Here at PGS we really try to balance our product lines with an abundance of organic and sustainable products, from organic nutrients to sustainably harvested coco and soil products. The art and science of Permaculture has always inspired us and we pay tribute however we can. On this rainy and windy Wednesday we thought it would be nice to share some background on Permaculture with you. Thanks to wikipedia for providing the following information.

Mollison and Holmgren

In the mid 1970s, Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren started to develop ideas about stable agricultural systems. This was a result of rapid growth of destructive industrial-agricultural methods. They saw that these methods were poisoning the land and water, reducing biodiversity, and removing billions of tons of topsoil from previously fertile landscapes. They announced their permaculture” approach with the publication of Permaculture One in 1978.

The term permaculture initially meant “permanent agriculture” but was quickly expanded to also stand for “permanent culture” as it was seen that social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system.

Observation develops design—Termite mounds inspire biomimicry for passive climate control in modern housing

After Permaculture One, Mollison and Holmgren further refined and developed their ideas by designing hundreds of permaculture sites and organizing this information into more detailed books. Mollison lectured in over 80 countries and taught his two-week Design Course to many hundreds of students. By the early 1980s, the concept had broadened from agricultural systems design towards complete, sustainable human habitats.

By the mid 1980s, many of the students had become successful practitioners and had themselves begun teaching the techniques they had learned. In a short period of time permaculture groups, projects, associations, and institutes were established in over one hundred countries. In 1991 a four-part Television documentary by ABC productions called “The Global Gardener” showed permaculture applied to a range of worldwide situations, bringing the concept to a much broader public. Excerpts are available online through YouTube.

Further developments

Permaculture has developed from its Australian origins into an international movement. English permaculture teacher Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual and Permaculture in a Nutshell, suggests that there are now two strands of permaculture: Original and Design permaculture.

Original permaculture attempts to closely replicate nature by developing edible ecosystems which closely resemble their wild counterparts.

Design permaculture takes the working connections at use in an ecosystem and uses them as its basis. The end result may not look as natural as a forest garden, but still respects ecological principles. Through close observation of natural energies and flow patterns efficient design systems can be developed. This has become known as Natural Systems Design. (Dr. M Millington and A Sampson-Kelly)

Elements of design

Mature species on a keyline irrigation channel, ‘Orana’ Farm Temperate Victoria, Australia

Permaculture principles draw heavily on the practical application of ecological theory to analyze the characteristics and potential relationships between design elements.

Each element of a design is carefully analyzed in terms of its needs, outputs, and properties. For example chickens need water, moderated microclimate and food, producing meat, eggs, feathers and manure and can help break up soil hardpan.

Design elements are then assembled in relation to one another so that the products of one element feed the needs of adjacent elements. Synergy between design elements is achieved while minimizing waste and the demand for human labor or energy. Exemplary permaculture designs evolve over time, and can become extremely complex mosaics of conventional and inventive cultural systems that produce a high density of food and materials with minimal input.

While techniques and cultural systems are freely borrowed from organic agriculture, sustainable forestry, horticulture, agroforestry, and the land management systems of indigenous peoples, permaculture’s fundamental contribution to the field of ecological design is the development of a concise set of broadly applicable organizing principles that can be transferred through a brief intensive training.

Modern permaculture

Modern permaculture is a system design tool. It is a way of:

1. looking at a whole system or problem;
2. observing how the parts relate;
3. planning to mend sick systems by applying ideas learned from long-term sustainable working systems;
4. seeing connections between key parts.

In permaculture, practitioners learn from the working systems of nature to plan to fix the damaged landscapes of human agricultural and city systems. This thinking applies to the design of a kitchen tool as easily to the re-design of a farm.

