Bear Face's Small Batch Hydroponic Grow Low

[bear_face891]

Ok so the silicone gasket sealer i was using on my pvc to 5 gallon was leaking like crazy in a test run, i pulled the whole thing apart and rebuilt it with threaded 1/2" pvc, teflon tape, and some hose gaskets i found

 

[bear_face891]

New thermometer for the grow room

 

[bear_face891]

More supplies have came in today

 

[bear_face891]

Getting Closer

 

[bear_face891]

A family member gave me some tomato plants that were taking over their hydroponic system... they tried to grow 10 in a space that should have had 2 or 3. i ended up with 6 of them and they are in pretty bad shape since they have been out of a system for about 6 days.... Hoping to revive them since they still have good tomatoes on them.

 

[deluxestogie]

I would avoid growing tomatoes in the same water path as the tobacco, because of cross-infectious pathogens.

Bob

 

[bear_face891]

I would avoid growing tomatoes in the same water path as the tobacco, because of cross-infectious pathogens.

Bob

good catch, ill pull them out and use deep water culture on them =)

 

[bear_face891]

Here is my aztec... really surprised how fast they are growing.... my Virginia Bright Leaf is finally showing growth but my KY17 sure is slow. No signs of growth at all.

This has been 100% under the LED lights and its going well.

I transplanted 6 of these to starter pods and about 20 spread out on a tray around 1 1/2" apart. I honeslty have no idea what im going to do with all these extra seedlings..

 

[deluxestogie]

Nicotiana rustica seeds always sprout earlier than N. tabacum.

Bob

 

[Moth]

If your water supply is chlorinated, you can just fill a large, plastic barrel, and let it stand a few days. Much of the chlorine will dissipate.

Bob

Edit: I believe they sell chlorine filters that can be attached to a single spigot.

Utility Companies (at least here in the UK) now favour adding Chloramines over Chlorine to treat drinking water. Unsure about the practice in the US although found this link https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/chloramines-drinking-water

Treating water with Chloramines (Chlorine bonded to Ammonia) has the same treatment benefit as adding Chlorine, although, it doesn't readily dissipate and requires treatment / filtration to remove.

I know this because I brew Ale and treat my tap water with Campden tablets (potassium/sodium metabisulphate) to remove the Chlorine and prevent off flavours (Chlorine water results in an elasoplast flavoured Ale) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campden_tablet

Not suggesting you add these to your water, just an explanation of why I know / do this.

Although unless your water smells like a swimming pool it's probably academic rather than practical.

 

[bear_face891]

Utility Companies (at least here in the UK) now favour adding Chloramines over Chlorine to treat drinking water. Unsure about the practice in the US although found this link https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/chloramines-drinking-water

I live on a large lake in texas where the dam produces our power and water supply, the amount of chlorine in our water is directly related to the amount of rain we get in the upper part of the state, if dallas gets a lot of rain it comes down the trinity river containing contaminates and sometimes they up the chlorine or even send out boil water notices.

 

[bear_face891]

Finally got the PH to around 6.0 - Transplanted Carolina Reapers, 4 Cherry Tomato, 4 Lettuce, 6 Spinach, Italian Parsley, Greek Oregano, Garlic, Chives, Ginger, Strawberries & Rosemary.

Hopefully they don't get shocked to much going from dirt to hydroponics.

I filled giant tub with water and slowly worked the dirt out. then transplanted into Hydroton.

 

[bear_face891]

Shelf Hydroponics - Something similar to what im doing on one part of the system

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

How does the shelf layout work? Are there lights on each shelf, or are you lighting an entire room?

Also, a little late to the discussion of expense. Lights of all kinds are to be considered 100% efficient in winter because all wasted energy heats your home. There was a study in Newfoundland and Labrador that showed when they switched from incandescent to cfls in their homes, that their overall energy consumption and cost increased. The lack of "waste heat" from the lights meant they had to burn more fuel oil to run their furnaces longer. It was mentioned that natural gas would be a different mathematical scenario. So when you roughly calculated the energy cost of running the hydro system, one thing you couldn't really have calculated was that any extra heat produced by your system would amount to a cost savings on your heating bill

 

[bear_face891]

How does the shelf layout work? Are there lights on each shelf, or are you lighting an entire room?

the shelf was $29 at walmart

The water tank is in the bottom of the shelf, pumping water to the top level of the shelf, the water goes from ones side to the other side and drains out the corner of the shelf down to the second shelf. It then fills water to the other side of the shelf and that corner drains down to the last shelf, once the water goes all the way across the bottom shelf it drains back into the tank.

its mostly separate from the rest of the system.

Lighting the entire room as of now... might need another light.. will see in a couple weeks.

 

[deluxestogie]

cost savings on your heating bill

Is the heating bill ever much of an issue in Houston?

Bob

 

[ArizonaDave]

Is the heating bill ever much of an issue in Houston?

Bob

I know water was after the last hurricane there. Most of my friends there weren't in the flood zone though.

 

[bear_face891]

Is the heating bill ever much of an issue in Houston?

Bob

November - April the average low is 45* and average high is 60*-70*

 

[bear_face891]

I know water was after the last hurricane there. Most of my friends there weren't in the flood zone though.

lol i live about 10 feet up across the street from a lake, during harvey it didnt ever get up to the edge of the lake, the dam pumps out tons of water , during harvey the discharge was 105,400 cfs.

Today the discharge is 53,000 cfs.

 

[bear_face891]

Wow... 105,400cfs is 788446.753 GALLONS per second