That's a great idea for a greenhouse. Looks nice and easy to setup too. Maybe ib the spring....
Good luck!
Good luck!
OUTDOOR HYDRO!!!
- Thread starter LORD BENIS
- Start date
BudGood2006
Member
Stinkleaf, and anyone else, electrical PVC (usually a grey color) is UV resistant, it'll hold up much better than plumbing PVC, fyi.
BudGood2006
Member
Go look near the electrical stuff... And yes, shopping blazed makes things a bit more complicated. 
LORD BENIS
Member
Ya, I saw the grey PVC too and the original plans I saw actually called for it. I was broke at the time and figured that if it did weather I could just buy more PVC, it's super cheap. I'll defineatly go grey next time, that is, if I have too. I love going shopping blazed. I probly went to Home Depot twelve diffrent times to get the whole system built. It's the only way to shop.
Thanks for the idea on the greenhouse. Would of loved to see Mary in there, sure you can't sneak one itty bitty plant in LOL?
BudGood2006
Member
LOL, I love shopping stoned. It takes me many trips, but it's cool Electrical PVC is different from plumbing PVC in another respect: It's meant to withstand pressure from the outside (so people don't break it easily when they're digging), plumbing stuff withstands pressure from the *inside*, to contain the water. And as I mentioned electrical PVC is UV resistant. 
Electrical PVC is different from plumbing PVC in another respect: It's meant to withstand pressure from the outside (so people don't break it easily when they're digging), plumbing stuff withstands pressure from the *inside*, to contain the water. And as I mentioned electrical PVC is UV resistant.
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Guest
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LORD BENIS
Member
Nice research Indica Sativa. I was hoping someone would be able to figure out what that was, I wouldn't know where to begin. How'd you find that anyway?
Well, we had some strong winds today and the greenhouse took somewhat of a beating. I don't have doors installed yet so when the wind gets blowin' it lifts the plastic up from under the 4x4's. The office clips I'm using stayed very secure through the winds, though. I suspect that once I get the zipper doors installed and secured down it'll be problem free.
Well, we had some strong winds today and the greenhouse took somewhat of a beating. I don't have doors installed yet so when the wind gets blowin' it lifts the plastic up from under the 4x4's. The office clips I'm using stayed very secure through the winds, though. I suspect that once I get the zipper doors installed and secured down it'll be problem free.
Ordinary Joe
Member
cool dude named stevr59 said:
If you use the tobacco spray on tomatoes, you may inadvertantly infect your tomatoes with the dreaded tobacco mosaic virus See tobacco and tomatoes are related.
Indica Sativa: thanks for the 411 on the Panorpa nuptialis. I guess that bug is okay to leave in the garden since it eats soft bodied insects like catepillars. Ugly looking thing though.
Lord Benis: You can paint pvc with spray paint to make it last longer but as you said, it is cheap. Well used to be really cheap but not so now. Getting there. Hope your pump made it okay. Those magnetic drives must get hot when they run dry. The pumps I have here just keep on trucking but they are in the reservoir. Sometimes just a cleaning of the empellor gets em going.
I was going to put you in Florida. Don't see Texas being that bad on growers but also depends on whether it is a backwater town or not. I figure they have enough problems with mexibricks to worry about someone growing their own.
Nice greenhouse. You can make your own clips from couplings. Just cut a fourth or third off one side and it should snap on the pipe. I saw someone do that at a craft show. Also, what is the width of the pastic film you used for covering? 25-30'?
LORD BENIS
Member
Ordinary Joe,
I bought an oversized plastic sheet roll (don't remeber what size) and just cut it to size. In retrospect, I should've cut it wider because I only have about 7 inches to work with on each side once the plastic reaches the ground.
That's why it was so easy for the wind to lift the plastic up from under the 4x4's.
Great idea with the couplings, I bet they'll work better. Also, good advice about the tobacco/tomatoes. The whole nightshade family is fun to grow!
I bought an oversized plastic sheet roll (don't remeber what size) and just cut it to size. In retrospect, I should've cut it wider because I only have about 7 inches to work with on each side once the plastic reaches the ground.
That's why it was so easy for the wind to lift the plastic up from under the 4x4's.
Great idea with the couplings, I bet they'll work better. Also, good advice about the tobacco/tomatoes. The whole nightshade family is fun to grow!
BRNEYDBVR
Active member
Hello Folks!! 
Lord Benis -
I KNEW someone else was runnin' hydro outside!!! Glad That I found this thread. I like your greenhouse!! I hope you get plenty of produce out of it.
I wanted to share what I've got goin' on.......
