MrIntricate
Well-Known Member
In response to the many Aerogarden threads on rollitup.org, I have decided to submit a comprehensive report on the pros and cons of this grow system as well as adjustments I recommend based on my growing experience with this device. I have completed two grows with this system with fantastic results.
Any additions to this thread from other experienced Aerogardners are appreciated.
Pros of the System
1. Water Efficiency I have never worked with a system that did as much with one gallon of water as this one. The resevoir is a little less than a gallon and is easily able to sustain 3 healthy plants (we'll get to that later). Don't forget to top of the resevoir as needed with distilled water.
2. Ease of Use This system requires minmal cleaning throughout the growing process.
3. Size This unit is small enought to fit in almost any confined space. Measuring roughly 12 x 20 x 8 it is unbelievably space efficient for its' intended (or unintended ; ) purpose.
4. Resistance to Disease/Fungus The design of the aerogarden makes it very resistant to foreign agents. It is important, however, to keep the paper tops on the seeds pods. These not only protect your little friends from bacteria etc by not allowing excessive sunlight to hit the sponge surface of your growing medium, but they also prevent sunlight from piercing the through to the roots, thus damaging them. If you paper tops have fallen off, a handy replacement is to cut out a piece of duct tape the size of the pod top and cut a hole in the middle of it.
5. Extremely Small Overhead Cost Once the unit and seed pods have been purchased, there is hardly any overhead cost that directly involves this unit. The seeds pods can be reused by replacing the sponge medium with pieces of regular household sponge. Simply cut out a piece of sponge that fits comfortably (not too tight) inside the plastic pod and pierce a 1 cm hole down the center. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean the entire unit after each use, especially the water pump and the sponge filter in front of it. I also recommend, though this is not necessary, cutting out the bottom ring of each seeds pod. This allows the main root to be larger thus increasing absorption and growth. I accomplished this by melting it off using a hot needle.
6. Moveability of the Pods Throughout the growing process, it is possible, though not necessary, to rotate each seeds pod in the pod hole to allow for an even distribution of light. I recommend rotating each pod 90 degrees each week, but do not go past 180 in any direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) to avoid damaging the root cluster.
Cons of the System
1. Lighting The light that comes with the Aerogarden is basically crap. It will provide adequate light for about the first week or two, at which time you will find your babies stretching for light which dramatically decreases your yield. My advice; Purchase a proper grow light and use the Aerogarden light as a side-light. The money you spend on a Metal Halide or HPS will pay for itsself and more on your first grow.
2 Spacing of the Pods The Aerogarden is a seven pod unit, but this is meaningless. The pods are far too close to one another to allow each plant to reach full potential. In my experience, three plants will do well, but more than that and there is too much competition for light, even with side-lighting. The three pods that should be used are, if you looking down on the pod board, the top left, the top right, and the center bottom. There are several methods for assuring that you have 3 healthy plants growing at once;
A. Grow 7 plants from seed and pray that you get at least 3 ladies.
B. Get clones. This may not be an option for the beginner, but it is the best guarantee for success.
C. Purchase feminized seeds. They are more expensive, but are ideal for the beginning grower.
3 All Plants Share a Common Resevoir This becomes complicated when you are sexing your seven plants. By the time you are doing this (around week 5) the roots clusters have become so tangled that some root cutting will be necessary. It's a bit tricky, but manageable. I tried using the method that KoolKat recommended with fantastic results. Lift the pod tray out of the resevoir and seperate the root clusters manually as much as possible (someone will need to hold the tray while you do this). Then carefully cut loose the rest of the clusters (don't worry, the plants can take it). Lift out the male plants and discard them (save the pods though!). The remaining females should be lifted out of their pods and be soaked in nutrient-free distilled water for about ten minutes to free up any pieces of root that are from the other plants. While soaking, gently massaging the root cluser will help loosen up these little pieces. Replace the plants into their new homes (top left, top right, bottom center) by wrapping the root cluster in some Saran wrap to guide it through the small pod hole. KoolKat (and his girlfriend
) uses a plastic bag. Either way. Obviously, you should remove the Saran wrap or plastic bag once the roots are through. It is very important to thoroughly clean the sponge filter in front of the water pump once a week from this point on, because little pieces of root wil fall into your resevoir and can easily clog your pump. Treat this little sponge like a baby. It is the X factor in the system.
The small resevoir also means that the PH and PPM will fluctuate often and drastically. You reeeeally need to watch your PH like a hawk. Check it at least once a day, if not more. Keeping your PH between 5.6 and 6.2 will deliver great results, though other threads may recommend other parameters. This system does not work well without constant PH adjusting.
I also recommend changing out your resevoir once a week as opposed to the often recommended once every other week. Waiting longer then a week creates a PPM and PH nightmare. The longer the same water says in, the more dfficult it becomes the regulate.
I am now on my third grow with this thing. My last grow yielded about 450 grams. It's a wonderful little machine, and I must admit, I've grown quite attached to it.
Make sure to clean the hell out of it after each grow. A good set of nutes to use is the Fox Farms line. Just cut the dosages for the first two weeks in half and change the water out once a week instead of once every other week.
