How to Build a Homemade Hydroponics System
If you would like to know how to build a homemade hydroponics system, the first thing to know is that it is simple and inexpensive. The second is, what type of system to build? There are several to choose from, each with advantages and disadvantages.
Most people opt to build a homemade “ebb and flow” hydroponics system - simple, inexpensive, low-maintenance and suitable for growing a wide variety of plants. Also called a “flood and drain” system, a pump with a timer regularly floods the planting tray with a nutrient-enriched solution which then drains back into a reservoir. As it drains, growth-promoting oxygen - also a vital part of hydroponics - is pulled in around the roots.
Although you can build this hydroponics system using specialist hydroponics equipment and supplies, available online or from specialty gardening stores, there’s no need. At the end of the day, a “hydroponics pump” is a pump, and any container with the right strength and dimensions for your plants works as well as a “hydroponics planting tray.” In fact, everything you need to build this homemade ebb and flow system should be available locally and inexpensively.
The items you need to build a homemade flood and drain hydroponics system are:
- Strong natural and/or artificial lighting, such as grow lights.
- Growing medium – expanded clay pebbles are popular for good water retention and draining properties, but rockwool, vermiculite or coconut fiber have advantages too.
- A strong container for your planting tray such as a tote – strong enough to support both your plants and water-soaked grow media.
- A dark-colored container – another tote will do – for your “reservoir,” placed under the planting tray for storing and recapturing the nutrient solution. The dark color hampers algae growth.
- Dark-colored tubing for (a) delivering pumped nutrient solution to the planting tray, (b) delivering drainage back to the reservoir and (c) directing excess solution from an overflow outlet in the planting tray to the reservoir.
- Wire mesh to wrap around the ends of the tubes, to prevent them clogging with grow media.
- Epoxy or silicone to seal the holes where the tubing is inserted into the planting tray, or custom fittings.
- A pump (minimum 500 litres an hour) to regularly flood your planting tray with the nutrient solution. Again, an aquarium pump works as well as a hydroponics pump for your homemade system.
- A 24-hour timer to turn the pump on and off (typically 4 – 8 times a day), with both 15 minute and 30 minute “on” time options.
- Optional plant pots: Instead of filling the planting tray with grow media, you can fill individual pots and sit them in the tray. You can then take the pots out to display or tend to your plants.
It should cost no more than $50 to build this homemade flood and drain system.
The next step is to learn about nutrients, and how many times to flood and drain the planting tray. This will vary according to the type of plants you want to grow and environmental conditions. Thanks to the popularity of hydroponics, plenty of plant-specific information is available online.
Get more ideas on how to build a homemade hydroponics system
Alternatively, get a COMPLETE GUIDE: detailed plans PLUS all you need to know about lighting, feeding and watering your hydroponics garden.
Copyright 2007 Jenny Green
