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/diy/ - Do It Yourself


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File: 32 KB, 435x326, gf-gwilson_hydroponic_pipes.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
121378 No.121378 [Reply] [Original]

I am designing a hydroponic/aeroponic setup to grow lettuce,herbs and tomatoes. Produce is stupid expensive and usually shit so its time to produce my own. Who grows indoors here?

>> No.121388

>>121378
I've had some thought about a setup.
How much fluid do they really need though? I was thinking of skipping the whole pump part and instead use a "drip tank" that's manually refilled and computer controlled solenoid valves for regularly portioning out water.

>> No.121390

>>121388
Well, with a closed set up like in OP's pic, there would be minimal water evaporation. You would still need to top it off every week of so. Don't forget, once you change the water volume, you change the nutrients to water ratio so make sure to compensate for that...

>> No.121393

You flush the system once a week. Generally a 5 gallon setup is more than sufficient for a large grow. There are drip systems and systems with micro sprayers that run inside the tube and spray the plants root system. I'm in the design phase right now. I priced out some completed setups and they are expensive. I can throw something together at home for a fraction of the price

>> No.121397

>>121378
Do a bubbleponic setup

It is the most cost effective system.

Get loads of rubbermaids and link them with pvc. Get a pump moving water around them all in series. Get an air pump with one vigorous airstone in each. For lights go with CFL.

You know the rest.

>> No.121400
File: 74 KB, 1920x1080, aero.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
121400

Here is a basic design I would like to work off of.

>> No.121401

Aeroponic is significantly faster in terms of growth. Cheaper to construct too.

>> No.121429

http://www.windowfarms.org/kits-all-new

>> No.121476

>>121397

PVC leaches chlorine into the water; highly toxic to most plants. If you just use a few pipes it'll be okay, but make sure your containers are made out of PE, PP or any other 'foodgrade plastic'.

I used PP-pipes to connect my containers. Bought it in a aquariumstore.

>> No.121511

OP I have DWC and plan to build NFT for this summer. My lettuce takes less than 40 days to eat from seed to harvest.
Read here for different PH for different veggies. http://www.simplyhydro.com/ph.htm

>> No.122094

The PVC pipe is the same stuff used for waterlines that you drink water from in your home. If it leaches enough chlorine to kill your plant I'm fairly sure it would fuck you up as well. This is a myth.

>> No.122352

>>122094
Not the guy from the first pvc-post, but I think you don't know your chemistry.

Chlorine is added to tapwater to disinfect it in most western developed countries. Typically larger amounts in larger cities. There is yet to be scientific proof that it is bad for humans in these amounts, however it is the subject of debate.

What has been proven is that plants are much more susceptible to chlorine poisoning. It inhibits nutrientuptake.Many scientific papers are written about it by respectable sources. Google is your friend. You can also easily test this yourself. Anybody who has had houseplants for a extended amount of time will have noticed they'll do a lot better if you let the tapwater you give them sit for a day. This is because the chlorine in it will evaporate in that time. Dracaena's and Chlorophytums (spiderplant) are a classic example of this sensitivity. Though being very hardy plants they can simply die due to chlorine if you give them water straight from the tap depending on where you live and the waterquality there, even though it's perfectly safe for humans.

Other personal experience I have is lettuce in DWC. Multiple tubs, one of which was a pvc-tub, ment for handmixing concrete.
My produce seemed to be growing slower in it than in other tubs. They got the same RO'd water, same nutrients, same light.. The only variable was the tub. I rinsed and washed it a few times to no avail. After I switched it with a polypropylene, everything was fine.
I must admit though that the produce from the PVC-tub tasted just the same as my plants from the other tubs, and it also grew just as big. It just took more time to get there.

As was said before, I don't think a bit of PVC-piping will hurt your plants in a noteworthy amount, nor will it be worth buying a new container if you already have one in pvc. Just avoid buying one made of pvc if you still have to get one.
What I do recommend if you use tapwater is to let it sit for a while.

>> No.122584

>>121400
anybody know where this picture is from its a video
i would like to take a look at it

>> No.122597

>>121388
Aeroponic systems tend to be very sensitive to failures. If the roots don't get moisture on schedule, they die fast. If your computer freezes or there's a power outage, you could lose your crop before you have a chance to recover.
That's why I chose to go with an ebb and flow hydroponic system. It's simple and a bit more forgiving of power outages etc.

>> No.122723

>>122597
DWC MASTER RACE reporting
zero failure possibility unless the reservoir breaks, air pump breaks (have a back up), light breaks (have spare)

>> No.122745

>>122352
Very useful information and I have to agree wholeheartedly with your opinions on tap water not really being good for plants. They throw so much crap in our water that really its kind of scary when you first realize it. Tap water can be made safer for plants by letting it sit around, or I have heard aerating the water can help dispel chlorine quicker.