Permaculture practitioners apply it to everything deemed necessary to build a sustainable future. Commonly, “Initiatives … tend to evolve from strategies that focus on efficiency (for example, more accurate and controlled uses of inputs and minimization of waste) to substitution (for example, from more to less disruptive interventions, such as from biocides to more specific biological controls and other more benign alternatives) to redesign (fundamental changes in the design and management of the operation) (Hill & MacRae 1995, Hill et al. 1999).” “Permaculture is about helping people make redesign choices: setting new goals and a shift in thinking that affects not only their home but their actions in the workplace, borrowings and investments” (A Sampson-Kelly and Michel Fanton 1991). Examples include the design and employment of complex transport solutions, optimum use of natural resources such as sunlight, and “radical design of information-rich, multi-storey polyculture systems” (Mollison & Slay 1991).

“This progression generally involves a shift in the nature of one’s dependence — from relying primarily on universal, purchased, imported, technology-based interventions to more specific locally available knowledge and skill-based ones. This usually eventually also involves fundamental shifts in world-views, senses of meaning, and associated lifestyles (Hill 1991).” “My experience is that although efficiency and substitution initiatives can make significant contributions to sustainability over the short term, much greater longer-term improvements can only be achieved by redesign strategies; and, furthermore, that steps need to be taken at the outset to ensure that efficiency and substitution strategies can serve as stepping stones and not barriers to redesign…” (Hill 2000)

Core values

Permaculture on an organic farm on the Swabian Mountains in Germany.

Permaculture is a broad-based and holistic approach that has many applications to all aspects of life. At the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain constant whatever a person’s situation, whether they are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire forest. These ‘ethics’ are often summarized as;

• Earthcare – recognising that Earth is the source of all life (and is possibly itself a living entity — see Gaia theory), that Earth is our valuable home, and that we are a part of Earth, not apart from it.
• Peoplecare – supporting and helping each other to change to ways of living that do not harm ourselves or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.
• Fairshare (or placing limits on consumption) – ensuring that Earth’s limited resources are used in ways that are equitable and wise.

Modern thought about permaculture began with the issue of sustainable food production. It started with the belief that for people to feed themselves sustainably, they need to move away from reliance on industrialized agriculture. Where industrial farms use technology powered by fossil fuels (such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas), and each farm specializes in producing high yields of a single crop, permaculture stresses the value of low inputs and diverse crops. The model for this was an abundance of small-scale market and home gardens for food production, and a main issue was food miles.

Design innovation

The core of permaculture has always been in supplying a design toolkit for human habitation. This toolkit helps the designer to model a final design based on an observation of how ecosystems interact. A simple example of this is how the Sun interacts with a plant by providing it with energy to grow. This plant may then be pollinated by bees or eaten by deer. These may disperse seed to allow other plants to grow into tall trees and provide shelter to these creatures from the wind. The bees may provide food for birds and the trees provide roosting for them. The tree’s leaves fall and rot, providing food for small insects and fungus. Such a web of intricate connections allows a diverse population of plant life and animals to survive by giving them food and shelter. One of the innovations of permaculture design was to appreciate the efficiency and productivity of natural ecosystems, to use natural energies (wind, gravity, solar, fire, wave and more) and seek to apply this to the way human needs for food and shelter are met. One of the most notable proponents of this design system has been David Holmgren, who based much of his permaculture innovation on zone analysis.

OBREDIM design methodology

OBREDIM is an acronym for observation, boundaries, resources, evaluation, design, implementation and maintenance.

• Observation allows you first to see how the site functions within itself, to gain an understanding of its initial relationships. Some recommend a year-long observation of a site before anything is planted. During this period all factors, such as lay of the land, natural flora and so forth, can be brought into the design. A year allows the site to be observed through all seasons, although it must be realized that, particularly in temperate climates, there can be substantial variations between years.
• Boundaries refer to physical ones as well as to those neighbors might place, for example.
• Resources include the people involved, funding, as well as what can be grown or produced in the future.
• Evaluation of the first three will then allow one to prepare for the next three. This is a careful phase of taking stock of what is at hand to work with.
• Design is a creative and intensive process, and must stretch the ability to see possible future synergetic relationships.
• Implementation is literally the ground-breaking part of the process when digging and shaping of the site occurs.
• Maintenance is then required to keep the site at a healthy optimum, making minor adjustments as necessary. Good design will preclude the need for any major adjustment.

