-
As of today ICMag has his own Discord server. In this Discord server you can chat, talk with eachother, listen to music, share stories and pictures...and much more. Join now and let's grow together! Join ICMag Discord here! More details in this thread here: here.
Extra air to roots idea.. please critique
- Thread starter marx2k
- Start date
mrgrowmez said:
I have heard that numerous times but have yet to encounter it. 3 grows in these containers and no algae or root rot or problems. They are only used as interim containers before their final 3 gallon containers before flower. they are only in those clear containers for a few weeks. I also dont let the soil get overly wet and wait until the containers are light and soil is dry before I water them.
long term in clear chamber with exposure to light will make the roots turn green and start to take on the characteristics of foliage and nutrient uptake will be slowed. i have seen this first hand. some ppl like clear containers to check to see how roots are doing i reccomend that you do a pot in a pot if you want to do this or atleast cover the clear pot especially if your pots arent stacked together and there is light penatration
Experiment Week 3 (air to soil)
Experiment Week 3 (air to soil)
A few weeks ago I started an experiment by adding an airstone, in a small bag with perlite to help prevent any clogging. The clones are both from the same plant and were similar with structure and given the same amount of light (side by side) The plant with the airstone has perlite on top of the soil.
Here are the results so far if anyone is interested:
Week 1 (no noticable benefit)
This is after 14 days... seems like a growth spurt in the plant with the airstone.
This is from today after about 3 weeks. Plant with airstone seems slightly larger and also has larger leaves and seems generally healthy.
Experiment Week 3 (air to soil)
A few weeks ago I started an experiment by adding an airstone, in a small bag with perlite to help prevent any clogging. The clones are both from the same plant and were similar with structure and given the same amount of light (side by side) The plant with the airstone has perlite on top of the soil.
Here are the results so far if anyone is interested:
Week 1 (no noticable benefit)
This is after 14 days... seems like a growth spurt in the plant with the airstone.
This is from today after about 3 weeks. Plant with airstone seems slightly larger and also has larger leaves and seems generally healthy.
G
Guest
Clear containers are easily covered/wrapped...towels, t-shirts, etc. I use weed tarp cut to size meself. It shaves a day or more off of wondering how the plant is doing. Clones looking a bit limpy...but have roots branching out like mad...then I know alls well right then and there instead of having to wait the extra time to see the the young plant/clone perk up.
But back to airating soil...Unless someone already has, and it was a no-go I'll give this a go...A plugged end of tube/hose, with gobs of intsy holes punched in a row...coiled around the inside diameter of a container...coupled to a low flow pump that is run periodically for delivering airated water to outside of the root zone.
Yea, so, thats whats on the drawing board of me mind for this best environment possible project #719.
But back to airating soil...Unless someone already has, and it was a no-go I'll give this a go...A plugged end of tube/hose, with gobs of intsy holes punched in a row...coiled around the inside diameter of a container...coupled to a low flow pump that is run periodically for delivering airated water to outside of the root zone.
Yea, so, thats whats on the drawing board of me mind for this best environment possible project #719.
G
Guest
Hold the phone...
Algae and photosynthesis should , (theoretically here) only be able to manage minor penetration into the soil. The stuff has no roots and won't spread where there is insufficient light.
And the by-product of algae's photosynthesizing is...oxygen.
Algae and photosynthesis should , (theoretically here) only be able to manage minor penetration into the soil. The stuff has no roots and won't spread where there is insufficient light.
And the by-product of algae's photosynthesizing is...oxygen.
great job dan thanks for the contribution. im hoping to get a O2 tank and see how that effects growth along with an array that sits in a grow pot or medium (to insure even distribution of O2 in the medium).Dan42nepa said:A few weeks ago I started an experiment by adding an airstone, in a small bag with perlite to help prevent any clogging. The clones are both from the same plant and were similar with structure and given the same amount of light (side by side) The plant with the airstone has perlite on top of the soil.
Here are the results so far if anyone is interested:
Week 1 (no noticable benefit)
This is after 14 days... seems like a growth spurt in the plant with the airstone.
This is from today after about 3 weeks. Plant with airstone seems slightly larger and also has larger leaves and seems generally healthy.
