High Pressure Aeroponics

hello I have maid my own hpa with 2x4 flood table 24 sprayers 45 2.5" sites have stopped using it worked great, I am currently setting up 18 gal totes with high pressure drip coco coir and air snake in bottom. The key is the pump 3.3gpm 45psi shutoff self priming and can run dry been using one for over 2yrs they are available 12v and 115v great for solar apps purchased 2 115v new for about $90 ea. most of the people I have shown this to don't want high pressure, its a pia to make sure no flooding happens and it's not a grow store toy. I like having my plants in a medium for support and to help survive mechanical and or power failure. Thanx for sharing I like it a lot maybe we can get more High Pressure Feeders to share.
 
sorry to intrude your right about my set up not being hpa I wasn't using timer and gave up on the mister's for sprayer I could not keep them clean and I wasn't focused on the 30-80 micron drop size, I use the screen filters ahead of the pressure regulator clogging has been reduced, yours is HPA mine isn't. You have inspired me to follow along I may do a hpa set up as well,
 
420P:Welcome. I made the transition from lpa about 3 years ago, after coming across a then 5 y/o HPA thread. The science of maximum efficiency makes perfect sense to me. Thank you NASA! At that time I didn't know how to control the various aspects so I learned mostly by trial and error.

It's been quite a journey getting from that "Aha" moment to where I am now. So you don't have to make the same missteps, I have posted step-by-step threads and journals on a variety of similar sites. My goal was to show others in real time that HPA was no harder than lpa. I included my many missteps so others might avoid them.

I also discovered that there's a whole level of HPA above where I am, so if you think "I'm crazy" HA! I was already in up to my neck with this new learning curve, so I opted for a simpler approach, using as much of their system as I was comfortable with.

Their method uses everything mine does, plus, they incorporate an accumulator tank, solenoids, pressure relief valves... and a deep cycle timer accurate below one second! These combine to provide Mad Scientist control over the atomized mist, but at what point does the cost benefit end?

To my way of thinking, my HPA method is pragmatic as it puts me squarely in their ball park. Thankfully, some of those guys overlooked my pragmatism and mentored me a great deal to get me where I am today, so credit where credit is due.

Anyway, this thread will likely be replaced with a new one when I start up again, but anyone should feel free to drop in with questions as long as they take the time to read through this first.

Lighting

Whatever success I have had with HPA was without proper lighting. I have a UFO 90 which works fine but you can't grow but one smallish bush (or 3-4 small colas) under it. And one of the overlooked aspects of HPA growers is that each plant needs a minimum of 1 sft just for the roots! Soooooo, 4 HPA plants needs > 8 sft above the table. Although I was happy with my UFO, it maxed out at 2 X 2, and LEDs that throw a ligit 2 X 4 foot print are expensive, plus, most will soon be obsolete as horticulture LED technology is ramping up fast.

I now own an 8 bulb Quantum Bad Boy HO T 5 (~400 watts). It has a > 2 x 4 foot print. They also make a 4 bulb versions, which should be awesome in a long shallow closet. You could also use it vertically in a small closet, just attach it to the door and line the walls with reflective material. Keep the sunglasses handy

Anyway, during my last HPA grow I was seeing fantastic growth using Quantums' 2700/6500 bulbs, but recently I came across a thread by a guy who is experimenting with aquarium bulbs. This makes perfect sense when you understand what makes LEDs so attractive- individual bulbs with concentrated spectrums that mj thrives on. But unlike LEDs, I can easily experiment as they go in/out with a twist of the wrist.

So you might imagine, I am excited to start again, but summer temps in my grow room run 90+, which is a root hair killer plus it puts too much stress on the female plants. And yes I could add an ac unit, but my electric bill is already too high, and I have enough mj to hold me over.

Roothairs v High Heat Humidity

I learned this the hard way: I had my best start ever (4 plants, all looked like females) that I had just flipped to 12/12 when we got hit with 4-5 day 90+ temps/humidity. By the time I got that sorted out the root hairs burned up and the heat stress caused the plants all became males. Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhh.

Stay tuned the new Journal. I will call it something like HPA + T 5 + Aquarium Bulbs
 
Greenie said:
What is ideal humidity in the "grow space" for plants in aero? vegging ? and flower? thanks!
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The ideal humidity doesn't really vary with growing style (soil vs. hydro, etc).

Humidity levels over 85% mean a very high probability of mold. That's annoying and problematic in veg, but ruins your whole crop if it gets into buds.

Also, the higher humidity is the more "work" it is for plants to remove potentially toxic build-up of chemicals through evaporation. You'll generally see the fastest growth between about 65%-80% relative humidity, but I would limit that much humidity to vegetative stage only.

During the seedling stages when the plants are especially fragile higher levels can help them develop. This is especially true of cuttings since they have no roots to begin with and thus have a much harder time taking in enough water to make up for the losses in evaporation.

During flowering the risk of bud mold is serious enough to make sure you keep your humidity under 50%. I personally shoot for 45% but as long as it doesn't go under 30% you should be fine.

So the list:
Cuttings - up to 100%
Seedlings - ~85%
Vegetative - 65% to 80%
Flowering - 30% to 45%


One final thing - AIR CIRCULATION! It doesn't matter what your humidity is at one point in the room if you're not circulating the air. The air in and around your buds, if it's not moving, can get really, really humid and you won't know. Then you get mold and things turn pear-shaped quick.

So make absolutely sure you're moving the air around and mixing it up, which means that your humidity meter will read true. It's also just important that your plants have fresh, circulated air and the breeze will help them grow strong thick stems that can support thick, heavy buds.


