8 Reasons Why You Should Consider An Aeroponic System
The aeroponic system has many advantages over traditional soil gardening, therefore, more people are turning to aeroponics as their primary way of gardening. You need to consider yield potential, sustainability, and safety when growing your food. This is especially important if you want to provide dietary needs for others who live on limited incomes.
We will discuss eight reasons you should consider using an aeroponic system later in the article, but first, let’s understand what it is and how it is different.
What Is An Aeroponic System?
Aeroponics is a type of hydroponic gardening that doesn’t use soil. Instead, plants grow in an air or mist environment, and the roots are sprayed with nutrient-rich water. Aeroponic gardening (also referred to as “Controlled environment agriculture”) is one of the most sustainable methods for cultivating plants. Environmental elements, like humidity and temperature, are provided in controlled spaces. As plants rely heavily on them, they grow quickly without sacrificing production capabilities.
Lightweight trays are stacked vertically in this type of gardening, making this method more space-efficient than others. Indeed, worth considering if you are looking to grow more plants per square foot.
Is Aeroponics More Efficient Than Hydroponics?
While hydroponics have their share of advantages, aquaponics scores in many facets. Let’s decode these one by one:
More production
One of the most substantial advantages of aeroponics is that it provides a higher yield. As the plants receive optimal nutrition, they have greater chances of faster growth and development into mature adults, which means you can get your harvest at a quicker rate.
There is another factor responsible for greater production. In an aeroponic system, plant roots grow better than those grown by traditional methods. The harder your plant’s ancestors were, the less likely it will have any diseases and pests to worry about.
Transplantation is easy
Aeroponics is an innovative way for gardeners and farmers alike. Instead of planting their roots in soil or growing them on mediums such as potting mixes, these arrangements feature exposed stemware with clips holding it up, so they’re easy to access points when needed.
The process of transplanting plants is much more straightforward with aeroponics, and you’ll avoid permanent damage. Besides this convenience factor, observing your produce becomes easier because they are right in front where you can see them.
Optimum plant health
Successful gardening requires care and attention to detail. By ensuring your plants are free of contamination, you can give them the best chance possible at healthy growth with increased yields.
The great thing about aeroponics is that it’s a 100% organic method for growing plants. It also allows you to control your plant’s environment, which means there are fewer pests getting involved since they cannot enter an enclosure through doors or windows like in other closed gardening methods.
Saves water
Hydroponics is great for reusing water, but aeroponics could be the better option if you have a small garden. It uses less of it and requires fewer nutrients because plants get their nutrition from being gently misted rather than washed over. On record, it uses 90% less water.
Hydroponics vs. Aeroponics: which gardening method will you choose? We leave the decision to you. There are many benefits of gardening in water, but soil-based gardens tend not to be as diverse when selecting an ideal location for planting. This isn’t an issue with aeroponic tower gardens since they can thrive no matter where they’re planted.
8 Reasons Why You Should Consider An Aeroponic System
If you’re contemplating starting your own garden or expanding your current operation, an aeroponic system is the perfect investment because of the following factors.
Reason 1: More breathing space, faster growth
The difference between a DIY aeroponic garden and traditional soil-based gardening is that it suspends plant roots above the ground with access to atmospheric gases such as oxygen in the former. This increased exposure allows for healthier growth due to greater photoperiodism and better micronutrient delivery. They mist these growth fertilizers onto crates or trays filled only halfway, so they don’t dry out too quickly.
One observation, though. The more you water your houseplants, the better they will grow. However, over-watering can drown a plant’s roots and make its leaves turn brown or drop off completely. So ensure this does not happen to your aeroponic system. Healthy plants grown from a suitable rootstock will produce more cycles per year, resulting in greater yield.
Reason 2: Customized care
The advantage of an aeroponic system is that it offers the ability to apply nutrients with great precision. Growers can adjust how much mist they produce per bed, which means each crop requires less food and water than traditional methods. You are also safe from deep ploughing or extensive irrigation practices like in other cultivation systems.
With mist control, you can ensure your crops are getting the ideal amount of moisture. This leads to a higher quality of crop and a faster growth cycle.
Reason 3: No more pollution
In cities, the soil can be contaminated with heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and chromium. You may also find asbestos amongst the dirt. This is an issue because you cannot test for it; therefore, there’s a significant cause for concern about your health when growing food on these surfaces.
The Aeroponics technique presents an innovative way to grow your plants without these factors directly impacting your health.
Reason 4: No need for pesticide application
Losing time and materials is a thing of the past with automation. Growing your plants in a scientifically controlled room is best to keep them safe from pests. Aeroponic gardening in an enclosed space combined with airlock access shuts out 99% of all pesky critters while maintaining perfect humidity levels. You have the freedom and choice to take your room from a place prone to mistakes into one where efficiency rules supreme.
Reason 5: Bid farewell to poor quality grow media
Some regions are known for their dry climate and poor soil. The lack of water retention makes it challenging to grow crops there. Still, farmers have found ways around these problems with additives like fertilisers or chemicals that eventually leak into our drinking supply if they aren’t carefully managed.
Zero soil technique of growing plants in aeroponics ensures you are no more dependent on soil or soil quality for growing healthy vegetables and fruits for consumption.
Reason 6: Less Land
The debate over whether we should limit the number of people who can own farmland has been going on for centuries. It’s become increasingly important in recent years as our population grows and cities expand. Farmers have less land due to the growing population and pressure from global warming, which makes some areas unproductive.
The future of farming is vertical, indoor gardens that use LED lights in coordination with temperature sensors. This way plants get all the light they need with no natural light sources disturbing their environment or hindering production. The good news is that people are already converting abandoned lots and warehouse space into grow operations at many places.
Reason 7: Less water
Land is one of the most valuable resources on Earth. After discovering how helpful this activity could be for human sustenance, people started farming. We know that proper planning includes taking into account where your farm will get enough rain so you don’t lose produce due to too little moisture. Or else you would waste investments and much more.
When there’s little rainfall, it becomes even more essential to reduce our water use. One solution that some farmers have turned towards in the past is recycling and irrigation systems so as not to waste any resources when supply isn’t enough for demand. But it isn’t possible everywhere. One clear solution is an aeroponics DIY system.
Reason 8: Air Quality
The world’s diet and food supply are changing, so plants have to change too. Temperatures are rising across regions because of climate change. Harsh weather patterns near deserts and frequent sandstorms make farming difficult. Even industrial pollution has made crops more vulnerable to damage than ever before.
But there is hope! Thanks to indoor cultivation facilities with controlled environments like aeroponic systems where quality plant growth can still occur despite these challenges.
Plants You can grow using an aeroponic system
Aeroponics is a brilliant system of gardening because it can be used to grow just about any plant, but if you want the best results, go for:
- Marijuana
- Leafy greens
- Strawberries
- Culinary herbs
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
The Bottomline
So, if you are looking for an efficient and reliable way to garden, an aeroponic system is a great option. They are easy to use and can be adapted to fit any space. And, with the right setup, they can be used all year long. Finally, get an aeroponic system today if you are ready to grow your food or herbs.