We love Can! Their Filters and line of Max fans are the industry standard as far as we are concerned. Our stock is freshly loaded so you can find the size you need at any of our 3 stores.

Come on down and we will dial you in with the right filter and fan for your garden, or you can talk to one of our knowledgeable, friendly staff at 1-866-PGS-GROW!

Happy Gardening!

Hey guys, its been a cold winter, and it looks like spring has come a little early. It feels so good too! It also feels great to let everyone know that our end of year inventory is over and we are again fully stocked with all the essentials you need for your grow room. We are also gearing up for what is anticipated as the biggest grow season ever. Viva 2010, with outdoor and indoor projects being taken on in extremely aggressive levels, its super exciting for us to be able to provide for all the Sonoma County growers and beyond who are getting involved. We have -

• Traditional soils, organic blends, soilless blends, rockwool, and coco pots ready to go.
• Grow lights, electronic ballasts, magnetic ballasts, reflectors, high output fluorescent systems, LED Grow lights, replacement bulbs.
• Hydro trays, containers, smart pots, complete hydro setups.
• Complete organic and hydroponic nutrient lines – General Hydroponics, General Organics, House and Garden, Cutting Edge, Technaflora and tons of grow and bloom enhancers and accelerators.
• Carbon filters of every size and shape
• Wall, pedestal and exhaust fans and blowers of every shape and size
• Ducting, clamps, foil tape, flanges, reducers, extenders, splitters, splicers
• Co2 generators, controllers and parts
• Organic and chemical pest control products
• Master light controllers, Environmental controllers, High temp. shut off devices
• Water purification systems, accessories and replacement filters
• Ready to grow, self contained Darkrooms
• Valves, elbows, tees, custom hydro fittings, replacement sprayers and misters
• Full service repair dept. complete with loaner ballasts
• Full time accredited botanist

We love to serve and provide the best advice and products available in the indoor/hydroponic/organic gardening industry, give our friendly grow experts a call today and let us know how we can help you. 1-866-PGS-GROW

Winter is such a great time for indoor growers. The cool air from outside is such a powerful tool in your arsenal to maintain optimal temperatures in your garden. What happens when the air outside is hotter then the air inside? What do you do when that air from outside is not enough to keep your room cool? Allot of growers these days use a sealed environment that includes an air conditioner, in which case they are not affected as much, they just need their AC system to work a little harder during the summer. I always try and avoid using AC and always prefer outside air to AC, but in some cases AC is totally unavoidable. For this post, I am going to talk about getting by without AC during the hot summer months ahead.

• The first thing you will need to do is air cool your lights if your not doing so already. This will remove the largest portion of your heat signature away from your plants and out of the grow room.
• The next thing you will want to do is change your on/off times and run your gardens 12/12 period starting at night, when the sun has gone down. You will have a much easier time
• The other thing to consider is to raise your lights slightly higher then usual to bring that extra heat just that much further from your babies. The benefit of less heat far out ways the minimal loss of lumens created from raising your lights a little higher.
• Bring in cool air from outside and into your room (in addition to the air coming in cooling your lights)
• Increase the number of oscillation fans and keep the air in that room moving!
• Increase the size of your can filter. This one is missed by most people. It requires a little more investment, but the fresh, happy and cool air you get from it is totally worth it.
• Water your plants at the start of your plants cycle… This makes for cooler happier root zones, in case temperatures get too high.
• Use a High Temp Shutoff

After you have put your mind to all the tasks above you should be able to run your indoor garden during the summer without AC. If you have any questions or concerns, give us a call 1-866-PGS-GROW

"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

Ready to take control of the heat in your garden? This Yieldmaster II reflector from Sunlight Supply is awesome! With a huge 10 inch air cooled opening, you should have absolutely no trouble venting the heat away from these hoods and your garden. With all the data that definitively shows how heat directly diminishes yields and quality, making all the hoods in your room air cooled will directly improve all aspects of your end result. 10 inches is a serious upgrade for this reflector model. I always have liked Yieldmasters and this upgrade turns the Yieldmaster into a real contender for bumper crops!

