Hey everyone! Currently, I am unable to do much because I am traveling; however, I will try to summarize my plan and talk about current ideas even though I do not currently have anything concretely set. Basically, I plan to use PVC pipes and some plastic clear boxes (for letting sunlight through) with a pump and adder of nutrients. Since, I do not want to spend a lot of money, I am looking for a hopefully sustainable and relatively cheap way for a vertical farm, which means that one of my first concerns is looking for cheap solar panels (an oxymoron). I haven't decided where to put the solar panels, but most likely I will put them at the top or sides of the support beams. Most of the solar power will be stored for hourly sensor checks and refills of fertilizer and water. The rest will be used to light plants in the back of the farm that are more shaded. So that basically wraps up the basic idea.
For the first week, I will search online for a few materials and try to get a general estimate on energy costs and the optimal concentration of fertilizer in water, but other than that just going to do general research like find out if the packet of LEDs contains the right spectrum of light wavelength for photosynthesis. Also if anyone reading this knows what types of plants you can choose, it would be great if they could comment it. I will try to start thinking about the specific plant I'll use to make the boxes fit the right specifications. Probably one of the first and easiest things I will do is set up a small system with an arduino to find out the conductivity of water at different salinity levels so that I can find out whether the changes are significant enough that I can suffice with cheap home made sensors. Luckily for me, this project is indoors, so I really do not have to worry too much about making sure everything gets direct sunlight so long as the plants aren't in the shade of something.
So now an in-depth summary.
There are three boxes stacked at a 45 degree angle to maximize sunlight and decrease space used. I power valves, sensors, and control systems (mixers, feeders, and pumps to control the flow of water) with solar panels.
Sensors
First off, there are the basic temperature/ humidity sensors from the micro controller. Then there are photo resistors and currency testers which help control salination levels and light intensity. Also there is an ultrasonic sensor to tell the depth of the water to make sure the plants always have enough space to grow- both upwards and for their roots not to compete for resources. As a somewhat interesting side-note, a hydroponic farm is much better at resource control for packing in many plants because you do not have to worry too much about resource competition, although you still have to worry about not squishing the roots and limiting plant growth. The information from these will either send off warnings or automatically change the problem.
Boxes
Connected by pvc pipe containing the nutrient fluid for the plants
There is a thin layer of foam for the plants to grow on. The boxes are open to help control humidity and CO2 levels. Underneath the foam they have water.
Hopefully, when I manage to clear out some of the storage bins at my home, I can figure out if I need a humidity changing system, but I seriously doubt I will need it. However, if it should become important I am thinking about making the foam watertight to prevent water vapor from escaping and affecting the air above the foam (also saving a lot of water since in Texas even inside, water would evaporate pretty quickly). Unfortunately it will also invite a host of problems-mainly where to put the ultrasonic sensor then since the foam would no longer float on top of the water and move with it. .
So that is the end of my blog post for now. I will try to post a picture of a framework when I get back home and buy some of the iron poles.
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