How Aeroponics Works

Aeroponics is a modern, high tech methodology of soil less agriculture. It enables crops to be planted indoors and requires far less space than normal gardening. Aeroponics enables crops to be harvested year round and preserves water. It provides a viable method of agriculture in urban centres or any place where access to cultivatable land is scarce.

In aeroponics, plants are grown in chambers with their roots suspended in space and occasionally soaked in a nutrient mist. The chamber stays at 100% humidity level by employing spraying or misting nozzles and this technique enables the plants to take in the essential nutriments and moisture while also being exposed to an abundant supply of oxygen and CO2, leading to explosive growth.

Aeroponic designs are still developing and many alternative products are commercially available including hybrids like bubbler or deep flow systems. However in any true aeroponics systems, the common part is the exposure of the root system to air as opposed to being buried in soil, water or some other media. In pure aeroponics designs, the roots hang in the air and a pump controlled by a short cycle timer delivers the nutrient solution for a few seconds each couple of minutes. This keeps the roots damp while providing access to a maximum quantity of air. During the “dry” cycle air displaces the exiting liquid solution which can enable the plant to soak up stronger concentrations of nutrients without burning since they aren’t being constantly submersed. To realise the full benefits, true aeroponics systems need the specific application of nutrient elements and the proper timing of wet and dry cycles.

A true aeroponics design has multiple benefits over normal gardening or other systems of soil less gardening like hydroponics. First, the roots don’t have any contact with clay or solid media of any type which too frequently can contain voracious insects and bacteria that may devour plants or propagate illness. With a real aeroponics design, the plants roots acquire as much oxygen or carbon dioxide as required. This increases the efficiency of photosynthesis and speeds up the growth cycle of the plants delivering higher yields.

The accelerated time to harvest, absence of pathogens and capability to easily access individual plants, makes aeroponics superb for propagating plants from cuttings. This can enable the fast cloning of the finest plant specimens. Correctly designed aeroponics systems can offer the best growth rates and the highest yields but require the most expertise and are the least forgiving of the soil less gardening methods.

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