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High Pressure Aeroponics – Proper Plumbing

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Laying Proper Pipe Will Provide Success!

High Pressure Aeroponics needs reliable piping that can handle its needs OR you are risking disaster! If a system leaks it can create a massive mess, not work properly, and WORSE your plants will suffer or even DIE! This is why you must properly choose all the pipelines AND proper fittings. This should be done in the design phase of your DIY project. Also check out our post on Nutrient Solution’s Worse Enemy! LIGHT.  

Pipe / Tube

The pipe you select will have the purpose of transporting your nutrient solution throughout your system. It will start by up-taking it from the nutrient reservoir to transport it to the misting nozzles for your plant roots. 

Design Concerns

Most important thing to think about is design of your system. Like a car, the plumbing of your system needs to be selected based on your design. You can always “overbuild” the plumbing but that can quickly get costly and serve no purpose.

  • What pressure are you running your system at? Different pipe will be “rated” for different pressure ranges. I ALWAYS say it is best to be at least 30% or more UNDER the maximum pressure range of your piping. This is in case there are any weak spots or just like anything, the pipe can slightly weaken over time. 
  • Budget as money is KING! Everyone would love just to overbuild or make the “best” system possible. But blowing a budget on elements like piping you will never receive any benefit from is just a Waste of funds!
  • Ease of use and/or installation: Different types of piping we discuss below will have advantages and disadvantages. One of the big ones are ease of installation. A pipe that bends easily or has simple fittings can be a huge benefit of simplication. 

Types of Pipe For HPA

There are many different options, but you will see many of the “major” families of pipe. I go over the different major types below where they all have different advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes using multiple different types maybe the best solution for your hydroponic system. Many times systems will use one type of pipe for simplicity but sometimes other systems will be designed to use 2 or more types to take advantage of their strengths in different parts of the hydroponic system. Example of this commonly seen is Poly tubing for most of the hydroponic system with Stainless Steel being used for the mist nozzle manifolds inside the root chamber only.  

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel Pipe

Stainless steel is going to be your most expensive option. It has many advantages including cleanliness, strength for high pressure, and more. But it does have the disadvantages of being harder to work with due to being rigid and biggest being high cost. You will see it mainly used in commercial High Pressure Aeroponic systems especially as mist nozzle manifolds inside the root chambers. It is not popular for smaller residential systems. For most I would discourage its use mainly due to high cost.

Poly Types:

Black Food Grade Poly Tube

Different polymer “Poly” tubes are very popular in all hydroponic systems. They are easy to work with, lower cost, and come in many different varieties. Honestly this is my tubing of choose as it has very few disadvantages.

  • Ease of Use: This tubing is easy to cut and has a massive amounts of “push to connect” fittings to choose from. It also easy bends instead of being rigid, so it does not require nearly as many fittings as rigid types. Finally it can be cut with both special cutters for nice clean cuts or as simple as a box cutter. No need for special grinders, saws, or etc. 
  • Low Cost: This option is low cost comparative to stainless steel as it generally only costs couple cents per foot. 
  • Varieties: It comes in “endless” varieties as it is used in so many different applications from soda machines, engines, water systems, and so much more. You can easily find the needed dark color, different sizes, and pressure ratings to match your design.

 

PVC

Black PVC Pipe

Let’s just get this one out of the way. Even though you will see it used for Low Pressure Aeroponics and in some DIY projects. PVC pipe is a HORRIBLE idea and should NEVER be used. Let me say that again! DO NOT USE PVC piping for High Pressure Aeroponics. 

The reasons PVC is a “No Go” for High Pressure Aeroponics:

  • Many types do not hold high pressure and will burst. Only Schedule 40 or higher have decent pressure ratings. 
  • It has the disadvantage of being rigid which is more difficult for installation requiring more fittings.
  • Fittings generally are glued so unchangeable once installed. 

Copper Pipe

Copper Pipe

Copper pipe is many times the “pipe of choose” you will see plumbing many houses and/or buildings. It is rigid and holds pressure very well like Stainless Steel we talked about earlier. But let’s say it together! DO NOT USE COPPER PIPE IN A HYDROPONIC SYSTEM!!

WHY NOT??

