5 Common Mistakes When Growing In Aeroponics
- 1. Not monitoring closely
- 2. Not enough light
- 3. Not fixing water leaks
- 4. Not cleaning properly
- 5. Not adjusting ph level
- 6. Plan ahead
- 7. Underestimating costs
- 8. In conclusion
Aeroponics is a type of hydroponics. You can harvest top-shelf cannabis if done properly but it takes a bit of knowledge and experience to be done successfully. Even if aeroponics can bring a lot of benefits to our grow room, there are major disadvantages that can result in big problems if not taken care of quickly. Many of those problems are caused by the grower not paying enough attention due to the lack of experience and knowledge. Here are the 5 most common mistakes when growing cannabis seeds in aeroponics:
1. Not Monitoring Closely
Not monitoring your plants closely is the main problem in this kind of system. By monitoring not only the plants but also the setup itself you will guarantee to not have all the other problems below. Monitoring every single aspect of the aeroponic system itself (water, nutrients, reservoirs, pump, etc) and also plants (growth and condition of the plant itself) is the basics to be able to get to your harvest successfully.
Of course, many growers initially get into aquaponics because they want to invest less time in constantly tending to their crops. The majority of them have already experienced growing cannabis in soil, whether indoors or outdoors. Although it’s possible to automate this process, growers often find themselves patrolling their plants for pests and diseases, watering manually, and mulching and feeding multiple times per week. Aeroponic growers have an easier time completely automating their system using timers and sensors. However, this doesn’t mean you can get away with zero monitoring whatsoever. You should routinely check your pipes for leaks, your reservoir for the water level and pH, and also your leaves and buds for any signs of deficiency or pathogens.
2. Not Enough Light
Lighting is one of the most important investments in all types of growing setups and in aeroponics it is no different as light is the most important element in plant growth. Buying the right light fixture is the difference between a beautiful plant and an underperforming one. If you’re going to invest in a good aeroponic setup you cannot go cheap on the lights. If you buy the wrong kind of light or bad quality lights your plants will not develop properly.
The best way to avoid this is to research what kind of light your plants need and try to get informed about the different types of lights (like LEDs and light bulbs), their intensity, spectrum, and all there is to know before investing in an expensive light fixture.
Skimping out of the best light setup you can access will impact your crop in numerous ways. Early on in the growing cycle, seedlings need ample exposure to adequate light intensity in order to form properly. If you turn on your lights too late or position them too far away, your seedlings will desperately grow tall in search of photons. This leads to a phenomenon known as legginess that can lead to weak stems further down the line. Because plants depend on light to create energy, any lack can lead to stunted growth, poor development, and subpar yields.
3. Not Fixing Water Leaks
Water leaks can happen anywhere and anytime, they especially happen at joins between water tubes and reservoirs or pumps. This happens mainly when the amount of water your pump can handle is lower than what you need or if the reservoir can’t hold all the nutrient solution in the system. This will cause the solution or water to back up, causing the roots to clog up the tubes, and sometimes that can cause the pump to fail, causing a complete failure of the system in just a few minutes.
To prevent this, you have to properly calculate the amount of water your pump can handle and have a decent-sized reservoir for the number of plants you want to grow. Aeroponics is not for beginner growers and even more experienced growers can experience problems the first time dealing with this kind of system.
4. Not Cleaning Properly
As in every grow setup, not cleaning properly will cause bugs to appear and can cause diseases to your plants. In aeroponics that affects the health of your plants really quickly because the roots are directly exposed to the environment. Not only in aeroponics, but also in hydroponic systems you should always keep the reservoirs, tubing, and equipment clean. Failing to do these can attract bugs and it may cause algae to grow in the reservoirs, which will then be sprayed directly on the roots and can ultimately cause root rot.
To prevent this, most growers use a solution of 10% hydrogen peroxide and water (100ml hydrogen peroxide and 900ml of water) or branded cleaning products for this type of system. You will have to run the cleaning solution throughout the entire system and use it to clean the inside of the reservoirs, this along with the proper disposal of plant material (leaves, branches, roots) will guarantee a disease-free plant.
5. Not Adjusting Ph Level
The most important measurement for any growing setups is the pH level. Your plants thrive because of two factors: light and nutrients. The pH level is what allows the plant to absorb nutrients. If the solution has a higher or lower pH level (too acidic or too alkaline), your plants will have slower growth and start to show signs of deficiency or simply die.
You will need to measure the pH level every day and even multiple times a day. If the pH goes up or down out of the desired range, you have to fix it immediately or it will prevent your plant from absorbing nutrients. This is a super-serious problem in aeroponics because all the plants are fed the same solution. If the pH levels are off it will affect all plants at once and can completely ruin your harvest.
6. Plan Ahead
Especially if you’re a beginner, it’s highly recommended to keep things as simple as possible. Even though aeroponic systems can be set up in any location, you will have to design your system based on the space available so always plan ahead and try to adjust your system to your grow space, and design it as efficiently as possible.
For example, if you do not plan ahead and take everything into consideration, you may not have enough space to fit a draining reservoir, so you will have to empty the reservoirs with a bucket, which requires a lot of time and effort. So remember, plan ahead as failing to do this could result in you having to put in more time, effort, and work as it will make it harder for you to handle and move around the plants, harvest plants, and replace components, among others.
7. Underestimating costs
As you may know, aeroponic systems are automated so you need special equipment for them to work properly. Underestimating the costs can leave you without money and a properly working aeroponic system. So remember to calculate costs thoroughly before buying anything!
8. In Conclusion
Aeroponics (and also hydroponics) are in no way for beginners. This doesn’t mean you can’t try it yourself but there will be a lot of trial and error before you can manage to successfully harvest for the first time. Before starting experimenting with aeroponics, we recommend having quite a lot of knowledge in growing cannabis and never cheap out on the equipment. This can be the decisive factor between the desired harvest and an underwhelming one.
