Added bonus with lettuce is that you don't need to harvest the entire plant. Just cut free the outer leaves and the plant grows more to fill in. Then only harvest the plant when it looks like it's going to bolt.
I’ve just come across your channel.... absolutely brilliant tutorial.... thank you so much....looking forward to seeing more of your videos. Cheers from Australia
Robert, as always, great naration and video editing! I love the way you showed how the hole looked using both drilling methods. Enjoying going through your content. I also love the way you show your sources in the videos. SO helpful!
This is a great and very detailed video. My only comment is that on your pump flow valve, you may want to look at using a 3 way valve instead of a straight ball valve. You may be putting extra stress on the pump where you could just use a recycle loop coming off of the 3 way valve. Just a suggestion. Great video.
Ive seen zip ties fail in these settings as the light degrades the plastic much faster than you may expect. I would recommend black zip ties or even metal zip ties or some other light insensitive method
hey how did you end up with different water levels for the two rails if the outflow for each is the same height? i know the outflow is 3/4 and inflow is 1/2 so there is prob a slight height difference from that. but it looked like a bit more of a difference in the video when the net cups were in. thanks for the help! inspired to build one myself~
It's been a while since I worked on this project, but I believe the inflow and outflow holes are at different heights, but also the hole sizes are also very critical and the flow rate for this to work correctly. I believe the plans I included in the link show the dimensions for everything a little better.
Outstanding presentation! Truly outstanding. You explained it well, after the fact. You taught your audience what you did and how you did it WITHOUT always having to talk to the camera like so many others. You made it simple to understand and to replicate. Thank you. I also enjoy eating lettuce year round. Awesome presentation. I wish more people on social media were about presenting their ideas rather than having to show their faces every step of the way. Take care.
Fantastic work!!! Your explanations are awesome, the video production is on point, and you got links to everything!!! I've been wanting to build a system like this! Thank so much for sharing!
Hey brother, I bought the pdf and .stl file the other day. I really don't know much about 3d printers. I gave the file to my son to print it out and he said it was really small and he tried to resize it but he said it was in two pieces. Do you have any advice?
Thanks for pointing this out. This was an issue with the unit conversion with STL files. I have updated the GumRoad STL files and you should be able to re-download the new versions.
Always sand all the areas which are going to be glued, so there is a much better rough surface for the connections. And of cause, don't usw silicone for that. Better use a glue which is made for that and is stronger and more long lasting.
Just found your channel today and subbed. Great content. 👍🏻 I have been watching Simple Greens Hydroponics and will be starting a 4 rail system as soon as all my parts get here.
I'm new here and dropped a like. Is there a specific pump size or model or something you recommend so the pump isn't too powerful for a setup of this exact size? Maybe an adjustable pump idk if that's a thing
The pump I used in this video can be found here: amzn.to/3MJQ9ug I would say if you are building a system the same as mine, I wouldn't get a pump that is more powerful than the one I have in the link above. The pump I purchased does allow some adjustment but I found it did not work that great. Installing my ball valve is what really helped me. Also making sure the outflow hole is larger than your inflow hole is key as well and something I would have done differently if I built the system again. Then I probably would not have had to use the ball valve.
I def want to make somegthing like this but on a smaller scale. Gotta make sure it is easy to manage since i would be putting it in my closet in my room
I honestly cannot remember the full total right now, but if you are starting from scratch and needing a metal rack, LED lights, and all the other materials I used in this video, you are probably looking at $500-$600+. The metal heavy duty rack, LED lights, and air pump would be the costly items from what I can remember.
Excellent video! This is gonna come in so handy as we JUST bought our rack two days ago and we've been brainstorming on design. Any tips on if you want to have channels on multiple rows (one above the other) and how to connect them so only using a single pump and reservoir? Thanks very much!
Awesome. Yes, that's what I like about this system as I can easily add more rows if needed. In my case, instead of the outflow pipe going back to the reservoir, it would connect to my next row. You could also Tee off the inflow tube to a secondary system/row.
@@GreenTechTown So in your setup I believe you had a 1/2 inch tube bringing water in and 3/4 inch draining out. If I wanted to outflow the first level down to the second, would you still use 3/4 inch exiting first row and run into second or would you switch that to 1/2 inch? Ultimately it's gonna exit 3/4 inch, just wasn't sure about that transition from level 1 to 2. Thank you so much!
