Testing the Aerolife True HPA AA (Air Atomized) System -First run

Trichy Bastard

Trichy Bastard

Well-Known Member
oldaaer said:
Lots of rehashing of several year old information, but nothing new.
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Atomizer said:
I cant make the link from that to Testing the Aerolife AA System, did you get the right thread? ;)
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Yes, as Atomizer mentions- the purpose of this thread is only a documentation of my experiences with this commercial system (and apparently a few jokes here and there) :D

Thanks for making this the place for your first post oldaaer, although I'm not sure what sort of a response you were looking for?
 
Trichy Bastard

Trichy Bastard

Well-Known Member
Here is a pic of the roots from the plant I am trying to transfer from soil to the Aerolife. It's experiencing the root death I have seen before when switching. Hopefully some new aero roots will spring forth and the plant will survive:

IMG_0056.jpg


Here is the first new root trying to exit the netpot in the clone I propogated in the fog:
IMG_0058.jpg

I noticed the rockwool chunks seemed fairly wet, not sure if it's from the topwatering or the mist, so I dialed back the timings from 1sec per minute to .75 seconds per minute. The root itself, small as it is, does seem fuzzy so far :D

Feed is currently Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 and Protekt silica, .2 ec and ph 5.8 I since I use r.o. water I would have added mag-pro but I am out and so are the stores. Since the Canna has to be mail ordered I am saving it until I know the plants will survive.

My ph probe seems to be going bad as the readings move back and forth all over the place even while calibrating. I am soaking it in some of the 4.1 calibration solution to see if it might help. I think I will finally invest in the cleaning and storage solutions to prolong the life of the probe. I tend to calibrate it every time I use it, or at least once per week after noticing how much drift it's been having lately. I may be to blame as I've let the probe dry out twice now for extended periods. Apparently there is a film on the glass that is meant to stay hydrated and I may have ruined it with dessication.
 
D

dickkhead

Active Member
Trichy Bastard said:
Here is a pic of the roots from the plant I am trying to transfer from soil to the Aerolife. It's experiencing the root death I have seen before when switching. Hopefully some new aero roots will spring forth and the plant will survive:

View attachment 2165636


Here is the first new root trying to exit the netpot in the clone I propogated in the fog:
View attachment 2165637

I noticed the rockwool chunks seemed fairly wet, not sure if it's from the topwatering or the mist, so I dialed back the timings from 1sec per minute to .75 seconds per minute. The root itself, small as it is, does seem fuzzy so far :D

Feed is currently Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 and Protekt silica, .2 ec and ph 5.8 I since I use r.o. water I would have added mag-pro but I am out and so are the stores. Since the Canna has to be mail ordered I am saving it until I know the plants will survive.

My ph probe seems to be going bad as the readings move back and forth all over the place even while calibrating. I am soaking it in some of the 4.1 calibration solution to see if it might help. I think I will finally invest in the cleaning and storage solutions to prolong the life of the probe. I tend to calibrate it every time I use it, or at least once per week after noticing how much drift it's been having lately. I may be to blame as I've let the probe dry out twice now for extended periods. Apparently there is a film on the glass that is meant to stay hydrated and I may have ruined it with dessication.
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Looks like there on there way out of the net pot! My ph pen Also has bee acting weird I thInk I need a new one aswell!
 
A

Atomizer

Well-Known Member
The top one looks a bit ropey but with a bit of luck it might throw some new roots out the stem. The other one looks more of a winner, it just needs a day or two to get going.
My toms sulk if the ph is below 6 :)
 
Trichy Bastard

Trichy Bastard

Well-Known Member
Atomizer said:
The top one looks a bit ropey but with a bit of luck it might throw some new roots out the stem. The other one looks more of a winner, it just needs a day or two to get going.
My toms sulk if the ph is below 6 :)
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I agree, and oops I forgot these are tomatoes! dagnabbit lol... I (hope) my readings are correct, so far the rockwool probably balanced it out if it was slightly acidic.
 
G

gvortek

Member
Hey TB

your AA setup is looking good! Thank for testing this unit and letting us know how it goes. I will be following your progress! Good Luck!
 
A

Atomizer

Well-Known Member
A bottle of calibration fluid (buffer) will tell you if the ph meter is fubar, alternatively, take a sample of water to a local aquarium shop and ask them to test it. If it tallies with your meter you`re ok :)
If you think the mist is soaking the rockwool, wrap the pot with insulation tape for a while, it`ll stop any mist from getting in the sides. If the rockwool still gets soaked then you`re too heavy on the handwatering. I use a 10ml syringe so i know how much i`m giving them.
 
Trichy Bastard

Trichy Bastard

Well-Known Member
Atomizer said:
A bottle of calibration fluid (buffer) will tell you if the ph meter is fubar, alternatively, take a sample of water to a local aquarium shop and ask them to test it. If it tallies with your meter you`re ok :)
If you think the mist is soaking the rockwool, wrap the pot with insulation tape for a while, it`ll stop any mist from getting in the sides. If the rockwool still gets soaked then you`re too heavy on the handwatering. I use a 10ml syringe so i know how much i`m giving them.
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Yeah, I have the calibration fluids 4.01 and 7.01. I think I just needed to handwater less amounts, I have the last day or so (if at all) and looking better... Even easier in my case I can just flip the switch to the solenoid.
 
P

PROF XAVIER

Well-Known Member
Hey Trichy...got a ?....what is the mist size on that thing? Got me thinking....why not stick those cuttings/ plants in a neo collar instead of using the net cup and rockwool(?)...wouldn't that take advantage of the mist size and maximize the coverage around the root/stem?
 
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PROF XAVIER

Well-Known Member
Just seems the net cups restrict the mist......and the fine mist is what you would want for the plants to take off...just my 2 cents!
 
A

Atomizer

Well-Known Member
Netpots pose no barrier to AA mist, it gets everywhere. Using neoprene forces you to overmist in the early stages to prevent wilting.
Using a small amount of rockwool fixes the wilting so you`re free to use lower mist levels in the chamber which you need for root hair production.
 
Trichy Bastard

Trichy Bastard

Well-Known Member
Atomizer said:
Netpots pose no barrier to AA mist, it gets everywhere. Using neoprene forces you to overmist in the early stages to prevent wilting.
Using a small amount of rockwool fixes the wilting so you`re free to use lower mist levels in the chamber which you need for root hair production.
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Now it says under your name that your a stoner- so why should we listen to you? :D LOL!

Yes prof, A's advice is sound as usual, it was under his advice I started using the netpots with rockwool cubes. He urged me to do a side x side test, and I cut it short because I quickly realized the rockwool plant pulled far ahead of the neoprene puck plant with bare roots exposed (it was very finicky and sensitive without the buffer). In combination with the heat issues I was having it actually caused me to lose that plant eventually while the other stayed strong and managed the steamy environment to my amazement. You're only talking 3" of medium- once the roots are estalished enough you just quit handwatering the rockwool and it dries out as if nothing's there. I'm considering topping it with hydroton in the top 1/4 of the netpot but it's more for aesthetics than anything else and I'd probably wait until after I quit handwatering even to do that.

The trick with the rockwool cubes it to not overwater them, I am still having to learn that lesson.
 
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