I like to use gravity whenever possible and a cheap bilge pump for recirculation. While I am working on control systems for rockwool cube growers. I am now focused on aeroponics. It IMHO is the best way to grow cannabis, while all the rest of you guys are focused on the part of the plant above the ground. All the action is in the root zone. Big giant fast growing roots make for big giant fast growing plants. Root pruning needs to start in the first few days.
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Absolutely! I 100% agree aeroponics will always grow any plant faster than any other method, hands down! The only issue is applying it to a true commercial scale (multiple acres). It’s a fun method small scale, but most large operations need the buffer of having some sort of media that holds water in case they lose power or run into any one number of other things that can go wrong (mainly human error with nutrient solution mixing and system failures). If an aeroponics system goes down for a couple hours, you lose the entire crop!
That being said, I’ve worked with guys like indoorfarmsofamerica.com using our 55 micron droplet foggers (Coolnet nozzle) as the aeroponics nozzle and it does work really well. That system can get virtually any plant’s cutting to root in 3 days. The nozzles themselves are plastic, can be taken apart and cleaned, and only need about 60 psi which means the problems usually felt when using those tiny brass nozzles and high pressure (>200 psi), like constantly plugging nozzles and daily cleaning, go away. A 50 - 80 micron droplet size is the ideal size to promote the healthiest root growth/structure in aeroponics, so it just sort of accidentally worked out that this nozzle we usually use for table propagation, humidification, and cooling in greenhouses is perfect for an aeroponic application too. They also have check valves built in that require all nozzles on a zone to pressurize to 58 psi before any one nozzle will open and put out water at all, so all plants in a zone get their roots misted at the exact same time.
I want to try them on a larger scale since they shouldn’t have a lot of the problems a normal aeroponic setup does. Let me know if you’re interested in trying them out and I’ll send you a bag of 25 as a sample.
Love geeking out on science experiments!
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I’d love to sample 25 nozzles. Crystal Clear Automation. LLC, 19204 Gatlin Rd. Gathersburg, MD 20879.
We are trying a <$1 nozzle that emits a 50-100 micron droplets and very small with a deflector that eliminates all the larger droplets. This seems too dry for veg and flower by might work for clones. The min advantage pf these noozles is that they don’t clog.
Research I’ve read says 20 microns is ideal for deliver of nutrients to roots.Smaller and droplets can;t carry enough nutrients before they evaporate, larger they drown the root. Still trying to figure out how to measure droplet size.
Our goal is to have a scalable system with feed back controls on each plant for large commercial growers. Our current system uses a low power air pump. Looking for a quiet one. quiet vibration pumps, like aquarium pumps are too under powered or to costly.
Anyone know of a small, quiet and cheap, <$10, air pump please let me know.
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Octabubblers can definitely provide uniformity, given proper fluid circuit design and pump matching.
That said, GrowoniX has been providing high flow (practically eliminates nutrient lock out and greatly reduces the need for flushing), low pressure RECIRCULATING nutrient delivery systems and a generic feed schedule tune for recirculating in rockwool cubes (complimentary for commercial-scale customers).
Having worked there in manufacturing, installation and sales for over 5 years, (now consulting - this is not a paid endorsement), and been on numerous installs I can testify to 30% increase in yields and 40-60% reduction in nutrient costs.
Check them out at http://www.growonix.com/nutrient-delivery-system/ and call Lain at (888) 406-2521 and ask for the JoeGrow discount.
Also, feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in custom control and monitoring solutions.
Peace
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BTW, stop thinking lowest price emitters, pumps, blah blah blah. When your yields go up and costs come down the system typically pays for itself in week 5 of the first run. Grow smarter!
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All,
Thank You for the engaging dialogue regarding micro-irrigation applications. There are many factors to consider when designing and maintaining an efficient and effective system.
Filtration
Pressure Regulation
Water Suppply
Application Rates
Nutrient Applications
Power Source (AC / DC)
Type of emission device
Indoor / Outdoor
Lighting
There is no single answer to any specific application. It depends on size of the plant / growing media / age/ source, etc.
Antelco has designed and manufactured high quality, low volume irrigation emission devices to suit every need for over 30 years. We highly recommend efficient filtration on every system and the use of Pressure Compensating emission devices for each plant.
Whether you choose to use drippers for young plants or downsprays for more mature plants, application rates are important and filtration and pressure regulation is essential for effective growing yield.
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Antelco produces a wide variety of pressure compensating emission devices including:
Shrubbler PC Spikes
Asta Drip PC Stakes
CETA (take apart) PC Emitters
Pinch Drip PC emitters
The emission devices can compensate for variable pressure and flow in order to apply a precise water amount to each plant. Filtration and efficient water supply is paramount to performance.
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Netafin is number one in drip irrigation.
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