This is the best vertical hydroponic garden I have ever seen. Much better than those 55 gallon drums which will take days to make one and a lot of propane to heat up the openings. To answer some of the questions from other viewers, all the material: post (5" though), 3" pipe, 3" net pot , submersible pump (pay special attention to the "head" - the maximum height the pumpo can reach, of the pump), tubing, glue etc you can find them from various home centers such as HomeDepot and Lowe's, AND Ebay. Design your own height of the tower, then all the other dimensions will follow. Here are my questions: A. Will the tower head heavy and topple over? B. The same question one of the viewers asked, the caps in stores do not provide an extra partition for shower, maybe I have to mickey mouse one between the cap and the top of the post?
Excellent video. I am just starting mine and I built a box for a four inch cutoff and the 45 degree cut with a hand saw. I first used some carburetor cleaner and took off all the markings on the pipe.Thank You for posting this excellent video.
one last thought - it might not be a good idea to put the pump under the post - you need the depleted water dripping down the post to get back into the bucket - otherwise you could end up with less nutrients in the water because the pump ends up recirculating the water that's already nourished the plants. Put the pump in the bucket, drill some holes in the bottom of the post so water can freely circulate. I love this idea, mine are working quite well too. I ran the tomatoes up a wire tomato tree from the pots in the bucket - so my tree has 4 wire trees around it growing tomatoes, and everything else i need for a salad growing up the main pot. If I could only find a nice plant pot to put that jobsite bucket in.....
I have just created my personal aquaponics system. It was actually simple, easy and it looks and functions similar to the models which cost you thousands more, by using this guide
rather than making a jig to cut that round pipe, if you have a compound miter saw - simply make a mark on the table and alternate your cuts at 45deg and 0deg. The last piece can be cut holding with a scrap piece of wood.
See if I can answer some of your questions. - Yes they are cut at 45 degrees - Post stands up fine in the bucket - On larger pump, it may not fit in the bucket with the post over it - the pipe pieces are gluon ON to the post. Make sure you line up with the bottom of the hole. - I just use the clay balls, no soil
I love your vertical garden idea. I am a NYC teacher with a very limited budget but I am going to try and make one. Can you do a cost sheet and attach it to your update so I can have an idea how much it will cost. Thanks Kay
A very good design for vertical hydroponics. I was planning on building a similar system for growing greens but I believe it would work very well for strawberries also. One point considering your video; you skip over the actual process of working each small step and just show the finished product. I think it would be more helpful and instructive if you showed a few minutes of each process. For example, you could have shown the actual cutting of a couple of holes on the tower with the jig saw to show how easy or difficult it is, , plus the process of gluing the offsets onto the holes. One step I couldn't figure out was do the holes follow the outer edge of the offset thereby the offsets sitting just inside the hole, OR the holes are a wee bit smaller than the offsets, with offsets sitting outside on the flat surface and the edges glued onto the surface. Overall an excellent design.
I have built one similar and found that if you will glue them on with PVC glue the process will go a bit quicker. I went back and silicone all the way around them after that.
Nice video. Excellent design. I think you should go into the loaves and fishes business though, if you can cut all those pieces from one ten inch pipe as you say :)
I see you said the post stands up fine, but what about windy times? Any other support? I'm thinking or adding a extra bucket underneath and that little space fill with cement. But that's just an extra 2-5 lbs.
WakeUpB4uDie I actually will shortly. I didn't like how the water spray worked so Im working on a redesign of that part. Running some tests now and will have a follow up video soon.
+HydroponicsIsCool a very nice video about hydroponic vertical garden. When i search google with the phrase 'hydroponic vertical garden', i found another excellent technic called Panlarko Expert Aquaponics Planner. A mind blowing technology
+HydroponicsIsCool If you is interested in aquaponics the greatest results that I have had was with the Keiths Ponics Site (just google it) without a doubt the most incredible info that I've tried.
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Thank you for sharing your vertical garden with us. Your video is great, and you additions to your blog make this a very simple build. Since you made this last year, I would like to ask how it worked out. I have tried every way you can imagine to get good strawberries, and the results were a disaster. I am hoping you will be able to report that your system worked great. Awaiting your answer. Thanks again, Richard.
Awareness of the chemicals leaching from non-food grade plastics needs to be considered. Search on "plastics and food growing" before chosing your materials.
Looking forward to building one of your towers, as one of my first hydroponic projects. My question is, I guess a hydroponic beginner's question, what is the purpose of having an air stone in the bucket? Doesn't the water become aerated as it travelers down the column? Thanks.
From my experience the water does become aerated a little bit but not enough to be effective for aeroponics. I picked mine up at a local pet store, you can get a really good one with 6" stones for around $25.
Great video I would have love to actually seen you cut all the holes every little detail even if it was 4-5 hours I would sit here and watch lol.. Keep the videos coming!
