Ideas for Small Two-Plant Hydroponic Systems

Soda Bottles

• Cut-off soda bottles make excellent hydroponic containers for growing plants singly or in small groups. Each soda bottle, when filled with hydroponic solution, can support a single plant when the plant is placed in the bottle top or a Styrofoam cup and given access to the nutrients. If the plants are small, two plants are grown together in a single soda bottle setup, or two bottles can be fastened together with decorative duct tape to form a slightly larger dual system.

Buckets

• Almost any kind of a bucket, pot or other similar container makes a good basis for a simple hydroponic system. A large bucket, 5 gallons or more, can easily support two small plants. The bucket must have good drainage, to allow liquid in the system to drain out the bottom. It also needs to be filled with an inert growing medium, such as gravel, perlite or silica rocks. At least three times per day hydroponic nutrient solution is poured into the bucket, allowed to drain completely out, recaptured in a tray, and used again for the next feeding.

Styrofoam Coolers

• Styrofoam coolers come in many different sizes. Small ones work well for two-plant hydroponic systems, providing plenty of storage for the nutrient solution. The cooler is filled with hydroponic nutrients, then the lid is placed on it. Holes cut into the lid allow plants in net pots to dangle into the nutrient solution. As the plants grow, the level of the liquid is dropped to provide an air gap, allowing the roots to be in the nutrients but also have a section that is exposed to the air, providing them with oxygen as well as water and other essential elements.

Storage Bins

• Colored plastic storage bins, that do not allow light in through either the sides or the top, make an excellent basis for two-plant hydroponic systems. A small bin is filled with nutrient solution, and the plants are placed into net pots and set into two holes in the lid. An air stone in the liquid is connected to a small air pump that continually provides oxygen to this small, deep water culture hydroponic system.