FREE COPY
USA - CANADA · ISSUE 17 · 2017
SUN BLAZE
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Aphids, Weevils, Leafhoppers, Leaf miners, Broad & Russet Mites, Powdery Mildew, Thrips, Two Spotted Spider Mite, White Flies, Nematodes, Alternaria solani (Early blight), Botrytis (Gray mold), Fusarium, Pythium, Verticillum dahlia (Wilt), Rhizoctonia solani (Root infections), & more.
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Light Light Bar Bar Option Option
adjustable height, includes cross trellis bar adjustable height, includes cross trellis bar (netting sold separately) (netting sold separately)
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Adjusts to your needs Active Aqua's Universal Tray Stand is the most versatile stand on the market. Active Aqua's Universal Tray Stand is the most versatile stand on the market. It can be adjusted to accommodate flood trays in several sizes from 2' x 4' to 8' x 4', It can be adjusted to accommodate flood trays in several sizes from 2' x 4' to 8' x 4', with options for an adjustable light bar and trellis bar. Low profile leg kits are also available. with options for an adjustable light bar and trellis bar. Low profile leg kits are also available. No tools required — no-hassle assembly! No tools required — no-hassle assembly!
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CONTENT
Vapour Pressure Deficit
24 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS
10
88
Hydroponics
63
in the Classroom
WHO’S GROWING WHAT WHERE
The Unwanted Guest
36 IN THIS ISSU E OF GA R D EN CU LTU RE : 9 Foreword 10 Product Spotlights 16 Heat Stress and Killing Cold 18 The Unwanted Guest 24 Reservoir Temperature 28 GMO’s Other Risks 32 Get a Filter 36 Hydroponics in the Classroom 42 The Facts of Light 48 Pythium
powdery mildew
18 52 5 Cool Finds 56 Light Matters - Part VIIl 63 Who’s Growing What Where 69 What Grinds My Gears 70 Perennial Vegetables 74 The Black Soldier Fly 82 Climate Change Sucks 88 “Vapour Pressure Deficit - What is it?” 94 Shorties 96 Don’t Flush in a Rush
The Black Soldier Fly
74 7
Method Seven delivers epic color and complete safety under HID lights. See foliage properly, spot pests and deficiencies early and easily. No headaches, no strain, and absolutely no long term eye damage.
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FOREWORD & CREDITS
CREDITS
FOREWORD
EDIT ION · ISSU E 17
WWW.G ARDENC
FREE
ULTURE
E XCU T I V E ED I TO R Celia Sayers celia@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-754-1539
USA -
E.CO M
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 t. 1-514-233-1539 @GardenCulture
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D I ST R I B U T I O N PA R T N ER S • Sunlight Supply • Rambridge • Biofloral • Hydrofarm © 325 Media INC
Eric
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.
COPY
DA · ISSUE CANA
MAGAZIN
My plants will love me for it.
ADA
I am no longer going to let the environment control how hot or cold, dry or humid my grow room is going to be. Whether it is day or night, winter or summer, I am going to take control.
N - CA
Greg Richter reminds us of the fundamentals when selecting the right type of light for your garden in the “Facts of Light.” Where there is light, there is usually heat, no matter what type of light you choose. Theo Tekstra’s Light Matters series looks at the risks associated with running such powerful lights.
PRESIDENT Eric Coulombe eric@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-233-1539
USA
During the fall, we see powdery mildew everywhere outside, and those little spores find their way into our rooms, and wait for us to provide the perfect place for them to live and grow. In “Powdery Mildew - The Unwanted Guest,” Kyle L. Ladenburger will help you better understand this unwanted garden enemy, and how to destroy them. Or at least, how not to let them destroy your crop.
G WIN GRO OF ART THE
If your room is getting hot, so is your water. In “Reservoir Temperatures,” Dr. Callie Seaman exposes the bad side of hot water temps. One of the biggest concerns with warm water is pythium. Chris Bond dives into what it is and how to avoid it.
E TUR CUL
Where I have fallen short is in my environment. Lights and nutrients are relatively easy, hang the lights according to industry accepted standards, and follow the recipe on the bottle at half to full strength. I’ve always followed a less is more philosophy when it come to feeding my plants. But, I now realize that I have failed my plants when it comes to day and night temperatures, and humidity. Thanks to two articles by Jeff Winterborne, I have realized the error of my ways. The first article was in the last edition, “Ultimate Control, Closed Loop Horticulture,” and just a few pages away is the second, “VPD and Other Important Things.” I will soon be making serious changes.
D E N G A R
I’ve had some sort of indoor garden for well over 10 years now, and considered myself to be quite the expert. But the more I learn, the more I realize that I am not quite the expert I thought I was. I’m pretty good, but not great.
Special thanks to: Albert Mondor, Andrew Abramson, Chantal Kers, Chris Bond, Dr Callie Seaman, Greg Richter, Grubbycup, Jeff Winterborne & Toby Berryman, Kyle L. Ladenburger, Michiel Panhuysen, Rich Hamilton, and Theo Tekstra.
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17 · 2017
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New from AutoPot, this system is ideal for growers that are cloning on any scale. A depth of 8”, and a 4’x 2’ humidity dome, the easy2Propagate is the largest single piece propagator available on the market. It’s size, and the four large, fully adjustable vents, allow growers unparalleled scope to fine-tune the environment in which young plants can thrive. Adding AutoPot’s AQUAvalve irrigation technology removes ALL of the watering workload associated with cloning on a professional scale. Your clones will never be over or underwatered. Simply fill up the FlexiTank (included) and let the AQUAvalve do the work. Feed multiple units placed on shelving from a single reservoir. Contact your local store or www.autopot-usa.com for more information.
® e n o l c C Y C O Cy G el R o ot i n g
tt a -w 0 0 0 1 ” K 1 “ s u r Cir
LED Grow Light
The latest addition to the Cirrus LED Grow Lights product line, this full-spectrum light utilizes new driverless COB technology coupled with high-performance heat exchangers to provide greater cooling, light-output, and production. The 1K produces a spectrum of 380-840 nm at a power factor of greater than 95%. With a true 1000-watt power draw and a price of only $999, the 1K by Cirrus LED is the only quality LED available for less than $1 per watt, making it one of the best values on the market. For more information contact your local hydroponics store, or visit GrowCirr.us/1k-led.
Re zin
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Formulated and rigorously tested over many years, EPAregistered CYCO® Cyclone® Rooting Gel gives cuttings the best possible opportunity to grow and thrive through the initial stages of life. Use with CYCO Platinum Series nutrients to maximize root growth and early vegetative development of softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings. Available at BWGS.com
Designed as, you guessed it, a resin enhancer. Rezin improves the flavour and aroma of the end product, as well as the amount of extract that comes from it, without unwanted additives or negative effect on plant nutrition. • • • •
Increases the plant’s essential oil and aroma profile Visually improves the “crystalline” appearance of the finished flowers Improves the growth rate during the vegetative growth cycle Free of plant growth regulators (PGRs) or banned and restricted biostimulators • Will not impact the ppm/EC of your nutrients solution Learn more at MyGreenPlanet.com
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GARDEN PRODUCTS
Strepto Force A high concentration of the beneficial bacteria Streptomyces nigrescens for your garden. When applied, the bacteria will grow on the plants roots and leaves, living off the plant’s by-products, keeping your garden happy and healthy. Strepto Force will also aid in plant growth and vigor. From start to harvest, it is suitable for use in all organic gardens and hydroponic systems. Apply water-soluble Strepto Force via foliar application, hand watering, or through drip systems. Safe for pets, people, and the environment. Available in 2-oz, 18-oz, and 54-oz sizes. Ask for Strepto Force at your local garden supply center!
“Outdoor Performance Cannabis”
Ladenburger. L. le Ky om fr s on ti bu ri nt co 17 by Dustin Fr aser with High County Publishing, LLC. 20
Dustin Fraser is one of the most respected cannabis growers in the country. Based in northern California’s famed “Emerald Triangle,” Dustin has perfected the idea of growing the cannabis plant into a “tree” with maximum yields and the highest quality harvest. “Outdoor Performance Cannabis” is a walk-through of Dustin’s time-tested methods, from site preparation and production to harvest and sale. Dustin, with the help of Kyle L. Ladenburger, shares all his secrets, along with photographs and illustrations, giving you a complete guide to growing what the Mendocino County locals call a “Performance Plant.” Let Dustin help you step up your growing operation and turn your garden into one designed for performance! Get your copy on Amazon today: www.bit.ly/outdoor-cannabis
Titan Controls
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Spartan Series
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ntroller o C l ta n e m n ro vi n E l a Complete Digit One of the best-selling CO2 controllers in the industry now features a built-in high temp shut-off at no additional cost! It prevents high temperature in the garden by cutting off CO2 generators and restarting them automatically after cooldown. The digital readout indicates actual CO2 level and temperature in real time. The temperature limit is easily set (°C or °F) or disabled in just seconds. Same quality with an added feature. Available now.
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Bluelab’s r pH Controlle Forget the time-consuming task of manually monitoring and adjusting your pH. Bluelab’s pH Controller allows you to fine-tune the reservoir pH levels in your growing system with a hassle-free combination of automatic measuring and adjusting to pre-set pH levels. It’s intuitive “on time” and “off time” allows the solution to dose and mix before the controller measures and doses again. Safety lockouts prevent over delivery of pH. Avoid wasting those precious nutrients, use Bluelab pH Controller to ensure it’s in the optimal range. The Connect version allows you to view your readings remotely on your smartphone. Learn more at Bluelab.com
GARDEN PRODUCTS
FlexiTankRPesreorvoir A More Refined FlexiTank Pro is yet another addition to the AutoPot Watering Systems, adaptable to every kind of growing environment. A reflective, light-tight skin makes it the perfect solution for bright, hightemperature situations. Antitip, anti-rip, and ultra-strong, the FlexiTank also has internal capacity markings. Easy to assemble, with all fittings included. Contact your local store or www.autopot-usa.com for more information.
® e z e e r Dur aB
Hor turion
E D e d i l a H l a t e M Ushio/BLV’s new lamp is a game changer for growers with DE fixtures. With a whiter, more sun-like spectrum, this is the high-power DE lamp CMH fans have been waiting for. Designed from scratch with a single arc tube, the Horturion puts out 1800 uMole/m2, and is warranteed for two years in Revolution’s DEva low frequency, square wave fixture.
ns ETL-Listed Wall Fa
ETL-listed DuraBreeze® Wall Fans keep indoor garden air moving without taking up valuable floor space. Featuring three breeze settings, both wide-range horizontal oscillation and fixed-position operation, and pull-cord and rotary dial control, these fans offer a versatile solution for hot or stagnant air. Powered by a 60-watt motor with overheat protection, DuraBreeze Wall Fans include a one-year warranty. Find it at BWGS.com
Learn more at revolutionmicro.com
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GARDEN PRODUCTS
® A g r o L E D S u n Environmentally friendly ®
The Sun® 28 creates over 10,750 lumens and 155.01 PPFD from only 90W of consumed power, and the Sun® 48 produces over 21,900 lumens and 316.81 PPFD from only 187W. Durable, white powdercoated steel housing equipped with louvers to ensure proper thermal management. Comes with V-hangers that allows for the fixture to hang vertically or horizontally, an 8-foot power cord, and on/off switch for easy operation. The daisy chain feature makes the installation of multiple fixtures a breeze. This 6,500° Kelvin LED fixture is the smart choice for the propagation and veg cycles of your plants’ life. Visit SunlightSupply.com for more details.
Sunmaster
O H R E P U S W 0 0 0 1
Boasts a whopping 2200 µmol output with 1900 µmol between the key PAR wavelengths of 400nm – 700nm. Optimized lamp chemistry and geometry provides more photons within the red to far-red spectrum region, a 35% increase over the closest competitive brand! Sunmaster backed its photometric data with real life testing. Early third-party testing is showing extremely favorable results. The 1000W SUPER HO will be introduced in limited quantities beginning December 2017. Sunmaster has been serving the North American and European markets for over 20 years. Visit www.sunmastergrowlamps.com for more details.
My Gavita Green Thumb is a community for everyone that has a love for cultivating plants. Whatever your crop, whatever your way of growing. We celebrate the diversity and invite you to inspire others with your green thumb. Share your tips, share your crops, share your love for cultivation. Join the online community on Facebook fb.com/ mygavitagreenthumb for industry profiles, giveaways, contests, limited edition apparel, and much more! And be sure to keep an eye out for the brand new customized Green Thumb RV that is touring the U.S.
15
BY GRUBBYCUP
& Most plants require a fairly narrow temperature range to grow well, and not very far away from that range they will sicken and, in extreme cases, die.The amount of damage received from high temperatures is dependent on the duration and severity of the exposure. Climate zone guides are useful in determining if an outdoor area is suitable for a particular type of plant. Indoor gardens using artificial lighting are particularly susceptible to heat-related issues during the summer months, although one can prevent this with proper air circulation and conditioning.
a lack o f heat c an also be damag ing or f atal 16
GROWING TEMPERATURES
Heat stress is often accompanied by dehydration issues. Hot air holds more moisture than average, leading to an increase in evaporation. This is important because of how water moves from the roots to the leaves. Chains of water molecules run from the root hairs at the bottom of the plant, through the xylem to small openings on the undersides of leaves known as stomata. As water evaporates from the stomata openings, it creates a pull along the chains of water molecules until they pull additional moisture into the roots through transpiration. Warmer air and open stomata means more water loss through evaporation, and therefore the need for more moisture at the roots to replace it.
effects of the rise of temperature will have on future plant growth. In the short-term, some plants may benefit from a small increase in temperature and carbon dioxide levels, but long-term higher temperatures can make currently fertile areas less productive. If relief from high temperatures in an environment is not given in a timely fashion, the continuous chains of water molecules used to move water will start to break. If enough water chains break, it will send the plant into “terminal wilt.” The plant will be unable to recover.