  • Copper pipe is very expensive and why it is targeted by thieves in abandoned homes, construction sites, and etc. 
  • Copper pipe LEECHES heavy metals when it is regularly exposed to nutrient solution! This is NOT safe!!!
  • It will also degrade overtime in acidity of nutrient solution. This is a common known issue for copper pipe plumbing systems in buildings.
  • It is very difficult to install as it requires very expensive fittings and/or fittings that require “sweating” them in place. This is basically melting them in place for people that are do not know plumbing terms.

So Let me make it has clear as possible. DO NOT USE COPPER PIPE!!  

What to Avoid in General:

  •  Coloration: You should use black or dark colored tubing. White or clear tubing will allow light to reach your nutrient solution which creates issues. See our article on Nutrient Solution’s Worst Enemy: Light for more information.
  • Overspending: WATCH YOUR BUDGET as purchasing high-end tubing that holds 10X the pressure rating is a waste when other upgrades such as additional filters, better timers, and etc would provide an actual benefit to your system. 
  • Food Grade ONLY: Ensure ALL your tubing and plumbing is food grade. You do not want bad chemicals being picked up by your plants that may be passed to you on consumption. This includes heavy metals!

In Conclusion:

Yes! Lighting system or fancy nutrient dosing systems are important and always a “fun” subject to learn about. But you CANNOT forget the importance of the basic infrastructure of your hydroponic system. I always recommend everyone doing very good research on what they are using as a broken pipe, leeching heavy metals, and more issues can all be caused by a simple poor selection of piping. These issues with plumbing are very easy to avoid.

NEXT we will discuss FITTINGS which are the unions of all the plumbing. Fittings also are very important and definitely overlooked many times. They are part of the “backbone” of all hydroponic systems.  

Categories: HPA (High Pressure) Aeroponics

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General Types of Indoor Growing Environments

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Introduction:

Large Corn field at a farm

When many people think about farming and agriculture, massive corn fields are what come to mind here in USA. I am sure that is different depending on where in the world you are located but the same idea. HUGE OUTDOOR FIELDS is what comes to mind. 

But today we are talking about Many Different types of Indoor Growing Environments. Many people see Indoor Growing as a way of the future. But due to its higher entry cost, it is less common. This is changing as our world is changing which is causing more & more large scale “indoor growing” operations are popping up everywhere.  

Indoor Growing - In General

Indoor growing is the act of cultivating plants “inside” VS traditional “outdoor” agriculture where plants are cultivated outside. Indoor growing can have many different advantages basically due to your ability to “take control” almost all growing conditions known as Environmental Factors (Check Out Our Article). The more optimum growing conditions you provide? The better your crops will do growing faster, stronger, and most likely better yields. 

Large Commercial Greenhouse Complex

Pro's

  • Better control of growing conditions
  • Can control almost all conditions instead of just “some” with outdoor growing
  • Extend the growing season
  • Allow plants that can’t grow outdoors in certain climates to be grown. 
  • So much more!

Con's

  • Much higher cost per sqft of growing space.
  • More complicated than traditional outdoor growing where “mother nature” takes care of many environmental factors.

Greenhouses

Greenhouses are what most people think of when “Indoor Growing” is brought up. That is because traditionally they have been the center of indoor growing. They provide the benefits of better control of all the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, CO2 Levels, and so much more like all indoor growing methods. But many places / crops will not require Growing Lights in a Greenhouse unlike the other types of Indoor Growing Environments. This is clearly due to the Greenhouses are usually covered in a transparent material such as glass, plastic, plexiglass, and such. These materials allow natural sun through. 

Greenhouses come in many different forms and size factors from massive commercial greenhouse complexes to tiny “cold frames” that you can’t even walk in. They have many different structural designs from “hoop houses” to more traditional framed greenhouses. They can also range from very economical plain metal frames covered in plastic to very expensive / beautiful iron frames with glass. The types, designs, and purposes are almost endless with Greenhouses.   

Commercial Greenhouse Complex

Commercial Greenhouse Complex example

"Hoop House" Greenhouse

Commercial Hoop House Greenhouse

Residental Frame Greenhouse

Residential Greenhouse Example

Cold Frame Greenhouse

Cold Frame Greenhouse Example

Grow Rooms

Grow Rooms have grown in popularity over the last few decades. This is due to high level of control they provide AND most important security. Many crops raised in Grow Rooms are of very high value where the grower wants better security than a traditional greenhouse can offer. 