Last edited:
Thruthfully? It has been an interesting experiment and i did get some results but its not something I plan on pursuing in the future. This experiment will end with the next transplant but I wonder how much good the air stone actually did? There was more growth compared to the other one without the air stone but I think I will try even lighter soil next time and continue to bubble my water each feeding. The growth wasnt that crazy compared to the trouble with using airstones, supplying power, having cords to worry about etc. I will just try lighter soil next time and maybe tweak the nutes I am using some more.
darthvapor
Active member
you could water with club soda otherwise known as seltezer water or carbonated water. Just make sure to get the no sodium version your roots would get both carbon dioxide and oxygen.
b10narybud
Member
tagged..i wanna see the results dan. I have a small pc grow and thinkin of doing it myself if it helps... i wanna see that root mass now!
G
Guest
Dan42nepa
so do you think maybe they plant with no airstone could be that way,due to wetter soil, a few pics looked like the airstone plant was taller, but wasnt quite as bushy, it was hard to tell from the photos..
thanks for taking the time for the experiment, they can be a hassle ,and add extra gardening time.
so do you think maybe they plant with no airstone could be that way,due to wetter soil, a few pics looked like the airstone plant was taller, but wasnt quite as bushy, it was hard to tell from the photos..
thanks for taking the time for the experiment, they can be a hassle ,and add extra gardening time.
the mole said:
They both have the exact same soil.. i used alot of perlite. The one with the perlite on top has the airstone. I had perlite on top to try and combat an fungus knat problem. Its organic soil and i use bat guano and mollases several times during feeding. This seems to make the soil heavier as its breaks down..
G
Guest
I guess I was meaning ...the container with the air stone ,did it dry out faster than the other container..which would mean it had faster drying soil
Week 4
Week 4
These are pics from week 4 and the final week. I will be transplanting to other pots soon and will scrap the airstone. The results? In my opinion, the plants reached about the same height getting the same ammount of water and light. They were a similar structure at the start and end. The only noticable difference was the plant with the airstone seemed to have larger leaves as oposed to the other. Both are healthy and to do this again well I have no interest in really doing it again. Perhaps someone else could try it a different way? Here are the pics:
Week 4
These are pics from week 4 and the final week. I will be transplanting to other pots soon and will scrap the airstone. The results? In my opinion, the plants reached about the same height getting the same ammount of water and light. They were a similar structure at the start and end. The only noticable difference was the plant with the airstone seemed to have larger leaves as oposed to the other. Both are healthy and to do this again well I have no interest in really doing it again. Perhaps someone else could try it a different way? Here are the pics:
G
Guest
at least you gave it a try.. :smile:
ive tried some watering experiments using two metal rods inserted into the bottom of the containers, the rods where attached to wires leading to a "control" board, I was trying to read the moisture content of the soil using a OHM meter.
it worked ,sort of..you couldnt keep the soil in good contact with the rods...
if you took 2 thin rods and pushed them into a container ,and then read the meter, it was more reliable, but i wanted a way to read soil moisture in the plants in the back of a large cabnet.
My plan was to attach the unit to a pc or other device using a multi position rotory switch, which could have read up to 50 differant plants by turning the dial.
but it could still work ,if someone smarter than me tried it :smile:
ive tried some watering experiments using two metal rods inserted into the bottom of the containers, the rods where attached to wires leading to a "control" board, I was trying to read the moisture content of the soil using a OHM meter.
it worked ,sort of..you couldnt keep the soil in good contact with the rods...
if you took 2 thin rods and pushed them into a container ,and then read the meter, it was more reliable, but i wanted a way to read soil moisture in the plants in the back of a large cabnet.
My plan was to attach the unit to a pc or other device using a multi position rotory switch, which could have read up to 50 differant plants by turning the dial.
but it could still work ,if someone smarter than me tried it :smile:
Last edited:
V
vonforne
I have seen grow boxes aerated. Using soaker hoses. The air was a continious feed and very gentle. The guy stated that it worked better in the boxes than in a container. Each container had 3 plants....kind of like the 3lb grow boxes in the write up of JOG.