Heat stress is often accompanied by dehydration issues
A plant in an environment that is on the upper end of growing tolerance may simply underperform, and the loss in potential harvest from the stress may go unnoticed. This sort of mild heat stress is not uncommon during hot years, even in natural settings. At a few degrees higher, the stomata on the bottoms of the leaves will close. This will conserve moisture, but it will also interfere with photosynthesis and under such conditions, growth will stall awaiting improved conditions (such as cooler temperatures). Adding supplemental carbon dioxide and improved access to moisture may help mitigate mild heat issues if temperatures can’t be lowered. If the evaporation rate exceeds the rate of moisture replacement, the plant will begin to dehydrate and wilt. As the amount of water in the plant starts to diminish, the hydraulic pressure used to help inflate the leaf structure will weaken. Fortunately, a mildly heat stressed plant will generally recover quickly if caught in time and if one makes moisture available along with a reduction in temperature. On a global scale, that carbon dioxide that can help plants tolerate small increases in temperature may wind up working against humanity, as it masks some of the drawbacks to both the amount of carbon dioxide pollution in the air, and the
In extreme cases of heat stress, the leaves will shrivel up and turn brown. This is sometimes seen localized on branches that have grown too close to indoor lighting. The brown area near an intense heat source has a distinctive look. Treatment usually involves cutting out the affected area and increasing the distance between the heat from the lamps and the tops of the plants. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a lack of heat can also be damaging or fatal. While a mild cool stint near the low-end of tolerance may slow or stall a plant’s growth, many leafy annual plants cannot withstand a frost. The cold freezes the water in the plant cells, bursting them and causing irreparable leaf damage. This can kill tender sprouts if exposed to outdoor conditions too early in the spring, or put an end to annual plants in the fall. Because of this, first and last frost dates are important to the planting dates for many seasonal plants. A hard freeze can draw water from inside the cells to crystallize in the spaces between cells. This first dehydrates the cells while they become “freeze dried” and then damages them further when a thaw returns the water to a liquid state. All plants’ dependence on the conditions of their environment is important not only to gardeners and farmers, but to everyone. A radical shift in temperature in an area due to pollution or human activity can have a devastating effect on plant survival, which in turn can have a devastating effect on higher life forms, such as the people, animals, and everything that ultimately rely on plant life to survive. 3
BIO: Grubbycup was raised on a family operated organic dairy farm in central California. Learn more about his radio show and other projects at Grubbycup.com.
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BY KYLE L. LADENBURGER
PM is a common problem affecting a wide range of host plants
18
POWDERY MILDEW
As I sit down to write this I can see one of the peony plants in my backyard. I have no idea how old it might be. It, along with many other perennial flowers and ornamental plants, came as a package deal when I bought the house. Over the last five years I’ve grown quite fond of nearly every plant in my yard and each year the robust purple flowers blooms of this peony bring me soft-spoken joy. However, each year this plant encounters the same tragic fate as the year before, mainly due to poor plant placement. It resides in an area of almost constant shade with poor air circulation, so this plant eventually succumbs to the devastating effects of Powdery Mildew (PM).
a coating that sort of looks like talcum powder
PM is a fungal disease caused by several different species in the Erysiphales order, the most common of which is Sphaerotheca fuliginea. It is known to affect a wide variety of plants, including roses, lilacs, peonies, zinnias, pumpkins, zucchinis, and cucumbers. Regardless of the plant species being attacked, the symptoms will always look similar. Most often starting from the lower, older leaves, PM will present itself as a coating that sort of looks like talcum powder. The leaves will be the most noticeably affected, but it can also spread to the stems and flower buds. PM infection is rarely fatal to the host plant, but if left unchecked and allowed to reach the more severe stages it can result in leaves that turn brown and become brittle and withered. When PM reaches this stage it can begin to clog the plant’s stomata and restrict transpiration and water flow, effectively starving the leaf of nutrients. PM spores reproduce asexually and can spread quite rapidly under the right conditions.
means that each species of PM carrying fungi prefers infecting a specific plant type. The PM fungus that is attacking my peony plant is different from the one that would infect my rose bushes that are only 15 feet away. Likewise, the species that attack lilacs will have no effect on zinnia plants.
The conditions in which PM is most prevalent are more or less the same for all of the species that cause it. It is quick to inoculate and grows best when the relative humidity is high and soil moisture is low. In areas with temperate climates, this is usually in the mid to late summer months of July, August, and September. PM also thrives in areas of heavy shade and poor air circulation. So, avoid planting PM susceptible plants in areas that are close to large structures or buildings, that can block or restrict the natural flow of the breeze. Also avoid planting underneath or too close to big trees that cast a large amount of shade throughout the day. credit: GrowVeg.com
I think it’s safe to assume that pretty much every grower or gardener that has at least a few seasons under their belt has run into the menace that is PM. It’s like that one person no one likes that somehow finds their way to the party they were never invited to. With its nearly unmistakable grayish-white, powder-like appearance PM is a common problem affecting a wide range of host plants. When you take the proper steps, it can almost always be prevented, but if it starts to rear its ugly self in your garden, remember that it isn’t the end of the world.
The numerous PM fungi types that cause this disease are almost always host-specific. This 19
POWDERY MILDEW
PM spores can spread very easily The best way to handle PM is by taking the proper steps to prevent an infection in the first place. Keep in mind that PM fungal spores can travel easily through both the water and the air. •
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Try to avoid planting where shade is prevalent and air circulation is low. These types of areas are almost always the most active sites for PM infections. To prevent PM from occurring and spreading, water plants at ground level and not from above. If there is a small portion of a plant that is in the beginning stage of infection watering from above the plant can certainly cause it to spread. When planting several plants in a group or row, make sure to give them plenty of space so the air readily flows through and around the plant foliage. Pruning and thinning plants often will also help increase air circulation, allowing the surfaces of the plant to dry out faster when they do get wet. Clean up any plant debris on a regular basis, whether infected or not, to prevent the fungal spores from populating them. PM fungal spores can lay dormant through the winter and become active in the spring. Another reason to keep the areas underneath and around the plants as clean as possible to avoid a nasty surprise. For another level of preventative protection, foliar applications of calcium carbonate and silicon supplements can help strengthen and fortify the plant cells, making them less susceptible to a PM attack.
When a PM infection does become a moderate to severe problem, there are additional steps one can take to eliminate the problem and stop it from spreading. The first step is to remove any infected areas of growth immediately. Do not add the infected plant parts to a compost bin or pile. Most home compost piles do not reach the high temperatures needed to properly kill the spores and once you add such compost to the ground soil the spores can easily infect nearby plants. Chemical fungicides are by far the most effective tool for eradicating and preventing PM infections, but be sure to read the labels carefully since there are many that aren’t safe for use on food crops. Safe handling of
when the relative humidity is high and soil moisture is low
chemicals is always of extreme importance, so make sure you use the suggested safety precautions when going this route. For the organic gardeners out there, potassium bicarbonate and liquid elemental sulfur products offer a safer, more natural way of dealing with a PM outbreak. Organic methods are not as strong and reliable as chemical fungicides, but they are much safer to use. Postpone any planned fertilizing until the PM infection is completely dealt with. PM promoting fungi like to attack younger, more susceptible growth.
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PM spores reproduce asexually
POWDERY MILDEW
PM is not just a problem for outdoor gardens and ornamental plantings; it can also wreak havoc when allowed to enter an indoor growing space or greenhouse. Be sure to pay close attention to the environment. • • •
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To be quite honest, anyone that grows a substantial amount of plants will eventually run into a persistent and severe case of PM. Even when taking great care to avoid such a situation, it can still catch you by surprise. Implementing preventative measures that address the key environmental issues that lead to PM is an extremely important step that should always be taken. Working hard to prevent this type of infection is the only way to truly limit the chances of it occurring on a larger scale. Your garden is a party and you are the bouncer: always working to keep the unwanted guests out. 3
credit: G. Celio
•
Keeping relative humidity lower than 70% is a great way to prevent an infection. Water from the bottom of the plant to avoid getting unneeded moisture on the leaves. Only do foliar applications when completely necessary and make sure that there is plenty of air circulation to properly dry the plants off, so no residual moisture accumulates. Keep plants properly spaced and well pruned, so that they aren’t touching each other and the air can freely flow around and through the canopy. And always, ALWAYS, keep the growing area as clean as humanly possible by immediately disposing of plant debris and mopping up any standing water from the ground or floor. Practice good sanitation before entering the growing area. More often than not, PM fungal spores come into a greenhouse or indoor garden from the outside. If you have come into contact with a plant that is possibly infected, wash your hands with soap and perhaps even change your clothes. PM spores can spread very easily. If the building or growing room has an intake fan that draws fresh air from outside, make sure there is a good filter in place and change or clean it frequently. Larger indoor growing areas and greenhouses often incorporate a sulfur burning furnace that can help prevent PM or minimize an occurrence.
Postpone any planned fertilizing until the PM infection is completely dealt with
BIO
Kyle L. Ladenburger is a freelance garden writer who has worked in the gardening/ hydroponics industry for over a decade. As an avid indoor and outdoor gardener he is well versed in nearly all types of growing methods with an overall focus on sustainability and maintaining healthy soils. He holds a strong conviction that growing one’s own food is a powerful way to change our lives and our world for the better. 23
BY DR CALLIE SEAMAN
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RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
With the seasonal change, our nutrient temperature can vary dramatically, going from one extreme to another. In the summer time, the reservoir temperature can shoot up to 30°C (86°F), but then in the winter, drop down to single figures during the night. But why is this so detrimental to the plants? There are many reasons; disease, altered nutrient availability, reduced oxygen content in the solution, and even cell damage. Temperature is a very influential factor when it comes to reactions occurring and the speed at which they happen.
the reason for investing in solution temperature monitoring equipment Temperature is a very influential factor
Within this article, I hope to shed some light on the reason for investing in solution temperature monitoring equipment. I am not talking about the state of the art, data recording, graph producing piece of kit that tells you what you had for breakfast. Though I do love a bit of techie equipment and analysing some data, that’s enough geekiness for now! A simple maximum/minimum solution thermometer will do. By having this, you will have a better idea what is occurring in the tank when you are not present. Also, when you do call into your local grow shop with a problem, being able to provide this information aids the advisor in building a better picture of what is occurring in your grow room.
Generally speaking, as the temperature of a solution rises, the speed of the reactions within that solution increases. Be that fungus or bacteria multiplying, or the oxygen disassociating from the solution, they tend to happen at a faster rate at higher temperatures. Heat also breaks bonds in compounds, separating elements from one another in the solution, allowing them to become freely available to the plant. Simply put, it’s allowing a compound with low solubility, such as potassium sulphate, to dissolve into the solution and be taken up by the plant. This bond breaking, however, isn’t always a good thing, as it can also apply to biological compounds, such as enzymes. High temperatures disrupt the structure of enzymes, denaturing them and rendering them useless. Enzymes are important proteins, with hundreds of thousands produced by plants that catalyse (speed up) fundamental biological reactions. The roots excrete enzymes into the solution so that nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphates, can become available to the plant. If damaged by high solution temperature, these enzymes will
not work and then the plant cannot utilize the nutrients, and therefore, not thrive and produce the bumper yields we are all looking for. Warming of the roots will result in the rest of the plant increasing in temperature. If the water that the plant is taking up is warm, the plant itself will also increase in temperature. You cannot cool something down below the temperature of what you are using to cool it down with. Like pouring hot water on yourself on a sunny day! Damage to cells can also result, which can allow disease such as root rot and botrytis to thrive within the dead cells. Not only that, but damage to internal enzymes and disruption to metabolic pathways can occur if the plant is too warm, again reducing yields. It’s been shown that lettuce will bolt and become stretched if irrigated with a solution which is too warm (Morgan, 1999). If you have ever invested in one of the more expensive pH meters, you will notice that they also measure the temperature of the solution. Have you not wondered why? Well, it’s because pH is directly related to temperature. So, time for a quick science lesson! At 100°C (212°F) the pH of PURE water (that is... filtered water with everything removed) is 6.14 (neutral). However, at 25°C ( 77°F) pure water should have a pH of 7.0. This is all to do with the hydrogen ion (H+) and hydroxide ion (OH-) formation within the water. The equation below demonstrates what is happening within water constantly. H2O ↔ H+ + OHYou will notice that the equation is an equilibrium, as the arrow points in both direction, meaning that this reaction is constantly occurring in both directions. The process of H2O turning into H+ and OH- is what is known as endothermic, basically it absorbs 25
I.0237
RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
p H is dir e c t ly r el at ed t o t emp er at ur e heat. This means as the temperature the temperature and turn into sugars and new plant material. It also makes increases the water favors the forward of the water it easier for disease to take direction of the equation. Are you still with the plant takes hold if the cell damage me? As the temperature increases, there comes from frost. becomes more H+ ions in the solution up affects and their formation is what makes the pH the overall What can you do to solve drop. Therefore, it is important for a pH temperature of these problems? First, meter to consider the temperature of the the plant monitor your solution solution to produce accurate results. temperature daily with Another element affected by increased a maximum/minimum thermometer... temperature is the dissolved oxygen content of the information is power! If the solution solution. Dissolved oxygen in the solution is in a gas is too cold, purchase a thermostaticalform, the warmer it becomes, the more it starts to move ly controlled water heater to keep it about and get excited, at which point it starts to leave the warmer during the night when temsolution at a much faster rate. This results in a reduced peratures drop. Insulate your reserdissolved oxygen content of the solution, and if you have voir with insulating materials such as read about oxyfertigation in the US 15 edition, you will blankets, to prevent loss of heat produced know what problems low dissolved oxygen can lead to. by the heater. This will also save you on electricity. If the solution is too warm, purchase a solution chiller to A solution temperature of 18-20°C (64.4-68°F) is ideal maintain the temperature below 21°C (69.8°F). Also, - but realistically, plants will remain happy down to periodically dose with a sterilising agent, such as Silver 15.5°C (59.9°F) and up to 21°C (69.8°F). Outside of these, Bullet, this will not only help to keep the system free of however, is where the real problems start to occur. disease, but help to increase the oxygen content of the Pythium is a particular demon as it thrives in solutions of system. higher temperature and low oxygen content, turning roots to a stinking mush. Other diseases such as fusarium and I hope this article has shed some light on why the temphytophthora can also take hold and increase fungus gnat perature of the reservoir solution is so important and numbers. what issues it can lead to if this is not monitored and maintained. Happy growing! 3 So, what happens if the temperature drops too low? Well, this can lead to nutrients falling out of the solution, and forming solid precipitates in the bottom of the tank. In turn, causing your plants to become deficient in elements such as calcium and magnesium. This is partly due to the increase in pH as well as the solubility of these elements increases at lower pH. As BIO mentioned previously, the temperature of the water Callie Seaman has been in the hydro industry for over 15 years, first the plant takes up affects the overall temperature of working in the retail side providing technical advice, then moved the plant. A cooler plant results in slower reactions into R&D, manufacturing, and product development for brands and metabolism, causing slower production of fruit. such as Vita Link and Shogun. Currently the formulation chemist at Aqua laboratories, she recently submitted her PhD thesis on If the solution temperature falls low enough for it to the investigation of nutrient solutions and other fertilizers for the freeze, crystals of ice can form in the roots and other hydroponic growth of plants, and will graduate later this year. Both cells within the plant. Ice forming in the roots can cause the PhD and a first degree in Biomedical Sciences were done at cells to burst, as the water expands and solidifies into Sheffield Hallam university part time, during which she assisted in a rigid structure. This in turn, destroys the root zone, setting up the Aqua laboratories. Passionate about science, Callie and therefore, reduces the amount the plant can uptake totally adores mushrooms and loves anything to do with them.
