"Sacred Medicine Bear", 36"x30", © 1979 Norval Morrisseau

Aloha Friday! Some of the most ancient gardeners and cultivators were the Native Americans. I found an amazing post about smudging and “four sacred” medicines…  I encourage you to explore other burned herbs that purify your physical and spiritual environment. Have a great weekend, and keep your energy purified!

Many things have been placed on the earth for our use. One of the major tools given to us are the plant medicines.

Certain plants give up their lives so that we can use their smoke for prayers and cleansing, and the aroma produced by these plants help us place ourselves in a different state of mind thus bringing us into a deeper part of ourselves. Then, as we concentrate on what is happening, the scent may inspire memories, awaken the soul and give a sense of direction.

Many cultures and religions use sacred smoke made from the plant medicines. This is called smudging in Native America.

Often incense is burned during rituals, both for purification and to symbolize the prayers of the worshipper, which are then carried to the Creator along the smoke.

While much is written on the use of smudging to cleanse negative energy, one of its main purposes is to bring vision, aided by the sense of smell.

In ancient Greece, smudging formed part of the rituals to contact the dead, following long periods of fasting and silence. Their sacred smoke was born out of sulphur and minerals in lieu of herbs to part the veil between the worlds of the living and form a bridge to the other world.

Besides producing visions, smudging is used to purify tools and people before an important spiritual ceremony. It is also used to clear sacred space and open the soul before calling upon the Spirits and their healing powers.

The Elders say that the Spirits like the aroma produced when we burn sacred medicines.

It is always recommended to smudge a room or oneself after heavy healing work or a bad argument. This is to remove any negative energy that may persist just like disinfecting a place full of germs.

Healing powers of plants and herbs is universal and across all continents, the only difference is that not all plants grow in one region. People usually utilize the plant or the herb that is abundant in their region

There are Four major medicine plants;  tobacco, sweet grass, sage and cedar that we natives use frequently in ceremonies.

Tobacco (Semah)

Sacred tobacco is used to make smoke, is one of the most sacred of plants for Native people. It is said to be the main activator of all plants. It was given to us so that we can communicate with the Spirit world and when you use it, all things begin to happen. Tobacco is always offered before picking medicines. When you offer tobacco to a plant and explain your reasons for being there, the plant will let all the plants in the area know your intentions and why you are picking them, tobacco is used first as an offering for everything and in every ceremony. Going to ceremonies you would offer tobacco to the Elder leading those ceremonies along with an honoring gift. This announces your intention and the Elders may ask you of your intentions with this offering.

Sweet grass (Weengush)

Sweet grass is the sacred hair of Mother Earth; its sweet aroma reminds people of the gentleness, love and kindness she has for the people; this is why Native people pick it and braid it in 3 strands representing love, kindness and honesty. Sweet grass is used for smudging and purification of the spirit; when Sweet grass is used in a healing or talking circle it has a calming effect. It is said that it attracts the good Spirit, so use it to call in the Spirit.

EuropeanTraditions

Sweet grass was strewn before church doors on Saints’ days in northern Europe, presumably because of the sweet smell that arose when it was trodden on. It was used in France to flavour candy, tobacco, soft drinks, and perfumes. Widely used in neo-pagan practice (syncretized from North American indigenous practice). In Europe, the species H. alpina is frequently substituted or used interchangeably. In Russia, it was used to flavour tea

Ceremonial Sage(Sukodawabuk)

Sage is used in many different ways, it helps the people prepare for ceremonies and teachings. Because it is more medicinal and stronger than Sweet grass, it tends to be used more often in ceremonies, it also has physical healing properties, you can boil sage and drink it as a tea. Sage is for releasing what is troubling the mind and for removing negative energy, it is used for cleansing homes and sacred items. There is male and female sage.

Ceremonial use of Cedar (Keezhik)

Like Sage and Sweet grass, cedar is used to purify the home, it also has many restorative medicinal use. When mixed with sage for a tea, it cleans the body of all infections, cedar baths are also very healing. When cedar mixed with tobacco is put in the fire it crackles, this is said to call the attention of the Spirits to the offering that is being made. Cedar is used in sweat lodge and fasting ceremonies for protection, cedar branches cover the floor of many sweat lodges and some people make a circle of cedar when they are fasting. It is a guardian spirit and chases away the bad spirits.

Since it is believe, in many cultures, that the plants we use to burn and purify ourselves provides us with access to their soul and power, it is essential that we ask their permission before gathering these plants. Take only what we need without damaging the plant and give thanks for what we took. If you did not pick these plants yourself, know that someone else did that for you and that you could still give thanks for the life of those plants and the people who did pick them.

The format of the smudging in today’s rituals varies from culture to culture and so does the plants and herbs used for such sacred ceremony. In the Dancing To Eagle Spirit Society’s rituals we utilize mostly sage (all kinds), cedar, juniper, sweet grass, lavender, wild tobacco, Native American Tobacco.

Thank you so much to The “Dancing To Eagle Spirit Society” for the amazing article

Beat the winter blues this year by creating your very own salad factory that can run 365 days a year! Keith Roberto, author of “How To Hydroponics,” takes us through the process step-by-step.

There are many ways to grow lettuce hydroponically. Here’s a system that’s simple, inexpensive ($20-$30 complete) and “complex” enough to satisfy any first timer’s appetite for a fun project that actually works pretty well. It’s called the “Raft System.” In concept, the raft system does exactly as it says. Plants are grown in Styrofoam “rafts” that float in a shallow pool of nutrient solution. To keep the nutrient from stagnating, a small air pump is used to deliver oxygen to the solution and the eagerly awaiting roots.

Parts List

(1) 14 Gallon Roughtote reservoir
(1) Single outlet air pump (Elite 801)
(1) 2’ x 2’ x 1.5” rigid foam sheet
(9) 2” net cups
(1) 6’ x 1/4” air tubing
(1) Air stone
(1) Small bag of LECA
(9) Seed starting/rooting plugs
(1) 1/4” compression grommet
+ Hydroponic nutrients

Tools You’ll Need

Electric or battery powered drill
3/8” or 1/2” chuck 1 7/8” hole saws for cutting plant sites
3/8”drill bit for drilling grommet hole
Jigsaw or coping saw for cutting foam
Razor knife for cutting tubing
A pen or marker

Step 8: Fill ‘er up! Add water, nutrients and plug in your pump: your raft garden will start gurgling and your plants will grow in no time – don’t forget to give them plenty of light and top off the nutrient solution every time it drops 2-4” or so. It’s also a good idea to completely flush and clean your raft system every other harvest using a 10% bleach solution and scrub brush.

The Perfect Environment For Lettuce

Temperature: Lettuce prefers cooler temperatures. It bolts rapidly if things get too hot, especially if temps exceed 80 to 85°F (27 to 29°C). Ideal temps for most commonly grown varieties: 64 to 70°F (18 – 21°C) during the day and 55 to 61°F (13 to 16°C) at night. Higher temperatures can also cause burning on the leaf tips.

Relative Humidity (RH): 60 to 80 percent.

Nutrient Solution pH: 5.5 and 5.8 and EC from 0.6 to 1.0

Lighting: Compact fluorescents are ideal for the production of salad greens indoors. Lights should be switched on for 14-18 hours per day. Increasing nitrogen levels if growing under longer day lengths will speed up growth significantly.

Eager for more DIY hydro-projects? Check out Keith’s website, and stay tuned for more weekend projects from Urban Garden Magazine!

Food is not what it used to be. The limitations of language prevent us from collectively recognizing it as anything else, but a processed TV dinner does not and cannot replace living whole foods. Think about it, all food was completely intact and untouched by industrialization as little as 100 years ago. Instead of being used as a tool to work within nature, modern “science” has been used as a means to outmaneuver her, and what an astonishing job we have done.

We may think we are being healthy when we eat our broccoli, but the calcium content of broccoli has dropped from 12.9 milligrams dry weight in 1950 to only 4.4 milligrams in 2003.

For instance, a study of 45 corn varieties developed from 1920 to 2001 found that concentrations of proteins, oil and three important amino acids have all declined in the newer varieties. Similarly, six minerals have declined by 22-39 per cent in 14 widely grown wheat varieties developed over the past 100 years. We may think we are being healthy when we eat our broccoli, but USDA nutrient data shows that the calcium content of broccoli has dropped from 12.9 milligrams dry weight in 1950 to only 4.4 milligrams in 2003. (Full Study: “Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition,” HortScience, 2009; 44:15)

The two forces at work on crops are what are called the “environmental dilution effect” and the “genetic dilution effect.” Researchers have known since the 1940s that an emphasis on empty fertilizers results in cheaper food that is devoid of minerals, but our economic system is driven by volume and shelf life, not nutritional value. We cannot see nutrient density in food, so a bushel of corn fortified with more minerals than the next bushel sells for the same or less as the empty corn right next to it and further down the spiral we go. The economic incentive associated with the volume of food produced trumps the reason we are actually growing the food in the first place.

The genetic dilution effect is a result of the environmental dilution effect. Farmers and plant breeders caught up in a system that pays them for the amount of physical food they produce develop high-yielding varieties without a primary focus on nutrient density. In most modern fruits and vegetables around 80-90 per cent of the dry weight are carbohydrates, much higher than it should be relative to the amount of protein. Dr. William Albrecht provides evidence for the importance of this in his book Soil Fertility & Animal Health.

The human coercion of food has occurred on so many different levels that it leaves no smoking gun. However, there are examples that serve to illustrate our misguided ways. One reason our food is empty is an overemphasis of elements such as nitrogen (N) or potassium (K), which both give a strong growth and yield response, at the expense of elements such as calcium (Ca) or phosphorous (P). In order to grow strong bones and teeth we need high levels of Ca and P, not high levels of N and K. In his landmark book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Weston Price proved that traditional diets had five times the Ca and P as a modern diet of industrially-grown processed foods, resulting in significant reductions in dental decay and developmental abnormalities.

Consider this: a plant has a limited reservoir of potential to take up nutrition. In the same way that the negatively charged soil has a finite ability to hold onto cations (or + charged elements, see ‘cation exchange capacity’) a plant is also restricted in its ability to take up only a certain volume of positively charged elements. You can’t fit five gallons of water in a one gallon bucket can you? Ca is taken up far slower than K by plants. In an experiment with alfalfa it was found that the Ca:K ratio of 32:1 in the soil resulted in only a 3:1 ratio in the plant and it turns out that plants can take up more K than they need for optimum yields and nutrient density. When this happens it doesn’t leave room for the other cations (Ca+, Mg+, Na+, Cu+, Zn+, Fe+, trace+, etc.). Similarly, the major anions (- charged elements) appear to have the same sum-total limits on anion saturation, so P uptake is equally manipulated by the overuse of nitrate (NO3-) based fertilizers common in gardening and farming. The result is empty food.

We’ve established that it is necessary to provide plants a broader range of mineral elements in order for them to attain a higher nutrient density and be the vitamin they are designed to be, but it turns out the picture is much larger. Complete nutrition is not only important in regards to the plant itself, it involves an ecosystem. In fact, by focusing on the plant at the expense of the ecosystem, we sell short all of the varying means of symbiotic assistance plants have available to them, namely the help of micro-organisms.

Micro-organisms are vital to our existence, not only in building soil and helping to produce our food, but in helping us digest our food and protecting us from disease from enemy microbes, same as they do for plants. A teaspoon of good compost will easily have over a billion organisms and, similarly, a human not taking antibiotics has more foreign cells from micro-organisms in and on our bodies than we do human cells. It has been determined that plants actually use upwards of 40 elements, much more than the 16 or so we have defined “essential,” but the idea of “essential nutrients” does not apply at all to microbes; they utilize literally all of them.

