Aerogarden Purists...?
- Thread starter Snake13
- Start date
I did, and we now refer to it as the 'bad old days' when I did everything the hard way. I still don't use extra lights because I don't need to. I finally sprung for an upgrade kit with the taller 24" arm/light stand and the hood with the three higher intensity CFL's. I do use an aquarium air pump and stone to add oxygen to the nutes. I do use an independent timer with a figure eight cord to force flowering. All this brings us full circle to the fact that A/G's are not designed to grow M/J but they are very adaptable with a few minor modifications. They're a great compact, self contained growing system suitable for growing indoors anywhere that you're physically comfortable.Hey peeps.
1st post here, so Hi everyone.
My question is, has anyone tried a grow using PURELY the aerogarden? No modifications, extra lights, air stones etc.
Just the aerogarden as it is.
I would like to hear from anyone who has experimented with this.
Cheers!
Thanks for taking the time to reply HSA!
I love the idea of an aerogarden, but I just didn't see the point of buying it, then basically creating a grow room around it. You might as well just buy an aeroponic kit.
If the aerogarden can stand on its own two feet, with a couple of small mods, I think it's worth giving one a shot.
Cheers.
That's just the point you don't have to change anything. it's self contained, compact and a lot easier than a lot of other methods or systems.Thanks for taking the time to reply HSA!
I love the idea of an aerogarden, but I just didn't see the point of buying it, then basically creating a grow room around it. You might as well just buy an aeroponic kit.
If the aerogarden can stand on its own two feet, with a couple of small mods, I think it's worth giving one a shot.
Cheers.
blazeddd
Well-Known Member
hey snake i would like to say that i have the same exact feeling about it as you. i started about 40 days ago and i was really excited about getting the ag. i did a bunch of research like:
-the ag airstone - not good, must be replaced + which also means there needs to be an external air pump
-need a timer, because AG timer isn't customizable and only controls normal ag hood light
-need to get a figure 8 wire cable to attach to the hood and then into the timer
-needs more light because the ag lights aren't strong enough for veg + flower
-needs better nutes because the ag starter nutes are crap and the other ag nutes aren't really impressive
even with all this stuff, i didn't care. i thought if i bought something like the aerogarden, it would be a pro way to go. i didn't want to make my own and have it turn out crappy, i wanted it done for me so i could get some really good results or make it easier.
so i went ahead and placed an order for all of that stuff and the ag.
after about a week or two of using it.. i realized many things. first of all, i got the really cheap 50$ version
- the res was WAY too small. even on pro versions 150$+ the res is still about 1 gallon or maybe 2.
- the hood wouldnt extend that long and would need to be hung from the ceiling.
- the ag top lid wouldnt even fit on too snug, plus the airstone tubing had go into the res through the ag lid, so it caused some sun to be shed into the res.
i mean i could go on and on.. i just finally realized that making my own would be so much better. basically the ag is a reservoir + hood light. the airstone has to be replaced, the timer has to be replaced.. etc etc
and you could buy a really good quality thick, black - keep light out - heavy durable plastic container with a lid for under 10 bucks and still get 4-5 gallons. if you go up like $10 more you could get 20 gallon or even more most likely, i dont remember the prices but i got my 4 gallon for 8 bucks. and it did come with a lid. all you have to do is make holes on the lid and slide in net pots.
and for the hood light, you could go to ace/lowes/hardware store and get a hood reflector for about 10 bucks. get some 2way spliters in there, and some S hook chains - i got a "flower pot chain set" from lowes, came with like 4 s hooks and 4 chains. chains are like 5 bucks for the pack.
i eventually returned that AG.. i got it from amazon so they were really nice about it - full refund. but if i could start all over again without buying anything - i would go all custom. just buy all the parts yourself, put in - at most- a couple hours of labor and make something that really suits your needs. the AG is great to start in and understand how things work or maybe as a cloner, but i think you can create it much easier than it seems. i mean all you are doing is buying a box with a lid, making holes in the lid, hanging up a light and there you go - home made AG. all the other modifications you would have to do anyways, like the airstone - you can use the ag airstone.. you gotta rig your ag to use an external one anyway... the ag is simply a reservoir with a light.
Sounds like you made the mistake of buying an Aerogarden "3" and I'm not surprised you were unhappy. Mine is a five year old seven hole model with a upgrade kit on the hood and lamps. My arm/lamp stand goes up to twenty-four inches and I have three high intensity CFL's, and that's all the lighting you need. It's also a hell of lot cheaper to run than some of my friends lighting. You don't need a grow room with an A/G. It will work anywhere that you are comfortable. You do have to stay on top of the pH because you only have 112 ounces in the reservoir but if you had a spill that's easier to sop up with a bath towel and better than my buddy who lost eighteen gallons of nutes and ruined everything in his apartment and the ceiling of the one down stairs. The seven holes A/G is compact and very user friendly for what we're growing. To force blooming a figure eight cord and an independent light timer and blooming nutes are all you need. If you're growing for yourself in a small house of arpartment it's the answer to a prayer but it's not for commerce.
blazeddd
Well-Known Member
yeah. but even the 7 hole model is the same. i think it has 1 or 1.5 gallon capacity, the arm going up 2 feet is a pretty short plant, so once again you have to do the hanging, and the high intensity cfls listed on the AG site for replacement only put out the same any 3-4$ CFL would put out. of course, you CAN grow with these settings.. but what will the yield be? just some lighting at the top.. thats not going to produce too much of a great yield. +2 feet tall?
and i actually do live in an appartment, but are you sure you wouldnt need a room? wouldnt you need atleast 12 hours of darkness for blooming and 6 for vegging? I would think its possible to sleep for atleast 6 hours, but for flowering 12 hours can be hard.
the worse thing is the price man... you pay around 100-150 for the 7 hole version and you can only really support 2-3max in there and it will be 2 feet high MAX.
if i could start all over again, i would either order a pre-made DWC for 35$ - comes with everything, like pots, hydroton rocks, air stone/pump, rockwool cubes, premade holes... or go with a 100$ pre-made Bubbleponics that comes with the same extras. but hey, i dunno man. im just glad i was able to return the ag.. hahah