I appreciate the repetition. Besides if you stopped making videos, so many future gardeners would miss out. I grow inside with LED lights on a baker's rack. I don't drive any more so Amazon is my friend. Ordered the whole setup for a bit more than $100. I'm a senior living on not quite 900 a month so I need this. A fun hobby that feeds me.
Wow Vicky that’s AWESOME!!! I’m thrilled to hear that, I know a lot of relatives that are past 65 and I know they always have concerns over the leafy greens at the store because every summer there are so many recalls on them. So whether you are on a fixed income or just have concerns over where your food has come from and who may have touched it along the way it’s a huge peace of mind to be able to grow your own food and have food security. I applaud your initiative to do this you are without a doubt an inspiration to your peers and I’m working on a few in that age group now and trying to show them they really can do this and it’s not as complicated or as difficult as they imagine it’s going to be and it’s also FUN!! I enjoy watching my food growing right before my eyes it’s incredible how fast my lettuce grows, I start out with those little seedlings that are soooo small and within 10 days I’m amazed at the size and bokchoy grows incredibly fast literally in 45days you can be using it as a stir fry. Anyway I’m so happy you mentioned your personal situation because I hope it will encourage many more in your age group that they can do it too!! I’m curious what are you using for your nutrients, I’m in Canada and I have not been able to find the Master blend that Mike refers to but I have found the aerogarden plant food that you need a very small amount of and the other option I discovered for growing my sweet peppers is General Hydroponics with the three different colored liquids and I use an incredibly small amount of each a lot less then even their suggested amounts for seedlings and it works well I think one of the main things is letting our tap water sit for 24-48hrs which allows the “stuff” thats put in it before it’s sent down the pipes to us to evaporate. I’m referring to chlorine and flouride which is in our drinking water in most all major cities I think. So just letting the water sit allows it to evaporate and also ensures it’s room temp which the plants seem to like so no shock to them. Anyway I’m curious what you may be using because when I speak to a lot of folks about the nutrient rich solution that they will grow the plants in their eyes glare over or I’ll get them shaking their heads saying no no that’s too complicated. Perhaps you can share what was your driving force to keep pushing forward through the more “complicated “ parts? That way I may be able to understand where they are coming from and how to make it less complicated. Thanks and way to go!! You are definitely an inspiration!!! 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
@@leannekenyoung Thank you. I use masterblend. I'm in Colorado. This is the easiest gardening I've ever done and just about the cheapest. 1 1/2 shelves keep me in fresh veg...nearly too much. I'm using 2 of Mike's downspouts. I use a dwc setup for the next run and go back and forth. I didn't think anything was complicated. Like anything else it required a commitment. Once I'd spent the money for the shelf (4 shelf 14x30) and 6 pack t5 barinna lights I was committed lol
@@mravenwing oh that is sooo true it does require a commitment but isn’t it incredible how easy it is once you begin. I’m happy to report my two 4Litre containers wrapped in tin foil with lettuce seedlings I was able to safely take up to my mom and dad’s yesterday and mom put them in a sunny window and although they appeared a little droopy after the two hour drive to get there my mon sent me a photo this morning showing me they have perked backup and are standing tall once again. My mom does all kinds of flower gardening in her backyard and I’ve been trying to convince her how incredibly easy growing your own produce can be and just how rewarding. So I figured if I was really going to convince her I’d have to get her doing it herself because I’ve been showing her but she still thinks it’s difficult. But I know once she starts she will truly enjoy it because I’m sure by next year she’s not going to be able to garden outdoors because her arthritis in her knees and her entire body has gotten too bad she’s in a lot of pain every day with it. So this may be an outlet for her when she can no longer garden outside. Anyway I hope that’s the case. Now talking about commitment I have to get busy and start cutting down all my lettuce and pulling out everything so I can do a through cleaning on my NFT system I’m guessing that I’ll probably need to do it about four times a year. It’s been terrific though no algae is growing inside it and it’s suppose to be much easier to clean then the last time we did it. The last time we tore it all apart piece by piece and washed it all in the bathtub but someone suggested getting the 35% hydrogen peroxide that is a special order from a cleaning supply place it’s not the 3% stuff that’s sold in pharmacies. This is suppose to do a terrific job of cleaning the system what I will is remove all the plants and then drain out all the water and then remove the tote underneath. I have two other totes that are the same size so it’s easy to rotate in a clean one. Then just add the 35% hydrogen peroxide in the channels and using my brush that has a long reach because of its bend which is used to clean drinking glasses, and long vases, it should be pretty straight forward and then put clean water in the bottom tote and then let it pump through the system a few times and double check if anything needs a little extra scrubbing here or there and then drain it out completely and then replace with another clean tote or just dump the contents of it and put it back filled with nutrients and then put new seedlings in every cup and we are back to growing again! Couldn’t be easier really. So that’s how I’ve been growing my lettuce for the two of us. I’m growing terrific quantities of lettuce but we both are able to enjoy one meal every day that consists of lettuce and other veggies we are growing like my sweet pepper trees in dwc and I have a cucumber plant started again and I’m also growing a broccoli in a 5 gallon bucket. It’s incredible it just loves being directly in front of the Air conditioner I guess it’s that cold weather plant that really enjoys the cold from it. Anyway that’s how things are going with me but I’m loving every minute of it. How can you not when you see your own food growing right in front of your eyes? 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
I am also one who loves your videos and the repetition! I'm 76 and watched your videos first about 2 years ago. Then I watched many other videos, or parts of, but I've done away with most of them and stay with yours. You are the most informative and easy to understand, besides being economical. I bought some stuff 18 mo. ago, but I've only begun setting up a few weeks ago due to many setbacks...a big birthday bash for my hubby's 85th birthday last summer, then he got sick and passed last fall, then 2 huge trees fell on my house penetrating through the ceiling last winter, then last spring I woke up one day paralyzed from my waist down! Praise God's and with His help I've overcome it all, except missing my husband, of course. I don't have the light setup yet, but I do have one sunny room. I've started with lettuce and speckled peas and just got them in the nutrients yesterday and today. I have no family close by, but plan to share with all my church family, and perhaps encourage them to try this method. Thank you Mr. VanDuzee for sharing your knowledge and time with us! May it all return to you multiplied!!!
