Try cutting a hole in your lids or using canning jar lids. Cut your
styrofoam tops to squeeze in the hole or the mouth of the jar. That should
hold them in place. It is not necessary for the styrofoam to float on the
surface of the solution. There is sufficient moisture in the air to keep the
roots moist in the small gap between the water level and the foam plug.
Eventually the roots will grow down into the solution. I myself prefer to
use rockwool plugs which can be cut long enough to reach down into the
solution. See my hydroponics paper on my web
page:http://www.ag.unr.edu/cramer/hydroponic.html
Although rockwool is probably more expensive than your styrofoam. It is
commonly used in the hydroponics industry.
--
Grant R. Cramer
Associate Professor
Mail Stop 200
Department of Biochemistry
University of Nevada
Reno, NV 89557
phone: (775) 784-4204
fax: (775) 784-1650
email: cramer at unr.edu
web page: http://www.ag.unr.edu/cramer/
> From: sandram at maroon.tc.umn.edu (Sandra Mackey)
> Organization: MRC Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre
> Date: 31 Jan 2000 17:57:20 -0000
> To: plant-ed at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk> Subject: hydroponics set-ups
>>>> I am getting ready to set up a demonstration for mineral nutrition using
> Hoagland's solution and hydroponics. We have been using styrofoam tops on
> wide mouthed quart canning jars. The styrofoam tops are not entirely
> satisfactory because they don't stay in place well, especially when they
> get bumped in a crowded situation. We've tried taping them in place but
> the tops need to be lifted up daily to add more solution. Does anyone have
> any suggestions? Thanks for any help.
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~> ~
> TT
> Sandra Mackey 612-625-1983 || TT
> / \ ||
> Sr. Lab Services Coordinator / \ / \
> College of Biological Sciences / o \ o |
> University of Minnesota ( ______ ) __/
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~
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