Hey everyone, new to this thread. I'm a Hydro guy but have a lot of interest in Aero. Saw the amount of info and decided to dive in and read a bit.
You guys seem to have been dedicated to the "Build" aspect of growing while trying to achieve the fuzzy white roots. As I clicked through page after page and not seeing many success pictures I'm starting to wonder if its really worth the effort. I'm not trying to bash you guys as I saw some of those pom pom roots that looked better than anything I have ever produced but sheesh. At what point do you say this is just too much hassle?
Also, I have a few questions as I may take this venture myself in the future. At what root zone temps do problems arise. As you may or may not know in DWC rootslime can be a major problem but can be combated with good beneficials. Can the same be said for aero or are the misters to small for benes to get through. Seems like the major problems you guys had were basic timing of your misters/distance/temp/root zone size. Is it preferred in Aero running a total clean setup with H202? Yes, and chlorine is probably even better as it has staying power...
I may have missed some of the reasoning behind you guys setup choices as I did not read the reference sources that the thread starter provided.
So in clear question form.
#1. Can Beneficials be used in Aero or is it clean setup only? Yes, however due to nozzle clogs and using nutrients that need no bennies to break them down it makes the most sense to just run sterile...
#2. Are the Fuzzy white Hairs producing flowering monsters up top? In regards to the few of you who got the pom pom root effect. The pics you saw were actually not that great- just a start. The pom-pom look is actually a sign the mist is not properly sized/adequately directed due to less than perfect nozzles. The best roots go down to the bottom of the chamber where they crawl around everywhere back up the walls and to the ceiling of the chamber and are even whiter and fuzzier than those posted. You should look at tree farmers threads, or G-loves. Yes, the idea is once the roots are extremely healthy and efficient, the results should have positive effect up top. Is it worth all the trouble though? Not if your only goal is final numbers, but yes if you like the reward of doing things uniquely.
#3. Is the veg and flowering time cut down significantly? Hydro is faster than soil, aero is probably faster than hydro (if ideally dialed in)
#4. What became the most ideal environment to achieve the white fuzzy roots? Include average distance of misters,humidity, on-off time of mist, nute ppm & PH. That's a loaded questiion. If you really read more here and understand- there are no exact paramaters that work universally. As in all growing, you will have different variables like atmospheric pressure, humidity, chamber volume, plant stage of growth, etc... Learning to read your plants and working to make the best of your particular situation is what separates the boys from the men. A generalization would be most importantly to understand the underlying principles we preach here, and incorporate them into your design. Things like using an accumulator are non-negotiable if you want any of the touted benefits.
#5. Was the before stated "less nutrient usage" achieved with the run to waste system? Yes! the run to waste, when set up properly, should have only a few ounces runoff per day in a given chamber as the roots absorb almost all of your misted nutes. One of the greatest advantages is not having to adjust ph/ec after filling youe rez...
#6. Do the fuzzy white roots make your plant more susceptible to nute burn? Yes, because they are extremely efficient, and the fact that the mist evaporates quickly after being sprayed (effectively concentrating the nutes in the air)- you'll be using lower feeding levels- say usually not ever more than 800ppm on the .7 scale at the peak of flower... This is a real money saver over time on top of the fact very little electricity or water is used in comparison to hydro with it's recirculating pumps running all day.