• Completely sealed! Heavy-duty gasket makes the Yield Master airtight.
• Includes tempered glass, built-in socket and 15′ lamp cord.
• Highly reflective European aluminum interior for excellent output and uniformity.
• Maximum air-cooling with built-in 10″ fittings.
• Durable white powder coated finish.
• EZ-Breeze™ aerodynamic junction box improves airflow and cooling.
• Lamp cord and socket are built into reflector.
• Glass retention bars hold glass firmly in place.

I just recieved a very interesting article on the quality of charcoal/activated carbon mediums in can filters. I liked this data, it seems intelligent and well informed. No coincidence that Can filters are the industry standard and leader!

Aloha gang, how is the air quality of your room? Can you smell your indoor garden outside, or in other parts of your house? Are your plants suffering from poor air quality? A simple and affordable way to address this common issue, is to use a carbon can filter. I have tried just about all of them, and it’s pretty obvious that Phresh filters are super high quality in both reliability and performance. They actually outperform other can filters in CFMs and the quality of the carbon used is definitely superior to other can filters. You can see the difference in these two photos.

Commonly Used Filter Carbon

Phresh Filter Carbon

We carry the full line of sizes, and have a variety of different fans that match. 1-866-PGS-GROW

Bumper Crop

Aloha guys! Winter is here and that means it will be easier to cool down our indoor gardens. Cooler temperatures turns into bumper crops. What do I mean when I say “bumper crop?”

Well, it’s a term used affectionately amongst growers when they have a crop that yields higher then usual. The slang term “bumper crop” refers to an unusually large harvest. Although this term refers specifically to agricultural products, some people also use it more generally to talk about any unexpected windfall, as in “there’s a bumper crop of students enrolling this year.” As a general rule, a bumper crop is viewed as a very positive thing.

The origins of this term have their roots in the 1700s, when people started to refer to extremely large swellings as “bumpers.” A bumper crop was a harvest which was so large that it swelled the baskets and containers used to ship things to market. The origins of “bumper” also explain why the swellings on automobiles are called “bumpers,” although how the leap from swelling to killing was made in 1908 when people started using “to bump off” as a euphemism for murder is a bit unclear.

Bumper crops can happen for a number of reasons. Most typically, especially favorable environmental conditions encourage crops to produce in large amounts. Temperate weather, lots of rain at the right time, and ample sunshine when plants are developing can all lead to bumper crops. Farmers can also help the process along with the use of fertilizers, compost, and other materials designed to enrich the soil, providing lots of nutrition for plants to feed on, or by planting in excess to guarantee a high yield.

Often, the first year of decent yields after several years of decline is referred to as a “bumper year,” even if the yield is not particularly large when compared to historical crop yields. As a general rule, bumper crops generate profit for farmers because farmers usually lock in contract prices for their crops long before their crops actually grow. If crop yields have been minimal in prior years, farmers may be able to secure a very high price for their crops, thus reaping a windfall when a bumper crop comes in, although conversely, prices may be lower in the following year due to the glut.

It’s much easier to accomplish when the temperature outside is nice and cold. Bringing that air from outside is a great way to cool your room and lights, and the extra CO2 from outside will be an added benefit. One thing to consider though, is humidity. Here in Northern California, it is very wet at times during the winter, bringing in air from outside can also bring in extra humidity, and pathogens. An easy way to address this issue , is to install a hepa filter on your intake and a humidity level shutoff at the fan. This will keep humidity levels from exceeding your specified settings. I really get excited when winter comes, after living in Hawaii for ten years, I am seeing a huge difference in quality during these winter months.

