Garden Culture Magazine AUS 9

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Feeding Cities With Urban Roof Gardens

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Issue 9

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the plant that keeps on giving

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ISSUE 9

Are Plants Vegetarians?

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Light Matters: Supplementing the Sun

EDITION

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CONTENTS I GARDEN CULTURE

Ro o f ga r d e n s

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FABULOUS FAECES

LIGHT

MATTERS

20

PRODUCT

64

CONTROL

ENVIRONMENT

SPOTLIGHT

MAKE YOUR OWN SOIL

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IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE:

38

7 Foreword

46 5 Cool Finds

8 Product Spotlight

51 Who’s Growing What Where

20 Feeding Cities With Urban Roof Gardens

54 The Fabulous Faeces - Frass

27 Hemp Seeds: Naturally Healthy

60 Bottoms Up

28 HHI Expo

64 Light Matters - Part V

30 THCV Made Easy

72 Control Environment

34 Are Plants Vegetarians?

80 The Healing Powers of Hemp

38 Make Your Own Soil GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

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www.biodieselnutrients.com.au

FOREWORD & CREDITS I GARDEN CULTURE

FOREWORD

CREDITS

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E XECU T I V E ED I TO R Celia Sayers celia@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-754-1539

Issue 9

FREE

ED I TO R Catherine Sherriffs cat@gardenculturemagazine.com DESIGN Job Hugenholtz job@gardenculturemagazine.com D I G I TA L & SO CI A L M A R K E T I N G CO O R D I N ATO R Serena Sayers serena@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-754-0062 ADVERTISING ads@gardenculturemagazine.com PUBLISHER 325 Media 44 Hyde Rd., Milles Isles Québec, Canada t. +1 (844) GC GROWS info@gardenculturemagazine.com GardenCultureMagazine.com

@GardenCulture

@GardenCulture

@GardenCultureMagazine

@Garden_Culture

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from 325 Media Inc.

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D I ST R I B U T I O N PA R T N ER S • Growhard Australia

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Happy Growing Eric 3

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The HHI is also a great oppor tunity to learn more about indoor gardening. Hydroponics systems, nutrients, substrates, environmental control, and lighting, are all on display. True inspiration for gardening year round, without the limitations imposed by one season over another.

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Back by popular demand, Sydney is once again playing host to the Hemp, Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium.

Join thousands of Sydneysiders the weekend of May 12-13, at Rosehill Gardens and learn about all the amazing benefits the cannabis plant offers.

os

the us ro geneee w d

al beddin

ION

What you grow in, is just one piece of the puzzle. Controlling your environment is another. Stephen Brookes will try to convince you to automate that environment. Your garden is as strong as its weakest link, take it seriously and you will be rewarded.

ION

IT A ED

Making your own soil mix can be a bit of a challenge. Evan Folds will help make sense of the task. With inputs largely based on what’s available locally, you never know what you are going to get. Or, more precisely, what you can’t get. I, for example, cannot purchase bat guano in Quebec. Mealworm frass may not be available everywhere in Australia but after reading Gareth Hopcroft’s ar ticle, The Fabulous Faeces Frass, you will want to track it down. Organic gardening can be a challenge, but when you get it just right, the results are amazing.

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PRESIDENT Eric Coulombe eric@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-233-1539

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switched to felt? What exactly do you put in that pot?

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AUST

in some sort of soil mix? Still using plastic pots or have you

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another bountiful season. Are you growing hydroponically or

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Autumn is here and indoor gardeners are setting up for

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SPECI A L TH A N KS TO: Albert Mondor, Evan Folds, Gareth Hopcroft, Karel Schelfhout & Michiel Panhuysen, Mary Minchin, Rick LeLoup, Stephen Brookes, Theo Tekstra, and Adam Taunton

D E N G A R

autumn

Thc eksit

A final stage flowering booster that triggers bloom swell at the end of the natural flowering cycle, resulting in heavier and larger fruit, and stimulates terpene and oil production for improved taste and flavour. Derived from the purest and highest quality organic compounds and PGR FREE, THC EKSIT will unleash your plant’s full flowering potential.

Visit ExcelDistributors.com.au for more information.

42 0 Sc op e A microscope designed especially for viewing herbs and botanicals up close, featuring 60-100x magnification.

The 420 Scope lets you get up close and personal, allowing you to identify any problems with your plants and decide the best harvest time.

Find out more at TheHippieHouse.com.au.

ProScale

Slick

C o n c e n tr a te K it & S c a le

The ProScale Slick combines a high-quality compact scale for weighing homemade concentrates, with a toolkit equipped like no other. Not only does it come with a slick matt on the weighing tray but it also houses two silicone containers for storage and a shaping tool. Weigh, measure and store in a reliable, all-in-one device.

Order yours from TheHippieHouse.com.au.

n io t la u rm o f m o lo B e iv Mass Developed by Green Planet, Massive incorporates naturally occurring gibberellic hormones to increase internodal spacing allowing more room for the flower to mature and swell to full potential. When flower sites have been established, Massive Bloom Formulation works aggressively to produce and transport vital building materials to the flower sites, creating stacked clusters full of aromatic essential oils. Massive Bloom Formulation couples the naturally occurring gibberellic hormones with the plant steroid triacontanol scientifically proven to increase the rate of photosynthesis and CO2 utilization.

Massive Bloom and Is available from WHG.net.au.

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MICROBIAL INOCULANT and GROWTH STIMULATOR

Ma

The first product engineered and produced by Growcentia’s founders at Colorado State University, MAMMOTH P has much to offer your garden. Using innovative proprietary technology, the team developed an approach to identify and apply nature’s very best microbes to improve nutrient availability to plants.

GARDEN PRODUCTS

mm oth P

MAMMOTH P is an organic beneficial bacterial bloom stimulant that targets phosphorus cycling to maximize both quality and yield.

Growcentia aims to help growers boost the health of their soils or growth media to enhance plant health and yields while minimizing environmental impacts of agriculture.

Extensively tested by Colorado growers, and proven to increase growth by independent labs. Learn more WHG.net.au.

o r p p o t e l b a t n io r u THE WORLD IN ne w c e n t R E M IM R T E YL IC THE MOST EFF

S IENT TUMBLE

T

Made in Nor th America, Centurion Pro Trimmers operates on a standard 10A power supply and can process 4-5lbs/hr (the work of 6 or more people). Durably built, all Centurion Pro Trimmers are made of anodized aluminium and stainless steel, hardened steel blade cutting reels, and QuanTanium coated tumblers. Flowers are handled delicately, with 40% greater trichrome preservation than traditional tabletop trimmers. Easy to assemble and clean, all Centurion trimmers can handle wet or dry product.

Find it at WHG.net.au.

N ew Pro G row Digi t al B all a s t s 6 0 0 W- 4 0 0 V Pro Grow Digital Ballasts have been fully engineered to handle the highest voltage loads from any power grid (180V ~ 265V) and operate seamlessly in the harshest, hottest and most extreme environments on the planet. The new Pro Grow 600W- 400V ballast can operate both single-ended and doubleended 600W- 400V lamps and are compatible with both HPS and MH lamps.

For more info on the Pro Grow, visit WHG.net.au

GA R D EN CU LT U R E M AGA Z I N E.CO M

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Spectrum king led grow lights latest models are here in aust ra

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Indoor Gardening has been revolutionised by Spectrum King LED Grow Lights.

The latest models are here in Australia: from the Closet Case 140W, which replaces HPS 400W lights; to the SK402 and SK602 models that outperform the HPS DE 600W and DE 1000W fixtures, respectively.

With full spectrum LED lighting, ambient temperatures up to and above 30oC are manageable without the stress to plants or a reduction in yield. Made in California, all Spectrum Kings are backed by a 5-year warranty and 3-year light output warranty – never before offered.

Visit AquaGardening.com.au to check out the complete range.

Liquid Science Plant Wax A water-soluble, emulsifiable polymer concentrate that can be sprayed on leaves to form a semi-permeable, biodegradable layer. Plant Wax reduces the transpiration rate of clones, allowing time to generate roots and begin to absorb water, protects plants that are exposed to extreme temperatures and diminishes stress during the transplant stage. When sprayed on the leaf surface, Plant Wax slows down the transpiration rate by as much as 50%, enabling the plant to put more energy into root zone development.

Learn more WHG.net.au.

SuperSi Mono-Silicic Acid A serious performance solution, SuperSi uses the latest blending methods to provide an ultra-soluble and absorbable form of silicon to your crop. Modern Dutch agricultural research has allowed for SuperSI to contain higher potency silicic acid than the competition.

The unique advanced blending method ensures that silicate is used efficiently by the plant, providing faster growth, stronger leaf and stem development with heavier, healthier flowers.

Silicon has been proven to increase both the quantity and quality of your yield. Silicic Acid also helps with phosphorus uptake, trace element absorption and even enhances natural plant defence mechanisms and should be used throughout the entire crop life cycle.

Visit Stealth-Garden.com for more info.

e n lo C & d e e S rs te un inh ra st s New from the greenhouse seed co - the infamou The newest line of organic plant fertigation from Greenhouse Seed Co, the Powder Feeding Bio range is an ultra-potent concentration of bio-available nutrients. Simply mix the concentrated powder into an organic medium (coco or peat based) and add water. The biological components provide effective ‘food’ for the plant for the duration of the crop life cycle. No need for A/B nutrients or excessive additives!

The Bio Range is available in two formulations for vegetative growth or floral growth. This award-winning bio-fertiliser solution can yield heavy, healthy flowers with impressive essential oil production. Ideal for medical plants, or organic enthusiasts. Try Powder Feeding with your next indoor or outdoor production.

Learn more at Stealth-Garden.com.

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Powder Feeding Bio

e

GROWING PRODUCTS I GARDEN CULTURE

HHI EXPO SY DNE Y - STA NDS 22 , 45 B I O DIES EL N U T R I E N TS

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Temperature dial

Max fan speed dial Active

CABLE

Min fan speed dial

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Room temperature sensor

EC signal cable – active

www.biodieselnutrients.com.au

VIVA ESPAÑA & TE

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

11

Professor’s Nutrients GROW FAS T

GROWING PRODUCTS

A dynamic growth enhancer designed to shor ten the vegetative cycle by accelerating plant growth.

During the vegetative stage, plants require higher levels of nitrogen to promote rapid and vigorous plant growth. Grow Fast has been carefully formulated using different variations of nitrogen which are easily absorbed by plant roots for faster response.

• Shor ten vegetative vycle • Faster plant growth • Stronger and bulkier plant mass Prepare your plants for the flowering stage with Grow Fast.

Learn more by visiting JustHydroponics.com.au.

