Hydroponics For Vegetables

[xerostar]

I'm making my sister-in-law a small hydroponic "farm"

for a hobby and perhaps small income earner.

I've welded up a steel frame 10M x 6M to be covered

in a tough blue fly proof net.

I may have to add more shade later as the blue stuff does not stop much light.

I purchased 5 x 160 mm PVC pipes and cut them length-ways

to make growing troughs.

I still have to make some sort table to sit on the half pipes.

This would have holes spaced abot 30cm apart for the plants.

Anyone have a suggestion as to what material would be best?

i.e. approx 30cm wide x 4M long (or in sections)

The pipes will be supported on a steel frame about 70cm off the floor.

I will get a small pump to keep the nutrient water flowing.

Can anyone offer advice on cheap nutrient mixes?

Any other help much appreciated ..

[hotgeekus]

you want a picture of what they do up north at the royal project?

Simple to do I think if you have some know how. They use stryrofoam and it floats on the water.... of the trough...

[rice555]

hello xerostar, look at the next page for an other hydroponics thread, I listed most all co's that sell nutrients in LOS.

I have stayed away from Hyb. systems because I don't want to tinker.

Good luck with your project.

Was that vegetables you wanted to grow lettuce/greens or tomatoes/peppers? Makes a lot of difference for the nutrients, and costs.

rice555

[JungleBiker]

I've welded up a steel frame 10M x 6M to be covered

in a tough blue fly proof net.

I may have to add more shade later as the blue stuff does not stop much light.

Any other help much appreciated ..

Hi Xerostar,

If the blue netting is the one you see everywhere then I am not sure it is suitable - it may not be treated with UVI and so will not last long - due to breakdown by UV light. If you want insect protection then the white nylon netting is usually used and is treated with UVI. It comes in different mesh sizes (commonly measured in threads per inch - so more threads means smaller holes). To keep out the smallest of pests means really small holes which means poor ventilation, higher humidity and therefore higher disease problems.

Another point, some veggies like lettuce don't need/want shade. Veggies that do like some shade include Chinese kale, corriander and celery.

If it's shade you want then use the black shade cloth - it is usually treated with UVI.

You might be better off not using any covering, just grow the plants in the open air? Rice555 may have some comments on this point if you tell us what exactly you want to grow.

J.B.

[chownah]

My experience is that the blue netting will last in full sun for several years...I think it is resistant to UV....and if you put shade cloth on top of it then it will last even longer. Lettuce likes to be shaded at least I shaded mine in the hot season and it did fine....I'm not really experienced in using shade cloth but from what I've read almost all crops can tolerate if not benefit from shading in the hot season....of course some crops don't need it...like corn or rice among many others.

Chownah

[rice555]

Happy New Year to you all, it sounded like you where doing greens/lettuce type system, if you read the other hydro thread you have links to all the hydro sources in LOS that I know about, there maybe more?

Of the 4 farms/stores in BKK, only ACK which has green houses and Bangsai which each unit is covered and netted, all the others are not netted. The blue screen is good for house flies, sifting sand and drying rice on.

It's good stopping grasshoppers, if you are worried about bugs, get bug netting. The new issue of House Agricultural Magazine, great story on "hydro", again I only look at the pictures, my Thai reading is "0".

You will find adds for netting; www.tctthainet.com and www.hdpenet.com . You can call them and find out if they have a dealer in your area. I was going to do a net house for melons and was going to get the guy who makes the mosquito nets in the village to do the sewing. You can buy clips to hold film and/or netting on 1/2", 3/4" and 1" pipe.(3-8Bt.ea.)

For anybody in the Korat area, the Do Home store has lots and lots of goodies in the Ag irrigation LD and HD PE pipe and fittings, saddle fittings, filters and "hand squeeze punch" for drippers and other mini sprinkler's, fogger's and water pumps. They have a big selection of PVC fittings and oddball ones, 3/4" EL that is MTPT X MTPT. There prices are lower than other Korat stores and Super Products products are lower than list price in SP in BKK, but you can get a card that cuts 15% on SP brand name items at the 2 SP's in BKK.

