Admittedly, it's taken longer than expected to finish the new Do-It-Yourself plans for a homemade aeroponic unit.  Today, I'm pleased to announce that the wait is over!  Additionally, we've got our first challenge to the community.  Read on for details.

I'm really pleased with how this project turned out.   It's everything that I originally hoped.  For those of you that missed the earlier posts, here's the history behind the project:

I've always been a fan of building your own gear.  I build aeroponic units frequently.  Based on some recent experiences with our TurboGarden (a 14 site unit built by Botanicare), I realized that a single site unit was needed.  (We've recently had an eggplant grow much larger than expected. It displaced everything else in the TurboGarden, and is now a single plant in a 14 site system).  Nobody manufactures single site aeroponics units.  I wanted to design something that would be easy to build, inexpensive, and easy to care for over the long term.

I'm pleased with the results.  I think you will be too. Check it out.

Additionally, finishing this project has given me an idea for the site... It's time for community participation.  Anyone who builds an aeroponic system based on this design is welcome to send us a photo of their creation.  We'll make a gallery of community-built systems somewhere on the site.

Since we're on the topic of building your own systems, I have another announcement for everyone in the Hydroponics Tuesday community.  I'm not sure if it's fair to call this our first contest, but it's definitely a challenge to the entire community.  A bounty, if you will...

If anyone in the community can improve on design of our latest DIY aeroponic system, it would benefit the community as a whole.  If anyone has improvements to the design, send them into to me (with pictures, if you've got them).  I'll set a reasonable ending date for this first contest... Say 04/15/2008.  Whomever sends in the best improvements to the DIY Aeroponic System will be the proud recipient of some official swag from the Hydroponics Tuesday gear closet.  Additionally, we'll publish all the good improvements on their own page, with credits.  To everyone in the community... Fix my stuff, win a prize.

Ok.  Back to business as usual.  Our eggplant is the sole inhabitant of the TurboGarden.  It's really doing quite well, with no signs of stopping production.  We're still getting lots of little eggplants (it's a Bambino, the fruits are like ping-pong balls).

Depending on my lighting setup (with the pending rearrangement), we may be running several independent aeroponics systems for the several Black Beauty eggplants that are still young.

Here's the photo for this week: 

This week's post is a bit of a diversion from our usual topics.  Don't worry, we'll get to the DIY later in the post.

We've been experimenting with growing orchids hydroponically.  For the last several months, we've been growing a phalaenopsis inside the MegaGarden.  Although this plant wasn't originally a hydroponic plant, we've had great success after the transplant.  Although we haven't talked about it much on the blog, I'd like to take a minute to mention Technaflora nutrients.  We've been experimenting with them in the MegaGarden.  The orchid has done really well with the Technaflora mixture (vegetative stage mix).  I like that the Technaflora stays "in suspension" more than other types of nurtients that we've used.  On the whole, I like Technaflora quite a bit.

The orchid in question has grown several new buds, and will be flowering in the near future.  It's also grown several new roots. Orchids typically don't grow all that quickly, but this one seems very happy.

We haven't truly "re-potted" it.  Rather, it still lives in it's originally wooden block.  The block itself is contained within a pot, which floods whenever the MegaGarden cycles.  We have had zero problems with mold, which actually surprised us a bit.  As always, remember that adequate air circulation is required, to eliminate standing water.

Regarding the pests mentioned last week (thrips and leafcurlers)...

The Neem oil has really cleaned up the problem.  Neem oil doesn't smell as bad as it's often accused.  We don't mind it at all.  In addition to the Neem oil mixture, we also applied some leaf stimulator (from House & Garden) to aid in the repairs.  We're pleased with the progress:

We've also started a group of Black Beauty eggplant seeds.  They don't have numbers yet, but they will be used in an upcoming experiment in the spring months.

Here's this week's overview photo.  It's just the eggplant in the TurboGarden at the moment: 

Lots has happened this week.  Some good, some regrettable, some interesting...

Firstly, we decided to take care of some overdue maintenance in the garden.  We hadn't been trimming as often as we should, and we made a sad discovery.  It looks like we found the start of an insect infestation.  We found both thrips and leafcurlers starting to set up shop on our eggplant.  Here's a very close macro photo of one of the leaves:

We've taken dramatic steps to fix the situation.  We've trimmed back all the leaves that showed any insect presence.  Additionally, we've hosed the entire plant down with a Neem oil mixture.  Neem oil is a great all-natural pest control.  It's safe for your vegetables.  With the exception of a strong odor, it's the perfect insect controller.  Additionally, we performed a "shock" of 35% hydrogen peroxide in the water, just to kill off anything that might have set foot in the reservoir.

