Super-Charge Yor Growing with Aeroponics !!

[BigGreen]

Hey pirate are you posting pics right on the thread. If you are I cant see any. Im just wondering Im having all sorts of problems with this.

 

[ZEROorDIE]

some great info in here, i was planning my next grow to be aero, more of an aerogarden style with vinyl fencposting(slightly dif manifold and sprayers though)

i was wonder how the Advanced Nutes worked out for you in hydro as i have loads left from my current grow

 

[moses224]

Pirate i bought a great book on hydro,,,can i build one out of wood and epoxy (LIKE 2 4X9) and the use plexy glass top what do you say?

 

[Pirate]

Wow Pirate, your walk-through is truly inspiring, I just want to thank you for taking the time to walk us through your setup and with such details.
How do you think Aeroponics would do in a grow room that reaches 90F in the summer?

My room can get up into the high 80s during the summertime and I've not had a problem. Even close to 90. But of course.......Lower temps are preferred. Especially to prevent root rot. Look into having your rez outside the room or insulated in some way to keep it cooler.

BigGreen........Hey pirate are you posting pics right on the thread. If you are I cant see any. Im just wondering Im having all sorts of problems with this.

There are 30 photos in this thread. I saw you having problems on another thread. Contact Tech Support. They'll help ya out. Your account may need to be reset.

ZEROorDIE.........some great info in here, i was planning my next grow to be aero, more of an aerogarden style with vinyl fence posting(slightly dif manifold and sprayers though)

i was wonder how the Advanced Nutes worked out for you in hydro as i have loads left from my current grow

I looked into the fence post style a few times but decided that wasn't the ebst option for me. To many different parts to clean and maintain. I try to KISS. I used Advanced nutes one time before with ebb and flow but wasn't happy with em. I run with GH and get better results for far less money. I don't use the Adsvnaced with my aero but I see no reason why you couldn't. Just go easy at first till ya see how the plants react. Nutrient uptake is extremely efficient and you'll need less with aeroponics.

moses224......Pirate i bought a great book on hydro,,,can i build one out of wood and epoxy (LIKE 2 4X9) and the use plexiglass top what do you say?

I suppose you could but 2 things come to mind:
1) The epoxy MAY be toxic to plants in large quantities
2) the cost would probably be a wash b y the time you spend that much on epoxy resins. A table will cost ya $100.00. I'm sure you'd spend that in materials to build a tray. Then there will be weight issues if ya ever need to move it.
Consider Pond Liner Or Shower Pan Liner if your heart is set on wood.

There is another Aeroponic thread on here de3aling with High pressure but he has some good ideas about building the tray. Do a search for........PODS.......POD.....POD Racer...... or something like that.

Hope I got all you scallywags questions answered. (Scallywag means I love ya):smile:

 

[moses224]

yea think i have same book tells how to build your airponic plus many more

 

[Pirate]

yea think i have same book tells how to build your airponic plus many more

What's the book called.

I built mine based on store bought pro units that run about $750. I threw in my own ideas to match my situation. That's what I don't like about the store bought models. There all one size fits all and............That just don't work for me. Mine has been specifically designed for me by me. Its a custom build. LOL !!

 

[BlindDate]

Fantastic thread.....Just one comment, and this is something that has been chewed over in the TAG (True Aeroponics) threads many times. First, I'm sure that you are aware that your system is not true aero, but rather what we call faux aeroponics because your droplet size is far greater than 50 micron using those crude sprayers. That combined with roots that are sitting on the bottom of that shallow table are doing no better than an NFT system. Your shallow container is not well suited for aeroponics. The roots require complete suspension to take advantage of the micronized droplets. The system that you built is really a well aerated NFT system, not aeroponics.

