Garden Culture Magazine AUS 7

IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE: 7 Foreword

54 Why Grow Hemp

8 Product Spotlight

56 The Haber Process

14 Easy Herbs to Grow and Brew

61 Who’s Growing What Where

20 The Open State

63 What Grinds My Gears

24 Compost Teas and Mineral Nutrients

68 History of Hydroponics - Part III

31 How to Grow Pineberries: Best of the Blogs

74 What Is Are Calcium and Magnesium?

34 Medicinal Cannabis in Australia

76 A Canadian Hemp Farmer

40 Grow Your Own: Giant Marrow

82 Light Matters - Part III

44 HHI Expo 2017

82 Apex Brinkman PCA Conference

50 5 Cool Finds - DIY

89 Shorties

It is an exciting time to witness the worldwide resurgence of the hemp plant. In this edition, we take a closer look at the cannabis revolution that is happening in Australia, as well as some insight on how these issues are being dealt with in Canada.

Years of prohibition and propaganda has basically stopped the many possible uses of this plant. Thanks to the people at the Hemp, Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium held in Sydney last year and to the many activists, there has been great momentum for better access to this beneficial plant. The HHI Expo is back for 2017 with a lineup of inspiring speakers, workshops, and displays held over two days on May 27 and 28 at Sydney’s Rosehill Gardens.

In the series Light Matters, Theo Tekstra discusses how to properly light your grow room, not your plants. Evan Fold’s piece on compost tea explains how the beneficial brew interacts with synthetic fertilizers. Growing your own herb tea garden, how to grow a giant marrow, and the third installment of The History of Hydroponics are but a few of the great articles aiming to inspire you to grow “outside the box.”

Whatever you are growing, be it a crop to provide food or medicine, there is something in this edition for you.

Keep it Green, Eric

WARNING: These systems will provide faster growth with larger plants than you have previously experienced. Please plan adequately for rapid, and powerful plant development.

Current Culture H2O is the world’s leading ‘medical-grade’ hydroponic system manufacturer. Based in California, CCH2O design, manufacture and distribute cultivation technology built for efficient production horticulture. ® Made from the highest grade commercial components, the Under Current system is expandable, and can accommodate multiple configurations. CCH2O Systems include all of the required irrigation, fittings, aeration, and water pumps. Designed for easy installation and reliable ongoing operation. The patented ‘under-current’ recirculating DWC systems are engineered for durability,

and built without compromise.

The revolutionary Under Current® system was designed to deliver prolific yields, quality, and increased efficiency to produce your best harvest yet.

Bud Swell brings together the very best combination of bio-organic and specially selected high quality base mineral salts that Ozi Magic can offer. Ozi Magic utilises a range of secret organic compounds, and other natural plant extracts all scientifically blended together, and formulated specifically for a perfect synergy between this additive and the world famous Australian-owned and made Monsta Bud high organic plant food. www.whg.net.au

s The newest and most advanced 2 part on the market, Dual Fuel contain no carbonates or synthetic dyes, and has the cleanest salt and residue index available. This complex commercial-grade formulation has been concentrated in order to reduce volume of nutrients in the grow room.

This reduces shelving, storage, handling, and plastic bottle waste/ disposal. A true ‘sludge-free’ two-par t nutrient solution. When mixed, it will naturally set to pH 6-6.5, reducing the need for more chemicals and adjustments.

Available in 1L, 5L, and 25L sizes. www.whg.net .au

Odour absorbing bags for any mission Providing the ultimate odour-lock technology and advanced carbon lining, Avert Bags incorporate precise German design features and unique stealth solutions for practical and secure means of transporting precious cargo.

The impressive range includes custom-made AV Zippers for security, water and scent resistance w i t h fine-particulate carbon lining for increased scent-removing capability.

Fashionable designs engineered for practicality and durability, they can withstand the toughest of travel conditions. Many sizes available, from travel pouches and toiletries bags right up to XL Duffle Bags with strong shoulder and carry-straps.

Avert Bags understands the importance of secure, odour-free travel.

Ask your local retailer today!

in Trellis netting is a long-practiced gardening technique that not only assists light, canopy management that allows for optimum plants’ exposure to air and but also helps maximize space, and reduces ground contact that may result of in spoilage due to mold and fungus. Gorilla Garden trellis netting is made white 6” square lightweight polypropylene mesh that is strong, easy to install, and will not rot or mold.

Available in: • 100mm square (1.8 x 150m roll) • 125mm square (1.8 x 150m roll) • 150mm square (1.8 x 150m roll)

This unrivalled 3-part nutrient system consists of a combination of all primary, secondary, and micronutrients in three separate formulas - Grow, Bloom and Micro. GP3 contains pure ingredients, better nutrient ratios, a more complete formulation, better results, and overall better value. It contains no carbonates or synthetic dyes, and has the cleanest salt and residue index available. GP3 contains three unique chelated iron sources designed for a broad range of pH environments.

Available in 1L, 5L, and 25L bottles. www.whg.net .au

In partnership with Canadian manufacturing engineers, French-based Platinium Hydroponics has been popular for years throughout the European and Canadian production horticulture market. Their unique systems provide complete modularity, and allow farmers to switch between cultivation methods with minimal costs.

Innovative variations of aeroponics, hydroponics, coco, and soil cultivation are all possible with the Platinium Modular range.

Optimised to ensure easy and efficient growing for all sized cultivation efforts, all Platinium products are made of ABS plastic (90% recycled), ensuring their systems are environmentally-friendly and built tough! Platinium engineers complete solutions for rapid commercial cloning, vegetative growth rooms, leafy green cultivation, and production of heavy fruiting or flowering plants. Platinium Hydroponic Systems are available throughout Australia at all leading retailers. See the Stealth Garden Supplies website for more information.

Introducing the new and very affordable Phresh Skinny Filter. At a full 100mm thinner in overall diameter, the Phresh Skinny is both thin enough and light enough for easy, single operator installation, and fits neatly up above the lighting system. It’s the perfect grow tent filter! The expected lifespan of a Phresh Skinny is rated at a minimum of 9 months, but work well over 1 year when used in dry climates.

Available in 200x1000 and 250x1000 sizes.

www.whg.net.au

rus and PK Spike is formulated to provide a uniform quantity of phospho than the potassium to your flowering plants. Designed with over 25% more PK m rate maximu a at next industry leading brand, this product can be applied before of 1ml to achieve a 250 ppm PK spike for your plants. Use one week e in Availabl flower. of commencement of flowering, and the first 3-4 weeks 1L, 4L, and 25L. www.whg.net .au

All Pro Grow digital ballasts have been fully engineered to handle the highest voltage loads from any power grid (180V ~ 265V), and operate seamlessly in the harshest, hottest, and most extreme environments on the planet. Pro Grow Digital Ballasts are EMC compliant, RFI-free, and meet Australian Electrical Certification.

Available sizes: 600W/240V and 1000W/400V. www.whg.net.au

The Shield Sulphur Vaporiser is a great way of combating black & grey mould, powdery mildew, mites, and other common problems for greenhouse and indoor plants. It works by melting and vaporizing pure sulphur granules at the perfect temperature.

The sulphur exchanges into the air, where it redistributes over the surface of the leaves/flowers forming an invisible plant shield.

Mould spores die upon immediate contact, and pests must relocate or suffer the consequences. www.whg.net.au

A unique range of products that provide the best, and most efficient ways to deliver water and nutrients to every plant, while empowering commercial and hobby growers anywhere, at any time. A complete collection of caps, irrigation fittings, pot covers, and so much more that will help you save time, water, and money!

Floraflex your grow and conserve up to 60% of water, nutrients, and time by improving water and nutrient to your crop. Engineered to eliminate algae by blocking light, or with subsurface drippers, nutrient uptake is not compromised, giving greater control to the

farmer. This user-friendly range of drippers and caps gives greater control over your crop. Become a better grower by Floraflexing and take charge of your garden!

A plant nutrient formulated with potassium and naturally occurring compounds, TERPINATOR® is designed to increase the concentration of terpenoids in aromatic plant oils. Terpenoids are responsible for the aromatics and flavors found in essential plant oils.

TERPINATOR® maximizes a plant’s ability to produce terpenoids. The formula accomplishes this by promoting the natural enlargement of the plant’s plant-oil producing resin glands, while also increasing the number of gland sites. Use throughout flowering at 5ml per litre. www.whg.net.au

Pro Grow Metal Halide digital lamps are available in a broad range of colour temperatures expressed as Kelvin (4K, 6K, and 10K). With this in mind, medicinal and specialist growers can choose a lamp that provides the best spectral output for his or her specific requirements. Featuring Pulse Start technology, and up-rated components specifically tuned for use with high frequency digital ballasts.

Both Single-Ended and Double-Ended models available in 400W, 600W, and 1000W. www.whg.net.au

Utilising advanced forms of Potassium (K), Phosphorus (P), and a specialised blend of plant vitamins. Incredible results can be seen within 48 hours of use.

Shooting Powder cleverly caters to plants generative physiological requirements which results in heavier and more scented flowers in your garden.

Improvements in both quality and quantity of yield can be achieved with correct use. Shooting Powder has built global notoriety based on the powerful results it can deliver. See how Shooting Powder can boost your bloom today.

You may use culinary herbs like parsley, rosemary, basil and coriander in the kitchen, but have you considered growing your own ‘Herb Tea Garden’? If you’re not a regular herb tea drinker, you may be missing out on the many medicinal health benefits a small herb garden can offer you.

If you buy herbal tea, you may reduce exposure to toxins in tea bags and be more sustainable by eliminating packaging.

A home pharmacy herb tea garden is ideal for everyday ailments.

There are many delicious, aromatic herbs you can grow for hot or iced herb teas and medicinal use. Grow herbs in a container close to your kitchen for easy access.

These are just a couple to start your Herb Tea Garden.

Mint (Mentha species F. Lamiaceae) Uses: One of the easiest herbs to grow, mint makes a deliciously refreshing iced tea drink as well as a soothing hot herbal tea. This aromatic herb contains vitamins A, B, and C and may benefit your health with its antiseptic, antioxidant, antiviral and digestive properties.

Mints (especially peppermint) may help improve digestion, so drinking a cup of mint tea before a meal may be beneficial. Chew a fresh leaf to freshen breath and to help provide relief from colds, coughs, and sore throats.

Grow: Mint is best in pots, as it has a vigorous root system that’s a space invader! Mint thrives in a consistently moist, well-drained compost-rich soil. Like most herbs, a regular ‘haircut’ by pinching off leaves will stimulate more growth. A regular drink of liquid seaweed, fish emulsion or worm cast tea will keep mint healthy.

Tips: • •

Tea/Drinks: Pour boiling water over 3-4 fresh leaves per cup. Cover and steep to infuse the flavours for three minutes before enjoying. You can also add sprigs of fresh mint to chilled drinks, fruit juice, and ice cubes.

Flavours: Mint comes in a wide variety of flavours including peppermint, pineapple, apple, chocolate, ginger, orange, cinnamon, and spearmint.

Essential Oils: Crush, snip or bruise your mint leaves to release the essential oils before using. For maximum mint flavour, pick fresh leaves at midday when essential oil concentration is strongest.

•

Grow in the sun for a higher concentration of essential oils.

In hot weather, move the pot of mint to partial shade, to water less and avoid heat stress.

Position the container under a tap to soak up drips.

Add mulch to help retain moisture.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis F. Lamiaceae) Uses: Lemon balm is a perennial herb, resembling its ‘cousin’ mint in appearance. It has a lemony scent and flavour, due to its citral and citronellal essential oils. It’s known as the ‘happy herb’ for its ability to soothe the nervous system and lift the spirit. Those who suffer from depression often find lemon balm tea beneficial. A famous Greek physician, Galan once said “Lemon balm doth maketh the heart merry.”

Several studies* show that lemon balm combined with other calming herbs (such as valerian and chamomile) helps reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Lemon balm contains plant chemicals called terpenes and tannins, that may be responsible for the herb’s relaxing and antiviral benefits.

Other studies** confirm lemon balm’s antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, antiseptic, digestive, and antidepressant properties. Any wonder it’s been used for centuries!

Students have found lemon balm tea helps clear the head, sharpen the memory, and calm nerves when drunk before and during exams. Equally beneficial for a stressful day at work.

Lemon balm tea is also a natural remedy for cold sores.

Steep 2-4 tsp crushed leaf in one cup boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Cool. Apply tea with cotton balls to the affected area throughout the day.

Tea/Drinks: As a guide, add ¼ - 1 tsp dried lemon balm or 6-10 fresh leaves to hot water. Steep and drink up to 4 times per day. Teething babies may find it soothing to suck on a cool face cloth soaked in lemon balm tea. To

make ice blocks, place two handfuls of fresh leaves into a jug, and add 2L of boiling water. Steep 30 minutes, strain, and add 2 tbsps of honey. When cool, pour into moulds and freeze. An easy way to soothe and calm children!

Grow: Like mint, lemon balm grows well in semi-shade or sun and prefers regular watering and well-drained, rich soil. Grown by seed, cutting or division, this lowmaintenance companion plant won’t spread like mint.

Tips: •

• •

To dry lemon balm, pick stems after the dew has dried on the leaves, on a sunny day. Spread in the shade to dry, turning often. If they turn black while drying, the therapeutic benefits are lost to oxidation.

Chew a few washed lemon balm leaves to freshen breath.

Avoid this herb if taking thyroid hormones, sedatives or HIV medication – check with your doctor first.