For instance, it has been established that over half of the energy a plant creates for itself is exuded though its roots to attract specific microbes via what are called exudates. This means that when there are specific mineral deficiencies or pathogenic organisms present in and around plants they have the ability to attract the specific microbes necessary to aid them in the deficiency or disease. All of this intelligence is lost when we are not considering microbiology in regards to plant growth. Even if we are actively encouraging the biology in our plant growing situations, we are limiting the potential of this biological response by not allowing the microbes all of the physical elements to work with. A plant may only use 40 elements, but the microbes that protect and help it eat use every single element to manifest the amino acids, hormones, enzymes and various metabolic compounds that allow it to perform its duty.

“Traditional diets had five times the calcium and phosphorous as a modern diet of industrially-grown processed foods.”

This concept can be proven by doing a simple experiment brewing compost tea. Conduct a side-by-side experiment using a biologically balanced compost with a food source such as fish emulsion, kelp or molasses. Expose these ingredients to oxygen by using an air stone in each bucket using similar amounts of water. After setting up the experiment and ensuring that the exact same ingredients are used in both variables, include one tablespoon per five gallons of water of a biodynamically enhanced micronutrient in one container and not in the other. After only a couple of hours you will be able to see the enhanced biomass in the micronutrient-treated solution with the naked eye. The organisms can simply do more of what they want to do given all of the means to do it. Consider that micro-organisms use each element as a primer to carry out the communication delivered from its genetic code and to build the compounds necessary for them to do their work (and to benefit your plants). In all reality, no organism can carry out their true genetic expression without all the tools necessary to carry out the communication. What if you hired someone to build your house and only gave them half the tools? If they could build the house at all, it will take them a heck of a long time!

Big picture, any living organism, including humans, cannot operate at maximum efficiency without access to all of the physical elements. Cells are the bottom line in life. When we operate on the level of mere “essential nutrients” we are feeding them fast food. This doesn’t kill them, as it doesn’t kill us, but we are selling ourselves short. Trace elements govern the potential of health for living organisms and all of them are needed for health. In short, gardening without all possible elements at our disposal is degeneration and the result of pest infestations, weeds in our landscapes and disease.

Everyone knows that health is derived from what you eat, not how much of it. The hydroponics community is awash in stimulants and amendments designed to make plants grow bigger/stronger/faster, but it’s time we take a look at plant growth from a plants perspective. An obese plant may give us a higher yield, but in the end is it working in our favor?

Thanks To Maximum Yield for the great read – Original Page here – by Evan Folds

The single term used to describe underground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due to unknown causes is damping-off . The term actually covers several soil borne diseases of plants and seed borne fungi.

Rhizoctonia root rot (Rhizoctonia solani) is a fungal disease which causes damping-off of seedlings and foot rot of cuttings.  Infection occurs in warm to hot temperatures and moderate moisture levels.  The fungi is found in all natural soils and can survive indefinitely.  Infected plants often have slightly sunken lesions on the stem at or below the soil line.  Transfer of the fungi to the germination room or greenhouse is easily accomplished by using outdoor gardening tools inside or vice versa.  The germination room should not be used for mixing potting soils or transplanting seedlings as a general rule.

Pythium Root Rot (Pythium spp.) is similar to Rhizoctonia in that it causes damping-off of seedlings and foot rot of cuttings.  However, infection occurs in cool, wet, poorly-drained soils, and by overwatering.  Infection results in wet odorless rots.  When severe, the lower portion of the stem can become slimy and black.  Usually, the soft to slimy rotted outer portion of the root can be easily separated from the inner core.  Species of Pythium can survive for several years in soil and plant refuse.

Phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora spp.) are usually associated with root rots of established plants but are also involved in damping-off.  These species enter the root tips and cause a water-soaked brown to black rot similar to Pythium. These fungi survive indefinitely in soil and plant debris.

Black root rot (Thielaviopsis basicola) is a problem of established plants.  It does not occur in strongly acid soils with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5.  It usually infects the lateral roots where they just emerge from the taproot.  The diseased area turns dark brown, and is quite dry.  The fungi survive for 10 years or more in soil.

Miscellaneous fungi causing similar symptoms include Sclerotinia (white mold), Sclerotium rolfsii, Macrophomina phaseoli, some species of Botrytis (gray mold), Aphonomyces, Fusarium, Cylindrocladium, and others.  Hence the need for the collective term known as damping-off.

Symptoms of Damping-off:

Seeds may be infected as soon as moisture penetrates the seed coat or a bit later as the radicle begins to extend, all of which rot immediately under the soil surface (pre-emergence damping-off). This condition results in a poor, uneven stand of seedlings, often confused with low seed viability. Cotyledons may break the soil surface only to whither and die or healthy looking seedlings may suddenly fall over (post-emergence damping-off).  Infection results in lesions at or below the soil line. The seedling will discolor or wilt suddenly, or simply collapse and die.  Weak seedlings are especially susceptible to attack by one or more fungi when growing conditions are only slightly unfavorable. Damping-off is easily confused with plant injury caused by insect feeding, excessive fertilization, high levels of soluble salts, excessive heat or cold, excessive or insufficient soil moisture, or chemical toxicity in air or soil.

Above ground symptoms of root rot include stunting, low vigor, or wilting on a warm day. Foliage of such plants may yellow and fall prematurely starting with the oldest leaves.  The roots of a diseased plant will have some shade of brown or black and evidence of water-soaking.  Healthy roots are fibrous appearing and are usually white or tan in color. These symptoms are easily confused with severe mite, aphid, scale infestations, or root-feeding by nematodes or insect larvae. Environmental factors such as accumulated salts in the soil, insufficient light or nitrogen, potbound roots, cold drafts, etc. can be eliminated only by examination of the roots.

Damping-off diseases can be prevented:

• Purchase disease free plants and seeds.  Know your supplier.  Do not be afraid of fungicidal coatings on seeds which will be direct sown out doors in cold soils, such as corn and peas. Seed borne disease can also be avoided by soaking the seeds for 15 minutes in a bleach soak (one teaspoon per quart of water) prior to sowing.
• Use sterile well drained soil mediums. See article on soil mixes. Try to maintain a soil mix pH at the low end of the average scale, i.e. 6.4 pH is less susceptible to root rot than a pH of 7.5.  Commercially prepared germination mixes usually have a pH around 5.5.  As you water the seed pots and your seedlings with tap water (which in many municipalities is quite alkaline), the pH in your pots gradually increases as does the susceptibility to damping-off diseases.  Know the pH of your tap water, and condition it if necessary to maintain a lower pH while the plants are still in the germination room.  I prefer the use of vinegar at the rate of one tablespoon per gallon of water.
• Plants must not have their crowns below the soil line.  Seeds must not be covered more than 4 times the thickness of the seed.
• Use plant containers with drainage holes, water from the bottom only, and avoid excess watering. Do not allow pots to stand in water as excess water cannot drain and the roots will be starved for oxygen bringing all growth to a halt.
• Avoid overcrowding  and overfeeding of plants.  It is important to maintain constant levels of growth through proper lighting and complete control of the growing environment.
• Avoid working with plants (taking cuttings or transplanting) when the soil is wet. Do not use water from ditches or drainage ponds or rain barrels in the germination room.
• Avoid spreading soil from infested areas or tools which have been used out of doors. Disinfect tools and containers with one part bleach in four parts water or with 70 percent rubbing alcohol (isopropyl).
• In the germination room,  sow all your seeds on the surface of the media, then cover the seeds to necessary depth with a material which is less likely to harbor fungi than the media itself.  Use one or more of the following seed toppings instead of soil mix:
  • milled sphagnum moss
  • chick grit
  • course sand or fine aquarium gravel
  • composted hardwood bark (steamed)
• In the germination room, mist seedlings in communal pots or flats once or twice per day with water containing a known anti-fungal agent such as:
  • Captan (or other approved fungicide) especially if walls or floors are damp, or
  • Cheshunt compound, a copper/aluminum formulation, or
  • chamomile tea, or
  • clove tea, or
  • a  one-time light dusting of powdered cinnamon on the soil surface, or
  • a one-time light dusting of powdered charcoal on the soil surface, or
  • if stinging nettle is endemic in your area, make a fermented infusion to use like clove tea.           These last five actions are suggested by sufficient anecdotal evidence to prove  the existence of a low level of fungicidal activity.  I would not hesitate to use them in germination environments which have no history of damping-off diseases.
• Rotate plantings on a 2 to 3 year schedule using plants from different families in order to starve out existing pathogens.
• Provide constant air movement not tied in with the light timer.  Air should move freely 24 hours per day, but not directly aimed at the plants.  This helps the seedlings to aspirate, and excess soil moisture to wick. If you do everything else right but do not provide plenty of air movement, you will still get damping-off.

So, what do I do?  Answer:  all of the above, all of the time.

Damping-off diseases can be controlled:

Fungicides may be applied as a soil drench after planting.  They may be incorporated into the soil before planting as a dust. They can be sprayed in mist form on all seedlings as a precaution until they have been transplanted into individual pots. Once transplanted, only those seedlings known to be especially sensitive to damping-off need be misted with fungicide daily until the first or second seed leaves have emerged.  The following chemicals are not recommended for use by the average recreational gardener, but may still be available for use (if not yet banned), providing  the manufacturer’s instructions are followed to the letter.

Captan (sold as Captan) controls most pathogens, but not Rhizoctonia.

Metalaxyl (sold as Subdue or Apron) controls Pythium, Phytophthora,  and Aphanomyces.

Iprodione (sold as Chipco) controls most pathogens, but not Pythium, Phytophthora, or Aphanomyces.

Etridiazole and Thiophanate-methyl (sold as Banrot) controls most all pathogens.

PCNB-etridiazole (sold as SA-Terraclor or Super-X) good general purpose fungicide.

PCNB-quintozene (sold as Terraclor, Fungi-clor, or PCNB) controls Rhizoctonia and Sclerotinia species.

Fosetyl-A1 (sold as Aliette) controls Pythium, Phytophthora, & Aphanomyces.

Well, you get the idea.  There are too many to list, and they go on and off the market very quickly (mostly because they are very dangerous when used improperly, and some are too dangerous to have been put on the market at all.)

So, what do I use?  Answer: Just enough Captan as needed.

The Future of Damping Off Control: 

Biocontrol with microbial fungicides is being investigated in several academic labs.  Typical targets are those plants being mass-produced in nearby commercial greenhouses.  Early results indicate damping-off prevention comparable to that achieved with the use of standard fungicidal drenches like those mentioned above.   However, there remain some notable drawbacks in biocontrol of damping-off.

First, microbial fungicides act against only one species of root or stem rot, and must be applied in advance.  So, in order to prevent damping-off, you must know in advance which species of Pythium or Rhizoctonia or other fungi is likely to attack your crop.  That limits their use to large production facilities.

Second, some formulations of microbial fungicides have been shown to produce substances that are phytotoxic to certain crops.

Finally, small changes in environmental conditions during test periods seem to cause significant differences in test results.

There is much work to be done in this area of biocontrol, not to mention the ultimate necessity of EPA approval.  Use of biocontrol agents for prevention of damping off by home gardeners may well be decades away.  For a list of those biocontrol products which have approval for controlling plant diseases, go to the USDA ARS Biocontrol Plant Diseases Laboratory at    http://www.barc.usda.gov/psi/bpdl/bpdl.html

Thanks to Tom Clothier for the article, original page here

Nutrient temperature

It can be beneficial to maintain the nutrient solution temperature within a range of 68-77oF. This will usually be achieved if the air temperature is controlled.

Figure one: Water heaters (left) are useful for heating nutrient in winter. In summer, ‘water-chillers’ (right are effective for cooling. These items can be thermostically controlled.

Still too cold? A cold nutrient solution (or cold roots) can lower nutrient uptake. If nutrient temperature remains excessively low, a ‘water heater’ can be used (figure one).

Too hot? Hot nutrient can cause disease and suppressed nutrient oxygen levels. Small tank volumes can be maintained by placing frozen water bottles directly into the nutrient solution. However, for convenience (or larger tanks), a ‘water-chiller’ may be required.

In either situation, burying tanks underground will provide insulation against extreme temperatures.

