Locate an article, news report, or social media post to respond to. You can also respond to any of the articles or topics discussed in the class.
First, summarize what the post is saying and what you understand them to be arguing.
Second, respond to the article with what we have been learning in class.
- Critical Reading
- Aeroponics
- Victory Gardens
- Farming
- Food Sustainability
Make sure your journal response is at least 250 words long. Comment below with a link and your response.
Professor Ramos' Blog 
https://modernfarmer.com/2018/07/how-does-aeroponics-work/
In the article “how does Aeroponics work” Brian Barth talks about how environmentally friendly Aeroponics is and how much more healthier it is. Barth also talks about how Areoponics runs off of Hydroponic systems that mist the plants periodically. This ties into out class by the last ted talk we watched and it show how to critically think about an action plan. I think Aeroponics should be advertized more in order to eat more healthy and to avoid food bacteria epidemics.
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https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/aeroponic_plants.html
Nasa issued an article, “Progressive Plant Growing is a Blooming business” back in 2007 discussing NASA sponsored plant experiments. According to Nasa plants have been going into space since 1960s, but plant growing experiments for NASA began in the 1990’s. Experiments aboard the space station and shuttle opened plants to the effects of microgravity, These experiments use the theory of areoponics. Nasa justifies, aeroponic growing system can create clean, efficient, and rapid food production. Aeroponics can reduce water usage by 98 percent, fertilizer use by 60 percent, and pesticide use by 100 percent. Nasa discusses crops or plants grown in aeroponics have also been shown ti uptake more minerals, nutrients, and vitamins, making the plants healthier and nutritious.
This article goes with what we discussed in class about the TedxTalk we watched in class, Victory Gardens, The Sequel – New Urban AG, Scaling Locally Grown Food | Jeff Olson. This video has me engaged from the start to the finish, it made me think critically about where he was going with hydroponics. This NASA article related to the video in the way where they both discuss hydroponics as a healthier alternative to growing plants. In my beliefs, hydroponics are safe and should be taken into more consideration. The price for one is not as much as you would think it is and you can really get good use out of growing your own crops this way. I believe if these were advertised more, they would eventually become a trend and that would reduce obesity and poverty.
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This article reviews why bloods and crips started to fight. Many of the gangs have originated in the 1900’s era; specifically the 1920’s. The gangs often go to clubs to meet up with their gang. However, when this happens, there is usually a fight that starts. When there is a fight taking place, usually the fight escalates to severe violence resulting in fatalities. Many believe that bloods and crips fight just because of color. In all reality, they fight because of territory. Also, many were told that there is just bloods and crips; so, individual begin to believe these statements. Yet, that perspective about the gangs is not true. There are different gangs allocated from divergent areas. They can bang the same gang; yet, still, be violent towards each other because of territory. You will have a gang from the east side, west side, north side, and south side. With this in mind, these are still different territories, which is why they still have rivalries within each other. Nevertheless, gangs fight because of drug-related activities. These activities take place because they are trying to make income for their gang.
The reason why I selected this article is that we were informed about the dangers of a single side story. This topic is relevant because it demonstrates the real aspects of gangs. Also, I included what many individuals are informed about stories that are not completely true. Also, we review how companies try to find ways to make money. I related how gangs sell narcotics because they are trying to make income for their gang. their gang can be looked at as their company. Their drugs are being sold and be identified as their product. All in all, the article was selected because it’s relevant to the video about the dangers of a single side story and how companies incorporate things to bring income to the company.
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https://youtu.be/D9Ihs241zeg by Chimamanda was inspiring, she talks about her childHood and how she grew up reading books about American child Literature and she thought and this was her perspective of life and how she should grow up , to summarize her speech I think she wants to show people to not judge because of a certain way people are doing or saying to actually be able to see more beauty in the world then just to see the ugly. she was a black African-American girl who only could deserve so much but in all reality she was just as equal as everyone else. I really like this I think it relates really good to our class because we are currently trying to write about a problem and how we can help to solve it. she was trying to propose more literature for kids who can’t afford it, but also to bring in different people of color in these stories. Her perspective of how the life is outside of where she lives and that gave me some motivation to write about my experience of bullying things that are really happened in life . so I like that she spoke about her actual life and how it made her want to fix the problem and I’m going to be involved more of my personal life in my proposal and why I want to solve this problem. Current or life bullying things that are really happened When I was a teen.
