by daisy
window farms SIP style
5:23 am in Getting Started, Projects in Process, Seeking Advice by daisy
Hello.
It’s my first attempt to make a window farm and i want to make some changes.
First of all, i don’t want to make aquaponics, but window farms sub-irrigated planters. I have no skills in wiring or gaqrdening, so this is the best solution for me, i think.
My question is: does anybody tried this type of windowfarming? What problems do you encountered? Is it viable/ did you got results?
I made a drawing to express my idea; i hope it is suggestive.
I want to use soil, but to be able sometimes to let them alone for few days, so no need to water them daily.
What do you think ?
My idea is to use a colomn of 4 bottles x 8, so 32 bottles. If you’ve got any suggestion, feel free to let me know. I look forward to read your oppinions/improvements.
Thank you!
@daisywindowfarm Hi – You have put lots of thought into your windowfarm. I JUST took my aquaponic system down because of problems, and I’m so dissapointed that I wanted to do something while I put up a stronger system. The watter supply lines need to be fixed so they do not fall and run on my carpet. Since I already have my jars I thought I might try your system for a while to keep my plants alive. How will you put water into the reservoir? Will you pour it through the soil. I will post a picture of my S hooks so you can see how I can take my individual jars down and fix them. I would start with just 3 at first – it is much easier to repair or adapt 3 plant jars than to try to fix 16. I hope your system works good for you. I only plan to use the soil temporarily, unless it works extra good for me., Happy windowfarming. Sylvia Indiana USA
“How will you put water into the reservoir? Will you pour it through the soil. ”
No, i won’t. I forgot to explain that. I will make a small hole in the bottle support (black in the drawing) right above the water level in the reservoir, and insert there a straw. When the water level will decrease, i will refill it with water throgh the straw. I will not water above the soil – that is the idea – that the plant will self-water through the roots.
” I will post a picture of my S hooks so you can see how I can take my individual jars down and fix them. I would start with just 3 at first – it is much easier to repair or adapt 3 plant jars than to try to fix 16. I hope your system works good for you. I only plan to use the soil temporarily, unless it works extra good for me., Happy windowfarming. Sylvia Indiana USA”
I didn’t understood very well. If you don’t have your plants in bottles, you can make a false bottom to the planter, where you could fill it with water and the part from above it will be with soil. You could search to google about SIP planters/ containers/ boxes etc. YOu’ll wind plenty of pictures expressive.
I didn’t start to use my idea, it’s just a plan right now, so i won’t advice you to make changes before you know it will work.
That’s why i seek advice from anybody who had tried this type of planting, or who can see possible problems.
Hi Daisy,
I find your system interesting and I believe it should work.
Is it really necessary to link the bottles together ? I see it as a potential cause of leak.
You could maybe just attach bottles independently on the frame.
Regards and good luck,
Coni
WOW -Thanks Daisy for sharing your ideas – I already have botles and the chains to experiment with and I’ve raised plants in ordinary soil pots in my windows for years. So this might work for my temporary setup. After reading what you planned – ‘My thought’ – I’ll put the straw like you described in the lid of a bottle to watter and feed the plants. Then put that waterer on a long stick so I do not have to go up and down the stepstool. It will be fun experimenting with your ideas. Happy windowfarming Sylvia
Hi Coni,
No, i think it’s not necessary to link the bottles together. Maybe it will be better not to, because it will mean to glue them with silicon or whatever to prevent leaking.
But i bought already a chain, so i will see what other option i will choose to link them sepparatly to the chain.
Thank you for your suggestion!
Hi Sylvia,
Thank you and feel free to post pictures if you finish before me!! Yes, that is the idea- to experiment with what goes best with any of us. I will love to see other windowfarms with regular soil, but i didn’t so far.
@daisywindowfarm I got my farm up and after just a few days it looks good. I purchased herb plants at a local nursery and used one small aloe vera plant I had shooting up in my window pots. Your post was so special for me and enouraged me. It is much less complicated than my aquaponic setup. Sylvia
I’m glad it helped!
I think too hat is easier than aquaponics, even though i hould love to have one. But i’m anti-technicus and i find it kind of hard to do aquaponics by myself.
I’ve seen many of that kind of pots in the shop. They are nice and … Expensive! I also wanted to use that kind of system with my little trees in my balcony sed I don’t know how to do with the cotton strips. Which kind using and are you going to fix them from above to the top of the soil? Do you think that way the soil is enough irrigated?
Good luck and send a picture