Nutrient disinfection

It is common to blame the nutrient for poor growth results. However, in many cases, the true cause is poor hygiene practices, especially the failure to regularly disinfect the nutrient solution. To prevent disease ingress (figure two), the nutrient solution, medium, roots (etc.) should be regularly sterilized.

Sterilizing agents must yield a residual chemical when dissolved in the working nutrient solution so that the entire system is treated each time plants are watered. Historically, chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite and monochloramine are used for this purpose. However, monochloramine has the advantage of possessing a long half-life, is gentle on roots and is compatible with the majority of organic mediums and growth promotants.

Oxygenation (Aeration) of nutrient

Figure two: Root browning is a typical symptom of the root diesase ‘pythium’.

Plants consume oxygen via their roots for the process of respiration. For this to occur, the oxygen must be dissolved in the nutrient solution. This is achieved via aeration.

Aeration methods: As seen with stagnant water, simply exposing a body of water to air does not aerate it. System design generally determines how much oxygen becomes dissolved in the nutrient. Maximum aeration is achieved by breaking the water up into as small a particle size as possible via a tumbling treatment (e.g. waterfall, fountain, etc). In hydroponic systems, aeration can be achieved by:

• Delivering the nutrient solution via spray jets.
• Designing the hardware (for re-circulating systems only) such that the nutrient splashes into the reservoir when it returns from the roots.

In either case though, it is critical to ensure that the air is well ventilated where the aeration occurs; otherwise that air will quickly become depleted of oxygen or stale – figure three.

Figure three: A ‘raised’ lid permits airflow within the reservoir whilst still preventing light and dirt ingress and evaporation. Airflow helps prevent stale air and fungus/moulds.

An air stone and air pump can also be used. Air stones have the added advantage of promoting circulation of the nutrient reservoir to ensure it is evenly mixed (figure four). Make sure to position the pump in a well ventilated area.
Note: Oxygen also aids in keeping the nutrient sterile due to its mild disinfecting properties.

To support optimum plant growth, a nutrient solution generally requires a minimum oxygen concentration of around three milligrams per quart. It is generally noted that super-oxygenation fails to deliver improved growth results.

Also, there is a common belief that high temperatures cause oxygen levels to become inadequate. However, by referring to the table you can see that water can hold seven milligrams per quart of oxygen when at 104oF. Growth problems at higher temperatures could be attributed to photorespiration, increased bacteriological activity, etc.

Because new roots are the main supply path for oxygen, if new root growth is restricted then oxygen supplies will be restricted. Hence, when selecting pots/channels, ensure they will accommodate the likely root volume of the plants when at full maturity. Failure to do so may prevent the plants from reaching maturity.

Figure four: Air stones are a reliable method of ensuring oxygen levels are adequate.

Minimize exposure of nutrient and roots to light

Light will accelerate the growth of algae and pathogens. Further, some brands of chelated trace elements can decompose from exposure to UV light, which causes them to become unavailable for root up-take. Therefore, minimize exposure to light as much as possible by placing a lid on the nutrient reservoir, and other regions of the system where nutrient is exposed to direct light.

In achieving this, ensure the design allows adequate ventilation of air otherwise this air will become humid and susceptible to disease. For example, when placing a lid on the reservoir, have it in a raised position so that air can freely enter and exit (figure three).

Thanks to Maximum Yield For the article.. Original Page Here

by Andrew Taylor

Interactive Telecommunications Researchers Develop A Device For Plants To Send Text Messages

Interactive telecommunications researchers designed a soil-moisture sensor device that can allow a house plant to communicate with its owner. The device can send short messages to a mobile phone or, by using a service called Twitter, it can send short messages to the Internet. The messages can range from reminders to water the plant, a thank you or a warning that you over- or under-watered it. To communicate, probes in the soil emit electric waves. A voltage level based on the moisture content is sent through two wires to a circuit board that compares the optimum moisture level with the current one. A local network receives this data and allows the plant to send a message through the device.

House plants look good, brighten a room, produce oxygen, purify indoor air, eliminate noxious gases and reduce carbon monoxide levels. So why do so many of us forget to water them? Now, there may be a solution to solve that problem. Thirsty plants can now let you know they need water.

Knowing what your plants need isn’t always this simple. For most of us, it’s more of a guessing game. Phyllis Bilowich believes her porch plants like sharing her morning cup of joe.

“The hibiscus has grown taller than me,” said Bilowich. “I contribute that to the coffee.”

Now she can not only see the results, but Phyllis’ plants can tell her exactly what they need. A new system called Botanicalls, developed by interactive telecommunications researchers, allows your plants to send “tweets,” or short text messages, to your mobile phone or messages to the Internet.

“They’ll recognize when they’ve been watered, and they’ll say thank you, and they’ll also let you know if you’ve over-watered or under-watered,” said Botanicalls developer Katie London.

Botanicalls researchers have created units with a soil-moisture sensor.

“We have a little micro-controller unit that’s basically a little computer that’s hooked up to your plant,” said developer Kate Hartman.

Probes in the soil send out electrical waves. Based on amount of moisture in the soil, a voltage level is sent through two wires to a circuit board that compares current moisture levels to the optimum moisture level. This data is received by a local network, which allows the plant to send a message for help.

“We decided to tap into existing communication systems and allow them to talk like people,” Hartman said. Not only is it for growing botanists — it’s also for budding engineers. Each device has to be assembled from basic parts.

Each Botanicalls kit is $99. Developers say it’s worth it if you like your plants but don’t always remember to take care of them. The new kit is the third generation of the Botanicalls system. The team is continuing to innovate and hopes to make it smaller, cheaper and easier to use.

WHAT IS IT? Botanicalls provides a method for plants to indicate when they need care. Sensors are placed in the soil with a plant, where it measures the level of moisture. The sensors send a signal to a microcontroller, which determines when moisture is low or when water has been added. Then it can send a wireless signal to an internet-connected computer that can send a prerecorded message to the owner. These messages might include a thank-you when plants are watered, or a warning if the watering is too much.

HOUSE PLANTS BENEFIT AIR QUALITY: It may not be an obvious benefit, but house plants can help improve the air quality inside homes. In addition to absorbing carbon dioxide, plants can absorb gases such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. As builders construct more energy efficient homes, the improved insulation limits the exchange of air with the outside, keeping heat, and some pollutants inside. Many common houseplants that are used to add a bit of life to home interiors will also benefit residents by cleaning up the air they breathe, such as spider plants, peace lilies, and weeping fig.

Here we are in 2010 guys… WOW we are officially living in the future. Since making every crop a bumper crop is a goal here this year, I have a tremendous article that will get us on our way…..
So you want to get bigger yields from your crop? Here are seven grow tips (in no particular order), that when adhered to, will help to ensure the healthiest and most vibrant crops possible in your growing environment. These growing secrets are the culmination of decades of growing experience from the author and countless other dedicated growers spanning the globe over. Follow them closely; they have worked for others and they can work for you.
One: Keep it optimal.
Technologically-advanced products are accessible to consumers making it effortless to supply bright light to plants indoors with HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting. These crop lighting systems are available in various wattages for different levels of light output relative to the area needing illumination. Bigger wattage equals more light. However, it’s extremely important to consider the level of heat created by all of the lighting components.

The amount of heat produced by HID lighting systems is tremendous and must be properly managed to maintain optimal temperatures in the growing environment. Hot and dry environments will really stress your plants out, causing them to produce poorly. In the majority of indoor growing situations the plants will yield better and be of higher quality when the temperature does not reach above 85°F at the tops of the plants when the lights are on.

Temperatures above 90°F, in most situations, are a huge contributor to reductions in yield and overall crop quality in indoor gardens. The heat forces work at a high metabolic rate, meaning all the biological processes are accelerated. Couple this with high intensities of light, nutrients and air movement and you are working the plant at its upper limits. What tends to happen is that one factor, for example, CO2 for the leaves or oxygen for the roots, is lacking while other variables are driven at their maximum. This is like driving a high performance car at top speed while the engine is lacking oil; although everything else is working great, the car will grind to a halt and will possibly experience irreversible damage because one important component is lacking. The same goes for your crop. Do what is necessary to keep the optimal temperature, even if it means using less light intensity in the growing environment.

Measure Twice, Pour Once: Even when measuring organic nutrients, it’s critical to know exactly the right amount to add to reach the desired nutrient strength in the right phase of growth.

Two: You are what you overeat.
Growers have access to some pretty amazing crop feeding technologies. We all get excited about using them, although in our quest to give our plants the best, we can sometimes “kill them with kindness.” It’s important to keep a handle on the overall feeding strengths that we apply to our crops, and also the ratios of the different types of ingredients that are found in various products. Most of the time, the dilution rates on crop product labels are recommended for stand-alone applications, as the manufacturer cannot possibly account for everything and anything else you may be applying to your crops. For example, the levels of base nutrients, additives, biological inoculants, etc. all contribute to the overall feeding strengths, and how the plant will react. Furthermore, the quality of the growing environment itself will affect how suitable a feeding strength for the plants will be.

Growers often discuss feeding strengths in terms of PPM (parts per million), while EC (electrical conductivity) is probably the best unit of measurement, as it is universal from one region to another. PPM is not universal, as different conversion factors are used by different measuring equipment manufacturers (PPMs are actually conversions from EC, the base measurement).

In most growing scenarios, it’s rare for there to be any need to feed over 2.0 EC. Follow a complete feeding program from a reputable manufacturer, as piecing together your own feeding program can be a real hit and miss affair. Even when following a manufacturer’s complete program, it still pays to monitor your feeding strengths using TDS/EC testers. Remember after mixing all of your nutrients into the water, you can always add more fresh water to dilute the nutrient solution to lower strengths if necessary.

Over-fertilized plants produce poorly, are prone to insects and diseases and usually the taste and smell is less than desirable. Besides watching your overall feed strengths, and applying nutrients in a “feed, feed, water” regimen on soilless mediums, flushing the growing medium every couple of weeks can help keep nutrients from building-up and causing problems.
Three: The plant is boss.
If your plants aren’t ready for the next growing phase or increased feeding strengths, you should wait. Following recommendations is always a good idea, however, to do so blindly is not. Just because a chart says after three weeks that you should “flip” the plants into flower doesn’t mean that you should. Some strains will grow very little once flowering has started, so ask yourself if they will be at the right size for a healthy harvest at maturity.

Conversely, some strains and plant varieties grow leaps and bounds, upwards of +300 per cent, once flowering is initiated. With these varieties, the wise grower can be sure they are flowering early enough, so that they will not out-grow the space available in the garden.

Determining the right size to flower can take a couple of trials to get right, especially if you are working with a plant variety that you are less familiar with, or perhaps a strain within a plant variety that you have not yet cultivated. Do some research, and ask around. Growers who have experience with a particular strain or variety may be willing to share some insights. Note that hydroponically-grown plants will usually develop at a faster rate than soil grown plants, although overall yields are often similar.
Four: Simplify.
In an effort to make ourselves better growers, we sometimes pull the mad scientist cap on a little too far. It’s a great idea to experiment from crop to crop, however, you need to be realistic about how many variables you experiment with to really determine the cause and effect of particular inputs and practices.

With nutrients, for example, if you are not following a complete program, or if you’re using a tiered grower level system, don’t add too many new products at once; especially if they are not on the manufacturer’s crop feed chart. To really see how a particular product performs, you need to run at least one cycle with that being the only variable changed.

Same goes with the environment. If you are running experiments to find the optimal temperature for your strain in flowering, it’s not a good idea to switch from 1000 watt lights to 600 watt lights and turn around and say that one temperature is working better than another.

Set-up your grow with a “fool-proof” system, whether in terms of nutrient programs or an optimal growing environment. From there, consider changing one variable at a time per crop to really “dial-in” your growing environment accurately and precisely. Otherwise, you can only guess at any changes you see in the plants, for better or worse.
Five: Put some love into it.
Most of us get into growing indoors because we have a passion for growing things, or we are especially fond of the plants that we are cultivating. If taking care of your plants is not much more than an obligatory chore for you, don’t expect too much back from your plants in return; they will feel the same way about you!

