# My hydroponic project



## H.. (1 Oct 2019)

Hi folks.

Emersed growing is the big thing in commersial growing, but when I tryed this in small scale it always ends in failure. Either bad growth, dry out, molds, pests, and at the end lack of love from me with total failiure as an result.

This time i will try out the hydroponics style, and I appreciate if you would like to give me feedback on this trial version of emersed growing project.

Hope you like it and get inspired, and for you with experience, please give me imputs to aprove the project so i can hav an success this time.

Cheers H


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## H.. (1 Oct 2019)

OK, so this is how i got started in 27 september 2019

Two tubs, each 50*30cm aprox. 
Lighting: 2*39watts T5, one to the red spectra and the other more to the cold side.
Air pump with two airstones to create watermovment and oxygen to the roots.
Water filled up to an point of perhaps 10cm in the tank. An simple grid that will keep the plants in both water an air.
Ferts, PMDD, but not started yet, due to levels not set
At his point I only had HC Cuba plants, in emersed condition so they would probably not dry out the first days.


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## Edvet (1 Oct 2019)

They have high humidity in their greenhouses ( 80 procent or so, and for some almost 100). that's key.


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## H.. (2 Oct 2019)

Edvet said:


> They have high humidity in their greenhouses ( 80 procent or so, and for some almost 100). that's key.


 Thanks Edvet, Yes I notice they need very high humidity in the startup phase. My experience when placing plastic film over the tank is that plants get sick if not ventilated enough.I hope the microclimate in the tank is high enough due to the bubbels. But 80-100 is too much for an normal house in the long run, I dont want the house to be sick. 

H


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## Oldguy (5 Oct 2019)

H.. said:


> very high humidity in the startup phase.



Have you thought about using plant propagators, the type with a plastic base and a transparent domed top. Some come with a small pump and spray nozzles to produce a course mist or very fine spray. The transparent domed top usually has one or two ventilators depending on size.

You can get the type with pump and spray nozzles from hydroponic outlets. The other type can be obtained from garden centres, sometimes at reduced price due to seasonal clearances. Most garden centres are now Christmas Grottoes. 

Currently have a large Anubis sitting and growing in a propagator while I make it a new home. (It out grew my tank, but the space created by its removal has been filled by other Anubis, always thought they were slow growing but show them ferts and they start to motor.)   

Best wishes with your project


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## H.. (14 Oct 2019)

Oldguy said:


> Have you thought about using plant propagators, the type with a plastic base and a transparent domed top. Some come with a small pump and spray nozzles to produce a course mist or very fine spray. The transparent domed top usually has one or two ventilators depending on size.
> 
> You can get the type with pump and spray nozzles from hydroponic outlets. The other type can be obtained from garden centres, sometimes at reduced price due to seasonal clearances. Most garden centres are now Christmas Grottoes.
> 
> ...



Thanks Oldguy, i am trying out with separate smaller buckets, but that was an clever idea, with cup cover only. It is really difficult to get the plant from aquatic to emersed right now, they just melt down. I will definetly try out theese cups if i can find any at home.

Thanks O.
Pictures will come soon.


H


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## tiger15 (14 Oct 2019)

What you are talking is riparium, growing semi emersed plants.  Hydroponic refers to growing  plants in soiless media relying on water for all nutrients.  Technically, a EI planted tank on inert sand or gravel substrate is a hydroponic system.


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## lazybones51 (14 Oct 2019)

I have had good success growing Staurogyne Repens in a small window cill propagator. The trick is definitely keeping humidly high, I spray them occasionally with RO water. During the hot spell humidly dropped and I lost a lot of the leaves, there's still a few crispy leave in there unfortunately.





This is how it started.


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## H.. (14 Oct 2019)

tiger15 said:


> What you are talking is riparium, growing semi emersed plants.  Hydroponic refers to growing  plants in soiless media relying on water for all nutrients.  Technically, a EI planted tank on inert sand or gravel substrate is a hydroponic system.



Not so sure i know what riparium is, but this is not an tank with livestock, and no soil.

H


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## H.. (14 Oct 2019)

lazybones51 said:


> I have had good success growing Staurogyne Repens in a small window cill propagator. The trick is definitely keeping humidly high, I spray them occasionally with RO water. During the hot spell humidly dropped and I lost a lot of the leaves, there's still a few crispy leave in there unfortunately.
> 
> View attachment 128343
> 
> ...



Wow! That looks really dense and healthy.

RO water you say. I am thinking of giving N-P-K with the spray water...

H


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## H.. (14 Oct 2019)

Only HC Cuba is thriving now, well also the basil.

But I will try to find some kind of cups to place over new aquatic plants untill they are adapted, this will keep it moist, the room is only 45-55% moist today, and the plastic film is not covering it compleatly.

H


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## lazybones51 (14 Oct 2019)

H.. said:


> Wow! That looks really dense and healthy.
> 
> RO water you say. I am thinking of giving N-P-K with the spray water...
> 
> H


I do add a small amount of macro ferts in to the water occasionally. It's had a few trims to get it nice and dense, it was getting tall at one point. I'm not actually sure what to do with it now


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## H.. (18 Oct 2019)

new uppdate for this weekend.

To get higher humidity I placed an glas lid instead today, hopefully this will keep the moist in and the gap will aerate good enough.

H


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## H.. (30 Oct 2019)

update


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## H.. (30 Oct 2019)

Now the roots are visible, and the plant sends out new leafs.
Best thriving is HC Cuba i would say so far.
I am struggeeling with humidety, that is the hardest to get right. Submerged plants just die off when planted here.
Aeration in the tank do well and plants roots look healthy.

H


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## Edvet (30 Oct 2019)

Looks like basil to me


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## H.. (31 Oct 2019)

Edvet said:


> Looks like basil to me


And all you see is the testplant...

Cheers

H


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## H.. (4 Nov 2019)

Just started to get confidence. So i started up a new project


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## H.. (4 Nov 2019)

After a week the projekt failed me.


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## H.. (2 Dec 2019)

Hc thriving good at this moment. Ludwigia also.

P helferi is surviving. Bolbitis is not

microsorum is ok.


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## H.. (2 Dec 2019)

This project is going up and down right now, some thive and som not. 
But i am dreaming of an non maintanance system, today i do eaterchanges and put in ferts. But I am thinking of an system that goes past an fishtank, and circulates.

An aquaponic system, with fish in the bottom, and plants above. An lower maintanence growbed...

H


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## Edvet (2 Dec 2019)

Lots of info to be found on that.


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## zozo (2 Dec 2019)

Cyperus sp. is a good option to use. It's a are perennial plant and also grows good at lower light levels. It grows big and fast. 

Light is the main issue in the Northern Hemisphere, in the winters day times are too short and for proper artificial light you need quite a lot to keep plants happy whit constant wet roots. Not enough light and constant wet causes root rot and too cold substrate will slow growth down even more.

This limits our plant options drasticaly without enough artificial light.

Another thing is if you use flowering plants find out if it is an annual plant. These plants live one year (season) and die after flowering. For many aquarium stem plants, growing it emerged triggers flowering and for many, it is unclear if it concerns annual or perennial species. You need perennials for long term success. 

What could solve the constant too wet problem is using a Wet and Dry system for example with a bell syphon aquaponic system.


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