Green up vegetative additive Liquid Science GREEN-UP is a vegetative plant additive ideal for crops experiencing yellowing off or slow development.

GREEN-UP is a rich nitrogen and magnesium based additive which stimulates vegetative growth in all plants, especially leaf crop vegetables. Fast acting and very effective on plants experiencing leaf yellowing or necrotic leaf symptoms, GREEN-UP is suitable for both soil and hydroponic use.

Visit WHG.net.au for more details.

h B ag Cannaline Stealt

Liquid Science

s

Food grade, airtight, and foil-lined, Cannaline Stealth bags can’t be beaten when it comes to discreet storage.The totally opaque, resealable, and tear proof gusset bags (for greater capacity) are made to the same exacting standards as dispensary bags. And, most importantly, guaranteed smell proof.

Order yours from TheHippieHouse.com.au.

Seed & Clone

An advanced formulation designed specifically for the accelerated germination of seeds and cuttings. Seed & Clone contains all the necessary plant hormones needed to increase strike rate, and accelerate root development. Works best as a pre-soak for propagation material. Use warm water and Seed & Clone solution as per the recommended dosage rates and continue to use until the transplanting stage.

More information can be found at WHG.net.au.

GA R D EN CU LT U R E M AGA Z I N E.CO M

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GROWING PRODUCTS

n io l l e H s g in W A t s u j Ad Kit 50 Defender 600-7

A professional hor ticultural lighting solution with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks commonly associated with DE-HPS lamps housed in deep-dish “greenhouse-style” reflectors. All growers can enjoy increased efficiency, higher output, improved lighting spectrum, PAR maintenance (longer working lamp life), larger yields and higher quality produce.

All the benefits of the Adjust-A-Wings reflector paired with a highly efficient DE Ballast, that can be installed in 2 different ways; For more info, visit • Hang your lamp ballast and reflector together as a complete fixture.

Ajustawings.com or WHG.net.au.

• Save space, and install your ballast outside the grow room.

G ro w Scie nce CO Co nt ro lle r 2 This Day/Night CO2 Controller Kit can be used in grow rooms where elevated carbon dioxide levels are used to maximize plant growth.

• •

Set minimum and maximum carbon dioxide levels.

Built-in photo sensor that shuts off the CO2 when it senses darkness.

Simply mount the unit inside your grow room. All cables and hardware included, CO2 regulator and flow meter support from 10-60 ft3 per hour with an electronic solenoid valve. It also comes with a tank pressure gauge, an easy-to-read square-shaped flow meter, and a 6-foot power cord. Works with any 120/240VAC control device.

Add overhead tubing to disperse CO2 evenly throughout your grow room.

For more info, contact sales@accenthydroponics.com.au.

s t n ie r t u N n e d r a House & G

s A/B e k a l F Aqua

A complete nutrient solution optimised for recirculating hydroponic systems.

Containing a unique blend of all required macro and trace elements for heavy fruiting or flowering crops, Aqua Flakes provides incredibly healthy and rapid plant growth. H&G precisely blends these advanced formulations to allow for pH stability and rapid nutrient uptake in water-based systems.

Ideal for rockwool, clay balls or perlite based recirculating hydroponics, Aqua Flakes is designed for use in both vegetative and floral growth stages, and is extremely cost effective.

Try Aqua Flakes in your next hydroponic system and see the H&G difference with your next harvest.

Learn more by visiting Stealth-Garden.com.

GA R D EN CU LT U R E M AGA Z I N E.CO M

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GROWING PRODUCTS

unit farm led grow light Unit Farm makes quality indoor hydroponic growing equipment including LED grow lights and indoor grow tents. Their UFO range of LED grow lights are made with the best CREE and Osram LED chips which have proven to give plants massive growth. They also feature state of the ar t reflectors which blend the wavelengths together while directing the light down onto your plants. The Hippie House are authorized distributors of Unit Farm’s complete range in Australia.

Visit TheHippieHouse.com.au for all inquiries.

Cannaline Smell-Proof Bags High-quality Cannaline reusable bags are the perfect solution for storing stinky items. Thanks to the air tight seals and carbon linings, absolutely no smell or odour can escape. Isn’t it about time you contained the smell of your egg sandwiches?

Available from TheHippieHouse.com.au.

s g a B t r Ave Built tough to protect your precious cargo. Avert Bags use powerful odour-lock technology with carbon scent absorption to give you peace of mind when travelling. Incorporating water and smell resistant lockable zips and activated carbon lining, Avert Bags are currently available in four sizes with a new backpack design coming soon. Featuring 600D outer material in stylish yet subtle designs.

Visit Stealth-Garden.com to see all the models.

Rhino K Rhino K promotes more flowering sites with denser development and heavy blooms. This unique form of potassium, combined with vitamins and fulvates ensures maximum nutrient availability while also increasing the transfer of key sugars. Rhino K does not contain phosphorous and is more microbe friendly than most PK bloom additives. The pure 15% potassium solution is ideal for creating more bud burst during the early stages of flowering and hardens and swells flowers during the late stages of bloom.

Rhino K maximises key nutrient movement for enhanced trichrome and oil production. Rhino K is specially formulated to leave no harsh residues and produce a clean, heavy harvest without harsh chemicals or heavy metals.

More info at BiodieselNutrients.com.au.

GA R D EN CU LT U R E M AGA Z I N E.CO M

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AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST

CANNABIS SYDNEY

ROSEHILL GARDENS

MAY 12 & 13 2018

IMAGE

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EVENT IMAGE

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19

BY ALBERT MONDOR, HORTICULTURIST AND BIOLOGIST

Feeding Cities Urban Roof Gardens A Windy city Harvest graduate works on the rooftop garden at McCormick Place, Chicago

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CREDIT: Chicago Botanic Garden

With

ROOF GARDENS I GARDEN CULTURE

The United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture recently reported that 800 million humans are growing fruit and vegetables, or raising livestock in urban areas, producing 15 to 20% of the world’s food. Beyond the need to feed the planet’s constantly swelling urban population, the popularity of growing food plants in the heart of our cities points to urban dwellers’ profound need to reconnect with nature and know where our food comes from.

Seeing their residents’ mounting enthusiasm for cultivating edible plants, elected officials in many North American and European municipalities decided to encourage the trend. The cities of Freiburg, Germany and Paris, France have recently developed a range of programs aimed at promoting urban agriculture, while various US cities, including Chicago and New York, now permit urban bee and hen keeping. In Canada, Montreal municipal authorities are working hard in co-operation with numerous community organizations to foster an interest in growing edible plants. With slightly more than 135 hectares of urban vegetable gardens, Montreal has become a North American leader in urban agriculture.

Fruit and vegetables are grown farther and farther from urban centres, and shipping them is a major source of pollution. According to the Worldwatch Institute, the food on a typical American plate has to travel an average of 2,400 kilometres (1,490 miles) to get there.

By encouraging local and organic production, urban agriculture can help meet the enormous dietary and environmental challenges facing us – at least in part.

Vegetables in the sky Given that more than 80% of North Americans and 75% of Europeans are urban dwellers, vacant lots are increasingly rare, and it’s hard to find open space in

ans are urban dwellers

80% of North Americans and 75% of Europe

800 million human s in urban areas produce 15-20% of the world’s food

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CREDIT: Palais des congrès de Montréal

ROOF GARDENS I

rth lture o N a come an agricu e b s l ha r in urb a e r t Mon an leade ic Amer

The urban agriculture laboratory at the Palais des congrès convention centre, in Montreal

cities. People interested in urban agriculture need to be very creative, and often find that the only spots available to them are on rooftops!

Brooklyn Grange Farm, in New York, must be one of the most famous urban rooftop agriculture projects in the United States. The roofs of two buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, with a total area of over one hectare, are home to one of the world’s largest urban farms – growing close to 25,000 kilos (55,115 lbs) of vegetables every year! Gotham Greens, another urban agriculture company, recently built close to 16,000 m2 (172,222 ft 2) of rooftop greenhouses on four buildings in Chicago and New York.

All kinds of citizen and community projects to create roof vegetable gardens have cropped up across the United States in recent years. There is Cloud 9, a nonprofit organization created by Rania Campbell-Bussiere devoted to teaching people about urban agriculture and building rooftop farms in Philadelphia. There is a huge urban agriculture movement in Chicago, too, especially high above the ground. The city has close to 400 green roofs, many of them used for growing produce. Windy City Harvest is an urban agriculture training program run by the Chicago Botanic Garden. Students in the program hone their skills by cultivating fruit and vegetables in various locations, including a nearly 2,000 m2 (21,528 ft 2) rooftop garden atop McCormick Place, North America’s largest convention centre.

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One of Montreal’s first urban rooftop vegetable gardens appeared in 2011 atop the Palais des congrès convention centre, in the heart of downtown.

Developed by a group of professors from the urban agriculture research, innovation, and promotion laboratory (AU/LAB) at the Université du Québec à Montréal, it is actually an urban farm designed to test various rooftop urban agriculture technologies and techniques. With 5,700 m2 (61,355 ft 2) devoted to cultivating vegetables in containers over the past five years, they have just added a huge 6,000 m2 (64,583 ft 2) vertical garden for growing herbs, leafy greens, and strawberries on geotextile fabric.

Les Urbainculteurs is another pioneering rooftop urban agriculture company in Montreal and Quebec City. For close to a decade, founders Marie Eisenmann and Francis Denault, and their team have been creating dozens of rooftop urban gardens, including those atop the Lauberivière homeless shelter in Quebec City, and the Cuisine collective community kitchen building in Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood.

Finally, Lufa Farms is another Montreal example of rooftop urban agriculture, but it grows produce in greenhouses installed on building roofs, heating them with heat recovered from the buildings.

Meanwhile, in Paris, the current municipal administration has set a target of creating urban food gardens on some 30 hectares of roofs by 2020. The City of Light has seen a number of showpiece urban agriculture projects in recent years, including Paris sous les fraises, installed atop the Galeries Lafayette by Yohan Hubert.

It’s simple to grow most herbs in a rooftop container

ROOF GARDENS I GARDEN CULTURE

Les Jardins de Lauberivière, created by Les Urbainculteurs in 2009, was one of the very first rooftop edible gardens in eastern Canada

Containers

The planters should not to be in direct contact with the roof ’s waterproofing membrane, to avoid damaging or, worse still, puncturing it. Ideally, containers should be placed on saucers, rubber tiles (like the ones used to cover steps and balconies in winter), or even recycled wooden pallets. Don’t forget that you’ll need ready access to the roof where you’re growing edible plants to make it easy to maintain them.

