Happy Grower

We recently released an online user guide for SNAP Hydroponics at app.snaphydroponics.info. It is a simple web application that contains comprehensive information about how to grow plants using SNAP Hydroponics. The user guide can be viewed in English and Filipino. It has plenty of pictures and illustrations to make it easier for budding growers to get started with SNAP Hydroponics. The web app…

Comprehensive Seeding Production Raising Guide for SNAP Hydroponics

One of the most important factors that determines good harvest under favourable conditions are the seeds and the seedlings raised from them. In this post we’ll discuss the properties of good seed, proper storage of seeds and how to raise healthy seedlings from them.

Seeds

Good harvests starts with good seeds. Good seeds come from reliable sources. Properties of good seeds are listed below:

High…

Modified SNAP Setup for Growing Lettuce in the Summer

Lettuce and Summer Temperatures

Lettuce are normally grown in areas with relatively low temperatures. High temperatures can cause them to flower and turn bitter sooner. In the tropical environment of the Philippines lettuce can be successfully grown using hydroponics. This is because even though the high temperature environment keeps their vegetative period short, hydroponics makes them grow fast…

Comprehensive Guide to Properly Replenishing the SNAP Working Solution

Replenishment of the SNAP working solution inside the grow box is an important part of maintaining the SNAP Hydroponics system. The amount of working solution inside the grow box will decrease overtime as the solution gets depleted through evaporation and transpiration. In addition, the concentration of nutrients in the solution will decrease as the plants consume them to power their growth.

When…

Comprehensive Guide on How to Prepare the SNAP Working Solution

The correct mixture of water and SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics A and B is called the working solution. This diluted mixture contains all the nutrients a plant needs in order to grow. The working solution also regulates its own pH making sure it is in the proper range for optimal nutrient uptake.

How to Prepare the SNAP Working Solution

Start with ten liters (10L) of clean water. Water…

Comprehensive SNAP Hydroponics Grow Box Construction Guide

Grow boxes or growing boxes are an essential part of the SNAP Hydroponics system. The grow box acts as a reservoir for the SNAP hydroponic nutrient solution. The grow box also holds the seedling plugs in place. This post is an easy to follow step-by-step guide on how to properly construct grow boxes from used styrofoam boxes (styrobox).

Required Materials Styrobox

Boxes made of expanded…

Free Online Learning Resources to Help Boost Your Urban or Hydroponic Farming Business

Free online courses are available in the e-Learning for Agriculture and Fisheries website which is a major component of the Philippine’s Department of Agriculture’s e-Extension Program. All the online resources and e-learning courses in the  e-Learning for Agriculture and Fisheries website are managed and administered by the Agricultural Training Institute. This post lists and provides a short…

Space bucket is a simple DIY indoor gardening rig. It has enough room to grow one plant, provides enough light to support plant growth, provides sufficient ventilation to keep temperature and humidity under control, has a small footprint and can be made from materials you can find locally. In this post I’ll discuss the materials needed, where to get them and how to assemble your very own space bucket.

A space bucket with three spacers and an optional LED strip lighting.

Materials for the Classic Space Bucket

There are a number of ways to put together a space bucket. In this post I’ll discuss how to assemble the most ubiquitous configuration—the classic space bucket.

Five Gallon Buckets

You’ll need  five-gallon buckets similar to the one pictured below. You can find these types of buckets in depots and hardware stores. Price varies. The color doesn’t matter. Although white is recommended as it makes the space bucket look clean and sanitary and also helps keep the temperature down. At least one lid is required. Some buckets have spouts similar to the one pictured but that is not required. A spoutless lid is easier to work with.

A white round plastic 5-gallon bucket.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL)

Plants require light in order to grow. Indoors, where the sun doesn’t shine, we can meet a plant’s light requirement using artificial lighting. A cheap and effective option are compact fluorescent lights (CFL).

Cool daylight and warm white CFL bulbs.

At least 100 true watts is recommended. For best results use a mix of cool day light and warm white. This will be explain in a future post about indoor plant lighting.

Philips 24w compact fluorescent lights.

You’ll also need light sockets for your CFL bulbs. Weatherproof rubber sockets works well.

packaged Omni brand E27 weatherproof light bulb socket front view

packaged Omni brand E27 weatherproof light bulb socket back view showing specifications

packaged Firefly brand E27 weatherproof light bulb socket back view showing specifications

packaged Firefly brand E27 weatherproof light bulb socket front view

  Fans for Ventilation

Your space bucket requires ventilation. Proper air circulation keeps the temperature and humidity inside your space bucket under control. Without it heat can build up inside your bucket and kill your plant. Lack of air circulation also weakens the plant’s stems and makes them susceptible to fungal and bacterial growth.

80mm computer case fans for space buckets

80mm computer case with specifications shown.

80mm computer case fans for space buckets

Find quiet and efficient fans. Twelve-volt computer case fans 80mm in size works well. Get four of them. You can power them with 12V cellphone charger with sufficient amperage. Most spare cellphone chargers you have at home should be able to power all 4 of them. Be sure to check the current (amperage) requirements of your fan and compare that to the current that your cellphone charger supplies.

Twelve volt cellphone charger.

  Power Strip

The space bucket has a number of electrical components that must be plugged in and supplied with electricity. A quality power strip will make maintaining your space bucket and managing your plant easier.

Packaged power strip

front view of power strip close up

Power strip back view showing specifications

  Electro-Mechanical Timer

To simulate night and day cycles you must regularly turn the lights on and off. Although this can be done manually it is impractical to do so. You can use an electro mechanical timer to automatically turn the lights on and off on a preset time of day.

Back of a 24-hour electro-mechanical timer switch

Front close up view of a 24-hour electro-mechanical timer switch

Front view of a 24-hour electro-mechanical timer switch

Electro-mechanical timer switches is a low-cost yet effective way to automate your plant’s light schedule. Please see this guide on how to use electro-mechanical timer switch for more information on how to use them.

You may also opt to use a digital timer. Although it is more expensive than an electro-mechanical timer.

Digital timer switches

Screw on Wire Connector

Also known as wire nuts. They make splicing wires together easier and safer.

A pack of screw on wire connector.

Tools and Other Supplies

As with most DIY project, the tools you have at your disposal will make be a huge factor on how your space bucket will turn out. You will be working with plastic and electrical components. I suggest you go through this guide to learn how the space bucket is assembled to give you a general idea on what tools you need to complete the project. Use your creativity and DIY prowess. The entire build involves cutting and boring holes through plastic. A regular hand saw cuts through plastic with ease. To make holes a soldering iron or a heated cutting implement can be used. I use a Dremel for DIY projects and it works well for building space buckets too.

Dremel tools with useful attachments for space bucket construction.

Some essential DIY supply and equipment such as the following may come in handy:

Zip ties

Duct tape

Electrical tape

Mounting tape

Super glue

Wire stripper

Sand paper

Space Bucket Assembly

With tools and materials ready, we can now proceed to assembling the space bucket. But first…

Safety First

Please make sure to take all necessary precautions to ensure your personal safety when assembling your space bucket. Wear eye protection when cutting or boring through plastic because small bits of plastic can easily make their way to your eyes.

Work in a well lit and well ventilated area specially if you are using heated implements to burn through plastic. Avoid breathing in the fumes. Use face a mask.

You will be working with electrical components. If you never worked with these before I suggest you find someone to help you. Extra precautions must be taken because you will be working with water in close proximity with electrical components. Always unplug your space bucket when watering your plant or tinkering with your hydroponic system.

With that in mind let’s get started.

Build the Main Container

The main container will hold your plant and this is where most of the remaining components attach to. Pick the the best bucket among your collection. Make holes at the bottom of this bucket for drainage. A heated metal rod works well for this purpose.

Drainage holes at the bottom of the main container of a space bucket

Intake fans needs to be attached to the sides of the main container opposite to each other. Please refer to the picture below. Make a hole large enough for the fan.  You can use a marker to make an outline where you will be making the hole.

Space bucket intake fan attached to the side of the space bucket.

Intake fans on opposite sides of a space bucket.

You can use zip ties to tie the fan in place. Make sure the fan is blowing air inside the bucket. The frame of the intake fan has arrows indicating the direction of the airflow.

Next, add reflective materials to the walls of the main container. This prevents light from leaking. The walls of five gallon buckets are thin enough to let light shine through which can be an issue and makes lightning less efficient. You can buy silver plastic sheets from stationary stores and stick them to the walls of the main container using two-sided adhesive strips. Another option aluminium foil tape which you can buy from hardware stores.

Inside the classic space bucket. The walls are made reflective with aluminium foil tape.

Build Spacers

Spacers are stacked on top of the main container to add height to your indoor garden.

Space bucket spacers.

Space bucket spacers stacked on top of one another.

Space bucket without spacers.

Space bucket with spacers.

  To make them simply cut off the tops of your extra 5-gallon buckets. Make sure to leave enough of the bucket so that you can still stack them on top of each other well. Pick the best one and set it aside for now. This will be constructed into a light-top for your space bucket. Add reflective material on the inside walls of the rest of the spacers.

As for the rest of the bucket you can fashion them into plant pots enough to hold 3 gallons by adding drainage holes and optional handles.

Three gallon plant pots.

Build the Light-Top

This is one of the most complicated part of the build. Take the spacer you set a side for the light top and add holes on the side here the light sockets will fit.  You will also need holes for the fans. Be sure to double check you measurements before you start cutting holes through your the spacer.

Hole for bulb socket.

Bulb socket fitted through hole.

Light top showing holes for light sockets and ventilation fan.

With proper spacing and appropriately sized CFL bulbs you should be able to arrange the lights and fans similar to the picture below.

Light-top assembly with one of the spacer attached.

Add the lid and add reflective materials. Make sure the fans are blowing air towards the outside of the bucket. With this fan configuration, your space bucket will be able to suck in cold and fresh air from the outside and blow cold and fresh air through your plant while at the same time pull out hot air from the lights keeping the interior of your bucket cool and well ventilated.

Wiring the Lights and Fans

If you are not familiar with wiring (voltages, amps, series/parallel configuration)  I strongly suggest you recruit the help of some who is. Improper wiring can cause electrocution. You can even burn your house down.

The lights and fans should be wired in parallel. Use solder or wire nuts to splice the wires together. Use zip ties to tuck wire neatly.

For convenience and additional safety precaution, attach the power strip to the side of your space bucket. As a rule of thumb all electrical components should be off the ground.

Light sockets wired properly

Zip ties are used to tidy up the wires.

Light wired in parallel.

Optional LED Lighting

Additional lights can be added using LED strips. This can be constructed on one of the spacers.

LED strip spun along the walls of one of the spacers

LED power suppliy attached to the outside of the spacer.

LED lighting

Final Checks and Finishing Touches

Almost done! Double check your wiring. Screw on the CFL bulbs. Plug in the lights and fans to the power strip. Plug in the power strip and turn it on. You are now ready to grow indoors!

Space bucket in operation.

Space Buckets and SNAP Hydroponics

You can use space buckets with SNAP Hydroponics to conveniently grow plants indoors. Find a fitting container to hold the nutrient solution and let it grow.

  Growing Tips

To lessen the heat inside your space bucket specially during summer you may opt to turn on the lights during the night and turn them off during the day. Twelve hours of continuous lighting should be enough for most tropical plants. You may opt to remove some of the lights when your plant is small and doesn’t need that much light.

Be sure to unplug the space bucket before working with your plant or the nutrient solution reservoir. Water and electricity is a dangerous combination. Be extra careful.

Use topping, pruning and plant training to keep your plant short and bushy. It’s very easy for your plant to outgrow your bucket if you don’t manage the foliage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Neat! Did you come up with this?

No, I did not. This is the brainchild of u/Ekrof. He built a community of DIY indoor gardeners at r/spacebuckets.

Is it worth the electricity consumption?

That depends on who you ask and how they use it. For a hobbyist who just want to start growing indoors the cost maybe worth it.

I’m not confident I can build one. Can someone build it for me?

Send a message to MJ Garden they are always happy to help.

Gallery

More space bucket pictures.

C:DCIM107GOPROGOPR2984.GPR

LED lighting

CnS 101: How to Grow Cactus and Succulents in the Philippines

This is a comprehensive and newbie friendly guide to cactus and succulents growing. Growing cactus and succulents (CnS) in the Philippines can be challenging. CnS originate in areas where it is hot and arid while the Philippine environment is generally hot and humid. Humidity is the opposite of aridity! Without proper care CnS can easily die in tropical conditions.

The arid landscape of…

Early Summer Time Tips for Hydroponics Growers in the Philippines

The cold early morning days are still upon us as February comes to a close. We are expecting a weak El Niño in the following months and the days will be hotter and drier than usual.

There is Still Time to Grow the Perfect Lettuce

There is still time to catch the early morning cold breeze for your lettuce plants. The morning temperatures in the low lands still drops below 25°C. Lettuce thrives in…

There will be a scarcity of standard sized styrofoam boxes in the following months. And many are asking about alternatives to styrofoam. In this post we’ll discuss possible alternatives and what properties to look for when considering alternatives.

Ideas for Building the Ideal Growbox for SNAP

We will be looking for a readily available alternatives to styrofoam boxes that is used in the default SNAP Hydroponics setup. The recommended SNAP setup is a passive system. The nutsol is kept in the lower half of the styrofoam boxes. Water is prevented from escaping through the boxes ventilation wholes via a plastic lining that is installed in the lower half. Our alternative box or container must be able to hold water. If it cannot, a plastic sheet can be used to line the container to enable the container to hold water.

This discarded crate can be mended and lined with PE plastic so that it may hold water.

We will be working on the discarded crate pictured above. It’s a broken milk crate that has a volume of around 30L.

After cleaning off the mud of our crate, we mend it to restore (a little bit) of its structural integrity using zip ties.

Broken crate mended with zip ties.

Broken crate mended with zip ties.

Broken crate mended with zip ties.

Broken crate mended with zip ties.

The styrofoam growbox, being opaque, protects the nutrient solution from light. The nutrient solution needs protection from light to prevent algae from growing on the nutrient solution. Excessive algae growth will take away nutrients from your plants or retard the growth of the roots.

Since our crate lets light through, we need to line the crate with an opaque material blocks light and also minimises heat transfer. We need an insulator.

The styrofoam growbox is an ideal insulator which is why it works great in the SNAP Hydroponics system. It’s cheap, it’s abundant , it’s easy to work with and is a great insulator. Most containers can be modified to provide the same level of insulation as styrofoam.

The nutsol reservoir in this NFT system is lined with silvered insulation foam to keep the nutsol’s temperature low.

To protect our nutsol from light and heat in our grow create we will be using a discarded packing material that has an opaque plastic layer, a bubble wrap layer, and a layer of insulating foam.

A crate growbox lined with discarded packing material. This lining provides both insulation and protects the nutsol from light.

We still need the crate to hold the nutrient solution. So we add a plastic liner. We use a 40×40 PE plastic bag.

SNAP grow crate lined with a PE Plastic Sheet. We use a 40×40 PE plastic sheet for this crate.

  Next we need to replace the upper half of the styrofoam growbox. The upper half’s purpose is to hold the seedling plugs in place and of course protect the nutsol from light and heat. For our crate we use a piece of styrofoam panel that was used in a previous project.

SNAP grow crate with a styrofoam cover.

Setting Up our “Grow Crate”

We find an area with sufficient sunlight for our crate and make sure it’s level. We fill it up with enough nutsol:

SNAP Grow Crate Filled with Nutsol.

We add our cover and seedling plugs:

SNAP grow crate with cover

We make sure the nutrient solution reaches the bottom of our seedling plug.

SNAP seedling plug in nutrient solution.

We then drop in our seedling. In this case a cucumber seedling germinated in a rockwool cube.

Cucumber growing with SNAP.

Then we let it grow:

Cucumber growing in SNAP after a few weeks.

That’s it! If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. Good luck and happy growing!

UPLB-IPB SNAP Hydroponics Training Seminar Schedule for 2019

The developers of SNAP Hydroponics regularly conduct a one day training courseon hydroponics vegetable production with emphasis on SNAP Hydroponics at the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding in Bay, Laguna. The training course teaches the participants the theoretical and practical aspects of hydroponics with emphasis on setting-up and running a SNAP hydroponics system; identification of different…

SNAP Hydroponics Growers Keep Discarded Styrofoam Boxes Off the Streets

Happy New Year! Our holiday celebrations resulted in trash, lots of it. Just hours after the celebrations have ended our city streets are littered with trash. There are news and social media posts about all the litter we generated as the holiday season concludes.

Lots of trash as reported in the Manila Bulletin.

The post above from the Manila Bulletin was shared to SNAP Hydroponics Growers…

If you are visiting UPLB-IPB and still have time to spare, I highly recommend visiting Riceworld along the way. Riceworld have lots to tell you about the most important cereal crop in the world.

If you have any questions about Riceworld please leave a comment below. Happy growing!

The Scenic Route to UPLB-IPB

Getting to UPLB-IPB to participate in the SNAP Hydroponics training or buying supplies can be tricky. In a previous postI discussed how to get to UPLB-IPB by taking the UPLB-IPB shuttle that leaves UPLB at 8:00AM daily. In case you missed the shuttle you have the option to take public transportation on your way to UPLB-IPB which will also involve a 1.2km walk along Pili Drive. The same route can…

Materials

Below are the materials required to make this tool:

Empty Tin Can

An empty tin can with a 3-inch diameter. These are pretty common since tin cans follows standard sizes. To verify if the holes made with a tin can will fit your styro cup, fit them to the can itself as demonstrated in the picture below.

I recommend using cans with ribbing along the side. The ribbing adds lateral stiffness of the can and allows it to hold its circular structure even when the lip of the cut has been cut off to sharpen the cutting edge.

Alaska tin cans fits 8 oz cups well.

Bamboo Sticks

A pair of bamboo sticks or other materials strong enough to serve as handles for the tool. For bamboo sticks I recommend making a pair of them by dividing a single half inch thick bamboo stick into a quarter inch pair by splitting the stick along the grain. It should be long enough to run along the diameter of the tin can and have around 3 inches protruding from the sides of the can. Make sure to smooth out the edges as well as the cut ends of the bamboo sticks to remove splinters and sharp edges.

A pair of bamboo sticks that will serve as handles for the pambutas.

Rubber Band

Rubber band or other materials that can lash the pair of sticks together. A sturdy length of string or fishing line works too.

Equipment

You’ll need a pair of tin snips to cut away the lip of the can and make a sharper cutting edge.

A pair of tin snips can be used to cut away the dull lip of a tin can to create a sharp cutting edge.

You’ll also need a piece of bamboo stick with a pointed end that you’ll use to add a hole on the can for the handles to go through. It should be around 3–5 inches long with the same cross section as the bamboo sticks you’ll be using as a handle.

A piece of bamboo stick with a pointed end.

You’ll also need a knife of a bolo to work with the bamboo and the tin can. You’ll also need a can opener to remove fully open one end of the can.

Procedure

Start by using a can opener to fully remove one end of the can.

Then using a knife or bolo add “T” shaped cut on one side of the can near the closed end. This “T” shaped cut will make sure that the hole will be centered and even when you enlarge it using your pointed bamboo implement.

A “T” shaped cut near the the closed end of the can.

Using our bamboo tool, enlarge the “T” shaped cut to make a larger hole. You can use any appropriate tool to hammer it through the can.

Enlarge the hole by hammering the bamboo tool through the cut.

The “T” shaped cut makes sure that the hole enlarges evenly and stays centered as shown in the picture below. Repeat this process on the opposite side of the can.

Bamboo tool centered well.

Push one of the bamboo sticks through the holes you made. Make sure it is centered so that the length of the handles are even. Put the other half on top and so that the lid of the can is sandwiched between the pieces of bamboo. Then lash them together rightly with a rubber band or string.

View from the inside of the can.

Top view

Side view

Lastly, if preferred, the cutting edge of the tool can be sharpened by cutting off the lip of the open end of the can. Although this step can be performed before any other steps, we recommend doing this last because the cut edge is indeed sharp. It is sharp enough to cut through skin. The other activities will have a risk of giving you a cut if they are performed with the lip of the can removed exposing a sharp edge.

Questions

Can I use a single piece of bamboo going through one of the hole, inside the cut, though the hole on the other side?

Using a single piece of bamboo saves time and effort. However, the rocking motion this tool will experience as you use it to make holes on your styrobox will ruin it pretty fast. The handles will exert pressure on the holes. The sides of the can is very thin and soft. The pressure exerted by the bamboo stick will be enough to enlarge it and pretty soon it will be too large for the tool be useful. Sandwiching the lid with two pieces of bamboo lashed together will transfer the force to the lid which will be able to handle the forces.

Can you show me how to cut the lip of the can with a tin snip?

I’ll upload of video soon.

That’s it. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.