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[BubbleCat]

I am done. At least the system arrived at the stage of development where it is usable. Improvements will include: A own hole for the pickup hose to go through and a aquarium heater. Maybe a fogger to be able to directly compare fogging / spraying. Thats it then.

Right now I'm just running it to experiment with the sound deadening of the pump and to flush it clean, so theres is 2 Liter of plain tap water with 2,4% H2O2 in it.

The spray pattern it the nozzles could be even wider / the nozzles put in higher or the pots deeper. But that doesnt matter much, the roots will grow down anywaysand the water already goes everywhere.
Update: I found out I am most likely going to move two nozzles (mid row, end positions) to the circumfence of the lid, spraying horizontally. That should get the plants served best when their roots do not extend deep down yet. (Last pic)

Happy.

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[Urban Elements]

How cold is the water now?  I always need to chill my water.

[plantlight]

You haven't mentioned a timer.  Have you selected one?

[BubbleCat]

I have the 12 V timer I used on the DIY drip irrigation, now that its winter it is off duty so I will put it here and i will get a 2nd one before temperatures outside rise and id have to water everything daily.

The water is at room teperature. And the pump wont really change that, its air cooled and has low wattage anyways.

Uh and a switching power supply instead of a battery


Here btw, is a nice article describing what I unconsciously remembered / pieced together from certain assumptions and memories / felt: http://aeroponicsdiy.com/make-your-own-high-pressure-aeroponics-system/

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[BubbleCat]

Small refinement / change:

I have moves two nozzles from the top to the sides so the pots will be misted all the way to the top. That is probably absolutely irrelevant after some time but at first it might help cuttings to establish.

A own hole for the pickup hose is still to be made, I guess that its a light form of the symmetry disorder that i cant decide on a place for it to go Also the thing surely would benefit if all hoses and the whole bucket was 100% light proof.

Also I found out the timer I have around has "only" 16 slots for programs. That makes a event every 1.5 hrs (evenly distributed over the day). That means I have it spray every 90 minutes now, which doesnt seem enough for me.

[BubbleCat]

I think they are not complicated so for a first experiment I took 4 cuttings from mentha (?) species that I found in the past. They came from outside, I washed them hoping I dont introduce insects inside and hope they'll make the transition from cold to warm just fine.

Lets see how this works out.

If someone can tell me what kind of menthae I found I'd be glad. I do know one is most likely peppermint, one spearmint, I think I even know a third one but only the common name. The one that I have no idea about is the big one.

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[plantlight]

What cycle times do you plan to use and how is cycle time determined? 

[BubbleCat]

Trial and error.

I dont plan on having the roots become actually wet, ever, as thats not the point of the system, I could just DWC or at least low pressure / faux aeroponics then.

So where I am heading too, but maybe until I get there the nozzles will be different, maybe there'll be a pressure reservoir and a solenoid valve ... 1 second or less mist time every few minutes. A simple delay timer with a NE555 could help shortening the minimum 1 minute of the timer to 1s. Also if I go there already I can simply hack up the whole timer myself so it does exactly what I want, the timer I am using is actually for more advanced purposes (day, time ... and so on) but doesnt offer the resolution needet.

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[Sunshine]

Its not spear mint. It could be pepper mint

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[BubbleCat]

Its 4 different species I am absolutely sure I have 1 spicata and one piperita amongst them. Or are you referring to the 4th, the big one ? Im pretty sure its neither.

As far as I see it: True spicata: lower left corner, true piperita: upper right corner, lower right corner ... uff ... upper left corner: ?!? no idea

[BubbleCat]

In my care many Nepetoideae, especially Mentheae behave cheeky, if not truly savage.

It appears the humidity dome I used on top of a plant in the aeroponic bucket for experimental reasons had questionable effect. Maybe I should put the plant in upside down and all is fine ?


Oh and btw I found an unemployed air pump and two bubble stones. Obviously I cant go without bubbles so I am givi g them a quick H2O2 bath right now and will put them in soon, they should supply extra oxygenation during the 90 minute breaks.
Getting a 12 V switching power supply too as the battery is a kinda stupid temporary solution that comes with a hilarious maintainance procedure.

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[BubbleCat]

Could this be mold ? I was once told that commonly white mold wont hurt plants.

I will H2O2 if it worsens.

[plantlight]

Could this be mold ? I was once told that commonly white mold wont hurt plants.

I will H2O2 if it worsens.

I always H2O2 it.  Don't know what it is though.  
It looks the same as the growth I've dealt with.  If it is, it will spread.  However, once it's gone, it's gone for a long time.

1 Like BubbleCat likes this.

[BubbleCat]

I will consider this fast. But it doesnt say anything yet, only that the cutting was kept moist

Remaining curious if and when this will take off.

2 Likes Ian Morris and plantlight like this.

[BubbleCat]

Cant wait to get myself more into in depth hydro cumtivation as soon as I have time for that: http://scienceinhydroponics.com/2013/02/the-first-free-hydroponic-nutrient-calculator-program-o.html

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.