27
BY GRUBBYCUP
Other
The debate over the use of genetically modified organisms goes beyond the simple question of whether or not they are safe to eat.
28
GMO
Creating new forms of life by One type of GMO life is designed to a trend that technologies such as gene splicing is be more resistant to herbicides that encourages more expensive and requires a substantial it would be normally susceptible to. genetic engineering This allows the herbicide in fields investment in resources. As such, currently only well-financed entities that the GMO crop is grown in. From in an escalating can afford to develop, own, and market a business perspective, this is useful arms race new life based on GMO technologies. for increased profit made from selling These companies have been known to both the herbicide and crop seeds at least occasionally make errors in judgment in their customized to survive it, particularly in situations quest for profit, such as creating heroin and then where the corporation has an interest in both. Such advocating its use while marketing it to the public, pairings may seem harmless, but market dominance supplying gas to Nazi death camps, and using slave may lead to an overuse of the herbicides in question. labor (it is a shame that isn’t hyperbole). They have created beneficial products as well, but they are far Beloved by bees, clover was once more commonly from fallible and at times appear to put a desire for cultivated for use in lawns, but is now frequently profits at a higher priority than the public good. referred to as a weed, partly because it is vulnerable to popular weed killers. Monarch butterfly populations Current law states that such corporate entities are have been negatively affected by the loss of milkweed allowed to own the reproductive rights of the new availability. Due to the selection pressures of life forms they create. This protects their financial GMO life and paired herbicides, some weeds have investments. To this end, GMO (genetically modified developed a resistance, a trend that encourages more organism) life is able to be patented. This means that genetic engineering in an escalating arms race against farmers growing GMO crops must always buy their these natural response “superweeds,� some of which seed from a licensed supplier, year after year, as the have developed aberrant mutations in self-defense. laws prohibit saving the seeds from GMO crops. The superweeds surviving these battles are free to interbreed with the natural population, introducing Saving seeds is also impractical with hybrid varieties, artificially selected genes along with those of natural which is part of the reason that some seed companies selection in the population. put more energy into developing superior hybrids or GMO varieties than breeding superior open We see a similar phenomenon it creates a pollinated varieties. In the case of GMOs, seed in some insect resistant GMOs. pressure for saving is prevented by legal means, and in the case of For example, splicing genes hybrids because of the unstable result, but in either from the soil bacteria Bacillus insects to develop case seed saving has become rarer than it once was. thuringiensis (Bt) into corn, Bt resistance While moving seed production and storage away cotton, and soybeans to create from individual farms in favor of a corporate supplied insect resistant versions of distribution chain may be good for profits and market themselves. By excessively using Bt genes as a builtdominance, it also reduces fault tolerance and puts in insecticide, it creates a pressure for insects to an inordinate amount of power and control in the develop Bt resistance. This may have unintended hands of a few profit driven entities. consequences if these insects also prove resistant to
29
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GMO
naturally occurring Bt, particularly if they spread to areas where GMOs are not grown.
Some of the oldest GMO patents are expiring, which removes the creating corporation’s monopoly on that particular life form
Some of the oldest GMO patents are expiring, which removes the creating corporation’s monopoly on that particular life form. This creates a pressure for the corporations to develop new patentable versions of the product. Designer drugs presented a similar pressure in action with illegal drugs being altered just enough to be something “new” for legal reasons. In either case, it substitutes pressure to improve or change the product by introducing pressure to create new versions for
purely financial reasons. While this is an attitude that is relatively harmless in the fashion industry, it is not necessarily a safe tactic to take when discussing gene splicing and the human food supply.
GMO technology is like most technology, it has value when used correctly, and has associated dangers when it is not. It is an incredibly complex topic, and like so many of the environmental challenges facing us today, the ramifications of decisions made in this generation will undoubtedly have an impact on the quality and quantity of life for the next. 3
31
BY ERIC COULOMBE
It’s Better to Start with Clean Water
32
WATER
I recently attended an indoor gardening expo held in the U.K. It was a great event. I am always impressed with the passion and ingenuity of this group of people. There were many conversations over the weekend, but one struck me as both interesting, disturbing, and reminiscent of discussions I had when I first started selling hydro equipment in this industry. The subject was about one of the most important elements in gardening - water.
“We don’t need filters where we’re from” While standing in the Hydrologic booth, I overheard a guy tell his friend, “We don’t need filters where we’re from.” Before I got into this industry, I was an environmental safety consultant, specializing in air, light, and water quality, with a focus on human health. The logic was always to provide your family, be it at home or work with the cleanest, healthiest environment. Water being an important factor. Although local municipalities treat and filter the water, there are many incidents where equipment failure or too much precipitation lead to boiling advisories. And then there are the unknowns, many of which are discovered when it is too late. The article GenX, which appeared in the last edition, tells the story about how the residents of North Carolina along the Cape Fear River need to continue putting pressure on local and state authorities while dealing with contaminated water. An extreme case, you might think, but it is scary how corporate interests, the lack of infrastructure, and poor water protection measures influence the quality of what is coming out of the tap. So, what is in your water? Have you had it tested? And, do you have it tested regularly? If you answer - “Hmm, I don’t know?!”You are part of the majority. To be fair, most city water tests are available online. If you have well water, it can become a costly endeavor to test and monitor the quality throughout the year. In both cases, it largely depends on “what” you are asking for, after all, most would not think to include GenX on the list. There are many reputable labs that test for a wide range of contaminants, however, costs vary depending on what you are asking for. There are many drinking water test kits available if you would like to conduct the test in-house with quick results. For the most part, they look for the common contaminants that cause
health issues; bacteria, pH, hard water, chlorine, pesticides, nitrates, and lead. If you have well water, these tests are an inexpensive way to know whether or not the farm next door or the neighbor that sprays pesticides on the roses, have contaminated the aquifer. Or if you simply have high levels of calcium and magnesium (a.k.a. hardness). Although a great start, and you save on lab fees, these kits do not give the full picture. In general, most water testing kits apply EPA standards. The EPA follows the Safe Drinking Water Act, which defines a contaminant as: “...any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter in water. Drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. Some contaminants may be harmful if consumed at certain levels in drinking water. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.” 1 The list grows within a mechanism called the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), which compiles the contaminants that are currently not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulations, but are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. The EPA must publish this list every five years; the fourth installation announced last November, CCL 4, included 97 chemicals or chemical groups and 12 microbial contaminants. Examples include, among others, chemicals used in commerce, pesticides, biological toxins, disinfection byproducts, pharmaceuticals, and waterborne pathogens.2 You would think that the EPA has significant measures to ensure quality H2O, but it is sadly an enormous task for any government agency. And, with so many new variables being added to our waterways, it is hard to keep track. And, let’s not forget, water, being the universal solvent that it is, picks up everything it encounters along its journey to your tap. 33
If your water is hard, that extra calcium and magnesium will “compete” with the nutrients, and could cause nutrient lockout
WATER
Reverse Osmosis
Clean is a relative term. Most people would instinctively picture water free of chemicals and pathogens. Not treated with chemicals to kill pathogens. Now I ask you, how clean is the water for your plants? The usual answer is that the water is “fine” and the results have always been good. For the most part, “fine” is okay. But to truly get the most out of your plants, starting with a clean slate is best. Rainwater is a good alternative, but can be a lot of work, a subject that deserves another article. There are two main ways to clean your water. Filtration and Reverse Osmosis (RO). There exist other solutions, but are less practical or not applicable for a growing environment. Unless you have hard water (high in calcium and magnesium), in most cases the only thing you need is a good carbon filter. Carbon block and KDF are the most effective at removing chemicals, turbidity, odors, and chlorine. There are many types of carbon filters, and the percentage removal of particulates, chlorine, cysts, etc. depends on the porosity of the media and additional “add-ons.” Carbon does not kill bacteria or viruses (microbial), and in some cases, can become a breeding ground. So, you may want to add UV sterilization too, before the carbon filter. These are relatively inexpensive and really do the trick. Carbon filters are not successful at removing dissolved inorganic contaminants or metals. These include minerals/salts (hardness or scale-causing contaminants), antimony, arsenic, asbestos, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, fluoride, mercury, nickel, nitrates/nitrites, selenium, sulfate, thallium, and certain radionuclides. To remove these contaminants, you require either a reverse osmosis water filter system or a distiller, although some listed above can also be removed by KDF-55 or manganese greensand. If your water is hard, that extra calcium and magnesium will “compete” with the nutrients, and could cause nutrient lockout. This for sure is not good for your plants. In this case, the RO ensures that what is in the reservoir is free of all contaminants.
For about 100 dollars, it will filter up to 99% of chlorine and 90% of sediment, rust, silt, etc., down to 5 microns and a filtering capacity of 3,000 gallons. It is but a small investment to cover the basics. An RO system is more costly and wastes water in the process, but will definitely improve your yield and gives you peace of mind regarding other possible contaminants. Many things that we do for our garden require work and know how. Filtering your water requires little to no additional effort, once installed. Starting your plants off with pure water is just a smart thing to do, especially in hydroponics, and even more so if you have a passive system. So why not give your plants the best? It’s easy, inexpensive, and you can drink it too. 3 Sources
Start with a water test. Depending on your situation, all you may need is a small filter such as the Small Boy by Hydrologic.
1.
https://www.epa.gov/ccl/definition-contaminant
2.
https://www.epa.gov/ccl/contaminant-candidate-list-4-ccl-4-0 35
BY CHANTAL KERS PHOTOGRAPHY: LARA CLERMONT
Sustainable
Seedlings:
s c i n o p o r d y H Drought, famine, war, illness, poverty, endangered species, global warming; all issues that children of all ages are left open to. Children are exposed to negative news on television, on advertisement campaigns on posters, on the sides of buses, and when they are sitting in the backseat of their cars listening to their parents discuss big issues. In an effort to empower students, in 2015 teachers at St. Jude Elementary School, in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, initiated the St. Jude Elementary Green School Project, which invited students to take action. The children began participating in Meat-Free Monday and Waste-Free Wednesday challenges. They created multimedia projects and encouraged classmates, illustrating the number of gallons of water saved each Monday as a result of student involvement. In 2016, St. 36
Jude formed a Junior Green Team for the first and second grades, where students became “litterbugs,� wearing jiggly insect antennae headbands during recess and the lunch hour, using kitchen tongs to collect litter and place it into garbage cans, helping their classmates keep their school yard clean. Since the start of the project, students have begun learning about the interconnectedness of their surroundings and the
EDUCATION
in t he Cl a s sroom impact they can have on their environment. Learning about the bigger picture and their connection to it has shown students that they have the power to make choices which, even at a small level, can have a tremendous impact and ripple effect. The newest component of the Green School Project has been to integrate gardening into the curriculum.
They made connections between conditions plants need... and how the system works
“Garden plots give kids direct contact with nature and provide a wonderful living laboratory for exploring cycles in nature. Gardens can add to the aesthetics of a site as well as reinforcing concepts such as responsibility, patience, and stewardship. (Broda, 2007) �
Ca na di an Pr im ar y Sc ho ol G ro w s In do or s But the school community faced a problem that is quite common in eastern Canada. Students only have access to gardens during a minimal part of the academic year. We had to figure out, how could students be exposed to the benefits of gardening and growing their own food all year round?
