.Suggestions on thickness? 3.probably ebb/flow for the veg plants and drip for fruiting? 4.which pumps to get as in gpm, add aereator? 5.how tall to make racks for the tubing? 3" or 4" tubing preferred? 6.how wide should be the alleyway and racks for plants? 7.how many circuits should I need? I may add lights and receptacles for fans. 8.water is from a well, moderate hardness. Is that acceptable? 9. ceiling will be 8-9' at the north side and slope to the south 10. |
#2
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Hello JuniorSamples, It sounds like your planning to go all out. Have you grown hydroponically before?
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Then if you are running multiple systems/containers of the same pump, that will further reduce the actual gph you wind up getting. Basically it's back pressure. The higher the water is, the more force it has pushing back towards the pump. My suggestion is to always get larger pumps than you think you will need if you can afford them. You can always reduce the water flow, but you can't make it pump more than it's rated for. The only system that an air pump is necessary is a water culture system, but it will never hurt using one in any type of system. The more air/oxygen the roots get the better. Quote:
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They know your local codes, and can give you far better advice than anyone else. Including the placement of the GFI outlets that are mandatory near water and outside. Once you know roughly how many amps you will need, it's easy to tell how many 15/20 amp breakers you'll need, and want if you want to give yourself some leeway in case you add or change things in the future. Quote:
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#3
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great advice, thanks.
this ? was probably not worded well. how tall to make racks for the tubing? 3" or 4" tubing preferred? it's really 2 questions. Is 3" or 4" pvc tubing the best choice for the ebb and flow growing tubes? the other part is how high to make the shelves to put these on, as to not bend over all the time to work the plants. I had envisioned a 36" support structure for the ebb/flow tubes running on one side and putting the drips on the other side closer to the ground for the bigger plants, since they will need the room to grow vertically. Would the twin 55gal be enough or should I go bigger on one or both. I have a backhoe and can sink whatever is necessary. POssibly even a concrete greasetrap 200gal if needed. I just need to do it right the first time. |
#4
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I don't think that I've ever heard somebody say they wish they made their reservoir smaller. There are both pro's and con's in reference to resevoir size. Larger reseviors will be more stable in temperture, nutrients and Ph as it takes longer to heat/cool and there is more nutrients that can be depleated before causing a major problem. The PH also does not fluxuate as fast with the larger size, however is something goes wrong you have a lot of $$$$$ invested that you will have to get rid of. Also different plants need different nutrients and PH levels so it is not a one stop shop they can feed off of. Like plants will be able to utilize the same nutrients/PH but you will have to do your homework.
Do you have a picture of a system you are considering? That may be helpful to better answer some of your questions. I also use well water and have not had any issues. I want to build a filter like GPS did but I have not yet. I guess I have been really lucky because I haven't had any problems due to well water issues, heat yes, Ph yes but nothing specific I can say "It was the unfiltered water" that caused any issues. I currently use 55 gallon blue barrels for my resevoirs but I plan to purchase the 175 gal totes with the cage next and partically bury them. |
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