DIY SELF-SUSTAINED SOLO CUP HYDROPONIC KIT FOR AEROGARDEN SEED PODS

It all started out as part of a proposal for a science grant…but the ball kept rolling even after ANDesign Lab’s drought-adaptive garden sensor proposal was submitted.

Just like that–the next idea struck–a DIY Self-Sustained Hydroponic Kit for AeroGarden Seed Pods

*DISCLAIMER: only tools readily available in the office were allowed to be used*

List of tools:

Plastic
Cups
Clear Tubes
Elastic String
Hot Glue
Sticks
Plastic Bottle
3D Printed Sea Pod
Clay Balls
Root Riot
Zip Ties
8v Water Pump

Conceptualization

Concept sketches are a must! There can be no proper execution without a proper foundation.

Construction

By stacking the pods and running a tube through the cups, water was able to be pumped and filtered into the entire hydroponic set up.

Concept Sketches

Aside from creating the hydroponic kit from scratch, ANDesign designers also designed gardening pod prototypes for this experiment. Check out early concepts!

3D Print

Not only did they conceptualize the gardening pods, but 3D-printed them all in-house as well.

3D Print Gardening Pods & Hangers

The gardening pods are used to keep the Root Riot fertilizer squares afloat absorbent balls while damp, keeping the seed hydrated but never overflown.

No place to hang your gardening pods? No problem. Lets 3D some parts!

Fertilizer Squares

In order to keep the fertilizer cubes from drowning and overflowing, they are padded into the gardening pods which are submerged in the absorbent clay balls that keep the fertilizer damp and hydrated.

Water Filtration

By now, the foundation was already built. After knowing how to keep the kit organized, running a filtration system was the next step. By running a clear tube thru the gardening kit and back into the plastic bottle, the 8 volt water pump filtrates water into each pod and back into the same water supply.

To maximize sufficient water distribution, the hanging foundation had to change from a 4 x 2 to a 2 x 4 hanging ratio (see next step).

Placement

Don't have enough room for a garden? We think we are on track for a solution for all urban gardeners. After all, it’s quite nice having a hanging garden…something about it just manifests the right amount of tranquility.

MAKE SURE IT HOLDS!

Until this happens…quick! Clean this up before the dogs get here.

We'll be following up the succession of this project by adding filters and different wall mounts.

Check out the rest of coverage via www.DelaBuzz.com.