The Easiest Homemade Hydroponics System
By Jason Willkomm, Sat Dec 31st
Not every type of hydroponics system lends itself well tohomemade design. For systems that use drip or spray heads, youhave many costly items to purchase before you can produce aproperly working system. Usually, you end up learning a lot fromyour first failed attemp if you choose to build your own dripsystem or aeroponics system. There is one easy and relativelyinexpensive homemade hydroponics system I have found. It is thehomemade ebb and flow.
For a homemade hydroponics ebb and flow system, you will needtwo cheap plastic storage totes, an aquarium air pump, anaquarium water pump, a timer, a set of flood and drain fittings,and a short length of plastic tubing. If you are not sure whatflood and drain fittings are, go to Google, click on "images",and do a quick search for "flood and drain fittings".
First, one tote will be your nutrient reservoir. Pick a darkcolor tote to keep light out of the nutrient solution...thiswill help prevent the growth of algae. The air pump should go toa couple of air stones, which will be kept bubbling in thenutrient reservoir. The water pump goes here as well. Your waterpump should be able to move at least 100 gallons/hour at aheight of 3 feet. The pump should cost you about 30 dollars.
The other tote will go on top of the nutrient reservoir and holdthe plant containers. Plant containers should be filled withexpanded clay pellets or something equal, like lecca stone orlava chips. Somewhere in the bottom of this container (out ofthe way of the plants) you will drill two 3/4 inch holes andinstall the flood and drain fitting in one, and the overflowfitting in the other.
Finish it off by running a short piece of tubing from the waterpump to the flood and drain fitting (which is the shorter of thetwo).
All you have left to do is plug the water pump into the timer,set your timer for your flood and drain cycle, and fill thenutrient reservoir with ten gallons of solution. Flood yourplant container for a 1/2 hour 4 times a day while the lightsare on .
When the pump kicks on, the top container will fill with water(but never higher than the overflow). It takes a while for theclay pellets to really absorb the nutrient