Can We Make an Affordable Easy DIY Hydroponic Grow Tower?
This Video is from the Youtube channel: “Keep on Growin’ with Mike VanDuzee”.
Can We Make an Affordable Easy DIY Hydroponic Grow Tower?
This will save you time, energy and money. Instead of watching hundreds of YouTube videos and getting conflicting opinions from several gardeners, you can get all the info you need to start growing with hydroponics the easy, inexpensive way. For the price of a couple of cups of coffee you can save yourself from watching hours upon hours of videos and start growing today. Once you take the course, you can always come back to it for reference. Don't wait!
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pool noodle approach seems the way to go. easy, cheap, efficient. can’t wait to see the next video. some commercial towers that I’ve seen are in the $700 range. This would be much more accessible for many people. I’ve seen a few home-made towers that I like, but I think this is the start of something even better. Well done Mike! Love it!
Thank you Ed! I am sure we will come up with something creative.
Are pool noodles BPA free?
I got a question about pool noodles, is that to replace net cups and the coconut husks things people tend to use? So all you do is put your seedling in it and should grow from there?
@Da16652
Good question but no answer
Can the microplastics be a problem?
Buckets are lightweight and looks like it would pack down for winter… we splurged on the big garden tower you discussed first…it’s nice…but the sun is an issue…and it’s suppppper heavy! Love the idea of stacking buckets that will nest down in each other in the off season with pool noodles that can always be replaced as needed! Seems lowesy cost! And ease of supplies! No trucks or trailers needed for 10 ft pvc pipes or special cutting tools
Awesome! I did not even think about breaking it down. That’s why I asked for everyone’s input. Well done.
Went to the Clermont (FL) Farmer’s Market today and I spoke to a plant vendor about your downspout method of growing. He was very excited to learn more so I gave him your website info. I’m excited to see him next week to see what he thinks.
Awesome! Thank you so much Peg! Bee the Change!
I use the 55 gallon drum (actually it’s a garbage can) filled with soil, and the pipe down the center for my kitchen scraps, and red wrigglers for composting…not only do I grow culinary herbs, onions, garlic, on top and around the sides, but I use the worm-castings for making my own nutrient solution for my NFT, hydroponics and aeroponics…
A 45 degree fitting will work better than a 90 also…(if you wanted to go with glueing the fittings on)
Cool! Thanks for the input! You are correct about the 45.
Thank God for this video! I’ve wanted to make affordable grow towers for a long time. 😅 Thanks, Mike!
No problem. I’ve had quite a few people asking so I figured it was about time.
Why don’t you thank him for the video since he made it?
I made one a long time ago using PVC pipe with some 45’s. Worked pretty good. Thanks for the tips Mr. Mike.
Thanks CB! Hope we all have an awesome Spring!
I’m a 70 something Nana and I built a lovely “rain tower” by myself for around $100. without any help.
Here are the steps I used
I built it by drilling 5-6 holes in 4 sides of a PVC fence post with a hole drill. (you taught me how to do that)
I then took a 4″ PVC pipe and cut the pipe into 5-inch sections at a 45-degree angle.
I also cut a section out of the bottom of the fence post so the pump hose regulator and plug could come out of the hole, this was an important step.
I attached the angled pipe to the fence post using PVC glue which held very well.
I then placed the tower in a snug hole I made in the middle of a 20-gallon rubber tote.
I finished it all off with tubing going from the pump to the top of the tower where it splashed off a fence post cap a top tower and rained down the center washing the roots.
I used net cups for heaver plants ie cukes, zukes, and tomatoes, and pool noodles for the lighter plants. I placed it next to the house in full sun and planted basil, strawberries, and more delicate plants on the sides of the tower that didn’t get direct sun. This all worked out perfectly, everything received as much sun as it needed.
I set it on a timer of 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off 24/7.
This to me was the same as making a dress but using different tools. If I can do this most anyone can.
I would like to send you a video or direct you to my youtube page so you can view the rain tower if you let me know where to send the video/link.
Thank you for all you have taught me.
You rock! My email is keepongrowin1@gmail.com
I would love to see it.
Way to go Sharon!! I am also a 70 something grandmother and I made a hydroponic tower similar to yours but using a round sewer pipe. Yours sounds a bit easier because instead of drilling holes in the flat sides of a fence post, I had to use the heat and bend method Mike mentioned to make the openings in the round pipe. Having done that, like you I cut smaller diameter PVC pipe at an angle and glued the pieces into the angled openings of the sewer pipe. I bought a heat gun after following your great videos Mike. Thank you. I have also made your gutter type hydroponic systems. I applied some of the skills from those into the tower design because the wretched possums were treating the gutters as a salad bar! However they don’t like movable objects so I suspended my tower from the edge of the roof.
