Simplified Non-Circulating Hydroponics

(SiNcH)
Procedure developed by:
Roberto A. Alaban, Jr.

Ideal for:

Lettuce (loose leaf)

Mustard

Arugula (Rocket)

Chinese cabbage

Other salad greens

Growing Boxes

Made of half-inch thick plywood, lined with

plastic sheet to be watertight
Side View

Top View
2 ft

Functionally,
purpose each
box has volume
of 119 cm x 58
cm x 8 cm = 55
liters. Use 50
liters, gving
each seedling
plug a little over
1.5 liters nutrient
solution from
transplanting to
harvest.

4 ft
4 in

Net depth 3 in
It must be lined with plastic,
preferably black and 0.006
mil or more thick so that it is
not easily punctured during
use.

4 ft

Note that the plastic lining is

1 inch deeper than the
plywood box. This will
enable the plastic to be
folded back over the gap
between the sides of the
box and the styropor raft to
prevent mosquitoes from
breeding in the nutrient
solution and also block
sunlight and prevent algae
growth in the exposed part
of the nutrient solution.

Note: 15 pcs of 4 ft x 8 ft x in thick plywood will make 48 growing boxes..

Styropor raft

At least 1 inch thick to support weight of plants, cut

slightly smaller than inside dimensions of growing
box to float freely on nutrient solution

Top View
1 ft 21.5 in

Cut
the
styro
sheet
slightly
smaller than the
inside dimensions
of the growing
box, allowing a
3/4-inch
gap
between its edges
and the inside
edges
of
the
plywood growing
box. This will allow
the styro raft to
float freely on the
nutrient solution.

6 in
3 ft 9.5 in
7 in

Make holes in the sheet using hot metal pipe

( inch diameter) spaced 6 inches (4 holes
along the short side) x 7 inches (8 holes
along the long side) apart making a total of
32 plugs per box.

Seedling plugs

Made from plastic seedling trays by individually

cutting each tray hole with a pair of scissors.
Recyclable after every harvest.

Seedling plugs cut

from seedling tray

Use another seedling tray as

receptacle for the plugs when
handling them in large numbers, e.g.,
during placement in styro rafts.

Plant medium

Coconut husk fiber (a.k.a. Coco peat). Recyclable

after every harvest (reduced volume due to handling
wastage, some deterioration) but needs to be washed.

This brand comes

sterilized and washed off
of salts (such as sodium)

Tunnel house

Modular, low-cost, UV-plastic-roofed, shade-netted

growing structure.

Front View/Cross Section

Roof: UV-resistant plastic

o
o

7 ft

Additional
roof
supports:
1/16 in
Nylon
mono-line

o
Top
longitudinal
support:
bamboo strip
or equivalent

2.2 m

50% shade net to protect

crop from too much sunlight

o Arcs: in PVC pipe oro

metal equivalent
Wooden posts
4 in x 4 in x
1.2 m high
from ground
(or equivalent
material)

o
o

Tunnel house

Showing placement of growing boxes,

growing box shelves, and relevant dimensions

Front View/Cross Section

o
o

o
o

7 ft
1.0 m

0.70 m

0.80 m

0.70 m
Shelves 1 m high to support
growing boxes. Maybe made
of 2 in x 2 in x 2 in lumber or
equivalent materials.

Tunnel house
Side/Longitudinal View

Modular, low-cost, UV-plastic-roofed, shade-netted

growing structure.
50% shade net to

Top longitudinal support: bamboo Roof: UV-resistant plastic

strip or equivalent

Additional roof supports:

1/16 in Nylon mono-line
7 ft
Growing boxes

8 ft

Arcs: in PVC pipe or

metal equivalent

Wooden posts 4 in
x 4 in x 1.2 m high
from ground (or
equivalent material)

protect crop from

too much sunlight

Tunnel house
Cross section

Additional roof supports:

1/16 in Nylon mono-line
Arcs: in PVC pipe or
metal equivalent

Growing boxes

Modular, low-cost, UV-plastic-roofed, shade-netted

growing structure.
Top longitudinal
support: bamboo
strip or equivalent

Roof: UV-resistant
plastic

50% shade net to

protect crop from
too much sunlight

Fertilizer

Use Scotts Peter's Professional 5-11-26 Hydro-Sol plus

Calcium Nitrate

Dosage: For every liter of water dissolve 0.81 g Peter's Hydrosol and 0.54 g
Calcium Nitrate
For each growing box with 32 seedling plugs, 50 liters of fertilizer solution is
enough (giving each plug little more than 1.5 liters of nutrient solution up to
harvest, 30 days from transfer from seedling tray receptacle to floating raft).
To achieve this dissolve 40.5 g Hydrosol and 26.5 g Calcium Nitrate per 50 liters of
water.

Assume:
600 m2 area, (width 20 m, length 30 m)
Width of each tunnel house = 2.2 m
Therefore:
Number of tunnel houses= 9
Length of each tunnel house = 30 m
Number of growing boxes per tunnel (1 level) = 48
Number of growing boxes in 9 tunnel houses = 432
Pieces plywood to make 48 grwoing boxes = 15
Pieces plywood to make 432 growing boxes = 135
Number of plants (plugs) per box = 32
Number of plants in 9 tunnel houses = 13,824, say 13,000
Average weight per plug at harvest = 80 grams
Total weight of 13,000 plugs = 1,040 kilograms
Days from planting to harvest = 40 days
Grams Peter's Hydrosol per box = 40.5
Grams Calcium Nitrate per box = 26.5
Kilograms Peter's Hydrosol per tunnel = 1.94
Kilograms Peter's hydrosol 9 tunnels = 17.50
Kilograms Cacium Nitrate per tunnel = 1.27
Kilograms Calcium Nitrate 9 tunnels = 11.43

Harvested multi-variety of
loose-leaf lettuce grown using
Simplified
Non-circulating
Hydroponics on floating rafts.

Production flow:
Day -3 to -1:Preparatory activities
Fill plastic cups with growing
medium (coco fiber), wash boxes &
rafts, other activities

Day 10 to 14: Transfer seedling plugs to floating

rafts in growing boxes under tunnel house.
,

Day 0: Plant 3-5 seeds in plastic cups,

Day 11-15 to 40: Raise seedling plugs on floating

rafts in growing boxes under tunnel house.
,

Day 1 to 10-14: Raise seedlings

in seedling plugs.
,

Day 35-40: Harvest.

,

GALLERY
20-day old Romaine lettuce on
floating rafts

Manually
agitating the
nutrient solution
from time to
time improves
growth thru
oxygenation of
the solution.
Location: Victorias City, Philippines
2009

Discarded
styropor fruit
boxes used as
growing boxes

Small plastic huts holding three

2' x 4' growing boxes

Loose leaf lettuce on styropor

cups on floating styropor rafts.

GALLERY
Hydroponic lettuce on floating rafts protected
from rain by UV-plastic roof (50% shade net
protects against too much sunlight)

Locations:
Iloilo City, 2006
Victorias City, 2009
Philippines

One of my tunnel houses under construction

Training project for disabled people

on Simplified, Non-circulating
Hydroponics