Aeroponics?

[turtle420]

Hello again everyone...
I'm still on the planning stage for my first closet/cabinet grow...

Are there any improvements in quantity/quality of plants grown with Aeroponics setups versus NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) ??? [reference: http://www.simplyhydro.com/system.htm ].

Please let me know, as I've got a very simple idea for making a aeroponics system... power outage-proof!

Your inpute will be greatly appreciated :)

[Garden Knowm]

the aeropinc system is power outage proof?
how is it power outage proof?

[turtle420]

Hello Garden...

Here's what I've been thinking... (I'm sure somebody has thought of this before):

SETUP: I would acquire a high-pressure container (old scuba tank... heck even a couple of old propane tanks will work).

I would then drop a water line to the bottom of this tank... it should have a base or something to hold the line at the bottom.

You should then solder a 'bung' to the tank, so you can attach an air nipple (the thing that's on car wheels... so you can fill them up with air).

Then, you fill up the tank with your nutrient/water mix. Then you hookup an air compressor to your tank and fill up the tank with a couple of psi of air (15psi? 20psi? ??? CAREFULL!!!).

When you open your valve... the air pressure will force the nutrient mix to flow out the water line... you then rig up the water line to mist the plant's roots.


I haven't done this... nor have I seen it done. But I guess it's an idea. It's 'power outage-proof' because, you could hook up a pressure sensor that will turn on the air compressor when the psi inside the tank falls below a certain level... So, let's say you have 35psi, and the air compressor will turn ON at 30 psi... If the power goes out... you still have at least 30 psi worth of waterting your plants.

How much is 30psi worth? It depends on many things... size/volume of the tank(s)... flowrate going OUT of the tank... etc.

Input welcome.

As for now, I'm hovering over to using a Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) for my yet-unbuilt setup.

Over and out!
-turtle420

[Stormcooker]

WHy worry about a power outage? How long do you plan on being away from your plants?? If the power goes out and your aeroponic jets shut off, You don't have to worry about it for at least 24 hours or more people. It's still a "closed" system with plenty of moisture to keep roots moist. When your roots begin to grow down into the bottom of the reservoir like a bubbler set-up, they probably wouldn't even notice if the jets were off. If you have an off-set reservoir where your excess nutrient runs off and collects away from your root system, you still have plenty of time to turn your stuff back on when you get home. Do you lose power for more than a few hours or something????????????????
Don't waste your time on that. Spend that time reading up on others techniques for enhancing your set-up rather than preventitive measures.

Don't dismiss ebb and flow as a growing system. It is completely user friendly, simple, and effective with the right products. I don't think I would ever try another system.

[turtle420]

Stormcooker....

I think you're right... We where just throwing some ideas into the air... food for thought.

Anyways, I see that you mentioned that the plants will be Ok without the system working for at least 24 hours... QUESTION:

:: I'm planning on doing a NFT (nutrient film technique) setup in a closet cabinet setup. Does the same apply here? If the power goes out for... 2, 3 6 hours... and I've got no pump running water through the roots... will the plants be ok?

Thanks for the advice! :rolleyes:

[Stormcooker]

yes they will be fine.