It’s also important to use large containers. And to choose light , rich, moisture, and nutrient retaining potting soil. A blend containing equal parts of compost , sphagnum moss, and perlite, like an organic vegetable and herb mix, usually yields excellent results. For a good crop of more demanding plants like eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, don’t forget to add a few handfuls (about 100 ml per plant) of a slow-release, granular, natural fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen and potassium at planting time.

You also need to be sure to place your containergrown edible plants in full sun, since most require at

Pots made of geotextile are perfectly suited to urban agriculture on rooftops credit: Albert Mondor

Rather than covering an entire roof with soil, it is much simpler, and far less expensive to grow vegetables in containers. Fabric pots yield excellent results. They reduce the load on the roof structure, and avoid the need for costly reinforcements. It is still best, however, to have an engineer certify the maximum weight in containers and soil that the roof can hold where you plan to create a garden.

Veggies grown in a wheelbarrow and reclaimed containers

least six hours of sun to grow and develop properly.

Because it’s usually much hotter on roofs, tropical vegetable plants like eggplants and tomatoes tend to thrive and produce especially large crops.

Considering that the wind can be very strong several metres above the ground, it’s important to put your plants in a sheltered spot , or to use a trellis or other plants to form a windbreak.

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

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ROOF GARDENS I GARDEN CULTURE

All ki creatnds of citi acros e roof ve zen and c s the getab ommu Unite le gar nity p d Stat dens rojec t h es in recenave cropps to t yea ed up rs.

Brooklyn Grange Farm

Which edible plants are best?

From fruit-bearing bushes to vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers, most edible plants – even root vegetables like carrots – can be grown in containers, on roofs! The best ones for this purpose are herbs and leafy vegetables like swiss chard, spinach, and kale. Dwarf beans and peas also produce abundant crops when cultivated in containers. Climbing varieties of beans and peas also do very well provided you give them some support.

If you’d like to grow tomatoes in containers on your roof, look for a compact determinate variety that bears small fruit, like ‘Pepe’, ‘Tiny Tim’ or ‘Tumbler’, for instance. Larger varieties can also be successfully grown in containers.

Lunchbox and Mini Bell series eggplants and peppers are other good options, yielding small fruit. You might be surprised to know that you can even grow potatoes in containers – just be sure that the pot is wide, and at least 45 cm deep. Obviously, longer-rooted vegetables like carrots and salsify require very deep containers.

Some clever gardeners use plastic tubes over 60 cm long to grow long carrots!

It’s simple to grow most herbs in a rooftop container.

Chives, tarragon, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, savory, and thyme are the least demanding. Basil requires more heat, and a bit more care. Cilantro really isn’t an ideal container plant. It goes to seed quickly if it gets too much sun, and the soil around its roots is allowed to dry out periodically.

W ha t is Salsi f y?

Albert brings Garden Culture great ideas for gardening outside the “box.” Sometimes, he throws in a plant that needs to be googled. Reading up on it, I am quite excited to find some. This unique root looks like a parsnip and tastes like an...oyster? Tragopogon porrifolius is native to the Mediterranean, and still popular in the United States and Europe, though it can sometimes be hard to find.

If you do, learn how to prepare it: bit.ly/2ke0c17.

Eggplants and tomatoes benefits from the intense heat on a roof.

Herbs and leafy veggies, like kale and swiss chard, are the easiest to grow in containers on a rooftop.

There are a few fruit-bearing bushes, including strawberries, haskaps, and raspberries that can produce heavy crops, and survive for several years in fabric containers. 3

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SHORTIES

HEMP SEEDS: NATURALLY HEALTHY

O

pen any healthy-eating cookbook, and you will probably find many recipes calling for the use of hemp seeds. From the same species as cannabis, hemp seeds only contain trace amounts of THC, meaning eating them will not cause people to get high or fail a drug test.They are perfectly safe for consumption, and are packed with nutrition.

Let’s put it this way; Popeye may even start incorporating them into his spinach salads. Just 2 tbsp contains almost 10 grams of protein! How’s that for muscle-building action?

These soft, small, green seeds contain all of the amino acids our bodies need. They’re rich in healthy fats, and a great source of phosphorus, iron and zinc. Eating them won’t only make you strong; hemp seeds have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and inflammation. The list of benefits goes on — they also have a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which could help heal various skin diseases.

What’s not to love about this superfood? Incorporate hemp seeds into a variety of recipes, including smoothies, oatmeal and salads, and even pesto sauces. Happy cooking!

Sources: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/hemp-seeds-thc_ us_59b154a0e4b0b5e53104312e “The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out”

Eating them won’t only make you strong; hemp seeds have been linked to a reduced risk of hear t disease and inf lammation.

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y e n d Y 2018 s h t l a e H p m e H e

Unlike Any Event, You’ve Ever Attended

n o i t a v o n n I &

m u i s o p m y s & o xp

Australia’s Largest Cannabis & Hemp Event is Headed back to Sydney www.hhiexpo.com.au Back by popular demand, Sydney is once again playing host to the Hemp, Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium. Join thousands of Sydneysiders at Rosehill Gardens and learn about all the amazing benefits hemp and cannabis plants offer.

In its third year, the event features a HUGE hemp crop, interactive activities for all ages, tonnes of exhibitors from around the globe, and the 2018 Australian Cannabis & Hemp Symposium. HHI is Sydney’s opportunity to taste, touch, feel and experience it all; in a safe, familyfriendly environment. It’s unlike any event you’ve ever attended!

HHI Expo & Symposium 2018 The Biggest Event Yet Saturday May 12 and Sunday May 13 @ Rosehill Gardens • •

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Saturday May 12 2018 - 9.00am - 7.00pm Sunday May 13 2018 - 9.30am - 4.00pm

HHI expo

HEMP HEALTH & INNOVATION

Tastes Like Hemp!

With the consumption (and sale) of hemp foods newlylegalised in Australia, the commonly misconstrued plant is now considered the latest superfood on the market.

HHI Expo 2018 will feature a wide range of new, exciting and delicious exhibitors. Come sample and taste test the best hemp foods in the country, all in one place!

Fun and Educational In addition to hemp foods, learn about medicinal products, clothing, fabrics and textiles, beauty products, building materials, and so much more! The very latest in hydroponic equipment will be featured with information on how to grow almost anything in your garden, even where space is limited. The Hemp plant has so much to offer; right now, and in the future.

The Symposium Information on medicinal cannabis can be hard to come across. Alongside the expo, the 2018 Australian Cannabis & Hemp Symposium will feature the world’s leading doctors, pharmacists, authors and entrepreneurs.

Watch their presentations and conversations, and participate in Q&A sessions around everything medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp. Keep an eye on the HHI website for the ever-expanding speaker list.

Buy Your Tickets Online and Save For the first time in Sydney, HHI will be offering VIP tickets consisting of VIP entrance across two days, a ticket to the exclusive HHI after party on the Sat night, and a VIP expo showbag worth over $60! HHI Expo is also proud to offer free entry to all Australian armed forces veterans, reduced rates for students and pensioners, and free entry for children under 12.

Tickets are on sale now from HHIexpo.com.au.

Stay Connected Follow HHI on facebook/HHIExpo, Instagram@hhiexpo and Twitter/hhiexpo for all news, info and special announcements.

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BY MARY MINCHIN, AUTHOR OF CBD MADE EASY!

“ THIS INTRIGUING LITTLE CANNABINOID HAS BEEN NICKNAMED ‘THE SPORTS CAR OF CANNABINOIDS’ ”

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THCV I GARDEN CULTURE

THCV made easy I’d like to introduce you to a little known, but extremely fascinating cannabinoid that is making researchers sit up and pay attention: THCV. Perhaps you are familiar with Larry Smith; he’s an excop suffering from Parkinson’s Disease whose story went viral when his severe dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements), loss of voice and tremors calmed within minutes after taking a few drops of cannabis oil under his tongue.

According to research, there is a possibility that one of the main cannabinoids responsible for reducing Smith’s tremors is tetrahydrocannabivarin, or THCV. This intriguing little cannabinoid has been nicknamed ‘The Sports Car of Cannabinoids’, and researchers are only just beginning to discover the vast medical potential it holds.

What is the relation between THC and THCV? If you look at the molecules side by side, you will see that THCV has the same molecular structure, except it has its tail chopped off; It is missing a few carbon atoms. These few atoms make a lot of difference in the psychoactive effect of THCV. THC activates CB1 receptors in the brain, (this is called working as an agonist- think of a key opening a lock) and this gives the psychoactive effect it is well-known for.

Does THCV get you high?

Well, yes… and no. Or actually, no… and yes. In low doses, THCV acts in reverse to THC; as an antagonist (it blocks the lock so the key cannot open the door) against the CB1 receptor. It stops

any psychoactive effect , and will not get you high.

However, in high doses, this effect can reverse and THCV can then act as an agonist , just like THC. The ‘lock’ will then open, enabling the psychoactive effect. Although the chemical difference is subtle, THCV can produce very different effects than THC.

Possible Health Advantages Not only has it been shown to reduce tremors associated with diseases such as Parkinson’s, THCV also has been found to reduce anxiety and is currently being studied for its ability to reduce and possibly block panic attacks. In Israel, studies are being conducted to assess THCV in the treatment of PTSD. Pure THCV is also getting some interest to help combat obesity. There is some evidence from animal trials that the isolate of THCV has been shown to be an appetite suppressant and will help reduce food intake. Although, when combined with THC, the effects were found negligible.

The potential for diabetes treatment is gaining momentum, however. According to a study conducted by E.T Wargent et al, THCV is a new potential treatment against obesity-associated glucose intolerance, and in a randomized, placebocontrolled trial conducted by the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine, they discovered THCV lowers blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes. This has gained the attention of GW Pharmaceuticals, which is currently working on a cannabis-based drug, utilising CBD and THCV to lower blood sugar levels between meals and improving insulin protection.

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THCV I GARDEN CULTURE

“ Although the chemical difference is subtle, THCV can produce very different effects than THC. “

This fabulous little cannabinoid has also been found to stimulate bone cell growth and has potential in the treatment of osteoporosis and similar ailments.

Researchers believe it has potential in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, and it has been documented that it reduces the number of seizures in those suffering from some forms of epilepsy.

Now for the bad news...

Unfortunately, most strains of cannabis only contain trace amounts of THCV. With its popularity growing, high THCV strains might soon appear more abundantly. For now, according to Steep Hill Labs, the best way to find THCV currently is in African Sativas. THCV is still illegal in Australia, but this doesn’t make it any less interesting to sit back and watch science discover more about the many cannabinoids of the cannabis plant!