 

[Pirate]

Yes I am aware that there are several styles of Aeroponics and that TRUE aero is high pressured "Fine Mist". I stated that at the beginning of the thread. I knew when I started the thread there was gonna be some debate about "what to call it". Its Low Pressure Aeroponics. I am aware of the TAG thread. But as in anything else...........There is more than one way to skin a cat and this is how I skin mine.

In order for my roots to receive "full suspension" the tray would need to be 24 to 36 inches deep. And that is totally unrealistic. If the roots touching the bottom are the yard stick which determines if it is or isn't............then there are no true aeroponics cause I've never seen a unit deep enough to handle my roots.

I already felt it was a hybrid between NFT and Aeroponics............ but all hydro is a hybrid of sorts. After many months of researching the subject........ I'm going with "Low Pressure Aeroponics" on this one. Otherwise, we'd need to call every major hydroponic manufacturer and supplier out there and inform them that their not selling "True" aeroponic units.

Thanks for stoppin by and helping to clarify.

 

[BigGreen]

Hey Pirate whats up. I have finally worked out the bugs here and Im sailing. Im really considering this in my 3x5 600 watt room. It seems to kick pretty hard ass. I have a couple questions: If I convert a 2x4 e&b table how many rows of sprinkler would you think I would need? Im only gonna run like 8 plants and let them veg out until they fill to where I want them. Im gonna have massive roots in there so Im trying to come up with placement of the sprinklers. I have about 30 day left of flower on the e&b so Im gonna be doing some major brain storming.

 

[Pirate]

Well if it was me.............I would do 3 rows. 2 on the outer edges with 180* sprayers shooting inward and 1 row down the center with 360* spinners.

What I like to do when planning a system out is:
Get some graph paper with 1/4 inch squares and draw it out to scale. With a 2 x 4 table you could use 8 - 1/4 squares to equal 1 foot. This would allow good detail in your plan. Plus this way you can see how it would work out before cutting one single thing. You can also do several versions and then choose the best option. I have several pads of that paper loaded with designs and ideas.

I also have a 2 foot square pad of that stuff and designed my entire room before anything else. walls / trays / rezes/ lights / electrical / ventilation.......the whole thing in blue print form.

Try it.

 

[purpledomgoddes]

...

What I like to do when planning a system out is:
Get some graph paper with 1/4 inch squares and draw it out to scale. With a 2 x 4 table you could use 8 - 1/4 squares to equal 1 foot. This would allow good detail in your plan. Plus this way you can see how it would work out before cutting one single thing. You can also do several versions and then choose the best option. I have several pads of that paper loaded with designs and ideas.

I also have a 2 foot square pad of that stuff and designed my entire room before anything else. walls / trays / rezes/ lights / electrical / ventilation.......the whole thing in blue print form.

Try it.

@ pirate...

curious how you would run a garden w/ lower plant #'s? between 4-6 plants, w/ 3 vert bare bulb 1k's - for veg+fruiting periods?

assuming ~4'x4'x6' of available volume for each plant?

would you scrog, w/ an ~45* angle, screen sloped towards bulbs?

would you bush, train, top, root prune during veg?

would you use 1 large res/tub for ea 3 plant row, use 5 gal buckets (ala krusty), or use the same trays used for sog?

would you use bigger net pots/modified pots for root ball?

root prune now in veg+1st fruiting transplant(in coco) and observe lateral root hair expansion, in conjunction w/ new growth+branching. have you experimented w/ root pruning(just the terminal tips)?

have done aero in 5 gal buckets 9 yrs ago. small rio pump(in bucket), 2 cheap misters, air stones, etc. actually started w/ soil, then transplanted soil into net pots. worked alright. noticed huge worm (~ 9" long/5cm thick) in root mass that filled entire bucket. had began in soil, but read krusty on og/cw and went for it. the tomato plant w/ the worm in the root system was around 3'x3' at finish. a whole basket full of tomatoes!
:smile:

another tomato plant was 8' vine (never again) and had to be wrapped around like hoola-hoops multiple times. problems w/ pump in bucket for res changes, but worked.

in any event, interested to discover how you would run a 4-6 plant garden, w/ ~4 cubic feet for ea plant, w/ 3k lights+ac, etc?

your response is appreciated in advance. enjoy your garden!

