I’ve designed a home hydroponic/aeroponic setup around continuous harvests rather than maximum production.

Current plan:

• 2 x Aeroponic towers for herbs and leafy greens
• 1 x NFT for herbs and leafy greens
• 3 x DWC for larger plants

My assumption is that different crops should live in different systems rather than forcing everything into one approach.

For people who have been doing this longer than I have:

If your goal was to harvest something every week of the year, what crops would you choose?

And which crops would you avoid entirely?

I'm planning on staggering the germination by a week, so each week I sow:

• 1 x Basil
• 1 x Cherry Tomato
• 5 x Bell Pepper
• 1 x Chili Pepper
• 1 x Eggplant
• 1 x Cucumber
• 1 x Zucchini
• 1 x Romaine Lettuce
• 1 x Iceberg Lettuce
• 3 x Spinach
• 2 x Cilantro
• 3 x Bok Choy / Pak Choi
• 1 x Kale
• 1 x Cabbage
• 1 x Broccoli
• 1 x Cauliflower
• 1 x Snap Pea
• 1 x Celery

Strawberries from bare roots (ongoing)

Please share any advice & experiences you think is helpful! :)

I recently came across this setup on Instagram (not my setup) and I've been curious if this layout is more space efficient, if you have tried something like this, kindly let me know your opinions on this compared to the standard tower setup

Found these in the Halloween section at Dollar General. Four for a dollar is a heck of a good deal. Thought I’d share.

Question: do you track your grows in any structured way (EC/pH over time, light intensity, growth stage transitions), or is it mostly memory/notes/photos? And do you actually use the data to improve future grows?

I'm looking into whether a more standardized grow-logging approach (same format across growers so data's actually comparable) would be genuinely useful, or if that's solving a problem nobody has. Would love real opinions, especially if you think it's pointless.

I’ve just finished and published two ESP8266 projects that I built for my hydroponic system.

The first controls two peristaltic nutrient pumps through MQTT, allowing them to be operated from Home Assistant:

https://github.com/LeCastorD/HydroDozerPump-MQTT

The second monitors the nutrient solution’s EC/TDS and temperature and sends the readings to Home Assistant:

https://github.com/LeCastorD/TDS-Sensor

They are separate devices, so either project can be built and used independently. I’m sharing the code and build documentation in case they are useful to anyone developing a similar system.

I've just scaled up from a semi-Kratky (with some bubblers where possible) to a DWC setup with three big ~20 gallon storage bins and air pumps.

And recently learned about beneficial bacteria.

The question is whether the bacteria will continue to live and grow with my plants or if I have to add it on a regular basis. I've read people say both.

The seller that I was thinking to use suggests Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice.

Pulling weeds, building garden beds, soil prep… I hate that part of the process but obviously I love the produce. I haven’t messed with hydroponics before, so tell me how cost of hydroponics compares to ordinary soil gardening.

Are the nutrients you have to buy synthetic or organic??

What else should I know about hydroponics that you wish you knew before starting?

What do you need to know about my property that would help you make recommendations?
(I’ll edit the post if more info is needed)

Nutrient company’s I believe by law can’t sell higher than 30% for agriculture purposes.

But these minerals here. Are pure.

Will make 10 gallons roughly of 30% ph adjuster.

CAUTION ⚠️

be careful when u mix with water!! It can explode violently.

Just add slowly the crystals to some water. Very slowly. Make a 1 gallon batch.

DO NOT add water to the crystals.

Be aware if you make ph up that is too strong, when you add it to your nutrient solution, u will burn off nutrients (cloudy water) this is very bad.

So mix a light batch.

Happy gardening 🤠

Before ANYTHING enters my grow space it must be sanitized!

H202 to the rescue always.

My favorite garden tool.

Tell me about it! I’m a newbie currently growing peppers, tomatoes and weed, but I’m wanting to try something a bit weirder. Anybody have success with plants not normally grown hydroponically? Like cactus, pineapple, tobacco, etc?

Is hydro setup from spider farmer good starting point?

my budget system, two second-hand high bay lights & two part dry hydroponics nutrients in synthetic soil. has taken tomatoes & chillies all the way to fruit without issue. my latest obsession of growing cacti from seed, pictured here, have never been under any other lights. lights cost about $15AUD each, from a local scrap metal dealer.

I don't have a huge amount of space at the moment and my wife saw this today. It seems a bit pricey, but I like how self contained/compact it is. What do you think? Anyone have one?

I am a middle school science teacher and got a STEM grant for $1,000 to teach hydroponics at school. Do yall have any suggestions on books about hydroponics that would be good for advanced middle school students which would help us get hydroponics going at our school?

Hey, im planning to start planting leafy greens using the Kratky method. I chose this because it is the easiest way and Im just starting new. So i dont want to invest in a fancy system and then ditch it later because i lost interest or have so much work.

Has anyone here tried it before? Any dos and donts? Is there a better option to start with?

I’ve gone through way too many methods trying to cut clean holes in plastic for DIY hydro setups, and honestly most of them suck.

If you’ve ever used hole saws, you probably know what I mean:

bulky and awkward

you need a whole set for different sizes

they slip like crazy on plastic

and worst of all… they can crack your container

Exacto knives? Even worse. Rough cuts, high effort, and still a risk of cracking.

