Reflection on the window farm project by Robert

Reflections on window farm

Each individual needs to reflect on how the group worked and state 2 ways in which group worked well and 2 ways in which the group did not work well.

We worked well when it came to watering the plants during term 1 and doing the blog.

But we did not do well when it came to watering in the holiday and communicating to organise it.

Design and building of the window farms and any modifications that have been made before and after the holidays. 

We are going to get a plastic box instead of our cardboard one.
 
Choice of plants and growth of plants in window farm – did you make the right choices? Did everything grow? Any problems with pests? Explain these and other factors and how they affected the growth of the plants.

Yes we did make the right choices as the plants we had were suited for shady places like our side of the lab.

We had problems with our plants because we couldn't water during holidays.

What additional information do you know now about window farms that may have helped you in the beginning of the project?

It helped that I knew about the basic design and concept before this project. Also I knew how gardening worked from my last school.

 

REFLECTIONS ON GROUP WORK.

I think Tom and I work well in a group and were able to pull this project together pretty quickly.

Things I think need to be improved are handing in and communication. 

REFLECTIONS ON CHOICE OF PLANTS.

The plants that I chose were for the shady part of the lab but I should have thought about watering, I did not water the plants often enough.  I think I should have looked for plants that could survive only being watered every few days.

REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN INFLUENCES.

I think we had a large influence on this project because we had to take care of all  the needs of the plants which I failed terribly at. 😞

REFLECTIONS ON DESIGN AND BUILDING.

I liked building the window farm, but I thought the design part was hard because I thought we were wasting too much time on it.

During building my favorite part was testing the watering system, it was awesome.

Abiotic and biotic factors that affected our window farm during the holidays

Abiotic and biotic factors that affected our window farm during the holidays


Which abiotic factors were difficult to control over the holidays?

1. Water because we forgot to water our plants. There was no reservoir for storing water.
2. Our soil might not have been able to hold enough water and did not have enough dead organic matter e.g. humus or mulch .
3. Not enough light. 

What arrangements or modifications did you make for watering the window farm during the holidays?

We made an arrangement that Robert would take the window farm home for the two week holiday. We had discussed the fact that as the garden portabgle, it would be better to manage it at home.  We neglected to ensure this happened, and because the plants were uncared for they all died and shrivelled up. We could have alternatively designed a water feed system that would have watered the plants in our absence.  A simple 2L coke bottle filled with water suspended with a rope from its lid might have been sufficient to water the plants for the two weeks.  Alternatively we could have visited the plants to water them when the class was open during the holiday.  We should have ensured the plants were well watered before the holidays and perhaps put some water retentive soil or moss or mulch to prevent evaporation - this might have saved our plants from dehydration. 

Did the watering system work properly? Explain your answer
We did not have an adequate system for watering our plants despite initial plan or intention. Therefore our plants did not survive the two week hydra - deprivations.

State 3 abiotic factors that influenced the growth of plants in your window farm and state how they influenced the plant growth

Light- the plants got too much sun and shriveled up and died.
Water- the plants didn't get enough water as they were dehydrated.

Biotic Factors: Plant Growth


Include evidence of plant growth in the window farm in pictures/data since you planted it and describe the changes you observe.
There was no plant growth
No evidence of bugs.
Dehydrated e.t.c

AFTER

BEFORE

Reflection by Thomas Mudge

Each individual needs to reflect on how the group worked and state 2 ways in which group worked well and 2 ways in which the group did not work well together. 


I,Thomas Mudge think that the my group consisting of Robert and I are an effective group even though that we left the window farm at home.

What our group did that worked well:

• Working on the blog
• Watering our window farm during term 1.

What our group needs to improve on:

• Communication with each other about who should of taken the window farm home
• A better watering system so that our plants could of lasted longer.

Design and building of the window farms and any modifications that have been made before and after the holidays.


Modifications that have/are going to be made:


A   black plastic crate is going to be used to hold the water reservoir instead of the decaying cardboard box that has been used.