Sources 1. Gwpharm.com/about-us/news/gw-commencesphase-i-study-thcv-potential-treatmentobesity-and-related-metabolic 2. Cannabis-med.org/index. php?tpl=page&id=7&lng=en 3. Psychiatryadvisor.com/ptsd-trauma-andstressor-related/medical-marijuana-cannabisptsd-treatment/article/415709/

BIO Mary Minchin is a former pharmaceutical employee & advocate of CBD and its many benefits. She is in her fourth year of her science degree, majoring in biology & chemistry. She recently switched her focus from pharmacy to science to pursue other more meaningful passions. The book CBD Made Easy was written with the purpose of simplifying how CBD works in the human body, listing all the currently known ailments CBD can alleviate, then directly referencing the related medical studies in one short publication. www.cbdmadeeasy.xyz Contact Mary at: cbdmadeeasy@gmail.com

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

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BY KAREL SCHELFHOUT AND MICHIEL PANHUYSEN

Biostimulants are very useful in the garden to mitigate stress

Are Pl ants

?

S N A I R A T E G VE

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BIOSTIMULANTS I GARDEN CULTURE

Growers use many inputs in the garden for healthy crops with strong resistance, without ever questioning their source or the overall effect on the plant. Biostimulants are very useful in the garden to mitigate stress, but have you ever considered whether or not a plant is vegetarian? And, aside from the ethical considerations of meat consumption, why should this matter?

Your grandma might have used fermented net tle Biostimulants are used both in the soil processes. Each plant creates its own plantsmart use of and on leaves as a protection against specific proteins, and needs the necessary microorganisms abiotic plant stress, and over the last building blocks to do so. They produce some and biostimulants few years, growers have rediscovered amino acids on their own, but by providing is one of the most their importance. Your grandma them additional peptides, a grower generates guarded secrets might have used fermented nettle, more self-production of amino acids by the but today we have a new generation plant. in the world of of biostimulants. These products are modern agriculture researched and developed in labs and Let’s just focus on one of the biostimulants not at kitchen tables like in the old days. we frequently use, a foliar spray containing Their purpose, to adjust and improve the physiological a cocktail of vegetal amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, and processes of crops, remains the same. vitamins. This recipe makes plants efficiently working ‘engines’ capable of optimal take up and use of the NPK nutrients available Simply put, a biostimulant is a natural product that in the soil. If all physiological processes in a plant functions in the stimulates natural processes in plants. It will optimise their right way, a plant grows like it should grow. It will be strong and metabolism and growth. Different biostimulants work in stress resistant. varying ways, but they all make your plants grow better.

The spray is based on amino acids of vegetal origin, extracted The use of microorganisms, like mycorrhiza fungi or from meal of Fabaceae (leguminosae), a very useful group of plants Trichoderma, is not a new practice for many organic that organic farmers employ as green manure cover crops. To be growers. But the smart use of microorganisms and specific, the foliar spray contains glutamic acid, which stimulates biostimulants is one of the most guarded secrets in the plant development and resistance against abiotic stress, such as world of modern agriculture. environmental stress caused by weather. During the growing season, outdoor plants suffer periods of hot or cold weather, What is in a Biostimulant? too much rain, and sometimes drought. Indoors, abiotic stress Based on a mixture of amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, can happen when temperatures suddenly change, when they are and vitamins, each ingredient plays a role. Amino acids are too low or too high, and from under or over watering, a dry the building blocks of peptides and proteins which are atmosphere, insufficient light, a wrong pH level, a fertilisation essential for an optimal function of plant cells. Peptides are solution with too much salt, and so on. chains of amino acids that transmit ‘signals’ to plant cells, stimulating their growth. They also favour assimilation Another ingredient in the spray is aspartic acid, which is of the supplied carbohydrates and vitamins by the plant. fundamental in several metabolic processes. The amino acids Vitamins are necessary for an optimal metabolism. enhance nutrient uptake and overall assimilation. Plants stay Peptides and proteins are needed for all kinds of healthy and perform better when using these amino acids.

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BIOSTIMULANTS I GARDEN CULTURE

Amino acids are the building blocks of peptides and proteins

Amino Acids: Animal vs. Vegetal

Almost all amino acids used by farmers are of animal origin

Let’s admit it, foliar fertilisation or the use of amino acids for biostimulation are not new. So, what‘s so special about an all vegetal spray? We think the answer is part of a wider discussion that questions the role animals play in our food chain. Over the last few years, the conversation includes the inputs in agriculture products.

Almost all amino acids used by farmers are of animal origin.

For the human food supply, animal originated proteins have long been considered as better quality than those from vegetal sources. The same counts for amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Animal amino acids are extracted from dead animals, as are some organic fertilisers, like bone or blood meal. Sure, not a single cow is killed for the purpose of obtaining amino acids to biostimulate plants - they are extracted from the leftovers of meat production. But aside from the moral and ethical issues, there are several more good reasons to avoid the use of animal amino acids.

Amino acid extraction from animals present some risks: contamination by BSE (mad cow disease), Salmonella, E. coli, and other animal pathogens. These amino acids may also contain traces of antibiotics, heavy metals, chlorides, and salt.

An even bigger problem that cannot be tackled by laboratory testing - animal based amino acids must be transformed by the plant in order to be assimilated. This causes a loss of energy that annihilates a significant portion of the benefits. Some components of the animal amino acids are not useful for plants at all, like hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine.

Vegetal amino acids do not have any of these problems. Plants immediately recognise them. In agricultural applications, vegetal amino acids can be more useful than animal amino acids when considering the overall benefits. They just fit better.

Many of us love to eat meat, though with the environmental impact of its production in mind, we have each lowered our consumption considerably over the last ten years. In the Netherlands and other European countries, meat consumption is declining. Again, we are not vegetarians, but do try to be conscious about the use of animal products. Without getting principled or dogmatic, using vegetal amino acids in agricultural products seems obviously better, striving for healthy ‘vegetarian’ plants.

Foliar Spray Plants use their roots for the uptake of nutrients.

Therefore, roots seem the most logical ‘doors’ to enter plants, but it’s not the only way for plants to get what they need. Consider foliar feeding. Carbon dioxide enters the leaf through tiny openings, the stomata. Using foliar sprays, a grower can fertilize plants through the leaves, because the nutrients enter the plant via the stomata. In this way, the nutrient availability is rapid - like a blood transfusion. Some fertilizers, compost tea, or the biostimulant we describe in this article can be applied on leaves as a spray. 3

Bio Karel Schelfhout and Michiel Panhuysen are the Dutch authors of The Organic Grow Book (2017). This practical handbook (over 500 pages) reveals new gardening techniques and explains the basics of organic growing. Karel, founder of the world famous breeder collective SSSC in the eighties, has been a recognized person in the world of horticulture for almost forty years. He played a prominent role in disseminating cultivation techniques first used in the Netherlands, and subsequently switched to organic growing. Now, he is the owner of Biotabs, organic fertilizers. Michiel is a journalist published in several languages, who specializes in organic and urban gardening, and ultra-running. They work together in several projects.

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

37

BY EVAN FOLDS

MAKE YOUR OWN

Soil seems so simple. But anyone that has looked at a sample of good compost tea under a microscope, investigated biodynamic methods, or spent any time pondering the base saturation percentages of the cation exchange capacity knows differently. Good soil cannot be seen with the naked eye, and all soil

The spirit of soil is beyond words, even if you try - complex, vulnerable, strong, intelligent, fragile, dynamic, balanced, ephemeral, pervasive, alive, stubborn, diverse, and on and on. The soil wears many hats and has many personalities, and its mysteriousness results in many gardeners purchasing soil in a bag from a garden center. This can work well, but is also wasteful and expensive, particularly for a grower looking to be more sustainable, or turn their hobby into a business.

is not the same.

With some attention to basics it is a worthy endeavor to make your own soil mix. There is no shortage of recipes out there for creating your own “supersoil.� Many of them are fantastic, others not so much. Of course, the best way to determine the quality of a custom soil mix recipe is to let the plants tell you. But for those who want to minimize their mistakes, we are going to explore some concepts and methods that can step your custom soil mix game up to the next level.

It is not difficult to grow a plant. After all, they want to grow. There is a reason Big Box stores are littered with cheap artificial fertilizers, they work well enough to make people think they are generating good results.

Sort of like fast food... fills you up, but catches up to you later.

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SOIL I GARDEN CULTURE

T h e s pir i t of soil is b eyond wor ds The goal of a soil mix is to make it cost less than bagged potting soil, but work better. Above all, keep this in mind - mineral balance and microbial diversity. A little bit of a lot of things in balance is better than a lot of a little.

For instance, all microbes are not the same. More and more growers are using anaerobic strains of microbes in their gardens. Techniques such as making nettle or comfrey tea are fantastic tools in the garden, and bokashi and EM (effective microbes) type products are generally great practice for nutrient cycling and protecting plants from disease, but most of the microbes contained in these inoculants are not native to the soil. The same is true of the photosynthetic microbe products on the market.

Consider manure. It is typically cheap and represents great potential, but it is not humus. It has not been decomposed by the microbes in the soil responsible for making plant food. Of course, manure has some soluble nutrients in it, which is why growers continue to use it without considering the presence of soil microbes, but this is not maximizing the potential of manure in soil.

Organic matter does not just melt, and gut microbes do not do the work of soil microbes.

This is the case for many other microbial products on the market containing only specific strains of microbes, like mycorrhizal fungi inoculants, or specific strain Nor P-solubilizers. These are important products, and can work well for specific applications, but they are limited biologically. They do not replace the importance and power of a complete soil food web.

know 5% of bacteria and 10% of fungi at the rate of discovery, so if the microbe strains included in the product can be listed on the label, keep in mind the product is extremely limited in diversity.

When sourcing microbes for setting up a garden or making a custom soil mix, it is preferable to use an inoculant from Nature. Worm castings are a great resource, but they are typically not a complete soil food web with some of the higher shredder organisms missing, and research is telling us that castings contain as few as Âź the fungal diversity of a good balanced compost source. However, they may have a greater bacterial diversity.

Think of soil microbes like construction workers.

To build a neighborhood, you need day laborers and specialty workers, the more diversity the better.

Consider sourcing compost from your friends, or scratching some soil from the forest floor. The more humus sources you can combine in your inoculant, the more diversified your soil food web will be, and the stronger your soil will become.

mix l i o s om t s el u v c e l r t u x o s tep y p to the ne u game

With any garden started from scratch, it is important to source a diversified humus product that is farmbased for inoculation, ideally through brewing compost tea. Actively aerated compost tea (AACT) is the most potent and effective way of consistently introducing soil microbes to the garden. Estimates tell us that we

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SOIL I GARDEN CULTURE

O r g a nic mat te r does not jus t me l t T h e l e a r ning cu r ve a nd ef fo r t s a r e we ll wo r t h i t

Construction workers need building materials in the form of organic fertilizers, and ionic tools in the form of trace elements to manufacture enzymes. There are thousands of options, and know that everyone is going to swear by all of them. Diverse materials such as rock dusts, kelps, fish, plant and animal meals, sea minerals, bat guanos, humates, etc. are all a good place to start. Experiment with different ratios of each in respective stages of growth to generate the best results.