Thank you so much for sharing Donna, you are a very strong person. I am glad I could bring you a little happiness. Take it slow, experiment and have fun. Happy gardening my friend.
Donna McQueen: Wow . . . I'm so sorry about your husband. I am glad, however, that you mentioned sharing with your church members. In fact, preparing for what's coming next-you could be saving MANY lives - saving them from starvation. Since we will no longer be buying our Fertilizer from Russia anymore, despite Russia exporting over 28% of the fertilizer used around the world, in about three years, we are going to be in a real pickle. But, this is exactly what the globalists want. It didn't quite work out for the injections for them, as now they are all being exposed since the Judges' ruling on forcing Pfizer, the FDA, etc. to produce 800 pages per day on all the documents they have produced that were not available to us, the public. So now, the goal will be to starve everyone to death. This so-called war in Ukraine is the ticket they needed to begin making Russia out to be the bad guy. We are going to wind up cutting off our own noses to spite our own face. Personally, I say, let the Ukranians sort it all out as half of the country aligns with Mother Russia anyway. But enough of politics. This would be a HUGE blessing for your fellow church members. In fact, I think I'm going to tell them about this way of growing food as it seems to be rather simple-no back-breaking work involved - something that anyone could physically do. I'm disabled & it's all I can do to fix myself a little something to eat from time to time. I used to garden - but only flowers, not any food. This seems to be a way that we can ALL survive, despite what the globalists all have in mind for us. The only drawback I see is not having any electricity to use the needed light for the plants to grow. But something, perhaps, someone else will talk about - an alternative source for light. Anyway, thanks for sharing this with your church. You are doing a GREAT service for them providing them this much needed information. - Susan Burns
Immersed myself into hydroponics 44 days ago ( my bounty elite says so lol) and I've become fascinated with growing food indoors. I've been doing so much research and I'm surprised it took me this long to find you! Your videos are so awesome, thank you!
Even easier tip for drilling plastic: don't use a spade bit use a hole saw. spin the hole saw backwards so you're friction cutting instead of using the teeth. You won't get any tearing motion and the plastic won't crack and you wont have to tape everything.
Thank you for doing this. You may be saving lives if things get as bad as the great depression. I am going to make these kits and give them as gifts to others so they can grow food and not to hungry.
What a fantastic idea Sue Lewis! Curious how your kits have been received? I’ve tried to get others to start as well but I can’t seem to motivate them to even try it. I’ve gone so far as to give them a romaine lettuce plant that I had started from seed that I had growing in a 4litre jug that I wrapped in tin foil to prevent algae growth, I gave them one of my desk clamp grow lights that I don’t use anymore. I mixed nutrients in water and gave them a jug of them so they could top up the water when it went down and even with all that I couldn’t convince them that it was much better healthier and wonderful to grow their own food indoors. They are used to regular house plants in soil and garden outdoors in soil. I thought I could show them how easy it was to grow their own year round indoors with very little effort. But they just couldn’t believe that lettuce could grow without soil. They were much happier to just receive the fruits o my efforts when I would share my lettuce etc with them. I had given them enormous bags of lettuce and they said they loved it and wanted to grow themselves. But they couldn’t either understand that they truly didn’t need soil or something. They even took a basil plant that I had given them when the lettuce failed to thrive thinking basil may be easier for them because I literally do nothing to my basil and it grows like crazy I don’t even use grow lights just in my sunny window. I can barely keep it cut back before it grows like crazy again. So I gave them a basil seedling and once it got growing really well and they saw the long roots they took it out of the water and planted it in potting soil and then eventually they got indoor little fruit flies and it was growing so slow in the potting soil that they eventually gave up. When I asked why they put it in potting soil they said they thought it should be the next step! Lmao! I said noooo it would have grown perfectly fine in water forever. Anyway I hope the people you try to help have better results because I tried my best to help and I think it takes a level of determination and commitment for others to learn how it’s done and unfortunately I wouldn’t want the time to learn to be when I’m lacking in food just to survive. God bless you for trying to help more people I hope it is very successful. 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦❤️🙏🏻🇺🇦
Mike, your explanation and demo of what you do is a great instruction tutorial. I love your cost consciousness and showing us how and why you do what you do. It’s really helpful! Thanks so much for your videos and positive encouragement! 👍
There are 6 or 8 pack small rubbermaid type totes at walmart for I believe 9 dollars. The ones I'm referring to have like a burgundy lid. They are about 10"W x 18"L x 4" D. They are plenty big for 3 heads of say buttercrunch lettuce to go to full maturity at the same time.
Yes I like covering mine with aluminum foil because it’s not touching the food and it works really well at deflecting the sunlight and I truly think it keeps the solution cooler. The other great thing is I can buy a 250foot roll of it from Canadian Tire for around $8CDN. So this roll lasts a long long time. I always make sure the shiny side is on the outside though. I also just use that masking tape or painters tape to keep it snuggly held to the container. 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
You should have WAY more subscribers. Integrity. Here for educating people to feed themselves. Takes on feedback. Makes it accessible. Makes my heart happy.
You could take a sunshade from dollar type stores and cut it up for algae shields. You could also find containers and sometimes pool noodles there. Thank you. I just started sprouting some seeds to do this with. Hard times ahead. Fresh greens might be quite handy.
I am using plastic shoes boxes. they also fit well on wired shelving. The wired shelving is great for hanging lights. I used Keurig cups. Now I am experimenting on jute plant mats in plastic trays. Thank you! I am learning.
I just discovered your channel & Facebook group - thank you for such incredible dedication to helping others learn this process! I'm so excited to learn and absorb all your knowledge and apply it to my garden in the future! Love from Canada!❤
For 1" holes, I would try to cut 1" thick sections of the pool noodle, then cut that into 1" sections and cut a slot into the center. That way you maximize the number of 1" x 1" slotted pieces with zero waste. Just a thought.
