I present My Hydroponic seed starter!

[gardengirl72]

This has been two years in development and is finally ready to present. It produced over 2100 seedlings in Nine Weeks! Incredible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQL0MLvWwqE&feature=channel_page#

Check it out!

[HomesteadBaker]

WOW! That was great! Some amazing seedling production numbers, too! Hmmmmm... ideas, ideas! LOL

Thanks for showing us the setup!

[Kittikity]

What do you use for your seedling starting pots?

[gardengirl72]

I use peat pellets for pots, but am working on a new improvement as we speak. Version three will be improved. Maybe next year it will be ready for video. We'll see.

[Sinfonian]

Saw it and commented on YouTube. I still don't get it, but I haven't researched it either. It still amazes me, you still amaze me. I wonder if I could set something up like this in my garage. Unfortunately all my research says no, without heating the entire garage or setting up some plastic curtain system. I sure wish I had room for even a simple setup inside my house. Of course it wouldn't need to be as big as yours... I've got 130 SF, not 2,000, hehe.

Amazing, simply amazing!

Merry Christmas!

[gardengirl72]

Glad you liked it. Yes you do need a warm place. I have it in a room in my office that is the kitchen and employee lounge. It was once a garage. It has a concrete floor and it is heated. I had a beautiful rug in there that I had to move because it was getting wet and stinking up the place. The room is actually only about 200sqft. It looks bigger then it really is.

[Garden Green]

Another great video, Patti. Thanks for all your hard work in bringing these videos to us!

[Yomolove]

Patti, The video was awsome. I just have NOT gotten up the nerve to start one.

[plantoneonme]

Patti, The video was awsome. I just have NOT gotten up the nerve to start one.

I have been looking up easy hydropinic systems to start at home that are easy and inexpensive. I found one called a lettuce raft that fits the bill. As soon as I get enough money together to purchase the solution I will get one going. Check out this website for plans...

http://www.alternative-innovation.com/lettuceraftplan.html

I'm going to make mine even easier. I don't want to drill a hole to put the tubing through because I am worried it may leak. I figure that I could just put the tubing over the top edge, held in place with a small opening in the styrofoam. The rubbermaid bins were on sale this week for $4.50 so I picked one up. The pump and stone I got from my son's old fish tank. Instead of the plastic baskets, I am going to drill tons of holes in some old plastic pots I have stacked up in the garage. So now I just need the hydroponic solution. I post some pictures when I get it going. Oh yeah, the light I already have which is a shop light with a regular flourscent bulb and a plant & aquarium bulb.

Kim

[PJJ]

I have some questions about hydroponics.

I have a 30 gallon tank. It's been sitting here empty, taking up space in my closet for years........I've really been thinking about trying this! I'd like to grow salad greens to have during the winter months. Maybe even a tomato plant or two and some herbs.

Would a 30 gallon tank be an adequate size? What kinds of fish should I put in it? Will this make the plants taste fishy??

I have a 2 tiered stand. The tank could sit on the bottom and the plants on the top. That way hopefully any leaks would run back down into the fish tank.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Penny

[Kittikity]

A thought I had was to use a large plastic tote instead of the fish tank.. I was also thinking of using rabbit manure in the bottom of the tote instead of fish.. It would sort of work like compost tea.. Would have to make sure to have a filter on the pump though.. Maybe rinse it off every day as a part of checking the system over for leaks.. Wouldn't take more than a couple minutes in all..

[gardengirl72]

Yes you can use a 30 gallon tank. Just scale down the amount of plants you start. For fish you can use gold fish. If you grow lettuce to harvest in one of these systems it will taste fishy, but if you start your plants then transplant them outside or into pots, by the time it fruits you will be fine. I've had success with almost everything I've tried, from tomato plant to lettuce. I love starting all of my marigolds in this system as well. They are essential in the garden and I save sooooo much money. I grow varieties that you can't find at garden centers. They are so beautiful and I think they do much better than store bought marigolds.

[MamaGigi]

Perfect!

I hadn't watched your hydroponics videos yet but was already contemplating a "growing" area. This set up seems so easy and you just answered my next question about the fish. One question I have though. Did my daughter see a lobster in your tank? I must have missed it but she was jumping up and down when she watched with me. :)

[gardengirl72]

Its a crawfish. A small fresh water lobster! So she was indeed right!

[hyric35]

Pattie, your video was great!!! It really inspired me to do the same but not on the same scale. I have gotten the majority of the supplies that you talked about in the video. There is one thing that is not clear to me, how is the water drained from the container? And since there are so many containers, how are they all connected to the fish tank? Did you design this system yourself or was there a book or video that you used that I could possibly get my hands on? I'm really excited about doing this project so any information will help.

Thanks,
HY:D

[gardengirl72]

No book, I just worked it out myself. It is a pump and gravity system. if you watch the video ten more times I promise it will make sense.

The water is pumped up to the top tray, and flows down through tubes and gravity through the other tanks and back into the fish tank.

That is is it. A simple easy invention....if I had time I would patent it! But I would rather have people use it anyway.

[tomlizmom]

Hi Patti,

I am absolutely thrilled to find your webiste and videos. Truly inspirational. I have watched this video at least 10 times. I still have a couple of questions, if you are willing. I understand the water being pumped to the top then gravity taking over. You mention how the tubing goes all the way across the bin so that the water is evenly distributed. Does the tubing that goes across have holes in it to spray the seedlings? Is there then a non poriferated (sp? sorry) tube that drains the top bin to a tube that goes into the next lower bin and so on?

I have been interested in hydroponics for a long time, but never daring enough to actually jump in. You make it look straightforward and affordable. Thank you so much for sharing.

Debbie B in MD

[gardengirl72]

I just run the tubing and it is open ended. It is not perferated and neither is the tube going into the next bin.