Windowfarms Workshop

Greening Queens LibraryGil Lopez, Compost Assistant

Three Ways to Grow Plants

• Geoponic – Soil based growing• Aeroponic – Air based system• Hydroponic – Water based system

Geoponic - Biologically Based Growth

• Microbial activity in the soil act as plants gut breaking down naturally occurring minerals to be absorbed through roots

• Involves Soil Science

Aeroponic Growing

• Roots exposed to the air• Nutrient solution mist applied to roots• First achieved in 1986

Hydroponic Growing Systems

• Nutrient solution supplied to roots• Traced back to 1627• Potentially produce much higher crop yields• Can be used where arable land is not available• Several techniques include: static solution

culture, continuous-flow solution culture, passive sub-irrigation, ebb and flow, deep water culture, bubbleponics

Deep Water Culture

• Plants are floated on surface of reservoir of dissolved nutrient solution.

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

• Nutrient solution re-circulated though net cups containing substrate and plants roots

Bubbleponics

• Nutrient solution re-circulated to top of roots drips back into reservoir below

Windowfarm System• Nutrient solution is re-circulated to top of the

system and drips through each net cup. Gravity feeds the roots of each plant along the way.

Windowfarms Info

• Windowfarms where created by Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray here in New York City in 2009

• There are many configurations and modifications• This is a an open source R&D-I-Y project:

Research and Develop-It-Yourself• Today we are building the WF Version 2.0

Standing AirLift Mini (SAM)• Anyone can download instruction manuals for

free at Windowfarms.com

Windowfarm Component List

• Plants/seeds• Grow cubes• Substrate pellets• Net cup• Reused water bottles• Rigid pipe• One gallon water jug

• Air pump• Inflation needle• Teflon tape• 3/8” Flexible tubing• Electrical timer• Nutrient Solution• Ph adjuster

Plants or Seeds

• Leafy greens grow well in hydroponic systems• Fruiting plants also work well• Root crops are not compatible with these

systems• If using starts you must remove all soil from

the roots before placing them in the system• Greening Queens Library is hosting Seed(ling)

swaps at four branches in the next few weeks!

Grow Cubes

• Rock wool is a common seed starting medium• Coconut husk can also be used.

Substrate Pellets

• Expanded clay is the typical hydroponic growing medium, silicate is being used as well

• Coconut coir can also be used but care must be taken

• Any dirt will clog the system

Net Cups

• 3” diameter net cups fit nicely into the water bottles used to make window farms

• Netting allows exchange of air and water with roots

Up-cycled Water Bottles

• Up-cycling is using a material for a higher use than it was used for before.

• Experiment with shape and size. R&D-I-Y• The clear plastic must be painted or taped off

to isolate roots from light, otherwise they will begin to photosynthesize.

Reservoir & Piping

• A large jug is used as a reservoir for the nutrient solution. This needs to be refilled regularly

• A rigid pipe is used to hold the planting bottles up in a column

• 3/8” flexible tubing is used to bring water from the reservoir, up the rigid pipe, to the top of the system

Air Pump

• An air lift system is used to move water to the top of the Windowfarm

• This system uses less electricity, is more quite and is less likely to flood the plants than a water pump

• Also requires a check valve and air line tubing

T-joint

• A aquarium tube t-joint will be used to merge the water tube with the air tube to lift drops of water to the top of the sytem.

Hands –On Portion

• We will be using a modified version of the WF Version 2.0 Standing AirLift Mini (SAM) instruction manual downloaded from Windowfarms.com to build our Windowfarm

• The modification is that we are not using athletic needles, instead we are using a t-joint in the tubing.

Britta’s TEDxManhattan Talk

• After we build our Windowfarm we will watch an 8 minute talk by the co-creator of Windowfarms

The Giveaway

• Be sure to leave your name and email address on the sign up sheet. You will receive the Greening Queens Library e-newsletter with garden shift opportunities, compost collection reminders, green film series updates and more workshops like this one.

• Signing up for the newsletter will also enter you into the drawing as we give away the Windowfarm we build today!