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AZ Prepper

01-11-2010, 12:59 PM

Hydroponic Gardening - How it's made

An interesting video about a large scale hydroponic garden.

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External link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHBhyqowSEc

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 10:29 AM

This is a VERY good way to grow a excellent garden yer round. I have done much with this type of gardening and will try and post some pictures and my experiences with it.

ChefTessBakeresse

01-16-2010, 11:04 AM

My boss on the tomato farm has done a lot of this too in years past. I'll have to see if this is something we can get going again. Thanks!

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 11:34 AM

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 11:50 AM

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 11:54 AM

Though in a floating garden I have used just plant potting soil and that works also. The biggest thing when it comes to a growing medium is you must use the right material for the right plant. Some plants like to keep a moist stem and others end up getting stem rot if too wet. Example. Lettuce loves being wet. Tomato plants don't like having the stem wet.

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 12:54 PM

Winter crop Jan 2009. Eb and flow / drip design. Produced same 10 times as many tomatoes as dirt crop, though plants were shorter than in dirt.

62 heads of lettuce in a 2 foot by 14 foot space, floating garden. Lettuce was 100 times more than we could eat. we just picked lettuce and used as needed. This crop lasted from Sept 2008 until April 2009. We gave away about 45 heads of lettuce.

Starting the winter season from above. Tomatoes on the left in drip system. Rock wool medium. Lettuce on the right in floating garden. Baskets floating in Styrofoam with potting soil.

Summer 2009 garden. Tomato plants grew over 12 feet tall with a yield about 10 times as much than dirt garden. Same set up with drip for tomatoes and pepper plants. Lettuce and cucumber and other vine plants plants in floating. Garden did not do as good with sun cover on it. Tried tomato plants in floating also, not good. stem does not like to be so wet, got stem rot and did not produce well.

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 01:32 PM

These are some of the best Hydroponic websites that I like to use for info on hydroponics.

http://www.dbcourt.co.uk/hydroponics/

http://www.dbcourt.co.uk/hydroponics/system_design.html

http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginners.asp#Buying%20a% 20System%20or%20Building%20a%20System

http://www.hydroponicvegetablegardening.com/

And here are a ton of videos on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hydroponic+garden&search_type=&aq=7&oq=hydroponic

University of florida has the best research and use of Hydro systems.

http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/crops/hydroponics/hydroponic_production.html

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs184

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 01:44 PM

Really good do it yourself video for a window sill or table top hydro unit.

MI Prepper

01-16-2010, 02:58 PM

MI Prepper

01-17-2010, 06:50 PM

Ok since I posted the above for the growing medium I have found a more superior growing medium. it comes from the company Sure to Grow. Their website is http://www.suretogrow.com/ . It looks like stuffing for a quilt. From videos I have seen it will fix any stem rot issues I have been having. I have not tried it yet, but hopefully I will soon.