Hydroponic Farming

[cdmtdm]

I've just been made aware that Hydroton went bust!

But there seems to be another source around that is made in Thailand, will post it when I find it.

Tom.

Hi Tom , my plan is to use 3/4inch bluemetal same as they use on the road works ... much cheaper and more readily available ...i am also about to start up in Nk Area ... cheers and goodluck

Chris

[cdmtdm]

I've just been made aware that Hydroton went bust!

But there seems to be another source around that is made in Thailand, will post it when I find it.

Tom.

Hi Tom , my plan is to use 3/4inch bluemetal same as they use on the road works ... much cheaper and more readily available ...i am also about to start up in Nk Area ... cheers and goodluck

Chris

Hi Cdmtdm,

i got hold of some 50KG bags of Popper in the end, not cheap but I figure it should outperform the gravel as it's designed for the job.

I have also ordered a pallet of Seramis for future use, should be here sometime next month.

Are you going hydroponic or aquaponic?

Cheers,

Tom.

Hey Tom thanks for the reply , i sent u a pm..

Cheers

[rice555]

Hello All, could you please post a picture of the material and the bag/label please.

rice555

[rice555]

Hello All, tomster thanks for posting the pictures!!

rice555

[rice555]

Hello All, I went to Home Pro out on Hwy 2 in Korat yesterday to have a look at

bathroom furinishings and look in the garden supplies and they had small bags

of popper's, 6Lt. @ B.135.

It maybe the smaller bags get beat around more, but they sure chip easy.

Pic. The poppers dirrect from the bag, L/H, and hydrotron R/H.

rice555

[rice555]

Hello All, since this is a hydro thread, I'll recover one of my plans that

I will be able to finally be able to do after we move from town to farm.

Looks like with poppers you need to clean and rinse off very well before

use as this will be in a recirculating system.

10 X 5Gal buckets and net pots, the roots will be suspended in nutes,

so if the power dies, all is not lost.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hello All, since this is a hydro thread, I'll recover one of my plans that

I will be able to finally be able to do after we move from town to farm.

Looks like with poppers you need to clean and rinse off very well before

use as this will be in a recirculating system.

10 X 5Gal buckets and net pots, the roots will be suspended in nutes,

so if the power dies, all is not lost.

rice555

Hi Rice , can you tell me what the bucket is worth?

Cheers

Scoop

[rice555]

Hello Scoop1, it's been a while since I've priced them, but used buckets were

going between B.30-40 each, not always with lids. Some of them need some

work to clean up the insides.

Off to mix up nutes, the plants are hungry.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hello Scoop1, it's been a while since I've priced them, but used buckets were

going between B.30-40 each, not always with lids. Some of them need some

work to clean up the insides.

Off to mix up nutes, the plants are hungry.

rice555

Thanks Rice

Scoop

[rice555]

Hello All, tomster, I've only been there 3 times(2-taxi/1- with Thescott) but

you turn left left(coming from JJ) on Soi 71. The rest is a blur, then you turn

left off the main soi/road,(50-75M) it "T's", turn R. Take the next L. and up

on the R/H side is the WESCO warehouse, yes, its surrounded by houses

on a small soi. It's always been calling WESCO and asking moto-taxis for

directions.

On the R/H side, inside of the building you walk to the back and go upstairs,

take your shoes off and go inside.

Much easier to order and have EMS's or shipped to you, it's a warehouse,

not a shop/store. Only the one guy we've listed on the hydro threads about

nutes speaks English.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hi all, just need some information on two types of Chilli's from experienced Chilli growers if possible, I have been given some seeds to grow in Hydroponics and have been warned that they are extremely hot and just wanted to know if I have to take any precautions because of the heat, one is a Habanero Red and a Trinidad Scorpion, I have grown Thai Birdseye before but apparently these two are much much hotter, any advice would be great.

Cheers

Scoop

[rice555]

Hello All, I haven't grown those two parities, but the latter is the hottest.

