aeroponics - I am new Alot of question please help

[gazan114]

Hi,

I am ready to buy my system and i have been reading alot and i have finally decided to go with the Aeroponics system, i understand that it is a little bit difficult but i want the best bud.

With an aeroponics system what type of nutrients should i use?

(i would like the size, potentsy, and taste to be the best.)

should i use enhancers?

should i use organic nutrients?

my water will be reversed osmosis.

(im guessing i wont need a ph tester anymore)

do i still need a EC tester?

do i need growing mediums?

Why do you use rockwool?

i would like to use HPS and MH lighting at the same time from growing to flowering, 1000 W for each light, good idea?

What is the difference between flowering/blooming, and growing?

because i want them to grow fast and big can i use a CO2 tank in my room to advance growth?

How much CO2 will need to be released for optimum bud?

I know this is alot of question im sorry i just really want to understand, thank you very much for looking at my thread have a good day!

 

[Hogdady]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

to 420! If you are gonna go aero, you might want to check out this journal...sure that you will find lots of answers to your questions. Glad you chose to join us!

4inch PVC Aero/NFT 4x5 SCROG - 1200 Watts

 

[Sensibowl]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

Hi,

I am ready to buy my system and i have been reading alot and i have finally decided to go with the Aeroponics system, i understand that it is a little bit difficult but i want the best bud.

With an aeroponics system what type of nutrients should i use?

(i would like the size, potentsy, and taste to be the best.)

should i use enhancers?

should i use organic nutrients?

my water will be reversed osmosis.

(im guessing i wont need a ph tester anymore)

do i still need a EC tester?

do i need growing mediums?

Why do you use rockwool?

i would like to use HPS and MH lighting at the same time from growing to flowering, 1000 W for each light, good idea?

What is the difference between flowering/blooming, and growing?

because i want them to grow fast and big can i use a CO2 tank in my room to advance growth?

How much CO2 will need to be released for optimum bud?

I know this is alot of question im sorry i just really want to understand, thank you very much for looking at my thread have a good day!

Wow. This is a lot of questions, but good ones.

First thing to know - aeroponics is expensive. But you already knew that so we can skip that lecture. Really, only do this if you want to produce a high quality harvest that you're also going to sell for a pretty penny.

You want really high quality nutrients since this is going to be a grow you sell for a high price. In my experience, Advanced Nutrients is the way to go. While they talk a lot about hydroponics as being the best growing system, their high quality, pharmaceutical grade ingredients are good for the kind of things you're looking into.

But there might be others out there too. Keep listening to other growers to see what makes the most sense for you right now. You could always try out a new product on the next grow if you're not happy with your first choice.

Because the roots are right out in the open, enhancers can be your friend, that's for sure. Those roots are going to be a bit more vulnerable - which is a good thing and a bad thing. First of all, the roots are prone to troubles in terms of your environment. If it's too hot, cold, dry, or wet, things are going to fall apart. At the same time, having the roots out in the open (more or less) also lets them make the most of everything you do.

Organics nutrients are easier to control in terms of pH and EC, at least that's been my experience when I've used them. However, they can degrade more easily than artificial ingredients, so keep that in mind too.

Reverse osmosis water can be helpful for pH, but it's never a bad idea to keep testing - especially when you're first starting out.

Like the name indicates, you don't use any growing medium. The roots are just out danging in the air, bathed in mists from time to time. Kind of surprising that you'd even ask this since you said you've already decided on this system.

Your lighting will depend on how many plants you're growing. That sounds like a lot of wattage to me if you have a smaller setup. And you don't want so much light that you burn your roots either.

I'm concerned that you don't know the different between growing and blooming. Sounds like you need to do more research before you get started. Check out "Marijuana Horticulture" as it's really a Bible for growers.

To me, it sounds like you're not quite ready for the aeroponics experience. I would suggest that you try out a hydroponics setup first and then 'graduate' to aeroponics.

Keep reading the boards. You want to make sure you know what you're doing before you start this kind of grow out.

 

[PitViper]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

EZ Tiger....your trying to attack your project with limited experience.
Start with a cheap easy Hydro setup like DWC.
an 18 gal tub, air pump and stone,media, net pot(s) and some basic nutes. get a PH pen. Use some CFL's for light. forget the enhancers,forget co2 and all the other stuff. Grow the plant and learn. It will be the best 100 bucks you ever spent. Trust me.
once you got some time in you can buy ther big stuff and you can still use the small stuff for side projects

 

[Dr FrankenKush]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

PitViper is right keep it simple to start. Get your info from one of the excellent books and these are also excellent reference materials as you grow. This sight is good for fine tuning and exploring different methods of growing, but you should study Jose Cervantes and Ed Rosenthal books and videos for your basic education. Also Greg Green has excellent materials to bring you up to speed. Good Luck and welcome...

 

[hydroherb]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

Yeah, I have to agree that aeroponics might be a little tough for your first grow. I'm not going to say "don't do it", but just keep in mind that you're complicating things a lot more than you have to.

