Love my Sweet, Sweet Basil...

That seemingly crazed, redneck-looking man hugging the large sweet basil plant is me. The Ronald Reagan cap makes me look nuttier and even more rednecky...sorta makes me want to go rogue...

The basil plant was grown in a Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic gardening system I developed using a standard 5 gallon bucket and a 10" net-basket. Here's a couple of them operating together; one with basil and one with a Gynura plant (the one you saw in the last post when it was smaller).
The green bucket on the left is a kosher pickle bucket I bummed off a local deli. The Orange bucket I purchased at Home Depot. I wanted to see the if there would be any different effects caused by using different colors - otherwise, I would have bummed the 2nd one as well and they both would have been free! Turns out there was a difference: The orange color allowed more light to pass through to the roots and caused some algae growth - so, the dark green or a black bucket is a tad more efficient because there is no algae to feed.

Here is how the system is built: One hole (13/16") is drilled in the lower part of the bucket close to the bottom. This hole will accommodate a 1/2" rubber grommet which will hold a 1/2" plastic elbow. A 1/2" ID flexible, vinyl tube is attached to the elbow; this multipurpose tube serves as a sight glass, nutrient replenishment tube, air delivery tube and a drain hose. An adapter is constructed using a couple of different sized bits of tubing to adapt the multipurpose tube to a standard air pump hose.
Here is what makes it work: The plant is put in the 10" net basket using a non-soil medium - I use either clay pellets (Hydroton) or recycled glass rocks (Growstones) - they both work great. The bucket is filled with nutrient solution and the net basket is placed on top, extending into the bucket. The next step is the key to it's operation and success; the air pump is adapted to the multipurpose tube and pumps air into the nutrient solution 24/7. The constant supply of air provides the roots with more than enough oxygen and causes the plants to grow like wildfire!

Everyone who has seen this system wants one! To make things easier, I put a video on YouTube to explain the construction and use of the system. You can check it out here as well:




I do not heat my little greenhouse and the basil and Gynura will perish in the cold, so I have started two systems inside the house:

Here's a table I made from a gutted-out light fixture with a metal light stand I also manufactured using a very solid, steel metal rod holder and aluminum square tubing from Home Depot - this was the most expensive thing I actually manufactured - the stand at around $100.

Other things you see are the light above on adjustable cords, the double output air pump, and the small ventilation fan. Oh, and also a few insect sticky-traps just in case.

This set-up should provide us with plenty of basil and my wonderful Gynura plant through the Winter months. Oh, also I have a cloning station and a small herb garden in the garage. I will probably show that one in a later post.

By the way; did you know that Webster's definition of rogue is: "A dishonest or worthless person"? So ...... is "Going Rogue" really a good thing?