The Solution
St. Jude Elementary School received a unique opportunity during the last academic school year, a solution to the timing problem that schools face in promoting gardening and sustainable practices. Patrick Rochefort, a St. Jude Elementary parent, designed a mobile vertical hydroponic growing system and donated it to the school. Thanks to generous donations by companies such as 37
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EDUCATION
Vertikaroma, Kind LED, Green Planet and Method Seven, these students were provided an unmatched opportunity to experience food growing in the end of the winter months. Upon being introduced to the system, kindergarten and second grade students touched, felt, and observed it and then made predictions about how it worked. They made connections between conditions plants need to grow in the outdoors and how the system works to substitute nature. Students then worked together to plant strawberry runners into the pods, surrounding them with rockwool. They then spent months watching closely as the plants grew, bloomed, and produced fruits. The project ended with students going home for the summer an unmatched with new strawberry plant runners to take oppor tunit y home, allowing them to continue to apply to experience what they had learned throughout the three-month project. food growing
constantly flowing through it, all I had to do was occasionally trim the plants with my students and fill up the water reservoir when it was low. After the flowers bloomed, fresh strawberries were nearly a daily appearance. The students each had their turns picking and eating them. They learned through in the end of “Having the hydroponic grow system in my experience and were able to determine the winter classroom was like having a never-ending which berries were likely to be sour and tart, months fountain of hands-on, real life, engaging and which were sweet and ready. It felt like learning activities that were relatable, such a luxury to be teaching about growing exciting, and very fruitful!” says Diana Diles, kindergarten strawberries in the heart of a Canadian winter. The only draw teacher at St.Jude Elementary, about having the Vertikaroma back would be if you don’t appreciate the constant calming system in her classroom. “It was easy to get started and sound of flowing water in the background, you may find to maintain. With the lights on timers and the water yourself needing more bathroom breaks!” 39
EDUCATION
Gardening and the Elementary Curriculum There are many ways to link gardens to curriculum. Below are examples of the endless amount of concepts one can cover through teaching gardening indoors: • • • •
•
• •
•
Math: measurement, mass, estimation, comparing of values, area, perimeter, graphing Science: biology, matter, chemistry, physics Language Arts: nonfiction reading and writing, persuasive writing, poetry, inferring, sequencing Visual Arts: garden-inspired artwork using multiple types of media, using parts of plants as art materials to create dye, photography Social Studies: geography, soil types, environmental conditions that will favor food production Ethics: sustainability, climate change, eco-friendly practices, recognizing earth-friendly certification Physical Education and Health: benefits of eating healthy, organic versus non-organic food, proper gardening posture Cross-curricular: organization of materials, time management, teamwork
Ian Cavanagh, principal at St. Jude Elementary School, feels that students are extremely fortunate to have such a system in the school. “It offers hands-on learning opportunities across a wide-range of disciplines and deepens the children’s connection to the environment, which in turn, helps develop their insight into humanity’s impact on our planet.”
grade levels will be able to take advantage of the system. During the next school year, different types of produce will be grown, from herbs, such as basil, to fruits, such as cherry tomatoes. The St. Jude Elementary Green Team will fundraise, selling produce grown in the classroom, exposing community members to the possibilities that indoor growing provide. Students will also begin composting using rotative compost bins outdoors and vermicomposting systems in various classrooms. Lastly, during the next school year, staff and students hope to add garden boxes onto the school pavement, reducing the heat island effect and providing different types of gardening opportunities to students. 3
ved l o v n I t Ge
Generous donations made the indoor gardening project possible. If you would like to get involved in the St. Jude Elementary Green School Project by donating time, expertise, or resources, please contact us. To know more about the project and to follow the project’s progress, follow our Facebook page, at www.fb.com/StJudeCares. For eco-friendly activities, ideas, and teaching resources to use in your schools, visit www.misschantalcares.com.
Contact Us: Chantal Kers (misschantalcares@gmail.com) Ian Cavanagh (icavanagh@swlauriersb.qc.ca)
Donations by: “Twenty years from now, a scientific breakthrough could be inspired by a system like this in a student’s former elementary school.”
•
What’s Next
•
The St. Jude Elementary School community will continue to learn about gardening using the hydroponic growing system in the 2017-2018 school year. Different groups and
•
•
Patrick Rochefort and Vertikaroma (www.vertikaroma.com) Protective Glasses by Method Seven (www.methodseven.com) LED Growing Lights by Kind LED (www.kindledgrowlights.com) Expertise provided by Green Planet (www.mygreenplanet.com)
Source: Broda, H.W. (2007). Schoolyard-enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool, K-8. Stenhouse Publishers. GARDENCULTUREMAGAZINE.COM
41
BY GREG RICHTER
42
LIGHT FACTS
EYES SEE DIFFERENTLY THAN LEAVES Lights are a given for indoor growers. Everyone uses them, but not everyone understands them. While there’s a lot of complex engineering in making a good light, choosing one is actually pretty easy once you understand a little about them. There’s no need for heavy math, just a few pictures. There really is a lot less to it than you’d expect. So, here we have it, the “Facts of Light.”
Spectrum of Light
Chlorophylls and Dr. McCree
Light comes in colors from Infrared to Ultraviolet, which we measure in nanometers of wavelength. The PAR region that plants use runs from about 350 nm to about 750 nm, the longer wavelengths being more red and the shorter being more blue. People see green light as brighter than red at the same power level, while plants respond to red much more than they do green. This is why Lux or Lumens don’t mean much for horticultural lighting – they’re measures matched to human vision, not plant growth. The curve below shows human eye response to bright light (black curve) or dim light (green curve). Plants need green light too, but they don’t “see” it nearly as well as we do.
Looking at the chart below, you can see what a leaf absorbs most – Chlorophyll A and B are the two biggies, and some blue/red LED lights have a spectrum with peaks to match the two “shoulders” on the McCree curve with not much in between.
McCree[1] studied the absorption of light by leaves in detail in the 1970s, and the McCree curve is the basis of PAR measurements. Dr. McCree’s work showed a need for a wider spectrum than just chlorophyll absorption and a few other fascinating facts, but keep in mind: 1. The study was done at very low light levels (30-60 uMole/sq meter). Common grow lighting intensity is almost 30x that. 2. McCree doesn’t suggest an optimum lighting profile, only that leaves respond to this curve at low light levels.
EVERYONE USES THEM, BUT NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THEM
We know you need blue and red for chlorophyll, and McCree learned you need more of one than the other, and quite a lot in the middle for compounds that are NOT chlorophyll. So far, so good. This is what PAR is, Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Plants respond to PAR along the McCree curve; people see Lumens, along the Photopic curve. Eyes see differently than leaves. 43
LIGHT FACTS
Here Comes the Sun Plants literally grew up with sunlight. The sun’s spectrum looks like this: While there is a lot of green and yellow in sunlight, and human eyes see it well, plants use less of these colors, and power placed in this range is not as effective in photosynthesis as the blue and red ends of the spectrum, as McCree found out.
upside is LED puts out whatever colors you want. LEDs win, except they cost three to four times more than HID fixtures with similar light output (as of mid-2016).
Plasma Luxim plasma lights are sold under various trade names and their brilliant white light is similar to metal halide lamps. It’s even closer to the spectrum of the sun than MH, which is very desirable in architectural and outdoor lighting applications, or anywhere people need to see color accurately. Plasma lamps also last up to four times longer than HID lamps. In the PAR region that plants use, these lights are not as efficient as HID or LED, but their brilliant white light is the closest thing we have to natural daylight indoors.
HPS and Metal Halide
Comparing Technology
High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights have been the workhorse of indoor growing since they are efficient in terms of light output per watt used, and they are inexpensive. Metal halide (MH) lamps are similarly priced and put out a more “sunlike” spectrum. A good HPS lamp can blast out 2100 uMole/s, while a good MH lamp does about 1800 uMole/s. Not as efficient, but pretty close, and reasonably priced. Both of these lamps are high voltage devices and called HID or High Intensity Discharge lights. Typical spectra look like this:
When comparing lights, look at the uMole output and the input power. The output in uMole/s will allow you to see what’s actually streaming out of the light, and how much power it takes to make that happen.
The upside of HID is it’s a mature technology, and the newer fixtures are efficient, computer controlled, and low-cost. The downside is the spectrum isn’t optimal. Halide is fantastic for veg, and HPS is the industry workhorse that gets used for everything because it’s cheap, efficient, and available. As higher power metal halide lamps with more red become available, you’ll see a lot more of them in use. Downside of MH is lots of ultra-violet (UV) – so be careful around these lamps and use eye protection. Comparing the halide curve to the sun’s above, you can see these things pound out enough UV to give you a tan. Turkey Tail Mushrooms LED The newest tech is LED, light emitting diodes. They come in single colors, or white which is a blue LED with a phosphor coating, essentially a fluorescent lamp gone solid state. By mixing white and multiple color LEDs, you can get almost any spectrum you want, although a lot of growers swear by white LEDs alone. White supplemented with color gives the most flexibility. The downside is HID puts out more light per watt,
Real off-the-shelf examples: • A good quality 1000W HPS fixture delivers about 1866 uMole/s. • The same fixture with a CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) lamp delivers about 1600 uMole/s. • A well-made 400W LED fixture delivers about 620 uMole/s. • A leading 270W horticultural plasma fixture delivers 410 uMole/s. The plasma does have brilliant white light, but only delivers 410/270 or 1.52 uMoles/s per watt, not quite as good as a well-designed LED fixture. Note that the LED clocks in 620/400 = 1.55 uMole/s per watt vs. the HPS at 1.87 uMole/s per watt, and the MH at 1.60 uMole/s per watt. This is the horrifying truth known by all lighting engineers – HPS is more efficient than LED by about 20% in terms of total light output, but LED can have a better spectrum. Plasma has the most sunlike spectrum of all, but at the price of efficiency. LEDs, if well-designed, can have a better spectrum, and that’s worth considering. HPS is cheap, efficient, and works. MH has a beautiful spectrum but, like the LED, is not as efficient as HPS and punches out a lot of UV, which you may not want. Plasma looks like sunlight, but takes a good bit of power. No such thing as a free lunch in engineering, which is why there are so many choices. 45
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LIGHT FACTS
Got a low ceiling and a small room? A small CMH fixture is just the thing. Got a four hundred light grow in a warehouse? Lower overall cost is why most large-scale growers are using HPS. Growing for specific phytochemicals? Tunable LED wins hands-down.
Designer Spectra for Designer Plants There’s quite a lot of work going on[2] showing how tuning the colors of light can make the plants produce more of what we want and less of what we don’t. Designer Spectrum is becoming a buzzword, and this is where digitally controlled, tunable spectrum LEDs really shine. Blues, greens, far red, and UV all play a part, and a future article will explore photomorphogenics in more detail. Suffice it to say that with tunable spectrum, you can make your plant do things it would never do under natural sunlight. It takes power to do it, but as we learn more about what spectral tuning does for our plants, expect to see a lot more here with HPS+LED and LED+MH.
Measuring Performance PAR meters are awesome tools which measure light output in the 350-750 nm PAR range that plants see and shows you output in uMole/square meter per second. Pretty slick. With a PAR meter you can tell how much light is reaching your canopy, and how even the light distribution is from your reflector.
When a manufacturer quotes light output, you should also check to see who did the test. If it’s UL, CSA, Intertek, or any Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), you know the report was to standard and you can believe it. Read carefully, though! It’s common to quote light output far outside the PAR range to make some lights look better than they are.
Temperature A reasonable thing to ask, and one of the most common grower questions is, “How hot does it get?” The answer is that all lights, regardless of type or manufacturer, get hot. A light does no mechanical work, so 1000W of power going into a light dumps 1000W of energy into the room (unless you air-cool the lamps). Here’s the cheat sheet: 1000W = 3412 BTU/hr = 0.29 Ton of refrigeration Same numbers, just a different unit of measure. Adding 5% for losses in the electronics gets you a good rule of thumb: 3600 BTU/hr or .3 Tons of cooling for everything 1000W light.
Like all machines, PAR meters can be fooled. A 1000W light puts out more than a 600W light, simple enough, but some manufacturers “adjust” output power to appear brighter than the competition – so you have to check. How to Check the Output Power: 1. Measure light output using your PAR meter. 2. Measure voltage to the light fixture (120 or 240 volts). 3. Measure current going into the fixture with a clip-on amp meter. Watts = Volts x Amps. Divide your PAR reading by Watts to get uMole/s per watt, which is what we want to know. This works great for HID, plasma, and fluorescent fixtures, but not very well for LEDs. LEDs are narrow-band emitters and can fake a PAR meter out pretty badly, because the meters were designed for continuous spectra. My favorite lab trick is to measure a green LED flashlight and ask if it’s really
[1] McCree, K. J. “The action spectrum, absorptance and quantum yield of photosynthesis in crop plants”. Agricultural Meteorology Volume 9, 1971–1972, Pages 191-216
brighter than a 600W HPS fixture. The meter says it is! To compare HPS, CMH, fluorescent, or plasma, a PAR meter is an easy way to check what you’re actually getting for the power you put in.
People who say LEDs don’t generate heat haven’t checked. They do. A 400W LED dumps 400W of energy, just like a 400W HID, plasma, or fluorescent. Energy input, less mechanical work done, is energy left in the room, and lights don’t do mechanical work. Energy in = energy out.
Noise Electronic devices generate electronic noise, like that buzz you hear when your phone is too close to the car audio system. All lights sold in the US have to pass FCC Part 18A, and some of the better ones pass Part 18B, which is tougher. Some even pass Part 15B as well, which is even tougher than that. Look for Part 18B at a minimum. Buying a good light isn’t so hard – choose your spectrum and output level, and find a light that fits your specs with minimum power and noise. Check for FCC and UL/CSA certifications. Grab a PAR meter, a voltmeter, and an amp meter. With those tools, you can discover the “Facts of Light” for yourself, for any light. 3
[2] Smith, H. “Phytochrome, a family of photoreceptors with multiple physiological roles” Plant, Cell & Environment, September, 1990.
47
BY CHRIS BOND
in Hydro Systems Sanitation is the best weapon in the grower’s arsenal
48
ROOT DISEASE
Extreme temperatures can also be used to kill pythium
Pythium is one of the most common diseases experienced among growers using hydroponic systems. It is not one disease, but rather the genus of several species of pathogens that are responsible for causing blight, root rot, and ultimately death of numerous plant species. Most hydroponics systems are particularly conducive to the formation and spread of this disease because of the ease with which the zoospores of Pythium are created and then dispersed by the continual cycling of water and nutrients. Growing areas populated by pests, such as fungus gnats or shore flies, are particularly susceptible to pythium as it can be easily spread by these insects. Recognizing the symptoms of this disease and preventing its causes are the best measures of control.
Symptoms of pythium diseases are noticeable in both the root zone and the plant itself. Roots of plants infected with pythium appear stunted, limp, or have full-on necrosis (characterized by dark or black roots). The roots may appear white as the outer brown sheath can easily slough off once it is dead and leave the exposed vascular portion of the root. Root fibers are the first part affected, but the disease is not always noticed until its progression has advanced much further.
