DWC hydroponics system

I am not much of a cook so salads are usually one of my favorite options for a healthy meal. So, just like for everything else, I started wondering if I could make my own. However, I don't have access to a garden so I started looking into solutions to grow vegetables indoors. I settled for hydroponics, which seemed to provide a good balance between yield and operational hassle. Specifically, I went for a Deep Water Culture type of hydroponic system as it is usually considered easy for beginners to setup.

The system construction is fairly straightforward: It consists of a plastic container with holes on top so as to fit net pots in which the plants are sitting.

The container is filled with water mixed with nutrients for the plants. Additionally, the water is oxygenated using an aquarium air pump.

3D printed net pots

The plants are grown in rockwool cubes which fit in net pots. Those were 3D printed so as to fit the rockwool as closely as possible.

The STL files for the net pots are available on Thingiverse

IoT Grow light

Plants need proper lighting at with appropriate timing to grow optimally. So, I made a grow light out of red and blue LED strips. To control those LEDs, I used my IoT LED control PCB, which allows me to control the timing automatically via MQTT.