Ok, so you have grown a few crops and now your ready to maybe “kick it up” a little. Sounds good, we all get to that point, and building an indoor hydroponic, or container garden from scratch can not only be fun, but incredibly rewarding as well. Instead of mapping out different systems for you guys, and explaining features, I going to work from the premise that you guys are familiar with the equipment we will be featuring today. I want to show you how PGS has everything necessary to help you design your dream grow room.

Galaxy Electronic HID Ballast

Lets start with the foundation of any indoor garden, lighting…First thing is first, electronic ballast, or magnetic ballast. We have both types stocked in 600 and 1000 watt varieties.

Harvest Pro Magnetic HID Ballast

Next thing to consider….Light Reflector. We carry a HUGE line of options, priced competitively. We can help you determine the optimal reflector for your situation based on 20+ years of experience.

HID Reflectors Stocked and Ready

Moving on to…. grow method. If your a die hard organic soil or soil-less fanatic, or a hydroponic scientist, we have a complete stock of containers, hydroponic mediums, and complete systems to meet anyone’s needs.

Next Step… Ventilation.
Anyone serious about growing indoors knows that ventilation is one of the most important things to take seriously. PGS has got you covered. Dampers, Filters, Extenders, Fans, Clamps, Reducers, Controllers and more….

Lets continue on to CO2 Enrichment… Tired of small yields and airy product? Increase your yields and overall structure with CO2 enrichment. We carry a large line generators, tanks, regulators, and controllers.

Little things that make the difference between bumper crops and bogus results.

Keep your plants happy and healthy through the entire bloom cycle!

Now lets address Environmental Control….
Now that you have a great room in the making, don’t let the environment go to shit with neglect! Dial in the perfect temperatures, humidity levels and your electricity to run flawlessly at all times. PGS has any kind of controller for your environment you can imagine.

Get Notified While Your Gone If You Have a Fire or a Breakin

Onto… Propagation What good is all of this without clones and cuttings to get your future crops ensured? PGS carries popular aero clone machines, as well as tradition Oasis, and Rockwool cubes, clone solutions, gels, and powders, modern T5 fluorescent systems and more…..

The key to success over a long period of time, is an intelligent, planned out nursery program, that includes all the things you would address in your bloom or vegetative environment. Temperature, co2 levels, relative humidity etc… Your future crops are only as good as the plants your nursery produces! Take the extra time to really create a perfect nursery and you will enjoy years of massive crops and prosperity!

T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights - Perfect For Vegetative Growth and Propagation

Let’s not forget the staple of ALL gardens.. Nutrients

Ah… what to say about nutrients? Take the time to learn what works best for your particular situation. We can help, we have just about every major plant nutrient product that is available today, AND we know how to use them.

Perhaps you want a ready to go Growroom? There are some really great ready to go grow rooms that are easy to assemble, and easy to break down. They make alot of sense for even the most experience growers in some situations. They come in every size for any project… Including massive Mammoth size ones for epic projects.

Don’t let garden pest ruin all your have built!… Pest Management.

After all your doing to build this dream room, don’t let bugs ruin this scenario! PGS has a full arsenal of organic and non-organic forms of pest management.

PGS Pest Managment Station

Did we almost forget Water Quality? Hell NO!

Without healthy, clean water as a basis, you will NEVER have a bumper crop. PGS has simple pacific sands filters, to full on huge RO systems.

Ok, I could go on and on about all the rest of the odds and ends, but the point is WE HAVE IT, from white plastic, Mylar, timers and fittings. Above all we offer a smile, and countless years of combined experience. Call us for prices and tell them Pete from the blog said to give you a deal!!! 1-866-PGS-GROW

All the little things you do to improve your indoor garden add up over time and directly equate to a better harvest and higher quality product. Humidity can build up in your room from many different sources, one of the major ones is your reservoir. A simple lid on your res can drastically reduce the escaping humidity but a better solution is to remove the water source from your room completely. This gives you extra space in your garden, and removes the water completely from the equation. This 55 gallon drum is made of food grade plastic, and fits easily anywhere outside of your indoor garden, you can then run a hose from it to your room, and you instantly have removed extra humidity while reclaiming valuable space in your garden. I recently implemented this concept and have room now for bigger plants, and have lowered my humidity in one fail swoop.