 

[Pirate]

Yo PDG.........Those are some thinker questions. I love it.

Let me mull over that a bit and get back to ya when I have a little more time. I just finished chopping down a table (about 80 lollipops) and need to get these things in the drying tent.

I just wanted to let ya know I read the post.
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[Macster2]

And I got a q. for you wadda think if you took your internal plumbing and took it to the top of your grow chamber (just under the plexiglass ) and pointed your sprayers down so to avoid missing any portion of the roots or have you think this unnecessary?

 

[Pirate]

And I got a q. for you wadda think if you took your internal plumbing and took it to the top of your grow chamber (just under the plexiglass ) and pointed your sprayers down so to avoid missing any portion of the roots or have you think this unnecessary?

I'm ahead of ya. I thought of that but haven't put the idea to practice yet. I was actually gonna run my plumbing on the OUTSIDE of the lid si I could maintain the sprayers without having to deal with roots. But I figured out a way to prevent clogs so I never went with that ideer.

Even with the sprayers sitting on the bottom of the tray the roots get wet all over. There is not one dry spot under that lid.

Yup.........You can do it if ya wanted to. I still might work one out like that later for kicks and giggles.

 

[purpledomgoddes]

thx...

thx...

looking forward to your ideas...

 

[Aerohead]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Aero

 

[Pirate]

Hey Sorry PDG. I didn't mean to take so long to get back at ya. But I've been chewing on it.

Of course I can only comment on what I would do of it was me. Having the volume or grow space you have certainly opens up your options.

My Ideas are in bold below:

@ pirate...

curious how you would run a garden w/ lower plant #'s? between 4-6 plants, w/ 3 vert bare bulb 1k's - for veg+fruiting periods? Well obviously......with lower plant #s you'll want to train them to achieve maximum yields.

assuming ~4'x4'x6' of available volume for each plant? Oh !!....That is a lot of volume for sure.

would you scrog, w/ an ~45* angle, screen sloped towards bulbs? Personally I think a SCROG is one of the best options available. This allows one to maximise the canopy coverage while allowing the lower foliage to be cut off for ventilation and to concentrate growth and bud development to the tips. You'd have a nice SEA of top quality colas all at the same height and receiving the same amount of light. I cannot comment on the 45* angle ideer. I've never tried or seen that. But my thought would be that it could make things more of a hassle. You'd end up having to grow one section of the plant taller than the other to fill in the higher section of screen. If the screen was flat...........You could just train the branches along the width without having to figure out what branches need to be longer than the others. (follow me?)

would you bush, train, top, root prune during veg? If you went with a SCROG.......I would definitely grow short bushes...... topping every week or 2 until you get within 2 weeks of your flip to 12/12. I'd probably grow bushes in the 24 inch height range / training the outer branches to point out ward with a flatter center so that it's ready for the screen. Tipping the shoots will give LOTS of bud sites that will fill the screen nice. The only time I've ever root pruned during veg is when I need to keep my mothers in the same sized pot after she's become root bound. I've not tried root pruning to increase yield . I have noticed that once my plant recovers from root pruning Usually a week) ........she'll have a new vigor with lots of new growth. But again......I use this to keep my mothers in the same sized pot.......forever. I would be afraid to prune my roots anytime close to the actual 12/12 flip day. I've mentioned before in my Cave Thread......."If there is one single thing I have learned that a grower can do to increase yield is to provide the healthiest root structure possible". It's all below the dirt line IMO. I wouldn't cut em anytime close to the flip. Maybe 2 weeks before 12/12..... at least.

