Hydroponics - Why Not Start Your Own Hydroponic Garden?
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By Susan Fielding
Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants in a nutrient rich solution rather than in soil. It involves growing plants inside without using real sunlight. The word hydroponics comes from two Greek words, meaning “water working”. If you enjoy gardening, but have limiting factors such as very little gardening space, problems with pests or unsuitable weather conditions, then hydroponics could be the answer for you. For many people, the thought of successfully gardening indoors all year around has only been a dream. However, with hydroponics this is possible. General hydroponics is a hobby many people are picking up today. Hydroponics is simpler than what most people think, and is proven to have several advantages over regular soil gardening. The following are some of the many benefits of growing plants using hydroponics: Less space is required, and plants can be grown closer together. Growing plants with hydroponics is possible almost anywhere. Less water is required as there is no soil which soaks it up before it reaches your plants roots. Hydroponics is great in areas where there are water restrictions, as less water is lost to evaporation. When you water your regular garden plants, approximately 10% of the water actually makes it to the plants. No pests or diseases. You don’t have to worry about pest control, and because your plants are grown indoors, there are fewer problems with diseases such as mould and fungi. Reduced maintenance time. Once your hydroponics system is set up, all you need to do is change the nutrient solution on a regular basis. This only takes a few minutes. There is no need for any weeding. Types of plants grown with hydroponics: Nearly all plants can be grown using hydroponics. The most common are vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers. Other plants include flowers and herbs. Although hydroponics is possible for most plant species, a limiting factor is the amount of physical support required. If you are growing climbing plants, you will need to provide them with extra support. Hydroponics supplies: Hydroponics gardening supplies can be found at most good gardening stores nowadays. Before visiting your local store, it is a good idea to do some research online first, so you know what you need. You can also purchase supplies online. Your grow lights are one of the most important factors for hydroponics gardening. Hydroponics stores sell individual parts as well as complete growing systems. These will include the hydroponics and lighting systems, fans, and timers, etc. In conclusion, a hydroponics system will initially take a bit of time and effort to set up, but in the end it will be well worth it. For further detailed hydroponics information go to Hydroponics - For related home and garden articles visit Home & Garden Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Fielding http://EzineArticles.com/?Hydroponics—Why-Not-Start-Your-O
Indoor Greenhouse Or Hydro - Organics Grow Room
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By Diana Johnson
Have you heard about indoor hydro-organics? It is an organic growing technique based on hydroponics. According to this technique, you can create proper atmospheric conditions to grow the plants in an indoor situation while adhering to organic standards. Hydroponics is the practice of growing a plant in anything but soil. Most might think that it would be impossible to have anything organic if not produced in soil, but this isnt true. Hydroponics, or more specifically, hydro-organics can be fully organic and hydroponic by growing in certified organic coconut fiber with certified organic nutrients. HydroHuts are perfect indoor grow rooms.
Hydrohut allows you to grow with hydro-organic technology which is one of the most productive ways to grow all varieties of plants, and those raised in a hydroponic system will exhibit maximum yield, flavor, vitamin and essential oil content. Grow your choice of vegetables and plants in a better way, in your own hydro-organic growing chamber. HydroHut is a leader in the indoor organic hydroponics market nationwide. These indoor grow rooms are a model of a greenhouse unit. So, it is also called an indoor greenhouse. Hydrohuts can be equipped with everything you need to grow bigger, better plants indoors; including high intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems, cooling fans, a hydro-organic gardening system, and atmospheric controllers.
Many sizes of HydroHuts are available for your specific situation, including the Kindergarden, HydroHut Mini, HydroHut Original, HydroHut 2×4 garden and the big daddy, the Deluxe HydroHut. You can choose from any of these which suits your specific gardening area and space requirements. Hydroponics and Hydro-organics has never been so easy as with the HydroHut. HydroHuts make perfect indoor grow rooms for growing a wide variety of plants. Want to know how you can have a garden in full bloom right in your living room with Hydrohut? It is not magic it is hydro-ponics, a tested and proven technique of growing plants without soil. Want to know more? Go to Hydrohuts home. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diana_Johnson http://EzineArticles.com/?Indoor-Greenhouse-Or-Hydro—Organics-Grow-Room&id=495415
Hydroponics
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Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions instead of soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel or Rockwool. A variety of techniques exist.
Plant physiology researchers discovered in the 19th century that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant’s water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics, but some will do better than others. It is also very easy to do; the activity is often undertaken by very young children with such plants as watercress. Hydroponics is also a standard technique in biology research and teaching and a popular hobby.
History
The term hydroponics is derived from the Greek words hydro (water) and ponos (labour). Many people use the term hydroponics to describe any methods of growing that does not use soil (although some scientists dispute this definition) and in that sense ancient peoples such as the Babylonians and Aztecs used hydroponics, as nutrients were obtained from other sources. The mineral nutrient solutions used today for hydroponics were not developed until the 1800s.
The earliest published work on growing terrestrial plants without soil was the 1627 book, Sylva Sylvarum by Sir Francis Bacon, although he died in 1626. Water culture became a popular research technique after that. In 1699, John Woodward published his water culture experiments with spearmint. He found that plants in less-pure water sources grew better than plants in distilled water. Mineral nutrient solutions for soilless culture of plants were first perfected in the 1860s by the German botanists, Julius von Sachs and Wilhelm Knop. Growth of terrestrial plants without soil in mineral nutrient solutions was called solution culture. It quickly became a standard research and teaching technique and is still widely used today. Solution culture is now considered a type of hydroponics where there is no inert medium.
In 1929, Professor William Frederick Gericke of the University of California at Berkeley began publicly promoting that solution culture be used for agricultural crop production. He first termed it aquiculture but later found that aquaculture was already applied to culture of aquatic organisms. Gericke created a sensation by growing tomato and other plants to a remarkable size in his backyard in mineral nutrient solutions rather than soil. By analogy with the ancient Greek term for agriculture, geoponics, the science of cultivating the earth, Gericke introduced the term hydroponics in 1937 (although he asserts that the term was suggested by Dr. W. A. Setchell, of the University of California) for the culture of plants in water (from the Greek hydros, water, and ponos, labor).
Reports of Gericke’s work and his claims that hydroponics would revolutionize plant agriculture prompted a huge number of requests for further information. Gericke refused to reveal his secrets claiming he had done the work at home on his own time. This refusal eventually resulted in his leaving the University of California. In 1940, he wrote the book, Complete Guide to Soilless Gardening.
Two other plant nutritionists at the University of California were asked to research Gericke’s claims. Dennis R. Hoagland and Daniel I. Arnon wrote a classic 1938 agricultural bulletin, The Water Culture Method for Growing Plants Without Soil, debunking the exaggerated claims made about hydroponics. Hoagland and Arnon found that hydroponic crop yields were no better than crop yields with good quality soils. Crop yields were ultimately limited by factors other than mineral nutrients, especially light. This research, however, overlooked the fact that hydroponics has other advantages including the fact that the roots of the plant have constant access to oxygen and that the plants have access to as much or as little water as they need. This is important as one of the most common errors when growing is over- and under- watering; and hydroponics prevents this from occurring as large amounts of water can be made available to the plant and any water not used, drained away, recirculated, or actively aerated, eliminating anoxic conditions which drown root systems in soil. In soil, a grower needs to be very experienced to know exactly how much water to feed the plant. Too much and the plant will not be able to access oxygen; too little and the plant will lose the ability to transport nutrients, which are typically moved into the roots while in solution.
These two researchers developed several formulas for mineral nutrient solutions, known as Hoagland solutions. Modified Hoagland solutions are still used today.
One of the early successes of hydroponics occurred on Wake Island, a rocky atoll in the Pacific Ocean used as a refueling stop for Pan American Airlines. Hydroponics was used there in the 1930s to grow vegetables for the passengers. Hydroponics was a necessity on Wake Island because there was no soil, and it was prohibitively expensive to airlift in fresh vegetables.
In the 1960s, Allen Cooper of England developed the Nutrient Film Technique. The Land Pavilion at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center opened in 1982 and prominently features a variety of hydroponic techniques. In recent decades, NASA has done extensive hydroponic research for their Controlled Ecological Life Support System or CELSS. Hydroponics intended to take place on mars are using LED lighting to grow in different color spectrums with much less heat.
Origin
Soilless culture
Gericke originally defined hydroponics as crop growth in mineral nutrient solutions, with no solid medium for the roots. He objected in print to people who applied the term hydroponics to other types of soilless culture such as sand culture and gravel culture. The distinction between hydroponics and soilless culture of plants has often been blurred. Soilless culture is a broader term than hydroponics; it only requires that no soils with clay or silt are used. Note that sand is a type of soil yet sand culture is considered a type of soilless culture. Hydroponics is always soilless culture, but not all soilless culture is hydroponics. Many types of soilless culture do not use the mineral nutrient solutions required for hydroponics.
Billions of container plants are produced annually, including fruit, shade and ornamental trees, shrubs, forest seedlings, vegetable seedlings, bedding plants, herbaceous perennials and vines. Most container plants are produced in soilless media, representing soilless culture. However, most are not hydroponics because the soilless medium often provides some of the mineral nutrients via slow release fertilizers, cation exchange and decomposition of the organic medium itself. Most soilless media for container plants also contain organic materials such as peat or composted bark, which provide some nitrogen to the plant. Greenhouse growth of plants in peat bags is often termed hydroponics, but technically it is not because the medium provides some of the mineral nutrients. Peat has a high cation exchange capacity and must be amended with limestone to raise the pH.
Techniques
The two main types of hydroponics are solution culture and medium culture. Solution culture does not use a solid medium for the roots, just the nutrient solution. The three main types of solution culture are static solution culture, continuous flow solution culture and Aeroponics. The medium culture method has a solid medium for the roots and is named for the type of medium, e.g. sand culture, gravel culture or rockwool culture. There are two main variations for each medium, subirrigation and top irrigation. For all techniques, most hydroponic reservoirs are now built of plastic but other materials have been used including concrete, glass, metal, vegetable solids and wood. The containers should exclude light to prevent algae growth in the nutrient solution.
