Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Build a Hydroponic Grow System
How to Build a Hydroponic Grow System. Hydroponic planting is quickly becoming a popular way to nurture plants in an urban environment where it is not easy to grow plants. Hydroponic planting does away with the need for soil; instead, it calls for growing plants in a nutrient bath with or without a growing medium, a solid material used to grow the...
Hydroponic planting is quickly becoming a popular way to nurture plants in an urban environment where it is not easy to grow plants. Hydroponic planting does away with the need for soil; instead, it calls for growing plants in a nutrient bath with or without a growing medium, a solid material used to grow the plant root system in. Building a hydroponic system with a medium is not hard and can be done by an amateur as well as a professional. This is a simple way to make a wick system.
Things You'll Need
Air pump
Plastic tubing
Potting medium
1 waterproof bucket (light-resistant)
Tape measure
Knife
Styrofoam
Mesh pots
Hydroponic nutrients
Building a Wick System
Measure the bucket, which you will use as a nutrient reservoir. Measure the length and width of the reservoir, and cut your Styrofoam 1 inch smaller than the reservoir dimensions. If your reservoir is not light-resistant, paint it black using spray paint to keep out light.
Take the Styrofoam out of the reservoir and cut wells, using your knife, deep enough to hold the mesh pots. Space these holes at least 3 inches apart so plants are not competing for the nutrients. Cut a hole for the hose at either end of the Styrofoam big enough to slide it in without it being able to break free; it does not matter which end you use.
Place the air pump next to the reservoir. Connect the air pump to the plastic tubing, and stick the loose end into the hole at the side of the Styrofoam. Fill your reservoir three-quarters full with the nutrient solution you mixed according to the type of plants you are growing. Place the Styrofoam into the nutrient solution, making sure the air hose does not fall out.
Take mesh pots and fill them with the growing medium, and place one plant in each pot. Place the mesh pots into their wells in the Styrofoam. Turn on the air pump to circulate the nutrient solution.
When the nutrient solution becomes low, refill it.
Tips & Warnings
Buy an air pump that will give your plants enough oxygen to live. You should know how much liquid the reservoir holds, and get a recommendation from store personnel about which pump works best for that size.
