plantboy grower,

Are you using Jiffy pellets to start your lettuce?? It looks like a Jiffy in your photo. I hope that is what you have because I have a gazillion of them (Jiffy's) and did not know I could use them to start my seeds for Hydro. How is it working for you??

DL

So here's the deal. After I moved the system inside, I didn't realize until later that apparently several pieces of debris from trees and other sources came in with it. I think they brought in bacteria that caused the PH to continuously spike up uncontrollably.

Also the leaves began to curl and the entire stalk of the plants would fall over on to the ground. I think this may have been some kind of disease.

Many weeks have now passed and I am continuing to work toward successful gardening indoors now that my outdoor power outlets do not work right now. Today I actually purchased a four foot, four lamp New Wave T5 HO fixture. AT the hydro shop they grow lettuce and tomatoes, specific varieties that they can keep the height below 24 or 30 inches. So I will upload some new pictures and details of how I did it once I get rolling on this with the proper equipment installed!

DL, my first thought as well.

plantboy, my experience with peat pellets is that they split and drop peat. I may be wrong but would this not clog your pump?

Please share your experience.

Bill

I expect it depends on the pump as to if it would clog from peat. Peat tends to have a very low pH if it make any difference.

I wouldn't expect leaves or organic debris to cause the pH to rise. I usually find the rising pH to be due to the water used in most cases unless you are using some limestone gravel as you media or something like that.

It is interesting that I spent ages trying to deal with keeping my hydro pH low and battling my tap water. Then I discovered if I collect rain water, the pH is usually a bit lower to start with and it made it easier to keep my pH correct for Hydro. Now I've discovered Aquaponics and for that you need to buffer the pH up usually (trying to keep it at neutral or perhaps just above) to help the bacteria that convert the Ammonia and nitrite from the fish into nitrate for your plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx Hydroponics

tclynx do you think the wick is better than the drip if so please tell me I was ganna make a drip one but your plants look great with the wick.

Angie, What sort of system were you going to make with drip? Something like over a cooler or storage bin tank? If so, I would definitely use wicks! Setting up drip in such a situation adds extra cost and components that can fail or get bumped and leak the nutrient all over the floor leaving your pump dry to burn up and your plants suffering. Only pump needed would be the air pump (cheaper to run and doesn't heat up the nutrient) less plumbing or tubing to deal with. Just have to make sure there is enough nutrient to reach within about 4 inches of the bottom of the plants so the wicks can lift the nutrient up high enough. Make sure to get the bright white mop head. I think these are usually Rayon (I got one of those good will mop heads at the grocery for a few bucks and it will likely last me years as I am only using one string per cup.) The dingy white cotton mop stings don't lift the nutrient high enough.

However, if you are talking about a more distributed (spread out system) outdoors or something, that may be a different matter. Biggest problem with drip is that certain types of drippers tend to clog.

Sorry for the thread hijack DL, your set up looks like a good start! You might look into the cheap emergency blankets for reflective material as it is much more reflective than foil and probably cheaper, look in camping supplies.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Hydro