Great video- very useful, creative & efficient idea! Good pointers & tips included- no random drivel or anything that made me want to try to skip through. Excellent! If only more people employed this format… After two years, how has it worked out? Any recommended modifications/redesigns? (I'm assuming you would include a link to a follow-up video were you to make one, right?) Have you had any issues with algae? Or have the plants sufficiently obscured enough light to prevent big blooms? So you've been growing them clay pellet medium? I'm guessing that several other options would be interchangeable... How did your fountain/crown piece work out? Did you consider or try just cutting slots in the center of each side at the very edge- so the water just flows down each side? Any thoughts on that? Do you think the number of plants could be increased by bringing them closer without detrimental consequences? Potentially diminishing algae (if it's an issue at all) while increasing yield…? When I do this I'll invest in a much bigger/more powerful pump at the beginning that could eventually support operation of 5-10 of these towers. Starting with one tower I could build one more each year- or even an increasing number of new towers each year which I could fill for free with new runners produced by the plants every fall until I reached my goal, the pump's capacity or available space! Where my uncle lives up in the mountains of western North Carolina, his view of the small valley below includes a commercial strawberry operation of several fields. I was suspiciously amazed to learn that all those plants in those fields are somehow moved twice a year- as whole rows- between NC & somewhere in Texas (I believe) in order to get two full harvests from those plants each year! The timing of the move is critical & dependent on the weather. I don't understand logistically how the plants even can be "packed" & moved- several whole fields at once as whole rows; or how this can be done without stressing the plants, significantly reducing yield. Incredible! I wonder if this could be done with these towers inside greenhouses using some kind of climate control in just the right natural climate. Thanks again- awesome!
Thank you very much for the informative video. If multiple towers were to be made and placed together how far would the spacing have to be between each tower for lighting to reach all the plants, and would sunlight be a viable option for this method of growing? Kind Regards
I was wondering this too, if 1 pump could hydrate 2 towers if kept at the height of 6 feet. Have water come up to a "diverter" at highest point, where the water cascades down into and strains off into two directions to each tower. That way you can grow 2x more plants off of same electricity from one pump.
Is an ellipse necessary? wouldn't a three inch round hole in the bottom om your elliptical pipe allow for root growth and nourishment? what crops will grow in this space? great instructional video! thanks for exploring!
Love it! I am trying to gather the materials to make one. I get that everyone cuts the post to accommodate a 260 gph pump, but for about $5. more a 400gph pump would fit a higher tower (and not produce as much wasted post), Is it possible to have too much flow esp. with a 5 gallon bucket? Also, does anyone know how to make a level on the side of the bucket?
I see you video, can you please let me know many inch of square pipe do you use? and how many inch of round pipe do you use? how many inch of basket do you use?
It would be nice to find some organic hydroponic nutrients but it seems to be a bit of a grey area, most people seem to go with organic compost teas. Which nutrients did you use ?
Cool build. Only thing I'm concerned with is it being somewhat "top-heavy" with just a five gallon bucket for an anchor. How did it do in the wind?? Thanks!! I may just only use three sides and secure it (somehow), to my privacy fence.
My daughter is a strawberry junkie. Just purchased four of these posts and am getting ready to pull this off. This looks AWESOME!!! I'm curious though if you need soil beyond what goes in the net pot? These hydro systems aren't quite clear to me when they are vertical.
U should build a wood box to cover the bucket to make it look even more beautiful. My husband is trying this for me I just wanted to hide the ugly bucket it's gonna be indoors.
All you really had to do is cut a slot in each side staggered and use a heat gun and heat each slot and then use a wine bottle into the heated cut slot. Then you have the same thing as the 4" cut pvc pipe. You just did a lot of needless cutting and glueing. Making waste and work. Looks good thou.
Hi Jeff! I'm trying to get into hydroponic gardening on the cheap and I found your tutorial to be one of the best and easiest around. I'm very new to gardening in general, so re: your advice about tomatoes and small roots systems - can chicken wire or a cage be used to accommodate for vine-y plans (such as tomatoes and cucumbers), and can roots systems be regularly pruned on larger plants without harming them so as to keep the inside of the garden clear for the "rainfall?" I love your website, by the way! Thanks in advance for any help!
just an fyi,, I noticed you used a pvc fence cement, I sont know if that is food use ok or not, but goop makes a plumbing pvc glue which looks a lot like ur fence cement tube, but its for plumbing and would be food safe
Great post! I would love to make a couple of these for my yard. However, I can't seem to figure out the instructions for the pyramid cap sprinkler portion. Can someone advise how this was accomplished? Thanks!
Thanks for share such nice idea tower plant 🌱 Can you tell me for growing plant.. is it using natural water or mix some chemicals If we do use natural water then can we grow strawberries 🍓 Please guide me Thanks
I just wonder if it is necessary to run the pump so often. If you put grow medium inside especially something that can hold a lot of water. Is it possible to just drench it with water once in awhile without a pump?
Hi, very nice project. Do you have any update in the re-design of your water spray? what didn'y you like about this one? Thanks! and again, very cool project.
Hi there, its supper!! And thanks a lot for making a video for us. I respect your spirit. I Got a question here if you can answer. Does water need to be run constantly 24 hrs until ripen??
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!! How much money and time tools you to make one tower? :) I would like to do it myself. Greetings from Mexico!!
good job man... being ingenious is key to being and engineer... and you sir are a hydroponics engineer... hahahha keep up the good work its all about trial and error
Germany calling with 2 questions! 1.) How is the white "PVC-tower" called and what is it for - originally (seems we do not have it in Germany - I looked my ass off, but cannot find it). 2.) How do you make this "PVC-tower" stand so straight with no support (I can see), but the bucket it stands in? Is that bucket really all what supports the "water-tower"? Hoping for your response, from Cologne, Jue
you can always switch to 4in. dia. tubing and spend a lot of time making an oblong shaped hole with a DREMEL TOOL and bitt suggest you make a template and marker to speed it up,ed
