Garden Culture Magazine: UK 3 by Garden Culture Magazine

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

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CONTENTS I GARDEN CULTURE

SALANOVA

MARKETING TECHNIQUES

A WHOLE NEW LEAF

50 FALLEN FRUIT

top5 Hydroponic

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Techniques

UBERGREEN FARM

19 IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE:

56 SOIL TECHNIQUES

9 Foreword

50 Turn surplus crops into cash

10 Product Spotlight

52 Mothering techniques

16 Maximizing Yield from Container Gardens

56 Ubergreen farm above

19 Top 5 Hydroponic Techniques

62 Meet America’s dirtiest lawyer

25 Air Plants are easy

68 Soil Techniques in hydroponics

26 Build a community connected by fruit

72 SIP gardening

30 Environmental Avatar

76 Embrace the awesome power of air

36 Salanova lettuce – a whole new leaf

80 Secret to better tasting vegetables

40 A good start

84 Looking at air

46 Crafting the one trunk orchard gardenculture.net

FOREWORD & CREDITS I GARDEN CULTURE FOREWORD

CREDITS Garden Culture™ is a publication of GC Publishers B.V. ED I TO RS Executive Editor: Mike Nivato E. mike@gardenculture.net Senior Editor: Tammy Clayton

THE TECHNIQUE EDITION The sun is shining, and the outdoor season has started for the masses. I see lots of people working in the yard, prepping their garden for the summer to come. With all the business travel and tasks I’ve been caught up in lately, I must say I haven’t been working in my garden as much as I would have liked to.

That’s alright though, I got donated a small greenhouse to test and write about which was setup on my rooftop recently. Now all I’ve got to do is get some soil and plants in there which is on my schedule just as soon as we’ve finished this new UK edition of Garden Culture. For us, here at Garden Culture HQ we’ve reached another milestone, 30.000 copies just got delivered for the first time in North America, extending our reach to more than 50.000 magazines printed every 3 months in more than 6 countries right now. Of course I can say how proud and grateful I am to everyone who helped us get this far.

DESIGN Job Hugenholtz Special thanks the following contributors: Dan F, Sheldon Aberman, 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

Thanks to all you guys for the support and have a great beginning of the summer!

ISSN: 2211-9329

Mike Nivato Executive Editor

© GC Publishers B.V. reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the GC Publishers B.V.

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product spotligh

n Hortiline Clip Fa

Not an ordinary clip fan!

The secret to Hortiline’s brand new 5W CLIP FAN is it’s ‘Direc t Drive Magentic Engine’. Unlike conventional clip fans that use oil to lubricate rotation, Hortil ine have incorporated a high quality magnetic fan that guarantees a longer life span than other products on the market. The fan also boasts the ability to withstand the extreme changes in conditions that grow rooms can face 24/7. In addition to this, the fan’s low 5W consumption means users can also save big on their electricity bills, making the this Clip Fan one of the best on the market. www.hortiline.com

er Pack 600W w Po t c pa m o C t h ig br xi a M The new Maxibright Compact Power Pack is a revolutionary design of magnetic power pack for ultraefficient lamp control, lower heat output and silent operation. The internal unit is finished with injectionmoulded resin, allowing core heat to dissipate at a greater rate to prevent overheating. A matched digital Smart Igniter provides efficient lamp startup, detecting as soon as a lamp is ready for re-strike in the event of a power cut and when a lamp has reached its end of life. Precise copper winding gives the ballast great durability. The wall-mountable case is complete with a handy carry handle for easy use. The Maxibright Compact is a Genuine Quality ballast (www.genuinequality.co.uk), meeting specific EC and quality standards. It therefore gives the correct power to the lamp, offers guaranteed safety and has a nominal rated life span of ten years. www.compactpowerpack.co.uk

New M

CFL Proa x ib r ig h t Reflec Compact tors Fluorescen t Lighting and growin is id eal fo g

larger plan r propagati ts, giving y on affordable ou energy lighting wit efficient an h low hea bright CFL d t output. Pro Reflec The new M tor uses h a x aluminium iighly refle for excelle ctive anod nt light ou is tion across e d tput and e your plants ven light d for optimu is tr humid gro ib u m growth. wing envir For durabil onments, th with a pow it y in e Maxibrig der-coated ht CFL Pro steel body is The reflec b u ilt to prevent ru tor body h st and corr as a built-in power con o si on. power swit trol. Availa ch to give ble in single y run one C o u e asy a n d twin mo FL lamp (m dels, the si ax 400W) lamps (max n g le will and the tw 800W). C in will run FL bulbs are and new d tw o C fr FL om red an ual spectru d blue 125 m 250W. W-300W www.ma xibright.c om

Bud Juice s is the origider various names, thi Known worldwide un k. Bud Juice is lete with new artwor mp co ” ce Jui ud “B l, na uction. It into trigger flower prod famous for it’s ability ld up to 40%. d can enhance your yie an es sit r we flo s ase cre and essential s floral development Bud Juice also increase ce’s longevr key aspect to Bud Jui he ot An n. tio uc od pr oil cle, increase late a plant’s krebs cy ity is it’s use to stimu resistance. and increase disease ity bil ea rm pe ll wa ll ce is to try se results for yourself, The only way to see the nic Bloom iginal and trusted Orga it. Bud Juice, THE Or owaustralia.com Stimulator. www.gr

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

® o r P t h ig W L i 0 0 ig 6 D k t c h a P ig r r Maxib Select Powe

l exyou the fl h m cont ro M a x i m u o u t y o u r g r o w t ast from Maxibright gives Choose from ball ast. t hrough W digital r st one ball ® Select 600 ps with ju xtra powe

lam Pro 10% e DigiLight 600W HID mode for d r n with e a p u s W The new 0 r, eveloped powe W, 40 D l 0 a . 5 2 le m c r r y o e c n w t o a th e started ur lamps ibility to p the grow to run yo oughout ballasts ar r s t e c th d l le o e o S m tr r n o t co reducht Pr 6 powe imate ligh at a time, le DigiLig lt e ip u n lt r o u s fo m p d n e ultiple lam or dimme ® ware, wh urrent for ly ignite m h a low c fe ntrol soft it a o s w l C s il p e w g m r y u the ts la nsures new S er supply ently star e-strike e g r w y o p g p m lo e la o m n t a s h s . a c from the output. F ult finding ft start te LED for fa ient lamp urges. So c s c l ti ffi a s e ic o d n tr n g c a ia ing ele a built-in d d lamp life . Includes y improve le tl n ib a s c s o ifi p n sig ickly as start as qu hot lamps t.com axibrigh .m w w w Dark

Secret Jardin

’s Hang Urpp o s e h a n g e r s

u Multi p

d ime a new an HangUps ar hanger i-purpose lt u m d ve pro 20KG ily hold up to that can eas ple push p) with a sim gU an H r e (P . The all glide action button and ssional ction is profe ru st n co l ta e m ng your ect for hangi and safe, perf ssories in lighting acce r o r o ct e fl re t. Each environmen a controlled HangUps s a pair of in ta n co k pac ngth, with esired posiel, 2mtr in le just to the d ad to cs made of ste is d nger s. gliders and fi l grow room push button a must for al , ly th o o sm d tion, safely an nal.com internatio n o k .i w w w

Propagator 120

Secret Jardin’s Dark Propagator 120 allows from 480 cuttings with 8 trays up to 720 cuttings with 12 trays. It’s ingenious design controls airflow the way you want it. By simply opening the (light proof) air duct in the left side of the tent you can get the same humidity and temperature true out your propagator. Also you can use the GreenHouse cover to maximize the humidity in the first stages of your cuttings. Removable trays and grids give you ultimate flexibility and allows the propagation of different plants just they way you want it. www.secretjardin.com

top-up valve r e t a w c i t a m o t au

Hippo

automatic water topcan be tricky, but with Hippo, the y awa ’re you le whi d ere wat ts Keeping plan Hippo maintains water levels r plants won’t go without water. up valve, you can be sure that you and attach it to a t it to a tray or hydroponics system nec con ply Sim er. tim a for d nee without the tray or system, so your plants n maintain the water level in your water supply system. Hippo will the for a couple of days. it. Ideal for when your going away d nee they n whe and as er wat can take up www.nutriculture.co.uk gardenculture.net

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

rthstar o N r to c e fl e R t s e The b Less heat, more reflection

The Northstar is considered by some as the best reflector ever designed for indoor growers. Because of it’s innovative design, heat produced by the light bulb gets remove via natural air flow. That new system reduces up to 13.8C the temperature at the height of the bulb and allows you to approach the reflector much closer to the plants . Its inner profile developed to get a homogeneous reflection in a square surface make the Northstar the perfect reflector to grow successfully in a grow tent. Up to 35% increase of the reflection at the corners. Prime and ultra reflective European Aluminium (97%). www.hort iline.com

per a New state of the art Hy

Fans ™

zes Fan uses next generation “Multi-Phase” EC Motors that energi We are pleased to announce the arrival of Hyper Fan™. Hyper up to blade is smooth, ultra efficient and vibration free. This fan uses the motor 12 times per revolution. Power delivery to the fan energy d industry mixed flow fans. This results in greatly reduce half the power and produces half the heat of current leading Fan produces up to a staggercosts, less wear, improved reliability and increased lifespan. Hyper of any fan in its diameter, delivering 2.4 inches of Water Gauge pressure, the highest pressure cooled hoods. Detachable speed ing more air movement through ducting, carbon filters or air ) and 10 inch (1065cfm). controller is included. Available in 6 inch (315cfm), 8 inch (710cfm www.hyper-fans.com

Fu ll ra n g e a v a il a b le n o w !