The holy grail of growing is a soil mix that requires no fertilizer throughout the life of the plant. In my opinion, unless the soil has been allowed to mature biologically in a no till environment for an extended period of time - this is sacrificing results. It is a noble effort to grow a garden without using any inputs, but very difficult to accomplish in a controlled environment application.

In a field, however, the ability of soil to hold water and nutrition can be managed successfully through ensuring a diversified population of soil microbes, and by managing the base saturation percentages in the cation exchange capacity (CEC). For growers using fresh soil on every cycle this is not as important, but it is absolutely critical for those who are interested in reusing their growing media.

On paper, soil is sand, clay, and organic matter. When making a custom soil mix the grower is managing the physical structure of the soil by replacing clay and sand with elemental and water-retentive material like peat moss or coir fiber, and draining materials such as perlite or rice hulls. You want the soil to retain around 50% moisture after watering, leaving enough water so the soil does not dry

too quickly, and enough air so the roots can breathe. A good mixture of these materials will account for the large majority of the volume in the soil mix.

Whether in a field or in a container, the soil has a net negative charge, meaning it can hold positively charged elements, or cations (calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc.), as opposites attract. Dr. William Albrecht determined the sweet spot in the balance of the cation elements in the exchange capacity through his pioneering work in the 1940’s at the University of Missouri. Through experimentation and intense soil testing he defined the ideal base saturation percentages for the macronutrient cations required for soil growth as 68% calcium, 12-15% magnesium, 3.5-5% potassium, and 0.5-1.5% sodium.

Keep in mind these are ranges, and desired ranges may be different for different crops, but on average, this balance in the soil represents the life balance for growing healthy crops.

There are also ranges for the micronutrients like manganese, iron, zinc, copper, etc. required for healthy plant growth, and ratios the elements like to be associated relative to other elements. It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle. And the cool thing is that when the elemental balance is proper, the pH is always perfect.

All soil testing is not the same. Many labs, particularly Extension-based labs, look for limited element spectrums, and take a pH-driven approach to soil testing. The pH is not a good metric to evaluate soil health, because it is possible to have an imbalanced exchange capacity and a proper pH. For example, if you have an acidic soil, lime will increase the pH every single time. It does so by

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SOIL I GARDEN CULTURE

t he soil ha s a n e t n eg a t i ve cha r ge adding calcium to the soil that works to displace the exchangeable hydrogen. So, what happens if this soil has a potassium or a manganese deficiency? In other words, don’t take the pill to eat more fast food, change your diet and take a probiotic.

use a n i nocula nt f r o m N a tu r e

We use these ranges with growers when conducting the soil testing for our Fertility Management Services.

Combined with water testing, the data generated provides the data needed to guide the grower into mineral balance as well as quantify what should be added to regenerate this balance once the soil has been used. There is no better way to approach the reuse of growing media in a perpetual grow.

Adopting an approach that manages the base saturation can even help growers develop strain-specific fertility.

The reason plants are cloned is so the results are

consistent. Consistent plants will pull the same nutrient profile from the soil. If we test the soil after each cycle, we can learn the nutritional rhythm of the plant and fine tune it over time. We can also learn ways to be proactive when certain strains are using more of a particular element than others.

Bottom line: how do we know what to add if we don’t know what is missing?

As with any farming application, there are countless things to consider when making your own custom soil mix. The learning curve and efforts are well worth it.

Remember, if you want top shelf results, trust but verify with soil testing.

Over time the results will exceed your expectations. 3

BIO Evan Folds is a regenerative agricultural consultant with a background across every facet of the farming and gardening spectrum.

He has founded and operated many businesses over the years - including a retail hydroponics store he operated for over 14 years, a wholesale company that formulated beyond organic products and vortex-style compost tea brewers, an organic lawn care company, and a commercial organic wheatgrass growing operation.

He now works as a consultant in his new project Be Agriculture where he helps new and seasoned growers take their agronomy to the next level. What we think, we grow!

Contact Evan at www.BeAgriculture.com or on Facebook and Instagram @beagriculture

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

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Using equal pars throughout all growth cycles, there’s no fumbling around with different measurements. It’s easy to use for the beginner but has been formulated to meet the complex needs of the professional grower.

DUAL FUEL IS: ✓ Trusted by more Licensed Producers in Canada than any other nutrient manufacturer. ✓ Economically viable for commercial gardening applications. ✓ Simple and easy to use. ✓ Suitable for all automatic dosing systems. ✓ Grower approved.

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These head planters are totally cool - indoors or out. They come in a range of colours and sizes from extra small to huge. Some have the option of glow in the dark lighting too. A Teresa Sapey design exclusively from Vancome made from recyclable polyethylene.

The Adan Nano Pot is not illuminated, but very affordable, and perfect for small plants. You might find other uses for it too, like a vase or sculpture with stash space. Dimensions: 13cm x 17cm x 18cm (5.12” x 6.68” x 7.09”). Shipping worldwide from bit.ly/head-global

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SMART COMPOSTING

No need to invest a lot of money or build a bin. The Compost Sak from Smart Pot is easy to use, and perfect for small budgets. Place it in the sun where it will get rain. Water during dry spells. Holds 100 gallons of kitchen and yard waste and because of the constant airflow from all sides and the top, you’ll get faster-composting action.

Produces 15 cubic feet of compost and measures 30”W x 38”H (76cm x 96cm). Available from many stores, and Smartpots.com/compostsak

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G A R D E N C U LT U RE AUSTRALIA

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Are Plants Vegetarians?

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Light Matters: Supplementing the Sun

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Sustainable, efficient gardening. New hints and tips from our blog delivered to your inbox weekly, and be the first to know when the latest print magazine lands in a progressive garden shop near you.

Truly local. Beyond fresh.

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W E E D WA R R I O R

Here’s an excellent garden tool from the past brought back to life by a company in Ohio. An incredibly useful tool in the garden - anyone who’s used an old one has been hunting for one of their own for decades.

The open blade makes it lightweight and gives you a fore and aft cutting action as you shuffle it along. The sharp point is great for digging out larger weeds.

Designed for many years of service with a long ash handle and hardened steel blade. Exclusively from Lehman’s Non-Electric Hardware. Ships internationally: bit.ly/weed-hoe

4

‘ G R E E N ’ PL A N T E RS A N D POTS

Give your plants a home that’s almost as natural as they are. These pots and planters are made of Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC), an environmentally-friendly product, that doesn’t consume as much energy during the manufacturing process.

They’re lightweight but extremely strong; GRC pots are built to withstand Australia’s changing weather conditions. Available in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Reducing your carbon footprint and keeping your patio looking beautiful has never been so easy.

Ships throughout Australia from many stores, including bit.ly/GRCPots and bit.ly/PotsRUs.

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WICKED DIGGER

Designed to handle whatever you need to conquer today.

Remove old shrubs, dig in clay, pry rocks, cut sod, plant something, divide rhubarb... Root Slayer will make many yard and garden projects easier.The latest tool from Radius Garden, this combination of shovel, root hatchet, and root saw is everyone’s new favourite shovel.

Winner of the 2017 Green Thumb Award for best tool innovation.

Patented ergonomic O-grip offers 4 times more leverage. Sharpened tip cuts like butter, carbon steel shaft, heavy duty, and a lifetime guarantee.

Available in many gardening shops or you can order online from Amazon. 3

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WHAT’S GROWING ON

s ’ o h W Growing

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1. Pipers Creek Victoria

Grown not Flown

Credit: Crofters Fold

Australia is in bloom with a flower-farming renaissance inspired in part by a Rose and Peony farmer. Danielle White and her husband, Ashley, run Crofters Fold, where they farm from the soil up and focus on quality, not quantity. They don’t use chemicals, resulting in low-tox and bee-friendly yields that change with the seasons. Danielle recruited other like-minded micro flower farmers, and together they formed Consortium Botanicus, a group dedicated to the Australia Slow Flower Movement. The idea is very simple: reduce the carbon footprint by creating and purchasing truly local floral arrangements; 100 percent grown, not flown. In addition to being good for the environment, the movement is also great for the local economy and communities. Consortium Botanicus started out small, but is now a national body.

Seems like the way Mother Nature would have wanted it. Learn more: ConsortiumBotanicus.com.au

2. Braidwood, NSW

Imagine the surprise: after owning a property for 15 years, a couple learned they had Australian mountain pepper growing on their land.

Not a small amount either; Tim Wimborne and Mariah Foley have about 2,000 Tasmannia Lanceolata trees on their 40 acres. Both former journalists, they decided to embark on a new adventure of harvesting and cultivating this amazing spice. Though common in Tasmania, mountain pepper is more rare on the mainland, so working with it has been somewhat of an experiment. It’s not at all the same as the black peppercorn; it has berries, and therefore, a fruity taste at first. A slow onset of heat makes it a great addition to curries, meats and salad dressings. The leaves are also edible, often used as a substitute for bay leaves in cooking.

Credit: Australian Mountain Pepper

Picking Peppers

When life gives you peppers… make something hot. Learn more: Mountain-Pepper.com

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WWW.HOUSE-GARDEN.COM.AU

WHAT’S GROWING ON

o’s ing h t Wrow a G WhWhere 3. Upper Hunter Valley, NSW

bees provide an abundance, and this year’s drought means a 2018 olive harvest is unlikely.

Sustainable farming demands commitment and long-term vision.

Learn more: PatriceNewell.com.au

4.

Credit: Harvest Helpers Credit: Patrick Frew, Declan Donnelly/Ballymoney.gov.

An obsession with soil, an undying ambition to produce food without chemicals, and teamwork are the core values behind Elmswood Farm. The 10,000-acre property is home to numerous organic and biodynamic products, including garlic, olive oil, honey and soap. Patrice Newell bought the farm in 1986, dedicating herself to developing improved agricultural systems in an era of rapid climate change. You won’t find synthetic fertilizers or chemicals in the grove, but you will see sheep grazing to help manage the grass cover. The farm prides itself in making its products available to the public only when nature cooperates. Honey, for example, is only sold when the

Credit: Elmswood Farm

At Nature’s Mercy

Deloraine, Tasmania

Double Duty What happens to all of the unused produce from backyard fruit trees? It usually goes to waste, but in Tasmania’s north, a group of volunteers is looking to change that. The Meander Valley Harvest Helpers go door-to-door and pick the fruit for people who either don’t have the time, or can’t do it themselves. The produce is then weighed into thirds, with some being offered to the tree owner, the volunteers who picked it, and the community. The produce is most often turned into preserves or sauces and given to those who need it the most. This program not only encourages community involvement, but it also helps reduce both social isolation and food waste.

