Homegrown Hydroponics - Hydroponic Nutrient

Hydroponic nutrients are available from the hydroponic shops (hydroponics store). These concentrated hydroponic nutrient solutions are diluted in water to make the plant food to feed the plants. Simple hydro nutrient concentrates are easier and cheaper (from $8 for 750 ml.). But some of the hydroponic nutrient chemicals precipitate out as flakes before use and are lost. Two part nutrient concentrates (from $20 for 2L.) don't have this problem. By separating nutrient chemicals they allow more nutrients to be added same amount of water.

         Mixing the two part hydroponic solution. Half fill the nutrient tank, mix the required amount of concentrate Part A in the water. Fill the tank and mix required amount of concentrate Part B. Check the instructions on the containers before buying or using either type of hydroponic nutrient concentrate.

Homegrown Hydroponics - Grow Lights

Growing under lights allows plants to be in light 24 hours a day, promoting vigorous growth. Some growers use 18 hours light and 6 hours dark. Many types of grow lights are available. Agro-type HPS and HMI lights are better for growing in doors and a single 400watt light is easier to handle ten 40watt fluoro lights. However they are expensive and require a control box to fire the globe($200 - $400 for a 400watt globe, reflector and control box.). Fluorescent lighting is also effective, Gro-lux and other Agro-type tubes are available but aren't as powerful. Fluorescent light fitting can be purchased second hand for about $5 - $15 for single a 36 watt fitting and $10A - $25 for a double 72 watt fitting. New fitting are about twice the maximum cost of second hand unit. Only one double fitting can grow many plants until they about 2 weeks old. As they grow taller the light is too dim at the sides and bottom of plant, more tubes will be needed to light these parts of the plant. The light from fluorescent grow lights needs to be very close to the foliage about 10cm. max., heat may cause burning or curling of the leaves if there touching the tube. If there are 6 large plants they will need 10 or 12 of 36 watt fluorescent tubes. I used Fluorescent grow lights on my first 2 indoor crops starting with 4 tubes then adding tubes every week or two, as this was all I could afford. this setup soon supplied us with plenty of smoke and a quality that made buy on the street pointless. Before this I always been broke or in hock, paying for smoke and after while growing and not buying a could afford to get a 400watt HPS fitting and Son Agro glob. I was amazed at how the growth rate and strength improved as there was improvement in growth when I changed from soil to hydroponic growing and when they were grown under fluorescent grow lights got better .

Homegrown Hydroponics - Pumps

After the hydroponic nutrients has drained out of the root chamber into the lower tank it has to be pumped back up again to recirculate. A timer switch is used to control the pump. Hydroponic Stores and Aquarium suppliers sell pumps from about $45 for a small one and about $150+ for an adequate pump. Old washing machine drain pumps can be used to circulate the hydroponic nutrients and are easily salvaged.

A typical washing machine drain pump consists of a electric motor, a cooling fan on one end of motor shaft and a water impeller on the other end. The water impeller has 2 short tubes for connecting the hoses. The inlet is over the centre of the impeller and the outlet on the side at right angles to the motor shaft. Attach a 13mm. garden hose to the pump inlet and one to the pump outlet using hose clamps, adaptors, silicon sealer or whatever. Pump outlet has more pressure than inlet.

Some pumps are DANGEROUS as they have a short duty cycle these are usually from automatic washers and can only be used for 5 minutes then not used again for 1 hour. A short duty cycle pump may burn out or CATCH FIRE if left on for too long. Test your pump by pumping water for 5, 10, 20, 60 minutes, at the end of each test disconnect the power supply from the pump and CAREFULLY feel the temperature of motor winding coil. You should be able bear the temperature for some time, CAUTION a pump with a very short duty cycle may be very hot after 5 minutes and the power must be disconnected before touching the pump. 

Homegrown Hydroponics Drip System

This feed system has a dripper for each plant. Dripping the hydro juice directly on the top of the root mass should stop the plant from sending out long roots in search of food. Resulting in more growth on top or so the theory goes. The drip system uses a drip feed tank about one metre above the drippers and reticulation system.

Reticulation(diagram-4.1) is via 13mm. poly tube to just above the root chamber. A hole is punched in the 13mm. tube. A 4mm. adapter is screwed into the hole. Then 4mm. poly tube is attached to the 4mm. adapter. A dripper is attached to the other end of the 4mm. tube. The 4mm poly tube should be kept as short as possible so there is enough pressure to start the drippers. Barbed right angles and tee's are used to route the 13mm. poly tube close to each plant. The top of the 13 mm. poly tube is about 50mm. below the bottom of the drip feed tank. A 13mm. to snap-on adapter is fitted to the top of the 13mm. poly tube. If the 13 mm. poly tube is positioned at right angles to the slot and the 4mm. adapter, 4 mm. poly tube and the dripper positioned over the slot. Any leakage at the joins in the poly tube will drip into the slot preventing loss of hydro juice.

