How to Build Your Own Nomadic, Hydroponics' Garden -

 Building Hydroponics Marijuana Gardens 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)