Even growers who start out with a very strong passion can find themselves treating growing as a job after several years. It should never feel like a job. Perhaps it’s time to take a break from growing, or hire a reliable crop-sitter for your garden. You have to be in touch with your plants as often as possible. Plants are honest; they will ask for exactly what they want, and won’t hesitate to tell you what they don’t like. However, if you are not observing or “listening” to these signs because you are in a hurry to get in and out of the garden, you will overlook some very important “suggestions” from your plants, and your yields and crop quality will suffer. Basically, you will never be able to realize the full potential of your garden. After all, you only get out of it what you put into it, and that’s not just reserved to your gardens.
Six: Use a high quality light reflector.
If you are growing with HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting, use a high quality, engineered lamp reflector to ensure that your garden receives the maximum number of lumens, in an even and consistent spread. There is no sense in having one high-yielding plant directly under the reflector, while the surrounding plants produce poorly due to uneven light distribution.

Poorly designed lamp reflectors may look good to the human eye, although their performance in re-directing light from the lamp to the garden can be extremely poor. Hot spots can be created in the garden canopy when a reflector is not re-directing light evenly, for example over an area of three square feet or four square feet. Lesser quality reflectors may provide intense light directly beneath the lamp, although they do not do a good job of spreading the light intensity to reach the plants on the outside of the garden canopy.

There are some tremendous differences in the ability of one reflector over another to re-distribute the light intensity evenly, in a desirable lighting foot-print for your garden. To ensure that you are making the most use of the lights you have, look for reflectors that offer a photometric chart that illustrate their performance. Use the right reflector for the right wattage lamp; sometimes mogul extensions may be required when working with lower wattage lamps, and finally, invest in a light meter; it will tell you exactly what intensities the plants are receiving, whether right under the reflector or towards the outside edges of the garden.
Seven: Add some life.
Whether you garden hydroponically, organically, in soil or soilless mediums, your crop will benefit greatly from introductions of bio-active and bio-available substances rather than just providing flat-lined, synthetic NPK nutrients.
Plants have evolved in an environment as diverse as the earth itself, so they have learned to make excellent use of all of the building blocks in nature provided to them. Growers who add another dimension in crop nutrition through the application of bio-active nutrients and supplements are often rewarded with higher yields, noticeably higher crop quality and fewer problems such as insects and diseases.

Freshly brewed aerobic teas are an excellent source of nutrients and beneficial life for plants. If your system is not well suited for root applications of aerobically brewed nutrient teas, you can apply them as foliar sprays with some level of benefit. Also, there are some specialty inoculants available that are specifically formulated for hydroponics growers, and contain super strains of bacteria such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas as well as beneficial fungi such as Trichoderma and Mycorrhizae. These are available as liquid concentrates or powdered formulations, and can be added to a variety of cropping programs. Most often they are applied to the roots, and when specially formulated, will not clog-up hydroponics growing systems. They are especially well suited to soil and soilless growing medium applications.

So, there you have it. Seven growing tips, that when followed and adhered to, can offer just about any grower in any growing situation a bigger yield, healthier plants and better crop quality. Sure there are many more tips and tricks that all stack up to maximum yields, however, these are a great place to start. Remember that it is never any one tweak or trick that makes your garden successful; it’s the culmination of all the little things you do to make your garden grow better. You will only get out of it what you put into it.

Article by Erik Biksa – Original article here

Strawberries are not only colorful, delicious and brimming with healthy compounds, they are also productive plants that yield a surprising abundance of fruit for their compact size. What is even more rewarding is, unlike many other fruiting plants, strawberries can be developing plump berries within a couple of months of planting out chilled plugs or runners. Nowadays large fruited, hybrid strawberry plants can even be raised from seed, a real bonus for hydroponic growers who may be hesitant about introducing soil grown runners and plugs into their system. Strawberry plants, however, have a somewhat interesting physiology when it comes to flowering and fruiting and will need a little pollination assistance indoors, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Strawberry types

Strawberry varieties fall roughly into two different types – the short day and day neutral types. Most of the outdoor grown strawberry types are short day varieties; they will initiate flowers under short day lengths (less then 14 hours) and cool conditions such as occur in winter in temperate climates, and will then flower and fruit as conditions warm up in spring. Day neutral varieties are commonly used by greenhouse and hydroponic producers as they can be manipulated to crop out of season provided warmth and sufficient light is provided. Day neutral strawberry varieties are induced to flower and fruit when temperatures are high enough and these plants can be given an ‘artificial chilling’ period to initiate flowers. Varieties of ‘day neutral’ strawberries include, Selva, Brighton, Seascape, Aptos, Yolo, Diamante, Tristar and Sarian, however, many more exist as plant breeders develop improved varieties over time. Hydroponic growers typically buy in either chilled runners or plugs which have had a period of four to eight under refrigeration (34 – 37°F); plant these in a warm environment and they will flower within a few weeks. Smaller growers may chill their own planting stock by wrapping the clean runners in damp paper and plastic and placing in a refrigerator for six weeks. Either way, the artificial chilling under refrigeration tricks the plant’s physiology into thinking winter has occurred and once they are planted out into the warmth and light, the plant will resume its spring growth pattern of foliage growth, followed by flowering and fruiting.

Strawberries can produce a surprising amount of fruit for a small and compact plant.

Indoor growers using artificial light have the ability to provide any day length and can usually manipulate temperature to a reasonable degree as well; however, reducing day length over several weeks just to trigger short day strawberry types into flowering is not that practical. The better approach is to select day neutral strawberry varieties by buying in pre-chilled runners or plugs (termed ‘frigo’ or ‘pre-conditioned’ plants), ready for planting out. This way flowering and fruiting will occur within a few weeks and no time will be wasted under artificial lighting giving several weeks of short days to non-productive plants. In some regions pre-conditioned runners or plugs are available almost year round, however, since this type of planting stock is raised pretty much exclusively for outdoor gardeners, they are often only available in spring. Indoor growers, therefore, may need to consider raising their own planting stock if berries are to be produced out of season. Strawberry plants are relatively easy to propagate and recently there has been the development of large fruiting types that can be raised from seed.

Strawberry propagation

One huge advantage for indoor and hydroponic strawberry growers has been the recent development of large fruiting, commercial quality strawberry cultivars which can be raised from seed. In the past, strawberries have always been exclusively vegetatively propagated from runners produced in autumn by mature plants. Although strawberry seeds (those small brown seeds attached to the outside of the fruit), have always been able to germinate, the resulting seedlings were not ‘true to type’ and often had poor quality fruit and low vigor plants. Breeders in the Netherlands have developed hybrid strawberry types which can be grown from seed and will fruit in their first season (another development as strawberry seedlings can be quite slow to grow to fruiting size). A suitable seed raised variety is ‘Sarian F1’ (Johnny Seeds), or ‘Temptation’ (TM seeds) although no doubt we will be seeing more varieties later on. This means that hydroponic growers don’t need to be reliant on commercially propagated runners which are often dug from the field and contaminated with soil and the pathogens this carries, or by nursery grown plugs, also produced in growing media which can also cause problems in solution culture systems. Strawberry plants are particularly prone to a number of nasty root rot pathogens which can be carried on planting stock such as runners originating from fields and a number of hydroponic growers have become unstuck because of this. Raising strawberry plants from seed in your own system means that hygiene practices, clean growing media and isolation from other strawberry plants can limit the diseases that often cause yield losses in outdoor systems.

Strawberries can also be propagated from runners – small daughter plants that form on the end of long stolons usually produced towards the end of the cropping season. These will root easily if pinned into a damp growing media or can be clipped from the stolon and rooted under mist like any other clone. Runners or plants purchased in a dormant state (usually available for sale in fall, winter and spring), can be held under refrigeration for as long as four to five months before planting out, allowing the season of fruit producing to be manipulated. However, the longer the plant is under refrigeration, the greater the chance of it losing viability, so only strong, well developed plants or runners should be given the extended chilling storage.

Planting out

Chilled day neutral runners or plugs can be planted out year round and will flower and fruit provided conditions are warm enough. Strawberries prefer temperatures in the range 72/65°F (day/night) when flowering, although they withstand temperatures as high as 79/72°F and still crop well. High temperatures above 86°F start to cause problems with pollen viability and fruit set and growth ceases once temperatures become higher then 91°F. Day neutrals crop well under longer days (16 hours) with good light intensity – they require more light than lettuce, but less than a large fruiting tomato or pepper, and CO2 enrichment to levels of 600 ppm will boost growth and yields.

Strawberry plants can be grown in a number of systems, however, the crown of the plant is particularly sensitive to moisture and crown/root rot is the number one cause of strawberry plant deaths. Beginners would be best advised to try their first strawberry crop in a free draining media based system such as perlite or coconut fiber/perlite (50/50) combination, or even rockwool cubes provided they are well drained. This way the plant can be easily positioned with the crown of the plant just above the surface of the media and the free draining nature of the substrate will assist with preventing over saturation. Drip irrigation systems are favored as ebb and flow can cause salt build-up around the crown which also leads to problems. Strawberries can be grown well in NFT, aeroponics and various modifications on these systems – however, the plants need to be well supported so as not to slip down into the nutrient flow and only ‘clean’ plants – i.e. not those coming from soil, should be used due to the root rot pathogens that could be introduce into the system. Solution warming is useful at 68°F particularly when starting new plants which have recently been given a chilling treatment.

Care and maintenance

Strawberry plants don’t require a lot of maintenance – as the plants develop a lot of foliage, the older leaves should be removed as they age and discolor to assist with air movement up and under the plant’s crown. In the first few weeks of growth any early flowers should be removed until the plant has developed sufficient foliage to support fruit growth (generally at least eight mature leaves). Once flowers have formed, they will need pollination assistance. Outdoors bees and insects are responsible for strawberry pollination and although the flowers are self fertile, they benefit from some assistance when grown in greenhouses or indoors. Commercial hydroponic growers use large ‘air blowers’ which direct a moderate blast of air over the flowers each day – this is sufficient to release the pollen and allow it drop from stamen onto the receptacle of each flower. Indoor growers can carry out the same process with a hair dryer (on cold setting) or by tapping the flowers.

Once pollination and fruit set has occurred, any fruit that looks to be misshapen (as a result of inadequate pollination), should be removed as soon as possible so that only perfect fruit develop. Strawberries have the tendency, under good growing conditions, to develop ‘trusses’ of many flowers and set high numbers of fruit in ‘flushes,’ so some flower or fruit thinning may be necessary if very large fruit are to be produced.

Hydroponic strawberries and flavor

Strawberry flavor can be manipulated and indoor hydroponic growers have the perfect opportunity to do this. High light, warmth and good leaf area (as occurs outdoors in summer grown crops) is essential for sugar development in the berries. However, with hydroponics, attention to nutrition also plays a role; good levels of potassium during the fruiting stage, and a moderately high EC (2.4 – 3.0) assist with flavor development and aromatics. Slight moisture stress also concentrates flavor in berries, however, this risks damaging the plants and use of EC control is a better management plant for hydroponics. Genetics also plays a significant role in flavor of strawberries and different varieties can vary considerably in their flavor profile and brix (sweetness levels). The variety ‘Seascape’ seems to give good flavor in many hydroponic systems, but growers might like to trial a few different types and taste the berries to determine which is going to give the highest quality berries.

Pests and diseases

Strawberries can be prone to a number of root rot pathogens which is why avoidance of soil grown runners and planting stock is the best option for starting a healthy indoor crop. Keeping oxygen levels high in the root zone or nutrient solution also assist strawberry plants in keeping the root zone healthy. Plants also benefit from foliar fertilizer products in the first few weeks after chilling treatment while the new root system is regenerating and sprays of products containing iron and trace elements throughout the life of the crop is also recommended. Pests include the usual indoor culprits – mites can be a problem when humidity is low; aphids and thrips may also infest plants. Diseases such as Botrytis under high humidity, which can rot the fruit, indicate that more air movement is required around the plants and venting of warm moist air should be increased. The benefit of indoor crops is they are not prone to the major hassles of outdoor strawberry growers – birds harvesting the ripe fruit or pecking holes and rain on the fruit causing rot pathogens to attack.

