Aeroponics is a form of hydroponic farming in which marijuana plants’ roots are suspended in the air within a chamber and sprayed with water. Aeroponics is frequently used to establish cannabis clones by providing them with a robust root system before being planted in soil or another growing media.
What is aeroponics?
Aeroponics is a fantastic method to get your cannabis clones off to a good start by beginning with a solid root system before transplanting them into the soil or another growing medium. The aeroponics technique entails suspending the tips of clones in a chamber and spraying them with nutrient-rich water, allowing them to obtain more oxygen and resulting in faster and more efficient root development.
Aeroponic systems are commonly referred to as “cloners,” and they may be purchased or constructed at home using a five-gallon bucket. Cloners are renowned for having a very high success rate when compared to the traditional method of root cubes, a tray, and a dome—clones placed in the cloner will root out and grow into healthy and robust marijuana plants.
How does aeroponics work?
A cloner is a watertight tank with these components:
- Water reservoir
- Water pump for the circulation of water
- Multiple nozzles are provided to spray the bottoms of clones.
- Foam collars to hold the clones
During the seeding process, foam collars are placed around the replicas and then positioned in the cloner’s top. Water cannot spray out of the cloner since to the collars, which provides a watertight seal.
Fertilizers and water are combined in the reservoir. Any unused clone openings should be covered with a lid to keep slots from appearing. The pump will spray the bottoms of the clones when it is turned on.
If the cloner doesn’t include a timer, you’ll need one to ensure that delicate clones don’t get saturated with water all day and that the environment within the cloner doesn’t get excessively hot from the pump being on nonstop.
In 5-14 days, roots should become established.
What’s the difference between aeroponics and hydroponics?
Aeroponics and hydroponics are two types of cannabis growing systems with one significant distinction: plant stems and roots are suspended in the air in aeroponics, but they are submerged directly in water in hydroponics. However, the principle of operation is the same for both systems: a reservoir and a pump to circulate water.
Aeroponics is mainly used for clone production. Once a robust root system develops, clones may be transplanted into a new medium to grow into whole plants. Alternatively, cannabis plants can live their entire life cycle in the hydroponic system, from seed to harvest.
Both systems are more technical and require more equipment than growing directly in the earth. Aeroponics, in particular, may be difficult to get used to because fresh-cut clones are delicate and need the grower to check on them frequently to keep them from dying.
