If you plan to grow salad, herbs, vegetables, or plants at home for commercial purposes there are several options, the first of all using your garden, planting in the soil. However, there are several disadvantages to this, first you will be dealing with pests and weeds, and second you have a limited growing season. This is of course why people started to buy greenhouses, so they could extend the growing season and control the environment around their plants in terms of humidity, temperature and pests. However, for the home grower there are now many more options, options which were once only available to large scale commercial grows, one of these options being ProGrow Aeroponics.
What is the ProGrow Aeroponics Growing System?
Aeroponics in a process whereby you grow plants in an environment containing mist or humid air without using soil or some other aggregate as a growing medium. Water is used to provide the nutrients to the plants. Plants are contained in a closed environment where temperature, humidity, and light can be controlled, suspended and sprayed with from an atomized sprayer with a water solution that is nutrient rich. The liquid is directed at the roots and lower stem so that nutrients are quickly absorbed. A plant support structure, which can be the controlled environment keeps the roots spread and suspended within the ProGrow Aeroponics chamber.
This controlled environment is usually also backed up by a regular Hydroponics system in case of failure of the chambers.
How successful is ProGrow Aeroponics?
Because the environment is kept free from pests, disease and extreme weather conditions, and air and the nutrients are fed in a controlled manner to the root system of the plants, the cultivator has a lot more control over the success of plant growth and health. Plants grown in an Aeroponics environment are typically healthy and grow faster than the norm.
Benefits of ProGrow Aeroponics
The first major benefit of Aeroponics is that Oxygen can be fed in a controlled way to the root zone of the plant. This increased aeration, which is not possible when a plant is grown in a soil or aggregate keeps the roots healthy, and acts as a purifier. The rootzone gas composition can also be altered to produce better results for different plants. Obviously the inclusion of carbon dioxide in the air supply helps with growth as well.
A second major benefit of Aeroponics is that the system is so controlled that it is almost guaranteed to be pest-free and disease-free, mainly because there is no soil to harbour pests and disease. It is a highly controlled environment, specifically systems where air and water are filtered.
A third pro for Aeroponics is the control of nutrient uptake by the plants which is delivered directly to the root zone, aiding measured application of nutrients and moisture. This not only limits wastage and over-dosing but also means the nutrient mix can be altered to the advantage of the plants being grown.
