Hey all,
Today is the culmination of six intense days of research, reading, endless surfing and endless notes and drawings. My quest - I need a new setup for my moms. They grew in a Rainforest 318, three plants, but I'm out of room, and the plants need more light, so I'm getting a 4X4 tent and moving the moms in there. There will be 4 plants, each having 4 sq ft, to grow nice little bushes for lots of clones.
I am hooked on aeroponic type systems - I use an Aeroflo 36, a Rainforest, and have an aerocloner. Each of these has it's shortcomings. I wanted a system to address those shortcomings. One thing led to another, etc, and in the last couple of days all the pieces have come together. I looked at all the different commercially available systems and growing methods - drip, DWC, hybrid systems, sprayers and misters, etc. etc. I was intrigued by TAG (true aeroponic growing), the premise of which is a superfine mist of 5 micron or so droplets of nutrient solution. Factors which make this prohibitive for the hobby grower are cost, complexity, and power consumption.
Ultrasonic foggers seem to be the answer. They generate gobs of 5 micron particles. Nutramist makes these foggers. But they are expensive. I've found an online source for a similar product, using the same teflon coated transducers, for a lot less money. These are nothing that new, and yet there just doesn't seem to be many people growing with this technology, and a scarcity of info.
Well, I'm taking the plunge. I am first going to build a mom fogger grow system, using inexpensive components, plant some well rooted clones, and see what happens. If it pans out, I will be building a bigger system for a grow, and and may yet replace the Aeroflo.
I've gotten many good ideas from the supplier, and will be experimenting a fair bit with this. I'm very excited about the possibilities. The supplier tells me that I can use a lot less nutes and get spectacular results. I'll use less water, and less power to run the system. Maintenance involves sticking the fogger in a bucket of white vinegar to clean out all salt deposits three or four times a year, and replacing the transducer discs once a year.
The pics of root systems grown in fog are breathtaking. I'll be using a three head system for my moms. The supplier is about ready to release a 10 head unit for bigger grows.
This will be a stricly fog grow - no drippers or sprayers, or anything else. I should be able to put together a two container system, for four moms, or 20 odd plants, for about $200. Don't know if anyone else has any interest in something like this. If you do, speak up. I'll make up parts lists and costs, take pics of everything as it comes together, and update with grow progress.
So - any other fogger wannabes out there? Chime in, and let's get building.
