How Tower Garden Uses Water & Nutrients Efficiently
A Tower Garden doesn't continually send fresh water and nutrients past the roots and then throw them away. Instead, it uses a recirculating aeroponic system that repeatedly delivers the same nutrient solution to the plant roots.
Water and Tower Garden Mineral Blend A & B are mixed in the reservoir. The pump moves that solution to the top of the tower, it flows down over the roots, and the unused solution returns to the reservoir to be used again.
That simple cycle is a big part of what makes Tower Garden an efficient way to deliver both water and nutrients to plants.
How Does Tower Garden Use Water So Efficiently?
Tower Garden uses a closed, recirculating system. Instead of watering soil and losing some of that water through drainage and runoff, the nutrient solution that passes over the roots drains back into the reservoir.
Tower Garden states that its aeroponic growing system can use up to 98% less water than conventional gardening methods. Actual water use will vary with crop size, temperature, humidity and other growing conditions.
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Learn how water and nutrients move through a Tower Garden.
How Water and Nutrients Move Through a Tower Garden
Tower Garden combines water, mineral nutrients and oxygen around the plant roots without using soil.
1. Mix
Water and Tower Garden Mineral Blend A & B are added to the reservoir to create the nutrient solution.
2. Circulate
A pump moves the nutrient solution to the top of the Tower Garden, where it flows down inside the tower and over the plant roots.
3. Reuse
The solution drains back into the reservoir, where it can circulate through the system again during the next pump cycle.
As plants grow, they take up water and dissolved nutrients from the solution. You periodically top off the reservoir to replace the water the plants have used.
Why Does Tower Garden Use Less Water?
In a traditional garden, water is applied to soil. Some reaches the roots, while some may be lost through drainage, runoff and evaporation from the soil surface.
Tower Garden approaches watering differently. The roots are contained inside the tower and the nutrient solution that isn't absorbed returns to the reservoir rather than simply draining away.
The reservoir is reused
You don't start with a new reservoir of water every time the pump runs. The existing solution circulates repeatedly, and additional water is added as the level drops.
Water is delivered directly to the root zone
The system doesn't need to saturate a large area of surrounding soil to get moisture and nutrients to the roots. Water and dissolved nutrients are delivered directly inside the tower.
Runoff is minimized
Because the solution returns to the reservoir, water and nutrients that aren't taken up during one cycle can remain available for later cycles.
What does “up to 98% less water” mean?
Tower Garden currently states that its aeroponic technology can use up
to 98% less water than conventional gardening methods. It shouldn't be
interpreted as a promise that every Tower Garden will reduce water use
by exactly 98%. Crop type, plant size, climate and growing conditions
all affect how quickly water is used.
How Tower Garden Nutrients Work With the Water
The water in a Tower Garden isn't just providing moisture. It also carries the dissolved minerals plants need for growth.
Tower Garden uses a two-part plant food called Mineral Blend A & B. Once the two parts are properly diluted in the reservoir water, the resulting nutrient solution circulates over the roots.
Because there is no soil supplying plant nutrition, maintaining the correct nutrient concentration and pH is an important part of successful Tower Garden growing.
If you're looking for a deeper explanation of what the mineral nutrients are and why plants need them, read our Tower Garden Nutrients Explained article.
What Has Research Found About Tower Garden Growing?
Researchers at the University of Mississippi compared eight crops grown in Tower Garden aeroponic systems with the same crops grown in a nearby field under similar environmental conditions.
The study included basil, chard, red kale, parsley, bell pepper, cherry tomato, cucumber and squash. Across the crops tested, the Tower Garden-grown plants produced higher average yields per plant than their field-grown counterparts, although the size of the difference varied considerably by crop.
Researchers also compared phenolic content, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. Their results showed that produce from the aeroponic and conventional growing systems had broadly comparable nutritional properties for the characteristics they measured.
An important distinction: This University of Mississippi study evaluated crop yield and several nutritional characteristics. It did not establish the 98% water reduction figure. The water-efficiency figure is a Tower Garden claim about its aeroponic technology.
How Much Tower Garden Mineral Blend Should You Use?
Understanding how the system works is one thing. Knowing how much nutrient to actually put in the reservoir is another.
For established plants, the standard Tower Garden rate is 20 mL of Mineral Blend A and 20 mL of Mineral Blend B per gallon of water added.
Newly transplanted seedlings use a weaker solution, and nutrient strength may also need to be reduced during very hot weather.
Rather than covering all of those dosing situations here, we've created separate guides with the exact amounts to use.
Learn More About Tower Garden Nutrients
How Much & How Often?
See exactly how much Mineral Blend A & B to add and when to add more as you refill your reservoir.
Tower Garden nutrient dosing →Nutrients in Summer
Hot weather changes how we manage nutrient strength. See when to use half or quarter-strength nutrients.
Summer nutrient guide →What Are Tower Garden Nutrients?
Learn more about Mineral Blend, plant nutrition and how roots absorb dissolved mineral nutrients.
Tower Garden nutrients explained →Complete Nutrient Guide
Explore nutrient dosing, pH, seasonal adjustments and troubleshooting in one place.
Tower Garden Nutrient Guide →Need Tower Garden Mineral Blend?
Tower Garden Mineral Blend A & B provides the mineral nutrients used to feed plants growing in your Tower Garden.
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