Third system
 

I finally got the third system up and running, I was waiting for the seeds to sprout and get big enough. This is a simple flood and drain design using 4 inch ADS tubing, similar to P.V.C. but it's designed for irrigation. You should be able to find it in the same isle as the P.V.C. tubing at Home Depot and Lowe's hardware stores. The ADS tubing looks much the same but is made of 3 different layers. The inside layer is black (and lightproof), the second provides structural support, the last is the white outer layer. This stuff is real easy to cut and is inexpensive at about $8 for a 10 foot tube. The end caps were $1.97.

I cut holes in the end caps to insert the through holes, then flooded the system to mark where I was going to glue the end caps in place. I just used regular P.V.C. glue that I already had. I also already had the threaded elbow connectors for the P.V.C., and the pieces of 1/2 in P.V.C tubing used for the overflow tube. You will notice on the overflow tube there is a "T" connector with a piece of tubing extending up, then some holes drilled in the end cap of that tube. This is to insure there are no air bubbles that can get trapped in the overflow that might cause it to not function properly. Also the long black piece of P.V.C. that runs the span of the tube is just one I already had from long ago. It had been in the garage so long that it was bent so I just zip tied it to a long piece of wood to kind of striation it out.

The nutrient reservoir is one that I am reusing from my pepper plants last summer. I painted the top black (to lightproof it) then white (to reflect light). The bottom part is actually two containers, one inside the other with spray insulation foam between them. So the insulation provides the light proofing. The stands were just made from 2x4's then painted white. I used a 4 inch tube coupler that I cut in half, then screwed them to the stands for the tube to rest in. I used a buggy cord over the top of the tube (to hold it in place).

I have 3 diffrent plants in this system peas, sugar peas and green beans. I will be building a trellis (similar to the one I have for my tomato's in the background) for these to climb on. I will also be adding summer squash to this system. Though the squash will actually be a drip system running from the same pump. So I will have both drip, and a flood and drain systems running from the same pump. I have a one way flow valve that I got for $8 that will be inline with the drip system. This will allow the nutrient to flow to the drip system but when the pump shuts off it will close. This wont allow any back flow from the drip side of the system that would allow air bubbles, and then stop the siphoning back to the reservoir from the flood and drain side of the system.

ADS tube $8
end caps $1.97 x 2, $4
pump $44
through holes $1.97 x 2, $4
tube coupler $2

Thanks for those pictures. I'm planning something very similar (along with the corn system from the other thread). I have 3 20' sections of deck railing, and I'm thinking about running this along the top of the railings....probably starting with one 20' section and adding others end-to-end when I see how it works. Your plumbing layout looks like it would work perfectly for me. Not sure yet what to plant....have to figure out compatible plants for that large a system.

Sounds great, I would love to see pictures of both systems when you get them going. Is the weather in Montana going to be a problem for you this time of year?

No way that I will be setting up either system until mid-spring. I don't think I could find a pump to push 0 degree F nutrient thru the pipes!! I expect to be starting seeds towards the end of April, and have them ready as the weather warms.

Currently I have 2 systems set up in my work room....an 8 bucket Dutch drip system (currently ending a cycle with just one broccoli and some chard left) and a 2x4 flood/drain system that I'm now starting seeds for.

No I wouldn't expect so, and nutrient that cold wouldn't be good for the plants either. Though there are ways to keep the nutrients warm like insulating the nutrient tank, using fish tank warmers, heated blankets and such. For the pipes a layer or two of pipe insulation along with pumping the warm nutrient through it regularly would probably be enough to keep the pipes and roots from freezing (though I have not dealt with growing in weather that cold). I think you were going to be growing the plants on your deck so I wasn't sure if the deck was enclosed to keep most of the heat out and/or if you were planing to use heaters to keep the plants warm. Do you have any pictures of the setups in your work room?

I don't have any pics yet, but I will charge up the batteries and take some today. By the way, it's snowing a little bit this morning......

