Easy Hydroponics?

[Blalack77]

What is an easy hydroponics method, that can be constructed with basic equipment and is easily mantained?

[Rick F.]

Yup.. I did my first Hydroponics using some round shallow buckets like you'd use to empty the oil in your car engine and punched

4 holes in the bottom (perhaps 1/2") in a square pattern and placed big cotton roping from one hole to one of the holes near it (effectively making a "U" sort of pattern) and doing the same for the other two holes and then tying knots on the end of each string sticking out from the bottom of the holes.. This "wholly" pot is the one that gets the growing medium (I don't recall what I used at the time anymore -- but I'm thinking vermiculite?) and then you place the wholly pot inside the non-wholly put on top of some non-metalic spacers (so the solution doesn't get out) and the cotton wicks should be able to touch the bottom to wick up the fluid which needs to be a solution of water+food. I had a great time toying around with that stuff when I was about 15 years old or so.. Unfortunately, I've not done it in MANY years, so my memory might be a bit foggy on the details..

HTH!

[Blalack77]

So, what about seedlings? How do I know when its time to move them into the hydroponic unit?

[Rick F.]

I don't know that it really matters -- as long as you've got nutrient enriched water for the plant to consume, I'd think it would be fine.. I *think* in my case a long time ago, we had planted seeds directly in the hydroponic medium and didn't transplant the (already living) plants into the medium. I'd say that IF you go that route, you should try to remove as much soil as possible from the rootball of the plant to avoid mixing soil with your vermiculite medium, although I guess it really doesn't matter much I suppose..