You have the option of cutting The pool noodle into a big spiral length of foam, Which can be wrapped around the stem the same as the big donut slice. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with thinning some of the thicker foam, as well. So all that looks like, as once I’ve got either a slice doughnut or a long strip, making a slice in the thickness of the edge. It’s a little easier to wrap something smaller with the thinner little bit of the edge.
I am so glad you enjoy it. Let me know if you have any questions. If you would like my ebook, no charge, email me at keepongrowin1@gmail,com and tell me you are Charity Ranger from UA-cam.
The sell smaller type pool noodles but they're for electrical i think at home depot or lowes. I happened to have some already and I used it to make the plant plugs/ holders per your videos. The electrical noodle is about 1/2 or 1/3 the diameter of pool noodles.
I just found your channel today and I'm hooked! Haven't read all the comments here so somebody may have already mentioned this, but to cut the 1" holes you might could use the foam kickboards. Our dollar tree has sold flat kickboards that are the same foam material as the noodles.
What about using 1/2 or 3/4 foam sheet with your pool noodles and floating it on top of the water this way it stays at a consistent level if your water evaporates? Thoughts?
Your roots won't chase and they need air flow. Good idea though for pond plants. The Kratky method is a form of passive hydroponics. There's no need to change out the water, nor is there a concern about rejuvenating oxygen for the plants. As the plant grows, the water level drops, creating air space for the roots. When the plant is ready for harvest, the nutrient-filled water is nearly used up.
I found your channel a couple of days ago awesome DIY ideas thank you. Leftover pool noodle could be used as packing peanuts for delicate items being sent in the mail or as drainage in the bottom of flower pots..
Temu has foam rubber 1 inch disk(100 pack very cheap) they fit a little snug in 20 oz drink bottles. They fit nicely in the condiment bottles from dollar tree like the 2 pack squeeze bottles for mustard and ketchup. Should fit the 1 inch holes
Hey. I AM using those abrasive sponges for kitchen cleaning. They are very cheap in Europe and you can buy them in every store. I cut them in the size i need😊.
I am over 70 yrs of age and just now getting into Hydroponics. So far have ran into one issues, that is after one mixing up the MASTERBLEND 4-18-38 Complete Combo Kit Fertilize, lets say for 5 gallons. Wait, my container has only up to a 3 gallons in capacity, with three 3-inch & three 2-inch holes in it, a kind of long container & it has an air stone in it, bubbling away, and wrap to keep the sun out. So the question is this, 1) Do I have to throw out the current water in the container and then add back in the solution of Masterblend & water? 2) Do I just add in the some of the Masterblend solution? 3) If of to add part of the Masterblend solution, just how much & how often? Currently sprouting Basil and Lettuce, the sprouting seedlings are 5 days old right now. Hope you can be of some help. Thanks, The Old Person.
Awesome Bill, so glad to hear this. Start with fresh nutrients and keep it between 1/2 and 3/4 full at all times. If your initial fill is 3 gallons, save the other two to top off as needed.
I get icing buckets from the bakery. I think they might be 2 or 3 gallons. Would that be okay or too deep? I get them for $1 but often most bakers give them to me for free. One calls me when she has some to get rid of! I plant with dirt but this is very intriguing.
It's a little deep for lettuce but will work, you end up wasting some nutrients. It's great for other plants with deep root systems like tomatoes and Swiss chard.
Thank you for another great video! I bought a bubbler I'm planning to use for indoor leafy greens. I was hoping you would show how you split the tubing up among the other containers. I was wondering how that would be possible with only the one stone. Or am I not understanding that correctly? Would love to see that quick set up! :)
Hey Stacy, you would need what they call a manifold. One tube from the pump goes in and valves control where it goes out. If you have a large enough pump, several can run at one time, each needs its own air stone. My pump is small, I have to take turns and manually open and shut valves to alternate between containers.
This is the second video of yours I have watched. I enjoy the simplicity however you lost me at the small hole and tubing. What is that? Where do you explain that in more detail? Thanks so much!!! Excited to try this system.
Like what you are doing but when the fizzy hits the tizzy you don't have electricity so we have to do this in fro until of the south window in the middle of winter
Fantastic information. Trying it for this first time this year. Can someone point me in the direction of the ratio for the solution for starting the seedlings and when to change to a stronger mix. TIA
Mike - I am really interested to see if the pump makes a difference. I know your plants grew very well without aeration; does it make that much difference? We have several restaurant supply stores here in Dallas that are open to the public. You might check the supply stores for containers. I really prefer the 2" net cups so all of my plant stations are 2". I recently bought some 5" net cups and use those for my large plants that grow in 5-gallon buckets. I cut a 5" hole in the lid and zip-tie the net cup to the lid. I suspect that hot-melt glue might work just as well. Amazon sells a lid with an integral 5" net cup that fits a 5-gallon bucket but they want $10 each!!!. The 2" hole saw I bought was $17 - I wish I had purchased a set with many blades - the set is lower quality but we are working with plastic and the set has 12 blades for $19! My plaster of Paris plugs for the downspouts are working well and only cost about 25 cents each. After the plugs dry for 24 hours in the sun, I paint the ends with Flex Seal. Lowe's and many other companies sell a "deburring" tool for $8 or so. It does a fabulous job of cleaning up the jagged holes in just seconds. Here again, Amazon was double that price. I found a Chinese knock-off EC meter on the 'net for $39. The same style meter sells on Amazon for well over $100. I am testing both PH and EC. You can find a list of recommended PH and EC on the 'net for each veggie type you grow.
The lettuce grew well with aeration. This time I planted pak choi, will see how that goes. It's getting pretty hot in my studio, I may have to try again in Fall. You are right about the cheap blades, we are just cutting through plastic. Everything sounds great Ben, keep up the great work.
