Let's revisit shall we... some updates include improved net pot no more amphibious pump better drainage updated manifold This thread is dedicated to my improved aeroponic NFT system. It is an updated version of the Aeroponic model 4Z0 Stoner Experiment #1745183 work that I shared with the community. In no way is this or any deviation of this work restricted by copyright or patent as I have declared it free to all who wish to use. This aeroponic system uses vertical sprayers that supply the plant's hanging roots with an appropriate aeroponic nutrient solution. This is a gif from the last project that shows how the sprayers work. In this version, the reservoir was updated to a 10gal+ volume. Note that I am using a cooler to maintain a lower temperature for the solution. You can see the bulkhead at the bottom right; this is the return port for the nutrient solution (not hooked up in this picture). I placed the electrical cord, the pump outake, and an opening for an air tube just under the cover mold. These lines/cable were difficult to assemble since I placed grommets inside both the inner and outer walls of the reservoir. This will reassure that the container remains watertight. Unfortunately, I didn't have the proper grommet size to fit a 1/2" black hose; these grommets are good for single walls mostly. I used a clear tube, but its ok since its inside the reservoir and shouldn't receive any light (ie. preventing algal growth). I decided to place the pump opposite the return port. A 4" airstone sits in the center providing extra aeration, although I doubt it needs it with the sprayers. The stone isn't shown in the picture, but you can see the blue air line. The manifold was modified so that there are now only four sprayers on each side. I also use a lower position for three sprayers to spray the root mass that will develop, but left one sprayer near the top, but not too high, to hit the side of the netting lid. The netting lid has been upgraded to a 6" size and a one piece unit. One thing I noticed is that although the lid fits well on my other buckets, it doesn't snap shut unless I use a Home Depot bucket, and you want a tight seal. Also, I accidentally cut the holes too big; I may just toss out this lid and replace it tomorrow, although I wasn't getting any backsplash from the openings, but it still exposes the outside environment... so... I decided to go with the raised bucket auto drain. I found that filling the bottom with rocks and covering it with some biological weed barrier works. The picture shows the rocks filling the bottom. Use big rocks, you don't want to plug up the drain. I haven't showed the weed barrier in this picture. I tested the system, you can see how it looks in the picture. Remember, this is setup so that the plant is independent from the reservoir, so if I want, I can set up a scrog and not have to worry about moving the plant during the grow. This gif shows how well the spray hits the netting pot. I've since placed some hydroton in there and filled the system with a bleach/peroxide solution to rinse out. I then drained it and am flushing the system out with ~pH 5.5 water + mycorrizhae and also placed some pond stones (to harbor the microbials) in the reservoir. One thing I have not done is added a chiller. I'm still working on this and have a really cool project coming up in the future. I also have a neighbor who is holding onto a fridge for me, that I can convert to a chiller if I need. For now, I will stick to switching ice packs, but its very tedious to do this each day. I plan on using this system probably starting tomorrow since I have that Passion Fruit from the Vault's Comparative Grow I am taking part in. I may as well dare to be different.
Pulling a chair up for this one. Are you running any sort of inline filter to prevent the emitters from clogging?
I haven't added any inline filter, but I don't think I will need one. I cut then boiled the weed barrier material for a couple hours and will cover the rocks in the drain. This material should act as a filter and stop all debris. Just about to go do that...
I placed the material over the rocks. There is a small leak around the lid and the pail (grrrr). I spun the top most sprayers 90° and turned it all back on. I will check it in an hour. It wasn't leaking too much, but I maybe need to order a seal (from where?) I don't plan on using the sprayers 24/7, and will probably cycle the pump for one minute followed by a ten minutes pause, so I don't expect a slow leak to cause many problems, although it shouldn't leak at all.
The net lid drips around the edge and I decided to change everything back. I still had the old lid for the black bucket, but I like the net pot lid, so I improvised. What I did was used the older lid because the netting lid doesn't have a gasket snap tight seal, but I cut a hole in the center to let the net lid fit above. One bonus was the old lid had tighter manifold slots. This way the water doesn't hit the net lid and roll off the side underneath. But it didn't work as well as I hoped because the water still manages to get up underneath (so much pressure!). I ended up sticking a slice of sponge in between to control it. The solution should drain back down due to the slope. I don't care, its not dripping, although I don't think its good to stick a sponge there. I should at least douse it with some bennies. I don't think it will matter in the long run and I will be able to remove the sponge later on when (if) the root mass develops. *A later revision will be to lower (or not include) the highest sprayer since it causes too much backsplash. I wonder if the net pot would work if I just modded the manifold again? I need more tubing... I stuck a seedling in there with <1/4 strength nutes. Maybe I will try to fix it again tomorrow if I have time.