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https://www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005447
In this article, the pros and cons of using genetically modified crops (GMOs) instead of natural ones are contrasted. The article states the pros of farming genetically modified crops includes that GMOs have been proven safe through testing; they lower the price and increase the nutritional value, which can help alleviate world hunger; and growing GMO crops helps reduce pesticide use, water waste, and carbon emission. The article lists the cons to include that GMOs haven’t been proof safe for human consumption through human trials; the manipulation of the genetics may result in higher allergies; and certain GM crops have higher contents of herbicide and pesticide production and thus harm the environment. The article then lists some unique facts about GM foods.
The article is good for looking at the main arguments on both sides of the debate of whether or not GMOs should be favored over natural crops. This article and the subject of GMOs pertains to the discussion of farming in our class. With GMOs being equally risky as potentially beneficial, it’s important to question ourselves on this position. It’s important to acknowledge all of the beneficial ways GMOs act as a solution to many agricultural issues, but it is equally important to question the legitimacy of the claims that they are safe for consumption and environmental exposure. As the article says, “An estimated 94% of all soybean and 92% of all corn grown in the US is genetically modified and around 75% of all processed foods in the US contain GMO ingredients” (ProCon.org). With this in mind, it’s up to us to educate ourselves on farming, the production of food today, and what we are putting in our bodies.
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https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/importance-of-good-nutrition/index.html
This article talks about the impact of good nutrition in our bodies. It starts off by saying that our choices of nutrition affects all aspects of our life. This includes our present, our future, and even the past. The choice of food that we happen to put in our body today can lead to lots of problems in your body in the future, and may have even been the source of many problems in the past. It highlights the impact of how being obese is a toll on your body. Being obese can lead to a number of health problems such as diabetes, cardiac problems, osteoporosis, hypertension/high blood pressure, and even certain types of cancer. This is extremely important information, because the article states that approximately 33% of adults in the United States are obese. The article even states that a healthy body with a poor diet can lead to health problems too because of an extremely high sugar intake or not enough proper nutrients to support the current healthy body. Keeping a healthy body is important, as you’ll thank yourself for it and be able to do many things that others are not fortunate enough to do so.
I totally agree with this article, and since we’ve been talking somewhat about food, I decided to choose this article. Personally, this article encouraged me to watch what I eat more. I try to not over consume, especially since I have the knowledge that I can eat huge meals at a time. I can even eat more in one sitting than people that are twice my size. It also makes me not want to be obese at all, because I know what diabetes, hypertension, and heart problems can do to your body. What they can do is definitely something that I don’t want in my life.
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https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/aeroponic_plants.html
NASA’s website has an article titled Progressive Plant Growing is a Blooming Business. It explains how we don’t need soil or large amounts of water to be able to grow plants successfully. They do this by using what’s called Aeroponics. Aeroponics is a method of growing which only uses air and mist. When tested at their space station in zero gravity the plants actually grew better when compared to the same setup they had on Earth. Plants are generally started as cuttings or seeds and then suspended in the air in a growing chamber. Food can be planted and harvested year round. Aeroponic systems also greatly reduce the amount of water consumption by 98%, and the plants are able to intake more minerals as well.
This article was very informative about how beneficial aeroponics is. I’m surprised that not everyone is using this method. The Ted Talk we watched in class relates to this since he was pitching for people to start growing food like this and I agree one hundred percent. I currently have an aerogarden that I grow vegetables in and its compact enough to fit in the kitchen and extremely easy to maintain. If all farmers started using this method there would be a lot less water used and they would be able to produce more food at a lower cost and faster rate.