Static solution culture
In static solution culture, plants are grown in containers of nutrient solution, such as glass Mason jars (typically in-home applications), plastic buckets, tubs or tanks. The solution is usually gently aerated but may be unaerated. If unaerated, the solution level is kept low enough that enough roots are above the solution so they get adequate oxygen. A hole is cut in the lid of the reservoir for each plant. There can be one to many plants per reservoir. Reservoir size can be increased as plant size increases. A homemade fugifilm system can be constructed from plastic food containers or glass canning jars with aeration provided by an aquarium pump, aquarium airline tubing and aquarium valves. Clear containers are covered with aluminum foil, butcher paper, black plastic or other material to exclude light. The nutrient solution is either changed on a schedule, such as once per week, or when the concentration drops below a certain level as determined with an electrical conductivity meter. Whenever the solution is depleted below a certain level, either water or fresh nutrient solution is added. A Mariotte’s bottle can be used to automatically maintain the solution level. In raft solution culture, plants are placed in a sheet of buoyant plastic that is floated on the surface of the nutrient solution. That way, the solution level never drops below the roots.
Continuous flow solution culture
In continuous flow solution culture the nutrient solution constantly flows past the roots. It is much harder to automate than the static solution culture because sampling and adjustments to degree and nutrient concentrations can be made in a large storage tank that serves potentially thousands of plants. A popular variation is the nutrient film technique or NFT whereby a very shallow stream of water containing all the dissolved nutrients required for plant growth is recirculated past the bare roots of plants in a watertight gully, also known as channels. Ideally, the depth of the recirculating stream should be very shallow, little more than a film of water, hence the name ‘nutrient film’. This ensures that the thick root mat, which develops in the bottom of the channel, has an upper surface which, although moist, is in the air. Subsequerntly, there is an abundant supply of oxygen to the roots of the plants. A properly designed NFT system is based on using the right channel slope, the right flow rate and the right channel length. The main advantage of the NFT system over other forms of hydroponics is that the plant roots are exposed to adequate supplies of water, oxygen and nutrients. In all other forms of production there is a conflict between the supply of these requirements, since excessive or deficient amounts of one results in an imbalance of one or both of the others. NFT, because of its design, provides a system where all three requirements for healthy plant growth can be met at the same time, providing the simple concept of NFT is always remembered and practiced. The result of these advantages is that higher yields of high quality produce are obtained over an extended period of cropping. A downside of NFT is that it has very little buffering against interruptions in the flow e.g. power outages, but overall, it is probably one of the more productive techniques.
The same design characteristics apply to all conventional NFT systems. While slopes along channels of 1:100 have been recommended, in practice it is difficult to build a base for channels that is sufficiently true to enable nutrient films to flow without ponding in locally depressed areas. Consequently, it is recommended that slopes of 1:30 to 1:40 are used. This allows for minor irregularities in the surface but, even with these slopes, ponding and water logging may occur. The slope may be provided by the floor, or benches or racks may hold the channels and provide the required slope. Both methods are used and depend on local requirements, often determined by the site and crop requirements.
As a general guide, flow rates for each gully should be 1 liter per minute. At planting, rates may be half this and the upper limit of 2L/min appears about the maximum. Flow rates beyond these extremes are often associated with nutritional problems. Depressed growth rates of many crops have been observed when channels exceed 12 meters in length. On rapidly growing crops, tests have indicated that, while oxygen levels remain adequate, nitrogen may be depleted over the length of the gully. Consequently, channel length should not exceed 10-15 meters. In situations where this is not possible, the reductions in growth can be eliminated by placing another nutrient feed half way along the gully and reducing flow rates to 1L/min through each outlet.
Aeroponics
Aeroponics is defined as a system where roots are continuously or discontinuously in an environment saturated with fine drops (a mist or aerosol) of nutrient solution. The method requires no substrate and entails growing plants with their roots suspended in a deep air or growth chamber with the roots periodically wetted with a fine mist of atomized nutrients. Excellent aeration is the main advantage of aeroponics.
Aeroponic techniques have proved very successful for propagation, but have yet to prove themselves on a commercial scale. Aeroponics is also widely used in laboratory studies of plant physiology. Aeroponic techniques have been given special attention from NASA since a mist is easier to handle than a liquid in a zero gravity environment.
Passive subirrigation
The medium generally has large air spaces, allowing ample oxygen to the roots, while capillary action delivers water and nutrients to the roots from the base of the medium. The simplest method has the container constantly sit in a shallow layer of nutrient solution or on a capillary mat saturated with nutrient solution. A variety of materials can be used for the medium: vermiculite, perlite, clay granules, rockwool, or gravel. This method requires little maintenance, requiring only occasional refilling and replacement of the nutrient solution. This keeps the medium regularly flushed with nutrient solution and air.
Additional advantages of these sterile porous media are the reduction of root rotting conditions and the additional ambient humidity provided. These advantages are particularly important in the use of hydroponics for orchid cultivation.
It is important in passive subirrigation to wash out the system from time to time to remove salt accumulation. This may be checked with an electrical conductivity or TDS meter, a good average reading would be about 1500 ppm TDS. Lettuce grows well at about 800 ppm and tomatoes to 3000 ppm but both will grow reasonably well on 1500 ppm. It is important to keep the pH reading at about 6.3 to enable nutrient uptake. Data are available for the optimum settings for most plants.
This is commonly employed for large display plants in public buildings: in Europe a system using small clay granules is marketed for growing houseplants. A similar subirrigation method uses a wick. The wick runs from the base of the plant container (e.g. a pot or a tray) down to a bottle of nutrient solution. The solution travels up the wick into the medium through capillary action.
Ebb and flow / Flood and drain subirrigation
In its simplest form, there is a tray above a reservoir of nutrient solution. The tray is either filled with growing medium (clay granules being the most common) and planted directly, or pots of medium stand in the tray. At regular intervals, a simple timer causes a pump to fill the upper tray with nutrient solution, after which the solution drains back down into the reservoir. This keeps the medium regularly flushed with nutrients and air.
In top irrigation, nutrient solution is periodically applied to the medium surface. This may be done manually once per day in large containers of some media, such as sand. Usually, it is automated with a pump, timer and drip irrigation tubing to deliver nutrient solution as frequently as 5 to 10 minutes every hour.
Deep Water Culture is the hydroponic method of plant production by means of suspending the plant roots in a solution of nutrient rich, oxygenated water. Traditional methods favor the use of plastic buckets and large containers with the plant contained in a net pot suspended from the centre of the lid and the roots suspended in the nutrient solution.
Organoponics is a hydroponic system converted to organic cultivation by replacing the inorganic fertilizer with compost made from sugar waste. In a hydroponic system the roots need to be able to absorb nutrients as they touch the roots’ hairs. There is no soil for organic fertilizer to sit in and release nutrients. So far, many chemical additives and root stimulators have done a great job adding nutrients to the plant through hydroponic gardening. Some claim that soil grown plants produce better tasting and possibly more nutritious food than hydroponically grown plants although this statement is not proven.
Media
One of the most obvious decisions hydroponicists have to make is which medium they should use. Different media are appropriate for different growing techniques.
Diahydro
Diahydro is a natural sedimentary rock medium that consists of the fossilized remains of diatoms. Diahydro is extremely high in Silica (87-94%), an essential component for the growth of plants and strengthening of cell walls.
Expanded clay
Also known as ‘Hydroton’ or ‘leca’ (light expanded clay aggregate), trademarked names, these small, round baked spheres of clay are inert and are suitable for hydroponic systems in which all nutrients are carefully controlled in water solution. The clay pellet is also inert, pH neutral and do not contain any nutrient value.
The clay is formed into round pellets and fired in rotary kilns at 1200°C. This causes the clay to expand, like popcorn, and become porous. It is light in weight, and does not compact over time. Shape of individual pellet can be irregular or uniform depending on brand and manufacturing process. The manufacturers considers expanded clay to be an ecologically sustainable and re-usable growing medium because of its ability to be cleaned and sterilized, typically by washing in solutions of white vinegar, chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and rinsing completely.
Another viewpoint is clay pebbles are best not re-used even when they are cleaned due to root growth which may enter the medium. Breaking open a clay pebble after a crop has been grown will reveal this. However, this view is generally not widely shared.
Rockwool is probably the most widely used medium in hydroponics. Made from basalt rock it is heat-treated at high temperatures then spun back together like candy floss. It comes in lots of different forms including cubes, blocks, slabs and granulated or flock.
Rockwool is an excellent inert substrate for both ‘free drainage’ and recirculating systems. In free drainage or run-to-waste systems, the chance of disease spread is greatly lessened. Rockwool is also lightweight and self-contained, which allows plants to be grown at different densities in different stages - young plants can be grown to an advanced stage in a small area before being planted out into the main growing area, thus improving crop turnaround. Its light weight also permits setting up to be quick and inexpensive. Because it is light and rigid it eliminates back-breaking work in preparation and planting and gives substantial labor-saving costs. Rockwool is noted for providing a favourable root environment, thus minimizing plant stress. Root temperature can also be controlled, thus giving substantial energy savings. Rockwool initially causes an increase in pH level. You must adjust the pH level of the nutrient solution to counteract this. A pH level of 5.5-6.5 should suffice to create a suitable pH.
The disadvantages of rockwool are few. Although relatively inexpensive, because of its bulk, transport costs to remote regions can be prohibitive. However, the fact that it can be used several times over will reduce the growers overall costs. Before handling, gloves and long shirt sleeves should be worn to prevent minor skin irritation. This can also be lessened by wetting the rockwool before handling. When this medium is dry, care needs to be taken so as not to inhale any particles; inhaling such particles may carry a health risk.