Like a greenhouse, Grow Rooms provide all the benefits of the control ability of all environmental factors. They are also many times more “sanitary” with less pest and disease problems compared to greenhouses. However, they are more costly to setup per SQFT compared to Greenhouses due to they require more ventilation, SQFT inside a building, LIGHT for the plants to grow. This light is provided by one or more types of grow lighting systems. Check out our many articles on Grow Lights such as Different Types of Grow Lights (Click Here)

Grow Room Example

Grow Tent

Mars Hydro 8' X 8' Grow Tent

Grow Tents are extremely popular growing solutions for the person looking to grow couple plants. They are very economical compared to a full blown Grow Room, easily movable to new location, and many other advantages. But they generally only come in up to 8′ X 8′ which is a limiting factor if you plan to continue expanding overtime. 

Quality Grow Tents will come with metal pole system as its “skeleton” support structure. AVOID PLASTIC! The material should be a heavy canvas for longevity with quality zippers / clips for openings. They come in many different sizes ranging from as small as 2′ X 2′ for a corner of a room to the larger 8′ X 8′ more suited as a movable “grow room.”

If you would like to learn more about Grow Tents, check out our other articles such as Overview of Grow Tents (Click Here)

Hydro-Unlimited actually sells an amazingly quality line of Grow Tents from Mars Hydro. Check them out by Clicking Here!

Hydroponic Grow Tent Example

Grow Box

Supercloset Trinity Grow Box

Grow Boxes or Grow Cabinets are generally the smallest of the growing units. They generally are used in place of a Grow Tent when the grow is only few plants which require top level security. They range from the size of a desktop computer to very large storage cabinets.

Many people DIY build them or you can buy one from multiple builders such as SuperClosets. They can range in cost depending on options and size from $500 to $5000! 

To Close

In closing, “Indoor Growing” is very important means of agriculture. It has been greatly growing in use over last few decades. This started with the most valuable crops, but it now has become way more common in many more different crops. This has been greatly due to the rise in commercial hydroponics which is mainly done in Greenhouses. Indoor Growing has allowed for plants to be grow in different climates more successfully, provide food when late frosts destroyed traditional outdoor crop yields, and so much more. We have and will continue to write many articles on Indoor Growing so please explore our blog and subscribe for our regular new articles!

Categories: General Articles Greenhouses Indoor Growing

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Introduction Low Pressure Aeroponics

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What is Aeroponics VS Hydroponics>??

Let’s get some confusion out of the way. Aeroponics is a TYPE of Hydroponics! Hydroponics is growing method of growing plants in a water / air instead of traditional agriculture using a soil media.

Now there is TWO Subtypes of Aeroponics! Their main difference is the idea of high volume of nutrient solution at low pressure VS low volume of nutrient solution at high pressure. This is the Ideological difference between High Pressure VS Low Pressure Aeroponics.

The two systems types have many other types of differences but we discuss in other articles such as Low VS High Pressure Aeroponics (One of our most popular articles currently!) Today is about the Introduction of Low Pressure Aeroponics known widely as LPA. 

What is Low Pressure Aeroponics?

In general, Aeroponics is much different than other types of hydroponics. In other Hydroponic types, root systems are generally “in” hydroponic solution. While in Aeroponics, the roots are suspended in air and misted with nutrient solution on a regular basis. Low pressure aeroponics the roots are heavily misted and many times reach down into the nutrient solution reservoir. In LPA, pumps are selected more for higher water volume than pressure. The mist is course and larger in size.  

Basic LPA System Design

Low Pressure Aeroponic System Diagram

Root Chamber

Vertical Aeroponic towers greenhouse

Shape / Size:

The root chambers come in many different shapes & sizes. Most chambers are setup completely dependent on type of crop being grown. They can range from upright / horizontal pipes for small leafy greens OR very deep for large crops such as tomatoes. 

Aeroponic Net Pot Layout

Plant Net Basket Layout:

Net baskets are mostly used with hydroton media. They are generally layout based on the type / size of crop being grown. MORE spacing is of course is needed for larger plants.  

