g,day guys , this is critters son, iv been stuffing around with a out door aeroponic set up. iv been pretty lucky so far but i dont really have any idea what im doing? so im going to get a write up of what iv done and how it works and make another post soon so any help would be great. yeah so just a heads up to introduce my self.
alright so basicly what i have is a 20ltr bucket with a lid which iv added a power head pump which is atached to a hose which has holes placed about one inch all the way along, and a smaller pipe running a constant drip straight to the plant. (basicly off plans off the internet) now i have this system in a green house but i do get to get it out in full sun for half the day! now thats pretty much what im doing and my dad now tells me that i need to flush the water and check ph levels and stuff? but is there anything else that needs to be done to optimize growing? cool well any help would be great, i dont have any real idea what im doing and i think iv been lucky with it so far? cheers
im not very familiar with it but i do have a book that details it a lil bit. its by keith roberto and its called "how to hydroponics" but he does talk a bit about aeroponics. im sorry i dont know my about aeroponics tho. good luck iwht the grow.
That book rocks! Lots of pictures very user friendly. You face a challenge, if your setup is truly aeroponic which it sounds like some hydro and some aero? Yes you need to check PH as well as change nutrients at least every 2 weeks probably more often. More importantly you will have to check and top off the reservoir with plain water to keep nutrients at suggested ppms. You will also battle to keep the nutrient res at no more than 80 deg f for max root growth and to keep algeas and non beneficial micro organisms in check. Buy a hydro/aero book you need to understand everything from proper strict measuring of nutrients, signs of deficiencies and more important toxicity levels as hydro is unforgiving compared to soil-bio. Check out the indoor section of this site most the same rules will apply to you except wattage! Good luck with this father son grow!
HIGH All, holy fuck critters kid eh!!!! I havn't done aero either...but if they is anything else I can do to help I'll be around Bro. Welcome to The City thecrazyfrog...say HIGH to Dad for me.
Welcome to the City, thecrazyfrog. I know you know this but your Dad ROCKS!!! It's cool to see a critter kid here. Cooler than you know, actually. If any of you guys could help out thecrazyfrog, please do.
Welcome crazyfrog! Listen, it sounds like your on the right track, and I always enjoy a good hydroponic grow every now and then. Hell, its the method I learned on, however, aeroponics is a bit different. As opposed to using water AS the medium like in hydroponics, aeroponics simply keeps the roots misted and saturated with the nutrient rich solution thats in your reservoir( which you've most definitely figured out by now, having made an aerobucket and all) So yes, your dad is right: You always need to be aware of your ph/tds/ppm etc etc...but don't let this scare you! All that is much easier than you think and what most people don't realize is: if you feed your plants correctly and not over do it, the ph and all that other good stuff will pretty much stay where it needs to. One thing to make sure and try to use is Reverse Osmosis water (found at most grocery stores) it makes things a whole lot easier and takes the guess work out of ph'ing your "tap water" which can be hard/soft...aka not fit for roots to be misted with...ya follow? There are plenty of great stickies somewhere over in advanced techniques and within the FAQ / search feature that will get you through all the details. If I were on my first advanced method grow I would go with a 3 part hydro nutrient like advanced or General Hydroponics. Tells you when, how much, and how often to feed. I'd flush every week or so since its only 20 liters....maybe you could get away with two weeks, try and see...trust me your plant will show you whats going on if its not agreeing with you. Just remember dont give up and its all easier than it looks. The reward of successfully completing this grow will be only surpassed in the feeling that you get harvesting those sweet sweet ganja flowers... Grow ON! p.s. Tape up your resivoir with some reflective duct tape...keep the light off the roots since you'll be growing under the almighty star of our solor system. No indoor light can even touch it.
Hey man AW sent me over here to lend a helping hand... Assuming the holes in the hose are being used to spray the root zone.. it seems like your running a sort of hybrid system, drip & aero, correct? If you could post a couple pictures of your system so I could take a look at it, that would be great. As for pH, flushing, nutes etc... In my aero experience I've found all my plants respond better on the lower end of the pH scale... 5.5.-5.7 is where I like to keep my water at all times.. With aeroponics, since the roots are being misted instead of submerged, they will uptake nutrients a lot quicker than any other type of system, so use lower nutrient values.. IE - If the Lucas Formula recommends 1600PPM, I'll only go about 85% of that and make 1300-1400 my max concentration. I've used both Advanced Nutrients and the General Hydroponics Lucas Formula and with AN's I had to flush every 2-3 weeks, and given the amount of water your going to be dealing with, sometimes this isn't much fun. Using the General Hydroponics Lucas Formula, I don't flush my reservoir at all until the final 2 - 3 weeks that I run only water, unless of course I'm having problems, then I'll flush. Personally, I'd recommend the Lucas Formula for it's simplicity and functionality. Also, with running the Lucas Formula, you'll tend to make less pH adjustments. Keep an eye on your reservoir temps. Growing in a greenhouse, I could imagine the temps get a bit warm, and with only 20l of root zone, you might run into some temperature issues. Make sure the reservoir stays between 65-70. If you don't have a chiller, just freeze a few gallons of distilled water (make sure the jugs aren't full as they will expand when frozen) and rotate them in and out of your reservoir whenever it needs it, that should keep it cool. If your using RO, USE CALMAG! I cannot stress this enough. After learning the hardway, I am a complete advocate of this product. I see all too many people suffer huge losses due to them not having a bottle of this laying around. It will be the best investment you'll make, supplement wise. 5ml per gallon will keep things green. I'm not sure how well the line works with spraying the root zone, but if your finding your plants are not growing vigorously or uptaking a lot of water, you may want to look into sprayers instead of holes. In aeroponics, the roots absorb water and nutrients from the droplets they are sprayed with, meaning the smaller the droplet size (but still above 2 mircons) the better, so if your finding your hosing is just slamming them with water and not misting them at all you may want to check out some EZ-Clone Sprayers or perhaps a fogger. I'm not quite sure exactly how your system is setup (again pictures would be nice), but if the roots are going to be growing into your reservoir at all, add an airstone. This ensures your nutrients are always well mixed and well aerated. Anyways man, that's all I can think of right now... Snap some pictures if you can... if you can think of any more questions or need further explanation of anything I've already talked about, just ask bro.
Presumably when crazyfrog bends over absolutely everyone needs sunglasses. I have never seen such sycophantic fawning outside Buckingham Palace.
hey everyone thanks heaps for all the help, i dont have a digital camera at the moment but should soon so as soon as i can ill get some photos and put them on here. its a pretty simple design all i have done diffrently is added the extra drip line straight to the base of the plant. i was playing around with one of those aerogardens from tv but there not really any good for actually growing. i did find however that it is a great way to strik clones - they only take around a week to bare roots and be ready to plant. after reading through everyones posts im thinking that i may need to make afew modifacations, dont get me wrong mine is working but i think with afew changes i could make it even better and easyer to flushout. ill see how i go and let you all know how it goes. ps, this is a picture of the bubble bucket i copyed, mines pretty much the same at the moment.
Ooooo, yeah...you're going to need to look into those sprayer plugs and build something a lil different than what you have there. Try small diameter pvc and build a few connected rows of spouts. I think you'll be much happier with it.