AeroGarden / Seedling support (stackable)

What is an AeroGarden?

If you don't know what this, you can check it out here: https://aerogarden.com/home/. It's basically a small indoor home hydroponic garden where you use seed pods and is extremely low maintenance. You add water and/or plant food once or twice a month as directed by the machine (glowing lights on my model). You can grow a bunch of stuff from herbs to vegetables to fruits to house plants.

Can you use this model without an AeroGarden?

Sure! Although the diameter is made to just fit over the AeroGarden seed pods, they have holes in the bottom so you could also use a stake to fasten it to a pot or just shove it into the soil a bit.

What are the advantages of this model versus other similar ones?

Originally, I created several different sizes (30, 60 and 100mm) and as the plant grew, I removed the smaller support and fitted a taller one. But that got tedious as I had to be extra careful not to break the seedling. So I started over with two versions to address that problem and these are the main advantages my latest models have:

1. Stackable. Simple pin/hole combination allows you to leave a support on if you wish and simply add another support on top (or two!). Each section is about 80mm high. This works good for climbing fruit and vegetables seedlings.
2. Removable Option. If your needs may require you to remove the support altogether, use the “split” variant. It can also be stacked but allows for easier removal. Between the built-in gap and the natural flex of thin plastic, you should be able to get the support off without damaging the plant too much. Still will want to be careful as seedlings are often delicate.
3. Fast to print and minimalist. On a Bambu Lab or similarly fast printer, you can print two of these at a time in a little over 2 hours. Only uses about 15 grams of plastic each - including (tree/organic) supports!

Printing Notes

I have printed a bunch of these - some at 0.16 layer height but most at 0.20. Two or three perimeters. 

Only the connectors use infill, so you can up the infill / strength without without really adding to the filament usage. Going from 15% to 80% only added a bit more than 1 gram per tower.

Because the upper connectors are cantilevered, this will need some supports. I prefer to use tree/organic supports as they use less filament and print faster.

Also because the model is tall-ish (88mm) and thin, I suggest using a brim to ensure it is stable. For my core X-Y machine, I use a 3mm brim with a 1.1mm brim-object gap. For my bedslinger, I use a 5mm brim and a touch of glue stick.

Any filament is fine - I used mostly PLA but did a few in PETG.

Because tolerances for holes can vary, I've included a quick test fit piece you can print in a few minutes to check the fit. If it is too tight or too loose, you can adjust the “X-Y hole compensation” / “X-Y Size compensation” (or equivalent) setting in your slicer. 

Which Variation should I chose?

I would start out with the “split” version as it gives you the most flexibility of being able to more easily remove the support if your particular plant outgrows the support. 

I have been using these for a few years so I know which kind of plants I am going to leave the support on and which may need to come off so I mix and match as needed.

Check Out My Other Models

Most of my models are other practical prints. You can check them out here