Seedlings affected by pythium may succumb to dampingoff disease resulting in a seeming failure to germinate or immediate death after germination. In mature plants, yellowing and stunted growth are the usual symptoms, though sometimes they may seem to recover in the evening or overnight, but will wilt again the following day. On hydroponically grown fruit, such as tomatoes, pythium disease may appear as a dark lesion on the fruit itself if it happens to come in contact with the infected water. 49
ROOT DISEASE
Pythium thrives in warm temperatures Root fibers are the first part affected Sanitation is the best weapon in the grower’s arsenal. Between crops, and especially if pythium has occurred in your growing area, sanitize all media, trays, tools, benches, pots, and the entire system. Regular cleaning of the entire grow room is a necessary precaution as pythium can survive for a very long time in dust, cracks in the floor, bottoms of pots, and many other crevices until the right conditions “activate” it. Using a 10% bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution will work. There are also several products on the market designed to give the grower protection against pythium and other plant pathogens, which are suitable to use in place of bleach or peroxide. There are at least two commercially available products approved for use in float systems containing the active ingredients: ertridiazole, hydrogen dioxide, and peroxyacetic acid. Use both with extreme care as they are both dangerous to the handler if misapplied or used in any manner not listed on their respective labels. Extreme temperatures can also be used to kill pythium. Steam sterilization of media, pots, tools, etc. is an effective, non-chemical method of killing the pathogens. Exposure for 30 minutes at temperatures in the range of 165°175°F (74°-79°C) or 60 minutes at 140°F (60°C) are both sufficient to eradicate the disease.
Pythium thrives in warm temperatures. The different species will have their respective onsets at different specific temperatures, but in general, constant daytime temperatures between 77°-86°F (25°-30°C), coupled with nighttime lows above 68°F (20°C) and a relative humidity around 90% for 15 hours or more per day is the recipe for pythium to thrive. A study conducted in 2000 by researchers at Clemson University and North Carolina State University (Fortnum, et al. 2000) concluded that there is a direct correlation between the temperature of the water or nutrient solution and pythium incidents. In trials with water temperatures at 9°F (5°C) increments between 59°-86°F (15°-30°C), the pythium rates in hydroponic tobacco plants ranged from zero in 59°F (15°C) to incidences approaching 70% infected in plants grown in water temperatures at 86°F (30°C). Adjusting any or all of these variables will help to prevent pythium from making its appearance or reducing its ability to spread. 3
BIO: Chris Bond is the manager of the McKay Farm and Research Station at Unity College in Maine. An accredited permaculture designer and certified nursery professional, Chris has written hundreds of articles, several books and hosted radio programs devoted to the art and science of growing. Visit fb.com/mckayfarm to learn more about the multifaceted McKay Farm and Research Station. 51
GREEN PRODUCTS
cool
finds growing innovation
1
Light Style
Growing dwarf fruit trees and exotic plants in the office or living room sounds lovely, but getting sufficient light for them to thrive calls for a decor-friendly fixture. That’s the concept behind the new Aspect LED grow lights from Soltech Solutions in Pennsylvania. Designed as a pendant, the light comes in a black or white can with 20 color choices for the 15 foot cord. Hang it high, hang it low, or add a cool looking post-industrial style stand. Keep it modern, or add a lampshade for a more traditional or rustic look. Both the small (20W) and large (40W) Aspect lights run 3000K full spectrum white light with CRI 97 at 90-240 VAC. Prices start at $100. Made in the USA. Currently ships to US and Canada - UK/EU certification in the works. Learn more: www.soltechsolutionsllc.com.
2
Daily Harvest
Finally, a compact indoor lettuce farm that makes sense. The GrowChef hydroponic garden allows 51 plants to grow simultaneously, providing fresh-picked food every day. Arranged in 3 growth stage levels, each with 17 sites, means continual food production in a space the size of a nursery tray. The GrowChef unit comes with everything you need to start growing greens and herbs, but the gardener can use locally available supplies to replenish or customize. The included nutrient ratio matches the light level for best results. Made in Spain. Ships worldwide. The wildly successful Kickstarter campaign recently completed with backer units shipping in March 2018. Retail: 199€ ($234 USD) Measures: 60 x 75 x 30cm (23.6” x 29.5” x 11.8”). Learn more: www.growchef.com.
52
PIONEER
Grow Books “Two indispensable books” GARDEN CULTURE MAMAPUBLISHING.COM
NEW
GREEN PRODUCTS
cool
growing innovation
3
finds
The Chess Garden
Will the black plant army win, or the white? Definitely an innovative indoor garden of assorted air plants whose orderly pots double as chess pieces. Low maintenance, easy keepers that bring a welcome spot of greenery to the room, but they really stand out displayed on a beautifully handcrafted solid wood battlefield. Sustainably made in California from bamboo and corn-based PLA bioplastic. The water-based lacquer finished game board measures 41 x 42cm (16” x 16.5”). Plants are carefully chosen to match up the ranks of 3-D printed pieces into a unique set. Ships worldwide, and 1% of your purchase is donated to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo. Learn more: www.bit.ly/LivingChess.
4
5 54
Grow Anything The AVA Byte looks like many other small countertop hydroponic gardens, but it’s more versatile. In addition to offering a wide selection of pre-seeded pods for fruit, greens, and herb crops - you can swap to microgreens or mushroom production with accessory add-ons. On-site mushroom harvests, says Vancouver’s Chef Jade Berg, is a game changer in his kitchen. The AVA garden device is smart home activated, connecting to Alexa for voice control.Add an HD camera to visually monitor growth.Adjustable full spectrum LED bar, sensor controlled, ARM® Cortex® M4 Processor, integrated mobile app, and WPA2 security. It comes in 3 colors, and measures: 18” x 4.75” x 7.5” (45.75 x 12 x 19 cm).The recently completed IndieGoGo campaign raised 388% funding. Complete kit with accessory trays retails for $470 beginning in April 2018. Shipping worldwide from British Columbia. Learn more: www.avagrow.com.
Rainbow Media
Have a little fun with color and seeds. New Paper Soil takes growing house plants closer to the rainbow, turning waste paper into decorative growth media. Fill any glass jar with Paper Soil to create an instant microgarden. Pretreated with organic fertilizer, it has 3 times greater moisture retention than soil. Brighten winter with blooming impatiens or begonias. Certified environmentally friendly by SGS, Paper Soil meets EU environment standards. Available in 6 colors, packed in 1 liter bags, this innovation raised almost 150% of the requested funding on Kickstarter in August, and ships to early adopters in September. Learn more: www.paper-soil.com.3
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BY THEO TEKSTRA - MARKETING MANAGER, GAVITA INTERNATIONAL BV
PART
8
High levels of light, and particularly some wavelengths, can cause damage to the eye
SAFETY Any light is dangerous when intense enough 56
LIGHT MATTERS
Most of you are playing with some powerful lights. Light can be the source of life, but it can also hurt you. In this episode, it’s about your safety.
What’s the problem? If you follow safe use directions well, there should be no problem. But here are a few things you need to consider: •
High levels of light, and particularly some wavelengths, can cause damage to the eye.
•
Improper use of equipment can lead to overheating electronics or even exploding lamps. UL was founded to test equipment for fire safety!
•
Faulty electrical installations and unsafe equipment are a very frequent cause of fire.
These all can have dramatic consequences.You have a great responsibility to yourself, your workers, your family and neighbors, for doing things safely.
Damaging Wavelengths Light can be regarded as a particle phenomenon (as in consisting of photons) or as electromagnetic radiation. In the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, the visible light sits between the ultraviolet and the infrared radiation.
The shorter the wavelength, the more energetic the wavelength. Ultraviolet light, X-rays, and Gamma rays can be highly destructive, and even blue light can have a damaging effect. The American Optometric Association published a report, in which it writes: “The cornea and crystalline lens absorbs almost all natural UV radiation, UV radiation is thought to cause damage to the anterior eye, while short visible light (“blue-light”) can cause damage to retinal structures. Also, as the damaging processes are thought to be at least partially photochemical in nature, the damaging effects can be cumulative in nature, which may compound across one’s lifetime.”
optique.com ion vis
The wavelength of electromagnetic radiation is measured in meters, or millimeters, or nanometers, or even picometers. The higher the frequency of the wave, the shorter the wavelength. You see this illustrated in this spectral overview:
Why do welders wear those dark glasses? It’s to protect them from the UVC from the arc. It causes a painful inflammation on the cornea (a clear tissue that covers the front of the eye) and exhibits symptoms such as watery eyes, light sensitivity, itchy eyes, red or dry cre dit : eyes, swelling and irritation under the eyelid, blurred vision, and severe pain with the constant feeling like you have sand in your eyes. Usually, that heals within a few days, but in severe cases, you have permanent eye damage and require immediate treatment. Fortunately, our atmosphere filters X-rays, Gamma rays, and the most harmful of UVs, UVC, out of the sun’s light. However, some UVB and UVA still reaches the Earth. For that, we protect our skin with sunscreen and our eyes with sunglasses.
UV from Artificial Light Sources UVB and UVC can easily be generated by lamps. Some lamps that generate this harmful radiation may only be used in lighting fixtures with a glass lens that filters out the damaging UV. Not only is it unhealthy, it deteriorates plastics and pigments (in paint and plastics, for example). You wouldn’t want that on your Van Gogh.
57
LIGHT MATTERS
High-Intensity Discharge light sources with lots of blue light, such as Metal Halide (MH) and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH), emit UV light, including UVC. The user is partially shielded from this UV light by the UV blocking outer glass balloon that covers the arc tube. Depending on the material they made the glass from, a lot of UV can still be emitted from the lamp. These lamps are usually only suitable for closed fixtures, where the lens filters out the UV light. Lamps suitable for open fixtures are usually completely shielded with UV blocking glass. The most dangerous incident you can have is a single jacket MH lamp with a broken outer balloon. Most lamps do not extinguish automatically after such an event, and because the filter has gone, they emit vast quantities of dangerous UVC. Lesson learned: Examine if your lamp is suitable for an open fixture, and if so, what the UV levels are. Use only lamps suitable for open fixtures, in open fixtures.
Blue Light Blue light, in the wavelengths of 400-480 nm is surprisingly damaging to the eyes. Blue light damage to the retina has research support from studies with both acute and chronic exposure. But not only can it damage your eyes, it also influences your sleeping rhythm and alertness. Do you have an iPhone? In the evening, the screen colors become a bit warmer (when you have set this). It prevents you from disrupting your sleep. LED lights, and in particular blue and white LEDs, are much more damaging to the eyes than traditional light sources such as CFL and incandescent. For blue LEDs that’s a given, as they radiate pure blue. White LEDs though, work through a phosphorous layer on top of a blue LED. Part of the blue light is passing through the layer, the rest of the light comes from the phosphor glowing. Because of the strong emission peak near 440 nm, the Blue Light Hazard output for the white LED source is nearly 200% greater (i.e., three times the blue light hazard) than that for the incandescent lamp. In horticultural LEDs specifically, you see a lot of blue and white LEDs, as blue light is regarded an important spectrum. Such a source can have up to 35% blue light, sometimes even more. Lesson learned: Again, protect your eyes. Not only the amount of light causes damage, but also the color of the light. There are glasses with a special filter against blue light. That’s also good advice on the road nowadays: Those intense white LED street lights can cause disruption of your sleeping pattern.
UNPROTECTED METAL HALIDE
PROTECTED METAL HALIDE
UNPROTECTED CDM
PROTECTED CDM
Quantity and Intensity It’s not only certain types of light that can damage the eyes, it’s also the quantity and intensity. Any light is dangerous when intense enough. I’m not even going to talk about lasers, which are a very concentrated, intense light. But take the sun as an example, even at an eclipse, you don’t just look into the sun. Prolonged exposure to high-intensity light can also damage the eyes. Remember, damage can be cumulative. Lesson learned: In high-intensity light environments, such as grow rooms, it is advisable to wear quality eye protection. Personally, I am a great fan of the Method Seven products.
Improper Use of Equipment You know you shouldn’t put a 400W lamp in a 1000W fixture. You might blow it up. But did you also know that you cannot just power an MH lamp with any ballast? MH lamps require special treatment. They should never be ignited hot, just after they have extinguished. In some cases this can lead to a violent explosion of the arc tube, scattering particles of more than 1000 °C (1832°F). You want your fixture or ballast for MH lamps equipped with a restart timer, which delays re-ignition while the switched off lamp is still hot. Safe use also means that you keep a safe distance from combustible materials when using high power lights. It sometimes requires maintenance, such as keeping your fixtures dust free to prevent it from overheating, and of course, proper installation of the lamp. 59
Biofloral USA tel: 877-735-6725
LIGHT MATTERS
The Lamp How many times have you already seen a burned lamp holder because the lamp was not screwed in correctly? An arc can develop between the lamp and the contacts, and that arc becomes hot very quickly. Plastic fixtures can easily catch fire. That’s why it’s necessary to make lamp holders of porcelain or LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer, a fire retardant Kevlar-like material). Many double ended fixtures, for example, have black lamp holders made from LCP, which will eventually melt and may even smoke and drip, but will not catch fire. Of course, you can prevent all this by correctly installing your lamps. Make sure that the wires on each end are straight, and the sliders of the lamp holders are properly closed after inserting the lamp. Check, double check, and check again!
Open or closed? Because of the high pressure inside an MH or CMH lamp, they may only be used in closed fixtures with a glass lens, or they need extra protection with an extra glass balloon, that will contain a possible explosive failure. ANSI designates the latter as /O – suitable for open fixtures. These /O lamps mostly radiate very low levels or UV, as there are limits to what a lamp for general lighting in an open fixture may emit. Lesson learned: It’s often not the equipment itself, but the improper use that makes it dangerous. Do check the installation instructions very carefully before you install any equipment, particularly high power equipment. The higher the power, the more dramatic the effect of a mistake. Always check your ballast or fixture to see if your lamp is compatible. If it just says HPS, do not use it for MH lamps.
Unsafe Equipment UL was founded to certify equipment for fire safety. Their first test, in 1894, was actually on “non-combustible insulation material.” UL, CE or other certifying bodies are there for a reason: to make sure that the equipment you use, is safe when used for the designated task and in the proper way. UL does not guarantee your safety; safe and responsible use of UL certified equipment does that to a much greater effect. Previously, we discussed not using an MH lamp in an HPS ballast, for example. That is exactly the thing that UL requires manufacturers to specify: which lamp is suitable. So, you can find it on the label and/or in the manual.
