
Sand down the ends of these 6-inch pieces so our 1-inch elbows will connect to them. Step 6: Cut eight, 6-inch lengths of your 1-inch PVC pipe. Step 5: Using a 1-inch drill bit, drill a hole into the side of each bucket about three inches up from the bottom. This will help the liquid inside stay cool.) (If you live in a very hot area, you should consider partially burying your reservoir. Position your reservoir on one end of the system, directly under that elbow. Step 4: Now you can attach the 2-inch PVC elbow to the end of your drain pipe facing down. Step 3: Use a drill with a 1-inch hole saw to cut holes into the top of the drainpipe on each mark you made.

Mark the position of your buckets on the drain pipe. A foot or so apart should work for most plants. Decide on the spacing of the buckets based on what you’re growing. Step 2: Position your eight buckets, four on each side of the PVC drainage pipe. Cut your PVC pipe to about 8 feet and lay it down in your designated area. Step 1: Find a table, platform, or even just a spot on the floor to build your Dutch bucket system.

This makes vining plants ideal because their leaders can be guided upwards and trellised, allowing for excellent potential yields. The containers in a Dutch bucket system are connected horizontally, leaving plenty of room for upward growth. Home growers and commercial farmers alike turn to the Dutch bucket to grow tall and vining fruits and veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, squashes, and beans, which require a high amount of nutrients. That latter is the Dutch bucket’s area of expertise. You can grow leafy greens, herbs, roots, and even large, vining plants. Where a hydroponic system like the Kratky method struggles to keep large and heavy-feeding plants healthy, a Dutch bucket has no such limitation. There is very little restricting you with this setup. When it comes down to it, you can grow anything in a Dutch bucket. This is an incredibly water- and nutrient-efficient method, ideal for growing heavy-feeding and vining plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
#BATO BUCKET SYSTEM HOW TO#
I’d like to show you exactly what a Dutch bucket hydroponic system is, what it looks like, and how to build one yourself.Ī Dutch bucket, or Bato bucket, is a hydroponic system in which two or more growing containers are connected to the same irrigation and drainage lines. They are easy to build, scalable, and great for growing many kinds of fruits and vegetables. Dutch buckets are a favorite tool of many hydroponic growers.
