That’s all for today folks. Check out http://www.igrowhydro.com/grow-info.aspx for more growing information. Come back for tip #10 when we focus on Caring for HID Bulbs. Visit http://www.igrowhydro.com for the best selection on all your grow lights needs.

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The word “Aeroponic” is derived from the Greek meanings of  ‘aero’ (air) and ‘ponic’ (labor). Aeroponic growth refers to growth achieved in an air culture. For example, in tropical climates orchids develop and grow freely in trees. Laboratory research on air culture growing utilizing vapors began in the mid-1940s. Today aeroponics is used in agriculture around the world.

Aeroponics is an exciting improvement on hydroponics that has been shown to greatly increase yields. The growing environment is similar to a misty rain forest. In Hawaii, orchids are often seen growing freely in the trees due to the level of humidity in the air. Aeroponics strives to recreate this environment at the root zone.

In an aeroponic system the plant’s root zone is suspended into an environment where the roots protrude into an atomized nutrient solution; the leaves and crown, often called the “canopy”, extending above. The roots of the plant are separated by the plant support structure. The lowest stem and root system are sprayed or misted for short durations with a hydro-atomized pure water/nutrient solution. The sprayers break the nutrient into small particles and saturate the roots. The levels of oxygen in the water are kept high by the constant circulation of the water.

Aeroponic growing is considered to be safe and ecologically friendly for producing natural, healthy plants and crops. The main ecological advantages of aeroponics are the conservation of water and energy. When compared to hydroponics, aeroponics offers lower water and energy inputs per sq meter of growing area. Hydroponics, when used commercially, uses one-tenth of the water otherwise necessary to grow the crop, but this can be reduced to as little as 1/20.

Aeroponics is beyond the age we are in now, it is in the space age! Aeroponics’ techniques are being investigated by NASA.

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This high-tech device is a completely automated making it virtually impossible not to grow the herbs and vegetables. Seeds germinate in as little as 24 hours and flowers may begin to bloom in just a couple of weeks. Some herbs and greens can be ready for harvest in as little as a month. The lights turn on and off automatically throughout the day, nutrient delivery to the plant is also automatically adjusted, and if you’re running low on either the water or the nutrients, the pod alerts you to refill. Just pop in the seed pods, add water and nutrient tablets and press a program button.

TheAeroGarden lets you grow fresh, nutritious greens and vegetables year round no matter where you live. It allows you to enjoy fresh produce without the time or effort of traditional gardening. Such a system is also ideal for people who don’t have yards or don’t want the commitment of a huge backyard garden. Indoor gardening has just become simple! It seems that the future has just arrived.

The Original AeroGarden features:

• Includes the AeroGarden, 2 daylight spectrum bulbs, pre-seeded bio-dome grow pod, time release nutrients, and tending and harvesting guide with recipes.
• Self-monitoring system adjusts for best growing conditions.
• Automatic alerts notify when more water or nutrients are needed.

The AeroGarden Pro 100, with this beautiful AeroGarden, accented with brushed stainless steel, you get all of the features of the original AeroGarden indoor gardening system plus these great enhancements:

• Adaptive Intelligence, which automatically adjusts the amount of water and light your plants need at every stage of growth.
• “Super Grow” 24-hour light cycle. This lets you overide the built-in light timer so you can decided how much light to give your plants.
• Automatic bulb change indicator light that lets you know when it is time to replace your grow bulbs. With this feature you’ll be sure your plants are always getting the right intensity and full spectrum of light needed for optimal growth.

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An angry Mother Nature and increasing urbanization have led Columbia’s Dickson Despommier to urge agriculturalists to consider tilling high-rises.

Using grow lights and conveyor belts powered by renewable energy sources, Despommier and his students came up with an outline (www.verticalfarm.com ) in which approximately 100 kinds of fruits and vegetables would grow on upper floors with lower floors housing chickens and fish subsisting on the plant waste.

This may all sound like pie in the sky, but Despommier says his skyscraper farm has aroused the interest of scientists and investors around the world. And though the project is still in the blueprint phase, if it pans out, not only will large numbers of individuals be able to source their food locally, but ecosystems destroyed by years of exposure to toxic pesticides will also be restored.

Our farming technology includes hydroponics, which uses 70 percent less water than normal agriculture. We also use aeroponics, which uses 70 percent less water than hydroponics. Indoors, we can control everything including temperature and humidity as well as nutrition.

Proposed vertical farming designs presented in “The Living Landscape: Farming the Urban Skyline” by Blake Kurasek

The original article and interview are from http://www.miller-mccune.com by Arnie Cooper and can be found here.

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