Friendly Latte Planter

prusaprinters

<p>This sub-irrigated planter uses a 16-oz latte cup as a water reservoir. Friendly design for the kitchen countertop or windowsill. Comments/suggestions welcome!</p> <p>Plant friendly</p> <ul> <li>Sub-irrigation provides constant moisture and prevents soil from being compacted by top-watering, and holes provide aeration to roots. Optional attachment site for a gooseneck LED lamp allows happier plants in low-light areas.</li> </ul> <p>Human friendly</p> <ul> <li>Large inlet makes it easy to water, and big reservoir keeps it alive during vacations/forgetful weeks. You can use a small G-clamp to attach the base to your counter edge or windowsill and prevent plantastrophes.</li> </ul> <p>Printer friendly</p> <ul> <li>No support needed for printing. Water is held in the latte cup, so no worries about leaky prints.</li> </ul> <h3>Instructions</h3> <p>What you will need:</p> <p>Printed parts (planter base and top). Consider food-safe filament for growing edibles.</p> <p>16-oz Latte cup--This planter was designed around a 16-oz Dart-brand clear plastic cup. The cup is ~137mm tall and has a max diameter of ~98mm. There's a few mm wiggle room in the design for similar cups. (Design could be scaled to accommodate other containers)</p> <p>Wicking--the sub-irrigated planter (SIP) relies on a wick to draw water up from the reservoir to the potting mix. Capillary action! Strips of a cotton T-shirt work fine, so does nylon rope. Put a knot in it and feed through the hole in the planter top. It should be long enough to reach to the bottom of the cup.</p> <p>Potting mix--Don't use regular dirt or even commercial "garden soil", you need something with high water transport such as potting mix or coconut coir.</p> <p>Optional G-clamp for attachment--can buy one, or print one (such as <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30040">http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30040</a>)</p> <p>Optional extra lighting--the planter base has an optional site to attach a gooseneck USB-pwered LED lamp, such as the Daffodil ULT05. You will need 4x M3 bolts to screw the printed "little clip" part to the base.</p> <p>Plant--Choose a plant that will be happy with your lighting conditions. Basil and thyme need tons of light, chives and cilantro need moderate amount, some houseplants need less. If you are using additional lighting, most plants are happy with 24/7 light but some such as spider plant are not</p> <p>Plant care note--Due to high humidity within the cup, you may see development of hanging roots coming out of planter holes. Recommended to cut them off to encourage more healthy root growth within potting mix.</p> Category: Decor