Would you use 1 large res/tub for ea 3 plant row, use 5 gal buckets (ala krusty), or use the same trays used for sog? Well I don't know what type of medium your talking about using. I will assume.....Gro Rocks. Again....If it was me......I would go with a simple Flood and Drain set up for 6 plants total. I stay away from the buckets because to me........Maintenance is a real bitch with those. I prefer one or 2 large rezes to deal with. Not one for every plant. I've run a couple Rain-forest recently and found them to be a hassle while changing nutes and stuff. The yields were good and the plants were healthy but.........To much of a PITA. I prefer the KISS method. The fewer Rezes you canb have the better. Now you could go with an Ebb & Gro type bucket system that has one single reservoir and a controller that can handle up to 12 buckets or plant sites. That would be a really good option and I've seen it work well for a SCROG.If your handy you can build one fairly cheap since your only running 6 plants. See one here: http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/images/Ebb-&-Grow-12-Bucket-L.gif One other good feature about that type of system would be that the plants will be lower than if they were on a flood table that needs to be highr than the rez..........Giving you more head room for "big fat colas" !!

would you use bigger net pots/modified pots for root ball? Well you've seen the root ball I had in a 3 inch net cup. As long as the roots have somewhere to go..........The cup size matters not. The nice thing about gro rocks (which I hate by the way) and mostly that ebb & gro type system is that root pruning is simple. You can easily pull the bucket up and prune away. With coco or soil it becomes a bit more complicated. (as I'm sure you already know)

root prune now in veg+1st fruiting transplant(in coco) and observe lateral root hair expansion, in conjunction w/ new growth+branching. have you experimented w/ root pruning(just the terminal tips)? As mentioned above. I only prune roots in veg. I literally chop the roots in half at times and if I am trying to keep a mother in the same sized pot.......I'll slice off the root ball by inches all the way around. One time.......I even cut off the bottom of the ball all the way up to the main stalk. I had to SAW the main stalk that was under the dirt line (coco actually) to try and keep the plant shorter. She recovered to my amazement and is still in my garden 6 months later

Root pruning to go from aero to coco: The whole net pot went into the coco pot. She is a new mother now

Well I hope that set your mind to thinking at least. I presume you've already considered some of that.

I appreciate the the fact that you even considered me as someone to ask........."What would Pirate do"? LOL

Thanks !!

Holler if you wanna chat some more about it and let me know what you end up doing. (even if ya don't use any of my ideers)
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[moses224]

you must spread rep before giving to pirate again.....get ya soon

 

[Macster2]

Pirate
How deep are your chambers for roots?

I've decider to build my own as they want a fortune for a plastic one plus I want a 4x4 table and its hard to find one.I may even use a plywood top painted with a plastic based paint easier to drill holes without worrying about snapping the plastic

 

[Pirate]

YO........Thanks Moses !!

Pirate
How deep are your chambers for roots?

I've decider to build my own as they want a fortune for a plastic one plus I want a 4x4 table and its hard to find one.I may even use a plywood top painted with a plastic based paint easier to drill holes without worrying about snapping the plastic

The trays I use are the Botanicare flood and drain tray. They are 7 inches deep total. Roots have approx 6.5 inches of space.

If your going to build one.............make it deeper. 8 to 10 inches woul be ideal.

I think you'll be sorry for using wood. You'll need many layers of paint to keep it from getting soaked from constant contact with water and you'll also have to paint EVERY single cut edge of every hole. If you have the smallest defect in paint..........water will get in and so will the rot. My money says.........you'll end up going with plastic in the long run after spending time & money on wood and paint.

Trust me............I've thought about it.

After drilling hundreds of holes in Plexi-glass..........I only broke it twice. And neither is broken beyond being able to use it. Just drill slow at first. I found it's best to drill a pilot hole and then start the "Hole Saw" slowly. Once it starts to dig in you can go for it. It really not hard.

Think it over. I'm just trying to do ya a favor here. My motto is: "Do it right the first time"...................If only I could live by my own motto.
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