Make a Self Sufficient Biodome

Biodomes are mini man made atmospheres that support life, even in its simplest forms, although not to be confused with a biosphere, which is an atmosphere around something (like a planet or a moon or such that supports life. We live in a biosphere. But, when it becomes self sufficient, that means cut off from the outside world, supplying itself with its own water, then it becomes a biodome, getting only sunlight from outside its area. Although this topic of a self sufficient biodome has been explained in other wikihows, in this article, it will be explained in greater detail.

Steps

  1. Get a suitable, see-through container, eg. a plastic bottle. You can use any you like, but {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} cider bottles would be better if you wanted a bigger biodome.
  2. A first, easy trial project could be done with an empty container left after eating a "rotisserie chicken" such as sold at grocery stores. The heavy, black plastic bottom has groves which add strength to the bottom shape. The oval dome lid snaps tightly onto this bottom.
    • After enjoying the chicken, wash the container lid and bottom completely. (The big label sticker on the outside can be removed with a little Gumout or WD40). In the bottom fill the deeper grooves with coarse sand or fine, washed pea gravel.
    • Add real soil scooped out of your backyard with a spoon, building up about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, patted down. Now, in your backyard or a city waste lot, find some small, low lying plants that are only a few inches high. Wet the area around each such wild plant with a cup of water. Then use a larger tablespoon to dig down and under the roots of the little plant you have watered, and gently lift it out.
    • Many common weeds that are mowed, burned over or stepped on are fine. 2 examples would be wild strawberry, ordinary grass, or plantain. Even newly emergent seedlings, if they are small enough, will work.
    • Taking care to keep as much of the roots and soil around them as possible when you lift them out, place them into the layer of soil you have put into the bottom. Now gather a few more such plants.
  3. In much of North America there are areas in the shade that are mossy. Even shingles on a roof often have moss on them that can be carefully scraped off. So after adding some compost soil or topsoil put some moss on the top and arranged around the little plants as a top ground cover. If the plants wilt a little at first, they will be fine when you water them if you have gotten most of the fine roots into the soil. Now sprinkle water gently until the soil, moss and plants are well watered. Your bottom plastic base will let excess water, and eventually the plant roots drain down into the deeper grooves.
  4. Snap the top of the rotisserie "dome" down onto the bottom base. Here you have to be careful no soil or plant parts are in the area you have to snap together. When you have snapped the lid. on correctly it will be tight and snug.
  5. If any plants or leafy parts are tight up against the very top or ceiling of the dome, they are too tall, and you may have to remove the top and redo after trimming them down a little.
  6. The last step is to regulate the moisture and condensation inside you airtight dome.
  7. You may notice that condensation forms almost right away, especially if you place the dome in much sunlight. So, with a heated sewing needle (from a candle flame or match) you are now going to punch the hot needle through the upper sides of the dome roof in clusters of about 6 - 10 needle sized holes. #*Do this at each upper end, and the middle of each upper side. This will allow some moisture to escape so that the entire dome doesn't cloud or "fog" up. (The needle holes will be too small for bugs to escape.)
  8. By regulating the amount of direct sun on the dome, you can reach a balance of moisture and light that is right for the plants or grass. Once sealed up, these little biodomes will not need more water added for many months, even most of a year.
  9. The secret to adding insects is tricky, and best done by cutting a trap door into the roof of the dome with a razor blade or exacto knife. Cut 3 sides of the door only, so that the door can be opened and closed as needed, and use a tab of mending tape to keep the lid closed. For bugs, try to avoid earthworms. Small beetles or crickets or sowbugs are fine. Lacewings are good, and fruit flies will work too, if you can catch them.
  10. This will get back to the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle, in a bit, if you want to try that. Remember, you can also use a larger, fancy cake tray and dome that many grocery stores sell in the deli or bakery. The main thing with a larger such deli dome, is that you need the black plastic bottom tray to have enough rigidity and grooves for the sand and excess water.
  11. You might have to buy and enjoy a large frosted cake to get one, but some stores will sell you just the container for your dome. But, what the heck - even if you have to eat the whole cake, it only weighs 3 - 4 pounds. Invite someone to help you eat it.
  12. Cut open the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle, and put some compost in. Firm it down to help stop bacteria.
  13. Put some seeds of your choice in. Consider putting in these plants:
    • Fruit producing plants
    • Perennial plants, plants that don't need much water
    • Self fertile plants
    • Plants that produce a large amount of seeds.
  14. Make sure the plants come from the same part of the world.
  15. Avoid planting any of the following:
    • Cacti (they don't regenerate fast enough for insects to eat)
    • Carnivorous plants (you don't want your CO2 producers to be eaten)
    • Poisonous plants (again, you don't want to starve your CO2 producers because of the lack of edible food)
    • Tall plants (what if they get too big?)
  16. Water the seeds, and leave the top of the container off for a bit until the seeds germinate. Then, leave the seedlings (you should have about 3 or 4 evenly spaced) until they have covered most of the compost.
  17. Get some insects from a pet shop or garden centre (crickets and beetles will do fine) but avoid ants, as they will have little to eat.
  18. Put about 4 crickets or beetles in the container, water generously one last time, then put your lid back on and seal it with cellotape, making sure there are no holes. If you want to be extra sure there are no gaps, put something like superglue around the joint.
    • The crickets or beetles will produce carbon dioxide that the plants will take in and give off oxygen as a by-product. The crickets will breathe the oxygen and the cycle goes on. The plants will be eaten slightly by the crickets, but, making sure they are fast growing, they will give the crickets or beetles the supply they need.
    • Of course, the plants will take in the water you gave them, and they will respire and the water will just evaporate and condense, and will give the give the crickets something to drink and the plant something to drink. The crickets or beetles will get rid of the water one way or another, so it goes on.
    • The plants will get energy from the soil and light, the leaves will die off through time (replaced by new ones) and will rot into the soil, recycling nutrients and giving back the water that was retained in the leaves.

Tips

  • And a final tip, make sure you have very water tolerant plants, as they won't be sitting in soil, they should be sitting in mud. It must be extremely wet for the plants to keep their water supply. 1/3 water and 2/3 soil should do fine. Put your bugs on the plants though, or they will drown.
  • If you know that there are male and female crickets or beetles, put them together so you get reproduction. If they were all of one gender, it would eventually die out, the plants wouldn't have carbon dioxide and die. Life sometimes seems tenacious, but it isn't when you have a limited amount of a species/genus.
  • It is always best to have more plants than insects.
  • Dandelions are star plants. They are invasive, low growing, take up little water and their flowers normally fit into a 2ltr bottle. A dandelion and a plant that has foliage in winter would be sufficient as well, instead of having 4 or 5 plants, so a tropical themed biodome is your best option. You can have a dandelion in a tropical one, they don't really mind what climate they have.
  • Try putting the biodomes in different temperatures and levels of light, see if you can get some variation to begin with the plants and crickets.
  • Try it out with maybe a mini see through plastic coke bottle first, with one cricket and a couple of plants.
  • If it gets dry, you know there is a leak of air in the bottle. Cut it open and put some more water in it, then re-seal it more thoroughly.

Warnings

  • Try not to let anything escape, you may be able to find some tar to heat up and seal the joints.
  • Also, if your dome gets too big, start building another dome, connect the two domes with rubber tubing (or the like) and then watch as the crickets/bugs move to the other dome. Who knows, soon you might end up having an entire COLONY of bugs.

Things You'll Need

  • A see through, sealable container.
  • Soil (doesn't matter how much nutrients it has in it).
  • Water
  • Seeds, or if you have them, ready grown plants.
  • Any type of adhesive

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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