polishpollack
Well-Known Member
The reason why aeroponics is a challenge (tends to kill plants easily), is because of the higher oxygen content that the roots are exposed to. When you bubble in DWC, you only put about 8% of added oxygen to the water. When you suspend roots in air, since air has about 20% oxygen content, roots are more exposed to oxygen than the bubble method. Since roots use oxygen in the nutrient uptake process the more roots are expose to oxygen, the more nutes will be taken up. For this reason, aero requires a lower ppm content than bubbling or potting soil. It also requires more observation of the ppm and pH levels to ensure a good range. When you run a lower ppm level, it can be easy for ppm to get too low and start starving the plants. The good news is that aero might provide quicker grows than dwc, however, since dwc is more forgiving and will grow plants considerably faster than soil, dwc might be the best option for most hobby growers. Bubbling in 5 gallon buckets, 6 inch net pot, pH and ppm metering, and fish tank air pumps for every bucket, is not a bad idea.