Garden Culture Magazine UK 20 by Garden Culture Magazine

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U K E D I T I O N Â· I S SU E 20

Tel: 01949 839 727 Âˇ sales@highlighthorticulture.co.uk

HORTI KING

GEAR

HortiGear Ballast - Lamp Control Gear For HPS - MH Lamp

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CONTENTS

I GRAFFIT

36 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS

DIGITAL BALLASTS

NANO PARTICLES

49 WHO’S GROWING WHAT WHERE

31 I N THIS ISSU E OF GA R D EN CU LTU RE : 9 Foreword

Korean Natural Farming

10 Product Spotlights 14 Remediation, Bioremediation: Cleaning the Land

49 Who’s Growing What Where

16 How are Lamps Made?

52 Graffiti

24 Nutrients

59 Shorties

31 Digital Ballasts

60 Korean Natural Farming

36 Nanoparticles

70 When Things Go Wrong

40 5 Cool Finds

77 Cryptocurrencies

44 Light Matters: Part IX

81 Shorties

HOW ARE LAMPS MADE?

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

Rare Dankness Industries, Denver - CO - USA

FOREWORD & CREDITS

FOREWORD

CREDITS

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

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HydroCoco

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MAGAZIN

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E XCU T I V E ED I TO R ldlabel.nl Celia Sayers info@go celia@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-754-1539

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As the industry grows, more money and energy will be invested to create new products and technologies. Some will be innovative and groundbreaking, the result of years of research and a lifetime of experience, other will be straight copies. Not all products are made equal, knowing how they are made can help you make the best purchasing decisions for your garden and bank account.

...

80/20 Mix

ION

On the flip side, Michiel Panhuysen relates some common mistakes that indoor organic gardeners encounter. And, learn how to create some truly local inputs for your plants in Korean Natural Farming, by Nico Hill.

HydroCoco

DIT UK E

Dr Callie Seaman, creator of several nutrient brands, will give us the scoop on what goes into those bottles. Greg Richter, creator of the DEva 1000DE, will shed some light on what goes into the design and manufacture of a digital ballast. And central to any indoor garden, Clive Riddell from Venture Lighting Europe, explains the complicated process of making a lamp.

the all new

COPY

G WIN GRO OF ART THE

In this edition, we take a look at how some of the essential products in your indoor gardens are made. While reading, remember that each author is speaking to the processes for the products they manufacture. It doesn’t mean that all companies use the same parts or procedures.

Introducing

FREE

E TUR CUL

We spend tons of energy figuring out how to be a better grower, and how different products will improve yields or quality. But have you ever stopped to think about how these products come to be?

SPECI A L TH A N KS TO: Clive Riddell, Dr Callie Seaman, Greg Richter, Michiel Panhuysen, rs itato Nico Hill, Rich Hamilton, rs, not im Innovato Stephen Brookes, and Theo Tekstra.

D E N G A R

The urge to control how things grow has been an obsession since the very beginnings of agriculture. Over time, we have squeezed our collective brains to duplicate the sun in a lamp, the food in a bottle, and the environment in a selection of fans, heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and the like.

distributor

SEN I O R ED I TO R Tammy Clayton tammy@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 W EB A N A LYST Nikko Sayers nikko@gardenculturemagazine.com 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

D I ST R I B U T I O N PA R T N ER S • HydroGarden • Maxigrow • Highlight Horticulture • Nutriculture DGS

Eric © 325 Media

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.

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

ITI UK ED

I S SU E ON ·

The

LL Cropmaster A low level (LL) range of LED lamps specifically designed for the harsh and demanding environments encountered within vertical farming operations. The tough, durable Makrolon body in a slimline form factor allows 20%+ more growing space, while distributing the spectrum evenly by using Lumiled Sunplus 35 phosphor horticultural LEDs, and allowing the lamps to sit closer to your plants. An ideal fit for automated human-free operation, the Cropmaster LL can be powered with your choice of drivers, either the external Meanwell HLG series, or the Artesyn iHP rackmount. Visit Budmaster.co.uk for more info.

Clonex Mist

Taking cuttings using a scalpel or scissors can prove a traumatic experience for plants that can stunt growth and hinder root development in young plants. That’s why CLONEX Mist is essential when you are working with cuttings and need great results. Independent trials prove that - when combined with CLONEX gel - spraying your mother plant two weeks before taking cuttings and continuing to spray during propagation, produces roots that: - Form up to 10 days faster, - Grow up to 30% longer, - Have up to 156% greater mass. *Compared to misting with water alone.

To get more from your cuttings, visit: GrowthTechnology.com

i New LU M i SO L A R

The LUMii SOLAR 315 and 630 are complete fixtures that power 315W ceramic discharge metal-halide (CDM) lamps, which give your plants the best possible spectrum of light. SOLAR is highly efficient, its state-of-the-art ballasts are extremely lightweight, cool-running, and include hanging hooks. Ideal as both supplementary and standalone lighting, the LUMii SOLAR boasts extremely high PAR levels. The SOLAR 630 offers two power switches, one for each lamp, allowing you to choose which lamps you want on or off. The LUMii SOLAR 315 fixture is suitable for one 315W CDM Lamps. The LUMii SOLAR 630 fixture is suitable for up to two 315W CDM Lamps. Learn more on the HydroGarden website: http://www.hydrogarden.com/news/ 1209-lumii-solar-315-630-fixtures

® k e T G H E C ockcanod your plants a Give your ba ubstrates break from heavy s

Grow better with 100% natural, quality coconut coir substrates. The CocoTek range is derived from premium quality coconut coir processed to give you one of the cleanest, lightest, coco coir substrates on the market today. Safe to use straight from the bag with no rinsing needed. Guaranteed pathogen, weed, and pest free. Cocotek is available in three formats: • CocoTek® - 100% pure coconut coir. • CocoTek PX® - 75/25 coco/perlite mix. • CocoTek CP® - 60/40 coco/clay pebble mix Available from retailers across Europe: ask at your local shop or visit: www.eurohydro.com

SUNMASTER Metal Halide 10

K 600W Finishing Lamp

Sunmaster design and manufacture a complete range of metal halide lamps with spectral output tailored to specific plant growth needs. The Sunmaster Finishing lamp has higher violet-blue spectral light output than other HID lamps, ideal for the final stage of your plants’ growth cycle. • Essential UV for the final stage in the growth cycle. • Improves aroma and flavours. • Helps ripen fruit and increases oil production. • Long life and high output. To find your local retailer, visit Maxigrow.com/where-to-buy.

GROWING PRODUCTS

n o i t u l Revo Controller ighting L l a it ig D RLC-1

The Revolution RLC-1 Digital Lighting Controller senses when a preset maximum temperature in your grow room is reached and responds by dimming the lamps to cool the room, mitigating environmental stress and crop damage. Output can be fine-tuned from 600W up to 1150W in 1% increments. The unit monitors the input supply to deliver the correct power to the lamp and uses this data when there is an interruption in power to re-ignite the lamp quickly. The RLC-1 connects with up to 512 grow lights, spread across two zones, using standard RJ11 cables. • Zones 1 and 2 can control up to 256 lights, simultaneously. • No start-up surges. • Programmable Sunrise/Sunset. The RLC-1 can also activate external equipment in each zone through three auxiliary switches that can activate when the lights are on, activate when the lights are off, or when the set dimming temperature is reached.

ig Max ibr

To find your local retailer, visit Maxigrow.com/ where-to-buy

ast 150W Digilight ball

The 150W Digilight ballast from Maxibright is compact in design with a lightweight housing constructed from durable extruded anodised aluminium. Manufactured using high quality components, with the Digilight range, reliability and silent running are standard. • Silent, small, and lightweight. • Soft start technology, increasing lamp life. • RF shielded. • Flying lead with IEC connection. • Runs high-pressure sodium or metal halide lamps.

To find your local retailer, visit Maxigrow.com/where-to-buy.

® O C O C A R GHE FLO

Say goodbye to Calcium/ Magnesium supplements

A highly concentrated 2-part nutrient system, FloraCoco® is a coco-specific nutrient that doesn’t need additives to deliver outstanding results. Most ‘2-part’ nutrients require additional Cal/Mag and PK boosters to deliver your plant’s full potential, as well as two bottles each of ‘grow’ and ‘bloom’ nutrients. With FloraCoco®, you only need two bottles, from start to finish. Exceptionally rich in calcium and magnesium, FloraCoco® also contains the full range of other elements that a plant needs for healthy vigorous growth and flowering. This includes the trace micro-elements, which give your final product all the aroma and flavour that your plant is capable of developing. So, say goodbye to CalMag with FloraCoco® from General Hydroponics Europe. Available across Europe: ask your local shop for FloraCoco® or visit: www.eurohydro.com GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

GROWING PRODUCTS

M a x i Fa n

Controller Fusion Fan ting 20cm Oscilla

C l i p Fa n The MaxiFan 20cm Oscillating Clip fan is lightweight and flexible to use. This oscillating clip fan has a vertically adjustable head, two speed options, and highquality bearings for continuous, maintenance-free use. The fan head oscillates 180° and also has the option to fix the fan head in any desired position. Clip with integral wall mounting option, with a fan stand included as an alternative installation.

TNB UP / TNB DOWN Composed of all natural ingredients, TNB Up and Down contain no added dyes or harmful chemicals. This innovative way to raise and lower the pH levels of your hydroponic or liquid fertilizer is both simple and cost-effective. Simply add a small amount to your water, mix thoroughly, and check your pH levels. The pH (potential hydrogen) of a nutrient solution is a very important aspect of plant growth and proper management is essential for healthy plants and lush gardens. TNB Up and Down provide growers with a user-friendly and safe way to maintain appropriate pH levels for optimal plant growth. Find out more at TNBnaturals.com and contact Grotech Distribution UK for your local retailer.

To find your local retailer, visit Maxigrow.com/where-to-buy.

UN The Evolution S A fashion-forward style frame with a concealed flex-hinge and premium polarised optics. Designed by Method Seven Labs in collaboration with Carl Zeiss to render perfect neutral colour for outdoor growers, yet great for everyday use, whether you are driving, hanging in a café, or head to the beach. Conventional sunglasses typically flatten or over-enhance colour. The Evolution SUN’s spectrum lens design moderately attenuates light (darkens slightly), but respects the colour-balance under sunlight. Method Seven SUN lenses are all polarised, helping cut glare reflected from foliage while enhancing your ability to discern colour accurately. The lightweight polycarbonate lens is manufactured by Carl Zeiss, using Method Seven’s unique lens technology.

Same quality

sunmas t er l a mp s

with a refreshed and vibrant new look!

