The Aeroponic Strawberry Tank

This is the Hydroponic strawberries growing in our Aeroponic system

The Hydroponic strawberries after they’ve just been started in the system

This is the second hydroponic system I’m setting up for growing Strawberries this year, The tank I’m using was originally an Aeroponic propagator which I purchased from Nutriculture. It was originally made for propagating 205 seeds or plants.

Closeup of the Aeroponic Strawberry tank showing the nutrient spray nozzles in action

Closeup of the Aeroponic Strawberry tank showing the nutrient spray nozzles in action

I used it for the first year in this way, But never really used it to it’s full capacity. So decided to try it a little differently this year. The tank itself has a pump in the middle of the tank which is connected by a series of plastic pipes to little spray nozzles.

So when the pump is running a continuous spray of nutrient solution is sent to the roots of any plants which are dangling into the tank from the top plate above.

The Aeroponic strawberry tank showing the extra mist of nutrients being active

The Aeroponic strawberry tank showing the extra mist of nutrients being active

As well as using it like this I’ve also put in a large floating fogger inside it, This is normally used to produce a fog or mist on the top of ponds for decorative purposes but I’m using it to add a little bit of extra nutrients to all of the places on the plants roots which may or may not be hit by the spray from the pump alone. As the fog or mist solution finds it’s way out of the sides of the top plate when it’s active I’m only doing this several times a day with a timer for a few minutes. I’m not really sure if it will help the plants but it can only help. It looks cool anyway when it’s active and the mist is rising from the plants.

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Slugs (Attacking all the plants)

This is the only other problem I’m having at the moment,Although this has eased off since implementing the solution below.

These slimy things would attack all and any of my plants if they could. It’s amazing how they manage to climb up things and get into the greenhouses.

I’ve sometimes gone into the greenhouse in the morning to find one or two stuck to the roof.

The method I’ve used to get rid of the Slugs is by using other insects called nematodes, These have been used for quite some time by professional growers but are now available to everyone.

What these miniscule insects do is seek out the slugs underground and stop them feeding within a few days. The good news is that they only attack slugs and not other plants. They also pose no threat to animals or people and leave no chemicals in the soil.

When you purchase nematodes you receive a solution you mix with water, You then simply pour it over your soil using a watering can.

We used this solution over a year ago and are still seeing a large reduction in slugs even now, Although the manufacturers advice you to use a new batch every yet.