How to build a homemade hydroponic tower

We've finally uploaded our video on how to build a homemade hydroponic tower. If you've ever wanted to know how to build a homemade hydroponic system that is fairly easy and inexpensive, this video is definitely for you.
We got some inspiration from the videos below when we were figuring out how to build a homemade vertical system to grow some lettuce and herbs in our backyard.
Check them out:
• How to Make a #Vertica...
• How to make a Vertical...
Watch here for our video on How to put seedlings in a hydroponic system:
• How to put seedlings i...
Vertical hydroponic garden for beginners can be cheaper than you think. We spent about $100 on this set-up, which includes the PVC pipes, pump, net cups, clay pebbles and rock wool cubes. We had our own drills, torch, saws and silicone already at home when we started building our vertical hydroponic garden.
We ordered the net cups, rock wool, water pump and clay pebbles for our grow tower from Grow It All in Toronto, Ontario. (Great customer service!)
www.growitall.ca
- 2 inch net cups
- 10 lb clay pebbles (way too much for what we needed)
- Small rock wool cubes
- Active Aqua submersible pump 291 gpm (gallons per minute) *** This was probably more power than we needed for this set up. We keep the pump on pretty low and the water flow is just fine
For our DIY hydroponics, we got our large and small PVC pipes and the bucket from Home Depot.
- 5 gallon bucket and lid
- 4 inch PVC pipe (outer)
- 1/2 inch PVC pipe (inner, but get whichever size will fit the spout of your pump)
- Cap to fit on the 4 inch PVC pipe
*** Pipes were both cut to about 5 feet tall. This will ensure the inner pipe actually sticks up above the outer pipe into the cap with the holes.
Have you ever thought of making your own garden tower?
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[@theplantlifecanada]

This is our first DIY hydroponic garden build. We would LOVE to hear some feedback on the build and any tips you may have on growing in hydroponic systems. We want to soak up as much advice as we can and learn to really grow most of our own food ourselves. Have you ever made something like this? Let us know in the comments below. 👇

[@arnoldmanuel8845]

I got a good idea from you, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I try to make my vertical hydroponic like yours. More power.,

[@theplantlifecanada]

@@arnoldmanuel8845 Hey there! I totally missed your message a few months ago. Thank you so much for watching,. I appreciate it so much. Did you make a tower yet? How did it turn out? I would love to see a photo or video.

[@austinedgar7462]

InstaBlaster...

[@TheJessp123]

Really cool! You're invited to set this up at my house any time lol

[@ipwee]

Nice work. I suggest purchasing some 3/4" ID grommets and a barbed 3/4" PVC drain valve. Draining the water would be much easier. I would also install a small water tank float valve and connect it to a faucet so the tanks are always topped off. Source: 22 years of hydroponic experimentation.

[@theplantlifecanada]

that's a great idea actually. To have a drain valve. And maybe we could set the bucket on top of some bricks or something to give it some height. Not sure that we could put it close enough to a faucet but being able to drain it and refill it without disassembling it would be good.

[@ipwee]

@@theplantlifecanada Exactly, bricks are what I use. Regarding the float valve, I use a drip irrigation line because the water demand is low. They have adapters online from the 3/4 spigot to 1/4" drip tubing. Plus, you can purchase tees/manifolds to branch off to different circuits. I also turn the water spigot down to a trickle. There is no need to blast 60 psi through the small lines risking a blowout. Keep up the great work.

[@shannonrobertson7212]

I'm so excited to try this and thanks to your video it's all the little details I wanted in one video! Lots of people cut the pipes and glue it on the side for the grow holes but I much prefer this method. I am so ready to get started!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for watching! There are some really good tips in the comments about how to better form the holes, check 'em out!

[@johnmartin9090]

You two did an awesome job. So jealous of all the money you saved.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks! We've moved since this tower was made and we are hoping to re-build it with some of the improvements people suggested at our new place. New videos soon! Thanks again for watching.

[@yohanesliong4818]

Wonderful. Thank you!