Do not make any concessions to your electrical installation However, a UL certificate does not always mean that the product you buy is safe. In some instances, the product in the shop is different than the product originally offered for certification. This is illegal of course, but we still see that happen. Always go for a brand you can trust, distributed by a reliable company. A distributor of a product is liable for the safety of the product and has to do due diligence to guarantee the safety and certification of the product. Lesson learned: Buy safe equipment from a reliable source with a good safety track record. Make sure that when you buy second-hand equipment, that equipment is not modified in any way. That revokes the warranty and may in many cases make the equipment unsafe to use.
Electrical Installations Old wiring, under specified wiring, overloaded wiring, bare ends, damaged insulation: These are the primary causes of fires in an electrical installation. With so many electrical connections in your facility, perfect installation on all of them is necessary. Do not make any concessions to your electrical installation and make sure it is properly installed. In large facilities, a site inspection will always be carried out by not only constructional experts and the fire brigade, but also an electrical inspector, before you may switch the installation on. Plugs can also be a source of trouble, specifically when the strain relief is not used correctly, and wires pull out of their contacts. With so many lamps we always recommend to hardwire the lamp cables. They have a plug to disconnect the fixture. Lesson learned: In large facilities, the best and safest way to connect lights is to hardwire the connection cable. Be aware of the fact that mains cables often cannot be replaced by longer ones, because of ferrites in the cable and EMI restrictions. It’s always best to use one connection box per light. 3 61
GROWING PROJECTS
s ’ o g t h n i a Wrow h e r e G h W W 1. Dallas, TX
Credit: Edible Dallas & Fort Worth
Sowing Change
2. Saskatoon, SK
It started in 2016 with 100 large portable raised planter beds producing fruits, vegetables, and greens on space that a major tent coliseum occupies during the annual Texas State Fair. The fairgrounds might seem an odd place for an urban farm, albeit one that requires a temporary move elsewhere for about two months, but a state fair exists because of agriculture, so what better place to form a new food system in a low-income food desert? Big Tex Urban Farm expanded to 529 growing beds, hydroponic greens, and a laying flock for eggs in a permanent spot for 2017. The organic urban farm, no longer an experiment, creates employment in a job desert, and the harvests are all donated to local charities. They also supply local schools and groups with the seed, soil, and boxes to grow their own, hoping to fuel more agricultural activity in South Dallas. Perhaps other state fairs should take note and grow community change. Learn more: bit.ly/big-tex-farm
I Do, We’ll Grow
Today, they have about 50 customers enrolled in their CSA program. They work the six plots by hand, taking sustainability very seriously, which also allowed them to start farming with very little investment. A wise choice for increasing a farmer’s income from his labors. Less going out every month means more cash left in your pockets, and reduced risk too. And scattered plots offer better pest management through site rotation... residual bugs and disease won’t pursue you around town. A CSA with a waiting list for membership. More demand than there is supply! Learn more: bit.ly/CR-urbanfarm
Credit: Chain Reaction Urban Farms
Getting married turned Jared and Rachel Regier from teachers to farmers, because the school system doesn’t let wedded couples work together. No problem, supplying your community with fresh, healthy food has positive impact too. And so, pedalpowered Chain Reaction Urban Farm came to life in a few good backyards in 2015, producing fruits and vegetables organically.
63
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GROWING PROJECTS
s ’ o Wh owing hat Gr W Where 3. Northfield, WI
Wisconsin became home to the world’s largest cold water aquaponic farm in September. Superior Fresh brings 100 new jobs to the tiny town that less than 600 call home. The 40,000 square foot fish facility will produce 160,000 pounds of Atlantic Salmon and Rainbow Trout annually, and supply nutrients to 123,000 square feet of greenhouse generating 16,000 lettuces a day; 1.8 million pounds of pesticide-free leafy greens a year! A feat requiring 1100 LED grow lights during winter this far North. Many years of research and planning finally come to fruition surrounded by 60 acres of land in a native plant restoration program. The owners and team are strong partners with The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute and the U.W. Stevens Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility. Environmental sustainability, healthy food production, education, and building economy are all important goals here.
Credit: Superior Fresh
Fresh Catch
Making fresh salmon a farm to table thing in the Midwest, free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. Learn more: superiorfresh.com
4. Virginia Beach, VA
Credit: Virginian-Pilot
Love Your Job Amanda Gerber didn’t set out to become a farmer, but vegetable gardening gave her an inexpensive activity while her Navy husband was on deployment. It was so much fun, the garden soon expanded into a full-time thing and way bigger than her backyard. Launched in 2015, Nottalotta Acres Urban Farm now works three acres on three parcels in the heart of Virginia Beach. Amanda and farming partner Art Reese grow a seasonal rotation of crops, and keep a flock of laying hens. They produce enough fruits, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers, eggs, and homemade jams to supply two weekly markets, and you’ll find them selling behind Target at the mall on Sundays. Everything is grown naturally, and from seed. They want customers to know their farmers, and feel great about feeding their family locally grown foods. Where else can you work dawn to dusk 7 days a week and love it? Learn more: bit.ly/nottalotta 3 65
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OPINION PIECE BY: THEO TEKSTRA, GAVITA INTERNATIONAL B.V.
OPINION PIECE
You know what grinds my gears?
About 15 years ago, I had a blog on Blogspot. It was new and exciting and easy to do. I soon abandoned it when it became fashionable, with blogs about, well, anything actually. Everyone is an “author” nowadays. I have seen people call themselves author because they have a blog; a publicist even, because they publish rants on Facebook! User-created content may be interesting, it is also often hopelessly incorrect, for the most part. Raving rants, opinions instead of facts, and no journalistic ethics whatsoever. It becomes a bit more serious though or clearly cite the source that instigated the Rav ing r ant s, when you present your blog as an blog in the first place. That’s easy because opinions ins te ad “online magazine,” or a “lifestyle they do not have an editorial review board, of f ac t s, and no brand,” claim it to hold the truth, nor an ethics commission, nor a manager journalis tic e thic s attract advertisers and sponsors, who will fire you instantly. They just have what so ever and make it into a business. With no advertisers and sponsors. editorial oversight, no fact checking, and just satisfying a large reader group’s information bias, it will become a So, sue them, you will say? Waste of money. And you’re commercial tool used by the sponsors and advertisers, assured that other blogs will pick you up as a “big evil” – who must, of course, be kept happy. It will also attract crushing the “independent journalist” to silence them. a certain type of sponsor, lured in with the promise of However, some have come under the scrutiny of the favourable articles and product placement. No distance U.S. watchdog group, Truth in Advertising, for certain between content and advertising. questionable health claims. Some, ranging from a one-man show to a whole team of bloggers, are a complete disgrace, publishing rumours, conspiracy theories, questionable health advice, and so on. Common enemies work well. What is truly astonishing, is that even when confronted with fact, it can work in their favour. Science is often called into question or overlooked. When you are at the top of your game and a leader, everyone will aim at you. Of course, they rarely publish your reaction to these articles,
That’s the world we live in folks. I’m reluctant to use the term “fake media” as it is now adopted by these media themselves describing real media. Unfortunately, people are no longer able to rely on many conventional media outlets and even less on user-created content. Let’s face it; readers rarely check facts themselves, opinions have become the new facts. There are many great blogs out there, that aim to educate and disseminate information not found elsewhere. But, beware of bloggers cultivating “deception.” 3
69
BY ALBERT MONDOR, HORTICULTURIST
THESE PERENNIAL VEGETABLES ARE JUST THE THING
Vegetables You Need to Plant only
once!
70
PERENNIALS
Are you interested in permaculture? Would you like to grow some vegetables that produce year after year without having to replant them every spring? If so, then these perennial plants are just the thing!
Oyster leaf
(Diplotaxis tenuifolia ‘Grazia’)
(Mertensia maritima)
Wild rocket ‘Grazia’ is quite similar to regular rocket (Eruca sativa). However, the ‘Grazia’ cultivar is fully perennial (USDA Zone 4). It does well in containers or when sown directly in the ground and selected for its heat tolerance, bolting less quickly than the species. In summer, wild rocket bears small yellow flowers that are edible, along with its leaves. It can grow 1 - 3 feet (0.3 -0.9 m) tall and spread 2 - 3 feet (0.6 - 0.9 m), producing attractive edibles from Spring onwards. Wild rocket ‘Grazia’ grows well in full sun and fertile soil and is not very susceptible to insect pests.
In addition to producing lovely blue blooms in summer, oyster leaf has attractive, edible, bluish leaves with a briny, oyster-like flavor, hence the plant’s common name. It goes well with fish, and you can eat it raw, cooked, or pickled. This sturdy, easy-to-grow climber is drought resistant and thrives in poor soil, reaching 8” (20 cm) in height. Oyster leaf can withstand the harshest winter conditions (USDA Zone 1), and can easily be grown in a container for several years, especially in a fabric pot.
Credit: Michael Booth
Wild rocket ‘Grazia’
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PERENNIALS
Chinese artichoke
(Sium sisarum)
(Stachys affinis)
I find skirret one of the most attractive of all the perennial vegetable plants, producing beautiful white flowers in July. The very long, white root has a sweet, parsnip-like flavor. Like carrots and parsnip, skirret prefers light, friable, and cool soil, in full sun or partial shade, growing up to 4’ (1 m) tall and 1’ to 2’ (0.3 - 0.6 m) wide. This edible perennial is hardy to Zone 4 (USDA).
Chinese artichoke is grown for its corkscrew-like strings of small white rhizomes. These odd-looking rhizomes have a mild flavor much like artichokes or Jerusalem artichokes. Closely related to mint, it grows about 16” (40 cm) tall. This moderately demanding perennial likes full sun and thrives in any well-drained soil. It requires a simple layer of compost before sowing the rhizomes, usually in spring. You can harvest them once the leaves have dried, from October to December or the following spring.
Credit: www.motherearthnews.com
Skirret
Sea kale (Crambe maritima) Sea kale, also called sea cabbage, is a perennial with curly, fleshy leaves and a decidedly cabbage-like flavor. In addition to its edible gray-blue leaves that resemble kale and grow about 2’ (0.60 m) long, this plant produces lovely white flowers in early summer. Sea kale is very easy to grow. Although it prefers sandy, light and well-drained soil, it adapts quite well to other types, including clay soil. It does best when planted in full sun, but can also flourish in partial shade. It is good and hardy and has no trouble surviving winters in Zones 4 and 5 (USDA).
Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) While Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, is closely related to sunflowers, it is in a class of its own because it is grown more for its edible tubers than for its flowers, which appear very late, usually in October. Jerusalem artichoke roots have a delicious artichoke-like flavor and make a great substitute for potatoes. Because this plant is highly aggressive, however, it is best planted in a large container buried in the soil or with a thick metal border around it, to avoid having it invade the entire garden. The stalks of this native North American perennial can grow 8.2’ (2.5 m) tall. Jerusalem artichoke is very sturdy and perfectly hardy to Zone 4 (USDA). 3
73
BY MICHIEL PANHUYSEN
Black Soldier Flies At Work
74
BLACK SOLDIER FLY
Perfect composters, a rich source of calcium and proteins, caretakers of your garbage: the black soldier flies!
Jesse Dodd, organic grower and compost specialist from Humboldt, California, taught us a lot about the different techniques of compost making. Dodd has always been interested in the wide range of possibilities nature offers us growers. He pre-amends his soil with special microorganisms and different kinds of compost and compost teas. It’s mind blowing to talk with him about the gifts nearby nature gives us. Like the EM bacteria (used to make Bokashi) or the straw and wood chips mulch inoculated with the spawn of King Stropharia, for example. This edible mushroom helps to transform organic matter into nutrients and destroys the dangerous E.coli bacteria. Jesse likes the ‘double function’ of some techniques he uses in composting (like serving a mushroom spaghetti prepared with the mushrooms he uses to decompose organic matter).
They process all organic kitchen waste, including meat and dairy products, without smell There are many books written about compost. It is so much more than dead leaves on a compost pile in a forgotten part of your grandfather’s backyard. Compost is a world of its own. Say the magic word ‘vermicompost’ and Dodd will tell you about his latest worm compost bin. In his philosophy, you can make compost nearly everywhere, using locally available materials. You do not need an exotic starter or special palm tree ashes to make compost. Everywhere that people live and prepare food, they have vermicompost ‘ingredients’ available. And it’s not hard to find space for tiny compost factories. Even indoors or on your balcony, there are some compost options. Just make a bin from available materials and fill them with kitchen leftovers and some worms. From the many stories Dodd told me about composting, there is one I will never forget. One summer, Dodd was working on a blueberry farm a few hours drive from his home, somewhere in California. He stayed several days a week at the farm. As usual in this kind of situation, he built a simple vermicompost bin from a few old boards and set it up outside the house he was sharing with some colleagues. To get it going, he put in some cow manure that he got from a neighbor with bits and pieces from the garden, then added a few red wigglers from an-
other compost pile nearby. Finally, he tossed in a bunch of kitchen scraps and covered the whole thing with a piece of cardboard. Both indoors and outdoors, vermicompost makes it possible to transform kitchen and garden waste into very nutritional plant fertilizer with minimal fuss. There was no organized garbage collection where they were staying , so re-using the organic part of their waste was also a way to minimize the garbage. The compost worms started their jobs. The compost process worked well, but the bin was a bit small to hold all the kitchen leftovers produced by the four workers that shared the house. Captivated by the ‘worms at work’, Dodd inspected their progress every day. One day he saw that someone had tossed a piece of meat into the bin, and he worried that it would attract flies and maggots. In normal compost bins it is not advisable to add meat. And for a good reason, Dodd first concluded, when he discovered that flies settled on the meat. Jesse was upset. But he decided to leave it that way and study what would happen over the next few days. Two days later he saw that some grubs emerged on the meat. But looking closer he realized that they were not the basic housefly maggots. 75
BLACK SOLDIER FLY
They produce compost way quicker than worms Dodd got curious. He videoed the flies and grubs with his telephone and compared the images with the ones he found on internet of an insect that intrigued him for years: the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)! He read about this very useful compost specialist years before, but never saw one, living in the relatively cool coastal part of Northern California. When he went back to watch the grubs, he saw that there certainly was an adult black soldier fly perched on the side of the compost bin. He was thrilled.
