Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6.22
Rockwool cubes are placed into the channels of the Omega
Garden. Volksgarden growing lettuce. (Courtesy of Omega Garden International,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.)
plastic. It will accommodate up to 80 plants. The cylinder is chain driven
to rotate 24 hours with one rotation per 45 minutes. Very productive crops
can be grown with this unit, especially low-profile plants like lettuce, basil,
chard, and herbs (Figure 6.23).
A submersible pump is placed in a 50- to 100-gallon plastic reservoir
below the rotating garden. The pump is connected to a 24-hour timer that
activates one irrigation cycle several times a day (depending upon plant
growth) for the full rotation of about 45 minutes per irrigation cycle. When
the pump shuts off the water flows back from the reservoir tray directly
under the bottom of the rotating cylinder to the tank below through the
pump. On an irrigation cycle the pump in the nutrient solution tank fills the
upper reservoir sufficiently to make contact with the rooting medium of a
minimum of ¼ inch. This level is regulated by an overflow drain that feeds
excess solution back to the lower nutrient tank. As the cylinder rotates it