I hope this helps all of you Aerogardners. Good luck, and may your harvests be bountiful!!
Any additions to this thread from other experienced Aerogardners are appreciated.
Pros of the System
1. Water Efficiency I have never worked with a system that did as much with one gallon of water as this one. The resevoir is a little less than a gallon and is easily able to sustain 3 healthy plants (we'll get to that later). Don't forget to top of the resevoir as needed with distilled water.
2. Ease of Use This system requires minmal cleaning throughout the growing process.
3. Size This unit is small enought to fit in almost any confined space. Measuring roughly 12 x 20 x 8 it is unbelievably space efficient for its' intended (or unintended ; ) purpose.
4. Resistance to Disease/Fungus The design of the aerogarden makes it very resistant to foreign agents. It is important, however, to keep the paper tops on the seeds pods. These not only protect your little friends from bacteria etc by not allowing excessive sunlight to hit the sponge surface of your growing medium, but they also prevent sunlight from piercing the through to the roots, thus damaging them. If you paper tops have fallen off, a handy replacement is to cut out a piece of duct tape the size of the pod top and cut a hole in the middle of it.
5. Extremely Small Overhead Cost Once the unit and seed pods have been purchased, there is hardly any overhead cost that directly involves this unit. The seeds pods can be reused by replacing the sponge medium with pieces of regular household sponge. Simply cut out a piece of sponge that fits comfortably (not too tight) inside the plastic pod and pierce a 1 cm hole down the center. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean the entire unit after each use, especially the water pump and the sponge filter in front of it. I also recommend, though this is not necessary, cutting out the bottom ring of each seeds pod. This allows the main root to be larger thus increasing absorption and growth. I accomplished this by melting it off using a hot needle.
6. Moveability of the Pods Throughout the growing process, it is possible, though not necessary, to rotate each seeds pod in the pod hole to allow for an even distribution of light. I recommend rotating each pod 90 degrees each week, but do not go past 180 in any direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) to avoid damaging the root cluster.
Cons of the System
1. Lighting The light that comes with the Aerogarden is basically crap. It will provide adequate light for about the first week or two, at which time you will find your babies stretching for light which dramatically decreases your yield. My advice; Purchase a proper grow light and use the Aerogarden light as a side-light. The money you spend on a Metal Halide or HPS will pay for itsself and more on your first grow.
2 Spacing of the Pods The Aerogarden is a seven pod unit, but this is meaningless. The pods are far too close to one another to allow each plant to reach full potential. In my experience, three plants will do well, but more than that and there is too much competition for light, even with side-lighting. The three pods that should be used are, if you looking down on the pod board, the top left, the top right, and the center bottom. There are several methods for assuring that you have 3 healthy plants growing at once;
A. Grow 7 plants from seed and pray that you get at least 3 ladies.
B. Get clones. This may not be an option for the beginner, but it is the best guarantee for success.
C. Purchase feminized seeds. They are more expensive, but are ideal for the beginning grower.
3 All Plants Share a Common Resevoir This becomes complicated when you are sexing your seven plants. By the time you are doing this (around week 5) the roots clusters have become so tangled that some root cutting will be necessary. It's a bit tricky, but manageable. I tried using the method that KoolKat recommended with fantastic results. Lift the pod tray out of the resevoir and seperate the root clusters manually as much as possible (someone will need to hold the tray while you do this). Then carefully cut loose the rest of the clusters (don't worry, the plants can take it). Lift out the male plants and discard them (save the pods though!). The remaining females should be lifted out of their pods and be soaked in nutrient-free distilled water for about ten minutes to free up any pieces of root that are from the other plants. While soaking, gently massaging the root cluser will help loosen up these little pieces. Replace the plants into their new homes (top left, top right, bottom center) by wrapping the root cluster in some Saran wrap to guide it through the small pod hole. KoolKat (and his girlfriend
) uses a plastic bag. Either way. Obviously, you should remove the Saran wrap or plastic bag once the roots are through. It is very important to thoroughly clean the sponge filter in front of the water pump once a week from this point on, because little pieces of root wil fall into your resevoir and can easily clog your pump. Treat this little sponge like a baby. It is the X factor in the system. The small resevoir also means that the PH and PPM will fluctuate often and drastically. You reeeeally need to watch your PH like a hawk. Check it at least once a day, if not more. Keeping your PH between 5.6 and 6.2 will deliver great results, though other threads may recommend other parameters. This system does not work well without constant PH adjusting.
I also recommend changing out your resevoir once a week as opposed to the often recommended once every other week. Waiting longer then a week creates a PPM and PH nightmare. The longer the same water says in, the more dfficult it becomes the regulate.
I am now on my third grow with this thing. My last grow yielded about 450 grams. It's a wonderful little machine, and I must admit, I've grown quite attached to it.
Make sure to clean the hell out of it after each grow. A good set of nutes to use is the Fox Farms line. Just cut the dosages for the first two weeks in half and change the water out once a week instead of once every other week.
I hope this helps all of you Aerogardners. Good luck, and may your harvests be bountiful!!
