Project: ferris farm post 4

Variables i want to test and some updates

For this design challenge i will only be placing 4 of the 8 planters into the design (the unit will be capable of holding 8 but so that i can easily access them all at any time and so that i can get into the unit while it is in operation i will only be using 4)

But if it runs smoothly i will add the remaining 4 to the unit

I am going to test 4 different variables with the plants.

control planter

this will be a plastic container outside of the farm and will simulate how a plant would grow with no IOT resources

and will be watered with the same water as the others just without food

shop brought compost

standard compost that is cheap and cheerful and anybody can purchase

no use of plant food apart from what comes in the compost

no other changes to the planter this will be used to compare to the other 3

this will be

Planter 1

Hydrogel and sand

I have looked into using hydrogel as a soil replacement but on its own it doesn't seem like it can support the plants roots

my idea is to pre-soak hydrogel balls then blend them into a fine mixture as the balls are to large to use

then let the mixture dry leaving behind fine grains of hydrogel

this hydrogel will then be mixed into a sand mixture of varying sized sand

i will sterilise this sand before use to eliminate any contamination

this will get plant food

expectations

i am expecting this to grow at a faster and stronger rate than planter 1 

if this is the case i now have a soil replacement that is free from contaminants

planter 2

compost as the growing medium

no other variables

expectations

i believe this will grow better than planter 1 and 2 as soil/compost has proven to work for a lot of years

although i would like planter 1 to grow more

planter 3

hydrogel only

i will use hydrogel as the only medium to grow the plants

no other changes

expectations

i am not expecting much from this planter i think the gel alone will give to much water to the plants and not enough stability of the roots

planter 4

steroids for plants

well not exactly steroids same as planter 2 but with the best reviewed finest quality of compost/soil i can reasonably source

my options

are shop brought products

natural compost

or home made mixture that contains the optimal amounts of the most needed chemicals

Updates

For the water containers i have decided to use two 2 litre bottles this is because the fit size by side inside the control area of the farm

(hint to some upcoming videos and pictures)

after taking on the advice on the motor i have also added in the consideration of possibly using a gearing system to increase the torque of the motor

i am still confident that the design will have a low enough friction to not need it but i will keep an open mind

also another comment about using a brush system for the wiring for the moisture sensors i have decided this isn't going to be a viable option due to the thickness of material and amount of layers that would need to be penetrated for this to work i had an idea for using magnets that could have solved the issue but this would have weakened the frame due to how it would have had to go through the unit all to be explained further with images

and i am going to either use a second motor that has enough torque to push the sensor into the soil for each planter or i come up with another idea which i have just thought of would use 2 hooks that would catch the side of each planter making a connection while it was in that position then as it rotated the hook would have a spring holding it inlace that would pop up releasing the planter and ending the connection and it would wait for the next planter to come around

I am focusing on the design side of the project now and then after this has been documented i will then move onto the electronics