For more info, inquire at your grow shop or visit: www.methodseven.com/grow/evolution-sun-polarized.html

In stores soon! GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

BY DR CALLIE SEAMAN

Research has found that specific fungi produce enzymes that can break down contaminants

Remediation, Bioremediation

Cleaning the Land As humans, we are constantly polluting the planet and turning once flourishing land into toxic wasteland that can no longer be used to produce food, graze animals, build on, or in some cases, do anything at all with. Even though plants may still grow in polluted soil, the levels of the pollutants found in the plants are often toxic and harmful to humans and animals, and therefore, are not consumable. It is not just the land, water and other types of media can also be affected. The type of pollution can vary from heavy metals, such as zinc, nickel, lead, and aluminium to chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons, and pesticides. So, how do we tackle this ever-increasing problem? The answer is through remediation, which means actions that remedy something, in particular, reversing or stopping environmental damage. There are many different methods that offer numerous pros and cons. In this article we are only going to touch on a couple of methods, particularly the ones that I feel are a little more environmentally friendly.

BIOREMEDIATION

Phytoremediation

Microbial Bioremediation

Seen as one of the more sustainable methods of remediation, This involves the use of plants to remove pollutants, such as and in comparison with other options, it also costs less. As the pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and chlorinated name suggests, it involves the use of microorganisms to break solvents, by extracting and binding these compounds. Some down contaminants. These microbes use the pollutants as a varieties of plants will grow in the polluted soil, however, doing food source, breaking them down in order to utilize them as so massively compromises their yield, health, and general nutrients. Optimising the microbial rate of remediation often vigour, making crop failure inevitable. But there are also types requires nutrient inputs, along with buffers to of plants that happily grow on polluted land and The type of maintain the pH and other additives, such as make effective tools for removing heavy metals pollution can vitamins. and other pollutants from the soil. These are vary from a type of plant known as hyperaccumulators, heavy metals... capable of growing in soil with very high pollutant to chlorinated Mycoremediation concentrations. solvents, A similar method to microbial bioremediation, hydrocarbons, mycoremediation exclusively employs fungi A hyperaccumulator is a plant that grows and and pesticides that produce and excrete digestive enzymes takes up more of an element than it requires for that allow them to absorb nutrients from nutritional purposes, tolerating levels that would the surrounding area. Research has found that specific fungi normally kill other plants. They absorb more than the average produce enzymes can break down contaminants such as amount of metals and store them in their tissues. Broccoliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pesticides, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, and these have, ability to remove selenium is an example of this activity. therefore, been exploited for bioremediation purposes. Willow is another plant used in phytoremediation for many compounds, along with Alder and Poplar being particularly Naturally occurring compounds, such as humates, gypsum, useful for removing engine oil from soil. ammonium citrate, and seaweed extracts, have all been recorded as agents that aid remediation activity when applied to polluted land. How that works is a whole different story Oxygenation for another time. Increasing oxygen in the soil makes hydrocarbon pollutants break down. Accomplishing this is as simple as turning and We have only really touched the surface of remediation ploughing the soil to increase the oxygen in the material. High here. As mentioned earlier, there are many methods and pressure injection of air can also be used to achieve this. The others include: thermal desorption, excavation or dredging, downside to these methods is it increases volatile organic surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR), pump and compounds production, which bring their own issues. On the treat, solidification and stabilization, in situ oxidation, soil plus side, this method does also help to increase the microbial vapor extraction, and nanoremediation. Unfortunately, we content of the soil, which in turn help to break down other donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to go into these today, but I hope that this pollutants. Hydrogen peroxide can also be applied to water article has given you an overview of what bioremediation is and soil to oxygenate and increase the rate of hydrocarbon about. 3 break down, however, as you well know, this is a commonly used sterilizer and kills all the beneficial microbes in the soil. GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

BY CLIVE RIDDELL, TECHNICAL MANAGER, VENTURE LIGHTING EUROPE

HOW IT’S MADE: LIGHT BULBS

THREE MAIN TYPES OF LAMPS USED WITHIN THE GROW MARKET COMMUNITY

Well, they’re not grown, because they are not bulbs, but lamps – the correct terminology! It would be a good idea to have a lamp in your hand to view the parts as you read this. There are three main types of lamps used within the grow market community; Ceramic, HPS, and Quartz Metal Halide, where in principle just the arc tubes are different, and the outer jacket assembly methods remain similar.

SPECIAL NOTES:

Most of the process described requires very specialised machinery, purpose-built for lamp manufacture. Each company will have its variation of equipment, likely built in-house to suit their methodology of production and assembly. There is also a large proportion of skilled labour needed to produce lamps or the parts used within. Everything in this article applies to clear, tubular, single-ended, high-intensity discharge lamps that require either a ballast and high-voltage ignitors or an electronic ballast to operate. Lamps with internal starting mechanisms or probe starts are not included. The physical size of every item increases or decreases with wattage. Dimensions given in this article are from a 400W lamp.

a new per HPS

spective

The HPS arc tube is manufactured from a particular type of sintered translucent aluminium, polycrystalline alumina (PCA). PCA is initially supplied as a powder and pressed into a tube using metal dies to form the simple tubular shape. The powder itself is quite specific and has to be a precise size to allow the even distribution of light through arc tube walls. Once formed and inspected for any obvious flaws, the tube undergoes the firing process. When cooled, it is ready to receive the gas and chemical mixture that defines its light output.

Each end of this tube will have a “plug” fitted and cemented into position to form a gas-tight seal. The plug also has a niobium tube inserted into the centre, where the electrodes and lead-in wires are eventually inserted. Niobium has the same expansion and contraction coefficient as PCA and, therefore, maintains a bond over the lamp’s life. The electrodes are then attached to an extension piece, the lead-in wire, which makes the electrical connection to the outside of the arc tube. This electrode assembly is then passed through the niobium tube and sealed into position. We now have an arc tube end plug assembled, ready for inserting into the arc tube, but first, we need to prepare the chemical pills and gasses. Initially, one electrode plug assembly is cemented into the arc tube. In a sealed environment, the chemical pills are then added to the open end, along with the right mixture of xenon (to assist starting), and mercury (the prime gas for any discharge gas). The other electrode plug assembly is then placed into position and sealed.

We now have our HPS arc tube.

Ceramic As its name implies, these arc tubes are made from a ceramic type substance falling under the category of inorganic, nonmetallic, crystalline material. These are made by taking mixtures of PCA and a liquefying medium and shaping them into desired forms. There are a few methods used for making the arc tube. Slip casting, the process of forming the tube in one piece by

HOW IT’S MADE: LIGHT BULBS

THERE ARE A FEW METHODS USED FOR MAKING THE ARC TUBE pouring a liquid ceramic mixture, the slip, into moulds made from a material (such as plaster) that will absorb it in a manner that allows just a thin layer to deposit evenly on the inside walls. Once set, becoming leathery in texture, it now has some form and stability and can carefully be handled and readied for the kiln. Another way is to make several ceramic cup-shapes, bonding them together using a frit of magnesium calcium oxide, a glass ceramic. A ceramic arc tube can also undergo the same process as for HPS lamps, but without the niobium tube, using instead a ceramic plug modified with extension tubes for the lead-in wires and electrode assembly. These are cemented in place using the frit material. Once formed, it is then fired in a high-temperature kiln. Which technology is used, depends on the manufacturer’s preference. We now have a ceramic arc tube.

flame, the quartz softens, and the air inside heats up providing a positive pressure inside the arc tube. At the point of melting and helped by the pressure within, a pip forms and bursts, forming a protruding hole. At this time, a preheated length of tubing is quickly placed onto the molten pip. After cooling, this new tube is connected to a vacuum pump to remove the air and replace it with the correct dosing of APL chemical pills and gasses. Heat is again applied where the arc tube meets the “gas” tube and when soft, hot long-nose pliers seal off the arc tube and clean up the pip. Just to briefly complete the story with quartz. Depending on the lamp design, the very ends of the arc tube can sometimes be coated in an aluminium oxide (appears white). Using this keeps the electrodes hot, by reflecting the heat back into the arc tube around the electrode area. We now have a operational quartz arc tube. Adding the stem

Quar tz Metal Halide Again, as the name implies, these arc tubes are made from quartz and all start life from simple quartz tubes, heated and formed into the required size and shape. Some arc tubes are pinch body; formed by heating the ends to soften the quartz, the electrodes get inserted, and finally “squeezed” together, thus clamping the wire into position and sealing everything. Another method is to heat the centre portion, applying pressure from end to end while rotating the tube, causing it to bulge in the centre. Once cool, the ends are now heated and, using specialised tools and techniques, squashed down and formed into small narrow tubes, suitable for accepting the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly of quartz metal halide is different. Between the electrode and the lead-out wire, there is a thin flat piece of molybdenum, which has the same expansion and Turkey Tail Mushrooms contraction coefficient as quartz and, therefore, maintains a bond over life. The molybdenum is flat and very thin, which allows squashing it in between the quartz to make a seal.

Mount inspection

Sealing

Now that the arc tube has been made, we must attach a small tube, to enable inserting the chemical pills, the mercury, and other gases. By heating the centre of the arc tube with a tiny gas

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HOW IT’S MADE: LIGHT BULBS

UPON COMPLETION, TESTING EACH ARC TUBE ENSURES THERE ARE NO “LEAKERS” Electrodes

Exhaust

The electrodes consist of a tungsten core and a small metal rod (about needle-width) around which is wound a smaller diameter of tungsten wire. For metal halide lamps, this is then impregnated with thorium, a radioactive material, which easily emits electrons allowing the lamps to start.

APL for Chemical Pills The mix of chemicals used in doping the arc tube depends upon the lamp technology, the colour temperature, the lamp power, the spectral output, etc. Precision is critical and achieved by producing each element or compound in the form of a tiny sphere of chemical, called a pill.

Getter flashing

Because of the precision, complexity, and high purity requirements of these pills, only APL Material Division of ADLT, the parent company of Sunmaster, manufacture these pills used in almost all HID lamps, by all lamp manufacturers worldwide.

Arc Tube Completion Upon completion, testing each arc tube ensures there are no “leakers”. Usually, by applying about 30,000 volts to the middle of the arc tube resting on an earthed metal plate. The electric field produced is enough to cause electron flow within the arc tube, showing as a faint blue discharge – this is a glow state and will prove the arc tube is good to go.

Framing The arc tube is eventually mounted onto a suitable metal frame or stays, of either nickel-plated steel (normally used only with HPS) or stainless steel, essential for ceramic and quartz due to the additional high temperatures involved. The arc tube is also welded onto the stay, which then provides the electrical connection which will eventually proceed to the end cap. Springs can be fastened to the stays or frame, either coiled or flat strip, providing both support and some resilience for lamps in transport, especially large ones that have big, heavy arc tubes.