Don't take this post the wrong way.  Our eggplant is still very healthy, and is fruiting regularly.  We're taking steps to prevent a larger problem, but all is still well.

Additionally, we've ended the growing cycle for our Alexandria Alpine strawberries.  Since we have a new shipment of Fort Laramie strawberries on the way, we wanted to make room.  The eggplant had been dominating the TurboGarden anyway.  You'll see a lot more space in the overview photo this week.  When we removed all the strawberry plants, we got to see exactly how large the eggplant's root system has grown.  It's big.  Really big.  It's taken over all the surrounding "sites" in the TurboGarden.  It looks like a giant mass.  Strong roots.  I have no idea how we'll eventually remove it from the TurboGarden when the cycle is over.

Regarding the DIY projects...

I spent some more time working on the PVC tube garden this week.  Truthfully, I'm not overjoyed at this point.  Here are the latest thoughts on the "Aeroflo-style" PVC garden:

• It takes a rather large pump to achieve enough pressure to drive the 15 sprayers in my PVC garden.  I originally tried an ActiveAqua PU550, but it wasn't enough.  I had to step up to the more expensive PU800 in order to get enough mojo for the jets. (Mind you, the ActiveAqua line is very reasonable when compared to competitive units)
• I'm not overjoyed with the spray-pattern of the jets.  They just aren't getting the coverage that I would like.  The project isn't complete yet, so I hope to make further revisions.

Also, we'll soon be posting the plant for a new DIY aeroponic unit.  This one will be less expensive than the last model, and even easier to build.  The key is a new reservoir that Jessawick discovered while shopping.  Here's the best tip I can ever offer:

The Ikea "Sortera" is perfect for making both a reservoir or a compact aeroponic unit.

Take a look at the Sortera (look at the larger one) on Ikea's site.  It's just perfect.  It's large enough for a reservoir.  It's got a great lid that gives you access to your water, and it's tall enough to build into a single-chamber aeroponic unit.  I'm still refining it before publishing, but the core of it is a Sortera and a PU250.

Also, while we're on the topic of constructing aeroponic units, I'd like to talk a bit about net pots.  Your choice of net pots will have an impact on your project.  As I've learned over the past few months, all net pots are not created equal.

Here are some photos of commonly found models:

3" net pot, manufactured by General Hydroponics

3" net pot, manufactured by American Agritech (Botanicare)

As you can see from the photos above, there are some striking differences.  The pot made by General Hydroponics is roughly cast, with lots of imperfections and "tags".  Additionally, it's netting is much "looser".  This forces you to use a larger breed of hydroton when using them for planting.

The American Agritech pots are better item.  Their netting is tighter, which will allow you to use smaller hydroton for your plantings.  For small plants, smaller hydroton will be a big help.  Additionally, do you notice the solid "ring" around the top of the American Agritech pot?  This ring is extremely important if you're building your own system.  The pot is designed in such a way that it will sit cleanly in a 2 3/4" hole.  This matters a lot, as it will give you a clean and tight seal.  This keeps your water in the reservoir, and off your floor.  The "ring" at the top forms a tight "cork" in the hole.  It fits well.  Highly recommended.  It's easy to make exact 2 3/4" holes with a hole saw.  You don't even need an expensive hole-saw.  Plastic is soft, so expensive carbide hole-saws are unnecessary.  Buy the cheap high speed steel ones if possible.  I think I spent $11 for mine.  Money well spent.

You'll notice that the eggplant is all alone in the aeroponic TurboGarden this week.  Truthfully, we've been really surprised with how it's grown.  We never expected it to dominate the garden.

This week's post will start with a bit of a digression...

We got a question this week about growing (and selling) produce that is legally allowed to be called "organic".  For those of you who aren't familiar with it, "organic" is a legal term when it involved food labeling.  You must meet a rather intensive list of requirements in order to legally sell a product as "organic".  The US Department of Agriculture has specific requirements and guidelines that must be met (and certified) before products can legally be called "organic".

If you're thinking about growing organic fruits and vegetables hydroponically, you'll probably want to know about OMRI. OMRI is the Organic Materials Review Institute.  It's a non-profit certifying body for "input products" used in certified organic production.  In simple terms, they pre-approve fertilizers and additives, so you can save yourself a lot of headaches when you go to market.