Harvest

Harvesting the ripe fruit is the best reward from an indoor strawberry crop. Berries are best left until they are fully ripe and deep red and cut at the stalk rather than pulled from the plant. Like many fruit, berries will keep under refrigeration, but are best eaten at room temperature within a few hours of harvest.

I am on a real mycorrhizae tangent this week. I suppose it is because I am transplanting my babies during the last few days. Plant Success is such an awesome product and their website had some really great information I thought I’d share with you guys.

By Mike Amaranthus Ph.D and Tim Eagan

The more we learn about life on Earth, the more we learn about the mechanics of superior plant performance. We now realize that in natural systems, organisms work not independently but interdependently.  There is no doubt that nature is less a battleground and more a marketplace. Symbiotic organisms that exchange materials and services in a mutually advantageous living arrangement can be the key to successful planting and growing. Hydroponic growers are gaining increased appreciation of the living soil and more frequently incorporating soil biology and mycorrhizal products into their practices.

Fig. 1 – Picture of a mycorrhizal colonized root. Mycorrhizal fungal filaments radiate into the soil from the mycorrhiza root tip.

What are mycorrhizae?

More than 90 percent of plant species form a symbiotic arrangement with beneficial soil fungi called mycorrhizal fungi. The roots are colonized by the soil fungus, which attaches to the roots and whose threads or “hyphae” extend  far into the surrounding soil environment (figure 1). The colonized root is called a mycorrhiza. Mycorrhizal fungi are the dominant microbes in undisturbed soils accounting for 60 percent to 80 percent of the microbial biomass. Mycorrhizae are fundamental for superior growth, supplying the water and nutrients needed for good growth, flowering and fruiting and, in exchange, receiving essential sugars and other compounds supplied by the plant.

Fig. 2 - The white threads on this seedling grown in a glass box are mycorrhizal hyphae.

What do they do for plants?

These mycorrhizal fungi increase the surface absorbing area of roots 10 to 1,000 times, thereby greatly improving the ability of the plants to use the nutrients and water (figure 2). Estimates of amounts of mycorrhizal filaments present in soil associated with plants are astonishing. Several miles of fungal filaments can be present in less than a thimbleful of soil. But mycorrhizal fungi increase nutrient uptake not only by increasing the surface absorbing area of roots. Mycorrhizal fungi release powerful chemicals into the surrounding environment that capture nitrogen, phosphorous, magnesium, iron and other plant nutrients. This extraction process is particularly important in plant nutrition, flowering and fruiting and explains why mycorrhizal inoculations have been so successful in hydroponic operations.

What other functions do mycorrhizal fungi perform?

Suppression of diseases and pathogens are additional benefits for a mycorrhizal plant. Mycorrhizal fungi attack pathogen or disease organisms entering the root zone. For example, excretions of specific antibiotics produced by mycorrhizal fungi can immobilize and kill disease organisms. Many practical benefits can be expected from using mycorrhizal fungi in common practices. These include improved rooting (figure 3), flowering and fruiting (figure 4), and protection against diseases.

Where’s the beef?

The plant-mycorrhizal fungi relationship is the best understood in the field of soil biology. There are more than 60,000 studies in literature on the subject. But there is more important proof. The mycorrhizal relationship with plants is one of nature’s longest and most successful experiments. The earliest fossil record of the roots of land plants contain mycorrhizae almost identical to what is found today. Most scientists today believe the plant-mycorrhiza relationship allowed aquatic plants to make the transition to the relatively harsh terrestrial environment some 460 million years ago. In nature, mycorrhizae make plant growth possible, linking the roots of plants to the surrounding soil. In nature, neither can survive or grow without the other. Now hydroponic growers can benefit from this essential relationship.

How do I use mycorrhizal products most effectively?

High-quality commercial mycorrhizal inoculum is now available from a variety of sources. Inoculums containing mixtures of species of mycorrhizal fungi often give the best response. Mycorrhizal inoculum comes in granular, powder, liquid and tablet forms. The most important factor is to get the mycorrhizal propagules near the root systems of target plants. Most mycorrhizal propagules will stay dormant and until root activity begins. The chemicals pumped into the soil by active roots cause mycorrhizal propagules to become active and grow. Inoculum can be injected into the rooting zone of hydroponic systems, watered into porous soil-less mixes, mixed in granular form into soilless mixes or directly dipped on root systems using gels during transplanting. The form and application of the mycorrhizal inoculum depends upon the needs of the applicator. What is clear is that mycorrhizal  inoculation is highly effective.

Micro reality

Growing plants hydroponically requires an understanding of the many processes important in facilitating uptake, storage and cycling of nutrients and water by the target plant species. In nature, these activities are largely performed by the “tiny little secrets,” working hard below in the root zone of plants. Hydroponic growers can now make a  “Declaration of Interdependence” and incorporate mycorrhizal fungi into their programs

Dr. Mike Amaranthus spent 20 years with Oregon State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and has written more than 60 research papers on mycorrhizae. He is the recipient of the USDA Highest Honors for scientific achievement and has been featured on several major national and international television programs. Tim Eagan is an expert in the practical application of mycorrhizal fungal inoculums and is Vice President of Plant Revolution Inc.  located on the web at www.plantrevolution.com.  All photographs accompanying this article are courtesy of Mycorrhizal Applications Inc.

Organic Hydroponic Vegetables

The debate on “Organics” and “Hydroponics”

There is a huge popular debate about the value of “organic” fertilizers and methods, many people would like to apply “organics” to hydroponics. Currently accepted organic fertilizer
components are dependent upon organisms in the soil to convert the “organic” materials into a useable form for plants.

In hydroponics we provide the minerals required for plant growth directly, completely eliminating the need for soil and soilorganisms. The result is much higher growth rates, yields and even crop quality than organic methods can achieve. This is not what some people want to hear, but it is the simple scientific truth – and practically all scientists and educators in the fields of agriculture and chemistry know it and will be the first to agree. In fact, the kinds of materials which are permitted for use under “organic” regulations are not of sufficient purity to be used for hydroponic culture.

With this in mind it’s important to recognize the reasons that “organically” grown produce is gaining such popularity. Consumers want to buy produce which is not tainted with hazardous chemicals or poisons. There is an increasing public demand for methods which are gentle on our delicate planet and which don’t harm the soil, water or ecosystems. Hydroponic farming methods fit properly into this system of values if used appropriately. Hydroponics protects soil because it doesn’t use soil.

Less water is required for hydroponic culture and consequently more food can be cultivated with less water. The fertilizers we use for hydroponics are ultra-pure and leave no residue in the cultivated fruits and vegetables. Since hydroponic technologies are more efficient than soil methods, more people can be fed with less area and ecological impact.

THE ORGANIC HYDROPONIC DEBATE OPENING PANDORA’S BOX

As seen in the Growing Edge Magazine During the 1980’s, Americans increasingly became more healthconscious. Cholesterol was ruled out and exercise became a part of our daily routines. Today this still holds true, but even more so. What we put into our bodies is carefully scrutinized, even our fruits and vegetables, which has made “organic” a buzzword of the ‘90s. People are buying organic skin care products, “organic shampoos” and even “organic clothing”. Everybody seems to want “organic” and hydroponic growers are quite aware of this.

Why, then, are there hardly any “Certified Organic hydroponic growers” in the United States? Many go through a great deal of trouble to grow their crops “organically,” but even though they follow most guidelines, they still cannot get the recognition or certification necessary to sell their produce to most restaurants or natural food stores as “organic”. What is it that is separating organic from hydroponic methods? Why can’t these two technologies work together under today’s American states’ certification guidelines?

WHAT’S ORGANIC, WHAT’S NOT?

We would think that this is an easy question to answer, but it isn’t. In the United States there are numerous different definitions of “organic”, many of which differ significantly. Each state has its own regulations for labeling produce as “organic”. Additionally, there are 36 non-governmental organizations which can certify” produce as organic. For example, California growers who wish to sell their produce as “organic” must register with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and pass their inspection. However, California grower’s can also obtain certification through the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), which actually has higher standards for organic than the state has.

The CCOF certification is optional, but produce with California state registration and CCOF certification may be offered for sale within the state as “certified organic” If the grower chooses not to seek CCOF certification, the produce can be offered for sale in California as “organic,” but not “certified organic”. Any produce grown outside of the United States can be sold as “certified organic” in the country if one of the 36 non-governmental organizations certifies it. In fact, produce from any state can be granted certification from one of the non-governmental organizations, even if it does not meet the organic standards for the state in which it is being sold. Pretty confusing!

What this all means is that the “organic” label is a matter of bureaucratic definitions, which can vary from state to state, and country to country. In order to bring some kind of standard into play, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – along with state government regulators, non-governmental certifiers, consumers, industry interest groups, food processors and various special interest groups – is writing a federally mandated set of “organic” standards. No state will be able to apply more stringent standards than those of the federal. Sometime this spring, the federal standards will be released for a 90 day comment and review period, and by the end of 1996 or early 1997, these standards will become law, or “Frankenlaw”; we’ll have to wait and see.

The basic objectives of “organic” practice include the following:

Avoidance of pesticides, by use of natural pest controls (also applied by many hydroponics growers).

Caring for soil by recording nutrients and composting, and

Moderation of nutrient application with reliance on the bufferaction of humus derived from compost.

Soilless hydroponic cultivation moderates nutrient supply by the more exact measurements of soluble nutrient formulations, mixed to meet the optimum requirements of each plant species and growth phase. Many consumers select “organic” produce, believing that this is the only way to be assured of pesticide-free non—hazardous food. While “organic” farming methods do produce crops generally superior to and safer than those grown by agri-business practices, modern hydroponic techniques can put forth equally safe food that in many cases offers advances in nutrition and taste over their soil-grown “organic” counterparts. But to the consumer, it’s the label that counts, so an increasing number of growers throughout the United States are struggling to get organic certification in any way, shape or form.

Meanwhile, this whole situation poses an enormous dilemma to hydroponic growers who also want organic recognition for their produce. The primary problem for organic hydroponic growers is in the formulation of the soilless nutrient solution. A secondary issue, which concerns the federal regulators, is in the way used hydroponic nutrient and media such as rockwool are disposed of. Since “organic” is to a large extent a farming philosophy in support of a healthy environment, the federal concern is entirely reasonable.

Although the latter factor has no bearing on the quality and safety of the produce itself, the impact upon the planet is a real driving force behind the issue of “organic” farming. If hydroponic growers can find a way to completely recycle exhausted water, nutrients and media, then the argument in favor of “organic-hydroponic certification” becomes much stronger, but there’s still the issue of formulating a satisfactory organic hydroponic nutrient mix.

Organic nutrient regulations prohibit the use of many mineral salts and highly refined substances, including food and pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are extremely important for successful hydroponic nutrient formulation. Only unrefined minerals can be used on “organic” crops and these often don’t dissolve well or contain quantities of impurities, some of which are even relatively toxic but are “natural” and therefore “okay”, according to organic standards. For example, mined phosphate may contain excessive amounts of fluoride, good for teeth in very small quantities, but harmful to humans in excess.

Mined phosphate also can contain small amounts of radioactive elements such as radium, which releases radon, also not good for human health. Chlorides, too, are permitted for organic cultivation but though they are naturally mined, they can be bad for both plants and soil, especially if used in excess. Some soils used by organic farmers contain such toxic elements as selenium, which can accumulate in the plant tissues and produce. Amazing, isn’t it?