Mammo th Tent Mam s

moth Tents have been sive 3x6 m well know n for their eter grow maste n ts . Designed feedback fr om growe in H o ll a n d rs with worldwide announced Mammoth their comp T ents just lete line o a large ran f grow ten ge of sizes, ts . C overing d ifferent sp product op ecification tions, the p r a nges, and roduct ran every grow ge will have er. Of cou so m ething for rs e all tents tinctive ch feature Ma aracteristic m m s like stre oth’s disproduct is ngth and d backed up u r a b il it w y it and the h excellent www.ma customer mmotht se r vice. ent.nl

Liquid Lead : isely designed a special formula prec Liquid Lead contains ique blend of st. Liquid Lead is a un rve ha t es avi he the for al amino acators, vitamins, essenti organic enzyme activ fullflowerthat will unleash the es rat yd oh rb ca d an ids rbs. Liquid favourite plants and he ing potential of your orous st weight, promotes vig rve ha s ise tim op o als Lead nts. Not to health of flowering pla growth and increases plants flavour & taste of your mention it enhances the australia.com as well. www.grow

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product spotligh ewer r B x e Vort

n w o r u o y Brew

play and contains a total system, meaning it comes plug and The Vortex Brewer is a complete also use it to potentize some compost tea brewer you can awe an g bein ides Bes pe. reci g win bre c preparations (BD500ed water or to stir the BioDynami nutrient solutions, to create energiz anic compost tea available al brewing so you can have living, org petu per for w allo also will It ). 508 rewer.com on demand 24/7. www.VortexB

Plant Vitality Plus N o

m or e sp id er m it es

s as well as the living mites, ion spider mite spray that kills egg Plant Vitality Plus is a one applicat a blend of micro nutrients confined spaces. It also contains in use to safe and ed ster regi fully UK d and potentially dangerous er do you need to use unregistere to repair and boost plants. No long aging pests without clear your growroom of these dam will t duc pro This p. cro r you on pesticides ready to use bottle complete le in two sizes (1L & 5L) both in a harming you or your crop. Availab ntoearthkent.co.uk with spray applicator. www.dow

Super C loner 8 4

This modu lar Super C loner helps better than you root u ever. With p to 84 pla in 5 minute nts youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in b s from ope usiness. Th ning the bo e system c XtraPump x omes with water pum an 1500Ltr p, an irriga ers and 84 /h ti on ramp w neoprene ith 360Â° sp foam discs. rayreservoir a You can e nd pump tr a si ly a u c e c e through th ss the or you can e removab check the le front co nutrient le the gradua ver vels in rese tion scale rvoir true on the ou th it can fit a ro u gh ts ide. Measu ny growers ring 90*40 cloning sp Cloner is th *3 2cm ace. The b at itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comp est thing a letely mod b Product lin o u t this u la r with Plati e, by using nium Hydro the same ta parts you c p onics nk, and by an repurpo substitutin se this clon g a few spa www.pla e r fo re r your spe tiniumhy cific needs. droponic s.com

Medi-One 43-3: Medi-One 4-3-3 is a one part, start to finish, and all natural nutrient. It is formulated from all natural ingredients for use in organic gardening. It contains hydrolyzed fish soluble extract from Atlantic Menhaden that are slowly steamed and hydrolyzed to preserve the amino acids. These are blended with North Atlantic Kelp Extract, Bloodmeal and mined Potassium Sulphate to provide additional nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K) 4-3-3.Natural Humate complexes are also added to increase the overall balance in this high quality liquid organic fertilizer. This liquid fertilizer can also be used on all vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees and house plants. Recommended by Dr. Hornby. www.growaustralia.com

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE

Wheatgrass in a Box

ious g the most vibrant nutrit plete turnkey kit for growin com a is x Bo e a juic in s ss ras gra Wheatg s, wheat its therapeutic propertie for ed wn no Re . net pla acids, wheatgrass on the range of vitamins, amino orophyll and a complete chl of nts ou am x kit h Bo hig a s contain atgrass in r body requires. The Whe you t tha nts trie nu and special minerals, enzymes, comes with Earth Tonic and and ing juic of eks we o tw contains with materials for m w.ProgressEarth.co Wheatgrass Soil Mix. ww

X-Stream propagators

New and improved

and are now better than ever. The range has been X-Stream propagators have been trusted by growers for years, r flexibility and delivers even better results. The imre-developed based on market feedback and now offers greate your cuttings can be ready to move from the propagaproved delivery system nurtures stronger roots, which means 105-site propagators are replaced by a 40-site and a 120-site tor to a growing system in just 10 days. The original 36- and ator. The full range has been developed to provide even respectively. The range is completed by a 12- and 20-site propag g this a must-have for growers of all abilities. greater access to your cuttings and improved ease of use, makin www.nutriculture.co.uk

mykos

oculum n i l a z i h corr Pure my

ur soil with ower of yo p e th h as Unle inoculum ycorrhizal m re u p Mykos ral root pro ening’s natu d ar G e w m o e Xtr en sh n fungi have be al iz h rr o yc ts moter. M f the nutrien availability o e th e , as e th cr w to in t gro ired for plan u q re re tu is des a and mo Mykos provi il. so g n zi while stabili the gap behelps bridge h ic h w n io sent in connect utrients pre n e help break th d an been used to as h tween roots s o yk M . umpkin! ponic media g a 900 kg p in d u cl in , soil and hydro th nt grow ’s (geneticords for pla free of GMO % 0 10 7 World- Re e ar s uct ady for an dening prod icides. Be re st e p l fu m Xtreme Gar ar and h d organisms) ening.com cally-modifie eme-gard r t .x w w w st! xtreme harve

gold label

new bags

Gold Label just announced new packaging for their line of substrates. The majority of the line namely Special Mix, Special Mix Light,Coco, Hydrocorn and Hydro/Coco 60/40 all got new packaging and more detailed information. Rest assured, it’s still is the same well known high quality mix, but now in a vibrant new full color bag. Gold Label soils are the only ones in the world with KIWA Certification, and Gold Label Hydrocorn is the only clay pebble in the world with RHP Certification. www.goldlabel.nl

t kits. h g i L n o i t a g a p o PS1 Pr

self kit comes complete with 2 x 24w and all day everyday growing. The n atio pag pro for fect per is easy ) (PS1 very it ing Photoponic System One Set also comes with 4 suction pads mak le and clip set for mounting. The kit cab ting nec con , plug propagation er PS1 pow the s, e, light ballasted T5 connection spin tubes and now complete with rigid te whi or ple pur in e ilabl Ava . to mount to a propagator www.ikon-international.com for your all your propagation needs. ing light lity qua and y ibilit flex s lighting kits give gardenculture.net

‘a plant is only as good as its

roots’

Maximizing Yield from

Container Gardens Growing plants and having a garden is a rewarding hobby; especially when your plants look awesome. It is a great feeling walking out your back door to check on your garden and spotting the first ripe tomato of the season. It’s almost as good as eating that first ripe tomato. Maybe almost as powerful as bragging to your neighbors and friends how nice the tomato was or how nice your garden is. The feeling is more enhanced knowing your garden is nicer than theirs. For a home gardener there is nothing better.

However, what sometimes gets lost, especially to the novice or the beginner, is what makes that plant and that fruit look great. That fact is, for most, all the attention is given to the top of the plant, when in reality, if you do not have a great plant below, you will not have a great plant up top. I am talking about the roots. The part of the plant that you don’t see, but is the reason for the top of your plant being beautiful and fruitful. If you have great roots you will have great fruit. For many years a challenge for container gardeners has been to create a natural environment inside a container. Mimic the soil, temperature, and drainage while providing an area for the roots to grow to their potential. After all, a plant is only as good as its roots. For a long time the only option has been a plastic container. As we have learned, traditional plastic containers do not offer the best environment for plants to thrive. They do not drain well, they hold heat in and they do not encourage a plant’s root structure to develop to its potential.

Fabric versus plastic

These reasons are why companies and home gardeners alike have made changes to their plastic container designs and to the mixes they use. Both have drilled holes in the containers to deliver oxygen and better drainage. White plastic containers are more popular to guard against heat buildup. Soil companies have made a nice business from creating mixes that drain well in a plastic container that doesn’t properly breathe or allow for proper drainage. Over the last few years, many companies have addressed these challenges, and now make both hard sided and fabric containers that offer the benefits that the container gardener needs to produce a healthy and productive plant. Growing in a hard plastic container almost always means that a root-bound plant is your result. A root-bound plant is when the roots of a plant outgrows the container it is it. This is easy to do when growing in a container that doesn’t breathe and promotes root circling. Plants need oxygen. As they grow they are looking for and seeking out oxygen. The roots of a plastic container reach the edge of the container and begin to travel along the slick sides of that container. With little to no oxygen and nothing to stop the roots, they circle around and around the container until they reach the bottom of the container and the drain holes. Finally, oxygen!

BY CHARLES

AIR PRUNING I GARDEN CULTURE

‘traditional plastic containers do not provide the best environment for plants’

Growing in a hard plastic container almost always means that a root-bound plant is your result

Aeration containers are designed to stop root circling and promote root pruning.

‘A container that will actually prune your roots?’

This is why with traditional plastic containers there are always roots coming out of the bottom of the container - it’s aerated here. At this point the plant is basically root bound. Even though there is a void of root growth in the interior of the container. That void is there because the roots have gone elsewhere looking for oxygen. The container gives the roots very little place to grow because they are trying to get out of the 3 or 4 bottom drain holes. When this happens many problems can occur. The plant may become stunted, stretching can occur, smaller and slower flower and fruit production and watering needs increase dramatically. Not the recipe for a great plant worth bragging about.

With the new technologies that have become available to the home gardener, these eliminates these problems. Available now in both hard sided and fabric, there are containers that actually prevent root bound plants and will even promote root pruning. I am talking about aeration containers designed to actually prune your roots. Some work better than others, but all of them have the same ideas at play. They stop root circling and promote root pruning.