[@blackswansystem]

Nice dandelions

[@theplantlifecanada]

They're for the bees :)

[@michaelsheehan5486]

Hi. Good job. Heat gun is inexpensive and doesn't burn it like a torch... also don't have to refill with butane. You can use a coupling at the top for the cap. Again, good job. The wood surround is a nice touch.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks very much! I think for sure a heat gun would be a good investment. We still have the rest of the pipe and hope to build something with it, so the heat gun will come in handy. We are also hoping to rebuild this tower with improvements. My partner is really getting into building and carving wood so he will appreciate the compliment!

[@86120]

loving this! thank you.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks so much for watching - we really appreciate it. I hope you found it helpful. :)

[@NAF7407]

Wow, that's amazing! So impressive!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks! We impressed ourselves that it's actually working LOL!

[@mbamebeckley1]

thank you this was exactly what i was looking for!!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Glad this may have helped you. There are some things we want to fix on this tower but overall it was great for us all summer.

[@tressastanton1300]

I saw a guy out there doing hydroponics and making his own tower like you are and he uses pool noodles rather than net pots so you don’t even have to angle the hole or heat it up! You cut a very small section out of the pool noodle so you can place your plant in with it squeezing the roots so the section you cut out will depend on the size of hole you cut, the Poole noodle size (get small ones from Dollar Tree).

[@theplantlifecanada]

Oh cool! So you just stick the pool noodle piece straight into the hold on the side of the tower? I've seen some videos out there with horizontal tubes, and someone did use pool noodles so that they could be reused. The way the roots grow in the net pots, you basically have to throw the whole thing out when it gets too big, which sucks. I want to try pool noodles on our next build.

[@tressastanton1300]

Get the small ones from dollar tree though

[@danes78]

So cool! Great idea, guys!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks so much!

[@tressastanton1300]

Hey o saw a guy out there doing hydroponics like you are and to save money he uses pool noodles rather than the net pots

[@antonymuniu1964]

Perfect, fits African story

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thank you for watching ❤️

[@lordn3m3sis]

You used a very thick pipe for the exterior, with a slimmer one shaping the holes is MUCH easier, very good job guys

[@theplantlifecanada]

Some of those holes were pretty tough to melt, that's for sure! I think you're right - a slimmer material would have been better and some people have suggested that maybe an actual heat gun type thing would have worked better too. Thanks for watching!

[@lordn3m3sis]

@@theplantlifecanada Yes, I've been a plumber for some years so I'm very familiar with those materials, regular pvc drainage pipes are likely the easiest to work with, and the heat gun let you stay close with the high temperature but never (almost) burning/melting the pipe, but to be fair a thicker pipe like yours is probably a better cover for heat and light, so it might actually be a better choice for those who keep the tower outside

[@bryonbrill]

Love it!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thank you and thanks for watching my video!

[@courtneyb3371]

Nice set up, and looks great! We would like to set up some vertical hydroponics eventually. The dowel is a smart idea for making the pockets.

[@theplantlifecanada]

The vertical design has some flaws. I would almost recommend checking out some horizontal or bucket designs. Lifting the tower out of the bucket to change the nutrients or clean it out has been challenging.

[@courtneyb3371]

@@theplantlifecanada oooh that would be awkward to lift with the height, and the weight

[@MrOsvaldoFreire]

Well Done!

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks and thanks for watching!

[@DiscoverSiargao]

and buy Smart switch so that you can put timer for schedule of watering

[@theplantlifecanada]

Cool, what is that?

[@undercoversistaaaa3585]

Thanks

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it. ❤

[@eikohuang2625]

Professional grow tent manufacturer .

[@theplantlifecanada]

Are you?

[@11223078]

Good job, can you please share some details about the water pump?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey there - super late reply! I was not watching my notifications. It was a 291 gallon per hour (1100 LPH) submersible pump that we got for about $30 at a hydroponics store.