Nutrient Reservoir (Combined):

Sometimes the Root Chamber & Nutrient Reservoir are combined together. This is especially true for smaller home systems. So when they are combined the systems can be almost be both DWC & LPA as the roots will hang down into the solution. If they are not combined than the extra nutrient solution not uptaken by the roots will drain back to the reservoir for re-circulation.

Nutrient Reservoir

Nutrient Reservoir Examples

The reservoir is simply a storage area for already mixed nutrient solution between spraying cycles for Aeroponics. The reservoir like said above can be a separate part of the system many times. This is always true for larger systems but depends on design for small ones.  Larger nutrient reservoirs can add capacity between maintenance but require monitoring of pH and ppM levels. 

Pump (Nutrient solution)

Low Pressure Aeroponic Pump Example

Pump(s) are required to create pressure to spray the plants’ root systems. In Low Pressure Aeroponics, pumps are selected for high volume rather than high pressure. Size needs to be based on design of the system including overall size, number of nozzles, and more. For smaller home based systems, Pond Pumps are popular.  

Nozzles

Low Pressure Aeroponics Mist Spray

Nozzles need to create a good spray pattern to well coat the root systems. In Low Pressure Aeroponics, they are selected for pattern and higher volume. The nozzles will operate at low pressures such as 10-30PSI. 

Categories: LPA (Low Pressure) Aeroponics

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Blog Update: YouTube Channel Creation

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NEW Launch!

We are happy to announce have opened a YouTube Channel to Vlog. Hydro-Unlimited.Com Youtube Channel (Click here) We hope to offer our blogs with videos for better content but also post summaries for people that are more “visual” learners. You shall be seeing many “updates” to existing blog posts to include videos. But also videos being used from now on for many new blog posts!

CLICK HERE for New Hydro-Unlimited.Com Youtube Channel

Give our new channel “subscription” to keep up to date with new video releases! We hope it will be another AMAZING way for us to bring quality Hydroponic information to all our followers!

Categories: Hydro-Unlimited Company Announcements

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Business Update: 2022 Here We Come!

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Wow 2021 is Almost Over!?!

It has been an amazing and weird year for everyone here at Hydro-Unlimited. This year we followed thru with the re-opening of our website both for the Blog and Online Store. This reopening alone was crazy enough! But we had many other events that have made the year one to remember! 

Huge Successes!

  • Reopening of Hydro-Unlimited.Com Store & Blog: We hope that one day to rebuild the massive knowledge base Hydro-Unlimited provided the world for many years back in the early 2000s. Along with the great store many people trusted for good advise, pricing, and service! 
  • Partnership with Mars Hydro: We signed as an official distributor for Mars Hydro, so we can offer our clients their amazing quality Grow Lights, Grow Tents, and much more!
  • Re-Branding of our Business: Any business owner knows how important but difficult this can be. It has been a massive success for our business!
  • High Pressure Aeroponic System Development: We took leaps and bounds on the development of our own high pressure aeroponic system. We are developing “turn key solutions” AND NOW ALSO DIY solutions! We wish to offer the right solution to as many of our clients as possible! 

Difficulties & Challenges from 2021:

  • Covid-19! Can I say this one enough? Our world as we knew it was turned upside down by a virus which brought our modern world to its knees. This has created so many issues from many tragedies across the world, limited supplies, supply chain issues, and so much more! Through it all, we “rolled with the punches,” so we could re-open and serve our customers the best we could. We did this by increasing stock of popular items when available, changing business strategies to deal with the many issues, and so much more! We are proud to say we think we fared it successfully as possible.  
  • Re-Starting our Online Presence: This was huge even though we had done it very successfully before. Many things had changed over the years but extensive planning and long hours made it happen. YES it has been a GREAT SUCCESS!
  • FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! Our office actually burned down in the middle of the year due to an freak electrical fire in the building! Most everything was a total lose, but great business practices of off-site backups allowed us to continue on with minimal setbacks. 

In Conclusion

2021 is a year that will always be remembered. We re-opened our website but also the whole world faced massive “way of life” changes. Our business has made “leaps and bounds” in the right direction, so we cannot be more thankful! Hydro-Unlimited wishes to thank all our NEW and Loyal Existing Customers for helping make it all happen! We have many exciting things in store for 2022 so stay tuned!  