Everything is working good now (I hope). I changed the nute solution and filled the container with 5 gal of RO water and ~1.5 gallon of tap with a starting EC of 0.145 mS/cm. I added 1/4 strength 3-2-1 Holland's Secret (FutureTech) and 3mL of Calnesium, which should be similar to the GH Flora series and Calmag. The EC was ~0.600. Therefore 0.600-0.145 = 0.450 mS of nutrients. This is about 225 ppm. I inoculated the reservoir with RootShield and some Root Rescue. It darkens the water, so don't be shocked. I also set the sprayers to 1min on and 10min off. I started the seedling in an older rapid rooter cube. It survived but had a rough start. I've been switching the water bottle each morning and temps have been 20°C when I switch it. I covered the hydroton with some weed barrier. I am wetting the material to keep it more humid... so dry. Jan 22 picture of the (dry) weed barrier covering the hydroton. I do this to prevent algal growth. Here's an action shot of inside the reservoir: Here's a picture of the seedling's progress from Jan 22 - 24: I'm not sure what the freckling necrosis came from, but its on the older leaves and its not appearing on the new growth, so I will blame the initial use of tap water as the cause. I broke two humidifiers and will pic up a new one tomorrow, and maybe a cheap cloche if I find one.
no change to reservoir since the numbers are pretty steady. I haven't topped up since last time. Only thing is changing the ice bottle each morning. Here's a picture from the 26th - 28th. I upped to ~21000 lux.
I have not changed the res, but I did add 2ml calnesium, 2ml micro, 2ml grow, 1ml bloom which increased the EC to ~750 uS/cm^2. I dropped the pH to ~5.6. Its at 24000 lux. growing slower than its coco counterpart, but it did have a rougher start so can't really compare the results yet.
This is from Feb 1-3. Looks palid, so I did my first res change. EC is at 1650 which is quite an increase from before. I might need to dilute some, we'll see.
Feb 12, 14, 16. The pump is acting up and wasn't turning on (discovered today), so I'm not sure if those burns (in the last frame) are from a general calcium deficiency, or from light burn. I changed out the reservoir (did I even need to?) and filled with 24 liters (18L RO water + 6L tap; starting EC 140). I used 2ml/gal calnesium, 2ml/gal silica, and a 3:2:1 ratio of nutes until I got an EC of 1580. Added some RootShield and RootRescue at the end; pH'd to ~5.7. Been training throughout the week.
Looking good and love the aero build. Looks very healthy now. Could you have used some aquarium silicone for the leaks? Or made some sort of gasket with a length of rubber? Maybe a gasket from something like a garbage disposal could work lol Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Feb 18, 20, and 23. Haven't done squat to my plant other than a bit of training and switching the ice pack. pH ~5.7-5.8, EC has dropped from 1580 --> 1500 over the week. I will take care of it tomorrow, today I am chillin.
maybe, but just eliminating the top sprayer will probably take care of it. that's why I used the older bucket lid and bucket since its already built in. A sponge ring or maybe even a sponge glued under the lid might work... I think its just a matter of fixing the manifold and excluding the circled sprayers.
Cool, was just curious. Sounds like that should do the trick. I need to get working on some of the builds I need to do Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
You could cut out the top nozzle, put a t in the pvc with a stub of pipe and cap it. Then just place the top nozzle under the stub so as to throw the water down. Hopefully the wording makes sense... if not I can sketch it out.
yes, can use some sprayers that just spray in one direction. These are just cheapo $1 for 50 or something silly. I've seen some nice sprayers around that make me want to change things up in a later build for sure.
Feb 25 - Mar 2 Maintained EC ~1700-1500 pH 5.7-6.1 Never required a (only) water top up, but I topped with concentrated (about an EC of 2250) to get ~1700. Can probably increase to 1800 or so now. From now on I will start taking side shots instead of top down. When pruning I decided to cut off the axial growth but left the spoiler leaves. I've had to trim some new growth, but I think its a better way to direct the plant's energy.
I'm going to post a couple pics I took today. I topped up with 1/2 strength today = 2 gal RO water + 1.5 mL calnesium + 8 Micro + 14 Grow + 4 Bloom. Had to increase the pH with multiple drops of (strong) pHup to ~5.9 and TDS at 860. I returned two hours later the pH had dropped to ~5.7 and TDS is at 760ppm. Double this for EC, I'm using a different pen than what I started with since I damaged the first pen. I will check the numbers tomorrow. This is the second aero system trial and also the second time I see something like this: I am going to have to prepare for the upcoming journey.