My basement hydroponic setup

TorontoJoe

TorontoJoe

Administrator
Hey Randy... OK, I've been doing this so long and learned from so many mistakes I could write a short novel
Please excuse any poor grammar or if I'm disconnected but I want to get you the info here.
As far as plants, greens are by far the easiest and fasted and most reliable.... but it doesn't nee to be the same all the time. Some preferred greens are mustard, arugula and choy... but lettuce is king. If you can get one called "barilla" its the best butterhead I've ever had. Red leaf and tango lettuce are amazing. Tango is more of a head and red leaf is cut and come again. My absolute top producer. A delicious leaf for cut and come again called Grand Rapids. It grows in a month or so and makes tasty, big leaves.
Note I also do green onions in the basement all winter in sterile mix so we can have easy salads with greens an onions a few nights a week that are totally fresh.

I use a stock NFT hydroponic kit from amazon. They sell these 3 teir kits with like 100+ holes but you can't use them all because they're too close together... 
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B091SNYYVR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I sucession plant and have maybe 30 on the go at any given time. The seeds are dirt cheap so having too much is better. Always lots for sandwiches and snacks.
 I think like twice a year. I pull mine apart and flush it with a big bottle brush
 
The reservoir will need to be low and flat enough to fit underneath but still have enough volume. There are some purpose built options. Definitely have a cover to minimize evaporation and keep light out. I use a squeegee bucket
 
Keep the tank off the bare floor. It may get too cold. Some rigid foam insulation works well.
 
One major issue with these kits is while they have 100+ grow holes, they're spaced way too close to use them all. I wish they were available at 3 times the spacing. I might keep little seedlings close but they have to get moves as they grow.
 
You want to keep as much off the water to prevent algae (you'll get some) Any unused grow holes should be covered. I got a bunch of these
 
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/16611887376...EsxfXos0Mnr7qKfkMlFScqjsaw==|tkp:BFBM1KbYxb9k
 
Be mindful of the distance between levels. Remember you need to get lights in there.
 
These are the lights I mounted to 1/2" rigid foam insulation. Secured with zip ties. Also, you will need to build another tier over the top level for lights. I bought some broom handles from the dollar store
 
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BQ74H9NR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Cover everything you can in a reflective material. The more light you can keep in the better. I got this stuff and spray glued to boards
 
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00DZ1NFSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Lights I keep on a basic lamp timer to come on at night when power is cheaper. 12 hours on, 12 hours off
 
You will always need to keep air moving and will need one fan on each levelI use one of these on each deck on a timer. 15min on, 15min off all the time
 
The grow media they sell is a ripoff. If you buy those cubes of rock will it costs a fortune, I get these big slabs and make tiny squares.
 
I get these
 
https://www.incredigrow.ca/products...cmbvJoS6O3iRi4JK-LMXRT2xmkWeq3ucfd5nRTr_42G0s

Some pics of my setup.... It sits over my sump pit and takes a floor footprint of maybe 5 feet by 2.5 feet tops. You really don't want any sort of infestation and I had none for 3 years until I started going back and forth from the garden without changing. I learned my lesson to keep the bugs out....


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I'm sure I'm missing something but we should discuss over in the gardening side.

Some more notes... This took a few days after work to set up but once running it's minutes a day.

Pruning roots from time to time is critical to preventing blockage and flooding.

I built this after the first time I say a $5 head of lettuce. I've tracked the cost vs production... it's paid for itself multiple times over... and the food is better.

Hope I was coherent... Happy to take questions about it
 
@"RandyK"#37  - I'm still figuring out how to move posts and threads without moving stuff... but so no to hijack the other thread where I posted, here:

https://figfanatic.com/showthread.php?tid=219&pid=2129#pid2129

I hop this explains your follow up questions...

I don't typically start seeds directly in the system. lettuce especially likes cooler water and I get poor germination when I do that. Also warming the hydro water tends to lead to algae. (Before I forget, a big air stone in the resevoir does wonders for oxygenating and preventing algae and root rot)

Typically I soak the rockwool in a tray like this and poke little holes and place in a warm place. In this case on my water heater under a light on a lamp timer. When they're ready I break them apart, place in a net cup and set in the system. 

Use an old knife for the rockwool. It's hard a blade

I keep the seeds in the freezer tightly sealed. The last for years this way.