The black soldier fly larvae are great compost makers. They process all organic kitchen waste, including meat and dairy products, without smell. Theses insects only eat when they are larvae. The flies do not eat and die within some weeks. Not only is the black soldier fly a perfect compost maker, it also has some other important ‘skills’: the larvae are very rich in protein and calcium. They are an excellent food source for poultry, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. In The Netherlands, a dog food producer is doing experiments with mixing the larvae into dog food, to lower the use of meat. In theory, the black soldier fly larvae are a good source for meat substitute products, but it will take some years to take away human resistance against eating insects.
Specialists know that black soldier fly grubs are amazing compost makers. They produce compost way quicker than worms, and they also convert meat into compost. So, from that day on, the compost bin was also ‘fed’ meat leftovers. Black soldier flies prefer warmer areas. The northern parts The black soldier fly grubs were able to process the orof Europe and the United States are too cold for them. ganic waste better than the worms, even when the waste This is likely one reason that the black soldier fly is still not increased in quantity. Over the next few days, the worms a widely recognized composter and protein source. But and larvae worked together. Compost worms do a great slowly, this insect is getting more famous. Austrian Dejob with plant materials rich in cellulose, and the black signer Katharina Unger even developed Farm 432[1], a tool soldier fly larvae do their best work while breaking down to breed black soldier flies in normal people’s kitchens. I nutrition-rich waste, such as meat and dairy products. But wonder if restaurants will serve BSF-burgers within a few as more time passed, Dodd observed that the larvae began years… 3 dominating. The compost started to heat up, the worms headed for a safer place, a cooler spot deeper down in the ground. Also, the compost worms fed on enzyme-rich leachate from the black This article is based on information in The Organic Grow book, written soldier fly larvae, but after several days that by Michiel Panhuysen and Karel Schelfhout. The Organic Grow book became too acidic for them. The worms prois also available in French (Le Bio Grow Book) and German (Das Bio gressively disappeared, and the larvae entirely Grow-Buch), and now in Spanish (El Bio Grow Book). Karel Schelfhout took over the compost bin. Dodd found the is an old-school breeder. Michiel Panhuysen is a journalist, specialized process he witnessed over two weeks fasciin growing issues and medical marihuana. His articles are published in nating. English, Spanish, and Dutch. [1] www.http://bit.ly/farm-432
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SHORTIES
CHICKENS ARE COOL Ever been adopted by a chicken? They remember yours and 99 other faces - animal or human. So if a chicken is after you maliciously, it’s pause to consider your actions. They’re not stupid, and have excellent memories, learning what to do and not do by the results experienced from others, and pass knowledge from one generation to the next. A chicken isn’t easily fooled either, they know that what is hidden still exists. All those squawky sounds chickens make aren’t just noise. They’re communicating in a language with 200 distinct sounds, each having a definite meaning to the flock. They start talking before an egg hatches too, hens communicate with chicks in the shell, and the chick answers them. Source: http://bit.ly/re-chickens
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SHORTIES
FULL NESTERS The average hen lays about 300 eggs a year, requiring 4 pounds of feed for each dozen produced, and laying frequency is directly related to the amount of available light. Many hens will lay one to two eggs a day until the short days of winter. The world’s record holding hen, however, laid 7 eggs in a single day, and one White Leghorn holds the most productive record for laying 371 eggs in a year. As hens age, they lay larger and larger eggs, but in dwindling numbers as the years go by. The top egg producing country in the world is China, turning out 30 million metric tons of eggs annually... 45% of the global egg supply. US egg production pales in comparison at number two with only 8.1% of total yearly production, and Brazil’s laying flock population puts them at number three. Source: http://bit.ly/SAF-facts
81
BY ANDREW ABRAMSON
Climate Change Sucks
82
CLIMATE CHANGE
My story isn’t one of tragic devastation or brave heroics. Hurricane Irma spared my home and most of Southeast Florida. I lost my fence and a couple of trees — one which came within a few feet of demolishing my fiancé’s car. She actually can’t stand her Buick Encore, so that would have been a blessing in disguise.
“Make no mistake — these storms weren’t natural” But it was still a terrifying storm that caused Florida unprecedented anxiety. Irma was the second most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. It’s left many in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas fearful that climate change will lead to a rash of super hurricanes that we simply can’t escape. “The science is now fairly clear that climate change will make stronger storms stronger,” Michael Mann, a Penn State University climate scientist, told NPR. Hurricanes are both the most accommodating and terrifying of natural disasters. Unlike an earthquake or tsunami, you know a hurricane is coming. It gives you time to evacuate, but also causes more than a week of panic. Meteorologists from around the globe try to predict where the storm will land, but the technology just isn’t there yet. It’s an inexact science. In the past, if it looked like a hurricane would make landfall in Miami, we could drive a few hours to Orlando. It’s a relatively safe spot in the middle of the state. That’s where I brought my family for Irma — yet less than 24 hours after we arrived, and Irma made a large and unexpected shift southwest, we evacuated to Southeast Florida. Irma had already caused the largest mass evacuation in United States history, and we dreaded the idea of being stuck in Orlando.
We figured we could deal with a tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane, even if it meant an extended period without electricity. That’s exactly what happened. The wind gusts, which reached about 90 miles per hour in our neighborhood, knocked out power for days. Try sleeping in a house that’s 860F (300C) at night with 75% humidity. And we were the lucky ones — eight elderly people died in a sweltering Hollywood, Florida nursing home. Irma was such a massive storm — nearly the size of Texas — that Floridians didn’t know where to turn. The proactive ones who could afford it booked flights out of town days before she arrived. Once the flights were gone, terrified people took to the highways, causing massive standstill traffic. They thought they were safe in cities like Savannah and Charleston, but those communities still caught the wrath of Irma’s floods. Those who headed west to New Orleans were safe, but the storm easily could’ve shifted and hit Louisiana. And we know what sort of damage a hurricane can unleash on New Orleans. Irma landed just weeks after Hurricane Harvey dumped trillions of gallons of water on the Houston area. Texans were still dealing with Harvey’s aftermath when Irma barreled its way through the Caribbean, devastating islands like Anguilla, Barbuda, and St- Martin / St Maarten. Those islands were hit by a rare Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Unlike an earthquake or tsunami, you know a hurricane is coming An estimated 99% of structures received some damage. It’s an unfathomable force of nature. After seeing the debris left behind in Southeast Florida, I cannot imagine a hurricane with winds twice as strong. Irma was still a Category 5 storm when it slammed into Cuba — the first hurricane of that strength to hit Cuba since 1932. The Florida Keys, an archipelago that’s home to 77,000 proud and self-sufficient sun lovers, was directly hit by a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mile per hour winds. A quarter of all the homes in the 113-mile (182 km) stretch were demolished. More than 65% of homes suffered some damage. Those who didn’t heed the Keys’ mandatory evacuation were cut off for days from the civilized world — no water, no gas, no electricity, no cell phone service. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria — the third massive hurricane in a month — demolished parts of Puerto Rico, which now faces months without electricity and a massive rebuild project. And the possibility that this is becoming the new norm makes the hurricane-vulnerable population shiver.
Right-wing climate change skeptics, who defy facts and logic, argue that hurricanes have been wreaking havoc on communities for thousands of years. And they’re right. Hurricanes Irma and Harvey would still have formed before man artificially altered the earth’s climate. But they almost certainly wouldn’t have grown so massive, to the point that Houston drowned and the entire state of Florida couldn’t find a safe place to evacuate to. “Make no mistake — these storms weren’t natural,” meteorologist Harvey Holthaus wrote for Grist, a non-profit news organization. “A warmer, more violent atmosphere — heated by our collective desire to ignore the fact that we live on a planet where such devastation is possible — juiced Harvey and Irma’s destruction.” Climate change is affecting weather across the globe and super-sized hurricanes are just part of the recent devastation caused by the planet’s rapidly changing temperatures. Floods this summer across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and much of Africa killed hundreds more than Harvey and Irma combined. Also this summer: a massive complex of wildfires burned millions of acres in the North American West. San Francisco recorded its warmest day on record — 1060F (410C ).
Florida... is ground zero for potential climate change catastrophe
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CLIMATE CHANGE
super-sized hurricanes are just part of the recent devastation... It’s a global crisis that will only worsen in the coming years. The United Kingdom is poorly prepared for the impacts of climate change, according to a report last year from the Committee on Climate Change. Widespread flooding and new diseases urgently need to be addressed. Deadly annual heat waves, water shortages, and difficulties producing food could plague the UK in the coming decades, the government warned. Climate change’s impact on small cash-strapped communities like Barbuda, an island with just 1,800 residents, is alarming. Irma destroyed 95% of all of Barbuda’s structures, forcing its entire population to evacuate to Antigua. They could be there for months, if not years, as their homes and businesses are slowly rebuilt. Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the U.S., told Public Radio International how his people are suffering because of dreadful decisions by wealthier nations. “We believe climate change is here to stay,” Sanders said. “It’s a reality, despite all of the naysayers. We know that these things have occurred as a result of the profligacy of the countries that are rich, and have abused the system. We, unfortunately, who contribute less than naught point naught percent of pollution of the world’s atmosphere, are the world’s greatest victims.” Despite overwhelming evidence of climate change, the mere mention of it in the United States is controversial. Florida, with its vulnerability to hurricanes and propensity for storm surges, is ground zero for potential climate change catastrophe. Yet Florida scientists must write reports that censor any mention of climate change in order to appease conservative lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican and close supporter of President Trump. “If you write a proposal and it talks about fixing some infrastructure because of climate change, it’s not going anywhere,”
Ben Kirtman, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Miami, told the New York Times. “You spend an awful lot of effort word-searching your document for the words ‘climate’ and ‘change.’ It’s silliness.” Scott Pruitt, the Trump-appointed administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recently said it’s “insensitive” to discuss climate change in the midst of Irma and Harvey. But, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, a Republican who isn’t afraid to speak out against Trump, told the Miami Herald this is exactly when we should discuss climate change. “This is the time that the president and the EPA and whoever makes decisions needs to talk about climate change,” Regalado said. “If this isn’t climate change, I don’t know what is. This is truly, truly the poster child for what is to come.” Regalado said the magnitude of the storm surge in the Miami area surprised him. Irma flooded key parts of the city, even though flooding wasn’t predicted and the storm shifted to west Florida. “The water penetration was much bigger than they had forecast,” Regalado said. Miami has faced frequent, unexpected flooding in the last few years. Sea level rise has led water to come out of street sewers. “We must protect ourselves,” Regalado said. “We must start thinking that these anomalies will become normal. And if that’s the case, we must consider that we face billions of dollars in losses.” Most Floridians, including myself, have never experienced such a trying week when we didn’t know how to escape a massive hurricane. The scary reality? This was probably just a test run. 3
Andrew Abramson is a South Florida-based journalist. Follow him on Twitter @AbramsonFL
87
BY JEFFREY WINTERBORNE AND TOBY BERRYMAN
88
VAPOUR PRESSURE DEFICIT
m I r e h t and O
s g n i h T t n a t r po
So, you have your room set up perfect, the potential for astronomical yields is right under your nose, you can dial in your daytime and nighttime environmental parameters, however you see fit. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), CO2 levels, and nutrition programmes. Well-timed and planned plant maintenance and manipulation are now your extra weapons beyond the perfect room, which you must master if you wish to become a successful grower.There are several hidden forces behind your plants, which, if manipulated and tuned correctly, can result in superior growth rates and yields. One often overlooked item, which is Growers in general understand that There are fundamental to plant transpiration, young plants grow best in high humidity, several hidden CO2 absorption, nutrient uptake, and but I don’t think very many realise why, forces behind or just how important the water vapour general plant metabolism, is vapour pressure deficit (VPD). VPD is from leaf to air relationship, truly is. I your plants the relationship between air pressure also believe many people think that and leaf pressure, or if you like, the once out of the propagation stage, all temperature and moisture content of the air, compared of these ideals vanish, and the plants are ready to just to the temperature and moisture content of the leaf. For rock on and grow, regardless of the environment. No, example, plants in propagation, and the very early stages no, no! The RH and temperature of the grow room air of development, appreciate warmth and high levels of is fundamental from start to finish of your grow and relative humidity (RH). Ever wonder why? When plants the optimal conditions are, I am willing to bet, miles are young, developing new roots and biomass, they don’t away from what you’re expecting! Keep in mind this need to transpire very much, if at all. As they begin article is aimed at closed loop, sealed environment to grow larger, they will gradually need to uptake more growers more than traditional ones. With the ability nutrition and water, therefore transpiring at a faster to dial in your environmental parameters, you can rate. seriously take advantage of your plants full potential. Plants in propagation require 90-100% RH in their immediate environment. At 95% RH, there is only If you want to smash it, maintain CO2 at 1200 ppm, 5% available space in the air for transpiring vapour or keep the temperature throughout vegetative growth water leaving the leaves of the plant, there is very little at about 27°C (80°F) and RH at 75%. Moving into transpiration. Temperature and RH levels have a direct flower, increase the temperature to around 30°C relationship with the rate at which your plants transpire, (85°F) and maintain 75% RH. That’s right! This higher which in turn affects the rate the plants uptake nutrients temperature and RH level accompanied with the - this all links in with how effectively the plants absorb extra CO2 will give your plants the optimal VPD, light and CO2 . So, the temperature and humidity of the allowing the best transpiration and growth rates. air is fundamental to the entire metabolism and life of a They will literally go ballistic! young plant. 89
VAPOUR PRESSURE DEFICIT
As we all know, high RH can increase the risks of moulds and spores attacking your crops, resulting in devastation to your garden. Well, here’s the secret, NOT if you control humidity levels day and night. Drop the RH at night to 50% when the lights are off, and run 75% when the lights are on, and you won’t have any problems with moulds and spores.
temperature and humidit y of the air are ex tremely fundamental to the entire metabolism
When your lights go off, and ambient temperatures drop in the room, the air’s ability to hold on to vaporised water decreases which begins to condense and water droplets begin forming everywhere that your plants are at their most open to attack. But while the lights are on, the ambient room temperatures are high and all the radiant heat from your lights beams down on your canopy, you have no worries running high RH at all. You just need humidity controllers that have a day and night setting. You can then run the best conditions for the plants to metabolise optimally without running the risk of mould and mildews. For the final two weeks, I also recommend dropping the temperature back to 22°C (70°F) and the RH to 55%, day and night. In conjunction, reducing the CO2 levels to approximately 300-400 ppm at the same time as a solid two-week flush, will give you the best tasting and potent end product. Regardless of what media you grow in or what system you run, that two-week flush, and keeping those temperatures and CO2 levels low in that period are
KEY! Think about it logically. If you’re flushing plants with plain water, they’re absorbing no nutrition whatsoever, why would they require any extra CO2? And without the extra CO2 , why would they require the extra heat and humidity? They don’t, so kill the CO2 and run the room cool and dry for the flush period. Let them chill while they flush. Trust me, you can watch them react to this procedure within days; they will be sparkling like diamonds from head to toe! By the time they are ready for harvest, they should be dying on the vine! And leaching every bit of nutrition from within themselves. They should literally be ready to fall over with weight and be looking at you saying, “Right, I have done my best, now I am spent, please harvest me!”
