How Does it Work: General Hydroponics Powergrower Eco System Complete

Design

• The PowerGrower Eco consists of a single container, the reservoir, that is 15 inches tall and is capable of holding 5.7 gallons of liquid. A smaller growing chamber sits inside the larger container. The growing chamber is filled with clay pellets to support the growth of the plant. There is an air tube, an overflow tube and a circular drip ring, all of which work together to provide nutrients to the plant in the growing chamber. Once assembled, the PowerGrower has capacity for storing nutrient solution of about 2.5 gallons; this will last most plants up to a week.

Assembly

• The PowerGrower Eco is shipped unassembled, but it is designed for easy assembly. The process of putting the parts together helps the new user to understand how the system works. First you put the pumping column support tube in place in the growing chamber, then add the drip ring to the pumping column and insert the pumping column into the support tube. Then you fill the growing chamber with clay pellets and connect the air tubing to the pumping column and the air pump. Finally, add nutrient solution up to the fill line in the outer chamber.

Planting

• Once you've fully assembled the unit, plant a single plant in the clay pellets in the growing chamber. If the plant has previously been grown in soil, you must carefully remove all traces of soil from the roots. Then place the plant among the pellets. Arrange the clay pellets so they support the plant and its roots but don't crush either of them. The stem of the plant should be above the pellets in the same way that it would be above the ground if planted in soil, to avoid stem rot.

Operation

• When you turn the air pump on, it pumps air into the nutrient reservoir through the air line and the pumping column. This air lifts aerated nutrient solution up the pumping column, which sends it into the drip ring. From the drip ring it drips out into the clay pellets, feeding and watering the plant. Any solution that the plant does not use filters back down through the bottom of the growing tank and into the reservoir beneath, where it is recycled. For some plants this cycle should run continually, but for others a timer that turns the pump on periodically during daylight hours works better. The timer is not a part of the system; you must purchase it separately.