If you want zero waste from your noodles, you can. Just cut your 2 inch noodles into 1 1/4 inch disks and then cut them into quarters. that will give you a square plug. It will fit into a 1 1/8 inch square hole that you can cut into the top of your container with a box cutter. There is nothing left over and the noodle is entirely used up. By the way this video just gave me an idea for a Kratky Hydroponic grow tower. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I am tempted to just take a sharp little Swiss knife and cut the little holes 😅. I would like to ask: are the food containers UV light resistance or get they all crumbly after one season? Thank you!
You like Pok Choy, you mention it I think in every vid. My question is how much solution does it take to grow a head of lettuce Romain or butter lettuce? I want to do greens swiss chard kale what size container will I need? love the pool noodle, the down spout will that just leaf lettuce? It seems small on solution capacity
Hi Mike, i am a newbie to hydroponics so i am watching al your great video's. So in this one you are talking about waste from your pool noodle. I just wanted to let you know there are noodles with no holes in them. Would that help against the waste? In my local store there are no noodles with holes at the moment😂 Greetings from Holland and keep the great video's coming, Eva
Great videos your putting out. I'm really enjoying them. I'm just getting started with hydroponics and am glad you shared the Kratky method which is the way I'm going to start. My wife and I are going thru 6 heads of romaine lettuce a week from Sam's club. Would like to start from seeds and wanted to know if you think pool noodles would work for seed germination by poking a small hole for the seed or do you have a better way to start seeds? Thanks, Steve
Start seeds like I do in my video about the self watering microgreen growers. That way you can pick the best plants to transplant. I am not sure if the pool noodle makes a good grow medium, it is used to just hold the plant in place. Also, Romaine will probably not grow a full head, rather it grows like a leaf lettuce, cut and come again type thing.
If I had waited to watch the entire video before posting my question, I would have had my answer. Thanks though for responding. By the way, you are a good teacher!
Hi Mike,i just discovered your wonderful channel. What do you use to grow your seeds in before you put them into your hydroponic containers? Keep up the good work!
I appreciate the repetition. Besides if you stopped making videos, so many future gardeners would miss out. I grow inside with LED lights on a baker's rack. I don't drive any more so Amazon is my friend. Ordered the whole setup for a bit more than $100. I'm a senior living on not quite 900 a month so I need this. A fun hobby that feeds me.
Awesome Vickey! I love hearing that. You take the initiative that a lot of people don't. I am so glad it helps you.
Wow Vicky that’s AWESOME!!! I’m thrilled to hear that, I know a lot of relatives that are past 65 and I know they always have concerns over the leafy greens at the store because every summer there are so many recalls on them. So whether you are on a fixed income or just have concerns over where your food has come from and who may have touched it along the way it’s a huge peace of mind to be able to grow your own food and have food security. I applaud your initiative to do this you are without a doubt an inspiration to your peers and I’m working on a few in that age group now and trying to show them they really can do this and it’s not as complicated or as difficult as they imagine it’s going to be and it’s also FUN!! I enjoy watching my food growing right before my eyes it’s incredible how fast my lettuce grows, I start out with those little seedlings that are soooo small and within 10 days I’m amazed at the size and bokchoy grows incredibly fast literally in 45days you can be using it as a stir fry. Anyway I’m so happy you mentioned your personal situation because I hope it will encourage many more in your age group that they can do it too!! I’m curious what are you using for your nutrients, I’m in Canada and I have not been able to find the Master blend that Mike refers to but I have found the aerogarden plant food that you need a very small amount of and the other option I discovered for growing my sweet peppers is General Hydroponics with the three different colored liquids and I use an incredibly small amount of each a lot less then even their suggested amounts for seedlings and it works well I think one of the main things is letting our tap water sit for 24-48hrs which allows the “stuff” thats put in it before it’s sent down the pipes to us to evaporate. I’m referring to chlorine and flouride which is in our drinking water in most all major cities I think. So just letting the water sit allows it to evaporate and also ensures it’s room temp which the plants seem to like so no shock to them. Anyway I’m curious what you may be using because when I speak to a lot of folks about the nutrient rich solution that they will grow the plants in their eyes glare over or I’ll get them shaking their heads saying no no that’s too complicated. Perhaps you can share what was your driving force to keep pushing forward through the more “complicated “ parts? That way I may be able to understand where they are coming from and how to make it less complicated. Thanks and way to go!! You are definitely an inspiration!!! 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
@@leannekenyoung Thank you. I use masterblend. I'm in Colorado. This is the easiest gardening I've ever done and just about the cheapest. 1 1/2 shelves keep me in fresh veg...nearly too much. I'm using 2 of Mike's downspouts. I use a dwc setup for the next run and go back and forth. I didn't think anything was complicated. Like anything else it required a commitment. Once I'd spent the money for the shelf (4 shelf 14x30) and 6 pack t5 barinna lights I was committed lol
