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6:14 am in Completed Window Farms, Getting Started, How-Tos, International, made from scratch (without a kit), Materials and Resources, Plants, posts with pitcures! by Maj Martinsen

Hey everybody, I finally finished my first window farm (WF). It consists of an air lift and 2 rows of plant containers, with 5 containers in each row.

I put together a DIY guide, see it here (pdf).
I also made a Danish version of the guide (pdf), which includes prices and where to get the parts in Denmark.

I started figuring out how to build a WF, from scratch, about 3 months ago. I live in Denmark so buying a kit was out of the question. It took me a while to understand how the system was supposed to work, and then another while to figure out how I was going to build one myself. I had no experience working with the stuff needed to do this. Stuff like air pumps, tubes, and valves so it was all very confusing to begin with. I didn’t know anything about growing hydroponically either but ever since I saw the TED talk with Britta Riley, about a year ago, I have been interested in the project.

Now my WF is finally up and running and the plants grow bigger every day. So I want to thank this lovely community and the people behind the WF project for teaching me. It has been a lot of fun, and a little infuriating from time to time, when something just wouldn’t work the way I wanted it to.

I went through a couple of test systems, all of the air lift type, before landing on the one I am using now. At first I tried anchoring a tube on the bottom of a big water reservoir, but even though I knew this worked for others, I never managed to make it stable. The air from the pump kept flowing back into the reservoir, instead of lifting the water upwards. I then tried putting a small reservoir at the end of the row of plant containers. This worked very well; the reservoir had a tube in the bottom that went into a U-bend, which prevented air back flow to the reservoir. Unfortunately this setup forced me to reduce the number of plant containers I could have in a row, and I had to add water to the reservoir often, which was annoying. My current setup looks like this:

I put the reservoir, the air pump, and the U-bend below a shelf at my windowsill. There is a small gap between the shelf and the windowsill, where the tubes can get from below to above the shelf.

For reservoir I am using a 10 l (2.6 gallons) water container with a tap that is big enough for 2 tubes to fit into it. I made a plug of silicone sealant around the ends of the 2 tubes, to make a water tight fit (see info. box 1 on the sketch). To make sure the plug stays in place I wrapped some duct tape around the joint.

After leaving the tap of the water container each of the 2 tubes goes into a U-bend. *The U-bend needs to be at least 30 cm (12 inches) from top to bottom to prevent air back flow. (Thank you, Brian White, for sharing this information, the diagram you made really helped me a lot: http://our.windowfarms.org/files/2012/04/contest-with-u-April-7th.jpg)

After the U-bend there is a t-joint, where the water meets the air from the pump. I put a check valve on each of the 2 tubes leading the air to the t-joint, to prevent water reaching the pump (see info. Box 2 on the sketch).

In an effort to decrease the amount of plastic in my WF, and because I thought it would look good, I tried using coconut shells as plant containers. I hollowed out 10 coconut shells, cleaned them, and coated them on the inside with mineral oil to prevent them from absorbing water. I made a braided rope and nets for them to hang in. It looked really good but unfortunately the shells cracked. I think it happened because the shells I got were very old and dried out. I bought them all the same place but later on I tried with a shell bought at another place and it did not react the same way as the others. So I still think it could work with coconut shells, but I grew too impatient and my seedlings grew too big for me to do it all again with other coconuts. I turned to the well known plastic bottle instead, and I am very satisfied with the result.

I reused the rope I used to hang the coconut shells from but had to find another way to attach the new plant containers to the rope. I ended up with a kind of button on system which allows each plant container to be removed without dismantling the entire row. This highly modular system has the advantage that I don’t need net pots in the containers. I couldn’t find any net pots that would fit so I had to do without. If I do get my hands on some good net pots I will use them, though.

So I wanted to use coconut shells as plant containers, partly, because I wanted to reduce materials that could leak toxins into the water and plants. About this I have now come to think that the plant containers are actually the least important part. Most of the time, the water is in the reservoir or the tubes, so it’s more important that these parts don’t contain anything that will leak into the water. As the water drips into a plant container it goes straight through the clay pebbles and into another tube. Most of the clay pebbles that come into contact with the container are dry, as the water runs through the center part. I therefore don’t think the plastic bottles will be able to leak anything into the water, and if it does it will be minimal, compared to the reservoir and tubes.

