Hydroponic grow in water coolers -

Hello fellow IC'ers....I was here YEARS ago looking for help with a strain that I knew was a keeper, and I am back with an update. I developed a variation of the flood and drain method by using lava rocks in 2.5 and 5 gallon water coolers (like you see when Gatorade is dumped on winning coaches). So far, it seems to be working. Here are some pics:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=395058&stc=1&d=

https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=395059&stc=1&d=1486071717

https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=395060&stc=1&d=1486071717

Cool how does it work?

I manually water and drain it every other day - the lava rocks are excellent

I admire your determination but I don't understand why your not using simpler everyday methods ... are you seeking better results

Cheesegez said:

I admire your determination but I don't understand why your not using simpler everyday methods ... are you seeking better results

Click to expand...

How is this not simple? Flood every other day and drain it.. I dont see how it can get easier.

RippinRayFB6 said:

How is this not simple? Flood every other day and drain it.. I dont see how it can get easier.

Click to expand...

here is an example

perpetual grow

flood many times a day

drain twice a year, or hopefully no more every few months once you get good at running the system

WAAAAY easier

see any of the PPK threads

The containers are already plumbed with with a drain that can be opened and closed. Big advantage right there.
Lava rocks, hydrotron, or polished river rocks are a personal choice, the insulated and sturdy coolers are a stroke of genius.
The spigots can be connected to a hose and used for bottom feed if top feed is not the system used.
Larger square coolers are also available, I notice pictures of square tubs used for covered containers in many gardens. Coolers would be much stronger and again, they are already plumbed and ready to go.

Kudos.

I love doing little single plant outdoor DWC runs with the 5 gal coolers. I also use one with a 5 gal net pot lid to brew compost tea in. I just wish they weren't so dang expensive, or I would have a whole matching set and do an outdoor flood and drain system.

You can pull the little push button spout out of them and glue in a fitting for a better flow. The insulation is great, and with an aquarium heater you can grow way late into the season without stunting the plants, keep them more healthy to prevent mold, etc.

A bucket system buried deep enough in the ground works ok, but Ive been dreaming up an outdoor flood and drain using multiple 5 gal round coolers, with a large square ice chest (sized just for the job) as the res to put in my new mobile greenhouse i'm working on.

I suppose I could drill into the cooler buckets and also glue in overflow drain bulkheads. But simply flooding them with a pump, and draining back into the pump through one line could work as long as you measure everything correctly, have a decent timer, and make preventive adjustments for the root masses as they grow. And besides it would be outside so I'm not worried about flooding my greenhouse trailer deck.

I want this system just for my tomatoes and peppers. NFT for greens. Top fed hay bales i am interested in as well, that can sit on the side of the trailer to skirt it, adding insulation at the end of the season, after they are harvested...

If I wasn't so OCD about having nice looking systems, I would be on craigslists and other classifieds in the free section picking them up by the dozens. Oh wait, I could just spray paint or cover them all after the system is built, cha ching!

5 gallon cooler containers FTW!

BTW: if you drill 3 small extra holes into the lid (or netpot bucket lids), a standard size 3 legged tomato cage can fit in the holes and rests perfectly on the bottom of a 5 gallon round cooler. Ill upload a pic later of mine that I made for my cherry tomatoes this last summer..

Edit: This works well when doing DWC

Waterloo

Waterloo

RDWC, Used 2 igloos, one for the plant, one for reservoir.... plumbed so the drip ring pulls the water from the reservoir....

Looks like i got the wrong flowering plant in the above post.... This is the right one... She finished at 6 oz.. ds-200 led 185 watt draw.... 100 days from clone to harvest..
The big girl in the igloo was a winter grow, i ran it like a regular waterfarm, no reservoir.....