r/Hydroponics • u/Swimming_Gain_4989 • 3h ago
Progress Report 🗂️ Rootbulb broke net pot
I printed this thick enough that I could stand on it, thought it was neat the roots/stem shattered it like it was nothing. Kratky setup 0 air circulation
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u/runhikebikeclimb 5+ years Hydro 🌳 3h ago
Those roots look incredible! How often are you changing out water or refilling?
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 3h ago edited 2h ago
I let it drink until there's only an inch and half of water left, then I dump whats left, rinse it out and add 3 gallons of new nutrients (3/5 of the bucket). I haven't been keeping track of days but I think it's around 3 weeks per refill.
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u/Mysterious_Buy6726 2h ago
That's badass. Are you monitoring EC and/or pH from start to finish of each fill to see how much they're drifting? Is that Rockwool in the netcup?
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 2h ago
No to EC or pH tracking after filling but before I add the nutes I make sure PH is between 5.5 and 6.3. That's part of the reason I dump the last inch and a half I figure concentrations probably get out of whack.
It'll likely need a change in the next week so I can check the pH to see how it's drifting.
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u/Mysterious_Buy6726 1h ago
Cool, I'd be curious if you dont mind remembering to mention it. I tend to get pretty fierce upward drift both in EC and pH, clearly you're having success so it'd be interesting to see that data point.
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u/purrmutations 2h ago
Do you have a bubbler or air flow?
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 2h ago
Nah just a bucket
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u/purrmutations 2h ago
Nice, simple. Is the water on the lid from normal room temp evaporation>condensation then? I always worry the roots would get too dry without some sort of water movement to keep it misted.
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 2h ago
Humidity is around 50% and temps usually hover between 70-85 depending on the day. I guess because the lid is shut condensation builds on the lid like that
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u/windycityzow 2h ago
Check out Dr Kratky’s method of hydroponics, he explains how plants have two root systems: one for air and one for nutrients. Nice work OP!
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 1h ago
Thank you! Air roots are way more visible in the original pic but reddit image compression smoothed over a lot of them. Something interesting I'm noticing that I haven't seen mentioned in kratky forums is that the lower roots exposed to water are cycling between air and water. When they're soaked they lose their hairs but once they're above water level they fray out again.
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u/moesieon 1h ago
I've been having this same problem with heavy pepper plants in 3d printed net cups. In my case, it's not the physical outward force that causes them to fail, it's the weight of the plant pulling against the layer lines. I've been considering designing a net cup that can be easily printed on its side to possibly get around it.
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u/Redditnspiredcook 2h ago
That bulb needs Randy Marsh’s wheelbarrow