Mart Hale

Christopher Weeks wrote:I've been wondering about building a no-plastic Kratky (or other hydroponic) system fueled by home-brew nutrient solutions like worm or compost tea instead of using products of far-away industry and aimed at incorporating microbes. I need to do some research.

That is the direction I want to go...   I have noted some Korean Natural farming does hydroponics,    I think they may have already completed the testing that we want to do.

thomas mullen wrote:Yes Mart;
  I see many people use the Masterblend nutrients, and will probably go with them for nutrients in the future.  Is this your general "go to"for most veggies?

You grow far more than I do,  I have slowly started trying hydroponics with much failure due to root rot, aphids, fruit flies.    

I only have the masterblend and vertigro  fertilizers I have used so far.

Thanks,

This is my main nutrient I use, I have also been testing vertigrow nutrient in my systems..

Also,   I also do aquaponics, often use the water from my aquaponic systems in my hydroponic systems.

I have grown in Kratky for some time, and I follow the creator of the system on Youtube.

I highly recommend this channel on youtube, as he is very creative with Kratky combining hybrid systems with dirt / without to grow plants.




I have moved more toward the hybrid systems as I have from my own experience found that there are elements in the soil that the nutrients I have tried just don't provide for the plant.

Love Kratky, and love the results it provides.

What fertilizers do you use in your systems if I may ask?

I tried soil blocking, but my homemade soil mix did not work very well with it,   because of that I moved on to another method.

Instead I have switched over to this method with solo cups and wicking rope.

I have had good success with the method so I have expanded.        My plan is to get the plants going in solo cups then move to grow bags for air prunning.      I like this method as I don't have to worry about keeping the right  moisture level for the plants.

Sand battery  with ducting.....

I was looking at this and was thinking this would be cool to test with forced air from a rocket stove...

Looks like this is another option for heating the oil in oil pan..

https://www.amazon.com/1190X-Magnetic-Machinery-Vehicles-Surface-Thermostat/dp/B0DQ6Y18PR?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LkeJPjOcGgxVtkjDTeOBn8p4jWbS4_wBZq5Q6TZ45WtXSEn1wdvCOMu_sjXNakOirdegmsYs_CW2sDhGVcYTCEI19jFCsqX9lbppZFe0Mh98VZeLZEE6GUlHbZlUM9O14hp1XyrrSesthK11zx9n8u5Wt2hQqM-Ta_c7wyltIzkT4vIitGOsW-Nst2YF4DCu2MIgemw2K7zrazIoW9vZVCD_ncdQ8iS-vpEuvdoFgpg.-01jLZSbviBeCwe1wesltdZ03aUnc-UtvDrbbJc06Qc&dib_tag=se&keywords=magnetic%2Bblock%2Bheater&qid=1770186733&sr=8-14&th=1

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Another option: drain the engine oil and bring it inside to warm to room temperature.

That's what they did in WWII when they were ferrying aircraft over the pole to the USSR. Otherwise the planes would have been impossible to start.

I had a  Ford LTD car  in Indiana,    I bought a heater that went into the oil dipstick slot and it warmed the oil...    it worked very well for me.

This looks to be an example of such a device.

https://www.amazon.com/All-States-Parts-S-P/dp/B01N6EJRJW?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L9tefDa4w5NgGM8KXS8xLp_ZBjJCKmTCvByAKdX5QzaAwqHvRMeRnui91vBWCvYzGBs76BZwWWqie3BnsMqgyNlpattlw8gnmNGmcqSRp7ypQ8SgauqXHm80XlO7AdtlBm3GX5oXcLF1jG6S1ZVHPcKbxaK_OWUhv3KFxWbwKoYic6TfvynxAu5sy-ho6NYiyhLumjrWnXN6qiJgp4bvQQb2vyt_jZedOwDg5wCl-J4.blmW66IfZ2xMUWZ7PgV77639c7icomJYdmn-OQAOsI4&dib_tag=se&keywords=dipstick+heater&qid=1770186472&sr=8-1

Hi,
Can I borrow 20 dollars?