Considered a very versatile plant, cannabis can be grown in different growing environments using different methods. Because of that, cannabis enthusiasts have been increasingly interested in growing their gardens.
As mentioned, there are several effective ways to cultivate cannabis and one practice is growing weed in aerogarden. It may sound unfamiliar and new but many cannabis cultivators are growing weed in aerogarden as they have seen the benefits of using this method. This article will give you in-depth information about aerogarden as to how is it possible to grow weed using this method and is it worth it.
What is Aerogarden?
An aerogarden is a growing system that is very ideal for indoor cannabis cultivation applying the principles of hydroponics. This system comes with everything that the plant needs as it grows like proper nutrition, grow lights, and ventilation. Aerogardens also has reservoirs or hydroponic stations. The hydroponic stations are filled with the plant’s needed nutrients and they send the nutrient solution to the different pods of the plants, control panel, and grow lights.
Seed pods have hollow cuts at the bottom of the cup to allow the roots to grow. Just like using soil as a medium, it supports the plant during the germination stage. The only difference is that aerogardens are self-sustaining and don’t need frequent inspections.
The main concept of this growing system is that it uses a solution to provide nutrients to the plants. It uses objects like solid balls or other grow media to support the plant as it grows. Most importantly, aerogarden does not involve soil in the whole process. Just like any other indoor growing method, it uses different spectrums of grow lights as the main source of light that the plants need to grow. Aerogarden supports the plants in each stage of its growth cycle.
What are the essential parts of an aerogarden?
An aerogarden is made of three important components that are very vital for the plants to survive. These components are:
Seed pods
The seed pods are the spot where you will be placing your seed. This setup is similar to hydroponics where instead of soil, it makes use of water and seed plugs. The seed pods have filter holes that will allow the roots to grow during the germination period until it starts to sprout.
Grow lights
Grow lights are very important in indoor cannabis growing regardless of the setup or method used. The grow lights serve as the source of light of the plants in the absence of sunlight. In aerogarden, the grow lights automatically switch on and off depending on the ideal or time set for your plant during their growth period. This is one feature of aerogarden that makes cultivation easy for the grower as the time will already be set to what is needed by the plant and you don’t have to facilitate manually turning it on and off.
Water container
The medium used in this method is not soil, instead, it uses water to grow the plants. The plant container holds a sufficient amount of the liquid solution. The solution contains the nutrients that the plant needs for them to grow healthy and productive.
How to grow weed in aerogarden
Now that you are familiar with the important components of an aerogarden it is time to grow your cannabis using this growing principle. There are several important factors that you need to consider if you are to grow your plants using aerogarden:
1. Decide which strain to grow
It is important to know the type of strain that you are growing as this is where the size and type of aerogarden model depends. Remember that there are many varieties of cannabis and they differ in sizes, height, and climate preference. It is important to have the right information regarding the strain that you will be cultivating so that you can provide or recreate the ideal environment for the plants to grow healthy.
2. Choose an aerogarden model
Aerogardens come in different sizes but all of them are capable of holding the plants and sprouting seeds. The best type of aerogarden model is the one which comes with LED lights that extends 24 inches in height as it can house many seedlings and plants compared to other models. Some newer models have an automated lighting system that allows you to set the time needed for your plants to be exposed in the light and it automatically turns it in and off. All types of aerogarden can hold seedlings and provide them with the nutrition that they need.
3. Seed pods
Seed pods are an important part of aerogarden as this is where you are going to place the seedlings. Seed pods are specifically made for aerogarden so it will serve its purpose. Carefully place your seeds in the seed pods which also contains the nutrient solution.
4. Maintaining the reservoir
Use distilled water in maintaining the reservoir. Maintain a room temperature between 60 to 70 degrees. Monitor the pH levels using a pH meter and correct it if it goes beyond or below the normal range. The pH level should be about 5.8. Change the water in the reservoir every 1-3 weeks.
5. Grow Lights
The best thing about aerogarden is that it comes with an automated system of grow lights. You just have to set it to the schedule it according to what the plants need. During the seedling stage plants need 20 hours of lights and 4 hours of darkness, Vegetation is should be 18 hours on and 6 hours off and flowering period, 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
6. Add Nutrition
Since the seeds will not be anchored in soil, aerogarden uses nutrient solution as a medium. Choose the best nutrient solution for your plants as this will help them to grow healthy.
Conclusion
Growing weed in aerogarden has given cannabis cultivators so much ease in growing cannabis indoors. With the help of advanced technology, you can now grow high-quality cannabis buds with less supervision. It is an effective way of growing cannabis indoors or other plants as well. If you find it interesting, perhaps you can give aerogarden a try.