Coco peat, also known as coir or coco, is the leftover material after the fibres have been removed from the outermost shell (bolster) of the coconut. It took 10 centuries to make this waste a viable plant substrate. The first description of the coco process dates from the 11th century and was recorded by Arabian traders. In 1290, Marco Polo described the process of extracting fibres from coconuts. For centuries, this process remained unchanged. Coco peat was a waste product from factories that used coco fibre as a raw material for making sailing ropes, chair seats and mattress fillings.
Coco is a 100% natural grow and flowering medium, which has proven its value across years and years. Coco is not only a high quality product, but also an environmentally friendly product. For many years the raw material was considered waste material, and enormous useless “Coco Mountains” appeared in the landscapes of countries like Sri Lanka and India. By developing a special biological composting process this “waste” transformed into a high quality product. This innovation was, and still is, an important contributor to the local economy of India and Sri Lanka. This and the unique growth characteristics ensure coco is the medium of the moment and the future.
The coco substrate is an environmentally friendly product. No energy wasteful production methods are used during the production of this long-lasting cultivation medium. Coconut fibres are obtained from the coconuts’ husks which are a natural product that can be harvested throughout the year. Coir comes in bags and in slabs.
Some types of coir are very high in sodium (salt) due to the nature of coconut palms growing on island environments and being processed in the salt air. Quality coir has not been sterilized or heat treated and so retains its natural sponge-like qualities as well as the natural, beneficial trichoderma fungi which has been scientifically shown to combat root rot and other diseases. Trichoderma is also well-known for promoting root growth.
This substrate combines the tolerant, organic nature of soil with the precision of rockwool. Due to the special characteristics of the substrate the nutrient doesn’t have a grow and flower variant, there is just one unique formulation for both growth and blooming phase. Due to the unique buffering capability of the coir substrate, and its sponge-like structure, the nutrients needed to ensure high yields are stored in the coco. This means that the plant itself can regulate the amount and timing of its nutrient intake.
Coconut fibres have sufficient capillary action to retain enough water and nutrients. This means that the plant can go for longer periods with-out water, which could happen if a feeding pump was to break down for example.
Quality coir can be used a number of times and makes an excellent soil improver after use.
Perlite is a volcanic rock that has been superheated into very lightweight expanded glass pebbles. It is used loose or in plastic sleeves immersed in the water. It is also used in potting soil mixes to decrease soil density. Perlite has similar properties and uses to vermiculite but generally holds more air and less water. If not contained, it can float if flood and drain feeding is used.
Like perlite, vermiculite is another mineral that has been superheated until it has expanded into light pebbles. Vermiculite holds more water than perlite and has a natural “wicking” property that can draw water and nutrients in a passive hydroponic system. If too much water and not enough air surrounds the plants roots, it’s possible to gradually lower the medium’s water-retention capability by mixing in increasing quantities of perlite.
Sand
Sand is cheap and easily available. However, it is heavy, it does not always drain well, and it must be sterilized between use.
Gravel
The same type that is used in aquariums, though any small gravel can be used, provided it is washed first. Indeed, plants growing in a typical traditional gravel filter bed, with water circulated using electric powerhead pumps, are in effect being grown using gravel hydroponics. Gravel is inexpensive, easy to keep clean, drains well and won’t become waterlogged. However, it is also heavy, and if the system doesn’t provide continuous water, the plant roots may dry out.
Brick Shards
Brick shards have similar properties to gravel. They have the added disadvantages of possibly altering the pH and reqiring extra cleaning before reuse.
Polystyrene packing peanuts
Polystyrene packing peanuts are inexpensive, readily available, and have excellent drainage. However, they can be too lightweight for some uses. They are mainly used in closed tube systems. Note that polystyrene peanuts must be used; biodegradable packing peanuts will decompose into a sludge. Plants may absorb styrene and pass it to their consumers; this is a possible health risk.
Nutrient solutions
Plant nutrients are dissolved in the water used in hydroponics and are mostly in inorganic and ionic form. Primary among the dissolved cations (positively-charged ions) are Ca2+ (calcium), Mg2+ (magnesium), and K+ (potassium); the major nutrient anions in nutrient solutions are NO3? (nitrate), SO42? (sulfate), and H2PO4? (phosphate).
Numerous ‘recipes’ for hydroponic solutions are available. Many use different combinations of chemicals to reach similar total final compositions. Commonly-used chemicals for the macronutrients include potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium phosphate, and magnesium sulfate. Various micronutrients are typically added to hydroponic solutions to supply essential elements; among them are Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), Cu (copper), Zn (zinc), B (boron), Cl (chlorine), and Ni (nickel). Chelating agents are sometimes used to keep Fe soluble. Many variations of the nutrient solutions used by Arnon and Hoagland (see above) have been styled ‘modified Hoagland solutions’ and are widely used.
Plants will change the composition of the nutrient solutions upon contact by depleting specific nutrients more rapidly than others, removing water from the solution, and altering the pH by excretion of either acidity or alkalinity. Care is required not to allow salt concentrations to become too high, nutrients to become too depleted, or pH to wander far from the desired value.
Hydroponics fertilizers and other types of formulas for hydroponics have changed drastically during the last ten years. Many of these changes have resulted in measurably significant increases in plant growth rates, plant resistance to diseases and pests, and plant yields.
Commercial
Due to its arid climate, Israel has developed advanced hydroponic technology. They have marketed their system to Nicaragua, which uses it to produce more than one million pounds of peppers annually for sale abroad, including the United States.
The largest commercial hydroponics facility in the world is Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, Arizona, which sold 125 million pounds of tomatoes in 2005. Eurofresh has 256 acres under glass and represents about a third of the commercial hydroponic greenhouse area in the U.S. Eurofresh does not consider their tomatoes organic, but they are pesticide-free. They are grown in rockwool with top irrigation.
Some commercial installations use no pesticides or herbicides, preferring integrated pest management techniques. There is often a price premium willingly paid by consumers for produce which is labeled “organic”. Some states in the USA require soil as an essential to obtain organic certification. There are also overlapping and somewhat contradictory rules established by the US Federal Government, so some food grown with hydroponics can be certified organic.
Hydroponics also saves an incredible amount of water; it uses as little as 1/20 the amount as a regular farm to produce the same amount of food. The water table can be impacted by the water use and run-off of chemicals from farms, but hydroponics may minimize impact as well as having the advantage that water use and water returns are easier to measure. This can save the farmer money by allowing reduced water use and the ability to measure consequences to the land around a farm.
The environment in a hydroponics greenhouse is tightly controlled for maximum efficiency and this new mindset is called Soil-less/Controlled Environment Agriculture (S/CEA). With this growers can make ultra-premium foods anywhere in the world, regardless of temperature and growing seasons. Growers monitor the temperature, humidity, and pH level constantly.
Hydroponics have been used to enhance vegetables to provide more nutritional value. A hydroponic farmer in Virginia has developed a calcium and potassium enriched head of lettuce, scheduled to be widely available in April 2007. Grocers in test markets have said that the lettuce sells “very well”, and the farmers claim that their hydroponic lettuce uses 90% less water than traditional soil farming.
Advantages, disadvantages and misconceptions
* Solution culture hydroponics does not require disposal of a solid medium or sterilization and reuse of a solid medium.
* Solution culture hydroponics allows greater control over the root zone environment than soil culture.
* Over- and under-watering is prevented
* Hydroponics is often the best crop production method in remote areas that lack suitable soil, such as Antarctica, space stations, space colonies, or atolls such as Wake Island.
* In solution culture hydroponics, plant roots can be seen.
* Soil borne diseases are virtually eliminated.
* Weeds are virtually eliminated.
* Fewer pesticides may be required because of the above two reasons.
* Edible crops are not contaminated with soil.
* Water use can be substantially less than with outdoor irrigation of soil-grown crops.
* Hydroponics cost 20% less than other ways for growing strawberries.
* Many hydroponic systems give the plants more nutrition while at the same time using less energy and space.
* Hydroponics allow for easier fertilization as it is possible to use an automatic timer to fertilize the plants.
* It provides the plant with balanced nutrition because the essential nutrients are dissolved into the water-soluble nutrient solution.
* If timers or electric pumps fail or the system clogs or springs a leak, plants can die very quickly in many kinds of hydroponic systems.
* Hydroponics usually requires a greater technical knowledge than geoponics.
* For the previous two reasons and the fact that most hydroponic crops are grown in greenhouses or controlled environment agriculture, hydroponic crops are usually more expensive than soil-grown crops.
* Solution culture hydroponics requires that the plants be supported because the roots have no anchorage without a solid medium.
* The plants will die if not frequently monitored while soil plants do not require such close attention.
Hydroponics has been widely misconceived as miraculous. There are many widely held misconceptions regarding hydroponics, as noted by the following facts:
* Hydroponics will not always produce greater crop yields than with good quality soil.
* Hydroponic plants cannot always be spaced closer together than soil-grown crops (geoponics) under the same environmental conditions.
* Hydroponic produce will not necessarily be more nutritious or better tasting than geoponics.
Present and future
With pest problems reduced, and nutrients constantly fed to the roots, productivity in hydroponics is high, plant growth being limited by the low levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or limited light. To increase yield further, some sealed greenhouses inject carbon dioxide into their environment to help growth (CO2 enrichment), or add lights to lengthen the day, control vegetative growth etc.
This technology allows for growing where no one has grown before, be it underground, or above, in space or under the oceans this technology will allow humanity to live where humanity chooses. If used for our own survival or our colonisation, hydroponics is and will be a major part of our collective future.
The Coliseum Is One Of The Best Complete Hydroponic Systems On The Market
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By Richard Quinn The trend in vertical growing systems continues with one of the highest yielding complete hydroponic systems to date. The Coliseum is an indoor garden that delivers the highest yield in the shortest time by maximizing the available light source.
