Using a Greenhouse with Aeroponics
by Connie Davis
(Robertsdale, Alabama)
I'm just starting to read and plan for my garden, but I was thinking of using a 10' x 22' greenhouse for my growing. I live in the southern part of Alabama, and we USUALLY have decent weather most of the year. Would aeroponics do well in a greenhouse, and what would the heat and air circulation and exhaust need to be?
Also, I was wondering if using 6" PVC for my system and using an outdoor misting system with a recirculating pump would work? I have a misting system I bought for using around a shed I have for summer heat, but thought it may work inside a six inch PVC pipe for the root system with holes drilled in the top for the plants.....or would I need a larger size pipe? Just thought I'd see what you thought. Thanks, Connie
Answer: Connie- I have built many hydroponic systems out of 4 inch PVC (for cost), but really WANTED to build them out of 6 inch PVC. In my mind, 6 inch PVC is the ideal size for this type of project. 6 inch PVC provides both more drainage and more room for the roots to grow.
The idea of using the sprinkler system inside the PVC pipe should work well....similar to the 1/2 inch line in this homemade aeroponic system (as long as you have good coverage at each plant site).
Usually, clones or seedlings are placed into small, net pots and filled into place with pre-soaked clay pellets. The small net pots fit into holes cut into the top of the PVC pipe (where they will be hit by the nutrient solution spray). I describe in much more detail the system I use for cutting the plant holes while making this system here.
Most plants benefit from some air circulation, and one 12 inch oscillating fan will provide adequate air circulation for each 8 foot x 4 foot section of the garden. Your exhaust should be run primarily to keep your temperature down, but also to keep the humidity down as well. In warm weather, the vents in your greenhouse should be kept open as a primary way to help lower the heat.
A large exhaust fan should be set to kick on whenever temperatures in the greenhouse go over 75 or 80 degrees. Ideal temp is 70-75 degrees, with plants still doing well at 65-80 degrees or so. Ideal humidity is 50% plus or minus 10%. Low humidity is usually not a problem....when humidity goes over 70%, you may want to run your exhaust extra.
For a 10' x 22' greenhouse, you will want a 500-600 CFM (cubic foot/minute) fan at least. How often you exhaust will depend wholly on the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse at the time....one very handy solution is to allow a thermostat to control your exhaust fan. Otherwise, watch your thermometer carefully and adjust your exhaust cycle manually over the next few days. You want the temp to be ideal night time as well as day.
The re-circulating pump should work fine, as long as it is strong enough to drive the sprinkler line running through the heart of your system. Keep the nutrient solution from getting too warm and maintain it properly (how to grow hydro) and it sounds like you are all set for success! I would love to hear how things turn out!
AffordableGarden Design&Setup
Hi everyone, Jason from Jason's Indoor Guide here. When I got started with hydroponic gardening more than 24 years ago, my first garden used rockwool cubes and B.C. Nutrients....and I remember thinking to myself yeah, sure, there may be a lot of advantages to gardening with hydroponics, for example there are very few pest problems, therefore very little pest control, no weeding, no plowing or tilling the soil, no soil testing or having to add things into the garden soil, no watering the garden....but for someone who just wants to grow their own vegetables and have more control over their food supply and the quality of the food that they eat, the cost of constantly having to buy grow media and hydroponic nutrients makes this an expensive hobby for most people...
Epic Nutrient Change
I suppose when you take into consideration how much money you save NOT
having to buy food at the grocery store, it is surely cheaper to grow
your own food hydroponically even with the cost of high quality
nutrients. Nevertheless, I didn't have a whole lot of money to work with
and I needed to make my efforts as affordable and effective as
possible....and in the last 24 years I HAVE learned a thing or two!
As you browse through Jason's Indoor Guide, you will notice all of the
systems that I use personally are homemade systems. As I got 3 or 4
years of experience under my belt, I quickly adopted a preference to
standing water systems and systems that use expanded clay pellets or
lava rock, because the media is re-usable and it eliminates a huge
operating expense. So once a hydroponic system is built, garden
maintenance is minimal- check and adjust the nutrient solution daily,
and to change it completely every 2 weeks....and the biggest operating
cost is the hydroponic nutrients. (and the electric bill, lol)...
Homemade Cloner
And, regarding the cost of the nutrients....I experimented for about 3 years with making different compost teas and nutrient teas, but there is still a lot of expense $$$ associated with making high quality nutrient teas....like kelp meal, liquid seaweed, rock dust, bat guano, un-Sulfured molasses, worm castings. You can eliminate a lot of this expense by becoming an expert at making high-quality colloidal humus compost, and use your properly made compost as the basis of your hydroponic nutrient solution.
Unfortunately, I have been gardening for over 24 years and I have only
just recently mastered this difficult skill....and even then, only
because I happened to find a very easy to follow, high quality technique
and decided to follow the instructions to the letter. I produced more
high quality compost in just one week than I was able to use in a whole
year! If you can master the technique, I highly recommend it. It is one of the top 3 things you can do to
increase the productivity of your food production efforts, while at the
same time decreasing the amount of effort required to grow all of your
own food, and decreasing the total cost of operating your food
production system.
And when I say decrease operating costs, I mean decrease them to almost
ZERO, especially if you are producing your own nutrients...
High Efficiency
Hydroponics
The ultimate solution to eliminate the cost of your hydroponic nutrients: Imagine a hydroponic system that does not require you to buy any nutrients, does not require you to make your own compost, and does not require you to brew your own nutrient tea. Seriously! No cost and no effort as far as providing nutrients to your plants! Plus, at the end of the gardening cycle you harvest all of your garden vegetables, PLUS YOU HARVEST FISH from the system--->
Aquaponics
This solution is aquaponics. If you are serious about producing all of your own food and being self-sufficient, this is the ultimate solution for reducing expenses (as much as possible), reducing the total amount of work required, and maximizing the productivity of your gardening efforts. I have been gardening for over 24 years, and it is the perfect food production solution in my opinion.
Besides mastering how to make high quality compost, learning aquaponics is one of the top 3 things you can do to increase your garden productivity, reduce your total costs, and reduce your total work. The product that I learned from is called Aquaponics4you. With all of my hydroponic gardening experience, the first time I came across the Aquaponics4you product I knew immediately that it was something very special! Place an aquaponics system outdoors and use the sun instead of grow lights, and you have reduced every garden expense to nearly ZERO!
The Same System/ 10 Weeks Later!
