Custom Aero System

hey there guys,

so i'm regrouping from an all-male crop and as that was my first grow i'm going to go put that knowledge to use and make my own aero system (not the damn aerogarden anymore) -- i've got all parts and have a good idea how to put it together, thanks to this link projects.bootstrap - Aeroponic Unit V1.1 from major toke

one thing i'm not 100% sure on tho... when i pop holes in the lid of this rubbermaid container to put the net baskets in, do i need to put in anything besides my seeded/cloned rockwool cube? i keep seeing people fill the net basket with the little pebble medium (vermiculite or clay or whatever) and then the rockwool on top.... are those pebbles necessary? or can i just drop the rockwool into the net container and make sure it's snug and blocking the sprayers from misting up into the grow area

also, a mylar lined space 3' wide by 2' by 6' high with a 6" exhaust fan and an exhaust duct at the top should control heat from a 400w HPS right?

A 6 inch duct and exhaust fan should do the trick.

The net pots with the rockwool cube, and the rocks around and whatever anyone comes up with is just a way to stabilize the plant as it's growing. That system grows plants very quickly, so they get top-heavy fast. It's best to have those pots tightly secured in the holes if you can. That's the weak link...

the rock wool does good on its own but I always use the grodan clay pebbles to stabalize the plant and it it also helps give the roots a good system to grow in.Moisture holds better and helps stop light getting to roots.

i gotta see pics of this! thats pretty incredible

they clay pebbles do also serve another purpose, as you grow and add nutrients to the rockwool the light will hit the rockwool and start to cause algae, so if the rockwool is covered you dont, i agree with what everyone else has said about it just saying another good point about it.

the clay pebble also let the roots grow out and get oxgen plus moister between watering.

Out of curiosity, has anyone done any journals with this setup?

Rockwool wicks up and holds a lot of water. Without some material like expanded clay pellets or lava rock between the rockwool cube and the nutrient mist, the cube will saturate and stay saturated. This overwet condition can cause root disease problems. The lava rock or pellets will wick a little bit of moisture, enough to encourage root development, but doesn't get saturated like a rockwool cube.

notmyrealname said:

hey there guys,

so i'm regrouping from an all-male crop and as that was my first grow i'm going to go put that knowledge to use and make my own aero system (not the damn aerogarden anymore) -- i've got all parts and have a good idea how to put it together, thanks to this link projects.bootstrap - Aeroponic Unit V1.1 from major toke

one thing i'm not 100% sure on tho... when i pop holes in the lid of this rubbermaid container to put the net baskets in, do i need to put in anything besides my seeded/cloned rockwool cube? i keep seeing people fill the net basket with the little pebble medium (vermiculite or clay or whatever) and then the rockwool on top.... are those pebbles necessary? or can i just drop the rockwool into the net container and make sure it's snug and blocking the sprayers from misting up into the grow area

also, a mylar lined space 3' wide by 2' by 6' high with a 6" exhaust fan and an exhaust duct at the top should control heat from a 400w HPS right?

Click to expand...

I personally would go for a dwc system instead not a whole world apart to be honest but its going to be far less maintainance, with the aero system decribed in that link, the water level has to be kept relatively low to allow for roots space and the space to spray them, so the nutes are going to change ph and nutrient level pretty quickly and then when they in flowering they are going to be draining that small amount of nutrient soup pretty quickly and then at some point the are going to make it into the nutrient anyway.

You would be far better off in my opinion to just leave out the misters and go dwc and fill the nute tank to the brim and then let the roots sit in the solution permanently and use an air pump and airstones to give the roots air.

If you do aero and the roots make it into the nute solution, you will be wanting to add an air pump and airstones then anyway.

In my eyes the way to go if your going to go hydro is to go dwc/bubbleponic

bubblers = good shit

Sorry, I have to disagree with nongreenthumb's post ... even though he has the best avatar on the site. *lol*

I've done soil grows, DWC grows and have settled on aero. I'm yielding the same amount from six plants using aero that I was yielding from 14 plants using DWC. Even though I was using six, six-inch airstones in my DWC setup, the aero setup gets a LOT more oxygen to the roots. The growth is faster during veg using aero also. I'm never going back to DWC after growing out my last six crops using aero.

Vi

ViRedd said:

Sorry, I have to disagree with nongreenthumb's post ... even though he has the best avatar on the site. *lol*

I've done soil grows, DWC grows and have settled on aero. I'm yielding the same amount from six plants using aero that I was yielding from 14 plants using DWC. Even though I was using six, six-inch airstones in my DWC setup, the aero setup gets a LOT more oxygen to the roots. The growth is faster during veg using aero also. I'm never going back to DWC after growing out my last six crops using aero.

Vi

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Feel free to disagree thats what the site is for, this is just a difference of opinion based on personal preference

I'm going to build my own aero unit really soon. ordering parts online VERY shortly

Lando I went with a home made aero setup for my grow and will never leave it again. Its homemade from homedepot parts cost about $130 to buld and is a 28 plant setup.I luv it no maintence really. Its dialed in good so my ph stays pretty consistant and my ppm is falling in perfect combination to the plants water usage so they are feeding and rinking in perfect ratio.. All I do is check the ph and ppm every other day and if I need some water top it off.Mister I found dont clog and get 2-3 inches of growth a day.These things are great and all parts were local at hardware store or you can buy a premade unit like this for $800 lol never those dummies

lando421 said:

I'm going to build my own aero unit really soon. ordering parts online VERY shortly

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From the Roll It Up FAQ filed under "Security" (view here):

Online purchases
****AND THE GOLDEN RULE: NEVER BUY CANNABIS CULTIVATION EQUIPMENT ONLINE, THIS CAN BE TRACED BY LEO, WILL ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SEARCH YOUR HOUSE. SOME OF YOU WILL INSIST ON BUYING EQUIPMENT EITHER OVER THE PHONE OR INTERNET, HERE ARE SOME

*PAY CASH
*DO NOT GIVE YOUR CORRECT INFORMATION
*HAVE THE EQUIPMENT DELIVERED TO A FRIENDS HOUSE
(If you feel you have to purchase equipment online, make sure they accept cash, they deliver with a courier, and that you use false information. Also check that they do not store customer information in their databases. Make sure the site is secure, and use a proxy)

Click to expand...

who is leo and whats his problem

LEO = Law Enforcement Officer.

LEO's a dick because he cant smoke weed freely so he steals it