When refined, any impurities or toxicities such as those listed above are removed, but refined minerals make for non-organic produce. Blood meal, bone meal, fish meal and manures pose almost no potential safety hazards, but they don’t dissolve very well; they must be broken down through microbial action in the soil and therefore don’t work well in hydroponic applications. There is also a problem that sometimes arises when using manures. The Western Fertilizer Handbook, an important guide for American farmers, points out that many gastro-intestinal illnesses can he traced back to manures used on organically gown crops.

In the summer of 1995, a serious outbreak of salmonella poisoning resulted from an organic cantaloupe crop growing in soil fertilized with fresh chicken manure. The rinds of the melons had become contaminated and the bacteria caused serious intestinal illness for many consumers.

Another point that can be made is that strict vegetarians or animal rights activists may be offended by the use of blood, bone, horn, hoof and feather meals to grow their food, but these are primary nutrient sources for organic farmers. As you can see, this issue Is very complex and there are many points of view. Essentially though, “organic” farming is part philosophy and part methodology, but unfortunately defined bureaucratically.

Look out for Part 2 Tomorrow!

For those of you just tuning in to growing indoors, CEA growing set-ups are “sealed” or “perfect” grow rooms. This means that temperature, humidity and CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels are all very tightly controlled by the grower, and can be maintained at optimal levels at all times for better crop production, regardless of the environmental conditions outside of the growing area. This separates CEA set-ups from traditional in/out style gardens that use an active air intake and exhaust to help moderate the growing environment. While in/out gardens can produce well, they are inconsistent because the environment that can be maintained in the grow room will largely be dependent on the RH (relative humidity) and temperature of the outside air being drawn through the room.

For example, if the outside air in the summer time is 85°F, it will not be very effective for cooling a self-contained growing environment that uses HID (high intensity discharge) lighting. While HIDs can deliver bright light, they generate a tremendous amount of heat that must be managed. Air-cooled lamp reflectors can reduce the cooling requirement of any growing environment, making them a smart investment. However, there will still be some rise in ambient temperature in the grow room, and if outside air is relatively warm to begin with, the grow room will overheat. Overheating in grow room is the number one source of crop failure or disappointing yields for indoor growers.

If you are running centrifugal inline fans for air cooled lamp reflectors, a device like this can really improve the efficiency and operation of your CEA endeavor by continuously adjusting fan speed automatically.

Also, if humidity rises in traditional in/out gardens, the air needs to be exhausted and replaced with outside air. If the RH of the outside air is relatively high, which in most regions is more common than not, the grower loses control over the RH levels in the grow room, leading to poor crop quality and incidence of yield reducing flower and fruit rots, moulds, blights, etc.
Furthermore, increasing CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels in the growing environment can significantly increase yields and reduce cropping time, if properly managed. It is difficult to maintain elevated CO2 levels with in/out gardens because the air is exchanged frequently, if not continuously. The majority of any supplemental CO2 the grower introduces into the in/out grow atmosphere will quickly be exhausted away from the plants when the room is cooling (by exchanging outside air). This reduces the contact time the supplemental CO2 has with the crop, making it less effective if not ineffectual.

Most experienced and knowledgeable growers will maintain that CEA growing set-ups are more productive and easier to work with. A lot of newer growers view the idea of a sealed room with no active in/out fans as alien, and perhaps intimidating. Some smaller and mid-scale experienced growers agree with the CEA concept, but feel that such set-ups are reserved only for the large scale producer due to the additional expense involved versus traditional gardening set-ups.

Well the truth is CEA is more affordable and easier to access than it has ever been before. It can be more economical to upgrade an existing grow room to CEA than it is to create a completely new grow room due to the more frequent, larger and healthier yields that can be achieved. The following will discuss how to setup a hobby sized CEA environment using plug and play technologies available from professional hydroponics retailers or your favorite online sources.

You can also use the information in this article to convert your existing in/out set-up to a more productive and easier to control CEA grow room. Once you make the switch, you won’t look back. Do note, however, that CEA growing environments will use about 25 to 30 per cent more electricity versus traditional in/out set-ups. If electrical consumption is a major concern, there are some very energy efficient cooling methods for sealed environments now available, such as water cooling. Just be prepared for a learning curve and additional installation and trial time when taking advantage of water cooling for the first time. The savings in electrical consumption using water cooling can help to recapture some of the initially higher capital outlay in more energy efficient CEA set-ups.

Remember that the principal difference(s) between CEA and traditional in/out grow rooms is that an air-conditioner or chiller will cool temperatures without exchanging air. Humidity can be lowered with a de-humidifier, which typically cycles more often in the dark cycle as the air conditioner operating during the lighting cycle tends to keep humidity levels in the optimal range. Carbon dioxide is supplied via CO2 generators or bottled CO2, and the air is kept purified and free of contaminants with an activated carbon filter and/or HEPA filter scrubbers. The grower sets the desired temperature, humidity and CO2 levels on their control equipment and the perfect growing environment is maintained everyday, consistently for better harvests year round. The level of control offered is every grower’s dream; you can manipulate the environmental parameters on a weekly basis to help encourage different traits in the crop throughout the cropping cycle. The colorations of flowers and fruits at harvest in a CEA endeavor can be very dramatic and tantalizing.

Step 1: Seal the Room

The growing environment needs to be well sealed in order to be effective and efficient. The easiest way to accomplish this is to purchase a pre-fabricated grow tent or hydro hut; they are available in a multitude of sizes, anywhere from as small as two feet by two feet to beyond 10 feet by 10 feet. Look for manufacturers that have a history of standing behind their product when making a selection. Pre-fabricated grow tents and hydro huts are completely sealable, and usually have multiple zippered openings to contain light and air, while maintaining complete darkness for the dark phase, which is absolutely essential. They are easy to clean and relatively water-proof, allowing people to set-up a high quality grow room in any space that fits without making any significant alterations to existing rooms. You can usually have one completely assembled using minimal or no tools in less than one hour. Note however that they are not well insulated, so the area you set them up in should be, ideally.

If you already have a grow room, make sure to seal up any cracks and leaks. Go through the following checklist:

• Remove and seal off previous intake and exhaust ports, you may choose to keep them for use with air-cooled lighting however.
• Seal off any cracks with expanding foam, available in cans. Make sure to wear gloves and old clothes when applying.
• Ensure that any duct work, i.e. air cooled reflectors, is well sealed using aluminum tape.
• Make sure that the doorway does not leak air. This can be accomplished by using a sheet of durable and reflective poly sheeting with some heavy duty adhesive zippers or Velcro strips.
• Retain your carbon filter and fan; you will need this for “scrubbing” the air within the CEA growing set up.
• Ensure that the grow room itself is well insulated to improve efficiency and reduce noises that can be disturbing outside of the growing area.

Step 2: Equipment Checklist:

Environmental Controller(s)
You will need:

• cooling thermostat
• de-humidistat
• high temperature kill-switch

A high-temp kill switch is a relatively simple device: if the temperature gets too high due to equipment failure or other problems, it shuts off the HID lights until temperatures go back to normal or until the problem is remedied. This device can save your crop.

Fan speed controllers are also recommended for use with air-cooled lighting and carbon scrubbers. For air-cooled lighting, a high quality fan speed controller will reduce your cooling requirements by more energy intensive equipment such as air-conditioners. The controller featured in this article allows the air-cooled lighting fan(s) to remain at a constant “on” at a speed and decibel pre-set by the grower. If temperatures increase, fan speed increases and vice versa. Also, if the temperature becomes too cool, the device will shut-off the air-cooling fans allowing for the growing environment to maintain the optimal temperature. If you use centrifugal fans for any kind of cooling purposes, get one of these controls!

Carbon Dioxide Gear
One of the benefits of running a CEA grow room is that you can effectively supplement and maintain increased levels of CO2 in the growing environment for faster growth rates and bigger yields. CO2 can increase your yields by as much as 30 per cent, assuming all other growing parameters are optimal, which is achievable in a CEA set-up.
You will need:

• either a CO2 generator (propane/natural gas) or a tank (bottled CO2)
• an infrared CO2 monitor/controller (pricey, but worth it) or a timer.

Note: if going with a REG (regulator, flow meter and solenoid) system for bottled CO2, you may choose an IR monitor/controller or a timer. If going with a CO2 generator, only an IR monitor/controller is recommended for safety and accuracy.

Environmental Control

Air Conditioner
The AC or chiller unit is at the heart of all successful CEA operations. ACs are energy intensive, although they can keep a sealed room at the perfect temperature when sized correctly for the number of lamps and other sources of heat like gas fired CO2 generators. The rule of thumb is to allow for about 4500 BTUs of cooling for every 600 to 1000 watts of light. The exact BTU rating required is somewhat dependent on how well the room is insulated; if the ballasts are in the room or not; if air cooled lighting is being used; as well as if a gas fired CO2 generator will be. Again, usually 4500 BTUs is a good rule of thumb. It’s better to get a unit that’s a little bit of overkill than to have a unit that can’t keep up, forcing the grower to shut down individual lamps.

For most hobby sized, one to two light endeavors and a portable upright style AC will do the job and they are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. They are commonly available in 9500 to 12,000 BTU ratings for cooling. They also have the benefit of being able to plug into common 110/120 volt household circuits, although an entire circuit (breaker) should be dedicated to the AC unit.

Most upright portable ACs will use a discharge hose to vent heat away. This means discharging heat to the outside, along with a small volume of air from the grow room. The air volume discharged is relatively small versus fan cooling rooms and cycles on and off rather than constant, so CO2 supplementation still remains relatively efficient. Also, since a carbon or HEPA scrubber operates 24/7 in the growing area, offensive odors are not released to outside of the growing area through the AC discharge. Sometimes growers need to lengthen the hose for discharging warm air away; this will likely void warranties although it can be accomplished with duct booster fans and insulated flexible ducting.

An alternative method to create a small CEA environment is to install a window air conditioner in a spare room. The air in this room is kept cold at all times and can be vented into the CEA growing area to cool the air as necessary via intakes and ducting; the air from the growing area can be vented into the spare room, which now acts as the “lung” for the growing endeavor, keeping it cool and fresh. In these instances you may want to retain the duct ports from your existing grow room.

There are specialty air conditioners available that are better suited to CEA endeavors, although they usually need to be obtained from specialty suppliers. These types of units exchange absolutely no outside air with the air inside of the growing environment. “Split” ACs are an example of this, as well as units that utilize an exclusive air intake and exhaust to the AC unit itself. The intake and exhaust never touch the air from the growing environment; they are used exclusively to keep the AC blowing cold air into the grow room when activated by the cooling thermostat. In this method the AC itself is acting as a sealed unit.

Water cooled ACs are the ultimate for CEA endeavors. All of the heat is discharged down the drain with water, and no hot air needs to be discharged anywhere. Typically a flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute is required to effectively operate water cooled air-conditioners, so access to large volumes of cold water is required.

However, as stated previously for most small hobby sized CEA endeavors, a portable upright AC is inexpensive, easy to find and relatively efficient.

De-Humidifier
This will help to keep humidity from climbing to excessive levels in a tightly sealed room, as the crop transpires water through the leaves that was absorbed through the roots. Excessive humidity levels encourage stretchy low yielding growth and often promote diseases such as rots and mildews. A de-humidifier will add a bit of heat to the growing environment, and will discharge condensed humidity through a drain hose. You can save this water and use it for other purposes. The de-humidifier is controlled by the de-humidistat, which operates 24/7, although the de-humidifier will cycle most often during the dark cycle when the AC cycles are infrequent. If you use water chillers/fan units to cool the growing environment, you will really need to step-up your de-humidification capabilities. For most applications, count for about 25 to 30 pints per 24 hour period of de-humidification capability per 1000 watt lamp of garden.

