How To Build Strawberry Towers: 2.0
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- www.BigelowBroo...
After several years of growing with the original strawberry towers, we revisit a different design based on the ZipGrow towers. To be brutally honest, the ZipGrow is better! www.zipgrow.com/
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I like using the end caps and Tapping the fittings.
I was going to use "T" sections of pipe on the bottom but that means a lot of cutting and gluing not to mention the T fittings are more than twice the price of the end caps and fittings. Going to do it this way for sure. So much faster and easier.
Good tips, thanks.
Use coco coir and small holes instead of the slit down the pipe. Coco is light and airy. If your pump goes out with them rocks your roots dry within hours. If you had coco it would retain moisture for hours, you could get away with hand watering in reality, if you dialed in your evaporation might just water 1-3 times a day. Cool build
You are just the bomb on this stuff!
Might I make a suggestion?
You could easily (cost effectively) use a very light weight and affordable material that is mold resistant, antimicrobial. It's a product that you find in filters for air. So they will be very safe! It's amazing how well the plant roots will attach/adapt this.
You could also use light weight coco coir chips (not the bricks). This would be of course a little more expensive than the filter material or gravel, but it's very organic and seriously light weight.
What i love when you do something for the first time. Is ideas pops into your head on how to improve and tricks to make the job easier . Looking good 👍👍👍👍
Very creative. I love how you just make things work!
2:45 When bending a pipe it is sometimes a good idea to fill it with sand to prevent kinking.
Nice looking towers :)
Do you think setting them up with a bit of a lean back towards the fish tank would sort out the leaking problems? Really want to try grow tubes of some sort for next seasons strawberries & these look great..
Thanks for the look Rob :)
Doing a lean will help a bit, but you still may get some water that grabs on to the plant, goes down the stem and drips off the leaf. Also, if you lean it, some of the water will still come out the slot, then work it's way to the back side. You want to make sure you don't pack a lot of stone in the bottom so the pipe can stay smaller than the cap so there's a gap between the pipe and cap and the water can get back in. Or, you just set the tower above your tank and let it all drip in!
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb)
Cheers for that :) Migth save me some grief..
Very good idea. I would say you can save yourself time making this by putting the saw gate .250 then flipping over and going the other direction, you still get a .500 cut without having to move the gate. (If your jig is open on both ends)
Do please remember to show us what happens to those beets! Tubers (Carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes.) are always tricky in aquaponic systems and I'd be fascinated to hear what experience you have with them.
It's funny people tell me that but I grow radish, carrots, and beets all the time. Even had pretty good luck with potatoes! Aquaponic Carrots
God dammit where is the double like button? I was trying to figure out a way to make a consistent slot in PVC pipe and saw this, seems obvious after watching you but saved me a couple of hours of trying to figure it out. Thanks also for your work on the editing so this went fast, and was to the point.
Have you thought about leaving a 6 inch section intact on the top & bottom to maintain spacing? So, just start your cut 6" below the top & stop about 6" before the bottom.
Great DIY version though!!
When the roots get impacted with the shale, I wanted to be able to spread out the pipe to get it all out. It's the problem with the old design where it's nearly impossible to get the stone & roots out.
Just drill holes in the side put plants in like you did with your slot design. But you gave ma a great idea The media should be very lightweight possible perlite and shale blend.
I'm looking at a tower system of some sort for new strawberries next spring. Obviously, you are in a warm climate based on the idea that you have a fish tank that you are attaching the pipe to.
I'm in zone 7A which gets cold in winter.
Suggestions if you have any?
We're in 6a. If you're growing a few plants a tower is fine but eventually the roots will clog everything. I don't use towers any more.
@@Bigelowbrook Thanks for the info.
I just tried transplanting strawberry runners from a friends place. I wanted to keep them on the runner and pot them until they rooted but I couldn't do that. I'm hoping the roots take. It's getting warm and the leaves are wilting. It's only been two days so I'm figuring this will be happening until the roots re-establish.