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

When it comes to old school, it doesn’t get more hardcore then Air King. They have been around for a long long time and I think I have seen more of these babies in grow rooms then just about any other fan. These are really instant health boosts for your garden, keeping the stagnant air in the corners of your room fresh.

Rope Ratchet Light Hangers are back folks, get em while we got em. These babies have been back ordered from the manufacturer for months, we just got a bunch in, but they go fast, and with good reason. Read my post on rope ratchets, and you can get a sense for what these can do for you. Gone are the days of cheap “yoyos” and chains, and struggling to raise and lower your lights. These rope ratchets are strong and durable, and makes amateurs into pros in 10 minutes Give us a call and see if we got any left. 1-866-PGS-GROW

The air inside your house, condo, or apartment greatly contributes to your general health and your indoor gardens health. The better the air quality, the healthier you and your plants will be. This is more easily said then done!

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to public health. EPA studies have shown indoor levels of pollutants may be exponentially higher than outdoor levels. With the majority of airborne contaminants invisible to the naked eye (spores, bacteria, particulates, gases, and chemicals) it is difficult to isolate these health threats and protect your family and indoor garden.

Inadequate ventilation is one of the main causes of indoor air pollution. Due to the lack of fresh air entering a home, common household tasks and activities can seriously threaten the indoor air quality. Improperly vented gas stoves and furnaces, wet or damp carpet, and household cleaning products are general sources of indoor air pollution.

There are many effective ways to address the air quality of your home and garden. First thing you should do, is realize that the air in your home, directly effects the quality of your indoor gardens air. A long term, comprehensive plan to address your entire place will be the best. Of course, getting your garden dialed in first is a good idea! Lets start with the basics…Calculate the square feet in your garden, and build a solid in/out ventilation system based on your calculations. Most fans have a “CFM” rate included on the packaging to allow you to make these calcuations. CFM stands for Cubic Feet Per Minute. In other words, a fan with 1000 CFMS, means it will exchange the air in 1000 cubic feet every minute. So you can get a great idea as to what you’ll need by measuring your room, and looking at the CFMs on your intake fans and filters. The air coming into your room from outside should be filtered, with a quality hepa filter, and the air going out of the garden should be filtered as well. ( for many reasons, including garden odors, mold prevention, and general household air quality.) With a quality activated carbon can filter. This takes care of the basic air quality going in and out of your room, now lets take it further! Humidity is a variable for pathogens in your home and garden, the more humidity you have in your room the more changes for problems you will face. A dehumidifier sized appropriately for your indoor garden will do wonders for your long term plant health and harvest. ( the water from a dehumidifier is some of the purist water you can give your plants too ) So now you have clean intake and outtake, dehumidified air, what else can you do to address ventilation? Ionizers are really great additions to any indoor garden, just be careful not to over ionize your plants. They make some really great Hepa/Ionizer combos that create “Living Air” and take your air quality to new heights. In general all these these are great basics for not just your indoor garden, but your whole place!

Small little things all add up to equal outstanding air quality that turns into healthier plants and people. Keep a vigilant eye on your carpets, drapes, down comforters and even clothing left in your garden. All of these things harbor molds, dust mites, fungus’s, viruses, and diseases. I have been in countless rooms where people have asked to me to diagnose there air problems, only to find a pile of wet mildewy rags in the corner, or carpeting that wasn’t pulled up and is molding under the plants. Even old ceilings and walls can harbor molds and pathogens. When you open and close the door to your grow room, you bring the environment from the rest of your house into the garden, so keep an eye on all these things everywhere in your house.

