10 Tips for Creating Your Own Homemade Hydroponic System

If you are interested in growing your food but do not have enough space, the hydroponic system is your best solution. You can increase your food at home with a hydroponic system since it takes a little space and requires soil.

Growing food hydroponically has a lot of benefits, like guaranteeing you a constant flow of fresh food and food with high nutritional value. In addition, you can create your homemade hydroponic system and enjoy its efficiency. There are various methods of setting up your homemade hydroponic system.

You can effectively start your homemade hydroponic system as a beginner without much struggle. Plants produced under a homemade hydroponics system have the potential to mature up to 25% faster and yield 30% more than plants cultivated in soil. In addition, you only require a small area to make your DIY hydroponic system.

The Different Types of Hydroponics to Create at Home

When it comes to building a hydroponic system, there are many options you can choose from. There are six main hydroponic systems to choose from if you want to make a DIY hydroponic system. These are:

Deepwater Culture System (DWC)
Ebb and Flow System
Nutrient Film Technique System.
Drip System
Wick System
Aeroponics System

The wick and deep culture systems are the easiest and less expensive homemade hydroponic systems to establish. The good thing about building this type of DIY hydroponic system is that there require less maintenance and setup than using other hydroponic systems such as the nutrient film technique.

How Do I Build a Cheap Hydroponic System?

There are many types of homemade hydroponic systems you can choose from. It will depend on your budget and the availability of the material required to build your DIY hydroponic system.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective homemade hydroponic systems is the Wick. To construct the wick homemade hydroponic system, you surround materials like the felt of wicking rope with a growing medium like perlite. One end of the wick system gets immersed in a nutrient solution. Wick works well for growing small, non-fruiting plants like herbs and lettuce.

The good thing about the wick homemade hydroponic system is that you recycle containers. You can use a plastic bottle and cut off the top. Then, you cut around the whole bottle until the top gets eradicated.

A soda bottle, for example, can hold one plant. Therefore, if you want to grow more plants, you will require to cut as many bottles as possible. However, you are assured of producing your food in the cheapest way possible through this process.

To ensure your plant grows effectively, you must fill the bottom of the bottle with a nutrient solution. Then, follow the direction provided in your nutrient solution to find out the amount you need to stir into your water. If your tap water is hard, you can use bottled purified water.

Apart from using containers, you can also use PVC pipes to build your DIY hydroponic system. The building technique is often called the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic system.

How Can You Make Hydroponics From PVC Pipes?

Here’s how to make DIY hydroponics PVC pipes in a few easy steps:

Step 1: Gather all the material you will need.

These materials are:

Four PVC pipes selected based on your desired length
One PVC cap.
PVC elbow connectors are linking to the grid.
A large container with a lid.
A submersible hydroponic pump
Ready-made net pots, growth medium, and nutrient mix.
Hosepipe.

Step 2. Cut PVC pipes. Cut your four PVC pipes in your desired sizes.

Step 3. Arrange and connect your PVC pipes in the grid of your preference.

Step 4. In the net pots, drill holes. Drilling holes in PVC pipes make a holder for net pots. The net pots bare the plant holders that you have in different sizes. Maintain distance between your net pots.

Step 5. Making Net Pots for Planters. To make netted pots, you can use disposable cups, which you cut at the sides and then perforate the bottom of the cups with big enough holes.

Step 6. Installing a reservoir. Primary nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, and magnesium get combined with secondary nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, and sulfur and micronutrients such as copper, Iron, Manganese, molybdenum boron, and Zinc in the proper nutrient mix.

Step 7: Making the Nutrient-rich solution. You can decide to make your nutrient solution at home or buy the nutrient mix online.

Step 8: Fill your reservoir and install your pump.

Step 9: Choose your growth medium. You can use the growth medium of your choice like perlite, Rockwool, or clay pellets.

Step 10: Choose the seeds that you want to plant. You have plenty of options to pick from leafy greens, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. You can grow your seeds directly, buy seedlings from other farmers, or order them online. Make sure you have at least three of each species when planting the seeds in the net pots. That way, most seedlings will shoot.

What Is The Best Homemade Hydroponic System For Beginners?

Making a homemade hydroponic is easy, even if you are a beginner. One of the best homemade hydroponic systems for beginners is the Deep-Water Culture (DWC). Deep Water Culture (DWC) is the most straightforward hydroponic system to set up and maintain yourself.

Plant roots are immediately immersed in nutrient-rich water in this method. This can get accomplished at home by growing your plant in large opaque storage buckets or containers. Commercial growers use large rafts to float the plants on the water with a conveyor belt after planting the young plants on one side and moving them along until they are ready to harvest.

DWC systems are simple and inexpensive to build because of the lack of recirculating water. DWC water does not recirculate; instead, it sits in the reservoirs for the rest of the plant’s life. This means that the water must be aerated to replace the oxygen that the roots use.

Factors To Consider When Making Your Homemade Hydroponic System?

After successfully building your DIY hydroponic system, ensure you consider the following elements necessary for your system.

Water

In your homemade hydroponic system, you will require a lot of water. The first time you refill your water basin, you need to start lots of water. Before filling the water, check its pH levels and for existing minerals or chemicals that may harm your plant. If your water has an unbalanced pH, you will need to purchase purified water.

Water Basin

You’ll need a basin (or reservoir) for your plants to sip from once you’ve found your water source. Growers have used everything from domestic storage containers to empty buckets to create these water basins. For quick water top-offs, use a water basin that lets you keep track of your water usage. The size of your water basin will be determined by the size and number of plants you’re growing.

Light

You are responsible for your crops’ light intake as they will be entirely indoors. Windows light is adequate for little hydroponic container crops. More vital light sources will be required when you start cultivating more extensive gardens. Understand what sort of plants you want to grow before purchasing any lighting. Light requirements vary by plant.

Temperature Control

Many plants require a warm environment to thrive. As the seasons change outdoors, be sure you can easily regulate the temperature in your grow room. The ideal temperature for your plants will vary depending on their species, although many tolerate temperatures in the mid-to-high 70°F range.

Fertilizer and Nutrients

Since your plants will not require soil, you must provide them with the needed nutrients. Make sure you understand the necessary nutrients for your homemade hydroponic. Feed your plants with both macro and micronutrients.

Growing Medium

When making your DIY hydroponic garden, you need to be aware of the various soil possibilities. Rockwool, for example, creates a safe environment in which your plant can take root and absorb water and nutrients. Excess water and the nutrient solution will drain into the water basin, preventing the disease from forming in your growth media.

Grow Trays and Medium

You’ll need an elevated area for your plants to sit above the water source and water-controlling containers.

Final Thoughts

The idea of growing your crops hydroponically might seem complex to you. However, a hydroponic system is something you can create from simple materials in your home. You can quickly develop a homemade hydroponic system and enjoy fresh food by following the above steps.

You may already have some items to create a homemade hydroponic system; for example, you can convert an old storage container or bucket and begin growing from home. If you don’t have a lid, you can make holes out of a sheet of polystyrene packaging to grow your crops.

The complexity of some of the systems on the market can be overwhelming when you are first getting into hydroponics. Instead, you need to consider simple and less expensive hydroponic systems like the DWC method. The DWC system allows beginners to use simple materials available at home, which are easy to set up. They require less maintenance and can be used indoors or outdoors in areas with adequate light.