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organic hydroponics?
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Author:  kmbli [ Tue Sep 16, 2003 7:00 am ]
Post subject:  organic hydroponics?

I've been mildly interested in attempting a little indoor hydroponic experiment. I've researched this topic slightly but have been put off by its commercial and chemical aspects. I just wanted to know if anyone dabbles in hydroponics and if so, what solutions are used. I have a few plants that require constant moisture and I'm not doing so good keeping the mold levels down (huge allergen i/s house). I also have an outdoor greenhouse where I may move my favorite houseplants to if I can't make them thrive indoors during the winter. Dust is a big issue also and I've killed a couple plants because I've given them too many "showers" and I think the roots ended up rotting. Any suggestions?

Author:  CaptainCompostAL [ Tue Sep 16, 2003 4:22 pm ]
Post subject: 

Technically all container gardening is hydroponics.
Therefore, for all my container plants, I feed them mature compost, fish emulsion, kelp teas, and/or aerated compost teas.

Author:  Robert D Bard [ Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:03 pm ]
Post subject:  hydroponic

There was a researcher from up north that went to Fl and started a hydroponic farm arounf Ft Myers Fl. He did research on sea water as he believed it was the perfect growing medium saline the same as your blood, 92 trace minerals, load with other needed products. His name was Maynard Murphy MD. He noticed that fish from the sea had no tumors but his surgical pts and fresh water fish had tumors. He set out to prove that the sea delivers good health with out drugs and Sx.
I have found the company and I am going to put this sea product on my pastures to help restore them.
E-mail me back for a later report.
Robert D Bard

Author:  kmbli [ Wed Sep 17, 2003 5:15 am ]
Post subject:  seawater hydro

I'm very intrigued by the idea of using seawater for hydroponics! I've never considered it to be anything other than an irritant for plants. I will head in this direction for info, Thank you.

Author:  user_48634 [ Wed Sep 17, 2003 9:14 am ]
Post subject: 

I like this topic. It came up before on a hydroponics forum I used to read. The bottom line was that the hard line hydroponics folks do everything they can to kill any mold or slime or discoloration in their equipment. They like that pristine white PVC look and will use powerful antibiotics and antiseptics to get it. On the organic side, mold, slime, and discoloration are just the beginnings of getting good microbial growth in your soils. So there's a dichotomy there that prevents the hard core from either side to get together.

I haven't tried it but I believe you can have both. I think you have to put up with some dark water and green/black equipment but I think it can work. If you circulate an aerated compost tea made with excellent compost along with small amounts of molasses, seaweed, corn meal, and alfalfa, you would have a good start. Check the pH and if it needs to be dropped, use apple cider vinegar. Instead of a formal filter, I would build a box with the compost, greensand, lava sand, Zeolite (Hill Country Farms kitty litter found at H-E-B, check the ingredients for Zeolite), and activated charcoal in it. Then I would flow the water up through the bottom of that and let it spill out the top. I'm not sure how you keep the compost inside that box, but that would be my starting idea.

Time to get creative folks :D

Author:  senegaltictac [ Wed Sep 17, 2003 4:03 pm ]
Post subject: 

It seems to make sense that some algae would help. In all my aquariums algae growth was a good thing. It seemed to help the live plants and helped the microbial life in the gravel and filter media. You can't have a healthy aquarium and water plants without healthy microbes. So it seems to make sense that some algae growth in an organic hydroponic garden would be good.

Author:  kmbli [ Thu Sep 18, 2003 9:15 am ]
Post subject: 

In reference to the compost box I belive that would be the key. The only way for me to obtain sufficient organic liquid food is to create it myself. As for molds, well, they can do their job in the dirt and stay there. Regarding algae, I've always kept specific fish in my aquarium to eat it and keep it under control. It is my understanding that algae competes with other plants for food esp. nitrates and phosphates. In a hydroponic setup I would think that the algae would consume most of the food intended for the plants I want to grow, almost like distilling the fluid. Instead of appearance, this perhaps may be another reason why the PVC pipe growers keep their systems so clean. I have a few plants already thriving in vases of water but every now and then I have to clean their roots because the algae seems to choke them. It looks as if the nutrients have been depleted in the water so algae begins eating the other plant roots to remain alive. It would be good symbiosis if the algae died after a spell and the other plant fed on it but it hasn't worked that way, yet. I realize I'm getting in over my head but I'm impressed with the idea of directly feeding plants without the use if soil.

Author:  user_48634 [ Thu Sep 18, 2003 9:24 am ]
Post subject: 

Yes algae do compete for food but not normally with real plants (I think). The entire complex of soil is an ecosystem that has existed in harmony for hundreds of millions of years. By trying organic hydroponics you are trying to extract the best of a good system. I think you lose quite a lot of microbial life in the conversion and end up with a delicate system rather than the robust system you started with. So if algae compete for the same food as plants do, it is because the balance is gone and normal foods for each are in short supply.

I'm sticking with soil, but I still find this an interesting topic.

Author:  Robert D Bard [ Mon Oct 13, 2003 1:21 am ]
Post subject:  hydroponics

I have more info on hydroponics using sea water. There is no problem with algae, mold, etc as long as you use the right temperature - 70 to 78 degrees. Using the solution seems to be the perfect growing medium - sea water has 90% of water removed for transportation and they we add water to get 1 to 100 dilution. This would be 1 gal concentrate to 100 gal of water. On pasture you have to use well water or tap water but for inside growing we use distilled water.This product has 92 trace minerals. Using this with wheat (wheat grass juice) you get the prefect amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, chlorophyll and enzymes. Various studies indicate 8 oz of wheat grass juice is enough to meet our daily nutritional needs.
I would suggest that you all read Dr. Maynard Murray's book on using sea water for better health and the prevention of cancer and other diseases.
Robert D Bard.
I am going to be the distributor of this product in this part of US.

Author:  dustoff79 [ Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:03 am ]
Post subject: 

Great info on hydroponics

http://www.hydroponicsonline.com or http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/lesson ... ntents.htm


hope it helps.

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