Are the people at Sesame Street still this cool? Would this even get made these days?

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.

Happy holidays guys, be safe, and give more then you receive, especially to your plants. You owe it to them to give them an amazing holiday too. We have been working super hard (seriously) over here on a new POS system for all our retail shops and it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done! Networking and setting up three store locations to communicate with one central warehouse is going to allow us to keep all three stores stocked and the inventory flowing. We sincerely want to thank all our customers for their continued support, come on in and say Pete from the blog sent you and get 10% off till the 1st. Mele Kalikimaka

Check out this video of Pete and Jay setting Up PGS New POS

* 7 species Endomycorrhizae & 11 species Ectomycorrhizae * 67,000 Endo & 1.5 billion Ecto Propagules per lb. * 19 species Bacteria/ 2 species Trichoderma/ Biostimulant Package/ Vitamin Package

Hey guys, I love this product. It’s a little more expensive then some of the other Mycorrhizae products available, but it is well worth the price! I also like that you use it with water instead of pouring it into your medium. It is very obvious that this stuff is a completely different product then all other Mycorrhizae inoculants. It’s moist and rich texture has a pungent smell and is not dusty freeze dried spores, but soft, ready to be diluted in water Mycorrhizae, Trichoderma and more… Using it is easy and almost impossible to over use. You WILL see dramatic results from this product! They suggest using it once every few waterings, but using it for every watering seemed to produce the most visible and dramatic results!

Great White Mycorrhizae is a plant root inoculant.  It contains a combination of Mycorrhizae, beneficial bacteria, trichoderma, and plant vitamins. This enables plants to break down and absorb nutrients efficiently and effectively,  increase water uptake and the overall absorption area of the root system. Great White Mycorrhizae can be used in hydroponics as well as soil.  I recently got a chance to try Great White Mycorrhizae.

It is easy to mix up for application.  One scoop that comes in the little blue tub makes 2 gallons of inoculant as a root drench or as a nutrient solution.  I used distilled water, to prevent chlorine from killing any of the beneficial bacteria.  I tested it with a couple of snow peas in coco coir.

The plant on the left got the Great White Mycorrhizae.  I didn’t think the results would be dramatic after just 2 weeks, but the foliage is fuller on the inoculated plant and is more than a leaf set ahead in growth.

Just to make sure that it was not a fluke,  I tested it on a couple of Miracle Fruit trees in soil.  The manufacturer recommends re-inoculating every two weeks, but I did every watering.  They are typically slow growers, but there was a “pop” in growth after application.  The plant on the left using Great White speaks for itself.

The results were quick and dramatic.  I plan on using Great White in my entire garden.  Plant Revolution’s Great White Mycorrhizae is a great supplement that gives visible results in the garden.

Thanks to Red-Icculus – Original Page Here

Plant Success Recommended Feed Schedule

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

If you haven’t seen this yet, here is your chance. So many people ask us to send them this video on DVD. Now you can watch it over and over anytime you want! John Evans shows us how he holds 9 world records for HUGE crops. We sell ALL  Bountea products! 1-866-PGS-GROW. The secret is in the soil!

I always loved it when it was movie day in school. Today, for Aloha Friday, we have an amazing treat, a BBC special called “The Private Life Of Plants” I have never seen such incredible time lapse footage of plants growing before! This is only 1 small section of this immense series. You can find more videos here. From Fungi, Fauna to Flora, this video series has never seen before footage of plants literally walking around our universe. This is a must see! Have a great weekend guys.

So you have carefully selected your genetics based on serious consideration and you feel you have made the best choice when it comes to the plant varieties you grow. You feel like you are in control of your garden and what grows in it, and your proud of that fact. What if I was to tell you that your strains picked YOU! Michael Pollan, author of Botany of Desire, gave a fantastic talk at TED, and I was lucky enough to find it for us. I really love this concept of looking at the world from a plants perspective. After watching this video, I promise you will see your garden in a completely different light. No pun intended.