A 42 litre plastic garbage bin and lid is used for the drip feed tank. Snap-on fittings and 13mm. garden hose connect the bottom of the drip feed tank to the to 13mm. poly tube. They also connect the pump outlet hose to the top of the drip feed tank. A Stop Snap-on is used where the garden hose connects to the Snap-on adapter on the 13mm. poly tube. This prevents the hydro juice flowing from when the Snap-on is removed from the 13mm. poly tube. 
To convert from flood and drain to drip feed. Move the pump outlet hose from the flood inlet on top of the root chamber, to the top of the drip feed tank.

Snap-on universal sprinkler adapter are used to connect hoses to the side of the drip feed tank . These are a Snap-on to 13mm. thread adapter. There is also a 20mm. thread that screws onto a 13mm. thread. A hole no larger than the 13mm. thread is drilled in the side of the tank. The 13mm. thread is pushed through the hole from the outside of the tank. Now the 20mm. thread is screwed on to the 13mm. thread inside the tank creating a water tight seal. Make sure the hole is away from obstructions inside the tank that would prevent the 20mm. thread from attaching to the 13mm. thread. This method is used for all tanks and also for the pump outlet hose connection to the top of the flood end of the root chamber. 

Homegrown Hydroponics Ebb and Flow System

A flood and drain system requires a timer, a pump and a drain tank to catch the hydro juice. Hose is run from the bottom of the drain tank to the pump inlet. Hose is run from pump outlet to the hole in the top of the flood (high) end of the root chamber. The pump inlet is below the bottom the drain tank. As the drain tank is filling hydro juice flows through to the pump inlet through the pump and up the flood hose till level with the hydro juice in the tank. This is to prime the pump as the pump can't suck air, it can only push out what flows in the inlet. The timer runs the pump for 1 minute and the hydro juice fills about half the root chamber. If chamber over flows increase size of drain holes. If a hose is used at the drain end, it must not cause hydro juice to stand at the drain end. A recycling type bin is ideal for the drain tank (see end of Drip Feed section to attach hose to drain tank). Putting the pump on the floor andthe drain tank on bricks should raise it enough prime the pump.

Homegrown Hydroponics - Sexing Plants

Females show the first sign that a plant is turning female, the hairs are a translucent white and usually appear in pairs from small groth either side of the divisions in the stem, usually in the new groth (near the tips), then the hairs start to grow in the all the centers, sometimes the hairs appear in the centers first. When the plant matures there will be many curly hairs on the heads, colored from off white to orange to brown. 

Males start with a small groth/s in the sameplace as the female but groths are closer to the stem division and appear more as clusters or bunches growing into small ball then they burst speading a fine pollen .

The Males should be removed before they burst. Males can appear to be unsexed but have a single branch or tip sexually mature especially if its in direct contact with a female. 

The male balls shown on the right are on the stem where the 3rd. and 4th braches from the bottom of the plant and did not grow from clusters in new groth as described above, but this is what they look like anyway or bunches of them things, they go a lighter green before they burst it only takes a day or two.

Homegrown Hydroponics Growing Mediums

There are many growing mediums for hydro use. They include Rockwool, Vermiculite, Sand, Gravel, Expanded clay and others. Rockwool is used because it stays together and doesn't pollute the hydro juice. One Rockwool block ( About $12 - $30 ) will last for several crops of 6 plants. The Rockwool block is sealed in plastic and is about 700mm. x 300mm. x 100 mm. Before cutting the mats you need to see the grain of the rockwool the grain of in fig8. is from side to side. Cut across the grain with sharp knife several slices ( Mats ) 7mm. to 10mm. thick off the long side.  Each Rockwool mat is about 700mm. x 80mm. x 10mm. The Rockwool mats are passed through the slots and molded to the inside of the PVC pipe. This should cover the bottom inside half of each side of the root chamber with 7-10mm. of Rockwool mat. Be sure the Rockwool mat extends 50 - 100mm. longer than the slot. Next cut seedling blocks about 50mm. x 50mm. x 50mm.. Then poke a hole about 3mm. diameter from the middle of one side to the center of the block. This hole should be large enough to let the seedling freely grow out the top of the seedling block. Make one block for each plant. These small blocks are used to germinate the seedling and support the growing plants.

The Rockwool should be prepared before using by soaking in water for 24 hours and then soak with fresh water for seeds or sprouts and in the root chamber with half strength hydro juice before the seedlings are transplanted.