In an aeration container when the roots reach the edge of the container they come in contact with the oxygen that they need. Since most roots cannot grow in straight air, the forward growth stops and root pruning happens. As the roots reach the air at the container wall, the tip of the root will dry out, resulting in natural pruning. When this happens that root will branch out laterally towards the center of the container creating more roots that will grow to the edge of the container and do the same thing. This action will occur over and over filling up the entire container with roots. It’s not just the same roots circling around, but a root structure that includes many more root tips. The more tips the better as this spot is most efficient at absorbing water and nutrients. Having this well-developed root structure will allow the plant to absorb more water and nutrients. Just like humans who eat too much, a plant that can eat more will get bigger too. Roots will not grow to find nutrients. They grow when there are nutrients available. This being the case and the root structure containing many more roots tips, the plant is sure to grow beautifully and produce brag-worthy fruit. 3

gardenculture.net

BY JEROEN

“E ACH OF THE FOLLOWI N G SYSTEMS HAS A PL ACE IN THE W O R L D O F G R O W I N G”

top5 Hydroponic Techniques There are many ways to grow plants. Everybody has heard about hydroponics, growing soilless. Hydroponics itself is more of a catchall term that defines the soil being absent, but not the actual technique being used for growing.

top

HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“HYDROPONICS ITSELF IS MORE OF A CATCHALL TERM THAT DEFINES THE SOIL BEING ABSENT, BUT NOT THE ACTUAL TECHNIQUE BEING USED FOR GROWING” Let’s explore the different types of hydroponics that are most successful and commonly used. We will look at why each of these systems has a place in the world of growing. You’ll see the pros and cons for each system and why to use them in certain specific situations. None of the systems is the best per se, but in each different situation there will be a system that is best suited for the application. I’m going to make it easy to pick which type of hydro to use in any given situation suiting your needs.

NFT NFT or “Nutrient Film Technique” uses a flat growing surface positioned at a slight decline. A thin ‘film’ of nutrient solution is continuously running along the surface of the growing table. Usually plants are held in place by neoprene discs or rooted in rock-wool cubes to create the anchoring needed so plants won’t wash away or fall over. The film of water is usually a fraction of an inch deep, with most of the roots actually being out of the water. The roots will get plenty of aeration, which in turn should lower the risk of root problems. It is however vital to protect the roots from light and to keep them a bit moist. A cover for the growing table is important to regulate the moisture content of the air around the roots. NFT systems are usually recirculating. Nutrient solution constantly flows past the roots and even though it’s just a thin film, there will be plenty of water moving past the plant roots. Disposing the nutrient solution after one pass would increase water consumption in a massive way and will be destructive to garden efficiency which you would normally expect hydro to offer. Depending on the plants and their nutrient consumption the pH and EC levels of the nutrient solution will gradually change as it passes through the plant roots. Because of this gradual change it is advisable to increase the number of growing tables instead of their length. Since NFT is utilizing a thin film of water that is constantly flowing it’s absolutely vital that the water keeps moving. If the water stops moving for whatever reason, the plants quickly start to show severe drought problems. It is there-

reservoir

nutrient return

water nutrients air pump

air stone

timer

nutrient pump

“WITH NFT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GROWING TABLES INSTEAD OF THEIR LENGTH” fore advisable to use two pumps for the same application. In case one of the pumps breaks the other will still keep the roots moist. Root zone temperature control can be ideal in an NFT system, but it can also become the Achilles heel. If the root zone is properly insulated from outside temperature influences it will only take a small amount of energy to increase or decrease the nutrient temperature, an essential part of hydroponics. If the root zone is not shielded from these outside influences the temperature will most likely get too high during the day. One of the biggest advantages due to this is the small amount of nutrient solution in use, although some kind of buffering is always a good thing.

gardenculture.net

DWC

Aeroponics

The key in aquaponics is to get everything the plant needs to the plant as efficiently as possible. Deep Water Culture does exactly that, it saturates the roots in a supply of nutrient solution while also adding oxygen to prevent suffocation of the roots. Deep water culture systems vary in size, each plant can have an individual unit or you can grow a number of plants in the same container. The size of the container determines how much buffer capacity the system has, a bigger container will lead to more stability in temperature, pH and EC. The drawbacks of having large containers is that it requires a lot of water to fill them and in some cases a lot of energy to heat it to a suitable temperature.

The most high-tech solution to growing plants in a hydroponic setup is aeroponics. These kinds of systems are probably not suited for beginners due to their complexity. Aeroponics systems are a sort of opposite to Deep Water Culture. Opposed to a container filled with oxygenated water these systems use a container with air saturated with a mist of nutrient solution.

Plants are in net-pots filled with a medium such as clay pebbles but can also be suspended above the water using neoprene discs. A common method used in lettuce farms is to use styrofoam boards to suspend plants. A big advantage in doing this is the ability to grow plants close together when they are small and placing them in another

reservoir

air pump

water nutrients

Plants are usually “AEROPONICS suspended with neoSYSTEMS ARE A SORT prene disks. Net-pots don’t really work OF OPPOSITE TO DEEP WATER CULTURE.” because they allow for the nutrient mist to escape which leaves salt spots everywhere it goes. The mist is usually made by pumping water with pressure through a nozzle which creates a fine mist. Obviously, it’s important that the plumbing be correct. Cleaning the system often is necessary to make sure the nozzles don’t clog up. Overall these systems probably do more to increase the risk of catastrophic failure. Like NFT, aeroponics systems don’t do well should a power or pump failure occur. Roots will dry out and leaves will soon start to lose their means to evaporate and stay cool. In theory, this is the best method of controlling the root climate and nutrient supply. How this works out in reality depends on quality of the system’s design. mist nozzle

air stone

styrofoam board when they have grown. In this way you know you have full occupancy, boosting overall production. The most important thing to remember is that the water in a DWC must have constant oxygenation. This can either be done by using a venturi type air inlet on the circulation pump or by using air pumps. The air can also be added into the root zone directly which is even better than just oxygenating the nutrient solution. DWC is especially suited for places with high daytime temperatures and cooler nights. The buffering capacity that comes from the high volume of water slows down the cooling of the water, lowering the energy bill. The amount of overall engineering in the system is not too high and pump failures are not as catastrophic as other hydro systems. The cost or availability of (chlorine free) water can form a prohibitive factor in some places though.

reservoir

timer

water/nutrients nutrient pump

top

HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

Conventional Hydro The most conventional form of hydro growing is simply to replace soil with another - inert - medium. Even though this resembles soil, the characteristics of growing are totally different. The grower has full control over the nutrient supply but the water absorption and drainage characteristics of the medium can usually be maintained for longer periods of time than soil giving these simple methods advantages over soil-growth.

“CONVENTIONAL HYDRO IS PROBABLY THE BEST STARTING POINT FOR PEOPLE LOOKING INTO HYDROPONICS SYSTEMS. IT’S THE SIMPLEST TO SET UP AND THE LEAST LIKELY TO FAIL HORRIBLY.”

The two best known mediums in conventional hydroponics are clay pebbles and rock-wool. Rock-wool has better absorption properties and clay pebbles drain very well. Both are good mediums for root growth and are reusable. Conventional hydro systems are either recirculating or drainto-waste. They give you timed or constant flow options, depending on the medium used. A medium such as clay pebbles that drains well will do better in a constant flow type situation. Rock-wool on the other hand will perform better with a timed water supply since the rock-wool itself will absorb water to keep the roots moist. Conventional hydro is probably the best starting point for people looking into hydroponics systems. It’s the simplest to set up and the least likely to fail horribly.

drip lines

dripper manifold

grow tray reservoir

nutrient return

water nutrients air pump

air stone

timer

nutrient pump

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HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

Ebb and Flow A slight adaptation to conventional hydro is Ebb and Flow, plants in these systems get watered from below for a set amount of time. This is one of the best systems to use when recycling nutrients. Nutrient solution pumps out below the plants. The grower then allows the plant and medium some time to absorb the moisture, then the excess drains off again. Usually plants receive 5 to 15 minutes of high water levels, and then a longer period without nutrient solution on the roots. Technically, Ebb and Flow is a little more demanding than a conventional hydro system, using a little more plumbing to control the water height. Planting young plants requires some planning, plants need to have roots long enough to come into contact with the water. Especially if they are grown on clay pebbles. It is however easy to move around plants in their individual pots. Unlike other systems there are drip lines connected to the pots so moving them is easy. These systems are perfect for experienced hydro growers that want to have good control of their nutrient solution as it’s easy to measure what the difference in pH and EC is in between every flooding. The difference between Ebb and Flow and conventional hydro comes down to preference. Neither is a better system and both work about the same. It’s really up to the individual user and their location which determines which system should be chosen.

grow tray

“EBB AND FLOW IS A LITTLE MORE DEMANDING THAN A CONVENTIONAL HYDRO SYSTEM”

O t h er T h ing s to N ote All these systems still do the same essential thing, deliver a nutrient solution to the plant roots and providing this in an oxygenated environment. Choosing which system to use has a lot to do with personal preference. The taking into account of your location is a good thing, in a cold environment a lot of water will be expensive to heat. On the other hand, a smaller buffer of nutrient solution will need more management to keep the values within the right range. A good grower can probably have success with any of these systems in any kind of situation. An experienced grower however is more likely to pick a more simple system that has less chance of catastrophic failure. That is also the key to hydro, a small error in judgment or a power failure can result in mass plant death. A well designed system has fail-safes to make sure this does not happen!

overflow fill/drain fitting

reservoir excess solution returns to reservoir water nutrients

solution returns to reservoir via fill tube timer

timer

nutrient pump

ebb & flow cycle (pump on)

ebb & flow cycle (pump off)

Don’t grow short of your potential It’s a fact; no matter how good your lights, nutrients and growing medium; if your grow room is missing a hydroponic system your plants won’t achieve their optimum yield. TM

tems Nutriculture Hydroponic Sys

Record breaking yields since 1976

To find out how hydroponic systems massively increase your yields Visit www.Nutriculture.com

AIR PLANTS I GARDEN CULTURE

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

Air Plants are eas y !

Between structural limitations, hectic schedules and different plants’ various needs - it isn’t always easy to have great looking indoor plants. Atmospheric Tillandsia (air plants) change everything, even for the accomplished brown thumber.

NO SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS No grow lights needed. Pot them, mount them on wood, or display them in the most unusual ways. All you need is indirect bright sunlight or standard fluorescent office lighting. They will tolerate a couple hours of direct light a day, but will need misting a couple times a week in such a situation.

THESE LOW MAINTENANCE BEAUTIES ONLY NEED INDIRECT BRIGHT SUNLIGHT OR STANDARD FLUORESCENT OFFICE LIGHTING...

Don’t assume that these super drought tolerant beauties need no water at all. Still these easy keepers normally require just one good soak once a week. Establish a hydration schedule. Soak them in a sink or bowl for 20 minutes on a regular basis. Then let CO O L LO O KI N G them air dry where there is TILLANDSIA good circulation. • Bromeliads • • • • • • • •

Bulbosa Belize Ionatha Caput Medusae Junicea Xerographica Streptophylla Usneoides (Spanish Moss) Tectorum

They aren’t real fussy about climate either. Most air plants do nicely at 10-32°C and without the demands of precise humidity found in maintaining indoor grow rooms. 3

Space challenged? Tillandsia will fit anywhere!

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FALLEN FRUIT (DAVID BURNS, MATIAS VIEGENER AND AUSTIN YOUNG)

Build A Community Connected By Fruit by Fallen Fruit (DAVID BURNS, MATIAS VIEGENER AND AUSTIN YOUNG)

The most ancient forms of communion among people came through food. Hunters and gatherers banded together for survival, and gatherers became farmers; farming laid the ground for human’s connections to the earth and farms became the first communities. The social exchange of food forms the basis of the culture. Among all the foods, fruit holds a special place as a symbol of bounty. Signifying fertility, beauty, and hospitality, fruit is grown everywhere that people live, which is perhaps why of all foods we most like to give fruit as a gift. The gift model, giving without expectation of return, forms the basis and connecting thread of Fallen Fruit’s work.

An activist art project founded by David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young, Fallen Fruit started as a mapping of all the public fruit in our Los Angeles neighborhood, Silver Lake. We encourage everyone to harvest, map, plant, and sample public fruit, which is what we call all fruit on or overhanging public spaces such as sidewalks, streets, or parking lots. We believe fruit in public space is a resource that should be commonly shared, like shells from the beach or mushrooms from the forest. Fruit is universal and uniquely democratic, crossing all classes as a symbol of generosity and bounty. It is a healthy food, unrefined and unprocessed; eaten virtually off the tree, it symbolizes the uncomplicated goodness of nature, beauty, fertility, and hospitality, not the excess or waste of commercial or industrial culture. We’re intrigued by the status of fruit hanging from a tree in public space. Los Angeles is a city of moderate density spread over a large area peppered with lawns, shrubs, trees,

and even survivors of long-gone fruit orchards, and public fruit is found on almost every block. Bananas, peaches, avocados, lemons, oranges, limes, kumquats, loquats, apples, plums, passion fruits, walnuts, pomegranates, guavas, and more grow year round in every neighborhood in the city. Urban public fruit, whether deliberate or accidental, is more efficient to grow than farmed fruit because it eliminates the cost of transport. Since it is not a monocrop, as in an orchard of a single variety of apple, there are fewer pests and less chemicals required to treat them. A further irony is that most public fruit in Los Angeles is organic, blessed by neglect. We began mapping the public fruit in our neighborhood, just the triangle between our three houses. We appear in our first images wearing plastic suits and rubber gloves, as if we’d fallen to earth from another world and began by investigating what there was to eat. The conceit was to

PUBLIC FRUIT I GARDEN CULTURE

“FRUIT IS UNIVERSAL AND UNIQUELY DEMOCRATIC, CROSSING ALL CLASSES AS A SYMBOL OF GENEROSITY AND BOUNTY. IT IS A HEALTHY FOOD, UNREFINED AND UNPROCESSED; EATEN VIRTUALLY OFF THE TREE ”

make ourselves look unnatural, wrapping ourselves instead of the fruit in plastic, which is how fruit increasingly appears to us in the world. Perhaps a bit of our own alienation manifests itself in these images. We coined the term “public fruit” as it expressed the way in which a certain public or communal or shared quality was lacking in these streets. Overlaid with our fascination with space is our interest in fruit. Three forms of fruit presented themselves very quickly: the private, the public, and the fallen fruit — no one’s fruit, the waste of fruit. Whose banana is this, we began to wonder, this banana that presented itself at arm’s length on a city sidewalk? Certain residents prune their fruit tree’s branches at the very edge of their property, and not an

inch further, while others clearly let their trees spill into the public sphere. As we came to know neighborhoods and spoke to people who lived there we learned that some residents were indeed inviting strangers to pick. Their generosity is a grassroots model for alternative thinking about public space, property, and resources. An outgrowth of our maps and public urban plantings, we regularly stage Public Fruit Jams, inviting the public to join us in making communal jam. The Public Fruit Jam is our favorite public project because it forms dynamic temporary communities. Since its beginnings it was always considered an experiment in public participation and social relations.

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PUBLIC FRUIT I GARDEN CULTURE

“URBAN FRUIT IS BLESSED BY NEGLECT, ALMOST ALWAYS UNTENDED AND THUS ORGANIC” The jam is a classic collaboration. The ingredients can be anything the participants bring, as well as fruit from the communal table. Funded by arts grants and taking place mostly in galleries and museums, these free events bring strangers together around a table to cook. The fruit is picked from the streets or grown at home, though participants with store-bought fruit are not turned away. We don’t use recipes, just simple proportions, and the jams are negotiations among each group of three to six people. Collaborative and experimental, the process echoes ancient rituals of communal food preparation in contrast to the anonymity of contemporary urban life. Unusual jams are more tempting than the kinds you see in a store: apple pumpkin jam or quince and pear with lavender. (Almost any fruits can be jammed, even bananas, if you dare.) Urban fruit is blessed by neglect, almost always untended and thus organic; it is like the electric wires or the water systems underground, a layer of urban infrastructure that could be utilized far more than it is. Many people are uncertain about its basic edibility. They don’t need to worry; it is entirely safe to eat. Even automobile soot simply wipes off. It’s essentially organic status, never sprayed or fertilized, often barely watered, is striking to the health-conscious consumer. In a playful way it starts a conversation on our relationship to the natural world, and to each other. 3

“THE PUBLIC FRUIT JAM IS OUR FAVORITE PUBLIC PROJECT BECAUSE IT FORMS DYNAMIC TEMPORARY COMMUNITIES”

“The social exchange of food forms the basis of the culture”

1st Public Fruit Park Planted The Forbidden Fruit guys recently finished their first installation in Los Angeles. They’re already planning a new one in the city of London, UK for 2015. Learn more about their unique venture at www.ForbiddenFruit.org.

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PHOTO: S_BUKLEY - SHUTTERTSTOCK

ed begleyjr. Environmental

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BY BRIAN BURK

ED BEGLEY JR. I GARDEN CULTURE Save the Earth, clean up the air, clean up the oceans; hell yes!’

For this article, I had the pleasure of interviewing a fine actor, and an advocate for green design, Ed Begley Jr. You may have seen his work on the show St. Elsewhere, or more recently, in the popular comedy Arrested Development. As of this moment, he is gearing up his brand new energy efficient home for his web series entitled ‘On Begley Street’.

I sat down with Mr. Begley, at his modest Californian home, to discuss his beginnings, how he feels about organic foods, the Monsanto Corporation, and a bit about his new web show.

When did you know you wanted to do something about the environment? 1970. It was the first Earth Day and I wanted to get involved because, at that time, I’d been living twenty years in the horrible smog of Los Angeles. So after that I thought, ‘hey they’re not kidding. Save the Earth, clean up the air, clean up the oceans; hell yes!’ I knew it was dirty out there because you couldn’t catch your breath as a young man just sitting, let alone running around. The oceans, you went out in the Santa Monica Bay and could see all the crap floating out there. It wasn’t the media trying to scare us; it was real. So in 1970, I started recycling, composting, and I bought my first electric car.

Do you think there is a big difference between organic foods vs. commercially grown foods? There is. I’ve sought out organic foods since 1970, when I became a vegetarian. But the word organic, for years, really meant nothing because there was no way to prove it. There were no standards. Now when you see organic carrots that means something. If you’re wrong, you’re going to get in big trouble. You will have your farm shut down. You’ll lose credibility in the industry. Organic produce now has to be organic. But, besides organics, there is something else that is equal in importance, and that is local.

What is local? Local is locally grown. It affects the carbon footprint of that food. It’s not coming from as far away. I think it’s good to support your local farmers. You can meet them and talk to them. So locally grown and organic, I think, are equally as important.

So we know you’re against GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). How did you feel about proposition 37 for the labeling of genetically modified foods? I think it was a good proposition. I was very much in favor of 37. It’s a good idea that people can choose. It’s not saying we are going to ban GMO’s, but people should have the right to know what’s going into their food. But the opposition to prop 37 was pretty brilliant; even though I don’t agree with them. You have to admire them for the genius of what they did. They convinced the poor that their food costs were going to go up radically. When in other counties that have passed a similar labeling law (see China, Russia, all of Europe, etc.) the food bills never went up. It was simply nonsense.

Proposition 37 did not pass in California this last election. Do you think it still has a chance? I think if it comes back again and we write it better, fight for removal of some of the exemptions, show credible sources citing counties where a similar law passed and it did not increase food costs; it could. We should also show more about who is for the bill and then who is against it; like Monsanto.

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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

ED BEGLEY JR. I GARDEN CULTURE

So now that were on to Monsanto, how do you feel about their Roundup Ready soybeans? I’m going to take off my cynical hat and say that I think that most people at Monsanto, and a lot of the legislators who fight for them, really believe that they are going to help feed the world with this. I really think they do. And certainly, if things went perfectly, it’s a possible outcome. But, the fact is, you can see what has happened in India with the farmers committing suicide from being dependent on Monsanto seeds. They used to gather their own seeds, and they would garden without pesticides, now with their dependence on those (roundup) seeds, which they have been instructed and urged to buy, has made them go bankrupt. Then they kill themselves with pesticides in their fields. But I really do think they believe they are helping the world. I don’t think that’s the case when you look at what can go wrong, and what has gone wrong. Even natural organisms in the wrong place can cause major problems. What is going to happen when one of these things (GMOs) goes wrong? I mean this is not like the old day of Gregor Mendel taking peas and grafting one strain of pea with another to hybridize it. That’s art. Like Rodin, the sculptor, taking a rock and gradually taking away everything but “The Thinker.” What GMO’s are, is a guy working on this crazy sculpture of his own, putting it on a catapult, and firing it at a window at the Louvre hoping it lands on a pedestal upright so he can call it art. That’s what they do. They attach this gene that they have altered, onto a virus. Then they inject it into the nucleus of a cell, and wait and see if it works. To see if you have tomatoes that could resist frost because you’ve put in some genes from an artic char. But I’m not prepared to say, “Let’s ban all GMO’s.” Keep working on it in the lab and come up with something that does work and is foolproof. But for now, it’s not ready for primetime.

How do you feel about Monsanto and the ties to the USDA and FDA? It’s a revolving door from Monsanto to the USDA back to Monsanto again. And the thing is, it’s not a partisan issue. Obama was playing golf with the guy from Monsanto a few days before the Monsanto Protection Act (Agricultural Appropriations Bill) was signed.

I’ve sought out organic foods since 1970, when I became a vegetarian. But the word organic, for years, really meant nothing because there was no way to prove it. There were no standards.

So my final question, I hear that you have a new web series called ‘On Begley Street’. What is it about? I’ve tried to show, since 1988 when I purchased this current house, what you can do with a remodel. To try and make this 1930s energy inefficient home as efficient as possible; I’ve taken it as far as you can go. My wife has been angling me for many years to move to a different place. But I vowed I would never move from this place. Though, I finally said to my wife, “Ok, if you can find a place that would give us a bigger yard so I can grow more vegetables and stick a ten thousand gallon rainwater tank underground, a nice south facing roof that gets good solar exposure, and find it for this price; I’ll move.” I thought she would never find it. She found a place within a week. So then I had to put up or shut up. So ‘On Begley Street’ is about showing what you can do with a new home. Once the new place is finished, the series will take you around the country to show off other green technologies. You’ll see what it is like to build green and live green in 2013 and beyond.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Ed and his green series, ‘On Begley Street’, check out edbegley.com

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website www.agriculturalorganics.com www.facebook.com/bloomadvancedfloriculture

The Essential Mix

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

SAL ANOVA I GARDEN CULTURE

Grow Your Own Series

A Whole New Leaf

a v o n Sala Lettuce

“BESIDES BEING SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL, SALANOVA HEADS PRODUCE 42% MORE FRESH GREENS PER SQUARE FOOT THAN ANY OTHER LEAF LETTUCE VARIETY”

A TRULY EFFICIENT CROP Heads up! There’s something to get excited about in lettuce land. Salanova lettuces have much to offer the indoor gardener and urban farmer, whether you’re growing fresh food for your own table or feeding your community. Besides being simply beautiful, the heads produce 42% more fresh greens per square foot than any other leaf lettuce variety. Salanova Crispy, Lollo, Oakleaf and Butter are delicious new stars for the salad plate. You’ve got a choice of green or red leaf in each type, making it a cinch to produce your own salad mix in either soil or hydro culture.

Excellent pest and disease resistance combined with very little waste. Salanova is the result of many years of traditional breeding. The leaves are precisely arranged around the core, making it simple to a choice of green or red leaf in each type. Coring has never been easier. Using a sharp knife or a special cutter developed just for freeing these awesome greens from the stem, you’ll be done in one swift movement. A fast growing crop, with staggered germination, it is possible to have uber fresh lettuce always available for a lovely garnish, a sandwich crisper or a full-blown salad. Mix it up for a gourmet look and taste. One commercial grower of Salanova in Germany seeds 3 different varieties per growing block for instant salad variety at market where it’s an instant hit with bouquet flair. Why select plain green lettuce when you can have three colors and types of goodness instead? A trick that you can easily duplicate to get more exciting salads in the small grow room too.

THE COOLEST FRESH LETTUCE IN TOWN Creating a beautiful salad is super easy with these varieties. The leaves are much smaller than regular lettuces. They’re ready to eat, as is, and require no chopping or tearing into bite size pieces. Just one cut to remove them from the head is all the prep work

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SALANOVA I GARDEN CULTURE

“HARVEST A HANDFUL AT A TIME OR AN ENTIRE HEAD”

OPTIMIZE YOUR SPACE: SAL ANOVA VARIETIES GIVE YOU FAR MORE YIELD THAN OTHER LEAF TYPES AND HAVE AN IMPROVED SHELF LIFE. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THE SEED IS ORGANIC AND THE PL ANTS ARE GMO FREE.

needed. The leaves are thicker than standard leaf lettuce, giving you more crunchy goodness and better shaping that keeps a salad from turning into a glob after adding the dressing. With all this eye-catching color, flavor and fresh convenience, it’s pretty hard to resist Salanova lettuces - as a grower and as a consumer. You can also optimize your space, because Salanova varieties give you far more yield than other leaf types and have an improved shelf life. On top of all that, the seed is organic and the plants are GMO free. For more business info, visit www.business.salanova.com. In the UK, you will find Salanova seed available at www. tuckers-seeds.com.

ABOUT THE VARIETIES With so many lettuce types on the market, it’s hard choosing a selection to grow. The process of elimination gets much easier after investigating Salanova. While it is a comparable green to baby leaf lettuces, it offers so much more, including stronger leaves at maturity and a noticeably increased 3D structure. Salanova selections are easily divided into incised leaf and multi-leaf types. You can use both types a few leaves at a time too, so it’s a vegetable that fills anyone’s needs. Harvested as living lettuce with roots attached, they remain fresh without refrigeration.

INCISED TYPES Incised varieties, Lollo and Crispy, have rather frilly, deeply cut leaf edges and give a mixed salad weight, more texture and loft. The Lollo types provide a flavorful base that gives a baby leaf salad much needed structure, loft and weight. The newer Crispy types provide that iceberg crunch as well. All of these hold up well to dressings. Separating the bunch is easily done with a single slice of a sharp knife across the lower stem.

Growing Salanova Like all lettuces, this is a cool season crop. One you can easily grow on a sunny balcony, patio, in a flower bed or backyard garden in spring and early summer, but it’s perfect for indoor gardens year around. Salanova varieties finish out at one foot across, so be sure to give it room. From germination to harvest takes 8 weeks in the outdoor garden, and 6 weeks in the indoor hydro garden. Seeding every 3 weeks will keep you in a never-ending supply of fresh salad greens.

MULTI-LEAF TYPES Forming heads with a multitude of uniform baby leaves arranged around a central core, the multi-leaf Oakleaf and Butter varieties add flavor and color so desirable in a beautiful salad. Use them alone or as a group to create the popular baby greens mix. Fast and clean coring is done with one cut using the ingenious Salanova cutter, with no waste whatsoever. 3

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A GOOD

S TA R T Indoor garden productivity requires good practices and techniques from the beginning. Abundant harvests from any herb, fruit or vegetable plant depends on seed quality and everything that happens during each of its growth stages. Even in your garden, excellence is never the result of inferior materials or shoddy workmanship. Remember that and deliver perfect conditions from the very start.

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

A GOOD START I GARDEN CULTURE

“MAXIMIZING YOUR HARVEST WHILE REDUCING COSTS STARTS WITH DISCOVERING YOUR SEEDS’ NEEDS FOR GERMINATION AND PROVIDING THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES”

Always obtain seed from reputable sources. An established seed house is best. Your seed will be fresh and come from disease-free plants. It will also be handled and stored properly to make sure the best germination results are possible. Stick with suppliers who have signed the Safe Seed Pledge as your GMO-free source for garden seed. Check out: www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org

There are cool season and warm season plants. Understanding this is important. Before you get started, you need to create the perfect season for your selected crop. Cool season plants grow beautifully in an environment that will send warm season plants like tomatoes into a sickly tizzy. You can grow both types simultaneously with separate germination chambers and grow rooms. You can’t force a plant’s vigor in the wrong conditions. It leads to weak plants, climatic disease issues and poor harvests... or total failure.

“A SEED IS A DORMANT EMBRYO. EACH ONE COMES PACKED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THE NEW PLANT NEEDS TO GROW ROOTS, LEAVES, FLOWERS, FRUIT AND SET SEED TO CONTINUE THE SPECIES”

A seed is a dormant embryo. Each one comes packed with the knowledge the new plant needs to grow roots, leaves, flowers, fruit and set seed to continue the species. Powering it up requires only consistent moisture, air and the right temperature. It comes with its own start-up energy source. They need no fertilizer or nutrients during the germination stage. Light isn’t even needed for the first week or two.

SETTING THE STAGE A plant’s idea of the gray area between right and wrong is a pretty slim window. In your indoor garden, you can’t blame poor germination on thieving birds and squirrels. If your seeds don’t germinate, either you have not purchased quality seed, failed to monitor environmental conditions, or ignored this particular seed’s needs.

Maximizing your harvest while reducing costs starts with discovering your seeds’ needs for germination and providing the best circumstances. Seeds sprout in cooler conditions than for flower and fruit stages. It’s Nature’s way of protecting their fragile parts from more intense sunlight and long, hot days. Maintaining the proper temperature is easily done with a heat mat beneath your germination chamber. This will allow for faster, more robust and uniform development. Do invest in a grower’s mat with a thermostat to avoid cooking your seeds or sprouts.

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Essential: start off with good seeds and always read the package

SELECTING THE MEDIA

ALL THE NUTRITION NEW SPROUTS NEED IS IN THE COTYLEDON. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE SIGNS OF LIFE, DOESN’T MEAN IT IS TIME TO FEED. PATIENCE. YOU NEED ROBUST ROOT SYSTEMS FOR AN OPTIMUM HARVEST, WHICH DEVELOP AT THIS STAGE.

Unlike planting outdoors, you want thoroughly moistened media for indoor garden seeding. There are a variety of materials you can use, dependent on your growing system. Some people swear by the wet paper towels enclosed in a plastic baggie routine. Handling just sprouted seeds is a delicate matter. You run the risk of breaking or damaging the fragile young root or shoot. You don’t have to work this hard or introduce such intricacy to getting a grow going. Jiffy peat pellets (a.k.a. pucks) aren’t your best option. Issues include slow germination and root growth, poor air flow capacity and high acidity. Finally, it is the nature of peat moss to tie up nitrogen. Thinking of using Jiffy peat pots filled with potting mix? Wood pulp added to their composition increases this removal of nitrogen for breaking down. There is also a danger of peat pucks holding too much moisture causing rot, diseases or damping off. Rockwool starter cubes or propagation plugs commonly used in hydroponics offer a perfect balance of air, moisture and drainage. Sprouting varies by seed type and takes 2-8 days. Consistent saturation and a pH level of 4.5-5.5 is needed dependent on seed type and accomplished by soaking the cubes for 24 hours. Chlorinated tap water can harm sprouting action. Use distilled water or mineral water instead. Adjust the soaking solution’s pH level to correct your water’s pH and that of the rockwool’s alkalinity. Do this by slowly adding acid solution to lower pH or alkaline solution to raise it. Measure the water pH until you meet the desired level for the plant type. Put your prepped rockwool starters in a standard nursery tray with a dome. Sow the seed at the required depth. Keep the

A GOOD START I GARDEN CULTURE

DON’T GUESS READ THE SEED PACKET.

THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING THE RIGHT PLANTING DEPTH ENSURES THAT THE SEED CAN ABSORB ENOUGH MOISTURE TO ACTIVATE covered tray in a warm, moist place until vegetation appears. Note that proper temperature ranges are generally only 5-7 degrees apart. Five degrees might not seem like much, but you aren’t a plant. Deliver the happiness zone. Seed starting mixes shouldn’t have huge chunks of material. It should hug your seed loosely without leaving large tunnels exposing the seed or roots to too much air. Mist if you must moisten again soon after sowing. Overhead watering causes light media and seed float resulting in losing planting depth and central placement. For small seed at a shallow depth, this could mean failure to sprout due to ending up on top of the media.

Rockwool starters

If you continue to supply enough pH balanced water, your new plants will swiftly send roots down deep and in all directions seeking a food source. The harder they search, the more developed the roots will become. Nature provides plenty of nutrition with the seed to fortify young plants until they reach the vegetative stage of growth.

A QUESTION OF DEPTH Most seeds grow best when covered with media to their preferred depth, though some seed types can do well on the surface with enough moisture. Plant too deep or too shallow, and your germination success is doubtful. Don’t guess - read the seed packet. The purpose of planting depth ensures that the seed can absorb enough moisture to activate. A seed must absorb 50% of its weight in moisture to germinate. Poor drainage, improper planting depth, and loss of moisture due to evaporation are all things you can’t allow to happen if you are going to eat. Depending on what you want to grow, it can vary from 0.3 to 2.5 cm or more. As a rule of thumb, fine seeds need a shallow depth, while large seeds get planted deep.

FEEDING THE BABIES All the nutrition new sprouts need is in the cotyledon. Just because you have signs of life, doesn’t mean it is time to feed. Patience. You need robust root systems for an optimum harvest, which develop at this stage. Seedlings are fragile, and even a weak nutrient solution can burn leaves and roots, as well as make them focus on producing top growth. Don’t mess up their programming!

SEEKING THE SUN Once small seedling leaves appear, plants start reaching to find sunlight. Remove the dome and get your seedlings under lights right away. Cover all roots to prevent damage and support rapid growth. If you don’t act fast enough, they will stretch and get leggy searching for the sun, leading to less robust plants and harvest. Give them 12-16 hours a day under CFL lamps. The heat of HID grow lights will overheat or fry tender seedlings. Closely monitor temperature and moisture. In 10-14 days actual leaves and rooting through the bottom of your media are present. It is time for transplanting. Your young crop has entered the vegetative stage. Now they need intense light, growing temps and nutrients. 3

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GRAFTING

THE ONE TRUNK ORCHARD “MULTI-GRAFTED FRUIT TREES ARE PERFECT FOR SMALL GARDENS” Seeds and cuttings aren’t the only way to acquire new plants for your garden. Grafting is more tedious, but allows a gardener to accomplish things with plants not possible in any other way. It is the technique of joining the parts of two or more plants to create one plant. Ornamental plants used in landscaping and flower gardens are more commonly seen grafted than with fruits or vegetables. In the realm of food plants, grafting is usually found in trees - but not always.

GRAFTING I GARDEN CULTURE “GRAFTING ALLOWS YOU TO STICK STEM CUTTINGS TO A MORE DEVELOPED ROOT SYSTEM, OR A MORE ROBUST AND DISEASE RESISTANT VARIETY TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE... POSSIBLE”

WHY LEARN ABOUT GRAFTING? Let’s say you have a tomato variety that is now impossible to find seed for. Maybe you live in a cold climate that makes it difficult to grow really awesome tomatoes to vine ripened harvest due to early frosts. Grafting allows you to stick stem cuttings to a more developed root system, or a more robust and disease resistant variety to make the impossible... possible. It can also make certain crops possible at all. All sweet orange trees are grafted onto sour orange variety stock because sweet orange trees are highly susceptible to root disease. In the 1880s a Texas scientist actually saved the wine industry in France by grafting French grape varieties onto wild grape roots when a disease epidemic threatened to drive the French varieties into extinction. Wild Texas grapes are immune to this grapevine plague and are the only reason fine French wines are enjoyed around the world today. While lots of people would love to have an organic fruit orchard just outside their door, small yard space makes it impossible. Multi-grafted fruit trees are perfect for small gardens. It’s your one trunk solution for orchard variety harvest in limited space. This growing technique lets you have several types of apples on one tree; or peaches, pears, cherries, plums and citrus. As long as you stick to the same type of fruit, it works well.

Multi-grafted fruit tree

THE FRUIT COCKTAIL TREE

NO YARD AT ALL?

Sometimes it is possible to graft types of fruit trees to a single trunk that are less similar. Stone fruits and citrus plants are easily adapted to each other, making for successful grafting of a wider variety of fruit grown in one spot. The Fruit Cocktail Tree gives you a source for tree-ripened fruit salad even in a tiny outdoor garden. Stone fruits are those that have pits, like cherries, peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines. Citrus gives you limes, lemons, grapefruits, oranges and tangelos variety. You’ll find both orchard on a trunk delights available pre-grafted offered by online nurseries. Or you could try your hand at grafting and create your own Fruit Cocktail Tree. Not only could it be an interesting project, what if one type of fruit on a readymade tree isn’t hardy where you live? What if you want only heirloom varieties or a different mix than you can buy?

You can grow fruit trees in large containers where they will never get more than 1.85 meters tall. A sort of bonsai orchard in a movable box that produces full size fruit. So it’s possible to grow truly dwarf fruit trees on a rooftop, the balcony or patio. This method would also allow you to take your orchard with you if you move to a new residence. Be sure you have proper winter storage for outdoor container grown fruit trees in a cold climate. Frigid winter temps aren’t kind to roots above ground. If you live in the north, container grown fruit trees with proper winter storage will allow you to grow fresh peaches and less hardy crops that would never fruit when planted in the ground. A garage or seasonal room will work for overwintering. You just need to make sure the temperature never drops below the lowest range for any given tree.

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GRAFTING I GARDEN CULTURE

WHAT DO I NEED? Obviously, you will need to gather the plants you will use to make your grafted wonder. Depending on the type of plant (woody or soft stemmed) you need to decide if it is best to do stem or bud grafting. The best way to start your research is searching for answers online. Next you will need the proper tools and supplies. Grafting is a precise science, so don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to improvise. For small projects, look for a grafting kit online. The basic kits aren’t that expensive, so it is within most people’s budget to arm themselves with the stuff that is proven to allow success. At the very least you need a grafting knife, grafting tape and grafting wax. To do bud grafts you also need rubber bud strips. A good grafting kit will also include a guide booklet you can follow step-by-step.

INVEST IN QUALITY PLANTS No matter what type of grow you want to do, never forget that ‘quality in, quality out’ applies to gardening too. The better the health of the plants you use to graft your new tree, the easier it will be for you to succeed. The main tree you use for the trunk should have a welldeveloped root system for faster growth and better graft support. A more whip-like version of what you’re budding or stem grafting makes more economic sense

“DECIDE IF IT IS BEST TO DO STEM OR BUD GRAFTING”

as you only need a small piece for your project. Well developed root systems will cost more as they have been kept in the nursery at least a year longer for this purpose.3

Suitable veggies for Grafting • Tomatoes • Peppers • Eggplants • Melons • Cucumbers

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Marketing Techniques

T u r n Surplus Crops i n t o Ca$h You know the routine, you’ve spent months looking after your crops, cared for them and watched over them carefully. After all your hard work, on the day you harvest your unable to sell your gorgeous harvest at the farmers market because it rained, it’s a holiday, or just bad luck. Perk up! Turn that surplus harvest into an opportunity to experiment with new exciting approaches to direct to customer business models that are a rising trend across the nation. Mobile farm markets are riding high on the heels of the white-hot food truck trend. It’s a new take on the old fashioned neighborhood ice cream truck. Instead of selling ice cream to screaming kids running after a lighthearted tune coming from a colorful van, you are selling your locally grown food to enthusiastic urban hipsters. Calling them to your mobile market with Twitter, FourSquare, geo location apps like Google Latitude or blasting obscure indie techno music from your speakers in dense urban neighborhoods. Pick your vehicle for your mobile market wisely, just remember that character matters. Think converted airstream trailers, ironic postal jeeps or your grandfather’s old pickup. For some great examples, be sure to check out Lomo Market in Raleigh-Durham, NC (www.lomomarket.com) or the Honeybee Mobile Market (http://www.honeybeemobilemarket.com/). Cost: About the price of a small row tractor. Mobile markets created from trailers, trucks or vans are great for when you have planned stops and a bit of cash. Perhaps you need something cheaper and easier to do without much planning required. Consider a slower, more approachable alternative: your bike pulling a trailer full of produce. Turning your bike into a mobile produce stand offers a charming, approachable venue to sell to urban dwellers as they stroll through their neighborhoods and downtown restaurant districts. The slow speed of a bike-borne market makes it easy for

people to stop and buy, keeping you from having to stop for extended periods and having to get permits or ask permission from establishments. There are a few farmers experiencing great success with this technique, if you’d like to try it out yourself “the Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand” is a great design, view it Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand here: www.matt apanfoodandf itness.org. Cost: A new implement for your tractor. Celebrate your unsold surplus as an occasion by cook“A BIKE-BORNE ing a farm dinner MARKET MAKES IT at your farm from EASY FOR PEOPLE TO your surplus crops. STOP AND BUY. NO Agritourism has PERMITS NEEDED.” proven a very profitable venture for many farms. There is actually more money in selling the small farming experience than the products you’ve produced. Create a “dinner club” and spread the word through your Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest accounts. Contact a couple local food bloggers and invite them to a couple in exchange for posting about the “privileged opportunity” to attend

BY BEN GREENE

GOING TO MARKET I GARDEN CULTURE

“PICK YOUR VEHICLE FOR YOUR MOBILE MARKET WISELY... CHARACTER MATTERS”

your farm surplus dinner. And if your ‘farm’ is in an urban basement or small backyard greenhouse? Improvise! People love the unique and unusual. Its not just where you’re growing, but what you’re growing that they’re after. Follow the recipe for success other’s have done well with. Don’t have enough diversity in your surplus to create an entire dinner? Create what you can and make it a potluck, where the cost is half price if the attendees bring a dish. Lots of candles, white linen covered picnic tables and ample mason jars are sure to create the perfect mood. Some great examples of farms using on-farm or local pub dinner clubs effectively are the Rogowski Farm (rogowskifarm. com) and the Land’s Sake Supper Club (http://www.landssake.org/). Also check out dinner clubs that travel to many dinners like the Highlands dinner club (highlandsdinnerclub.com) and City Provisions (cityprovisions.com) Cost: Free meal for friends in exchange for labor and supplies. Of course the best option is to eliminate next week’s surplus! Surplus produce is often surplus because your customers are not familiar with your crop’s use, preparation or just simply haven’t been inspired to use it. Give them some sug-

“CALL YOUR SHOPPERS TO MARKET ON TWITTER AND FOURSQUARE” gestions by grouping the produce together in “meal packs”. For example, create a stir fry kit by placing your Asian greens with a recipe and some bulk seasonings together. There are many online resources that allow you to type in your ingredients and an ideal recipe will be generated from your input, my favorite is gojee.com. This makes it easy to find a recipe and create soul food meal kits, salad kits, kids lunch kits, tapas kits, ethnic meal kits, or create special diet kits like gluten-free, diabetic or paleolithic diets. Cost: Extra labor and sleek packaging. The prices for these new economic models are within reach and the most ambitious are often no more expensive than a piece of production equipment. Instead of increasing your production this year by 10% with new equipment, consider receiving twice the price you’d normally receive with an investment into unique approaches to direct to consumer marketing. 3

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Mothering TECHNIQUES HOW TO CARE FOR A MOM

BY JENN DIGIOIA

MOTHERING TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“IT ONLY TAKES ONE MOTHER PLANT TO CREATE A WHOLE GARDEN OF PLANTS”

Genetically speaking, everyone has a mother. In the horticultural world, being a mom means you either produce seeds sexually or clones asexually. There are a few different techniques you can use to reproduce plants without needing pollen from a parent plant(s) to produce seeds. The newest, most scientific way to do this is tissue culture. This uses a series of chemical processes to grow a full size plant from a tiny piece of plant tissue, in a test tube. While this method isn’t practical for most gardeners, it is definitely neat! There are two methods any gardener can easily use: grafting and cloning. WHY D O I NEED A MOTHER PL ANT? To get more plants for your garden. Our need for cloning stems from the gardener’s mantra: bigger, stronger, faster. One of the big reasons for avid gardeners is to retain exact copies of very rare plants. Cloning can even keep your grandmother’s heirloom tomato strain alive for generations to come. It only takes one mother plant to create a whole garden of plants. No waiting for spring to buy plants or for seedlings to mature. Using cloning to sustainably manage your vegetable garden just makes sense. You can make clones of plants that you consume the most of... forever. Cloning is a necessity for some plants. Most of the bananas we eat today are clones! A devastating genetic mutation in the edible varieties made the fruits of the banana plants sterile. In nature this usually means a road to extinction. Savvy farmers propagated the yummy fruit plants, spreading them around the world centuries ago. This process of cutting the ‘suckers’ from the base of a plant in the vegetative stage and cloning them, we still have bananas today. Nor would we have French wine. A set of devastating disease and pest plagues almost wiped out the vines. Cloning via grafting with resistant roots saved France’s vineyards in the 1880s. Obviously, cloning and mother plants are important to know about. Nature has cloned on its own forever. Strawberry plants are a perfect example. The plant will send out a ‘runner’ shoot at the base parallel to the ground. When it reaches fertile soil, it automatically produces roots, forming a new

plant. This allows the mother to search out more fertile ground or better sunlight for her offspring. A mother always wants the best for her children and the strawberry mom is no exception. In your garden, you can aim the runners to root into a pot or a desired spot. After the runners have established roots they can then be cut from the mother plant for sale or replanting. Most plants won’t do this naturally, conveniently creating clones as the strawberry plant will. So it is important to know what to look for when selecting a mom. You will be making exact copies of her so choose the best, strongest looking one you can find. Keep her planted in a pot that’s large enough to hold her root mass. The new fabric pots on the market like smart pots or root pouches are great for mothering purposes. The fabric is a felt-like material and allows air thru the walls, yet it is enough to not allow light in. This pot can prevent root rot and root circling known as being ‘root bound’. Both can stunt or hinder growth at best.

FEED ING YO UR MOTHER Most nutrient product lines have a ‘grow’ formula that, when fed lightly, will work great for your mom. A few examples for this are: Botanicare’s Pure Blend Pro Grow with a liquid N-P-K of (3-2-4), Fox Farms Grow Big (6-44) or General Organics Biothrive Grow (4-3-3). Need a lot of clones? You may want to train a young seedling to be your mother plant, pruning her to promote more branching before taking any cuts. We can do this by

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HORTILIGHT ADVERT

MOTHERING TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SELECTING A MOM” simply trimming the top new growth of the main branches as the plant gets bigger. Remember, less is more when pruning anything! Be sure to make cuts above at least two sets of growth so that when you cut one main stalk, two branches will form from the leaf sets below. You can continue to use this manipulation trick as the mother plant grows until you have enough branches to accommodate your cloning needs. For faster branching, try an extra nutrient boost using a marine algae product such as Nitrozime or Bioweed. These help to create the burst of new shoots at the right time. It can also help with the rooting process, so include it with the week-ofcutting feeding too.

M AK ING G O OD BABIES Cloning is best done in the vegetative stage of growth for almost all plants. You will need to set up a light to provide 18 hours of light for your mom to keep her in that stage (ready) for vegetative propagation. Mother plants need a regular schedule for nutrients and water. Being careful not to overdo it on either. Overfeeding can lock out essential nutrients your mom needs to thrive. Overwatering can cause a multitude of mold, fungus and bug problems. An over flux of food or water in your mom’s system when it comes time to take cuttings can also make rooting more difficult. Giving your mom the right food before cloning her can make a world of difference in the babies. Remember whatever is in her system at the time of cutting will also be in the system of the clone. A good rule of thumb is to cut your normal fertilizer mixing directions in half a week before taking cuttings. Adding a bit of vitamins and hormones to that week’s feeding is also a good idea. A dose of Superthrive is also great for the expectant mother. Follow label directions for mixing. When deciding how much to water take the simple route and touch the growing medium. You want moist media, not wet. If the media dries up between feedings just use plain water to supplement.

TAK ING THE CUT Always start the cutting process with clean equipment and have everything ready to go. You will need a sterile blade or scissors, growing medium or rooting plugs, a rooting hormone to aid in the process and of course your mother plant. Choose a branch for the cutting that includes new growth with at least 2-3 sets of leaves. Cut at a 45 degree angle and quickly get the cut end into the rooting hormone, then push the dipped end down into growing medium. Mist cuttings daily with water to keep them happy until roots begin to form.

THE MOTHER OF INVENTI ON & SPEED Grafting takes the root system of one plant called a ‘rootstock’ and fuses a cutting called a ‘scion’ to the top. The plant created has the genetics of the mother plant and the rootstock will supply the uptake of nutrients through its root system. You can use the grafting technique to get creative, combining different mixes of colors and types of desired crop characteristics of rootstock and cuttings. It can also allow your plants to overcome stress factors like diseases or pests, and even the soil quality of an outdoor garden. Grafting can make your indoor garden more efficient. Grafted vegetable plants can also deliver an earlier harvest and a much longer harvest period. Reproducing ready to bloom plants offers a variety of benefits. Success starts with a healthy, happy mom and knowing when to make the cut. 3

UBERGREEN FARM ABOVE

“ N OT H I N G Q U I T E L I K E I T E X ISTS EL SE WH ER E” Sustainable urban farming hits the roof - literally, and on several levels. In the low income food desert known as the South Bronx, Sky Vegetables is paving the way to greener inner city neighborhoods everywhere. It’s a farm that residents will no doubt look up to for multiple reasons, the most obvious being that the totally closed unit occupies the rooftop of a newly constructed 8-story apartment building.

on the greenhouse project took While urban farms aren’t new to “THE MARRIAGE OF New York City, the Sky site toward 2 years to complete, and started G R E E N B U I L D I N G the north end of the metropolis the first crop in February 2013 TO R O O F TO P isn’t a touring stop. It’s a serious with a first harvest planned for G R E E N H O U S E F A R M ” agricultural operation that will suplate spring. Along the way, Agoaply fresh, locally grown food to the da formed partnerships with a team of highly qualified professionals, each with a distinct neighborhood via harvest boxes through community supset of skills and knowledge to take the fledgling farm from ported agriculture programs, as well as through markets across the Bronx borough. All produce is grown without startup to success in short order. The scientific advisory pesticides or insecticides in greenhouses that will use solar board includes Will Allen from Milwaukee’s Growing Powpower and rainwater harvesting. Unlike many other urban er, and Michael Christian from American Hydroponics. farms across the country, Sky Farm is a totally hydroponic The South Bronx is a place that has distinct cultural groups, each with their own organizations. In forming partnerships operation. with local neighborhood groups, Sky Vegetables ensure Partnerships Are Big At Sky that good food is being made available to people living in Keith Agoada, founder of Sky Vegetables, began planning the blocks surrounding the farm. Plans include hiring and the now functioning rooftop farm in 2009. Construction training from the neighborhood to fill the duties of caring

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

UBERGREEN FARM I GARDEN CULTURE

“SKY VEGETABLES IS PAVING THE WAY TO GREENER INNER CITY NEIGHBOURHOODS EVERYWHERE” for the crops, harvest, distribution and community outreach. Since his initial concept to what is now a reality, Agoada always saw teaching people in the neighborhood how the growing operation ticks as part of his big picture.

