Methods

2. Methods

2.1 Equipment

Equipment List:                                                             QNTY

-  175 gph pump                                                             x1

-  Water tank                                                                  x1

-  Aeroponic Spray Nozzles                                           x2

-  PVC piping (Diameter: 16mm) length:1.5m                x1

-  PVC pipe elbows                                                        x2

-  PVC pipe T-junction                                                   x1

-  Pots (Dimensions: 45cm by 45cm)                             x1

-  Soil (Enough for the pot, roughly 14175cm^3)

-  Germinated spinach plants                                       x12

-  LED lights (red and blue)(3 each)

-  Aeroponic nutrients

-  EPS foam board (Dimensions: 90cm, 44.2cm) x1

-  Soft tube (length: 4cm) x1

-  Voltmeter x1

2.2 Diagrams

Here are some of the designs we have come up with:

This design uses a rain-bar on top of the plants to simulate rain while the roots will remain suspended in mid air. The water  will travel from the rain-bar to the sponges that keep the plant in place within the foam board. The sponges will retain water for the roots to absorb.

 This system uses more of a dynaponics setup except that instead of a pool of water, air is sprayed into pipes of water and will deliver water droplets out to the plant roots and plants will ultimately absorb it.

2.3 Procedures

1. Set up a glass tank with a submersible pump at the bottom.

2. Connect the pump to a network of pipes, which lead to spray nozzles, which will water the plants.

3. Cut out a part of an EPS foam board that is 2.5cm thick to fit the top of the tank.

4. Cut small holes in the foam board and plant the plants inside.

5. Turn the pump on. The water should travel up the pipe and through the spray nozzles.

6. Suspend an LED light above the tank such that the plants receive its light.

7. To eliminate any unfair variables, all plants will experience the same amount of light and be frequently watered.

8. Record the heights of all the plants throughout one week in order to test that the set up is working.

9. Find the average height of the plants in each environment.

10. Record the results in a table.

2.4 Risk assessment and Management

-  Our experiment includes the use of PVC plumbing and the use of saws and other sharp tools may be required. All sharp objects must be kept track of at all times.

- Water is used in the experiment and students should make sure their hands are not wet when touching power outlets

- Hot water is used to fit the pipes and the students should handle the water properly to prevent it from spilling and potentially scalding students.

- Students must handle the glass tank with caution and not carry it too high up to prevent it from breaking, which may result in serious injuries.

2.5 Data Analysis

Here is the set-up of our experiment:

We will have a set up built according to the procedures, containing 8 plants. This       will be used to test if the set up will work and if the plants will grow.

We will test the aeroponics’ effectiveness by measuring the height of plants daily throughout one week. We will also use a sponge in the place of a plant and record it’s conductivity after 30 minutes to test if our watering system is effective.

During and at the end of the experiment, we will check the height of the plant to see if there is any growth.

We will also be using a voltmeter to measure the electrical resistance of the sponge. As the water has mineral salts and other conductive nutrients in it, the wetter the sponge, the more conductive it is. As the sponge gains moisture, we should see the resistance of the sponge decreasing.