Choice of plants and growth of plants in window farm – did you make the right choices? Did everything grow? Any problems with pests? Explain these and other factors and how they affected the growth of the plants.

As our presence was unavailable our plants perished as they didn't get enough water.Therefore we should of chosen more hardier plants

What influences have we (humans) had on the window farms?  Describe these.
The influence that,we humans have had on the window farm caused the plants to shrivel up 
 and die as we did not water them and never got to the classroom to water.

·         What additional information do you know now about window farms that may have helped you in the beginning of the project?                                                                                                                                                                                                      I know that it is better to use seedling than seeds.
       That window farms don't need a lot of water.
c      Mint can resprout again if it has died.


    
I

Building our window farm

Building Our Window Farm

Our window farm was first built right at the beginning of the project. We had a very good idea and design. Unfortunately and mysteriously it went missing while at school. The worst part was loosing the pump which was bought new and cost a lot of money.

We hoped it would turn up, but it never did and so on the very last day we had to start again. In a way this was good, because we had already done it once so we could improve the design in certain aspects. Still, I would rather have gone surfing, as Sunday is the only day I can do this.

What we used:

• We used 3 x 2 litre bottles. My father bought three soda water bottles, which we decanted into smaller bottles so we didnt waste the contents. First, we had to wash all the soda stream bottles and caps.
• Some string to connect the various pots.
• Cable ties - both small and medium sized.
• A submersible water pump.
• A 3 metre length of 8mm pipe.
• Recycled Coir, which is used in hanging baskets.
• Some fine plastic mesh as a second filter system.
• Brain power to think it all up. 

How we built it:

• We drew a line on the bottles to help with cutting so we cut straight.
• Once we had cut all three bottles, we punched holes in them with a normal punch. We attached small, thin cable ties to these holes. These became the hooks that we attached the strings too. The strings attached the bottles, so the water drains from the top bottle into the bottom one.
• We made sure that it was all level, by adjusting the strings and having 4 points to attach the string on each bottle.
• We cut round bits of Coir, cut three slits in them and inserted these into the bottom of the bottles so they would act like filters.
• We also added a second filtration using fine mesh to the bottoms of each bottle.
• After we had constructed the window farm, we checked that it would drain and filter and all lined up. Then we filled it with soil.
• Then we added plants.
• First we added watercress to the middle bottle.
• Then we added mint bottom bottle.
• Then we added spinach to the top bottle.

1.drawing the cutting line

2.cutting the bottle

3. cutting another bottle

4. all three bottles cut

5. all the equipment on the worktable

6. this is the soil  with added water

7. these are some plants 

8. this testing if the water will pass through the filter.

9. this is cutting more filters

10. this is a bottle with a filter and some mesh 

11. view of the bottle from the bottom with filter and mesh

12. mixing the soil in the bag

13. testing the finished window farm

14.the finished window farm

15. testing the widow farm  with a pump.

16. adding soil to the window farm

17. adding more soil to the window farm

18. adding soil to the widowfarm

19. finished soil in bottle 

20. adding  watercress seeds to the window farm

21. planting mint in the window farm

22. planting spinach in the window farm

Practical 3:Water Retention Capacity of soil

Practical 3: Water Retention Capacity of Soil

Picture 1. The crucibles before the first heating. (Loamy soil on the L.H. side and Clay soil on the R.H. side) Taken by Thomas Mudge on the 13/02/2014

Picture 2. The crucibles after the heating (Loamy soil L.H and Clay soil R.H). Picture taken by Thomas Mudge on the 16/02/2014

The results





Soil 1 is the Loamy soil. Soil 2 is the Clay soil

Conclusion

What can you conclude about the water retention capacity of your two soil samples?

The  Clay soil has better water retention capacity, because the first reading of the mass showed how much heavier the damp clay soil was than the damp loamy soil. The difference in the mass of the crucible was 0.7g. Taking this difference into account, there was still a difference of 3.7g, which we concluded was due to the extra water retained.

If you take the mass of the crucible out of the equation, the damp clay soil (no.2) weighed 10.2 grams and the same volume of damp loamy soil (no.1) weighed 6.5 grams.