Since I can control the flow rate on the inflow pipe, I would probably try the 1/2" tubing since it would be cheaper for the tubing and fittings. The important part is making sure the inflow of water is not flowing faster than you can remove the water from the system. So if the outflow fitting was smaller, and I had a high inflow rate, it is possible the water would overflow from the rails. I think the best way to go about this is my second option I mention which is to split the connection from the pump to the 2 systems using a Tee barb fitting. That way each system could be taken out for cleaning without effecting the other. Be sure to check out the Simple Greens Hydroponics channel as well that has tons more information on this style system and will probably provide more advise on expanding the system: ru-vid.com
Somehow I literally have this exact system by happenstance. I didn’t add the reflective film though. Very helpful upgrade. I also bought a vesync smart outlet that I control with google home so it can imitate the sun rise/set in any area so it varies with the season.
I've never heard of the vesync outlet but that sounds awesome. Feel free to stare the model number here for that smart outlet as I would like to check it out.
Very excited to watch. If you have some time to think on it, how viable do you think it'd be to do a countertop hydroponic herb garden? I like the idea of hydroponics, but nothing has me as excited about it's application than an herb garden
I think most start out with a small countertop hydroponic herb garden since they are the easiest to maintain and receive successful results. I would say if you are new to hydroponics, start there and figure out if it is something you would like to continue with. I would also recommend starting with a basic plug-n-play solution like the Aerogarden 3 pod systems (a.k.a Sprout).
Only if you grow cannabis. The cost to start a grow is very high. Led lights are expensive, you also need inline fans to bring in fresh air/co2 and to exhaust hot air. You also need fans to move air inside the grow room. Then you have the expense of the hydro system and components. All that money to grow some lettuce.... you could probably buy several years worth of veggies instead. Then you got the electric bill to pay every month.
Hey Thuy guy. Yeah I think it is totally worth it to learn how to grow your own food indoors and not only rely on grocery stores or outdoor gardening. This type of system can be used to grow all types of veggies even though the focus of this video was just for lettuce.
Great video. Here's an idea. I was drilling with the hole slaw and it would contact the rail every time because once you break through with the drill bit, it takes a lot of control to stop the hole saw from contacting the rail. I did the first couple of holes on the second rails to practice like this.. To avoid this I just drilled a pilot hole with a drill bit the same size as the coleslaw, errr, hole saw. (I'm hungry.) Then I went back with the hole saw using the pilot holes. This relieved some anxiety because with some hole saws you can't see the point you're drilling into. Thank you for your video.
@@GreenTechTown I like your idea of using 3/4" pvc instead of 1" like Caleb does. 3/4" is much easier to cut with a pvc cutter like you show in your video. If I build a second system, I'm going to use your idea of 3/4" inch pvc.
Really digging your videos, we're like-minded people! Curious, are you concerned with the plastic material leaching harmful chemicals that the plants will take up! Cheers!
how do you control the height between each of the holes? On the same railing, how do you make some holes allow to the mesh sit deeper within the system than other holes?
Hey JAWN. I'm not sure I understand the question, but all the holes for the net cups on the same rail use the same diameter hole. I do control the water level by drilling the exit/outflow hole lower than the inflow hole.
@@GreenTechTown gotcha! So you can only control the height of the root zone for each pot by adjusting the water level of the entire tube. So I’d dedicated one tube for younger plants and let the water rise higher and on the next system geared for more mature plants with longer roots, set the water so it doesn’t build up so high? That makes sense!
hi Steven from Denmark here :) fantastic videos you make !! keep going :) I have a question. would your photovoltaic system for your water pump be able to supply this system as well so it is free to supply power
Hey Adam. I initially thought it would but after reading reviews for the pump, several other customers did the same without any stress issues on the pump. So far it has been working fine since early Jan. when I installed it.
Also great for starting hydroponics: kratky method reusing takeout food and grocery food plastic containers. It reuses plastic, and the free cost and smaller size allows a newcomer to get used to growing in a hydroponic system.
I did in the early stages. It appeared it was due to my PH. Once I started monitoring that more, things improved. But it felt like a science experiment. I think once you figure out a basic system for everything, it becomes easier, but for someone starting out, it can be a bit frustrating, at least for me it was.
Robert I was just about to download your plans but wondering 2 things before I get started. 1. Would it be difficult to expand your 2 rail system to 4 rails in the future? 2. Is there anything you would recommend doing different since you built this system (e.g. improvements over time). Anyway happy holidays and take care.
1. No it would not be difficult, you just have to determine what you plan to grow and how low/high you want the water level to be and adjust your inflow/outflow holes accordingly. 2. I think the only change I would probably make is increase the outflow hole size so the water can drain out of the rail system quicker and there would be no need for the PVC ball valve I had to install. Thanks for watching and happy holidays to you as well!