Lamp burn rack

THE FINAL NECESSARY ITEM ADDED TO THE FRAME, IS THE GETTER Getters The final necessary item added to the frame, is the getter. This looks like a small, copperycoloured watch battery, or as thin flat strip made of barium or zirconium. The basic reason for needing this item is to absorb any impurities possibly present after lamp finishing.

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HOW IT’S MADE: LIGHT BULBS

AT THIS STAGE, WE HAVE OUR SELF-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE OF THE METAL FRAME AND ARC TUBE Adding the Stem

End Capping

At this stage, we have our selfsupporting structure of the metal frame and arc tube (perhaps with a protective shroud) nearly ready for placing inside the outer jacket. The stem is a glass tube, often in a funnel or conical shape with a small hose of about 4mm diameter inserted into the side of the funnel, protruding down into the open end. This will eventually be used to evacuate the lamp.

End caps are made from either ceramic materials cast into the required shape (for example, the PGZ18), a nickel-plated brass pressing, or a rolled-form tube called the shell.

The bottom part of the lamp framework, which is just the two rods, is now placed into the small end of the conical glass stem and heated until soft. It is then squeezed together, bonding the rods and glass, and making a hermetic seal.

Finishing Now the arc tube gets placed within its outer envelope or outer jacket, the glass bulb everyone is familiar with, along with attaching a suitable lamp cap.

Evacuating The arc tube is now connected to a vacuum pump via the small 4mm hose protruding from the outer jacket, purging to ensure it is entirely void of all air and any water molecules. With some lamps, a nitrogen fill follows this process, helping to transfer heat from the arc tube to the outer jacket and to prevent the onset of any internal arcing.

Electrical connections The lamp frame support can provide the direct electrical contact to the lamp base. However, when the frame has large diameter rods (especially with 600W lamps), welding on thinner, more flexible connections takes place at some convenient point in the assembly process.

Either shape has notches sufficient for securing. Alternatively, rolling the brass part forms the thread, which also “forms” into the ceramic insert holding it securely into position.

Testing OK, so we now have a complete lamp. Time for testing, operating the lamps on control gear best suited for its standard application, after starting them with special ignitors that have been detuned to provide the minimal striking voltage. This ensures the lamps will start reliably while in-service, and is also done at a low mains supply voltage of 198V. Once it has struck the supply voltage, the lamp is retuned to nominal and left for 20 minutes, after which measuring its power, voltage, and current ensures the lamp is operating within the design parameters. That’s it – simple… 3

BY DR CALLIE SEAMAN

how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made

Nutrients

HOW IT’S MADE: NUTRIENTS

The shelves of the local hydro store are full of different bottles filled with all the key elements required for healthy and productive growth of your plants, the liquids differing in viscosity, colour, odour, and transparency. So, why are all these solutions so different? The answer seems obvious… because they stimulate different things in your plants. Well, yes, but it is not that simple. Let’s first take a look at the types of solution that are out there on the shelves.

T here a re t wo b a sic c at egorie s of h y drop onic nu t rien t s a nd a ddi t i v e s; Nu t rien t s a nd Bio s t imul a n t s There’s no such thing as 100% pure!

There are two basic categories of hydroponic nutrients and additives; Nutrients and Biostimulants. Nutrients are all of those products with a nutritional content for the plant. This includes all base nutrients, but also covers some additives, such as PK. There are plenty of products out there that are combinations of both nutrient and biostimulant, but for the purposes of this article we’re going to broadly split them along these lines.

Nutr ients Base nutrients contain the key elements needed for growth - nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and all the other microelements. It’s essential that your choice of products covers the plant’s basic requirements across all these elements. The availability and ratios between these elements can have a significant steering effect on your plants – this is why we have grow and bloom formulations to feed the plant’s requirements at certain stages of growth, and why we have nutrient additives (such as PK products) that are often used very precisely at certain key stages of growth.

Pur it y Base nutrients and nutrient-based additives will often just contain mineral salts, such as potassium nitrate, mono potassium phosphate, and magnesium sulphate. These types of salts contain no carbon, referred to as inorganic compounds, and are usually derived from rocks mined from deposits hundreds and thousands years old. This raw rock is often laced with organic matter and other elements which can contain toxins, so before being used, they need to go through a purification process.

After extraction from the earth, the rock is often treated with heat, acids, or alkaline solution to purify the rock down to the elements of interests. The depth of this process dictates the chemical’s purity. This is also referred to as the grade of the chemical and allows categorising for various purposes. Low purity chemicals are often used for industrial applications, such as lubricants, cleaners, and building material. One of the lowest grades, funny enough, is fertilizer grade. This grade of salt is usually what the agriculture sector uses, applying it to fields in huge quantities. For farmers, there isn’t really much requirement for high purity chemicals, so the level of refinement for this grade is relatively low – mainly focussing on removing and/or reducing heavy metal content, which can end up in our food chain if supplied to food crops. This grade can also be further split into two sub-grades; agricultural and horticultural. Agricultural grade is usually coarser and the particles larger in size. Horticultural grade is usually smaller in particle size and dissolves more readily in water, often containing microelements (Fe, Zn, Cu, etc.) as opposed to just macroelements (K, N, and P). The term “fertilizer grade” is actually more of a legal guarantee in reference to the available plant nutrients -the NPK ratios stated on the products. The next grade up is known as technical grade. This grade is generally used for industrial application, where higher quality chemicals will improve performance. In industry, this tends to apply to chemicals that are toxic to humans, but have a high purity, and are not intended for human consumption. Some of the higher grades are fit for human consumption if correctly certified and safe to use in food, pharmaceuticals, GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

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HOW IT’S MADE: NUTRIENTS

The microbial content must fall below a strict level to earn food grade class and cosmetics. In the hydro world, most higher quality nutrient products use this grade of minerals, as its relatively high purity of 80-99% results in a quality end product. The next purity step up, lab grade chemicals, are 9099% pure and designed for use in schools, universities, and laboratories. These are higher priced than technical grade and not very likely used in making any hydro industry products. Right at the top of the tree are analytical grade chemicals, which are 99.9999% pure - there’s no such thing as 100% pure! These are only used in very small quantities for analysis of samples with very tiny amounts of the chemical of interest. The cost of these chemicals is astronomical due to the levels of purification required, and therefore, simply not in use in the hydroponic nutrient world.

Hang on – what about pharmaceutical grade? This falls into the food grade categories, which means that it is fit for human consumption. In the US, chemicals rated as food grade split into 3 categories: feed grade, human grade, and pharmaceutical. These types of products must have a minimum of 90% purity and be produced in sanitary conditions, ensuring they are not going to cause illness in humans. The microbial content must fall below a strict level to earn food grade class and certification. Human grade and feed grade must meet FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requirements, however, the human grade must also pass USDA inspection. Now, phar-

maceutical grade in this categorisation means a chemical that is 99% pure, has virtually no microbial content, and this purity level must also be verified by an independent laboratory that has no link with the manufacturer. The production facility and manufacturing process must also reach a particular standard and be approved by regulatory bodies, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), British Pharmacopoeia (BP), European Pharmacopoeia (EP), or the Japanese Pharmacopeia (JP). Now, as you can imagine, taking a product from 90% purity to 99% purity is very costly, and quite often unnecessary. All of this approval from regulatory bodies also increases the cost of pharmaceutical grade chemical production. One kilogram of pharmaceutical grade chemical can therefore cost hundreds of pounds, whereas the same thing at technical grade might cost hundreds of pounds per tonne and still be fit for the intended purpose. In short, using only certified pharmaceutical minerals in hydro feed is not economically possible. A lot of mystery and many myths surround hydroponic nutrient production, and most of the time liquid fertilizers start life as a solid in the form of a powder. To produce large volumes of concentrated base feed solutions, it requires dissolving up to 500 kg of powdered ingredients per 1000 litres of pure, filtered, sterile water. So, ask yourself this question - if you are producing thousands of litres of solution, is it cost effective to use 99% pure “pharmaceutical grade” chemicals when they offer no real benefit? For some of the chemicals, where you’re only using minute quantities, yes, but for all the chemicals to be officially pharmaceutical grade makes nutrient production cost prohibitive.

Grade

Purity Range

Application

Fertilizer

Undefined

Farmers, agriculture.

Technical

80-99%

Industrial, horticulture

Laboratory

90-99%

Schools and educational facilities

Food Grade

90-99%

Food, medicine, human consumption. Approved by governing body.

•

Feed Grade

90%

Livestock and animal feed

•

Human Grade

90%

Food production

•

Pharmaceutical grade

99%

Medicine

100.00%

Research and high-quality analysis

Analytical

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

HOW IT’S MADE: NUTRIENTS

S y n t he t i c b i o s t imul a n t s a l s o e x i s t, p r o d u c ed in t he l a b or at ory v i a v ery c omp l ic at ed a nd c o s t ly p roce s se s

Bios timulants Biostimulants contain compounds known biostimulant products stable in their conbiostimulants as active ingredients, that stimulate the centrated form without having to resort to are like the plant and its metabolic pathways to help the more harsh chemistry of VOCs. improve a plant’s productivity and insupplements or crease its yields. Basically, the nutrients drugs which are the plants’ food and the biostimulants So what’s bes t to give to my help the plant are like the supplements or drugs which plants? perform better help the plant perform better, but are not The million dollar question! The short anessential for growth. In the hydro world, swer is that there is no right answer to this. there are countless biostimulants includNutrient manufacturers around the world have different ed in all kinds of products, from rooting compounds to research bases and different methodologies. No two nutribloom boosters. They really are everywhere, and it’s iments or biostimulants are the same, and it really does come portant that as growers we all understand a little about down to what works best for you. what these compounds are and how they work. There are some highly effective active ingredients, such as Triacontanol, we can naturally derive from plants, and other compounds from seaweed extracts. Synthetic biostimulants also exist, produced in the laboratory via very complicated and costly processes. Both natural and synthetic active compounds quite often are not freely soluble in water and do not dissolve readily. The reasons for this vary, from them being hydrophobic (water-hating) to being a lipid or fatty acid (fatty type compound), having low solubility, the pH of the solution – but it is basically down to the properties of the compound. I shall not bore you with the in-depth chemistry lecture on why something is soluble in water, but if you are really interested, any A-level chemistry book can assist with your quest for this knowledge! In order to make some of these compounds dissolve, solvents such as methanol or acetone could be used. These are often referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOC) and can cause the solution to become flammable, which is never a good thing. VOCs can also be toxic to plants and damaging to the environment. In recent years, there has been a move to more green chemistry and producing emulsions and suspensions with the aid of substances such as emulsifiers, surfactants, and adjuvants. Without giving away all of our secrets, this is how better nutrient brands manage to keep consistent and uniform

What I would say is beware of marketing hype! Cynically calling something pharmaceutical grade to appeal to a subset of customers doesn’t sit very well with me. It implies an advantage that simply will not exist. Similarly, when it comes to biostimulants, beware of what’s actually in the bottle. Naturally-derived biostimulants are actually refined compounds from nature’s own pharmacy and have predictable and safe results. Synthetic compounds can have huge effects on plants, but have often been designed in a lab to have a specific effect on certain plants – often not those meant for human consumption, such as cut flowers or ornamentals. You need be sure that what you are using on your plant will have no effect on crop safety, and there are many compounds out there that you wouldn’t want anywhere near your plants. Just be careful, do your research, buy from reputable manufacturers, and you won’t go far wrong! 3

BIO Dr. Callie Seaman is a plant obsessed Formulation Chemist at AquaLabs – the company behind SHOGUN Fertilisers and the Silver Bullet plant health range. She has been in the hydro industry for 15 years in research development and manufacturing and had previously worked on the VitaLink range. She has a PhD in fertiliser chemistry and a BSc (HONS) in Biomedical sciences and loves nothing more than applying this knowledge to pushing the boundaries of nutrient performance.