If it doesn't work out for me, I just found another source of rooting where I can actually leave the runners on the mother plant and root them from there.
Wonderful job on the project and the video ! A pleasure to watch and you are a great teacher !
First.. awesome design..especially when you compare the cost of diy..compared to the cost of zip towers!
I know this vid was made way back in 2013..so now 5 years later 2018.. would you use other medium in the tubes..say...like maybe..coco coir or a antibacterial material like they use in the zip towers?..
The 4" tube..could easily and very inexpensively be retrofitted several different ways to use "other" grow medium.. but I bet you've figured that out already. Again.. very excellent video!
I used these with expanded shale for a few years until I had a fruit fly invasion and pull everything out. I never got around to putting these back it, but they did work well!
Congratulations! You are really creative. Will try this in Mexico. Gracias.
Awesome. I just love your videos, you are doing so many of the things we want to do. I appreciate getting to ride your learning curve!
I found a local source of gravel sized quartz, with iron deposits running through it. I am considering trying a grow bed with that for media. I'm thinking quartz ought to be inert, and maybe the iron would leach into the system in a beneficial manner. If you have any thoughts on that idea, please share them with me!
0:51 - You say "...Poor Mans Version" - I say "Frugal Smart Mans Version"! Thanks for sharing this video Sir, for us smart frugal men! :)
This is a great idea man, I really like it. That said, I've been thinking I may want to try to do this exact thing but use the 4" PVC square fence post that you can get at the box stores...but it may just be cheaper at that point to get the towers from BrightAgrotech at that point...good video.
BrightAgrotech is off the hook with their prices.. seriously off the hook..not even close into the ballpark of being reasonable.. It would be cheaper to pay the guys at HomeDepot to make that cut in the PVC pipe.. or someone who has a skill saw..
Good stuff. Might make something similar for conventional planting...
When you're pouring in the expanded shale, could you run a bit of tape to the bottom and just pull it up as you fill so it doesn't fly out the slot?
Good Ole American ingenuity!! Keep up the good work!
Very professional install
Great video, thanks for all the details and construction techniques! How did you sprout your strawberries and get them to the stage where you could plant them in your towers?
I'd say your 1st one was better, but you should use Rockwool instead of those rock taking so much root space.
Have you ever considered wrapping the towers in a screen door mesh to prevent the smaller rocks from falling out?
its cool to see different growing techniques that people are acquiring now days but in all reality its a plant that was genetically designed to grow in the earth but you obviously like to grow so to each his own nice plants
I suppose one could say that humans are genetically designed to live in caves and hunt with sticks and stones. If we don't' push the boundaries on things, we wouldn't advance as a society. If course one could debate that we shouldn't be advancing... ;-)
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb) i do live in a cave and hunt with a stick called an arrow/spear. pretty sure its not pushing boundaries,but more like manipulating the pattern of growth
and have you seen your advancing society lately KEEP ADVANCING YO.....
Well done. I like the towers from Bright Agrotech, but they're a little on the spendy side for my taste.
Once again, your videos never disappoint!
With that being said, WHERES THE ROCKET STOVE VIDEO!?!? LOL
Thanks again!
Hay Everyone, be sure to watch the video through to the end. Rob mentions that this method might not be so terrible for something you only plant rarely but sometimes there is very good reason not to try to "re-invent the wheel". Rob mentions that the Commercially available ZipGrows are lighter weight and far easier to plant/re-plant. The Media in the ZipGrow towers as well as the PVC housing is also specifically made for the purpose of growing food so you don't have to worry about unknown recycled materials that could be used for those fence post covers or possible fire retardants or anti fungal agents that might be used in air or evaporator cooler filters.
I would definitely say wait for some updates from Rob on this one before deciding to spend a lot of time and effort to replicate this one. He may come back after a few months to tell us that the roots have caused the water to start coming out the crack too much and leakage could become a real problem.
