Natural Hydroponics part 2 (Growing)

With the nutrients out of the way, I put together a makeshift hydroponics tank. I didn't want to buy anything, so I used a big plant pot with a sheet-plastic liner and a cover over the top which I drilled four holes in. It fitted down into the tank so the net pots holding my plants were initially touching the water line.

I added ash, powdered eggshell, and my chosen nitrogen source. I also added some vinegar to cancel out the alkalinity of the ash. I put in two cucumbers (one from my own seeds and one purchased) and a seedling tomato, leaving one space open to add water if necessary.

The plants thrived. Then one day, they didn't. It was literally overnight that I saw signs of a nutrient deficiency on my tomato. At the same time the cucumber plants started shriveling and drying up in the sun. They recovered overnight, but it worried me.

I researched and learned that what I was looking at in the tomato was a sulfur deficiency. I put in epsom salt (I'll do more experimentation next summer on a natural source for sulfur) but nothing happened. The cucumbers continued to die. No change on the tomato.

Puzzled, I pulled the top...and found that the water level had sunk so that only about an inch of the tomato plants roots was in the water. Ack! No wonder it couldn't take up the epsom salt!

Once I brought the water level back up, the tomato recovered immediately.

It was almost too late for the cucumbers. For some reason, even though they each had a massive root system, they suffered more than the tomato from the lack of water.

Because of the mid-season emergency, the tomato got blossoms late. The tiny tomatoes were nipped this morning.

The cucumbers recovered to a certain extent, and even got more blossoms, but only a few small cucumbers. Since they were heavy with fruit when the water level dropped, I know the nutrients were working. It was only my own mistake that prevented this season's hydroponics from being a rousing success.

The non-chemical nutrients work. This winter's job is to figure out amounts, percentages, and get a baseline on what different plants need. Right now the hydroponics dry bean in the basement is thriving and has beans on it.

We'll see.

Natural Hydroponics part 1 (The nutrients)

This year I started a new project. Up to this point I have ignored hydroponics.

Traditional hydroponics is an expensive proposition, requiring tanks, flooding, pumps, timers, lights (more or less optional) and chemical nutrients among other things. If these things are not precisely balanced and continuously operational, the system dies.

I am not "traditional" in any sense of the word, and I absolutely refuse to use chemicals on my property. I also have no income at the moment so buying all the STUFF required is beyond me even if I wanted to.

I discovered Kratky hydroponics some time ago, but again it needs chemical nutrients. Kratky hydroponics is a water-air static system, requiring a bucket and a net pot or similar to put the plant in. The water level gradually decreases over time, leaving a space for air roots (roots that grow in the air to capture oxygen) and the main mass of the roots deeper in the water.

This is essentially what happens in the soil, as water is not always available and the plants use the roots to gain oxygen as well as water. Except with Kratky hydroponics the water eventually reaches a static level which the operator has to maintain.

So the technical pieces of the system can be dispensed with, if you're careful. Kratky actually suggests that his system be connected to an automatic float to keep the water at the safe level.

The next part was chemicals. If I'm not buying chemicals, what can be used? In accordance with my own determination to use nothing that can't be sourced naturally and within a reasonable distance of my home, I started researching various easily obtained substances. The two I settled on were ash and eggshell.

Ash contains a lot of nutrients, primarily calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, aluminum, and sodium. So approximately a 0-2-4 NPK, and holding many of the nutrients needed for plant growth. Not complete yet, though.

Eggshell contains calcium, protein, strontium, fluoride, magnesium, selenium, manganese and molybdenum. It can include other things depending on what the chickens have been eating, but that's the base. So nothing added to our 0-2-4 NPK, but more nutrients that are needed for plant growth.

But still not complete. I was missing, among other things, iron, nickel, and copper. For iron I used an old rusted nail. For nickel and copper I used a penny (US) and a dime.

I later discovered that I didn't have sulfur either, so I'll be doing additional tests next summer to see if I can find a substitute for that.

There are easily acquired sources of nitrogen under most circumstances--take the time to do your own research and figure out that part for yourself if you decide to try this. Many of these sources provide additional nutrients, so keep that in mind. It will not only bring your N up, but also possibly the PK depending on what you use.

Part 2