That said, I don't know all the polymer chemistry involved with PVC pipe but the idea of it leeching chlorine into the water seems feasible but to what extent I don't know and would rather like to think it's minimal.

>> No.122785

OP try this

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-72-Plant-Vertical-Garden/


im doing it at my place to grow produce.

>> No.122805

OP we all know this is for weed

>> No.122810

Building a DWC setup with LEDs at the moment. Getting my last round of shit in the mail tuesday.. total investment so far is $135 for absolutely everything from the nutrients to dual air pumps, short of one more stop at the hardware store which should only be about $10.

The LEDs are the interesting bit, I'm trying out the newer Illumitex Surexi modules. They're about $12 for 5 watt modules, very efficient, and specifically made for growing plants. I have two modules for 10w, seems like it will be enough to run the very small setup I have planned, as they're fucking blindingly bright. I wanted a very minimal setup, so if I get reasonable growth with $150 and 20w with the lights on, that would make me pretty happy.

Hoping to see more random discussion, like the PVC stuff above. Even if it's undecided, I would have never thought about that otherwise.

>> No.122815

Not OP, I've been considering growing some vegetables myself.

My question is should I make my own setup (probably PVC Hydroponic) or should I buy a premade setup, such as:
http://www.windowfarms.org/kits-all-new

Completely new to this whole thing, and any advice is appreciated.

>> No.122829

>>122815

We just established that PVC is bad for plants.

>> No.122838

OP here. The T5 CFL light fixtures from Lowes are $20. I'm going to have 4 dual tube fixtures, one over each section of PVC pipe. I haven't found any scientific data concerning damage to plants via PVC. LED lights are pretty good but it's difficult to get the correct spectrum.

>> No.122839

The window farm kits are a waste of money. Do some research and build your own system. It can be done at a fraction of the cost. You need to know how the system works to effectively grow and just buying one is a recipe for failure.

>> No.122997

>>122838
Can you post link to T5s from lowes or at least product number? Thanks

>> No.123015

>>122810
Could you give me an inventory list of your setup? I decided against getting a PVC, DWC seems like a better option for the small project I have in mind.

>> No.123019

>>123015

I was planning on putting together a huge infographic for /diy/ once I had it running, but I could type up the list of parts now, to get started.

Might be a bit before I post again, not sure how much I'll be typing out.

>> No.123024

>>123019
Thanks very much, I do appreciate it!
I'll keep the thread bookmarked.

>> No.123034

>>122352
Most developed countries have moved away from Chlorination, Ozone and UV treatment is the new thing.
US, UK and Spain are among the last bastions.

>> No.123035

OP here. I will get some designs up soon. It's very important to understand the grow process. Do you know what specific pH you need to maintain your reservoir at? What is your light source? Etc. Take a week and learn all about the process before you build a setup.

>> No.123043

Basic list, most of these should be easy to search on ebay, or at least you'll know what to look for elsewhere:

Buckets: 5 gallon Home Depot buckets, less than $3, get an extra to mix nutrient solution in. Should be $10 or less.
Air stone: Lots of choice here, I got one that was supposedly for hydrponics stuff and won't clog easily. Just get two decent medium sized ones for $10 total.
Nutrients: I went for the Botanicare CNS-17 line, two main products now, Grow and Ripe. Fairly cheap, very complete nutrient mix. Easy to find, 8 ounce containers will be $15 for both.
Air pump: I went for old school Hagen Elite 800. Known for running for decades. I'll be running two separate pumps and air stones for redundancy, but one good pump would be fine. Spend about $30 here.
pH test: Get a liquid test kit rather than the paper strips, much better. Buy a kit that has the test and pH up and down chemicals. Should be about $15 shipped.
Net pots and filler: I went for 3" net pots, a neoprene fitting to hold the plant when it's a seedling, and some hydroton for the root system. Search any of these three if you don't know what they are. $15 or so.
Air line, drain tube, fittings: Should all be black, don't want light in the bottom bucket. Otherwise, design is up to you, but this shouldn't be more than $15.
Timer: Any decent quality one will do fine, type '24 hour light timer' into ebay, should be $12-15 shipped.
Alu tape: Necessary for covering the bottom bucket so that light doesn't get in. 4 in x 40 feet for $8 shipped.

That's about $130 there(rounding everything up, should end up being less).

1/2(3?)

>> No.123045

Lighting: I have LEDs, but I'm not going to cover this properly until I test my setup. I ordered from Mouser electronics, part numbers:
953-AD446S-500F1
953-AD446S-500F6
This is only 10w, but red and blue of the proper wavelength only, so equivalent-ish to 15-20w of white LED. May or may not be sufficient for 5 gallon DWC bucket.
Also requires:
Holders or building mounts for the modules
An old computer CPU heatsink with a big flat side and fan to mount them to(they don't produce much heat, but more cooling is better, especially when new old stock CPU heatsink/fans are $5-10)
A 12v 1 to 2 amp power supply
A proper resister of about 1-10ohms for each LED, dependent on the power supply.
Total cost ends up around $40-50 for that.