You don't have to wait a few months for that answer. I already have a few drips coming out of the system. If I run the water too fast, it sort of "whips" off the stones and comes out. There are a couple of spots where the roots have (surprisingly) started to grow out of the slots and the water will drip off of them. Except for the occasional dripping, the plants are doing well. I am not looking forward to transplanting these but it should be better than the old towers...we'll see in a couple of years!
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb)
Well provided you are feeling strong and that the bottom end caps can be pulled off. Hopefully you should be able to stand on a sturdy step stool and shake the media/plants out into a kiddie pool or stock tank or something. No after watching you try to fill/plant them, I don't think I would try it. Problem with vertical is always the dripping/leaking no matter what method I've not seen any that are absolutely perfect. The Zipgrows come close but they are not perfect either. Best means of vertical growing I know of is to grow vines and tall plants that can be trained, then nature takes care of lifting the water up and we don't have to pay to pump it higher.
I think even the purchased zip systems suffer from the same water loss you speak of. Water will always find the easiest path to travel. I think the trick would be to have a bucket of something to catch any water run off and force it in toward the drain sump . I have some ideas but I'm going to experiment myself as if you put your thinking cap on you may have better ideas than I foresay... Even a simple bucket located above the bottom with the main drain pipe running through central . This would have to be placed on little planter feet to ensure the bucket sat perfectly with the planter running through the center and not moving around a lot if the pipings touched at all as any leak at this point would defeat the point of having them there to start with!. I know this was posted a while back but I'm sure some people are still scrolling through the comments reading and looking for advice ect, I've found myself here! So I've left my five cents . I hope it might help somebody who suffers water loss at some point ideally and not be another over shadowed comment !. Good luck with all that you all do whether kingkong or Tinkerbell sized!. Best wishes James .
You are very resourceful! I like your concept. How much did you spend on making the towers?
I have a large bed in my garden devoted to strawberries, I would LOVE to get them out of the bed and into a tower. ***** I'm going to check into your square pipe idea. Have you tried it yet? Thanks for the inspiration!!
FRESH PRINCESS, no I've been traveling and I'm still in Indiana with my family so I haven't been able to yet. I'm planning on ordering a larger pump in the next week or so and I should be able to start to test it all out during the first week of Feb...this should give me enough time to get it going for spring and plant some greens first. I'm also going to try different forms of grow media (ie. expanded clay, limestone, and biochar) and see how they each perform. I'm glad I could be an inspiration to you on this. :) I really like Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb)'s towers as well...he usually know's what he's doing...and if he doesn't, he does a good job of fooling me! :-) haha I'll keep you updated!
I don't have a hydroponics system, I wonder if these word work on a regular drip irrigation system and if they'd freeze during the winter. I'm in Oregon.
I don't have a hydroponic system either FRESH PRINCESS, but I'm working on building one that's somewhat mobile (and cheap)...as you already know. I think I'll be able to grow quite allot in a small space with my re-purposed towers. I'm in South Carolina and I think I will be able to run year round with a heater in the water (during the winter). I think Oregon would be too cold for this but if you have a small greenhouse I bet you could keep it running! :-) It never hurts to give it a go...
I would avoid the square fence post since they are usually made from PVC. The pipe I use here is all ABS which is "safer", not the best, but better than PVC. You probably could just run water through them, but they're going to need some type of nutrient added so it's usually just easier to do some kind of re-circulation system system...I like the aquaponics. If you let the system go dormant in the winter, you probably don't want them to get too cold.
Ok, thanks so much for the info. You've been super helpful, both of you.
American ingenuity is a blessed thing! Love this stuff. Helper is cuter then a button.
Very informative. Thank you for posting.
I think that you could have substituted foam packing peanuts for the very heavy shale grow medium. Yes? No? What am I missing?
Was there a reason you didn't use a dado blade to make the slot in the pipe? If stability was an issue, especially at the end of a cut, perhaps you could add a scrap piece of wood to your cutting surface behind the blade that's the same width as the cut with a tapered edge to prevent the pipe from collapsing in on itself around the blade as you cut.