Categories: Hydro-Unlimited Company Announcements

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Nutrient Solution’s Worst Enemy – Light

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Introduction:

It seems crazy to say Light could be a bad thing for growing plants and Nutrient Solution’s Worse Enemy! As Light is extremely important to the whole growing process for plants. It provides the energy for plants to Photosynthesize which creates all the plant’s food simply. But just like it needs to be concentrated for the best growth effects, it needs to be completely KEPT AWAY FROM NUTRIENT SOLUTION!! If you do not listen to this warning, you are risking problems all the way to lose of your whole crop!

Importance of Light

The importance of light in the growth of all plants can’t be understated. It is absolutely vital and irreplaceable part of every plant’s food creation process. In most growing articles, light holds a very important place as a vital factor in success. It is so important that many grower invest large percentages of their equipment budgets into Lighting Systems to supplement or provide their plants all the light they need. Grow Lighting is easily multi-billion dollar industry!

Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism’s activities.

Photosynthesis Process Picture
Photosynthesis Process simply shown

What is the Big Deal if Light Does So Much Good?

When nutrient solution is exposed to light for long periods of time, it can have very bad effects for the Hydroponic grow. The highly rich solution can start to have algae growth when exposed to light. When exposure is limited, the algae does not have all the “factors” it needs to successful grow like your intended crops. So light exposure needs to be limited!

What is algae?

Algae picture in hydroponic system

Algae is a simple, nonflowering, and typically aquatic plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue.

What Problems Can Algae Cause?

Algae causes many different issues in a hydroponic system which will range depending on type of system, how bad the algae bloom is, and more! Here are a few of the major issues below:

  • Messes with your Nutrient level ppm: Algae has its own nutrient needs. It will use the nutrients out of the nutrient solution which you intended for your plants. 
  • Affect your pH levels: Algae just like your plants will affect your pH levels making them fluxulate faster than normal. Out of range pH levels can really negatively affect your yield as your crops won’t uptake nutrients efficiently. 
  • Clogging Hydroponic nozzles, pumps, and plumbing: Algae can easily be sucked from your nutrient reservoir into your hydroponic plumbing. It can clog filters, piping, and nozzles depending on the type of hydroponic system. This is huge issues in Aeroponics! 
  • Encourage disease growth: Algae creates unclean growing conditions which can easily encourage fungi such as root rots. These diseases can QUICKLY destroy the whole hydroponic crop!

How to Prevent Algae:

Algae needs to be prevented at all costs as it can create way too many issues with your targeted crop! If you take away this one important environmental factor needed for growth, it will greatly slow and/or stop algae growth! That is the point of this article as the only one you can effectively take away is LIGHT.

Few Ways to Limit Light:

  • Use dark solid color nutrient reservoirs. NO CLEAR!! While clear makes it easy to see solution levels, it allows light to the nutrient solution encouraging algae growth. Dark colors do not allow light through or at least highly limit it.
  • Use dark solid color plumbing such as black pipe. No clear or white piping as it allows light to the nutrient solution. If you have to use white pipe, consider painting it a dark color. 
  • Use dark solid color root chambers. As above, consider painting any white chambers to attempt to exclude as much light as possible. 

Other Anti Algae Measures:

  • Cleanliness: This is your first line of defense! After ever crop rotation, a hydroponic system should be cleaned to kill off any startings of algae from previous grows. 
  • Aeration and/or Circulation: Aeration and general movement discourages algae growth along with other benefits to your hydroponic grow. 

In Conclusion

It is hard to believe light can be bad in a hydroponic grow, but that is why it is the #1 overlooked issues. Limiting light exposure to the nutrient solution is one the best way to control Algae growth. This needs to be considered from hydroponic system design all the way to its operation & on-going maintenance!

Check out all our many other articles such as about important environment factors OR about different types of hydroponic systems. 

Categories: General Articles Indoor Growing

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Low VS High Pressure Aeroponic Systems

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High Pressure Aeroponics

High Pressure Aeroponics (HPA) has the roots completely suspended in the air. A very fine mist (20-50 micros in size) many times 100PSI in the smaller system to 25PSI in commercial systems. Mist is only discharged in the root chamber for few seconds every few minutes. It is by far the most efficient, complicated, and effective form of hydroponics. But systems are by far more complicated than other types of hydroponics. They include high pressure pumps, electric valves, accumulator tanks, pressure valves, and much more.

