A chain made of wooden links is mounted on three aluminum wheels. Each sixth link is aluminum, and has a small transparent plexi-glass cup attached to it. The cup is free to swivel, so that it always remains upright as the chain moves in a clockwise rotation. A motor is mounted behind the lowest wheel. As each of the five cups passes through a raised trasparent plexi-glass box positioned below the lowest of the three wheels, the cup scoops up a small quantity of water. The water is carried up to the top, and dumped into the smaller transparent box positioned between the two upper wheels. |
The water deposited in this raised box trickles through two vinyl tubes, each feeding one of two terrarium cases. Plants in the terrariums are rooted in soil that is raised several inches above the water. Nylon ropes extending into the water and up into the soil wick moisture to the roots, allowing the plants to grow. The water level in the bottoms of the terrariums is mantained. The excess flows out the opposite side of each terrarium, through another length of vinyl tubing, and into the lowest transparent resevoir box, on the floor. A float switch mounted in the raised box that the cups draw from triggers a small pump in the lowest box to refill the raised box when the level becomes too low for the cups to fill. |