Hydroponic lettuce 500ml square media bottle

Another in the long series of various hydroponic bottles. This is a 500ml square bottle (the kind cell culture media comes in). I cut it in half with a hack saw and flipped the top. This year I let the lettuce go to seed and started some new little plants to do hydroponically. There are a few now but I will split them up when bigger.
Better photo to follow when I find my camera charger.

Obviously don't do this with a bottle that held anything dangerous. My rule is if I would not drink it don't use for hydroponics.
Wine, soda, PBS(as this case), sterile water.... OK.
Acetone, paraformaldehyde, Blush wine..... NO.

Post about wine bottle hydroponics

How to cut a wine bottle with string and acetone

The effects of light on root growth in mint. a pseudoscientific effort.

I am starting with six. cuttings of spearmint all from the same plant. I cut them to the same number of leaves and removed the bottom two sets of leaves. I then put them in two jars full of tap water. I then covered one with a opaque plastic bag. Hopefully these two sets are similar enough that we can see a difference if there is one in the growth of roots with and without light. One concern I have is a difference in temp caused but the bag. oh well I can think of no real simple way to control for that.


This needs tested because I have been making wine bottle hydroponics for mint that are clear. wine bottle hydroponic mint
For other mint thoughts check out: Making a good mojito.

Preliminary results DAY 3:
roots are sprouting in 5 of the six available spots on the roots in the light and 2 of the six spots on the roots in the dark. Surprising to me. was it heat? does light stimulate root growth. can anyone propose a better experiment to sort this out?

FINAL RESULTS day 14: no difference. the two are indistinguishable

Mint and Basil: two new hydroponic wine bottles

This idea I straight up stole from aarn's wine bottle hydroponics.

Mint in a No8 Zinfandel bottle.














Basil in a set of two different bottles.
not too much to say about these that are not in the two posts below.
Post about wine bottle hydroponics
Cutting a wine bottle with string and acetone





How to cut wine bottles with string and acetone video
How To Cut Wine Bottles with a Dremel tool

Update 7/12/09
The basil plant was doing well but fell in the wind. Here is the photo of the new bottle it is in as well as a new spearmint bottle.

How to cut a wine bottle with acetone and a string

Written instructions below


(there is an obvious burn risk with this project. You could also loose an eye. )

• put on some safety goggles and gloves THESE ARE THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS I USE BUT MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT.
• wrap a string around a wine bottle two or three times and then tie it. I used kitchen string that you use wrapping meat.
• fill a pot with cold water.
• soak the string in Acetone , nail polish remover, and put it around the bottle. (presumably other flammables could work for this but I have not tried them. White gas, gasoline, rubbing alcohol..... I make no claims to the safety of this)
• light the string and rotate is as shown in the video.
• quickly put the bottle in the water when the acetone is about to go out.
• you may need to try a few times.
• this is not a good technique for making drinking glasses because the cut is not that clean. for a cleaner cut check out: How to cut wine bottles with a dremel tool, How to cut beer bottles with a dremel tool

NOW WHAT
This is the technique I used to make the hydroponic zucchini planter from a wine bottle in this post:

Wine bottle hydroponic zucchini

Wine bottle hydroponic mint and basil

Consider adding a design. Check out my post on how to Etch Glass without using stencils.

Other things people make out of bottles include: Drinking glasses, lamps, wine bottle planter.

Wine Bottle Hydroponic Zucchini

This idea I straight up stole from aarn's wine bottle hydroponics.

I will re-post if there is any noticeable difference between the hydroponic zucchini and its brothers who are in good old fashion dirt.

How I cut the bottle is in this post: Cutting a wine bottle with a string and acetone.

It is a lot trickier to cut a wine bottle with string then a beer bottle and I did not get a very clean cut. Nothing that could not be fixed with some pliers and sandpaper.




Sadly the zucchini got too big and committed suicide but cutting itself on the bottle edge. However the outdoor zucchini did great. Check out the recipes for this big guy. What to do with a giant zucchini.

Or check out the other plants that did much better. hydroponic mint and hydroponic basil from wine bottles.