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backissues -> CC14
-> Aeroponic Supersonic
by Ashera Jones, photos by Barge (01 Sept, 1998)

Aeroponics creates dense, compact and abundant buds that will
amaze you

Commercial Aeroflo operation. Photo Jorge
Cervantes

I first heard of
aeroponics through a friend, who told me of military experiments in
growing enormous tomato plants indoors, by means of aeroponics and
cooled lights. When I learned that the roots just hang in the air
and are misted by atomized water and nutrient particles, I thought
"how unnatural."

Then I saw a system set up: it was so clean
and efficient! I saw that this was a very effective nutrient and
oxygen delivery system. One which, by nature, is quick to respond to
whatever nutrients you introduce into the system, making both
feeding and curing more time-efficient and accurate.

But is
aeroponics really unnatural? Perhaps not. My aeroponic system
reminds me of my visit to floating coral islands in the Bahamas,
where the coral provided a natural aeroponics system, and everything
grew to an enormous size. The oranges were the size of grapefruits,
and the humming birds were the size of Robins.

The layout is
important. Other than some basic plumbing supplies, and low cost but
reliable sump pump (otherwise known as a jet pump), the lights,
environment and electrical are all the same as a regular grow op.
One of the advantages with this system is that there is little to
dispose of later, this brings less police heat and so less stress
for you.

You can grow aeroponically in tubes, buckets, or
anything that is sealed and opaque.There are kits and contraptions
you can buy, or with a bit of effort you can compose your own. Be
prepared for some watery catastrophes and have a wet and dry shop
vacuum on hand. Make sure your floor is protected.

The
4 Elements of Aeroponic
Gardening

AIR

In an aeroponic system,
nutrients and water are sprayed onto the roots in an atomized or
mist form by a high-pressure pump. This creates quickly-moving water
which is capable of delivering more oxygen because it is well
agitated, like a waterfall. The presence of more oxygen also
discourages bacterial and fungal growth.

The most effective
root medium is the one which delivers the most oxygen to the roots.
A dense soil may only deliver 30% oxygen to the roots, while a
soilless mix will deliver up to 50%, and hydroponics will deliver
around 80% oxygen. With aeroponics the sky is the limit, you
literally receive 99% possible oxygen to the roots.

Aeroponic can get big buds out of small
plants.

Aeroponics also allows
nutrients to reach the roots directly, with no medium in-between to
hamper nutrient uptake or foster the growth of bacterial
organisms.

I have measured aeroponic plant growth against
soil, soilless mix and hydroponic drip. The aeroponic system doubles
the growth rate of plants as compared to a soil system, and is about
one-third faster than a hydroponic system. My experience is that it
has been easy to grow fat, bushy, almost hardwood-stalked
plants.

EARTH

Just like all plants, plants in
an aeroponic system fuel their growth with natural elements from the
earth, which are easily obtained in liquid solutions. These
store-bought nutrients are limited in content, and I will suggest
other substances you can add to enhance the nutrient quality your
plants are getting from aeroponic feeding.

The aeroponic
garden prefers a lower nutrient solution of between 700-900 parts
per million, and an acid ph of 5.5 to 5.8, which means that you will
generally need to add a PH down. There are natural alternatives for
the open minded that I will talk about later.

In the earth
category, we also have the growth mediums, which although limited in
an aeroponic system, are necessary. Personally, I use rockwool cubes
and baskets, which vary in size.

The usual basket size used
in hydroponic systems is 3.5 inches, but you can use 2 inch baskets
for mature plants in an aeroponic system, because all the baskets
and wool are doing is supporting the plants, keeping them stable and
standing.
However, I personally use the 3 inch size because I
like to grow 3 foot bushes that become weighted with fat, juicy
buds, and they require a little bit of support.

Nutrient
uptake varies depending on the growth stage of your plants. I have
found that the plants tend to uptake less nutrients when they are
changing from vegetative to flowering, and at the same time, the
type of nutrient that they require changes. It is essential to have
a "parts-per-million pen" so that you can monitor the amount of food
your babies are eating and prevent burning of the roots by a
solution that is too acidic and full of mineral salts.

Healthy
roots make happy plants and rapid
growth.