I didn't want to use my good dado on plastics. It didn't do much harm to the pipe to just cut it twice. Also, it's a real pain to change out the blades! ;-)
I love your videos. Maybe try some Thrash Metal, or Norwegian Satanic Black Metal for your background music. Ragtime gives a crisp uppity feel to your videos and communicates too much of do goodism, good works, happy people, and well balanced efforts. I think there's too much of this in the world and a dark counterweight would really help things. :) Thanks for sharing your wonderful works with us.
those zip towers (?) look alot like vinyl fence posts with the notches cut out. Did you consider making these out of 4" fence post covers? ... they make them with similar slots already cut into them .
I'm not sure what's in the plastics for the fence posts, but I probably wouldn't want them in my system. These pipes I'm using are ABS which is "safer". I'm fairly sure the ZipGrows are a special plastic that is designed for food contact.
I built some of these but once the plants start growing the water started leaking out the side of the pipe through the slot. Didn't work very well, tried leaning the pipes over which worked for a while but eventually started leaking again, big problem as my water all ended up on the ground.
why bother with a slot? just drill wholes!!
have you kept them over winter, what is your success?
+sonofthunder These have been in place for 2 years now. If you just drill holes, the plant will get root bound and get so tight the water can't get through. With this method, you can stretch out the pipe and drop the material right out.
Nice man ,but the fittin in the floor needed to ba a tee wye ,plumber here
Did the beat grow?
Thanks for sharing
Hi … Just wondering what KW ( power ) solar system you have for the dome and … what size pump your using to get the right height for the towers … Im currently playing around with air lift idea …
is it possible to make the tower from modular tube at 10" height with threading on both ends for extension to avoid shale occupying all the space inside the tube?
thanks for sharing
such a smart man :)
You inspired me. ill try ro make one out of pet bottles :-)
Good job!
at Bigelow Brook Farm [web4deb]; I have just received my 'flower tower' and wonder if I can safely plant tomatoes, carrots and radishes all in the same tower?? By themselves, can I plant say, summer squash and zucchini in the tower?? I am very interested in what and how much vegetables can be planted in the same tower!!? Thank you for a quick reply so I can start planting.
it depends on if the plastic is food grade. Typically LDPE or HDPE are the best. you'll have to experiment with your towers but I wouldn't do any of the larger plants like the squashes since they will probably clog the tower. I don't know what a flower tower is so I can't really give you a good answer.
Harvest?
Would a 1 inch hole at each plant instead of the slot?
would be probably much easier and less mess filling the pipes at a slope with the slot facing up and placing them vertically afterwards.
yeah, I tried that. It helped to keep the stones in, but I still had problems getting the plants set nicely.
if you put the pipe stright as one of the reader says the water will leak out and will lall on ground?. iam trying to make one..can you publish some new videos on the grownup planys by this system
thanks for this video ! Do you get good yields with this tower? How much did you get?
I usually get 15-25 berries per plant. They do much better in these than they do in the media beds.
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb) Thanks. That's nice ! What do you mean by media bed?
ua-cam.com/video/ORegaqCItJM/v-deo.html
Where did you learn how to use all the tools?
Either I figure it out, look it up, or more importantly from long ago, my father.
Use foam instead of gravel stones
what type of foam? I found this at Walmart online.. Aquacity Bio Sponge Filter Media Pad
www.amazon.com/Aquacity-Sponge-Filter-Aquarium-Canister/dp/B01ESXXBNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516326959&sr=8-1&keywords=Aquacity+Bio+Sponge+Filter+Media+Pad
I've seen other folks who use pond filter media and say they have a lot of success with it. It looks like that what zip grow uses as well. In between the strips they put a wicking media (just some kind of absorbent fabric).
Thanks for this
How often can you harvest?
The is a "June Bearing" variety so it's one a year.
what's the nameof the tool at 1:45?
GiovanniObson It's a tap
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Poormans version