cheap | hydroponics | indoor growbox | tomato
Growing with hydroponics in the grow box
There has been some major changes since I started the plants above in my cheap DIY hydroponic setup about a month ago. Since then I have added a couple of pepper plants I saved from thinning. I must say the plants are doing better than I expected. I am still using the same homemade nutrient solution, 2 pumps of liquid plant fertilizer and half a teaspoon of Epsom Salts.
The sickly plant on the bottom left is a cloning experiment which is not going great but the plant is growing roots and apparently surviving.
Some views from below:
The plants looks great. The leaves have a great green color and the roots are bright white. The only suggestion I would have is to increase the light intensity, as the nodes are a little stretched.Your design is great. Keep us updated!
I should have elevated them a little more when I started. I probably need to add an extra CFL in my box if I want to make the peppers produce in there.
Nice looking unit you’ve got there, very compact and efficient.The only thing I’d add would be to cover the clear parts with something light-proof. The best way to fix algae is not to grow any in the first place.
A suggestion for algae – something that I learned and saw here in Cleveland at the local Farm Park – they have a large hydroponic system, and at the water collection tank (where all the run off goes, (as they use a pump system), they have fish. The fish eat the algae, poop into the water, and the fish-poop enriched water is then recirculated into the root systems. it works great – the fish were healthy and the plants (tomatoes) were already a couple feet tall in March – they were planted in Jan i believe, in their hydroponic green house.