Nathan Williams.

Build yourself your own outdoor hydroponic system for growing potatoes, strawberries, lettuce and celery!

My interest in the 'hydroponic goes back to my childhood, when a relative gave me a lamp cultivation. I did not know that hydroponics means growing without soil and not necessarily under artificial light, but that does not stop me from start arranging plants under the stairs at my parents' house.

When the first strawberries have sprouted in the light of my violet fluorescent tubes have been so fascinated from start to think of growing plants in different ways.
When I finally understood what it was hydroponics, I could not help but love him.

After years of research and experiments I threw and I recently successfully grown a plant of hot peppers that is literally svettata compared to sister planted in the ground. It was now decided it's what you do for me, I want more and much bigger!

So here we are to realize your hydroponic garden, I hope will be an inspiration to others, is an interesting and fun hobby!

Before moving to the point, even a couple of notes.

The ' hydroponics is not only a constructive pastime, is also very "green". Pressed a significant water saving (only 10% of water used in the ground) and gives higher yields due to the continuous availability of nutrients that characterizes this technique.

Besides being a closed system does not pollute the environment and minimize infestations, reducing the consumption of chemical pesticides.

And 'possible to use recycled materials such as PVC pipe, old wooden boxes, or other materials recovery, and power consumption is minimal and limited to the pump 18w (about the consumption of an energy saving fluorescent light bulb, and about one third of consumption of a AeroGarden).

As for the light, nothing beats the sun. Free, efficient and secure, provides exactly the spectrum that plants have learned to use over the centuries.

Growing vegetables I find myself having to buy less food, which will then travel by truck across the country.
No packaging, no transport and therefore: what is grow my food more "green" this in my kitchen.

WHAT IT IS USED

Here is a pretty comprehensive list:

- PVC pipes. I went through a long-belo a gift from a friend, and I bought two pieces pre-cut to the hardware store.

- Stoppers. An economical way to seal the tubes are the special covers (who'd have thought eh?)

- Bucket. The tank where the water side and back. Must have a good ability to prevent the pump speed to dry.

- Pumps. I've taken it to a 18w, the model pond. Better to choose all plastic, metal parts are more facilmnete corroded by salts in fertilizers.

- Plastic cups. Will be the new home of your plants. Just get more than you, you have to destroy a couple probabilmnete to take measurements.
Do not choose those transparent, light promotes algae growth.

- Silicone sealant. I had to start all over again I would opt for the seals, but the silicon still does its job and is nice to have it on hand in case of small cracks and leaks.

- Garden Hose. A friend insisted that I used a piece of garden hose because its expensive more flexible. He was right, but because it was not enough to finish the job I bought some 'kind of cheaper.

- Saw. Useful for cutting the PVC pipes if you have not already purchased the right size, and the wooden structure. In fact I could have avoided inserting it into the picture, did not prove so essential as I thought.

THE CONCEPT

In hydroponics all based on the supply of nutrient solution to the roots, making sure there is enough oxygen because they do not "drown".

Here we are building a system NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) using PVC pipe.

The idea is to provide a thin but constant flow of water in which recline the roots. Nutrients are dissolved in water and the constant flow of oxygen to the solution.

As a support for the plants use medium typical hydroponics: perlite, vermiculite and expanded clay balls, placed inside of the paper cups which avemo practiced holes for the exit of the roots.

The substrate will be placed in layers to prevent the finer slip out of holes.

THE SHAPE OF HOLES

Now that we know what we want to build and how we do it, let's begin.

Take a plastic cup and accostiamolo the PVC pipe. We decide what the depth of the glass will come in and draw a line. It must remain a little 'suspended and not be lying on the bottom, do not worry, they know how to find the roots of the water.

Now we cut the glass along the line drawn.

On a card retrieved support the upper part of the cut glass and trace the outline. Cut the cardboard along the line and ricaviamone a hole.

Now we measure a new glass (whole) and check that the opening is the right size and that the glass remains suspended at the desired height.