These are the things I used to make my WF:

1    Air pump: Sera air 275 R plus. It has 2 outlets, a power regulator, and it comes with 2 check  valves

2    Water container with tap: 10 l (2.6 gallons). (It has the glass and fork symbol, which     means it’s intended for food contact; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_safe_symbol)

3    Tube: 4/6 mm (0.15 inches/0.23 inches). I used about 6 m in total (19.6 feet)

4    Tube close up: It has the glass and fork symbol too.

5    T-joint and check valve: I used 2 of each.

6    Water bottle: 2 l (0.5 gallons). I used 10 of these.

7    Twine: 2 mm. (0.08 inches). I used about 10 m in total (32.8 feet).

8    Hooks: I used 7 in total (2 for each row, 2 for the water container, and 1 for the pump)

9    Spray paint: 1 can

10  Buttons: About 1 cm in diameter (0.4 inches). I used 40 of these.

11   Wire: 0.3 mm (0.01 inches). I used about 2 m in total (6.5 feet).

12  Power drill

13  Drill bit (4 mm – 0.15 inches) and screw bit (6 mm – 0.23 inches).

14  Hobby knife

15  Scissors

16  Belt punch

17  Duct tape

18  Silicone sealant

19  Clay pebbles (Leca): I used about 5 l in total (1.3 gallons).

20  Nutrients: Biosevia grow and Biosevia bloom

21  PH test kit (I didn’t use this to make the WF but it’s good to have afterwards)

22  Seeds, soil, egg shells, and egg tray.

23  Planted seeds in egg shells. This is how I grew my seedlings.

The essentials for making an air lift type WF: air pump, water container, tubes, valves and t-joints, grow medium, and nutrients.
The rest (tools, plant containers, plants) can be improvised.

After making the plant containers and assembling the system I transplanted the seedlings into the WF by carefully uprooting them, cleaning the soil from the roots, and putting them into the clay pebbles. The seedlings I have transplanted have all survived, it’s been about 2 weeks now. I also tried transplanting some cuttings from grown plants into the WF. One cutting was from a tomato plant and the others were from a basil plant. The tomato plant cutting had been growing in soil for a while and had become rather large. I thought it had grown too big to survive the transplantation and for a couple of hours it looked like it would die. Then it suddenly started getting better and the next day it was definitely on the mend. After 2 days it was back to normal. (The bend on the stem is caused by the way it has been growing before being put in the WF).

1 hour after transplantation

The next day it looks better

2 days later it's back to normal

The basil cuttings (3 in total) had different reactions: the first had grown pretty big in soil but it had no problem adjusting to the new environment. The second had not developed roots yet and for a long time, after putting it in the WF, it looked like it was dead. All the leaves fell of but I just let it be and now it has developed new leaves and looks like it will survive. The third already looked rather droopy when I put it in the WF and like the second one it dropped its leaves and looked like it was dying, but now it has developed new leaves too.

Besides tomato and basil I am growing chives, thyme, chili, and lettuce.
Row 1, from the top: chili, basil, thyme, chives, and tomato.
Row 2, from the top: chili, basil, thyme, lettuce, and chili again.Later I want to grow more lettuce and some strawberries, cilantro, mint, and pepper.

I don’t have a timer on my system at the moment but I will probably invest in one later on.

Pdf guide (English)
Pdf guide (Danish)

Thanks for reading and happy window farming.
Maj

 

cure for new droopy plants?

2:51 pm in Nutrients, Nutrition, Plants, posts with pitcures!, questions, Uncategorized by Dustyn Roberts

I got my baby plants Friday, opened the box up to let them breathe, then set up the Windowfarm Saturday night.  I know it hasn’t even been 24 hours but the plants are droopy and I’m afraid they won’t make it.  I just moved (to Philadelphia) and can’t find the pH test strips, but do have the nutrients and started with 10ml and a full pot of water.  The window faces south but since it’s the ground floor of a townhouse it doesn’t get a whole lot of light.  Any thoughts/advice?  Thanks!

