AEROPONIC - HYDROPONIC GROWING SYSTEM BUILD THIS EASY PROJECT IN NO TIME! After much reading I decided to combine both systems. It's some of the best in AEROPONICS and HYDROPONICS and low cost too! I purchased most of the parts at LOWES and HOME DEPOT. I purchased the pumps from my local hydroponic gardening supply. I purchased enough for two systems so I bought the elbows, 'T's and end caps in 10 packs to save money. As you can see, the approach is both simple and effective! I used Radish seeds for 'testing'. I did not soak the seeds in advance, but I'm sure the plants would appear much faster if I did. One photo shows one of 6 of 9 new plants appearing after only 5 days after planting! PARTS LIST: 10' length 1/2" schedule 40 PVC pipe. 4 1/2" PVC elbows. 2 1/2" "T" fittings, slip. 1 1/2 "T" fitting, center with threads. 1 Adapter, brass, 3/8" x 1/2", WATTS A-300A LF, $3.25 1 Thread tap, NO10-32NF GH3 HS LH 4684 (NOTE: LEFT HANDED THREADS)! $3 1 Drill bit, 5/32" Hole Cutter: HARBOR FREIGHT, P37370, $6 Rubbermaid 18 Gallon Roughtote (Do not use others, they are too weak, they will leak) Model # FG2215H2MICBL Home Depot $7.93 SKEW: 7191413622 Water Pump, HydroFarm AAFW250, $21 Air pump ~ larger is better. 2 6" Air Stones, Active Aqua AS6 $2 each Mister Landscaper 360 Micro Sprinkler. LOWES Item #: 87864 Model #: MLM-15 (edited 8-13-10) ** FOGGER $7 (see notes below) Baskets, Wholesale Indoor Horticulture, Organics and Hydrogardening Supplies | National Garden Wholesale (NOTE: These baskets have a generous lip to mount). 1 Bag of non-soil growing medium, (your favorite) frost King, Foam, 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" x 42" (used for seed medium) $2.25 Misc. hose lengths and size adapters. CONSTRUCTION A saber saw or Saws-All works best and fastest for PVC cutting. A hack saw is quite tedious and easily triples your construction time. Save time and CUT the PVC to the following lengths in advance: 14" PVC (base leg 1) 11" PVC (part of base leg 2) 1/2 "T" fitting, center with threads (part of base leg 2) 2x 3 1/2" lengths PVC (part of base legs) 7 1/2" PVC, (mid-support arm) 2 x 13 1/2" lengths PVC (Mister mounts) 2x 2" PVC (upper couplers for Mister arms) NOTES * CRITICAL! DO NOT join (glue) all of the PVC parts in advance! Join/glue ONLY the base parts and upper support arm first. You NEED the upper Mister arms to PIVOT to adjust the spray for best coverage. Do serious testing and adjust the Misters and rotate the arm angle for best pot spraying and coverage. Don't rush this part and take a day or two for fine tuning. You do not need to glue the upper Mister PVC arms in place. There is enough seal by press-fitting the PVC together so no need really to join-glue the arms to the elbows an it allows for full adjustments later. *IMPORTANT! The Mister threads and the TAP used for Misters are LEFT HANDED! A right-handed tap won't work. I tried a slightly larger hole and a hot-glue gun, but I was not happy with the mounting or appearance ~ but it DID work if you want to save the cost of the proper tap. * Drill the 2 PVC Mister mount arms, 3 holes each. Use a 5/31" drill bit. A drill press works best! I tried a low-speed hand drill but hole alignment was difficult and it left the holes became somewhat enlarged or elongated and didn't leave much PVC for decent threads. * I have tried other Misters and floggers including expensive brass/stainless steel foggers from eBay, but the MLM-04 Misters work BEST! * The HydrFarm AAFW250 water pump works great. A smaller water pump won't support 6 Misters well. A larger-stronger pump may damage roots. * The Frost King Foam makes a GREAT low-cost medium for holding germinated or non-germinated seeds! Note that a razor is used to cut a slit on the top and bottom of the foam to allow for root and plant growth. Do not cut the foam in half ~ see the photo with the razor blade. That photo shows how the foam is slit. Soak the foam in the diluted growing liquid medium before you insert the seed in the center of the foam. ** I had a fogger but didn't keep the box. Search eBay for "Ultrasonic Mist Maker Fogger Mister Water Fountain" and you will see similar foggers. Note the eBay Foggers have 12 multi-color LED lamps, mine has just one LED. I would highly recommend that you find some way to black-out the LEDs because your roots do not like light! Get creative. About $7 including shipping. Finally, there are two different systems shown in my photos. I built the smaller basket system today in about 2 hours. I could have finished sooner but I was in no hurry. Enjoy this FUN project... I remain, SOGLAD
UPDATE! Today I discovered a new 360 Micro Sprinkler! Mister Landscaper 360 Micro Sprinkler LOWES Item #: 87864 Model #: MLM-15 10 per package, $9.14 * This micro sprinkler spinner gives a full 360 spray pattern with a coverage of 10 up to 12 Ft. * Uses only 10pgh * Has a low trajectory spray arc so the water sprays efficiently towards the plants root zones! * Has unique 2 outlet gray spinner to throw the water out further. I discovered that the original Misters mentioned and would clog with the tiniest speck of dirt or debris. This Micro Sprinkler is much more dependable and forgiving. It's extremely efficient in getting your nutrients right to your roots and in ample quantities too! I hope this helps you! SOGLAD