How to set up SNAP Hydroponics
A. Establish the seedlings
Materials needed:
sowing tray – shallow box/basin with holes for drainage at the bottom
growing media – aged (not the new one) coconut coir dust or charcoaled rice hull or their mixture; saw dust (possible with the old stock -not the new ones but not yet tested), fine sand (can be combined with coir dust and or charcoaled rice hull)
seeds (buy from your local agri store)
watering solution (water with SNAP nutrient solution)
Procedure
Fill the sowing tray with a layer of the growing media (about 1 inch thick)
Level die media
Scatter the small seeds uniformly and thinly (the amount depending on your need)
Water liberally as needed (Expect germination in 3 to 5 days)
Grow the seedlings for 10 days before transferring to individual growing cups (called seedling plugs)
B. Prepare the seedling plugs
Materials needed:
Styrofoam cups (8 to 10 oz)
Cutter or knife or hack saw blade
Growing media
Seedlings
BBQ stick or the like
Procedure
Prepare the Styrofoam cups as shown . Use a knife or cutter to make those 8 holes (about 1 inch long at the side and 1/2 inch at the bottom).
Fill the prepared holding cups with the growing media (about 1/2 inch thick)
Transplant the seedlings from the sowing tray. “Dig” a hole in the middle of the growing media in the cup. Use the a stick to uproot the seedlings from the sowing tray with care. Transfer only one seedling per cup. Make the transferred seedling stand firmly by replacing the ‘dug’ media to the base of the seedling.
Water the seedling plugs carefully and lightly.
C. Prepare the growing boxes
Materials needed:
Styrofoam boxes (boxes of imported grapes}
Tin can (with open top and bottom) of big evap milk
Polyethylene plastic bag (20″ x 30″, 0.003 mm thick)
Procedure
Make 5-6 (for small styro boxes) or 8 (for big styro boxes) holes on the lid/cover of the box using the tin can as hole puncher (See picture).
Use the plastic bag as liner for the bottom half of the box to make it fit to hold the nutrient solution
D. Running the SNAP hydroponics system
Materials needed:
seedling plugs
SNAP nutrient solution
growing boxes with 10 liters of water each
benches or stand (optional) – where the growing boxes will be placed under a shelter
rain shelter (optional during dry season) or roof awning facing east for the earliest and longest sunlight possible)
Procedure
For good growth of the plants, locate the SNAP hydroponics where it will best receive the morning sunlight, the earlier the better. It should be under a roof awning if not a transparent shed to prevent the rain water getting into the system.
Arrange the growing boxes on the bench (optional) with covers removed
Fill each growing box with about 10 liters of tap water
Add 50-75 ml of SNAP A to each box stir well
Add equal amount of SNAP B to each box then stir well again
Put back the cover of the box
Place the seedling plugs into the holes of the cover. See to it that all cups are ‘plugged’ in the holes evenly.
See to it that the bottom of the cups is touching the nutrient solution by lA inch deep, not any deeper or shallower. If not, add more water until the desired depth is reached.
Examine the boxes for leaks and make some troubleshooting.
Visit the set up every morning as early as you can to catch any insect larva that may eat the plants (the larva is visible in the early morning; after that they tend to hide from the sun and maybe harder to find)
Expect the nutrient solution level to recede faster when the plants are much bigger than when they were still seedlings. Replenish using fresh nutrient solution when its level has gone down by more than 1 inch below the cup bottom. However, NEVER allow the level of the solution to again reach the bottom of the cup; replenish until the solution level has reached about 1/2 inch below the cup’s bottom.
NOTE: It is more practical to prepare the nutrient solution in a drum and then just distribute the prepared solution to each growing box and use the left-over solution for replenishing.
