What is the Dutch Bucket hydroponics system?
The dutch bucket system is one of the simplest and commonly used hydroponics systems ideal for growing a variety of vining and heavy-fruiting crops. The dutch bucket is also known as the bato bucket system. This system is a variation of the ebb and flow method which works incredibly well as a water-nutrient-efficient system. Dutch bucket hydroponics is all about flow, drainage, and time. The containers are connected horizontally, to the same irrigation and drainage lines in this system.
The Higronic hydroponic Dutch Bucket / Bato Bucket System is intended to be fed by the drip emitter and wired to drain using a standard 1.5" PVC pipe. This drain pipe can connect more containers connected to the same irrigation. Plants grow large as they get ample amounts of nutrients because of the pump in the reservoir. The safety reservoir of nutrient solution at the bottom of the bucket is 1" deep. This can vary with the help of drill bits. This function keeps the grow medium from drying up and becoming water-stressed in between watering cycles. A siphon hose also prevents the nutritional solutions from accumulating too much.
What can you grow in a Hydroponic Dutch bucket?
The types of plants that can be grown in a food-grade dutch bucket system or food-grade hydroponics system aren’t very restricting, with plenty of room for the vertical growth of plants. You can grow any and almost all kinds of crops in a food-grade dutch bucket system, ranging from leafy greens to large vining plants without any limitation and that is one advantage of opting for an outdoor dutch bucket system. It works wonders for both homes as well as commercial growers.
A Dutch bucket, or Bato bucket System, is a hydroponic system in which two or more growing containers are connected to the same irrigation and drainage lines. This is an incredible water and nutrient-efficient method, ideal for growing heavy-feeding and vining plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. When it comes down to it, you can grow anything in a Dutch bucket.
The containers in a Dutch bucket or Bato bucket system are connected horizontally through PVC pipe, leaving plenty of room for upward growth. Dutch Buckets are connected through PVC pipe. The nutrient solution passes through the drainage line of the PVC pipe.
You can set up the system to grow different types of plants, especially large vining and top-heavy crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, chillies, eggplants, squashes, beans, etc.
Can we use cocopeat in a Hydroponic Dutch bucket?
We can use cocopeat as a growing medium in multiple as well as a single dutch bucket hydroponics system. There are other growing media too which go equally well with this greenhouse solutions dutch bucket system. These include perlite, hydroton, leca, etc. to keep the moisture, ventilation as well as supporting plants to stand tall and upright.
The best growing medium to use in dutch buckets is cocopeat. Both of these hold water for plant roots pretty well. Plant roots get enough nutrient solution through the drainage line of the PVC pipe.
What do you need to build a Dutch Bucket System?
- Dutch bucket- 5 No
- Net Pot- 10 No
- Fast Plug-10 No
- Water Pump
- TV plus Nutrient-1
- PVC pipe-63mm (5ft)
- PVC end cap-63mm pipe-1No
- PVC elbow-63mm pipe-1No
- Lateral Pipe-5mtr
- Flow Control Valve
- 2 hose clamps
- Zip ties
- Growing media-Leca/perlite/coco coir
- Tank/Reservoir
Higronics is a trusted dutch bucket manufacturer and you can find these dutch bucket systems online.
How does the Dutch Bucket work?
There is one large tank that holds water and nutrients. A submersible pump is placed into the tank to pump the nutrients into the drip irrigation line and drop them onto the plants through the drip line. The drip lines are fixed to the irrigation line and are pointed to each bucket to feed the plants.
If you run your drip emitter all day, most of the water & nutrient solution just runs straight down to the drainage line. The plant roots can only absorb so much through the growing medium. Your growing medium should never feel dry. Don’t be afraid to touch the growing medium at different times throughout the day.
What is the purpose of a Dutch bucket?
Dutch bucket hydroponic system is among the simplest, commercially viable and scalable systems within hydroponics farming systems. Some of the best plants for dutch buckets are used to grow vining and heavy-fruiting that need maximum vertical space to grow.
Pros and Cons of Dutch Bucket Hydroponics System
Pros
- Great for fruiting plants, thick, and vining plants like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
- It is a space-saving system, flexible in size and setup
- It is a recirculation system, all the drained water and nutrients are not lost but returned to the tank
- Great hydroponic technique for beginners and is easy to set up
- It is a cost-effective system
- Easy to address pest and disease issues by simply removing the affected plant in the row
Cons
- The reservoir needs constant care and attention for the plants to reach their maximum potential
- Disease or pest in the reservoir can spread quickly across the buckets
- Drip emitters and lines can get clogged