Unlike hydroponics where plants are submerged in water, aeroponics uses well-aerated root chambers that promote healthy, rapid plant growth by providing adequate oxygen to the roots. This makes it much easier to grow crops than in the ground, even in small spaces such as a kitchen window box. It is also resistant to water-logging which can easily occur in hydroponic systems, and it eliminates the need for a large area to cultivate.
Aeroponics is a system of soilless cultivation which was first used in the 1920s for academic purposes and gained popularity in the 1990s when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began utilising it for growing food in soilless environments such as in outer space. Compared to soil farming, it uses 98% less land and 30% less fertilizer, and it maximizes nutrient uptake by the plants.
The Essentials of Aeroponics: Growing Plants with Air
The most common types of crop grown using an aeroponic system are herbs, leafy greens and vining vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicum and cucumber. The roots are suspended in an air/water solution and nutrient-rich mist nozzles spray the plant at regular intervals, enabling them to absorb more water and nutrients with less stress.
As the roots are exposed to air, the aeroponics system can be more susceptible to fungus and bacteria than traditional hydroponic systems. As a result, they require more frequent disinfection with a common disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide in order to avoid root diseases and infection. Aeroponics are also sensitive to power outages, and you may lose the ability to water your plants if the mist nozzles fail. They are also dependent on high-pressure pumps and timers which can break down over time.