Aeroponics #8 - visual aid / examples

This post is for those of you who may not
completely understand what an Aeroponics
system looks like. After all, a picture is worth
a thousand words. So this is for all you visual
learners out there like me.

Horizontal Aeroponics stacked for efficient use of space

Vertical wall style Aeroponics system (can be lined up along side each other for efficient use of space)

 

Vertical Column style Aeroponics System

 

Small portable Aeroponics unit



 

 

 

 

 

All images seen in this post can also be found using google image search

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aeroponics #7 - a rant about why you should care

Why?

 

In many places around the world, there is

one consistent problem, over population.

To you personally, this may or may not

be an issue of concern at the moment, you

may think to yourself, why not have more

people? I like people, why shouldn't there

be more? Believe me, if the cities were to 

become more crowded than they already

are, you would start to tire of your neighbors

pretty quickly. Think of it as one large

family reunion, and lets just say your family

doesn't get along very well.

 

Anyway, that is a slight tangent from the real

problem. over population is a consistent problem

in many places around the world. why? why can't

we have more people? Well the answer to that is

very simple, carrying capasity. To those out there

not familiar with what this is, allow me to illuminate

you. It is the maximum population of an organism

that an ecosystem can support. Every organism has

a carrying capasity in it own respective ecosystem,

and now due to our global statis as a speacies, our

ecosystem is now the world. Now the question is;

What is our carrying capasity? And what does that

mean? because there is one.we just haven't pushed

the earth far enough to find what it is.

 

The carrying capasity of human beings is very large.

I will admit that. But there will come a time when we

reach that point. In other words, there will come a time

when the number of humans on earth will become to

much and earth will not be able to support it any longer.

let's see how your family reunion is going now that your

city has over 20 million people in it. ( as a little bit of 

perspective, new york currently contains about 8.5

million people, see how busy it already is? )

How Aeroponics fits into this situation is as a means of

greater food production. Because all these things lead to

the fact that either we discover how to support the growing

population by growing more food ( because that is the

primary limiting factor ), or we decrease the amount of

people in the world. And we all know that that is not going

to happen, becuase nobody likes restrictions, and who would

want to be told wheather or not they could have a kid?

 

Since the amount of people is not likely to decrease any

time soon, we need to figure out how to support the

growing population. And the answer to that very

well can be Aeroponics. Very simply, the faster growth

rate, larger harvests, efficient use of water and nutrients,

and the ability to keep a larger amount of concentration

of plants in a smaller area of square feet, it could very

well be the answer to the problem.

 

If you have read this

far, I thank you. Many people do not wish to listen to a

persons rant, let alone read one. But on the off chance

that you like this, or find that it is educational, than I

am glad that I was able to supply this information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Aeroponics #6 - some average statistics and advantages

Aeroponics basic advantages

1. fast growth
2. larger, and greater number of harvests when dealing with fruit bearing plants, or vegetables. ( some tomato varieties have been knows to have more that twice the normal amount of harvests )
3. less water and nutrient costs ( because 90% less water, 60% less nutrients are needed to grow)
4. more environmental control ( due to small size system, can be placed anywhere to control temperature, and available sunlight. water, nutrient, and air consumption can also be controled by changing how much is added/allowed in to the unit )
5. more unit mobility ( unit can be transported to alternate location with ease as it is very small)
6. plant has higher chance of adapting to soil when transplanted

Water usage levels

 

60% less water usage with an aeroponics system

 

Nutrient usage

 

 

90% less nutrient usage with aeroponics sytem

Aeroponics #5 - Large scale / Commercial use

Aeroponics – Commercial Use

            Companies that produce crops on a commercial scale feed billions of people a year, and soon they may feed more. The Aeroponics system has the capability to produce this food. However, on such a large scale as this Aeroponics is not cost effective. The amount of money that would be required to start an endeavourer such as this would be tremendous. The profits in the long run as well may not be high enough to make it worthwhile for the companies that would convert to this style of growing. The rapid production of food may not be beneficial to an economy either. With a large amount of food, and not enough people to buy it, the demand would plummet, and prices would fall into a large pit, one that we would not be likely to see the bottom of. Aeroponics is a system that is best kept at a small scale, about the scale of an Urban Farmer who may be only be farming to better support his family, not an entire nation.

Aeroponics #4 - medicinal purposes

Aeroponics – Pharmaceuticals

            It is a known fact that many useful medicines are derived from plants. The compounds needed to synthesize these medicines are harvested from plants from many parts of the world. The disadvantage to these plants is that many of them need a specific climate to survive. Normally these circumstances cannot be recreated. However; the Aeroponic system allows for a greater control of the environment around a plant that is being grown, which would make it possible to grow these plants in the United States, rather than harvest them from rainforests, which would also make this system an ideal candidate for any company that wishes to “go green.” Another factor that would make the Aeroponics system ideal is the rapid growth of the plants growing in a unit. We all know that Pharmaceutical companies are all about making money, even though they make products that help us, their main goal is to make money. The rapid growth of these special plants would make the use of their time more efficient, and profitable. There would be an expensive initial start up cost because they  would have to acquire the equipment needed, but soon after their profit would consume the original starting cost.

