Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle. Through self sufficiency we can reduce consumption and increase our hyperlocal household production.
How are you, mate? Speaking of DWC. I wanted to ask you something. Seeing how you've probably tried and experimented with just about every hydro nutrient there is. I'm looking for a cal-mag supplement with a 0-0-0 NPK profile. Mainly one without nitrogen. Meaning Calcium Chloride instead of Calcium Nitrate, most likely. Are you aware of any good ones available in Oz? I've been looking and the only ones I see are all in US. Nothing here.
I upgraded my P1S to the Panda Touch BIGTREE TECH touch screen. So much better than the tiny screen that comes with the P1S. I'm looking at adding the X1C to my 3D printer collection in the near future.
im hoping u see this comment hoochoo! one test i did was running the air pumps 24 7 vs only having them pump on a couple times a day. the couple times a day is basicly what i call kratky+ becuase i got really good results doing this and it even saves energy :P
Why not use say Coke to lower pH? Baking soda to raise it? Vinegar to lower. It's not the space program people. No need to buy pH up and down $$$$. Simple stuff you already have at home.
Awesome project and love you're stuff. I may sign up for your patreon just to get this print but man... listen to the lyrics of the song before you choose it...
The pups are actually what's used in large-scale pineapple production because they produce a larger, faster pineapple. The pineapple tops also produce pineapples but sometimes smaller than a pup's and take a bit longer. Lots of good info on the video. Thanks.
hy!! I'm from Argentina, could you please make a video with all basic products, with the cientific names an qtys to make the solution? so we can buy 25kg of several bags and make our own!
One thing that I rarely see mentioned in these videos that is SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW when it comes to pH is the fact that PH CHANGES WITH TEMPERATURE PEOPLE! I've seen that mistake happen so so many times, that people don't understand why their pH shot up or down randomly. My mate that is because you took it outside and it's fucking hot outside so the temperature went up and the pH went down. That's how that works. That's chemistry for you. When you read that the normal pH of pure water is 7.0 then that is at 25 degrees celcius. At 10 degrees it's 7.27. At 40 degrees it's 6.77. Temperature changes pH.
Your initial base looked like 4 x 2 inch, potatoes like to grow down before they grow up. I used to grow them in a bale of straw or hay starting at the third biscuit down or wafer. I suppose you could use the hydroponic way of drip feeding through the straw. Just a thought.
I have had blossom end rot on my Kratky tomatoes as well. I think the issue is the plants inability to access the calcium due to the EC. It may be more due to the Kratky method so I am applying tums in a topical spray to address the end rot.
i would say it would be best to also have a second test this with the deep water culture closer to the fan and the kratky away from the fan and see if it is the fan was a factor in the results
As always , thanks for the great vid! I live in an apt with limited indoor grow space. Kratky has been my go to for ease of setup and ease of maintenance. For much of what im growing a no refill set and forget Dr Kratky special hits the sweet spot of space and ease. I do have a few aeroclone/dwc boxes and those are great for longer growing projects but those need more care across the grow. I recently 3d printed the Hooc Vertical Light Saber Of Leafy Greens and am about ready to set it up, im curios to see how that fairs. Thanks again for the inspiration.
14:50 Up until there was a difference because the DWC ran out of nutrient solution, they were the same. I think an air stone helps prevent root rot of which neither got because the temperatures were reasonable because these plants were grown inside.
The Kratky system can be far superior to Deep Water Culture (DWC) if you can master two key aspects: 1. **Fine-tune the nutrient EC to the specific plant you are growing.** Since the plant roots are soaking in the nutrient solution 24/7, "less is better." Start with an EC of 0.5 (250 ppm on the 500 scale) and evaluate the results at the end of harvest. Then adjust the nutrient solution to EC 0.6 for the next crop and evaluate it again at the end of harvest. Continue this process, increasing the nutrient solution by 0.1 EC for each successive crop. The end-of-harvest evaluation should include the physical appearance of the plant and the taste of the produce. 2. **Use large containers, as "more is better."** You want to avoid running out of nutrient solution before harvesting your crop. For crops like lettuce, use a 5-gallon container and limit your grow to one plant. Evaluate the plant at the end of harvest, noting how much nutrient solution was left in the container and the physical appearance of the roots. If you have more than half of the nutrient solution remaining at the end of harvest, you can increase the plant count by one for the next crop, with a maximum of two plants per container. Avoid topping off or adding nutrient solution during your grow, as this will cover the air roots that develop as the nutrient solution decreases, potentially drowning and killing your plant.
@@hodgeac When people don’t have years of experience growing with both Kratky and DWC, they tend to believe that DWC is far superior because it’s what is pushed in social media. How labor intensive and a pain it is to change out the DWC bucket’s nutrient solution every 2 weeks? Try changing the nutrient solution of 20 five gallon buckets every 2 week, that’s 100 gallons of nutrient solution. Have you tried running DWC outdoors or off grid? Have you experienced air pump failures? Have you experienced pH fluctuations and constantly had to adjust the pH. Have you experienced Pythium root rot because you didn’t sterilize your air stone and air tubing? The Kratky system has none of those shortcomings.
Yeah, you can refill Kratky systems to a degree. Dr. Kratky even has his diy float valves made from yogurt containers and foam that keep the solution at about 50%.
I will see you next time on Hoocho's, that my friend is a fact. I love you approach and that you are willing to revisit a topic with new methods. It really helps inform, us the audience, that there I no perfect solution and they different methods may work really well in different circumstances. The root development in this DWC is far different than what I have seen in my own, but it is just a reminder that our plants are as varied in temperament as our pets and sometimes, they just do the damnedest things despite us doing everything the same as prior efforts.
Given those results, my questions now would be how many days does it take to grow the head of lettuce, and how many litres of nutrient solution is required per head of lettuce? Personally, I would be inclined to use smaller containers with one head each, then stagger the start of each head of lettuce to create a perpetual source. Hoocho, I know you're growing on a much larger scale, but I'd love to see the instructions laid out for a "minimum viable product" for someone to grow with this method in the simplest possible way where the only goal is a fresh head of lettuce ready to harvest every day. And if you're staggering the start of each head of lettuce, I think a separate container for each one makes more sense. Or maybe netcups of different depths?
Check out kratkys scientific paper www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaii/downloads/A_Suspended_Pot_Non-circulating_Hydroponic_method.pdf It has all the info you need. 4L per head. So just make the buckets/pots 4L Should be done within a month.
Love the information you've provided for the Kratky grow. I've grown indeterminate tomatoes with and without the Kratky method and then placed the plants in a bed in my garden to prepare my grow tent for a new set up. Those plants are now producing new blossoms and are growing great.
Hey Hoocho. Absolutely love your videos. I have a question/thought. If you were to do this with one of the float valve systems, would the DWC have a better result? Based on the root growth on them, the bubbles splashing water on the roots at the earlier stages, and progressively shifting away as the water level dropped seems to have stunted the growth.
Since your experiment with krakty tomatoes i really dont see the point with DWC and airpumps. I much prefered the dutch bucket system which i now use and wicking raingutter grow, both only leaving a single reservoir to be check and topped, and just using a krakty for simplicity and not having to setup, waste power and money with airpumps
