"Will this work or do I need to use 5gal buckets?" In short; yes it will work.

Growing hydroponically, your plants' roots will have all they need 24/7, so they will likely not grow as large as they would in soil.

While flood & drain (ebb & flow) will work, you might want to research other techniguqes that may be better-suited for tomatoes. If you use 5-gallon buckets, it'll mean having to provide a mammoth nutrient reservoir.

I grow tomatoes in perlite using a method called "Static Technique" or "Static Culture". I use 1.5 gallon plastic pots and anchor the vegetation to a line hung from a support above the plant. I'll insert a link directing you to a page showing several techniques you can research.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydroponic Growing Techniques

If I am understanding correctly, the "static technique" that you are using gravity feeds each pot and doesn't reuse any runoff. Based on these assumptions, how much of a reservior would I need for 4 1.5 gallon pots? How often do you refill the reservior? Is there a formula to determine how much water each plant is getting by how many drops? How does rainfall effect this system? What kind of tomato plants do you grow and how big should I expect them to get?

It seems that your method is cheaper and less of a headache than the flood and drain so I will definately consider it.

There's a number of different ways to grow tomatoes. I'd suggest looking into DWC for a project the size of yours. A simple 5 gallon bucket for each plant, net pot in the lid, airstone at the bottom.

You can even go fancier by linking all the buckets into a recirculating DWC that saves a little of the maintenance work, but even without that it's pretty simple and easy to do.

jevans19

If I am understanding correctly, the "static technique" that you are using gravity feeds each pot and doesn't reuse any runoff.
YES AND NO. I GROW STRAWBERRIES STACKED ON A RACK ONE ABOVE THE NEXT AND WATER THEM TO THE EXTENT THAT THE ONES ON TOP DRIP TO THE ONES BENEATH. I AM VERY CAREFUL TO HALT THE NUTRIENT DELIVERY SO AS NOT TO SPILL ANY.
Based on these assumptions, how much of a reservior would I need for 4 1.5 gallon pots?
MY RESERVOIR IS 30 GALLONS AND I FEED 300 POTS TWICE A WEEK.
How often do you refill the reservior?
I RE-MIX WHEN THE WATER LEVEL GETS JUST BELOW HALF. I HAVE A SUBMERSIBLE PUMP IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TUB; WHEN THE WATER LEVEL HITS THE TOP OF THE PUMP, I RE-MIX THE BATCH USING FRESH "SWILL".
Is there a formula to determine how much water each plant is getting by how many drops?
YES AND NO. I MERELY WATCH WHAT I'M DOING AND AM CAREFUL NOT TO SPILL OR RUN-OVER.
How does rainfall effect this system?
MY RESERVOIR IS COVERED AND IF RAIN IS EMINENT, I COVER THINGS WITH PLASTIC SHEET. IT RARELY RAINS HERE, BY THE WAY!
What kind of tomato plants do you grow and how big should I expect them to get?
I GROW BRANDYWINE AND CHERRY TOMATOES. I ALSO "SUPER-CROP" SO THAT STUNTS THEIR HEIGHT, BUT MAKES UP FOR IT IN FRUIT YIELD. I ALSO PRACTICE "SINGLE-TRUSS" PRUNING. NONE OF MY TOMATO PLANTS EVER GET OVER 5 FEET TALL.

FYI: Writing in all caps on the internet is shouting, and is considered rude. Just so you know.

Most people using the Internet were born with computer knowledge. I'm an older-ish fart (60); sorry!

I merely wanted to post the questions and answers together and all caps seemed to be a convenient way. I'll re-think my method next time I decide to answer a list of questions.

Thanks for the heads-up!

No problem -- like you say, it's not something you're born with! :) A good way to mark existing text is with italics. For example, writing:

<i>The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs</i>

Looks like:

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs

Most people using the Internet were born with computer knowledge.

It does seem that way. You can work and work and work and spend millions of man-hours developing a computer program that is utterly crash-proof. Hand the keyboard to a toddler and your entire system will be irretrievably corrupted in 27.3 seconds.

Oh, and a tip on the quote/response thing here - I recommend putting the text you're quoting in italics (as karenrei explains and I demonstrate here). Most people's eyes and brains are hardwired in a way that the classic text will be instinctively looked to for new information. So using that for what you have to add to the old information is slightly more effective.