How to Brew Perfect Tea Step 1: Have fresh or dried herbs ready in your cup or pot. Bring filtered water to a boil.

Step 2: Cover your herbs completely with the boiling water. Put the lid on your pot or place a saucer over your cup. Avoid letting the steam escape while brewing.

Step 3: Steep or infuse the herbs for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours to develop and essential oils to be released. Dried herbs usually need at least 10 minutes.

Strain and drink immediately.

to Maximise Flavour and Health Benefits 1. Fresh vs. Dried Herbs: Fresh herbs are best picked just before brewing for maximum flavour and nutritional benefits. Dried herbs should be kept in a cool, dark place in a sealed container. As a guide to quantities, try one teaspoon of dried herbs or a sprig of fresh herbs per person. Adjust to taste.

2. Release Flavour + Oils: Bruise or snip fresh herbs before adding to your cup or pot. This boosts flavour and helps release more of the beneficial oils.

3. Inhale the Aroma: When making a herb tea, take your time to enjoy the fragrant scent coming from the cup, as well as the flavour. The aroma helps activate vitality and a feeling of wellbeing.

4. Sweet Tooth: Herb teas are drunk without milk. If you have a sweet tooth, trying adding a fresh stevia leaf (nature’s sweetener), a little raw honey or a pinch of licorice root. These are healthier choices. Avoid sugar and synthetic sweeteners or genetically modified stevia if using a powder.

5. Stevia vs. Sugar: Stevia is a herb that promotes health and healing, increases energy, helps digestion and unlike sugar, INHIBITS tooth decay! All great reasons to add to your tea. This herb is also very easy to grow and is a great addition to any Herb Tea Garden.

6. Iced Tea: In hot weather, chill your tea in the fridge for a refreshing beverage or add to fruit juices. Herb teas partner perfectly with pineapple, orange, passionfruit, and mango juice. Garnish with fresh mint or lemon balm sprigs and a fruit slice. Add fresh leaves to ice cubes for extra flavour.

7. Keeping it Hot: During winter, keep herb tea hot all day in a thermos flask.

If you’re not already growing your own herb tea garden, hopefully you’ll be inspired to start.

Contributed by Anne Gibson, The Micro Gardener “Making it easy to grow good health.”

W: themicrogardener.com F: facebook.com/TheMicroGardener Anne Gibson is author of several eBooks and publishes The Micro Gardener, an inspiring DIY organic gardening website. As a speaker, consultant, and community educator, Anne teaches people how to grow sustainable, highly productive edible gardens on a budget in urban spaces. She is passionate about helping people grow nutrient-dense food for health, upcycling materials in the garden and maximising yields for minimal time, money, and effort.

Visit www.themicrogardener.com for your complimentary eBook on Using Herbs for Health.

The world’s human inhabitants are divided, currently into 206 “states.” Some borders appear “natural” (i.e. a river or mountain range), whereas others are more obviously man-made. In any case, only 193 countries are fully recognized by the United Nations. Even within this premier league, Pakistan has disputed the formation of Armenia since it was formed in 1991, and Turkey remains adamant that Cyprus does not exist. This leaves two states (Palestine and Vatican City) in the euphemistically-named “observer” category, and eleven (Abkhazia, the Cook Islands, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, Niue, Northern Cyprus, Sahrawi, Somaliland, South Ossetia, Taiwan, and Transnistria) languishing in the even more dubious designation of “other.”

The thing is, of course, none of this matters. You don’t need anyone’s permission to create your own sovereign state—and that’s kind of the point.

Take Transnistria, for example. Known locally by its Russian name, “Pridnestrovie,” this relatively small strip of land between Moldova and the Ukraine declared its independence from the former over a quarter of a century ago with the intention of becoming a socialist republic. Around 90% of its population (roughly half a million people) hold Transnistrian citizenship, and many also hold dual or triple citizenships with neighboring Moldova, Russia, and the Ukraine.

Transnistria has its own flag, constitution, coat of arms, and a central bank, which issues its own currency, the Transnistrian ruble. Moldova (which officially claims the region) describes it almost begrudgingly as “an autonomous territorial unit with special legal status.”

Yeah, whatever—come and visit us in Transnistria, and we’ll stamp your passport, evidence at least that you can visit a country that the world claims does not exist.

Today, nation states form the alphabet of the geopolitical landscape. Sure, some lesser-known countries come and go, or change their names from time to time, but most enjoy the same epistemological concrete, not least in the minds of their citizens, as the days of the week. However,

the very concept of a “nation state” itself is a more recent intellectual development than you might think.

Prior to the 16th century, most folks spent their entire lives in their village, and associated themselves with their local tribe, or feudal master. The idea of a “nation” was perhaps just too large, irrelevant, or conceptual for most peasants to grasp. Even a tiny place called “England” was too big to fathom until Henry VII won the War of the Roses in 1485—around the same time that Spanish monarchs, after successfully purging the area of invading Moors, set to work on creating “Spain.” Later in 1638, Louis XIV declared himself the absolute ruler of some arable farmland—known today as “France.”

Nationhood’s historical novelty may seem rather quaint and parochial today, yet few of us question why we are no sooner born than registered as an unwitting “citizen” of a nation state. Throughout our lives, we are issued identity numbers, passports, and various licenses (i.e. to fish, to trade, or to transport ourselves), all pointing back to a seemingly immovable, and permanent authority—our predestined nation state. The government, freely-elected, faux-elected, or plain old-school de facto, then uses its

Does this sound like the free world to you?” citizens’ collective productivity as human collateral to rent money from central banks in the form of “treasury securities,” or “gilts” as they’re known in Britain.

Citizens, once successfully inculcated with a sense of nationality through “educational programs,” are expected to play their part and dutifully pay taxes, giving away a portion of the fruits of their productivity, or face escalating fines leading to forfeiture of assets, and even imprisonment. Does this sound like the free world to you? However, questioning the fundamental validity of the state, and its apparent monopoly over bossiness and outand-out violence is often derided as the paranoid, fringe thinking of wild-eyed, bearded men living alone in forest cabins, or idealistic liberals with overactive imaginations.

Those of us who have spent any considerable time living in foreign countries know all about the onerous registration processes associated with leaving one’s nation village.

First, there are the visas—effectively the permission to move from one place to another. Some nations, such as Saudi Arabia, require its citizens to apply for an “exit visa” before being allowed to leave. Furthermore, if you are born without a penis then your movement is even more tightly controlled. Females must obtain signed permission from a “mahram” (a close male relative such as a husband, son, or even a grandson) before they are free to travel, even within the country itself!

Cubans, also, are required to apply for state permission before leaving the island and are denied the right to return if

they stay away for too long. North Korea effectively imprisons its citizens by denying them any international movement whatsoever. Then, of course, there’s the more familiar “entry visa” which, depending on the relationship between your origin and destination, can be a friendly formality, or outright impossibility—even for a two-week vacation.

Perhaps now is an appropriate time to question—not which presidential candidate we want to vote for—but to pan back a little, and ask what this whole ‘state’ thing is. Does it still serve the people, and is there room for improvement?

Particularly in light of the global communications revolution, does the idea of the nation state need to be reimagined and reinvented? When corporations span the globe, has the governance of discrete physical territories become “passé?”

Imagine, if you will, an “Open State.” Don’t ask me for a blueprint. There isn’t one. However, one crucial aspect of the Open State is that it has no physical territory, so there is no need for an army to defend it. Anyone on Earth can be a citizen, no matter what passport is in their hand, and this citizenry is voluntary, not foisted upon us at birth.

The Open State exists, like Bitcoin, as a distributed network, entirely online. There are no buildings to upkeep, and no employees to pay. Everything is voluntary, and all of its actions are transparent and democratic. Who knows, they might include some really hippy, far-out stuff like taking care of the planet, feeding the hungry, sharing seeds, solving problems without seeking a fiscal profit, and even creating gardens. Together, millions—even billions of us—could

planet, and protect workers’ rights, then we are somewhat optimistically relying on others to do so on our behalf.

become more powerful than nation states. Not with tanks and bombs, but through sheer collective bargaining power—the ultimate “brute force,” if you will.

On a practical, everyday level, the Open State could confer to its citizens the same privileges which Google and Amazon currently enjoy, whereby our local taxes are negotiated en masse. The Open State could even assist voters in transcending the Punch and Judy show of political parties, widening the debate, helping to empower truly progressive parties.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, but I’ll put it more politely—a “pipe dream,” right? Well, if the idea of a voluntarist virtual super state seems like pie in the sky to you today, then perhaps—just perhaps—you’re caught in the parochial mindset (okay, okay, zeitgeist) of our times—that of Statism. Just as the medieval peasant could not conceive of an “England,” “France” or “Spain” (or anything beyond their village) is it so outlandish to suggest that you too might be suffering from a not entirely dissimilar lack of imagination?

It’s becoming painfully clear to a growing number of people across the world that the capitalist financial system (the profit imperative, the banks’ monopoly over the issuance of debt-based currencies, and our government’s insistence that we pay our taxes in so-called ‘legal tender’) amounts to little more than a system of modified slavery.

Thus, if we fail to take the initiative and create global organizations that truly represent us, that speak for the

Our main barrier is belief—both in terms of commission (believing in the status quo), and omission (lack of belief in the possibility of something better). Coming together, transcending the illusory divisions, isn’t just an idealistic muse. It’s our only hope of survival.

In short, we desperately need another “enlightenment.”

Either we work together for a better collective life on this planet, or we die on it, fighting among ourselves for scraps.

If they—whoever they are—laugh at our “Open State,” let them. Find your inner Transnistrian, and join anyway. Before long we will be issuing our own open currency (based on real goods and services in demand, rather than unpayable debts with compound interest), and trading both locally and internationally. Together, we can fund clean water projects, promote sustainable agriculture, and educate— not indoctrinate—our kids.

“To desire freedom is an instinct,” once wrote E.C. Reigel, “to secure it requires intelligence. It must be comprehended and self-asserted. To petition for it is to stultify oneself, for a petitioner is a confessed subject and lacks the spirit of a freeman. To rail and rant against tyranny is to manifest inferiority, for there is no tyranny but ignorance; to be conscious of one’s powers is to lose consciousness of tyranny.

Self-government is not a remote aim. It is an intimate and inescapable fact. To govern oneself is a natural imperative, and all tyranny is the miscarriage of self-government. The first requisite of freedom is to accept responsibility for the lack of it.” 3

Everest Fernandez keeps himself very busy and largely out of mischief by running the “Just4Growers” YouTube channel. Be sure to check it out.

The living organisms found in the soil are collectively called the “soil food web”, not unlike the web of life in the ocean. The big fish eats the little fish. Like plankton in the ocean the soil food web is built on the back of microscopic microbes that are so abundant a mere teaspoon of soil contains billions of tiny beings.

a real distinction between anaerobic microbes and aerobic microbes

Most people have a negative opinion of “microbes”; we imagine needing hand sanitizer or antibiotics, when the opposite should be true. We can choose to take probiotics for our health in the same way we can use compost in the garden. The compost pile is the gut of the landscape, the parallels are life.

But it is important to remember that all microbes are not the same. The species that operate in the soil are different than microbes found in the gut, or the extremophiles found in sulfur pools and hydrothermal vents. Many of these types of microbes can be used in gardening endeavors, but when it comes to microbes and getting the best results, it is not enough to simply go through the motions.

compost available on the market, or in Big Box stores, is no more than aged manure, or mulch with some fertilizer in it.

This is actually why worm manure (casting) is so valuable relative to animal manure from cows or chickens. Animal manures become most valuable through the nutrient cycling capacity of microbes, but earthworms live in the soil, their gut microbes are soil microbes, so the end product is humus.

Different ecosystems have overriding characteristics that define the species of microbes found. But these conditions may change over time, such as bacterialdominant grassland turning into a fungal-dominant forest over generations. Or the conditions could change more suddenly, such as in the maturation of a compost pile over months, or the daily tides on the coast.

Ecosystems are resilient and dynamic through what are called “facultative microbes” that are proficient in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and not restricted to a particular function or mode of life. In fact, some of the best compost

Let us make a real distinction between anaerobic microbes and aerobic microbes. The soil is dominated by aerobic organisms that require oxygen for respiration, which is why we till and aerate the soil, or turn the compost pile.

Anaerobic means “living without air,” and is defined by an absence of oxygen. So, the life mode of microbes found in extreme environments, or anaerobic habitats, like marshes or bogs, are different than those of aerobic organisms in the soil that require oxygen.

Let’s compare manure to humus. The end result of aerobic composting is called humus. Think of it as perfect plant food, it is why the forest can grow huge trees with no fertilizer. However, the gut, being responsible for manufacturing manure, is a highly anaerobic environment.

They are different materials, yet most of the commercial

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can be made by not turning the piles, and developing the “life experience” of these facultative friends.

Ecosystems are resilient and dynamic through “facultative microbes”

There are many useful and popular techniques that involve the use of anaerobic microbes, such as using “effective microorganisms,” or steeping nettle or comfrey in water; but they generally do not involve aerobic soil microbes. They may contain some facultative microbes, but they are generally products and techniques of nutrient extraction performed “without air,” and do not operate within the sweet spot of the soil food web.

The most effective way to “grow soil” is to work with aerobic soil microbes found in humus. Composting is the method of making humus out of spent organic matter through the digestive ability of soil microbes. True humus contains an unknown diversity of soil microbes, and is accomplished passively in Nature where soil microbes have not been disturbed.

