When you have the concentrate pre-made and available, it will reduce the time needed for fertilizer mixing in the reservoir. Whenever you buy dry fertilizers for the system, you can dilute them into a concentrate solution, which you can dilute to the final feed solution in the reservoir as required. In case you choose not to mix fertilizer on a daily basis, make the reservoir big enough to mix 2 or 3 days’ worth of fertilizer solution at one time. When you want to figure out the size of a reservoir for a Dutch Bucket system, make available 1 to 2 gallons of reservoir capacity per bucket daily. If growing organically, there are plugs and blocks made of coco coir that also work well.Whenever the nutrient solution is run through the system, the reservoir in every bucket is refilled and then overrun just enough to make sure that the reservoir has only fresh solution. Rockwool will give you uniform germination and a balance of water and air needed by your plants. A popular option for propagation is rockwool (also known as stonewool). Most of the time seeds are started in plugs, then placed in blocks before planting into the dutch bucket system. Now that your system is built, substrates are chosen, the nutrients are mixed and lighting has been provided- it’s time to plant! Hort Americas can help you decide which light is best for your crop and environment. Information about lighting can be found here: Not all lights are created equal and you will need to find out what intensity, spectrum and day-length is best for your crop. If you are growing indoors you will need to provide all the light your crop needs to perform photosynthesis to fuel growth and development. Lighting is another input that you must not ignore. You can either get a lab analysis of your water chemistry and adjust accordingly, or do a system dump every so often to keep things in check. Over time, imbalances can occur in a recirculating system. It’s better to keep adding small amounts than to add too much at once causing you to have to dump your reservoir and start over. When adding fertilizers and pH adjuster always go slow.
This helps you gain an understanding over time of how much is needed so you can take some of the guesswork out of it. I like to keep a record of the water added to the reservoir, along with exactly which nutrients and how much and any pH adjuster used. This is a great kit that comes with information for the grower along with the calibration solutions and probe cleaners to get you started. These are very important tools to have, and please don’t forget to calibrate your pH meter regularly to get accurate readings. You can purchase the Bluelab Grower’s Toolbox from Hort Americas for $199 if you do not have a pH and EC meter. It is important to have the tools to monitor your pH and EC. There are other sources of information on fertilizer recipes by universities for various crops that can be found online. It is split this way to prevent the reaction of calcium with sulfate and phosphate that will cause some of the nutrients to fall out of solution and not be available to the plants. Part A has the calcium nitrate, iron and sometimes half of the potassium nitrate and Part B includes the remaining nutrients. Some growers choose to purchase a pre-mixed product that usually will come in at least two parts. Most, if not all, of the needed fertilizers can be purchased through Hort Americas. The nutrients you add will vary depending on your crop. If your pH is above 7 adjust your pH down to around 6 – 6.5 before adding your nutrients. Once you have completed building your system, fill your reservoir with water. It is a good idea to research the crop you want to grow to find which substrate will provide the optimum drainage and water retention necessary to keep your crop healthy and happy. The smaller the particle the more water retention you will have and larger particles allow for better drainage. These substrates can be blended or used alone. That depends on the crop you are growing and personal preference.
The next step is to decide what substrate you’d like to grow in. Hort Americas can provide you with the supplies you need with the exception of the wood, PVC, binder clips and clamps which we suggest sourcing locally. 2X4s (Legs, side stretcher and box apron)
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