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My Newly Built System


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  #1  
Old 06-02-2009, 06:23 PM
BigQBoris BigQBoris is offline
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Default My Newly Built System

I just built this system from reviewing over the plans I found on this site. I plan to grow some peppers in it shortly. I am going to try and do Bhut Jolokia. Hopefully they will work ok in it.

Great site to the creators. I love it!

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  #2  
Old 06-05-2009, 10:34 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Nice looking setup. I don't know if you are planing to light proof it, if not you might get a lot of algae growth. I painted mine black to light proof it, then white to reflect light (just the outside). I Got a lot more peppers than I expected and they were very tasty. Happy gardening....

P.S. I don't know if you glued the whole system. I glued the bottles into the pvc connector's but I didn't glue the connector's to the the pipe so it pops right off to make it easier to clean between plantings. They fit pretty tight and I only had a few drops leak out before it sealed itself.
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  #3  
Old 06-07-2009, 09:06 PM
BigQBoris BigQBoris is offline
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Thanks for compliment. This is my first one. The system I saw that you posted it pretty nice. Very top notch. I think I may design my next one in that manner.

I think I will light proof it. I just wanted to water test it to make sure I didnt have any leaks. What kind of paint did you use? Just normal spray paint for plastics?

I actually did glue everything together. But I can untwist the bottles from their caps so I should be able to cleanup them out ok when the time comes.
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Old 06-08-2009, 05:19 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigQBoris View Post
Thanks for compliment. This is my first one. The system I saw that you posted it pretty nice. Very top notch. I think I may design my next one in that manner.

I think I will light proof it. I just wanted to water test it to make sure I didnt have any leaks. What kind of paint did you use? Just normal spray paint for plastics?

I actually did glue everything together. But I can untwist the bottles from their caps so I should be able to cleanup them out ok when the time comes.
Thanks, these are my first hydroponic systems also. I have had a few problems with the O rings leaking for the overflow on the strawberry's, but I changed the way they drain by using through holes instead of O rings. I also made it more adjustable by having it come up from the bottom instead of the side. I haven't taken any new pictures yet but plan to soon. I will point out the changes to explain them better. As my 8th grade science teacher always said "you learn by doing". She was big on teaching that way and it has always stuck with me.

I read somewhere that the black spray automotive undercoating was good to use because it dries flexible, but it's much more expensive and doesn't cover as much (as I found out the hard way). It also comes off easy. I would probably just use the regular black spray paint that says that it is good for plastic like you said. Then use the white to reflect the light.
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Old 07-20-2009, 10:27 PM
Godzilla Godzilla is offline
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I am a very beginner and have a question.



I understand you pump water into the clear bottles, as shown by the yellow lines. When you shut the pump off how does the water go back into the blue thing? Does gravity push it all the way down and up the water level pipe and into the blue thing? (as shown by the red)

Also, can anyone point me into information about how often you change out the water? I assume you add water as it evaporates and the plants absorb it.
One again, very new.
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  #6  
Old 07-20-2009, 11:24 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Godzilla View Post
I am a very beginner and have a question.



I understand you pump water into the clear bottles, as shown by the yellow lines. When you shut the pump off how does the water go back into the blue thing? Does gravity push it all the way down and up the water level pipe and into the blue thing? (as shown by the red)

Also, can anyone point me into information about how often you change out the water? I assume you add water as it evaporates and the plants absorb it.
One again, very new.
Once the pump shuts off (because water seeks its own level) the water siphons back into the reservoir back through the pump. As far as changing the nutrient solution, that will be mostly up to you and when you feel they need it. Some plants are considered heavy feeders, meaning they use up the nutrients faster than other plants. Water temp and pH levels can have an impact on the longevity of the solution also. As well as the size of the reservoir in comparison to how many plants and how big they are (bigger plants will use up the nutrients faster). Although a basic rule of thumb, it is generally considered best to change the nutrient solution every 1-2 weeks. Yes, you would want to replace what evaporates because the elements in the nutrients don't evaporate and the solution would become concentrated as the water evaporates.

I have read that some people don't change them at all but just add more nutrients to what is already there, I haven't tried this myself. As the plants drink up what they need and leave what they don't it throws off the balance of the elements in the solution, and over time can cause bad chemical reactions with the plants and even cause nutrient lock. I changed the nutrients of my pepper plants every week because they are heavy feeders and using 14 gallons of nutrient solution for 10 plants. I changed the nutrient solution for my strawberry's every 3 weeks because I was using a 32 gallon reservoir for 32 plants and I am not sure but don't think they were heavy feeders. They were also less than half the size of the pepper plants. But I would keep an eye on them and if they weren't looking healthy I would change it earlier. Also if you need to keep adjusting the pH level more than usual that can be a sign that they are out of balance.
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  #7  
Old 10-12-2009, 11:00 PM
TexasMonster TexasMonster is offline
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Very nice. What size pump are you using? I guess the roots dont grow past the coke bottles? I keep looking for those plans yall are saying your getting from this website but I fail to find them. Could you point me in the right direction please?

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