The composting process is leveraged and concentrated even further by brewing “compost tea.” Many consider compost tea to be the leachate that comes from a compost bin or worm farm, but these are actually what are called “extracts.”

Extracts are biologically valuable, but low in microbe numbers compared to aerated brews. There are many extraction units on the market that claim enormous amounts of finished “compost tea” in hours, but they are merely running water through the compost to extract

dormant microbes, they are not aerating and growing soil microbes in any way.

The best way to grow massive numbers of soil microbes is actively aerated compost tea, or AACT. When soil microbes from diverse farm-based humus are added to aerated water in the presence of organic food sources like fish, kelp, molasses, or bat guano; soil microbes grow to extraordinary concentrations - beyond what Mother Nature can accomplish on her own. This allows us to play catch up, and regenerate inert or chemically treated soil.

Aerated compost tea is a living solution. The microbes found in the humus inoculant are reproducing by digesting the food sources provided, and turning them into highly bioavailable perfect plant food. This represents yet another way AACT is superior to extraction.

Think of soil microbes like construction workers, the organic food sources are the building materials, and you are the contractor. The more often you bring your workers to the job site and the more you bring at one time, the faster they build the neighborhood. In my experience, the consistency of application – apply weekly, or at least monthly - is more important than the concentration.

The strength and potential of microbes is in diversity. This is where discernment towards the microbial inoculant being used is helpful. Many growers use anaerobic microbes in aerated conditions, and others are using strains of microbes that are either lacking diversity, or serve no purpose in an aerated compost tea brew like mycorrhizal fungi.

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Compost Tea Brewer

Top view Compost Tea Brewer

Air Stones A fascinating part of the compost tea conversation is how to utilize specific food sources to grow certain trophic levels, or life levels, of microbes. Many are familiar with the concept of sugars, such as molasses or sucanat growing bacteria, and micronized grains and fish stimulating fungal growth. Anecdotal reports claim an increase in protozoa when using micronized feed hay, and others have reported an increase in beneficial nematodes when using the horsetail plant (equisetum).

In the book The Secret Life of Compost by Malcolm Beck, it is explained how legumes, which create a direct symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria rhizobia, when fed a sugar source, can fix up to twice the amount of nitrogen. There is certainly much to be researched and discovered.

Some are taking this a step further by creating plant food in closed systems using microbes. Aquaponic growing, where fish waste is converted into plant food by microbes, is an easy example of this concept. But an urban farmer in Texas named Keith Johnson is taking this to another level.

He wanted to grow crops in his hydroponic systems using compost tea, but found that basic recipes don’t provide enough nitrogen for hydroponics, unless you make them so thick and dense they would plug the system up.

His research led him to the work of a Japanese researcher named Makoto Shinohara, who coined a term “Multiple

Aquarium pump for bubbling air

Parallel Mineralization” to describe the positive influence of microbial diversity in suppressing common disease issues.

Mr. Johnson followed the guidelines worked out by Shinohara, and has developed a system that requires no electricity, and will begin to generate usable nitrate nitrogen after 4-5 days.

Join his “Organic Hydroponics” group on Facebook for more information.

The exciting part of this concept is that there has been very little research done in this arena. Many progressive growers are successfully using “no till” approaches, and re-using their potting soil using targeted inputs, and diverse aerobic and anaerobic microbes, but we have only scratched the surface of the potential. Concentrating the right microbes, food sources, and processes can make nutrient cycling a conscious part of the farm or garden. The sky’s the limit.

Growing organically is about feeding soil microbes, but the microbes have to be there to be fed. This is the part most don’t have access to, and fail to consider. The right microbes are not there by default, and they can change everything in the garden, in a big way.

All basal organisms are responsible for nutrient cycling and recycling organic matter into a form that life can build on, they do the work for you while you are away. Get brewing, grow life. 3

Perhaps the best way to get started here is going about getting real pineberry starts. Don’t get taken for a ride by people selling Pineberry seed. Better yet, ignore the black and blue strawberry seeds! The images are photoshopped on the latter, and you can’t get pineberry plants from seed.

No, this isn’t a cross between a pineapple and a strawberry, nor is it genetically modified. A pineberry is known in nomenclature as, Fragaria x ananassa. It is a conventionally created cross between two distinctly different types of strawberries, a.k.a. a hybrid, which will never reproduce true from seed. Perhaps on a rare occasion, but don’t ever count on it. Growing pineberries from seed will give you an assorted lot. The majority of your seedlings will be U.S. native Fragaria virginiana, or the Chilean Fragaria chiloensis strawberry.

The fruit in that image to the left are white alpine strawberries, Frageria vesca var. albocarpa, but these aren’t pineberries. Note the white seeds? They are also much smaller fruit, and look to be about the size of a dime when ripe. The variety known as “Anablanca” falls into the F. vesca type. One perk of this white berry bearing type is it will produce fruit in partial sun outdoors, meaning that you can get a harvest with less energy hungry grow lights. But, as with all crops grown indoors, the stronger your light, the heavier your harvest will be.

True pineberry fruits are larger – about the size of a U.S. quarter, but there are 3 different pineberry varieties. The one known as “White D” has a bit larger fruit than the other 2 named varieties; “White,” and “White Carolina”.

You can get pineberry plants from mail order seed houses in both the UK and US. Stock is generally available for fall shipping. Because these are still a novelty in the gardening world, you might think the price for 3 bare-root starter plants ridiculous. Part of this has to do with being in short supply, and the price isn’t that bad considering you will be able to start new plants by the boatload once your first crop begins shooting out runners. In fact, unless you commit some unpardonable grower’s sin in the eyes of these rugged plants – you’ll never have to shell out another penny to increase your pineberry crop. So, it’s really a very inexpensive investment in fresh deliciousness for many years to come.

Growing Pineberries Pineberries are everbearing strawberries. This means that you will have an almost continual supply of fruit. However, it’s been noted that they will stop bearing if the heat index soars. If you’re going to grow them outdoors, it’s something to be aware of, as is the need to mulch the crowns with straw or grass clippings in winter to protect them from excessive temperatures.

Indoors you can use traditional container growing methods, but do be sure you have good drainage, as strawberry plants are notorious for root and crown rot in conditions that are too wet. If you discover belatedly that you’ve erred in gauging the potting mix’s drainage capacities, you might still be able to save the crop. One time I ordered strawberry starts and, they arrived long before it was safe to plant outdoors. Then they got forgotten in the back of the refrigerator, and by the time I found them, they were rotting, and growing mold. I decided to plant them anyway… the worst that could happen was absolutely nothing. Guess what – they grew. Amazingly, even the biggest mistakes are sometimes correctable.

You can use hydroponic and aeroponic methods to grow strawberries, so pineberries are the perfect crop for a tower or vertical garden. They are low growing plants whose fruits hang down, making them a great choice for growing overhead too.

They will prefer cooler grow room temps, so keep the environment at about 70°F (21°C) degrees. You want your pH at 6.0-6.5, and an EC of 2-3ms. Give the plants 5-6” (13-15cm) spacing – they don’t do well crowded. They need 10-12 hours of daylight with low humidity. Runners root best right after fruiting.

Where To Buy Pineberry Plants US • Stark Brothers • Burpee • Tractor Supply

CANADA • Lowes

UK • Crocus • You Garden • Sutton’s

pineberries are perfect for towers or vertical gardens If you miss out on your shipping season, most of these places will have new stock for spring. You can place your order in midwinter to secure your pineberry plants before they sell out again. Finding them in huge supply won’t be possible for years, and the price they command in the markets will remain high for a pint of the berries.

They aren’t rare. They are just still in short supply. 3 - Originally posted in HOW TO on November 1, 2013 Visit our site regularly for new and informative posts, like this one!

Update Birds and wildlife don’t eat them, because the fruit is white. Each cultivar has a slightly different flavor.

You know the fruit is ripe when the exterior seeds turn red. Remove flowers the first season to build stronger plants.

White D has larger berries than White Carolina.

Both types need pollinator plants, as does White Dream sold in the UK. A new trademark variety, “Wonderful” is said to be self-pollinating, but a bigger harvest comes with growing pollinators too.

This one is available online, and was sold locally at Tractor Supply stores across the US in 2016, and at Lowes Canada too.

Now there is a June-bearing plant, “Natural Albino.” This improved variety is sold in the US and UK. It has the largest berries, sweetest flavor, and needs a pollinator plant nearby.

Available in Australia since 2016, many nurseries now carry these varieties, amongst others!

Excitingly, as of February 2017, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved access to medicinal cannabis products to 33 people nationally. The Department of Health anticipates this number to grow, and has employed additional staff to cope with the surge of requests from doctors. However, to legally access medicinal cannabis in Australia takes some hoop-jumping.

t o l eg a l l y a c c es s m ed i c i n a l cannabis in A u st r a l i a t a k es s o m e ho o p - j u m p i n g

In February 2016, the media reported that the government’s new legislations would pave the way for people with chronic illness to use medicinal cannabis.

September 2016 saw the TGA hand down the verdict that medicinal cannabis was finally legal and the government would regulate its use. It went from a schedule 9 drug (equal with heroin) to schedule 8, meaning it can finally be prescribed by a doctor.

The SAS Category B is a much more complicated pathway of access. Doctors must apply for TGA approval for each patient, even if Category A criteria are met.2 Category B approval is also required to access Schedule 4 Cannabidiol (CBD), even if it is CBD hemp oil extracted from the low-THC industrial cannabis plant. The Explanatory Statement for this amendment is one of extreme caution:

That same day, the TGA also modified the therapeutic goods regulations - effectively disabling a fast pathway of access for patients, eliminating the easy access to what is called Special Access Scheme (SAS) Category A. The SAS refers to arrangements which provide for the import and/or supply of an unapproved therapeutic product for a single patient, on a case-by-case basis. Under the scheme, there are two categories of patients:

“As the benefits and risks of medicinal cannabis have not been adequately characterised to date, controls around personal importation are necessary to ensure that supply is only permitted through appropriate approval, authorisation or notification mechanisms to ensure that medicinal cannabis is only supplied to patients in appropriate circumstances.”3 The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners reports that much of the legislation remains unclear. For example, it does not

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Category A - Defined as ‘persons who are seriously ill with a condition from which death is reasonably likely to occur within a matter of months, or from which premature death is reasonably likely to occur in the absence of early treatment.’

Category B - All other patients that do not fit the Category A definition.1

Due to the amendments made by Sussan Ley, a patient can now only apply for medicinal cannabis under category B - a huge blow for patients in Australia. The only criteria the doctor needs to provide under Category A is to notify the TGA they are treating the patient with an unapproved medication.

There was an uproar when this modification came to light, as Category A patient can still access any other unapproved/unregistered therapeutic product or device, even dangerous drugs such as thalidomide – but not pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis.

specify which products will be covered under the amendment, nor does it specify which particular conditions or symptoms will be eligible for treatment. What is clear is that this legislation does not relate to the decriminalisation of cannabis for general cultivation or use, it only refers to processed, non-smokeable, medical grade products.

What do patients have access to, exactly?

World wide there are three main sources; Pharmaceutical-grade products, medicinal-grade, and that found on the black market.

1. Pharmaceutical-grade products are developed and patented by drug companies. They include synthetic or naturally derived forms of cannabinoids which have undergone clinical trials and then approved as a pharmaceutical medicine. Crucially, they only contain known amounts of individual cannabinoids, usually just one or two, which is desirable for testing and to accurately determine and administer dosages. They are also extremely expensive.

2. Medicinal-grade products are quality-controlled forms of cannabis that have been subject to strict regulation in their cultivation, manufacture, and testing. The cannabis produced and processed under standard controlled conditions is free of adulterants, has higher levels of CBD and other cannabinoids, and lower levels of THC. It can be provided in its raw herbal form or processed into oil, balm, capsule, or pill. Medicinal-grade cannabis is far cheaper, and many patients find it more efficient than pharmaceutical-grade which could be due to the entourage effect from various cannabinoids working symbiotically. However, more must be learned.

3. Illicit cannabis includes those products that have not been subject to any form of regulation or quality control. The levels of THC and CBD can vary widely, and may contain adulterants. Cannabis produced under a ‘grow your own’ scheme is similarly untested and typically of the same quality found on the black market.

The Minister has indicated that medicinal-grade herbal cannabis will not be made available to patients. Instead, only processed, non-smokeable pharmaceutical-grade products will be distributed.

So How Can I Access Medicinal Cannabis?

Currently, it is only possible to gain access through your doctor or specialist and is dispensed in the form of pharmaceutical-grade medication (i.e., tablets). First and foremost, your doctor needs to obtain the necessary TGA Category B approval - either by applying on your behalf to import and supply these products through the SAS or by applying to become an Authorised Prescriber. Approval is granted on a case-by-case basis.

Under the Authorised Prescriber Scheme, the medical practitioner must have the training and expertise appropriate for the condition being treated, as well as in the proposed use of the medicinal cannabis, be able to determine the needs of the patient, and monitor the outcome of therapy.

Because medicinal cannabis is not currently considered a first-line therapy, or not medically accepted as an initial treatment, the TGA has indicated they will only consider requests from appropriately qualified medical practitioners, specialists in the management of chronic and serious medical conditions. It is a treatment only allowed for patients who have not responded to conventional therapies.