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

BY GREG RICHTER, REVOLUTION MICROELECTRONICS

HOW IT’S MADE

s t s a l l a B Digital

e d a M s ’ t I How

In case you wondered how these went together, here’s a quick overview of the process. Designing all modern electronics takes place in CAD systems like Altium and SolidWorks that let you draw your schematic, lay out the circuit board and, in the case of SolidWorks, draw the metal and plastic and glass that holds all the electrical bits inside. An Altium schematic capture for a simple project, in this case, an amplifier, looks like this:

The same amplifier project above looks like this when you lay it out:

Designing all modern electronics takes place in CAD systems

Once the design is drawn, values computed, and the parts selected, the engineer can lay out the printed circuit board (PCB), also in a CAD system.

Typically, the mechanical and electrical designs are done at the same time, so you don’t paint yourself into a corner. SolidWorks is very popular for mechanical design, and it integrates well with Altium.

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HOW IT’S MADE

It’s wor th building a few by hand to verif y that your design is not only correct, but robust enough to handle bad generator power, RF noise, heat, cold, and water

A well-crafted SolidWorks rendering can look very realistic:

Once you’ve picked the parts and designed the PCBs, the next step is ordering all the pieces, building prototypes, and trying them out. Engineering is a fairly exact science, but with so many things that you have to estimate or tune experimentally, it’s worth building a few by hand to verify that your design is not only correct, but robust enough to handle bad generator power, RF noise, heat, cold, and water. The picture below shows thermocouples taped to each point of interest to measure temperature rise over time in a heated room. Stress testing at this stage can prevent most early life failures in electronics, what we call Infant Mortality.

Stress testing at this stage can prevent most early life failures in electronics

The next image shows an anechoic chamber where we measure EMI and RF susceptibility. Not only to ensure that the unit does not emit RF, but also to make sure that it is not prone to RF interference. Once we’ve made the circuit board and the metal parts are out for extrusion, casting, or machining, the next step in production is stuffing the board. A robot does the small parts and surface mount parts, and larger parts like transformers are typically placed by hand. The smaller parts stick to the board in a solder/flux mixture that melts and solders them permanently in place.

Anechoic chamber

The larger parts are typically placed by hand

Once we’ve stuffed the PCB, it goes through an infrared reflow oven that melts the sticky solder/flux mixture, and then through a wave solder process in which molten silver/tin, lead-free, mixture flows over the bottom of the board to solder in all the larger components. Each board is inspected by machine vision and by a person looking for solder fillet sizes, cold joints, and other process issues. Certain highreliability of life-safety products are also X-rayed. Before assembling the boards into the product, each one is

Bed Of Nails

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HOW IT’S MADE

Cer tain high-reliabilit y of life-safet y products are also X-rayed

tested by an ICT (In Circuit Test) fixture we call the “Bed Of Nails.” This robot loads any system software, verifies all circuit values, operating voltages, frequencies, and data paths. Once through ICT, the board is now tested and verified as working properly.

Each board is inspected by machine vision and by a person

After final assembly, each device is then burned in at elevated temperature. For the DEva light, the 1000W lamp puts off enough heat to warm the test fixture.

Assembled and tested, the board can now be assembled into the metal, plastic, and glass cases. Each one is checked both by robotic inspection and by a person testing it. This two-pass quality approach is common in high-reliability electronics.

Once assembled, tested, and burned in, the Quality Assurance staff cycles the devices one more time to verify the lamp is good, and no issues exist. We call this First Customer Testing. Finally, the ballasts go into boxes, onto pallets, and into containers headed to the Port of Bangkok for shipping worldwide. 3

GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

BY STEPHEN BROOKES - NPK TECHNOLOGY

Nanoparticles How Are They Made?

HOW IT’S MADE: : NANOPARTICLES

Nanoparticles are tiny microscopic particles between the size of 1-100 nanometers (nm). To put this into context, a single human hair is between 80,000 and 100,000 nm thick, and this page you’re reading from is roughly 100,000 nm thick. We could also say that if the diameter of a marble was one nanometre, the diameter of the world would be about one metre!

Nanoparticles represent a big step forward with how we use fertilisers in agriculture and hydroponics If that didn’t make how small a nanoparticle is hit home, look at your fingernail for 5 seconds… You’ve just watched your nail grow 5 nm in length. For this reason, it is amazing that we have been able to work out how to manipulate these tiny particles and get them to work to our advantage in industries such as agriculture, health, sports, entertainment, lighting, and science in general.

top down method

Bulk

Powder Nanoparticles

So, how are they made? Clusters

Nanoparticles are relatively easy to make, since any particle that comes under the 100 nm range is a nanoparticle. The tricky part is getting a nanoparticle that is relatively small (under 50 nm) and making the size consistent every time.

bottom up method

Atoms

Firstly, we have the top-down method, which is the one generally used for producing nanoparticles. This involves using mechanical procedures, like mechanical attrition, to produce particles in the high end of the nano-scale. This method has already been used for many years to produce fine flour and for turning sugar crystals into icing sugar. The types of machines used to achieve this fall under two categories, mills and extruders. Both processes grind large particles into nanoparticles. The problem (for certain industries) with this method is that it lacks uniformity and getting below 50 nm is very difficult, which is where bottomup manufacturing comes into its own.

them into different forms at the end of the process. The different forms will react differently at a range of pH, temperatures, pressures, solvents, etc. So, it’s important to pick the correct method of production to suit the job that the nanoparticle will perform.

Bottom-up nanoparticle synthesis means building up a particle from atoms or the molecular constituents of the product you want, like building a model out of Lego, brick by brick. There are many types of bottomup methodologies that produce small (below 50 nm) particles whilst keeping strict uniformity (+/- 5 nm), but they produce varied types of nanoparticles and put

Originally, the first method used to produce nanocrystalline metals and alloys was via gas condensation. This technique vaporises a metallic or inorganic material using thermal evaporation like with a furnace, or in more advanced methods using electron beam evaporation devices that form ultra-fine particles by collisions of evaporated atoms with residual gas molecules.

Generally, making nanoparticles in the bottom-up process involves combining two solutions under a variety of conditions, such as atmospheric pressure, gaseous environment alteration (Nitrogen or Argon), temperature, pH, and retention time. Retention time is simply the time that the materials have together, and the shorter the time, the smaller the particle.

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HOW ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MADE: : NANOPARTICLES

chemical vapour deposition (CVD)

credit: www.plasma-electronics.com

becoming much more efficient when using mineral nutrients...

One of the most well-known methods for nanoparticle production is via chemical vapour deposition (CVD). In this method, a solid is deposited on a heated surface through a chemical reaction (in the vapour or gas phase) using an external energy source, such as a laser. The opposite method to this is chemical vapour condensation (CVC), which uses vapours of a metal organic precursor that undergo pyrolysis (decomposition through high temperatures) in a reduced pressure atmosphere (i.e. a bottom-down process).

makes it possible to vary the structure and properties of these nanoparticles, making them suitable for a variety of applications.

Why is this important?

Nanoparticles represent a big step forward with how we use fertilisers in agriculture and hydroponics. We are starting to move away from trying to re-invent the wheel with traditional fertiliser salts and new ways of marketing a different NPK ratio, and like building a more importantly, becoming much more efficient when using mineral nutrients. One of the most recent techniques is via model out of This ties in closely with microbes and chemical preparation. This method Lego, brick by how we can reduce fertiliser application precipitates nanoparticles when adding with the correct usage and application two precursor solutions together, and is brick of microbes to become as efficient as known as co-precipitation. The particles possible. In the future, as further research takes place, form in a liquid and the precipitate can then be centrifuged, nanoparticle synthesis will become cheaper and available washed and dried, or filtered. This method can give really to a bigger segment of growers. good uniformity and allows particles to be made on the lowest scale of nano. An adaption of this method, called I hope you have enjoyed this insight into how nanoparticles sol-gel, introduces a colloidal suspension known as SOL are made. 3 and a gelatine (GEL) to increase the retention time of the two precursor solutions. A catalyst is used to start the reaction, which then goes through 4 stages:

1) Hydrolysis; 2) Condensation; 3) Growth of particles; 4) Agglomeration of particles. During the hydrolysis phase, adding a catalyst achieves acceleration. The rate of hydrolysis is also affected by pH and the reagentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concentration. Control of these parameters along with controlled ageing and drying

BIO: Stephen Brookes is a science fanatic, hydroponics obsessed bookworm that works at NPK Technology. He has a bachelor degree of Science in Outdoor Education and Geography, MSc in Nutrition and Scientific Investigation, and is now working on his PhD, researching the effects of different ratios of cannabinoids in the human body. Motto: The more you learn, the less you know!

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BY THEO TEKSTRA - MARKETING MANAGER, GAVITA INTERNATIONAL BV

PART

CHAN GE YOU R LAM P, CHAN GE YOU R

a degraded reflector can cause more light loss than your lamp

Almost every grower changes lamps frequently. That is good practice, because after over a year of use the light output of a good horticultural double-ended HPS lamp reduces about 3-4%*, resulting in lower yields. The average losses in the first year are only about 1.5-2%, but in the next year this could reach over 5% on average! Waiting longer than a year to replace your lamps will have a measurable impact on your yield and profitability.

LIGHT MATTERS

Lamps, let’s face it, are not cheap. But used on a cash crop, replacing a lamp is easily justified by the increased yield. It’s common, and good practice, to change your double-ended lamps every year, singleended lamps every 8-12 months, metal halides every 3-5 months, and ceramic metal halides every 9-12 months. The DE HPS lamp in this list has the best light maintenance of these four by far. So, you change your DE lamp every year, but have you ever considered changing your reflector? Consider that your reflector is responsible for about two-thirds (⅔) of your light, and you will understand that a degraded reflector can cause more light loss than your lamp.

your reflector is responsible for about 2/3 of your light Reflector degradation Why do reflectors degrade? First of all, many manufacturers use MIRO® aluminum for their reflectors. MIRO® aluminum has a thin, super-reflective oxide layer system on top, to protect and enhance the pure aluminum reflection layer. In contrast to an applied coat of paint, this layer is an integral part of the base material. It is ceramic-hard, highly transparent, and ensures reliable color bonding. The oxide layer makes the underlying pure aluminum reflection layer resistant to corrosion. The layer itself, as it is already an oxide product, will not corrode further. Fig 2 - Enhanced reflectiveness using MIRO® aluminum over anodized

Fig 1 - The structure of MIRO® Aluminum The advantage of MIRO® aluminum is that, while protecting the pure aluminum, this oxide layer enhances the pure aluminum layer reflectivity by as much as 8-10% compared to a standard (chemical) anodizing process. But even this hard, oxidized material can degrade under high temperatures, and specifically when combined with dust, chemicals, and other particles that are common to grow rooms and greenhouses.

The effect of temperature and contaminations The temperature of a 1000W metal halide lamp exceeds 800°C (1472°F), and even a HPS lamp reaches about 700°C (1292°F). Now, radiation heat is mostly reflected by the reflector, but you will still have a lot of convection heat, from the air in the reflector warming up, and of course, the radiation that is not reflected (absorbed) by the material will heat up the reflector. Being so close to the lamp, a clean reflector can reach temperatures of about 150°C (302°F). MIRO® aluminum is stable up to 300°C (572°F). Even with a high-efficiency 1000W MH DE lamp, the temperature of a clean reflector will not go beyond 150°C (302°F), so there is no temperature effect on the material stability from high temperatures. For other materials, such as MIRO® Silver, the maximum allowed temperature is just the above mentioned 150°C (302°F).

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LIGHT MATTERS

the damaging effects can be cumulative in nature Chemicals and particles in the air, however, are a far worse threat to a reflector’s reflectivity than moderate heat. Think about sulfur, calcium in water (misting systems), dust, and chemicals that are sprayed on the crop. They settle on the reflective surface and under influence of the high temperatures may even burn into the reflective material. Scrubbing the reflector is useless: you will damage the, only a few nanometers thick, oxide layer that protects the pure aluminum, and that will cause further degradation of your reflector. Basically, the only thing you can do is very carefully dust them (or use compressed air) or wash them with a very soft cloth and low acidic solution (of the right pH) to get those spots off. Lastly, rinse them with demineralized water to prevent calcium deposits after drying. You can wash grease spots off with a solution of water and alcohol (if not already burned in!). This cleaning will remove contaminations of the reflector, but it doesn’t repair any damage already done by burning in of particles.

You might recognize this story: A customer buys three new type reflectors. He is very surprised about the extra yield he gets: this is the best reflector he ever had. But after 3-4 years, he does the same thing. Again, these new reflectors are much better than his previous ones! Is that true? It could be, but experience teaches that, had he bought exactly the same reflectors, not a new type, his yields would improve as well, probably just as much. Specifically, air-cooled reflectors, where you have a lot of air moving in the reflector, are sensitive to deposits and dust. Having a filter on the air inlet can reduce this effect. The glass filter, however, is a much greater barrier, and needs to be cleaned regularly, basically every month, inside and out. Replacement Guidelines: 1. In a clean room, without misting systems or lots of spraying, and no sulfur vaporizers, you can replace the reflectors once every 2 years of use. 2. In a room with more dust, sprays, misting systems, humidifiers, or sulfur vaporizers, it is recommended to replace the reflectors every year. To clean your reflectors, here are the guidelines provided by the manufacturer of MIRO® aluminum (Alanod):

What to do!

What not to do!

Loose dirt

Clean, soft duster or compressed air

Scrubbing No paper towels such as hand towels from sanitary facilities

Light soiling

Dilute a citric acid based cleaning product with water (e.g. 30 ml Frosch® citrus cleaner in 5 litre of water) Follow the dilution instructions of the cleaning product manufacturer to ensure a pH value of 3.0 to 4.5 Use a lint-free, clean cotton cloth Always use a fresh, clean cloth

Do not use cleaning products undiluted Do not use vinegar based cleaning products Neutral or alkaline cleaning products are not suitable Do not apply excessive force Avoid direct finger contact with the surface (risk of fingerprints) Do not use cloths more than once

Heavy soiling

Oil and grease can be removed using a mixture of alcohol and water (1:1), e.g. methylated spirits Residues of alcohol based cleaning products are easily wiped away with a watersoaked cotton cloth Stubborn stains can be soaked in diluted citrus cleaner (see above)

Do not scrape or scour with hard tools Do not use concentrated acids or bases such as hydrochloric acid Do not use white spirit Do not use atypical cleaning products such as oven spray, window cleaner, wood floor or furniture polish, drain cleaner, wheel cleaner, limescale remover, etc. Do not use ultrasonic cleaning systems

Fig 3 – Close-up of a highly contaminated reflector A second effect of contamination on the reflector is that this will absorb a lot more heat, heating up the reflector to much higher temperatures. Other than the burn-in effect, which can damage the reflective surface, this could also lead to a temperature degradation of the material. In any case, even a cleaned reflector is less reflective than a new one. Knowing that two-thirds of your light comes from your reflector, you can imagine that it is crucial to frequently replace your reflectors. When do you replace a reflector? It is really hard to visually assess if a reflector is dirty or deteriorated. The only way you can really test this is by comparing new and old reflectors in an integrating sphere or photogoniometer. You would be surprised how much a very thin layer of dust or not even visible calcium deposits can influence the reflective surface.

In addition to that, though most fluids will drain right off the reflector, rinsing the reflector with demineralized water will prevent calcium spots on your reflector. Remember though, that you will never get the original reflectivity. 3

* based on the Gavita Pro Plus 1000W DE lamp, light maintenance >96% over 5000 burning hours.

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WHAT’S GROWING ON

s ’ o h W Growing

t a h W Whe

in the UK

1. Dorchester & Hampshire

The Impossible Crop

credit: The Wasabi Company

Most people living outside of Japan have never tasted real wasabi because it’s an incredibly difficult plant to grow. The plant requires an environment most farms cannot provide. However, when a Japanese chef visiting a long-established watercress farm stated that the only other crop he had seen demanding similar conditions was the fiery wasabi, it inspired the creation of what is now the Wasabi Company. Getting started wasn’t easy, but it is successful from a business standpoint. The Wasabi Company continues conquering the learning curve on a crop that takes two years to bring to harvest, but supplies all of the UK and distributes in Europe. What’s interesting is the realisation that producing food is possible beyond high and dry ground. Grow where you’re planted. Find a crop that thrives in the conditions you’ve got, and make it happen! Learn more: bit.ly/2wasabi

2. Exeter, Devon

Growing Together

The co-op extends an open membership invitation, and anyone who walks through the gate is welcome. They’re definitely an industrious lot with numerous rotating crops in large growing beds, a 30-tree orchard, small fruits and herbs production, polytunnel, willow beds, and a building that accommodates tea breaks, meetings, and storage. The sustainably grown organic harvest is sold locally, freely enjoyed by full Members, and Friend members enjoy the produce at a discount. Elect the fresh, local food option that fits your personal commitment level. Learn more: bit.ly/EG-Coop

credit: Exeter Growers Co-operative

The idea was born in 2008. The 20-30 member community agriculture group met monthly to form a vision and a plan for their project, which became a registered Industrial and Provident Society Co-op the following spring. Since then, Exeter Growers Cooperative has continuously worked 4 acres of organic land nearby.

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WHAT’S GROWING ON

’s o h Wrowing G

in the UK credit: Growing for Life

t a h W Where

3. Torbay, Devon

Outgrowing Risk Turning adverse social conditions around calls for some ‘Reverse Engineering,’ as Howard Jones calls it. After his involvement in the Eden Project, Jones started the Growing for Life program on the fringe of Torbay. Based on John Hamblin’s work with prison inmates through the Shekinah Mission, the program has spread into several prisons while involving the greater community. In fact, locals have fully embraced the gardens and activities at Growing for Life that it has become more about growing the community than changing paths for the incarcerated. Not to worry, though, the Living Networks social company founded by Jones to support the program at Torbay is alive and well;

re-energising, re-equipping, and re-engineering inmates in preparation for reentry to society. The secret to moving anyone onto a promising path is growing. Learn more: bit.ly/grow4life

Propagation Place credit: St Werburghs CityDonnelly/Ballymoney.gov. Farm Credit: Patrick Frew, Declan

4. St Werburghs, Bristol

Only a year old and already a resounding success, Propagation Place sits between St Werburghs City Farm and Ashley Vale Allotments. What do they do here? Propagating... plants, people, and community. The registered charity seeks to inspire and boost people’s quality of life by drawing the neighborhood together, and producing good food, locally. Benefiting over 300 people a year, while engaging over 200 is quite an accomplishment for such a young, and sustainable business. It’s for locals and volunteers who want to get involved, including seniors, the disabled, and the marginalized. The space is equipped with a polytunnel for starting seedlings for sale, the space increases fresh food availability for gardeners and consumers alike. Committed to growing a happier, healthier, more unified community. Learn more: bit.ly/prop-place 3

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BY RICH HAMILTON

I T I F F A GR ally g e l l w i a r d r o iew , v t c n i i l a pub h, p c n t i a h r t c i to s ce w a f r u on a s

GRAFFITI

Graffiti, coming from the Latin singular “graffito,” means to scratch, paint, or draw illegally on a surface within public view. It is not a new idea, stretching back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire. Today, we are most familiar with graffiti carried out using spray paint and marker pens. A broad demographic of people see it as vandalism due to the public areas/property on which it gets applied. However, when you realise that graffiti and graffiti artists often identify as part of a disgruntled generation who are making a social or political statement, it does not come as a surprise. One of the ultimate forms of youth rebellion in use for many years, graffiti has also become heavily associated with different genres of youth and street culture, including hip-hop, b-boying, skating, and gangs. Opinions on graffiti differ depending on who you speak to. Whilst some see it as nothing more than mindless defacement, others see it as a constantly evolving art form that reflects the ever-changing world in which we live. No doubt there is value and a place for it in the art world with legal graffiti sites existing in most cities and graffiti-style art used for everything from album covers to advertising campaigns promoting kids’ colouring books! Then you have the graffiti artists who earn recognition for their talent, with the infamous Banksy being a perfect example. Their paintings have sold for record sums and are also preserved in the public spaces they created them in. So, how has graffiti changed over the years to reach this point where the lines and opinions are so blurred?

1960s This era saw the beginnings of modern-day graffiti. The story goes that Daryl McCray in North Philadelphia (better known as Cornbread) started tagging “Cornbread loves Cynthia” all over the city. A love declaration! He gained some media and public notoriety, and then continued to tag his name along with his friend Cool Earl. The idea was to see who could get noticed the most. It turned into a local trend. Then another Philadelphia tagger identified as Top Cat 126 moved to New York in the late 60s and continued tagging there. Soon, more New Yorkers started following suit.

1970s Graffiti took off in 1970s New York, bankrupt and crimeridden with a high population of young people living on or below the poverty line, all looking for something to belong to, something to make their mark in the days before the internet, Netflix, and Xbox. Tagging grew

in popularity with the norm being to use your name along with your street number, so everyone knew what area you were from. The canvas was any surface you could find, but there was a huge trend toward subway cars, inside and out. I don’t think there is a film, music video, or documentary set in New York in the 70s or 80s that didn’t use a graffiti-covered subway train as a setting or background shot. Trains were ideal for getting your work noticed as they would travel from one end of the city to the other. Writers, such as TAKI 183 and Tracy 168, would “bomb” a whole train with their work and then watch it ride through the city. It’s no wonder it appealed to local gangs, an ideal way of marking their territory or expressing their dominance and presence in the city. In 1972, those who saw potential in this new art form started the United Graffiti Artists collective, and galleries began displaying graffiti.

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Author Rich Hamilton

1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Birdie and Goldie

GRAFFITI

Fab 5 Freddy” was a pivotal figure in connecting graffiti and hip hop in the late 70s

1970’s New York vintage graffiti

Jean-Michel Basquiat - 1982

The scene got more competitive with new styles emerging around 1974. Artists were going further, coming up with new and elaborate lettering styles and illustrations in bright, vibrant colours. Bubble writing was replaced with the “Wild Style.” An infamous graffiti crew was born, with over 500 members, including Blade, Tracy 168, Cope2, and Juice 177- some of the most legendary on the scene. Standards of painting evolved continuously throughout the 70s with the graffiti movement now moving beyond New York City and becoming a widespread phenomenon. Fab 5 Freddy was a pivotal figure in connecting graffiti and hip-hop in the late 70s by creating links to the predominantly white downtown art and music scene, which drew the mainstream art world’s attention.

Hip-hop was not the only musical subculture to adopt graffiti. The 1980s saw the punk rock explosion. You can draw many parallels between punk and hip-hop music, in that they are both championed by young, working-class people who are somewhat disillusioned with the formalities of life. As a result, they are often quite expressive and rebellious concerning music, lyrics, and cultural image. So, it is no surprise that punk also adopted the idea of using graffiti to help spread messages.

1980s During this decade, the connection between graffiti, hip-hop, and street culture firmly cemented, becoming a cultural feature of cities across the world with a move towards conceptual graffiti and urban art by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Richard Hambleton. However, this didn’t please everyone, and some saw the rise of graffiti culture as inciting crime and fear. Media coverage was as negative as it was positive, which like anything viewed as rebellious, just attracted more young people to get involved. The 1980s spawned two cult films about the hip-hop and graffiti scene; the documentary Style Wars featuring artists like Dondi and ZEPHYR, and the fictional Wild Style, both released in 1983. That same year, Fab 5 Freddy continued to push the movement forward by taking graffiti to Europe as part of the New York City Rap Tour.

Stencilling was very popular with punk bands with stencil-like images on records, clothing, and in public places. The UK band Crass, for example, carried out a stencil campaign on the London Underground in the early 80s featuring anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anticonsumerist messages. Graffiti’s importance on the Amsterdam punk scene was such that there was a whole magazine devoted to it, the imaginatively titled Gallery Anus. American punk bands, such as Black Flag, led the way with their logo commonly stencilled wherever possible.

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GRAFFITI

1990s While the 1980s saw some artists making the crossover from painting graffiti on the street to showing work in galleries, the 1990s witnessed the emergence of a new group of street artists who would diversify and evolve the style of graffiti even more. The decline of the USSR and the Berlin Wall coming down in the late 80s meant that a lot of Eastern European countries opened up to Western culture as a whole, including graffiti. It seemed even more of a poignant form of expression given the sudden shift in the social and political landscape at the time. The internet was in its infancy, but beginning to make it easier for people across the globe to share ideas and images. The 90s also saw the emergence of two artists who would have a massive influence on the world of street art and graffiti for years to come. They were Shepard Fairey and Banksy.

2000-Present The start of this century saw the boom time for artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey, the latter of which hailed from the USA. A scene veteran having started out in the 80s, Fairey is most known for his Andre the Giant Has a Posse sticker campaign that eventually became his trademark and the “OBEY face,” an iconic logo for one of the biggest and most credible streetwear brands. His reputation soared in the 2000s when he created a series of infamous street graphics, including the Barack Obama “HOPE” poster in 2008. Banksy, a street artist from Bristol UK, had already been on the scene since the early 90’s, but soon grew from an army of one to a team of three. Again it was the 2000s which saw their work explode. However, fame followed a style change, inspired by the original work of French street artist and Father of Stencil Graffiti, Blek le Rat who had busily been stencilling rats all over Paris since the early 80s. Banksy began to create pieces in a similar style, and the rest, as they say, is history. (A very lucrative history, at that!) The 21st Century has seen us fully embrace social media and the internet. It is easy to spread the word about artists, artwork, opportunities, graffiti crews, graffiti spots, inspiration, and ideas. The explosion of street art festivals where people can legally create

Shepard Fairey’s famous Barack Obama “HOPE” poster (2008) and appreciate amazing murals is in no small way a product of the internet’s power to gather people with similar interests together. The graffiti movement has evolved and grown so much since its humble beginnings back in the 1960s that it is exciting to think where it could go next. 3 Rich Hamilton - An industry veteran with over 20 years experience in a variety of roles, Rich is currently a business development manager for a large UK hydroponics distributor. The author of Growers Guide book series, Rich also writes on all aspects of indoor gardening, as well as being an independent industry consultant working closely with hydroponic businesses worldwide.

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SHORTIES

Some Things Never Change A bit of wisdom published in 1855… “Unfortunately, the true beauty of agriculture with its intellectual and animating principles is almost unrecognized. The art of agriculture will be lost when ignorant, unscientific, and short sighted teachers persuade the farmer to put all his hopes in universal remedies, which don’t exist in nature. Following their advice, bedazzled by an ephemeral success, the farmer will forget the soil and lose sight of his inherent values and their influence.” -- Justus von Liebig, Die Grundsatze der Agriculturchemie mit Rucksicht auf die in England angestellten Untersuchungen Who was von Liebig? A fertilizer chemist! Learn more about him and local remedies in this issue’s “Korean Natural Farming” article. Source: www.bit.ly/univ-remedies

The Water Matters Highly valued since Victorian times, watercress is a powerhouse of flavour buoyed by being a rich source of vitamins A, C and K, along with calcium, folic acid, iron, magnesium, and potassium. But if you’re looking for the highest nutritional benefits, you want real watercress on your plate. It’s just

Soil-grown watercress pales in comparison to the same food grown in free-flowing water. It lacks the superfood characteristics gained only through mineral-rich water farming, and significantly so. The difference is big enough that a UK Defra-approved application for Traditional Specialty Guaranteed designation under EU scrutiny is said to be in the final stages. Sources: www.bit.ly/ protected-prod www.bit.ly/ wm-fitness

one more example of why you need to know where your food comes from and how it was grown. watercress and cucumber-salad

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BY NICO HILL

Korean Nat ural F arming

KOREAN NATURAL FARMING

With the current state of world geopolitics being what it is, you’re forgiven for thinking that this is some sort subversive propaganda tool from Kim Jong Un. Don’t worry my sceptical friend, this is no such method of MKUltra-style mental warfare, but more a method of growing that when mastered will have you busting out overly flamboyant, self-righteous dance moves celebrating your own success.

YO U TOTA L LY C A N C O N T R O L T H E N U T R I E N T S TO A V ERY FI N E D E G R EE Growing organically is something that a lot of die-hard growers aspire to. Quite often you see a hydroponic enthusiast hastily making their way down the salty path, with the promise of ‘total nutrient control’ at their disposal. This is, of course, quite true. You totally can control the nutrients to a very fine degree and this will, of course, when used correctly, provide you with a bountiful crop. Being able to ‘see’ and quantify exactly what is happening at any one moment makes for a very appealing prospect to our analytical – right hemisphere dominated brains.

There Is No Spoon There is, however, a lot more to plant growth than just nutrients. Hence, why you see a million different bottled additives adorning hydro shop shelves, essentially all trying to fill the gaps of the base nutrients and at the same time, prise more money from out of your pocket. From enzyme products to amino products to mysteriously alluring ‘boost’ products, everyone wants to find (and then sell you) the next magic product that will double your yield or enhance terpenes, flavours, and quality.

The problem, however, is how disconnected from an actual plant this makes a grower. Blindly following a nutrient chart from week to week, using bottles of nutrients just because it says to do so there on the shiny looking feed schedule. There is another way my friend, and not only will doing it all yourself make you feel totally awesome, but it will also give you a much deeper understanding of plants and the whole natural world in the process. Win-win, basically.

Man vs. Nature As a species, us humans love to think we know best. Constantly forcing Mother Nature onto her knees and raping the environment, simply as a byproduct of our presence here on Earth. We relentlessly take what we need and do what we want on a global level with little regard to the impact that it has on the land. For example, rather than harnessing the processes nature has perfected over millions of years of evolution, we choose to use our petrochemicalderived, salt-based fertilisers to grow plants. The father of modern-day fertilisers even admitted himself that the salty path might not the best to walk along. A couple of quotes from the man himself (Justus von Liebig) indicate that thinking we can improve on nature is fundamentally flawed:

KN F Te c h is t h e s h izz le b ra h “When a chemist makes a mistake in creating agricultural fertilisers, don’t be too critical of his errors, because he has had to base his conclusions upon facts which he can’t know from his own experience, but rather, has to take from agricultural texts as true and reliable. After I learned the reason why my fertilisers weren’t effective in the proper way, I was like a person that received a new life.”

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“I had sinned against the wisdom of our creator and received just punishment for it. I wanted to improve his handiwork, and in my blindness, I believed that in this wonderful chain of laws, which ties life to the surface of the earth and always keeps it rejuvenated, there might be a link missing that had to be replaced by me: this weak, powerless nothing.” Justus von Liebig knew (eventually) that we need to work alongside natural principles and enhance their

effectiveness, rather than try to re-invent the wheel altogether. Modern-day organic growers will quickly attest to this, being usually quite outspoken when it comes to testifying how much better the produce is with an organic crop. Is it really ‘organic’ though? What does that even mean? Does buying and using bottled nutrients labelled as ‘organic’ even really mean that you are growing truly organically? Well, at the very least, it’s a step in the right direction, I guess.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF KNF ARE MAINTAINING A HEALTHY LIVING SOIL, WITH A RICH ORGANIC CONTENT, RAMMED WITH A DIVERSE MICROBIOLOGICAL LIFE AND THEN IRRIGATED WITH A RANGE OF INPUTS THAT ARE SOURCED AND MADE FROM LOCAL MATERIALS.

s li k e d n u o it w it s o n , but t k i I h , s Yes h i p py a lly t y o z t a r is c nd it a some , s rk y wo l l man . a e , r l o co

KOREAN NATURAL FARMING

EASY HERBS

Down the Rabbit Hole An all-round lovely chap by the name of Cho HanKyu has been at the forefront of spreading the good word of Korean Natural Farming (KNF) since roughly 1966. Essentially, KNF involves the grower adopting practices that ultimately harness the processes that already exist in the natural world around them. Enhancing bacterial and fungal life, proliferating the diverse natural life in the soil itself, and using natural inputs that surround you in your immediate environment. Ultimately, working in harmony with nature itself. Yes, I know it sounds like some crazy hippy shit, but it really works, and it is totally cool, man. Master Cho developed techniques that work alongside the natural world rather than trying to dominate it, and their practice has spread throughout the world. Chris Trump has been successfully practising KNF techniques at his 800-acre macadamia nut farm in Hawaii for years now and spreading the good word along the way. You can find many informative videos he has produced on the old interweb.

a diverse microbiological life and then irrigated with a range of inputs that are sourced and made from local materials. You continually work to improve the existing natural biological system, creating a powerful and fully functioning soil-food web, rather than continually washing the life out of your soil with salty water. So, what methods are these exactly then? What does it all actually involve?

Wha Fi Gwan KNF requires you to think a little bit more esoterically about the natural world, so get ready to engage your left brain. There are a few techniques to learn, but probably more taxing than learning how to perform these tasks is simply remembering all the acronyms for them, so be prepared to engage your right brain as well. The actual methods to create these will be fully detailed in future KNF episodes (so keep your eyes peeled), but for now the following is a broad summary of what KNF involves.

The fundamentals of KNF are maintaining a healthy living soil, with a rich organic content, rammed with

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KOREAN NATURAL FARMING

CONTROL: ENVIRONMENT I GARDEN CULTURE

IMO 1-5 (Indigenous Microorganisms) It is a lengthy process, but also an extremely rewarding one. By the time you make it to IMO 5, you will end up with an extremely active potting soil that is megarich in organic nutrients. The words ‘super soil’ don’t do it justice. Given half the chance (and necessary anthropomorphic motor functions), it would laugh in the face of inferior, lifeless, store-bought potting compost.

IMO is fundamentally the backbone of practising KNF and probably the most fun to do! This is the process of going out into the field and collecting indigenous microorganisms. Make sure you are highly selective of the area you collect from. Ultimately, you are aiming to collect the most diverse and most beneficial microorganisms possible. The various stages of IMO 1-5 represent different stages of collecting, storing, and then propagating cultures of bacteria and/or fungi to introduce into your substrate and/or soil.

• • •

cred it: blog .bola ndbo l.com

•

OHN is a liquid root-drench that has highly antipathogenic quality. It works to prevent diseasecausing fungi and helps to improve the overall vitality of your plant. It is probably the most complicated aspect of KFN to produce, but also the most fun! The aim of the game here is to make an alcoholic tincture from a variety of fermented herbs. Typically, it is a five-part recipe including angelica, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and liquorice root. Like a fine wine, it matures and becomes more potent with age.

IMO 1 Collecting beneficial microbes out in the field. IMO 2 Preparing the microbes for storage. IMO 3 Inoculating a suitable (carbon-based) carrier. IMO 4 Preparing a usable and active substrate – usually indigenous soil. IMO 5 Incorporating nitrogen-rich fertiliser material, a suitable final compost mix.

s.ne t cre dit: ww w.o rga nicf act

•

OHN (Oriental Herbal Nutrient)

MINT IS BEST IN POTS

nts Oriental Herbal Nutrient ingredie

Indigenous Micro Organisms

FPJ/FFJ (Fermented Plant/Fruit juice)

I MO is fundamentally t he backbone of prac t ising K NF

Possibly the easiest, quickest, and most fun aspect of KFN practices. It involves sourcing plant material, combining it with dark brown sugar, and waiting a week or so to ferment out all the plant loveliness trapped inside. Your final ferment will have all the good stuff present: nutrients, hormones, proteins, aminos, and enzymes. The type of contents of the ferment depends greatly on the material you source.

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KOREAN NATURAL FARMING

They only take a week or so to make, and the possibilities are almost endless. One of the most effective ferments, is that of the plant itself you are going to use the ferment on. For example, ferment a load of rosebuds and use the juice as part of an early flower feed for next year’s rose crop.

credit: confessionsfromthesoi

Fermented Plant Juice

LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) LAB refers to a large group of bacteria that produce lactic acid as a by-product of their digestive system. LAB are probiotic bacteria beneficial for many types of life. Among other things, applying LAB cultures to your soils can help to accelerate organic matter decomposition, enhancing the release of plant nutrients for absorption. Possibly the most fun to make and simple too, using rice-washed water and some milk; you capture LAB from the environment and culture it in the end product. For all you food buffs out there, it’s also the first step of the process to making cheese.

FAA (Fish Amino Acids) Making your own fish fertiliser can get a bit smelly, but it offers tantalising benefits for Natural Farming. It is an amazing food source for fungi especially, helping to boost fungal growth. The amino acids found in FAA (as well as performing their own functions) also contain forms of nutritional elements for the plant, like nitrogen. Despite the initial smell, when fermentation is complete it is almost pleasant to the nose, and the whole process is possibly the most fun of all to do!

Fermenting fish, the traditional Korean way

Water-Soluble Organic Nutrients Resembling some sort of gardening alchemy, you are creating a solution that offers immediately available, soluble nutrients for a quick nutritional boost, while still being derived from completely natural and organic processes. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc. can all be successfully extracted into a solution from sources such as bones or crustacean shells, and applied to your plants at key periods in their life, when you know they need that little extra hit.

More Than a Summary of Its Parts This is by no means a definitive list of all there is to KNF. Something as awesome as KNF is hard to confine to a tight word count. Hopefully, you have at least gained a broad understanding of the fundamental concepts it involves, and become inspired enough to look into it all a bit more. There is a lot to KNF; it is a very rewarding process that makes you look at nature in an entirely different way. Over the next few issues we will go into each aspect of KNF in a whole lot more detail, but for now, just make sure you stock up on brown sugar, you’ll need it. 3 Nico Hill - Hydro Nerd at InfiniteMonkey.com Nico has been a keen gardener for many moons. Bitten by the hydroponic bug back in 1998, and hasn’t looked back since! After many years as a hobby, Nico’s career in Hydroponics had its start working for Aquaculture in Sheffield, the UK’s largest and most forward-thinking grow shops of the time. He was then hired by Hydromag, responsible for the hydroponic content. From there, he has worked with CANNA, as editor of CANNAtalk, author of the research articles, and delivering seminars throughout the UK to grow shops on the finer details of cultivating in a hydroponic environment. Nico is now writing for companies in the hydroponic industry.

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When Things Go

Wrong Reported Failures by Indoor Organic Growers

GROWING FAILURES

Organic growing is booming, both outdoor and indoor. But many growers do not have that much experience yet with the use of products of organic origin to ‘feed’ their plants. ‘Don’t panic, it’s organic!’ My friend Karel Schelfhout and co-author of The Organic Grow Book used to say. But many things can go wrong when people start to grow organic. Exploding fertilizer containers, plants that do not flower, creepy crawlies in your indoor garden…

Read the descriptive labels on products you buy Using horse-sense is the first step to avoiding problems. Another important habit growers should adopt, is to read the descriptive labels on products they buy. Check the expiry date, examine the ingredients, look up every single word on the label that you don’t fully understand, and follow the instructions. In general, more experienced growers have fewer failures than beginners, so maybe it’s a matter of making mistakes and learning how to do it better next time. In this article, we will discuss some indoor gardening errors.

DIY Potting Soil Before writing The Organic Grow Book, we wanted to experience the strategic tricks we describe, as much as possible. This is how we ended up making our potting soil one weekend by mixing sand, compost, and garden soil (in 2:4:4 proportions). The main reason for making your own potting soil is to avoid the use of peat, a substrate in many commercially available potting soils. Peat is a natural product, but usually, its use is not sustainable. Harvesting peat in large quantities destroys some ecologically important areas. Furthermore, it results in an increase of atmospheric CO2 which is causing global warming. The use of peat in potting soil is easily avoidable, by making your own potting soil. However, the instructions we found for DIY potting soil did not include this note: ‘It takes your DIY potting soil some time to become a good soil with a working soil-food-web, in which bacteria, fungi, insects, and other organisms produce enough fertilizers to feed your plants.’ We prepared our DIY potting soil and used it right away. We also added some worms in our mix. Our plants survived, but the yield was poor. We considered our test unsuccessful. But, when we used the soil for a second test weeks later, the plants grew much better. DIY potting soil needs some time to ‘mature.’ Let it sit awhile, and there will be a lot more ‘bioactivity’ in the soil. A year after our first test, we found a fat worm in the pot.

Compost tea Using compost tea has become quite popular in the last few years. It’s cheap and reliable. And it’s simple to brew. But let’s consider some points of observation. A friend of ours rents an apartment at a farm. He is growing all kinds of plants indoors and uses compost based on cow manure with EM bacteria. Our friend also uses this compost to make compost tea with the water from the small canal close to the farm. The canal water contains a lot of useful microorganisms, was his thought. The plants grew wonderfully with this tea, and he had several perfect yields. But suddenly, all his plants died overnight after using the compost tea. The most probable reason was the canal water, that may have contained some illegally discharged, weed killing, chemicals. Water quality is very important when you brew compost tea. Chemicals kill microorganisms too. Be sure the water you use for tea does not contain chlorine or other chemical products. The second ingredient for compost tea is good quality compost. It doesn’t make sense to use compost that you bought a year ago and stored in a bag somewhere. It’s unlikely that many useful microorganisms remain in your old compost, and hours of brewing will not have an exciting result. Use good quality compost for your tea. Compost tea should also be applied soon after brewing as the quality will decrease with time. And after 24 hours, you should consider brewing a fresh batch instead of using the old one.

Vermicompost Vermicompost is excellent for compost tea and it’s relatively easy to get with your own micro worm ‘factory.’ But producing vermicompost is susceptible to human error. Once, I did not properly close the container in which my wrigglers were at work. Many escaped before I discovered my negligence. The

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GROWING FAILURES

DIY potting soil needs some time to ‘mature’

worm poo factory was kept in the bathroom, and for weeks following the worm loss incident, I found mummified creatures behind the toilet paper. Sometimes the worms in the vermicompost container all die at once. Like the time my wife threw part of a sandwich in the worm container, there were many worms casualties. Bread is not healthy for worms. Don’t try to feed them boiled vegetables, oranges and lemons, meat, butter, or grease either. Keeping worms is not complicated, but they surely do not survive all kitchen waste.

Notes on Insects We recently heard some good reports from growers using mealworm compost. Plants like mealworm poo, but it can sometimes bring mealworm eggs with it to the soil. A guy told us he found some living mealworms near his plants. Luckily, by the time the worms see daylight, the plants have usually grown too big to be eaten by the mealworms, because they prefer the soft parts of the plants. So, be watchful if you do experiment with insect compost.

Note from the Editor: There are great mealworm frass products out there, by manufacturers who have developed a process to destroy eggs, and preserve biology. Not many producers can claim that the compost is eggfree - the particle size of the frass and the egg are very close. Please check with the manufacturer to avoid a surprise visit.

One more story about insects. One of the growers we know found some mites on his plants. At first, he was afraid the mites got him in trouble. But after carefully studying a book with plant pest pictures, he discovered the insects were predatory mites. The predatory mite is the natural fighter of plant pest mites. In fact, the predatory mites were protecting his plants, attracted by the Trichoderma used by the grower. Study is an essential source of knowledge.

organic fertilizers can be as powerful as chemical fertilizers Enough Is Enough We’ve heard some stories from growers who discovered that organic fertilizers can be as powerful as chemical fertilizers. Blood meal, for example, is a powerful organic source of nitrogen. Inexperienced growers might think that an overdose of organic products will not harm plants. But an overdose is an overdose, no matter if it’s organic or chemical. People who discover the power of blood meal often use this product too long and find themselves with problems. The plants grow like Usain Bolt used to sprint. But at the finish line, there will be no flowers, like there always were for Usain. Again: Read the labels of the products you buy. Last, but not least, some tips about liquid organic fertilizers. You need to dilute most of the liquid fertilizers with water. The proportions are very important. Too much water gives a disappointing result, a shortage of water will cause a stinking mess in your pots. Read the instructions! Most failures in organic gardening are due to a lack of experience. Despite the problems mentioned above, I hope this article will be an encouragement to start growing organic. Life is about dealing with obstacles. Just make errors and learn! 3

This article is based on information in The Organic Grow Book, written by Michiel Panhuysen and Karel Schelfhout. The Organic Grow Book is also available in French (Le Bio Grow Book), German (Das Bio-GrowBuch) and Spanish (El Bio Grow Book). Karel Schelfhout is an old-school breeder. Michiel Panhuysen is a journalist, specializing in growing issues and medical marihuana. His articles are published in English, French, Spanish and Dutch.

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CRYPTOCURRENCIES

BY GREG RICHTER, REVOLUTION MICROELECTRONICS

Can I Pay In

Bitcoin?

When you use a debit card to pay for a hot dog, you’re using digital cash.Your bank processes the transaction, the hot dog vendor gets paid, and your bank balance is a little smaller. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monero are all cryptocurrencies, which is to say they’re a medium of exchange like the digital cash you’re used to, except there’s no bank involved. Processing cryptos uses a technology called Blockchain, which is essentially a public ledger of who owns what coin. If I buy some lights with Bitcoin, the Blockchain registers that those coins now belong to the lighting company and not me. You’ve got to have an Internet connection, but most phones do, so cryptocurrencies are becoming more popular.

like the digital cash you’re used to, except there’s no bank involved What Exactly Is a Bitcoin and Where Do They Come From? Bitcoin is a digital currency created through a process called Mining that you can use like dollars, Baht, or Yen. Much like gold, Bitcoin is hard to mine, which makes it hard to counterfeit. A computer cranks through a Proof Of Work algorithm to generate a string of numbers and letters that make up a code. This code is a new Bitcoin and can be added to the blockchain, traded between people, and used just like cash. The Proof Of Work algorithm gets harder and harder the more computers there are on the network, so bitcoins are getting more difficult to mine. Eventually, there will only be 21 million Bitcoins.

• • •

There’s no central authority, so no restrictions on what you buy or sell. Transactions are public, but the actual identity of the parties isn’t necessary. The value per coin is going up fast.

All of which means you have cash payment anonymity, moving any amount of money you need, and no one needs to know. That’s exciting for a lot of people. Transferring money via the SWIFT network from bank to bank gets expensive. Bitcoin is cheap.

This mining activity is also what processes the blockchain, and moves transactions along. It’s a peer-to-peer network of people replacing the bank, and the ledger is public, so anyone can see it. Blockchain transactions can only be added, not changed, and there’s no way to Undo a Bitcoin exchange. Bitcoins are long, hard-to-crack passwords that people pass back and forth instead of paper notes. They serve the same purpose.

Value Explosion and Bubble Claims One Bitcoin was worth a couple of bucks a few years back but was trading for just under $6,000 at the beginning of October. Interest in cryptocurrencies is huge because:

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CRYPTOCURRENCIES

the total value of bitcoins in circulation is over $100 billion

J.P. Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon called Bitcoin a “fraud”, and there is some rationale to seeing Bitcoin as a “bubble” asset since there’s no real value to the codes themselves. However, consider the value of the green piece of paper with $100 printed on it is also nil. Things are worth what people agree they are worth, and since cryptos’ valuation keeps increasing, it’s attracting lots of interest.

How Do You Buy Bitcoin? Buying Bitcoin or other cryptos takes place on exchanges like kraken.com or bitfinex.com, among many others. Fill out the forms, and buy your coins. You get a string of numbers, which you can print out (cold storage), save online, or keep in a digital “wallet” on your phone or computer.

What Could Go Wrong? Exchanges get ripped off now and again. Mt. Gox, once the largest, collapsed, taking client’s coins with them. Hackers can steal your Bitcoin just as easily as they can steal your credit card numbers from your phone or compromised computer. It takes two keys to perform a Bitcoin transaction, one public and one private. If your private key gets boosted, you’re going to lose your coins. They’re all recorded publicly as belonging to your wallet, so once a hacker gets the private key, he can take your coins. Twofactor authentication helps, as does offline or cold storage.

There’s no central authorit y, so no restrictions on what you buy or sell some of your unused CPU time while you surf. They use that CPU time to mine Monero. The Internet grew up being advertising-driven as opposed to pay-per-view, but this may change. Millions of people visit high traffic sites, and the cost of their additional CPU usage is so low nearly everyone would rather have no ads and do a little number crunching in the background. Monero’s main claim to fame is that it is designed for anonymity, which is becoming a valuable commodity in itself.

What Is Ether, Monero, and All This ICO Stuff? Bitcoin was the first, and as such has some baggage. The network is not fast, it runs at 1/10 the speed of Visa, and the Bitcoin blockchain was not designed for perfect anonymity. Ether is another crypto like Bitcoin that was created for digital cash but can replace banks even further for more complex transactions. Think of a shipper in Asia and a buyer in Europe – they need a bank to issue letters of credit so that neither party is at risk. Ethereum does this on the blockchain with digital contracts. The Ether network is also much faster. Monero (Esperanto for money) is a coin designed for privacy, and intended to be a lighter-weight client, meaning it is easier to mine. PirateBay is experimenting with embedding Monero mining code in it’s website code, so that instead of serving ads, they can make a few bucks harnessing

ICOs, or Initial Coin Offerings, are people launching their own cryptocurrencies, usually based on Bitcoin or Ether blockchains. These can be viewed as unregulated securities, or as alternative coins. ICOs have come under fire lately for being speculative investments with an uncertain future. That said, people are launching them left and right.

Where to from Here? Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monero are three examples of cryptocurrencies that are gaining usage worldwide. As of this writing, the total value of bitcoins in circulation is over $100 billion. Ether has about $26 billion worth in circulation. With numbers like this, and more people getting involved every day, it looks like the future of money as we know it is crypto. The values are not as stable as USD or Euros, but the interest is there. It’s hard to stop an idea whose time has come. 3 [Revolution Microelectronics accepts Bitcoin and Ether] GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM

SHORTIES

EAT MORE CHILES Besides adding great spicy flavor to meals and snacks, chile peppers offer some valuable health benefits. Rich in Vitamin A and B, and Vitamin C when ripe, this family of fruits is extremely low calorie and naturally increases your metabolism. Surprisingly, that heat-inducing capsaicin relieves pain and is anti-inflammatory. They also have antibacterial properties that fight against intestinal disease and fight sinusitus. By inhibiting neuropeptides, fiery chiles work wonders on migraines and less severe headaches too. Cultures whose cuisine make liberal use of chile peppers suffer far less heart attacks and strokes. No wonder! Studies have found that chiles are effective in preventing blood clots, lowering blood pressure and triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and actively regulate blood sugar levels after eating. Research indicates that they may prevent Type 2 diabetes and fight cancer by triggering apoptosis, which causes cancer cells to kill themselves. Sources: www.bit.ly/SP-fresnos www.bit.ly/CPM-bennies

Don’t Toss the Seeds It’s pretty common to eat the whole tomato - seeds and all - in a salad or sandwich, but if used in a cooked dish, the consensus is removing both seeds and skin. Tsk tsk! The jellylike germination inhibiting coating around each seed gives tomatoes their highest concentration of Vitamin C, and the skins contain some amazing antioxidants and good fiber.

So, unless it’s necessary, stop wasting these important parts of the tomato. At least, not when their presence won’t ruin your recipe. Leaving the seeds in will definitely give you soupy salsas and pasta sauces, especially if you’re using fast-maturing and slicing types. Obviously, if you want it thick, the seeds must go, but not necessarily the skin, which if chopped small, virtually disappears in the cooking process. Making a pot of soup or tomato-based chili? The seeds and the soupiness they impart are right at home. Sources: http://bit.ly/AzSt-tomato http://bit.ly/peel-bennies

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