The Coliseum can be used two different ways either aeroponically or media filled. The media filled configuration utilizes a mixture of vermiculite and perlite to hold plants upright. The aeroponic method utilizes neoprene discs to support the plants and to prevent the aerated water from spraying out of the plant site. The Coliseum comes in many different sizes depending upon your available grow space. The concept for how the Coliseum produces such a high yield is actually a very simple one.
Sunlight is what makes plants grow and when we grow indoors we use different types of artificial lighting to encourage vegetation and flowering in plants. When we grow traditionally or a flat garden style we end up with a high concentration of lumens in the center of the garden and less at the edges.
So unless you plan to rotate your plants continuously they will not all grow at the same rate which will in turn decrease your yield. With the Coliseum the plants are vertically stacked one on top of the other to fill the 7 foot chamber. The lights are then vertically suspended one after the other to evenly distribute the lumens to every plant. This means that every plant will produce the maximum yield that it possibly can. The plants will grow towards the light which will prevent any of the plants in the top sections of the Coliseum from shading the bottom plants.
The plants are supplied with nutrients and water through an irrigation system and pump. The compact nature of the Coliseum is amazing considering what it contains. This complete hydroponic system can house up to 300 plants, 5 inches wide and 12 inches tall. It has a 6 foot diameter and is approximately 7 feet tall. It barely takes up any room at all! This makes it so important in today’s world. We are running out of available farmland and have to look at other options. Indoor gardening vertically is the best solution.
The Coliseum practically and efficiently uses the available space that we do have, which is up! But not only will this complete hydroponic system save space, it will also save money. The Coliseum utilizes only 1600 watts of power and the water is recycled throughout so it will not be a drain on resources which is in turn very good for our environment. Of course, one of the most important advantages to using the Coliseum is that you can double and even triple your yield compared to other growing chambers and techniques. But, not only will you maximize your space and increase your yield you will also enjoy a shorter growing period.
The plants will grow faster in much less time as a result of even lighting. Another nice benefit to the Coliseum is that it can be added on to as your farm grows. So save time, space, money, and the environment with the best in complete hydroponic systems, the Coliseum. Grow practically, grow efficiently, grow vertically with the Coliseum! Author: Richard Quinn For more information and discount pricing on the Coliseum Hydroponic System visit http://www.hydroponicstore.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Quinn http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Coliseum-Is-One-Of-The-Best-Complete-Hydroponic-Systems-On-The-Market&id=162229
The Joy Of Hydroponics Gardening
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by Wyatt Pottoe
How does your garden grow? With fresh air, sunshine and rich, black soil? Not if you’re one of the countless gardeners who are now enjoying the benefits of hydroponics gardening.
Also known as the cultivation of plants in water, hydroponics gardening is booming in popularity, partly due to shrinking fresh water supplies and scarcity of fertile farmland.
There’s nothing new about hydroponics gardening. This method of growing has been abound for thousands of years, and can be traced to the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This ancient wonder of the world was created with a form of hydroponics. Since those ancient times, researchers have proven that a number of different aggregates or media could be used in place of black earth to support plant growth. Hydroponics gardening is just one of many alternatives to traditional soil growing.
Benefits of Hydroponics Gardening
Many people enjoy hydroponics gardening simply because of the space saving benefits. Homeowners and apartment dwellers alike are able to grow fresh vegetables and plants in the smallest of spaces, even on apartment balconies. Greenhouses have also adapted hydroponics gardening due to these same space-saving benefits.
It’s been suggested that, when properly grown, hydroponics plants may be healthier and more vigorous than their soil-bound counterparts. Without soil, nutrients are more readily absorbed by the plant. Hydroponically-grown plants mature more quickly and yield their harvest of flower and vegetable crops earlier.
The convenience of hydroponics gardening is enhanced by the ability to automate the entire system with a timer. This reduces the actual time it takes for the home gardener to maintain the overall plant growth requirements. Through automation, the gardener enjoys greater flexibility, and can be gone for periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants.
Healthy Hydroponics Plants
All plants, whether grown with hydroponics or in a traditional soil garden, require the same basic elements: nutrients, water, light and air. When grown in a traditional garden, your plants will obtain their nutrients and water from the soil. The nutrient uptake is a little slower, because the soil can impede the roots’ abilities to access what they need.
The simple lack of soil is one of the joys of hydroponics gardening, making it a cleaner and easier way to grow. Plants are never stressed, because water and nutrients are always available. A hydroponics system set up outdoors will receive natural sunlight and air. Indoor systems, on the other hand, require artificial lighting and air circulation for plants to enjoy optimum health.
To provide artificial sunlight, many hydroponics gardeners use metal halide lamps and sodium vapor lamps in conjunction with incandescent light bulbs. Specially-designed grow lights or fluorescent bulbs may also be used.
Plants are like all living things, and need oxygen to live. A plant’s healthy, white roots are responsible for delivering all of the nutrients for the plant. If the roots die, the plant cannot survive. Even with all other growth requirements in place, those elements will be useless if the plants can’t access nutrients through the roots. That’s why it’s so important for your hydroponics system to provide adequate aeration with an air circulation supply. This incorporated air into the nutrient solution and allows the plants to draw out the carbon dioxide necessary for natural photosynthesis.
The final piece to your successful hydroponics puzzle is a sterile medium. A wide selection of media choices is available, from simple gravel to special formulations. There is no soil, so there are no weeds to pull. That is, perhaps, the true joy of a hydroponics garden. There are no soil-borne pests to worry about, so diseases caused by pests are minimized, if not eliminated altogether.
Just because you’re short on time and space, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fresh produce. Even if you just don’t like to get your hands dirty, you’ll dig the joys of hydroponics gardening.
About the Author:
Contributor Wyatt Pottoe contributes to a variety of Internet sites, on home improvement and my family topics. This and other unique content ‘hydroponic equipment’ articles are available with free reprint rights.
Greenhouse Electrical Setup
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During the process of designing our new house, I had made arrangements for an outside 50-amp 240-volt line to be made available to my shed and greenhouse area. The builder had ensured this capability by running an empty conduit from an electrical box just outside our house to a location just outside the concrete slab that later became the floor of our shed. Once a decision would be made to install the wiring in the shed and greenhouse, the needed wires would be pulled through the conduit using a vacuum device.
The first step in electrifying the greenhouse was to wire the shed, including a sub-panel that could later be used as a base for extension to the greenhouse, which is adjacent to the shed. Then, conduit was put underground, between the shed and the greenhouse to allow for extending the 240-volt service to the greenhouse.
The design for the electrical service in the greenhouse required knowledge of the different types of equipment I anticipated I would be utilizing in the greenhouse and which ones would be in service at the same time. To do this, I had to do some research regarding the hydroponics and grow lighting systems I would be installing. I will describe the hydroponics system and the grow lighting system separately, but at this point, I have simply listed the electrical requirements for the greenhouse in this table.
The result of my research indicated that I would need two 240-volt receptacles and about ten 120-volt receptacles. The contractor suggested that it would be easier to put in twelve 120-volt receptacles, since they come in gangs of four. However, a strange thing happened while I was away playing tennis. The contractor mistakenly installed 24 120-volt receptacles instead of the agreed upon twelve, as can be seen in the accompanying photo. Each bank of 12 120-volt receptacles is protected by a 20-amp circuit breaker. There are two more 20-amp 240-volt circuit breakers, one to control the receptacle for the grow light system, the other to control the receptacle for the backup electric resistance heater. This adds up to 80-amps, which is in excess of the total amperage available to the circuit serving both the greenhouse and the shed. More about this anomaly below.
All of these loads are protected by connection to my whole-house emergency generator. In the event of a power outage, the generator would automatically start up to keep the lighting and other loads in the greenhouse going. The LP gas heater would be unaffected by a power outage, except for its blower, which is non-essential. But, if the gas heater was unavailable for some reason (e.g., out of fuel, clogged fuel line, faulty thermostat, etc.), continued operation of the electric resistance heater would be essential, so putting it on a line supported by the generator is a good idea. In an emergency, use of the grow lights would not be essential. Therefore, in an emergency, the grow light system could be turned off to allow the electric heater to operate. That kind of tradeoff might have been necessary if I didn’t have as large a line as 50-amp.
Regardless of the number of receptacles provided, there is a limit to how much current can be run through them all at the same time. A minimal amount of 120-volt load is taken up by the lighting in the shed, maybe two or three amps. The total for all the anticipated loads in the greenhouse is just short of 40 amps. (Using a 240-volt heater and 240-volt ballasts for the grow light system halves the amount of current that would have been required if 120-volt versions of this equipment was used instead.) There is just enough capacity to support the intended load. However, if one were to plug in a vacuum cleaner or other appliance with a sizable motor, it is conceivable that the 50-amp circuit breaker for the entire line could be tripped. Therefore, I will have to be vigilant not to exceed the design load just because there are enough receptacles to plug in more appliances.
One more wrinkle to deal with is the question of what kind of 240-volt receptacles need to be put in place for the electric heater and the grow light system. My research indicated that the electrical resistance heater requires a different style of receptacle than the grow light system. Our strategy is to wait until the equipment is delivered to make sure the correct styles of receptacle are installed.
What Grow Lights are Required for Indoor Gardening
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What Grow Lights are Required for Indoor Gardening
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Susan_Slobac]Susan Slobac
Those who are new to hydroponics gardening and other forms of indoor gardening will want to learn how to garden in this manner successfully. Just like any hobby, you need the right tools in order to get the best results. When it comes to indoor gardening, having the appropriate lighting system will be a big key to the success or failure of your garden. What is required for indoor garden lighting?
The most energy-efficient yet effective grow lights you can use for hydroponics gardening are HID, or high-intensity discharge, grow lamps. They are relatively small units that produce a great deal of light. They are hydroponics lights that most closely resemble sunlight, which is what plants need in order to grow well. There are several types of lights that are HID, including high-pressure sodium grow lights, also called HPS lights. High-pressure sodium grow lights are very efficient, and are easy lamps to start.