High Pressure Aeroponic System Diagram
High Pressure Aeroponic System Diagram

Pro’s

  • Most efficient with extremely low water and nutrient use
  • Best plant growth speed and crop yields of any form of Hydroponics. 
  • Many systems can continue to run without power or backup power for periods of time

Con’s

  • Most costly system
  • Most complicated to setup and run
  • Pump failures can lead to crop failures within hours if not address quickly

Low Pressure Aeroponics (LPA)

In LPA (Low Pressure Aeroponics) the roots are suspended in air and/or partly in the nutrient solution. Then the root system is misted with a nutrient solution on a regular basis. Low Pressure Aeroponics the roots are heavily misted and many times reach down into the nutrient solution reservoir. In LPA, pumps are selected more for higher water volume than pressure. The mist is course and much larger in size than HPA. Some people call it “soakoponics” due to the roots stay dripping wet.  

Low Pressure Aeroponic System Diagram
Low Pressure Aeroponic System Diagram

Pro’s

  • Way more efficient than other types of hydroponics 
  • Still lower initial costs 
  • Way less complicated than High Pressure Aeroponics

Con’s

  • Pump failures can lead to crop failure if not monitored regularly.
  • Higher water usable than High Pressure Aeroponics

High VS Low Pressure Aeroponics

Initial Cost

Low Pressure Aeroponics wins with a much lower costs. This is due to the system being much less complicated. HPA requires many more different parts for it to operate properly.

Operating Cost

High Pressure Aeroponics wins with much lower operating costs.

  • HPA uses very little nutrient solutions so it saves on nutrient costs. It can use 90% less than some types of hydroponics.
  • HPA just uses a pump to pressurize few times per day when the pressure tank is properly sized. LPA requires the use of a high volume / low pressure pump for hours per day. This means much less energy is use by HPA.

Pump Type

Aquatec 8800 high pressure pump
Aquatec 8800 high pressure pump
  • High Pressure Aeropoincs uses low volume / high pressure pumps for pressurizing the system. This is how 20 – 50 micron droplets are created. Examples: Aquatec 8800 Series
  • Low Pressure Aeroponics uses high volume / low pressure pumps for misting the root systems. This is how the system keeps the roots well supplied with a nutrient solution that is usually re-circulated. Most commonly used pumps are pond type pumps. 
Ecoplus submersible pump
Ecoplus submersible pump

Mist Type

High Pressure Aeroponics Mist being sprayed
High Pressure Aeroponics Mist being sprayed
  • High Pressure Aeroponics has more of a “fog”  mist that is 20-50 microns in size. 
  • Low Pressure Aeroponics has more a spray of mist that is much larger droplet size. 
Low Pressure Aeroponics Mist Spray
Low Pressure Aeroponics Mist Spray

How Nutrient Solution is Managed

  • High Pressure Aeroponics uses very little nutrient solution as the mist is very low volume. Many people choose to go “Drain to Waste” where any extra is let to drain away not to be reused. To limit the waste, this requires tuning the system in very well so not much drips from the root system. This means that new nutrient solution is balanced and doesn’t need to be constantly monitored pH and ppM of nutrients. 
  • Low Pressure Aeroponics is usually always a re-circulating system of the nutrient solution since it uses high volume when spraying. The nutrient solution supply needs to be constantly monitored for ppM of nutrients and pH since it is being reused. 

Ease of Operation

This truly depends on on user’s idea of “ease.” They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Once High Pressure system is set up, I feel HPA is much easier to operate as nutrient solution doesn’t need monitoring except to re-fill it. LPA require constant monitoring and adjusting of the nutrient solution. 

Categories: General Articles HPA (High Pressure) Aeroponics LPA (Low Pressure) Aeroponics

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Importance of Airflow for Indoor Growing

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Introduction:

Airflow is one of the forgotten environmental factors of indoor growing. But is not any less important as you need to take advantage of the ability to control it and make optimum growing conditions. If you don’t, you can have decreased yields, disease problems, and other issues.  

