Super-Charge Yor Growing with Aeroponics !!

[one Q]

bump.

 

[Pirate]

Pirate I love the cave, aero and your advise on other threads your defiantly a great addition to the community, thanks so much for all you do. In the past when doing my research for an areo build I came across expanded PVC, seams like a 4'x8'x3/8" was $90-$100. Do you know if that size would fit 4x8 botanicare tray or 2 4x4's? I ask because I am about to order 8 maybe 12 of the 4x4's. In your opinion would it be a good idea for a newbe to start with aero or should I start with ebb and flow and eventully convert 1 table at a time? Which would you say is more forgiving? Feel free to call me on my shiz and thanks for any advice in advance. Karma, One Love.

Sorry everyone. I don't know how I missed these questions.

I do not know what expanded PVC is. If your intention is to eventually go aero.....Start there. It will cost ya alot more money to change later. Trust me.....I did that. You can save some money by starting with ebb and flo IF you buy the same trays you'll use for aero. The pumps and rezes can be used as well. If you set up for EBB and Flo........Just plan for your future Aero is all. I cannot say for sure if a 4 x 4 tray is exactly 4 x 4. I can say that it is this way for my 3 x 3s. If I buy 3 x 3 ABS.....It fits perfectly. Hit a hydro shop and measure one. I do this all the time when planning.

guest2222999 ........ Avast Pirate
Here I am again, I know I said I was done but, is your pump on a timer or do you run 24/7 and do your nozzles clog up??

You can ask me anytime man.
When I ran my pumps 24/7.......I didn't get clogs but I also checked the filters daily ( every 2 days minimum). If ya keep your rez clean and NOT USE all the crap that everyone thinks they need for a healthy plant........clogs won't be a problem. Base nutes is all ya need if you maintain a proper environment. All that other stuff is only needed when other conditions are out of whack. I proved this to myself by elliminating all but base nutes and now have BETTER results.

one Q......pirate! hey man. This is one of the best threads ever. Reads like a book. You and ANother step up the thread game. ha.

So I cant help but wonder how loud one of those trays are. I can imagine a loud chshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh all the time. Man I'd love to do this with a small 15x15 tray, just worried about all the noise.

Thanks Buddy !!
This system is practically silent. I need to get down on it to hear it running.

jamrockjay Pirate gr8 thread and tutorial, very easy to follow nice 1 m8

Thanks JamRock !! It is a book.

fredflintstoned Avast ya scurvy dog!
What do you think about larger plants in this system? I'm thinking 9 plants in a 3x3. Is there enough root space for big, i.e. 36 inch/ 2.5-3 ounce plants?
The thought of having 350 or so plants in my house gives me nightmares!!!
Fred

Hey Stoned.
I wouldn't hesitate to grow a large plant in one of these. I can get pretty good sized roots. One thing is that the top is liftable so Your able to train the roots just like you would train the tops. I do this around my drain. Just spread the roots around and point them into the direction ya want them to go. No problem. 9 biggens in a 3 x 3 for sure.

Yeah...........ya never get use to having a shitload of plants in your house. It never leaves the mind.

Later ....................

 

[2stoge]

In the pictures you have the grow clone type sprayers but said you preferred the mini sprinklers. Can you post pictures of them as well as their specs if you have it? I want to make mines as close to yours as I can since you've done all the R&D work on yours already. Thanks.

 

[Pirate]

Sup Man?
There really isn't any specs I can post other than they are the basic 1/4 inch line Micro sprayers found at any home improvment center. If your in the US you can go to Lowes / Home Depot / Ace / Garden Centers / etc. Their sold everywhere. Most everything I build has nothing special. I do this on purpose so that replacement parts are readily available

If ya don't have a tap set you can use other types of connections found in the "Low Volume" watering center of the hardware store. See the first photo in this post for an option that doesn't need a tapper set. But a thread tap with a cordless drill does the trick nice. Measure the tap carefully before drilling. I'm not sure of the size off the top of my head. (Maybe 1/8th inch)

Here is a close up of one with an adjustable flow knob: No tap needed for this method.

