this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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Hydroponics

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A community dedicated to every form of hydroponics, a technique for growing plants without soil.

Everything regarding hydroponics is welcome here - from your houseplant in LECA to big scale commercial farming.

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I designed and printed these adapters, which fit into used glass bottles. I use them to grow lettuce, basil, and more.
I will publish the files very soon and also make a post about them :)

Right now, I'm trying different materials to use as substrate for holding the seeds, but most I tried sucked in one way or another.

  • LECA is too coarse, and the balls roll out.
  • Coco coir is washed out quickly when filling the bottles/ when raining, and rots in the nutrient solution
  • Polyester filling (used for pillows) is either completely soaked, or bone dry, but works reasonably well
  • PVA sponges become too hard when dry
  • Cotton/ other cellulose stuff (towel, etc.) decompose too quickly

Can you suggest me other materials that would be best suited for that purpose?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I already tried LECA, and too coarse stuff lets all the seeds fall through.

Also, I don't want to fiddle around too much