Growing in water is somewhat new to me. I am a soils girl at heart. However that being said, there are many advantages to hydroponics indoor growing. My yields will be more stable, I can control watering, light exposure and feeding with a timer, much easier to control and treat diseases and pest control is virtually non-existent. That stability, consistency and predictability will make it much easier to please customers.
I am starting out with two 4' X 4' flood tables which I made the stands for myself. I'm so proud. It felt amazing using the drill and saw. I used 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe with side outlet elbows for joints. I purchased L brackets to secure the elbows to the pipe for added security. My table height is 3' in order to allow room for my 100 gallon water reservoir. In total with flood trays and stand I have about $160. invested in each table. The trays were $90. each. Which, I'm sure could be found online for less. My lights are just normal fluorescent 4' two bulb fixtures. I am using 8 of these per table, with one cool and one warm bulb per fixture.
Yesterday I decided to fill up my water reservoir and test for leaks. I got about 6 gallons in it and it started leaking all over my floor. Thankfully its in the basement and there is a drain. Apparently the 100 gallon rubbermade container I bough had a crack in it. So after spilling water all over the floor and my shoes I got the tank back into the van. I returned it to tractor supply and bough a different shorter reservoir that was 110 gallons. This actually turned out better for me because it enabled me to lower my tables by an entire foot. It gave my tables more stability and they fill up faster because the pump doesn't have to work so hard. Lesson learned! A great way to dry out shoes is to turn on the dehumidifier and put them in front of it. In case you were wondering about my shoes.
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