[@rickswift3990]

Great video, the only thing I would do differently is to use a whole saw. To cut the whole for the internal pipe and the top of the bucket.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Do you mean those big round drill bits? Cutting the hole in the top of the bucket with that little saw we had was definitely not fun! LOL 😂

[@erinnshea3529]

What about changing water? How do you do that? What about heavier plants like cucumbers? Wouldn't that tip the tower?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hi Erinn! In our case we should have sealed the bottom a little better because we did get issues with the water becoming dirty. We would usually just re-fill the water until it got really bad and then just lift the tower out and change the water. Obviously not a great plan unless you have two people. For this tower - we only did herbs and smaller vegetables. But I think you could probably grow heavier stuff at the bottom, so it wouldn't tip. But from our experience now (because the roots inside got so long) I would actually just harvest the entire plant, and put a new seedling in. We moved in the last year or so, and are hoping to set up the tower again in the Spring and post a new video with some of our mistakes that we made or things we would do differently. Thanks for watching!

[@jollyrancher400]

I suggest using 1½ pipe or smaller that suit your net pot to make the hole instead of wooden dowel..it is round and perfectly shaped..cut it 45° so it slide easier in the bigger pipe..you can also adjust the hole angle while it still pliable..one more note you may make an overflow ring using the 1½ pipe to prevent water from dripping out..thank you

[@theplantlifecanada]

That's a GREAT idea. The holes in the pipe were a little large for the net pots. We were working from some other videos we saw online and we had the wood around but I'll definitely try the pipe idea for the next set up. We have leftover materials to make a 2nd set up but we may try to go horizontal instead of vertical.

[@emilylaw8533]

Love this!! I've been meaning to build a vertical grow tower, wanting to do one summer 2021. Is there an updated video of this coming soon? I would love to know more about the trials and tribulations of this project.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey Emily! Thanks for watching. We had so much fun with this. There is video footage of our trials and tribulations for sure. It hasn't been edited yet but we're in lockdown here so I'm sure we'll have some time on our hands. In a pinch I did post a lot about this over the summer on my Instagram @theplantlifecanada ❤️

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey there Emily - We finally uploaded our follow-up video today! It's premiering now if you'd like to watch (or you can always watch it later!) Here's the link and thanks again for the support

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey Emily - did you build your tower this summer?

[@josephescaran]

Thank you very much for sharing your vertical set-up. This is exactly what I've been looking for. How many inches is the hole of the big pipe and the smaller one?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for watching! The big pipe is a 4 inch PVC and the inner pipe is 1/2 inch PVC pipe. But they were both very, very tall so we cut them down to only 5 feet tall. There are others in the comments that gave some really good advice on how to make the holes (instead of using the wooden piece) so definitely check them out!

[@DM-sc4zy]

Nice build, the nutrients in the bucket can be a bit tricky to manage though.

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thank you for your comment. The nutrients got difficult because we had to lift the whole tower..we seemed to get the right mix for the tower but I've been experimenting with them in soil and I'm not sure I have it right, yet. But I don't think you can premix them either. Always learning!

[@shamirkhan7055]

@@theplantlifecanada you can cut a hole in the bucket and use an end cap to cover it, screw it out when you need to check the nutrient mixture or add water

[@zbynulaj5893]

nice video. I have a question about the pump. does the pump run nonstop? the pump must heat the water. or do you have a timer? if so, advise on setting the timer?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for watching. We did run the pump nonstop. The water needs to be moving continually to avoid algae. The water needs to be cut off from sunlight to avoid algae as well (as mistake we made.) We did not have an issue with it running continually all summer. We shut it off for a small amount of time each week when we had to refill the water bucket and add more nutrients.

[@kevywilliams3304]

The water won’t flow over the middle part of the cup . It was follow its flattest route . So that is not very efficient

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hi there. Are you taking about the cups with the plants in them or the cup on the top of the tower? The cup on the top of the tower had holes cut out for the water to flow through. We did have some water issues because the holes we made let the water leak to the outside. It caused us some algae issues.

