Hydroponics and aeroponics

I have been reading a lot about this bubble bucket method on here. I do something similar, yet different.

I use 5 gallon buckets, with the net inserts. I use hydrotons and an air pump. However instead of an airstone in the bottom of my bucket, a siphon system to drip my water culture solution over the top of my hydrotons and root ball. I first started this using General Hydroponics water farm kits. How ever they cost 15 bucks a piece and I don't like that. Also I like to make things myself. So I spent some time in Lowe's and found all the pieces to make my own.

Anyways here the basic concept. The air hose goes down into the bottom of you bucket and hooks to a tube, which comes up over the top of the hydroton. And connects to a ring with holes in the bottom of it which drips down over the hydrotons and root ball. Thus oxygenating your water and keeping everything moist.

Also another difference I see from the BB method is that I connect all of my buckets together and to a main resevoir. The main resevoir is has a float valve in it connected to another resevoir that sits on top of it. This maintains the water level in all of my buckets using the basic Laws of Gravity. Depending on how many buckets you have going depends of how big of resevoir you need. 4 or 5 plants will be fine using just 2 5 gallon
buckets as resevoirs. Totes work very nice as well.


I find this is not the best way to get my plants started but once they are established it works very well.

To get my clones going really well once they take root, I have built my own sort of aeroponics system. I take a 18 gallon tote from Lowe's because they were on sale. Not the flimsy plastic one that bulges with water in it, nor the super hard plastic that will crack and break. I like to put my clones in 4 inch net pots with hydrotons. So I take the lid of the tote and cut as many holes as will fit. In my system it's 10. Then I take half inch pvc and build a mister system using an aquarium pump with perferabley 25 psi coming out of it. Then just put some pvc 90's and tees together so I have 5 tops sticking up closing my system. I cap the tops and use rain drip sprinklers. Once again from Lowe's. You can get these great pvc end caps that have the thread in the top for them and everything. Also don't forget the airstone that need to be in this tote.

Anyway I put my newly rooted clones into this system and within a week they all have roots hanging out of the bottom of the pots. After about 2 to 3 weeks in this system I like to move them into my 5 gallon bucket system, which I call the Drip system. This system I have found is a better way to grow bigger plants in hydro. If you medical and have plant limits this is the way to go. I think. You have to get the most out of each harvest.


I will be happy to field any questions. And in a few days I will try to put some pics up to show what I am talking about for those of you that are totally confused.