Small Aeroponic Pre-built Unit
Aeroponic – Deep Water Culture
Heavy Duty 3 inch Net Pots
3 inch Hole Saw Bit
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Large Bag
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Small Bag
For 4-8 buckets, I recommend using a single, high output pump like this one (Heavy Duty Air Pump). Don’t forget to pick up air stones and small vinal tubing to connect to the pump.
For 1-2 bucket systems, a smaller aquarium air pump such as this ( Low Output Air Pump ) will work fine. This kit actually contains the air stones, check valves, and tubing to get you started.
Locally Sourced Materials
5 gallon buckets with lids – Home Depot/Lowers/Ace Hardware
Note: Buckets and lids should be opaque as possible to prevent light leaking in
Air tubing, air stones, air line couplers, air line splitters – Walmart, PetsMart etc
Aeroponic Cloner
Used for creating foam discs for NFT and aero systems
Hollow Hole Punch Set
To properly aerate the system, a small air pump like this Low Output Air Pump should be more than adequate.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
Heavy Duty 3 inch Net Pots
3 inch Hole Saw Bit
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Large Bag
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Small Bag
Square Plastic Fence Posts 4×4 inch by 96 inch
Dutch Bucket
10 pack of Dutch Buckets
Almost Complete Dutch Bucket Kit
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Large Bag
Perlite is a substitute for geolite in Dutch Bucket systems 4 Cubic Foot Bag of Perlite
The Kratky Method
If you don’t want to use pool noodles as shown in the example in the presentation, I would suggest using small 1.5″ net pots with geolite in them if growing something small like lettuce, otherwise stick with 3″ net pots. You will need to get a hole saw to fit the net pot you choose. 1.5 inch net pots
Heavy Duty 3 inch Net Pots
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Large Bag
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Small Bag
Locally Sourced Materials
Large plastic tote – Home Depot/Lowers/Ace Hardware
Note: The one I used in my video was 27 gallons and from Lowes for roughly $12. Totes and especially their lids need to be sturdy and opaque. You will need to look up how much water your plants consume over a lifetime, but for reference, Romaine lettuce uses around 3 liters.
Generic Hydroponic Supplies
Grow Media
Rockwool cubes (1.5″) are by far the easiest way to start from seed for hydroponics. They’re not super cheap but they’re reliable. Buy Rockwool Cubes
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Large Bag
Geolite Clay Ball Growth Media – Small Bag
Coco Coir is useful for seed starting and also “soilless” grow methods Coco Coir
Perlite is useful for “soilless” grow methods and also as a grow medium for Dutch Buckets. 4 Cubic Foot Bag of Perlite
Hydroponic Fertilizers
You will want equal amounts of all of these. I suggest starting with at least 5 lbs of each.
Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer
MasterBlend Fertilizer
Magnesium Sulfate Epsom Salt
10 Lbs. of each – full kit
Full fertilizer kit
pH Down is always important to have on hand since your water will likely be pH 7.0+ and your desired pH is between 5.5 and 6.0
pH Down Solution
Locally Sourced Materials
Epsom Salt can be purchased from the pharmacy section of Walmart for around $7 per 8 lbs bag.
Dedicated measuring spoon set for measuring fertilizers – Walmart
Meters and Tools
A hollow hole punch set is optionally used for creating foam discs for NFT, aeroponic, and Kratky systems. It is rather necessary for an aeroponic cloner though.
Hollow Hole Punch Set
There’s a few choices for EC meters. I personally use a low budget one that seems to give fairly repeatable readings. It is however not water proof and will likely require calibration over time. Low Cost EC Meter
Alternatively, there’s the premium EC meter which will withstand being dropped into water and likely far outlast a cheap one. High Quality Waterproof EC Meter
Next we have pH meters where the low budget pH meters are pretty bad and do not give repeatable results. They need calibration frequently and can really be annoying in general. I suggest having a sample of pure water to check accuracy before using each time if you go the budget route. This is where I would just get the expensive one to avoid headaches. Budget pH Meter
High Quality Waterproof pH Meter
Finally, the option I would choose if I were starting over would be to pick up one of these BlueLab Combo EC & pH meters. High Quality EC and pH Combo Meter
It may be expensive but its accurate and you wont have issues like the cheap units. BlueLab also makes units intended to stay on and monitoring your system continuously and will set off alarms or even text you if pH or EC become out of range. Other professional units available will also add nutrients or pH up/down to get the system back in the desired range. These units are well beyond the scope of our presentation, but its worth knowing they exist.