Adding to this, before anything can be prescribed, it needs to be registered with the TGA or in rare circumstances, by special approval by the TGA. This process requires evidence of testing and efficacy. As cannabis is a complex plant containing more than 400 constituents, including approximately 70 cannabinoids, it is unlikely a ‘whole plant’ TGA registered product will be available in Australia any time soon.

Secondly, your doctor must seek approval under applicable state or territory laws, which is a topical area with regulations varying from state to state, and is usually controlled as a drug of addiction similar to methadone. State approval can be a bureaucratic process that can delay access for months.

Currently, there are limited ways to access pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis within the different state/territories.

Once your application is approved by the TGA and your state health authority, your doctor can legally import medicinal cannabis through the Special Access Scheme (SAS), Category B. This involves obtaining import permits from the Office of Drug Control (ODC).

NT: Not legal.

NSW, SA, WA and TAS: Through a specialist doctor only.

ACT: Any registered doctor can apply for authority to prescribe.

QLD: As of March 1st, GP’s can apply to Queensland Health for permission to prescribe, and certain specialist doctors can prescribe without going through state legislation.

VIC: You can go to your GP, but a letter from a specialist is recommended.

ongoing scientific research, and a burgeoning local industry are positive signs. Although it has been a shaky start, the chance to develop an ethically sourced drug, here in Australia, allowing for better accessibility to medicinal cannabis for those who need it the most is slowly coming to pass. Lobbying our politicians, signing petitions, and letting our voices be heard on this matter is the best way for reform to take place. Keep up the good fight! 3

According to the ODC website: ‘Medicinal cannabis products will only be available for specific patient groups under medical supervision.’

New Developments in 2017

Things are moving fast!

Some governments are moving ahead faster than others, with Queensland and Victoria leading the way to make medicinal cannabis not only accessible, but also legally grown in their area of jurisdiction. On the 17 February 2017, the ODC issued the very first cannabis research licence under the medicinal cannabis provisions of the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967, enabling the legal cultivation of medicinal cannabis in Australia. This is due in large part to the State of Victoria’s innovative and progressive government, and hopefully, other states will soon follow suit.

On March 8, Cann Group became the first Australian company to be granted the necessary licences to cultivate medical cannabis for both research and human use, through its wholly owned subsidiary Cannoperations Pty Ltd.

One of the main hold-ups for access to medical cannabis, once all hurdles are overcome, has been the long wait to import the products. On February 22, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that the government authorised controlled importation by approved providers of medicinal cannabis from approved international sources for interim supply in Australia, until domestic production meets local needs. The import rules will be relaxed until there is an industry that’s up to the task of meeting demand.

No more months of waiting for those desperately needing this medication, a definite step forward.

The bottom line, if your doctor is willing to look at your case, it still needs to be approved by the TGA, the state government, and the ODC. And unless your condition is chronic and you can show previous medications have failed, there is a high chance your application will not be accepted.

Medicinal cannabis may not be easily obtained legally, but politicians fighting for reform at different levels of government,

It was announced on March 28 that Medical Cannabis Limited has entered into a strategic relationship with WHG. net Pty Ltd, Australia’s biggest hydroponic supplier. CoFounder Michelle Crain explains: “We are very pleased and appreciate this opportunity to be the first major Australian nutrient manufacturer to be involved with MCL, to assist MCL to produce top quality products grown to a medical grade under the unique licences that MCL has obtained”.

Andrew Kavasilas, Technical Director of MCL, and author of the authoritative book Medical Uses of CannabisInformation for Medical Practitioners, stated “We feel very confident that our relationship with WHG will further advance MCL’s capabilities to be able to produce top quality Australian products grown to a medical grade.”

Exciting times in Australia indeed.

In the last edition, we talked about the history of giant veg growing, and the current competition platforms.

Now we’d like to share the secrets behind our success, and some tips for growing record breakers. Let’s start with marrows, also known as zucchini in the US and Canada.

The current World Record is held by Brad Wursten in Holland, who in 2009 grew a marrow weighing just over 206 lbs (93.7kg). In 2010, we grew the 2nd largest marrow in the world weighing 171 lbs (77.56kg).

soon as the tap roots appear, the seeds need transplanting into pots, and then moved to a heated greenhouse/shed/ growroom.

To grow a giant marrow, you will need the right seed – an ordinary strain will never achieve the required size.

Soil Preparation Some soils need a rest to recover from constant cultivation.

Planting a green manure (cover crop) helps soil fertility and structure with very little effort. Green manures can be left in for a year or more, but in domestic gardens or allotments, it’s generally a winter thing.

Germinating the seed We start our marrows in a heated greenhouse at the beginning of May. Due to the freshness of the seeds, they germinate with ease. However, as a precaution, we use sandpaper on the edges to speed germination.

The marrow seeds are planted in two ways.

One method is in pure vermiculite. Using this method, the seeds take 7–10 days to germinate at 21°C (70°F).

Another method is known as chitting. The seeds are placed on damp kitchen toweling, placed inside a box, and left in a warm room (airing cupboard) for about three days. As

In September, we broadcast green manure seed mixed with Hairy Winter Vetch onto the growing area. These are known as nitrogen fixers, and saves having to cart 20+ tonnes of cow manure around the garden. Green manures have deep penetrative roots that open up the soil as they grow. This is an advantage in heavy soils, as it allows drainage to occur more freely. On lighter soils, the particles of soil can bind together better, improving moisture retention. It also adds organic matter to all soil types.

In early March, the green manure is cut down, and the organic matter is dug into the soil.

In early May, we prepare the two marrow beds by rotovating the soil. Each bed measures about 8m x 5m (26’ x 16’), and is planted with two marrows. Providing sufficient space for both plant and root development is crucial, if you are to grow a giant marrow.

Pre-Planting Soil Feeding A week before planting, the bed is prepared with a dry base fertiliser at approximately 170–225g per m2 (6–8 oz per yd2).

Planting Out In late May to early June, when all danger of frost has passed, it’s time to plant the marrows in the patch.

As a precaution, we position a mini-tunnel over the plants to give them a head start. This provides wind shelter, and keeps them warm during the cooler nights. On strong sunny days, covering the tunnel with a sack prevents scorched leaves and overheated roots.

The mini-tunnel is removed in mid June.

Setting Fruit For the past few years, we have been using our own brand of mycorrhizae at planting, sprinkling 10g (1/3oz) around each plant’s roots. Mycorrhizal fungus helps to create a huge root mass, and we believe this was one of the key ingredients to our success in recent years.

The plants are allowed to grow to about 4.5m (15ft) long, with the fruit being set on the main vine at about 3–3.5m (10–12ft). The side vines were stopped at about 1–1.5m (3–5ft), and the main vine and side vines were buried because marrows root along all leaf joints. This helps stabilise the plant, and promote growth.

We’ve been developing our strain over the past twentyfive years, and for consistent genetics, we always ensure that the male and female flowers are covered the evening before they start to open. This prevents bees and pollen beetles from open pollinating the marrows.

A bee will travel up to four miles searching for pollen, and one pollination glitch is that a bee could have landed on a number of other plants growing in other gardens.

Hand pollination is always recommended.

In our experience, pollination is best carried out early to mid-morning. We pollinated our marrow forty-five days before the Malvern Autumn Show, covering the female flower with a plastic bag secured by a rubber band for two days after pollination. It reached 77.5kg (171lb) in approximately seven weeks. We also avoided growing table marrows and courgettes, as there’s always a risk of crosspollination.

Maintenance of Plants Throughout the growing season, we add bimonthly scatterings of poultry pellets, and weekly foliar feed with a seaweed-based organic product.

We also regularly spray the leaves with SB Plant Invigorator to help to prevent/control powdery mildew – if not controlled, this will kill the plant. The delicate leaf tissue will absorb whatever it is that you’re applying, putting it to use immediately for increased vigor in growth and fruit or

flower development, and improved resistance to insects and fungal issues.

This year we have also been working with Nottingham Trent University, and the marrows have been fed with a specially formulated feed. So far, they are loving it.

Supporting the Fruit The growing marrow needs to be supported to avoid too much stress being put on the fruit. We rest the developing marrows on top of a polystyrene board, believing that this will help to avoid differences in temperature, and prevent excessive growth spurts, which would cause splitting of the fruit.

You may have heard rumours that we wrap our marrows in a duvet towards end of the growing season. It’s true!

Once the skin becomes hard, a marrow stops growing. This duvet trick prevents that hardening, allowing the marrow to continue its growth.

For more growing advice, head over to our Facebook group, where there are over 3000 members from all over the world talking giant veg. 3

Australia’s largest experiential cannabis event is back for 2017!

The Hemp, Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium made headline news across the country last year when thousands of Sydneysiders descended upon Rosehill Gardens seeking information about the many benefits the Hemp plant offers now and into the future.

Australia’s largest experiential cannabis event is back for 2017! On Saturday May 27 and Sunday May 28, don’t miss out on the HHI Expo & Symposium. Featuring the largest ratified hemp crop in the Southern Hemisphere, interactive activities for all ages, an array of over 80 exhibitors from around the globe, the 2017 edition is Sydney’s opportunity to taste, touch, feel and experience it all; in a safe, family friendly environment.

Experiential and educational, this event is unlike anything you have ever attended. Workshops, displays and performances showcasing everything from hemp fabrics, textiles, clothing, bedding, art, beauty products, building materials, health products, natural medicinal products, gardening and hydroponic equipment and more.

Planting Seeds and Growing Minds The perfect opportunity to learn more about the many uses of the hemp plant, the HHI has invited a wide array of guest speakers, each with an amazing story to share.

BEN OAKLEY AN AMAZING YOUNG MAN! It’s not everyone who knows the exact time their life changed forever. Ben Oakley is one of those people. At the young age of 17, he was struck down with a very rare disease, affecting only 1 in a million - Stiff Person Syndrome.

Ben’s life changed in an instant. According to his father, “Ben was the single most active person I have ever known... Ben has the most intense pain any human should ever have to endure when it all goes wrong!...That was until we were contacted by an Angel offering hope, hope in the form of Medicinal Cannabis.” In 16 months, Ben has gone from 61 full body muscle spasm on his worst day to 3 spasms, only lasting a few minutes each.

Ben’s Facebook Video is a must see: http://bit.ly/BenStoryHHI And, be sure to hear more of his story at the Expo.

VIOLA BRUGNATELLI NEUROSCIENTIST Viola Brugnatelli is a Neuroscientist specialising in Cannabinoid circuitry, GPCRs signalling, and neuropharmacology.

She works as a consultant and speaker at seminars, workshops and tutorials for MDs, Universities, and individual patients. Viola is currently researching therapeutic potentials of terpenes at University College of Dublin, Ireland.

Having been raised with the concepts of equality, responsibility, and love towards the environment, others, and oneself, Viola established the online Magazine NatureGoingSmart.com in 2014, to share the knowledge.

KLARA MAROSSZEKY PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL HEMP ALLIANCE Klara Marosszeky has been involved in the Australian Hemp industry for 17 years in both the farming and construction sectors.

As well as being the President of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance, she is also the Secretary of Northern Rivers Hemp, and the Managing Director of the Australian Hemp Masonry Company (AHMC).

Beginning in 1999 with her first research crop on 2 hectares, Klara has since grown hemp for fibre on dryland and irrigated farms in several regions of NSW. A passionate advocate for the ecological benefits of hemp, Klara has recently returned from the US where she presented at the International Soil not Oil Conference in Richmond California on the value of hemp in farm crop rotations and then Trinidad, where she ran a workshop for Native Indian communities interested in social housing, regenerative farming, and carbon sequestration with hemp.

GARYN ANGEL FOUNDER & CEO OF ANGEL ENTERPRISES, INC Garyn Angel is an award-winning financier and philanthropist from Port Richey, Florida. Fueled by the desire to help an extremely ill friend, in 2011 Angel assisted in the development and implementation of digital sequence programming and microprocessor technology to help patients process cannabis medicine into an ingestible form. That success eventually led him to advocate international cannabis law reform.

Creator of the Cheers to Goodness Foundation, a charity that helps families relocate to states where cannabis medicine is legally accessible — mainly veterans and children who need cannabis therapy when traditional treatment options have failed.

MARTIN A. LEE DIRECTOR OF PROJECT CBD Project CBD is an educational service that focuses on cannabis science and therapeutics. Martin is the author of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific, winner of the American Botanical Council’s James A. Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature. He is also co-founder of the media watch group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting).

TIM HARDING

FIONA PATTEN

AUSTRALIAN ENTERTAINER & MEDICINAL CANNABIS ADVOCATE

VICTORIAN MP AND LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN SEX PARTY

Tim Harding is a multi-award winning Australian entertainer best known for his part in the International children’s TV phenomenon, Hi-5. He has worked as an actor, public speaker, writer, producer and director, creating solutions for both government and corporate organisations. More recently, Tim has received national attention because his daughter suffers from intractable epilepsy. After the failure of many conventional treatments in trying to reduce his daughter’s seizures, he is now a passionate advocate of medicinal Cannabis.

Since her election to the Victorian upper house in 2014, she has successfully instigated physician assisted dying laws, a landmark inquiry into drug reform, the legalisation of ridesharing, and the introduction of a bill for both safe injecting facilities and pill testing. She has criticised the limited scope of existing Victorian medicinal cannabis laws and called on the state government to make medicinal cannabis available to the same patient cohort as recommended by the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC). Fiona, has long lobbied for change in this area and in 2015, proposed legislative amendments in the Parliament of Victoria to this effect.

