Fogponics, or atmoponics (from Ancient Greek ἀτμός (atmós), meaning ''"vapour"'' or ''"steam"''), is a subset of
aeroponics
Aeroponics is the process of cultivating plants in an air or mist environment, eliminating the need for soil or an aggregate medium. The term "aeroponic" originates from the ancient Greek: ''aer'' (air) and ''ponos'' (labor, hardship, or t ...
. Fogponics uses a suspension of nutrient enriched water to deliver
nutrients
A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...
and
oxygen
Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
to
plant roots
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the surfa ...
.
This is in contrast to geoponics and
organoponics which use soil and organic materials as the primary source of nutrients (as well as the growth medium), and 'traditional'
hydroponics
Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of #Passive sub-irrigation, hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral Plant nutrition, nutrient Solution (chemi ...
, which uses a submersion of nutrient enriched water as the primary nutrient source (using an inert, or no growth medium).
The difference between fogponics and other forms of aeroponics is that while aeroponics typically delivers nutrient rich water to the roots using a spray (relatively large particles in air), fogponics uses one of a number of mechanisms (for example ultrasonic, compressed air, or heating elements) to form a suspension of much smaller particles of water (5–30 μm), or even as a vapour.
Plants best absorb particles from the 1–50 μm range.
It is assumed that the absorption rate, as well as the energy required to grow are inversely proportional to particle size.
References
See also
*
Grow box
A grow box is a partially or completely enclosed system for raising plants indoors or in small areas. Grow boxes are used for a number of reasons, including the lack of available outdoor space or the desire to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers duri ...
*
Growroom
A growroom (or grow room) or growth chamber is a room of any size where plants are grown under controlled conditions. The reasons for utilizing a growroom are countless. Some seek to avoid the criminal repercussions of growing illicit cultiva ...
{{Hydroculture
Horticultural techniques
Hydroculture