How to Lasercut a Simple Hydroponic Vase for Growing Tomatoes!

This simple hydroponic vase was developed for my sister - a questionable gardener who likes a simple aesthetic (modern/minimal) and really wanted to grow tomatoes for her daughter.

If you're interested in more of the story behind it, check out the video!

Why Hydroponics?

• Hydroponic growing techniques actually use less water than traditional soil techniques
• There's no weeding
• Maintenance is really straight forward (just change the water and 1/8 tsp nutrient once a week!)
• A hydroponic plant takes less space than a potted plant

What Hydroponic method is used here?

There are a lot of different ways to grow a hydroponic plant, this one is about as simple as you can get. I cannibalized a petomato kit which used a combination of a root system (where the roots are directly immersed in the nutrient rich water) and a wick system (where the wick carries the nutrient and water to the roots, which sit in a substrate, like sand).

What you'll need:

• Access to a laser cutter - Try your local makerspace
• Acrylic - It doesn't have to be white, but it must be opaque (roots don't like sunlight) - I went with a light color so I didn't have to worry about heat cooking my roots. Your local makerspace should be able to help you source the right acrylic for their cutter
• Weld-on 3
• A paintbrush or large needle to apply the weld-on
• Tape
• Growing substrate/wick - I used the cannibalized wick and sand, other substrate options include rockwool, fired clay pebbles, sand, fired clayballs, pumice, and many more! - If it's your first time working with hydroponics I'd suggest buying a petomato kit and starting there, it's cheap, it works, and it comes with plant food and seeds to start with! I'll play around with more substrates and post an update if I find an ideal candidate for this vase!
• Tomato Seeds (theoretically you can grow lots of stuff hydroponically, but I can only vouch for this vase's success with tomatoes)
• Miracle Grow (working on finding a better/organic option)
• Water

Take this file to your local laser cutter. Figure out your acrylic choice, the appropriate settings for that material, and get cutting.

I've attached a few different filetypes here. The dxf is the right set up for my local laser cutter (shout out to steam labs!) , but if you need to save it in a different format the .ai or .eps should get you there.

I watched a video where this guy used weld-on 3 and a paintbrush to glue together his acrylic item after taping it all together.

I had mixed results using his methods... the tape I used seemed to react with the weld-on, making my edges feel a little rough. I had more success with balancing my pieces together and dabbing on a tiny amount of the weld-on, waiting for it to dry and then going back with a heavier hand.

I thought I'd have to go over the whole thing again but the first pass actually made the whole thing water tight!

Give the whole thing a rinse (I might be paranoid but I wanted to give my little seeds a chemical free chance).

1. Put your wick in the inner tube. (I had to trim the part from the petomato kit) and substrate. If you don't have kit to cannibalize, try using some old undyed fabric, like a sock, and placing your substrate on top.
2. Put in a little substrate
3. Plant 2-3 seeds
4. Top off with 1/4" substrate
5. Fill your base with water (no nutrient needed right now)
6. Place the top into the base and drip 3 drops of water onto the substrate to dampen it
7. Wait 7-10 days for seeds to germinate

Once your seeds have sprouted...

1. Change your water once a week and add 1/8tsp of miracle grow (the base holds about 5oz of water)
2. Place it wherever you'd place a potted plant (For optimal growth you can place it under a grow light, but it works fine with direct natural sunlight)
3. Once your plant is flowering, use a paintbrush to "pollinate" your tomato plant, increasing fruiting (search youtube, there are videos for this stuff).
4. Pick and eat your tomatoes! WOO HOO!