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Climate change is one of the most talked about topics around the world and yet, there are still many who don’t believe is a real issue even after all the scientific data has been presented. One of the many solutions to help with climate change is Climate Victory Gardens. In the article “Thousands OF People Are Growing ‘Climate Victory Gardens’ To Save The Planet” Kyla Mandel observes that students in Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland have started their fight towards climate change by planting perennial seeds to support pollinators. Mandel assets that, “the climate victory garden movement was launched by nonprofit Green America two years ago […] to help tackle agriculture’s carbon footprint” (Mandel). Furthermore, she analyzes that many of the contributions to climate change comes from growing crops and livestock. Victory gardens in many ways helps out with food costs and save transportation expenses. By growing plant in a homemade garden, people save gas money. They don’t have to travel to the store to buy organic vegetables for dinner.
This article that I found online ties to what we have been learning in class. It ties to the lecture on Intellectual Ignorance. Most of us are oblivious to climate change, we know its happening but nothing is being done. Only handfuls are trying hard to make others aware. The campus at CHC has a small victory garden but I haven’t seen anything been grown since my last visit there. I did gain more awareness on how victory gardens help not only our climate change situation but also helps us consume healthier. By people planting victory gardens, they know what they are eating without any preservatives being added.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-victory-gardens-save-planet_n_5e2a096bc5b6d6767fd10efe
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https://www.history.com/news/americas-patriotic-victory-gardens
Summary: This article discusses the issue of food scarcity that was occurring during World War I. It goes on to mention that a man named Charles Lathrop Pack created the National War Garden commission in an effort to inspire Americans to contribute to the war effort by growing their own fruits and vegetables to allow us to ship more food to our allies. The word (about the Victory Gardens) were spread via propaganda posters and by word of mouth. For individuals who weren’t experienced with gardening, a pamphlet was provided that listed instructions and helpful tips on growing their own produce. These efforts were very successful, as people planted 3 million new garden plots in 1917. Victory gardens began to drop off after the end of WWI, but they began to emerge again after the start of WWII. The Victory Gardens were not only successful at producing more crops, but they were also immensely successful at boosting morale. People were focused on supporting American heroes through their home gardens, as opposed to being focused on the violence of the war. It brought communities and families together, for a purpose much larger than themselves.
Response: This article reminded me of the TED Talk we watched in class, where Jeff Olson discussed aeroponics and how it is the future of farming. In his TED talk, he also discussed the history of the Victory Gardens, so when I read this article it immediately reminded me of his speech. I love the idea of Victory Gardens and how they bring communities together. It lifts spirits and provides hope for people who might otherwise be hopeless in times of war or hardships. I think Victory Gardens should be brought back, so we can encourage more Americans to grow their own fruits and vegetables, and donate them to our American heroes.
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https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/5-benefits-of-a-plant-based-diet.h20-1592991.html
This article is about the benefits of a healthy and plant based diet. It clarifies that a plant based diet does not necessarily mean vegetarian, it just means that the meals are mostly plants such as vegetables, fruits, and grains. This diet has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer more than any diet researched, and this article outlines the many benefits of making a plant based diet your lifestyle.
The article covers five different proven benefits of eating a plant based diet. First of all, plants support the immune system. They provide the means to fight infection and disease. Plant based foods also reduce inflammation and toxins from the body, at the same time increasing production of antioxidants. Plant based foods help to maintain a healthy weight, which is very important to living a healthy lifestyle. They are high in fiber, which decreases the risk of cancer substantially. And finally, plant based foods reduces the risk of other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. However, this article also discusses the dangers of eating an unhealthy plant based diet, high in sugar and processed grains. Though it may seem healthy, these foods are not natural or really based on plants. Overall, a plant based diet will help your body to feel better, and to reduce your chances of risky diseases.
After watching the Ted talk in class about farming, victory gardens, and aeroponics, I was inspired to research more about the benefits of homegrown foods and eating fiber filled meals. There is so much to learn about this topic, and I really enjoyed researching about it myself since I am vegan. I want to continue make smart choices when it comes to food, and to make my meals more plant based.
