Hydroponic greenhouse gardening
(Page 5 of 7)
I don't expect this project to be quite as easy as it may
sound. For one thing, there are many micro-nutrients and
trace elements which plants require for good growth . . .
and finding natural, readily available sources of such
chemicals may be difficult. Meanwhile, the greenhouse has
been in existence just one year and—so far—I've
concentrated on learning this new method of agriculture by
using "conventional" methods.
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As I mentioned briefly in the first article of this series,
my hydroponic tanks are made from four 55-gallon drums
(each one cut in half lengthwise to make a total of eight
tanks). At the bottom front of every trough is brazed a
three-inch piece of 1/2" O.D. brass tubing. A length of
ordinary garden hose (1/2" I.D.) is clamped to this tube,
and the other end attached to a similar tube which has been
brazed onto a five-gallon can. The insides of both the tank
and the can are painted with a thick coating of an
asphalt-based paint. (This is necessary to prevent the
metal surfaces from rusting, since they are constantly
exposed to moisture.) The tank itself is filled to within a
few inches of the top with pea-sized gravel. It's essential
that a small piece of galvanized or fiberglass screen be
placed over the inlet tube inside the container before
gravel is installed, to prevent pebbles from clogging the
hose.
My procedure for planting the tanks is to start seedlings
in paper cups full of vermiculite, with the bottoms of the
containers perforated enough to allow the hydroponic
solution to enter. Once the plants are well started, it's a
simple matter to place the entire cup in the gravel.
The five-gallon can is filled with the hydroponic solution.
When it's time to feed the plants, the container is lifted
so that it's higher than the tank. The fluid runs down the
hose and into the gravel, irrigating the plant roots from
below. (That's why they call this method "sub-irrigation"
culture.) As soon as the can is empty, it's placed back
down on the floor and the liquid flows out of the gravel,
down the hose and back where it came from. I do this three
times a day—morning, noon and evening—so that
the roots of my crops are always moist but never actually
flooded with solution for more than a few moments.
The hydroponic solution I'm using at present—until I
can develop an organic substitute-is called Hyponex and is
readily available in most nurseries. It comes in a powder
form, with complete directions on the box for mixing and
use. I've found it both inexpensive and effective.
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