This is my system that consists of 4 bio-buckets.....10" net pots w/ lava rocks...this drains into a greenhouse of sorts and into a 4x3 bed under a 600w hps. I'm gonna be workin' hard this weekend getting it "winterized"...Although, it only got below freezing...once or twice last year. So some insulation and an aquarium heater ought to do it. I had to shut it down during the heat of summer. (Didn't know about the water cooler conversion) or I would have been able to grow all summer. I'll get one for next year.
Sorry about the out of focus pics.....I'm workin' on it!
Here it is:
That's 4 tomatoes in the buckets.....don't know what I'm gonna plant in the bed yet.....No Bud...just veggies out here!!
Organic Hydro Homegrown Veggies Rock!!!
Some 10gal. rubbermaid bubblers w/ Oakleaf and buttercrunch lettuce....reachin' for the light! (These are inside.)
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
Lord Benis -
I KNEW someone else was runnin' hydro outside!!! Glad That I found this thread. I like your greenhouse!! I hope you get plenty of produce out of it.
I wanted to share what I've got goin' on.......
This is my system that consists of 4 bio-buckets.....10" net pots w/ lava rocks...this drains into a greenhouse of sorts and into a 4x3 bed under a 600w hps. I'm gonna be workin' hard this weekend getting it "winterized"...Although, it only got below freezing...once or twice last year. So some insulation and an aquarium heater ought to do it. I had to shut it down during the heat of summer. (Didn't know about the water cooler conversion) or I would have been able to grow all summer. I'll get one for next year.
Sorry about the out of focus pics.....I'm workin' on it!
Here it is:
That's 4 tomatoes in the buckets.....don't know what I'm gonna plant in the bed yet.....No Bud...just veggies out here!!
Organic Hydro Homegrown Veggies Rock!!!
Some 10gal. rubbermaid bubblers w/ Oakleaf and buttercrunch lettuce....reachin' for the light! (These are inside.)
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
howdy BRNEYDBVR gulf coast here as well what nutes are you useing and what are the ppm rating for ur tomatoes and lettce i got lettce going in a bubbler but there not doing to well my ppm is about 350 seem thats all they want but there not realy doing to well now my tomatoes are doing a lot better since i made my flood and drasin automastic now flooding 4 times a day but they keep taking nutes and i mean bad my tds tester will not go that high any more there over 2000 ppm with floranova is this normal for tomatoes to use this high of nutes
BRNEYDBVR
Active member
HEY!!
Stevr59- Hope your doing well.......sorry to hear about the lettuce. I only built this system in the spring of this year...so I was only able to harvest yellow squash, creole, and better bush tomatoes. Because of a shipping error, I had no way to measure anything. So....I went 1/2 strength at first....until I got a cheap TDS meter. I was feeding very heavy....about 2200 ppm without any Ill effects. I'm no master gardener....but from my experience......Tomatoes are heavy feeders. The heat shut me down and I have just now gotten it cranked back up....(Been busy building a micro box)
I also aquired a Nutradip Tri-meter......constant read makes things easy.
The lettuce nutes are mixed to about 600 ppm from the start.....PH about 5.8. That's it......I don't check Ph, TDS, or EC.....I leave 'em alone and they grow like crazy. Yes.....I do transplant seedlings from dirt...... or perlite if I pop the seeds myself.
Oh...I do use a large air pump..(100 gal.) and (2) 6" stones. I just top off the res. when needed with Ph'ed water.
I planted seedlings into the dirt at the same time that I started the hydro. I was eating the hydro lettuce before the lettuce in the dirt even got over transplant shock!! I never go over 800ppm for lettuce.
Lettuce can be very tough....I had some growing in almost 90 F nutrient solution, pulled them up.......put in the fridge....roots and all in some water....they sat for 3-4 days before I pinched them down to nubs. They stayed in the fridge for another 2 weeks...(ice had formed on the surface of the water they were in!) I pulled them out and into the bubbler they went and within a week there was significant growth. Started pickin about a week later. I harvest the lettuce a lil at a time.
PBP grow only.... for lettuce.
PBP grow/bloom, LK..... for the recirc. system.
I hope this helps.
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
Stevr59- Hope your doing well.......sorry to hear about the lettuce. I only built this system in the spring of this year...so I was only able to harvest yellow squash, creole, and better bush tomatoes. Because of a shipping error, I had no way to measure anything. So....I went 1/2 strength at first....until I got a cheap TDS meter. I was feeding very heavy....about 2200 ppm without any Ill effects. I'm no master gardener....but from my experience......Tomatoes are heavy feeders. The heat shut me down and I have just now gotten it cranked back up....(Been busy building a micro box)
I also aquired a Nutradip Tri-meter......constant read makes things easy.
The lettuce nutes are mixed to about 600 ppm from the start.....PH about 5.8. That's it......I don't check Ph, TDS, or EC.....I leave 'em alone and they grow like crazy. Yes.....I do transplant seedlings from dirt...... or perlite if I pop the seeds myself.
