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Now is the Time to Start Indoor Hydroponics – Epi-2990

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:39:12 — 22.7MB)

I am currently working on a presentation for when I am asked to do virtual summits and things like that.  The concept will be simplifying down to 10 big problems in our world like food supply, medical treatment, etc.  Then to give 2-4 simple and low cost things everyone can do to address them.

Of course those things won’t “fix everything” or make you 100% ready for TEOTWAWKI but what they will do is make a meaningful difference in your life, if times get tough or even if they don’t.

As you may imagine under food supply starting up a hydroponics system will be featured, specifically an indoor system.  The reasons are many.  First high quality lights have always been the largest and most prohibitive expense.  But with the advent of lights like those from Barrina becoming available, that is no longer the case.

There are many other reasons that indoor is the place to start especially this time of year and we will cover many of those today.  Of course this time of year the reasons especially if you don’t have a greenhouse are pretty obvious.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • Why hydroponics, why not aquaponics or soil based systems
    • Incredibly efficient for indoor growing
    • Aquaponics is far more complex and more difficult to do indoors
    • Hydro done right is incredibly cheap and ideal for growing greens and starting plants
    • Far less likely to experience clogs – hence overflows – aka water disasters
    • If you don’t have enough nutrient you just add more, no fish to kill
  • Why start with an indoor system
    • Grow in winter
    • Easy to tend to even in bad weather
    • Measure your access to food in steps
    • Almost zero pest or disease concerns
    • If you can build it inside you can take it outside when the weather is right
  • The three basic systems to consider indoors
    • Pure Kratky – no pumps at all
    • Pump Driven – using a pump that moves water and a reservoir
    • Air Pump Enabled – uses an air pump to keep O2 high in the system
  • Kratky Advantages
    • Nothing to break
    • Uses zero energy beyond lights
    • Works very well
    • Can run on a timer and not use energy 24/7
  • Kratky Disadvantages
    • Requires top ups on longer grows
    • Requires a deep (higher capacity) grow tub
    • Ends up with significant waste fluid that can be heavy (messy) to dispose of in indoor systems
    • Can use a float valve controlled reseviour
  • Pump Driven Advantages
    • Top up the reservoir and the entire system is seen too
    • Can and likely should use “Kratky elements”
    • Water can be “pumped out” for fluid changes
    • Is highly automated
  • Pump Driven Disadvantages
    • Requires energy, additional expense and an additional point of failure
    • More likely to experience leaks or over flows
    • Requires grow beds to be sufficiently elevated above a reservoir
    • Requires pipe, fittings, bulkheads and penetrations (additional expenses)
  • Airpump Driven Advantages
    • Really super charges growth
    • Less prone to leaks, etc
    • Less expensive then a water pump (initial cost and energy cost)
    • Does not require a reservoir but can use one at same level as the system
    • Can and likely should use some “Kratky elements”
    • Can run on a timer and not use energy 24/7
  • Airpump Driven Disadvantages
    • Includes an additional though small energy requirement
    • Additional expense (pump/s, tubing, airstones)
    • Requires manual topping like Kratky unless you have a resiviour
  • Functions of a Hydro System for Lifestyle Resiliency
    • Fresh food on demand
    • Start plants for spring and fall gardens
    • Can later be scaled to literally any size
  • What I recommend for growing in a small indoor system during winter months
    • Two colors of leaf lettuce
    • One variety of romain lettuce
    • Arugula
    • One or two verities of “Asian greens”
    • Spinach (use my germination trick)
    • Two types of basil
    • Parsley
    • Green Onions (grocery store trick)
  • A system of only 28 grow spaces can do 3 plants of everything here
  • Three plants is ideal because you can have plants in starting, mid-growth an harvest at the same time
  • Such a system will easily provide a few salads to a family of four every week
  • Why I recommend MasterBlend as your fertilizer
    • You can store many years worth for about 2.5 cents to the gallon for fluid
    • I have stopped doing any meter readings and use the 2,2,1 formula with 100% positive results
    • It is absolutely all you need for the leaf crops covered here
    • It will do a great job on starting “fruiting plants” to be set out even at the greens 2,2,1 ratio
    • One word of advice store is an air tight environment, seriously
  • Thoughts on containers
    • Kratky jars, jugs, etc.
    • Rubbermaid style tubs
    • Pipe based systems
    • Building your own boxes with rubber liners
  • Thoughts on indoor greenhouses and why they make sense
  • This is something anyone can do, for well under 100 dollars that pays for itself fully in a couple months

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Links for Hydroponics Specific Product Recomendations

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

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Comments

Now is the Time to Start Indoor Hydroponics – Epi-2990 — 1 Comment

  1. Folgers coffee cans from Costco are nearly perfect Kratky containers. They’re plastic, food grade, with a snap on lid and are about 1 gallon, which is enough to last about 6 weeks from my experience. That is the same amount of time for a head of romaine to reach a good size for harvest. Just drill the hole for a net cup in the lid and you’re good to go. They even have a built in handle. My only complaint about them is they can be difficult to get really clean on the inside after use since they have embossed letters, etc.

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