Learning how to make a hydroponic system doesn’t have to be hard – in fact, this is barely a tutorial at all! I used heavy duty 1″ net pots from my friend CZ Garden, who sponsored this video, to make the simplest repurposed water bottle kratky system that I could imagine.
It’s perfect for propagating, growing herbs, or taking cuttings of your houseplants. Better yet, these little net pots are so cheap that you’re only limited by your creativity. DIY cloning systems with these would be a breeze to make.
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Video Rating: / 5
I grow all kinds of baby greens in vinyl downspouts (everyone always calls them gutters). The 3″ x 4″ works best. Easy DIY hydroponics. Like a kicked up version of the Kratky system.
EBook shows how to do this and many other exciting projects: https://www.etsy.com/listing/615008659/keep-on-growin-ebook?ref=listing_published_alert
Supplies and seed that I use that can’t be found at local home improvement stores: https://amazon.com/shop/mrduzee1
Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Music:
Intro and outro: Eagle Rock by Wes Hutchinson YouTube audio library
Hep Cats by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500022
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Video Rating: / 5
what about Bisfenol A (BPA)? isnt it going te leak in to the nutrient water
How did the grow go? Did the plant manage to thrive in that tiny living space?
So, $13 for 100!!! of those net pots is pretty dope. I was going to write a comment about just using old k cups from the ladies at work and my mother's house, but, now I think i'll just buy some!
Just a thought out there. I have limited funds, so the money I use for gardening I have to pick and choose what I purchase with those funds. While I would love to purchase those for the ease of use I need the money for more expensive gardening supplies. The water bottle has a unique design in that you can cut the dome off the top, cap it, drill holes in the cap invert it and place over the bottle full of water. No cost option that frees up my finds for other things (like your worm bin system)……I'm loving your channel
So, I bought some of these because… adorable. And now I am wondering how to actually make them practical. I have a square plastic basket that holds 24 water bottles perfectly, and now they all have little net cups in them, and they're a regular little army of potential plant growers. I'm thinking about sticking a chunk of rock wool in the cups and starting tomato seeds or something. Maybe not the most efficient, but another way to repurpose all the plastic bottles that stack up, and use their powers for good. I think the air pruning of the seedlings will be beneficial, and I'll plunk the whole root/rock wool mass into the bed when it comes time to transplant. Can't hurt to give it a try, eh? Thanks for your videos!
Awesome video!
Sooo….the kratky method?
Great video – not to be a debbie downer but this is slowing things down unnecessarily unless you live in a very windy/dry climate. Even without a humidity dome you could easily do a 4"-6" basil cutting without cutting so many leaves and nodes off. Another thing is, the purpose of cutting leaves off is removing surface area from where perspiration can occur, so cutting nodes off is a very small gain now for a HUGE loss later. Instead, you should cut minimal fan leaves to prevent wilting and keep the water 75-78f and you'll be rooting and growing those nodes within 4 days.
Isnt there a way to know what plants will need what type of setup?
you need a ginsu knife, LOL – no shop or garden should be without one. PLUS, you can slice tomatoes with it!
Nice – pre ordered your book on Amazon 🙂
Yo man, this is the coach.. hit me up on SDFish.. looks like I am headed to the IV (Imperial Valley) thursday night, looks like.. fishing has been VERY good.. could work on some skills..
waste of money and plastic, you can literally achieve the same results just sticking it in a glass of water then planting it in your garden when it has roots
woah, im here so early im under 100 views ! hectic.
love from down under mate.
Cool
I will try one day
Thank for sharing
I would be wondering how important a wobbling set of saw horses would be for starting production off on a strong footing? All I had handy was a floppy sided tote. But I did use a hack saw and a speed square too. Guessing that is 2 points towards production? Am interested in seeing how this downspout system works. Yes I picked up a length on this trip up to rapid lol -Bob…
where are these vinyl downspouts to be found in the uk ?
Mike, people really liked your video I brought over to Brighteon. May I mirror this video as well? I have had over 800 views on Brighteon. Thanks! https://www.brighteon.com/6052320817001
Would you please post the nutrients? Video says in description but I can't find it.
HI, Mike,
I made 10 of these, each about 4 ft long each. I grew a mixture of lettuce (like a mesculin mix). It worked pretty well. I grew it in my basement; it was about 55-60 degrees rather consistently. I used "daylight fluro" tubes (because the actual grow light are super expensive, but I got a case of 12 daylight tubes for $25). I used a fertilizer mixture like you recommend.
Anyway, my question is about the leaves of the lettuce which were very "flimsy" and floppy. They were still edible and tasty, but my kids didn't care for them as much, and they certainly didn't hold up to salad dressing very well 😉
Is that because of the light? The fertilizer?
Or, I was thinking, maybe it's because there is zero "wind" movement, and plants only strengthen themselves if needed because of wind? So would a small fan blowing on them make them more like the lettuce that grows outside? (All of the above reasons?)
Or is the fact that it's completely fake light? Maybe the daylight fluro tubes just aren't anywhere near a close enough approximation of real sunlight?
I'd appreciate your thoughts. I'd love to have good lettuce all year round. Thanks for all your tips!!!
Thank you Jan King
Your sooo AWESOME!!!
Thank you. This video was very helpful
Great idea.
Unfortunately they don't seem to sell downspouts like this in Germany.
I couldn't find the 3X4 but got a 3X3 downspout and then cut 1 1/2 inch holes
–had a 1 1/2 inch spade bit hanging around —If you do that then you need to cut the pool noodles down to about 3/4 of a full circle and they fit in nicely. Also used the brown downspout as it were cheaper. Looks kind of nice in my garden area up here in MN!Thank you so much for your email
this is GREAT! Thanks for sharing! I came here after watching your other video re using pool noodles! Genius ideas!!!
Thank you for sharing I’m going to Home Depot in a few minutes and picking up some plastic downspouts
great vid!
I wish you showed the ends of the downspout after you bend it. Is it like folding a box or envelop folding like folding down then folding 2 sides in then folding the bottom up? There is no leakage?
Another tip: If you can't find pool noodles cuz it's winter where you are, pipe insulation is exactly the same thing, but less colorful 😉
My first one wasn't so pretty, but after that I got the hang of it. Just a bit of a tip for anyone else trying to make this: it helps to have a quick type of a clamp (I have these clamps that ratchet tight and can be use with one hand) to keep the corners down and in place after you get it heated up. It cools quite fast. Also, you can reheat it and reshape it to large extent if you do mess up.