Aeroponics is becoming more of a trend because it is a way to grow plants without soil.
This is the fastest way to grow plants than with any other method. In aquaponics growing, plants grow in the air with moist air.
This method of growing is different than hydroponics because hydroponics has water that is enriched with minerals to sustain the growth of plants.
Aeroponics uses a mist/spray that is enriched with nutrients to sustain the growth of plants.
Aeroponics is derived from the Latin word for air (aero) and work (ponic) so aeroponic growth refers to an air environment that is conducive to the grow/sustain of plant life.
Research into this method of growth has been taken place since the mid-1940s and has since been used around the world to growing plants for medical and food.
Most crops prefer to be kept around the 70° range, but can go as low as 65° or as high as 75°.
Basic Principles
The fundamental principle of aeroponics is to provide a closed or semi-closed environment for plants to grow.
The roots of the plants are misted with a nutrient rich solution depending on the growth stage.
The goal is to keep the environment free from disease and pests so that the plants can grow quickly and healthily.
Carbon dioxide is very important for healthy plants.
Aeroponics is typically done in the air full of microdroplets of water which allows most plants to grow from seed to maturity in the least amount of time possible thanks to the extra supply of nutrients, carbon dioxide, gas, and water.
Good To Know: Some growers prefer aeroponic systems to other methods to enhance the aeration of nutrient rich solution which increases oxygen to the roots and allows for faster growth and fewer pathogens to grow.
You Are in Control
As a cultivator, you have power in determining the fate of your crop! Is that a responsibility you are taking seriously?
The power is the ability to control the environment. Most systems are designed to focus on the root zone. Therefore, there should be some consideration of the environment as well.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the ideal environment for your plants.
With an indoor garden or greenhouse, you will want to take advantage of the good fortune of being in control of your environment and that you have automated your system.
When you maintain your environment set up to your plants’ ideal growing conditions, you will have productive crops, higher quality crops, and faster-growing crops.
Assuming you already have the proper lighting conditions in place, the next considerations are:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Air quality
Temperature
If you’re trying to manage the temperature outside in a greenhouse in the wind, you will need some circulation fans.
The fans let hot air out and pull in the cooler air from the ground. The air exchange is usually some kind of thermostat to vent fan.
In the case of an indoor system, you will do the same thing on a smaller scale.
Some people leave the vent on from when the light is on, because some lights almost seem like heat lamps.
The whole problem with this is that the air you are cooling your garden with is about as cool as the air in the space.
Most plants prefer you to keep the temperature around 70°F, but anywhere from 65°F – 75°F will work just fine.
What if Temperature is Too High?
Excessive heat can cause plants to transpire a lot of water which can lead to potential pH problems, nutrient lock out, as well as increased nutrient concentrations.
This basically means that when the plants get hot, they get thirsty and therefore need more water for hydration.
What if Temperature is Too Cool
The other side of the coin, on the other hand, is that plants that get too cool will slow down growth significantly.
Even the absorption of nutrients will slow down. When plants get cool they are trying to go dormant – it essentially puts the plant to sleep for winter.
One quick tip for you… there are a ton of cycle timers available on the market that allow you to have a preset for each component you have on it. You can modify how long you run your vent fan, your pumps and your CO2 generators.
Humidity
The second thing you want to control is the humidity inside your aeroponic garden.
When humidity is too high, your crop will be rotting/molding. If the humidity is too low, it will cause excessive evaporation of water.
A humidistat is something that can control the humidity. Ideally, your humidity levels should be between 60% to 70%.
You can purchase a thermostat/humidistat that will combine functions to control heaters and fans.
Unless you plan to keep an eye on the humidity and the temperature of your system, you may want to invest in automatic environmental control.
This will monitor and control the environment and notify you of issues.
Conclusion
The ideal temperature is around 70°F, but may drift from 65°F to 75°F.
You might want to consider putting an automatic controller in your greenhouse so that you can automatically turn on fans, misters, etc.