All HID lights require a ballast to be used in conjunction with these types of lamps. A ballast’s job is to control the flow of electrical current that goes into the grow light via the electrodes in the arc tube. Just the right amount of current is needed, because without enough the bulb won’t light, and with too much it will explode. Therefore, an accurate digital ballast is a vital component of your hydroponics lighting system.
You will also want to use some type of reflector with your grow light. A reflector is often made of shiny material, and its purpose is to direct and intensify the light produced by your grow lamp. You will waste money if the light is not placed exactly over the plants, but is being diffused over a wider area, because the plants will not receive the same benefit from being lit in that situation.
Once you have the equipment assembled, you will want to consider the placement of your lights. If you are growing seedlings, for example, you need to be able to keep your light two to four inches above the baby plants. Of course, the plants will grow and get bigger, so you need a way to lift the lights up to the appropriate level. One easy way to do this is to place hooks in the ceiling above the plants, and then put the grow lights on chains. In this way, you can raise and lower the chains as needed to position the light exactly where it will best benefit your plants.
The equipment used in [http://www.hidhut.com/]hydroponics, from the [http://www.hidhut.com/catalog/grow-lights-lamps-bulbs-c-23.html]grow lights, ballasts, and reflectors, can often be found in packages, so you are sure to get parts that connect and are compatible with each other.
Susan Slobac is experienced in hydroponics. She has been using hydroponics gardening techniques for over a decade. Susan recommends high pressure sodium grow lights and a digital ballast as the basic setup up for grow lights in hydroponics use.
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Water Quality Considerations in Hydroponics
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Water Quality Considerations in Hydroponics
Solutions to water quality problems, in the majority of cases, are simple and do not involve complicated methods and techniques. Even small growers can use some simple and proven techniques to effectively solve their water quality problems. The types of water quality problems that growers will likely face depends on the water source from which they draw water for their hydroponics garden.
Water quality is an important determinative factor in hydroponics cultivation. Water is the basic ‘carrier’ in hydroponics as it dissolves and transports nutrients for plants. However, water also dissolves a lot of impurities that can be harmful to plants. These impurities cannot be easily detected visually, and it is all too easy to be misled into making wrong assumptions about the purity of water from the clarity of a sample.
Fortunately, solutions to water quality problems, in the majority of cases, are simple and do not involve complicated methods and techniques. Even small growers can use some simple and proven techniques to effectively solve their water quality problems. The types of water quality problems that growers will likely face depends on the water source from which they draw water for their hydroponics garden. Poor water quality can lead to a number of plant growth problems including stunted growth, mineral toxicity or deficiency symptoms, build up of unwanted elements in plant tissue, bacterial contamination, etc. Though causes of poor water quality are numerous and varied some of the more frequently encountered of these are
1. Chlorination
Chlorination is the most extensively adopted measure to control bacterial contamination of water supplies in cities, towns and other urban centers. In hydroponics cultivation, the use of chlorine by growers to kill pathogens in their water has caused problems in a number of instances. It was found that this happened due high levels of active chlorine in the water used to make nutrient solution. Chlorinated water sources need to be aerated in a ‘holding tank’ for 48-72 hours (depending on the initial concentration), with good ventilation during which time the active chlorine levels fall to below 1ppm, a safe level for the plant’s root systems. Chlorine in nutrient solution water is known to cause damage to several crops especially to sensitive crops such as lettuce, salad greens, strawberries and others.
2. Unwanted minerals
Water being an excellent solvent dissolves a large number of substances including minerals. While some of these are beneficial, others like sodium, for instance, are quite harmful. Plants do not require sodium and sodium chloride if present in water can cause problems even in small quantities. Sodium can be very harmful especially in re-circulating systems. Plants differ widely in their sensitivity to sodium; some plants like tomatoes can tolerate much higher levels of sodium than other plants such as lettuce. Sodium needs to be kept below 80 ppm for healthy growth of most plants, but below 30 ppm for plants such as lettuce.
Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, nitrates and trace elements such as boron, copper, manganese and zinc may be present in water from various water sources. This can be taken care of in most cases by suitably adjusting the nutrient formulas to factor in the presence of these elements thus preventing accumulation and toxicities in the water supply. The presence of trace elements can be more troublesome and may require demineralization and dilution of the water source with pure water supply when using in nutrient solutions.
3. Microbial or pathogen contamination
Water from sources such as wells, ponds streams etc. often contains organisms that should be removed before the water can be used in nutrient formulations. The most common of these ‘pathogens’ is Pythium, which can attack plants when present in sufficient spore concentration. Growers have successfully used chlorination as a line of defense against these pathogens, but it requires that the chlorinated water be held for a few days to allow to the concentration of chlorine to drop to levels tolerable to plants. Hydrogen Peroxide can also be used to kill pathogens such as Fusarium wilt and Pythium in water and nutrient solutions.
4. Iron and Iron bacteria
Iron in the form of iron hydroxide is usually present in water from ground water sources near areas with deposits of iron sand or iron ores. The iron hydroxide in water, though not directly harmful to plants presents a number of problems due to the blockages it causes in various components of the system. These blockages if not removed, from an ideal medium for growth of iron bacteria, which consume a variety of elements that are provided for plant growth in hydroponics systems. Iron hydroxide removal methods include aeration and settling or flocculation with different agents. Iron bacteria can be removed by sterilization of the water or nutrient solution.
5. Hard water sources
Water is termed ‘hard’ when it contains substantial amounts dissolved calcium bicarbonate and other elements. When in contact with pipes and equipment the calcium bicarbonate changes to insoluble calcium carbonate also known as lime scale. Hard water forms scale in irrigation pipes, heating elements and pumps causing severe blockages. Computerized water conditioner units similar to the ones used in domestic water supplies can be used to eliminate scaling problems in hydroponics systems.
6. Herbicides
Cases of herbicide contamination of ground water sources and even municipal water supplies are not unknown. Herbicide contamination manifests as damage to sensitive crops such as tomatoes. Activated carbon filtration can help reduce damage but care must be taken to replace the carbon often enough to enable it to retain its efficiency.
Summary
Pure, clean water is essential for healthy plant growth and growers can give the best start to their plants by investing some time and effort in ensuring water quality. Water quality problems are often easy to solve provided they are properly identified. The best approach is to be proactive about water quality as assumptions based on water clarity, absence of visible contamination etc. may be quite misleading.
Aeroponics Gardening
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Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate media. Aeroponic culture differs from both hydroponics and in-vitro (Plant tissue culture) growing. Unlike hydroponics, which uses water as a growing medium and essential minerals to sustain plant growth, aeroponics is conducted without a growing medium.
History
The word aeroponic is derived from the Latin meanings of ‘aero’ (air) and ‘ponic’ (work). Aeroponic growth refers to growth achieved in an air culture. Such conditions occur in nature (see epiphyte). For example, in tropical climates orchids develop and grow freely in trees (Rains, 1941). Laboratory research on air culture growing utilizing vapors began in the mid-1940s. Today aeroponics is used in agriculture around the globe.
Basic Principles of Aeroponics
The basic principle of aeroponic growing is to grow plants in a closed or semi-closed environment by spraying the plant’s roots with a nutrient rich solution. Idealy, the environment is kept free from pests and disease so that the plants may grow in healthier and quicker than plants grown in a medium. However, since most aeroponic environments are not perfectly closed off to the outside, pests and disease may still cause a threat. These conditions advance plant development, health, growth, flowering and fruiting for any given plant species and cultivars. Carbon dioxide in the air is necessary for healthy plant growth. As aeroponics is conducted in air combined with micro-droplets of water, almost any plant can grow to maturity in air with a plentiful supply of carbon dioxide, water and nutrients.
Some growers favor aeroponic systems over other methods of hydroponics because the increased aeration of nutrient solution delivers more oxygen to plant roots, stimulating growth and helping to prevent pathogen formation.
Methods
Aeroponics refers to the method of growing crops with their roots suspended in a misted nutrient solution.
Aeroponics is a form of hydroponic technique. Water is the sole nutrient carrier and typically the method is not hybridized with geoponic technique; although due to the sensitivity of root systems aeroponics is often combined with conventional hydroponics which is used as an emergency ‘crop saver’ -backup nutrition and water supply- if the aeroponic apparatus fails.
In an aeroponic system the plant’s rootzone is suspended into an environment where the roots protrude into an atomized nutrient solution; the leaves and crown, often called the “canopy”, extending above. The roots of the plant are separated by the plant support structure. The lowest stem and root system are sprayed or misted for short durations with a hydro-atomized pure water/nutrient solution.
One of the more singular aspects of aeroponic growing is the frequent omission of media, whether organic or not, for anchoring the plant. Many times closed cell foam is compressed around the lower stem and inserted into an opening in the aeroponic chamber, which decreases labor and expense; for larger plants, trellising is used to suspend the weight of vegetation and fruit.
Ecological advantages
Aeroponic growing is considered to be safe and ecologically friendly for producing natural, healthy plants and crops. The main ecological advantages of aeroponics are the conservation of water and energy. When compared to hydroponics, aeroponics offers lower water and energy inputs per sq meter of growing area.
Apparatus
The first commercially available aeroponic apparatus was manufactured and marketed by GTi in 1983. It was known then as the Genesis Machine - taken from the second Star-Trek movie. The Genesis Machine was marketed as the ‘Genesis Rooting System’.
GTi’s device incorporated an open-loop water driven apparatus, controlled by a microchip, and delivered a hi-psi, hydro-atomized nutrient spray inside an aeroponic chamber.
At the time, the achievement was revolutionary in terms of a developing (artificial air culture) technology. The Genesis Machine simply connected to a water faucet and an electrical outlet, and actually grew plants in air - and fast too!
Aeroponic propagation (cloning)
Aeroponic culturing revolutionized cloning (propagation from cutting) of plants. Firstly, aeroponics allowed the whole process to be carried out in a single, automated unit.