Here are some shots of my various setups;
** Aerogarden with extra lites with cherry tomatoes
** Couple shots of my seedling process
** The flood system, ready to go, just waiting for seedlings
** The Dutch drip system, mostly finished, just waiting for the last broccoli to get big enough.

That's quite a few plants. I don't have anywhere indoors that I can grow except for the garage, and that gets much hotter than outside during the summer. Also I don't have the money for lights, nor can I justify buying them to grow inside just 4 months a year. Especially when we get over 300 days of sun a year, but I hope to have a claimant controlled greenhouse in a year or two.

I found your pic GpsFrontier. I see the electrical sealed against the end cap, this is the limiter so it doesn't overflow correct? Is the pipe below it the return and then the fill line is at the other end? Thanks.

Actually it's the other way around,

I have the through holes that I get in the electrical department on both ends of the tube, but they don't limit anything (except the size of the hole). The one that has the white P.V.C. tubing that runs up and down and directly into the reservoir is the overflow. I simply stuck a piece of clear 5/8 inch vinyl tubing in the P.V.C. "T" and then stuck it onto the through hole. The key is the placement of the hole in the end cap, so the water level does not rise above where the hole is located. I tested the system and marked it before I glued the end caps in in place. This system is a flood and drain type system. When the pump shuts off the nutrient solution simply drains back into the reservoir through the inlet.

The one on the other side that runs horizontal is the water inlet. Again the through hole does not limit anything it just lets the water pass through it and provides a watertight seal. The pump itself has an adjustment that is set at low because it's a powerful pump. The corner is made using just a few small pieces of different sized vinyl tubing and a couple of P.V.C. connectors to connect the vinyl tubing to the P.V.C.. The black is just paint that covers regular 1/2 in P.V.C. tubing to light proof it. I could have just used a long piece of vinyl tubing instead of the 1/2 inch P.V.C. tubing, but it's cheaper and I already had it anyway.

Here are the other pictures

GpsFrontier ,
Nice work, looks great!

I feel like I am getting up to speed. Thanks very, very much. Hopefully I may be able to answer questions in the future, not only ask.

Makes great sense, a question though. There are a number of different ways you could start the dormant strawberries.

1. Plant them in the net basket with the cocoa chips, place them in the tube and run it as an ebb and flow. This would require the chips to wick the solution throughout the basket because like you said only the lower corner would be in the solution. Do you think this would be enough to get them going?

2. Start them in rockwool and after a couple of weeks, move them into baskets with chips and into the tube using ebb and flow. If one did it this way would they continue in the ebb and flow mode or would they switch to NFT after the roots are developed and hanging down from the net basket

3. Or, would you do it completely differently, please digress.

I bought an air stone today. It was a big sucker, it you beaned someone with it they might not get up for a while. When I hooked it up to my GH air pump, which is pushing air for my drip system it really didn't do shit. When I turned closed the stop cocks on 3 of the 4 outputs it did a great job. Gee, spend more money.

I experienced they same root situation with older nursery plants, just couldn't get off that much of the dirt without tearing up the plant. If I was able to buy younger plants in the six packs, the majority of the dirt washed off.


Thanks for the bleach tip on taking the plants out before. This I did know but it still made me crack up.:) I'm in the healthcare field so I know 10% sodium hypochlorite would slaughter the plants. I do hope it saves someone the bad day it would be should they bleach their crop.

I want to attempt strawberries, but I ant to do it in a stacked drip system usig either vermiculite or perilite as the substrate. I've seen similar systems like this and want to do a setup in my greenhouse.

As for the Bleach info, I know some people try things word for word, and I sure would hate for someone to kill off their grow because of something obvious that I forgot to mention. ;-0

Yes, they would grow just fine that way. Though the strawberry system will take approximately 30-40 gallons to flood all 8 chambers and have enough left in the reservoir so the pump does not run dry, and to me that would be a waist of nutrients for plants that are not ready to plant yet.
This is probably most common, and would work. But for better or worse I will probably go another route.
Well, this is really a matter of preference and up to the grower, and what they are comfortable with. Running it as a N.F.T. would use half the nutrients compared to flooding it, but I think I will be able to keep them better fed using it as a flood and drain. But I have the flexibility to change it when ever I want and I can also play with the flooding cycle and drain height and do some trial and error to find the best combination to run it at.
Well, I will probably just use flat trays about 2 inches deep filed with potting soil to bring the dormant strawberry plants back to life. Then just gently wash off the roots before transplanting into the baskets with coco chips. But that's just my preference.
Ya, the pump can only put out as much air as it was designed for. So you can have as many stones as you want but it is still the same amount of air, just split between how ever many stones you are using.