FIRE

The
element of fire in aeroponic gardening includes light and heat.
Light brings photosynthesis and also Ultra Violet "C" rays which
discourage some types of bacteria. But excess heat can bring fungus
and bacteria, so a good balance is necessary. The layout of your
room will determine light availability and the ideal situation is to
have all plants receiving as much light as possible, without
burning. This will also encourage the dense bushy-type plant that
you want to grow.

I use a few strategically placed
four-hundred watt lights, with the plants in a stepped, stadium
structure around the lights. The placement of plants in what is
known as a "stadium" ensures that I get the lights right in there,
and give all the potential budding sites fair exposure, while
discouraging phototropism, the search for light.

The ambient
room temperature is no more than 80°F but preferably closer to 70°F
(20°C). A cool room temperature usually means a nice, cool water
temperature, which is also important.

WATER

The element of water in aeroponics is
the great transport system. I suggest you keep it cool and clean.
Let water sit a day before adding it to the nutrient tank, and put
in one teaspoon hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water, to make sure
it is free from unfriendly organisms.

All that your plants
receive comes to them through water. Without water there is no
air.

To get your water to the roots, you will need a pump, a
bunch of high-pressure spray heads and some hose.

People will
try to sell you very expensive pumps, but you need spend no more
than $200 to buy yourself a pump that puts out 60psi, which is
appropriate for atomized nutrients. This kind of pump is available
in the local plumbing department of a Home De-pot or similar
hardware store near you.

Your pump is meant to run
intermittently. Do not bother using the pressure-tank system that
can be purchased in conjunction with your pump. You will need an
hour timer that will allow your pump to spray for 30 seconds to 2
minutes, and then rest for 4 or so minutes. This will prevent your
pump from burning out and your system from flooding.

Stadium
set up with central array of sodium and metal halide
bulbs.

Hydrogen Peroxide
(H2O2) or "Oxygen Water"

Hydrogen peroxide created by
humans is inferior to that created by nature, but it costs less.
Human-made peroxide comes in a variety of percentages, and you want
to get the 35% variety, as this will ensure that there have been no
"stabilizers" added, as is generally done to the 3% variety that you
can buy in a pharmacy.

Hydrogen peroxide will most definitely
reduce any possibility of bacterial and fungal contamination.
Farmers in the US use peroxide for everything from disinfection of
the dairy barn and hog pens to increasing crop yields by 20 to 30%.
It is also commonly added to the drinking water of animals to reduce
the need for antibiotics.

In the aeroponic system, H2O2
replicates nature's own antibacterial mechanism and prevents water
from growing putrefactive bacteria which can cause the dreaded
bacterial wilt, root rot and countless other diseases.

35%
hydrogen peroxide can and should be used in hydroponic drip and soil
systems at the rate of one teaspoon per gallon. You would usually
add peroxide to your system and let that run through for 1/2 hour
before adding nutrients. This will give the peroxide time to kill
off bacteria with its extra oxygen molecules and become stabilized
before you add the dissolved mineral salts (stock fertilizer). H2O2
will also forcibly cause the out-gassing of chlorine and fluoride
from municipal water.

I have used 35% hydrogen peroxide
diluted to a 1% solution on a plant in soil that had an infestation
of fungus gnats, root rot and unknown other problems. The plants
thrived while gnats and other organisms did not. But beware, H2O2 is
powerful and experiments can be dangerous to your whole
crop.

Be sure not to get any in your eyes. The burning and
whitening sensation felt when it touches the skin can be irritating
but is not damaging. Wear latex. You should dilute 1 part peroxide
to 11 parts distilled water to create a 3% solution for less
worrisome handling.

Little
clones in aeroponic tube
system.

Applying H2O2 to Your
system.

You can kill bacteria that might be living in
your nutrient tank by wiping out the empty container with a 3%
peroxide solution. You can safely create a 1% peroxide solution to
feed your plants for a few cycles, but fill less than a quarter of
your nutrient tank with this solution, as you will want to dilute it
to about 0.25% for longer use.
If there are parasitic invaders
then you will know because there will be a profuse bubbling and
frothing, which is the hydrogen peroxide oxidizing putrefactive
organisms that are not oxygen compatible.

To make a 1%
solution, add 35 parts water to 1 part 35% hydrogen peroxide. To
achieve an 0.25% solution add 140 parts of water to 1 part 35%
peroxide, or add 3 parts water to one part 1%
peroxide.