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http://www.futurefarmers.com/victorygardens/history.html
Victory gardens, also know as war gardens were originally established as a means to a valuable resource during the world wars. In the article all out food production speaks on the dire necessity of such gardens and the pride people took in creating them and benefiting from them. The gardens were established in 1943 during the depressions of war, as the gardens flourished they served as a morale booster for the civilians aiding in the necessity of produce. Cities and states utilized any available land to start gardens whether it was private property to public parks. During the success of the gardens they produced up to 41% of the nations produce aiding them in relieving the pressure on the ongoing war effort at hand. The war gardens brought on independence from cooperate food systems, united the community, allowed people to appreciate the environment more so than before.
As the victory gardens brought environmental awareness, raised morale and allowed the civilians to utilize the land properly during times in need, why did we stop benefiting from our land? how did we come so detached with our environment that we are now destroying it rather than allowing it to aide in our growth as a nation. I think the take away from this demonstration of community is when the nation comes together and works towards the same goal we can achieve the goals at hand. Why as a nation are we now so divided and persistently working against eachother. Its time to come together and regain the pride and passion we lost.
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2019/09/05/busting-gender-stereotypes-the-pink-versus-blue-phenomenon/amp/
In this article, it talks about the gender stereotypes. It mentions how back in the early 1900’s, blue represented female and pink represented boys. This switched during the 1950’s because of advertising companies pushing for this change. After this change the rest is history, we associate blue with men and pink for women because society deemed it so. This prompts the question, what else in society was considered “correct” because they deemed it so. It makes me realize that our lives are ran by these thoughts and ideas because we were told to accept it and there was no other way of looking at things. It also talks about other stereotypes how men cannot be sensitive and women are more emotional. The article talks about ways we can avoid future stereotypes and how to end the current ones. It all begins with starting new conversations and not confining each gender to its restraints. This topic relates to class because of the TED talk video we viewed in class. It had to do with cultural stereotypes but in the end it was about ignorance. Ignorance is dangerous because it restraints people from learning and believing that a person is a certain way because of the beliefs a person has. Gender stereotypes is as strong as cultural stereotypes because it still looks down upon a person and limits how we see a specific person of gender. The article also states that by confining genders, we may have missed out on important discoveries that have been made in history. That is how we should view a culture or gender because everyone has the same opportunity to discover or do something incredible with their life . Not only can this lesson be applied to cultures or genders, but to every person, no matter their background. Whether it’s color, education or wealth we are all people and deserve to be treated as such without having predetermined consensus based on the knowledge that we know based on books or tv. Just because media portrays a certain person a certain way, does not mean they represent their entire community.
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https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316075.php#benefits
This article talks about the nutritional benefits of microgreens and their larger adoption by both the general population and the more specific boutique health communities.
I’m not sure how new of a technique this is, but I started hearing about microgreens a few years ago. There are a few benefits to this technique. First, there are claims of sustainability from some people. The practicality of people in urban areas being able to grow fresh nutritious veggies on their window sills leads to the possibility of less transport of veggies and so there’s a smaller carbon footprint this is similar to the vertical farms but can also work in more urban areas. Also, the smaller veggies are supposedly more efficient with using nutrients and water. Secondly there are dense with nutritional benefits, the microgreens are packed with vitamins and other micro nutrients
There are certainly some interesting things about this article and how it applies to the larger health food category in general. Specifically I want to talk about their use of the word “superfood.” Superfood has no definition and is purely a marketing scheme. In another article I was reading talking about the effect of this scheme they were talking about the effect of this on the overall increase in cost of “superfoods” when a company uses that moniker. They talked about the negative effect this has on low-income families due to the behavior of the affluent health conscious population. This phenomena has been called “food gentrification” which I feel is very apt.