Here is a set installed:Tap required.

Here is a Sprinkler mixed with sprayers. The combo works well.Tap required

Hope that helps. And feel free to post some photos when ya git er built!!
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[2stoge]

Thanks Pirate, it helps a great deal. I just realized that my temps (from 78-89 degrees) are higher than yours. Do you think I will have any trouble with root rot?

If everything comes out ok, I will be sure to share it with yaw after I build it. But that wont be for another month or so. Thanks again Pirate.

 

[Pirate]

If those Temps are IN the roots zone then that is a problem. Ideally ya wanna be at 72*F or lower for the Rez. If your into the 80s you'll have problems.
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[little-soldier]

nice setup pirate. Im currently growing in 4 inch rockwool and filled up my 4X8 ebb/flow table. hopefully I will get over 1gpw with this setup but my next grow will deffinatly be aeroponic. I too have tried soil and hydro and what I have noticed is your buds are no bigger but hydro buds are deffinatly more dense than soil buds. Now my question is.
have you noticed a difference in bud density from hydro to aero? If so about how much of a difference?

 

[Moldy Dreads]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Pirate again

Thread of the year!~
I've heard a few people whining that hardly anyone does "true" aeroponics, but am not quite sure about that and what differentiates the 2. Does it have to do with the pressure and constant watering?

 

[2stoge]

Hey Pirate thanks for all the help. I have a question about your Aquamist system that you bought first. Does it have a separate reservoir other than the tank where the roots sit in?

I have read that they have a 20 gallon rez, but in pictures they dont show anything but the tank that the sprinkler heads sit in. So I assume the very bottom of the tank is considered the rez. And the pump sits down there feeding the sprinklers to sprays the roots. Is that it? Or are they just not showing everything in the pictures Ive seen on the internet.

Thanks again.

 

[Pirate]

nice setup pirate. Im currently growing in 4 inch rockwool and filled up my 4X8 ebb/flow table. hopefully I will get over 1gpw with this setup but my next grow will deffinatly be aeroponic. I too have tried soil and hydro and what I have noticed is your buds are no bigger but hydro buds are definitely more dense than soil buds. Now my question is.
have you noticed a difference in bud density from hydro to aero? If so about how much of a difference?

I just ran a flood and drain side by side to an aeroponic unit. I didn't do it for a comparison test but I did notice that my Aeroponics buds were not only larger but tighter. And........finished faster.

Goes right back to the title "Super Charge your grow with Aeroponics" !!

However.........not to contradict myself, but.................for definite proof I would need to run the same test several times before I would be confident of my proclamation. :smile:

Moldy Dreads
Quote:
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Pirate again
Thread of the year!~
I've heard a few people whining that hardly anyone does "true" aeroponics, but am not quite sure about that and what differentiates the 2. Does it have to do with the pressure and constant watering?

Thanks man !!
There will always be naysayers for many things in life. Aeroponics is one of em. Low pressure aeroponics is true aeroponics. Its just different than high pressure. Now......I have not used high pressure myself and probably never will. The expense / maintenance and probability of failure is up there. I am perfectly happy with my sprayers and I honestly can't see the quality of bud or growth exceeding what I am getting now to make it worth the extra expense and hassle.

To answer your question directly though........Some will say that "TRUE" aeroponics is HIGH PRESSURE misters with a micron water bead size of 50 or smaller. (I believe). BUT.......I've yet to find a web site or laboratory that claims low pressure IS NOT AERPONICS. That only come from deniers of truth. LOL.................... The same ones running around claiming they have the only true cut of OG Kush.

2stoge Hey Pirate thanks for all the help. I have a question about your Aquamist system that you bought first. Does it have a separate reservoir other than the tank where the roots sit in?

I have read that they have a 20 gallon rez, but in pictures they dont show anything but the tank that the sprinkler heads sit in. So I assume the very bottom of the tank is considered the rez. And the pump sits down there feeding the sprinklers to sprays the roots. Is that it? Or are they just not showing everything in the pictures Ive seen on the internet.