ORGANIC AEROPONIC

Organic
aeroponic is at least partially possible with little or no hassle.
No indoor gardening can be completely organic. Aeroponically, you're
best to introduce partial organics which provide micronutrients not
available in standard inorganic, mineral-salt based, hydroponic
mixes.

You can provide your plants with their requirements as
organically as possible by making your own nutrient teas with plants
that you know "fix" certain types of minerals into themselves. First
dry the plants you want, then put them into water,. Let them sit for
a few days, then boil them, let them cool, put them through a fine
particle filter, test the PH and parts per million so you know what
percentages to add, and then introduce them to your aeroponic
garden. The same can be done with "meals" like soybean meal and
others.

I do not like to use blood and bone meals because I
am not sure of the source. I would rather use plant sources of
nutrients to help the persons who ingest my buds avoid contracting
Mad Plant Disease!

Beautiful aeroponic
bud.

How many people are using
animal-based fertilizers whose origin they know nothing about? There
is less restriction on the source of these "bone and blood meals"
than there is in the pet food or agricultural industry, meaning that
the indestructible "prion" particles responsible for "transmissible
spongiform encephalophathy" (mad cow disease) are likely also
present in bone and blood-meal plant fertilizers, and can find their
way into plants fertilized with these products.

Liquid
organic multivitamins for plants are useful and I would suggest
using them in combination and in low concentrations. Be careful to
avoid creating a giant toxic soup by adding nutrients all at once.
Add one and then wait before you add the other. You will be amazed
how readily your plants will gobble up the food you give them, and
with aeroponics you can expect near immediate results, good or
bad.

Bad Results

If you have bad results after
feeding, remove all nutrients and run a low peroxide solution
through your system. Everything should be visibly back to normal
within a day. If you see no positive results after a day, you may
have a problem unrelated to feeding, or you may have added too much
nutrient solution.

Too much nutrients and only the gods can
save you. The gods, and maybe a little less lighting. Unplug a light
or two and give you plants a chance to recover, as their energy will
then be concentrated down in the roots, which will be trying to heal
from chemical insult. If the leaves start yellowing, you have
probably developed root rot. Shock can precipitate root rot and you
must remember that plants have an immune system and do respond to
stress, so try to avoid disasters.

Another
plump aeroponic bud.

The problem
with introducing organics into an aeroponic system is that there is
always some other organism that wants to cash in on the good life.
To avoid such a problem, I run my organic fertilizers through the
system first. Then about a day later, when I am low on nutrients and
water, I drain the system and put my hydrogen peroxide solution in
and let it run for 1/2 hour, sometimes 3 or more hours, depending on
how much I have added. Then I add my stock nutrients, the ones you
buy at the store. I let them run through for half a day, then I add
my organics again. I let those run through for a day, the food and
water get eaten, and then it is time to clear the system and add the
hydrogen peroxide again. Hydrogen peroxide kills unwanted
freeloaders.

Ph Balance

Aeroponically grown
plants prefer a rather acidic solution of between 5.5 and 5.8ph.
With a 900 parts per million nutrient solution you will still need
to add some ph down. A higher concentration of mineral salts
generally makes the water more acidic and brings ph down and parts
per million up.

What are in those ph up and ph down bottles
anyways? Who cares! Nature's best solution is simple, cheap and has
inherently less packaging. Lowering the ph can be done with apple
cider vinegar but I like to use Kombucha fungus, as it creates a
wonderful selection of living interacted nutrients that are amazing
and affordable.

Basically, you grow a particular bacterium
in a medium of black, green or herbal tea, and then add the altered
medium to your solution. Kombucha is an oxygen producing bacteria
that is compatible with both the human and vegetative world because
it metabolizes nutrients in the tea itself, providing the plant with
easy to assimilate nutrients. Kombucha also has beneficial health
effects for the human organism.

Long,
lush healthy roots.

Having an
acidic, low-ph environment will reduce funguses like root rot. It is
important to note that oxygen creates a high ph or neutral
environment. So using hydrogen peroxide will bring your ph up, which
is problematic because "Kali weed" likes low ph in the aeroponic
environment. By adding Kombucha, a living nutrient, you can lower ph
while still providing oxygen and bringing micronutrients to your
plants that they would not regularly get.