@@mravenwing oh that is sooo true it does require a commitment but isn’t it incredible how easy it is once you begin. I’m happy to report my two 4Litre containers wrapped in tin foil with lettuce seedlings I was able to safely take up to my mom and dad’s yesterday and mom put them in a sunny window and although they appeared a little droopy after the two hour drive to get there my mon sent me a photo this morning showing me they have perked backup and are standing tall once again. My mom does all kinds of flower gardening in her backyard and I’ve been trying to convince her how incredibly easy growing your own produce can be and just how rewarding. So I figured if I was really going to convince her I’d have to get her doing it herself because I’ve been showing her but she still thinks it’s difficult. But I know once she starts she will truly enjoy it because I’m sure by next year she’s not going to be able to garden outdoors because her arthritis in her knees and her entire body has gotten too bad she’s in a lot of pain every day with it. So this may be an outlet for her when she can no longer garden outside. Anyway I hope that’s the case. Now talking about commitment I have to get busy and start cutting down all my lettuce and pulling out everything so I can do a through cleaning on my NFT system I’m guessing that I’ll probably need to do it about four times a year. It’s been terrific though no algae is growing inside it and it’s suppose to be much easier to clean then the last time we did it. The last time we tore it all apart piece by piece and washed it all in the bathtub but someone suggested getting the 35% hydrogen peroxide that is a special order from a cleaning supply place it’s not the 3% stuff that’s sold in pharmacies. This is suppose to do a terrific job of cleaning the system what I will is remove all the plants and then drain out all the water and then remove the tote underneath. I have two other totes that are the same size so it’s easy to rotate in a clean one. Then just add the 35% hydrogen peroxide in the channels and using my brush that has a long reach because of its bend which is used to clean drinking glasses, and long vases, it should be pretty straight forward and then put clean water in the bottom tote and then let it pump through the system a few times and double check if anything needs a little extra scrubbing here or there and then drain it out completely and then replace with another clean tote or just dump the contents of it and put it back filled with nutrients and then put new seedlings in every cup and we are back to growing again! Couldn’t be easier really. So that’s how I’ve been growing my lettuce for the two of us. I’m growing terrific quantities of lettuce but we both are able to enjoy one meal every day that consists of lettuce and other veggies we are growing like my sweet pepper trees in dwc and I have a cucumber plant started again and I’m also growing a broccoli in a 5 gallon bucket. It’s incredible it just loves being directly in front of the Air conditioner I guess it’s that cold weather plant that really enjoys the cold from it. Anyway that’s how things are going with me but I’m loving every minute of it. How can you not when you see your own food growing right in front of your eyes? 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
@@leannekenyoung what do you use for your nutrients, and where do you purchase it?👍🏻🇨🇦
I am also one who loves your videos and the repetition! I'm 76 and watched your videos first about 2 years ago. Then I watched many other videos, or parts of, but I've done away with most of them and stay with yours. You are the most informative and easy to understand, besides being economical. I bought some stuff 18 mo. ago, but I've only begun setting up a few weeks ago due to many setbacks...a big birthday bash for my hubby's 85th birthday last summer, then he got sick and passed last fall, then 2 huge trees fell on my house penetrating through the ceiling last winter, then last spring I woke up one day paralyzed from my waist down! Praise God's and with His help I've overcome it all, except missing my husband, of course.
I don't have the light setup yet, but I do have one sunny room.
I've started with lettuce and speckled peas and just got them in the nutrients yesterday and today. I have no family close by, but plan to share with all my church family, and perhaps encourage them to try this method. Thank you Mr. VanDuzee for sharing your knowledge and time with us! May it all return to you multiplied!!!
Thank you so much for sharing Donna, you are a very strong person. I am glad I could bring you a little happiness. Take it slow, experiment and have fun. Happy gardening my friend.
Awww, I am sending you big hugs. I am sorry about your hubby.
Donna McQueen: Wow . . . I'm so sorry about your husband. I am glad, however, that you mentioned sharing with your church members. In fact, preparing for what's coming next-you could be saving MANY lives - saving them from starvation. Since we will no longer be buying our Fertilizer from Russia anymore, despite Russia exporting over 28% of the fertilizer used around the world, in about three years, we are going to be in a real pickle. But, this is exactly what the globalists want. It didn't quite work out for the injections for them, as now they are all being exposed since the Judges' ruling on forcing Pfizer, the FDA, etc. to produce 800 pages per day on all the documents they have produced that were not available to us, the public. So now, the goal will be to starve everyone to death. This so-called war in Ukraine is the ticket they needed to begin making Russia out to be the bad guy. We are going to wind up cutting off our own noses to spite our own face. Personally, I say, let the Ukranians sort it all out as half of the country aligns with Mother Russia anyway. But enough of politics. This would be a HUGE blessing for your fellow church members. In fact, I think I'm going to tell them about this way of growing food as it seems to be rather simple-no back-breaking work involved - something that anyone could physically do. I'm disabled & it's all I can do to fix myself a little something to eat from time to time. I used to garden - but only flowers, not any food. This seems to be a way that we can ALL survive, despite what the globalists all have in mind for us. The only drawback I see is not having any electricity to use the needed light for the plants to grow. But something, perhaps, someone else will talk about - an alternative source for light. Anyway, thanks for sharing this with your church. You are doing a GREAT service for them providing them this much needed information. - Susan Burns
Immersed myself into hydroponics 44 days ago ( my bounty elite says so lol) and I've become fascinated with growing food indoors. I've been doing so much research and I'm surprised it took me this long to find you! Your videos are so awesome, thank you!
That is awesome! 👍👍
Even easier tip for drilling plastic: don't use a spade bit use a hole saw. spin the hole saw backwards so you're friction cutting instead of using the teeth. You won't get any tearing motion and the plastic won't crack and you wont have to tape everything.
😃👍
He literally mentions that in the video... did you even watch it?
@@Starkl3t you good bro? This was a year ago. Chill.
I really appreciate your low cost no frills approach! Great for us beginners. 😎
Thank you for doing this. You may be saving lives if things get as bad as the great depression. I am going to make these kits and give them as gifts to others so they can grow food and not to hungry.
You are an awesome human being!