The aquamist is a self contained Aeroponic unit. There is no external Rez. The pump and plumbing sits down into the rez and the sprayers rise above the water line. The plant roots sit in the same rez as the pump and sprayers.

Works very well I might add !! The only issue I had with mine was when the plants got big it was a bitch to do nutrient changes or rez maintenance. I prefer to have a separate reservoir myself.
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[2stoge]

Thanks again Pirate. I have a big old cast iron basin that is covered with porcelain that has cracks in it (the porcelain not he cast iron). Do you know if this can still be used as a reservoir even if it has some rust coming though? Can anyone foresee any potential problems with this? (Iron burn? is that even possible) Thanks.

 

[Pirate]

Thanks again Pirate. I have a big old cast iron basin that is covered with porcelain that has cracks in it (the porcelain not he cast iron). Do you know if this can still be used as a reservoir even if it has some rust coming though? Can anyone foresee any potential problems with this? (Iron burn? is that even possible) Thanks.

Home Depot. Porcelain repair kit. Cheap and easy.

OR..........Drop a sheet of plastic in it before filling with water.
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[2stoge]

Pirate your a wealth of ideas and information!! Thanks, I didn't know there were Porcelain repair kits. I'm gonna try to get my hands on one, if not I'll just go with the plastic liner.
Not to be a but you are the sh*t! : :

 

[FLoJo]

very nice.. i like the concept

 

[Pirate]

Pirate your a wealth of ideas and information!! Thanks, I didn't know there were Porcelain repair kits. I'm gonna try to get my hands on one, if not I'll just go with the plastic liner.
Not to be a but you are the sh*t! : :

You can kiss me right.........................................HERE: ... LOL.



YO FLO.................
Thanks !!!!
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[Richard Gozinya]

Well, been reading tons of threads on here since I started and tried dirt, works good, but man I like your set up. You have perfected the KISS standard. I think I'm going to take my rubbermaids and convert them into this system and give it a whirl. Thank you for the thread and great follow up. I laughed about eating those roots, just need to convince the Asian population that MJ roots get your dick hard and we'll be rich.

 

[2stoge]

Hey Pirate one last question, how deep is the aquamist? On the web site it says "Size - 24"wide x 46"Long x 12" or 24" High" So is it 12" or 24"? Thanks.

 

[Pirate]

Well, been reading tons of threads on here since I started and tried dirt, works good, but man I like your set up. You have perfected the KISS standard. I think I'm going to take my rubbermaids and convert them into this system and give it a whirl. Thank you for the thread and great follow up. I laughed about eating those roots, just need to convince the Asian population that MJ roots get your dick hard and we'll be rich.

Sup R ?? Thanks for the props !!

Uuuuummmmm.......hard dick from eating MJ roots? Yeah...................beyond rich for sure. LOL.

2stoge..........Hey Pirate one last question, how deep is the aqua-mist? On the web site it says "Size - 24"wide x 46"Long x 12" or 24" High" So is it 12" or 24"? Thanks.

I believe the difference in height depends on what stand you order. My unit sits 15 inches high when in the stand. The actual tub is 12 inches deep.

Remember something. The whole point of my thread was to save a boat load of cash. If your able to..............Build one. The aquamist is nothing more than a plastic tub, a pump, and some sprinklers.
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[Macster2]

Bump

 

[hounddogg]

Pirate- Thanks for the great info. I'm a tech guy and have been leaning towards doing aero for quite some time now. I even built some rubbermaid tub aero units, but this setup you have here definitely tops the rest that I have seen. I am definitely going to do this. Do you foresee any problems with using a 4x4 table with only 4 plants under a 1000w hps? I'm thinking of doing 6 4x4 tables under 6 1000w hps. Any thing I need to know before starting?

I haven't posted here on ic yet, but I had to give you props on this. Keep up the good work.