Numerous plants which were previously considered difficult, or impossible, to propagate from cuttings could now be replicated simply from a single stem cutting. This was a major boon to green houses attempting to propagate delicate hardwoods or cacti – plants normally propagated by seed due to the likeliness of bacterial infection in cuttings.
Aeroponics has now largely surpassed hydroponics and tissue culture as means for sterile propagation of plant species. With the Genesis Machine, or other comparable aeroponics setup, any grower could clone plants. Due to the automation of most parts of the process, plants could be cloned and grown by the hundreds or even thousands. In short, cloning became easier because the aeroponic apparatus initiated faster and cleaner root development through a sterile, nutrient rich, highly oxygenated, and moist environment (Hughes, 1983).
Air-rooted transplants
Aeroponics significantly advanced tissue culture technology. It cloned plants in less time and reduced numerous labor steps associated with tissue culture techniques. Aeroponics could eliminate stage I and stage II plantings into soil (the bane of all tissue culture growers).
Tissue culture plants must be planted in a sterile media (stage-I) and expanded out for eventual transfer into sterile soil (stage-II). After they’re strong enough they are transplanted directly to field soil. Besides being labor intensive, the entire process of tissue culture is prone to disease, infection, and failure.
With the use of aeroponics growers cloned and transplanted air-rooted plants directly into field soil. Aeroponic roots were not susceptible to wilting and leaf loss, or loss due to transplant shock (something hydroponics can never overcome). Because of their healthiness, air-rooted plants were less likely to be infected with pathogens.
The efforts by GTi ushered in a new era of artificial life support for plants capable of growing naturally without the use of soil or hydroponics. GTi received a patent for an all-plastic aeroponic method and apparatus, controlled by a microprocessor in 1985.
Aeroponics became known as a time and cost saver. The economic factors of aeroponic’s contributions to agriculture were taking shape.
Aeroponic seed germination
By 1985, GTi introduced second generation aeroponics hardware, known as the ‘Genesis Growing System’. This second generation aeroponic apparatus was a closed-loop system. It utilized recycled effluent precisely controlled by a microprocessor. Aeroponics graduated to the capability of supporting seed germination, thus making GTi’s the world’s first plant and harvest aeroponic system.
Many of these open-loop unit and closed-loop aeroponic systems are still in operation today.
In a true aeroponic apparatus the plant is totally suspended in air, giving the plant access to 100% of the available oxygen in the air. This maximizes the level of oxygen surrounding the stem and root system, accelerating and promoting root growth within the plant. While there is a constant available source of oxygen, the intermittent hydro-atomizing of a spray/mist of the water-nutrient solution provides the necessary moisture and essential minerals to keep plants turgid and alive.
True aeroponics
Air cultures optimize access to air for successful plant growth. Materials and devices which hold and support the aeroponic grown plants must be devoid of disease or pathogens . A distinction of a true aeroponic culture and apparatus is that it provides plant support features that are monomial. Monomial contact between a plant and support structure allows for 100% of the plant to be entirely in air. Long-term aeroponic cultivation requires the root systems to be free of constraints surrounding the stem and root systems. Physical contact is minimized so that it does not hinder natural growth and root expansion or access to pure water, air exchange and disease-free conditions.
Benefits of air (oxygen)
Clean air supplies oxygen which is an excellent purifier for plants and the aeroponic environment. It is required for all life, including plants. For natural growth to occur the plant must have unrestricted access to air. Plants must be allowed to grow in a natural manner for successful physiological development. The more confining the plant support becomes, the greater incidence of increasing disease pressure of the plant and the aeroponic system.
Some researchers have used aeroponics to study the effects of root zone gas composition on plant performance. Soffer and Burger [Soffer et al., 1988] studied the effects of dissolved oxygen concentrations on the formation of adventitious roots in what they termed “aero-hydroponics.” They utilized a 3-tier hydro and aero system, in which three separate zones were formed within the root area. The ends of the roots were submerged in the nutrient reservoir, while the middle of the root section received nutrient mist and the upper portion was above the mist. Their results showed that dissolved O2 is essential to root formation, but went on to show that for the three O2 concentrations tested, the number of roots and root length were always greater in the central misted section than either the submersed section or the un-misted section. Even at the lowest concentration, the misted section rooted successfully.
Other benefits of air (CO2)
Plants in a true aeroponic apparatus have 100% access to the CO2 concentrations ranging from 450 ppm to 780 ppm for photosynthesis. (At one mile above sea level the CO2 concentration in the air is 450 ppm during daylight. At night the CO2 level will rise to 780 ppm.) Lower elevations will have higher levels. In any case, the air culture apparatus offers ability for plants to have full access to all the available CO2 in the air for photosynthesis.
Growing under lights during the evening allows aeroponics to benefit from the natural occurrence.
Natural disease-free cultivation
Aeroponics can limit disease transmission since plant-to-plant contact is reduced and each spray pulse can be sterile. In the case of soil, aggregate, or other media, disease can spread throughout the growth media, infecting many plants. In most greenhouses these solid media require sterilization after each crop and, in many cases, they are simply discarded and replaced with fresh, certified sterile media. A distinct advantage of aeroponic technology is that if a particular plant does become diseased, it can be quickly removed from the plant support structure without disrupting or infecting the other plants.
Due to the disease-free environment that is unique to aeroponics, many plants can grow at higher density (plants per sq meter) when compared to more traditional forms of cultivation (hydroponics, soil and NFT). Commercial aeroponic systems incorporate hardware features that accommodate the crops expanding root systems.
Researcher du Toit, L.J., H.W. Kirby and W.L. Pedersen (1997). “Evaluation of an Aeroponics System to Screen Maize Genotypes for Resistance to Fusarium graminearum Seedling Blight.” These researchers describe aeroponics as a “valuable, simple, and rapid method for preliminary screening of genotypes for resistance to specific seedling blight or root rot.”
The isolating nature of the aeroponic system allowed them to avoid the complications encountered when studying these infections in soil culture.
Water/Nutrient hydro-atomization
Aeroponic equipment involves the use of sprayers, misters, foggers, or other devices to create a fine mist of solution to deliver nutrients to plant roots. Aeroponic systems are normally closed-looped systems providing macro and micro-environments suitable to sustain a reliable, constant air culture. Numerous inventions have been developed to facilitate aeroponic spraying and misting.
The key to root development in an aeroponic environment is the size of the water droplet. In commercial applications, a hydro-atomizing spray is employed to cover large areas of roots utilizing air pressure misting.
A variation of the mist technique employs the use of ultrasonic nebulizers or foggers to mist nutrient solutions in low-pressure aeroponic devices.
Water droplet size is crucial for sustaining aeroponic growth. Too large of a water droplet means less oxygen is available to the root system. Too fine of a water droplet, such as those generated by the ultra-sonic mister, produce excessive root hair without developing a lateral root system for sustained growth in an aeroponic system.
Mineralization of the ultra-sonic traducers requires maintenance and potential for component failure. This is also a shortcoming of metal spray jets and misters. Restricted access to the water causes the plant to lose turgidity and wilt.
Advanced materials
NASA has funded research and development of new advanced materials to improve aeroponic reliability and maintenance reduction. It also has determined that high pressure hydro-atomized mist of 5-50 microns micro-droplets is necessary for long-term aeroponic growing.
For long-term growing, the mist system must have significant pressure to force the mist into the dense root system(s). Repeatability is the key to aeroponics and includes the hydro-atomized droplet size. Degradation of the spray due to mineralization of mist heads inhibits the delivery of the water nutrient solution, leading to an environmental imbalance in the air culture environment.
Special low-mass polymer materials were developed and are used to eliminate mineralization in next generation hydro-atomizing misting and spray jets.
Nutrient uptake
The discrete nature of interval and duration aeroponics allows the measurement of nutrient uptake over time under varying conditions. Barak et al. used an aeroponic system for non-destructive measurement of water and ion uptake rates for cranberries (Barak, Smith et al. 1996).
In their study, these researchers found that by measuring the concentrations and volumes of input and efflux solutions, they could accurately calculate the nutrient uptake rate (which was verified by comparing the results with N-isotope measurements). After verification of their analytical method, Barak et al. went on to generate additional data specific to the cranberry, such as diurnal variation in nutrient uptake, correlation between ammonium uptake and proton efflux, and the relationship between ion concentration and uptake. Work such as this not only shows the promise of aeroponics as a research tool for nutrient uptake, but also opens up possibilities for the monitoring of plant health and optimization of crops grown in closed environments.
Terminology
Aeroponic growing refers to plants grown in an air culture that can develop and grow in a normal and natural manner.
Aeroponic growth refers to growth achieved in an air culture.
Aeroponic system refers to hardware and system components assembled to sustain plants in an air culture.
Aeroponic greenhouse refers to a climate controlled glass or plastic structure comprised of equipment to grow plants in air/mist environment.
Aeroponic conditions refers to air culture environmental parameters for sustaining plant growth for a plant species.
Aeroponic roots refers to a root system grown in an air culture.
Types of Aeroponics
Lo-pressure units
In most lo-pressure aeroponic gardens, the plant roots are suspended above a reservoir of nutrient solution or inside a channel connected to a reservoir. A low-pressure pump delivers nutrient solution via sprayer nozzles or by ultrasonic transducers, which then drips or drains back into the reservoir. As plants grow to maturity in these units they tend to suffer from dry sections of the root systems, which prevent adequate nutrient uptake. These units, because of cost, lack features to purify the nutrient solution, and adequately remove debris, mold, and pathogens. Such units are usually suitable for bench top growing and demonstrating the principles of aeroponics.
Hi-pressure devices
Hi-pressure aeroponic techniques, where the mist is generated by high-pressure pump(s), are typically used in the cultivation of high value crops and plant specimens that can offset the high setup costs associated with this method of horticulture.