Tomato harvest

4:32 pm in posts with pitcures! by Joseph Gatt

Right side

Left side

 
 

Sill

 
 

Grower

 

 I was trying to pollinate the flowers when I suddenly noticed there were some tomatoes growing already. Now I’ve ended up with 12 tomatoes growing on my two plants. I hope they won’t be overwhelmed, as I am currently battling whitefly.

Regards
Joseph

The grow op is now off the ground :)

5:33 pm in Being a good member of this community, Getting Started, made from scratch (without a kit), Materials and Resources, Nutrients, posts with pitcures!, R&D-I-Y, Uncategorized by Azi Strawn

After waiting several months to after completing my set up, it’s finally off the ground! It was, quite literally, piled in the corner for months while I worked up a way to hang it in my house.  The house is 120 years old and there was NO way to hang it, so I had to find the best way to hang this new contraption.  As you can see in the picture I have a free standing rack with my 2 x 3 planters.  I feel the free standing rig is the best for me simply because it allows me flexibility to relocate it in the future.

Below is a brief description of the components of the system and what I’ve found in setting things up:

Full shot of the WF on its rack

Airlift system:

  •  ecoair2 air pump from a local hydroponics store (I couldn’t find a fishtank bubbler)
  • ~10′ of clear 1/4″ (i.d) vinyl tube
  • ~15′ of 1/8″ (i.d.) black air tube (more than I really needed but it came in handy for my planters)
  • 3 plastic T valves
  •  twist ties
  • 1 medium sized rock (look at the pics, it keeps my air input below the water tank)
  • 1 timer w/ settings for 30 mins at a time
Water system:
  • I used an old Britta water filter tank, the kind that have a drain spigot on one end and a whole in the top to add more water
  • Gorrila tape
  • gasket sealant
Planters:
  • 6 32oz. Gatorade bottles + lids
  • Several feet of the black air tube mentioned above
  • gasket sealant
  • black paints
  • hydroton (clay balls)
  • ~15′ rope
  • shade mesh (1′x6′,  which was more than necessary for lining the bottom of the planter cups)
  • 6 rubber bands
Support Structure:
I used scrap wood that I found in my basement to build a structure to hang and support the windowfarm as you can see in my pics.  The key here is that I can keep my water tank off the ground via the base, and  the simple hooks in the top.  Hopefully it will stand the tests of time. :)
Nutrients:
I have not yet added any nutrients but will be using fox farm nutrient trio.  I bought this locally.  I plan to follow the directions.  I will also be adding molasses to the nutrient soup eventually.  More on that in a future post.
Plants:
I just put in 4 of 6 plants the planters yesterday:
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 spinach
I will soon be putting clippings of strawberry plants.
If you have more questions about any of this, message me!

by Pieter

tips & tricks on growing plants in my new Window Farm

12:54 pm in Completed Window Farms, Getting Started, International, made from scratch (without a kit), Nutrients, Nutrition, Plants, posts with pitcures!, questions, Seeking Advice, Starting Seeds by Pieter

Hello Everyone,

My name is Pieter and i’m an Architect living in Antwerp Belgium.

Last year i’ve build a 2 string 8 bottle windowfarm and have been experimenting with it since than.

the system works great so i started trying to grow some plants, i’ve tried with seedlings grown on cottenwool and with full grown soil plants, but all they did was die.. I used different types of nutrients, (not specific for hydroculture, so maybe thats the problem) the timer i use is set on a quarter per 1.5 hour.

After killing a lot of plants finaly ONE tomato plant didnt die, and grow quiet big.. but thats before the winter, now its dead as well..

now the wetter is getting better i want to make a fresh start and could use some help with my farm!

what are the tips on good nutrition, which plants go well with one and other, what frequency do i need to put the timer on, etc etc

can someone here help me with that?