After trying all that, the best thing I’ve found by far is using RotoZip-style drill bits in a drill.

It’s honestly night and day:

way more control

no need for multiple sizes

smoother cuts

way less chance of cracking

Not to mention a low barrier of entry—I literally use an ikea drill

You can trace whatever size hole you want instead of being locked into fixed sizes.

I’m surprised this isn’t talked about more in hydro circles, because the large majority of us DIY our setups and basically everyone has to cut into plastic at some point.

Don’t make the same mistakes that I have, wasting time with hole saws, blades and sawing tools.

Buy a set of Roto-Zip drill bits, draw your holes in sharpie, and make sure you’re cutting inside the outermost edge of your marking. Optionally finish it off by sanding or cutting off leftover plastic gunk from the edges of your cut.

I’m working on a wall mounted nft system for my grow room and this is what I’ve come up with. I wanted to tilt the square pvc to give some extra distance from the wall and hopefully a little more light. It’s not a true nft system because I’m leaving about half an inch of water in the bottom. Before I print everything out is there anything I might be missing with doing it this way?

I bought a countertop hydroponic garden because I wanted to grow some lettuce at home. It worked fairly well at first, but one weekend away made me notice a problem. When I came back, the water level had dropped much more than expected, and several plants were wilted.

As the plants got bigger, they used more water. Checking the tank and adjusting the grow light by hand also became part of the routine. I followed the nutrient instructions, but still couldn’t tell whether the concentration was right whenever the plants started looking different.

So I decided to modify the garden instead of leaving it as it was.

I added:

- An external reservoir and pump for automatic refilling

- A motorized grow-light panel

- An EC probe to monitor the nutrient solution

- A camera for photos and time-lapse videos

I grew loose-leaf lettuce in a modified 12-pod system from Day 0 to Day 37.

All 12 plants survived through the harvest stage. The refill system worked, and the light panel was able to move up and down based on the settings. The EC readings displayed normally, although the accuracy still needs more calibration. The camera also captured the growth process and produced a full-cycle time-lapse.

There are still several things I’m not happy with. The camera is fine for wide shots but not detailed enough for close-up plant growth. The pump tube is too short, which limits where I can put the reservoir. Most importantly, I still haven’t figured out the best rule for deciding how far the light should move or when it should move.

So this is still an experiment, not a finished system. It can grow lettuce and automate some of the tedious parts, but it isn’t something I’d fully trust without checking for several days.

For anyone growing hydroponically at home, what part of the process has been the biggest hassle for you?

Let’s Talk Root Rot, Real Prevention, and How to Actually Use Southern Ag GFF

Root rot (usually Pythium) is one of the fastest ways to wreck a hydro, coco, or Autopot grow. It thrives in warm, wet, low-oxygen root zones and can kill a plant faster than most deficiencies. Knowing how to prevent it—and not just throw money at it—is key.

⸻

What Causes Root Rot?

• Root zone temps above 72°F (22°C)

• Poor oxygenation or stagnant water

• Dead organic matter in your media or res

• Contaminated tools or unclean res setups

⸻

How to Prevent It:

• Keep water temps around 65–70°F (18–21°C)

• Aerate the root zone (air domes, perlite, good drainage)

• Sanitize between runs—res, tubing, everything

• Use microbial support that actually works

⸻

Let’s Be Real About Hydroguard:

Hydroguard is commonly used but overpriced for what it is. It contains a Bacillus strain, but it’s a very low concentration (~0.038%).

There’s a better alternative:

Southern Ag Garden Friendly Fungicide (GFF)

• Similar bacteria strain

• Way more concentrated

• Costs less upfront and way less long-term

• Used by commercial greenhouse ops

⸻

How to Use Southern Ag GFF Efficiently

Full-Size Grow Dosing:

• Use 0.05 mL per gallon of nutrient solution

• That’s 1 mL for 20 gallons

Small Grow / Micro-Dose Method:

Make a pre-mix:

• Mix 1 mL GFF with 19 mL water (20 mL total)

• Then dose 1 mL of that mix per gallon of feed water

This lets you apply GFF accurately in small batches without wasting product or overdosing which could cause a film over the res.

⸻

Bottom Line:

• Root rot is preventable with good oxygen, temps, and cleanliness

• Hydroguard is fine, but GFF gives you more bacteria, more protection, for less money

• Dosing it smart (like above) makes it even more cost-effective

If you’re dealing with rot, suspicious roots, or just want to lock your system down—this is one of the best tools to have in your corner.

Happy to answer questions or go deeper on this stuff if anyone’s stuck.

New to tinkering with hydroponic systems and DIY. Watched a lot of videos and content on how to make your own system, and this seemed more cost and space efficient. Any suggestions on how I could improve this? Or things to consider? I do plan on putting a paint strainer inside top bucket once media and plant actually go in to prevent debris and contamination.

Hello! I've been doing research for a few days now on the concept of a no-plastic hydroponic garden. The idea here is to see how possible it is to create a medium to large size hydroponic garden with as close to zero plastic as humanly possible to prevent as many microplastics as possible during the growing process. It looks like even kratky will usually need a plastic net pot, but those are typically small set ups anyhow.

What would be the best way to start achieving a no-plastic set up?