Hey guys, I just realized that our HWY 12 virtual video tour hasn’t been posted yet, and that’s unacceptable! Our HWY 12 location is one of our most organized and well stocked stores. Come and visit Austin over there and tell him Pete sent you from the blog and get 10% off your next purchase. 1-866-PGS-GROW

So, searching around the internet and in desperate need of a feed chart for House and Gardens Aqua Flakes, I could not find an updated 2009 feeding chart to save my life. I quickly realized that I needed to scan and post these House and Garden charts ASAP. So without further banter, here are 15 different charts, 5 for Aqua Flakes , 5 for Soil A/B, and 5 for Bio 1 Component.

Aqua Flakes

Soil A/B

Bio 1 Component

Here ya go folks, so many people ask us for this information and it certainly seems VERY hard to find. We carry the full line of HOUSE and GARDEN nutrients at our retail locations and online. 1-866-PGS-GROW

Aloha Friday gardeners! Taking cuttings is such an important part of our success that I feel we can’t have enough information here at the definitive growers blog on the subject! Here is a video from Penn State explaining how they take cuttings and propagate them. It’s so interesting to see how many different successful ways there are to take cuttings. I Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Spend some time in your garden this weekend and give it some love for me.

Aloha Friday gang! Seems like these months since I started this blog are just flying by at light speed. I personally have discovered and learned an enormous amount of incredible information on plants and horticulture, and I’m still excited to learn more…..With all that being said, I have been driven by an insatiable passion to learn some advanced science in horticulture. Here is a great video from Virginia Tech on molecular plant sciences. This is exactly the field I have been going towards. Check it out.

Ever considered trying hydroponics? Thought It might be too hard or complicated for you? This Ebb and Grow system is perfect for any novice or expert horticulturist. With big results and minimal maintenance, you can have a booming hydro garden today.

The versatile 12-site Ebb & Gro System allows different size and shape configurations to fit your exact growing needs. Simply connect the interchangeable two-gallon grow pots to the controller unit and connect the controller unit to the 55-gallon reservoir for easy set-up. This ebb and flow system floods and drains the planters several times a day. Ebb & Gro comes with necessary tubing, pumps, and built-in timer, and all components fit into the reservoir for convenient transportation and storage.

This Ebb & Gro System is sold as a complete unit only. The controller and an optional six-site Ebb & Gro expansion kit are available separately

Happy Aloha Friday growers! It’s been a product filled week here on the blog, I thought we would dim the lights in the room and watch a fun video. This video is a time lapse recording of cuttings rooting in water over a course of 5 days. When I saw this video, it reminded me of the magical wonder of asexual reproduction and how incredible it really is. When you really think about it, one humble plant can be turned into not just a million plants, but an infinite amount of perfect clones, that when applied to food production, could feed the entire world an infinite amount of times. What a truly remarkable metamorphosis plants can make!

Recently a nice guy came into the offices here and had a dvd he made of a video from his garden with some bugs he couldn’t identify. He was having tremendous trouble getting rid of the bugs and they we causing considerable, visible damage to his plants. Upon inspection, I realized he had Thrips, and told him. He says I thought they had wings”. Well they do, but they also have a larval stage of development, the wings on adults tend to be fringed and not completely operable. I am a huge proponent of Neem oil, and have used it religiously for years. I tried a few Neem variations on these Thrips and saw absolutely no results. This prompted me to do a little more research and I found some great data on the subject. First of all, Thrips are among the most pesticide resistant insects around. They are very hardy and have a very sophisticated network of communication. They multiply quickly and actually cut holes into the leaf and insert either an egg, or an enzyme that starts to digest the plant cells, and prepares them for easier assimilation. This is what causes that silvery leaf film.

Silvery Leaf Film Left From Thrips Enzyme

They also secrete scents from there anal glands that tell other Thrips where plants cells that are primed for eating are located. I have seen so many great gardens turn into diseased and damaged gardens quickly from a round of Thrips. They are vectors for viruses, more then any other garden pest! This is not something that should be neglected, yes your crop can still go off with Thrips, but they will make your yield suffer, dramatically. Once established, flying adults start to really do damage as they can fly around the whole garden and find the most tender and young shoots to feast upon. So after hearing from so many different people about their Thrip problems, having suffered a poor crop myself from it, I made a pledge to understand how to defeat them. Fear not people, I have made strides and have discovered a few powerful solutions.

