Chilies in Hydroponics

I wanted to do away with daily watering and at the same time I did not want to use pumps, timers etc, so I experimented with a grow system sometime last year. I planted 7 chili plants in a small tub (18" L x 10" W x 10" H).

I filled the entire tub with sterile grow media (cocopeat). I used a 2 litre plastic bottle as a nutrient solution reservoir. I used a 1.5" PVC pipe with an end cap and an L joint to feed nutrients to the plants.

The system worked really well, as you can see in the picture (Plants loaded with chilies).

However, there were certain drawbacks - In the initial stages when the plants are small the nutrient requirement is low. The 2 litre bottle filled with nutrients would last for a week. As the plants grow bigger, the nutrient and water intake increased. Now, I need to refill the bottle at least once a day (sometimes twice a day)!!.

Also, lack of aeration in the root zone and salt build up in the grow media are some of the other issues with this system.

I have found a work around to this problem, I am working on a new system design which I will talk about in my next post.

In case you need to learn more about hydroponic gardening, please visit Indian Hydroponics

10 years in hydroponics

Its been 10 years since I got introduced to hydroponics. In 1999, my brother who was in Singapore at that time visited some of the hydroponic gardens there and was so fascinated by that technique that he got hold of a book on the subject and sent it across to me in India. The book is called "Hydroponic Food Production" by Dr. Howard Resh. It is an amazing book, a must buy for anybody who is interested in hydroponics (hobby or commercial grower).

Due to various reasons , I did not get a chance to experiment with hydroponics till 2004, in the last 5 years I have tried various methods of low cost hydroponic growing keeping the basic principles which I had learnt from this book.