How Does It Work?

1. Assembly:

When you receive your Tower Farm, it includes all the components needed to start farming immediately. Assembling a tower is a simple and efficient process that takes just about 10 minutes. Once assembled and the seedlings are transplanted, the system becomes fully automated, requiring only periodic monitoring of your crops until they are ready for harvest.

Assembly of 100 Towers in 24 Hours

2. Irrigation:

Simply put, it rains inside the towers!

At the base of the tower, there is a reservoir filled with water mixed with nutrients.

Inside the reservoir, a low-wattage submersible pump pushes the nutrient-enriched water to the top of the tower. Water is then sieved through a shower cap, drizzling over the plants’ roots on its way back down to the bottom reservoir.

The automated timer repeats the feeding cycle about 12 to 15 minutes per hour, depending on whether the tower is located indoors or outdoors.

This means that the plant’s roots are dangling in the air inside the hollow structure of the tower for almost 50 minutes per hour without receiving any water or nutrients.

Commercial Tower Farms are equipped with an automated irrigation system that supplies water and nutrients to each tower on an as-needed basis. It is obvious that a tower used to grow cucumbers will use much more water than a tower used to grow parsley. Our automated irrigation and nutrient dosing system supplies each tower accordingly.

How the Submersible Pumps Work

3. Propagation:

To get started, purchase seeds from a reputable provider—either regular or pelleted seeds will work. Place the seeds inside a cube of rockwool or coco coir, ensuring you use the correct quantity of seeds per hole to achieve optimal yields without overcrowding. For example, lettuce only requires one seed, while basil may need five seeds. Water the seeds daily until they germinate and grow into seedlings 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) tall.

Once the seedlings are ready, place them in the tower’s growing ports and let them flourish. When your crops are mature, simply harvest them and plant new seedlings in the tower to begin a fresh growth cycle. For detailed seed quantities per hole and the growth period for each crop, refer to our ebook The Aeroponic Tower Cultivation Guide. It’s that simple!

Seed Quantity Placement

4. Plant Growth

The roots of the plants spend 80% of their life in the air. Having the bare roots grow in the air allows them to have 100% oxygen availability. The highly oxygenated environment at the root level allows an increase in nutrient intake since oxygen is one of the main key elements for nutrient absorption.

The Importance of Healthy Roots

5. Water Savings & Space Savings

Water Savings: Growing in aeroponic towers offers remarkable water efficiency, saving up to 95% of the water typically used for soil-grown crops. This impressive reduction is achieved because the water in the towers is contained, reused, and recirculated in a closed-loop system. The only water loss occurs through evaporation and plant transpiration, both of which are minimal compared to traditional farming methods. These water-saving benefits make aeroponic towers an ideal solution for a wide range of challenging environments, including arid desert climates, water-restricted regions, urban settings with limited resources, and areas prone to drought. By conserving water while promoting sustainable farming practices, aeroponic towers are a forward-thinking choice for tackling global water scarcity and agricultural challenges. On average, a tower cultivating leafy greens or herbs consumes approximately 1 gallon (3.7 liters) of water per day.

Space Savings: Not only can aeroponic towers save up to 95% water, but they also allow you to save up to 90% of the space required for traditional farming. This is made possible by the vertical design of the towers, which maximizes growing capacity by accommodating up to 52 plants per square meter. This significant increase in crop output from a minimal footprint offers numerous advantages. It enables efficient farming in urban areas where space is limited, supports high-yield production in densely populated regions, and allows growers to cultivate more crops in areas unsuitable for traditional agriculture. Additionally, the compact design reduces the need for expansive farmland, contributing to land conservation and more sustainable agricultural practices. This space-efficient approach is particularly valuable for regions with high real estate costs or for growers looking to optimize production in limited areas.

Water Footprint of Aeroponic Lettuce

6. Electricity:

Each tower is equipped with a submersible 45W pump working 4.8 hours per day (3 minutes on and 12 minutes off).

Based on such metrics, below are the daily electrical consumption of Tower Farms featuring 10 towers, 20 towers, 30 towers, 40 towers, 50 towers, 100 towers, 300 towers, 500 towers, and 1000 towers:

10 towers: 10 × 0.216 kWh = 2.16 kWh
20 towers: 20 × 0.216 kWh = 4.32 kWh
30 towers: 30 × 0.216 kWh = 6.48 kWh
40 towers: 40 × 0.216 kWh = 8.64 kWh
50 towers: 50 × 0.216 kWh = 10.8 kWh
100 towers: 100 × 0.216 kWh = 21.6 kWh
300 towers: 300 × 0.216 kWh = 64.8 kWh
500 towers: 500 × 0.216 kWh = 108 kWh
1000 towers: 1000 × 0.216 kWh = 216 kWh

The above consumption rates need to be factored in according to local electrical rates or taken into account when designing an off-the-grid electrical system.

Nutrient Density of Aeroponic Cauliflowers

7. Nutrient-Density of the Crops:

Many people wonder how plants grown in aeroponic towers receive the same minerals as those grown in soil. It’s important to note that crops in aeroponic systems wouldn’t thrive on water alone. Plants require essential macronutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, as well as trace micronutrients such as boron, copper, and molybdenum. This is why a nutrient solution is carefully mixed into the water, ensuring plants get everything they need for optimal growth.

The ionic mineral nutrient solution used in Tower Farms is 100% natural, containing only the purest essential minerals and trace elements necessary for healthy plants. Whether these nutrients are absorbed from soil or a soluble solution, the minerals are chemically identical. In fact, our crops achieve the same nutrient density as those grown in soil. A scientific comparative study available on our website highlights that aeroponic crops match the quality of the best soil-grown produce, boasting nutrient density, antioxidant levels, and flavonoid content, while achieving over 30% higher yields. For more details, visit the ‘Beyond Organic‘ page.

Electricity Consumption of a Commercial Aeroponic Tower

8. Towers for Home-Use

Aeroponic towers designed for home use are very similar to the taller commercial towers used in a Tower Farm, but there are some distinct differences. Unlike commercial towers, home-use towers are stand-alone systems and do not connect to an automatic irrigation system that replenishes nutrient water as needed. Instead, water and nutrients must be added manually every couple of weeks on average—a simple process involving mixing a cup of nutrients into water and pouring it into the reservoir.

The Tower Garden HOME is specifically designed for indoor use, featuring adjustable LED grow lights typically set to run 14 hours per day. This compact tower is ideal for placement in a living room, kitchen, or even on a balcony. The pumps in the home-use towers are smaller than those in commercial systems, ensuring quiet operation and efficiency.

The Tower Garden FLEX is nearly identical to a standard commercial tower but comes with five sections, accommodating up to 20 plants. An optional extension kit allows for growing up to 28 plants. The FLEX also has a grow cage accessory, making it suitable for cultivating larger crops like tomatoes, peppers, and even watermelons.

For more information on towers designed for home use, click here.

Features of the Tower Garden HOME

Electricity Consumption of a Tower Garden HOME