Nothing beats growing your own produce at home, except growing it in an aeroponic system that you built with your own two hands! Whether you’re an aeroponics novice or an experienced gardener, you can create a DIY aeroponics system from some simple PVC and a 5-gallon bucket or 30-gallon tub.
Making your own DIY aeroponics system is a fun and affordable project for any hobby gardener or growing lettuce empire. Save money, customize your system, and enjoy cloning and growing your plants in whatever space you have available. Read on for detailed instructions and tips for building two of the most popular types of homemade aeroponics setups.
Why DIY Your Aeroponics System?
If you’re new to aeroponics, you might be wondering whether to get started by buying or building your first system. There are plenty of kits available for those who prefer to buy, but building a homemade system can be an advantageous way to start your aeroponic journey:
The Benefits of a Homemade Aeroponics System
Building a homemade aeroponics system has several significant advantages:
- Save money. Store-bought aeroponic kits can be costly, but you can DIY your own for the price of some PVC pipes and buckets.
- Create the ideal system for your space. Store-bought systems tend to come in fixed shapes and sizes, but you can build a perfect system for your space and growing needs when you create your own. DIYing can help you efficiently use an awkwardly sized area or build-in accessibility features to create your perfect aeroponic setup.
- Expand easily as your hobby grows.Since you’ve made the system yourself, it’s easy to start small and add additional buckets later as you expand your aeroponic practice.
- Know your system better. Building your own system will help you understand it inside and out, so you’ll be more confident and capable of troubleshooting, adjustments, and maintenance.
We’ll teach you how to build a DIY aeroponics system below step-by-step. However, if that feels too challenging for you right now, some excellent no-build options are available!
What if I Don’t Want to DIY?
If a homemade system isn’t for you, kits range from a small $50 bucket-based cloning setup to a $1200 vertical garden. These can remove the guesswork and help you get familiar with the basics of aeroponics before diving into your homemade build.
Some readily available kits include:
- A small, affordable choice: GrowBright OctoCloner 8-Site Aeroponic Cloning/Propagation System
- A mid-range option: Aeroponic Plant Cloning 16 Low Pro System
- A comprehensive, beginner-friendly kit: EXO Garden Hydroponic Growing System Vertical Tower
- A moderate investment: General Hydroponics AeroFlo2 18 Site Aeroponic System
- The Rolls-Royce system: Aerospring 27-Plant Vertical Hydroponics Indoor Growing System
How to Build a Simple Aeroponics System from a 5-Gallon Bucket
For beginners, a 5-gallon bucket makes a simple, compact, and affordable aeroponics system. It’s easy to make and transport, making it an ideal starting point for first-time hydroponic gardeners or those with very little space.
A typical 5-gallon bucket can fit seven 3” plant pots, but you can scale up or down depending on your preferences. You can watch a complete instructional guide to making this system by Dennis McClung at Honeyville Farms in Chandler, AZ.
Here’s everything you need to build this simple DIY aeroponics system:
What You’ll Need for DIY Aeroponics
Materials:
- Bucket – a 5-gallon food-grade bucket with a lid
- Riser – twelve inches of ½” cut-off threaded poly riser
- Sprinkler – a 360 degree ½” plastic threaded sprinkler head
- Pump – a 317 gallon per hour hydroponics pump, ½” threaded, ideally with suction cups on the bottom
- Timer – an indoor/outdoor electrical timer with half-hour increments
- Net Pots – seven 3” hydroponic net pots with rubber foam lids
You should be able to find many of these materials online or at your local hardware store, or you can buy them together in a kit from HIsource.
Tools:
- Saw – able to cut poly
- Marker
- Drill
- Drill bit/hole saw – 2 7/8” or 2 ¾” (slightly smaller than the 3” pots)
- Safety glasses
Once you’ve gathered the materials and tools you need, you can get started:
1. Cut Holes for the Net Pots in the Bucket Lid
Using your drill fitted with the drill bit or hole saw, carefully mark and drill seven holes in the bucket’s lid for your net pots. Since you’re using a drill bit that’s slightly smaller than the pots, they should fit snugly without falling through.
2. Attach the Poly Riser to the Pump
Screw the threaded poly riser to the hydroponic pump.
3. Cut the Riser to Height
Place the pump and riser into the bottom of the bucket. Measure and cut the riser, so it sits a few inches below the bottom of your pots when the lid is on.
4. Add the Sprinkler Head
Screw the sprinkler head to the top of the riser.
5. Attach the Pump to the Bucket
Using the suction cups that came with your pump, attach the pump to the bottom of the bucket so that the riser sits in the center. Check that the sprinkler head sits a little below the bottom of the net pots – if it’s high enough to touch them, you should go back to step 3 and cut the riser shorter.
6. Plug in the Pump
Attach the lid securely to the bucket. Run the pump cable up through one of the holes you drilled for the net pots and plug it into your timer. Plug the timer into an outlet.
7. Fill with Water
Fill your bucket with two gallons of water. If you are using tap water, it’s best to let it sit for at least two hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate off before adding your plants.
8. Add Your Plants
Add plants or cuttings to your net pots and place them in the holes in the lid.
9. Set the Timer
Set your timer to run on a loop of 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off.
10. Enjoy Your Aeroponic System!
You’ve successfully built an aeroponic system! You can use this simple setup to clone and grow various plants.
How to Build a Bigger Aeroponics System from a 30-Gallon Tub
If a 5-gallon bucket isn’t big enough for your needs, you can make a more extensive system using a 30-gallon tub as the reservoir. This setup is more challenging to construct, but great for intermediate to advanced gardeners ready to expand their garden. As your needs grow, you can connect multiple 30-gallon tubs to create a system as big as you want.
