Raspberry Pi 4B expansion board question?
- Thread starter DirectorGunner
- Start date
Looking at this picture, I'm wondering where the grow pods are. This is a good substrate if it can be preserved, and not allowed to crush the growing seedlings. The same thing happens with other systems.
They look like this
Amazon.com : AeroGarden Grow Baskets (50-Pack) : Plant Germination Kits : Garden & Outdoor
Amazon.com : AeroGarden Grow Baskets (50-Pack) : Plant Germination Kits : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com
I used to use these in quantities of like 250, usually with both peat moss and clay, but I never had an issue with sponge. The idea is just to hold the seadlings and give them access to nutrients in the water.
Amazon.com: OAK LEAF 25-Pack 3 Inch Hydroponic Cups Net Pots Cups with Self-Watering Capillary Water Wick (10m 32.8ft) for Hydroponics, Slotted Mesh, Black: Home & Kitchen
Buy OAK LEAF 25-Pack 3 Inch Hydroponic Cups Net Pots Cups with Self-Watering Capillary Water Wick (10m 32.8ft) for Hydroponics, Slotted Mesh, Black: Pots - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Edit: BTW they are often reusable. Some of mine lasted over 5 years. We grew almost all of our vegetables in 160 square feet total space, and I had plenty of leftovers we gave to family members.
Edit Edit: I also like the automation you're implementing, at the time I found using a Raspberry PI to manage the grow beds, but the actual controllers ran from Arduino's. The Raspberry PI just managed the system. My system was half hydroponics and half aquaponics.
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that is just my germination step I'm testing out.That's an Aerogarden Harvest Wifi with a germination tray. It's old, had it lying around and discovered they sold that germination tray addon for it, so bought it.
The substrate in the pic is Aerogarden sponges, once ready I transfer them to 2" cups inside a different substrate. Those planted cups, eg growing cups or net pots, get put into my aeroponic towers.
The grow cups you linked are not needed and more of a hindrance.
the 2nd link you shared is what these below will go into with the new substrate type when they're ready.
Speaking of, here's a pic a few mins ago, they're germinating nicely I think
For everyone curious, here is a link to the above, that I bought back in 2017 for my wife. I commandeered it for this project since it hasn't been used for a couple of years.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073T1JFKR/
Here is the germination tray for it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B63NRY0/
Here are the sponges
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DY2U8K/
Here is where I bought my seeds
https://www.trueleafmarket.com/collections/mountain-valley-seed-co-new-home
Specifically Mountain Valley Seed co.
Here are the net pots I will be using until I find HDPE alternatives
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J8W1R3O/
They have a deeper throat shield at the top, which I like.
which pairs nicely with this temporary aeroponic solution
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VV7TNDT/
Which I built with a 5 Gal HDPE bucket base, pump, and UV sterilizer pump with aerator.
Working on adding the 97% CRI full spectrum LED strip lights in 1" tubes mounted off to the sides of these.
Tube going up to pipe water is food safe high temp silicone used in brewing or winemaking, and any metal is 304 stainless.
Unfortunately, the tower is PVC and the submerged pump and UV sterilizer is not food-safe plastic but fish safe.
A temporary solution.
Until I get my 3D printers up and running again to print a custom tower solution out of PETG or equivalent food-safe material,
I'm experimenting with 5 gallon HDPE as a tower solution that's food-safe plastic.
PVC is typically not food safe at all from what I can find in my research.
Why is food safety important?
If you consume large amounts of products from one system, you increase your exposure to whatever trace elements are in that system that leach into the food.
That is where it can get dangerous over long periods of time.
Hence, it is prudent to acquire a complete food-safe system that as a whole does the least or no trace element leaching into the food that is harmful to humans.
And if anyone disagrees they can f off because this is my family's safety.
Anyway, I digress.
For microgreens, which is what the OP post is about/for, I am using food-safe HDPE trays
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Oooh, yum.
I've just turned an old Pi 3b I've had sitting around doing nothing for years into a desktop with Ubuntu Mate so I can watch my DVD collection I'm archiving on to hard drive through it on the TV.
I'd always intended to learn Python or do some other projects with it but that never happened. Now it's a silent media center and I have used it more in the last three days than I have in the last three years. It's a little clunky at times but working wonders considering it's a tiny board computer.
I've just turned an old Pi 3b I've had sitting around doing nothing for years into a desktop with Ubuntu Mate so I can watch my DVD collection I'm archiving on to hard drive through it on the TV.
I'd always intended to learn Python or do some other projects with it but that never happened. Now it's a silent media center and I have used it more in the last three days than I have in the last three years. It's a little clunky at times but working wonders considering it's a tiny board computer.
Quick little update, not all my parts have arrived yet and since already got some sprouts going I made due with temporary fixes like using plastic wrap for the top lid to keep water from spraying everywhere lol. Sealed around the rim of these cheaply made aeroponic tower net cup holders with 100% silicone. Not one leak. So that's good.
I need to calibrate my PH / TDS tester, then I can get to town in assembling/setting up my microgreens system (the double-stacked trays on the shelves) which is what this OP is for.
I need to calibrate my PH / TDS tester, then I can get to town in assembling/setting up my microgreens system (the double-stacked trays on the shelves) which is what this OP is for.
what are the balls in the cups? i'm guessing some type of nutrients?
They're just ceramic balls, for insuring that the roots have access to both nutrients and air. You can get several types, depending on what you're growing and how your system works. Those ones look like clay, which is perfect for the use.
Expanded clay balls, they get rinsed, then presoaked with target PH level (I have a chart, I don't have it memorized yet) nutrient solution for a day or two, then ready for use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GN9A6LK/
Jeeze Aero Gardening is so complicated i think for things like pumpkins and stuff it might be very useful. I always had problems with Grub worms eatting my plants from the roots. The next big problem i normally get is butterflies laying eggs on the leaves and then the plants being devoured. I wonder if this could help prevent some of this?
Yes it could, but you're probably not going to be using vertical gardening exactly. You need to get the pumpkins off the ground, but they're both heavy and hungry. The idea if you're growing them outside is to remove the access grubs have to the root system. The plants will survive other insects much better if they have a healthy root system. Then you need to make sure they are getting enough nutrients, and that requires a lot of water. But the payoff is you get healthy pumpkins that grow faster than they do in soil.
Choices :(
Been researching the best plastic welding tools. Seems Leister is the most trusted brand in the globe for this kinda thing.
Will need to weld some HDPE parts, and would be a wonderful addition to my tools. I could even make my own tanks and container/tower systems with one of these tools.
Been researching the best plastic welding tools. Seems Leister is the most trusted brand in the globe for this kinda thing.
Will need to weld some HDPE parts, and would be a wonderful addition to my tools. I could even make my own tanks and container/tower systems with one of these tools.