Food security for all. Learn more: DeloraineHouse. com.au/mv-harvest-helpers

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BY GARETH HOPCROFT

The

Fabulous Faeces

Frass??? Not really a word you hear very often, unless of course you’re an entomologist‌ What are we talking about here? Frass is the technical term given to insect poop! You often see other products in hydro shops and garden centres that come out the rear-end of other creatures, such as worm castings and bat guano, but frass is a newcomer to the scene. When insect frass is used in the right way, it can be a real benefit to your garden.

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What is it?

Just like with worm castings, insect frass is not collected from wild insects. Just imagine how difficult such a job would be, or how it could even be done… Insect frass is a by-product from insect farms. These farms breed insects such as beetles, crickets, and locusts mainly for use as natural feeds for animals and exotic pets. Insects are very high in protein, and grow to maturity with a low food stock input, making them one of the most efficient sources of farmed protein.

Different types of insect frass have different properties

The most common source of frass you can buy from your local hydroponic shop is from mealworms, and is often also called mealworm castings. Mealworms are not actually worms at all, they are the larval stage of the Tenebrio molitor beetle.

The biological content of Frass is very high for a natural input.

If you put most types of insect frass under the microscope, you will find the bacterial and protozoa populations are very high. Saprophytic fungal species (the decomposers) are also often present, but in lower numbers. However, mealworm frass is very good at stimulating soil fungi. The high organic matter content of frass along with the residual wheat bran from the insects feed is responsible for boosting fungal growth, so overall, the use of Frass in the garden will help to increase all the useful soil microbial groups.

Frass also contains a very useful plant elicitor called chitin, a modified polysaccharide found in the cell walls of the insect’s exoskeleton. Chitin is also found in crustacean shells, such as crabs, and also in fungi. When chitin is broken down by the enzyme chitinase, chitosan is formed.

These insects are most commonly farmed on a diet of wheat bran and carrots. Frass from mealworms looks and feels like lightweight sand, and the frass products you can buy often contain a small amount of leftover bran along with some of the adult beetle body parts, and also fragments of skin that the mealworm larvae shed during development.

When this chitinous derivative is sensed by the plant, they think they are under attack from insects, and an immune response is triggered. This response elevates the plant’s defences against insect pests and fungal pathogens, and can also elevate the plants growth rate. This induction of ‘positive stress’ is also reported to increase essential oil production.

Pretty cool stuff for insect shit!

What’s in it?

How it’s used

Frass is an organic and sustainable source of nutrients for your plants. It generally has a well-balanced NPK of 3/2/3 – 2/2/2, the variance depending on the food stocks used to breed the insects. Being a type of manure, the nitrogen content is mostly ammonium, which is easy for plants to uptake. The P and the K are released more slowly, along with other useful secondary and micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, sulphur, zinc, and copper.

Frass can be used in many ways, including; amending soil and coco mixes, top dressing, foliar spray, and as a compost tea additive. Different types of insect frass have different properties so the application dosage largely depends on what insects’ rear end it’s come from. The recommendations below are for mealworm frass, as it’s the most commonly available product to buy.

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mealworm frass is very good at stimulating soil fungi Amending Peat and Coco Mixes When amending coco coir or peat-based potting soil, you can mix in frass in the range of 0.5-2% by volume or 1:200-1:50. If you are amending a bag of straight coco, and are only mixing in frass, then 1:50-1:100 is the ideal range.

used in the right way, it can be a real benefit to your garden

If you are mixing with a bag of pre-fertilised potting soil, or including frass as part of a recipe with other amendments, then try in the rage of 1:100-1:200.

Top Dressing You can sprinkle frass on the surface of the growing media at the rate of 1-2 teaspoons per litre of potting mix. After application, it is best to cover the surface with a mulch layer or thin layer of potting mix, then water in well. Covering the surface helps the frass breakdown and release its goodness.

Frass will take about 4-6 weeks to release all its nutrients when there is a good biological activity in the root zone, so it’s best to re-apply around once a month.

Foliar Spraying To give your plants a boost of nutrients, and trigger their immune system, making a quick tea and foliar spraying it is probably the most efficient way of using frass. To do this, there is no need for a long brew or fermentation, you can simply add a teaspoon of frass to a litre of water and stir a few times over an hour. Strain it to remove all the sediment and spray the leaves until the run-off. You can spray with a mix like this every 1-2 weeks.

Compost Teas

Whether you are brewing an aerated compost tea, or just making a quick compost extract, frass will help to add biology and act as a biological food source. For a simple approach, you can add around one teaspoon of frass to each litre of water before brewing or extracting. Alternatively, you can add it to the brewing compost, mix well then add a bit of water to make it damp.

Cover it, and leave in a warm place a few days. This way the biology will breed in the compost and super-charge it, creating a more diverse tea that will often be ready in a shorter brew time.

If you are keen on making microbial teas with powdered ‘shelf-life’ microbe mixes, frass can also be added as a useful source of protozoa. Soluble microbial tea products are often high in bacteria and fungi, but lacking in protozoa; the organisms that are key to gobbling up bacteria and cycling nutrients.

So overall, frass is quite a versatile product you can use in your garden in many ways. Being a by-product from insect farms, frass is sustainable and organic. Just make sure you choose a reputable brand of frass that carries an organic accreditation to ensure you’re giving your plants the best option available. 3

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WWW.WHG.NET.AU

BY RICK LELOUP

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WICKING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS Choosing the right growing medium according to the specifics of any system is imperative and the water delivery method plays a key role in this. For instance, a bottom fed system distributes the water to the plant by wicking it up. The substrate will need to be able to diffuse water evenly throughout

THE SUBSTRATE WILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO DIFFUSE WATER EVENLY

the container, but still maintain a healthy oxygen ratio.

The physical and chemical attributes of the growing medium, not only its capillarity capacity to wick up the water, or store oxygen but also how evenly it diffuses the nutrient solution throughout, should be important considerations.

OFTEN, THE BOTTOM HALF WILL HAVE LITTLE TO NO AIR

things, like carbon to nitrogen ratios. Time to start answering questions like: “will the beneficial organisms continue to thrive,” or “will the medium suddenly become very inviting for decomposers like springtails or gnats?”

The Physical Side Denser mediums are better at making the water reach the upper portion of the container than very porous ones, but that comes with a less than ideal reality.

Dense mediums greatly limit the air content capacity.

Often, the bottom half will have little to no air, and stay permanently saturated with water. Few roots will grow, leading to potential problems, like root rot and other pathogenic outbreaks.

On the lighter side, with very porous substrates, the solution might not diffuse evenly in the container, some portion may always stay dry, without any roots in it - a flat out waste of growing medium.

Of course, taking into account the duration for which the growing medium will be used is pretty vital. Are we harvesting lettuce every five weeks, or tending tomato vines for the next two years? Over time does the chemistry of the growing medium itself stay the same?

Does pH change? Peat based mixes that rely on pH control through liming additives, which over time get taken up or leach out in the runoff, will slowly but surely fall back to its natural acidic state.

How does it react when continually saturated?

Organic-based substrates can break down quite quickly when the circumstances are wrong. Such a breakdown can change the air/water ratio faster than the crop will accept.

Does it dissolve? Let’s take a look at coco. When soaked for long enough, coco coir naturally releases various minerals into the solution; mainly potassium and sodium. Plants can deal with a bit of extra potassium, but in the long run, high amounts can lead to problems, mainly nutrient deficiencies. Not ideal for recirculating systems like NFT.

As the medium starts “composting,” there will also be changes in biological activity, along with more complex

There are, however, a few tricks to deal with this problem in a bottom feeding system. It’s best to hand water

Chemical Properties

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DENSE MEDIUMS GREATLY LIMIT THE AIR CONTENT CAPACITY

TIME SAVED DOES NOT MEAN VACATION TIME from the top for the first couple of weeks, when the plants are small. This encourages root development and lowers the total amount of time the coco stays saturated. Once the roots have established themselves, it is time to turn the valve on and begin bottom feeding.

ing from the top, allowing for sufficient runoff to flush away build up.

In a bottom only watering system, excess mineral salts are pushed up to the top, to the drier layer. Fresh and balanced nutrients are continually being provided from the bottom. Top feeding will push all those salts back into the bottom of the pot. If you do feel the need, remove the plant from the system and flush with tons of water until the runoff is at desired levels. Let the plant almost dry out before moving it back into the system.

COCO FIBRES ALSO BECOME SMALLER

Allowing the coco to almost dry out, a couple of times during the plant’s life, also encourages root development. Another tip is to use a very porous substrate like expanded clay or perlite to line the bottom inch or two, reducing issues associated with long term coco saturation.

Air Replacement Over time coco fibres become smaller and will eventually impact the air/water ratio. Amending with clay pebbles and/or perlite is a good way to reduce this effect.

Garbage Removal Automatic watering systems save growers lots of time and greatly simplifies the task, as plants pretty much drink what they need, when they need it. Time saved does not mean vacation time.

In a normal top to bottom watering, new nutrient soluTurkey Tail Mushrooms tion pushes the old out of the container, better known as the runoff. It contains the unused and unusable salts.

More frequent watering will lead to a “cleaner” root zone. When salts do build up in the container, plants have a harder time “pumping” in water. The plant is able to take only the nutrients it wants to some degree, but if salts are always high, the plant will intake more than it needs. There might be lower than expected crop quality in the end. So, as often as possible, when water-

An often overlooked benefit from having water coming from the top is that while the old nutrient solution is being pushed out, so is the air! As water saturates the growing medium, it pushes the gas content out of the macro pores. This is why you often see bubbles coming to the top of the soil when watering. As the water leaves the macro pores, a vacuum is created, and fresh air packed with oxygen is sucked in! So, the roots can “breathe,” and the beneficial micro life is helped to thrive.

If you are using a bottom watering system, and absolutely feel your plants need more air, a pump directing fresh air to the plant’s root area can be added, such as the one offered by Autopot.

