Going Vertical
Lesson Overview
Goals
- Describe the assembly process for a tower
- Assist with the planting of a tower
Outcomes
Teaching Primer
Planting a ZipGrow tower is like nothing you’ve probably done before. But that said, it’s very easy. The individual parts of the system work in concert to deliver nutrients to the young plants. It takes a little time for those plants to adjust to their new home but once they do it’s go time!
Be sure to follow the tips in the additional resources below to make the process go smoothly both for you and the Students.
As you load your first few towers you will begin to discover the little things that make a difference like plant spacing, the point to which you pull the medium, and the best way to leverage your own body weight to control the pull. It all takes practice and with that comes an increased level of proficiency and confidence. Have fun with it!
Tools & Materials
- Grow towers, disassembled
- Large storage container for water
- Hook for towers
- Hydroponics planting table
Vocabulary
- Medium
- Tower
- Wicking strip
Method
Introduction (10 minutes)
Begin the lesson with a brief review of the parts of the hydroponic system that the Students will be handling. This would include the tower itself, the wicking strip, the medium, and the individual plants.Demonstrate how to gently remove each plant plug from the tray and how to use body weight to pull the medium into the tower using the hook.Then review the chronology of the planting process starting with the wetting of the medium, followed by the insertion of the wicking strip in the medium, then the insertion of the plant in the staged medium, and finally the pull to slide the entire set into the tower.
Activity (20 minutes)
Have the students pair up. Give each Student the opportunity to load a set with the wicking strip and plant plugs and pull it into place. Both Students in each pair will have a chance to build a set because each 5 foot tower includes two sections of planting media.
Discussion (10 minutes)
How does our system work? How do plants get nutrients? Can you think of any ways we could make the planting process easier?
Assessment (5 minutes)
Use the following questions to assess the Students before and after the lesson. Tally the responses of the group in the Assessment Tracking Log for comparison:
- By a show of hands, how many of you know how to transplant starts into a hydroponic tower?
- Now that you know how to transplant into the towers, how many of you think you could teach someone else to do it?
Related Lessons
Give the Intermediate or Advanced lessons a try now that you’ve completed the Beginner Lesson!
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