ROBERT C. CLARKE AUTHOR, ETHNOBOTANIST, PLANT BREEDER & AGRONOMIST Author of The Botany and Ecology of Cannabis , Marijuana Botany, and HASHISH!, coauthor of Hemp Pests and Diseases, and Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany, Rob has also written several book chapters and numerous peerreviewed articles.

During the past three decades, Rob has traveled extensively documenting traditional Cannabis production and use, increasingly threatened by globalization and cultural prejudice, and has assembled a comprehensive collection of Eurasian hemp textiles. Rob presently heads BioAgronomics Group an international cannabis consultancy specializing in smoothing the transition into a wholly legal and normalized cannabis market.

JASON WILCOX WORLD-RENOWNED ACTIVIST Appearing around the globe in the news, cannabis events, and cannabis political debates regarding the free cannabis movement, a founder of Cannabis in Canada, and Cannabis Rights Coalition, organizations offering a platform of accurate dis-emanation of information on the positive attributes and medicinal characteristics of cannabis.

In 2016, he was the Growing Exposed Inc. Garden Tour Host, Online TV personality.

ANASTASIA SURAEV RESEARCH ASSOCIATE THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Anastasia is a Research Associate at The Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, The University of Sydney.

Masters graduate in Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) at The University of Melbourne in 2015, she completed her thesis on the cognitive outcomes of people with severe, treatmentresistant epilepsy, primarily Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

Currently, Anastasia is coordinating the PELICAN research study which aims to take an in-depth look into community use of cannabis-based products as treatment for paediatric epilepsy.

DR RACHNA PATEL Dr. Rachna Patel has been practicing in the area of Medical Marijuana since 2012.

Step-by-step, she walks patients through the how to’s of safe medical marijuana use, for their specific medical condition.

Having treated thousands of patients and having read research study upon research study on marijuana she speaks from experience. She completed her medical studies at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in California and her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). You can learn more about the work she does at DrRachnaPatel.com.

JENNY HALLAM

ANDREW KAVASILAS –

WILDLIFE CARER & CANNABIS ACTIVIST

HEMP FARMER, PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHERN RIVER HEMP ASSOCIATION

Nurture and nature comes naturally to Jenny, a wildlife carer is also an ‘accidental’ healer of many. Accidental because her ability to heal others was born out of necessity to lessen her own pain and suffering, discovering the properties of Medical Cannabis when exploring better options than the opioids prescribed chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Compassion is one of her many qualities. Jenny is now an enthusiastic Cannabis activist, driven by her own life experience and by those she has assisted. It is Jenny’s dream to see safe and sound access to Medical Cannabis a reality in South Australia.

DR GARY RICHTER “AMERICA’S FAVOURITE VET” TREATING PETS WITH MEDICINAL CANNABIS Gary Richter, MS, DVM has been practicing veterinary medicine the San Francisco Bay Area since 1998. In addition, Dr. Richter is a certified veterinary acupuncturist and chiropractor, integrating holistic and general practice veterinary medicine, and regenerative medicine. By integrating medical cannabis with other conventional and alternative therapies, Dr. Richter has been able to improve the quality and quantity of life of pets living with medical conditions ranging from arthritis to inflammatory bowel disease to cancer.

Dr. Richter and his two hospitals have been the recipients of over twenty local and national awards including “Best Veterinary Hospital”, “Best Veterinarian”, “Best Canine Therapy Facility” and “Best Alternative Medicine Provider.”

Look for his two upcoming books in 2017. Integrative Medicine For Dogs and Cats and CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Healing With Medical Cannabis.

Andrew Kavasilas is a contemporary pioneer of emerging Australian cannabis industries, a noted cannabis researcher, who has worked, coordinated and funded many projects under various government permits since 1999.

Currently, Andrew is Secretary of the Australian HEMP Party, a NSW licensed hemp grower and continues with ongoing broad acre trials. For the past 6 years, Andrew has undertaken breeding programs to refine low THC cannabis varieties for seed and fibre production, and other scientific exploration.

Andrew sees great opportunities in future Australian hemp industries, as legislation moves to formally allow consumption of hemp seeds which would allowing local farmers and processors access to expanding international markets.

Visit a “snapshot” of Andrew’s work at the live cannabis plant display, an Australian first in public exhibition.

DR TERESA TOWPIK MEDICAL PRACTITIONER & MEDICINAL CANNABIS SUPPORTER Born in Poland Teresa worked as a junior doctor in a hospital in Glogow, before arriving in Australia in 1987 where she worked in Fairfield and Liverpool hospital moving to General Practice in 1993.

Over the years Teresa embraced different aspects of healing, not only as a doctor but as a patient as well. When going through breast cancer 16 years ago, she learnt about different patient’s attitudes and expectations realising that modern medicine is very much based on evidence. “The absence of evidence is no evidence of absence. We need balance and we need to listen to patients as well”.

Teresa sees great potential in cannabis which is an ancient, sophisticated and diverse medicine, is very interested in further learning, research and the application of cannabis in general practice.

Keep an eye on the ever-expanding speaker list, check out the available workshops, and buy your tickets at the HHI web site www.hhiexpo.com.au. 3

Sometimes the simplest things for the garden or growing are hard to find, or totally nonexistent for a reasonable price.

Check out these DIY projects where creative minds have crafted an inexpensive solution using PVC plumbing supplies.

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SU CC U L E N T POTS

PVC pipe couplings and caps used to give you a clean white container perfect for plants that love a drier situation with infrequent watering.

DIY How-To: www.bit.ly/pvc-pots

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P L U M B WA L L PLANTER

Common sense tells the experienced grower that these 28mm pipes do look great, but plants will be happier longer with roomier accommodations. Use larger pipes.

Leave the bottom open for drainage, or add a valve for manual draining indoors. Spray paint it your favorite metallic.

DIY Instructions: www.bit.ly/plumb-planter

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4 P O R TA B L E H OS E C A D DY

Still dragging extra hose around in a tangle? Keep it in a manageable coil on wheels with a hose caddy you can build in an afternoon.

Schedule 40 PVC is some rugged stuff.

DIY How-To: www.bit.ly/pipe-caddy

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ST U R DY TO M ATO S U P P O R T

Container gardening is great, but trussing up the weight of an abundant tomato crop hasn’t been well addressed. The one picture is attached to a small raised bed, and uses PVC pipes and metal bracing.The same forum page shares a similar freestanding tomato support system in use with an army of tote planters.

DIY Discussion: www.bit.ly/pvc-support 3

HANGI NG GARD EN

A discontinued retail kit you can easily make at home with 100mm PVC pipe, slotted or perforated drain caps on the ends, and coated wire. Two-toned paint plays a bright base color against a brushed shimmer or metallic. The succulents chosen really makes each color pop.

A Closer Look: www.bit.ly/pipe-planter

#1.FOOD The world is overpopulated, continuing to grow towards carrying capacity, and food production is essential to sustain this.

Diverting agricultural land away from food production will have disastrous effects. Agricultural land is limited, irrigating the desert, and cutting down more forests is not the answer.

So, what do we do? As a multipurpose crop, cannabis can be part of the solution.

Hemp seeds are an excellent food, actually considered a “superfood” - it contains all 18 essential amino acids and healthy short-chain fatty acids. There are now varieties that have been bred to taste good. In 2016, we grew primarily the X59 Hempnut variety from TerraMax seeds, which has an almost hazelnut flavor. I eat it right out the back of the combine. The seed can be hulled to remove the outer seed shell, and/or pressed into an amazing oil as well.

If you haven’t tried hulled hemp seed, or cooked with golden hemp oil, it is worth the effort. It is very healthy, containing beneficial omegas, and tastes great. The cost is still an issue, though I expect with supply and demand economics, hemp seed products would be comparable to other cereals in the coming years.

From a farmer’s perspective, hemp is an interesting crop.

Hemp seed prices range from about $0.70/lb to $1.75/lb, depending on variety and quality. At Coulee Cannabis, we received almost $1/lb for seed this year, producing about 1,800 lbs per acre on irrigated land. Dryland is typically less than 1,000 lbs per acre, yet represents more than twice the profit of canola. Although the market may dictate a decrease in the price of hemp seed over time, it is expected that these prices will be sustained for the next few years.

#2.FIBER, TEXTILES,

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Hempcrete, panel board, insulation, paper, clothes, even plastics… All can be made from cannabis biomass. Innovations are being made in these areas all the time. In the coming years, we will see vehicles made almost entirely from polymers containing hemp. The push for eco-friendly, sustainable, and renewable building materials will be significant in the coming decades.

Cannabis will help meet these demands.

#3.MEDICINE

The cannabinoids and terpenes found in cannabis have medicinal properties. While there is still some debate as to the validity of the claims made by cannabis users, many have witnessed seizures stop, and cancers disappear. These molecules have been some of the most studied molecules over the past decade. They are isolated, chemically re-created, mimicked, and sold by pharmaceutical companies as medicine‌ so, they are medicine.

If farmers can extract this medicine, or even sell the biomass to a company that could efficiently do so, it would not only

provide a new revenue stream to them, but also significantly decrease the cost of producing this medicine. These savings would inevitably be translated to the customer, making the medicine more affordable and available.

Raw/fresh cannabis is also highly undervalued, as both a medicine and nutrient substitute. Juicing fertilized cannabis (ie. with seeds in it) provides all the benefits of a shot of wheatgrass, as well as amino acids, fatty acids, and cannabinoid acids.

#4.FUEL

Cannabis can be used to make fuel. The oil from the seed can be used for biodiesel. Repurposing the unusable or excess biproducts of the seed, as well as the waste following product use, such as reclaimed cooking oil, might be viable options. Being extremely high in cellulose, the biomass can also be digested for ethanol production. There is still significant biomass left over after medicine extraction that can still be used for ethanol production. The ethanol can be then used in the extraction process for medicine, or used for other purposes, such as a gasoline additive. 3

Ever wondered why there is synthetic nitrogen fertilizer? Yes, giant corporations make a killing producing mountains of the stuff every year, but that’s not why it exists. If it weren’t for the invention of synthetic nitrogen though, the world would be a very different place.You and I might not exist.

Nitrogen fertilizer made using the Haber Process is credited with feeding half of today’s world population. Both crop output and the number of people on Earth skyrocketed because of the ability to fix nitrogen on demand.

But synthetic nitrogen has big consequences… Negative effects on soil. Serious nitrogen cycle imbalances. Ocean dead zones. Water quality problems. Huge fossil fuel consumption.

HOW IT BEGAN Natural nitrogen fertilizer was all that existed during the 1800s.

Major countries supported agriculture by importing guano and saltpeter from South America. These trade relationships with Chile and Peru were hugely important to food security, and politically significant too.

BASF bought Haber’s process, handing the challenge of recreating it in commercial scale to their own chemist and engineer, Carl Bosch. A successfully functioning prototype, requiring high temperatures (400-500°C) and high pressures (200-300 atmospheres), took until 1913 to complete. The massive machine produced 198 pounds of ammonia per hour.

Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer production was underway. But not for long.

WWI changed everything, and the factory started making munitions from highly explosive ammonium nitrate. Bosch’s fertilizer plant is responsible for prolonging World War I, and making World War II possible. Explosives made from the Haber Process have been used in bombs ever since.

BACK TO FERTILIZER As you might suspect, being finite resources, they were getting scarce by the end of the century. Not good. People were multiplying. Someone had to find a new source for fixed nitrogen. A challenge went out to scientists... figure out how to make nitrogen fertilizer from the air.

German chemist Fritz Haber accomplished the feat in 1908.

His solution was a table top device that could synthesize a cup of ammonia in two hours flat. He combined nitrogen with hydrogen using high pressure, heat, and an iron catalyst.

The world at large knew nothing about the existence of synthetic fixed nitrogen until after WWI ended. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that the Haber Process really impacted agriculture. The blessing of increased food production is said to be the reason some 7 billion people inhabit the planet today. Many believe that without synthetic fertilizers there would be mass starvation. But synthetic nitrogen is causing bigger problems.

NITROGEN CYCLE BALANCE Carbon is the poster child of climate change, but in truth, man’s impact on the nitrogen cycle is much greater. We convert far more N2 gas into fixed reactive nitrogen than all of this planet’s combined natural processes. By 1993, humans were adding 140 million metric tons of NH3 to the environment, and 80-100 million of those tonnes arise come from Haber Bosch Process chemical plants. The rest is due to nitrogen fixing crops, vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions.

So much for everyone’s obsession with carbon. Why are they ignoring human impact on anything in the red zone? Certainly worth investigation.

The paper suggests our fixed nitrogen additions from synthetic fertilizers and car exhaust be reduced to about one-third (35 million tonnes).

UNSUSTAINABLE Science shows that in the nitrogen cycle fixed nitrogen molecules can also become unfixed. Denitrifying bacteria and nitrogen fixing bacteria in Nature both have balanced populations - roughly equal in number. Natural fixed nitrogen might increase over time, but without man’s tampering, it’s a slow shift. There is no denitrification with additions of reactive nitrogen from the Haber Process.

An article published in Nature (2009) discussed planetary boundaries. Climate change was included, but surprisingly the scientists’ diagram shows we are barely beyond the safe zone of the CO2 boundary. Meanwhile, the nitrogen cycle disruption is five levels higher than the safe zone!

Making synthetic nitrogen fertilizer consumes a lot of energy.

On top of the excessive temperatures and pressures of the process, the hydrogen involved comes from natural gas. This industry uses 5% of global natural gas production... that’s 1-2% of the total yearly energy consumption worldwide.

