# Has anyone seen the "aeroponic garden tower"?



## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

Looks interesting....but I'd think I could build SEVERAL of them for that price! Do you think you really CAN grow twice as fast as growing in dirt? Why would that be?

Here's the link to the ad I saw... http://www.towergarden.com/content/...den/how-it-works/aeroponics.html#.VO8gH010zDc


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

You can make the same thing very cheap.
You will do a lot better if you use beds instead of the towers. Will be able to grow more and different plants


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

I've been googling "aeroponics" and "hydroponics" but not finding much along the lines of a good "how to" build one. One I saw said basically, "take a tub, cut some holes, run some PVC, hook up water". Yeah...right. LOL I need to know more specifics and need to do some more research. I assume the aeroponics is just running water over the ROOTS in a systematic manner? It doesn't mist the entire growing PLANT, does it?


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I prefer aquaponics. With that you can grow plants and grow fish at the same time. The other ways it is continual testing and adding fertilizer. I tried to post a picture of my system but keep having problems putting pictures on here.
Backyardaquaponics.com would be a good with to check out. They show a lot of different systems.


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

aeroponics are more energy-intensive than hydroponics, and no more efficient. the motor must run practically 24/7 - even 1 dry minute could jeopardize the crop since the roots are fully exposed to the atmosphere.

Also requires tons of maintenance, because the nozzle gets plugged up very often.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

This being the reason I went to floating beds. Fish in tank, rigid Styrofoam bed with holes for pots and media. All needed now is control water temperature from getting to high. I used to have 2 different systems, 1st was grow pots with media (left at a rental by a weed grower) with tubes from an elevated fish tank, 2nd pumped water from fish tanks up to small tank and then flush water through troughs. Used cow water trough and pots from first and both troughs of 2nd for current system. Small solar system that ran pumps now runs a small 12v heater and a vent window to control temperatures as needed....James


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

Personally, I think nutrient film technique (NFT) is the best way to go because it doesn't require you to constantly replace a growing medium (perlite, grow blocks, or clay pellets, etc.) like in a drip system


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

At the time I used it leafy greens were about all you could grow, is it different now?
Flat trays or vertical?

....James


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

you can grow herbs, strawberries and even tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vining fruits and veggies, so long as your provide enough root space, and a trellis structure to stabilize them - all you need is some sort of pipe or armature overhead and another at the ground to run a cable between, and tie off the vine to the cable as it grows. That being said, though, a drip system w/ an artificial growing medium is probably easier for managing large vining crops because the root structure can plug up an NFT system if not sized big enough. horizontal trays at a 2% pitch are best - vertical, regardless of the crop, makes the nutrient solution flow too quickly, so you have to provide more.


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## medic4049 (Nov 4, 2014)

If you want to just learn more, search "homemade tower gardens" on youtube. There are several made out of recycled plastic bottles.


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

Just thought I'd post this project I worked on a few years ago as inspiration of what can be done:

http://www.insiderensselaer.com/green-wall-prototype/


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I guess we already did this. DH put a 2300 gallon fish pond in the back yard. Goldfish and koi. A hill was built in the back of it. A submersed pump pumped the water from the bottom of the pond, through the hill and into a 100 gallon water trough. The trough was filled with volcanic rock and pots of marsh marigold and iris, and some other flowers sat on the rock. A piece of the lip of the water trough was cut out so that a waterfall dropped into a 50 pound trough, again with the plants. Again, a waterfall into the pond. Quite lovely, but I guess we should have been growing lettuce.


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## vibes (Mar 1, 2015)

How are you keeping our water cooled in hot temp days?


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