I've read a little bit about PV cells and electricity in regards to root growth. My question is, how would you go about electrifying the roots in a hydroponic solution? Would just dangling wires in the water complete the circuit?
I read through that thread and there was a guy who was doing hydro... He dangling one end into the water and the other he wrapped around the bottom of the stem (where the stem meets the hydroton) But from the way I see it, I think having two leads in the water would be more effecient since the water would be more conductive?
that's exactly what I was thinking. but then again, would that electricity travel up the stem if it's just passing between the dangling wire contact points? i wonder if the other way would be more efficient because it gives a direction to the current.
Putting both positive and negative electric wires at opposite ends of a water container will split the H20 into O and H which is explosive. Don't do it.
I don't think explosive electrolysis is capable using the output of a photovoltaic cell. Something to think about though.
There is no explosive risk. You have to have a serious industrial type system to split at a rate fast enough to have fire. Trust me, we played with this all the time in college. The problem is that AC will not work, it will just throw the breaker. Get a 12 volt battery.
It struck me that my college experiments are applicable here. We would take a 35 gallon garbage can and run voltage through it, and TRY to capture the gases, we would try desperately to get a fire or explosion. We even had a 24 volt system in there at one point. The best we ever got was one quick flame out. It just is not possible without an industrial style system to split the water fast enough to make a fire or explosion. H and O are both significantly lighter than air and just wont hang around. We also surmised that a large percentage of the O was getting re-absorbed by the water as DO numbers would rise.