Ok folks, this is big one today, I’m going to address a very complex situation that is plaguing some indoor gardeners with chronic problems and is leaving them completely stumped, frustrated, and confused.

Imagine this, you have grown for years, in different environments, with variable results for decades, You have a confident sense of how to grow. You setup a new room, in a new place, and every crop in this new room has problems. Your instincts and experience tell you to check EC, PPM, PH, temperature and air flow, CO2 levels, water quality. Your convinced you have an insect problem, You question your nutrient feeding schedule, change plant foods, spray insecticides and other foliar feeds to combat pests and deficiency. You try every known possible thing you can, things that have been your tried and true proven solutions for years and you know first hand should work as expected. What the heck does someone do when this happens? Relax, breathe, correct any negative intentions in your mind, and educate yourself on VOC’s. ( Volatile Organic Compounds )

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. So in other words, in normal conditions, products with VOCs will “gasoff” and enter your indoor garden, how much they effect your plants depend on the conditions in your room. Well the conditions in our grow rooms, are not “normal”, they are  extreme, from the light, to the heat, the water, and air intense air flow, our rooms will subject the environment around it to an advanced gassing off cascade that can hurt your plants health but yours as well.

Volatile organic compounds are numerous and varied. Although ubiquitous in nature and modern industrial society, they may also be harmful or toxic. VOCs, or subsets of the VOCs, are often regulated. This means that they are EVERY WHERE, and it’s almost impossible to tell what has it and what doesn’t.

VOCs may be natural or synthetic. Like organic chemicals in general, there are millions of different compounds which may be classified as VOCs. The compounds the nose detects as smells are generally VOCs. Modern industrial chemicals such as fuels, solvents, coatings, feedstocks, and refrigerants are usually VOCs. So when you smell that “new car” smell or any obvious chemical smell on a product you bring home, you can count on that fact that it is gassing off VOCs.

Because of their health effects, VOCs are regulated in some places. The large number of VOCs combined with their numerous exposure pathways make comprehensive management, discussion or regulation of volatile organic compounds impractical. In other words, they know this problem exists, but doing anything about it is impossible. So you MUST take it upon yourself to determine what products you bring into your room contain VOCs. Perhaps the gardens dry wall, flooring, carpet or other preexisting materials have VOCs. Well the only solution is to buy QUALITY materials, cutting the corners with the cheap stuff might cost you everything here. Be extra aware if your using linoleum on your floor as it varies wildly in quality from one manufacturer to another.

A Botanist friend of ours had an amazing suggestion, and even had the exact product to use when addressing this issue. KILZ brand primer paint has been conscience enough to create a product with NO VOCs. Give your garden an even couple coats of Kilz Cleanstart, and you can be assured that you just created a VOC free barrier that will protect the entire garden from VOCs in general.

While removing 100% of all VOCs from your garden environment may be almost impossible we can take a huge amount of them away, and prevent them from getting inside of gardens. People who use a sealed room technique may suffer from a mysterious VOC issue more then others as the VOC gasses have no where to escape.

WHY KILZ® CLEAN START?

• Zero volatile organic compound (VOC)**
• Addresses indoor air quality concerns related to VOCs while delivering the quality performance expected from KILZ® brand primers
• Allows for fewer top coats
• Sealing and stainblocking power
• High performance
• Water-based primer
• Low odor during and after application
• Interior/exterior multi-purpose application
• Excellent adhesion and hide
• Easy soap and water clean up
• Blocks tannin bleed
• Mildew-resistant finish
• Improves and strengthens top-coat paint appearance
• Perfect for at-home paint enthusiasts and professionals alike
• Intended for use on most interior and exterior surfaces, including woodwork, drywall, plaster, paneling, masonry, brick, painted metal and properly prepared glossy surfaces.
**Per EPA Test Method #24. See product label for more details.