Decide how many containers you want to put in the pipes. I've made it 10 for two tubes and three for two.

My tubes are one meter long, so I made in order to center my shape in a box of 10 cm, making a small hole from both sides of the hole to make sure they were genuine at the right distance from each other.

PRACTICING THE HOLES

First of all, we have made the caps at the end of the tubes, for safety.
Take a piece of tape and place it to draw a straight line along the tube. Serve to align the holes, it is not necessary to be a straight line perfect.

Now we move the cardboard cutout along the line marking the position of the little holes we had made.
When we move from one location to another simply align the first little hole on the template with the last mark drawn on the tube.

Once done remove the tape, let's start from the beginning and draw the circles for the holes.

Now, with the drill, we make small holes along the circumference, very close to each other. Pushing carefully, slowly drill the holes until you connect you can remove the

Round portion of PVC that interests us.

The result will be a bit 'rough: we measure the plastic cup into the hole and see how to best shape because it serves our purpose. We can drill mounted on the accessory slot and clean the edges of the hole until we are satisfied with the result. This requires eye protection and a mask to not inhale the dust of PVC (or hold your breath!) And eventually you'll look a snowman. Wear appropriate clothing!

Repeat for all holes. For my pipes dedicated to strawberries I made 10 holes, as we have seen.
On the other two I wanted more space (par lettuce for example) so I made three holes, equidistant.

STRUCTURE OF SUPPORT

We need support for the pipes. Nothing particularly creative, nor is it must be so robust.

Not everyone will have the same waste materials that I found, you will have to look around and put a little 'imagination.

I found an old box for children: it seems pretty solid but not absolutely safe and healthy for a child. It 's time to get him use so instead of throwing it.

I tried to put it in my greenhouse in the garden and saw that it came perfectly for over half to the hinge. So I removed the part from the core up to the front, then I screwed it. I also

eliminated the upper part.

Since at this point the structure is not held up, I used the metal bars of the closure mechanism such as brackets, after being bent.
However, the structure having only two remained a bit 'wobbly.

SUPPORT FOR PIPE

I opted for the plastic mesh, chicken-type, I was advanced by another project.
I started covering the top of the supporting structure of my greenhouse, down through the front, making sure to form a slope able to maintain the tubes inclined at an angle of about 45 °.

To support and shape the network around the greenhouse I used those wires coated flexible plastic also useful to hold the plants. I had a big roll and I made wide use. The measures taken, I cut the piece of the supporting structure coming and removed the pins to have a central convenient access to the bucket (which will be the tank).

DRILL CAPS

Let another cardboard cutout, based on the circumference of the hose.

Better to cut a hole a little 'closer of rubber garden hose, so this will fit perfectly with no losses.
Let's move like we did drill the PVC, while only a few millimeters of clearance considering the different flexibility of the material.

Therefore support the terminal part of the hose on the cardboard, draw the circumference. Draw inside a circle slightly smaller and ritagliamolo on. We use the cardboard template to draw the circle on the top of the PVC pipe.
We practice the hole with the drill.

FIX THE PIPES

A narrow hole to stay in the rubber tube may not be sufficient to prevent slipping off, and the last thing we want is to find water sprinkled on the ground, dead plants and pump burned!

Let a rigid cable, such as that used for metal hangers, and a small piece tagliamone.
Practice a small hole through the last part of rubber hose, a couple of centimeters before the end.

We put the piece of metal through the little holes in the tube, after placing it in the PVC cap.

By slightly bending the edges of our metal pin we make sure that does not fall down, taking everything into place.

A little 'non-toxic silicone, let it dry by night, will ensure a perfect seal.

End Part One - original source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic_Food_Factory/?ALLSTEPS

Freely translated according to the author Nathan Williams

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Tags: self-sufficiency , build a idrosistema , construction , guides , basic hydroponics , hydroponics simplified , cultivation techniques

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