r/Hydroponics

First time using a hydroponic and when I soaked my seeds I got them all mixed up so now I dont know which herb is which. Its so rewarding to check everyday and see them getting bigger.

Plz help it looks moldy and brown after I harvested 😭 they are still growing tho

Iv been working along onna few projects this spring and finally able to harvest some broccoli the last couple of weeks. Very sweet tasting family approved. Above are my remaining plants. Im trying to succession plant, but its hard in a closely spaced nft. I think i need to get to a point where each rail has all the same age plants so i can pull the roots out completely in the future. Using a fillet knife to cut stuff apart is a mess.

My peas look half dead at the bottom but continue to flower and develop pods so they are still going, choking out my broccoli. They are in a recirculated 5 gal bucket with drippers. Kid of impressed how well it worked, but need a way to separate the pump from the roots next time.

I had a friend sew up some carrot sleeves for me out of plankton netting and i think it will work perfectly to keep the carrot roots more isolated and growing straighter. I have high hopes for this batch, i think my germination rate is greater than my last try. Im curious to see if i cut the long main root to keep it from strangling the neighbor, if the carrot will keep growing or will it shoot out a bunch of new smaller roots.

Help! What should I do to best keep my Thai plant lower in the light?

I designed and 3D printed this vertical hydroponic tower system and started testing it on my balcony.

It uses a simple bucket reservoir with an aquarium pump that pushes water to the top of the tower. The water then flows down through all the plant modules.

Currently growing:

• Tomatoes

• Strawberries

• Peppers

The tower is made from multiple stackable modules so you can expand it depending on the height you want.

Surprisingly it works really well even in a small space.

If anyone is interested in printing it, I uploaded the STL files here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4491106579/hydroponic-garden-stl-bundle-vertical

This is an inventory of what I've achieved over the last couple months. I started with the first DWC kale about three months ago, which has been producing for over 2 months now, 5 lacinato kale plants and 1 genovese basil growing prolifically. I started growing microgreens with no soil which has been decently successful with several challenges, primarily anaerobic rot and mold requiring me to learn to use hydrogen peroxide and doing water swap at the key stage between soak and germination before light phase, carefully managing water level. I set up my 2nd DWC which is purely tropaeolum of three different varieties, 2 empress of India, 1 Alaska mix, 1 Jewel mix. Most recently I just built the v2 microgreens shelving you can see has the tall speckled peas at the top, and the old v1 is now a great 6 shelves for storage on the left. The 10 gallon storage tote with water pump has been a great way to experiment on a small scale, I'm pretty sure I could scale this and produce a huge amount of greens with very little maintenance in a couple months. I like the idea of keeping things modular and separate.

It's only been 3 weeks since I put seed to cube. I couldn't find much info on growing hydroponic Corn so I guessed the nutrient mix and it looks like I'm going to need to up the nitrogen. I'm not at all surprised considering the fast growth.

I solved three issues with the previous setup. One was not enough space for two trays on each shelf slightly overlapped on the previous shelf, solved by having a slightly wider shelf. Two was a single light in the center causing bending during growth, solved by putting two on each shelf. Three was light bleed beneath the trays which was confusing the sprouts at early germination stage, many were going down towards the light bleeding from underneath, solved with mylar.

Downsides is I only have 4 shelves now instead of 5 previously for a total of 8 trays at a time which I think is perfectly fine because I'm not yet at the point of scaling. Also, the shelf takes up slightly more horizontal space because it's larger. The shelving unit has a fixed position for each shelf because of holes in the poles where each piece fits to hold each shelf. So ideally I could fit another shelf in it and lower the amout of space.

This shelf was only $33 so I'm willing to trade that off. The entire upgrade I estimate to be about $75. The trays I'm using now are slightly bigger as well so it was necessary, they didn't fit on the previous shelf at all so it's nearly worthless for this purpose, but I will use the old shelf for storage.

Most people tell me indoor berries taste like cardboard, but I’ve been obsessed with fixing that.

Spent the last few months messing with the light spectrum and dropping the temps at night to stress them out a bit. Finally hit 16.9 brix on both the reds and whites. Honestly, they taste better than the ones I get at the grocery store.

Just wanted to share a win. If you’re struggling with flavor in your vertical setup, hit me up. Happy to share what worked for me.

Wanted to share my DWC run for anybody looking into Spider Farmer’s DWC system or already using it.

Current setup:

Spider Farmer G1000W

Spider Farmer 5x5x6.5 Smart Grow Tent

AC10 controller/power strip

Spider Farmer PAR meter

2 oscillating 10-speed fans

16L humidifier

Spider Farmer DWC system

Spider Farmer Controller

Air stones & 2 Pumps.

This run is 8 regular Gizzard Punch from The Captain’s Connection, week 6 extended veg, day 36.

A few things that have helped a lot

I rotate 8 frozen water bottles twice a day to keep water temps between 68–72°F. It’s simple, but it works.

The 16L humidifier, is the best for maximum efficiency and not needing to refill everyday.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to monitor VPD daily and weekly and keep adjusting the environment as the plants respond. Once they start building real mass, small swings in the room matter a lot more. Keeping VPD in check and staying ahead of those changes has made a big difference in growth and overall plant performance.

Good airflow through the canopy is another big one. Once things start filling in, you want steady movement through the entire plant structure, not just air moving above the tops.

For anyone considering the Spider Farmer DWC setup, this is what it can do when you stay consistent and actually dial in the environment.

I’ll add pictures so people can see the plant health and structure.

Harvesting lettuce and arugula.