Quick question for ya - with systems where higher units drip into lower ones, don't you run a little risk of the nutrients being more concentrated in the higher units?

" don't you run a little risk of the nutrients being more concentrated in the higher units?"

I thought about that, but since I'm growing in 100% perlite, using the static hydroponic technique, probably not.

Since I only water when my moisture meter says it's time, whatever nutrient is in the growing medium has been used and transpired by the plant. The addition of new nutrient at the same EC and pH merely replaces what was there.

Whether it is supplied from the hose my nutrients are pumped through or dripped from a container above, I think the actual "concentration" is the same.

I don't think it would be any different than growing in an all-liquid system, except in a liquid loop, as the plants use water, the relative concentration of salts rises and the nutrient has to be replenished. That's part of the reason the pH can change too; evaporation of water.

That's what I like about static; it's almost idiot proof (speaking from experience, mind you!). Believe me, if it can be fouled up, I'll figure out a way!

So far, every one of my plants is wearing a large smile, so it must be working. At any rate, I haven't had any total catastrophes yet. Hide and watch!

http://www.myspace.com/johncdugan

The above link is my myspace info on my hydroponic unit I built.It is a combo of flood and drain and constant circulation.My pump so far I have it kicking in 5 times in a 24 hr. period.I am growing 4 grape tomatoes,4 cucumber,and the newest to the add is 4 zuchinni sqaush.They are all outside using the suns natural light.The tomatoes in the picks are @ 4 weeks old.I have new ones I am fixing to post they are 3 times as big and producing tomatoes.

Here is a link that might be useful: My hydroponic Unit

freemangreens, just to be clear I wasn't trying to say you don't know what you're doing. I was just concerned that it could be a problem.

That looks like a pretty nice system bluzewriter. What do you use for nutrients?

I've had great success with 5 gallon buckets. Here is a link to one thread in the container forum.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0416284427016.html?9

Andy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Self Watering Container Design

I've had great success with 5 gallon buckets. Here is a link to one thread in the container forum.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0416284427016.html?9

Andy.

Here is a link that might be useful: HomeMade Earth Box Design? FeedBack

"So far, every one of my plants is wearing a large smile, so it must be working. At any rate, I haven't had any total catastrophes yet. Hide and watch!"

Open mouth; insert foot!

Well, it had to happen. I found out that fighting with the wife is a double-whammy. It does absolutely no good to fight and the time spent fighting is time that should have been spent watching the garden.

I let things get too dry and lost a bunch of strawberry plants. To remedy that, I've decided on two avenues:

1. Get a divorce!
2. House the potted strawberry plants in trays with a 1/4" puddle of tap
water in the bottom. The perlite sucks up the moisture and prevents
total dry out.

Hide and watch indeed!

I hope you're joking about the divorce. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

We men have, over the years, developed two theories on how to argue with women. Neither works.

Though it sounds like your second idea should work nicely.

Nope, not joking a bit. Thirty-one years of arguing is enough for me; kids are grown and I'd say it's about time to throw in the towel!

I am experimenting for the first time with static (with no aeration) bucket hydroponics. I started with too little info about the volume of nutrient solution for tomatoes. If I carry this to fruit maturity I have to weekly replenish the 5gal buckets. But, I have read that once the above-nutrient roots adapt to absorbing oxygen, refilling the bucket to cover those exposed roots damages the plant. There are still extensive roots above my refill line so there is not a sudden deprivation of oxygen. I have refilled the buckets 4 times so far.

Some of the plants have used the nutrient faster than expected and the buckets were sucked virtually dry (1/4 inch of liquid still in the bottom of the bucket). Plant had wilted very badly. Thought I'd lost them. Replenishing the nutrient solution had the plants completely dehydrated within an hour. Spectacular!

Plants do not seem to be hurt by the up and down fluctuation of the nutrient level! And most interesting is that the plants that I let dry out have set MORE fruit than the plants that did not dry.

Roots are extensive as one would expect. Am growing hydro and a soil garden side by side. The hydro tomato plants have golf-ball size tomatoes while the inground plants (all are Cherokee Purple) have no fruit larger than a very small pea so far. Using the same nutrient on both the hydro and the in-ground plants.

What is the damage I should be expecting by raising the nutrient level a foot or more as I replenish the nutrient each week? I maintain about 6" of non-submerged roots at each refill. So far so good!!!