The AeroGarden

Status
Not open for further replies.
Aeroguy

Aeroguy

Active Member
Hello, everyone. I have my aerogarden now and I am about one week into growing. I am using Fox Farms nutes, an airstone, timers, and have a 150watt HPS bulb and ballast for additional lighting for later. I am using 1/4 of the recommended nutrients since I just dropped the seeds into the pods (I ordered the seeds from nirvana and since they came after the Aero, I did not have the time or inclination to germinate). Anyway, all is going well so far and I think this will be a very fun experience. The Kicker? I'm not even smoking! I quit about a month ago or more (can't remember) and I will not smoke again until I can smoke my own blood sweat and tears, and that's that. I have no questions at this time because I actually know how to read. Well, I'll keep you posted and put up some pics of my "grow room" I made. Props go to Tek for starting this thread, showing such a great deal of follow-through, and all you guys that make this site work. You know who you are...:hump:

P.S. I don't want to be the poop in the punchbowl, but the aerogarden does not use "Aeroponic" technology like the ads would lead the unsuspecting consumer to believe. It is hydroponic and it works just fine, apparently...but if you order this with the belief that it uses "Proven NASA aeroponic technology" like the ads say, your'e gonna be seriously pissed. The stuff that NASA uses is WAY better. I'm not a naysayer, I just want to let you guys know that the advertisements are a bit embellished as far as how it works. I blame marketing...:roll:
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
Aeroguy said:
Hello, everyone. I have my aerogarden now and I am about one week into growing. I am using Fox Farms nutes, an airstone, and have a 150watt HPS bulb and ballast for additional lighting for later. I am using 1/4 of the recommended nutrients since I just dropped the seeds into the pods (I ordered the seeds from nirvana and since they came after the Aero, I did not have the time or inclination to germinate). Anyway, all is going well so far and I think this will be a very fun experience. The Kicker? I'm not even smoking! I quit about a month ago or more (can't remember) and I will not smoke again until I can smoke my own blood sweat and tears, and that's that. I have no questions at this time because I actually know how to read. Well, I'll keep you posted and put up some pics of my "grow room" I made. Props go to Tek for starting this thread, showing such a great deal of follow-through, and all you guys that make this site work. You know who you are...:hump:

P.S. I don't want to be the poop in the punchbowl, but the aerogarden does not use "Aeroponic" technology like the ads would lead the unsuspecting consumer to believe. It is hydroponic and it works just fine, apparently...but if you order this with the belief that it uses "Proven NASA aeroponic technology" like the ads say, your'e gonna be seriously pissed. The stuff that NASA uses is WAY better. I'm not a naysayer, I just want to let you guys know that the advertisements are a bit embellished as far as how it works. I blame marketing...:roll:
Click to expand...
Welcome.

You're right about the aerogarden. I only found this out the other day, but what you are actually doing is growing DWC.

I grow DWC, usually in a 2 gallon bucket. The aerogarden has only a one gallon, so be careful how many plants you put in. I put one plant in a 2 gallon bucket.

My plants in dwc, after 3 weeks VEG will drink 3litres of feed per day. Growing, 1 to 2, sometimes 3 to 4 inches per day. Happy growing.
 
r32115

r32115

Well-Known Member
skunkushybrid said:
So the indica stretched because the sativas are naturally taller so needed the lights further away?

What would really do you lots of good right now, is fitting a HPS lamp to try and increase your yield. If you only have 3-4 weeks flowering left, really you should be seeing decent sized colas at this stage. Those flourescent lamps can be held 2" from the plants for optimum useage, but you'd do well to fit a HPS lamp.
Click to expand...

i would love too...
for my next grow. ventilation and cooling would be an issue. next time i will get hps. i will have to do a lot of work to ventilate but it will be worth it. this is just private smoke anyway. thanks for the feedback. Do you have any experience with bacilius thurigensis thurgecide
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
r32115 said:
or at least SWC (shallow Water Culture)
Click to expand...
This might help explain why people suffer with browning, dying roots in this system.

In aero, you have nozzles intermittently spraying the roots, to keep them moist and nuted. In DWC the roots are mostly submerged, you can let the level of the water drop for 2-3 days max before the roots start browning off and dying.

Dropping the level of the water increases the oxygen supply to the roots, but you can get the same effect by adding another air stone to the res'.

If you havemn't goty any nozzles spraying the roots it'd be a good idea to keep the res about an inch below the bottom of the pots, during veg'. Drop that to two inches during flower.
 
B

bigfatdanknugs13

Active Member
r32115 said:
i would love too...
for my next grow. ventilation and cooling would be an issue. next time i will get hps. i will have to do a lot of work to ventilate but it will be worth it. this is just private smoke anyway. thanks for the feedback. Do you have any experience with bacilius thurigensis thurgecide
Click to expand...
well ive heard that HPS is a big FIREHAZZARD im looking for good bud but not a fire...
 
Ethnobotanist

Ethnobotanist

Well-Known Member
skunkushybrid said:
This might help explain why people suffer with browning, dying roots in this system.

~continued~
Click to expand...
There are nozzles supplying water to the module, where the roots begin. That's what the various "water cycles" are for.

I'm a bit confused. Did you mean something else?