Another way to
raise ph is by adding a small quantity of baking soda, and I mean
small!

Clearing Your Plants

Before harvest, you
will want to leech the unused mineral salts out of your plants.
Leeching is easily done with aeroponics by changing the water daily
for three to seven days. Note that you do have to change the water
every day, as just running the same water through won't
work!

Because mineral salts concentrate in the plants at a
high ph, if you run a low ph through while leeching, your plants
will release their mineral salts at a much faster rate. Kombucha
with its low ph, is thus the ideal thing to add to your water during
leeching. It facilitates the release of mineral salts, while also
providing the plants with a continued, clean source of
micronutrients.

Phyto Estrogens

Some people use
birth control pills to raise the estrogen level in their plants.
This is a personal choice, but it is not mine. These pills are
synthetic and cause a lot of trouble for women and generally I have
a certain disdain for them.
Menstrual blood, however, is a good
source of estrogen and is as organic as the donor. Decreasing other
fertilizer levels before introducing blood will reduce the
possibility of the blood feeding unwanted organisms in your system.
Ultimately, I can say that there is a part of me in every plant I
have ever grown.

It is annoying that some, usually young,
square men think this is disgusting. Get real. They prefer using
bone and blood meal which they know nothing about, other than that
it came from a dead animal who had a miserable life and ate less
organically than most of the women you know.

Such backwards
attitudes aside, menstrual blood is not plant based and is arguably
a secondary source to phyto-estrogen. Blue Cohosh is a herb which
contains plant estrogens, and I also use this in my flowering
formulas. It can easily be introduced in the form of tea, or you can
even grow your Kombucha on it.

Try Aeroponics and have a
"mist"-ifying experience!

SATIVA DIVA

---

A
small, inexpensive pump in the
corner...

DISEASES COMMON TO
AEROPONIC SYSTEMS

There are lots of other problems
gardeners face, but these ones are particular to
aeroponics.

Fungus Gnats

Curing your aeroponic
garden of diseases is very easy. Fungus gnats cannot get very far
and are generally not a problem. They can only go a few inches into
the rockwool before they meet the nutrient solution, which is no
good for them. The standard powders, including diatomaceous earth,
also work, so keep your eyes peeled for the evil, little, hopping
flies and dust them with death at the first sign.

If you
notice that you have more than five in your room, I would definitely
run a 1/2% solution of peroxide and no nutrients through for one day
to help the plants and kill any gnat larvae that may have made it
into the medium. The larvae will also be filtered out by the fine
particle spray filter before long.

Root
Rot

Root rot is particularly dangerous in aeroponic
systems. It is a fungus that shows up as rust, a black spot and/or a
powdery mildew. It might also come as a simple yellowing of the
leaves and kill your babies in a short period of time, depending on
your response. A sure sign is a browning of the roots, not to be
confused with the staining caused by certain nutrient solutions.
Another sure sign is black spots on the roots, which accompanies the
brown discolouration. Check your roots regularly.

There is
always a margin of time before your plants will die, which can be
increased depending on your knowledge. There are products which can
be introduced through either the leaves or roots, both of which are
effective.

One way to avoid root rot is to inoculate your
plants' medium with a predator fungus. These are readily available
at well-equipped grow stores.

...can
be used to feed 8 tubes with 20 plants
each!

Bacterial
Wilt

This is a weird one. Once you have it, pray and
change everything. That sounds radical but so is the
problem.

Bacterial wilt causes yellowing of leaves and
flowers, and a portion of the stem directly below the yellowing will
be entirely lifeless, brown and mushy, with a clear viscous goo
oozing out of the plant's pores. Wilt is not common, and even in
gardening books it is rarely mentioned, yet if environmental
conditions are right it can affect your plants.

Not enough
UV, and air which is too cool, may lead to bacterial wilt.
Ultra-Violet light is a natural part of the spectrum and kills
bacteria. Water-cooled lights have a tendency to cut out a lot of
UV. These cooled lights can be placed really close to plants,
delivering lots of light, increasing both growth and resin
production while countering the effects of photo and geotropism (the
effects which lead to increased internodal spaces). Yet such lights
negate the healing effects of both light heat and UV
rays.

Hopefully wilt never happens to you. If it does, add a
UV light or two. They are inexpensive and may give you a better
chance at recreating what nature
delivers.

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