You're probably thinking to yourself, "I use a really good nutrient mix.  It's got to be organic."  However, this is often not the case.  The vast majority of hydroponic nutrients are actually not OMRI listed.  In the hopes of offering assistance, I did some research on the more common nutrients and supplements on market.

• American Agritech / Botanicare:  No products are OMRI listed.  I researched the Pure Blend Pro line, Liquid Karma, Sweet, and Cal-Mag.  This doesn't mean that their nutrients aren't good.  In fact, I like them quite a lot.  From my research, I found out that a single-step in their production process is "uncertifiable".  If one link in the chain is broken, a product cannot be certified.
• General Hydroponics: No products are OMRI listed.  I researched the FloraNova line and FloraBlend (my favorite compost tea).  It appears that part of the "refining" process used by General Hydroponics makes their products ineligible for OMRI listing.  Hydroponic nutrients need to stay "in solution" in order to be of much use to the plants.  If all the "good stuff" falls to the bottom of the reservoir, it can't help the plants.  Although I don't know the specifics of their manufacturing process, it appears that their methods of keeping nutrients in suspension break the "certification chain".  This is not a criticism.  I'd rather have a good non-listed nutrient, than a lousy listed one.
• Technaflora: Some of Technaflora's products are OMRI listed.  It's not the whole line, but Technaflora is the only one of the major manufacturers to have anything that's listed.  Technaflora has Thrive Alive B-1, B Seaweed, and Soluble Seaweed listed with OMRI.  When I spoke with a Technaflora representative, they gave similar reasons for why the whole line isn't approved.  Apparently, the requirements of hydroponic gardening make OMRI listing a pretty difficult goal.  I was pleased to see the listing.  I'd say, of all the nutrients that I use, Technaflora is the best at "staying in suspension".  They tend to "fall out" less than most other nutrients.
• Grotek: Only one product produced by Grotek is OMRI listed, their commercial Fishplus fertilizer.  I'll admit that I've never had experience with Fishplus, so I can't offer much of a comment.  However, Grotek's regular like is "organic-based".  "Organic-based" is a good thing, just not legally "organic".  Although I don't have any proof, I suspect that Grotek has the same trouble obtaining an certifiable suspension as the other manufacturers.
• Earth Juice: The entire Earth Juice line is OMRI listed.  I can't say much about Earth Juice, as I've never used anything they make.  However, if you're trying to grow an organic-certifiable crop, they appear to be your first (and only) choice, short of mixing your own nutrients from scratch.
• House & Garden (Van de Zwaan): Sadly, H&G has no product that are OMRI listed.

I'd expect that we'll start to see more nutrients that have OMRI listing in the coming years.  At this time, it appears that most manufacturers have opted to produce a product with superior operating properties, at the cost of certification.  The manufacturers put a lot of effort into not clogging our sprayers, more than is usually visible to the amateur grower.

In other news:

The new 5x5 prototype PVC garden is progressing nicely.  We've done a few refits thus far, and are pretty happy with the results.  The new larger 5x5 tube allowed us to use a standard plastic "sink drain" for our water-return.  Another part that you can easily get at Home Depot.  Another small victory.

However, the pump that we bought seems to be underpowered.  We're going to get a larger pump as soon as possible.  Our 5x5 PVC garden houses 14 plant sites.  We initially tried using an ActiveAqua PU550, but it doesn't seem to be large enough.  The jets are all "spraying", but not at the full-power that they should.  Since I'm such a fan of ActiveAqua, I'm likely going to order a PU800.   For comparison, the TurboGarden uses a more expensive Mag-Drive pump.  Thus far, the ActiveAqua pumps that I've had have been nothing but a reliable workhouse.  ActiveAqua is highly recommended.

I'll eventually post the plans for the DIY PVC garden, but I want it to work perfectly before confusing everyone.

In unrelated news... we picked up a little item this week that is both useful and inexpensive.  We usually drain our aero reservoirs by using their own pumps.  However, you're always left with a little in the bottom.  Normally, we'd remove and dump the reservoir.  However, this looks like it's a lot more convenient.  We found this battery-powered siphon at Home Depot for about $10.  It was located in the seasonal section, near the gasoline containers.  It's the perfect addition for cleaning out the last water from a reservoir during a change.

Also, I'm about half-complete with converting a plastic container from Ikea into an single-site aeroponic unit.  I'll post the product number as soon as I remember to take a picture.

As always, here's the overview photo of the week: