Garden Culture Magazine : UK 2

UK EDITION YEAR 1 - ISSUE 2 · SPRING 2013 - PRICE: £3,99

VIVA ESPAÑA & T

RhinoPro The Name in Carbon Filtration

Rhino stands for high performance and reliability

Up to 3 year lifespan The longest lasting filter range in our industry, proven in real world situations.

Rhino RC-1 Fan Controller

Better Environment = Better Yields Reliably and accurately maintains temperature, negative pressure and air flow, enabling you to get the most from your plants.

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& TEMPERAMENT

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A quick guide to fulfilling your potential Our 3 hydroponic systems, each as simple as a pot, produce bigger yields by... ✔ Automatically feeding little and often

✔ Preventing nutrient dilution or build-up

Manage up to 20 plants from one tank

Ideal for cultivating plants for cuttings

The Wilma pots are filled with coco, soil or pebbles, the timer is set and a pump delivers nutrient solution through the drippers into the pots.

The Flo-Gro pot is filled with clay pebbles, the timer is set and nutrient solution is pumped through a dripper ring over the plants.

Available in sizes from 4 pots up to 20 pots.

The fast-draining action pulls fresh oxygen into the root-zone every feed.

✔ Providing roots with superb access to oxygen

Record-breaking yields The Ebb & Flood can be filled with clay pebbles or with pots containing any growing medium.

Roots are flooded several times per day - pushing out stale air, then pulling oxygen to the roots as the solution Ebbs away. The result is superb access to oxygen and huge yields.

To watch product videos and to find a stockist Visit www.Nutriculture.com

CONTENTS I GARDEN CULTURE

MIRACLE FRUIT25

FOGPONICS

GROWING IN SPACE

54 22

EXTINCT FOOD

48

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

42

10

38 ROSE MARY

IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE:

WATTS IN THE BOX

19

9 Foreword

48 Extinct Food

10 Product Spotlight

53 Dutch Innovations for the Future

16 Genetics & Breeding

54 Fogponics

19 Watts in the Box?

57 K.I.S.S. again

25 The Miracle Fruit

58 Garden Efficiency

27 Greenwashing is Everywhere

60 Sailing the S.O.G.

31 The Edible Garden Show

64 Growing Phytoplankton

33 Living Food Pantries

68 Life All-Inclusivetm

38 G.Y.O: Rosemary

72 Mini-Foods

42 Growing in Space gardenculture.net

7

FOREWORD & CREDITS I GARDEN CULTURE FOREWORD

THE FUTURE EDITION A SMALL GLIMPSE AHEAD IN TIME

Obviously we can’t predict the future, but we can sure try. In this issue we’re taking you on a time travel trip to give you a peek at what the future of growing is shaping up to be and all the stuff that goes with it. Together with our writers, we’ve tried to bring together a vision of tomorrow’s indoor garden liberally laced with some insider opinions. Planning this issue of Garden Culture was loads of fun, and we hope you’ll have as much fun checking out what we found inside our crystal ball.

There is one thing we can predict without failure. The green thumb crystal ball shows us that spring is right around the corner and lots of plants will thrive outside again. Naturally, we humans will return to adoring the great outdoors too. Summer is definitely on its way, which is exciting, even though your indoor garden can provide strawberry fields forever.

Speaking of stuff to look forward too... exciting things are happening behind the scenes here at Garden Culture. We’re proud to announce that in upcoming issues we’ll be featuring celebrities who are growing their own food. We have some big names lined up, so stay tuned.

If you’d like to contribute something to Garden Culture, you’re more than welcome to get involved. Get in touch with us through Facebook (fb.com/GardenCulture) or email (editor@gardenculture.net). We welcome all sorts of input from article ideas and cool pictures to your option about what we’re doing. Interested in writing for us? Please don’t hesitate to drop us an email! We’re always looking for quality writers.

CREDITS Garden Culture™ is a publication of GC Publishers B.V. ED I TO RS Executive Editor: Mike Nivato E. mike@gardenculture.net DESIGN Job Hugenholtz Special thanks the following contributors: Dan F, Sheldon Aberman, Tammy Clayton, April Kazema, Jeroen Dercksen, Sylvia Bernstein, Tom Alexander.

PUBLISHER GC Publishers Postbus 483 3200 AL Spijkenisse The Netherlands t. +31(0)181-728101 w www.gcpublishers.net e info@gcpublishers.net ADVERTISING Eric Coulombe E. eric@gardenculture.net +1-855-427-8254 +31(0)181-728101 SUBSCRIPTIONS E. subscriptions@gardenculture.net D I ST R I B U T I O N PA R T N ER S Nutriculture Maxigrow Direct Garden Supplies ISSN: 2211-9329 © GC Publishers B.V. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior

Have fun reading,

permission in writing from the GC Publishers B.V.

Mike Nivato Executive Editor

Website :

www.GardenCulture.net

facebook.com/GardenCulture twitter.com/GardenCulture

9

product spotligh Coolgen ThisSX 2

fr

Water Cooled CO2 Generator

propane/LPG CO2 generator “ is the latest piece of techno logy available for supplementing CO2 to plants. The Coolgen is loaded with safety features and a powerful 16KW flame that produ ces up to 3.6 KG of cool CO2 per hour. Compared to a standa rd CO2 generator the SX2 runs more than 700% cooler. This is possib le because of a specially designed heat exchanger mounted over the flame. This feature allows 86% of the heat produced from burnin g LPG to be removed from the growing environment.

Pure Blend Tea Formerly known as Pure Blend Original Visibly increase your

ooze factor

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OOZE blo om uses cu tting edge aid your p technology lants deve to naturall lo pment of te y veloped th rpenoids (R rough exte e si n n ). si D v e research eessential o and develo ils . Our p pment on roprietary natural co mbination of tr iacontanol, rare earth minerals, fulvic acid, vitam ins and amino acid s stimulates the secondary responses that control the d evelopmen t of essentia l oils.OOZ E bloom is h ighly conce ntrated at a 1:400 diluti on ratio. The Result? Yo u ’ll see your plants Oo z in g like never before...

10

enhancing and aromar o av fl al n d Tea, origi er. Pure Blen Botanicare’s ev an th r e is now bett e key elesupplement , combines th al n gi ri O d n om re Ble row and Blo formerly Pu d Original G n le B re u P rm th fo ula ments of bo ula. The new rm fo e iv ct e hly eff as enzymes, into one hig ponents such m co al ti n e ss ts which contains all e bio-stimulan l ra u at n d s, an ity of e in the qual carbohydrate as e cr in t n a significa also encontribute to Blend Tea is re u P . rs e w d flo ble humates, your fruits an ith ultra-solu w d e ifi rt fo mins, and hanced and minerals, vita e ac tr s, id t ac ion of these organic plan he combinat T s. id ac o r plants select amin tee that you an ar gu ts n edie ost flavorful specific ingr grow the m to s d e e n it d. have what rs year roun its and flowe u fr ic at m o and ar nicare.com www.bota

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

s t n e i r t u Woma N 3 , 2 , 1 s a y Eas

market for s been on the Dutch ha e lin t en tri nu is Th oma Nutrippy to announce W a while and we’re ha Holland the in the UK as well. In le ab ail av w no is ts en to big growdely used by medium Woma system is wi their biggest high concentration: its of e us ca be s er ts. Woma’s .000 liters of nutrien bucket can make 10 le as a powg and 8kg) are availab 4k g, (1k t en tri nu se ba ditives, Root ncentration. The ad der ensuring high co available in ring stimulator are we Flo d an r to ula im St 250ml and 1liter. techniek.com www.woma-tuin

e g n a R y a Tr Flexiblei b l e Tr ays

!! l ex D e e p Fo w Av a i l a b l e N

ed to been extend as h ge n ra Flexible Trays xible Trays The popular eep sided Fle D d an ) m ,8 re other e size (0 trays fit whe le include Squar ib x e fl se h d 1.2m) The w rooms wit (0.8m, 1m an lliant for gro ri b m e th tr g t en ay , makin d as a catchm se u trays can’t go e b n ca ey manuss points. Th ble trays are ra u d se smaller acce e h T ean. uality. orkspaces cl suring high q n e or to keep w re u lt u ic ouse by Nutr factured in-h o.uk iculture.c www.nutr

EcoGrow 30 Seed to harvest cultivation in a small grow room Nutriculture just announced their EcoGrow30 LED Grow Light. The EcoGrow30 produces very little heat but has high output bulbs. This new LED light was developed together with Arcadia and features 10x 3watt LED bulbs in a combination of white, blue and red. The shade’s passive cooling fins eliminate the need for an inbuilt fan, which keeps running costs to a minimum. It’s size and low heat signature makes this ideal for small-scale growers to cultivate a plant from seed to harvest It comes completely plug and play and includes driver, lens and adjustable lamp hanger.

gardenculture.net

11

product spotligh The Neutralizer

Now available in the UK! The Neutralizer air particle purifier doesn’t just disguise malodours, it removes them. This system uses replacable cartridges for essential oil based air purification. One cartridge lasts for 6 weeks when used around the clock. The all natural ingredients are not harmful for plants or humans, it’s low energy consumption and quick setup makes it a breeze to use. One Neutralizer can, in optimal conditions, cover an area up to 375m3 .

h s e fr www.theneutralizer.eu

hortilux hse dayli ght Electronic Ballast System The new HSE Daylight electronic ballast system from Hortilux Schréder provides plants with the closest thing to natural sunlight. The HSE Daylig ht is ideal for propagation , plants in the vegetativ e stage and full spectrum applications. The system is complete with a Ph ilips MASTERColour 315 W EL daylight lamp with excellent daylight qualit y an d a MIRO-9 glass-coated aluminum reflector for 97% reflection. The specs are stunning, in the Co lour Rendering Index it sco res 90 out of 100 (100 means daylight). This ballast wi ll give you maximum gro w light (PAR) output from the lamp for every watt of power. www.maxibright.co m | www.hortilux.n l

12

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

Smart Valve

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t up a mainows any user to se This new product all d a water with a tray, pots an m ste sy e fre e nc tena n-powered lve, activated by a no supply. The Smart Va regulator to y sensor, is a new dit mi hu d an e ur ist mo is small device water to plants. Th control the flow of thout the ter in to your tray wi wa ve mo to u yo s allow from water ple attach the pipe use of electricity. Sim Valve fills up Valve and the Smart t ar Sm e th to ly pp su the water in sired level. When all your tray to the de ll open again ed the Smart Valve wi us en be s ha y tra e th out the video be repeated. Check and the process will more info. on their website for .co.uk www.smart-tech

seeing in the dark

green hornet work light

VERMI FEAST

Feast for Compost Tea of is a mixture VermiFeast for od sources premium fo od a. These fo compost te rip sist of a pro sources con mple of specific si etary blend rates x carbohyd and comple Kelp, rived from: e d e ar d an , Oat Alfalfa Meal Leonardite, e. Verck Phosphat o R d an r u o Fl njuncbe used in co miFeast must ndation compost fou a h it w n o ti post tea. to brew com

This work light is for everyone who wants to inspect their plants at night without disturbing the plants nightly cycle. Green Hornet’s work light has 24 front Green LED lights and 3 white lights on the side to allow inspection where white lights are absolutely necessary.

It also has a hook and magnet for easy hanging or attaching to metal surfaces. It comes completely plug and play with 3 x AAA batteries. Distributed by Growth Technologies and Maxigrow. www.greenhornetlighting.com

gardenculture.net

13

One lamp

for the

complete growing cycle

VENTURE LIGHTING

A Choice of Ballasts

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

x i r b i i verm s and Minerals e s s la o M d re e Powd sy to use, 100% ses alternative is ea This powdered molas iBrix has all the d GMO-free. Verm an l ra tu na all le, lub so r form as well as ailable carbs in suga benefits of readily av y release siliThese minerals slowl ls. ra ne mi rth ea re ra nutrients otect the plant from pr lp he to s ate m hu con and by top-dressing ess. Use VermiBrix str d an s on ati ctu flu to nutrient solum, adding it directly around the plant ste compost teas. ional food source in tions or as an addit synthetic fertilwith any organic or VermiBrix will work il. izers and hydro or so com www.vermicrop.

wer Pack o P D I H l Digita

t h g i r b tt x a a w 0 m t60 h g i l i dig

ol softSurge contr ew n h it w s t ballast the ballast come This digital one DigiLigh an th re o m mps one n using e multiple la it n ig ware. Whe ly fe sa ill start ol feature w includes soft It s. e rg Surge contr su l rica a low curinating elect lamps with ID at a time elim H r u yo t features to gently star ther unique O . e lif technology p m ng la ballast from ntly improvi prevents the h rent, significa ic h w , n io rcuit feaof life detect a shut off ci d an p m include end la d uit. ade start a degr mp short circ la to a g f n o ti t p n m e te ev at in the off the ballast ture that cuts ation.com aus-autom h o r .g w w w

koubachi

wifi plant sensor The Wi-Fi plant sensor aids plant care by informing users when a plant needs to be watered, given some fertilizer or sprayed. The sensor measures soil humidity, temperature and light conditions and sends them to a cloud server which analyses the data and sends out a message to your phone or computer. You can access your data from every足where, anytime - absolutely free of charge! www.koubachi.com

gardenculture.net

15

Genetics

and Breeding That offspring resemble each other is a fact that has been well known for ages. In the past, differences were attributed to superstition and supernatural powers. But scientist Gregor Mendel discovered in the 19th century that these differences can be explained and can even be mathematically predicted. Genetics has always been the key point in the breeding of plants, but now breeders apply more scientific and calculating methods than ever before.

WHAT ARE GENES?

HOW DOES BREEDING WORK?

Genes are a blueprint, a kind of manual statement of what should happen in a given situation. They are made up of code, what we call the DNA code. DNA is comprised of a double helix, which means that two long strands of code are twisted around each other.

Breeders play a game of chance. They combine two organisms and hope that this will create a more useful combination. But they also leverage the laws of genetics, which allow for the increase in certainty that specific properties can be passed down to the offspring.

In practice, genes can occur in various forms. Each different form of a gene is called an “allele”. Not all alleles are the same.

There are dominant and recessive alleles (i.e. submissive). In the event that an organism contains both a dominant and recessive gene, only the code of the dominant gene will be expressed. Hence, an organism must inherit both a recessive gene from the father and the mother for the recessive gene to be dominant and have an impact on organism.

A gene never stands alone. In the same strand one can find dozens, hundreds or even thousands of genes.

These strands are often quite long and are called chromosomes. It is these chromosomes that make us who we are, physically speaking. Normally, an organism has a fixed number of chromosomes, though how many depends on the species. Chromosomes normally appear – with exceptions in pairs, with one derived from the ‘father’ and one from the ‘mother’.

16

PHENOT YPES The offspring can be influenced by preventing a particular trait in a population. It is possible to calculate how certain alleles, and thus individual organisms or “phenotypes” can be realized by intentionally cross breeding with the appropriate parent.

Even with the right knowledge this remains a game of chance, and becomes considerably more complicated if more trait

BY JEROEN

GENETICS & BREEDING I GARDEN CULTURE

BREEDERS PLAY A GAME OF CHANCE. THEY COMBINE TWO ORGANISMS AND HOPE THAT THIS WILL CREATE A MORE USEFUL COMBINATION. BUT THEY ALSO LEVERAGE THE LAWS OF GENETICS, WHICH ALLOW FOR THE INCREASE IN CERTAINTY THAT SPECIFIC PROPERTIES CAN BE PASSED DOWN TO THE OFFSPRING

properties are taken into account. The number of individuals that is necessary in order to obtain the desired hybrids will therefore increase as attention is paid to more and more specific aspects.

However, as soon as it is known which piece of code relates to a particular gene, it is possible to test individuals for the presence of this gene. In this way, suitable plants can be selected for further breeding with higher speed and accuracy

WHAT IS F1?

GENETIC MODIFICATION

In the breeding of plants one often encounters the term ‘F1’.

This refers to the first generation. In many cases, crossing two very different subspecies within a plant species, the properties of the parents can surface more in the “child” than in the parental line itself. This advantage will again be reduced within the next generation, which is commercially interesting because offspring of F1 plants are less potent, making it necessary to obtain seeds again.

Genetic modification also makes use of these DNA techniques but takes it one step further by copying genes from one organism to another. With this technique it is also possible to utilize genes from completely different organisms. After all, DNA is a universal code.

DNA ANALYSIS Using modern techniques DNA can be analyzed, and the information gained put to good use. Analyzing DNA is widely done and it is very important to find out which property is associated with which piece of code. Unfortunately, this is not always clearly indicated by the DNA and is often guesswork.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Since the discovery of genetics, breeding has been elevated from an art to a science. Genetics is a very broad topic which is not easily understood by the layman. Years of study are required to learn all the details. This article only covers the tip of the iceberg. The rest of that iceberg contains a lot of math, logic and more complicated terms that would require significant study to understand. Genetics is the source of life and is therefore very important for everyone, whether one is aware of it or not. 3

gardenculture.net

17

NEWS ABOUT MAGNETIC BALLASTS

WATTS

IN THE BOX? They say that a bad workman blames his tools—but then again he could just be right!

Everest Fernandez takes a look at the substandard ballasts that could be dragging down your yield, crop after crop.

18

BY EVEREST FERNANDEZ

BALLAST I GARDEN CULTURE

MOST GROWERS DON’T REALISE WHEN THEIR BALLASTS AREN’T WORKING AS THEY SHOULD, UNLESS THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUS...

Growers! Sit down—especially if you’re prone to getting angry easily.

I’m afraid that I have some frustrating news—for some of you at least.

You might want to take the weight off your feet before reading on.

There’s no easy way to break this, so let me just wade straight in…

This news concerns ballasts—magnetic ballasts, to be precise.We have some very serious quality issues to explore—and no, before you ask, this isn’t some thinly veiled attempt to up-sell you to the new electronic / digital variety. (They can have their own problems too, but that’s for another time.) For now, let’s just focus on those trusty stalwarts of indoor gardening—600W magnetic ballasts.

Why 600W? Well, they’ve been the mainstay of European indoor gardeners for decades now and for good reason. 600W high intensity discharge grow lamps (HIDs) offer slightly higher efficiency than their 1000W big brothers and, while they’re obviously not as intense, they’re widely regarded as more growerfriendly.Therefore it’s no surprise that if you walk into any grow room in the UK, France, Spain, Holland or Germany, you’ll most likely be greeted by a fleet of reflectors housing trusty 600s.

Now, I’d be the first to admit that magnetic ballasts are probably not the sexiest-looking pieces of kit in your set-up, especially when compared with all those exotically labelled nutrients and additives.As such, these dull, heavy boxes tend to get fixed out of the way (good idea!) and overlooked. As long as our grow lights switch on every day most of us don’t give our ballasts a second thought save for a quick dust-wipe every so often. (Another good idea!)

Of course, the majority of growers have at least a vague idea of the function their magnetic ballasts (aka ‘chokes’) perform. You probably already know that they act both as ignitors of your grow lamps and as electrical capacitors. Simply put, your magnetic ballast is responsible for creating impedance that provides the correct power to the lamp.

Here, perhaps, lies the kernel of the problem. Most growers don’t realise when their ballasts aren’t working as they should, unless the problem is obvious—i.e. the lamp fails to light, persistently flickers or explodes! This leaves a whole spectrum of potential

quality issues that, for the most part, are completely lost on the average grower—and many retailers too. It’s this ignorance (sorry, there’s no politer word) that allows unscrupulous manufacturers the opportunity to exploit us.

Brace Yourself for the Horrible Truth!

You might expect two different 600W magnetic ballasts to perform the same (i.e. they send the same amount of electrical power to the lamp) give or take one or two percent maybe.

However, as the indoor gardening market has expanded, the “race to the bottom” in terms of price and quality has also intensified. Regrettably, our desire for a bargain has encouraged cheap, inferior equipment onto the shelves of some of the less discerning grow shops. Magnetic ballasts are right at the top of the list.As a result, a surprising number of you reading this will be running magnetic ballasts that aren’t driving your lamps properly and, as such, you are being cheated out of potential yield, crop after crop, no matter how often you diligently change your lamps.

How bad is the situation? Really bad! A genuine 600W ballast actually draws around 655W at 240V from the mains supply.

Those extra watts are lost mostly to heat and it’s perfectly normal. The important thing to note here is that a true 600W ballast delivers 600W of power +/-3% to the lamp. In tests endorsed by a major European lighting company, some brands were found to be under-powering lamps by up to 15%! Yes, you read that right. Your “600W” lamp might be receiving just 512W at best. Of course, this deficiency in watts massively reduces light output, at 512W this equates to 40% less light from your lamp, and every photon less your plants receive directly corresponds to less energy driving growth and bloom. But this is just the tip of the iceberg!

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19

Bad Ballasts Create Serious Side-Effects

Windings

Your magnetic ballast is, quite literally, the powerhouse of your garden. In fact, I’d argue that there’s no more important gear than your ballasts! Sure, water quality, nutrients, lamps, reflectors, growing media, ventilation and environmental controllers all play their part in the modern indoor grow set-up too—but their role will always be secondary to the quality and quantity of light energy you bring into your garden.This is pure and simple science! Light is the first order of life itself. So, if your ballast is under-powering your lamp by X%, you don’t need a PhD in photo-biology to figure out that this equates roughly to X% less energy available to your plants. No amount of hocus pocus with the latest over-priced (and heavily marketed) “BuddyGorilla-Juice” is going to make up for this fundamental shortfall.

Less energy input into the indoor garden machine means less productivity!

However, as I’ve already implied, under-powering your grow lamps presents more complex and less intuitively obvious consequences. HID grow lamps use a very specific mixture of chemical elements that turn into light emitting plasma when electricity is passed through them. Different elements give off different colours and turn into plasma at different times as the lamp fires up. (You’ve probably seen this for yourself many times as your lamps warm up.) To achieve the right spectrum (the one the lamp manufacturer intended—i.e. the spectral distribution that drives photosynthesis most efficiently) the lamp needs to receive its full quota of power. Put another way, it’s the combination of all the different colour elements that deliver the right spectrum of light to properly drive growth and bloom. So, 25% less power to your grow lamps doesn’t just mean 25% less light (as if that wasn’t bad enough!)—the whole spectral distribution is sent out of whack. Metal halide lamps, in particular, produce far higher levels of “green light” when under-powered. (And, in case you forgot, green is the colour that plants don’t use.) Not only could your plants be receiving less light, but they’re receiving the wrong colours too.Talk about a total waste of time and energy!

Every magnetic ballast has a windings coil.This is a coil of winding wire, similar to cotton on a bobbin or reel. A magnetic field is generated and this is a key part of regulating the current to the lamp. In order to function properly as an electrical inductor it is imperative that the differential between each layer stays constant and never breaks across between rows.

The winding wire used in magnetic ballasts can be one of two grades. The low grade conductor material (either copper or aluminium) has a single coating of insulating resin. The higher grade uses two coats—it’s said to be “double processed”. (No prizes for guessing which grade the cheap, sub-standard ballasts use!) The quality of the winding wire makes a difference to the overall performance because of the aggressive environmental influences a magnetic ballast is subjected to—high temperatures, high voltages and high currents.The higher grade winding wire is crucial otherwise it can quickly start to break down.

High quality magnetic ballasts also use a process called “precision winding”. This means that each and every turn (and layer) of winding wire is precisely wound so that each wire runs perfectly in-line and uniformly parallel to its neighbouring wires. By comparison, lower quality ballasts simply scramble the wire chaotically around the winding reel.

Core and Coil: It’s All About Insulation!

So how can you tell a genuine 600W ballast from a piece of junk that under-powers your lamps? First, let’s look at a ballast in more detail.

Magnetic ballasts aren’t exactly space-age technology. Maybe that’s why, when they’re manufactured correctly, they are so reliable! Rather than bore you with “Ballasts for Beginners” let’s just take a look at the key components where shortcuts are commonly taken.

20

Steel Thin pieces of electrical steel are also used in the manufacture of magnetic ballasts. Each piece must be individually coated with insulating material. Together, these pieces form into a steel core that passes through and around the winding coil. The quality, type and specification of this electrical steel lamination are all important to the overall efficiency and compliance with European standard criteria. Poor quality or inadequate specification grade laminations will result in inefficiency, overheating and noise (both audible noise and ‘harmonic’ distortion leaking back into the mains power supply.

Vacuum Impregnation Finally, the epoxy-polyester resin material used to give additional insulation to the ballast must be both of good quality and vacuum impregnated. The ballast is submersed into a bath of

BALLAST I GARDEN CULTURE

epoxy-polyester resin within a chamber that forms a complete vacuum by sucking out all the air—the resin is pushed into all the nooks and crannies. Only then can the thermal and insulation properties of the ballast be considered truly up to the task! Of course, this is a costly and timely process so it’s sometimes skipped all together.

Substandard ballasts not only cut corners in some or all of the aforementioned areas but, as a result, they run inefficiently, drive the lamp poorly, and tend to have far shorter life spans.To counter the natural side effects that these quality issues incur, manufacturers purposefully design their ballasts to operate at lower currents and lower lamp power.This masks the presence of low quality components but delivers very poor lamp performance as a result—crucially this is not readily discernable to the human eye.

NOT ONLY COULD YOUR PLANTS BE RECEIVING LESS LIGHT, BUT THEY’RE RECEIVING THE WRONG COLOURS TOO. TALK ABOUT A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY!

Understanding Ignitors

The Grower is the Ultimate Loser

The ignitor is the other critical component in a ballast. As the name suggests, it is responsible for Ignitor initially lighting the lamp by creating a high voltage pulse between the two electrodes in lamp. As we touched on earlier, it’s this arc that forms across the internal arctube gases that carries the electrical current through the lamp itself. The ballast controls the flow of this current. If the ignitor is high spec and high quality it will have a built in timer to avoid continuous high-voltage pulsing in the event of a missing or failed lamp.This will be matched and designed in conjunction with the ballast. Many of the substandard magnetic ballasts use ignitors that are crude in both their design and the manner in which they strike the lamp. They have no timer and are vaguely and inefficiently matched to the ballast. Because these systems are used to strike and operate the lamp at distances of up to six to ten metres from the power-pack, it’s imperative that the ignitor is matched correctly to its ballast. The ignitor uses a section of the ballast’s coil to boost its voltage (like a step-up transformer) and therefore the ballast will see the full 4.0-5.0kV voltage pulses.

It is important therefore that the ballast, its materials, insulations and overall construction are robust and of the highest quality to ensure safe and reliable ignition and continued operation.

So, we’ve seen that there are a whole lot of potential corners that can be cut when manufacturing a magnetic ballast. In addition to the winding wire, lower grade electrical steel can be as much as 80% cheaper than European standard compliant electrical steel. Manufacturers can also save big time on foregoing proper insulation pieces and epoxy-polyester resin vacuum impregnation and timer control for ignitors.Throw in a low cost capacitor and what you end up with is a notional magnetic ballast that’s clearly not fit for purpose—even downright dangerous to use!

may be constructed with low quality (and low cost!) dielectric film—the essential component of the capacitor.

This quickly degrades and begins to draw higher currents from the mains. Sometimes low quality capacitors can fail violently too!

Capacitor

How To Avoid Being Ripped Off So now you’re probably thinking: all this information is great on a theoretical level, but how do I use it practically to discover whether I’m inadvertently running one or more of these substandard ballasts or to avoid wasting money on one?

Three Practical Things you can do: Thankfully, the reputable, established manufacturers are getting together to protect you—and their brands!

Look for the “Genuine power” and “Genuine Quality” seal of quality on the ballast packaging.You can find out more by visiting: www.genuinequality.co.uk.

A Quick Word Concerning Capacitors The capacitor is a device that sits across the mains supply and corrects the power factor. It basically shields the ballast from the peaks and troughs in the mains power supply.A poor quality capacitor will draw wastefully high currents from the supply and

Test your ballasts yourself!

See our instructions in the “Test It Yourself” on the next page.

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www.maxx-trading.nl

BALLAST I GARDEN CULTURE

ASK AT YOUR HYDROPONICS STORE IF THEIR BALLASTS CONFORM TO EUROPEAN STANDARDS (EN 60923).

IF THEY LOOK AT YOU BLANKLY THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL!

Test it Yourself!

Knowledge is power … and power is knowledge! Start by purchasing an Energy Meter. Take a look online or visit your local electrical supplier. It shouldn’t set you back more than £20.

Energy meters work by plugging straight into your wall socket— then you plug whatever appliance you want to test into it. The meter gives you a reading of how many watts your ballast is actually drawing from the mains.

For the most accurate test, you should make sure that you’re properly prepared: • • •

Use the same type of lamp for each test.

Run the lamp for at least 100 hours from new to stabilise the lamp ensuring consistent readings.

Repeat the tests more than once.

When running your tests, remember the following: • • • • •

Connect all equipment according to your manufacturer’s instructions.

Connect the reflector and lamp to the ballast.

Turn the power on—allow the system to warm up for at least 30 minutes.

Select the power setting (watts) on the energy meter and then when the value is stable, make a note of it.

Select the ‘volts’ setting and make a note of the value.

This can be any value from 216V to 255V, but usually it is somewhere around 240V in mainland UK.

Energy meter

If your voltage reading is not 240V, you need to adjust it. As a rule of thumb, for each volt difference, adjust your power reading by the same value in percent. Here’s some examples: If you record a voltage reading of 237V, this is 3V under 240V, so to compensate, you should ADD 3% extra to your original power reading. If your original power reading was 630W, with an extra 3% applied this becomes 649W. If your voltage is 242V, this is 2V over 240V so you should SUBTRACT 2% from your original power reading. If your original power reading is 630W, with 2% less this would be 617W.

Remember! A properly performing 600W ballast will give a reading of approximately 655W.

How does your magnetic ballast measure up?

Tell us your ballast experiences (good or bad!) by emailing us at: info@gardenculture.net If we print your response, you could win a 600W Compact Power Pack by Maxibright —needless to say, these puppies (along with other ballasts carrying the “Genuine power” quality assurance) are the real deal!

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BY JEROEN

THE MIRACLE FRUIT I GARDEN CULTURE

The Miracle Fruit One Bite Sweetens Everything

Not into sour? You’re not alone. This berry changes sour flavors to sweet naturally by changing your taste perception. Synsepalum dulcificum, most commonly known as Miracle Fruit, is a native West Africa that is traditionally used as a sweetener. The berries grow on one-meter high bushes, and are well suited to the hot, humid West African climate.

Though very drought tolerant, the plants need good irrigation for consistently high fruit production.These bushes prefer a slightly acidic soil and plenty of sunlight. At harvest time the berries are freeze-dried to preserve the “miraculin” compound that changes the way foods taste.

HOW DOES SOUR BECOME SWEET?

MIRACULIN MAKES YOUR BRAIN PERCEIVE SWEET NO MATTER WHAT YOU’VE EATEN. GO AHEAD - DRINK STRAIGHT LEMON JUICE. YOU WON’T BE PULLING A SOUR FACE!

Your taste buds, depending on where they are located register various flavor sensations.When Miraculin is consumed, it temporarily changes taste by binding to those that register sweet flavors.At a neutral pH there is little to notice. Bite into something (with low pH) and the Miraculin bound taste buds activate to alter sour to sweet.

Miraculin makes your brain perceive sweet no matter what you’ve eaten. Go ahead - drink straight lemon juice.You won’t be pulling a sour face.. The effects of the miracle fruit are not permanent.

The taste altering effect wears off in about an hour, and your taste buds? Well, sour will definitely have pucker power again!

L IV E H A PPI E R W IT H M I R AC L E F RU IT Many foods have a low pH which would be impacted and changed to a sweet flavor after eating these berries. Beer and

coffee completely change flavor, as do cheese, nuts and fruits.

For those on a diet, Miracle Fruit is quite interesting, especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth. Pre-sweetened foods naturally contain a lot of that forbidden sugar.You can cheat without cheating! All foods seem sweeter than they actually are. You can satisfy that sweet tooth without the unwanted after effects. If sugar calories aren’t an issue, consider the benefits to your teeth! Cane sugar is the number one cause of cavities.

T H E M I R AC L E F RU IT I N T H E F U T U R E The benefits of miraculin are here to stay, though the form may change in the future. Scientists are working to isolate the compounds that make Miracle Fruit work, and introduce them to other fruits and vegetables, as well as synthesizing them in laboratories.

W H E R E TO G ET M I R AC L E F RU IT Though it can be difficult to find in some parts of Europe, in England it is somewhat easier. Simply search on the Internet.You will quickly find many websites that sell it in several different forms.3

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Greenwashing is everywhere

Something else that we’re going to see more and more in the future is called greenwashing. I looked it up in the dictionary and it says “greenwash - a superficial or insincere display of concern for the environment that is shown by an organization”. Sounds like something your not stupid enough to fall for right? Wrong! I’ll bet you that a lot of stores you shop at already does some form of greenwashing.

Gulf of Mexico. BP is really proud that they have “helped” business along the Gulf Coast with almost £15 billion. The true story is they only parted with the money because they are required so by law, and because of the generosity that is in their hearts.

All the big boys do it, take for example Britain’s most unsustainable company around, British Petroleum, also known as BP. They’ve launched a couple of big greenwashing PR projects after spilling millions of gallons of oil in the

Did you know that the word “natural” is totally unregulated, every brand can use it if they like. Take “Cif PowerPro Naturals” for example. According to Unilever UK, its “made with 98% naturally derived ingredients.”

copyright Cheryl Casey Shutterstock

26

I always imagine a CEO sitting there with a staff of people who also have other 3 letter acronyms for their job description saying: “Why don’t we say we’re doing something good for the environment, while in fact we’re not? We’ll get some nice press for free, and people will think we’re the best company in the world. A little twisting of the truth will bring us a rash of positive publicity, and more business equals a bigger bonus for us. The shareholders will love this trick!” Of course, his CFO, COO, CDO or CCO will applaud him in the boardroom, the directors will be impressed with the plot, and the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) will quickly draw up a plan for the brilliant greenwashing scheme.

GREENWASHING I GARDEN CULTURE

BY MIKE NIVATO

DO YOU BUY “ECO FRIENDLY” PRODUCTS? GOOD FOR YOU, BUT YOU’RE WRONG AGAIN

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well that’s where greenwashing comes in, the product is 95% water. Pure H2O, so only 3% of the ingredients that clean are natural and 2% is chemical. What a nifty way of saying you have a 98% natural product.

Do you buy “eco friendly” products? Good for you, but you’re wrong again. A recent study shows that some popular consumer cleaning products such as laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid and hand soap that claim to be eco-friendly are not 100% petroleum-free as claimed.

technique to determine the origin of carbon in the cleaning products. The study showed incredible variation from brand to brand, and not one product being 100% “green,” or derived solely from plant based materials.

Now you’d say but that’s wrong… Wrong again. Mr. CEO and CMO aren’t lying to you. There just simply isn’t a legal definition of “sustainable, natural or renewable” in product carbon content. So they can safely wash themselves green, and say they are not doing anything wrong.

Dubai is another classic example. They say that they have some amazing “sustainable” projects going on there that will definitely make the world and the city a greener place.

The study employed a carbon-14 dating technique, which is traditionally used in archeology to determine the age of bones, cloth, fossils and other artifacts.

The scientists used the

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GREENWASHING I GARDEN CULTURE DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY COLOR THE FISH WITH THE USE OF ASTAXANTHIN, A DYE ASSOCIATED WITH RETINAL DAMAGE USED TO MAKE GRAY FARMED FISH VARIOUS SHADES OF “WILD” PINK. WITHOUT THIS CHEMICAL, THAT LOVELY PINK SALMON IN THE MEAT COUNTER WOULD ACTUALLY BE LIGHT GREY. HOW CAN SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DIE TO SELL BE SUSTAINABLE?

They build the city in the middle of the desert with no big fresh water sources around!!! Seriously, sustainable?! What is sustainable in generating so much power for osmosis filters so you can water plants in the middle of the desert?

Ahhh, gotcha - your oil is still cheap and flowing freely, so that makes it sustainable.

Even Britain’s beloved salmon is in danger of greenwashing.

Much of the salmon in the market today is farm grown or cultivated, because the wild salmon is becoming scarce.

Did you know that they color the fish with the use of astaxanthin, a dye associated with retinal damage used to make gray farmed fish various shades of “wild” pink.

Without this chemical, that lovely pink salmon in the meat counter would actually be light grey. How can something you have to die to sell be sustainable? Remember this the

next time you see non-wild salmon labeled ‘sustainable’ or ‘green.’ At least you’re wise to what’s going on.

Greenwashing happens everywhere - even in your local hydro store or garden center. For example take organic bat guano (otherwise known as bat pooh) is not sustainable, however it is 100% organic. Bat Guano must age in an arid location, such as a cave, for decades before it can be harvested. The harvesting process disrupts the delicate ecosystem of the cave and deprives the other creatures living in the cave of an essential source of nutrients.

Additionally, shipping bat guano from Jamaica and other faraway places requires a great deal of fossil fuel.\ As its name suggests, rock phosphate contains a high concentration of phosphate, which makes it a popular organic fertilizer. However, it’s found in only a few places around the world and is harvested by strip mining. The resources are quite limited. Not only is rock phosphate not a renewable resource, collecting it isn’t ecofriendly.

Last, but not least, our politicians are the biggest greenwashers of them all. They promise you dreams of a green future, while putting their hands in the greasy pockets of big oil and other major industries. They are the ones allowing the companies to greenwash. My prediction for the future? They will keep their greasy hands in the pockets of big company’s 3-lettered managers, because otherwise they will not raise the £1.000.000+ for their campaigns. No matter what country you live in, he who is owned by the biggest pockets wins. 3

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THE EDIBLE GARDEN SHOW I GARDEN CULTURE

If you love growing your food, The Edible Garden Show is definitely something you should visit. We’ve teamed up with show organisers to bring you a special ticket offer. Garden Culture readers can get a pair of adult tickets for just £20 – saving a tenner!

The Edible Garden Show is the UK’s only national event dedicated exclusively to ‘grow-your-own’. This show takes place on 15-17 March 2013 in Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. This national event is dedicated to growing your own fruit, vegetables and home produce. You will find tons of exhibitors, celebrity chefs and gardeners all under one roof.

Celebrities at the show will include BBC TV’s presenter James Wong, chef Rachel Green and grow-your-own guru Paul Peacock. Additionally, you can buy seeds and clones, and learn a thing or two about several herbs.

James Wong To order your tickets and save £10, simply call the ticket hotline at 0844 338 8001 or visit www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk and quote reference (GCM20) to get this two tickets for £20 deal. But don’t delay! Availability is limited - so book now!

15th – 17th March 2013 Stoneleigh Park

Call or book online

ASK THE EXPERT INSPIRATION ‘HAVE A GO’ SESSIONS DEMONSTRATIONS SHOPPING

0844 338 8001 www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk

For groups of 10 or more call 0800 358 0058

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Living food Pantries

FRESH PRODUCE ALL YEAR ROUND

Have a black thumb? Start small and grow big. A basic living pantry can be growing onions in the kitchen window or rosemary and basil bought potted from the grocery store. It is something that can be grown year round and is ok with available light, such as from a window. Grab a pair of scissors and trim a bit of mint for a drink, or snip some basil for a caprese salad.

32

BY TAMMY

LIVING FOOD PANTRIES I GARDEN CULTURE

A food pantry can also be in the form of a mushroom kit.

Mushrooms are fresh, easy to grow and high in nutritional value.

Mushrooms can be grown from plugs or kits you can purchase at local hydroponic stores or ordered online from Fungi Perfecti (www.fungi.com). Mushroom’s can be grown in as little as 3 days in a small space on the kitchen counter or a dark cupboard.

You don’t need lots of space. It can fit on the kitchen counter or a window sill. For fresh herbs grown in minimal space, you’ve got options in the AeroGarden and the Jr. Ponics FishGarden. Both of these are small enough to fit on the counter and come with all growing items needed.

Small countertop gardens can also be made with components found at a hydroponics store. There’s a popular DIY plan at my.windowfarms.com made using parts most people will find available locally. Countertop designs are best for growing herbs. They require little additional light, quickly germinate and are fast growing.

Larger food pantries that will still fit comfortably into a living space can be bought in the form of smaller hydroponic hobby units. These are good for growing herbs and even some larger plants such as peppers with limited need of

additional light, such as t5 lighting. The all in one kits are great for beginner gardeners who want access to fresh food year round. Larger pantries can also be made from baker racks, grow tents or custom built in furniture.

Custom grow cabinets and drawers can add an aesthetic experience, as well as a the health benefit of living food pantries. Urban Culitvator makes systems customized to the kitchen or dining room.

Herbs and wheat grass are easy, fast growing for year round plants for these spaces.

Putting your imagination and a little engineering to work, you can create a hydroponic living pantry from many things. Items found at Ikea to can be used to build tents that produce food year round at home. There could even be a handmade hydroponic find just right for you on places like Etsy.com.

Moss isn’t a food staple, but this idea could be applied to finding space for growing herbs when you think you have none. Hydroponic and aquaponics could be the wave of the future for living pantries.

North American restaurants have also started using living pantries and creating urban gardens to supply fruits and vegetables for patrons. Bell,

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LIVING FOOD PANTRIES I GARDEN CULTURE

Chicago’s O’Hare airport

Book & Candle in New York City has a hydroponic rooftop garden. Chicago’s Uncommon Ground in had the first certified organic rooftop garden in the United States. These are just two examples of living food pantries being integrated into modern fresh restaurants.

Jsix in San Diego where fresh is always on the menu, also has a rooftop garden for garden to table dining. Using just cut herbs in both cocktails and meals ups the flavor factor for many a chef. Food grown from pantry to table can have stronger flavors and fresher taste, than crops grown with conventional methods.

Living pantries can also be found on a larger scale at grocery stores, such as the butter lettuce sold at Whole Foods and other upscale retail markets.

These are grown by companies like Bella Verdi Farms, Sweetwater Growers or Gotham Greens and sold freshly harvested on location from rooftop hydroponic gardens.

Living food pantries can be seasonal or become a dedicated grow space in the house for year round fresh food. Its the

BESIDES PROVIDING FRESH PRODUCE FOR COOKING, THESE PLANTS CAN ALSO IMPROVE A PERSONS MOOD AND PRODUCTIVITY perfect solution for giving a family piece of mind as to where their food comes from.

Hydroponic display gardens can also be visited around North America, like the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Epcot Center at Disney World and the Science Barge in New York, NY. Besides providing fresh produce for cooking, these plants can also improve a persons mood and productivity.

Plants also provide cleaner, fresher air in a living space. Living food pantries can be as large or as small as your space and your needs.

Herbs and plants can be grown from seeds, starter plants known as liners, or even food scraps like onions.

Indoor gardens like these can provide year round food options. They also offer the option for locally grown food during specific seasons versus the same being flown in for a faraway source. It presents chefs around the world with the ability to grow organic or hard to locate herbs, and to preserve the harvest by drying their own harvest for future use. 3

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Grow Your Own Series

y r a m e s Ro HISTORY

A delightful herb with something offer just about everyone, Rosemary originates from the Mediterranean region. Arri-

ving in England with the Romans, the plant thrived just as well as in its native land. Prized since ancient times, Rosemary spread through many cultures. You now can find it growing in every country in the world.

38

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

ROSEMARY I GARDEN CULTURE

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT INDOOR GROWING IS YOU CAN START NEW CROPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, PROVIDING THE SEED OR STARTER PLANTS ARE READILY AVAILABLE RECOMMENDED VARIETIES There is no need for tracking down any special cultivars. Grow the original (latin: Rosmarinus officinalas). You will find an assortment of named varieties available. The differences they offer are purely ornamental, and would only be noticeable in landscaping and floral arrangements.

GROWING ROSEMARY INDOORS One of the best things about indoor growing is you can start new crops throughout the year, providing the seed or starter plants are readily available. Rosemary can be grown from both seed and cuttings. However, it is notorious for being difficult to impossible to start from seed. It also has a very low germination rate, yet some seed houses in the USA offer ‘primed’ rosemary seed that has great reviews for an excellent sprout rate. Check out: www.2BSeeds.co.uk.

Rosemary is a slow growing plant. Seed takes 4-8 weeks to germinate. The plants take 15 months to mature, and years to grow to full size. To speed up the process, many people start new plants from cuttings. In a greenhouse or grow room situation, this is not always the wisest choice.

If you do try starting it from cuttings, you want soft growth about 10 cm long that has been cut below a leaf node on an angle. Rooting hormone is not necessary, but media warmth is

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ROSEMARY I GARDEN CULTURE A NATIVE OF THE WARM AND SUNNY MEDITERRANEAN AREA, YOUR PLANTS REQUIRE LONG DAY LENGTH AND STRONG LIGHT. FOR BEST RESULTS, YOU’LL WANT ROSEMARY IN THE INDOOR GARDEN TO BE BASKING UNDER LIGHTS FOR A MINIMUM OF 11 HOURS A DAY - maintain it at 24 C with a heat mat. Cutting stock may not be readily available year around. Herb plants are generally sold when in demand, during outdoor planting season in spring and early summer. Do remember to strip the leaves from the lower end of the cut stem before sticking it into your media.

First harvest in the indoor garden will be 6 weeks in summer or 8-12 weeks in winter from the time of transplanting.

GYO Fast Facts • pH range 5.5-7.0 for best results • Rosemary likes a normal humidity • 21-23 C best for leaf harvest • 11-hour daylight minimum • Harvest per sowing: 2-3 • Harvesting year round is possible

WHAT DO I NEED? A native of the warm and sunny Mediterranean area, your plants require long day length and strong light. For best results, you’ll want rosemary in the indoor garden to be basking under lights for a minimum of 11 hours a day. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps are best at mimicking the strong sun in their native climate, but you can get by with compact fluorescent grow lamps too. If you choose the more budget friendly CFL, it would be wise to run your lights a couple more hours a day. Skimping on the day light hours causes lower yields, at best. Death from light starvation is also possible.