Carbon/HEPA Scrubber (with fan)
You may already have one or several of these if you are converting your existing grow to CEA. Otherwise, you will need to size-up an appropriate activated carbon filter or HEPA filter. In fact, the best solution is to use both. Have your fan draw the air from the grow room through the activated carbon, then discharge and re-circulate it through the grow room through a specialty inline HEPA filter. This will keep the air smelling fresh and clean, while reducing insects, spores, dust and pollen in the growing area. This equals healthier air yields, healthier plants and fewer problems. Usually for an area with two to four HID lights, a six inch inline centrifugal fan with the correct sized carbon filter and the six inch fan mount HEPA will keep the air perfectly fresh for you and your garden.

Well, that should give you enough to do between the time you read this article and the continuation that will appear in the next edition of this magazine. Besides, you may already have a crop in progress, and will have to wait until you harvest to make the switch to CEA from your existing in/out growing set-up. Start to take note of which pieces of equipment you already have that can be used to make the upgrade, while researching and sourcing any other controllers, appliances, etc you will require to make the change-over complete and effective.

The extra time and expense that you put into this will be worth it when you are able to realize exacting and complete control over the temperature, humidity and CO2 levels in your growing environment. Not only will you potentially yield more at harvest due to improved CO2 levels, you will be able to bring out delicious and eye pleasing qualities in your plants that can best be achieved through precise temperature manipulation made possible by running a sealed and air conditioned environment. In the next installment we will discuss putting it all together and how to make the most of your modern day CEA growth chamber, including crop feeding, for the biggest and tastiest yields you have ever had. Until next time!

Article By  Erik Biksa

New to indoor gardening?  Don’t worry – we all were once!  And you know, many an experienced gardener has wished that they could travel back in time and give themselves some sound advice.

#1 Environment is Everything

Did you know that some new indoor gardeners think that all they need to do is buy a grow light and hang it above their plants?  WRONG!  These growers are underestimating the importance of environmental quality.  Just like people, plants can only perform well when they are comfortable and receiving proper atmospheric conditions.  Maintaining a proper temperature and humidity range is really critical to your success.  Many plants enjoy higher relative humidity (60-80%) in their vegetative stage and lower (40-50%) during flowering.  I try to maintain my indoor garden at 82°F (28°C) when the lights are on and 64°F (18°C) when they are off – but hey, that’s just me and my capsicums.  Different plants have different requirements.

Equally important is clean air, proper CO2 / oxygen ratio, and adequate air circulation.  You wouldn’t want to spend your life locked in a stagnant cupboard would you?  Air movement is your best defense against mould and other pathogens as well as the plants’ vehicle to remove waste products from the leaves and facilitate respiration. There is something magical about fresh air so don’t underestimate the importance of it.  Fresh air brings fresh supplies of CO2 – a crucial component of photosynthesis – your plants can’t “breathe” without it! You can bring fresh air in with an intake port, exhaust fan and timer. Another way to ensure a constant supply of fresh air is to provide a convection air leak in the enclosure. Furnish a small hole near the floor at one end and another in the ceiling at the other end. Use some kind of filter to catch bugs and dirt (at the very least a window screen or a pair of old tights if you have any spares knocking around!)  For optimum control of temperature and humidity and coordination of CO2 enrichment and ventilation, specialized environmental controls are available to automate and maintain precise atmospheric conditions.

#2 Killing with Kindness

As your plants grow their nutrient requirements increase, so it’s all too easy to get over-excited when they are young and err into over indulgence with fertilizers, plant additives, enhancers, and other stuff.  Sometimes it’s because of the old adage, “If a little is good, more must be better” or you just follow too many people’s advice.  Before you know it you got some kind of mysterious blend of chemical hocus-pocus that may not be compatible.

When you see curled leaves like claws, burnt leaf tips, slow overall growth or damaged new growth (terminal shoots) my advice is usually “go back to basics”. Flush the media with clean, pure water for a day or two, and then run half strength dose of a good quality fertilizer. Once the plants re-establish themselves and begin to show normal growth, slowly increase the nutrient concentration and eventually you can start adding other growth enhancing products again.
A reasonable amount of additives can be very advantageous. My advice is to choose a well-established manufacturer who provides a complete line of nutrients and additives and follow their program.  Always use a conductivity meter to check the strength of your nutrient solution.

#3 Watering and Transplanting

Many new growers start with hand-watering their plants in soil and pots.  It seems to be the simplest way but improper watering and transplanting is a common error.  Start off your plants in small pots and make sure you transplant your plants in graduations. Let the plants develop a solid root ball before increasing container size and then only step up a couple inches at a time. The theory here is to keep a consistent medium that the roots can dominate. Empty soil stays too wet and becomes water logged. The plant needs to generate a thick root ball mass to be healthy. Use a good quality soil mix that is light and provides good air retention. Pack the soil firmly and water immediately. Leave soil a few inches below the top of the container to hold water while it soaks in during watering. Do not water too often. It’s good to let the media dry out a little and then water completely.  Feel the weight of the pot – it’s a great indicator of how much water is in the soil.  Water lightly once to wet the substrate and break the soil tension, then come back after a minute and saturate. Let some water run out the bottom to leach out old contaminants. If you use trays under your pots do not leave standing water. Kick the bucket, or lift it a bit to judge weight. This is a good indicator of water content. Too frequent watering and over fertilizing is one of the most common mistakes new growers make. An old saying for soil growing is “fertilize weakly weekly” and there is some truth to that.

#4 Understanding pH

Besides just the addition of fertilizer, nutrient solutions require other specific properties to work effectively. pH is an important factor. This ranges between 5 and 7 in most cases but varies depending on a gamut of particulars. Such things as cultivar, plant growth stage, type of grow system, fertilizer program, water characteristics, and even environmental conditions (light, heat, etc.) to name a few. My advice to growers is let the pH run a range of about a full point. For typical plants the rule of thumb is aim for or 6.0 and let it rise (or drop as the case may be) about a point before adding adjusters. Essential elements become available at different pH values, so by letting your pH vary across the scale you have a better chance of all elements finding their optimum assimilation point. I prefer the range of 5.5 to 6.5 as a good gradient zone. Letting the pH drift alkaline (above 7.0) is more likely to stress plants than a slightly acidic pH. My main point here is that you don’t need to adjust your pH as often as you might be led to believe.  Invest in a quality, digital pH meter and calibrate it regularly.  Finally, only measure the pH of your nutrient solution once you have added all your fertilizer and additives as these can affect it too.

#5 Nutrient Temperature

Root health is vital to your garden’s success so naturally you don’t want to cook your roots or allow them to become too cold.  Nutrients are most easily absorbed when the nutrient solution is around 68°F (20°C).  Typically temperatures in your indoor garden will drop at night as much as 10°F (5°C). That is perfectly acceptable. But if your water / nutrient solution is too cool it will cause the growth rate to decrease. Cold tap water can shock roots and cause other problems. However if the solution is too hot all kind of nasty things will happen. As water becomes warmer it can hold decreasing amounts of dissolved oxygen (which is really important for root health.)  If you are using a re-circulating system pay special attention to heat as it can transfer to the solution in many ways. The most common is absorption from trays, channels, containers or plumbing. This is a result of radiant heat from sunlight or even artificial lighting. Pumps can also create heat and be a factor. Protect your solution from direct sunlight. Insulate or sink your nutrient reservoir in the ground if possible. I have run my solutions through buried hose or pipe to cool them before returning to the system. Water chillers are available for extremely warm conditions.  Nutrient heaters (with integrated thermostats) are also available at very reasonable prices to help you cope with cold conditions.

#6 Oxygen

Oxygen content in your nutrient solution is often neglected or misunderstood. Just like fish require oxygen in water, so do plants. Plant roots absorb O2 and need it for various purposes but the primary reason for keeping an oxygenated solution is to fend off anaerobic bacteria such as Phytophthora Root Rot (blight) and damping off fungus (Rhizoctonia root rot). For the same reason soil and other grow mediums must offer good aeration. As I said above, solutions can become depleted of oxygen if the water becomes too warm or stagnant. Organic solutions can easily become deficient as the culture often utilizes the oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is measured in mg/L. Typical optimum values range about 10 and 30 mg/L. Over 40 is considered saturated and under 5 is considered deficient. There are reagent kits and meters available but I hardly find them necessary. Air stones or spray nozzles generally do the trick. I often use a hose-end siphoning device designed for proportioning liquids into a hose stream and just let the intake suck air. It will induce fine bubbles into your water flow. They are cheap and widely available in garden shops. Soils should contain good porous substrates and, again, be sure to let them dry out between watering. Finally, keep your nutrient solutions agitated to prevent stagnation.

#7 Lighting

You could write a whole book on lighting an indoor garden so I’ll just try and outline some basic principles here.  Where you place your lights can dramatically influence plant growth rate and structure. If the light levels are insufficient plants will respond slowly and tend to be weak and elongated. It will be fairly obvious; you need more light. If the lights are too close to the plants the new growth will dry and curl. This will also be pretty apparent and is a more common mistake.  Place your hand at the same level as the tops of your plants.  Keep it there for a minute or so.  If your hand starts to become noticeably warm your lights may be too close.  Another good way to measure temperature is to fill a small plastic bottle with water and hang it at plant level with a mercury thermometer in it. This will provide an accurate interpretation of actual temperature. Most of the heat accumulation in an enclosure is from the lights. Air and water cooled fixtures are a very effective method to remove unwanted heat before it becomes an atmospheric concern.

#8 Know Your Limits

Many plants have a vegetative stage and a flowering stage.  Basically, the vegetative stage is when the plant builds its structure – the botanical ‘scaffolding’ to support the future harvest.  The flowering stage is when the plant stops growing and focuses its energies on producing flowers and fruit.

What makes a plant flower?  Many things can trigger it depending on the plant type.  For instance I delay my capsicums producing fruit by physically picking off the flowers.  I do this so that they first grow to a decent size before concentrating on producing a bigger harvest for me!

Plants like Poinsettia and Kalanchoe require short day lengths in order to start flowering (usually 11 hours or less).  In an indoor garden, you can control when these plants grow and flower just by changing the length of your lights on period.  If you’re growing plants like these (known as ‘photosensitive’ plants) it’s important to ensure that they enjoy complete darkness during the lights off period – so no peaking!  They require uninterrupted darkness in order to properly trigger flowering.

I’m wary of opening up a can of worms here but consider the following simple advice:  When growing plants indoors, it’s important to take the space you have available into account.  Sounds like commonsense huh?  But listen!  It’s all too easy to get carried away in the vegetative stage thinking that the bigger you grow your plants, they will automatically carry more fruit.  This is true to an extent but you have to match the size of your plants to the containers they are grown in, the space available in your indoor garden, and the amount of light available.  Also, remember that the transition from vegetative into flowering can be fairly gradual (it doesn’t happen overnight!) so growth can continue for a while even after you induce flowering with shortened days / lengthened nights.  Knowing when to induce your plants to flower is a fine art (or science, depending on how you look at it!).  Novice growers invariably grow their plants way, way too big at first.

#9 Don’t Get Bugged Out

Keep your indoor garden clean.  Don’t get lazy otherwise insects and diseases will be on you before you know it!  Insect and disease control is one of the most devastating and misunderstood hazards of hobby growers. You get bugs, or at least finally notice them, and at that point it is often too late. You spray for them any number of lethal or ineffective insecticides and that seems to help but it takes a toll on your plants, and then the bugs come back. It is frustrating and it can cost you your yields and all the time and money you have invested in your garden. Plant diseases are much the same story. But there is a rhyme and reason to this dilemma. You just need to learn the timing and lifecycles of these ailments. You need to be proactive. Take precautionary steps. Beat them to the punch. There are many methods to avoid infestation, both procedural and environmental.

Clean the grow area and all plant equipment and systems between crops. Use 10% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) or 3% hydrogen peroxide or whatever your desired disinfectant might be. Clean and rinse well. This is the best way to avoid common plant disease. Use filters to keep outside bugs and spores out.