Root pruning... yes exactly... I yank them out and prune the roots down to maybe as long as my thumb.

I tend to put the smaller ones a the bottom and move them up as they get big

If you have other questions... I'm happy to share any mistakes I've made... so you don't make them  :)


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Thanks.  Between the first thread and this one, what a great tutorial on a great hydroponic system.  Natural, healthy veggies whenever you want them!  And I could see that, once you have made the initial investment, it could be very cost effective too.

Do you have to "purge" the system now and then.  As in, needing to shut it down now and then to clean it out?  Or once running, can you just keep continually keep it going?  Or maybe you have to change the water now and then?
 
RandyK said:
Thanks.  Between the first thread and this one, what a great tutorial on a great hydroponic system.  Natural, healthy veggies whenever you want them!  And I could see that, once you have made the initial investment, it could be very cost effective too.

Do you have to "purge" the system now and then.  As in, needing to shut it down now and then to clean it out?  Or once running, can you just keep continually keep it going?  Or maybe you have to change the water now and then?
Click to expand...

It's saved me a bunch of money, but yes... It's one of the few things where I could really calculate how fast it paid for itself. And is wasn't long...

I change up the water maybe 4 to 6 times per year. The salts can build up in the solution.. but you absolutely can keep it running 24/7-365

Maybe once per year I tear the whole thing apart and scrub the tubes with a long bottle brush. Less time than I spend at the supermarket. Like an hour or two of work... I just put the plants in a bin and put them back in once I'm done. Changing the water or cleaning the system doesn't mean you need to restart the process... just put the plants back in when you're done the clean up.

In the past I did 365 days a year but this year I brought the system down in August since food was flowing out of the outdoor garden... In august I started back up and the pics above are the first on the reboot that will take us through winter. Not it'll be producing food until the 2025 outdoor garden starts feeding us.

The only thing that has ever made me stop the process against my will was allowing pest insects in... Without natural predators I couldn't win that battle except for removing the food source and letting everything stay dry for a long period. That's the worst mistake you can make in my opinion... I made it twice... First with aphids and second time with thrips...
 
The trickiest part initially was getting the hang of how to stagger the succession planting... Best I can tell it's a "feel" thing.... My stratagy has been to plant more than I need... one pack has a ton of lettuce seeds so Its easier to plant more than needed and discard the surplus rather than risk being without. Its just like thinning carrots in the yard Lots of seed.... plant more than needed.
 
@"TorontoJoe"#1 I noticed from your comments above that it's likely you're using synthetic fertilizers most, or all the time. ((I clean my system three to six times a year due to Salt buildup)) curious why you wouldn't use Organics at least for the finishing week, or two before Harvest. Or did I misunderstand cleaning the salt buildup.
 
I looked into organics when I started doing this and really didn’t see any options that were available to me up here. That may have changed and I definitely like to use strictly organics, but I’ll need to take a look at what’s available.
 
I picked this small one to try out. https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Hydr...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A2PQGFJXAT8J9K&th=1
I told my wife. If it works out good. I will build one to grow bigger produce. 4in pvc or larger.
I did buy Rockwool, I see what TorontoJoe says about the stuff the send to grow your plants in. It is a sponge.
I also had a brand new and bigger pump laying around. It circulates 140 gph. They send a very small one.
Bought M.G. organics edible's fertilizer for it. And am using a 5000k UFO light. 
Let's see how it goes.
 
Yep.... was my internet. I get like 1.5mbps here. If two people click on something at the same time everything stops. 

I see it now. That'll work. Really I wish my space was less restricted and I could spread things out a bit. 

You're going to love the fresh greens in winter. If you have space to sterilize some mix, I also keep some fast growing scallions going as well. Between the lettuce and onions there's lots of salad 

I grew a lot of mizuna mustard greens in the garden this fall They're tasty and fully ready in like 25 days.... I'm going to try them in the basement soon.
 
I put two types of lettuce. A romaine type and a leaf type. Also some Pak Choi and Radicchio seeds. I love mustard greens. Will try growing them and a lot more this way if it works out.
 
Pac choi is fast. Good choice. I love radicchio but never tried it. I should. Strangely I've had a lot of difficulty with arugula. I get some brown powdery drying leaves. Only seems to affect some plants.
 
Mike, are you germinating the seeds right in the NFT system? I've done it but found it was often too cold for seeds to sprout. Excellent if you can!
 
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