Propagation temperature needs to be 24-29 C with 75% humidity. Once your crop has been transplanted to grow on, maintain day time temps used in propagating and nights at little cooler at 18 C. It’s preferred pH range is 5.5-7.0, and good air circulation is a must.

Rosemary does well in hydroponic systems. Use rockwool starter cubes for germination. Sufficient root growth for transplanting takes 1-2 weeks after germination. Once you have roots penetrating the cube, transplant them to slabs or into the NFT trough. For frequent shearing, you’ll want them spaced 10-15cm on center.

Preserving your harvest is very simple with rosemary. It is still tasty and pungent dried, which is done by hanging loose bunches upside down in a dark place or in drying racks.

You can also freeze it by laying the sprigs on a baking sheet or tray and cover it before placing it in the icebox. The next day, simply strip all the frozen leaves off the stem into a freezer box.

They will keep very nicely for up to 6 months and provide you with just picked flavor in cooked recipes. 3

If you’ve decided to grow this crop in traditional containers, start your seeds in an uncovered germination tray using peat or perlite as the cell media. Transplant them to growing pots at 5-8 cm tall, and be sure to pick a quality soilless mix with good drainage. Rosemary requires a well-drained loamy soil.

A light fertilizing periodically is all that is required. The thing that will be important for you to do is not over water. Mist the foliage several times a week.

HARVESTING TIPS

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growing I N S PAC E

Orbiting approximately 350 kilometers over the surface of the Earth is the International Space Station (ISS). Since 2002 the ISS has a greenhouse where plants of all varieties are grown hydroponically. It is truly amazing to think of the dozens of plant experiments happening above us, but we live in a world where new advances occur on a daily basis, including miles over our heads. The coolest part about this technology is the type of experiments they are doing up there.

42

BY APRIL

GROWING IN SPACE I GARDEN CULTURE

fresh veg for astronauts

Mizuna lettuce in the ISS

SPACE PL ANTS NEED MORE WATER

green thumb, and astronauts are no different. While they may not be excellent gardeners, they still require fresh food, especially for extended periods in space. Enter VEGGIE, a vegetable production system that is being prepared to go up to the space station for this very reason.

The cool thing about VEGGIE is that it is a very simple idea, essentially a “do it yourself kit”, but it is supercharged with water, nutrients, and a bit of electricity. Edible plants like lettuce, radishes, and other leafy greens can be grown in a matter of days. Plants like tomatoes or beans could be fully grown in little time. The way the lights, water and nutrients work together in VEGGIE make it extremely speedy, and the eventual goal is to not only feed astronauts, but to use VEGGIE at home and even as a sort of outreach for impoverished groups here on Earth.

Imagine growing your own veggies in half the time, not to mention with half the money of a typical organic grocery bill!

IN THE CASE OF THE MIZUNA, THE EXPERIMENT SHOWED THAT THE LETTUCE LEAVES GREW TWICE AS FAST AS THEIR EARTHLY RELATIVES

In one of the most recent experiments, scientists were growing a plant they have not grown before, at least not in space. This plant, a type of Japanese lettuce known as Mizuna, grew much faster in space than it does on Earth.

After a sensor malfunctioned and more water poured into a module than was planned, the Mizuna shot up. This shows that plants in space may need more water than those on Earth if optimal growth is to be achieved. In the case of the Mizuna, the experiment showed that the lettuce leaves grew twice as fast as their Earthly relatives. This is extremely significant, as over the next several decades, humans will go further from the surface of the Earth than ever before. Sending food to those travelling through space will certainly not be an easy thing to do. The combination of microgravity and water, in this case, has shown that it is possible to grow food quickly, even in the confines of space.

FASTER HARVESTS ANYWHERE Another experiment soon to be going on over our heads is something that probably isn’t completely foreign to gardeners here on Earth. You probably know that not everyone has a

TAMING THE ROOTS OF SPACE PL ANTS Another experiment that has been done in the vast reaches of space, well... aboard the ISS that is, may be an exciting innovation to those interested in how plants grow. Known as HydroTropi, this experiment takes a look into how plants grow in

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FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS OR SO, EXPERIMENTS HAVE BEEN GOING ON TO FIND OUT IF PLANTS CAN GROW IN ENVIRONMENTS SIMILAR TO THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

The International Space Station

44

GROWING IN SPACE I GARDEN CULTURE THE POINT OF THE EXPERIMENT IS TO FIND OUT IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO MANIPULATE ROOT GROWTH, WHICH COULD LEAD TO BETTER GROWING CONDITIONS ON EARTH. WITH THIS INFORMATION, WE COULD REALLY MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN GARDENING AND AGRICULTURE RIGHT HERE microgravity and whether or not microgravity has a positive or negative effect on root growth. What is known already is that in microgravity situations, roots grow haphazardly and not up and down as they do on Earth. The point of the experiment is to find out if it is possible to manipulate root growth, which could lead to better growing conditions on Earth. With this information, we could really make significant advances in gardening and agriculture right here.

HOME AND LUNAR AIR FILTR ATION If these ingenious experiments aren’t quite enough to satisfy your sci-fi thirst, you might be more interested in some gardening experiments happening in China. Right now, they are exploring the possibility of putting a vegetable garden on Mars!

To test the theory, a 300 cubic meter cabin was constructed.

Inside of that cabin, lived two people and four types of vegetables. Because the plants gave them oxygen and they in turn gave the plants carbon dioxide, there was a perfect environment for both to live. The cabin served as a prototype for the Chinese space program’s astronaut life support system. Eventually, they intend to use it for housing on the moon, or even on Mars.

LOW PRESSURE: A LONG, DRY LIFE Speaking of Mars, for the past eight years or so, experiments have been going on to find out if plants can grow in environments similar to the Martian atmosphere. When you think about this possibility, growing plants on the moon seems like old news. In order to make it happen though, scientists will have to figure out how to overcome the pressure problem.

Atmospheric pressure on Mars is a lot lower than that on Earth. This causes plants to act as if they are drying out, which means they will not have sufficient output.

NASA greenhouse

There is good news though. The latest experiments done by NASA on these potential Martian gardens have been promising. Scientists have been able to manipulate pressure, light, water, and nutrients. This makes it possible to adjust conditions in slight increments for more accurate results. Hopefully, it will allow them to prevent plants from behaving as they would in drought conditions. On the other hand, plants in low pressure environments tend to live longer because of more efficient hormone production. While you may not be growing your balcony or backyard garden in any low-pressure zones quite this extreme, these experiments could result in more productive crops during drought years, leading to better and cheaper produce for all of us.

The gardening experiments being done in space could have a significant impact not only on the future of space exploration, but also on garden innovations here on earth. Whether they help us reduce the amount of land, water, or nutrients needed to grow our food or help our astronauts better survive on distant planets, they will surely help us move forward when it comes to how we grow food. Essentially, as we learn more about how plants grow in zero gravity and without the comforts of their native soil, we are also learning more about how to feed the future of humanity both here at home on earth and in space. 3

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extinct

FOOD

W H AT WO N ’ T W E E AT 50 YEARS FROM NOW? In the course of the last ten thousand years the human diet has changed dramatically. Slowly, but surely, we have changed from the famous hunter gatherers into farmers. Humanity has taken matters into their own hands by organizing nature. Now, a few thousand years later, agriculture is still very important for humans, with supermarkets offering hundreds of fresh fruit and vegetables types from all over the world. The choice of new species only seems to be increasing, but is it also possible to imagine that the future would see a decline in the diversity of our diet?

48

BY JEROEN

EXTINCT FOOD I GARDEN CULTURE

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF AGRICULTURE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, MAN HAS INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON MONOCULTURES. THESE LARGE MONOCULTURES LIMIT THE NATURAL CROSS POLLINATION OF MANY PLANT SPECIES SIMPLY BY REDUCING THE AVAILABLE HABITAT

MODERN AGRICULTURE The discovery of agriculture is certainly one of the developments that rank high on the list of important changes that made humans into what we are today. The crops that were bred at the beginning of the agricultural times are nothing like the crops that we now accept as normal. The thick ears of corn that are familiar to us now once appeared more like the seeds of wild grasses along the road.

Most of these age old species are still present, but are now no longer grown due to the availability of more efficient crops.

Due to humanity’s success and the immense population growth there has always been a high demand for food. Despite that we encounter limits of what is possible; fisherman are likely the most familiar with this. Several important species of fish such as tuna and swordfish, but also many others, are endangered because of over-fishing, but that has not lessened the demand for fish. If no successful method is invented to breed these fish, the fish will be lost to the success of humans.

NATURAL EVOLUTION The extinction of species is a natural process of evolution.

Species that are not strong enough to survive in a particular environment will slowly become extinct. The presence of other competing species can have a strong causal effect on that process. Since the beginning of agriculture thousands of years ago, man has increasingly focused on monocultures. These large monocultures limit the natural cross pollination of many plant species simply by reducing the available habitat.

GENETIC MANIPULATION Another major problem that has only recently been acknowledged is contamination with genes from genetically modified plants. A familiar example is corn. In many places around the world corn is grown and very often this is a genetically modified variant. The genes of these man-modified plants are now also found in wild corn plants.

It is quite possible that in the future only the genetically modified version will be available because the other will have simply disappeared. This is a serious problem. Unfortunately it will probably only be recognized and appreciated by the majority for its impact when it is too late.

RISKS There is a trend towards increasing genetic manipulation of crops. Through accidental pollination wild variants are being lost. It is therefore possible that the most frequently eaten crops ‘disappear’. The most important, and most frequently cultivated crops, strangely enough face the most risk for becoming extinct. This change will be hard to spot, especially for consumers who just shop for fruits and vegetables in the stores. Right now, science‘s position is that genetic engineering won’t do much harm, but this perspective can easily change in the future. Asbestos was also initially also seen as harmless.

SEED SAVERS Fortunately, there are projects focused on saving such variants and species for the future to explain. For exam-

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ple, there are difTHIS PROJECT IS ferent seed banks DESIGNED LIKE A which store seeds ‘NOAH’S ARK’ FOR under the optimal conditions so PLANT SPECIES AND that they can be IS THEREFORE BEING preserved for as FILLED AT BREAKNECK long as possible.

SPEED. CURRENTLY IT Since 2008 the CONTAINS MORE “Svalbard Global THAN 750,000 Seed Vault” has DIFFERENT SAMPLES operated on the island of Svalbard. This underground building is in the permafrost, and will in the case of power failure, warm up very gradually. This project is designed like a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for plant species and is therefore being filled at breakneck speed. Currently it contains more than 750,000 different samples.

Still, it is possible that different food sources will be depleted and disappear. Though the trend still appears to be going in the direction of a wider range of foods, there is always a possibility that a certain type of plant will dissapear. It is up to the consumer to ensure that all products have a future. In some cases, a greater demand for products will be important for the survival of the species, like non genetically modified corn. In other cases, such as endangered species of large fish, a lower consumption is recommendable. In both cases, there certainly is no harm for consumers to understand where the product comes from and what it takes to create and sustain it. 3

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BY MIKE NIVATO

INNOVATIONS I GARDEN CULTURE

Dutch innovations for the Future

“Green” energy is hot in Dutch greenhouses. Some of the world’s most innovative energy solutions are being developed in the Netherlands for its energy-intensive greenhouse farming industry. Dutch companies are re-using heat that is created by other sources, such as an IT data center and a fertilizer factory, in greenhouse cultivation. In turn, greenhouses are being used as solar panels to harvest and supply surplus energy to schools and retirement homes. This cross-sector innovation is a growing trend.