Automated gravity fed bottom watering systems make advanced indoor gardening a lot easier, but knowing a couple key tricks will make the difference between good and great. 3

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BY THEO TEKSTRA – MARKETING MANAGER, GAVITA HOLLAND BV

PART

5

SUPPLEMENTING THE

Plants have evolved under sunlight for millions of years

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In the series “Light Matters,” Theo Tekstra discusses the different aspects to lighting, such as quantity, quality, efficacy, special applications, new developments, and the science behind it. In Part V, Theo compares artificial lighting to...the Sun. You are used to me writing rather technical articles about light.Will this one be any different? Yes and no.Yes, there will be some calculating involved. No, most of the theory is really quite logical and requires no technical background at all, just a bit of common sense.

What Is The Best Light For Plants?

The answer is much more obvious than you might think: It is the sun! Plants have evolved under sunlight for millions of years, and they have optimized themselves during that period to the spectrum of the sun. It’s called evolution. Get used to it.

However, you can use different light spectrums to influence the shape or substance contents of a plant. For example, far red light makes the plant stretch, and UVB light, in an appropriate low amount, can influence color, flavonoid, and essential oil content. The sun however, is always our baseline.

Evidence…

Many lighting manufacturers nowadays show scientific research, or interpretations of scientific research, to prove that their spectrum is the best for growing plants. To understand these research graphs, you should know that light colors are expressed in wavelengths. These are the corresponding colors:

One of the most quoted researches in plant light science history is the work of Keith McCree, who measured the relative photosynthesis (quantum yield) in plants under various colors of light. He came up with what is now known as “The McCree curve”. In laymen’s terms, it shows you the efficiency of specific colors of light for photosynthesis.

Fig 1 – McCree curve Another widely used graph is the sensitivity of the various pigments in a plant. Pigments capture the light in the plant.

The most abundant is chlorophyll, responsible for the green color of plants as it absorbs primarily blue and red light, reflecting the green light.

Fig 2 – the absorption spectra of chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B and carotenoids

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So What Is The Right Spectrum?

So clearly, when you look at these graphs, plants are best off with red and blue light, and you should stay away from green light. LEDs with red and blue light should be the most efficient answer, right? Well, that is what many people think. Let’s look at the sun first.

When you have followed the discussion about light quality in the professional horticultural world over the last five years, there was a lot of discussion about red, blue, and far red, initially due to the upcoming red/blue LED technology. Green was then added to the discussion, and more recently, there is a lot of discussion about UV and wide spectrum light.

Our Baseline: The Sun

Research follows technology. We know a lot about the plant responses to light, but we do not know everything. There is still a lot to be learned. During a recent conference about light and spectrum, with many manufacturers in the audience, the moderator, a plant scientist, asked who could present a spectrum that would perform 10% better than any other, or guarantee 10% more yield. Not one arm was lifted.

When discussing sunlight, I always ask what people think is the most abundant color in the sunlight spectrum. Mostly, the answer is yellow or red, but hardly ever do they know the right answer - It is green light!

Now how is it possible that plants, according to studies, don’t make use of all that green light? You can actually see that plants don’t use green light, they are green, so they reflect green light, right? Wrong!

Fig 3 – spectral diagram of sunlight

In 1994, Bruce Bugbee, professor at Utah State university, performed an experiment in which he lit plants with 6 different sources: Low Pressure Sodium (LPS), High Pressure Sodium (HPS), Incandescent (INC), Metal Halide (MH), Cool White Fluorescent (CWF), Red Light-Emitting Diode (LED), and Solar on a clear day.2 So very different spectrums of light, all administered at the same intensity to compare the efficiency of those spectrums. The conclusion was put in the following headline: “PLANT GROWTH IN SOME SPECIES IS SURPRISINGLY LITTLE AFFECTED BY LIGHT QUALITY.”

I have written about this before - Green light may be even more efficient than red or blue light.1 It will not influence the photoperiodism mechanism in plants which makes them start to produce flowers in short days, but it does have a great effect on photosynthesis.

Was McCree wrong? No, he wasn’t. He was measuring photosynthesis on a leaf disk at very low intensities, and didn’t really look at a plant as a system. In high intensity white light, green light is very efficient.1 It travels through the plant, has a greater effect deeper in the leaf, and reaches the lower part of the plant more easily than red and blue light which is absorbed by the top canopy.

This is not best practice, of course, for all types of plants, and will not create very healthy crops in most cases, but it does show that there is much confusion and misinformation.

Morphogenesis Researchers discovered that the shape of a plant is influenced by the color of light which can lead to a croppy plant, an open plant with a large node distance, a dense plant, a plant with more shoots or less shoots, bigger and smaller leaves etc.

This is called morphogenesis, or the shape of the plant. An optimally positioned leaf intercepts light much better than a covered leaf. Therefore, having too many leaves can cost the plant a lot of energy, because plants that do not intercept light have to be maintained by the plant, costing the plant energy..

In recent years, growers are much more aware to use the shape of the plant as an indicator to steer the yield of a plant.

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Lighting A Greenhouse In the tomato industry, for example, leaves are removed to get a better leaf area index (LAI), and cultivators growing large plants cut the bottom shoots. Basically, when a leaf does not receive light, it just drains the plant instead of contributing to it.

We know the sun works. Obviously. To protect plants from weather, we erected greenhouses, creating optimal plant growth by creating optimal climate and light conditions. To be able to grow plants year round, and to grow cultivars that are not specifically available in low light regions, we introduced grow lights in those greenhouses.

Still, the primary source of light is the sun in a greenhouse.

Maybe up to 25% is supplemented light in high intensity cultivation methods. So the influence of the spectrum of the supplemented light is limited. The plants get a baseline of quality light, which is supplemented by the spectrum of the grow light. To be efficient, this needs to be in the PAR region, of course, but the influence on the development of the plant, other than added photosynthesis is limited. Not absent, but limited.

So, you can steer morphogenesis with light colors. Adding blue light usually makes a more compact plant for example.

But what we have seen with simulated sunlight is that plants grow much faster than under other light sources!

In 2010, Sander Hoogewooning published a paper 3 in which he compared cucumber cuttings under HPS, CFL, and artificial sunlight. The results, not only in shape, but also in biomass, were stunning, and could only be explained by different morphogenesis developments by the artificial full sunlight spectrum.

Though the quality of light does not influence the photosynthesis of a plant much, it does have a great influence on the size, shape, and yield of a plant. Results from plants grown in a greenhouse versus those grown under pure wide spectrum plasma light also show incredible differences in favor of the artificial light, which can only be attributed to the quality of that light. And this brings us back to sunlight.

The most efficient LEDs are red and blue. So it is logical that in a greenhouse we use the most efficient LEDs as supplemental lighting, and that works well. Note that the spectrum of these LEDs is much narrower than a normal HPS lamp, which gives you a much wider spectrum of light. LEDs emit very little heat, which makes them extremely useful for crops that require high light levels but low temperature, such as lettuce, or to add supplemental light where HPS would just be too warm.

Blue and red together look like purple. Hence the purple glow from a greenhouse that is lit by red and blue LEDs. Though blue and red LEDs are the most efficient way to produce light, it may be that new white LEDs, or a combination of different discrete LED colors, may result in much better crops. Still, the influence of supplemental light is limited as the sun is by far the primary light source.

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Lighting A Climate Room Now in a climate room, things are a bit different.

We don’t have the sun. And, I think I have already demonstrated that you don’t need full sunlight spectrum to grow a plant. But to grow a healthy plant, we can learn from greenhouses.

In a greenhouse, the base quality light there is provided by sunlight. All colors of light are represented, and all colors have a function. How they work, and specifically how they work together, is still under much research.

There is no such thing as a “golden bullet” spectrum.

We know from experience that many growers get great results when using just HPS which is efficient and provides a decent plant spectrum with some added infrared, close to the same ratios as the sun. It’s by far not complete, and specifically some blue light is lacking, which also has an important function.

You can add a bit of sun in your indoor room by adding a more blue light, such as metal halide, ceramic metal halide, or plasma light to your HPS lighting. Growers have been doing this successfully for years.

As you may expect, I am all for a much more complete spectrum, including green light. Though great results

the new generation of growers will use a fuller spectrum indoor light to increase the quality of their plants

can be had under HPS, the new generation of growers will use a fuller spectrum indoor light to increase the quality of their plants. This comes at a cost, as “real” full spectrum lighting still is expensive, either in CMH (you need lots of small fixtures and expensive lamps) or LED. HPS will be a technology that is here to stay for many more years because of its price, efficiency, and results.

We are moving towards a future in greenhouse lighting of hybrid systems - where you still have the advantage of the infrared radiation on the crop, and when it is warm, the cool light from the LED. The same will happen in indoor cultivation. Lighting choices will become more affordable in the coming years, but there remains disadvantages to each, whether it is low irradiant heat or the absence of UV. So don’t throw away your HPS yet. 3

1.

2.

3.

I chiro Terashima, Takashi Fujita, Takeshi Inoue, Wah Soon Chow, Riichi Oguchi; Green Light Drives Leaf Photosynthesis More Efficiently than Red Light in Strong White Light: Revisiting the Enigmatic Question of Why Leaves are Green.

Plant Cell Physiol 2009; 50 (4): 684-697. doi: 10.1093/pcp/ pcp034 Bugbee, B. 1994. Effects of radiation quality, intensity, and duration on photosynthesis and growth, p 39-50. In: T.W.Tibbitts (ed.). International Lighting in Controlled Environments Workshop, NASA-CP-95-3309.

Sander W. Hogewoning, Peter Douwstra, Govert Trouwborst, Wim van Ieperen, Jeremy Harbinson; An artificial solar spectrum substantially alters plant development compared with usual climate room irradiance spectra. J Exp Bot 2010; 61 (5): 1267-1276. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ erq005

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BY STEPHEN BROOKES, NPK TECHNOLOGY

C o n t r o environment l something often taken for granted, can actually be used to massively increase productivity in a living organism 72

CONTROL: ENVIRONMENT I GARDEN CULTURE

C o n t ro l:

“To check, verify, regulate,” from Anglo-French ‘contreroller’ “exert authority.”

E nv iro n m e n t : “The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.”

When we control our environment, we should be checking our numbers (temperature, humidity, airflow, pH, EC, etc.) and verifying the numbers (taking multiple readings). If the conditions in which the plants operate (environment) requires modification, we intervene through our actions as growers. In this article, I’d like to cover the best methods for controlling the environment and the ideal numbers you’ll want to be hitting to achieve optimum results.

The first environmental factor to consider, and arguably the most important as it is directly related to nearly all other parameters, is temperature. The figures given below are for most plants, but some species can cope and even thrive with higher or lower temperatures, so it’s important to know the upper and lower limits for your particular plants.

cause plants to grow very tall. Equal day and night temperatures can help to keep plants shorter, with small internodal spaces, but higher night temperatures and lower day temperatures will cause a plant to grow with closely packed inter-nodal spaces. A great way to manipulate plant growth with just the temperature during lights on and lights off.