Yes, natural gas is more plentiful than petroleum, but the current fertilizer production level can’t be perpetually sustained. Furthermore, as global oil reserves deplete, fertilizer costs will skyrocket. Food prices will rise with it, and the fertilizers so many farmers depend on will no longer be economically viable.

SOIL BALANCE

THE NITROGEN CYCLE DISRUPTION IS FIVE LE VELS HIGHER THAN THE SAFE ZONE

NITROGEN MOBILITY

Maintaining the health of soil organisms depends on a balanced diet, which is 1 part nitrogen to 20 parts carbon.

Adding synthetic nitrogen fertilizer creates a nitrogen surplus, causing the microbes to binge on carbon. As a result, they deplete the soil’s carbon and humus reserves.

The average application of synthetic fertilizers is excessive plant nutrients available all at once. While plants can absorb synthetic nutrients, most of it is wasted. With nitrogen, the crop will only take up 10-50%. It’s very rare that over half the fertilizer is used by the plants.

The soil crashes once all the organic matter is gone. The organisms die from starvation. Functions they performed disappear with them: fixing nitrogen, storing phosphorous reserves, and providing plants with immunity to pests and diseases.

Unabsorbed synthetic nitrogen is highly mobile - passing into groundwater, and joining surface water as it runs off into drainage ditches and waterways. It pollutes wells, lakes, rivers, and streams. Together with other fertilizer elements, the runoff causes algae blooms and ocean dead zones.

With the caretakers vacant, the criminal element takes up residence, and the neighborhood goes to hell. Topsoil erosion increases, pests attack unhampered, and disease spreads.

Crop production, being all about maintaining high yields, farmers seek solutions in chemical corrections. With every quick fix application, the problems in the soil grow.

DAMAGE CONTROL

Recent research by Dr. Jennifer Fox at the University of Oregon found that pesticides and herbicides damage communications between nitrogen fixing plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria. The study covered over 50 agrichemicals, and details were published in Nature (2001), and Environmental Health Perspectives (2004) journals. As a result, reduced natural nitrogen fixing takes place, leading to increased synthetic nitrogen use.

Like the microbes in the soil, the planet cannot make use of anything not present in its original design. Expecting it to do so is a time bomb in itself. Adding compost and organic matter builds healthy soil loaded with organisms eager to perform the functions that support plant life. Natural fertilizers enhance and maintain the balance that sustains living things.

Conventional growing is the synthetic result of the industrial age, which would be great for a synthetic planet populated by robots. But the Earth and its amazing variety of life forms are natural, and dynamic.

For 4 billion years the planet created and produced its own fertilizer, that is, until industry challenged science to figure out how to pull fake nutrition out of thin air. 3

1) Sydney, NSW

Sprouting Good We’d love to claim that zippy title, but Scott Gregory did an excellent job of defining his registered charity in just two words. The Sprouting Good aquaponic box farm adds high tech growing to sustainability and permaculture studies for Year 9 agriculture students at Seven Hills High School. It also provides an education centre for courses offered to other groups.

The freight container houses a 500-litre Silver Perch tank providing nutrients for wall pocket and rooftop greenhouse crops. This productive school garden includes raised beds, chickens, and rabbits. The project was featured last year on the Better Home & Gardens television show.

Scott’s future goal? Commercial rooftop farms employing homeless teens. Learn more: sproutinggood.com and bit.ly/sprout-news.

2) Windsor, Queensland

Eat Your Park With 22 years under their belt, it’s safe to say that Northey Street City Farm in Brisbane’s northern inner suburbs is mature. Founded in 1994, the 4-hectare urban farm’s purpose is inspiring communities everywhere with their sustainable permaculture principles and locally grown produce. Through the decades the nonprofit has planted over 1500 fruit trees, bush food plants, and more.

There’s a plethora of stuff happening on this urban farm. They grow and sell food and plants, have an upcycle market and festivals, rent allotments, and they hold classes and workshops for kids and adults on all kinds of things connected with sustainable living, permaculture, and Nature.

Something for everyone, from pitching in to help to unwinding and shopping.

Learn more: www.nscf.org.au.

3) Keilor, Victoria

Propagating Farmers On the fringe of Melbourne sits the 16-acre Days Walk Farm where all manner of good things grow organically four seasons a year. One of the coolest crops they cultivate is farmers. Not a typo - they grow new farmers in their Farmer Incubator program. It aims to recruit new agricultural blood, providing new farmers with the right support.

It started with the Pop-Up Garlic Farmer project with three 9-month workshops in 2015. Joined in 2016 by the Pomodoro People’s tomato growing extravaganza... 30 different kinds grown by tomato enthusiasts. Amazing things happen when passion is an input.

4) Brisbane, Queensland

Mission: Multiple Identifying Green Dean’s focus isn’t easy. One might say he’s biodiversity itself. A farm boy transplanted to the city turned urban farmer with interests all stemming from food system damage mitigation. He’s on many missions simultaneously... including getting more people growing their own, saving chooks from unkind practices, raising food quality awareness, and uniting urban farmers globally.

If he’s not building someone’s garden, he’s teaching beekeeping, food sovereignty, and permaculture - or hosting his monthly Crop Swap in his own food forest.

Green Dean is the organiser of World Urban Farm Family, and Southeast Queensland Urban Farmers.

A one man army spreading solutions to human and planetary health issues.

Learn more: www.greendean.com.au 3

In this column Theo Tekstra discusses observations in the indoor garden culture. There is sometimes so much urban legend and so little science in this industry. It is time to “myth bust” some of these urban legends and have a fresh breeze move through the industry.

You may not know it, but you are suffering from a serious condition. It influences your decisions, can cause wars, lead to the extinction of mankind as such, and makes you buy the wrong stuff. Caught your attention? It is called confirmation bias, and yes, you have it!

You may not know it, but you are suf fering from a serious c ondition

What is confirmation bias? A good definition is this: “Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis, and ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis.”

So, basically what happens is that if you are looking for answers and searching for evidence, you’d rather search for, and believe data that supports your beliefs or current knowledge. There are enough articles on the internet to support any (even crazy) belief or opinion, so finding out what is really true can be a daunting task.

An example: On stage, at an international event, I hear the presenter (a well respected editor of

a magazine) say to the 500 in the audience that plants do not use green light, as plants are green and reflect it. See? It is green. Therefore, it reflects green light.

When you look up “leaves reflect green light” on the internet you will find many scientific articles about absorption of colors and reflectance of color, and they make a strong case for “plants don’t eat green.”

Furthermore, you can see it yourself! So it’s a nobrainer, right? Look at the research of McCree, and you can clearly see plants don’t like green as much as red or blue. So here come the red and blue LEDs for example. Right?

Wrong.

Pe ople who ac tually know the dull f ac t s seldom reach the front page

Think about this: it is very strange that plants would not use green light efficiently. The most abundant color in sunlight is green (Yes, green! Not yellow or red), so it would defy evolution theory if plants would not be able to use that efficiently.

And, in fact, surprise surprise: plants probably do use green light very efficiently in high intensity white light. At least, according to scientific research from 2009, which is very plausible. Look up: Green Light Drives Leaf Photosynthesis More Efficiently than Red Light in Strong White Light: Revisiting the Enigmatic Question of Why Leaves are Green. You would not easily find it if you were to look for “leaves reflect green light”.

for the opposite of your belief might open your eyes.

It may be hard to find, but it is out there if you look for it. Do you realize that people who actually know the dull facts seldom reach the front page? It is not spectacular enough. The people who shout loudest, and most often, get a lot of coverage and following online.

Finding out what is really tr ue c an be a daunting t ask

If you look for “how is A better than B,” I am sure you will find confirmation of the fact that A is indeed better than B. You will find compelling articles in great numbers in your Google results. It might be though that you are looking for the wrong thing. Try to reverse the search and look at the results again. Or look for a more unbiased comparison: “How do A & B compare”.

Now, take into consideration that many, if not most, of these “publications” are biased opinions.

Nowadays anyone with a blog is a publisher, and you were not looking for the right information in the first place. In a world where opinions are often mistaken for facts, it is good to realize that searching

A good way to discard irrelevant data is to always check your sources well. When your source is also reporting on “Aliens ate his dog” and “Elvis spotted in Wendy’s” - it might not be such a good idea to refer to it in your Facebook post to support your argument. Use Google Scholar for your search in order to find more scientific documents.

But first, and foremost, look for contradicting opinions or findings, and have an open mind to them. Research both sides, and be aware... be very aware of your confirmation bias. It has much more influence on the decisions you make in daily life than you think. Being aware of your weaknesses and pitfalls is a great step to enlightenment. Stay curious. Be an independent thinker. Now, switch on those blue and red LEDs. 3

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Skeptics “Some of the popular articles on the water-culture method of crop production are grossly inaccurate in fact and misleading in implication. Widely circulated rumors, claims, and predictions about the water-culture production of crops often have little more to commend them than the author’s unrestrained imagination.

Erroneous and even fantastic ideas have been conceived that betray a lack of knowledge of elementary principles of plant physiology. For example, there have been statements that in the future most of the food needed by the occupants of a great apartment building may be grown on the roof, and that in large cities “skyscraper” farms may supply huge quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables. One Sunday-supplement article contained an illustration showing a housewife opening a small closet off the kitchen and picking tomatoes from vines growing in water culture with the aid of electric lights. There has even arisen a rumor that the restaurants of a large chain in New York City are growing their vegetables in basements.”

Sound familiar? The previous paragraph is from the introduction to Circular 347, entitled The Water-Culture Method For Growing Plants Without Soil, written by Dennis Robert Hoagland, a Professor of Plant Nutrition and Chemist, and Daniel I. Arnon, Junior Plant Physiologist, at the University of California at Berkeley, College of Agriculture. Circular 347 was published in December of 1938. [www.bit.ly/WC-hoagland] The paper was published by the University after being overwhelmed with thousands of requests for more information about work by their associate, Dr. William F. Gericke, who for the past decade had conducted research about the commercial application of water-culture, a developing science he named “hydroponics” in 1937.

Capturing the imagination of the public and the press, Gericke’s work was much publicized… and ridiculed, even before he adopted the term hydroponics. While his research was primarily geared towards the commercial applications, his earlier emphasis on nutrient salts added to water as “plant pills,” gave the misimpression to many in the press, and by extension, the public. Hydroponics could be carried on by most anyone as a hobby! So, by the end of 1938, over 40 different companies on the west coast alone were offering hydroponic chemicals and supplies to the public.

Yet, Gericke wasn’t ready to share his work publicly. He wanted to make sure all aspects of hydroponic cultivation were researched and tested before making any of the specifics available to the public. His focus was on commercial applications, and he emphasized with his superiors that his work was

incomplete. Gericke wanted more time to fully research and understand every aspect of this developing science before allowing others to emulate it.

As research was being conducted under the auspices of the University, administrators felt compelled to release the results for the benefit of the more than 30,000 requests from around the world for more information. Before doing so, they assigned Hoagland and Arnon to review the work conducted so far, and create a report that checked Dr. Gericke’s research, while including the nutrient salt formulas and design schematics for the equipment developed to date. To Gericke and others, however, Circular 347 seemed written more to undermine the developing technology than promote it by ignoring many of the ancillary benefits of hydroponics, while emphasizing that the authors were able to grow equivalent crops side by side in soil and soilless media, albeit in a greenhouse environment.

Much of Dr. Gericke’s research at that time was being simultaneously conducted at his home, and shortly after the publication of Circular 347, Dr. Gericke terminated his relationship with the University, continuing his research independently in his greenhouse. Prior to his departure, however, several important experimental projects had been initiated as a result of his work.

Wake Island and Pan American World Airways In 1934, Pan American World Airways decided upon Wake Island as one of several stops en route to the Far East for their fast growing seaplane fleet, stops that also included Honolulu, Midway Island, and Guam. The air service was launched in 1935, and by the end of 1936, small hotels had been built on the islands to accommodate air clipper passengers and crew while planes were serviced after flight from one island to the next. Each of the hotels included a restaurant to feed the travelers.

Half of the islands used for these intermediate stops were little more than rocky atolls, lacking space to cultivate any crops in traditional ways. The regularly scheduled supply ship, Tradewind, only visited every 6 months, delivering very little food. The clipper ship airliners were reserved primarily for passengers, and due to the long distances traveled, only essential freight was allowed to fly along to conserve fuel. The one exception was dairy products, due to their perishable nature, as none could be produced on the islands.

In December 1937, newspapers announced that 23-year-old Lamory T. Laumeister, a senior at the University of California’s Department of Agriculture, who worked closely with Gericke, traveled to Wake Island to set up a farming experiment using soilless techniques. Hired by Pan-American, the goal was to produce fresh vegetables for the islands’ 35 permanent inhabitants. This included the Pan-American Hotel manager, Charles Jenkins, his wife, and the air passengers arriving once each week. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins also served as the chefs for the hotel restaurant.

Lamory quickly set up the tanks and equipment sent to the island on the supply ship, and by the middle of February 1938, he had produced his first radish crop. Other crops were challenging, with many growing lush vegetation in the tropical sun, but bearing

little fruit. Minor changes to the nutrient solution, and erecting shade cloth solved the problems. A month later he provided the restaurant with lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. Once fully operational, weekly yields were reported at 30 pounds of tomatoes, 20 pounds of string beans, 40 pounds of sweet corn, and 20 heads of lettuce.