Take the Dutch energy project, ‘Warm CO2’. It has turned Terneuzen, in the south of the Netherlands, into the most sustainable horticulture-under-glass area in the country. Warm CO2’s innovative heating network which derives residual heat and CO2 from a artificial fertilizer plant and distributes it through its own 5 km pipeline to nearby greenhouses. The system produces up to 84 megawatts of residual heat and 70,000 tons of pure CO2 per year.

DUTCH COMPANY, PARTHENON, HAS COME UP WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST ‘GREEN’ IT SOLUTION. IT HAS BUILT ITS NEW DATACENTER RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A VAST GREENHOUSE FARMING AREA

Greenhouse farmers traditionally use a gas-fired furnace to produce both CO2 and heat for the entire growing season.

By taking advantage of the WarmCO2 system, farmers can reduce their use of fossil fuels by 90 percent. That is a drastic reduction in their carbon footprint.

Similar reductions are being made by greenhouse farmers in the northern Dutch town of Wieringermeer, but here the energy source is an IT datacenter. Dutch company, Parthenon, has come up with the world’s first ‘green’ IT solution. It has built its new datacenter right in the middle of a vast greenhouse farming area. The heat from the datacenter, which in conventional buildings disappears through the roof, is being channeled to the greenhouses to grow peppers and tomatoes. This will save up to 800 tons of carbon emissions per year.

A similar but also unique approach is being taken by a tomato grower in Venlo, in the south of the Netherlands.

This tomato grower is actually harvesting surplus heat from his greenhouses and using it to heat a nearby home for the elderly, a school for disabled children and a public swimming pool. The savings in energy costs that these new partners enjoy are subsequently channeled into their core tasks, such as providing care for their clients.

The grower Joep Raemakers explains: “I want to grow tasty tomatoes, decrease the use of fossil fuel, reduce the carbon footprint and integrate my company in the local society.” Many of Raemakers’ peers in the greenhouse industry have already expressed interest in the sustainable system. We’re sure that in the future we’ll see more similar initiatives, if you’ve seen something online or in real life, please shoot us an email : editor@gardenculture.net 3

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FOG PONICS

FOOD FROM VA P O U R Futuristic plots never cease to grab our attention. Man is all agog over new thrills, cool gadgets and the next big thing. In the world of indoor gardening, fogponics is the next generation in soilless growing. This advancement of aeroponic principles is based on NASA innovations for the space program. Once again, overcoming the challenges of grow food in among the stars offers us solutions needed here on Earth as well.

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FOGPONICS I GARDEN CULTURE

Fogponics came about as NASA’s solution to issues found in aeroponic growing. Perfecting food production for astronauts means heavy production in a compact space while conserving every ounce of resources possible. Their agenda also includes doing away overcoming pests and disease. It’s not like astronauts can run up to McDonalds if crop failure strikes.

The ‘dry mist’ technology used in fogponics is generated true ultrasonic foggers, with the nutrient droplets being only 5-10 microns. A huge difference in the 20-50 micron size of the mist droplets used in aeroponics. There are shortcomings with aeroponics, one being that the wet mist is not all used by the plants who best absorb in the 1-25 micron range.

While the excess drains back into the reservoir, this causes some undesirable effects. The development of algae on the surfaces inside the root chamber, and the possibility of waterborne pests and diseases are aeroponic issues that fogponics reduces.

Fogponics uses less water and energy to complete the growing cycle than the parent aeroponics system. The growth rate difference is also remarkable. Speed of food delivery in space is critical to survival and the benefits of faster harvest with even less possibility of pest or disease issues found in fogponics ensures that astronauts will not go hungry. It also reduces water and energy use, translating to cheaper food production on Earth.

Timing your misting cycle is critical in fogponics. If the misting cycle is allowed to run too long roots cannot absorb the dry mist and water droplets form on them that can bring about the issues of heavier moisture present in aeroponics.

If the cycle is not long enough, insufficient moisture is being supplied which translates to drying roots. Additionally, a rather weak nutrient solution is used to offset the constant absorption rate. A regular nutrient dilution causes root burn and alternatively the proper dilution allows for higher efficiency in nutrient uptake. Like all the different types of

FOGPONICS USES LESS WATER AND ENERGY TO COMPLETE THE GROWING CYCLE THAN THE PARENT AEROPONICS SYSTEM. THE GROWTH RATE DIFFERENCE IS ALSO REMARKABLE hydro growing, here too you must monitor your system and nutrients very well.

Fogponics systems have come available for propagation in the USA for the past couple of years but we haven’t seen one through in the UK yet.We called up a couple of industry insiders located in the UK and they assured us a system is in the making. No specific dates were mentioned though. If you like to experiment with with fogponics yourself we advise you to do some research online. Researching this method of growing online will also turn up DIY instructions. Essentially all you need is a tray or bucket with a cover and an ultrasonic fogger to start. Have fun experimenting! 3

DIY Video Fogponics www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjWLyA-w4Bo

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K.I.S.S. AGAIN I GARDEN CULTURE

BY DAVID GREEN

again!

Keep It Simple Stupid

I last wrote to you about the famous phrase coined by Clarence Johnson, Keep It Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S).

We told you to start small, take it slow and most importantly SPEND SOME TIME IN YOUR GARDEN!

Well now lets chat about what you found while spending that much needed time in your garden! Did you find your garden’s layout or design was hard to navigate? Did you find yourself tripping over power cords?

Did you find you are having issues controlling temperature or humidity?

AGAIN I CAN’T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH, THERE ARE REAL PROFESSIONALS RIGHT THERE IN YOUR LOCAL HYDRO SHOP WHO HAVE ‘BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT’ AND CAN HELP YOU SOLVE PROBLEMS YOU NEVER REALIZED YOU COULD EVER HAVE!

These are variables that you, The Grower, can control. If you tripped over a cord, take the time to tie it up out of the way correctly. The last thing you want is to trip and rip an appliance off the wall or worse even, short out that expensive 1000w ballast. Another key to a successful garden is perpetually dialing in your system.

Take it one step at a time, identify the problem, isolate the problem and then begin to troubleshoot and solve the problem. Again I can’t emphasize enough, there are

real professionals right there in your local hydro shop who have ‘been there and done that’ and can help you solve problems you never realized you could ever have! Sometimes the problem isn’t going to have a solution as simple as tying up a loose cord... you might even have to bust out that high school geometry and figure out volume, cubic feet and area. When problem solving, especially hard to solve to solve issues, don’t forget not to over complicate things. Always

remember to K.I.S.S Your garden will give you back just as much as you give your garden.

Don’t get discouraged. Take it one step at a time and most importantly, KEEP IT GREEN! 3

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garden efficiency Waste is a bad word in the twenty-first century. We need to focus on efficiency - not just in the vehicle we drive or appliances and electronics we buy, but in everything we use and do. Efficiency in gardening boils down to input versus output, which just happens to be the general definition of efficiency.

Everything is becoming more efficient. Electronic ballasts have increased efficiency over magnetic ballasts. Newer greenhouse materials have better insulating capacity. These are just two examples of increased efficiency. Energy efficiency is important for all indoor growers, but is crucial to very intensive systems where a lot is at stake and maintaining a constant climate is critical.

Energy can be lost in a number of ways. Ventilation being a big cause of energy losses. Excess heat must be ventilated out, but where no excess in temperature is present, fresh air does have to be added to insure proper plant growth. In both cases energy will be lost through ventilation. Closedoff or semi-closed off systems counter this problem by adding CO2 to the air and recirculating it, instead of ventilating the air out.

There is also energy lost when heat is absorbed by surrounding material. For instance, concrete floors provide good summer cooling, but also suck up winter heat. It is best to have proper insulation for efficient energy use. In turn, your utility bill is lower and stabilizing the growing climate is easier Then there is biological efficiency. Every plant has an optimal temperature, humidity and other parameters. Maximizing biological efficiency means meeting all parameters

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and keeping them as stable as possible. Many times this comes from experience, though rough parameters are established for most plant species. The most important aspect is to keep the climate as stable as possible. Plants adapt to a changing climate, but productivity is greatest with very little climate variation. Large swings in temperature and humidity impedes growth, and eventually noticeably affects quality and quantity of your harvest.

Several factors define your maximum attainable yield light, temperature and genetics. These set the upper bar of possibilities. To attain this the grower must provide sufficient water, nutrients and CO2 to ensure the plants efficiently use all available light at the temperature their photosynthesis is most active. Meet these parameters and crops will convert the input energy most efficiently into a harvestable output.

Hydroponics is especially suited for very efficient production.

It allows for very precise constant monitoring of the complete climate including root-zone. Hydroponics allows for rapid reaction to changes. It is usually less susceptible to pests that can be real efficiency killers - wasting input energy by lowering output yield. This environment is perfectly suited to control and stability. Insulated containers or systems can be used and nutrient heated for maintaining root temperature.

BY JEROEN

GARDEN EFFICIENCY I GARDEN CULTURE

SEVERAL FACTORS DEFINE YOUR MAXIMUM ATTAINABLE YIELD LIGHT, TEMPERATURE AND GENETICS. THESE SET THE UPPER BAR OF POSSIBILITIES. TO ATTAIN THIS THE GROWER MUST PROVIDE SUFFICIENT WATER, NUTRIENTS AND CO2 TO ENSURE THE PLANTS EFFICIENTLY USE ALL AVAILABLE LIGHT AT THE TEMPERATURE THEIR PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS MOST ACTIVE Some will argue that growing plants at their highest biological efficiency is a contradiction, and won’t reduce the energy use. Yes, more equipment is needed to stabilize the climate, but what is the goal? You must choose growing a high quality product using biological efficiency, or greatly reducing energy use by sacrificing harvest size and quality.

We all want to reduce waste, energy use and costs - but reduced harvest is inefficient too.

Labour is also an energy input. A grower’s chores can be done with absolute perfection or just adequately. Both ways mean time and effort is invested. It’s up to your perspective in choosing which details matter most. Planning is the most vital chore a successful grower has to do. Efficiently using space, time and other inputs all require planning.

Although plants don’t seem to move very fast at some growth stages, they still require a quick response. Properly planning ahead reduces the chance of messing things up or being overwhelmed with work all at once. Especially when juggling a variety of plants at different growth stages planning becomes difficult and a vast amount of experience is required for best results. Many times, planning ahead will be save you time working later on.

Efficiency may not be equally valued by everyone, but only compostable waste is valued by anyone. Now it’s not exactly waste, but the base material for fertile soil amendments production. Recycling is yet another way to increase garden efficiency.

Finding total efficiency is a struggle for more output from less input. The solution varies by each grower’s perspective on which parts of the garden must run efficiently. With planning and innovation there are solutions possible to deliver savings in time, money and effort or energy. In the end you must choose which inputs are most valuable to you, and use them most efficiently in your situation. 3

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SAILING the

Sea

of

Green

Sea of Green gardening, commonly referred to as SOG, is the method of cultivating on a small scale with a large number of plants. Packed closely together, they produce an even and uniform canopy layer of equal height, much like a well kept mowed lawn. There is also a similar and related acronym sometimes used synonymously with sea-of-green called “Screen of Green”- or SCROG. These both share the same principles.

It is my objective to define and describe what sets SOG and SCROG gardening apart from other cultivation methods, detailing its many advantages and few disadvantages.