What a fantastic idea Sue Lewis! Curious how your kits have been received? I’ve tried to get others to start as well but I can’t seem to motivate them to even try it. I’ve gone so far as to give them a romaine lettuce plant that I had started from seed that I had growing in a 4litre jug that I wrapped in tin foil to prevent algae growth, I gave them one of my desk clamp grow lights that I don’t use anymore. I mixed nutrients in water and gave them a jug of them so they could top up the water when it went down and even with all that I couldn’t convince them that it was much better healthier and wonderful to grow their own food indoors. They are used to regular house plants in soil and garden outdoors in soil. I thought I could show them how easy it was to grow their own year round indoors with very little effort. But they just couldn’t believe that lettuce could grow without soil. They were much happier to just receive the fruits o my efforts when I would share my lettuce etc with them. I had given them enormous bags of lettuce and they said they loved it and wanted to grow themselves. But they couldn’t either understand that they truly didn’t need soil or something. They even took a basil plant that I had given them when the lettuce failed to thrive thinking basil may be easier for them because I literally do nothing to my basil and it grows like crazy I don’t even use grow lights just in my sunny window. I can barely keep it cut back before it grows like crazy again. So I gave them a basil seedling and once it got growing really well and they saw the long roots they took it out of the water and planted it in potting soil and then eventually they got indoor little fruit flies and it was growing so slow in the potting soil that they eventually gave up. When I asked why they put it in potting soil they said they thought it should be the next step! Lmao! I said noooo it would have grown perfectly fine in water forever. Anyway I hope the people you try to help have better results because I tried my best to help and I think it takes a level of determination and commitment for others to learn how it’s done and unfortunately I wouldn’t want the time to learn to be when I’m lacking in food just to survive. God bless you for trying to help more people I hope it is very successful. 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦❤️🙏🏻🇺🇦
I really like the simple explaining about your experience and just not assuming we understand about what you're talking about! Great job!
Mike, your explanation and demo of what you do is a great instruction tutorial. I love your cost consciousness and showing us how and why you do what you do. It’s really helpful! Thanks so much for your videos and positive encouragement! 👍
Thank you! So glad you found it helpful.
Love your passion for teaching us your methods, and definitely learning to grow my own garden! Thanks for your videos!
Pipe insulation from Home Depot or Lowe’s is an alternative to the pool noodle - still pretty cheap and can be found year round. Love the videos.
There are 6 or 8 pack small rubbermaid type totes at walmart for I believe 9 dollars. The ones I'm referring to have like a burgundy lid. They are about 10"W x 18"L x 4" D. They are plenty big for 3 heads of say buttercrunch lettuce to go to full maturity at the same time.
Cool! I will look for those, that's a great deal!
I saw another video where she covers clear containers with foil to prevent algae. Thanks for the info on these plastic storage containers,
Yes, I am going to cover them.
Yes I like covering mine with aluminum foil because it’s not touching the food and it works really well at deflecting the sunlight and I truly think it keeps the solution cooler. The other great thing is I can buy a 250foot roll of it from Canadian Tire for around $8CDN. So this roll lasts a long long time. I always make sure the shiny side is on the outside though. I also just use that masking tape or painters tape to keep it snuggly held to the container. 🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
You should have WAY more subscribers. Integrity. Here for educating people to feed themselves. Takes on feedback. Makes it accessible. Makes my heart happy.
Thank you. I am doing ok, each number is an actual person.
You could take a sunshade from dollar type stores and cut it up for algae shields. You could also find containers and sometimes pool noodles there. Thank you. I just started sprouting some seeds to do this with. Hard times ahead. Fresh greens might be quite handy.
Thank you Anita, that's an awesome tip!
You are such a good teacher! Great “ how to” video for those of us that need it! 👍
I appreciate that! Thank you so much Cathy!
I am using plastic shoes boxes. they also fit well on wired shelving. The wired shelving is great for hanging lights. I used Keurig cups. Now I am experimenting on jute plant mats in plastic trays. Thank you! I am learning.
Awesome! I am so glad to hear this.
What type of grow lights are you using for your wired shelving?
Mike I'm m watching this from Fìji and can't wait to use your easy to follow techniques. Love it sooo much.
I discovered (in case you haven't already noticed) that a pool noodle fits perfectly in the top of a mason jar. Simple hydroponics.
Thank you so much. I actually have the pool noodle and mason jar…I’m half way there!
You can get the white container at Target for $4 including the lid
What a beautiful home you have created. I can see how it would be so hard to leave 💕
I just discovered your channel & Facebook group - thank you for such incredible dedication to helping others learn this process! I'm so excited to learn and absorb all your knowledge and apply it to my garden in the future!
Love from Canada!❤
Welcome Samantha! Good to have you here. Happy gardening.
For 1" holes, I would try to cut 1" thick sections of the pool noodle, then cut that into 1" sections and cut a slot into the center. That way you maximize the number of 1" x 1" slotted pieces with zero waste. Just a thought.
Thank you for the thorough walk through! Excited to get set up!
You're welcome and good luck! I know you will have fun!
You have the option of cutting The pool noodle into a big spiral length of foam, Which can be wrapped around the stem the same as the big donut slice.
I’ve been experimenting a little bit with thinning some of the thicker foam, as well. So all that looks like, as once I’ve got either a slice doughnut or a long strip, making a slice in the thickness of the edge. It’s a little easier to wrap something smaller with the thinner little bit of the edge.
Hey Mike! Still loving and reviewing your past content.
Live to Inspire!!! 🤙🙏🥰
Bee the Change!! 💯🐝
I love gardening and as I am a low-income wheelchair uss=er, this info is RAD! Thanks you so much!
I am so glad you enjoy it. Let me know if you have any questions. If you would like my ebook, no charge, email me at keepongrowin1@gmail,com and tell me you are Charity Ranger from UA-cam.
The sell smaller type pool noodles but they're for electrical i think at home depot or lowes. I happened to have some already and I used it to make the plant plugs/ holders per your videos. The electrical noodle is about 1/2 or 1/3 the diameter of pool noodles.
Cool, that's using your imagination. Good job.
I just found your channel today and I'm hooked! Haven't read all the comments here so somebody may have already mentioned this, but to cut the 1" holes you might could use the foam kickboards. Our dollar tree has sold flat kickboards that are the same foam material as the noodles.
I've got an old shallow aquarium; I think I could use that for this! Thanks for the idea.
I love the universal word "Tupperware" for any brand plastic container. It's like Kleenex for any tissue.
..and Sellotape for any clear sticky tape, and Hoover for any vacuum cleaner. Yes !
Hi there. Someone made a comment about you on Deep South Homestead, so I subscribed 😊👍
That is so awesome! Thank you! I will have to check them out.
I use the foam boxes. Easy to cut holes. You can find the at places where they sell fish. No smell at all
use pipe insulation for the small plugs
What about using 1/2 or 3/4 foam sheet with your pool noodles and floating it on top of the water this way it stays at a consistent level if your water evaporates? Thoughts?
