Thank you for this video. I am making a 15-bucket garden that will be a gravity fed Dutch bucket system; however, I need solar panels and batteries to run my pumps. I live in an apartment and have to have my garden in the garage at night and pull it out during the day, so I'm using casters on the bottom. Do you have any suggestions?
Good morning , I want to grow strawberries,blueberries zucchini and tomato. Is Dutch bucket system recommended for these ot is a nft system better for those plants ?
I've been using a Dutch Bucket system for growing "other plants" for about 2 years - with 35-lb. cat litter pails as the buckets. The flat walls reduce any chance of leaks from the drains. Results have been tremendous!
Go to you local grocery store very early and chat with someone in the bakery or even deli may be getting ready to recycle them. Even for just holding water i always liked square buckets over round.
10 years ago without pumps in the weed world this pearlite bucket method was called the "Hempy Bucket" method. It works very well and your pumps aren't needing to be running all the time, we never used pumps and watered by hand, only have to top off every other day or so and ph don't matter in the pearlite, it's glorious.
Awesome video. But I would guess thst if you can grow 5 peas/beans in dirt in a 5 gallon bucket. You should be able to grow at least that many in this. If not more. But 3 is way safe.
Buddy… absolute STUD of a video. Listen to me.. A freakin +++++ dude. There’s literally no area you did not cover! From A to Z. Then at the end of the video you gave your summarization of what the system is and how it works. Dude, you could be a teacher my God. This needs to go down in the Holy Grail of DIY videos. Then the parts list and description.. “Thank you” doesn’t suffice. 😐
How long and how often should tomatoes be watered when growing in perlite? I bet once a day for an hour with kingrollers 2 liters per hour? Will it be ok?
Thanks a TON! You helped me build my first Dutch bucket with the very easy to follow tutorial, parts list, and advice! You make a good tutorial - please keep making them!
I had some spare 5 gal buckets around, so i got an idea close to this, but your guide is going to make it a breeze! Thank you! Additionally, your website seems to have an SSL/Certificate error and wont show, so it would be great if others can see the work you've done there!
I have the same type of system at home, my grommets started to leak after 6 months or so. I haven't been able to find a solution yet besides replacement. any suggestions?
Is the gasket getting cut by the bucket over time, or is the seal just getting loose? If the seal is getting loose, you can shoot some waterproof silicone sealant into the gasket before putting it on the bucket. If it's getting cut over time, the hole may be slightly too small or possibly a little rough/jagged.
Firehouse Sub Sandwich restaurants sell their 5 gallon pickle buckets with lids for $3 each (without pickles of course) as of 7 June 2024 in Northern Virginia. The money goes to firemen funds charity. They are VERY high quality food grade buckets that are cheaper than anything non-food grade from Lowes or Home Depot. The pickle smell goes away if you put the buckets open in the sun and as is won't bother plants.
Thanks Rebekah! I should have the pdf ready to go by next week. Once it's ready, I'll do a community post letting everyone know. I'll also add a link to the pdf in the description of the video.
too many video's spend a lot of time jabbering on and on and taking 3x's too long to make a point. Not yours. If I could blueprint how to video's for everyone who creates content, yours would be the example I'd point to.. very good video. I'll be making my Dutch system from it. Thanks!
This is an excellent video! You did a great job of showing each step in detail, including what it looks on the inside, which so many others don't do. Thank you!
I've found that black buckets get way too hot in the Florida sun. It basically cooks the roots because it's so hot. I use white buckets. If I can't find them, I paint them white.
my system is a bit different, but every bucket i have is lowes blue - i cant imagine why anyone would whine about the color of the buckets lol also, im curious about pump failure rates when the pump is constantly running - i use small submersibles and i only run them either 8 or 16 minutes a day and they only last about a year at most - how long do they last when they're on full time?
I totally agree. The aerators are the only pumps I run full time. I replace the stones every year or so if they're clogged. The pumps themselves are all 3+ years old. The submersible pump I use for supplying solution to the buckets is also 3+ years old. I've used the small cheap ones in the past and they don't last near as long, similar to your experience.
I love the Straight to the point, No nonsense method of teaching. Thank You so much! I Now have a plan and I will be off to Lowes and the feed store to get my parts tomorrow!
Great video! Really enjoying all of the content on the channel as well. I was bouncing between hydroponic systems and I think I’ve settled on the Dutch bucket setup. Growing zucchini/squash year round would be awesome, they can only get so far into an az summer before they inevitably kick the bucket.
That's a good point! And with these buckets living in the direct sunlight in many cases, there's a high probability of them leeching BPAs into our system.
@@HydroHowTo I highly recommend that we follow recommendations of the plastic manufacturers and use food-grade (2:HDPE, 4:LDPE, 5:PP) buckets for growing food. BPAs will leech into our food, and attack our endocrine systems. This is a very important message.
