subject: The Basics Of Aeroponics [print this page] Aeroponics Aeroponics
Other than the standard way of growing plants in soil (geoponics) there are another two ways of achieving healthy plant growth, these are hydroponics and aeroponics. In this article I shall try to explain Aeroponics, what it is and what the benefits and disadvantages of it are.
What Are Aeroponics?
In history the term aeroponic is taken from the Greek words aero and ponos (air and labor). Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment devoid of soil or any type of growing medium. Aeroponics work by having the plant suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment and then having the roots of the plant sprayed with a nutrient-rich water solution. Whilst the roots of the plant are below the plant support structure the leaves and crown of the plant extend above.
The environment of an aeroponics setup is generally kept free of disease as the plants will grow quicker and faster than they would if they had a medium of some kind. The use of aeroponics is often combined with a hydroponics system as a backup in case the sensitive aeroponics system fails.
Benefits
There are numerous benefits to aeroponics as it is seen as a healthy way to produce crops and plants. It can also save on water and energy compared to other type of plant growing techniques. As aeroponic plants are exposed to a large amount of air constantly they tend to grow very quickly. Any materials, apparatus and devices that come into contact with the plant must be rid of any disease or pathogens. As the plant is in close contact to the apparatus suspending it the grower must make sure that there is a minimal contact as possible as the apparatus may hinder the plants growth.
Aeroponic systems are a great way of keeping disease from affecting your plants as plant-to-plant contact is decreased. This along with having each sprayer sterilised prevents problems that would happen if you were growing a plant in soil or another type of media. Having decreased plant-to-plant contact really is important because one plant gets diseased you can pull it out before it infects other plants.
There are generally three types of aeroponics.
Low-pressure units
oSuitable for bench top growing and demonstrations.
High pressure units
oUsed in the cultivation of high value crops.
Commercial Systems.
oUsed for the cultivation of high value crops where multiple crop rotations are on an ongoing commercial basis 24/7.
Overall it depends on what you want to achieve from your plants or crops and what kind of results you want to achieve as both Aeroponics and Hydroponics are both excellent alternatives to Geoponics.