But wait… it doesn’t end here, lets say you want to know the EXACT amount of VOCs in your air, not just in your garden but in your bedroom, living rooms, children’s rooms etc… I found a VOC meter that is portable, accurate, and reliable. Stop the guess work and find out NOW if your suffering from VOC toxicity issue, or something else.

Why use the RI VOC Meter?

The RI VOC Meter is the smallest handheld monitor on the market. It is extremely sensitive and capable of detecting contamination at 0.1ppm level.

Simply start the device and use to sniff out areas of high VOC. An audible alarm will sound in areas where VOCs are higher than recommended. For added protection, the unit can be wall mounted and VOC levels logged continuously.

Test results stored in the  instrument may be easily downloaded to a personal computer for analysis and printing. With the software suite, users can sort and view results with ease.

I’m seriously stoked on this because we have had allot of people suffering from mysterious problems that even with our 40+ plus years of combined experience around here, we couldn’t determine the cause of some ongoing chronic problems. Fast forward to the great recall of Hydrohuts for their gassing off of VOCs and killing gardens all over. We suddenly all became aware of this VOCs issue as a VALID consideration when trying to determine serious garden follies. You can read more about this meter here.

So here I have presented a very serious problem that could potentially go undiagnosed for years, a valid solution for VOC toxcity and a means to determine if you indeed do suffer from VOC in your garden. Don’t let this mystery go unsolved for another second!

I strongly suggest you read this page on VOCs and get a grasp on the subject.

PGS has plans to offer both of these solutions online and at our retail stores soon. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you suspect you have a VOC problem. Let us help!

Sometimes no matter what we do, the sound from our vent fans is just to loud. This can be very frustrating and many people come in asking what they can do to address this issue. The easy answer is a device that’s known as a re-a-stat. It varies the amount of power a device has. This allows you to easily control the speed of your intake and outtake fans thus making it quieter outside or in your house. I strongly suggest this device for anyone with a vent fan decibel issue. Max fans are really great and push a ton of air, but they are also a bit more noisy then say a vortex fan. This is an easy remedy and allows you to continue to gain the benefits of the added CFM from a MAX fan. 1-866-PGS-GROW

Can Fans and Filters have quickly become industry standard. The CF group is continually pushing the bar up a notch with their innovative ventilation products. We just got some great new things from them. People have been asking for these changes and now they are available. 1-866-PGS-GROW

Ever wonder how much light that plant on the way outside of your room is getting? Ever noticed that some plants in your room bust out these huge blossoms right next to another plant that made little buds and was right under the light? That’s because all plants have an ideal level of light that they need for optimal growth. Using more light then needed will not make bigger yields or plants. A great way to start understanding what levels of light your plants like and/or need is to use a light meter. I have always used my hand to measure how much light shines on it when i place it under the lights. (real scientific huh?) It did give me a relatively good indication of how much light each plant was getting but when I started using a light meter, I realized how much more defined and accurate I could be. It’s been fun and insightful to experiment with light placement, angles, heights, and different kinds of reflectors to see what gave me the biggest reading on the light meter. I will post at another time my results, but til then I strongly encourage you to buy a light meter yourself  and start creating your own prosperous reality.

Photosynthesis & Plant Growth depend on the sun or specially designed lighting systems. But of that light reaching the plant, only specific types of energy (in the lighting spectrum) drive the photosynthesis process. Since light is the most important single factor affecting your plants’ life cycles, quality light meters are an essential tool in determining accurately if your crop is receiving the maximum light needed for healthy growth. A light meter allows commercial growers an accurate means of adapting to their plants’ needs as the light conditions change during a full growing season. * Identify best light level of healthy plants * Easy to use hand-held design * Get precise reading with two scales * Includes instructions and “Consumer’s Guide to Light Gardening” brochure * Lifetime silicon sensor – no batteries required * Read up to 5000 footcandles of sun, high intensity or fluorescent light * Exclusive “Zero” calibration feature – accurate to 2% * Full two year warranty – the longest in the industry