How to Build Your Own Nomadic, Hydroponics' Garden -

     - On a Limited Budget

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-  How to Build Your Own Nomadic, Hydroponic Garden -

-             On a Limited Budget                    -

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Introduction: 

 These are plans to make a fairly portable, and very inexpensive 

 water culture (advanced hydroponic) system.  These plans only 

 explain how to make the garden itself, and do _not_ explain how 

 to use/maintain it. If you plan on using this garden, you should 

 get yourself a good book on hydroponics, and look it over 

 (especially the parts about what nutrient solutions to use, your 

 garden variety Miracle-Gro won't do the trick). 



Disclaimer: 

 I am intentionally leaving out those parts about plant 

 nutrition, light cycles, etc. so as not to appear to be writing 

 a guidebook for growing marijuana.  It is also to make you seek 

 out _another_ source of information so your knowledge of 

 hydroponics comes from more than just this file.  I do not grow 

 marijuana, and never have.  I'm just a high-tech home gardener 

 with information to share.  If you are caught growing marijuana 

 while using the system described herein, don't even think of 

 running to me, I didn't tell you to grow marijuana.  In fact, 

 I'd suggest planting a crop of cherry tomatoes, which can be 

 fooled into producing fruit indoors year round, and is a very 

 easy plant to start hydroponics with. 




Materials: 



 1 5-10 gallon bucket 

 2 Pieces of PVC or ABS pipe, 8-10" long, 5" or greater diameter. 

 4 Caps for PVC/APS pipe ends. 

 1 waterpump capable of about 50 Gallons Per Hour (you will need 

    a bigger pump if you choose to make this a larger system)  

 4' of hose that will fit the waterpump (often 3/8") 

 1 TEE joint (or Y-splitter) that fits the water hose 

 4 clamps for the water hose (one for pump to hose, and 3 for 

     hoses to TEE fitting.) 

 1 Airpump, airstone, and some airline from a fish tank. 

 1 Can White epoxy based spray paint 

 1 Can Black Epoxy based spray paint 



  1. Everything must be made light tight.  Paint all hoses, the 

    bucket, the PVC/ABS (which will be called PVC from now on) 

    and the lid of the bucket with a layer of black paint.  Let 

    it dry overnight, and then cover it with a layer of white 

    paint (to make it reflective, and reduce the temperature of 

    the nutrient solution). 



 2. Take each of PVC pieces and drill a 1" hole in the side, 

    about one inch from the end. Then epoxy the caps onto the 

    ends of the PVC. 



 3. Drill the inlet/outlet holes (these should be located on the 

    caps of the PVC), See diagram 

                                               +------ 1" hole 

                                               V          here 

                ------------------------------  ----

   Outlet ---> |                                    | 

    hole       |                                    | 

               |                                    | 

               |                                    | <-- inlet  

                ------------------------------------      hole 

 

    The inlet hole should be as low as possible  (as close to the 

    wall of the PVC), and the outlet hole should be as high as 

    possible) 



 4. Now cut two 5" holes in the sides of the bucket (close to the 

    top), and epoxy the PVC in place, so about 2" of pipe (and 

    the outlet hole) are inside the bucket, and the 1" hole is 

    facing straight up. 

  

        _ _____|_    _|_____ _ 

       (_________    _________) <- inlet hole 

               |      | 

               |      | 

               |      | <-Bucket 

               |======| 



 5. Place the airstone in the bottom of the bucket, and find a 

    place for the airpump.  If you are planning an indoor garden, 

    with enriched CO2 in the air, then the pump should be OUTSIDE 

    of your enclosure.  The idea of the pump is to dissolve 

    oxygen into the nutrient solution, and not to dissolve CO2.  

    CO2 can kill rootsystems.  If you are growing outside, or not 

    enriching CO2, then the pump can sit anywhere. 



 6. Place the waterpump in the bottom of the bucket (assuming it 

    is a submersible one) and attach a hose to it. long enough to 

    reach the top of the bucket.  Cut a hole in the lid of the 

    bucket for this hose to go through.  Then attach the TEE 

    fitting to the hose.  Now attach hoses to the free ends of 

    the TEE, and run them to the inlet holes on the end of the 

    PVC pipes.  Use clamps on the TEE fitting and on the pump 

    itself, but use epoxy to attach the hoses to the PVC.  This 

    seal must be completely water tight. Let them dry for 24 

    hours. 

 

 7. Put some water in the bucket and turn on the pump.  What 

    should happen is the PVC pieces will fill with water, and 

    then when they are full, they should begin to continuously 

    drain out the outlet holes, and back into the bucket.  If you 

    are getting leaks anywhere, fix them immediately.  If water is 

    coming out of the 1" hole on the top of the pipe, then either 

    your pump is too strong, or your outlet hole is too small.  

    Fix one or the other. 



 8. Empty the system (hint, remove the hose from the pump to 

    drain the arms), and replace the water with some form of 

    hydroponic nutrient solution (look in a hydroponics book for 

    details on what exactly to use, or visit a gardening store, 

    and ask) 



 9. Place your plants into the system.  The best way I have 

    found to do this is to take a 1 1/8" garden hose and cut a 

    1" tube off of one end.  Then slit the tube down one side.  

    Wrap the stem of your plant (just above the roots) with 

    polyester fluff (available at aquarium stores, for stuffing 

    into external water filters) and then wrap the garden hose 

    around the fluff.  Then force the hose into the hole at the 

    top of the PVC arm.  People also have used rubber stoppers. 



 10. Turn on the air/water pumps, and let your garden grow. 



Comments: 

    This is obviously just a small setup, but these plans can 

  easily be modified for much larger systems, using longer pieces 

  of PVC, or more than one pair of arms, and a larger bucket to 

  hold the nutrients (I've seen one made with a 55 gallon drum, 

  and 8 separate arms, each holding 4 plants) 



    I personally use this setup indoors (under a skylight in my 

  apartment) to grow 2 cherry tomato plants.  What you do with 

  your own garden is your own business, and Obviously I can't be 

  held responsible if you choose to grow anything illegal. 



Starting Seeds: 



  This system is not for seeds.  Either purchase small plants, or 

  start your seeds in a pan of vermiculite, flooded with 1/2 

  strength hydroponic nutrient fluid.  When they are about 4-6 

  inches tall, they are ready to be moved to the system.  Remove 

  them gently from the vermiculite, using clean water to get 

  every last chunk off of the roots.  Then wrap the stems in 

  polyester fluff and garden hose (see above)