~Ethno
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
Ethnobotanist said:
There are nozzles supplying water to the module, where the roots begin. That's what the various "water cycles" are for.

I'm a bit confused. Did you mean something else?

~Ethno
Click to expand...
No, I was told that the aerogarden doesn't use aeroponic technology. i have been told directly, in another similar thread to this one that the aerogarden doesn't have any spray nozzles.

Do these nozzles rotate? If they do not then they can get blocked very quickly by salt build-ups from your nutes. Even if they do rotate it must be at a specific velocity to stop the blockages.
 
Ethnobotanist

Ethnobotanist

Well-Known Member
There is no rotation as far as I could see, but they never clogged up on me. And the roots always were very healthy; too healthy to the point of growing a bit too much, in fact.

The water delivery system to the roots in the Aerogarden is a bit different... It's more like small channels of water that run over the module (on several sides) than a spray nozzle, and then recycle into the reservoir. They are only active when the module (pod) is in place, and at certain times depending on the cycle ("salad greens" is 24/7, for example). I used "Salad Greens" for vegetation, and "Tomatoes/Peppers" for flowering.

The Aerogarden actually worked quite well for me. It's an efficient system- you just can't grow many plants in it, because of the one gallon reservoir. You could do two, and three if you didn't mind some extensive root entaglement. The water delivery system, as I said, is odd. But it seems to work very well, with no clogging of any sort. The roots get plenty of oxygen, as well as a LOT of nutrient coverage.

~Ethno
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
From your explanation it sounds a very efficient system. Having seen one at work do you think you could design one yourself?

Do you still use it? what is your preferred method of growing now?

sorry to sound like a market research analyst.
 
Ethnobotanist

Ethnobotanist

Well-Known Member
skunkushybrid said:
From your explanation it sounds a very efficient system. Having seen one at work do you think you could design one yourself?

Do you still use it? what is your preferred method of growing now?

sorry to sound like a market research analyst.
Click to expand...
Hahaha. No worries, my friend.

I have a plant flowering in it right now, actually. It's not mine though; neither is the plant, really. I'm taking care of it for a friend while he's on vacation, but I've taken it through most of the vegetative stage and the flowering stage.

And yes, I'm sure with some creative engineering I could approximate an Aerogarden. It seems like a relatively simple design (the channels could be relplaced with thin airline tubing, for example), but since the units are mass-produced, might not be as easy to replicate as many of the aeroponic designs that work just as well and are floating all around rollitup.org.

Most aeroponic/hydroponic systems require a fair bit of upkeep, observation, and troubleshooting. The Aerogarden is a breeze compared to all of that (I never needed to flush or clean it, for one). It's very easy to find the nutrient level appropriate for your plants. With the water delivery system and small reservoir, you'll know soon enough if you need more or less, and its easy to adjust accordingly and save your kids. And really, rather than sticking to feeding schedules, I found that with the Aerogarden it's easier to just refill the reservoir when it got low.

But ultimately, I prefer soil. For a multitude of reasons, but mainly because it's so much more tactile. It's good to get your hands dirty. Soil growing is definately even more of an art than hydro... You have to improvise sometimes, and it causes you to refine your techniques to the most minute levels. However, sometimes you put more into it, and growing "hydo" will almost always ensure you get a lot out of it. That doesn't always seem to be guaranteed with soil. Pests are probably the biggest problem I've faced in the past with soil.

~Ethno
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
I'm interested in aero, for obvious reasons. i've just heard too many horror stories that put me off the idea.

I wouldn't buy an aerogarden as it doesn't seem worth the money. Essentially you are just paying for the unit as you need to get a better light. Also I have yet to see anyone get a decent yield with it.

I've grown soil, hydro and DWC (I know this is another form of hydro', but it deserves it's own place). What I call hydro is coco and perlite medium that I grow in.

At one time I would have said that the quality of smoke is better in soil. Then I started using a product called sensizym, changed my mind completely. I had 2 dwc grows alongside each other, one with sensizym the other without. The difference inboth texture and taste was quite amazing.
 
K

kindprincess

Well-Known Member
skunkushybrid said:
Who me? Why?

Stealth Hydro are great units:-|, but personally, I like to build my own.:hump:
Click to expand...
wow, i just found out that i love you skunky! :mrgreen:

have you seen my new thread? shallow water dwc trial? it's in hydroponics.


this aero garden sound nifty, but i've weary and wary of sprayers; i've tried all kinds, and i've never had any that didn't need to be taken out and fixed/cleaned before harvest (clogs about every ten days). imo, dwc is much less maintenance. my new system incorporates recirculation, which i think will help quite a bit.

kp
 
skunkushybrid

skunkushybrid

New Member
kindprincess said:
wow, i just found out that i love you skunky! :mrgreen:

have you seen my new thread? shallow water dwc trial? it's in hydroponics.


this aero garden sound nifty, but i've weary and wary of sprayers; i've tried all kinds, and i've never had any that didn't need to be taken out and fixed/cleaned before harvest (clogs about every ten days). imo, dwc is much less maintenance. my new system incorporates recirculation, which i think will help quite a bit.

kp
Click to expand...
thanks for the love kp, it will always be reciprocated as far as you are concerned.

I haven't seen your thread. I'm going to have to look for it but I have fatherly duties to do right now. Could you post a link, if you have the time?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top