Home Hydroponics – Inexpensive Tidal System
There are many advantages to using hydroponics to grow vegetables and other crops. There are also many different ways to set up your hydroponics system. Simplicity is always good, so this article looks at the ebb and flow method, one of the best and simplest methods you can use when developing a home hydroponic system.
Get started with a home hydroponics system easily and cheaply
An Ebb and Flow or Flood and Drain hydroponic system is easy to start and can also be set up very cheaply. To begin with, you need pots for your plants. Nothing fancy is required. Regular plastic pots used in garden centers will work just fine.
Next, you need a large tray with a drain spout already installed, or you can make one yourself with plastic pipe. This spout should have a valve that you can open when it’s time to drain the nutrient solution. If you’re stuck, just use flexible plastic tubing and a bulldog clip. Bend the pipe to cut off the flow like you would a garden hose and secure it with the clamp. Your plants will sit in separate containers inside this tray and will be flooded with nutrient solution, so the sides of the tray should be about as tall or slightly taller than your pots.
The tray should be on a stand so that the feed water can drain into a container that is located under the tray. This stand can be purchased or you can easily make one from wood, metal or even plastic. You need a container to drain your nutrient solution into. You can use almost anything as a drainage container. A clean bucket will do.
The idea now is to fill the tray that holds your individual potted plants with your nutrient solution. Once the plant roots are well watered, you open the valve and drain the solution into your bucket and store it for reuse. When it’s time to feed your plants again, simply pour the nutrient solution back into the tray.
How often you need to refill the tray depends on the medium you are using. For the Ebb and Flow method to work well, it is best to use a medium that holds a lot of air and water such as Rockwool or coir. If you’re on a budget, you can use aquarium gravel, but you’ll need to water your plants several times a day to keep the roots from drying out.
Now you have a very simple Ebb and Flow home hydroponics system. Of course, with a little more effort and expense, you can make a system that includes a pump and timer that will do the heavy lifting for you and free up your time.
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