Hi-pressure aeroponics systems include technologies for air and water purification, nutrient sterilization, low-mass polymers and pressurized nutrient delivery systems.
Commercial systems
Commercial aeroponic systems are comprise hi-pressure device hardware and biological systems. The biological systems matrix includes enhancements for extended plant life and crop maturation.
Biological subsystems and hardware components include effluent controls systems, disease prevention, pathogen resistance features, precision timing and nutrient solution pressurization, heating and cooling sensors, thermal control of solutions, efficient photon-flux light arrays, spectrum filtration spanning, fail-safe sensors and protection, reduced maintenance & labor saving features, and ergonomics and long-term reliability features.
Commercial aeroponic systems, like the hi-pressure devices, are used for the cultivation of high value crops where multiple crop rotations are achieved on an ongoing commercial basis 24/7.
Advanced commercial systems include data gathering, monitoring, analytical feedback and Internet mode connections to various subsystems.
History of aeroponics
It was W. Carter in 1942 who first researched air culture growing and described a method of growing plants in water vapor to facilitate examination of roots.
In 1944, L.J. Klotz was the first to discover vapor misted citrus plants in a facilitated research of his studies of diseases of citrus and avocado roots. In 1952, G.F. Trowel grew apple trees in a spray culture.
It was F. W. Went in 1957 who first coined the air-growing process as “aeroponics”, growing coffee plants and tomatoes with air-suspended roots and applying a nutrient mist to the root section.
Early lab research
Soon after its development, aeroponics took hold as a valuable research tool. Aeroponics offered researchers a noninvasive way to examine roots under development. This new technology also allowed researchers a larger number and a wider range of experimental parameters to use in their work.
The ability to precisely control the root zone moisture levels and the amount of water delivered makes aeroponics ideally suited for the study of water stress. K. Hubick [Hubick et al., 1982] evaluated aeroponics as a means to produce consistent, minimally water-stressed plants for use in drought or flood physiology experiments.
Aeroponics is the ideal tool for the study of root morphology. The absence of aggregates offers researchers easy access to the entire, intact root structure without the damage that can be caused by removal of roots from soils or aggregates. It’s been noted that aeroponics produces more normal root systems than hydroponics.
Commercialization
Aeroponics eventually left the laboratories and entered into the commercial cultivation arena. In 1966, commercial aeroponic pioneer, B. Briggs, succeeded in inducing roots on hardwood cuttings by air-rooting. Briggs discovered that air-rooted cuttings were tougher and more hardened than those formed in soil and concluded that the basic principle of air-rooting is sound. He discovered air-rooted trees could be transplanted to soil without suffering from transplant shock or setback to normal growth. Transplant shock is normally observed in hydroponic transplants.
In Israel in 1982, L. Nir, developed a patent for an aeroponic apparatus using comprised low pressure air to deliver a nutrient solution to suspended plants, held by styrofoam, inside large metal containers.
In 1983, R. Stoner filed a patent for the first microprocessor interface to deliver tap water and nutrients into an enclosed aeroponic chamber made of plastic. Stoner has gone on to develop numerous companies researching and advancing aeroponic hardware, interfaces, biocontrols and components for commercial aeroponic crop production.
In 1985, Stoner’s company, GTi, was the first company to manufacture, market and apply large scale closed-loop aeroponic systems into greenhouses for commercial crop production.
Aeroponically grown food
In 1986 Stoner was the first person ever to market fresh aeroponically grown food to a national grocery chain. He was interviewed on NPR and discussed the importance of the water conservation features of aeroponics for both modern agriculture and space.
Stoner is considered the father of commercial aeroponics. Stoner’s aeroponic systems are in major developed countries around the world. His aeroponic designs, technology and equipment are widely used at leading agricultural universities worldwide and by commercial growers.
(The Genesis Machine had come a long way fast. Sometime later, the Star-Trek TV series sustained the starship’s crew with food grown in its aeroponics-bay.)
NASA aeroponic history
Space plants
Plants were first taken into Earth’s orbit in 1960 on two separate missions, Sputnik 4 and Discover 17 (for a review of the first 30 years of plant growth in space, see (Halstead and Scott 1990)
On the former mission, wheat, pea, maize, spring onion, and Nigella damascena seeds were carried into space, and on the latter mission Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells were brought into orbit.
Plant experiments were later performed on a variety of Soviet, American, and joint Soviet-American missions, including Biosatellite II, Skylab 3 and 4, Apollo-Soyuz, Sputnik, Vostok, and Zone. Some of the earliest research results showed the effect of low gravity on the orientation of roots and shoots (Halstead and Scott 1990).
Subsequent research went on to investigate the effect of low gravity on plants at the organismic, cellular, and subcellular levels. At the organismic level, for example, a variety of species, including pine, oat, mung bean, lettuce, cress, and Arabidopsis, showed decreased seedling, root, and shoot growth in low gravity, whereas lettuce grown on Cosmos showed the opposite effect of growth in space (Halstead and Scott 1990). Mineral uptake seems also to be affected in plants grown in space. For example, peas grown in space exhibited increased levels of phosphorus and potassium and decreased levels of the divalent cations calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and iron (Halstead and Scott 1990).
Biocontrols in space
In 1996, NASA sponsored Stoner’s research for a natural liquid biocontrol, known then as ODC (organic disease control), that activates plants to grow without the need for pesticides as a means to control pathogens in a closed-loop culture system. ODC is derived from natural aquatic materials.
By 1997, Stoner’s biocontrol experiments were conducted by NASA. BioServe Space Technologies’s GAP technology (miniature growth chambers) delivered the ODC solution unto bean seeds. Triplicate ODC experiments were conducted in GAP’s flown to the MIR by the shuttle space ; at the Kennedy Space Center; and at Colorado State University (J. Linden). All GAPS were housed in total darkness to eliminate light as an experiment variable. The NASA experiment was to study only the benefits of the biocontrol.
NASA’s experiments aboard the MIR space station and shuttle confirmed that ODC elicited increased germination rate, better sprouting, increased growth and natural plant disease mechanisms when applied to beans in an enclosed environment. ODC is now a standard for pesticide-free aeroponic growing and organic farming. Soil and hydroponics growers can benefit by incorporating ODC into their planting techniques. ODC meets USDA NOP standards for organic farms.
Aeroponics for space & Earth
In 1998, Stoner received NASA funding to develop a high performance aeroponic system for earth and space. Stoner demonstrated that a dry bio-mass of lettuce can be significantly increased with aeroponics. NASA made history by utilizing numerous aeroponic advancements developed by Stoner.
Abstract: The purpose of the research conducted was to identify and demonstrate technologies for high-performance plant growth in a variety of gravitational environments. A low-gravity environment, for example, poses the problems of effectively bringing water and other nutrients to the plants and effecting recovery of effluents. Food production in the low-gravity environment of space provides further challenges, such as minimization of water use, water handling, and system weight. Food production on planetary bodies such as the Moon or Mars also requires dealing with a hypogravity environment. Because of the impacts to fluid dynamics in these various gravity environments, the nutrient delivery system has been a major focus in plant growth system optimization.
There are a number of methods currently utilized (both in low gravity and on Earth) to deliver nutrients to plants. Substrate dependent methods include traditional soil cultivation, zeoponics, agar, and nutrient-loaded ion exchange resins. In addition to substrate dependent cultivation, many soilless methods have been developed such as nutrient film technique, ebb and flow, aeroponics, and many other variants. Many hydroponic systems can provide high plant performance but nutrient solution throughput is high, necessitating large water volumes and substantial recycling of solutions, and the control of the solution in hypogravity conditions is difficult at best.
Aeroponics, with its use of a hydro-atomized spray to deliver nutrients, minimizes water use, increases oxygenation of roots, and offers excellent plant growth, while at the same time approaching or bettering the low nutrient solution throughput of other systems developed to operate in low gravity. Aeroponics’ elimination of substrates and the need for large nutrient stockpiles reduces the amount of waste materials to be processed by other life support systems. Furthermore, the absence of substrates simplifies planting and harvesting (providing opportunities for automation), decreases the volume and weight of expendable materials, and eliminates a pathway for pathogen transmission. These many advantages combined with the results of this research that prove the viability of aeroponics in microgravity makes aeroponics a logical choice for efficient food production in space.
NASA inflatable aeroponics
NASA low-mass Inflatable Aeroponics System (AIS) - achieved 1999
NASA low-mass Inflatable Aeroponics System (AIS) - achieved 1999
In 1999, Stoner, funded by NASA, developed an inflatable low-mass aeroponic system (AIS) for space and earth for high performance food production.
Abstract: Aeroponics International’s (AI’s) innovation is a self-contained, self-supporting, inflatable aeroponic crop production unit with integral environmental systems for the control and delivery of a nutrient/mist to the roots. This inflatable aeroponic system addresses the needs of subtopic 08.03 Spacecraft Life Support Infrastructure and, in particular, water and nutrient delivery systems technologies for food production. The inflatable nature of our innovation makes it lightweight, allowing it to be deflated so it takes up less volume during transportation and storage. It improves on AI’s current aeroponic system design that uses rigid structures, which use more expensive materials, manufacture processes, and transportation. As a stationary aeroponic system, these existing high-mass units perform very well, but transporting and storing them can be problematic.
On Earth, these problems may hinder the economic feasibility of aeroponics for commercial growers. However, such problems become insurmountable obstacles for using these systems on long-duration space missions because of the high cost of payload volume and mass during launch and transit.
The NASA efforts lead to developments of numerous advanced materials for aeroponics for earth and space.
Mission to Mars
NASA’s long range plans indicate for man’s visit to Mars will utilize inflatable structures to house the spaceship crew on the Mars surface. Planning is under way to incorporate inflatable greenhouse facilities for food production.
NASA planning scenarios also reveal the Mars surface crew will spend 60% of their time on Mars farming to sustain themselves. Aeroponics is considered the agricultural system of choice because of its low water and power inputs and high volume of food output per sq meter.