https://www.bitchmedia.org/post/the-cost-of-kale-how-foodie-trends-can-hurt-low-income-families
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https://www.marshmma.com/blog/how-technology-is-reshaping-the-agriculture-industry
The Marsh and McLennan Agency, which is an insurance and risk prevention company for grocery stores across the country published an article on January 16, 2019 titled “How Technology is Reshaping the Agriculture Industry”. The article discusses how new forms of technology in agriculture have yielded strong data which helps to build the argument for why it should be implemented by as many farmers as possible. It even discusses how funding has gone up as in 2012 it was around $500 million and in 2017 rose up to around $2.6 billion. It goes in to further detail when discussing the many problems that farmers have which include things like climate change, population growth, and urbanization. It states that the main component of solving these problems is agricultural technology. The databases which are already being put into place are able to track a pleathura of factors that weigh into a farmer’s decison making process. The article ends by discussing precision farming agronomics and how it combines new age analytics with methodology and has the benefits of being more efficient, cheaper in cost, better in quality and quantity, as well as having a greater contribution to society in all 3 facets.
I chose this article because after watching the ted talk the other day I wanted to learn more about the technological advances being made in agriculture. This correlates to our class as it adds more context to what we had already been discussing. Another way it relates to our class is through critical thinking, as scientists and other experts of the field continue to come up with ways to expand the concepts of farming and agriculture.
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https://agriculturegoods.com/why-is-agriculture-important/
Agricultural Good released an article that talks about the goods of farming, the critical role that it plays in human life. From job opportunities, economic development, source of saving, food security, significance in international trade, etc. 70% of people rely on agriculture as a livelihood, that is a huge percentage of people who work daily on agriculture! Biodiversity is also mentioned which is extremely essential to agriculture because biodiversity helps improve the sustainability of agriculture. it helps keep important food secured & good nutrition for human life. It also helps provide organisms with good sources to help them adapt to certain environments (hot/cold) and also help the organisms with sensitivity against parasites, bugs, diseases, etc.
When I read this article I really liked to read about how good it is to have agriculture, the impact it has on our economic status, jobs, fresh produce, and the ability to help organisms adapt to climate changing environments and against diseases & parasites. It was really surprising to see just how many people depend on agriculture for their livelihood! It is amazing to see that agriculture is really a backbone to society and no matter how many other jobs are available in restaurants, clothing stores, movie theaters, etc. but agriculture is such a huge job that isn’t easy but can do so many great things for the economy and for the nutrition for people. When you are eating fresh local produce you can really taste the difference! instead of having food with so many different things put into it to make it last longer, look bigger, taste different, you should choose local products for the best healthy choice for you and your family.
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In the article What is Aeroponics and It Benefits For Commercial Farming breaks down what aeroponics is and the perks it has on commercial farming. The article goes through a list of benefits including closed looped systems, reduction in disease and labor costs. It also shows what this type of farming can do in areas that may not have the best temperature for growth . For example the article talks about Iceland rather than exporting from tropical locations where they grow their own food. Lastly how the system works on the plants and how they obtain nutrients and growth.
Once we watched the ted talk in our class it made me realize that the food we see at the market can be easily grown. To me this is important because I would rather know that my food is being grown in a clean natural environment. Versus going to the store and buying my fruits and vegetables that may have been sprayed or modified with additional chemicals. It also benefits our wallets and people who may not be able to access food as easily as people in the inner cities may be able to. For example some who live miles away from the grocery store may consider using aeroponics to grow their own food which could save them money since the system requires little water or soil. Which could not only save you gas money but also buying food that’s marked up higher due to its low quantity since markets are scarce in certain locations.
https://wholeplanttechnologies.com/aeroponics-benefits-commercial-farming/
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https://www.greenandvibrant.com/aeroponics
The article that I chose to write about for this weeks journal is about aeroponics. Aeroponics is a way of growing plants in a mist or aor based environment instead of using a medium such as soil. This article states that the need for alternative ways of growing plants or vegetables stems from constant farming depleting nutrients from our soil causing its quality to become poor. This is where hydroponics comes into play, and the most technical of the 6 types is the subset called aeroponics. This is where the plants do not use a growing medium and grow in the air in a growing chamber. This is in a closed loop where they are misted with nutrient-rich water in specific timed intervals. The article continues to provide information on how to grow using this system and how a pro of this system is that the plants grow faster due to being exposed to excess oxygen, but a con is that this system requires that the plants are consistently moistened by the nutrient-rich water. This moist environment can be ideal growing place for bacteria or mold.