I thought you were a light weight when it came to fire!

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hello All, I haven't grown those two parities, but the latter is the hottest.

I thought you were a light weight when it came to fire!

rice555

Hi Rice, you are one hundred percent correct , I also heard that you have to wear cloves when handling them, but I am not sure, that's why I need some advice.

Cheers

Scoop

[teletiger]

Cloves? Yes, and garlic around your neck, 'cause these chilli bite.

Regards.

[Scoop1]

Cloves? Yes, and garlic around your neck, 'cause these chilli bite.

Regards.

Hi Teletiger, I think you mean Gloves not Cloves , is that right? yes I am aware that they are the hottest chilli on the planet, I wont be eating them just growing them, haha, but what about handling them, and other advice ? , Sorry buts what's with the Garlic? I know nothing about eating chilli's is that like an Anti Venom.

Cheers

Scoop

Edited August 27, 2013 by Scoop1

[rice555]

Hello All, Scoop1 the only chili I've had cause problems with from

handling has been one verity of brown Hab from TGS in FL, their

"Jamaican Hot Chocolate". Have not had this problems with other

hab's or with Naga's, but, after you cut a chili, it's a different story.

rice555

[whitewater]

Great info all, i am soon to be starting a hydro garden and i am so happy to see a place to get such great info.

Keep up the Great posts and i will add when i land next mo. , ahhhh to be retired and relaxing, with a garden of my own.

[whitewater]

Rice

Those chunks look nice and uniform. What size are they...??? About 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm is what I'm after. I reckon those chunks mixed 50% with the fine coir dust would be ideal.

This stuff is LOADED with salt and takes a weeks soaking to be usable:

Buffered and Non-Buffered Coco Coir

Coco coir in its natural state contains a lot of sodium ions, which cling to the coco coir like a magnet on the cation exchange sites, and is also rich in potassium. In order to make coco coir suitable for use as a growing media it must be pretreated or ‘buffered’ before use. The buffering process involves pre-soaking the coir for 12-24 hours with a buffering solution high in calcium; this displaces the sodium and balances the naturally occurring potassium. After the soaking period the media is washed with water, this removes the displaced sodium, leaving the calcium in the coir. This buffering process prevents unwanted draw down or ‘lockout’ of calcium and magnesium, and avoids sodium toxicity issues. Luckily for us home growers, most pre-packaged coir products in grow stores are buffered at the point of manufacture and will be ready to use, however; it doesn’t hurt to check the packaging before use!

[rice555]

Hello All, whitewater, I think someone brought that up before, they

were asking about some pre-rince for coir. I think it only on paper

here, you have to go back to the mother ship to get it.

Even the export coir slabs and pressed bricks made in LOS not

pretreated from what I can tell, let alone how washed it is during

the screening process.

This is what I've used before which I buy locally.

The white bags cost Bt.80-90 depending where I buy, I now have

switched over to the smaller bags(Bt.15-20) but the coir is cleaner

and not a lot of fiber or trash.

For those in the Korat area, the place is at the Ya Mo Market.

I'm heded towards downtown in a bahtbus in the pic.

If you go back up to the corner and turn R., go down to soi's you

will be across the road from The Mall Korat. If you turn L. at the

corner and go up 2 soi's you will be at the train station. If you go

straight at the same corner and head W., and go about 3/4 miles

you will be in the back of Lotus.

He has coir, and 2 other sizes of pieces which is cheaper than

the coir, on the ground are bags of CRH($?).