Good luck with the nutrients, I'm looking for micro nutrient's to make my own nutrients. Anybody know where to get micro nutrients??? Not the Wesco NIC-SPRAY stuff.

rice555

[xerostar]

Hi all and thanks for your helpful replies.

My dreams of a hydroponics farm for the sister-in-law came to <deleted>.

Nobody in the family had heard of "growing veges in water".

They thought I was wacko! (probably correct ..?)

These people reckon if they have never heard of it, then it doesn't exist, or can't be done!

My sister-in-law has no science knowledge so understanding the concept

and measuring nutrient levels would not have made much sense.

After some discussion with family members it was decided to

turn the enclosure into a chicken shed.

Fortunately I had not actually started cutting the PVC pipes (came close)

so they were all returned for a refund.

[rice555]

Hello xerostar, sorry to hear it was a nogo. I use the K.I,S.S.(keep it simple stupid) principle when I try to explain tech things to the wife. A small turnkey system from one of the places in BKK may have been an easer way to get her interested into hydro. All the BKK stores have working systems(large) to see in operation and someone to tell them in "Thai" all about it and then things will be clearer, because a Thai told them, so it's real.

Their is no real "hydroponics store" to go to in BKK. All have there growing operations on site except Fresh Garden, there main farm is somewhere else. So there is not a lot of choice in parts/nutrients ect.

You never said what you wanted to grow, but I assumed it was greens/lettuce, in that case if you still want to try(?????),look at getting the VCD from; http://en.bangsaiagro.com/Hydroponics_VCD.asp also go through thier site; http://en.bangsaiagro.com/Soilless_culture_Tour.asp and see if the light bulb goes on.

With NTF and DTF systems, with lettuce you can grow in hotter weather than soil grown as nutrient temp. cools the roots which helps keep the plant temp lower.

I'm off to BKK/ACK Hydro on monday to pick up some tomato-bloom nutrients, my tomatoes and eggplants are blooming, I'm running late as usually.

rice555

[stevehaigh]

i'm thinking of dabbling in hydroponic lettuce (romain and iceberg) and perhaps other crops later, here in ko phangan. vegies here are expensive and usualy half rotten due to the hot boat trip so i recon its a good little earner maybe.

anyhow, i've just started looking into it.

any advice about design and building the equipment and what to use as a nutrient? can i use composted vegies or pig sheet? i'd prefer to use something local than buy chemicals?

thanks, steve

[ozzydom]

Steve, I am sure it would work , it just depends how far you want to go initially.

You could start of with a manual system as a trial for less than 500 baht or jump into spending 100k, its all up to you.

The pig poo would probably not work as the principal and success is in the balanced nutrients you provide the plants, and you would not know what the chemical make-up of a pig poo dilution would be.

If you want to do a trial run, all you need is a couple of dozen 4inch plastic plant pots and 3 or 4 plastic dishes about 30 inch diam.plus some crushed bluestone (road metal 1/4" ) and of course your seedlings.

Conversely you could buy some 4"PVC piping or 4"x2" PVC downpipe and a holesaw and a few fittings etc.

[rice555]

Hello Steveheigh, their is another hydroponic thread that I list most all of the co's that sell hydro supplies in Thailand as well as Thai Forum for Hydro (with pictures), most people use 2.5" PVC with net pots. Will take a picture and post later on the other thread. rice555

[stevehaigh]

Hello Steveheigh, their is another hydroponic thread that I list most all of the co's that sell hydro supplies in Thailand as well as Thai Forum for Hydro (with pictures), most people use 2.5" PVC with net pots. Will take a picture and post later on the other thread. rice555

I just saw the other thread, lots of great info. i think i'll visit the demo farm in bkk next month before i get started. a romain or iceberg lettuce here is about 40-50 baht in the shops so i guess the retailers pay about 20-30 each. wonder how many i could sell and if it makes sense to try? have to think about that.

thx steve