Oh...I do use a large air pump..(100 gal.) and (2) 6" stones. I just top off the res. when needed with Ph'ed water.
I planted seedlings into the dirt at the same time that I started the hydro. I was eating the hydro lettuce before the lettuce in the dirt even got over transplant shock!! I never go over 800ppm for lettuce.
Lettuce can be very tough....I had some growing in almost 90 F nutrient solution, pulled them up.......put in the fridge....roots and all in some water....they sat for 3-4 days before I pinched them down to nubs. They stayed in the fridge for another 2 weeks...(ice had formed on the surface of the water they were in!) I pulled them out and into the bubbler they went and within a week there was significant growth. Started pickin about a week later. I harvest the lettuce a lil at a time.
PBP grow only.... for lettuce.
PBP grow/bloom, LK..... for the recirc. system.
I hope this helps.
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
LORD BENIS
Member
BRNEYDBVR,
Right on, bro! Glad to see I'm not alone out here. Nice little system you got there. I like how the res is inside but the plants are out. Also, thanx for the ppm advice, that should save me some trouble. Any pics of the entire greenhouse? I'm getting my new pump today so updates are on the way.
P.S. I may have to meet this trampoline lady
Right on, bro! Glad to see I'm not alone out here. Nice little system you got there. I like how the res is inside but the plants are out. Also, thanx for the ppm advice, that should save me some trouble. Any pics of the entire greenhouse? I'm getting my new pump today so updates are on the way.
P.S. I may have to meet this trampoline lady
LORD BENIS
Member
Pipeline,
thanx for stopping by. Nope, no clog problems at all. The greenhouse pretty much keeps all the crud from entering the res. I used to have a filter on in put I've since taken it off as it slows down the pump a little and it's not really needed anymore. Plus, I had a bad experience with it.
On the bright side I got my new pump today and the system is up and running again. Everything held it's breath underwater the whole time and seems to be fine. My lettuce are all slumped over but I believe this is due more to lack of light during germination than anything else. We'll see how they grow in the next week and if it becomes problematic I'll just sew some new seeds, they''re quite easy. All the new growth took place with no pump, gotta love the beneficial bacteria!
Had a little visitor light night
I'd love to keep ranting on, but it's my dinner time....
thanx for stopping by. Nope, no clog problems at all. The greenhouse pretty much keeps all the crud from entering the res. I used to have a filter on in put I've since taken it off as it slows down the pump a little and it's not really needed anymore. Plus, I had a bad experience with it.
On the bright side I got my new pump today and the system is up and running again. Everything held it's breath underwater the whole time and seems to be fine. My lettuce are all slumped over but I believe this is due more to lack of light during germination than anything else. We'll see how they grow in the next week and if it becomes problematic I'll just sew some new seeds, they''re quite easy. All the new growth took place with no pump, gotta love the beneficial bacteria!
Had a little visitor light night
I'd love to keep ranting on, but it's my dinner time....
Hey nice setup. Outdoor hydro is a great idea. Its a shame you cant plant any weed in that greenhouse though. I have a minor suggestion on how you may be able to improve your setup a little. I noticed you are using garden hose. If you can replace this with a "food grade" hose or some less reactive material, I think it would be a good idea. Garden hose is made from PVC compound which is quite reactive and not really considered safe Just a thought.
Good Luck, Ez
Good Luck, Ez
BRNEYDBVR
Active member
Lord Benis -
Take a look @ those pics again....my friend.
My res is outside..... in the ground. The drain pipe gets reduced, turns 90 and inside it drains into the bed and then back outside to the res.
I built this system (spring time...nice and warm) with extreme temps in mind....that's why I buried the res. The 4x3 bed was an after thought that I added later....
I had the 600w just collecting dust......so I threw together the bed and it worked out.
I just added an aquarium heater to my res to try and warm up the nutes......after last nights low temps. it was @ 60 degrees.....might have to get a bigger one. We'll see how it goes.
More pics to come........gotta get some work done first! Gonna be BUSY!!
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
Take a look @ those pics again....my friend.
My res is outside..... in the ground. The drain pipe gets reduced, turns 90 and inside it drains into the bed and then back outside to the res.
I built this system (spring time...nice and warm) with extreme temps in mind....that's why I buried the res. The 4x3 bed was an after thought that I added later....
I had the 600w just collecting dust......so I threw together the bed and it worked out.
I just added an aquarium heater to my res to try and warm up the nutes......after last nights low temps. it was @ 60 degrees.....might have to get a bigger one. We'll see how it goes.
More pics to come........gotta get some work done first! Gonna be BUSY!!
Be lucky and be safe.
BRNEYDBVR.