Your roots won't chase and they need air flow. Good idea though for pond plants.
The Kratky method is a form of passive hydroponics.
There's no need to change out the water, nor is there a concern about rejuvenating oxygen for the plants. As the plant grows, the water level drops, creating air space for the roots. When the plant is ready for harvest, the nutrient-filled water is nearly used up.
I buy rubbermaid totes from Goodwill for $3 each.
I found your channel a couple of days ago awesome DIY ideas thank you. Leftover pool noodle could be used as packing peanuts for delicate items being sent in the mail or as drainage in the bottom of flower pots..
I went to grocery store with bakery they gave me buckets for free, so the big plants that’s free
That's AWESOME!!!!!
This is cool Mike, I feel I can get my feet wet until I get comfortable enough to put down some more $$$$.
This is new to me and I want to make the one you show in this video. My question is do I have to have a bubbler?.
No. 99% of what I do, I have no aeration.
Temu has foam rubber 1 inch disk(100 pack very cheap) they fit a little snug in 20 oz drink bottles. They fit nicely in the condiment bottles from dollar tree like the 2 pack squeeze bottles for mustard and ketchup. Should fit the 1 inch holes
Hey. I AM using those abrasive sponges for kitchen cleaning. They are very cheap in Europe and you can buy them in every store. I cut them in the size i need😊.
Great tip!
I am over 70 yrs of age and just now getting into Hydroponics. So far have ran into one issues, that is after one mixing up the MASTERBLEND 4-18-38 Complete Combo Kit Fertilize, lets say for 5 gallons. Wait, my container has only up to a 3 gallons in capacity, with three 3-inch & three 2-inch holes in it, a kind of long container & it has an air stone in it, bubbling away, and wrap to keep the sun out. So the question is this, 1) Do I have to throw out the current water in the container and then add back in the solution of Masterblend & water? 2) Do I just add in the some of the Masterblend solution? 3) If of to add part of the Masterblend solution, just how much & how often? Currently sprouting Basil and Lettuce, the sprouting seedlings are 5 days old right now. Hope you can be of some help. Thanks, The Old Person.
Awesome Bill, so glad to hear this. Start with fresh nutrients and keep it between 1/2 and 3/4 full at all times. If your initial fill is 3 gallons, save the other two to top off as needed.
@@KeepOnGrowin Thank you sir, you have been a great help.
Another great suggestion that I am so going to try!
You could try using an apple corer to cut out the noodles.
Do you have to use the air bubble while doing hydroponics
I appreciate your channel! Thank you so much! I enjoy your videos!
How do you start ur seedlings
You reference your grow tent in your kitchen. I’d love to see your set up for microgreens.
Love you’re videos buddy you inspired me to do this thank you!!
I pitch all the K Cups from the Keurig. I bet those would work after cleaning them
Yep, they are perfect and it is great reusing them. I made a video a while ago but the audio was messed up. I may redo it sometime.
I get icing buckets from the bakery. I think they might be 2 or 3 gallons. Would that be okay or too deep? I get them for $1 but often most bakers give them to me for free. One calls me when she has some to get rid of! I plant with dirt but this is very intriguing.
It's a little deep for lettuce but will work, you end up wasting some nutrients. It's great for other plants with deep root systems like tomatoes and Swiss chard.
Thank you for another great video! I bought a bubbler I'm planning to use for indoor leafy greens. I was hoping you would show how you split the tubing up among the other containers. I was wondering how that would be possible with only the one stone. Or am I not understanding that correctly? Would love to see that quick set up! :)
Hey Stacy, you would need what they call a manifold. One tube from the pump goes in and valves control where it goes out. If you have a large enough pump, several can run at one time, each needs its own air stone. My pump is small, I have to take turns and manually open and shut valves to alternate between containers.
You can get theses cool little tube splitters at your local pet store.
I tried the kratky method, living in Perth western Australia was so hot, 44 deg plus for days. Not good! I will try again now it is cooling down.
Wow! Yeah, try to stay cool.
Has anyone tried foam pipe insulation for the small holes instead of cutting down pool noodles. It is also very inexpensive.
Are the pool noodles safe for growing food? (ie. food grade)
This is the second video of yours I have watched. I enjoy the simplicity however you lost me at the small hole and tubing. What is that? Where do you explain that in more detail? Thanks so much!!! Excited to try this system.
Just an aquarium pump and an airstone like in a fish tank.
Loved it, thanks 😊
Great Tips an Tricks 👍 Happy Growin ✌
Thank you! Have an awesome weekend Kevin!!
very practical tips !
thank you
Thanks for the math lesson
Like what you are doing but when the fizzy hits the tizzy you don't have electricity so we have to do this in fro until of the south window in the middle of winter
Fantastic information. Trying it for this first time this year. Can someone point me in the direction of the ratio for the solution for starting the seedlings and when to change to a stronger mix. TIA
Love your teachings. Thankyou.
Thank you too!
rubber cork disk w a slice in it for the plant
minnow bubbler for fishing
Mike - I am really interested to see if the pump makes a difference. I know your plants grew very well without aeration; does it make that much difference?
We have several restaurant supply stores here in Dallas that are open to the public. You might check the supply stores for containers.
I really prefer the 2" net cups so all of my plant stations are 2". I recently bought some 5" net cups and use those for my large plants that grow in 5-gallon buckets. I cut a 5" hole in the lid and zip-tie the net cup to the lid. I suspect that hot-melt glue might work just as well. Amazon sells a lid with an integral 5" net cup that fits a 5-gallon bucket but they want $10 each!!!.
The 2" hole saw I bought was $17 - I wish I had purchased a set with many blades - the set is lower quality but we are working with plastic and the set has 12 blades for $19!
My plaster of Paris plugs for the downspouts are working well and only cost about 25 cents each. After the plugs dry for 24 hours in the sun, I paint the ends with Flex Seal.
