Setting up a 'Wilma' for Hydroponic Cabbage- 15/02/08

This hydroponic system is a low pressure recirculating drip system and is named the 'Wilma'. This is made my Nutriculture and comes in 5 sizes from 4 pots to 20 pots. This one is the most popular amongst growers, the Wilma 8 pots system. This system has a reservoir as the base on which the tray is placed to support the 8 pots. A submersible pump (maxijet 1000) sits in the reservoir which is attached to a supply pipe with one dripper branching off to each pot. The nutrient solution is pumped from the reservoir, through the drippers and through growing medium in the pot finally returning back to the reservoir. I have previously used this recirculating drip system to grow herbs, potatoes, tomatoes and chillies but this time I'm using if for a variety of cabbage called 'Green Chancellor'.

This system is extremely easy to set up, all you do is place the tray on the reservoir, position the square pots in place and connect the drippers to the supply line, this only takes few minutes. With the Wilma system you have a choice of growing mediums, i am going to use coco coir and perlite mixed at 80% coco to 20% perlite.




The square pots for the 8 pots system hold 11L of growing medium. I place 2 strips of spreader mat in the bottom of the pot to cover the large holes to stop the growing media from falling into the tank while still allowing water to flow freely. I then add around an inch of clay pebbles in the bottom to help get good drainage and top up the rest of the pot with my mix of coco and perlite.



As with every hydroponic system i always ensure the my plants are very well established before transplanting them. You can see the roots of this cabbage plant are abundant and healthy. After the plants are potted into their larger pots i water them in by hand using Canna's Coco 2 part A+B nutrient at an EC of 1.6 with a pH of 5.8, i also add Vita-Link 'Bio-Plus' which is a fantastic rooting stimulator. Coco coir and perlite are both inert growing mediums so need to be watered with nutrient solution straight away.

Now they are watered in i will water again in 3 or 4 days by hand. I always water enough so a little run-off leaves the pot into the tank. I'll hand water the plants for 2-3 weeks until they need to be watered everyday at which point I'll fill up the reservoir beneath and used the pump to irrigate the plants once a day using a timer. Too much water straight after transplanting can get them off t a poor start so i make sure they are well established in their pots before feeding everyday. This variety of cabbage can get quite big, only time will tell.

Setting up a Hydroponic NFT Multi Duct- 15/02/08

This Hydroponic system is a large NFT 'table' made by Nutriculture and is know as the 601 Multi Duct. These systems come in various sizes and configurations, this 601 is about 2m x 1m with a 125L reservoir. With this system a submersible pump (maxijet 500) is positioned in the tank at the drainage end and pumps nutrient solution up the middle of the tray through 1/2" supply tube where it splits at the top through a tee piece into 4 outlet fittings (2 x tee's and 2 x elbows) where the solution enters the top of the tray. From here the solution flows down the tray and drains back into the tank. The tray is supported by a stand at the top end and the tank at the drainage end giving the table a slope of 1 in 50. This type of recirculating hydroponic system is great for growing all types of plants, I'll be using it this year to grow my favorite mini plum tomato called 'Floridity'.


After setting the system up and fitting all the pipe work i run through a solution of Hydrogen peroxide at a dilution rate of 50ml per 10L for about 4 hours. This will sterilise system killing any bad bacteria that may be lingering from last year. Once the system is clean i lay down the spreader mat which helps to keep the flow of nutrient solution even down the table.






Now i fill the tank with water and add Vita-Link 'Easy Grow' at a EC of 2.0 and pH of 5.8. Once the tank is well mixed i turn the irrigation pump on. The Nutrient solution will flow quite rapidly if you have the pump on full so it has to be adjusted down using an inline flow control tap which i position near the pump in the tank. I turn the tap to adjust the flow rate so the solution lands in the first channel as shown in the picture. Once the flow rate is set i leave the pump running 24/7.


Now the system is running i get it ready to be planted into. Using a black corriboard i cut holes out where i want my plants to be. Notice i stager the planting to allow good water flow down the table. Once the holes are cut i cover the whole table and tank with black and white sheeting (white side facing up) to help insulate by reflecting and light away from the root zone and tank. I cut an X on each hole to allow the plants to be planted through the black and white.





On planting i have tied the roller hook string around the 4" blocks like i have when i set up the 604 gro-tank with the cucumbers and hung the hook from the roof supports. This will allow me to train the vine up the string for support. Now the plants are in and the nutrient solution is flowing all i do now is monitor the solution in the tank every few days to keep the pH and EC in range. As the nutrient solution is recycled i expect to completely change the solution every 7-14 days. Cant wait for my first harvest which i expect will be in 8-10 weeks!

Setting up an NFT Gro-Tank Pt 1- 05/02/08

These cucumber plants are now just over 3 weeks old and are ready to go onto their final system which use the Nutrient Film Technique or NFT.






The most important thing about getting plants ready for any hydroponic system is that they are well established in their propagation block having loads of healthy white roots.






These are the Gro-tanks I will be using, the small one is the 205i and the other is a 604. They are made in UK by Nutriculture who make 5 different variations in size. The top tray is where the plants are placed and the reservoir underneath holds the nutrient solution. The 604 holds 60L and the 205i holds 20l. The idea behind NFT is that the plants on the top tray spread out their roots into a thin film of nutrient solution which is constantly flowing. The solution is recirculated from the reservoir, down the tray and back into reservoir at the other end. The roots eventually grow into a thick mat nourished by the nutrient solution and highly available oxygen all around them.

The NFT Gro-Tanks have one delivery tube where the nutrient solution is pumped onto the tray. To ensure even distribution of water on the tray capillary matting know as 'spreader mat' is rolled out. 1 layer is enough and a small over lap in the middle is fine. Once this has been laid out I fill the reservoir with water.

Once the tank is filled I submerse the pump and attach the delivery tube and turn it on. The pumps have an adjustable flow rate and need to be slowed down so the solution lands in the middle of the first diamond.


After a few mins all the spreader mat should be wet. If you find some dry spots then poke the spreader mat down into the channels to wick up the solution. If there is little or no solution flowing in any of the channels make sure the tank is on a level floor and the flow rate is right until the solution is reaching all parts of the tray.

If you flow rate is too high then you solution will puddle. This will cause the plants roots to get over watered which may cause them to be starved of oxygen. Too much flow will also cause the rockwool blocks to get completely saturated which will get you plants off to a poor start.