SOG was first popularized, by TO UNDERSTAND SOG AND ITS when we harvest, there are no accident, in Europe by inparts of the plant that are useful ADVANTAGES WE MUST LOOK AT and others that are considered door gardeners in the early to A KEY PRINCIPLE: THE CANOPY. AS ‘waste’ or byproducts. Whethmid 80’s. It was during this time WITH CULTIVATING ANY PLANT, that indoor cultivators realized er we are seeking to harvest the WHEN WE HARVEST, THERE that the single largest bottlestems, fruits, roots, seeds, juiceneck is lighting - our primary extract, or flowers from a parARE PARTS OF THE PLANT THAT source of energy and most imticular plant, we want to tailor ARE USEFUL AND OTHERS THAT our cultivation method around portant growth-driving factor.

ARE CONSIDERED ‘WASTE’ OR that goal to maximize our yield Though we wish we could bring BYPRODUCTS of that particular product. The the mighty sun indoors, we are limited to our light source beSOG cultivation method was ing a 250w, 400w, 600w, 750w, or 1000w High Intensity designed precisely to maximize harvesting flowers and apiDischarge (HID) light. With the advent of LED’s, Compact cal or terminal flower buds.

Fluorescents, Plasma and Induction Lighting, SOG has beSince we are limited to artificial forms of lighting when come ever more feasible than ever before. growing indoors, the light source is limited to a maximum penetration of no more than 36 inches of canopy. Even To understand SOG and its advantages we must look at a key principle: The Canopy. As with cultivating any plant, when we use the mighty 1000w HID lamp That is to say,

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BY CARLOS AGUILA

SAILING THE SOG I GARDEN CULTURE

NOW HARVESTS TAKE PLACE SOONER- YIELDING THE SAME BUT TAKING MUCH LESS TIME IN BETWEEN HARVESTS. THE TURNAROUND TIME IS GREATLY REDUCED, SAVING YOU NOT JUST TIME, BUT ELECTRICITY, NUTRIENTS, AND REDUCING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MISTAKES AND PESTS AND DISEASE

Green area signifies the canopy and the most useful part of the plant we wish to harvest

even if I were to grow a 10 foot plant using a single HID source, only the top 36” inches will be green and healthy and benefit from that light source. The rest will be yellow and starving for light energy. In nature we see this principle in the tropical rain forest in South America, where, on the ground, it is actually quite a dark place, being shadowed by immense canopies of very tall trees. Low-light and shade loving plants thrive on the ground. However, near the top of the trees there is quite a different panorama, with totally different wildlife living in the super-bright and sun-baked environment.

EVEN IF I WERE TO GROW A 10 FOOT PLANT USING A SINGLE HID SOURCE, ONLY THE TOP 36” INCHES WILL BE GREEN AND HEALTHY AND BENEFIT FROM THAT LIGHT SOURCE. THE REST WILL BE YELLOW AND STARVING FOR LIGHT ENERGY

This leads us to one key benefit of the SOG method its quick harvest or ‘turn-around’ time. Since plants are grown and harvested very short (anywhere from 25-50 cm) the amount of time spent in the growth stage is greatly reduced. What matters most is not the size of the plant, but the maturity and quality of the final product. It is intuitive to want to grow huge plants, because we know that the bigger the plant the more yield – per plant. However, growing two, four, six, or eight, times as many plants, that are half that size or smaller, will fill the same canopy space at least twice as fast. Now harvests take place sooner--

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GARDEN CULTURE I SAILING THE SOG MANY SOG GROWERS DO NOT HAVE ANY VEGETATIVE GROWTH PERIOD. THEY SIMPLY AND LITERALLY PLACE THEIR CLONES RIGHT INTO THE FLOWERING STAGE UPON ROOTING. OTHERS, MYSELF INCLUDED, ONLY SPEND A MAXIMUM OF 3-10 DAYS IN VEGETATIVE OR GROWTH STAGE AND IMMEDIATELY BEGIN FLOWERING THEREAFTER. REMEMBER WE ARE GROWING A CANOPY OF FLOWERS, NOT STEMS. yielding the same but taking much less time in between harvests. The turnaround time is greatly reduced, saving you not just time, but electricity, nutrients, and reducing the opportunity for mistakes and pests and disease.

With SOG, multiple points of light create a more thoroughly even canopy. In the following picture you can see three possible light source scenarios. In SOG cases, bringing the wattage down from one 1,000w to 2-400w or 4-250w light sources will be more effective in increasing light intensity and even distribution of it. The canopy should be horizontal and even.

ONE 1000W HPS VS. TWO 400W HPS VS FOUR 250W HPS Notice the much brighter (more intense) drop of light on the canopy (simulated by the floor) and wider footprint when bringing the reflectors closer.

Splitting the source points from 1 to 2 to 4. Achieving far better efficiency particularly in SOG Gardening. Even the 1K watt bulb will not penetrate beyond a 36’’ canopy. It’s just no the sun

1 x 1000W

2 x 400W

4 x 250W

In the case of the TWO-400w Reflectors, you are dropping the same brightness as the single 1K but saving 200 watts in electricity!

The Intensity = 1/D^2 rule applies more than ever!

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Air cooled reflectors are the preferred choice in SOG. Generally, we want reflectors that will produce a perfect column of light versus those that spread the light far-andwide. I used Hydrofarm’s Radiant 8” in my example. It is an air cooled reflector with a near perfect column of light, that lets me bring a 600w bulb in real close to the canopy.

At a distance of only 16” inches away this delivers a powerful blast of 16,500 foot candles of light onto the Sea of Green. That intensity is equivalent to the tropical sun at noon, on a clear sky, near the equator! We can bring the sun indoors after all.

Many SOG growers do not have any vegetative growth period. They simply and literally place their clones right into the flowering stage upon rooting. Others, myself included, only spend a maximum of 3-10 days in vegetative or growth stage (depending on the plant variety) and immediately begin flowering thereafter. Remember we are growing a canopy of flowers, not stems. The usual SOG plant densities are one plant per 6”-12” square inches. In the following pictures, I use Grodan Delta 10 blocks (4x4x4) which will easily suffice enough substrate for SOG purposes. In a 4x6 tray you can place and array of 5 or 6 rows or columns with 7 blocks per row.

There are very few disadvantages to the SOG method. One of the disadvantages is that you require a much larger plant count. The number of plants that can fit in a 4’x6’ tray can easily exceed a 50 count. You will need far more clones (don’t we all) than in traditional cultivation methods. Also, all plants are started and finished at the same time. There is no efficient way of adding plants halfway through for continuous harvest.

As with SOG, the Screen-Of-Green method (SCROG) is also aimed at maximizing canopy space. In this method fewer plants are grown (compared to SOG) but through pinching, super-cropping, bending, trellising, and pruning.

Every square inch of the horizontal productive canopy space is filled, creating a “blanket” of green on the screen or trellis. This method is perfect for those who don’t want high plant counts, and have limited vertical space (called working height). Whichever method you choose, hoist those sails and happy sailing to all my fellow indoor gardeners! 3

GROWING PHYTOPLANKTON USEFUL GREEN STUFF

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BY JEROEN

GROWING PHYTOPLANKTON I GARDEN CULTURE

Yes, this article is about cultivating that ‘green stuff that grows in the water’. Actually, phytoplankton can be almost any color. At the moment you’re probably wondering why would anyone want to grow watery goo? The best reason is off course; because you can. It’s an amazingly fast and simple process that’s fun to watch, but there are some things this goo can be used for.

There are thousands of different species of phytoplankton, but what is it ? Plankton is a general name for all organisms that inhabit water and simply float around.

This means, they go wherever the current takes them. These can be anything from animals to bacteria, but in the case of ‘Phytoplankton’ we are talking about plants. Microscopic plants. Although their tiny cells can grow to great numbers making the waters they live in heavily colored.

THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO BEGAN GROWING THEIR OWN PHYTOPLANKTON WERE AQUARIUM OWNERS. IT’S A GREAT BENEFIT TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE WHOLE FOOD CHAIN

In nature, phytoplankton is on the bottom of the food chain. Like any other plant species, phytoplankton consume sunlight and minerals from water. In turn, phytoplankton is consumed by larger organisms living in the water. The first people who began growing their own phytoplankton were aquarium owners.

It’s a great benefit to be able to control the whole food chain. This is especially important when dealing with ecological systems with a high density of living organisms in a small space where a lot of metabolism is happening.

From a medical perspective phytoplankton is also interesting, specifically marine phytoplankton that grows in the oceans. Salt water is quite dense in minerals that are vital for life. Phytoplankton very efficiently concentrate these minerals and incorporate them into their cells. It can then be dried and turned into a powder containing a range of essential minerals in nearly ideal ratios for human consumption.

Huge benefits are claimed to come from taking phytoplankton supplements. Many problems and diseases are said to be cured - according to specialists on the internet. No one knows how many of these claims are true. Considering the wide range of minerals and other nutrients, they could be onto something here.

HOW TO GET STARTED First, identify and find a specimen of the species of beneficial goo you want to grow. Maybe you’ll find it in a sample of water from a local creek with tools you used in high school biology. You can also order

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GROWING PHYTOPLANKTON I GARDEN CULTURE

BE PATIENT. IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE ANYTHING REALLY HAPPENS. GROWTH OF THESE TINY PLANTS IS EXPONENTIAL

a scientifically prepared culture online. A number of places will happily sell you a tube of the exact species requested.

Specimen in hand, you have to find out the condition this species likes, the tolerable pH level along with its required nutrient density (Electric Conductivity, PPM). Next make a solution to meet these needs using basic plant nutrients. Make sure to use nutrients with a wide variety of micronutrients, or you’ll fail to create a mineral dense supplement. Marine phytoplankton require marine conditions. Special salt mixtures are available to mimic their native ocean realm.

You can grow phytoplankton in almost any translucent container, glass is probably best. Now you need to introduce carbon dioxide. Like all other plants they consume carbon dioxide, which is easily introduced using an aquarium air pump. These bubble carbon dioxide sufficient air into the water regularly for your crop of goo.

Be patient. It will take some time before anything really happens. Growth of these tiny plants is exponential. A moment will come when the color of the water starts to change. The color of the water changes according to the pigments that are contained in the cells.

THE RIGHT LIGHT

You must have light, but the color of the light depends on the type of phytoplankton you’re growing.

The amount of light depends on the amount of culture, however with air bubbles agitating the solution, all the cells’ light distribution is better than in most other agricultural systems. Fluorescent lights seem to perfectly suit phytoplankton, but it may well be that Plasma or LED lighting is even better.

These are still unknowns since growing phytoplankton isn’t ‘mainstream’ yet.

Once the density of phytoplankton is high enough, you can harvest. Separating the phytoplankton from your solution is done with a sieve, and may require ultra fine sieves. Depending on the planned use, the material can either be used fresh or dried and turned into a powder.

Be advised! There can always be harmful microorganisms when consuming raw products.

So you have dried your phytoplankton harvest. What to do with this powder? It may enhance soil life, by increasing the availability of micronutrients and add proteins and phytohormones that are the same hormones found in plants on land. It can also be used in aquariums or to brew compost tea. 3

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BY EVEREST FERNANDEZ

The Looming Specter of 21st Century Fascism

“ALL OUR PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE STRICTLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF GROWING NON-NUTRITIVE PLANTS ONLY. DO NOT ASK US ABOUT GROWING FOOD.”

“What’s with the sign?” I asked. The old guy sighed without looking up. I waited for a few seconds but he appeared to be totally absorbed in the perusal of a thick product catalog.

“Which part of it don’t you understand, kid?” he grunted with a well-practiced, jaded sarcasm, still refusing to even look at me, his stubby fingers pinning down a pair of the directory’s biblically thin pages with an unkind precision.

I glanced about the store. There was nobody else around.

“All of it.”