This type of stacked system is quite popular and seems to work well also. I attached a few pictures of strawberry's growing this way.

Just for the heck of it I also attached some pictures of a vertical tube that I can only assume is an Aeroponic system. I want to try growing something in this as well. I also attached a picture of a Aframe Aeroponic system growing lettuce that I hope to try soon. There is also a picture of some pompkins growing on a a frame support with the plants growing in a trough. To be honest I don't even know if this is a hydroponic system, but I want to design one like it for growing melons. Probably a drip system.

I've seen a little different setup for the strawberries, but I'm sure it's the same technique, and they were stacked higher.
I've seen some plans for that vertical tube, and it's done either with misting spray emitters inside, or some with drip feeders on the outside.
Personally, I like to see things working.
As for the trough...I think what makes it 'ponics is that it uses a soiless substrate and there is constant movement of nutrients from one end to the other, back into nutrient tank.
I've also though about setting up a trough grow, but I want my trough elevated at the top of a trellis and have the plants grow across a horizontal trellis and down one side (sun facing side). Then have my lettuce setup underneath all that to provide shade and cooling for the hot months.

It would seem to me much easier (and better) designed as a areoponics with the misters/emitters inside the tube. As for me I would have a single P.V.C. pipe straight down the center with the misters/emitters screwed into it. That way if there ever was a problem with the misters/emitters all I need to do is pull the emitter tube out of the top and replace it with a fresh one, making maintenance easy. Then have a return line at the bottom back to the reservoir. Also I would have many more ports for the plants taking advantage of all the open space, and using a 8 or 10 inch tube.

I also would love to see it in action, but I live in AZ and the pictures were taken in Florida at Epcot Center (I believe). I have a file of hundreds of hydroponic images I saved, but don't have much information on them. I save them because they give me inspiration and ideas on different system setups. I have seen many images at Epcot Center and I am sure that is where these were taken even though there was no caption to the pictures.
Yes, Growing without soil is the definition of hydroponics. I just am not sure if the picture is actually a hydroponic system because I cant tell what's in the troughs, and if it's soil or not from the picture. There is a line near the back, like for a drip system. But that doesn't mean they don't just have soil in it and using a water drip irrigation system to water it. Again the images didn't come with captions.
That's actually a good idea I hadn't thought of. It also would be a space saver.

These plants are 3 weeks old now so I thought I would post an update. The plants started to grow quickly. So I had to make a temporary support because they are climbing plants. The wood frame is supposed to be temporary, until I am able to get the P.V.C. tubing to make the one I have planed. It will be similar to the one I built for the tomato's.

The system is using 8 gallons of nutrient solution. I had the same nutrients in the system for all 3 weeks. The first 2 weeks were at half strength because they were very small plants. After 2 weeks I added 4 tsp (20mL) of each to the reservoir. Now I just changed the nutrients to a full strength 2 tsp (10mL) of each and plan to run it for 2 weeks.

P.S. The white buckets on the wall are for the Squash plants I have planed to grow as a drip system using this same reservoir, making it a combination flood and drain and drip system. It will have 3 plants, I just took one of the buckets down to take some pictures inside. The wood 2x4 will have the one way flow valve attached to it to hold it in place.

Looks good, wont be long before you won't be able to pull those net cups out all the way there will be so many roots. Roots like nice and healthy.
As they get bigger, you might want to think about have a large amount of nutrient in your resevior because it'll start sucking up fluids like crazy and you don't want it to get to low before you can replenish the used amount of water.
When I had my first NFT, I had some days it was using 8 or more gallons in 24 hours