Jay's Vertical Tube System

toffee

This is the neatest system I have seen so far, great job!

Hex

Hi Jay
Getting the seedlings into the gravel looks very difficult, what about buying some normal aquarium gravel from a petstore just for the hole locations, it`s usually quite small.
Thinking about how to make a hole in the big gravel.
What about using a short piece of ~25mm -30mm dia (thin wall) steel tube with a wooden "spike" (piece of dowel perhaps) that is a sliding fit inside?
If the spike protudes from the tube an inch, the whole thing can be pushed (rotated) into the gravel to create a hole.
Pull out the dowel "spike" to leave the empty tube, insert seedling and then gently pull the tube from the gravel (over the seed leaves) by partially rotating it back and forth.

Might be a bit of a nightmare to execute but worth a go perhaps :wink:

RupertofOZ

Jay here's an idea I've used in the past for hydro (fairly common) that might work for you.....

Usually the seeds are pre-germinated and gently rolled into a clay ball...
(you can actually buy them like this - hydro applications, see photo)

Clay keeps them moist and held in place..... germination grows them out of clay ball.

Storing them dry, means they can be held on the shelf for a while in "stasis" so to speak until planted out and watered

Just pop the clay ball in between the gravel and away you go...
or in the case of hydro... into a net pot with hydroton etc.

RupertofOZ

Found this in my notes....another way to use pre-germinated seeds

Quote:

A convenient way to plant small, delicate, pre-germinated seeds is to suspend them in a gel. You can make a gel by blending cornstarch with boiling water to a consistency that is thick enough so the seeds will stay suspended. Be sure to cool thoroughly before use. Place the gel with seedlings in a plastic bag with a hole in it. Squeeze the gel through the hole along a pre-marked garden row. Spacing of seeds is determined by the number of seeds in the gel. If the spacing is too dense, add more gel; if too wide, add more seeds. The gel will keep the germinating seeds moist until they establish themselves in the garden soil.

Might be able to adapt the technique

Caribean-grower

sounds a little like tissue-culture.

dthawk

Jay, keep the pics coming please. I am intrigued. I like the small footprint of your system.

michael_Ferrini

everytime i see the clay pellets I think of rabbits.

Jay...i agree with ^^^^ dthawk. I've always wanted a verticle tube design and I think you've got it down pat. I think a few of us are paying close attention to your progress. Ever since going to the Epcot Bio Center in Florida, I am convinced vertical is really an awesome design principle.

Keep up the good work Jay.

steve

lookin good jay! lovel the hotel

i'd go the peat moss idea. try a few direct transplants of seedlings (nothing works better for the self esteme than a huge plant in your AP

LOL

gemmell

Between your vertical system, Steve and Anges hanging horizontal system, and a normal bedded system, I reckon you could get a lot of growing medium in a very small/akward space. I will be trying a few horizontal pipes at the back of my system (too small for a grow bed, about 2 m high). Great work.

greenedo

how about a bit of smaller gravel or coarse sand? Just enough to keep the seeds from washing down.

dthawk

Just checking to see your progress....

JayMcClellan

We had our first harvest of lettuce today, a whopping 9 grams (0.3 ounces)! By my calculations it has only cost me about $27,000 per pound. :shock:

emsjoflo

I've got some very expensive basil too

dthawk

not counting the dressing.

ecosys

dt, do you dress for dinner?

Backyard Aquaponics A place to discuss aquaponics

Jay's Vertical Tube System

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics