architecture – Innovative U

These two items provide a model. They are two of the most incredible items that could be used for fogponics chambers, if you’ll find a way to modify them.

1. The tent like structures of the camping toilet cover! Incredible, and who would have thought? What kind of material can you create for this that is waterproof. Imagine this in any home. This unit could hold perhaps a hundred lettuce starts. It could also be filled with cascading petunias for the patio, using ultrasonic fog units. Put it up, take it down.

What I like about this is:

a tall structure
easily put up
inexpensive
could be easily modified with a waterproof material and holes cut for plant net pots
it could hold incredible amounts of produce
it has a small bottom “footprint” so it could fit into any home
it has sides: consider using the door for maintenance and have the other sides face the sunlight window or grow lights
its an incredibly fun use of something around us!

collapsible, it could be shipped to a poor person in the unknown desert region with poverty, in Bahia, Brazil.

Some of these have sturdy carbon fiber legs, and assemble like most tents. Can you tell the second type here that popups up like your laundry holder? Perhaps it’s less sturdy to hold net cups, but it springs to life in an instant.

Question: what about the weight of the net cups and plants?
A: innovate a structure that matches weight, for instance:

1. Bibb lettuce and light weight cups could work with a popup cover
2. Peppers: heavier cups and plants would need the sturdy legs, and a sturdy fabric (like inexpensive poly tarps from Harbor Freight)

Materials you could use to replace the light weight nylon:

a. paneling of any type, more rigid and would hole heavy net pots, but a good material is corrugated polycarbonate sheeting. But, walk through your Home Store…..I often do this. What ideas are there from storage, roofing, siding, and more?
What ideas are there from flooring panels, foam wall insulation panels (no fiberglass), sound proofing panels,
b. a tarp or waterproof fabrics. One option is cheap “non woven” waterproof materials.
c. materials used in structures and Greenhouses

Most cities have tarp and tent repairs and manufactures and could help you find a material. If used outside it will need to be UV protected material so the sun doesn’t make it decay. And, fabrics stores have ideas. What tarps are available from your camp or outdoor store??

The weight of the pot and plant: I’m experimenting with finding light weight materials that I like and are readily available. Clay pebbles and gravel are heavy. It’s possible this structure would take plants that have no pot, and only a “plant collar” holding them into the structure. This is a bit challenging and we’ll post easy methods and problems at the site:

Preventing Ultraponics Problems Upfront

But, there is a solution to this, and WE can find it EASILY……let’s put our minds together!!!

I’m experimenting with materials for plant collars, my trials of some failed and I’ve lost two test geraniums. The plant collars work best for a single stem plant like a tomato plant. Some plants like peppers could be pruned in the advanced seedling state so a bottom “naked” stem can be held by the neoprene collar. Some lemon catnip had too many small stem at the base and needed a pot.

Lettuce, leaf varieties are tender, but a good choice for soilless ultraponics. Did you know that you’ll be successful with two types of lettuce but we won’t be messing with the typical round heads, iceberg lettuce:
a. leave lettuce of all colors
b. loose head lettuce that grows fast, like Bibb lettuce

The plan:

a. modifiy the unit so it holds in steam
b. take your duct tape and a hole pattern and create the plant openings
c. The base is about 4 feet by 4 feet. Make some base that is waterproof (ask your specialist at Home Depot or Lowes what plastic or aluminum trays are available in the size you need). We need a tray to hold the entire unit, and catch water that might get on a carpet or wood floor. You might also find a large plastic tray at a farm and agricultural supply store. And, most plastic components companies will refer you to the correct place. If all else fails to find something cheap and ready made…..figure out hoe to do it yourself out of something you find or invent!!! Make a prototype with duct tape and hot glue! And, it could be something never used before for this. Could you use a

a waterproof tarp held by some pvc pipes?
a shower stall part?
a camping water basin
a base for aquariums
a square kids swimming pool
some inflatable item
an underbed shoe storage vinyl
some item used for babies
some item used for pets, dogs, horses
some odd item used in building a home (ask your Lowes or HD rep)
some tray used in truck beds
some plastic drawer
some idea from the auto store, the hobby store, Hobby Lobby, Michaels
ideas from Joanne’s Fabrics

and………thousands of other items (be sure to follow our method of generating ideas, via use of
Pinterest Ideas and Googling photos of ideas for any search term)

Polycarbonate for both sides of our potty unit and to make a giant water proof tray to hold all.

Here’s an idea I’d like to try. I like the material “corrugated polycarbonate sheets”. This is the material you’ll see in yard political signs and real estate sale signs. It’s lightweight and colorful. You cut it with a special “ripper” or a jigsaw. This material is used in other countries more than the US. There, it creates art, furniture, and more. Consider using this materials, making a prototype with duct tape.

We’re having problems posting Youtube videos here today, but go to Youtube and check out videos on “how to make a corrugated polycarbonate box”. The idea is there! If you see a black box here, then our Youtube problem continues….

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ZheF7rhet0?feature=player_embedded

You can fully cut polycarbonate sheets, or, cut part way, you can create a crease or fold that is waterproof and doesn’t need sealed until you get to corners. Ask your online polycarbonate sheet dealers OR greenhouse dealers what to seal corners with. They may have a plastic piece just for that that only glue is needed! they can also recommend the best sealers.

You may have seen this material used in office and school supplies:

Polycarbonate sheets are 4 feet by 8, for the double walled type. I have not found a supplier in my area offering these, but will keep looking at greenhouse materials suppliers, and see if a bargain can be negotiated! Otherwise, sheets in many sizes can be shipped from online polycarbonate suppliers, but shipping will high. I’ll try a variation of this and see if this can be shipped less expensively: a rollup version, sold by the foot. This rollup will be rigid enough for our popping up camp potty unit, and could provide also the material for the waterproof base.

Polycarbonate sheets, without shipping, are cheap. Acrylic and plexiglass is not. And, we’re talking about using double walled corrugated polycarbonate. But, there is also single walled available at your hardware store. It is very cheap, can be cut with a jigsaw, and is UV Protected from the sun. It comes in funky see through colors or great earth tone browns and greens.

variations of polycarbonate:
double walled in roll up sheets, sold by foot
roofing and patio panels, not double walled but still called “corrugated”
and a garden “cold frame” with single walled not corrugated Polycarbonate panels (this can be purchased in panels).

Most photos from:

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/

Home Depot sells giant sheets of 10 double walled polycarbonate sheets and supplies for roofing panels. The 10 giant sheets, $225.00 is a good price, but not sold individually. So, the single wall panels, not as workable, but cheaper may be an alternative. Still, why not invent a prototype out of double walled, and we’ll together find needed resources!!

The greenhouse double walled is UV protected, and those from Home Depot not, so the brightly colored panels from HD will be ok indoors, but not on patios.

Poly is cut with a coroclaw tool or a jigsaw. Tools seem hard to find, so get them under “yard sign cutters”, or “coroclaw”.

With a jigsaw, you can cut through the material. But the coroclaw allows cutting on surface, so you can make corners, bends, flaps, etc.

The strength of polycarbonate plastic corrugate makes it ideal for Ultraponics options!!

How would the fog unit function with the potty tent? It could be fogging from a large outside of structure unit plumbed in with a tiny fan. Or, the fogger could sit in it’s own smaller reservoir of liquid, on the bottom. Only 1 to 4 gallons of water is needed, not filling the giant tray.