On Wednesday February 29, 2012 we planted our seeds (3 basil and 3 lettuce.)
Our system includes a tray filled with 2 gallons of water, mixed with nutrients needed for our plants. Floating on top of the water is a styrofoam block with six large holes for the seeds . The holes have plastic cups glued into them with holes punched in the bottom for the roots to come through. Inside each cup is a cube of rockwool with seeds inside. Rockwool is used as a growing medium because of the amount of water and air that can be held which helps promote growing. We also have placed an air stone in the bottom of the tub to agitate the water and nutrients and to add additional oxygen to the water.
A water culture system is one of the simplest of the hydroponic systems to set up and maintain. As the water level decreases, the styrofoam containing the seeds continues to float on top of the water. We only have to add water when the system is getting low and make sure the air stone is functioning properly.
We are very excited to see how well our system works and how successful we are.