It took longer for the clay soil to dry out.

After evaporation the loamy soil weighed 4.7 grams and the clay soil weighed 9 grams.

That means the loamy soil lost 1.8 grams of water and the clay soil lost 1.2 grams of water. Our results however were confusing, because if all the water was evaporated and that is what we were measuring, it appears from our results as though less water was retained in the clay soil, but we think this is because all the water didn't evaporate.

Questions:

 1. Which soil sample retained more water?

The Clay soil should have retained more water.

2. Which soil sample retained less water?

The Loamy soil should have retained less water.

3. Can you account/explain why there may be differences in water content between the two samples?

We think the clay soil would retain more water as this is the nature of clay soil. We believe not all the water evaporated. also there may have been less water added to the damp clay soil in the first place

4. Do you agree that the difference in mass between the two samples is the mass of water in the soil sample? Could it be anything else?

We believe the most likely explanation in the difference of mass is the water or moisture, because of the fact that we evaporated the moisture from the soil. However, at this temperature other changes could have taken place such as chemical changes.

5. What value is there in knowing the water content of your soil in your window farm?

It is important for a farmer to know how much moisture is in the soil, especially in a hot, dry area like the Western Cape is in summer. If a grower knows that the soil still has moisture he doesn't have to wet the soil, because the plant will be getting enough moisture already. This allows him to save money, water and energy costs. It is exactly the same with our window farm.

Discussion:

This practical was very interesting. It tested our lab skills and we learned a lot from that. What it was trying to demonstrate was that clay soil retains more moisture. However, our results were somewhat confusing. This gave us a concern and so instead of looking for a mixture of sol types for our window farm, we investigated alternatives. 

We spoke to a guy at the nursery and told him we want a potting soil that was rich in nutrients (like loamy soil), but had good drainage like sandy soil (as we plan to grow herbs) and also good water or moisture retention properties (like clay soils have).

He recommended a potting soil mixture that uses broken up cocconut husk which retains moisture, while still allowing drainage. This is mixed with a compost that is full of nutrients. This is what we used.

Reflection

Reflections on building a window farm by Robert Jack

This project has been fun, but hard as I (R Jack) misplaced a few things along the way. I lost my window farm when it was nearly finished. This caused a huge setback. I managed to build a new one on the last day before it was due. This caused my partner and me lots of stress.

The window farm was therefore my best part of the project and also my worst, because of the stress. Right at the last minute, once I had almost put the second window farm together, I discovered that the new pump I bought was not strong enough to pump the required height. It felt like I had stumbled at the last hurdle and let my partner down. Luckily, my mother remembered that there was an old submersible water pump in a water feature in the garden, but it hadn't been used for years. It was already dark outside. We had to remove all the stones and completely dismantle this old water feature. Then I had to clean the pump and the electrical cable. Finally we plugged it in and amazingly enough, it still worked. That was a huge relief, because there was not enough time to purchase a new pump before we had to hand in the window farm. 

I liked building it, because it was a creative process, and it let me do something that was good for the environment and for the earth.

In fact I would go so far as to say that building the window farm has been my favourite project I have undertaken since I have been at Bishops.

I liked cutting the 2 litre bottles and then putting them together. Building a window farm is like a giant puzzle, but you have to build it in your head first.

Other reflections

I felt very guilty when I lost the first window farm I had built. I felt responsible that we might fail as a result, but I corrected the situation by working through the whole of Sunday.

Things I enjoyed most:

• working as a group.
• having a good time.
• sharing all of this stuff.

Things that I am grateful for:

• having a very patient partner.
• not getting criticized for every mistake.
• finding an old water pump in a disused water feature at the last minute and also that it worked

Thomas Mudge's reflection

I (Thomas Mudge) have had much fun making this blog. It has taken a lot of time and energy to come up with this but it was very worthwhile.

I was grateful for Robert doing the window farm this weekend. I know he struggled but he pulled it together and has produced a masterpiece. I am so proud of him.

