Post by drbanks on Sept 25, 2017 7:33:45 GMT -5
This is the larger of the two sizes of General Hydroponics Drip/DWC buckets. Despite being shaped the same as their larger offerings, like the EcoGrower or Rainforest, this is really much more compact. The total bucket size is 5 gallons, although the space reserved for the reservoir is only two gallons. That makes dump & refills much easier than its larger cousins. And like the larger cousins, it has that blue 1/2" tube running up the side that doubles as both a level gauge and as a drain tube. Doing a dump & refill on this is actually much easier than most aerogardens, since you just need to pivot the drain tube to drain, and refilling is a matter of dumping a bucket of 2 gallons of solution over the grow media. No need to mess around with siphons.
Power Grower
As with any other non-Aerogarden solution, lighting is the big bugaboo. The bucket itself is cheap - much cheaper than even an Aerogarden Harvest - yet you can grow much larger plants in it. Well, plant.
This is the solution I'm using for my Meyer Lemon Tree.
Advantages
It is dead simple. One air pump to pump the air/nutrient mixture to the drip ring. There is ample room for a large plant. The one mod I made is to get a different (stronger) air pump and drop an air stone into the reservoir to further oxygenate the solution.
As mentioned, dump & refills are a dream, although it does require the thing to be elevated to a height above whatever you're draining into. But, since it's only two gallons, it can be easily hefted during the draining process, or put on a relatively light weight end table.
Disadvantages
The grow media, standard clay pebbles can get a bit skanky over time. When leaves fall and decompose, and with the abundance of light, algae growth is something that needs to be watched. Just over the weekend, I had to skim off the top layer of pebbles and soak them in bleach to kill all the green.
Second, I have no idea what it looks like inside, because I just don't have to know what it looks like inside, but I suspect it could use a real cleaning.
Third, the drip ring tends to accumulate mineral build-up from the nutes, and needs to be cleaned regularly.
Fourth, try as I may, I cannot seem to keep the drip from splashing out of the bucket, meaning that whatever you place this on, it's going to get damp. This, to me, is the greatest downside.
And Fifth, lighting. You'll want to get a LED box and some means of suspending it over the plant.
Power GrowerAs with any other non-Aerogarden solution, lighting is the big bugaboo. The bucket itself is cheap - much cheaper than even an Aerogarden Harvest - yet you can grow much larger plants in it. Well, plant.
This is the solution I'm using for my Meyer Lemon Tree.
Advantages
It is dead simple. One air pump to pump the air/nutrient mixture to the drip ring. There is ample room for a large plant. The one mod I made is to get a different (stronger) air pump and drop an air stone into the reservoir to further oxygenate the solution.
As mentioned, dump & refills are a dream, although it does require the thing to be elevated to a height above whatever you're draining into. But, since it's only two gallons, it can be easily hefted during the draining process, or put on a relatively light weight end table.
Disadvantages
The grow media, standard clay pebbles can get a bit skanky over time. When leaves fall and decompose, and with the abundance of light, algae growth is something that needs to be watched. Just over the weekend, I had to skim off the top layer of pebbles and soak them in bleach to kill all the green.
Second, I have no idea what it looks like inside, because I just don't have to know what it looks like inside, but I suspect it could use a real cleaning.
Third, the drip ring tends to accumulate mineral build-up from the nutes, and needs to be cleaned regularly.
Fourth, try as I may, I cannot seem to keep the drip from splashing out of the bucket, meaning that whatever you place this on, it's going to get damp. This, to me, is the greatest downside.
And Fifth, lighting. You'll want to get a LED box and some means of suspending it over the plant.