Everything is moving right along. I now have three more systems to launch this weekend. Whoops! I have actually launched one today. I created a cloner box, which was very easy to build and cheap too.
You can buy one of these units online for about $35.00, but I made mine for less than $10. All items were purchased at Walmart and a hydroponic supply house.
Sterlite plastic shoebox - $1.00
8 neoprene 2" inserts at 35 cents each $2.70
1 air stone at $1.25
Total cost - $4.95.
The neoprene inserts are pretty neat as they have a cut on one side so you can open them up and insert a stem from whatever plant you are cloning. These inserts are reusable.
It did not take more than 15 minutes to build this entire box. All I did was cut out 8 1 3/4" holes with a hole saw and insert the cloners. Cut your stems at a 45 degree angle, place in insert and then in box. Fill the box with water and add a 1/4 teaspoon of nutrients, add the airline and you are ready to go. Roots should appear in about 1 week. I now have this box filled with tomato and pepper cuttings.
My next system is an airiponics bucket system. This system requires a little bit of work, as you must cut and fit several pieces of pvc pipe, glue them together, and then drill and tape 11/32 holes and add some mister spray heads. I configured the pipes so that they would reach around the bottom of the nettie pot. When you fire this system up there is a mist of water that sprays in all directions inside the bucket.
Total cost was under $40.
Bucket - $2.50
Net pot lid - $5.50
7 pvc fitings at $.30 each - $2.10
3 feet of 3/4" pvc pipe at 30 cents. $.90
7 misters nozzles at 35 cents each - $2.45
Water pump $17.00
Total $30.45
I finally got around to shooting some new photos. It has now been three weeks since I first started my two tomato cuttings in net pots in deep water culture buckets. Today I moved them inside and applied the lights which are timer controlled and will be on for 18 hours per day.
The pic showing the roots was shot last Friday which was day 12. Today those roots are twice as large. I decided with was time to change my solution and move them inside. So this time I increased my nutrient dosage to full strength and then adjusted my ph. It is critical to adjust your ph to about 6 for tomatoes. I also measure and adjust my ppm on my nutrients to 500. My normal tap water is about 140 ppm.
I am using a control bucket where I have one tomato that I am using MiracelGrow Tomato Food. I wanted to see how well local commercial nutrients would work in my hydro systems.
I next rigged up a light that is very simple and cheap to construct. All it took was one section of aluminum stove pipe that is approx. 30" long. I spread the stovepipe and held it in place by using two 1/4" pieces of all thread and 4 nuts. I then inserted a dual lamp fixture in the top of the reflector. Next I hooked up two pieces of chain, then attached an old extension cord to the light fixture. I then added one each soft white, and daylight cfls.
Cost was about $12 for the entire fixture.
Stovepipe - $4.00
Ligh fixture - $1.50
All thread - $2.00
CFLs - $4.00
This system works great. I do not think you can tell from the photos but the softwhite bulb is of the blue wavelength which spurs vegetative growth, and the daylight is of the red wavelength which promotes flowering and budding.
When you buy these cfls at the store they all look the same. I can assure you that when they are lit you can tell the different. Both are 20 watts, and equivalent to 100 watt incandescent bulbs. You can find these clear up to 65 watt which equates to a 300 watt incandescent.
By the way, I now have my first tomatoes set on. Wasn't expecting anything this fast.
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