When you decide to start hydroponics as a hobby one thing that might put you off is the cost. Like any hobby it requires a little investment on your part. There is still a way to indulge in this hobby even if you don’t feel like you have much spare cash to indulge in this hobby. Homemade hydroponic system plans are a great way to save cost.

While you might not find that you have the impressive crop yields that are associated with hydroponics, you will still be able to get a decent crop yield when you build hydroponics system at home.

The Hand Watered Bucket

The hand watered bucket is one of the easiest hydroponic system plans that you could decide to build on your own. It requires very little equipment and is very cheap to build. Both very attractive features of any hydroponic system plans.

Use a five gallon bucket that has been cleaned with vinegar, and then some soap and water. Drill some holes on the sides of the bucket, the holes need to be around an inch and a half above from the bottom of the bucket. You will probably need about 6 to 10 holes, the bigger the holes are the more likely it is for the growing medium to dry out.

If you find that your growing medium does not hold together well, or you are particular about the area around your hydroponic system plans being clean, then you might want to have a little window screen on the inside of the bucket. This stops the growing medium from falling out. Hold it in place and use a little silicone sealant to glue it to the bucket. Wait for this to dry before adding any growing medium to your hydroponic system plans.

Next all you need to do is add the growing medium to the bucket. Before adding the growing medium to your hand watered bucket hydroponic system plans you will need to treat the growing medium. This means either washing or soaking the growing medium, depending on the type of medium you have chosen.

Mix up the hydroponic nutrients that you want to use, and check the pH level. This is important to make sure that you have the right nutrient levels for your plants. Then add this solution to the bucket until you see a little water seeping out of the holes you have drilled in the bucket. Remember that you should pour the nutrients in very slowly.