Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6.24
Baby Bloomer ebb and flow unit growing dwarf patio cherry
tomatoes, basil, and lettuce. (Courtesy of American Hydroponics, Arcata,
Ca l ifor n ia.)
A small ebb and flow unit is the Baby Bloomer by American Hydroponics
with dimensions of 31 × 14 × 12 inches at a price of between $200 and
$250. This is a self-contained unit with a reservoir underneath supporting
a bedding tray where the solution is pumped periodically to flood the base
of the mesh pots containing the plant roots (Figure 6.24). A tray that sits on
top of the bedding tray supports 10 mesh pots having perlite or rocks as a
medium. Although this unit is fairly small, it would grow a combination of
lettuce, herbs and perhaps several small “patio” type cherry tomato plants.
American Hydroponics has several larger units called One and Two
Tray Econo Systems, which are the same as was described in the earlier
section on ebb and flow. The difference is that these units use 23 mesh
grow pots with an expanded clay medium per 3 × 3 foot growing tray
instead of the 36 sites for rockwool cubes. At that spacing you could grow
lettuce, herbs, and a few vine crops, provided you train them correctly as
described earlier. Prices are comparable to those discussed in the ebb and
flow section at $400 to $600.
A small ebb and flow system by General Hydroponics has six channels
sitting on top of a nutrient reservoir (Figure 6.25). It holds up to 42 plants
such as lettuce, arugula, and spinach (Figure 6.26).
General Hydroponics presents a somewhat different design in a com-
bination of NFT and rock culture. It has three models (20, 30, and 60)
