Ghetto-Ass-Grower to a DWC Bubbler

As of right now, I have a GAG. My friends call that a "Ghetto-Ass Grower".

Its a ziplock container (not bag- like a storage tupperware)- 1 quart. A paper cup bracing my plant as its roots hang nicely into the bubbling water underneath, powered by one aquarium airstone, filled with 500 mL of water, a tiny bit of dissolved 30-10-10 (formulated for acid-loving plants), and a drop of SuperThrive. I wash it out every two days, adding new 30-10-10, dipping the roots in SuperThrive, and adding a drop of SuperThrive. Tape and foil and cardboard shields shield the transparent container from the 60 watt warm white CFL that I screwed into a desk study lamp. Light pattern is 18/6. I wake up at 6 AM, leave the light on all day, go to bed at 12 AM. Thats how my day is- perfect to the light pattern, conveniently. No timers, no babysitter. I may add tiny bit of my 30-10-10 to the water each morning, but thats all that changes over time.

Ghetto Ass Grower, as my friends call it.

Well, I got a handful of seeds from a friend who got it out of chronic- 2 seeds of 7 have germinated (to me, good odds- considering it was old bagseed from chronic). Theyre still germinating, so Ive got time before my next step:

Changing my GAG into a DWC Bubbler.

What upgrades do I need now, to house my 3 bubbler plants? Will I need anymore nute mixes to take care of 3x the plant? How much more light? (I realize the one light i have now is hardly enough for the sprout that I have now, so...) How big of a container (gallon-wise)? How often would I clean it? Im asking these dumb questions because Ive become accustomed to maintaining the health of my GAG plant in its little micro-universe... How much tougher is maintaining 3 plants, now?

You got any pics of this setup?

The first step is, selecting a cooler, and each has its own good and negative qualities. For this faq, I will be using a 48qt Rubbermaid, though I prefer the igloo coolers the best. The dark green exterior of the cooler will help block light more than a yellow, or even a white.

They all should have insulation between the plastic, to help maintain the right water temperature. Also, if you want, you can use black electrical tape, pvc plumbing tape, or duct tape, to help keep light out.

I should point out with the Rubbermaid, you will have to add paper, or duct tape, to cover up the hinge on the Rubbermaid. Light can get in there. Igloo coolers don?t have this problem.

Other good coolers to use: the 48qtr cooler by Coleman/igloo. They have wheels, easy pull handle, (which makes it easy pulling it out, when it comes to changing the nutes). But, they have poor colors, the internal insulation is thinner, and the bottom is not flat due to the roller wheels, which makes it difficult to use a long or even a short air stone.

The 100qt cooler from Rubbermaid is another great option (I suggest making a permanent stand for this one, cause it would be a bear to move) This cooler has two lids, a main one for the plants, and a smaller one off to the left side - perfect for checking roots and filling. Also comes in dark green, 4 plants will fit, but costs $40.

The airpump



The Rubbermaid has a small hole on the backside. First find the hole under the lid, and use a small drill bit and drill upwards thru it. Find the hole on top, and drill back down with a bigger drill bit. Then just use a scraper or knife to scrape off the edges. Enlarge this hole by drilling.

The igloo should have two of them, whereas the Rubbermaid has only one. I plan on using only one air pump, rated for a 30gallon tank. Cheap air pumps are louder, and that can be really annoying, especially for a stealth grow. I?m using a Whisper, but they are still loud IMO. I find placing air pumps on the floor will create a vibration thru the floor. If you have to use a pallet, then use one, and place a towel on top of the wood, to help ease the vibration down some. Don?t cover up the air pump though, or this could lead to problems.

Don?t put the air stone in until after all the drilling and the mess has been cleaned up.

Construction:

Net pots

Now onto figuring out where to place the 5? heavy duty net pots. You don?t want them too close to the end, or too close too the center, and they need to fit flat down onto the lid. You want the net pots all the way down in this cooler, so they will dip into the nutrients. The cooler lid is around 2.5? thick, and if you ever have to move it in the beginning, you don?t have to worry about water pouring out the sides.

For this cooler, I decided to make the center of the net pots at (for both), 5 ¼? from the center, and that would also be 3 ¼? from the outer ends, and 5? down from the back of the lid. This will allow the net pots to lay flat.

Netpot holes




Now before making the holes for the net pots, I went ahead and cut out a plastic circle. It is just under 5?, and will be used for a guide line. Reason for not being exactly 5?, is because when I use the jig-saw, the blade will make it the 5? that I need. I put tape on the plastic circles, so they won?t shift when cutting them. I then trim it up with a razor blade.

Check again to make sure the net pots will fit securely, and fit close to top surface of the lid.Remember to clean it out before continuing on.



Also use some duct tape (preferably water resistant tape) to cover the inside of the edges where you cut the 5? circle out for the net pots. Styro-foam (inside the insulated cooler lid will be exposed) will fall into the cooler, and water may work itself inside the lid, which can turn into a not so clean cooler. I use a thick sticky black electrical tape to line the holes, so installation won?t fall out, and then lined it with water resistant duct tape.

Netpot depth

I want to make sure, when the lid is closed, the net pots will go at least 1" or 2" into the nutrient mix. After a week of growing, the roots should be starting to drop down into the mix, and then you can let the water drift a few inches under the net pots, but in the beginning, I want the bottom part of the net pots in the medium.

rsupload said:

You got any pics of this setup?

Click to expand...

I wish i did; just to show how ghetto this is for my first time. My plant has already gone into half-death mode, and I brought it back to life. Its been through a lot- and I have a feeling itll continue to go through a lot, considering how ghetto and impromptu this whole growing thing is. I have no pics yet- as I have no digital camera battery as I lost mine (uses a custom made rechargable, I cant find any others to buy). Ill be happy if this thing gets big enough to clone- but then Ill really be in a jam because I have no way of growing over maybe 5 plants at once. We'll see.

It sits right next to my computer, on a stack of books so its high enough to get close to the light. THe airpump hose and pump itself run just on the table onto the ground into the plug. Thats all it is.

I keep my worm-poop nute in a spray bottle, my diluted 30-10-10 in a labeled water bottle, and my pure water in a water bottle. The superthrive, dixie cups and pH checkers lay scattered. This is my toolbox. But thats the good thing about my tiny system- if something looks wrong, I can wash it out and replace it all in 30 minutes, and the plant will revert to normal.

To build each bubbler,you'll need a bucket with lid, some aquarium airline tubing, a dual outlet aquarium pump,an aqurium airstone, a 2 way fishpump gangvalve (or the T that came with the pump) and a 6" orchid pot (a net pot used in hydroponic cultivation found at hydroponic supply stores)

In the center of the bucket lid,cut a hole large enough that the net pot fits down into,yet small enough that the lip of the pot rests on top of the bucket (A sharp utility knife works great for cutting the hole).

Fill the pot with gro-rox or another brand of expanded clay pellets. In the side of bucket,just below the bottom of the lid,cut a small hole for the airline to fit through. (You can also cut the airline hole in the lid,but it will tend to get in the way when you need to take the lid off for changing the nutrients in the bucket)

Run the airline from your aquarium pump into your two way gangvalve and from your gangvalve (some pumps come with a "T" fitting...this can also be used) in through the hole you just cut on the side of the bucket and down into the bottom of the bucket.

Attach your airstone and thats it! You've just built your own bubbler! This is the most simplest of all hydroponic systems to build. You can build dozens in a day once you have purchased your materials.