Anybody do hydro here?

SkyFire

SkyFire

Claptrap Overlord
Nov 24, 2007
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Anyone here do hydro?

I have a small 4*30ft room that I'm moving all my hydro into, and lining the walls with reflective, insulated mylar - Room is well insulated but I got a bunch cheap, nearly enough to cover and I'll tinfoil what I can't.

I'm installing the first mini system tomorrow, and will be using some HID grow lights for now, but would like to over to LED - anyone have experience with LED?

First crop in the new room will be tomatoes, just an 8 plant unit, and if I like how it works in the space I'll be filling it with a number of other veggies.

The first 6 months or so will probably be a lot of back and forth while I try and find the optimal use of space with a variety of plants. For the tomatoes I've gone with a pvc setup and 2 liter bottles for planters.

I'm also doing 5 gallon buckets of potatoes and carrots as well, though obviously not hydro!

So anyone else do hydro?
 


Andy Capp said:
Nothing beats organic. Hydro is overrated.
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What you (I imagine) mean to say is that conventional gardening of the organic variety is what cannot be beat. Hydroponics can be organic, and then aquaponics is organic by it's nature.

At any rate, as I live in Idaho, 8 months out of the year are yeidless, the return on conventional gardening within a greenhouse during those months is not enough to make it worthwhile. Even if it was, hydro has an insane return on space (I should be able to provide 5 times more than we can consume within my new space), and the taste of the result is marvelous.
 
Organically grown commonly refers to a soil medium , the most natural way to grow anything. Hydroponics usually means without soil growing in an inert media or no media as in NFT. The very definition of the word suggests that. To my understanding organic hydro is more of a hybrid affair and neither one nor the other. A mix of the two. Feel free to enlighten me if you disagree but it will need to wait until I'm here again.:sleep:
 
Andy Capp said:
Organically grown commonly refers to a soil medium , the most natural way to grow anything. Hydroponics usually means without soil growing in an inert media or no media as in NFT. The very definition of the word suggests that. To my understanding organic hydro is more of a hybrid affair and neither one nor the other. A mix of the two. Feel free to enlighten me if you disagree but it will need to wait until I'm here again.:sleep:
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Commonly != Accurately

hehejo said:
I checked out aquaponics a while ago but I am traveling too much on the moment to try it out. Will definitely in the future when/if I get stationary somewhere.
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I can't wait to be able to run a proper aquaponics setup. A little beyond my current abilities, but I'm hoping to get one setup in the next couple years.
 
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GLB!
 
I'm actually pretty interested in a hydroponics setup for fresh vegetables. And yes, not weed but actual veggies (i'm vegan now). I'd love to know exactly what's in my food, especially since I'll be going 100% raw vegan soon.
 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUCcyLAmBxw]New Bone Thugs - Give Me Some Hydro - YouTube[/ame]
 
SkyFire said:
At any rate, as I live in Idaho, 8 months out of the year are yeidless, the return on conventional gardening within a greenhouse during those months is not enough to make it worthwhile.
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What elevation are you at? Heavily shaded canopy too? I grow tomatoes and herbs from April to October on my deck, our old house had a greenhouse and the season stretched early March to Mid November (or whenever I felt like turning off the heaters for good).

Pretty sure I'm way North of you too.

ETA: Hydro sounds interesting but then I'd have to let my l337 composting skills go.
 
Grindstone said:
What elevation are you at? Heavily shaded canopy too? I grow tomatoes and herbs from April to October on my deck, our old house had a greenhouse and the season stretched early March to Mid November (or whenever I felt like turning off the heaters for good).

Pretty sure I'm way North of you too.

ETA: Hydro sounds interesting but then I'd have to let my l337 composting skills go.
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Not a lot of trees, we're flat and treeless around here, except for what's been planted around the property (which are about 25 years old and nice). I'm at about 4800 feet.

We compost for our summer garden boxes. Last year we had a nice big garden, but we moved a few months ago and I tossed in a couple of garden boxes - next year we'll have a 20*45 plot, I was just too lazy to till this year - the move was a nightmare.

We grow partly for the food, and partly for the kids. I imagine hydro will eliminate the need for most of the garden, but it's really good for our kids to get out and dig and plant and such.
 
Also:

I put the system in, but I'm still waiting for my rock wool and nutrients. I'll get up some picks once I have it all running. I tried to buy some at the local greenhouses, and I'm pretty sure they called the cops. Lol. Ass hats.
 
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