There's two main concerns with aeroponics. First, the system runs at higher pressure than other types of hydroponics so there's a lot less room for error in joining and sealing the parts. The only thing worse than a leak is a high pressure leak. The second concern is the sprayers. A proper aeroponic sprayer needs high pressure and a tiny opening to create an ultra-fine spray.

That means that it's very easy to clog up aero sprayers, and since the plants are only getting water and nutrients from that spray, a failed sprayer can kill plants incredibly fast.


Do yourself a favor and get a few extra nozzles so you can quickly swap out any clogged ones you see, and clean the dirty ones later without the system sitting idle. And avoid that as much as possible by only using premium nutrients. Cheaper nutrients are made from inferior fertilizer salts, which means they don't dissolve as easily and therefore build up in the sprayers easier. I'd recommend Advanced Nutrients just as someone else already did. It's all I'll risk in my aero setup.


Most organics are just not going to work at all. No organics. AN's organics are the cleanest around, they might work, but don't try it your first grow. Just don't.

 

[Motherhugger]

Re: (aeroponics) I am new Alot of question please help

Yeah, I have to agree that aeroponics might be a little tough for your first grow. I'm not going to say "don't do it", but just keep in mind that you're complicating things a lot more than you have to.

There's two main concerns with aeroponics. First, the system runs at higher pressure than other types of hydroponics so there's a lot less room for error in joining and sealing the parts. The only thing worse than a leak is a high pressure leak. The second concern is the sprayers. A proper aeroponic sprayer needs high pressure and a tiny opening to create an ultra-fine spray.

That means that it's very easy to clog up aero sprayers, and since the plants are only getting water and nutrients from that spray, a failed sprayer can kill plants incredibly fast.


Do yourself a favor and get a few extra nozzles so you can quickly swap out any clogged ones you see, and clean the dirty ones later without the system sitting idle. And avoid that as much as possible by only using premium nutrients. Cheaper nutrients are made from inferior fertilizer salts, which means they don't dissolve as easily and therefore build up in the sprayers easier. I'd recommend Advanced Nutrients just as someone else already did. It's all I'll risk in my aero setup.


Most organics are just not going to work at all. No organics. AN's organics are the cleanest around, they might work, but don't try it your first grow. Just don't.

aeroponics is not a great way to get excited about growing...it's pretty complicated.

I mean, your call, of course, but if you're going to do it, stick with high quality organics as they seem to give the least amount of trouble in this setup

 

[Skybound]

I realize this thread is roughly 4 years old, but some information I seek was glazed over in the final posts so i wanted to dig this one back up with hopes of gaining more knowledge.

I am in the process of building about a $700 grow box measuring 30" x 30" x 7' with a rubbermaid 18 gal res, 4 - 5" pot sites, 400w MH/HPS, built in carbon filter (designed right in the walls) and the manifold I am construcing is an Aeroponic/Top Drip/DWC hybrid. Because the hybrid uses poly flex tubing over barbs for the top drip I was concerned about too much pressure and opted (but not yet ordered) a 250GPH water pump. the manifold is constructed out of Schedule 40 1/2" PVC, so i know it can handle some pressure, but the top drip part (to be added later) may only be good to a certain pressure and I am trying to nail those numbers down before I place my order(s).

Also, thanks Hydroherb for the suggestion of keeping spare sprayers on hand to swap out and clean the dirty, that makes a ton of sense. Is there a specific brand of sprayer you like? All the ones I saw on YouTube tutorials look more like squirters than sprayers. Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't a finer mist do the root system more justice than droplets randomly contacting pretty much the same area of a root?

I will add a picture of the manifold I built. The MPT/Barb protruding from the top does stick out the top of the Res lid. I am trying to locate an MPT x Barb x Barb Tee that can feed drip to the sites, but I might even just run Schedule 40 up there as well. The ball valves, in conjunction with an MPT cap control where the pressurized water goes.

A) Will a 250 GPH pump generate enough water pressure to effectively distribute the water throughout the roots?
B) What style or brand of sprayer(s) do you suggest using on this manifold?

 

[Skybound]

Here is the drawings of what I'm working towards to give a better idea.

The 3rd image (right) is a print screen of the tutorial I modeled my manifold from. That design involved lifting the lid to shut off the top drip and change out the drip lines for a cap. I wanted to be able to do at least that much w/o disturbing the ladies too much.

 

[trichomes]

DID U GIVE THIS METHOD ANY THOUGHT, i'M TEMPTED TO TRY A "fog" grow! Great work so far!

Here is the drawings of what I'm working towards to give a better idea.

The 3rd image (right) is a print screen of the tutorial I modeled my manifold from. That design involved lifting the lid to shut off the top drip and change out the drip lines for a cap. I wanted to be able to do at least that much w/o disturbing the ladies too much.

 

[Skybound]

i saw that in another thread using an ionizer to make a very fine mist. As this will be my first time at bat, I'm looking to not over complicate the process more than I already have and stick to something many others have already used with a well documented measyre of success.