2 x pails or totes with lids – you’ve some freedom here, basically you require a nutrient reservoir and a growing container. Many people use a 3 gallon pail ( the growing container) slid into a 5 gallon pail (the nutrient reservoir). Whilst other people employ two totes, one set on top of the other. It altogether depends upon how large of a wick system you desire and what space you have to accommodate it. Just as long as the two containers sit solidly upon each other and will not easily fall over. Oh and finally pick out a color or material that blocks out light, else you’ll wind up with a fit algae farm in your reservoir and not a lot else.

Wicks – The amount of these you need will change by the size of your arrangement. For a humble pot, a single wick will be ok, for a larger system 5 or 6 could be required. The most crucial matter is what they’re made out of. You want a material that’s extremely absorbent, such as braided polyurethane yarn or fibrous rope. Don’t use cotton (rots out easily) or nylon (not very absorbent).

Growing Media – more often than not this is a mix of perlite, peat moss, and vermiculite. Although Pro-Mix and Coconut Fiber are also popular. It boils down more to what you’ll be able to find at your local gardening center.

Nutrients – regular fertilizers won’t work. They don’t have a few of the trace components since they anticipate you to be utilizing dirt. You’ll need to use Hydroponic Nutrients.

Optional – 1 length of tubing to act as a reservoir fill tube.

In wick hydroponic systems, plants control irrigating rates. Simply, the lower end of a highly-absorbent wick is placed in a reservoir containing nutrient-enriched water. The other is packed in the growing medium close to the plant roots. If you are using a bucket as your reservoir then you can set it aside for now. If you are using a tote for the reservoir you will want to take the lid of the tote and (depending on the size of the growing container) and decide where and how many holes to drill for the wicks to pass through. Generally in a normal rectangular tote two holes in the lid will be enough. Placed in the middle and spaced evenly to the ends of the tote lid.

Now you will want to choose how you are going to lay out the wick(s). You could use one large wick and just bring it up in the center a few inches (far enough into the growing media for it to start drawing water from the wick). I have also seen systems where they took 3 or 4 smaller wicks, braided them together then brought up into the growing container through a single hole. At that point they separated the wicks and laid them out in a “clover leaf” pattern to evenly disperse the nutrient soultuion in the growing media.

And lastly the growing containers:

For the 3 gallon bucket just drill a single hole in the bottom of the bucket just big enough to pass the wicks through. If you find your wicks keep falling out just tie in a knot in the wick(s) slightly bigger than the hole (leave enough wick on top to reach the growing media). Optional: Drill a second hole on one side just big enough to pass the fill tube through. Run the tube up the side of the bucket and leave it for now. This is what you will use to refill the reservoir without needing to pull the buckets apart. Optional #2: You also may want to drill several smaller drain holes in the growing bucket if it gets any watering from the top. Else the water wont be able to drain and you could end up with flooded plants.

For the tote you will also want to drill holes for the wicks in the bottom of the container, be sure they match the holes in the reservoir lid. Thread the wick(s) in like above with the bucket and your done. Oh I almost forgot, you also may want to put one last smaller hole in the reservoir tote lid. Place it just under the corner of where the growing container would normally sit to act as a reservoir refill. Just slide the growing container to one side a little. Refill the the reservoir. Slide the growing container back and cover the hole to keep bugs and pests out.

The finishing touches:
- Fill reservoir with water and nutrients. Mix according to directions.
- Put the wicks in the growing container.
- Set the growing container in or on the reservoir, making sure the wicks are in contact with the water.
- Fill the growing container with growing media.
- Wait a few hours / days for the water to wick up into the growing media.
- Plant your plants.
- Enjoy your build-it yourself hydroponic system.