Benefits of Aeroponics for Earth & Space
Plants grown using aeroponics spend 99.98% of their time in air and 0.02% in direct contact with hydro-atomized nutrient solution. The time spent without water allows the roots to capture oxygen more efficiently. Furthermore, the hydro-atomized mist also significantly contributes to the effective oxygenation of the roots. For example, NFT has a nutrient throughput of 1 L/minute compared to aeroponics’ throughput of 1.5 ml/minute.
The reduced volume of nutrient throughput results in reduced amounts of nutrients required for plant development.
Another benefit of the reduced throughput, of major significance for space-based use, is the reduction in water volume used. This reduction in water volume throughput corresponds with a reduced buffer volume, both of which significantly lighten the weight needed to maintain plant growth. In addition, the volume of effluent from the plants is also reduced with aeroponics, reducing the amount of water that needs to be treated before reuse.
The relatively low solution volumes used in aeroponics, coupled with the minimal amount of time that the roots are exposed to the hydro-atomized mist, minimizes root-to-root contact and spread of pathogens between plants.
More control of plant environment
Aeroponics allows more control of the environment around the root zone, as, unlike other plant growth systems, the plant roots are not constantly surrounded by some medium (as, for example, with hydroponics, where the roots are constantly immersed in water).
Improved nutrient feeding
A variety of different nutrient solutions, for example, can be administered to the root zone using aeroponics without needing to flush out any solution or matrix in which the roots had previously been immersed. This elevated level of control would be useful when researching the effect of a varied regimen of nutrient application to the roots of a plant species of interest. In a similar manner, aeroponics allows a greater range of growth conditions than other nutrient delivery systems. The interval and duration of the nutrient spray, for example, can be very finely attuned to the needs of a specific plant species. The aerial tissue can be subjected to a completely different environment from that of the roots.
More user-friendly
The design of an aeroponic system allows ease of working with the plants. This results from the separation of the plants from each other, and the fact that the plants are suspended in air and the roots are not entrapped in any kind of matrix. Consequently, the harvesting of individual plants is quite simple and straightforward. Likewise, removal of any plant that may be infected with some type of pathogen is easily accomplished without risk of uprooting or contaminating nearby plants.
More cost effective
Aeroponic systems are more cost effective than other systems. Because of the reduced volume of solution throughput (discussed above), less water and less nutrients are needed in the system at any given time compared to other nutrient delivery systems. The need for substrates is also eliminated, as is the need for many moving parts, resulting in lowered manufacturing cost and reduced maintenance costs.
Pathogen Control & Disease Prevention
Plants are most susceptible to loss from pathogens during the first 21 days of their life cycle. The aeroponic technology developed by the PI utilizes a patented plant support structure that separates the plants from one another. In a hydroponic or aggregate-based system, pathogen infections can easily spread throughout the entire system due to the plants’ common source of water or medium. In the ideal aeroponic system pathogens can be reduced and controlled by:
* separating the plants - thus preventing the pathogen from spreading infection from one plant to another.
* applying disinfectants and fungicides to the aerial and root zones individually,
* applying the water/nutrient at intervals that are best suited for plant development and growth,
* allowing the plant to expand without interference of restricting physical barriers,
* reducing the per plant exposure to surfaces where pathogens can linger or proliferate.
Use of seed stocks
With aeroponics, the deleterious effects of seed stocks that are infected with pathogens can be minimized. As discussed above, this is due to the separation of the plants and the lack of shared growth matrix. In addition, due to the enclosed, controlled environment, aeroponics can be an ideal growth system in which to grow seed stocks that are pathogen-free. The enclosing of the growth chamber, in addition to the isolation of the plants from each other discussed above, helps to both prevent initial contamination from pathogens introduced from the external environment and minimize the spread from one plant to others of any pathogens that may exist.
21st Century aeroponics
Aeroponics is an improvement in artificial life support for non-damaging plant support, seed germination, environmental control and rapid unrestricted growth when compared hydroponics and drip irrigation techniques that have been used for decades by traditional agriculturalists.
Contemporary aeroponics
Contemporary aeroponic techniques have been advanced research at NASA’s research and commercialization center BioServe Space Technologieslocated on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado including enclosed loop system research at Ames Research Center, where scientists were studying methods of growing food crops in low gravity situations for future space colonization.
In 2000, Stoner was granted a patent for an organic disease control biocontrol technology that allows for pesticide-free natural growing in an aeroponic systems.
Stoner received a patent in 2001 for a novel aeroponic method and apparatus utilizing a low pressure mist generated by centrifugal force utilizing a rotating cylinder device. The rotating cylinder device distributes liquid nutrient solution to the roots of plants by use of centrifugal force, thereby eliminating the need for a high pressure and low pressure pump and nozzles, including ultra-sonic misters. The geometrical shape of the enclosed root growth chamber is such that it allows for fractionated droplets to ricochet in multiple random directions thus completely surrounding the plant roots in 360.degree, in any plane.
Aeroponic bio-pharming
Aeroponic bio-pharming is used to grow pharmaceutical medicine inside of plants. The technology allows for completed containment of allow effluents and by-products of biopharma
As recently as 2005, GMO research at South Dakota State University by Dr. Neil Reese applied aeroponics to grow genetically modified corn.
According to Reese it is a historical feat to grow corn in an aeroponic apparatus for bio-massing. The university’s past attempts to grow all types of corn using hydroponics ended in failure.
Using advanced aeroponics techniques to grow genetically modified corn Reese harvested full ears of corn. All the while containing the corn pollen and spent effluent water and prevent them from entering the environment. Containment of these ecologically harmful by-products ensures the environment remains safe from GMO contamination.
Reese says, aeroponics offers the ability to make bio-pharming economically practical.
Large scale integration of aeroponics
In 2006, the Ag University of Hanoi Vietnam in joint efforts with Stoner established the postgraduate doctoral program in aeroponics.
The university’s Agrobiotech Research Center, under the direction of Dr. N. Thach, is using aeroponic laboratories to advance Vietnam’s minituber potato production for certified seed potato production.
The historical significants for aeroponics - its the first time a nation has specifically called out for aeroponics to further an agricultural sector, stimulate farm economic goals, meet increased demands, improve food quality and increase production.
Potatoes are one of the world’s top foods containing a high level of protein. “We have shown that aeroponics, more than any other form of agricultural technology, will significantly improve Vietnam’s potato production. We have very little tillable land, aeroponics makes complete economic sense to us”, attested Thach.
Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2007. The impact of aeroponics in Vietnam will be felt at the farm level.
Aeroponic integration in Vietnam agriculture will begin by producing a low cost certified disease-free organic minitubers. Which in turn will be supplied to local farmers for their field plantings of seed potatoes and commercial potatoes. Potato farmers will benefit from aeroponics because their seed potatoes will be disease-free and grown without pesticides. Most importantly for the Vietnamese farmer, it will lower their cost of operation and increase their yields, says Thach.
Hydroponics Wiki Page 7
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Scientific literature
Scientific literature on hydroponics can be found in the following journals: Annals of Botany, Canadian Journal of Botany, Canadian Journal of Microbiology, Crop Science,European Journal of Plant Pathology, Horticultural Reviews, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Journal of the American Society of Horticulture, Journal of Chemical Ecology, Journal of Plant Nutrition, New Phytologist, Phytopathology, Plant and Cell Physiology, Plant Disease, Planta (journal), Plant and Soil, Plant Breeding, Plant Physiology and Water Science and Technology.
Advantages, disadvantages and misconceptions
* Solution culture hydroponics does not require disposal of a solid medium or sterilization and reuse of a solid medium.
* Solution culture hydroponics allows greater control over the root zone environment than soil culture.
* Over- and under-watering is prevented
* Hydroponics is often the best crop production method in remote areas that lack suitable soil, such as Antarctica, space stations, space colonies, or atolls such as Wake Island.
* In solution culture hydroponics, plant roots can be seen.
* Soil borne diseases are virtually eliminated.
* Weeds are virtually eliminated.
* Fewer pesticides may be required because of the above two reasons.
* Edible crops are not contaminated with soil.
* Water use can be substantially less than with outdoor irrigation of soil-grown crops.
* Hydroponics cost 20% less than other ways for growing strawberries.
* Many hydroponic systems give the plants more nutrition while at the same time using less energy and space.
* Hydroponics allow for easier fertilization as it is possible to use an automatic timer to fertilize the plants.
* It provides the plant with balanced nutrition because the essential nutrients are dissolved into the water-soluble nutrient solution.
* If timers or electric pumps fail or the system clogs or springs a leak, plants can die very quickly in many kinds of hydroponic systems.
* Hydroponics usually requires a greater technical knowledge than geoponics.
* For the previous two reasons and the fact that most hydroponic crops are grown in greenhouses or controlled environment agriculture, hydroponic crops are usually more expensive than soil-grown crops.
* Solution culture hydroponics requires that the plants be supported because the roots have no anchorage without a solid medium.
* The plants will die if not frequently monitored while soil plants do not require such close attention.
Hydroponics has been widely misconceived as miraculous. There are many widely held misconceptions regarding hydroponics, as noted by the following facts:
* Hydroponics will not always produce greater crop yields than with good quality soil.
* Hydroponic plants cannot always be spaced closer together than soil-grown crops (geoponics) under the same environmental conditions.
* Hydroponic produce will not necessarily be more nutritious or better tasting than geoponics.
Present and future
With pest problems reduced, and nutrients constantly fed to the roots, productivity in hydroponics is high, plant growth being limited by the low levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or limited light. To increase yield further, some sealed greenhouses inject carbon dioxide into their environment to help growth (CO2 enrichment), or add lights to lengthen the day, control vegetative growth etc.
This technology allows for growing where no one has grown before, be it underground, or above, in space or under the oceans this technology will allow humanity to live where humanity chooses. If used for our own survival or our colonisation, hydroponics is and will be a major part of our collective future.