That's playa shit man, I really appreciate ur video! Thank u for taking time out of ur day to make simple, yet detailed instructions, spoken clearly, your shots angled excellent AND offer online resources for those interested in having the same system or a DIYer for "FREE"
I would love a PDF version, sadly I find almost everything DIY and otherwise now is basically "watch my video" only when in reality it's a lot more convenient to read a PDF to follow instructions and plans, I still watch the videos but for reference PDF is king, no Wi-Fi needed. TLDR: videos are a fantastic visual aid, but having a hard copy manual really is more handy. No pun intended lol edit: I forgot to mention, I really appreciate the fact you included chapters in the video and comprehensive part lists!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I will work on putting the PDF together next week. I've been super busy with other things this season, but I promise I will make that a priority!
Thanks my dude! You're totally right, but I'm just out here trying to show people that this stuff doesn't have to be complex. I already know it works, so the naysayers don't bother me.
Make sure you're subscribed to the channel. Once I get the plans uploaded I'll send a community message to all the YT subscribers on the channel. Thanks!
This method use hydroton. Use 3/8 tubing for feed lines to a T and make a ring out of the 3/8. Use hot trim nail to make about 8 holes run pump 24/7 and throw the air pumps away. Get a submersible pump.
I’ve started cherry tomato plants inside in Kratky using 2” net cups. Can I transfer the plants to Dutch Buckets without losing or shocking the plants? In Dutch Buckets are the roots always wet? No room for air roots? Do your pumps run 24x7 or a certain amount of time on per hour? Thank You!
@@HydroHowTo Thanks, I’ll be giving this model a try. Currently use Mr Stacey’s but too many large plants turns the unit into an unmanageable dense tree. 😀
I’ve been using Pea gravel in an ebb and flow system since the early 80s. It’s so much simpler. It takes up so much less space works so much better I just don’t understand why people went away from something that was so simple and worked so well.
Hi, thank you for the vid, I have everything I need to start. but My Perlin in my country is extremely expensive, now Inside my buckets I want to add a basket to the top of the lids, which will reduce my Perlin need. or even the coco need. will I get the same effect ? If you have a discord, maybe I can post you a picture of what I want to do. Your advise will be extremely appreciated.
More of a rdwc (recirculating deep water culture only not deep lol) ebb n flow will flood until u hit your drain if it took 10 seconds to fill and hit drain reduce 10 minutes to 20 seconds every 2 hours. Water fills up pushing stale o2 out and as it drains it pulls fresh o2 back into the rootzone. Now different mediums will need more frequent floods not longer ie the stone since it has 0 -1% capacity to retain and hold water. Where something such as coco coir or rockwool hold anywhere from low as 45% WC (water content % ) upwards of 85-93 WC% . Rockwool has a small % of material and the remaining is air . Medium type along with amount of time to flood play a huge part on frequency and duration.
Great video. Most bucket systems use square buckets which are costly. Glad to see the grommets work on round buckets the same. Building a system soon as supplies come in. Thanks.
Thank you so much! It was important to me to make a build showing that you can use simple components like round buckets. The grommets work very well on round buckets. I wish you all the best in your future grows and builds!!!
I'm very interested with your set up I currently run DWC Four bucket set up and I have been interested in the flood and drain method...but I love your set up and would love to build one but maybe two ....thank you for your video it was awesome and very helpful and educational. I will let you know when I get done building mine...if you don't mind I'll send you pictures as well
Lowes blue bucks and even home depot orange buckets worked fine as far as algae growth. Yes some light is visible through them but must not be enough. I personally prefer the Lowes blue, it'd darker then the orange and unless you have a water chiller the blue actually helps reflect more light then black which absorbs thr most as we all know resulting a warmer rootzone/water that can and will promote algae growth, root diseased and pathogens. But if you must, just buy any bucket and paint the outside white.
Incredibly helpful! Was hoping to find a pdf on your website for this build. If it’s something you are still offering, it would be very appreciated. Thank you!
I have two questions. Why the aerator? I would think enough oxygen is introduced during the flow of water? Second is can plants be started from seed in the pearlite?
spray paint off-gassing in the grow space. NOT GOOD. Just use a piece of reflective roll insulation to cover it. Second flaw is the height, if using this indoors you better have a one heck of a headspace. third flaw is your reserve at the bottom of each bucket. Anyone that has used the bucket ebb and flow system knows this problem. Nute just sits at the bottom and builds up(sludge) creating a problem in the system with EC. 4th flaw is the emitters themselves. Typically these emitters are used for wool style substrate, the wool becomes universally wet like a sponge. This system here I fear would create dry pockets as we have seen in others.
Good job, You said something I think is on point. (I did it for u the viewer.) Man that's a great quality to have when making dying vids for ppl. Ur awesome
I'm not a "gardener", I just like watching videos about hydroponics and similar stuff. You have done such a great job making this video, I can tell it took some time, effort, and care. While I'll probably never do this design, YOU made me want to. Keep up this great content, I know I'll watch your videos 👍
Awesome build. Always hang straps from the top. Years of doing electrical work, and seeing failed pipe on the walls tells me this. 😉 No hate just saying. I'm always using PVC fittings for hydroponics, I'm surprised I never slipped a barbed fitting into a regular PVC fitting; good call.
