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Vertical Systems - Y Fittings
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Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:00 ]
Post subject:  Vertical Systems - Y Fittings
Here are a few pix I have re vertical possibilities.

The bottom 2 come from National Geographic April 1982 pp 453/ 454 (That's how long I have been dreaming about this type of thing)

The top pix is my early morning experiment.

I reckon this would wourk just great using a continuous flow through the vertical pipes.

I think 125mm pipe would be better, need to have an end cap on the bottom of the "Grow Tower" with some sort of tubing to get the water back to the sump of my flood and drain system

Need to experiment with different "pocket" spacings for different type of plants, although it looks like to me the pipes shown in the National Geographic pix are commercially produced with slots already punched in to the metal pipes and they have chosen to miss every second one or there abouts with a strawberry plant.

See, you blokes talking about "Y" fittings in the thread about "What plants I can Grow in Winter" or such like, set me to thinking, up early and dug out the National Geographic pile.

What do you think.....

Comments......

Muzza
PS....Sorry Steve / EB perhaps I should have put this post under the general heading of "Systems" perhaps you can shift it, for aa more orderly Forum.

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File comment: From National Geographic "Technology tricks the desert into growing food for the Israelies. High-rise strawbery planters at Moshav Sadot exploit northern Sinai's steady sunshine while requiring relatively little water." quote from text o
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File comment: I used a piece of 90mm PVC down pipe to see hoe easy this is..... Just cut a slit in the pipe, then using a hot air gun heat the pipe above the slit and using the back of a stanley knife I depressed the PVC and held it in place for about 20 seconds until
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Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:04 ]
Post subject:  Re: Vertical Systems - Y Fittings
That is bloody magic! Thank you Murray!

Just get a larger pipe for under each row and mount the verticals on top of it.

Or alternately have them end capped at the bottom with smaller line to underground (just on ground level) passive return. i have an excellent passive return trick so you can still get a waterfall from ground level.

An S bend basically.

Water from beds and vertical columns returned at just under ground level, then upwards with an elbow and into pond at required waterfall height via a u shaped piece. The beds will be higher than this, and the vertical columns would need the bottom 25 cm or so dedicated to making this work. Again, one pump does all the work with a bit of ingenuity.
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:04 ]
Post subject:  Re: Vertical Systems - Y Fittings
Murraym,

Cut, heat and bend method will save people a fortune in fittings


On-ya!
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:05 ]
Post subject: 
go muzza, you're a genuious. This could really save some space in the greenhouses.
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:05 ]
Post subject: 
This method will be especially good for those who have square greenhouses and round tanks, will be able to make use of the corners of the greenhouse I would think, or completely along one wall about 1 mtr out from the wall.

Strawberries have to be planted in winter don't they ?
If so I will have to wait until next winter to get the strawberry "Grow Towers" going.
Murray
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:05 ]
Post subject: 
damn site cheaper than the one I'm going to make up today... You can plant strawberries pretty much any time I think.
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:05 ]
Post subject: 
murray you have just summed me up. Square/rectangle greenhouse and round beds (at least the first 2 anyway). Gonna start making some of these as soon as the green house is up and the tanks in and the beds done and and and.... AGGHHHH too much to do no time AGGHHHH
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:09 ]
Post subject: 
Sorry guys...... tried to move the post, ended up deleting it..... :? Have replaced all info, but it looks like I'm talking to myself....
Author:  aquamad [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:21 ]
Post subject: 
that's okay - we are all used to it :)

That is such a simple yet clever idea - good on ya!
Author:  monya [ Jun 30th, '06, 09:53 ]
Post subject: 
are the log ins fixed (this is a test post)
Author:  Aquaddict [ Jun 30th, '06, 10:28 ]
Post subject: 
hehehe

earthbounds been eating hyphenated tomatoes by the looks of things.

This is as I said, rofl, bloody magic.

Sorry you spent money on those y's at least they weren't extortionate you may be able to return them too.
Author:  Aquaddict [ Jun 30th, '06, 10:31 ]
Post subject: 
I might try covering one in black plastic for winter with that shape it's easy.
Author:  veggie boy [ Jun 30th, '06, 17:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Vertical Systems - Y Fittings
Good work Murray. Will definitely have one of those in my system. UPVC I guess would be best - need to look at the suspicious materials thread again :?
Author:  johnnie7au [ Jun 30th, '06, 21:15 ]
Post subject: 
I was thinking .. how do you keep the grow media in?

I am thinking along the same lines, but no media .. just hessian or something poked in the holes to act as a wick to take water to the roots?

(I gotta think it though!)
Author:  earthbound [ Jun 30th, '06, 21:30 ]
Post subject: 
It's very similar to the chook feeder made dad made when I was a kid. A 10L steel paint tin with the same sort of cut, then push top side of cut in.... You would fill the paint tin with grain, and because of the particle size (ie not like water or sand), the particles sort of jam there. Constant grain for the chooks to peck at, and as they ate grain from the opening, more would drop down to replace it..

Same sort of thing with these, and it looks a little like they have used maybe something like peat, or cocopeat, you'd be pretty safe with something like perlite or expanded clay as well I reakon. :D
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