Mike, the higher the system the bigger the pump that is required. Here in Australia pumps that can raise water that high are very expensive. What I’d love to see is a system with several small height towers suspended from a bar. The pump would then be affordable. And, as you say, if the tower is too high it’s harder to harvest. Like Sharon the water can drain into a bottom pipe back into the reservoir. At the top the water can be fed through dripper lines at intervals into several towers. Having used a tower and produced some very big basil plants, I would say the pool noodle idea may not work. Sorry. Worth trying but I think it might be problematical. Even in my horizontal gutters, bok choy plants would sometimes pull the pool noodle out of the hole! Plants can get very heavy and I think there would also be leakage, not just from wicking, but simply the nutrients that hit the inside of the pipe may leak out around the pool noodle. Look forward to watching your future videos on this new topic 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Sharon your tower is so beautiful! Did you use a 4 or 5 inch fence post?
Oh I have to see it ! Be right there!!
Wow!
This looks so fun!! 👏🏼 Thanks for this great idea!
I built a tower two years ago. Three vertical 4 inch pipes going down to one horizontal pipe which flowed back into a small tank with a pump in it. For the plant pots i just drilled 2 inch holes and cut 2 inch pipes about 2 inches long at an angle so it was facing upwards then glued them in. I put a garden sprinkler on the top of each vertical pipe to send the solution down . It worked very well but I had a mixture of vegetables and the tomato plant roots gradually clogged up the pipe! Fine for lettuce etc.
If you had not glued the PVC together (which is not necessary), why not take it apart to clean it ?
I did towers in my greenhouse they leaked so bad, they froze in the winter and were too hot in the summer. I did the heating and melting for using the net cups. If I had used the pool noodles it probably would not have leaked. Great idea.
Love your videos Mike. I’m new to the hydroponics hobby. I have been inspired by you especially. I built a rack of downspouts that work great. I built a nft system, and a tower too because I’m addicted. I went the heat and bend route. It was hours of work as you predicted. One thing that I’m noticing is that using net cups, rock wool, and clay pebbles I’m having a hard time with drowning anything I try to grow besides lettuce since the net cup is half inside the flow of water. I tried a timer but even when watering little enough that the roots dry out the rock wool is still fully saturated. I’m experimenting with using part of a plastic cup cut off wrapped around the top side of the cups to prevent the rockwool from staying saturated the entire time. The pool noodle may be the solution to the problem since it doesn’t absorb like the grodan/rockwool does. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that! Keep up the great work!!
Idea* Bucket, lid, vinyl gutters (4) 6′, water pump hose/line, misting emitter and pool noodles. Bucket will be the base, cut the lid so you could install the 4 gutter sections with the hole in each for the noodle pieces, run a small diameters hose to the top of each gutter hooked up to a misting head to mist down each gutter. It seems to me like it would work. If it does not work doing it this way, you could get the end caps and use the gutter and noodle parts like you have been showing.🤔
For the vertical pipe sturdiness, drilling a hole into a bucket and then flipping the bucket upside down would be pretty cheap. Wouldn’t need to build anything fancy structure wise. Great video!
Thank you Jose! I will actually give this a try!
I have one of those premade towers. I put it on a rolling platform and I was able to move it freely anytime I needed. Thanks for doing this….
Where did you get that pre-made hydroponic tower?
Do you use a net cup or pool noodle piece in it?
What kind of plants are you growing in it?
Overall, how well is it working for you?
I love my GreenStalk and will be adding another, very easy to turn. $130 – $150 I am very interested in your inexpensive hydroponics for indoors, you have such great ideas. I would love to have my favorites all year long.
Good to see you again Mr. Duzee. I have made both of those before. Couple notes I made in my process of making them. I used a privacy fence post cover to solve the round pipe problem. I found the 5 gal bucket had to be refilled too often to my liking so did a 40 gal tote. Also I buried it halfway into the ground to help with this hot Florida weather. A cheap water distributor at the top of the pipe is a funnel from harbor freight or dollar tree. Only put holes about half inch out from wall of tube because hole in center just cost you more evaporation. All in all it was a fun project. Also make sure your pump is rated for the height needed. For me that was one of the hardest components to source locally. Had to end up buying off Amazon. It was a pleasure meeting you those years ago when I bought your starter kit. Happy growing brother.
I’m excited to start this new growing endeavor! I am so happy to find your videos. You’re forthright about what you’ve tried that you felt could use improving, as well as how you improved and refined your growing system. By being transparent about any problems you ran into and how you solved them, it keeps newbies like me from making costly mistakes that, without your channel, would have been unavoidable! Thanks for sharing your gardening gift with us, Mike. You’re a blessing!
Thank you Diana, comments like this make it all worthwhile. I am experimenting with a lot of other stuff now, hopefully it will help a lot more people. Have an awesome day and Keep on Growin’!
I works good, but far away from simple low cost diy towers.
This is a great idea! It’s cheap but also great for people like me who live in the city and don’t have a lot of space. I managed to do a good amount of gardening on my balcony but with this I could do so much more.
That’s fantastic!!
That’s my idea. I’m on the ground floor so I do have a small yard , but my space is so small.
Really like the community getting together to share ideas here. This is a great opportunity to learn.
It’s awesome! I love it!
I really love both ideas, 4 tubed in 20 gallon tote, also maybe 2 stacks of the 5 gallon buckets on a 20 gallon tote.