Blazer420
New Member
I have been thinking (too much) lately about some interesting (to me) ideas of how I could experiment with my aero setup. I keep coming back to a keystone element in the traditional aero system - the oxygenation of the roots through air stones.
I am already using CO2 supplementation and that has been a great addition.
So why not consider similar supplementation but from the other direction.
I fill my own & friends SCUBA tanks and can blend just about any gas mixture needed for technical SCUBA, so I have a minimum of 6, 200 lb bottles of O2 on had at any time in my fill bank.
So, the idea came to me that I could easily increase the O2 content of the air the air pumps use to just about anything I want up to 100% O2 from its standard 20.9%.
In SCUBA we do it all the time. In fact, for years now, I will not dive shallow (less than 110') with anything less than 32% O2. The reasons for that are outside the scope of this post.
I have been trying to find some research on higher concentrations of O2 on plant roots, but have come up short on anything that speaks to levels higher than 21%. So I'm stuck thinking about how much of a good thing is too much. Am I going to oxidize the roots or the nutes? How my additional O2 can I add before this happens - if at all? Can the roots take up the extra O2 in the same manner the plant can with CO2? Will I throw off PH? Will the added O2 change the optimal PH range? WIll added O2 allow for more nutes to be absorbed? Will it compliment CO2? The list of questions goes on and on.
I guess the basic question here is what am I trying to accomplish? The truth is I have no idea. I guess I am just interested in seeing what might happen.
I would really appreciate any input.
Thanks!
B-
I am already using CO2 supplementation and that has been a great addition.
So why not consider similar supplementation but from the other direction.
I fill my own & friends SCUBA tanks and can blend just about any gas mixture needed for technical SCUBA, so I have a minimum of 6, 200 lb bottles of O2 on had at any time in my fill bank.
So, the idea came to me that I could easily increase the O2 content of the air the air pumps use to just about anything I want up to 100% O2 from its standard 20.9%.
In SCUBA we do it all the time. In fact, for years now, I will not dive shallow (less than 110') with anything less than 32% O2. The reasons for that are outside the scope of this post.
I have been trying to find some research on higher concentrations of O2 on plant roots, but have come up short on anything that speaks to levels higher than 21%. So I'm stuck thinking about how much of a good thing is too much. Am I going to oxidize the roots or the nutes? How my additional O2 can I add before this happens - if at all? Can the roots take up the extra O2 in the same manner the plant can with CO2? Will I throw off PH? Will the added O2 change the optimal PH range? WIll added O2 allow for more nutes to be absorbed? Will it compliment CO2? The list of questions goes on and on.
I guess the basic question here is what am I trying to accomplish? The truth is I have no idea. I guess I am just interested in seeing what might happen.
I would really appreciate any input.
Thanks!
B-