Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Month: June 2021

Importance of Airflow for Indoor Growing

No Comments

Introduction:

Airflow is one of the forgotten environmental factors of indoor growing. But is not any less important as you need to take advantage of the ability to control it and make optimum growing conditions. If you don’t, you can have decreased yields, disease problems, and other issues.  

Basic Reasoning:

In mother nature, airflow is naturally occurring caused by weather patterns thru wind and atmospheric conditions. Winds keep air moving and mixing which is important to a plant’s health. This keeps oxygen & CO2 levels mixed, humidity evenly distributed, and etc. This allows plants to get their natural needs to complete photosynthesis most efficiently.

Humidity

Humidity is the level of moisture trapped in the air. It is caused by plants transpiring, bodies of water, and much more. If it is too low, it will dry out plants encouraging them to transpire too much. If it is too high, it can encourage the development of plant diseases. 

CO2 Levels

CO2 is a basic need for plants to complete photosynthesis in their leaves to feed themselves. With stagnate air, levels of CO2 can fall not and lower CO2 uptake. Less food production means less vegetative growth and weaker crop yields for fruiting plants.   

Temperature Control

If the air is not constantly mixing, hot spots can form. You can see this when you add cold water to a hot bath. It creates cold spots till it mixes. This stress can cause issues with growth. Air movement mixing temperature variations quicker than stagnate air. 

Purely Movement

“Wind” encourages plants to strengthen their growth so they don’t break under their own wieght. Strong growth prepares fruiting plants to bare the weight of their fruit and/or flowers.  

Simulating Mother Nature

Controlling this environmental factor is actually pretty easy. For indoor growing, it is completed with different types of fans for different purposes. Depending on the size of your growing environment, sizing can sometimes take some trial and error. 

Intake Fans

Intake fans pull in air to the growing space from outside. They are usually in-line fans type. This brings in fresh air from the outside and important for bringing in CO2 created by the outside world. Also, they are vital for bringing in cooler air. 

Exhaust Fans

Mars Hydro 2'X2' Grow Tent Kit

Exhaust fans are normally inline-type fans similar to intake fans. These fans exhaust out hot air, excess O2, and excess humidity. Many times people will also have carbon filters so the air does not smell especially if the outside is a living space.

These fans are just as important or more important than Intake fans for the tasks they do. Smaller grow environments can actually have only exhaust fans. The actions of sucking the air out of the grow space will create “negative air pressure.” This will cause air from the outside to be pulled in without an intake fan. 

Internal Circulation Fans

oscillating fan for grow room

Circulation fans are what you normally think of as an “osculating cage fan” for staying cool. They are very important for mixing the air in larger grow environments such as grow rooms and greenhouses. They also simulate wind to encourage stronger plant growth.

Conclusion

Airflow is a very important often overlooked environmental factor. You can start through trial and error OR many professional growers will run calculations on “air volume” in the grow space to size fan systems. Its control is very inexpensive compared to its importance for increasing yields and plant health. Check out our General Environmental Factors Post! (Click here)

Mars Hydro Discounted Bulk Purchases

No Comments

Everyone likes to save money!

Many companies like to add to their profit margins when people buy in bulk. Here at Hydro Unlimited, we love our customers! If you are looking to buy 4 or more of a single product from our Mars Hydro line of products, please contact us! We will send you an invoice within 24 hours for DISCOUNTED BULK PRICING! 

Our New Partnership with Mars Hydro

No Comments

We are proud to announce our new Partnership with Mars Hydro!

You will be seeing many new products populating our online store ranging from high-quality LED Grow Lights, Grow Tents, and Full Grow Tent Kits. We have made an agreement with Mars Hydro to become an official distributor of their full product line. 

This decision was made after years of experience with their company. They make everything from LED Grow Lights for the person starting out with their affordable TS Series of Lights to Commercial LED Grow Lights with their FC Series of Lights. They make high-quality products at affordable pricing. You can not ask for a better business model to partner with. 

They also have developed and offer high-quality Grow Tents. These grow tents have all the options you look for in one including metal structure, heavy canvas material, and etc. They are an amazing option for someone looking for a Grow Tent to avoid the need for a full grow room or greenhouse.

Mars Hydro has also created Grow Kit offerings of their Grow Tents paired with everything you need to start growing except the plants themselves. This includes the tent, suggested light, carbon filter, fan, and much more!

