So we forgot to put up a blog about how our system actually works. In this blog we will hopefully explain what our system is and what the components due. Also below are a couple pictures of the growth of our system.
For our hydroponics system we decided to go with an Ebb and Flow design. This is what we found was the best for the beans that we were growing. In Ebb and Flow or Flood and Drain what happens is water from a reservoir is pumped to your growing area. Once the level of the water that is being pumped reaches a certain height there is some sort of tubing or piping that allows for the growing area to drain. In our system our reservoir that olds the nutrient and water solution is on the bottom in the grey 5 gallon bucket and on top is our growing area which is a 3.5 gallon bucket. In the top bucket we have four solo cups that holds our growing medium that is perlite and clay pellets. We chose two different growing mediums because we wanted to do an experiment to see which medium grew better.
Also in our top bucket, which is kind of hard to see but may be in another photo, is PVC pipe. That PVC pipe is what is called a Bell Syphon. For our Bell Syphon we have a 2 in outer pipe with a cap on the top and on the inside is our stand pipe that is 3/4 in. This then goes to a 90 degree elbow and then to a 45 degree elbow. This is all to drain the water out of our growing area.
Now how the Bell Syphon works is a pretty simple concept. At the bottom of the 2 in PVC pipe we have several holes cut into it this is where when all of the water is drained out it will stop. So basically what happens is the water from the reservoir fills up the top bucket. Once the water reaches the opening on the 3/4 in pipe ,that has a 1 in expander on it, the water begins to flow down the stand pipe. The bends in the pipe create back pressure like a vacuum to help the water flow. When the last air bubble is sucked down the stand pipe the water is sucked down the tube and drains the growing area. Once the water level drops below our holes at the bottom of the 2 in pipe air is sucked back in and stops the syphon. Then from there the process repeats it self about every 7 minutes. The ideal is that we would have the syphon go about every 30 minutes but the way we have it set up is working great.
Growth wise the plants are growing great. There are a couple of browning leaves we believe this is because our plant got to close to the light. We are finding that at first the clay pellets were the best growing medium because the plants shot up through that the quickest. But now looking at the perlite it is growing straighter and looks a tad bit healthier then what is in the clay pellets. We are also beginning to see some of the flowers open up and hopefully soon there will be beans growing out of them.
Thanks for checking out the blog! Check back soon to see what the progress looks like.
Kohl Orner
R&K Hydroponics