Trust me, you don't want to come in to see that awesome cola you were eyeing the day before snapped and hanging over because your plant wasn't strong enough to hold it up anymore.
 
How did this grow turn out?

We would love to be updated with some pictures and info! :blushsmile:

How about posting a 420 Strain Review?

If you need any help with posting photos, please read the photo gallery tutorial:
Photo Gallery Guide: How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

I am moving this to abandoned journals until we get updates.

Thanks and hope all is well in your world!

Love and respect from all of us here at 420 Magazine!
 
Unfortunately, I have not been receiving posts so I have not kept up with it. I checked and am still subscribed, but haven't gotten any replies since my last post on 8/25.

I don't totally agree that humidity is the same. In aeroponics that humidity is more easily affected by heat, and that is something I have learned the hard way. The closer the light is to top of the humid root chamber (pod) the faster the internal pod temp changes. Once that happens the roots will dry up and die in a few hours or a day.

Another issue I encountered is going from a irrigation filter (which leaked every time I cleaned it) to a small DMfit filter, which a microbe colony made a home in it, reducing the quantity and quality of the atomized mist. After a week of fighting daily severe wilt, I decided to toss together a F & D rig and move some of the plants to it. They recovered very nicely and are now in early flowering stage. I also bought some Air Pots and put one of the heavily shocked/wilted plants in it. Both of these methods work extremely well. It occurred to me to put the irrigation filter inside the rez. Since doing that I now have 4 young plants (from seed) in the HPA rig that are doing well.

Posting pics here is a pain. Other sites provide the option to open from my computer library
 
PetFlora said:
I don't totally agree that humidity is the same. In aeroponics that humidity is more easily affected by heat, and that is something I have learned the hard way. The closer the light is to top of the humid root chamber (pod) the faster the internal pod temp changes. Once that happens the roots will dry up and die in a few hours or a day.
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That's a tangential point that is related, but does not answer the question he asked.

He didn't ask whether different growing methods influenced the overall humidity. He asked what the ideal humidity for plants in aeroponics was.

The simple fact is that the ideal humidity is determined by the plant, not the growing environment. The plant's own biology determines the humidity it thrives most at, as well as the biologies of the beneficial and harmful organisms likely to grow on, in, or around the plant.


How easy it is to maintain that humidity is certainly influenced by the growing environment. The greater surface area of water and the higher the temperature is, the more tendency toward a higher humidity you'll have. But again, that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what is ideal for the plant. It only determines how easy or how difficult it will be to maintain the ideal humidity.

It's like if he'd asked what temperature you should have your grow tent if you're growing with soil vs. hydroponics. It's the same temperature either way. The only difference between the two - potentially - is how the different growing style might make the job of maintaining the correct temperature easier or harder.


The ideal humidity for a plant is the same, regardless of how it's grown. Whether or not you can easily maintain that under any conditions is an entirely different, and separate question.
 
PetFlora said:
I could have been a 'little' clearer. You can be within the ideal humidity, but if the ambient/internal temps aren't, you will have problems.

In aero/hydro you maintain ~ 99% humidity inside the root chamber. You can't do that with soil.
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True, the humidity inside the root environment can be extremely high with aeroponics. But the general environment of the room should not vary according to growing method. The plants need certain temps and humidity regardless of how they're grown. The main function of the temperature and humidity combination is to regulate transpiration rates, which plants need to maintain according to species not what they've got their roots in.

I'm pretty sure he was asking about the grow room environment, not the root zone environment.
 
PetFlora said:
Pod temps (no soil/no DWC) will be affected by ambient temps/humidity.
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True, anything within a given environment will be affected in some way by the temperature and humidity of that environment.

Step One is to hit as close to ideal temp/humidity within the grow room as possible. The plant from the crown up will benefit the most from that environment being ideal.

Step TWO is to work within the limits of step one to create as ideal a root environment as possible without screwing up the results of step one.
 
just read through the first 15 pages and ive learned so much about HPA . almost all of my questions were answered from reading this thread. thanks ALOT petflora . if u get a chance check out my journal . i will probably be ordering from that reptile site you listed and upgrading to HPA very soon ! First Time Grow
 
PetFlora said:
It amazes me that none of the e-mags has a separate HP Aero Forum. And yet HP Aero has nothing in common with low pressure or DWC.

I am on my third HP Aero grow and would love to engage fellow enthusiasts with ideas, and questions.

Mine is mostly a DIY using Rubbermaid totes and mist heads and pump from Reptile Basics. I have a completed grow journal that combines TAG (True Aero grow) with LEDs.

Hope you will come out and join the party, :thankyou:
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Can u send me a parts list for the pumps, hoses and misters please also a simple diagram of how the system works i saw a system like this (growbox420) using stacked 5 gallon buckets, but it was crazy $$ for some buckets, lol i was thinking using stacked 2 or 3 gallon buckets. im confused on how the water returns to the res? or does it return? Im new to aeroponics but i like trying new tech..
:thankyou:
 
PetFlora said:
Hey everyone, I know you want to see pics, but I am burned out on doing journals. Plus I need more LED watts, but got the fundsrlo affliction just now.

And it's a pain to get the pics from my Album then upload it here, or it was a pain over there. I'll look into it. Keep in mind it's a DIY setup.

It isn't hard to post pics, BUT my prior CPU crashed a month ago (part of the Mercury in retrograde thing) a lot was lost, including imy album of the set up and grow. Sorry, but I tried.
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If your burned out on do journals. Then why did you start this journal?
 
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