While he was initially scheduled to spend six months on the island, he successfully lobbied to stay an extra year, during which he continued to tweak his 230 square feet of redwood growing tanks. In June 1939, Torrey Lyons, a University of California graduate with experience in culture solutions, replaced Lamory as head hydroponicist. Taking over the garden, he quickly learned that the number one issue Lamory had was not being able to grow enough to satisfy the regular demands of his small but growing number of consumers, even when he intercropped his growing beds.

Pleased with the results, Pan-American decided to increase the growing capacity sufficiently to keep the airbase fully supplied. To supplement production of the original facility, they approved the construction a new “hydroponicum” - the term Gericke adopted to fight the press’ tendency to label them “bathtub gardens.”

The new growing beds, four times larger, were constructed of concrete, offering 1,000 additional square feet of growing space.

Torrey successfully grew many crops, experimenting with many different vegetables.

On December 8th, 1941, the Japanese attacked the island

along with Pearl Harbor, the date not matching due to the international date line. Afterwards, all U.S. personnel were immediately evacuated.

On December 9th, the Japanese attacked again, destroying the Pan American Hotel and the island hospital. The hydroponicum survived the attack, and was reportedly used by the Japanese during their occupation of the island.

The Agricultural Experiment Stations Dr. Gericke’s early publicity piqued the interest of agricultural scientists worldwide. Many began experimentation of their own - independent of Dr. Gericke’s work. By 1939, H.M. Biekart and C.H. Connors of the New Jersey Experiment Station had been growing roses and carnations on a commercialscale using a nutrient culture method with pure sand as the growing media for almost a decade. Other contributors from the NJ Experiment Station included R.B. Farnham, who created a watertight bench system in 1936, along with a subirrigation method of delivering the nutrient solution to plant roots, and Dr. J.W. Shive, credited with developing a drip irrigation method of nutrient delivery in about 1927.

Biekart and Connors proved that carnations grown in sand, and fed a liquid nutrient solution had the same characteristics as their soil-grown counterparts, with respect to appearance, size, and longevity after being cut - yet, they were grown for a lower cost. These cost savings are realized by reducing the need for fertilizer applications, and by eliminating the need to manually water, weed, and cultivate the plants. They also found that there were fewer issues with diseases and insects.

Robert Withrow, of the Purdue University Experiment Station in New York, developed an even more practical subirrigation system in late 1939. His design placed the tanks beneath the benches with nutrients delivered to the watertight benches via centrifugal pump, allowing it to drain back into the tanks using gravity. This technique initially was known as the Withrow method, but has since become more popularly identified as the “ebb and flow” or “ebb and flood” method. This method suited itself ideally to much larger applications, thus improving the commercial potential of hydroponics.

J.P. Martin, the head pathologist at Honolulu Experiment Station, began conducting experiments growing sugarcane

in sand culture in 1932. Cornell University built a hydroponic research greenhouse. Other Agricultural Experiment Stations that provided key research for the soilless growth of plants included Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Internationally, the British Ministry of Agriculture took notice of hydroponics, promoting the technology during the Grow More Food Campaign before and during the war. Professor Shinichiro Kasugai with the agriculture department at Tokyo Imperial University was the first agrobiologist to succeed in growing rice, sweet potatoes, and melon plants to harvest via soilless methods without supplemental aeration. By 1940, experimental hydroponicums were established in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Israel, Japan, India, Russia, Germany, and South Africa. 3

BIO Jeff Edwards, a seasoned veteran of the hobby-hydroponic industry, a hydroponic history enthusiast, and the creator of the information website HydroponicGardening.com, sadly passed away late last year. A historian with an endless drive to educate and motivate people to know more politics, gender and race equality, environmentalism, food security, and of course, the complex world of cannabis regulations. This third installment happened to be too long, giving Garden Culture readers one last chance to learn more about for this industry rich with history in the next edition.

The reason for covering these two elements together is due to how they work and interact synergistically with each other in the plant. There are plenty of cal-mag additives on the market, so we’re going to look at what they are supposed to be used for, what calcium and magnesium do within a plant’s system, and what happens when deficiencies occur.

THE ELEMENTS Calcium (Ca) Number 20 in the periodic table, calcium is a soft, shiny, and reactive metal. Silver-grey calcium is rarely encountered in its pure form. Instead, this reactive element is a great builder, readily forming ionic salts.

Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, and is found mostly as calcium carbonate in limestone (i.e. the chalk rocks, as in the White Cliffs of Dover). The calcium you find in your bones is from calcium phosphate, over a kilogram of it in fact, and quicklime is created by heating calcium carbonate to form concrete cement.

Calcium dissolves easily in water, especially when it is slightly acidic (pH less than 7). In the UK, water quality varies; some areas have soft water (less than 100mg/L of calcium), and others have hard water (above 200mg/L of calcium). As a grower, it is very important that you know what type of water you have. This is easily checked on websites such as www.bristan.com/ watermap.

The reason for hard or soft water is due to areas that have limestone. Acid rain will dissolve the rock, producing calcium cations, which are released into the water table making it ‘hard’ water, and this can lead to limescale deposits on kettles, or a resistance to making suds with soap.

Very hard water areas will benefit from a Reverse Osmosis machine to remove the excess calcium and other particulates to start fresh at a low electrical conductivity level - from here you can add specific amounts of calcium and magnesium. Very soft water areas can benefit from adding a little extra calcium and magnesium to buffer the stock solution, and prevent big swings in pH. Within the plant, calcium plays a big role in maintaining cell strength, and the permeability of the membrane. It assists in the activation of certain enzymes for cell growth, and is thought to help with protein synthesis, and carbohydrate transfer.

Calcium is an immobile nutrient, meaning that once it is incorporated into a cell, it cannot move. For this reason, calcium deficiencies will show up on new growth first.

A deficiency can manifest itself in several ways: 1. G rowing tips of roots and leaves may turn brown and die.

2.

T he leaves will curl, and the margin can turn brown.

3. H igh incidence of blossom end rot, especially in tomatoes.

The reason for a calcium deficiency is usually due to over fertilising with a PK additive, or using a high magnesium fertiliser. Resolve this issue by leaching the plant of excess nutrients with a flush, and adding extra calcium with a calcium nitrate solution, or a cal-mag fertiliser.

Magnesium is a mobile nutrient within a plant, so deficiencies usually occur on older leaves. The symptoms of magnesium deficiencies manifest themselves as the following: 1. Yellowing of the leaf or interveinal chlorosis.

2. As the deficiency becomes more severe, the yellowing will appear on the younger leaves.

3. Possible necrosis in very severe deficiencies.

The reason for a magnesium deficiency can be due to a high calcium fertiliser, or during the high PK part of the flowering cycle. Other factors for deficiency include a cold root environment, or the pH is too low (anything below 5.5 reduces magnesium availability). Resolving these issues is somewhat similar to the calcium deficiency. Leach the growing medium with plain water, and try a foliar feed with epsom salts at about 2-3% solution.

Increase the root zone temperature to 18°C (64°F), and keep the pH balanced at around 5.8.

TWO FINAL POINTS Magnesium (Mg) One of my favourite high school chemistry memories was being in the lab, and burning ribbons of magnesium.

The blinding white light that flares up like a military flash bang as the metal ignites, was the highlight of the day - before getting back to balancing equations, and making Oasis jokes about Van der Waals forces. Absolutely hilarious when you’re 12.

Scarily, magnesium is nearly impossible to extinguish.

This is due to the the magnesium reacting exothermically with oxygen, but also nitrogen and water. Unfortunately, this reaction was used to devastating effect during WW2, as it was incorporated into the casings of incendiary bombs.

Magnesium is abundant in the earth’s crust and mantle rocks, but more importantly, it is an essential element in biology. Its integral role in plant chlorophyll, the genetic DNA and RNA molecules, the energy-giving ATP compound, and many enzymes - give it a claim at being the most important element for life on earth.

1. T here is no such thing as a cal-mag deficiency. You either have a calcium deficiency, or a magnesium deficiency, or both at the same time - if you’re really unlucky - but they are not the same thing. Just because there are cal-mag additives, that does not mean there is such thing as a cal-mag deficiency.

2. Using cal-mag additives during heavy periods of PK fertilisation will assist in the uptake of PK fertilisers. They’re not essential to use, but through personal experience, and as a shop manager, I have only seen positive observations of using a cal-mag during high PK fertilisation.

Hopefully, you find the ‘What is’ articles beneficial, and an enjoyable read. We would love to go into more detail, and delve into the science of uptake of nutrients, but we don’t want to get bogged down in tedious details, so this has been our brief article. If you wish to learn the more scientific and in-depth side, let Eric know, and it will be my pleasure to write that series for you. Thank you for taking the time to read, and we’ll be back with the next What Is chapter on Sulphur, and its role in a plant. 3

Raised in rural southern Alberta, I was exposed to industrial agriculture at a young age. As a bored teenager, I was also exposed to cannabis. The laws of our time continue to dictate major distinctions between cannabis (marijuana), hemp, and other crops in the field; I do not. Hemp is cannabis… which is a crop, that like other crops, should be farmed.

Hem p i s ca n n a b i s … w hi c h i s a c r o p , that l i k e o t he r c r op s , s ho u l d b e f a r m ed

I view the prohibition of cannabis, furthermore the regulation of what a person can grow on their own land and put in their body, as an infringement of a person’s freedom. Though laws regarding cannabis and other drug containing plants have begun to change internationally, the war is not over. Not the war on drugs per se, rather the war on personal freedom, which includes the ability to self-medicate with natural substances. I fear this war is just beginning.

There is a need to regulate dangerous substances and chemical extracts with overdose or addiction potential. However, humans do this, not the plants. Not Nature. Many deadly poisonous plants and fungi are not illegal, yet the drugcontaining ones are strictly regulated. In their natural state, most of these organisms (eg. Cannabis, Coca, Opium poppy, Psilocybin mushrooms, etc.) show very little potential for addiction, or even overdose. There is a plethora of information available regarding the rationales for establishing prohibition, and the lies used to extend fear-based policy on a global scale, so I won’t cover that here. Yet, the fact remains, cannabis was a useful crop and peaceful medicine prior to prohibition. It will be after as well.

Without even considering medical efficacy, all scientific evidence supports one conclusion regarding cannabis as a “drug”; it is one of the SAFEST on the planet. Cannabis has very few negative side effects, and an impossibility of overdose death. It simply can’t kill you. That can’t be said about the pills in your cabinet… or even table salt (<200g= toxicity).

Treating this plant as a dangerous substance is purely political, not scientific. More children die from cough and cold medications every year than cannabis will ever harm. Not to mention accidental exposure to painkillers, even the low dose ones, such as acetaminophen. The consistently perpetuated ideology of “protect the children” from cannabis holds no merit

while there are much more dangerous substances in the pantries and medicine cabinets of all North Americans.

The marvels of modern medicine cannot be discounted. Yet, the propensity of pharmaceutical companies to isolate, patent, and mimic nature in the name of profits is evident. In some cases, isolation of a single molecule from a biological organism creates a better medicine (eg. Penicillin). However, this should not exclude citizens from using the natural substance from which the molecule was originally derived.

What a dark time in human history where governments outlaw nature and corporations force inferior, but patentable chemicals on the population instead. Dark indeed.

Yet, I look to the future, and the future is bright…. and green.

Fields of cannabis as far as the eye can see, grown outdoors in the sunshine the way nature intended. I’ve dreamt of this for over 20 years, and undertook ~10 years of post-secondary education to prepare for the opportunity. In 2016, it became a reality.

I returned to Alberta in 2015, creating two companies. Coulee Cannabis obtained an industrial hemp cultivation license, planting hundreds of acres in Southern Alberta. The primary focus is on seed production, but we also experiment with the fiber, creating Hempcrete blends and insulation. InPlanta Biotechnology is a medicinal plant research and breeding company created in collaboration with Dr. Igor Kovalchuk. We utilize genome sequencing and bioinformatic approaches to expedite the research and breeding processes.

In 2016, we developed projects with a number of licensed cannabis producers, and participated in some outdoor research trials with Dr. Jan Slaski. We expect to publish some of these results in the coming year.

Though industrial hemp has been legal since 1997 in Canada, the strict regulations surrounding its cultivation, and lack of appropriate investment into both processing and marketing have hindered significant expansion of the sector.

Wha t a d a r k tim e i n hu m a n hi st o r y w her e g o v er n m en t s ou t l a w n a t u r e

Recently, the major focus of both big business and the media has been the production of indoor medical and soon recreational cannabis in a strictly regulated market. While some praise this new system, it is just another form of control over the plant.

So, one must ask… who stands to benefit from this new system of control?

Growing plants in hyper-secure prison-style facilities under artificial lights is neither economical, nor environmentally sustainable. We used to only put people in jail for growing cannabis. The Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) and, now the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), regulators in Canada essentially decided to put the plant in jail too.

Forcing cannabis to be grown in prison-style facilities by people in white biohazard suits, who are often tested for the very plant they work with, is quite frankly, messed up. Seriously - I don’t buy meat from a vegan, so why would I buy cannabis from someone who doesn’t use it, or even appreciate it? I doubt brewmasters abstain from alcohol, and if so, I wouldn’t want to drink their beer either. I’d say the same for an apple, carrot or potato farmer too.

This system simply can’t persist. It makes little sense to continue to base policy regarding the growing of a plant around fear and public protection. The system is really designed for the protection of corporate profits. Currently, regulators require cannabis production to support high prices, typically $815 per gram, which helps facilitate inflated valuations of publicly traded companies. In my opinion, this is short-lived. Supply and demand will eventually win out over hyper-regulation and selective licensing. The future of cannabis production lies in large outdoor agriculture, and talented craft producers.

