Make Your Own Homemade Hydroponics System
View PDF | Print View | View HTML
by: James Morley
Total views: 1
Word Count: 567
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2009 Time: 7:19 AM
0 comments
Related Videos
Tips On Making A Homemade Hydroponics System
Hydroponics is a method of growing many different plants and is becoming the way to do it today. Commercial hydroponic systems tend to cost a lot of money but what gardeners don't know is that making a homemade hydroponics system does not take much time or much money at all.
Hydroponics is a method in which one grows plants without the aid of using soil. The roots of the plants are placed in a soil-less medium or they may just grow in water itself. This is a cleaner method because there is no soil and you can grow plants indoors all during the year. A homemade system will not cost much and will save you money because you will have fresh vegetables any time.
One easy method of hydroponics is referred to as the Wick Method. Here liquid with nutrients is sucked up by nylon rope into the pots of the plants that have been inserted into a planting medium. You do not need much to achieve this method and nothing costs much money.
Make your own hydroponic system by starting with one black or dark blue plastic storage tub. You need a dark color to stop algae from growing in the liquid solution. Algae needs sunlight to grow and a dark container does not let it even get started. Also purchase a storage tub of the same relative size that will fit inside the dark one. In this tub you will place the pots your plants grow in. It can be the same color or any other color you wish. You need to purchase a few yards of half inch rope made from nylon. Also needed is an aquarium air pump that will keep your solution oxygenated. Get pots that fit into the one tub. These will be filled with a growing medium and the best used are pebbles made of clay that will absorb the solution and keep it for awhile or you can use equal amounts of vermiculite and perlite. You will never be able to duplicate the rays of the sun indoors so be sure to get some grow lights.
Each pot will need a length of the roping. Put one end of the rope through the hole in the bottom of each pot then place some of the medium in while holding the rope up. You want the rope to be in and amongst the roots of the plant and the other end will dangle a few inches to a foot below. Place the plants in the medium. In your tub that will hold the plants you will need to drill a half inch hole under where each of the plants will be situated. Pull the rope that dangles out of the pot through the hole so it dangles into the solution once you place the plant tub in the solution tub.
The only maintenance needed to keep this wick system going is to be sure the bottom tub has enough solution in it. Check at least once a week and better two times a week but this will depend on how much your plants drink. Grow your own lettuce and tomatoes and other vegetables so you will not have to go to the grocery and pay big bucks during the off season.
Article Source :: Simply Articles
About the Author
Want to find out more about A Homemade Hydroponics System, then visit James Morley's site on how to choose the best Homemade Hydroponics Systems for your needs.
Rating: Not yet rated
