It is called flood and drain system.
Diy flood and drain hydroponic system.
How to assemble a flood and drain hydroponic system from a kit step 1.
These systems periodically flood and drain the plants with nutrient enriched water.
Most homemade flood and drain hydroponic systems are typically quite shallow.
Growing containers size of 60cm x 60cm to 80cm x 80cm preferably square or rectangle in shape and long rather than.
Basically water and air don t occupy the same space at the same time in the medium and because of this we use the timing of irrigations to find an optimal balance between the air and water content of the medium over time.
The ebb flow system involves growing plants in a medium and flooding the medium with nutrient solution for a few minutes at set intervals.
While you can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a ready made flood and drain system you can build one yourself quite cheaply that works just as well.
Place the bottom part of the frame on a level floor or patio and fit the legs into the frame by sliding them.
Keep on reading to figure out how to build this amazing system.
Plant tray and bucket 24 hour timer clay pebbles or 50 50 diatomite reservoir tank with lid preferably 40 gallons.
This system will need a pump as well as a timer for automated operation.
As previously mentioned ebb and flow is a hydroponic growing technique which uses gravel clay pellets or lava rock as a growing medium.
In other words deeper systems need less frequent but longer flood and drain cycles than conventional flood and drain systems.
Place the upper platform on top of the legs and press downward to secure it in place image 1.
The name clearly suggests that this system would flood your plants with a nutrient solution then the solution drains.
However new style deeper systems are available which take longer to flood but considerably more time to dry out.
The flood and drain method aka ebb and flow for a homemade hydroponics flood and drain system you will need two sturdy plastic storage totes an aquarium air pump an aquarium water pump a timer a set of flood and drain fittings and a short length of plastic tubing.
To begin with the following items are essential to collect.
2 x 4 lumber 1 x 6 lumber 1 2 plywood wood screws 6 mil polyethylene sheeting thruhull fittings plumbing reservoir eggcrate white plastic grid stuff tape measure power saw drill.
The rounds of flooding and draining make it seem to the plant as if it is drowning in a sense and here s why.
It is also called a flood drain system.