HOW TO BUILD

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN HYDROPONIC SYSTEM

     WICK,              RAFT,       BUBBLER SYSTEMS

WICK SYSTEM

The wick system is the simplest of all hydroponic systems. It has no moving parts, and consists of a plastic nursery pot with some wood chips,or perlite,or pea gravel,or grow rocks or other medium, a plastic bucket, and a wick. It is best to use a bucket that once held food products, or a new one. The wicks can be made from any old cotton cloth. An old cotton "t" shirt cut into 2 inch wide strips long enough to reach from the bottom of the bucket to the top of the pot works well. Put 2 or 3 wicks in the medium, out the holes in the bottom of the pot to the bottom of the bucket. Add nutrient to the bucket until the level is slightly below the bottom of the pot. Plant some seed touching one of the wicks and watch it grow. Any number of things can be substituted for the pot and bucket shown above.

  Bucket, pot, and wicks. Insert wicks,add cypress chips   Add nutrient and seed

RAFT SYSTEM

A raft system is a floating part(usually styrofoam) floating on a container of nutrient with the plant roots extending downward through a small hole or cup, or other container held by the float. The plant sits above the float while the roots hang down into the nutrient. Shown are two examples of raft systems. The first, a 5 gallon bucket can be used to grow 5 or 6 small plants or 1 large plant. The second, a childs swimming pool can be used to grow many small plants or 4 or 5 large. The pool with a piece of 1/2 inch styrofoam cut to fit approximately 1 inch down from the top rim will grow 40 bib lettuce plants.(The styrofoam in the photo is a broken piece. It should be round and the size of the pool.) In addition to growing plants for consumption, the system is a good seed starter for other types of hydroponic systems. An aerator is usually necessary in a raft system in order to maintain oxygen levels in the nutrient high enough for healthy plant growth.

The top(left) and the bottom(right) of a raft that can be directly seeded. The holes are 9/16th inch with cotton balls inserted. Notice that the cotton ball extends slightly below the bottom of the raft. This allows the cotton ball to act as a wick keeping the seed damp until roots extend down into the nutrient. To plant the seed, place the raft on top of the nutrient, push the seed just far enough into the cotton ball to cover it. Usually with small plants, the nutrient present at the beginning is sufficient to grow the plants to maturity. If for some reason, the raft does not fall with the nutrient level, there is no problem, because the roots will grow down to the nutrient. The cotton balls used were purchased from a Dollar General store at 500 for $1.

The top(left) and the bottom(right) of a raft using an alternative to the cotton balls. The styrofoam cup(an old used McDonald coffee cup)is particially filled with woodchips or coarse saw dust or other non-toxic material that will act as a partial wick. A small piece so old T shirt could be used as a wick until roots reach the bottom where nutrient is available. A small slit is cut on each side of the bottom to let the nutrient in and the roots out.

BUBBLER SYSTEM

The bubbler system is probably the most effective hydroponic growing systems when considering simplicity with the variety of plants that can be successfully grown.

Material list
2 buckets with 1 lid. Most any size will do.
1 Aquarium aerator
4 feet of 3/16th inch vinyl tubing or whatever length necessary to attach the Aerator from a protected place to the bucket.
2 1/2 feet of 1/4 inch black vinyl tubing
2 feet of 3/8th inch vinyl tubing
22 inches of 1/2 inch thinwall PVC pipe
28 inches of 1/2 inch thinwall PVC pipe
wood chips or other growing medium
The above measurements are based on using 5 gallon buckets. Adjust for different sizes.

Using heat, bend a 90 degree angle in about 1/2 inch of the 3/16th inch vinly tube. Cut the bent tube to 1/4 inch long.

Drill a 3/16th inch hole about 1 1/2 inches up the 3/8th inch vinly tube. Place the 1/4th inch end into the hole and seal with hot glue.(Be careful with hot glue. It will burn skin.)

Drill a series of holes in the lid and bottom of one of the buckets. The size and placement of the holes is not important except for two 7/8th inch holes in each that must line up when fitted together.

Cut 22 and 28 inch pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe. Cut a notch in the bottom to allow water to enter the pipe. Put the buckets together where the 7/8th inch holes line up. Slide the PVC pipes into the 7/8th inch holes all the way to the botton of the bucket. Slip the 3/16th and 3/8th tubes into the 22 inch PVC pipe as far as they will go. There should be 2 inches of the 3/8 tube above the PVC. Drill or punch 4 or 5 holes into the 1/4th inch black tube. Insert about 1 inch of the black tube inside the 3/8th inch tube. The black tube is used above the wood chips to prevent algae growth inside the tube. The 28 inch PVC pipe will be above the top of the bucket and will be used to insert a dip stick to measure nutrient level.(Any clear tube placed outside the bucket to read the nutrient level will grow algae inside.) Attach the aerator to the 3/16th inch tube, place wood chips or other medium above the clear vinyl tube, add nutrient to the bottom bucket, plug in the aerator, and it is ready to go. The nutrient should drip and occasionally squirt out the holes in the black tube.

Ready to go. Note: The aerator is placed on the top of a bucket for photographing only. It should placed where protected from the weather and the nutrient. To add nutrient or water, mix it and pour it through the wood chips or medium.

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