If you know a bit about electronics, the parts not spelled out should be easy, otherwise stick with CFL as it's cheaper and simpler.
2/3

>> No.123049

Don't have a diagram yet, but you need ways to check water level, drain nutrient solution, fill with nutrient solution, etc.. you can achieve all this with a single fitting mounted as low as possible, with a ~2 foot 1" black tube connected to it, and a plug that fits the end of the tube. Just attach the tube to the side of the bucket most of the time, with the top of the tube over the top water level obviously. Unplug and look into it to see the water level, lower the tube below water level to drain, etc.

You also need a way to draw water from near the center of the bucket to test pH. I would use more or less the same method with a smaller tube, like air line.

The point of my eventual design will be that it's simple to build and easily reproducible, so I'll be narrowing down parts selection and keeping it as cheap as possible. For now, this isn't even close to being complete on even the physical design, but I've tried to include as many aspects as possible so that you at least have an idea of what to research.

Those are the basics of the basics for the design, but now you need to spend a lot of time researching the plant you want to grow and how to run the setup. Very basic but very important things are pH level, lighting schedule, and nutrient levels.

3/3

>> No.123097

OP here. The only thing I would change is the light source. LEDs can work very well but you must have a certain wavelength of light and this can be difficult to ascertain. For 12 bucks you can get an awesome T5 CFL dual lamp setup.

>> No.123492

You can test the pH of the water from any location in the bucket. Just swish it around a bit. Stop over engineering things.

>> No.123611

>>123396
what? Only about half american men are circumcised.

>> No.124220

>>123611

>Only about half american men are circumcised.

lol wat? ..

>> No.124234

>>121378
excellent choice. Hydroponics is an excellent and efficient source of food. The downside is the higher investment cost compared to a traditional garden or farm. Also try setting up a greenhouse. Protip: You may get a visit from the police to check if you are growing pot. Happens a lot in my area when someone makes a greenhouse or hydroponics set up.

>> No.124243
File: 17 KB, 250x250, george costanza.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
124243

>lettuce, herbs and tomatoes

sure you are OP, sure you are

>> No.124340

>>124243
not everyone is a stoner, dumbass
>inb4 trolled

>> No.124372
File: 759 KB, 437x304, 1326702706123.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
124372

>>124340

>> No.124412

>>121378

Lulz, that isn't how it works, just because a plant takes up water doesn't mean it will take the nutrients proportionately. This is why we get ourselves a TDS (total dissolved salts) meter, a PPM meter if your using a recipe. Plants only take up what they require in food, if you keep putting in *booster* shots your veggies will taste like nutes. Best advice I can give you for an easy 1st crop, bubble buckets / HID lighting :)I do this at home, here's my stuff www.youtube.com/gnomelandgardens drop me a line if u need something

>> No.124482

always been interested in this
is this economical in terms of the power you put in?
do any of you guys have calculations or know the best thing to grow?

>> No.125311 [DELETED] 

>>122829


>>PVC is bad for plants.

What is you don't have chlorinated water? We have well water.

>> No.125321

Chlorinated water is also bad for fish. You are either supposed to let the water sit overnight or put some kind of water conditioner in it. I don't know why people would drink it.

>> No.125326 [DELETED] 

>>125311

What if you don't have chlorinated water? We have well water.

>> No.125327 [DELETED] 

>>122829

>>PVC is bad for plants.

What is you don't have chlorinated water? We have well water.

>> No.125336

>>122829

>>PVC is bad for plants.

What if you don't have chlorinated water? We have well water.

>> No.125338

>>125336
it leeches chlorine, as in, even if you put distilled water into it, chlorine atoms from the pvc will enter the water.

>> No.125346

>>125338
>>125336
The amount leached varies greatly by the quality of the pvc, and even at it worst it doesn't even come near what most countries/cities put in their tapwater to disinfect it.
(I tested it myself with my uni's mass-spec.. Chem major.)
Also, my older (pvc) hydro-setups seemed to leach next to no chlorine; if one would be worried by such small amounts of chemicals he/she should stop eating any food packaged with plastics. Only the newer ones had trace amounts worth mentioning, so the leaching seems to diminish over time.

For watering my plants I do however rarely use water straight from the tap; negative effects are undeniable by anyone with noteworthy botany-experience.
For my houseplants I let it sit for at least a night, for my produce I have a RO-filter hooked up, though I prefer rain- or wellwater for both.