Here’s what you need to build an aeroponic system using a 30-gallon tub:
What You’ll Need
Materials:
- Tub – a 30-gallon food-safe tub (or tote) with a lid, opaque (not clear)
- PVC Primer
- PVC Glue
- PVC Slip to Threaded Connectors – six ¾” slip to ½” threaded PVC connectors
- T Connector – a ¾” slip T connector with a ½” threaded top
- Bulkhead Fitting – a ½” threaded bulkhead fitting with a gasket
- Barb-to-Male Threaded Connector – a ½” barb-to-male-threaded connector
- PVC – seventy-seven inches of ¾” PVC
- PVC T Connector – two ¾” slip T PVC connectors
- Sprinkler – six 180 degree ½” plastic threaded sprinkler heads
- Tube – twelve inches of black flex-tubing
- Clamp – a ½” hose clamp
- Valve – a ½” flex-tubing shut off valve
- Pump – a 200 gallon per hour fountain pump
- Caulking – a tube of silicone caulking
- Cross Connector – a ¾” slip “cross” PVC connector
- Elbow Connector – six ¾” slip “elbow” PVC connectors
- Timer – an indoor/outdoor electrical timer with half-hour increments
- Net Pots – your desired number of hydroponic net pots with rubber foam lids. Choose the size and quantity that will fit the top of the tub and suit the plants you plan to grow.
You should be able to find these materials at your local hardware store or online.
Tools:
- Caulking Gun
- Saw – able to cut PVC
- Drill bits/hole saws – one that is slightly smaller than your net pots and one that is the size of your bulkhead
- Drill
- Tape measure
- Safety glasses
Once you have everything you need, it’s time to get started:
1. Cut Holes for the Net Pots in the Tub Lid
Using your drill fitted with the drill bit or hole saw, mark and drill holes for your net pots in the tub’s lid. Space your pots a few inches apart. Since you’re using a drill bit that’s slightly smaller than the pots, they should fit snugly without falling through.
2. Cut the PVC
Using your saw, cut the ¾” PVC into these lengths:
- 6 x 4.5”
- 6 x 6”
- 1 x 8”
- 2 x 3”
3. Connect PVC Elbows
Using your PVC primer and glue, join each of the 4.5” lengths of PVC to a PVC elbow connector. On the other end of each elbow, glue a 6” length of PVC to form the riser.
4. Attach the Sprinkler Heads
Attach one of the ¾” slip to ½” threaded PVC connectors to each of the 6” PVC risers. Screw a sprinkler head into each one.
5. Pair Up the Sprinkler Elbows
Attach two of the sprinkler elbows you created to opposite ends of a ¾” slip T PVC connector. Repeat this for another two of the sprinkler elbows and your second slip T connector.
Attach the final two sprinkler elbows to opposite ends of the ¾” cross PVC connector.
You should now have three u-shaped sections of PVC with sprinklers on the ends.
6. Join the U-Shaped Sections
Place the u-shaped sprinkler section with the cross connector in the middle of your workspace. On the bottom outlet, attach the 8” length of PVC. To the other end of the 8” PVC, connect one of the remaining u-shaped sprinkler sections via the open outlet of its T connector.
On the top outlet of the cross connector, attach a 3” length of PVC. To this, connect the ¾” slip T connector with a ½” threaded top. Add another 3” length of PVC to the opposite end of the T. To the other end of that length, attach the remaining u-shaped sprinkler section.
7. Add the Barb
Screw the ½” barb to ½” threaded connector to the open, upwards-facing outlet of the T connector.
8. Attach the Pump
Place the PVC sprinkler unit inside the 30-gallon tub. Use ½” flex-tubing to attach your pump to the connector on the sprinkler unit.
8. Run the Pump Cord Through the Lid
Attach the lid to the tub and run the cord for the pump up through one of the holes you’ve drilled for the net pots.
9. Seal the Lid
Use your silicone caulking to seal the lid on your 30-gallon tub. Make sure it is completely airtight. Allow it to cure following the instructions on the tube before continuing.
10. Attach the Bulkhead
Measure and drill a hole for your bulkhead fitting on the base of your 30-gallon tub. Attach the bulkhead fitting.
11. Attach the Drain Valve
To the other end of your bulkhead fitting, attach your shut-off drain valve using flex-tubing.
12. Fill with Water
Fill your tub with water to just below the sprinkler heads.
13. Insert the Net Pots
Insert your net pots into the holes in the lid.
14. Set the Timer
Plug your pump into the timer. Then plug the timer into an outlet. Program your timer to a repeating cycle of 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off.
15. Enjoy Your Aeroponic System!
You’ve successfully built an aeroponic system using a 30-gallon tub! You can use your new setup to clone and grow plants and build a duplicate when you are ready to expand your aeroponic garden.
How to Clone Plants in Your Aeroponic System
Now that you have your incredible homemade aeroponic system, you’ll want to fill it with plants! You can start plants from seed or seedlings, but one of the most popular ways to grow new plants in aeroponics is by cloning:
Cloning Plants Aeroponically
Cloning is aeroponic propagation. To clone plants in your aeroponic system:
- Take a cutting from the mother plant
- Anchor the cutting in a net pot
- Insert the pot into the holes in the lid of your aeroponic system
- Run your system
You can use regular water to clone plants in your aeroponic system, but as your plants start to mature, their nutritional needs will change:
Growing Plants Aeroponically
If you’d like to continue growing the plants in your aeroponic system after they root, it’s essential to understand how to provide them with the necessary nutrients to grow strong and healthy.
Keep Your Aeroponic Knowledge Growing
Keep your aeroponic knowledge growing by joining the Ponics Life Club! When you sign up, you’ll receive a free guide to all things hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and a lifetime of resources, tips, and invitations to webinars and courses.
Check out our blog for more great tips and tricks, and sign up for the Ponics Life Club!