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hi All, whitewater if the coir processing procedure is done properly there is a lot less sodium remaining in the coir, however that is not always the case or what maybe in the bag, its a Nitrogen draw down index that has to be rectified before initial use, most large coir manufacturers have specifications on what that Nitrogen draw down index is, but so many don't have that information, the easiest way to "charge" the new coir is to use a Calcium Nitrate solution { 20.0% Calcium 15.5% Nitrogen or similar } at an EC of 2.0 and totally cover and saturate the coir with this charging solution and leave it soaking for at least 24 hours and the completely drain it , then give it a good flush with the nutrient solution at the strength that you require for the plant that will be growing in the coir, and then it will be ready to use and the seedling won't suffer from a Nitrogen deficiency from that draw down. This is the formula that is required, dissolve 400 grams of { Calcium Nitrate at the percentage mentioned above } in 1 litre of water and use it at a dilution rate of 1- 200 and that will get you very close to EC 2.0. which will supply 310ppm of Nitrogen and 400ppm of Calcium. If the percentage of the Calcium Nitrate is a little different, give me yell and I will work it out for you if you need me to.

Cheers

Scoop

Edited September 1, 2013 by Scoop1

[rice555]

Hello All, thanks Scoop1 for the calcium nitrate info.

The husk pieces in this pic is what runs Bt.80 for the

big bag, have not seen this wide of tray before.

Rice555

[grimleybob]

Hello All, thanks Scoop1 for the calcium nitrate info.

The husk pieces in this pic is what runs Bt.80 for the

big bag, have not seen this wide of tray before.

Rice555

Two questions

Do you plant seeds directly into growing medium or in seed trays?

How often do you have to change the growing medium?

Thanks. Bob

[rice555]

Hello All, GB, I dump my coir into my dirt garden, what do the say about

not growing toms in the same spot every year?

Trays, I now fill and then level my trays with the back of a rake, this Texas

OG grower showed me better way than I did.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Hello All, thanks Scoop1 for the calcium nitrate info.

The husk pieces in this pic is what runs Bt.80 for the

big bag, have not seen this wide of tray before.

Rice555

Two questions

Do you plant seeds directly into growing medium or in seed trays?

How often do you have to change the growing medium?

Thanks. Bob

Hi GB, I use my coir 3 or 4 times with just about everything I grow and when it becomes totally filled with roots I do what rice does and dig it into the soil garden, as for the seeds I sew my seeds in individual trays 1 seed per division, with the same coir and transplant when strong enough, If you have to separate, lets say 10 or 20 seedlings it does cause stress to them and that sets you back a little bit while they recover, but with Hydroponics , it is not the same as soil, where you should not plant the same plants in the same position season after season ,because you are feeding a balanced and fresh nutrient all the time so there is no depletion of elements from the same plants like there is in soil, I just flush the used coir in fresh water and start again.

Cheers

Scoop

[rice555]

Hello All, the new issue of <see the pic> has a few articles and some

good pic's on hydro and protected ag(net/greenhouses) covering

grapes, papaya and other toms/greens, dirt and hydro.

Well worth the Bt.60 just for the pics.

rice555

[rice555]

Hello All,thought I would start this thread again, Scoop1, do you re-treat your coir

with calcium nitrate when you replant? My coir has been sitting in the grow bags

since the last season, been rained on, like tonight , and planning to reuse the coir

and use your nute formula, have about a week till they need to be planted.

Here's the plants today and early this evening after seeding 4 more trays and

reorganizing the older plants to the back so I can feed them.

I did plant 25 Carolina Reapers, the new #1 HOT to give them a try.

The first pic, the R/H plants are 2 months, the R/H 1 month old.

Thanks for any help.

rice555

[Scoop1]

Good morning all, hi rice, if your coir has been used there is no need to condition it again, just flush the EC out of it with a bit of fresh water then flush through with the nutrient strength you plan to use, too easy.

Cheers

Scoop

[rice555]

Hello All, thanks Scoop1, about to start transplanting this coming week.

If I would of done so this week, today would have been damage control,

early this morning the skies opened and barrels, not buckets came down

heavy, no wind, just straight down.

Thanks

rice555

[Fapington]

We are getting shit on down here too Rice. Non stop rain for the last week.

[Scoop1]

Hi all, Rice and Fapington , my plan is to come and visit you guys in Febuary 2014 and I cant wait

Scoop