Healthy plants are reasonably capable of fending off disease by their own mechanisms, whereas stressed plants become susceptible to all pests and disease. Bugs and disease usually start on one plant. Closely inspect all plants frequently, especially ones which seem to be weak or ailing. Learn where they hide and the telltale signs of damage. If you find a bug act quick to reference information on the remedy. Bugs (and disease) have very definite life cycles. Don’t just spray, do your research. You have to know what, when, and how often to administer treatment. There will be a pattern of applications necessary to stop the infestation. This is the key. Believe me. You’ve got to be smarter than the bug (and that takes some effort!) but you will thank yourself many times over if you learn the fundamentals of proper insect management. Otherwise forget it. You might as well give up now and save yourself all the frustration of failure. Once you have a clean garden you might look into the application of predatory bugs, however this takes a wholly different level of skill and knowledge. There is so much more I want to tell you about this subject but … they don’t pay me enough for that.  Heheh.

#10 Be Observant!

One of the most common mistakes, if you can call it that, is just not paying attention. You need to spend time just looking closely at your plants. Get your nose dirty. Become one with them. You can actually learn to feel what they feel.  And in doing so, you can share in their triumph and trauma. Don’t be afraid to touch the plant. They like it. A healthy plant is not frail. Feel its structure and feel its life force. Look closely at your stem and sun leaves. Look for bugs or mould, injuries or deformities. Look under the leaves and on top and in the internodes. Look everyday at the new growth, the apical meristems and terminal shoots. Look for dry or curled tips, chlorosis or darkening of the stems. They should be growing constantly and look lush and bright green. Rejoice in the splendor of the tiny new leaves unfolding. Use a magnifying glass or microscope at times. Get into it. There is a lot to be learned and gained by simply being observant.

Good luck and happy growing

Harmon Davidson
Green Air Products

Thanks To Urban Garden Magazine for the Article – Original Page Here

“Superfoods” is a concept invented for supermarkets and journalists, perhaps it would be better to call them hypefoods. Scientific analysis of foods and human nutrition is still half-understood.  Every week brings new results of studies. Unfortunately sensation-hungry journalists greet every tiny narrow new fact about food chemicals or the effects on people of particular diets as though they are life-saving miracles. Unfortunately many scientists believe against the evidence that they know almost everything already and just need to fill in the details. They are always having their dearly held theories smashed on the rocks of hard reality. Having said that I will be telling you what I will be suggesting some good things to eat later in this article.
Most plant foods can be described as superfood, although some may be a little toxic.  Beetroot has been hailed for its beneficial effects but recent chemical studies show it contains a poisonous chemical. We can’t know if this chemical has any effect on beetroot eaters until a full study has been done. It probably doesn’t but that wouldn’t stop “Killer Pickle Shock” headlines.

Green tea has been hailed as a preventative of cancer, which all the studies seem to suggest. Recently it has been noticed that some people have been suffering liver toxicity from taking supplements equivalent to 50 cups of tea a day.  Normal consumption of 10 cups a day is beneficial but when you concentrate any chemicals it becomes easy to overdose on them. Several studies have shown that supplements are less effective than foods that contain the same amount of the chemical. Even if the pharmaceutical company has extracted the right chemicals. “Variety is the spice of life” is true of diet as well. A boring diet is likely to be a dangerous diet, even it is broccoli in a blueberry sauce every day.

Why should you grow your own superfoods? There are several reasons;

Ripeness: Apart from having the peak content of nutrients when they are fully ripe it is easier to eat superfoods that taste nice.

Freshness: Everyone has heard of antioxidants and how important they are to our health. The moment a vegetable or fruit is picked and separated from the roots the antioxidants start to decay. Bruising destroys most of the vitamins especially in leafy vegetables.  Some foods can be preserved by drying or freezing but most are best fresh off the plant.

No poisons: Food produced within Europe usually complies with contamination rules set by the European Union for keeping down residues of pesticides. Even the greenhouses in Spain are cleaning up their acts. Many imports from other continents have been found to have residues well above permitted levels. Unfortunately the Government is reducing the number of samples of imported food analysed by laboratories when entering the country. Presumably this is another thing they expect us to buy for ourselves, like dentists, doctors, education and so on.

Control of feeding: The nutrients available to the plant to absorb affect the nutrients the plant produces. The minerals we need are only absorbed by plants if they are in the soil. Too much nitrogen in the feed will also produce a food that is poor in minerals and vitamins.

Fun: There is nothing quite like producing and eating your own food.

Some superfoods you can buy now:

Açaí
Oh, come off it. Amazonian palm fruits that taste disgusting and need to be transported thousands of miles? They may have more antioxidants than any other fruit but Ribena will do you just as much good, tastes better and has more vitamin C. Even better are the Innocent smoothies containing blackcurrant or concentrated blackcurrant and apple juices that can be found in health food stores. Too much of anything is bad for you and we have little information about overdose of these antioxidants.

Apples
Yes, an apple a day does help keep the doctor away. They are one of the commonest good sources of malic acid, along with raspberries. Quercetin, an antioxidant flavanoid is another likely candidate for health promotion found in apples. Not only can you help your own lung function by eating apples but pregnant women eating only four apples a week were found to have children with as much as half the amount of asthma. Apples have lots of pesticides approved for use on them, because of the massive apple-growing industry. This is one of the best fruit to buy from organic growers. Difficult to grow indoors I would recommend an apple tree or two in every garden. The new dwarf varieties make even the smallest balcony capable of growing apples.

Asparagus
Asparagus has been regarded as an aphrodisiac since Roman times. Until recently this was dismissed as just the suggestion of the shape of the vegetable. The stems are rich in less common amino acids, including arginine. Arginine is necessary for the body to produce nitric oxide. Arginine supplementation should be tried by those suffering from erectile dysfunction before Viagra (which affects the same systems in the penis) is tried. Quite different from other antioxidant foods asparagus contains various sulphur compounds you will not find elsewhere that are used by the body to produce our own antioxidants. Because of these sulphur compounds asparagus will absorb selenium if there is any in the soil. It is also rich in folic acid and vitamin C. Gent’s urinals seem not to smell at all during the asparagus season in regions where asparagus is very popular.

Blood Orange
The pigments found in blood oranges are like those in blueberries and other dark-coloured fruit. A comparison of blood-orange juice, vitamin-C-fortified water, or sugar found that the blood orange juice was best at increasing antioxidants in human blood. They took blood samples from the test subjects 3 hours and 24 hours after drinking, a test seldom done on foods. Citrus trees are rather large but can be pruned savagely to keep them small. I hope to be growing one bush of the intensely dark purple blood orange variety Moro. A marvellous side-product of growing oranges (or any of the other Citrus fruit) is the fabulous fragrance of the flowers, used in aromatherapy as a sedative and euphoric.

Blueberries
Hard to produce and variably tasty I would recommend anyone looking for pigments in their diet to eat as many different red or purple fruit as you can find. The chemicals blueberry is famous for are also found in cranberries and purple grapes. Blackberries may be more anti-cancer and cherries are anti-inflammatory. Strawberries contain tannins like green tea, flavanoids like those in apple, xylitol, a sugar that re-mineralises the teeth and the darker ones contain significant amounts of the anthocyanin pigments found in blueberries. One particular variety of strawberry, called Nohime, prevents blood clots. There is probably an excuse for your favourite fruit.

Chocolate
A true superfood whose only disadvantage is the addictive caffeine content that is equal to coffee beans in some varieties. I could write books on the wonder of cocoa products. A French woman who became the oldest human in the world ate one kilogram of plain chocolate every week. Jeanne Calment gave up smoking at the age of 100, convinced that it was not good for her. She died at the age of 122. If anyone has managed to grow a cocoa tree at home (I have seen them in the Palm House at Kew Gardens in London) please let me know.

Herbs
Most culinary herbs are used for their medicinal action as well as their lovely tastes. Rosemary, basil, sage, mint, thyme, oregano and savory all contain rosmarinic acid and related antioxidants. They all help digestion and are antibiotics. Sage appears to reduce infections by flu and colds.  Basil and oregano are sedative and aphrodisiac. Pizza was recently voted by Britons as their preferred romantic meal.

Pomegranates
Suddenly miraculously popular, with overpriced pomegranate juice everywhere. Extracts sold by pharmaceutical companies do not have and cannot have the qualities of real pomegranate. If you don’t like pomegranate find other fruits you like.

Walnuts
The most common source of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that should be taken by everyone. Many studies have shown that walnuts reduce bad cholesterol in the blood, keep arteries flexible and improve heart health. If you use olive oil for the sake of your health you might like to replace some of it with walnut oil, which has many more benefits. They also contain arginine, like asparagus. As oats also help much the same problems a walnut flapjack a day would be a good idea for most of us.

Watercress
Anticancer chemicals like those found in broccoli, huge amounts of vitamins C, E, K and some Bs, carotenoids (pro-vitamin A), any minerals you care to give it especially high levels of calcium, manganese and iron. I will be growing this one, the obvious advantage is that you do not have to wait for flowers or fruit before it can be used.

And that’s just the start! Other superfoods include hummous, red peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes, live soya yoghurt, tomatoes, brown rice, almonds, ginger, turmeric and avocado.  Time to get growing!

WORDS:  George Sterculius – Thanks To UrbanGardenMagazine for The read!

Photos inserted By Pete

Hey guys, I don’t usually post during the weekend, but this one was too interesting not to share with my PGS peeps.

You think you know why leaves fall off trees. Well, you’re wrong. It’s not the wind. It’s not the cold.

iStockphoto.com

It’s because trees use “scissors” to cut their leaves off.

iStockphoto.com

We call this season the “fall” because all around us right now (if you live near leaf-dropping trees in a temporal zone), leaves are turning yellow and looking a little dry and crusty. So when a stiff breeze comes along, those leaves seem to “fall” off, thus justifying the name “fall.”

Sounds reasonable, no?

But the truth is much more interesting.

According to Peter Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and a renowned botanist, the wind doesn’t gently pull leaves off trees. Trees are more proactive than that. They throw their leaves off. Instead of calling this season “The Fall,” if trees could talk they’d call this the “Get Off Me” season.

Here’s why.

Around this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, as the days grow shorter and colder, those changes trigger a hormone in leaf-dropping trees that sends a chemical message to every leaf that says, in essence, “Time to go! Let’s part company!”

Once the message is received, says Raven, little cells appear at the place where the leaf stem meets the branch. They are called “abscission” cells. They have the same root as the word scissors, meaning they are designed, like scissors, to make a cut.

And within a few days or weeks, every leaf on these deciduous trees develops a thin bumpy line of cells that push the leaf, bit by bit, away from the stem. You can’t see this without a microscope, but if you looked through one, you’d see those scissors cells lined right up.

Enlarge University of Wisconsin Plant Image Teaching CollectionThe scissor cells are stained red and mark the boundary between the branch (left) and the leaf stalk.

That’s where the tree gives each leaf a push, leaving it increasingly dangling. “So with that very slender connection, they’re sort of ready to be kicked off,” says Raven, and then a breeze comes along and finishes the job.

So the truth is, the wind isn’t making the leaves fall. It’s the tree.

The tree is deeply programmed by eons of evolution to insist that the leaves drop away. Why? Why not let the leaves stick around? Why drop?

Raven explains that leaves are basically the kitchen staff of a tree. During the spring, summer and early fall they make the food that helps the tree grow and thrive and reproduce. When the days get short and cold, food production slows down, giving the tree an option: It can keep the kitchen staff or it can let it go.

If trees kept their leaves permanently they wouldn’t have to grow new ones, but leaves are not the brightest of bulbs (sorry!). Every so often, when the winter weather has a break and the days turn warm, Raven says leaves will start photosynthesizing. “They get some water up and they start operating and making food and then it freezes again.”

When the cold snap’s back on, the leaves will be caught with water in their veins, freeze and die. So instead of a food staff that’s resting, the tree is stuck with a food staff that’s dead. And when spring comes, the permanent help will be no help. The tree will die.

That’s why every fall, deciduous trees in many parts of North America get rid of their leaves and grow new ones in the spring. It’s safer that way.

So for leaves, falling in the fall isn’t optional. The trees are shoving them off.

Original article here