Aeroponics #3 - Small scale / The Urban Farmer

Aeroponics – The Urban Farmer

            If an Urban Farmer were to choose Aeroponics as their growing method, they could possibly benefit for many reasons. To start, most plants that would be grown by an Urban Farmer are vegetables, herbs, spices, and possibly small fruits. All of these plants can be grown effectively in an Aeroponics unit. With the increased rate of growth that the unit can offer, the Urban Farmer may be capable of producing twice the amount during the growing season that he may normally. For example, some tomato plants have been known to produce four to five harvests rather than the normal one to two harvests per season. This can obviously be of benefit to the Urban Farmer, as he/she will want to maximize their time, and produce as much possible food as they can. The second largest advantage of an Aeroponics system for the Urban Farmer would be space. Aeroponics units can vary in size, ranging anywhere from larger than the floor space of your apartment, to smaller than loaf of bread. And even better, if you did not have enough square feet to support this system across their floor, many units can be made to stand vertically, and stand close together to maximize the use of your space.

Aeroponics #2 - Pro's and Con's

Aeroponics #2 – Pro’s and Con’s

            The benefits of using Aeroponics are immense, but nothing can exist without a Design Flaw, or in other words a drawback or flaw. In this case, due to years of experimentation and research, there are few flaws in aeroponics however; they do exist.

 

            Pro’s – To start, the purpose of aeroponics is to speed the rate of growth in plants from adolescence to maturity, and to allow scientists the ability to study a plant while it grows, but at a faster rate than normal. Aeroponics accomplishes this. Due to the increased access to oxygen, nutrients, and sunlight (depending on exposure allowed to the plant) plants achieve the higher rate of growth strived for by scientists, and urban farmers. Cost of propagation may also be lower, as long as the given Aeroponics system is calibrated properly.  Without the need for a growing medium one may not only save money, but save space as well. Many Aeroponic farmers hold their plants in vertically standing walls that are thin, and very close to each other, making it possible to have higher yields due simply to more efficient maximization of space.

 

            Con’s – Alas, no system is perfect. A few of the down sides to Aeroponics can also be cost, size, and the plants rapid growth. The cost may decrease originally due to the lack of need for a growing medium, and less water consumption however; now that you do not have a growing medium, you must either purchase fertilizer to make your nutrient rich solution, or find a way to make your own organic fertilizer that soot’s the job. When it comes to size, this may or may not be necessarily a problem. If growing vegetables for example, your plants will never reach a size of concern. However; if you were to grow a plant that has the potential to one day be a very large tree, this may not be the course of action for you, as eventually the plant will become too large for your Aeroponics unit. As for the rapid growth of the plant, this is a good thing and a bad thing because, like I said if the plant has large potential, in the Aeroponics system it will reach a point where it will become too large for the unit much quicker. Do not be completely discouraged by this however; as plants that are started in an Aeroponics system have a larger chance for success if one were to transplant them into the soil after they have become too large for the unit.

Aeroponics - an introduction

Aeroponic Propagation

Aeroponic propagation, what is it? Aeroponic is the term used to describe the growth of plants with roots suspended in air rather than in a growing medium such as soil. How does it work? Well to understand that, first you must understand how it is that plants absorb nutrients. You see, Soil is not actually essential to plant growth. Soil is simply the container for the nutrients that a plant may need. The way a plant absorbs those nutrients is by taking in those that have been dissolved in water. That is why normally a plant would need both soil and water, because adding water to soil dissolves the nutrients that are contained in the soil which allows the plants roots to take them in.

Now that you understand how a plant absorbs nutrients you will be able to understand how aeroponics works. Aeroponics has the same elements that a plant would need, water and nutrients, which allow the plant to grow just the same as they would normally in the ground. By suspending the plant and its root in the air and misting the roots with nutrient rich solution regularly we give the plant all the things that it needs, water and nutrients. Now the question, “why not just grow the plant in soil if both methods of propagation supply the plant with what it needs?”  That is an understandable question, and the answer is that there is one other thing that a plant needs to survive, and that is air. Plants, just like you and me, need air to survive. Plants breathe just the same, except not through a mouth using lungs, they breathe through their roots, which is why it is important in farming to aerate a growing medium before transplanting your plant. Aeroponics allow the plant to have full access to the oxygen in the air rather than the limited amount that it would normally receive while growing in the soil, increasing its normal growth rate.

 

This is a nice little animation about how aeroponics work.
Taken from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Aeroponics