Trying to build homemade hydroponic system

[CT7537]

Im thinking about trying to grow marijuana using a hdyroponic system. My freinds tried it once with a hdyoponic system they bought that consisted of a bucket with a top and 4 holes for pots, pumps, nutrients, timers, and a light. I would like to build one also, but I would like to homemake it. I have learned that you can use rubbermaid tubs, which I have. However, I have one. Would one tub work for a basic hydroponic system? Im not really sure what all I would need. I know that I would need a water pump and some hoses, I could find those at walmart or any hardware store I suppose. Im not really clear on how to put it together to make it work correctly, and im not really sure on the lighting. They used a light that cost about 90 dollars and it wasnt a flourescent. Would a flourescent light work better with an indoor hydroponic system. Also, what types of seeds or marijuana strain would work best with an indoor hydroponic system? I know that these are alot of quesitons but I would like to know how to get started without have to buy a book. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[yogi dc]

yes you can use a rubber tub. i have a simailar system going right now and having great resuilts. no, you do not need a water pump all you need is and air pump, air stones, lights and nutes. take a look at my grow. http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5627 good luck if you have any Q just PM me. later

 

[Stoney Bud]

Hey CT7537,
You don't need to buy a book, even though that would help you a lot.

If you just go to the "General Indoor Growing" area of this forum and read, read, and read some more, you'd have most of your questions answered for you. Growing MJ isn't something you can learn in a week. You'll need to do some serious learning first.

Here's a link of most of it in one post made by the owner of this site:

Click here for Growing Guides

And here's a link to the DIY section where you can learn to build several types of growing systems:

Click Here for the DIY area

 

[Wes]

My first advice to you would be to Google “hydroponic systems” and learn something about them that way. That being said, here are a few simple hints.

You can either set up a passive hydroponic system, or an active one. The simplest passive system consists of a pot filled with your growing medium—baked clay pebbles, coco-coir, rockwool—with several large drainage holes on its bottom. Set this pot on some pebbles in a deep dish tray, which you will fill with your nutrient solution. The bottom of the pot should be immersed in this solution, when the tray is filled.

Through capillary action, the nutrient solution should be sucked up into your grow medium. Your seedling should be firmly planted into your grow medium, and the appropriate nutrient solution should take care of the nourishment needs of your plant.

The best active system is the Ebb and Flow (also known as the Flood and Drain) system. This involves either large hydroponic pots or a large tub with an even larger tub underneath for a reservoir and a pump on an automatic timer which floods the grow medium at periodic intervals, then allows it to drain back into the reservoir.

There are other active systems that you could put together on a homemade basis, but you can get all this information from Google. There’s NFT or Nutrient Film Technique, Drip Irrigation, Nutrient Pond, or Aeroponics. What you can’t get from Google, is what to put into your nutrient reservoir.

I’m a recovering cancer patient legally growing medicinal marijuana for my own and my wife’s use in one of the eleven states that allow this. I have an indoor hydroponic grow room next to my basement home office, and grow six female plants every four months under one 600W High Pressure Sodium light. Please visit my blogsite in order to read more about how I do this.

You can also get expert advice from a website that was set up to help medicinal marijuana patients to grow their own pot. Advanced Nutrients Medical will guide you to the best nutrients to use in your homemade hydroponic setup, depending on the grow medium you choose.

For instance, if you choose to grow in coco-coir, you should use their Monkey Juice, which was specifically designed for that medium.

The best organic nutrient that I would recommend is Iguana Juice, Grow and Bloom, and for outdoor growing, the synthetic Heavy Harvest, Spring, Summer, and Fall. I’ve had incredible results with Iguana Juice, but I would also suggest that you use a bud booster, such as Colossal Bud Blast to maximize the size of your harvest.

There are many things you must learn about growing pot hydroponically, and the Internet is a good place to start. Basic rules to remember—your roots need oxygen, so aim a fan at them from below (or use HyOx), and your plants would grow much better with extra CO2 in your grow space, but a CO2 generator is not something I would advise to build on your own. You can buy CO2 in a can and release some periodically, but you have to be careful. The ideal for marijuana is 700ppm. Any less than that and it’s not effective, any more might harm or kill your plants.

Good luck!