Things we need to improve on:

• Communication ( getting one anothers cellphone numbers )

Pictures of our window farm in the Biology lab

Robert Jack with our window farm

Thomas Mudge with our window farm

Practical on Light and temperature (Globilab labdisc gensci hardware)

 Practical on Light and temperature
Today we got our Labdisc. A Labdisc is a mini computer.

This unit of hardware is to help us find the optimum condition for growing food.
We are using this Labdisc to measure heat and light of the lab, and pH of soil.

With our Labdisc we recorded some interesting data

a line graph showing the brightness of the sunny side of the lab

a line graph showing the temperature of the sunny side of the lab 

a line graph showing the brightness of the shady side of the lab

a line graph showing the temperature of the shady side of the lab

Practical 1 : Soil Composition

Soil composition practical on the 14/02

1. Filling the measuring cylinder with loamy soil

2.the measuring cylinder before adding water

3.putting plastic wrapping around the top of the measuring cylinder
to prevent contents from exiting. 

4. Shaking the measuring cylinder vigourously

water after shaking

The results:

•        Floating dead organic matter: 0.4 cm  
•      Stones and grit: 1.8 cm     
•      Sand layer thickness:  1.2 cm
•      Clay layer thickness :  0.2  cm 
•      Silt layer thickness:   0.5 cm

CONCLUSION:

What does the practical tell you about the composition of your soil sample in terms of soil composition and particle size?

The silt layer particles are the least dense and thus result in them floating to the top. There is very little clay in the soil. This will allow plants to grow well in it. There is a lot of sand and stones which help the roots to receive air.












Reflection: 
This project was really interesting because I learned what the soil was composed of.

The Oranjezicht City Farm

On the 29th of January,there was a talk about Food security and the Oranjezicht city farm.The speaker was Kurt...


He said the causes of food insecurity was

•  Inequality
• Over priced food.
• Food with low nutrition.
• Food waste.

The history of the Oranjezicht City Farm:

The owners of the farm “Oranje Zigt”:

• 1709 – 1726 Durand Souljer (Soullier)
• 1726 – 1731 Johannes Strydom
• 1731 – 1758 Pieter van Breda
• 1758 – 1777 Michiel van Breda
• 1777 – 1804 Pieter van Breda
• 1804 – 1851 Michiel van Breda
• 1851 – 1870 Dirk Gysbert van Reenen van Breda
• 1870 – 1888 Gerrit Hendrik van Breda
• 1888 – 1901 Michael Alexander William v Breda
• 1901 The Oranjezicht Estates (Pty) Ltd

The map of the farm:

info from http://www.ozcf.co.za/

Vertical Window Gardens at the Westin

Marcelle Warner gave us a wonderful talk on her vertical farm at the Westin.

      She says that vertical farms are very important for food security you can grow food in cities.

        
     When there are more people on earth there will be less space to grow food.

     When you have a small container it takes more work to grow the same amount of food as a large container.

    


There are many advantages to vertical farming
             
     1. There are less pests
     2. They are easy to tend
     3.  As a result of creating a window farm you receive free food.
               
   Some facts about vertical gardening:

•         The food can be grown in lots of different ways.
•        You should only plant what you want to eat.   
•       Herbs grow well but they grow very slowly.
•      You can grow things out of season if your inside temperatures are good.
•       Plants that grow well are green leafy vegetables,

.

Vertical gardens at the waterfront outside the Da Vinci display

Vertical gardens at the waterfront outside the Da Vinci display

On Saturday the 1st, I had the privilege of going to the Da Vinci exhibition at the Chavonnes Battery Museum and to make that day even better, I saw these beautiful Eco-columns/vertical gardens at the MOYO restaurant.

It looks like the spinach grew well !!

 Notice some of the lettuce was droopy howeverThe basil grew very well.

There were fish at the bottom of the structure.

There were pipes being used for the irrigation/watering of the plants

Even some lettuce grew up there!

Parsley

The filtration system that is used 

.

Very droopy lettuce

They used tubing for their design

This is the full structure.Notice all the plants that have been planted in the shade.