Building A Dutch Pot Hydroponic System

As far as any hydroponic system goes, the Dutch pot hydroponic system is one of the best. Also known as the "poor man's hydroponics," the Dutch pot is anything but poor. It's inexpensive to make, incredibly efficient in its job, and also lightweight. The following steps will show you how to build a Dutch pot hydroponic system with easy-to-find tools and materials.
Tools and Materials:

16 BATO buckets
25 feet PVC plastic pipe
PVC plastic pipe fittings
50 feet Feed line
1 256GPH Water pump
PVC plastic T-Fittings
PVC plastic elbows
Shut-off valves
Riser
End caps
32 Drippers
50 feet Drip line
50 lbs. Perlite
Drill
Ruler
Pencil
PVC primer
PVC cement
Hole punch

Step 1 - The Beginning Stages
Take measurements of where the system will be built. For our purposes, we will be using a 5-by-8 feet area which will fit 4 rows of 4 10-by-12-by9 inch deep BATO buckets for a total of 16 buckets.
Step 2 - Drainage System
The drain system is important to any hydroponic system because stale water can kill your vegetation. First, line the BATO buckets in rows with 4 buckets per row.
Cut your PVC pipe to the length and width of your hydroponics system and add several inches. Now, cut the PVC pipe to fit the length and width of the inner bucket system.
Remove the BATO buckets and put them off to the side. Drill a 1-inch hole in the bottom of each BATO bucket near the back of the bucket.
Put 2 PVC pipe elbows together to form a "U" shape for each bucket in your system.
Drill a 1-inch hole in the PVC pipes that will be under the buckets. Make sure they line up with the drains.
Connect all of the pipes using T-fittings and PVC elbows, applying PVC primer and PVC cement to seal them.
Return the buckets to their places and place the elbow assemblies in the drain holes and in the holes in the PVC pipes.
Step 3 - Feed System
Now that the drainage system has been built, you will now need to construct a mechanism for feeding your plants.
Place the pump in the reservoir. Attach a 1-foot riser to the output of the pump. Attach a T-fitting to the rider to split the output. One side needs to extend back to the reservoir and the other to the feed-line. Both output lines need to be equipped with shut-off valves.
Place 2 feed-lines between 2 rows of buckets and connect them with a T-fitting and an elbow. Each feed line having an end cap will need to be connected. Next, use the hole punch to make holes in the feed line for each dripper. You need two drippers per bucket. Install the 1/4-inch connectors.
Connect the drip line to the 1/4-inch connector to the dripper.�
Step 4 - Growing
Now that you have all the parts of this system together, you can begin growing hydroponic fruits and vegetables. First, fill the buckets halfway with perlite. Next, plant your seeds. Fill the buckets up to the 1/2-inch ledge with perlite. Fill the buckets with water and turn on the pump.Building A Dutch Pot Hydroponic System - From: doityourself.com

View this post on my blog: http://madeinhome.info/building-a-dutch-pot-hydroponic-system