Breathe Easy with Aeroponic Growing:  When you make the decision to commit to growing your own organic food and herbs with a home aeroponics system that fits snugly in an unused corner of your apartment, you’re taking a first step toward independence and sustainability. The second step is to choose the aeroponic system that’s right for you. Consider the following factors as you start shopping for the perfect system.

Your Footprint:

Before you begin choosing the components of your aeroponics unit, think about the physical area available in your home. Many gardeners choose aeroponics because urban living limits their total available growing space. If the square footage of your home puts every inch at a premium, determine where your aeroponics unit will sit before you purchase or build it. Forgotten spaces, such as high closet shelves, dark corners, or on top of the refrigerator all make splendid grow spaces. Measure first! Remember, aeroponics systems come in many sizes and shapes, vertical and horizontal. Some growers may want to choose a system based primarily on size and space considerations.

Commercial Units:

At its most basic, your aeroponic system comprises a chamber where your plants’ roots can grow, expanding within a protected space that keeps the roots safe from pests and harmful bacteria. Some units also enclose the canopy—the stem and leaves—within a connected chamber. Typically, commercial aeroponic systems feature individual containers for each plant, fitted at perfect intervals within the larger unit. Most commercial units come complete with pump, lights, and timer. The pump delivers the vaporized nutrient solution directly to the roots of your plants. Built-in lighting means you can keep your aerogarden in an otherwise dark area: no sunlight required! The timer will deliver nutrients at predetermined intervals, typically a few seconds of mist delivered at a time. A separate timer will create the optimal lighting schedule, and persuade your plants to provide maximum output. There are literally hundreds of commercial systems from which to choose! Consider size, cost, and the opinions of other growers as you chose your aeroponics system.

Do It Yourself:

Any two-tiered containers that can hold your plants above an enclosed root chamber can become an aeroponics set, and you’ll find plans for many different systems online. If you’re building your own system, or have purchased a scaled down unit, you may need to purchase your own pumps, lights, sprayers, and timers. Your timers must be dependable: you need to know they won’t fail to deliver lights and nutrition if you go out of town for the weekend. If you’re uncomfortable with digital technology, make sure you also get one that’s easily programmable! Timers are common components, and you’ll have plenty to choose from. Use consumer reviews as a guide and purchase a dependable one. The sprayer is the system that will deliver nutrients from the reservoir to the root chamber. The biggest problem reported in building ones own unit is the sprayer clogging; do your research to ensure you don’t have this difficulty. In aeroponics, the finer your mist, the better. Tiny, nebulized droplets are easiest for your roots to absorb. You can still get good results with a spray nozzle, but foggers, misters, and nebulizers are best. It’s possible to grow aeroponically without artificial lights. Your aeroponic system can live on a porch or windowsill, but you’ll get better results with grow lights on a timer. You can choose a fluorescent lamp for all growing stages. However, Metal Halide lights work best in the vegetative stage, as your seeds sprout and being to grow into seedlings. Then, for budding and flowering, you can switch to HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lights, which provide red spectral energy. HPS light are also a good supplement to natural sunlight. Conversion lamps let easily you switch between HPS and Metal Halide. Pumps are usually categorized as high or low pressure; if you are just beginning in aeroponics, you may want to choose a low pressure system, which is gentler on young seedlings. Pumps can be as simple as modified fish tank pump, if you are handy and want to build your own, or can be purchased at various sizes, depending on the size of your system and how far you need to move the nutrient solution. You can determine your optimal pump size using a nomograph that plots pressure and flow, or a manufacturer’s chart for pressure drop. However, if this sounds complicated, you’re best off purchasing a system with a built-in pump.

Nutrients:

Here again, there are many solutions to choose from, and you’ll need to decide which types of plants you’ll be growing before you choose your nutrient solution: citrus trees will require different nutrients than an herb garden. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines: every product should give a good indication of the type of plant it will best nourish. Your aeroponics system should be able to handle any nutrient solution you feed it.


© 2011 CityGrown. All RIghts Reserved. Site Design by KFP