Thrips Enzyme Injected Into Leaf and Digesting Cells

Of Course prevention is the ultimate cure…. If you go to a friends garden and he has Thrips ( your fucked – JK ), take steps to avoid contaminating your garden too, by changing your clothes and even taking a shower before entering your garden. Have a weekly maintenance plan that involves inspection and hand wipe removal of eggs, debris, larvae, adults and nymphs.  Stay vigilant and active in your pursuit to identify where Thrips are hiding ( usually in the knuckle of the leaf ) – Summer can really bump up the number of Thrips in your area outside and they can catch a ride into your room in a myriad of ways. Ducting, Pets, Cracks, Clothing, Friends, Other Plants, etc… All these things should be considered when it comes to addressing these foul pests.

Here are some really great images I found online to help you identify this enemy! Not to be taken lightly, these bugs left alone, will reduce your yield and quality in one fail swoop. Don’t let this sophisticated enemy win… Arm yourself with this knowledge and get in there on the front line. (under the leaf, and in the cracks of stems) All of this is leading to my grand solution for Thrips…………..

Green Light Lawn and Garden Spray Concentrate with SPINOSAD. This is an OMRI Listed organic pest solution that contains an interesting bacteria called Spinosad. This compound is unlike any other pesticide ever. It has less of an impact on your other beneficial micro organisms and insects. ( such as nematodes and ladybugs ) and packs a serious punch on Thrips. Its “Caution” signal word indicates a reduced risk to applicators and workers. There are no specific worker protection requirements, even though applicators and handlers should wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shoes and socks. All reports and my personal experience with this product are positive, particularly in respect to Thrips. After trying pyrethrins, fatty acid soaps, and neem oil solutions, and seeing no results, I realized I needed to try something else. ( I felt like these bastards where immune to everything) after one application of Spinosad, I have seen NO Thrips in my garden. The re-application rate is often enough to really knock the Thrips down and break the reproduction cycle. Best part is it’s ORGANIC

Don’t let this enemy get the most of you, stop letting Thrips eat out on your account at the RITZ CARLTON of buffets, YOUR GARDEN. Think about how much your crop is worth to you, and then think about how many tanks of gas or meals out these insects are literally taking from you!! FIGHT BACK, TAKE BACK YOUR ROOM! We have Spinosad at all our stores and online! 1-866-PGS-GROW

Ok, well Im taking the liberty of calling today, “Aloha Tuesday” – Yes any day can be an Aloha day, and after the Monday we had around here, I am mandating a morale booster video to go with “Aloha Tuesdays” post here at the Definitive Growers Blog. I’m so loving this, please watch these brilliant indoor gardening tips from Christopher Walken. “Gotta know where these plants stand”

ALOHA Friday gang!!! I have another super exciting video for us today. (Don’t I always?)

This is so fascinating! We all have heard about how common house plants can help clean and purify our environments. Here is a scientific look at that concept, going into detail on the types of plants that are the most beneficial and why they clean the air around us, and better yet, how it positively affects us.

Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air.

Kamal Meattle has a vision to reshape commercial building in India using principles of green architecture and sustainable upkeep (including an air-cleaning system that involves massive banks of plants instead of massive banks of HVAC equipment). He started the Paharpur Business Centre and Software Technology Incubator Park (PBC-STIP), in New Delhi, in 1990 to provide “instant office” space to technology companies. PBC-STIP’s website publishes its air quality index every day, and tracks its compliance to the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact, a corporate-citizenship initiative.

Meattle has long been a environmental activist in India. In the 1980s he helped India’s apple industry develop less-wasteful packaging to help save acres of trees. He then began a campaign to help India’s millions of scooter drivers use less oil. His next plan is to develop a larger version of PBC-STIP, making a green office accessible to more businesses in New Delhi and serving as an example of low-cost, low-energy office life.

“He has spent a great deal of time in India and abroad convincing corporate leaders, diplomats, energy ministers, and other government officials that his ideas about sustainability, individual responsibility, and respect for the environment can ensure a healthier future for everyone. ‘Either you are overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many problems and so many people,’ says Meattle, ‘or you find solutions to help in any way you can.’”

