Rob's Hydroponic Hop Grow

[Robx]

I'll be upgrading my res to 10G soon.

some of the front runners are:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=10859
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-camper-t...-NEW-FDA-approved-free-shipping-/371106895671
http://www.plasticwatertanks.com/p/cbt7k/sp0007-rt-7-gallon-rectangle-plastic-tank

It needs to fit in a very tight space. 14Lx9.5Wx17H is almost perfect.

If I go with a white res I'll likely have to paint it black to block algae growth. Additionally, I'll likely add a bulkhead + tube on the outside to monitor water level.


Additionally, i will be running KSiO (Potassium Silicate) as an added nutrient. I currently use this element to increase sponge growth in a reef tank - but have been reading that it will also increase stem diameter, resilience, and nutrient uptake: http://www.greenhousemag.com/article/gmpro-0610-silicon-plant-growth/

This element is abundant in the earth - but is missing in most hydro setups.

 

[Robx]

Ended up going with the RV water tank:

I'll sand, apply a black finish (to block algae growth), and then a rock or faux wood/metal spray paint.


Hop Update: Growing strong! All hops are now on the guide lines. The teamaker is about 4.5-5 feet now and has grown half way (horizontally) across the hand rail. We're getting HOT weather for the next few days and the plants are all loving it.

Will post pictures soon.

 

[Robx]

Golden hops (left) doing well - The right plant did not do well in the raised pot with super drainage / dry coco...so there goes that theory. I've replanted it and currently it only has one small shoot. The packet of seeds did very well in the coco... must have achieved nearly 100% germination. It'll be a shame to thin it out - may just let it go wild.

Newport and Cascade are climbing now - bucket moisture hovering in the 40's.

A small hydroponic pot (terra cotta) dialed in.

Getting some pollinators as well

Teamaker is stealing the show here - starting to really beef up with some palm sized leaves.

Still using 1.4EC full strength hydro solution. Not noticing any tip burn so I'll likely stick with this strength for the next few refills.

 

[Robx]

Holding steady with the same routine - have only added KSiO or potassium silicate to the mix.

The sunny side sprawl

Zoomed in a bit - teamaker is a little wind battered but otherwise doing well

Just dropped in some Kale + Cucumbers

Strawberries - these took to hydro better than any other plant so far.

Shady side with golden hops

 

[Robx]

Time for another update!

Strawberries

Kale and cucubmbers - 2 weeks of growth

Shady side of the deck - golden hops is still creeping along - the tiny <1 liter pot is growing quite vigorously though.

Flower porn

Hops attack!!! Teamaker has sidearms growing off of sidearms. The longest arm is over 36".

The sprawl. Cascade finally started taking off again in the past 3 days. It was stunted for a bit, but with the hot weather it has grown about 3 inches per day for the last 3 days. Newport is still trailing - likely due to the limited sun that it gets in the corner. I was hopeful that the hops would climb up and across the trellis - but that isn't seeming too likely at this point.

 

[Robx]

Growth is out of control at this point and so is water consumption. The entire balcony setup is consuming roughly 3.5 gallons of hydroponic solution per day and climbing. With increased water consumption comes increased demands from the pumps and emitter heads.

To minimize the clogging I've added an in line filter on the 8mm line. The filter is much bigger in person (beer can size) than I expected, but it seems to do the job.

My pump right now is just a cheap aquarium pump performing way outside of its spec. I'm concerned that with the warm water and increased demands that the pump might fail - so with the change over to the new reservoir posted above I'll also be switching to a new pump system.

I went all out and ordered:
-Shurflo revolution 45PSI 3gpm Pump (Constant pressure pump)
-Shurflo Accumulator tank (A pressurized holding tank so that the pump isn't always hammering away)
-Blumat pressure reducer (drops from 45PSI to about 15)
-Additional in line filter (on the intake to extend pump life)

This system will be self priming and will provide much more predictable pressure on the emitter heads.

Here's a very fine engineering diagram of how it will be configured:

And a photo of all the pieces lined up:

 

[thaymond]

I'm definitely geeking out on the set up and your updates! Well done! Keep it up!

 

[Robx]

Thanks thaymond - I've been following your thread too. Curious to see how your early burs develop - nothing here yet.

Non hoppy update below

Painted the new reservoir - less of an eyesore than before.

Hydro flower box has sprung back after a massive trim

Golden hops in the shade

Wildflowers in the shade box

 

[thaymond]

Thanks thaymond - I've been following your thread too. Curious to see how your early burs develop - nothing here yet.

Non hoppy update below

Painted the new reservoir - less of an eyesore than before.

Hydro flower box has sprung back after a massive trim

Golden hops in the shade

Wildflowers in the shade box

Mine are 3rd year + plants. I'm surprised myself on how they're flowering. We're on a month early. I hope that I still have sidearm growth and it doesn't fudge on my harvest. Time will tell.

 

[thaymond]

Thanks thaymond - I've been following your thread too. Curious to see how your early burs develop - nothing here yet.

Non hoppy update below

Painted the new reservoir - less of an eyesore than before.

Hydro flower box has sprung back after a massive trim

Golden hops in the shade

Wildflowers in the shade box

Mine are 3rd year + plants. I'm surprised myself on how they're flowering. We're on a month early. I hope that I still have sidearm growth and it doesn't fudge on my harvest. Time will tell.

That Golden plant is gorgeous. I had a Sunbeam plant that had the bright yellow-green leaves like that. Not great for brewing, and it unfortunately didn't have space in my yard for a massive decorative hop. It's now residing on a fence at my mom's house, slowly taking it over. It will be awesome to see it take over that lattice.

