Upcycle It - Washing Machine Hydroponic Grower - #6 Drum Modification

15 May 2017

To make sure the plants will not fall while turning upside down I created a slot system along the internal wall of the drum to hold the growing baskets in place.

I got some small growing baskets measuring around Ø 55mm and 35mm high. Those baskets comes with a foam/sponge that is the growing medium for the plant. I found this basket type the most suitable to this application as other types of growing mediums wouldn't stay in place once the drum start turning. Those baskets have a hole on the bottom so I decided to place them upside down ensuring the foam and plant will be secure.

To hold the baskets inside the drum, I used 20x20mm aluminium equal angle pieces cut to 150mm long - 20 pieces in total, 5 per drum section. I was trying to have those holding brackets as simple as possible but in order to make the baskets loading and removal an easy process I had to spend more time designing spring loaded brackets. I started with a fixed rail having a washer in between the angle and the drum creating a gap where the basket rings slides in. To ensure they will not slide off the channel, the second rail has no spacing washer but a compression spring constantly pressing the angle against the drum. Each section required 3 fixed and 2 spring loaded rails.

I started trying to fit the rails with the drum in place but I ended up removing it to complete the job.

Top Comments

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DAB over 8 years ago

Nice update.

I like the little cups for growing the plants and keeping them suspended.

Have you done any tests to see how long it takes the plant roots to dry out after they have been immersed?

DAB
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nandohila over 8 years ago in reply to DAB

Thanks DAB,

I noticed the sponges that came with the baskets holds a lot of water. I don't think it would dry out even turning the drum very slowly. I am aware that some plants cannot have the roots constantly wet. I might need to replace the sponge with some sort of fibre that would dry faster in this case. Another option would be adjusting the water level on the bottom of the drum so the baskets only go deep enough to get the right amount of water. I want to have adjustments so I can try different arrangements to test the results.
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DAB over 8 years ago in reply to nandohila

Just be aware that the different plants absorb water at different rates.
Some plants might drain the sponge much faster than others.

DAB
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balearicdynamics over 8 years ago in reply to DAB

It is correct, DAB, but we can suppose that a washing set will include a series of plants of the same specie so depending on the plants (all those included in a set) a different rotating period should be configured. Different instead if every row hosts a different plant specie.

Enrico
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balearicdynamics over 8 years ago in reply to DAB

It is correct, DAB, but we can suppose that a washing set will include a series of plants of the same specie so depending on the plants (all those included in a set) a different rotating period should be configured. Different instead if every row hosts a different plant specie.

Enrico
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