The way that this article correlates to what we talked about in class was the Ted Talk with Jeff Olson, that suggested for people to start growing food in these alternative ways, specifically aeroponics, which he believed to be the future of farming. I agree with these ideals that different forms of farming have to become the norm and flourish in the future because our current ways of producing vegetation depletes the soil of it nutrients not allowing for vegetation to grow in it like it would have if we were to diversify our growing methods.
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http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=9936d657-921f-464c-9f96-dff200042fcf%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=22191036&db=a9h
This article is called “The Other Green Monster” and was written by Kasabian, and Anna. In their article they wrote about the Fenway victory garden, this particular garden is located in Boston. The Fenway victory garden is the last of the nation’s original victory gardens, that was created during World War II across the United States. This garden was made because in World War II there was a massive food shortage and the current president urged his citizens to grow their own food. Many people still use use the garden even in this day of age, in their article they asked them why would they still grow their own crops when we are not in a food shortage? They all had similar responses, one elder lady said why buy it when you can grow it yourself? It is cheaper, and you know exactly what kind of environment it was grown in. Most of them also grow all of their plants from seeds, so they know they are completely healthy to eat.
I chose this article because it made me aware of how much humans have changed over the years. We went to building our own gardens and making our city flourish with green, to leaving trash on the side of the road and destroying our very own environment.
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This video dives into the world sustainable farming and how it is the way of the future. It goes into detail in how it can solve the issue of hunger as a farmer has people to help harvest and distribute food and where there is no food waste. I feel that if i was able to i would do this one the side of my main source of income to not only be more self sufficient but to help other people in my community and surrounding area and give them fresh food to eat.
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I couldn’t help but to be inspired by Chimamanda and her amazing speech “the danger of a single story” ted talk. She touches base on her view of the world and the people in it and takes us to her childhood and tells a story through her young mind and continues with her own experiences about being judged or pre-determined because of her race or the fact that’s she’s a woman. I think her story is supposed to wake us up and view our life, and the lives around us in a different light. Try to stop us from being so narrow minded and explore other ideas other than our preconceived ideas of a person and the life they live. I think what she is trying to say to us through her speech is to not judge the people around us because you just never know how the other side of things are like. To keep an open mind at all times and give yourself a chance to get to know that person or persons. There are always two sides to the story and its important to find the beauty in both. I think this topic relates to our class because our current assignment is to find a problem and a solution to the problem and this here is a problem. Often times people get bullied because of the way they look or judged because of where they came from. Outcasted because of there clothing or language they speak. Its good to spread awareness like this to help ourselves and those around us to be open minded and loving and aware that there is not one single story, there are multiple and that’s the beauty of it all.
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Aeroponics technology is becoming a popular way of growing plants. one of the ways to garden at home using this method is vertical tower .There is no digging or weeding , in fact there is no soil used at all. The plants grow in a medium called rockwell which provides the roots oxygen and moisture and encourages raid growth. A pump is placed in the tower’s reservoir that pushes the water and added nutrients to the top of the Tower Garden through a small central pipe. Checking water levels and cleaning the pump filter are the only maintenance required. When you buy produce in store it’s often grown commercially using herbicides and pesticides and harvested before reaching peak ripeness. Some benefits of aeroponics is that it uses as little as 2% of the water, yields a larger crop by up at least 30% and grows 3 times faster and of course the fact that you dont have to use soil that may or may not have the right amount of ph and nutrients but you also save alot of water usage which saves on your water bill and since in California there is always water restrictions helps reduce usage. I myself am in the process of gathering the supplies i need to start using aeroponics as my method of gardening . It saves alot of space as well and can be used indoors or outdoors . I am going to try the vertical tower as well as other methods.
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