 

[Robx]

July 1 update - no burrs yet.

Longest bine is about 15-17'

 

[Robx]

Finally finished the new reservoir project. Basic stats: 10G res + venturi aerator + filtered fill + Shurflo 55PSI pump + accumulator tank (shock absorber) + pressure reducer.

Got a little helper - part of the reason it's taken so long to get this finished

This is 10G rv reservoir - It is painted black and then covered with a rock finish. Some light still gets in, but it is dark enough to prevent most of the potential algae growth.

1/2" internal thread bulkhead + 2" 1/2" to 1/2" + 1/2" to 1/2" flexible faucet adapter. This is on the low pressure side of the pump. Would have been best to use a 1/2" male bulkhead and some flexible plastic tubing, but this was the best home depot mcguivering I could manage.

The hole is cut for a sock filter. The sock will prevent any big particles from ending up in the res when running organics. Some examples would be Azomite / Rock phosphate / worm castings / barley for bacteria.

This snorkel allows the venturi pump to pull air down into the res. This will ensure that the bacteria have plenty of O2, it will vent out any built up vapours, and will provide very slight cooling.

The venturi pump will keep air in the mixture and will prevent the water in the reservoir from going stagnant.

This is an assembled accumulator tank, pressure downregulator and right angle connector. The accumulator tank has a rubber balloon inside and is set to 30PSI. The regulator drops the water pressure from ~45 PSI to 15 (so I don't blow up the irrigation heads )

The two together allow the pump to only turn on for a second or so every couple minutes. Since this is a ~100 watt pump, that saves a lot of power. The balloon also acts as a shock absorber so that the high pressure pump isn't hammering on the more delicate downstream components.

The heart of the new system - Shurflo 4008 11.3 LPM 55PSI pump - can self prime from dry up to 6 feet - *Tim allen grunts*

The assembled reservoir.

I've removed the herb planter and positioned all of the parts behind. Everything is set - now I just have to connect the 8mm hose feeding the entire system to the end of the pressure regulator.

Back together with all of the pots irrigated once again. You can hardly see the 10G reservoir hidden in the back corner. Now both sides of the deck and all 12 containers are irrigated using Blumat's and a constant pressure system.

 

[Stillraining]

Thats pretty cool...question..does the pump make much vibration racket being mounted to the deck?...the one in my boat is pretty violent when it kicks on...Just wondering how the down stairs neighbors are fairing.

 

[Robx]

The pump would be audible if it were running constantly. Since I'm using blumats that supply water drip by drip throughout the day (5 gallons over the course of ~24 hours) the pump only runs for a split second at a time to pressurize the accumulator tank. Every 20 seconds or so you'll just hear a very small puff sound.

 

[Robx]

Cascade and newport - growing, but not thriving. Some weird leaf discoloration. Thinking they are not compatible with the other plants in the pot.

Teamaker in the background. Got hit hard with aphids and the pot dried out a bit when the emitter clogged. There is a bit of browning on the leaves but I'm hopeful that it will spring back soon.

Some random flowers sprouting up from seeds dropped in the hop pot.

Violas doing well in the 95 degree sun

African blue basil grown from clones

The sunny side

Golden hops on the shady side

Cucumbers filling in

Cucumbers and 4 kale plants in a 1.5 gallon pot

 

[passedpawn]

You take great pictures Rob.

And, you're gonna get evicted.

 

[Robx]

Thanks Andrew, and you may be right. Yesterday I had my reservoir leak... I can only assume that it dripped on the 4 decks below mine. Looks like I'll have to buy some bottles of wine for my downstairs neighbors.

 

[Robx]

Golden hops on 07/19:

 

[Robx]

 

[Robx]

Powdery mildew hit both cascade and newport - major bummer....

But our cucumbers are going strong. 10' of vine in a 1.5 gallon pot.

 

[PapaBearJay]

Do you have pictures of your powdery-mildew infested leaves?

 

[Robx]

Hi PapaBear - I'll grab some next time I'm out there.

Teamaker, burring up!

Cascade is putting a few out too - despite the powdery mildew.

 

[kh54s10]

Get all those flowers out of the hops containers. They are sucking up all the good stuff that could be going to the hops!

 

[Robx]

Getting major burr production over the last week. I am switching to a bloom formula to ensure that I get nice full cones. Using Advanced Nutrients Sensi bloom 4-8-6 "PH Perfect" for coco coir.

 

[Robx]

Have some teamaker coming in strong. Some of the plant grew into the shade. This portion has mature cones. The rest of the plant still has burrs just trainsitioning.

Not quite done yet - still needs a bit more time to ripen up.

 

[user 125772]

Damn, the way your garden looks, you must be the envy of your neighbors.
What kind of camera is that you're using? ...great pics

 

[Robx]

Thanks sleepy,

Typically use my canon eos 6d. I have the 100mm non L macro lens - perfect for juicy closeups.

 

[Paps]

Yeah. great pics...i even saved the second to last one.

 

[Robx]

Mid September update:

More hops are maturing by the day - but I'm not sure when exactly I should pick. Seems that some are just about ready while others are just little burrs.

Cascade

Cascade

Teamaker

Teamaker

Teamaker

Golden Hops

The sprawl

 

[Robx]

The hops still haven't ripened completely - which seems strange. However, we're going on vacation for 2 weeks (and getting married) so they have to come off!

Harvested maybe half of the teamaker this morning (first year plant, 3 gallon "smart pot", solo).

Can you spot our apartment?

One of the bigger cones

Still a lot left on the bine