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LIFE ALL-INCLUSIVE TM I GARDEN CULTURE

WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON IN THIS CRAZY PLACE THEY USED TO CALL AMERICA ANYWAY? The old guy finally looked up at me bringing his white, wiser-than-thou beard into full view. Well into his sixties, his long, receding hair was scraped back into a rat’s tail while his tired, beady eyes conveyed a longing to be retired somewhere up in the Old Oregonian hills, presumably tending to his own plantation of edibles. Somehow though, he’d ended up being stuck serving noobs like me at a franchise of OrnaMental™—the region’s premiere vendor of ornamental growing equipment. He looked at me as if I personified everything and everyone he’d ever hated.

“You’re not from round here are you?”

“No—I just moved to the areaah,” I lied, affecting my accent a little more in the hope of softening his contempt for me.

His eyes narrowed further as if discerning whether I was for real.

“You see that potting mix?” he pointed to a pile of bags slumped on a wooden shipping palette dumped precariously in the middle of the floor.

“Yeah.”

“That’s available—but only if you’re growing 93 percent of plants.”

“93 percent?”

He sighed again. “The non-edibles. Roughly 93 percent of the plant world. If you want to grow premium quality, non-nutritive plants, then this potting mix is ideal.”

“But what about….?” I began.

“Uh-uh,” he interrupted, pointing up at the sign, “Don’t forget—93 percent of botany is open for discussion here today.

The other seven percent is out of bounds. That ain’t so bad now is it?”

There was a strange desperation in his laugh. I looked at him blankly not really wanting to play along.

“Let’s say you wanted to grow Argemone mexicana, the Mexican Poppy,” he began what seemed to be a well rehearsed setpiece, “I’ve got growing systems, nutrients, lights and seeds— yellow or white. You can use them in certain herbal applications if you have a license. But you can’t eat them, y’hear?” The old

man’s catalog flopped itself shut on the counter. He looked mildly irritated at losing his place.

“What if I don’t want to grow Mexican poppies?” I asked. The old guy just stared at me. “You know … is it really so bad? I just want to grow some of my own tomah-toes!”

That did it. Conversation over. He stood up all of a sudden then he asked … no he ordered me to leave, right there and then, cussing loudly, but strangely gleeful with it too, like he was glad of the drama to brighten his day.

“Stupid friggin’ idiot!” he yelled. I got straight out of there of course—I even felt a mild push through the door. It was the same in every store I’d visited. I walked hurriedly back to my car, then navigated my way home via intersections, strip malls and burger joints. Distinct landmarks were hard to find.

On my drive home I reflected on another wasted day.

Technically I hadn’t asked about growing tomatoes—I’d only stated my intention to grow them—entirely different to that which was prohibited by his stupid sign. What the hell was going on in this crazy place they used to call America anyway? I looked up and noticed the video billboard: “CHILL TIME!” it declared with a bunch of young, guffawing jocks sprawled on a couch, swilling on beers, eating potato chips, and playing total-immersion video games. It was an advertisement for the latest, voguish lifestyle package aimed at young men called “CHILLAX™.”

Americans—if you could even call them that anymore— were living a different kind of life to the rest of us on the planet. Admittedly, they were historically early adopters.

Things always seemed to happen there first and, whether the rest of us liked it or not, we would all end up taking our lead from them sooner or later. But this latest stuff? The “lifestyle packages,” the “governmental corporations?” It was just unthinkable.

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THE CHANGES WERE SUBTLE, ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING. NOBODY REALLY CARED THAT, OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS OR SO, THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE STATE OF OREGON HAD BECOME NEW OREGON™ AND THE WHOLE STATE BECAME PRIVATELY OWNED CORPORATE PREMISES.

You have to understand. It was a really, really big deal when America was sold—at least for those with access to alternative news sources. No mainstream media outlet dared use words like “sold” or “purchased.” And nobody, and I mean nobody, mentioned the “C-word”—China. To the average American it was all about “international debt consolidation,” “book balancing,” “modernizing paradigms of civic administration” and “making good on our collective fiscal commitments.”

The changes were subtle, especially at the beginning.

Nobody really cared that, over the course of five years or so, the official name of the State of Oregon had become New Oregon™ and the whole state became privately owned corporate premises. Life felt the same for most regular people. The fact that everything from schools, healthcare and transport to military, police, family planning and food production was now operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of a Chinese banking mega corporation, Zhìzào Jong, called “New Oregonian Incorporated” was largely academic and irrelevant. What really mattered on the ground was that life got better for everyday Americans.

Genetically modified food three times a day? It sure tastes good when it’s subsidized though! Sodium fluoride in the water? Hey you can drink all the soda you want!

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The Chinese hired some awesome American PR of course.

Huge American flags seemed to be flapping on every street corner as if to counteract any notion of its devolved status.

Some evil genius had come up with the strap line, “Life— All Inclusive™” and the idea really caught fire. It wasn’t so much luxury but the idea of “choice” and a life of “ease.”

Now you could choose where you lived and what you did with your days, without having to worry about money, insurance, food, healthcare and all the other distracting details. You didn’t need to save for retirement or budget for vacations. Everything was available on a new form of credit and, unbelievably, the majority of young folks I spoke to actually believed they were born with a microchip in their right arm. I kid you not. Some didn’t even know it was there. Very quickly, it seemed, the all-inclusive lifestyle had become all-pervasive and totally normalized in postAmerican society.

The billboard cycled through another loop of lifestyle propaganda, the young jocks started slapping their thighs again accompanied by big bold letters. “Screw 9-5! It’s time to CHILLAX™!” You got a free apartment with up to four other likeminded males. Internet—free. (Some restrictions applied.) Video games—yes, you got to play them all day, every day if you wanted to. Work—optional! Yes, optional!

Meals—delivered hot, three times a day, right to your front

LIFE ALL-INCLUSIVE TM I GARDEN CULTURE

I spent five fruitless weeks searching for folks who opted not to live according to some predetermined “lifestyle package.” I’d been certain that I’d find some hippies up in the hills stoically defending their “old way” of life, growing their own open-pollinated crops either independently or communally—but they were nowhere to be found. Some places were eerily quiet, like everybody had left town at once. The only people I met were blithely happy, overweight consumers, wandering around cities that resembled theme parks, insistent on telling me how happy they were now that they didn’t have a care in the world.

door with sachets of your favorite condiments. The video finished and the lights finally turned green.

Millions of young men had subscribed. They couldn’t build the apartments quick enough. There was a sixmonth waiting list but still they advertised it incessantly.

None of the young men, it seemed, had read the small print or, at least, they paid no mind to their contractual obligations to provide monthly semen and urine samples to authorized representatives of New Oregonian Medical Research Cooperative LLC. After all, it was just part of the obligatory “healthcare program” included in the CHILLAX™ package—and in no way had any substantial clinical evidence ever been produced that linked statistically significant differences in fertility rates among men who chose the CHILLAX™ lifestyle package compared with those who had not.

Got two or more kids and vocational qualifications at level 3 or higher? Choose FamilyGuy™. You could drive a Class 2 luxury saloon or people carrier and change it for a new model every year—and arrive home each night at your Suburban ENVY™ class C dwelling in a triple-star rated urban residential zone. 150 LeisureCredits™ every month.

Subsidized daycare was available when you took advantage of the free contraception offer.

I took my flight back to Europe, a little disheartened. At the airport they showed ads for HighFlyer Aspire™—the lifestyle package for the “Type A, city-slicking go-getter.”

Work hard. Play harder. The screen showed slick-haired executives sealing deals in “elevated goal-orientated business environments” then drinking cocktails with doeeyed supermodels in exclusive bars and nightclubs, eating in the city’s best fine dining restaurants, and working it all off in prestige gyms below their SkyView™ apartments. My flight was finally called.

As I sat on the plane wondering what story I could concoct for the obscure independent gardening media outlet I’d convinced to fund the trip, I could just make out the huge robots tending the “nutritionally optimized” biotech crops in the heavily fortified “megafarms” below. I wouldn’t get any closer than 40,000 feet—those places were locked down tighter than Old Fort Knox.

How had “The Land of the Free” changed so much in just a few decades? Or had it, really? Maybe I was just having a delayed realization of the way things had always been heading? It didn’t seem right though—all that power, all that production, concentrated and monopolized. I sure hoped that there were still folks out there growing more than just “ornamental” plants, saving seeds, sharing genetics, educating their kids, and living free. ~ Everest Fernandez September, 2035.

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Mini Foods you can grow yourself SMALL IS Call them whatever you want. Miniature, midget, baby or dwarf - diminutive vegetables are available in big numbers in stores throughout the world. The number of different types are literally growing too.

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WHAT ARE MINI VEGETABLES? Mini-vegetables are bred to mature at a smaller than average vegetables or are normal sized but picked prematurely. They are available as seed, seedlings or cuttings in most gardening stores or online.

Mini-vegetable gardens are a sustainable food source that can be grown virtually anywhere. These gardens can produce enough vegetables to help feed a small family, and they can be grown without the use of pesticides. They are even easy to plant and grow, needing only a little strategy and maintenance to keep them growing.

WHY MINI VEGETABLES? In the old days the purpose of growing big vegetables where for simple reasons: Feed as many people as possible. Now in our society of abundance, people choose mini for a number of reasons. Size; big vegetables are crude on the plate, clunky and sometimes hard to handle.

Taste; some mini variants simply just taste better than their larger cousins. Efficiency; lot’s of people are more conscience about waste. Why throw half of what you buy in the dump?

BY TAMMY

MINI FOODS I GARDEN CULTURE

Cherry Tomatoes Bio : A cherry tomato is a very small variety of tomato. Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball. Growing Cherry tomatoes indoors are easy and simple, the tomato are sweet, juicy and versatile. You can start picking your tomatoes after +/- 60-65 days. pH: 5.9 - 6.5 Humidity: 40 to 80 % Light Hours: 12-16 hours per day

Mini Iceberg Lettuce Bio: Waste is a big problem with full size head lettuce. Mini Iceberg Lettuce is tennis ball sized, producing the perfect salad for one. Growing lettuce in the indoor garden is very simple - its one of the most common hydroponic crops around. Enjoy garden fresh salad in 65 days. pH: 5.5 - 6.0 Humidity: 60 to 80% Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Mini Cabbage Bio: Don’t want aging cabbage hanging around in the fridge? Great tasting, tight 15 cm diameter heads on mini cabbages like ‘Gonzales’ provide just enough for serving one or two people. A surprising addition to the hydro garden that does well. Seed to harvest in about 66 days. pH: 6.5 - 7.0 Humidity: 50 to 60% Light Hours: 16 hours a day

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MINI FOODS I GARDEN CULTURE

Baby Cauliflower

Mini Cucumber

Bio: Here’s one of those veggies that you can harvest large or small and maintain great flavor. Cauliflower ‘Freedom’ was aptly named, but there are improved versions like Bishop available. You can start harvesting 5-10 cm heads in 60-70 days from seeding with the right hybrids.. pH: 6.5 - 7.0 Humidity: 50 to 60% Light Hours: 16 hours a day

pH: 5.5 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Mini Pak Choi pH: 7.0 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Baby Eggplant pH: 6.0 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Mini Watermelons pH: 5.5 - 6.5 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Baby Peppers pH: 5.8 - 6.3 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Mini Pumpkins pH: 5.5 - 7.5 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Baby Corn pH: 6.0 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Baby Spinach pH: 6.0 - 7.0 Light Hours: 16 hours a day

Mini Romanesco Broccoli Bio: Not a new development, Romanesco is a 16th century Italian hybrid that is uniquely beautiful on your plate. A cauliflower - broccoli cross with incredible flavor for eating raw and lightly cooked.

You can harvest individual florets or the whole head in +/- 75-100 days. pH: 6.0 - 6.8 Humidity: 50 - 60% Light Hours: 16 hours a day

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