Temperature - Light Output The temperature of the grow room is the first consideration a cultivator must check and regulate if needed. If the temperatures are too high (above 30ºC or 86ºF), transpiration occurs too quickly, and the plant will quickly close stomata to conserve moisture, therefore preventing CO2 uptake which leads to slow growth. If temperatures are too cold (below 15ºC or 59ºF), transpiration slows down due to the inability to move water through the plant and out of the stomata.

Furthermore, cellular activity begins to decrease as conditions get too cold, leading to slower growth and eventually complete inhibition of growth.

The primary source of heat in grow rooms are the lights. It makes sense therefore to maintain the greatest control over temperature, would be to regulate the heat output from light fixtures.

There are many ways to do so; • Digital dimmable ballasts (dimming lights as temperatures rise and vice-versa).

• Air-cooled hoods • Mix and match lamp types (HPS, CFL, LED) to maintain light output while reducing heat.

• Replacing old inefficient lamps that produce excess heat.

• Accessories such as the diffuser from Adjust-a-Wings, which reduces heat spots.

A great tool to use alongside the thermometer is an IR (Infrared) gun that measures leaf temperature.

Use this to make sure the plant is staying If temperatures cooler than the room itself. If the leaf temperature is higher, start to think of are too cold, ways to cool the plant. An easy fix is to transpiration slows slightly decrease the humidity which will help the plant cool itself through increased down due transpiration.

Temperature can also be used for controlling plant growth by monitoring and regulating the differences between day/ night temperatures (sometimes called DIF). A higher day temperature/lower night temperature will result in elongation of the stem, and big differences or swings in temperature can

Out of these methods, using air-cooled hoods removes the most amount of heat from the light. However, it is also a very inefficient method of using grow lights.

The temperature is lowered by cool air passing over the lamp, which also affects its spectral output. Furthermore, light has to pass through the glass, reducing the amount before reaching the plant canopy. If you have to use air-cooled fixtures, choose a model that moves air over the top of the bulb, allowing it to run at its correct temperature, and uses low iron glass which has higher clarity, allowing more light to pass through.

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I’m g oing to get some r ai se d e y e br ow s f or t his, b ut I think it’s bes t k ee pi n g i t si mple.

Controlling the heat emitted from lighting methods are direct interventions to reduce heat output, but the single most effective method for controlling grow room temperatures is air movement and extraction.

Air Movement and Extraction In this article, I talk about standard grow room set-ups (open systems). I would mention closed loop systems but that topic alone requires a full, in-depth article.

Having the right air movement and extraction for the stage of plant growth is, in some people’s opinion including my own, the most vital part of grow room design. Without sufficient extraction, temperatures will soar and growth halts. But, how do you work out the volume of air movement needed in your grow room to beat the temperatures?

I’m going to get some raised eyebrows for this, but I think it’s best keeping it simple. Most online advice is to measure your room in feet or meters, then decide whether to move the air in that room once every minute or once every 5 minutes. You then add 15% per lamp, 20% for filter and ducting losses, and 25% for high outside temperatures to work out how much air you need to move.

This calculation works, but I prefer my eyebrow raising method of extracting 400 m3/h per 600w lamp, taking into account the wattage use, losses for filter and ducting, potential high outside temperatures, fan inefficiency, and other factors. Although this method slightly overestimates the air movement required, it’s much easier to invest in a

fan speed controller and reduce extraction, then to buy a new extraction system because temperatures rose into the 30’s (degrees Celsius). This method does have flaws, as it can largely overestimate the volume when a grow room is in a big area with high ceilings (good heat dissipation) or a particularly cold environment. Therefore, it is best to overestimate slightly, and tweak air movement to suit the specific environment.

When we talk about extraction, we also need to mention air intake. Small grow rooms can usually use passive air intake, as the negative pressure from extraction naturally brings air in from other areas to equalise the pressure, either by ducting directly outside or to another cooler room in the building.

Active air intake is best for bigger set-ups when large amounts of air need renewal. I would recommend using 1/3 the power of the air out fan, for the intake fan, this puts less stress on the extraction fan but also helps with CO2 replenishment. Some growers use positive pressure in grow rooms to prevent pests from getting into their environment, but the majority will always go for negative pressure. Negative pressure will make a tent suck inwards, and positive pressure will cause a tent to bulge outwards.

Alongside air intake and extraction is the air movement within the grow room. Maintaining a homogenous environment around the grow room prevents heat spots, humidity buildup, pockets of CO2, and more by using fans - floor fans, clips fans, oscillating fans, dump fans, or air diffusers.

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An important consideration is the possible effects on the plants’ microenvironment. Will blowing air directly at the plants create less than favourable conditions due to windburn and low humidity? In my experience, it is best for fans to move the air between the top of the canopy and the bottom of the lights or pointed at the walls of the grow room to reduce the intensity of the air hitting the plants which can change their microenvironment. The reason for this is mostly due to the power of humidity, removing too much and not removing enough all have consequences of their own.

Humidity Humidity is very closely correlated with temperature, measured as RH (relative humidity). High temperatures have more energy and can hold more water, whereas low temperatures have a lower energy and hold less water. This is seen in the mornings when dew forms on the grass, the warm air from the day can hold a lot of water, as the air cools it can hold less water vapour and deposits the excess water as dew on the grass because the RH is close to 100%. In a nutshell, colder environments require less water vapour to achieve a high RH, and warmer places need more water vapour to maintain a high RH. Ideal RH for your plants depends on the growth stage: • Seedlings: 90% • Small plants: 80% • Vegetative growth: 70% • Transition period: 60% • Flowering: 40-50%

Having the right air movement is the most vital part of grow room design If you’re under these values, check to see if the air movement or extraction is too intense and if so, reduce air movement to increase humidity. Hanging damp towels in the room can help. Otherwise, purchase a humidifier and place this in the grow room to increase humidity levels back to the correct point.

If you’re over these values, look at air extraction or movement to see if it needs to be more powerful. For some immediate relief, open the tent vents or windows, but if that’s not applicable, a dehumidifier will help remove any excess moisture in the air.

The reason humidity is so important is due to transpiration rates (how much water the plant moves through its xylem or stem). A low humidity means the plant will lose a lot of water to the environment. If this occurs in young plants with immature root systems, the stomata close and leaves can curl upwards in an attempt to reduce water loss, halting plant growth. If humidity is too high, transpiration slows (less nutrient and water uptake), and there is an increased risk of fungal growth within or around the plant.

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CONTROL: ENVIRONMENT I GARDEN CULTURE

There are effective controllers for AC fans that help with the inefficiencies Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD) For growers that already understand humidity well, VPD gives you more insight into the plant’s condition. The VPD is the difference or ‘deficit’ between the plant’s internal water vapour pressure and the outside water vapour pressure. High humidity means it’s low pressure (low VPD) and low humidity means it’s high pressure (high VPD). You’ll need to know the leaf temperature to work out VPD, but it gives a complete picture over humidity alone.

CO2 Control of CO2 is an essential element of grow room regulation because of its importance in photosynthesis. Not having adequate grow room ventilation means plants will quickly use the available CO2 which slows the growth rates dramatically. If you decide not to add a source of CO2, make sure the air intake can replenish it adequately.

When using supplementary CO2, it’s important to regulate the output. Make sure you’re giving the plant the amount it needs, during the right time of day. Adding CO2 during light’s off is a waste and can potentially harm the plants.

Natural sources of CO2 self-regulate by slowing the release when temperatures drop as lights go off. Canisters require timers, sensors, and emitters to achieve the optimal levels of CO2 throughout the plant’s life. There is much discussion on this point, but between 800 ppm and 1200 ppm is the range most experts believe to be the most beneficial to plants. Supplementary CO2 is most useful for the plant at temperatures ranging 28-30ºC (82-86ºF). For this reason, growers who suffer from high heat in the grow room can use CO2 to help mitigate the potentially damaging effects.

Water Although not technically ‘environment,’ in DWC (deep water culture), NFT (nutrient film technique), and other hydroponic systems, water could be classed as the roots’ environment.

So, here’s a brief look at an ideal root environment.

Roots like the dark, so creating an environment with as little light penetration to the root zone as possible is beneficial.

Specifically, in DWC, any holes in the top of the buckets should be tightly closed to prevent light getting into the reservoir. This will also help with water temperature, which should sit around 18ºC (64.4ºF) throughout the plant’s lifecycle. Too high, above 22 ºC (71.6ºF), and dissolved oxygen levels start to deplete rapidly. Below 14ºC (57.2ºF) and nutrient uptake diminishes, leading to deficiencies. Keep the reservoir in a cool place or invest in a water chiller to keep the temperatures on point.

The pH of the water should be around 5.5 for hydro, 5.8 in coco, and 6.0 in soil, depending on plant species (blueberries love a really acidic environment).

The EC (electrical conductivity) should change depending on the stage of growth of the plant. You wouldn’t give a newborn a roast dinner. It’s the same for plants, give them what they want for their stage of growth. Low EC for small plants, gradually increasing to a peak around mid-flower, and then slowly dropping back down until flush.

Hopefully, you’ve learned something of value to apply to your grow room, and you can make some improvements for better results. No matter what anybody says, or what they try to sell you, environment is the real key to success and should be the first area a grower invests in. 3

BIO Stephen Brookes is a science fanatic, hydroponics obsessed bookworm that works at NPK Technology.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Education and Geography, MSc in nutrition and scientific investigation, and started his PhD last year, researching the effect of different ratios of cannabinoids in the human body. Motto: The more you learn, the less you know!

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THE HEALING POWERS OF HEMP

W

ith a long list of health benefits, hemp seeds have emerged as a kind of ‘Superfood’ over the years. What might be lesser known, is that hemp itself is considered a ‘Superplant’ thanks to its ability to rejuvenate the earth.

Industrial hemp crops have been found to remove toxins from the soil, a process called phytoremediation. The theory was put to test in Chernobyl following the 1986 nuclear disaster which left radioactive waste across Eastern Europe. Industrial hemp was used to remove the dangerous pollutants from the soil and water at former weapons producing facilities in Ukraine. Science has discovered it is just as effective at removing metals, pesticides and crude oil from the earth.

After performing such a dirty task, the hemp crops cannot be used for consumption, but they can safely be distilled into ethanol for use of biofuel. The use of hemp for phytoremediation is not widespread; because of its link to the cannabis family, there are still laws in place around the world that make growing the crop illegal.

Proponents, however, tout hemp as one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly crops around — one with the capability of cleaning the earth and feeding future populations.

Sources: https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/ hemp-soil-remediation/ cold storage stops the ripening process.

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