[@Tzarlo]

Do you have a template or the measurements on the pipe?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for watching. We don't have an actual template but I'm pretty sure it was about 5 feet tall but it might be different each time depending on how many holes you want and what size bucket you use. I think the main thing is to space out the holes evenly. We ended up having HUGE plants with this and made the mistake of not harvesting the hole plant and the roots got out of control inside the pipe.

[@ambadykb]

Nice. And thank you guys. I have a question. There are some cracks on the edges of net pot holding holes. What about the water is it coming out through that cracks?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Thanks for your comment! Yes we did have a major issue with the water leaking out the side and we got a lot of algae on the outside of the tube. I had another video about this but we didn't put it on KZbin yet. We made the holes too wide. So we tried putting some silicone on the edges and it helped a little bit but the silicone fell off. We had to keep cleaning the algae on the outside all summer. Also the roots got so long they filled up the whole tube. We had to lift the whole tube to add/clean the water and nutrients. Oh my it was such a mess!!! Next year we will make a different design and try a horizontal version or another version with multiple buckets and smaller towers.

[@ambadykb]

@@theplantlifecanada that's good to know. And thanks for the reply. I had the same issue before when I made a vertical tower. And I changed the way of making the holes. It's helped a lot. I have a question. How about the plant growth in vertical rain tower? is it regular as horizontal NFT system? Thanks in advance

[@theplantlifecanada]

@@ambadykb Sorry I missed your question from one month ago. The plants grew vertical as well but they all had a little bend in the stem near the pot. I am guessing it was maybe the weight. We ended up with some really big basil plants at the top that were hard to deal with when we were trying to clean the bucket/change water etc... How did you change the ways of making the holes?? I would love to know. We will build a new one this Spring.

[@theplantlifecanada]

@@ambadykb Hey there! We've just uploaded the video we did about the algae growth we experienced. Check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ7CgmRmpMysf9k

[@jalisamoore8633]

How much clay pebbles are needed? Would 5L be enough for two grow towers?

[@myaretchless2950]

Won't they be overwatered if not on timer pump? Cheers 😊

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey there! Many people might think that at first, but this is hydroponics. There is no soil, only water. The plant gets the nutrients from the water. Because the water is constantly moving, the plant will take only what it needs and you will not have a problem with overwatering like you might if there was soil. It's a totally different way to grow! Thanks for watching. ❤

[@saishankar8187]

what's this location and how about daylight and temperature in an average

[@theplantlifecanada]

This is in Ontario Canada. It was during the summer only so at least 10+ hours of sunlight. We had to take it apart in the winter.

[@vanessanarban386]

How long do you leave the pump on for?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Super late reply, but the pump needs to be on pretty much all the time so that algae doesn't grow in the water.

[@subhashsubu6322]

Please i am requesting one thing I need complete details information about the vertical Tower please

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hello there! Do you mean how to build it or the cost? I would love to help you out. If you want to email us we are at [e-mail]

[@PreparelikeJoseph]

Did the pvc stink while heating it up ? I’m worried about chemical safety

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hi there. It did smell a little bit, and there was a bit of smoke because we were using basically a big lighter. We did it outside to help with this but overall it wasn't too bad and I am someone that is usually very sensitive to smells and worried about chemicals myself. But some others have suggested using an actual heat gun to heat it up faster and more consistently, which I think would help with chemical safety as well. If in doubt though, I would get an appropriate mask/respirator just to be safe! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jamesjustice859]

What size pump did you use?

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey there! It was a 291 gallon per hour (1100 LPH) submersible pump that we got for about $30 at a hydroponics store.

[@saggypantsandsquats460]

I somehow knew when she said "we" need to do XYZ it would be the dude doing 90% of the work

[@Jeepster395]

2” collars will stop your water loss

[@theplantlifecanada]

Hey - thanks for this suggestion. Do you mean around the individual holes where the plants go?

[@newwaves8159]

Why would you make a video and not state the measurements? 🤨

[@theplantlifecanada]

Aren't some in there? We didn't have a prescribed size, but worked off the pipe we bought. I think the height is about 5 feet for the outer tower!

[@chrisallen2713]

My god. Please don’t wear outfits like that unless you lose about 100 lbs