Hi,
Well I want to use pea gravel as a substrate but I was reading and watching lots of people using a mix of vermiculite and perlite. Does it really make a difference the type of substrate?.
Also can I plant seeds directly in the substrate when the hydroponic system is working?.
Thanks-
Danny, your trying to compare 2 completely different types of hydroponic systems. The gravel your talking about useing has zero water retention capabilities and will require either a flood drain system or very frequent cycling of a drip system. On the other hand the perlite/vermiculite method has a very high level of water retention capability and is not suitable for flood drain but is ideal for a drip system.
I've never personally ran P/V so I can't answer on the direct seeding method, all my systems run with hydroton.
Best of luck to ya,
hydroguy
I've never personally ran P/V so I can't answer on the direct seeding method, all my systems run with hydroton.
Best of luck to ya,
hydroguy
Dany,
I had a minute and watched the whole video today, not a bad tutorial. First thing that I thought of when I first saw those totes was "they are gonna bulge" dude talked about it acutally. I used some for a few systems and that's exactly what happened to me. His solution is wrong, way wrong.
Hydroponics is all about maintaining the nutrient solution your feeding your plants. Doesn't matter if your ebb & flow, NFT, DWC, drip or any other version you can think of, it all boils down to knowing what your feeding the plants. Different age plants require different concentrations, different plants require different concentrations. Take a tomatoe and a pepper like this guy has. Seedlings for both plants will run in the 300 ppm range but thats about where the similarities end. Tomatoes like it rich and will go into the 2000 ppm range while peppers never go much over 750 ppm. The ph is similar to most plants as a range of 5.6 - 6.0 is optimal for nutrient absorption.
Now why did I say the dude was wrong? Because his zip ties keep him out of his resv. I check my resvs. daily. Most days that's all I do in the garden. Stick a meter in, add a few cc's of PH down if needed (rarely use any up) and off I go. Maintenance of resvs is the most important thing your gonna do in a hydro system. Feed the plants a ph balanced diet thats concentrated enough to match their intake.
I'm just trying to share with ya what I learned the hard way Dany
hydroguy
I had a minute and watched the whole video today, not a bad tutorial. First thing that I thought of when I first saw those totes was "they are gonna bulge" dude talked about it acutally. I used some for a few systems and that's exactly what happened to me. His solution is wrong, way wrong.
Hydroponics is all about maintaining the nutrient solution your feeding your plants. Doesn't matter if your ebb & flow, NFT, DWC, drip or any other version you can think of, it all boils down to knowing what your feeding the plants. Different age plants require different concentrations, different plants require different concentrations. Take a tomatoe and a pepper like this guy has. Seedlings for both plants will run in the 300 ppm range but thats about where the similarities end. Tomatoes like it rich and will go into the 2000 ppm range while peppers never go much over 750 ppm. The ph is similar to most plants as a range of 5.6 - 6.0 is optimal for nutrient absorption.
Now why did I say the dude was wrong? Because his zip ties keep him out of his resv. I check my resvs. daily. Most days that's all I do in the garden. Stick a meter in, add a few cc's of PH down if needed (rarely use any up) and off I go. Maintenance of resvs is the most important thing your gonna do in a hydro system. Feed the plants a ph balanced diet thats concentrated enough to match their intake.
I'm just trying to share with ya what I learned the hard way Dany
hydroguy
Thank you for you answer it really helped me a lot.
I actually was going to try the video's method because I wasn't able to get some special hydroponics fertilizer or nutrients, but I decided to go online and buy them, I bought some nutrients that are specially for veggies.
Now, What kind of veggies or plants can I grow in the same nutrient solution.
To make a wish list I'd say......artichokes, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, and some herbs and fruits. Of those maybe what can I grow in the same container or tote?.
Thank you for everything, and for your time.
I actually was going to try the video's method because I wasn't able to get some special hydroponics fertilizer or nutrients, but I decided to go online and buy them, I bought some nutrients that are specially for veggies.
Now, What kind of veggies or plants can I grow in the same nutrient solution.
To make a wish list I'd say......artichokes, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, and some herbs and fruits. Of those maybe what can I grow in the same container or tote?.
Thank you for everything, and for your time.
Dany,
Ive successfully grown tomatoes, peppers, basil, oregano, chives and leaf lettuce. Good crops for all but they each have their own requirements. Running one system to start out with I might suggest some leaf lettuce and basil. Requirements are similar enough and they are both fast growing plants so you get to harvest with in weeks of your first planting.
Get your "feet wet" and then go on from there with your wish list. The leaf lettuce I have currently is getting it's 6th harvest tomorrow and will be done with. Ive got some pepper seedlings that now have four sets of true leaves and I want them under the 400mh for a couple of weeks until they are ready to go to the 600hps chamber to finish out. The advantage I have with net pots and eventually buckets with the flood drain method I use is versatility. I can change around things constantly to optimize growth without ever harming a plant. 3 systems with 3 different lights, all flood drain, is whats working for me currently.
Keep us posted Dany,
hydroguy
Ive successfully grown tomatoes, peppers, basil, oregano, chives and leaf lettuce. Good crops for all but they each have their own requirements. Running one system to start out with I might suggest some leaf lettuce and basil. Requirements are similar enough and they are both fast growing plants so you get to harvest with in weeks of your first planting.
Get your "feet wet" and then go on from there with your wish list. The leaf lettuce I have currently is getting it's 6th harvest tomorrow and will be done with. Ive got some pepper seedlings that now have four sets of true leaves and I want them under the 400mh for a couple of weeks until they are ready to go to the 600hps chamber to finish out. The advantage I have with net pots and eventually buckets with the flood drain method I use is versatility. I can change around things constantly to optimize growth without ever harming a plant. 3 systems with 3 different lights, all flood drain, is whats working for me currently.
Keep us posted Dany,
hydroguy
good advive from hydroguy.
My first plants will go into the newly built ebb and flow tomorrow as I'm going to to give the solution a full day to circulate.
The medium is silica rock. The crop will be black simpson and a couple basil.
The next system that is in the works in a 5 gallon bucket system to allow peppers and tomatoes.
Again, a system that is , expandable, versatile, and not overwhelming until I know what I am doing.
My first plants will go into the newly built ebb and flow tomorrow as I'm going to to give the solution a full day to circulate.
The medium is silica rock. The crop will be black simpson and a couple basil.
The next system that is in the works in a 5 gallon bucket system to allow peppers and tomatoes.
Again, a system that is , expandable, versatile, and not overwhelming until I know what I am doing.
Dany,
I did a little research on your grow medium, sounds to me like it should work fine. If I could read Spanish it would help LOL. Did a Google picture search to see what the stuff looks like and even saw a couple of hydro units running a drip system. Only job I really don't enjoy is cleaning my hydroton. Its a hassle but I've been running the same rocks for years now. Looks like you might have an endless supply or at least a cheap enough supply locally that cleaning your medium wont be necessary.
Wash them off good first and it seems like your set!
hydroguy
I did a little research on your grow medium, sounds to me like it should work fine. If I could read Spanish it would help LOL. Did a Google picture search to see what the stuff looks like and even saw a couple of hydro units running a drip system. Only job I really don't enjoy is cleaning my hydroton. Its a hassle but I've been running the same rocks for years now. Looks like you might have an endless supply or at least a cheap enough supply locally that cleaning your medium wont be necessary.
Wash them off good first and it seems like your set!
hydroguy