>> No.125401
File: 65 KB, 616x723, Screen shot 2012-01-19 at 7.33.35 AM.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
125401

>>121400
i have always liked that style and have looked into it myself

problem I always encountered was finding reasonable priced 4" PVC pipe or fence post to use, so I got to thinking about it in a diff way which I like to think is pretty unusual. I have done dry fits and everything is good in that regard just haven't fully assembled.

Essentially it is a length of 10 foot Raingo gutter cut in half with both halves joined together with a wall paneling 'division bar' (also ten feet cut in half) creating an octagonal 5 foot length that has a good deal of room for root growth (or spray lines if you go with aeroponic-type design).

Parts (from Lowes):
Sequentia 10' White Division Bar for FRP Installations
Item #: 110598 | Model #: M.DB113010

Genova 10' White Vinyl Gutter
Item #: 12066 | Model #: RW100

the diagram included is just a rough sketchup i did to try and illustrate how the halves of gutter come together

>> No.125493
File: 1.35 MB, 1536x2048, DSC09305.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
125493

>>125401

I don't know what the cost difference is between that and PVC pipes or whatever, but that looks like a really excellent idea(clipping the halves together with something off the shelf).

Also, guy who made that the long winded posts, have 99% of my parts in now, here's my bottom bucket. Obviously, covered in aluminum tape, 3" hole cut out in the top, net pot in, and you can see the neoprene fitting sitting on top. That fits in the net pot perfectly, allows no light through and holds a large seedling in place without needing to put it into whatever medium you have in the net pot properly.

1/4

>> No.125497
File: 1.35 MB, 2048x1536, DSC09307.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
125497

Just showing the airstones. $14 shipped for these huge ones, supposedly tougher to clog than typical small fish tank ones, although that remains to be seen.

>> No.125501
File: 1.46 MB, 2048x1536, DSC09308.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
125501

Here's the main supplies and parts I had listed a few days ago.

The old low end fish tank pumps are nearly useless, as one might imagine.

>> No.125504

>>125501
nice can't wait to hear how it all comes out!
is that a harbor freight timer i see? I have been looking at harbor freight for pumps (pretty reasonable prices). keep up the good work!

>> No.125506
File: 1.22 MB, 1536x2048, DSC09309.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
125506

Can see the LEDs very, very ghetto rigged onto a small heatsink and fan in the last picture.. here they are under a bucket, in a room with two 13w CFLs in the fan fixture on, and the window partially open... they're pretty damn bright.

Anyways, hope these pictures get some people interested. As you can see, most of the equipment is fairly simple.

>> No.125511

>>125504

The timer was from ebay, but I wouldn't doubt HF sells the exact same thing.

As far as pumps, I think any higher end aquarium one should be fine.. these are only rated 2.5 PSI, 5 would be fine and 10 great, assuming they can move enough volume to keep up, but I don't think that's a problem.

>> No.125727

No info pics of gardening?

>> No.126156
File: 711 KB, 1037x855, Model-229-cultivator-mounted-on-a-1937-F-20.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
126156

Neat diy food threads get bumped with tractors.

>> No.126238

>>124234 Protip: You may get a visit from the police to check if you are growing pot. Happens a lot in my area when someone makes a greenhouse or hydroponics set up.
>visit from police
>greenhouse

Where the fuck do you live?

>police-"knock, knock"
>me, from behind door -"Uhh, yeah?"
>police-"It's the police, we are just here to harass tax paying citizens"
>me-"Do you have a warrant?"
>police- "No, we were just hoping to go into your backyard to look around for illegal marijuana operations"
>me- "Nope.jpeg"

learn2constitution

>> No.126240

>>126238
>me-"Do you have a warrant?"
>police- "yes we have one right here, it seems there's an unpermitted greenhouse on your property, we saw it just yesterday when we flew over in the helicopter we bought with confiscated drug money, please to step aside, sir"
>me- "fuuuu.jpeg"

>> No.126243

>>126240
>unpermitted greenhouse
>"It's a glass sunshade"
>"Okay, we need to take these plants for testing"
>"It's a tomato."
>"Looks like weed to me *cuts down entire plant*", oh and these glass panels could be made of meth so we take them too *destroys greenhouse*
>"What the fuck are you doing?"
>"Your resistance to authority makes you a potential terrorist, we invoke NDAA and lock you up for five years while your career, relationships and house deteriorates"

>AMERICA 2012 FUCK YEAH!

>> No.126244

>>126240

Who said anything about building without a permit? You have a home and build some structure not confoming to city/municipal code? regardless...........

>police knock on door- "why do you have a greenhouse that isn't permitted?"
>me from behind door- "uhhh. why do you ask?"
>police- "we want to enter your premises to look around for pot since our helicopter flew around, not seeing any suspicious heat sources"
> me- "nope.jpeg"

Nothing changes.

Still applies.