Kamal Meattle in MIT’s Technology Review

Botany and Horticulture are blanket terms used to describe any plant oriented activity. I thought this would be a great time to talk about the differences and similarities. Horticulture is the study and activity of growing and caring for plants, and developing new species, hybrids, and techniques. Botany is the science of plants, identifying species, and making scientific correlations. These two academic disciplines are both wildly interesting. A Horticulturalist can tell you the best way to grow a certain type of flower in certain types of conditions, and a Botanist can identify what types of flowers and fauna are present around you outdoors, and why they grow there. As we take a close look at these definitions I encourage everyone to check these two links from Wiki on the two sciences. Botany on Wiki - Horticulture on Wiki – With all that being said, if we take a close look at what kind of science applies to us and the kind of gardening we do, I think its fair to say we are Horticulturists. Maintaining and perfecting the growth of our plants is the ultimate goal. I must admit that Botany remains an incredibly interesting part of it all too. Here is a quote from a Botanist – “I’m a botanist and everyone always asks me to help their house plants grow better when I tell them that, so I inform them that, “Horticulturists keep plants alive for a living, botanists kill plants for a living.”since we have huge collections of dried pressed plants called Herbariums for verifying species identifications.That’s a bit tongue in cheeck, and I try to be a bad botanist, keeping a pretty thriving garden going, but I’d definitely say that botanists look more at plants in their natural habitat and try to identify species and how they’re related, whereas horticulturists try to create new species and figure out how to grow plants in new habitats.

Hey guys, hope you had a fantastic weekend and that your garden is thriving at its fullest potential. Taking EC-PPM readings of the water coming in and going out for your plants is a crucial part of getting a perfect, bountiful harvest. TDS meters, and pens, are notoriously inaccurate, and need to be calibrated often to ensure accuracy. Just ask any experienced hydroponic grower and they will tell you, taking for granted that your ppm-EC meter is still calibrated and on point can lead to disaster. The Bluelab Truncheon PPM-EC pen is the most reliable and accurate hand dip wand available. You NEVER need to calibrate it, and mine after 2 years of use still reads 1500 ppm in 1500 reference solution. I strongly suggest this amazing tool for any gardener looking to gain an edge on their numbers.

Happy Aloha friday gang! Lets get into some hardcore science today. Today’s topic is Micro-Propagation / Plant Tissue Culture.

If you have ever wondered what kind of plant science you would be doing if you were in a university program for Horticulture, BAM, this is it. I recently discovered this technique because we had a plant tissue kit that was begging for someone to use it. My curiosity got the best of me and later that night I found myself deep in the throws of a full on academic endeavor. All I can say is, after 20 years of taking cuttings, our community now needs this level of precision, technology, and science. I am so excited about this knowledge and I look forward to sharing it with you guys now.

What is Micropropagation?
Micropropagation is a way to clone plants axenically (sterile). Terminal buds collected from branches of mature plants are surface sterilized and placed in test tubes containing a specific nutrient medium. The different media we are experimenting with usually contain a carbon source, vitamins, plant hormones and antibiotics. Plantlets grown from buds of the same plant, barring mutation, will be clones (i.e., genetic replicates) of the plant from which they were cut. Once we are able to maintain rapidly multiplying plant stocks in the lab, we can use them as a source for additional micropropagation or subculturing. Subculturing involves dividing sterile plantlets into smaller segments and growing plants from these pieces. This is how we grow Widgeon-grass (Ruppia maritima) in the lab, and we are in the process of developing this technique for Shoal-grass (Halodule wrightii). Widgeon-grass is the easiest seagrass to micropropagate; other species, such as Shoal-grass (Halodule), Manatee-grass (Syringodium filiforme) and Turtle-grass (Thalassia testudinum), are increasingly difficult. We are focusing on one species at a time.

Why Use Micropropagation?
Compared to standard nursery techniques, micropropagation has the potential to produce more plants in less time. Fewer stock plants are needed because an explant can supply a great amount of material from which clonal material can be subcultured. Also, not having to rely on seeds and other propagation methods ensures greater uniformity in plants produced. Clones can be screened for different attributes and used for specific applications, or genetic variability can be assured by mixing different clonal strains in restoration projects. Another advantage to micropropagation is the contamination-free condition of the plants produced and the ability to produce microbially fit stocks that resist pathogens.

We have plant tissue kits available, give us a call 1-866-PGS-GROW