What Does Bato Bucket (Dutch Bucket) Mean?
Also called a Dutch bucket, the Bato bucket is perhaps the most commonly used container for holding plants in an indoor growing system. Bato buckets have seen extensive use throughout Europe and the US, and can be connected easily, allowing hydroponic systems to be scaled to virtually any size needed.
At first glance, the Bato bucket looks like nothing more than a square conventional planter. However, appearances are deceptive. These buckets are used for both hydroponics and aquaponics, and feature the ability to use a single watering line and a single drainage line for multiple media beds when lined up together.
Maximum Yield Explains Bato Bucket (Dutch Bucket)
Hydroponics rely on the use of growing mediums to ensure that plants have a place to anchor, and benefit from stability. While larger media beds can be used, they are not always ideal. The Bato bucket system provides a solution that offers scalability, combined with a small form factor.
While Bato buckets can be used to grow virtually any plant type indoors, they are especially useful for vining crops like tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as for growing larger plants. It’s also interesting to note that vining plants can be trained upward, as well as horizontally, to create living walls of plants that are easy to monitor and, after fruiting, easy to harvest.
Unlike other hydroponic systems, each Bato bucket acts as both a host for a media bed, as well as the water and nutrient solution required for plant growth. The buckets are connected in series, and use the same water line, and the same drainage line. They can be set either on a bench or table, or directly on the floor if necessary.
When connected in series, they should be staggered, with each alternating bucket’s drain port facing inward to ensure that a central drain line can serve all buckets in the series.