There will always be a market for high-end indoor grown flowers meant to be smoked or vaporized. This requires controlled environments to achieve, and is harder to perfect than most people think, especially in one’s home.

As a farmer, why grow cannabis (hemp) in the first place?

The focus has been largely on medicine. However, the real benefits of cannabis involve strategies that can utilize all aspects of the crop. Farming cannabis is not much more difficult than canola or wheat when done on the industrial scale. Once farmers are permitted to fully take advantage of the entire plant, the cost of an extraction medicine will be a fraction of what it is now.

The processing and technology required to effectively utilize all parts of the plant will take significant investment, which

is happening more and more in Canada. The expansion of companies such as Manitoba Harvest and Hemp Co. demonstrate this.

Still, farmers are shackled by regulations that limit the varieties allowed to be grown, and prevent the use of biomass for even low THC hemp. The Liberal government is taking steps to rapidly create a recreational cannabis program, while doing very little to allow existing hemp farmers to capitalize on either the medicinal or recreational market. You’ll be buying weed in stores next year, but I won’t be able to legally juice my own hemp crop, or even feed the leaves to my cattle??? Never mind extracting the exact same medicine that current MMPR or ACMPR producers are putting in bottles and selling through the mail.

The hypocrisy of this system is astounding. How can it prevail? I am no lawyer, but I am pretty sure when the Canadian Charter refers to “equal benefits under the law,” it means there must be provisions put in place to allow the SAME activity from the SAME plant species - for ALL Canadians. If you want affordable medicine, write your MP, ask for Hemp deregulation and outdoor cannabis cultivation. It will take a new Bill, or another court challenge for things to change.

A Place For Both Industrial and Craft Cultivation Canada does have an opportunity in the world of cannabis cultivation. However, if the only model we present to the world is one of hyper-regulated indoor cultivation, or even costly light deprivation greenhouses, this opportunity will not last for long. Instead, allowing cultivation of all varieties on large outdoor organic fields equipped with irrigation would show the world how the plant is meant to be grown. When this happens, everyone will be able to access and afford cannabis as a food and medicine plant. There will be options for people on how to consume it - raw juiced, cooked, smoked, or put in suppositories.

We can commoditize this plant like any other, so farmers can expect what to get for seed, fiber, biomass, or medicine. The recreational market for cannabis will be only a small fraction of the total cannabis industry. Like most products, we can expect this medicine will be produced cheaply by countries that can cut costs on labor or infrastructure.

The UN Drug Policy released in 2016 recommends that all member states should decriminalize and regulate all drugs.

There will be international trade of cannabis, and other formerly prohibited crops in the coming decades. Canada has the opportunity to capitalize on export markets, provided there is a cost comparable supply, which cannot be achieved indoors.

Even though I predict the majority of cannabis will be grown on large industrial farms, there will also be a place for small boutique growers who have perfected their craft through years of trial and error.

In the end, I surmise that most cannabis smokers will acquire their product from the ‘craft’ market, meaning smaller-scale local producers who take the time and effort to grow amazing cannabis. After all, during decades of underground breeding, cannabis pioneers have developed thousands of unique varieties with different medicinal benefits and taste profiles. They are now slowly emerging from the shadows and showing off their skills at cannabis cups, in several areas of the world.

The real dangers of cannabis… the guns and the violence… all came after prohibition. When we allow both craft producers and industrial farmers to grow it without restriction, the dangers will disappear. Strict regulation, limited licensing, and looming patent wars could limit the availability of medications, and potentially destroy this gene pool.

Only when the plant is truly free will we be free to explore its potential, and reap the benefits it sows. 3

In the series “Light Matters”, Theo Tekstra discusses the different aspects to lighting, such as quantity, quality, efficacy, special applications, new developments, and the science behind it. In this third episode, we focus on space optimization.

How about if I tell you that you can get 25% more yield from your current lighting solution by just optimizing your space? Would you be interested in that? I bet you would! There are many growers who actually throw away 25% or more of their light. They put their plants in the most unfavorable positions in the room and waste expensive energy lighting the floor. Now this will not apply to every grower, but for many, it will.

Light Positions First, let’s look at how we light a room. Yes, how we light a room, not how we light plants. We do not light plants, we light a room! By putting the fixtures at specific positions in the room we create overlapping lights, enabling uniform lighting, and good horizontal crop penetration.

We cannot just put a light over a few plants, and expect optimal, uniform light. To create uniform light from one fixture, you would need a special reflector, and lose the advantage of the plant penetration from all sides by the overlapping lights. Most reflectors are designed to use in a larger lighting plan, so they would overlap to create uniform lighting.

reflector advice. He had been using them for about 4 years already, and was wondering if new reflectors would give him better efficiency. This is Joe’s current configuration: The room is about 4 x 5m (13’ x 17’), the four 1.2 x 1.2m

Plant Positions I see a lot of people use 1.2 x 1.2m (4’ x 4’) trays straight under one lamp. They put a lamp over every tray, and create paths between for easy access. There are a couple of problems with that: 1. An HPS lamp does not have a square throw, but a rectangular throw. A 1000W HPS lamp does not light a 1.2 x 1.2m space. Please read my previous article to learn more about light spacing (available on the Garden Culture website).

2. The best possible lighting will occur just between the trays, where you have the overlapping light!

Joe Grow Let me introduce Joe Grow to you. He has been growing plants for many years, and has this nice, clean and tidy room for his crop. He works on rolling 1.2 x 1.2m (4’ x 4’) tables, and he gets excellent results. Joe contacted me for

(4’ x 4’) tables are low. Above every table there is a 1000W lamp at a 0.9 m distance from the crop. The walls are painted white, the room height is about 2.75m (9’).

The green crosses in the above drawing represent the measuring grid, where my program calculates light levels.

So, let’s have a look where all that light is going in this

room. This is the light distribution in the room: Now, I calculated this with NEW reflectors. Joe’s current

most of the light goes to the table. So now, we zoom in on one table: There are a few interesting observations you can make:

reflectors are 4 years old, already become a bit worn and dull, and reflect about 7-10% less light. So, in reality this is a very positive estimation.

You see that a lot of light ends up between the tables.

However, as this comes in at an angle, much of it will still be intercepted by the plants on the tables. But look how much light is going to be lost around all those tables! The maximum intensity on the plants will be about 650 µmol m-2 s-1.

If we just look at the growing space, this is what you will get: The average light intensity is just 495 µmol m-2 s-1. Still, 1. The highest light level is NOT straight under the lamp, but where the two lights overlap.

2. At the outer side, light levels are much lower.

3. The uniformity is really bad (just 75%).

Obviously, this is not an optimal situation. Much light is lost.

Actually, I calculated that at least 30-40% of the light would never get intercepted by the plants, but lost on floors and walls.

A Better Configuration How do we optimize this? Joe really wanted access to his plants, of course. He liked the tables, and the fact that he could access the plants from all sides. Having this space in the room seemed like it would be an ideal way to grow. For grow comfort, it probably is. But for optimal yield, it isn’t.

I recommended that he should shield part of his room for growing. Based on his fixtures, I recommended a room size of about 2.2 x 3.6m (7’ x 12’). I also calculated what would

Note that his grow space was about the same (4.6 m2, about

be the best position for his lights, about 10 cm (4”) higher than previously. This was the result: So, in that space, by just putting in a few faux walls with

50 ft2), but his average light level increased to almost 900 µmol m-2 s-1! That is a huge increase in intensity, and because the light is also reflected from the walls, the outside of his crop will get light from the side as well. Note the scale on this calculation: each color only represents 20 µmol m-2 s-1 difference, which is really hard to even measure. Light uniformity is 94% (!) at 1m (3’4”) from the crop, on the complete crop. That is a huge improvement, and will certainly result in a much better yield.

Lessons Learned

reflective foil (I recommended Orca all around as this reflects more than 10% better than his white walls), the light levels increased dramatically. As he wanted some space to get access to his plants, I recommended that he build a few plateaus on wheels, or two rolling benches, so he could create a path between his plants for access. About 60 cm (2’) would be enough for access on all sides, and the walls could just be some hanging foil to reflect the light. It needn’t be a fixed ceiling to floor wall. That way he could easily roll it up and have all the access that he wanted. It also helps with the ventilation to not completely enclose the grow space.

So in the end, Joe Grow’s space would look like this:

So what do we learn from this?

1. We do not light plants, we light rooms.

2. Positioning of your lights is most important for good light levels, and optimal uniformity.

3. Do not over-size your room, as this leads to a lot of light loss, and a waste of valuable energy. All light on the floor is wasted.

4. A 1000W HPS light does not light a 1.2 x 1.2m (4’x4’) or 1.5 x 1.5m (5’x5’) space. It is much more rectangular, and the lights need to overlap for optimal crop penetration and uniformity.

5. Always position your plants in the centre of the room, as near the walls the uniformity and light levels will be less. That also enables the light to penetrate your plants from the side by reflection off your walls. 3

Trade show, guest speakers, farm tours, and networking for greenhouse, hydroponic, and aquaponic commercial growers.

Imagine visiting a pop-up shopping centre devoted to commercial hydroponics and greenhouses, filled with like-minded growers interested in the future of intensive food production.

Well, you can, and all you have to do is register!

This July, network face-to-face with other growers, suppliers, consultants, researchers, and guest presenters, from Australia and overseas. Tour the latest hi-tech glasshouse operations, and compare the many growing systems available, all the while growing your knowledge and getting inspired.

The Apex - Brinkman PCA Conference 2017 will be PCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 14th biennial event bringing over 450 industry people together, from the 9-12th July 2017, at the newly renovated Adelaide Convention Centre.

The general public is invited on Sunday, July 9th to experience the latest in growing technologies. The next two days offer a wide range of technical how-to speaker presentations, industry education, and opportunities to interact with growers, their allied trade, and interested parties. To conclude the event, farm tours will be offered on Wednesday. New this year, a central hub space transforms into The Happy Hour Bar each afternoon for further networking.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on this unique event. Register now: www.aomevents.com/pca2017/registration

You’ve heard it repeatedly. Buying farm direct boosts your local economy. That’s great, but until recently, this was a plus with fuzzy meaning. University of California, Davis did a study on just what that translates to, and found it disproportionately impacts local economy in a positive way.

Every dollar spent buying farm direct generates twice as much economic impact as buying from the supermarket.

In the Sacramento Region, $1 million of produce sold locally generated 31.8 local jobs, while wholesale growers created only 10.5 jobs. This is in addition to the supplies and equipment sales direct marketing farms contributed to the local economy at large.

And if area supermarkets increased the amount of produce purchased from local farmers by $1 million? It would pump $1.3 million into the local economy, and create 22 new jobs.

Source: www.bit.ly/uc-blog

What you wear, and surround yourself with, influences your comfort, mood, health, and energy level. Except for eating, that pretty much sums up life quality. A quality level that is biologically influenced by the signature frequencies materials resonate at. Remember those atoms and frequency resonance you studied about in school? Check this out...

A human body has a signature frequency of 70-90.

Unbleached organic cotton resonates at 100. Why are jeans so wildly popular? We’re in harmony with 100% cotton clothing. Standard bleached and colored cotton only has a frequency of 70, though natural dyes might improve that. GMO cotton is dead at zero!

Wool and linen both have a frequency of 5000, which wraps your body in energy, particularly linen, which is made from flax. Linen bandages heal injuries faster than cotton! But never wear the two together. Science

has discovered it collapses the electrical field. Simple translation: they cancel each other out.

Silk may be natural, but it only resonates at 10, and rayon at 15. Synthetics are a definite downer. Nylon, Lycra, spandex, polyester, and acrylic fabrics are dead. They are all petroleum products, and have no frequency at all.

Natural fiber fabrics also breathe better, last longer, and look good as they age.

More Details: www.bit.ly/cotton-energy, www.bit.ly/fabric-energy

When you cut a vegetable or fruit it releases enzymes. This is the reason there are so many kinds of cuts. Sliced, diced, chopped, grated, minced... each brings a different flavor to the dish. The smaller the pieces, the more intense the flavor, and the faster it’s imparted to the dish. The same is true of thickness in slices.

It takes a lot longer to soften and brown slabs of onion, but they are sweeter than if sliced thin. A wedge of tomato is not nearly as tasty a slice. Shredded cabbage is more peppery than larger cuts. It varies greatly by produce type too. Even the type of cut itself influences how you experience the food. Smooth is better than jagged!

Furthermore, the way you arrange fresh fruits and vegetables on a plate changes how they smell, which is directly related to your flavor experience. For example, sliced tomatoes fanned out on a plate is way more aromatic than when piled.

More details: www.bit.ly/cut-matters

Imperfection isn’t just beautiful, it’s better for you. That ugly produce might just be more important than keeping edible food from being wasted. Scabbed, scarred and twisted fruits and veggies are survivors. They’re stronger after beating the odds. And as a result, actually offer better flavor, and bigger health benefits than their perfect brethren.

Could blemished apples be the better choice over conventional? According to one Virgina orchardist, testing shows they have up to 5% more sugar content. She prefers ‘wild apples’ for making hard cider, not just because they’re sweeter, but she feels the stress makes them super fruit.

A review of over 300 studies found that organic produce can offer 20-40% more flavonoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids than their pesticidally perfect counterparts.