 

thanks!

 

How much it cost.

4:23 pm in made from scratch (without a kit), posts with pitcures!, Uncategorized by Mini Keiko

My first window farm beta test cost:

  • 8 Toothbrush & cup holders =$8
  • 8 plastic cups= $1
  • 2 pkg Hydroponic gels =$2
  • 1 check valve=$1.89
  • 2 T-valve set=$1.97
  • clear airline(tube)=$3.12
  • air pump=$13.98
  • Fishing line=$3.05
  • a half curtain rod=$8.98
  • hydro pebbles 5 lbs=$9.99(I didn’t need this much)
  • Advance grow ‘B’=$9.99
  • Advance grow  A’=$9.99
Total cost=$73.96+tax.
Other things I used,, like beads and fabric which I already had, but you don’t need to use beads or fabric.
I could cut down cost by not getting toothbrush & cup holder,hydroponic gels and curtain rod $18.98. I could use water bottles and for the hanging I could use screw on hanging hooks instead. That would made little cheaper.

My very first window farms.

4:17 am in Completed Window Farms, made from scratch (without a kit), posts with pitcures! by Mini Keiko

It was fun trying to figure things out and finally finished the very first one.

I want to plant more and more. I get greedy.

 

↓↓↓↓Here is the video clip to see closer. :)

my first design of window farm

windowfarm

by Amit

Window Farming –First Time

1:16 pm in Completed Window Farms, Getting Started, made from scratch (without a kit), posts with pitcures!, Projects in Process by Amit

Hi Friends,Finally after weeks of preparation ,my window farming setup was ready …..lot of problems on the way like water not moving up,problem in drilling holes,the hydroponic soil was not available. But in the end everything came together & the farm was ready…Now the next goal is get some plants in it…

My first try

 

Coconut shells as plant containers. Could it work?

6:32 am in made from scratch (without a kit), Materials and Resources, posts with pitcures!, Projects in Process, Seeking Advice by Maj Martinsen

I got this idea about using coconut shells as plant containers, instead of water bottles, mostly because I though it would look good. I have been working on my first WF for a while now and about a week ago I finally got everything working – or so I thought.

To my great surprise and disappointment all the coconut shells broke after having had water running through them. Some just had a few barely visible cracks in them, while others had big open cracks, and looked like they were about to burst open.This made me have second thoughts about the use of coconut shells.

A couple of days later, though, I found one of the extra coconuts I had bought, in case some were damaged along the way, and discovered it had cracks similar to the ones in my WF. This coconut had just been lying in a bag since I brought it home, so now I am kind of confused about the whole thing. My theory, at this point, is that the coconuts I got were ‘bad’ in some way.

What do you guys think? Could it work with other coconuts, and if so, is there anything in particular I should be looking for when picking out new ones? Any advise you can give will be very welcome.

I would also like advise on how to waterproof coconut shells. I used a non-toxic mineral oil to coat the insides of the shells, but maybe I should have used some kind of lacquer instead?

Happy windowfarming to all of you.

Maj

Coconut shell WF

Cracks in the coconut shells

Comparing the cracks in a coconut shell from the WF to one that had just been lying around

 

by Jeremy

Week 5 update…

10:03 am in Being a good member of this community, Completed Window Farms, Education, energy consumption, environmental impact, Featured Post, made from scratch (without a kit), Nutrients, Plants, posts with pitcures!, Windowfarms Project News by Jeremy




Here’s a pic of week 5. I use my phone’s camera so I couldn’t capture everything. I bought a new air pump with four outlets because I plan to build another grow container and put it on the other side of my windowsill. Making sure to have it elevated higher than the reservoir this time because my last pump had backlogged. I’d like to use all glass if I can…but most likely I’d have to get it cut the way I need it. Any suggestions? I’m thinking of a small glass fish tank for the reservoir. Adding another 15 watt solar panel to my Goal Zero Escape 150 will help with the addition to capture more battery power. Questions? Comments?

If you’d like to power your window farm via solar I suggest going with Goal Zero. Their kits are affordable and definitely work.