Basic Reasoning:

In mother nature, airflow is naturally occurring caused by weather patterns thru wind and atmospheric conditions. Winds keep air moving and mixing which is important to a plant’s health. This keeps oxygen & CO2 levels mixed, humidity evenly distributed, and etc. This allows plants to get their natural needs to complete photosynthesis most efficiently.

Humidity

Humidity is the level of moisture trapped in the air. It is caused by plants transpiring, bodies of water, and much more. If it is too low, it will dry out plants encouraging them to transpire too much. If it is too high, it can encourage the development of plant diseases. 

CO2 Levels

CO2 is a basic need for plants to complete photosynthesis in their leaves to feed themselves. With stagnate air, levels of CO2 can fall not and lower CO2 uptake. Less food production means less vegetative growth and weaker crop yields for fruiting plants.   

Temperature Control

If the air is not constantly mixing, hot spots can form. You can see this when you add cold water to a hot bath. It creates cold spots till it mixes. This stress can cause issues with growth. Air movement mixing temperature variations quicker than stagnate air. 

Purely Movement

“Wind” encourages plants to strengthen their growth so they don’t break under their own wieght. Strong growth prepares fruiting plants to bare the weight of their fruit and/or flowers.  

Simulating Mother Nature

Controlling this environmental factor is actually pretty easy. For indoor growing, it is completed with different types of fans for different purposes. Depending on the size of your growing environment, sizing can sometimes take some trial and error. 

Intake Fans

Intake fans pull in air to the growing space from outside. They are usually in-line fans type. This brings in fresh air from the outside and important for bringing in CO2 created by the outside world. Also, they are vital for bringing in cooler air. 

Exhaust Fans

Mars Hydro 2'X2' Grow Tent Kit

Exhaust fans are normally inline-type fans similar to intake fans. These fans exhaust out hot air, excess O2, and excess humidity. Many times people will also have carbon filters so the air does not smell especially if the outside is a living space.

These fans are just as important or more important than Intake fans for the tasks they do. Smaller grow environments can actually have only exhaust fans. The actions of sucking the air out of the grow space will create “negative air pressure.” This will cause air from the outside to be pulled in without an intake fan. 

Internal Circulation Fans

oscillating fan for grow room

Circulation fans are what you normally think of as an “osculating cage fan” for staying cool. They are very important for mixing the air in larger grow environments such as grow rooms and greenhouses. They also simulate wind to encourage stronger plant growth.

Conclusion

Airflow is a very important often overlooked environmental factor. You can start through trial and error OR many professional growers will run calculations on “air volume” in the grow space to size fan systems. Its control is very inexpensive compared to its importance for increasing yields and plant health. Check out our General Environmental Factors Post! (Click here)

Categories: Indoor Growing

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Mars Hydro Discounted Bulk Purchases

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Everyone likes to save money!

Many companies like to add to their profit margins when people buy in bulk. Here at Hydro Unlimited, we love our customers! If you are looking to buy 4 or more of a single product from our Mars Hydro line of products, please contact us! We will send you an invoice within 24 hours for DISCOUNTED BULK PRICING! 

Mars Hydro Product Line

Categories: Hydro-Unlimited Company Announcements

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Our New Partnership with Mars Hydro

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We are proud to announce our new Partnership with Mars Hydro!

You will be seeing many new products populating our online store ranging from high-quality LED Grow Lights, Grow Tents, and Full Grow Tent Kits. We have made an agreement with Mars Hydro to become an official distributor of their full product line. 

This decision was made after years of experience with their company. They make everything from LED Grow Lights for the person starting out with their affordable TS Series of Lights to Commercial LED Grow Lights with their FC Series of Lights. They make high-quality products at affordable pricing. You can not ask for a better business model to partner with. 

They also have developed and offer high-quality Grow Tents. These grow tents have all the options you look for in one including metal structure, heavy canvas material, and etc. They are an amazing option for someone looking for a Grow Tent to avoid the need for a full grow room or greenhouse.

Mars Hydro has also created Grow Kit offerings of their Grow Tents paired with everything you need to start growing except the plants themselves. This includes the tent, suggested light, carbon filter, fan, and much more!

We could not be happier with this new development for Hydro-Unlimited.Com. Check out our Online Store to see everything this partnership allows our company to bring to our customer base!

Categories: Hydro-Unlimited Company Announcements

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