Hydroponics

This hydroponic stuff is really fun,in fact I just ordered (2) 330 gallon totes delivered from an ole boy here in Austin. He sells these once used food grade totes for $125.00 a piece. I think that's a heck of a deal. I need to catch me some rain water. I found out that all the crap they put in our drinking water does not work well with hydroponics.
 Here is the tote that I first started with and used tap water in it thinking that the ole guy at the hydroponic place was just pulling my leg on our tap water. This picture was taken March 15th.

As you can see after a week they still look just like the day I planted them. Well really they look a little worse than when I started them. We had a little rain come through and I put a few buckets out to catch me some rain water. I caught about 50 gallons in about an hour of a steady drizzle then I drained the tap water out of that tote and refilled it with rain water. Here is a picture I just took of them this morning.

Now that is a big difference in 11 days don't you think? These plants look great. So good I'm gonna have to move the strawberry's out into another container, you can't even see them anymore.

 The other plants are doing well also. You can dang near see them growing. I'm starting to like this hydroponic stuff. Here are the plants in the 5 gallon buckets from 11 days ago and now.

                                  11 days ago                                                             Today

                                 11 days ago                                                                     Today



Now for the plant I'm growing in a pot with dirt. It don't look to good,it kind of looks like a chicken without feathers.

 The potting soil I'm using with this Tomato is the same stuff I used last year trying to grow those hot ass peppers that never turned out. So I would not recommend the Miracle Grow potting soil that claims it fertilizes for 3 months. It might fertilize the dirt but it does not do crap for the plants. I'm glad I only used this one plant in it this year.


My next little project is to hook up around (6) 5 gallon buckets that all drain into a bigger tote and hook up a pump that will pump water to all the buckets and keep recirculating back into the tote I'll let you know on how that works out.

Dizzy, here is the plant food I use.