Uploaded October 2016 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
Read more: university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/aquaponic-media-the-surface-area-problem-how-to-solve-it
Hydroponic and aquaponic growers are some of the most innovative folks in the world; they’ve used just about everything as growing media!
Any grower will tell you after experimenting with types of media that one characteristic is extremely important: surface area.
The total surface area of the media in a farm is related to:
- Cation exchange capacity (even availability of nutrients)
- Biological surface area (size of beneficial microbe populations)
What more is that surface area is often related to good plant anchoring, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient cycling. Clearly, surface area is a trait that growers want maximized in their media.
The goal is to get high surface area in the same volume.
Unfortunately, growers often have to sacrifice other benefits to get good surface area.
Here’s why that happens: Usually, as an aggregate gets larger, total surface area in relation to volume goes down. But most growers favor larger particles because they:
a) are easier to work with
b) don’t collect solids as easily (solids accumulation can lead to anaerobic decomposition)
c) encourage dissolved oxygen through aeration
So, even though larger aggregates (like hydroton) are easier to work with and sometimes better for the growing ecosystem, the price of that convenience is lower surface area.
This means that growers have to choose one or the other benefit and can’t have both.
Fibers are the exception.
Fibers off the best of both worlds. The are easy to work with (generally being one piece per growing unit) and offer high percolation (high dissolved oxygen and no anaerobic zones).
We’ve been using fibers as a primary media for years. Have questions about using fibers? Leave it in the comments!
For more free videos, check out Upstart University and start your free trial today! university.upstartfarmers.com/limited-trial/?ref=43
Want to know more about vertical growing? Enroll in the full course! university.upstartfarmers.com/courses/1030-choosing-your-production-model/?ref=43
----------------------------------------------
Connect with us:
Website: zipgrow.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ZipGrowTM
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/zipgrow-inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zipgrowinc
Instagram: instagram.com/zipgrowinc
Music: "Anjela" by TV Girl
From the Free Music Archive
Read more: university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/aquaponic-media-the-surface-area-problem-how-to-solve-it
Hydroponic and aquaponic growers are some of the most innovative folks in the world; they’ve used just about everything as growing media!
Any grower will tell you after experimenting with types of media that one characteristic is extremely important: surface area.
The total surface area of the media in a farm is related to:
- Cation exchange capacity (even availability of nutrients)
- Biological surface area (size of beneficial microbe populations)
What more is that surface area is often related to good plant anchoring, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient cycling. Clearly, surface area is a trait that growers want maximized in their media.
The goal is to get high surface area in the same volume.
Unfortunately, growers often have to sacrifice other benefits to get good surface area.
Here’s why that happens: Usually, as an aggregate gets larger, total surface area in relation to volume goes down. But most growers favor larger particles because they:
a) are easier to work with
b) don’t collect solids as easily (solids accumulation can lead to anaerobic decomposition)
c) encourage dissolved oxygen through aeration
So, even though larger aggregates (like hydroton) are easier to work with and sometimes better for the growing ecosystem, the price of that convenience is lower surface area.
This means that growers have to choose one or the other benefit and can’t have both.
Fibers are the exception.
Fibers off the best of both worlds. The are easy to work with (generally being one piece per growing unit) and offer high percolation (high dissolved oxygen and no anaerobic zones).
We’ve been using fibers as a primary media for years. Have questions about using fibers? Leave it in the comments!
For more free videos, check out Upstart University and start your free trial today! university.upstartfarmers.com/limited-trial/?ref=43
Want to know more about vertical growing? Enroll in the full course! university.upstartfarmers.com/courses/1030-choosing-your-production-model/?ref=43
----------------------------------------------
Connect with us:
Website: zipgrow.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ZipGrowTM
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/zipgrow-inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zipgrowinc
Instagram: instagram.com/zipgrowinc
Music: "Anjela" by TV Girl
From the Free Music Archive
