Recently, we published an article titled, Is Tower Garden a Hydroponic Tower?, which we recommend you to read. As mentioned emphatically in this article, aeroponics is a branch of hydroponics. However, aeroponics is the most ‘different’ hydroponic technology of them all.
People are constantly wondering whether a hydroponic tower is better than an aeroponic tower. Let us share with you our opinion regarding aeroponics versus hydroponics:
Contrary to the conventional hydroponics where the roots grow in a substrate, with aeroponics, the roots just hang in the air. Considering that oxygen is a key factor for nutrient delivery/absorption at the root level, an aeroponic system is like ‘hydroponics on steroids!’.
Due to the oxygen availability at the root level, aeroponic crops grown in a Tower Garden end up featuring a significant increase in nutrient density, antioxidants, and flavonoid values. We even publish a scientific comparative study proving the superiority of aeroponics versus conventional hydroponics.
However, when asking the question as to whether, “Is aeroponics better than hydroponics?”, the real question should be, “Is aeroponics better than hydroponics for such and such crop?” Just as examples, crops such as blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries cannot be grown commercially on an aeroponic system, but thrive with conventional hydroponics.
Although strawberries can grow on an aeroponic system, they do much better when farmed on a conventional hydroponic gutter system. Strawberry runners do much better when growing in a substrate which has been fertilized adequately.
Based on our numerous comparative tests, the taste and quality of strawberries grown aeroponically is similar to their counterparts grown hydroponically, but the crop yield is superior with a conventional hydroponic system when comparing with aeroponics.
For cannabis, and in light of all of our extensive tests, aeroponics and hydroponics seem to produce similar results in terms of crop yield. However, it does appear that THC and CBD levels are increased when using an aeroponic system.
When growing leafy greens and aromatic herbs on an aeroponic tower by Tower Garden, aside from the obvious space-saving benefit, we experience a much lower energy footprint and a reduced water consumption in comparison to conventional hydroponics.
In conclusion, aeroponics feature benefits over conventional hydroponics for some specific crops only. However, hydroponics allows to grow a wider range of fruit and vegetables.
Aeroponics belongs to the family of hydroponic technologies: it offers unparalleled results when it comes to leafy greens, aromatic herbs, and cannabis.
