Can this stone save your crops from drowning?

Most people know that plants need CO2 and sunlight to grow. But just like many other organisms, plants rely on oxygen, absorbing it through the stomata and roots for aerobic respiration. While plants can still process energy without oxygen, they’re forced to use anaerobic respiration — a far less efficient process.

If you want to have an efficient hydroponic production, you’ll need to understand how air stones work, why they’re important, and how you can maintain them. In this blog, we’ll cover all those topics and more, providing you with a succinct overview of these essential hydroponic components.

What Is an Air Stone?

An air stone creates small oxygen bubbles by forcing oxygen out of the stone with a pressurized air pump.

It’s a necessary component that provides plants with oxygen, helping turn fats and sugars into chemical energy in a process known as aerobic respiration. Air stones are typically made of limestone or other porous rocks.

In addition to providing aeration benefits, the bubbles produced by the air stone also disrupt the surface of the water, adding turbulence that turns over the nutrient solution, so that the nutrient solution doesn’t stagnate.

This keeps nutrients evenly distributed throughout the solution, as bubbles disturb the solution, effectively mixing it. Additionally, because the solution stays in constant motion, aeration can also prevent scum or algae buildup from developing in your reservoir or hydroponic channels.

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