Lowe's and many other companies sell a "deburring" tool for $8 or so. It does a fabulous job of cleaning up the jagged holes in just seconds. Here again, Amazon was double that price.
I found a Chinese knock-off EC meter on the 'net for $39. The same style meter sells on Amazon for well over $100. I am testing both PH and EC. You can find a list of recommended PH and EC on the 'net for each veggie type you grow.
The lettuce grew well with aeration. This time I planted pak choi, will see how that goes. It's getting pretty hot in my studio, I may have to try again in Fall. You are right about the cheap blades, we are just cutting through plastic. Everything sounds great Ben, keep up the great work.
If you decided to put a pump on your system you could use all that excess pool noodle as filter media in a bucket before the pump
That is an interesting idea.
If you want zero waste from your noodles, you can. Just cut your 2 inch noodles into 1 1/4 inch disks and then cut them into quarters. that will give you a square plug. It will fit into a 1 1/8 inch square hole that you can cut into the top of your container with a box cutter. There is nothing left over and the noodle is entirely used up. By the way this video just gave me an idea for a Kratky Hydroponic grow tower. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Cool! Thanks!
I am tempted to just take a sharp little Swiss knife and cut the little holes 😅. I would like to ask: are the food containers UV light resistance or get they all crumbly after one season? Thank you!
I have used mine more than a year but what do you expect from a take out container, lol.
Great education video. Thanks Mike
Thanks Jim!
Thanks!
Thank you very much Scott!
You like Pok Choy, you mention it I think in every vid. My question is how much solution does it take to grow a head of lettuce Romain or butter lettuce? I want to do greens swiss chard kale what size container will I need? love the pool noodle, the down spout will that just leaf lettuce? It seems small on solution capacity
More like leaf lettuce. About a gallon a plant. Swiss chard last a lot longer, you will need to keep refilling it.
So fun
you should grow gai lan. that's the other good chinese vegetable.
Anywhere when drilling that type of plastic safer and cleaner
Thanks for your great content
Great video and thank you for sharing .😊
Thank you. Have an awesome day!!
With the air stone its dwc.
Did you see better results with the air pump?
yes
Hi Mike, i am a newbie to hydroponics so i am watching al your great video's. So in this one you are talking about waste from your pool noodle. I just wanted to let you know there are noodles with no holes in them. Would that help against the waste? In my local store there are no noodles with holes at the moment😂 Greetings from Holland and keep the great video's coming, Eva
It would but they are not common here.
@@KeepOnGrowin Oh that's to bad. I have it the other way around! Can't find them with a hole🤣 Have a great day and thank you for respons.
Is there a reason why you’re trying the bubbler system, or just seeing if it works? Would be nice to see how you make out.
@@KeepOnGrowin ...I’ll try it out, should be fun, already have the bok choy on the go so all I need is the small pump.
thanks man, love the channel
Thank you! Happy gardening!
Do you sell grow boxes with holes?I am elderly n cannot do it by myself with those tools
How does the water stay in the downspout on the ends are they closed?
ua-cam.com/play/PLk4IGbDM3vfpYoGYOSDoR9CMsQ_bqeFPb.html
Great videos your putting out. I'm really enjoying them. I'm just getting started with hydroponics and am glad you shared the Kratky method which is the way I'm going to start. My wife and I are going thru 6 heads of romaine lettuce a week from Sam's club. Would like to start from seeds and wanted to know if you think pool noodles would work for seed germination by poking a small hole for the seed or do you have a better way to start seeds?
Thanks, Steve
Start seeds like I do in my video about the self watering microgreen growers. That way you can pick the best plants to transplant. I am not sure if the pool noodle makes a good grow medium, it is used to just hold the plant in place. Also, Romaine will probably not grow a full head, rather it grows like a leaf lettuce, cut and come again type thing.
@@KeepOnGrowin Thanks for the reply Mike. Do you think I'm better off saving the base of the lettuce instead of seeds?
@@stevelake5943 No. Lettuce never regrows the same. Seeds are better.
I just started some tatsoi on a coir medium, but I probably should have started them in hydroponics. Is that what you did?
I start mine in soil or other grow medium and transfer them to the hydroponics.
How often do you change the water and/or add nutrients? Do you let the water level drop to enable air roots to develop?
ua-cam.com/video/VPG6dbbn6FU/v-deo.html
Hi Mike: Where do you get the pumps for $5.00? Pump listed in link here advertised at $20.99. Thanks
Here's one, the prices of everything are going up.
amzn.to/3sgAz11
Can you tell me what is the Masterblend you add to the water? Can you make it yourself or do you have to buy it?
ua-cam.com/video/SaN6Dlf2hCg/v-deo.html
Can you also Paint or spray Paint? Or is this insulation really needed?
Would pipe insulation tubes work for smaller holes?
I appreciate you thanks
What method do you use to grow the seedlings?
ua-cam.com/video/ov3y8l2aXCU/v-deo.html
how did you manage to keep your old green house cool living in s FL i live in n FL it look like you had both ends screen in?
Yes, both ends remained open and during the winter I covered the ends with cheap sheets.
For painting containers outside, do you use normal enamel spray cans
You can. I use exterior paint meant for plastic.
Where's the link to your store?
www.etsy.com/shop/mikevanduzee
The containers on the left are not very deep. Will they be deep enough for the roots?
Pak choi has a shallow root system
If I had waited to watch the entire video before posting my question, I would have had my answer. Thanks though for responding. By the way, you are a good teacher!
Hi Mike and thank for your advice.
how can I limit fruit flies from microgreen trays awaiting transplant?
Put a container with tiny holes in the top of it near the area and fill it with a little balsamic vinegar. They can't resist it.
As the steam grows, do you change out the pool noodle plug so there is a bigger gap in the middle?
No, the pool noodle is soft enough to allow for growth.
Hi Mike,i just discovered your wonderful channel. What do you use to grow your seeds in before you put them into your hydroponic containers? Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I use my microgreens!