Plans to Build
As you can see from taking a gander at the goings on over at the Hydro-Mountain we have an excellent machine that grows plants in a really fast and easy way. Our system takes into account recent hydroponic developements while at the same time, uses some commonly accepted farming techniques. There are many ways of achieving hydroponic excellence. Here at www.peteshydrohot.com we will make a great effort to show you a few. There have been some very heated debates through the years as to which technique is the best. I would like to demonstrate basic tried and true methods that are in force today. There are pros and cons with each method that I will try to explain. My perspective is more of a never grown anything in my life until I found hydroponics perspective. Most of my great success stories are based on pain in the ass trial and error testing and the coveted manuscripts passed down by my great, great,great, great, great , great, great, grandaddy Elias Ware. We have taken this art to such levels that we actually have become an authority. We have consulted with some of the very best consultants in the world. We have consulted with people who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. We have reached a point where we can say that all the gang at the Hydro-Mountain are highly skilled trained hydroponic technicians. We would like to help the general public in any way we can. Learn how to have fun growing an 8 foot hydroponic tomato on your concrete porch. Last month is a leading hydroponic magazine, there was an article about growing 35 foot tomatoes indoors. Anything is possible! These farming mechanisms conserve water and efficiently deliver nutrients to any type of plant in any kind of environment. Below is an overview of the basic hydroponic farming styles that you can have fun with anywhere you want. At the very end of this page is an overview of the machine that we have in place at the Hydro-Mountain. Please feel free to contact us if there any questions that you may have.
Flood and Drain- This method is probably the most common form of hydroponics. It is very similar to drip irrigation except that this method uses more water. I used to make these for people who wanted to do some gardening but didn't want to bend over or get their fingernails dirty. It works well with herbs, tomatoes and some flowering plants. I used to grow eight foot tomatoes on my porch that were literally tied to the top of the screened in area and growing sideways. The ebb and flows are governed by a pump and a timer to ensure automatic feeding precision and that happy trickling noise at the beginning, middle and end of the day. Only a little water soluble nutrient is necessary because the system recycles the water over and over again without losing a drop.
NFT- The nutrient film technique is probably the hottest topic in hydroponics today. When you put this method into use in the right way, you can almost hear those plants screaming. Set any kind of feeding schedule and grow any type of plant you want. In the old days, experts use to bragg about running these things 24 hours a day. Thesedays we somethimes conserve energy with three to six one half hour cycles per day. This method is better suited for plants that don't become too large or too tall. Lettuce is the most popular produce made using this method. It is also an easy way to start plants. This method is comprised of long flat-bottomed channels sixty to seventy feet long that allow for a thin film of water to tickle through the bottom of the roots. You don't have to worry about drowning the plants because only a thin film tickles the roots of the plants.
The Pond Method- The pond method is another great way to grow smaller plants like lettuce. It is basically what those ancient Mayans were doing when they floated rafts at the base of waterfalls. It is a relatively simple method. Nowadays we have gone high tech with the use of chillers, styrofoam and air pumps. Just make sure your water has enough oxygen in it. If you were to add fish to your tank while your growing your lettuce you would have aquaponics. Fish emulsion is actually helpful to your basic green leaf vegetables but that's another story.
Drip Irrigation - Drip irrigation is probably the most widely used form of hydroponics. It is basically the same method that is used by many commercial growers utilizing that discusting grow medium called soil. If you were to remove that four letter word and replace it with a different aggregate, your growing hydroponically. Many of the commercial tomatoes grown in Florida are grown this way. The plant can sit in a sand-like aggregate and periodically receive a dash of what it needs and remain perfectly happy.
The Hydro-Mountain - High a top the peak of this mountain is a state of the art hydroponic system. The higher altitude helps provide a cool crispness in the air in the morning which makes it's way to the peppers by the end of the day. The sub-tropical climate makes for a hot afternoon followed by a sun shower at the end of the day. The manicured plants are attended to by the highly trained research staff. The motto around the "plant" is: "Your only good as your last pepper" Perlite Pete is the resident caretaker of the farm. He awakes to each day with the sound of the rooster crowing and the sound of the first flood and drain cyle shooting out of his 500 gallon reservoir. A pleasant trickling sound can be heard as thousands of plants get their morning feeding. The research staff monitors, PH levels, nutrient concentration, plant formation and pest control. Workers pick the days harvest and place the precious peppers in the correct storage bin.
The first 20% of Pete's plants are created in a 100% NFT system. This method can be run 24 hours a day but Pete chooses to run 4 1/2 hour cycles each and every day. The beauty of NFT is that it tickles the roots with nutrient but at the same time offers plenty of oxygen to the plant so they don't have to worry about drowning. The first 8 channels are pure NFT. 70 foot long troughs accomodate about 1000 plants. Perlite Pete like to use these troughs for the starter seedlings. By simply filling a grow cup with perlite and placing a seed an 1/8 of an inch from the top of a grow cup, he can start as many seeds as he wishes. After a month he takes a grow cup with many seedlings and plants one per grow space throughout the rest of the system. This is an example of pure hydroponics in action. Absolutely no soil! The root zone can be fortified with nutrient capsules such as Osmacote or Dynamite. That way the plant receives double the benefits each time the water hits the roots. The first boost is from the nutrient in the grow formula and the second boost is from the H2O hitting the time released nutrient capsules. One is considered to be short term nutrient planning, the second is long term. The second 20% is comprised of the larger plants. These pants set in 1 or 3 gallon containers filled high with perlite. Pete uses these spaces for the plants that have been in tact for at least one to three years. A hardwood covering holds the plants in place as they lean to one side. This method would accurately be described as a cross between NFT and flood and drain. Pete cleverly placed grow rocks at the base of each plant along with an ample supply of Ozmicote or Dynamite grow nutrient. The rocks block the flow of water forming in the 8 inch grow trough and raise the level of the nutrient. The thirsty perlite absorbs the nutrient from the bottom to the top of the plant. The roots get huge and white as they enjoy most of the day in an oxygen filled damp, empty grow trough. The remaining 60% of the farm is comprised of PVC grow troughs cut out of 4 inch pipe. Pete's hydro-buddy Stuart O'Stewart of Pioneer farms recomended an excellent agreggate made out of coconut fiber, sphagnum, perlite and that four letter word called soil. Through the years the mixture has been drained of the four letter word and replaced with more perlite. Back in the early days Perlite Pete almost scrapped Stuart's entire system because it was jeopordising the integrity of the hydroponic mission. Then he realized the advantage of Stewart's area was that it is worry free and safe. If a pump or timer fails with a true hydroponic system, the roots are at risk in two to four days. Stuart was smart enough to recognize the incredible water conserving benefits of coconut fiber and develope a system that was a back up to NFT failures and could last for a week without water. Nowadays staff scientists monitor even the subtle changes that occur during the day to day operation of the Hydro-Mountain.