What Else Is There to Consider? When looking to push your high-end super room to its limits, aside from environmental control and tweaking, proper nutrition, and plant manipulation are essential. Your plants need food, but don’t think of nutrients as food; the number one food for plants is light, and loads of it! Closely followed by the CO2 and the environment required to harness that light. I like to think of nutrients as supplements, to accompany the primary food (light and CO2). Forget all these magical formulas claiming to pack on more weight and a better taste. I have seen bottles claiming to add 40% more weight. This is an insult to our intelligence; that’s literally impossible! Plants need loads of light, a dialled environment, and basic nutrients. Run a base 91
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VAPOUR PRESSURE DEFICIT
nutrition (NPK with all the macro elements), and in certain situations employ a few extras like water conditioners or root stimulants.
You can then run the best conditions for the plants to metabolise optimally
Recirculating deep water culture (RDWC) systems, for example, do require a sterile water environment to keep clean and disease-free, so a good sterilizing water conditioner is a good idea. In a soil or coco drain to waste system, the conditioner will probably have little to no benefit at all. But whatever system you are using, coco, soil, or hydro, NPK plus the macros are all your plants need.
AT LOWER LEVELS, PEOPLE!
Manipulate your plants!
Topping, defoliating, removal of fan leaves at strategic times, stripping the lower canopy, learning how to keep on top of your canopy and to keep it even, receiving equal light and CO2 levels, eliminating hotspots and micro-climates; this is how to push the boundaries. Lower canopy fruit or flowers tend to look and taste inferior to upper canopy ones, so get rid of them! If you top and remove certain less desirable branches at the correct times, you will only have top quality to harvest, and all of the nutrients passing through your plants is well spent, with no energy wasted producing inferior, lesser quality flowers. Strategic topping, lower canopy removal, and defoliation will put you at the top of your game! Discolored, impossible to harvest fruit or flowers from the lower canopy area will no longer exist in your garden and your yield will go up! Simply by using specific plant manipulation at the right times throughout your growth and flowering cycles.
So many people are overfeeding their plants. Don’t always believe the bottle, use an EC meter to measure nutrient strength. Most species of plants do not require anything close to what is generally accepted as the norm. Some nutrient manufacturers recommend a ridiculously high nutrient strength; don’t follow these crazy bottle recommendations or charts. Your plants only need 1.21.4 EC levels, maybe a fraction more in some situations And that’s basically my recommendations for people or for a particularly nutrient hungry species. Pushing with closed rooms who want to easily produce the the nutrient strength too high will end up costing you ultimate product without all the headaches. 3 more for a lesser yield. Overfed plants tend to freak out, and growth slows down. Slightly BIO: Jeff Winterborne is the author of Hydroponics: Indoor underfed plants will always perform. Horticulture, owner of Esoteric Hydroponics since 1997, and developer of ProActive. Toby Berryman is Jeffrey’s apprentice and equally enthusiastic about indoor gardening. Visit I-hydroponics.co.uk to learn more.
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HOPS:
A BENEFICIAL CROP Everyone associates the hops plant as a brewer’s crop, but it offers so much more. The young shoots are a very early fresh vegetable, sometimes called ‘poor man’s asparagus’ - but only if the less fortunate happen to grow their own! Hops shoots are the most expensive vegetable in the world. The hairs on a hop cone not only naturally preserve beer, but the same resin also acts as a mild sedative. Stuffing a pillow with dried hops fruits brings sleep easily. It’s also been used in natural healing for 1,000 years to treat nervous conditions, headaches, asthma, infections, inflammation - to name a few. Hops, a relative of Cannabis, is also believed to have anti-cancer and cell regeneration properties, which are currently being studied for effectiveness. Traditional herbalists still use it on skin-related ailments, and most recently, it’s begun being included in natural cosmetics. Maybe there are underlying reasons that beer is the #1 alcoholic beverage globally beyond being cheap and available anywhere. Sources & More Info: http://bit.ly/hops-1 http://bit.ly/hops-2
SHORTIES
BY RICH HAMILTON
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FLUSHING
Don’t FLUSH in a RUSH If, as with most people, you have been using a nutrient-rich feeding regime to help your plants along during their growing cycle, you know that as they approach harvest, you will need to ‘flush.’ Flushing will get rid of all the unwanted chemicals, and remove undesirable tastes and smells from the end product. Whether you do or you do not use a chemical flush to perform this process is a matter of personal preference, however, using one will help to speed things up. The alternative is to use clean, fresh water, which some argue is just as effective. Either way, you will have to ‘flush’ your plants. In this article, I want to have a look at what this does.
nutrients to develop properly. Not receiving the correct amount of nutrient feed during the most vital times in the flowering stage is detrimental to your end product quality.
When Is the Right Time to Start Flushing?
I tend to wait until the plants have just entered the harvesting phase when they first look ready to harvest Personally, I do use a chemical flush. I always have there and then. If the plants look like they are still a and have had great results from doing week or two away from harvest, then so, and therefore I probably always will. hold off. You can never tell how the plant Flushing will Scientifically, there is plenty of evidence may mature in those final weeks, and you get rid of all that this does, in fact, speed the process could miss out on that extra bit of growth the unwanted up, but having said that, I do know that a and yield. lot of people still choose to flush with pure chemicals, water. Please note that it is still necessary The first phase of the flushing process is to and remove to pH the water during the flush - using remove all the chemicals currently within undesirable water with a pH level that’s too high or too the plant’s vascular system and in the low can cause your plant to absorb extra developing fruits. Once all of the chemicals tastes and salt and aluminum out of the water! smells from the and nutrient-rich feed have left the plant, it will need to replace the nutrient-rich feed end product Ideally, if you are using a chemical flush and that it has become so used to, in order to hand feeding (run to waste), it should take finish the ripening of its fruits. around a week. If you are using plain water and hand feeding (run to waste), I would recommend flushing At this point, this is where the second phase of the for around two weeks, just to ensure that there are flushing process kicks in and starts using the plant’s no small traces of any chemical nutrient still left in the reserve energy. Whether you were or were not using fruit. a chemical flush, the plants should now only be fed water. I refer to this stage of the flushing process as But What Else Does Flushing Do to Your the ‘ripening stage.’ Thinking of it as two separate steps Plants? can help to keep your mind on the task at hand, which I Well, first things first. Consider the flushing process hope is to get the biggest, heaviest, tastiest fruit in the of one or two weeks (whichever method you choose shortest amount of time. to use) as not just a minimum time to clean the plants’ fruits, but also as a ripening phase. As such, when you Over the whole time that your plant is growing, it is begin flushing is crucial to maximizing their potential. If storing and reserving energy in the form of sugars and you flush a plant too early, you’re stopping its growth starches. The more abundant and available that the because the fruits are no longer receiving enough light and nutrients are to the plant while growing, then 97
FLUSHING
the more they would potentially be able to store in their reserves.
there is plenty of evidence that this does, in fact, speed the process up
Plants do this for a few reasons. The first is that they are producing more energy than they can use (even in an accelerated growth environment), so they transfer any additional energy into a form of sugar or starch into storage within the plant. The second reason for storing a small amount of energy (again in the form of sugars and starch) is in case of a drought or a shortage of light. The third reason is that the larger the reserve that the plant can store slowly over the whole of its growth, then the more reserves it has to make it through the winter or non-growth period. These sugars and starches have already been (for want of a better word) processed by the plant, and thus they are ready for almost immediate use should the plant need them. It is these energy-rich reserves that have built up over time that we want to release through the flushing and ripening phase of the plant’s life. The idea of feeding the plant nothing but clean water after using a chemical flush is to allow the plant to start to utilize its reserves as soon as all of the chemical nutrients in the vascular system and fruit have been used or removed. By using these stored reserves, you
are giving it that final push, and the fruits will quickly grow again in size and weight. It will also bring out all of the complex, deep flavors of your plant’s fruits.
I’ve lost count of the number of people who I’ve seen stick to a grow and flowering timetable, regardless of whether the plants are ready or not. All plants are different (even those of the same species and genome within the same growing environment), and the best time to go into the flushing phase can change from days to weeks, dependent on each of the plants’ different characteristics and fruit development speed (or lack of it). 3
The Keys to Flush Success •
• •
Choose the right time for each of your plants to go into the flushing/ripening phase. Learn to read when your plants are ready. Think of it as two stages; 1) Flushing and 2) Ripening. Don’t rush your flush. Having a full flush and ripening schedule will help your plant’s fruits reach their potential. But, do remember that plants don’t follow schedules. 99
QUALITY ENSURES QUANTITY
SIMPLE
CONCENTRATED
FOOD GRADED
INNOVATIVE
EXPERIENCED
RELIABLE
ENVIROMENTAL
CERTIFIED
Silution consists nsists of a stabilized and bio-availab bio-available form of silicic acid. It is a highly plant-available and bio-active product that has positive effects on the plant. Silution results in a better harvest: higher yield and a better quality.
Bio Nova Premium Nutrients are available at: www.UrbanagWS.com and www.rambridge.com
SHORTIES
GUACA-CLONE
& CHIPS, PLEASE
Whether a product of Mexico or California, 95% of commercially available avocados are clones of a single tree - a seedling planted by Rudolph Hass in 1926. That chance seedling fruited years ahead of the preferred grove stock of the day and had far better flavor too. Though patented in 1935, Rudolph earned almost nothing from his plant property, as most growers bought a single tree and illegally stocked whole groves with grafted clones.
credit: www.californiaavocado.com
So, while Hass avocados are in huge demand everywhere, and command a handsome price at market, the postman who made them possible never shared in its largesse. His wife lived out her days with only a postman’s pension as income. Historic photo of Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Hass in front of an avocado tree
All of that is rather sad, but not half as sad as the world will be should this monoculture be wiped out by pests or disease. Sure, we’ve got numerous other varieties of avocados to fall back on, but the Hass avocado outdoes them all. Source: http://bit.ly/hass-wiki
RIPE
OR
ROTTEN?
Tired of buying avocados that look perfect, but are brown inside when cut open? To the untrained eye, that inner rot is a surprise disappointment and loss of cash, but it need not be this way. The secret to knowing whether the fruit on the shelf is good or bad is peeking under the stem. Lift the edge of the brown, woody nubbin at the narrow end. If it’s green, it’s an edible avocado. If it’s brown under there - don’t buy it. Source: http://bit.ly/ripe-rotten
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SHORTIES
Nuttier is Good
If you aren’t eating nuts every day, step up your consumption. Besides being tasty, they’re rich in protein, healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals with powerful health benefit extras. You don’t need to eat a lot to increase your disease resistance, a study done at the Imperial College London found that just a handful works wonders (20g/0.7 oz).
Not seeds, mind you, but peanuts and tree nuts. That small daily intake can reduce: • Heart disease risk by 30% • Cancer risk by 15% • Early death risk by 22% • Diabetes risk by 50% • Death by respiratory disease risk by 40% • Cholesterol levels
They found peanuts reduced the risk of stroke, while tree nuts reduced the risk of cancer. The high levels of antioxidants in walnuts and pecans are especially good for lowering cancer-causing oxidative stress. Don’t worry about the fat; It’s polyunsaturated, and it protects against obesity. Source: http://bit.ly/more-nuts
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Maximize your Grow Space with Active Air Inline Carbon Filters
Prefilter Clip keeps the internal prefilter in place
Two-stage filtration for improved odor removal
No outer mesh— filtration occurs inside the filter body
Conical airflow diverter allows for dual-directional usage
Activated carbon bed adsorbs odor on contact
The Atmospheric Advantage
Maximum Versatility and Control in Tight Spaces Active Air Inline Filters can be located wherever you want them to be, because they do not pull air through a mesh on the filter’s body—the filtration occurs within the interior of the filter body, which is solid on the exterior. Its superior two-stage air filtration design allows more complete adsorption of odor across the entire activated carbon bed.
Visit us at Hydrofarm.com
SHORTIES
1500
PLANTS
FOR SOUTH AFRICA Dutch plant nutrient manufacturer Plagron is celebrating 25 years, and they wanted to mark this milestone by giving back to a community that is eager to garden. You may have noticed the campaign inviting Plagron users to activate a code that donates a plant to the “Together We Grow� project in the village Mooi River, South Africa. The project has been up and running for a few months now. The garden has taken shape, and the first harvest, consisting of pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and spinach, was shared with the students of the Bruntville Primary School. The remainder was sold at a local market to raise funds for new seeds to grow even more vegetables. These seeds are already in the African soil, continuing the cycle started but a few months ago. In the meantime, people have activated more than 1500 codes, which means that Plagron will contribute more than 1500 seeds! Consider how many people can eat from these vegetables. The worldwide support for this project has been amazing, with participants from 25 different countries taking the time to show their support. This campaign continues until the end of 2017. Visit togetherwegrow.plagron.com to learn how your grow, can help theirs.
WE CHOOSE NATURE
www.wechoosenature.org