We could not be happier with this new development for Hydro-Unlimited.Com. Check out our Online Store to see everything this partnership allows our company to bring to our customer base!

Introduction to High Pressure Aeroponics

No Comments

History of Aeroponics

High Pressure Aeroponics (HPA) was developed by NASA looking for a growing system that used the least amount of resources and produced the most plant material. HPA was the ticket for NASA.

Basically the system of HPA is where plant roots are suspended in air with regular misting from high pressure nozzles. NASA found that nutrient solution mist droplets’ size best for plant uptake was 5 to 80 microns. This can be accomplished with HPA systems running at 80 to 150PSI depending on design. 

High Pressure Aeroponics Basics

HPA is the most complicated setup of all the hydroponic systems. The basic idea is plant’s root system is suspended in the air in a 100% humidity root chamber. This chamber has high-pressure nozzles that create 5 – 80 micron mist droplets. This is created with normally about 100PSI through high pressure / low flow nozzles. The mist is shot in bursts normally 3-10 seconds every so many minutes. It uses 70 to 80% fewer nutrients and 90% less water than other hydroponic systems. 

The results of High Pressure Aeroponics are amazing. Plants can take up more nutrients due to their high availability. Oxygen is required for nutrient uptake and this type of hydroponics provides the most oxygen to plant’s root systems. This high efficiency grows crops faster, increasing yields, and much more ecologically. 

High Pressure Aeroponics Setup

HPA systems basically must include a reservoir for nutrients, booster pump for pressure, cycle timer, pressure regulation, and mist nozzles. This basic aeroponic system basically works by the cycle timer turning on the pump at misting intervals. The pressure should be regulated to 80 to 120PSI depending on the nozzles you are using to create correct size range of droplets.   

Optional Improvement: Accumulator Tank

Adding an accumulator tank to the mix allows for way better quality and control over misting. Instead of the pump cycling every mist cycle, the pump charges up the accumulator tank. Generally 20% more than misting PSI level. The timer as seen below is connected to an NC (normally closed) electric valve instead of the pump. During a misting cycle, the timer activates the valve to open and feed the pressurized nutrient solution to the misting nozzles. 

High Pressure Aeroponics Basic Diagram of the System
High Pressure Aeroponics Basic Diagram of the System

Parts List

  • Reservoir: For holding nutrient solution
  • Booster Pump: For creating needed pressure.
  • Accumulator Tank: For holding pressurized nutrient solution to supply mist nozzles.
  • Pressure Relief Valve: Most important part as it is for safety. If the tank is ever over pressured by pump, pressure is relieved off the system so no BOOM! 
  • Pressure gauges: These are for monitoring pressure in the system. First gauge shows pressure in the tank. Second gauge shows what the regulator is regulating it to. 
  • Pressure Regulator: To regulate the pressure down from the tank to normally 80 to 120 PSI. 
  • NC Electric Valve: These are opened when a timer activates them and they allow pressurized solution to the misting nozzles. 
  • Cycle Timer: Time that activate a device in this case the NC Valve. Normally set to 3-6 seconds “On” to 3 – 6 minutes “Off”
  • Mist Nozzles: One of the most important parts. They need to have the correct size opening or “orifice.” Depending on the pressure being used. 
  • Root Chamber: This is where the plants roots are suspended and misted. Some people recirculate any solution that drips down. But many suggest “drain to waste” on extra solution. I believe dialing in your system for efficiency and “drain to waste” is best way to go.  

Advantages of High Pressure Aeroponics

  • Uses 90% less water than other hydroponic systems and soil growing. 
  • Using 70% to 80% less nutrients than other hydroponic system types. Even though the system costs more to install, its operating costs are cheaper in many ways. 
  • Most efficient method of growing when considering higher yields and greatly decreased crop turnover time.
  • Less chance of disease issues in plants as HPA is so clean.
  •  

In Conclusion

HPA is by far the most advanced and best hydroponic system. But it is not for everyone. We have a blog post that gives an overview of the different types of hydroponic systems (Click Here to view). 

At Hydro-Unlimited, we are reaching a dream we have had for a long time. This dream is the development of a full HPA system for production like every other hydroponic type has. Plus an offering of a DIY Kit for the building of an HPA system, that takes the extensive research requirements of building an HPA system away.