Summary of hydroponic drip bucket experiment 2015

The end of the year is near, and I harvested the last plants in the garden. This year I had different variants of peppers in the smart pots full of dirt. But they were in a dark corner with limited space. The result of the harvest was not so good.

My pepper growing in the drip bucket was the best result of this year. Here are some images of the result.

Changes

The drip bucket was standing outside, so I had to drill a hole to stop overflowing when it rains. So, the roots of the pepper never were fully submerged in water. Due too heavy wind and bad grip of the roots in the expanded clay, the pepper was fixed in a small cultivation greenhouse. The stem was tied to the frame of the cultivation greenhouse.

Summary

The drip bucket is up until now for me the best hydroponic system. I only had issues with the drip bucket when I used it in the garden. Also when the plant is too big for the pot I had to support it.

The insert filled with expanded clay couldn’t be removed to check the water level. Therefor the water level was sometimes too low, and the pump was running dry. In this case I filled the bucket with fresh water or rain water. This results in an undefined concentration of the nutrient solution in the bucket. For the next version there should be a water level indicator visible on the outside. Also a way to fit the instrument for measuring the nutrient solution in the bucket is needed.

For the plants I will no longer choose bell peppers. I will concentrate my efforts only on jalapeño peppers. They have the right amount of spiciness.