Green Innovations Arbor House, that sits beneath Sky Farm, is not your average affordable rent building. Freshly completed by Blue Sea Development, 124-unit housing project is a model in green building and sustainable living for the city, the state, and literally all of the United States. Adding a vegetable farm to the roof is like the icing on the cake. “It is an exciting project,” as Laurie Schoeman, NYC Community Relations Manager for Sky puts it. Nothing quite like it exists elsewhere. Innovation abounds between the marriage of green building to rooftop greenhouse farm. The partnership between

Sky Vegetables and Blue Sea is one to be proud of. For residents, the place is full of healthy lifestyle perks from the living green wall in the foyer to music in the stairways, and on to energy efficiency that will allow them more affordable utility bills. While residents might not be able to access the farm casually, it provides important heating and cooling benefits to their homes. Arbor House is constructed mainly with recycled materials, and was awarded both a Platinum LEEDS certification and NAHB Green certification.

The Crops and Systems Under the direction of master hydro farmer, Joe Schwartz and his assistant Kate Ahearn, winter crops provide the neighborhood with lots of fresh greens, including kale, 5 kinds of lettuce, chard and basil. Warmer weather will bring more sunshine and the crops will change to take ad-

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GARDEN CULTURE I UBERGREEN FARM

Vertical garden in lobby

“ANTICIPATED YIELDS OF 272-362 TONNESS OF LOCAL FRESH PRODUCE ARE EXPECTED EVERY YEAR”

vantage of that, versus the use of grow lights that is needed to supplement on days with less than 6 hours of sunlight. Grow lights are also used for germination to ensure the process is smooth. All growing equipment used in the rooftop farm comes from American Hydroponics. Sky Farm will employ 20 full time and 10 part time workers. They’re using NFT and flood and drain setups for seed germination. Anticipated yields of 272-363 tonnes of local fresh produce are expected every year from the 743 m2 growing space.

Aiming High Sky Farm and Arbor House in the Bronx offers the world a model for sustainable development and building integrated agriculture. On a mission to improve city dweller’s health and nutrition, Sky Vegetables also seeks to help localize the economy, help educate community residents and youth to growing fresh food, create new jobs, as well as promoting healthy eating through community programming.

On a mission to improve city dweller’s nutrition, Sky Vegetables also seeks to help localize the economy, help educate community residents and youth to growing fresh food, create new jobs, as well as promoting healthy eating through community programming For Sky Vegetables, anticipation for germinating that first crop’s seeds spanned years. It’s not the end of new beginnings for this urban agriculture company. They are already busy planning the next Sky Farm. Where it will appear has not been decided, though possible locations exist. One thing you can most likely count on, it won’t grace the top of just any building. The project will no doubt be greener than green. 3

“USING THE SOIL FOOD WEB IS EASY AND MAKE SO MUCH SENSE.”

MEET

AMERICA’S

DIRTIEST LAWYER

62 62

BY TOM ALEXANDER

INTERVIEW I GARDEN CULTURE

Jeff Lowenfels immediately became one of the gurus of the organic gardening world, when his bestselling book, “Teaming With Microbes”, was published in 2006, and he started traveling around the U.S. and Canada giving over a hundred presentations at gardening conferences and meetings on the soil food web and how to keep it healthy. His presentations are a fast mix of useful information and garden comedy. He splits the year living in Anchorage, Alaska and Portland, Oregon. We were together in Kauai, Hawaii on vacation when we sat down for this interview. What was your gardening history while growing up in Scarsdale, N.Y.? Were you organic back then? My family became organic sometime when I was reaching my teen years. Before that we were pretty heavy into spraying the apples and we knew the founder of Miracle Gro so we used that as well for fertilizing the gardens. My Dad met J.R Rodale (founder of Organic Gardening magazine) somewhere along the line. We grew pretty much all of our food so it was a pretty important step. We were big Miracle Gro users, so it was quite a change.

You are a past president of the Garden Writers Association. How have garden writers embraced organic gardening? I can remember a meeting in NYC when the group almost broke up because there was an organic presentation on the agenda. Wow. Bad feelings were everywhere… almost no one was organic! Now it is hard to find anyone who is using chemicals. The group is probably “TEAMING WITH 99% organic. That is quite a change over MICROBES IS ABOUT 20 years. MICROBIOLOGY

AND ITS STORY GETS THE FOOD TO THE PLANT.”

You have been called America’s dirtiest lawyer. How did you get that moniker? I am a practicing lawyer (even licensed to argue before the Supreme Court!.) I have also been writing garden columns and stuff for over 38 years. The combination seemed like a natural one to a couple of my friends and it stuck….soil and law…dirty lawyer. You were once a proponent of chemical gardening. What changed your mind? A great friend, you, sent me a picture of a nematode being eaten by a fungi that is protecting a root with the words, “soil food web.” I read up on it and was sold from the very start. It makes so much sense to let things protect themselves the natural way. Who uses pesticides on those old, old Redwoods?

What are the most important benefits of organic gardening and how do you achieve them? Well, from the plant’s perspective it is better soil. Organics support the life that makes soil structure. You have to have good structure to have healthy plants. From the animal perspective, we are not only poisoning ourselves, our families, our friends and our neighbors. It is pretty simple. There is no question that the industrial chemicals we are sold are full of things we should not be putting on our gardens, let alone on our skin, in our lungs and on the food we eat. While you were President of the Garden Writers Association you started Plant a Row for the Hungry. Tell me more about that. Hey, Plant a Row is a great program. Everyone who has a garden has something that goes to waste. This is a way we can dedicate one or more rows in our gardens to feed those

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INTERVIEW I GARDEN CULTURE

Right: Food crops treated with mychorrhizal fungi showed increased drought resistance

who need the food without the government getting involved. Nothing slips from cup to lip. Gardener’s take their excess to soup kitchens, food banks, places of worship or just to those they know who will appreciate it. Real simple. And, unfortunately, really needed.

“ORGANICS SUPPORT THE LIFE THAT MAKES SOIL STRUCTURE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOOD STRUCTURE TO HAVE HEALTHY PLANTS”

Your book “Teaming with Microbes” and your presentations around the country about the soil food web have changed gardening techniques for hundreds of thousands of people. What have your readers shared with you on how your book and/or presentations changed the way they garden? I am overwhelmed by the comments I get. Some folks literally changed their lives after reading the book and hearing the talks and started soil food web businesses. Hard to believe a book could have that kind of impact. The other day, I had a fellow come up to me at a conference in Springfield, Massachusetts. He flew up from South Africa to hear my talk and to thank me for changing his life four years ago. Now he is a leading organic businessman in his country! Anyhow, once people have the knowledge of what chemicals do to the soil and the soil food web, they instantly get it. Given the tools to change how they do things, and they are off and running. You can tell from their faces and from their questions. Using the Soil Food Web is easy and make so much sense.

Some businesses and several university scientists are critical of aerated compost tea, one of the foundations of creating a healthy soil food web, claiming there are no double blind scientific studies showing it works. Still commercial farmers, golf courses, landscape companies are investing big bucks in using it and doing so with fantastic results. What’s up with these scientists? Show them a good lab experiment and it isn’t good enough. Show them great plants and that isn’t good enough. Well, first of all, it is hard to duplicate things when you use compost as one of the variables because it is so variable. However, I know when I test mine on basil or cilantro, for example, I get demonstrable differences every time. I know farmers who do too. I have read college thesis demonstrating teas work and last month read a fantastic study from the University of Arizona demonstrating that tea worked. Still a certain group just keeps hammering on compost tea. The last study was “no good because it was a lab study, not one done out in the field.” O.K. Don’t use compost tea if you don’t want to. It is one of three or four ways you can restore the soil food web. If you don’t want to use it, there are others! It is curious, however, that so many commercial farmers are successful and continue to use it. That is pretty good proof to me. These folks are not fools and wasting their hard earned money on something that doesn’t work.

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INTERVIEW I GARDEN CULTURE “LOTS OF THE MINERALS NEEDED BY PLANTS, ESPECIALLY THE METALS, ARE CHEMICALLY BOUND TO THE SOIL PARTICLES. MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ARE ABLE TO UNBIND THESE NUTRIENTS”

Cultivating the next generation of organic growers...

Fungi, like these mushrooms, are an essential part of the soil food web

How do mycorrhiza fit into the soil food web? Lots of the minerals needed by plants, especially the metals, are chemically bound to the soil particles. The root comes into contact with them and these nutrients diffuse into the plant root. The area becomes depleted and the plant has to find more. Mycorrhizal fungi are able to unbind these nutrients and are so much smaller than root hairs providing much more surface area contact with the nutrients. They then deliver these nutrients to plant roots. The plant provides the carbon the fungi needs completing the symbiosis. This makes a mycorrhiza, mycorrhizae is the plural… i.e. a root-fungus partnership, made up by mychorrizal fungi and the roots. These fungi also come into contact with water and bring that back to the plant along with some of the nutrients dissolved in it. Your new book, “Teaming with Nutrients,” is due out later this year. The title is obvious but get more into what it is about. Well, “Teaming With Microbes” was about microbiology and its story gets the food to the plant as ultimately it is the plant’s exudates that attract the bacteria and fungi to the roots where they eat and are excreted as plant usable nutrients. (exudates, bacteria and fungi, protozoa and nematodes recycle them in the rhizosphere) but I started to wonder how the food gets into a plant. How do they eat? So, “Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide To Optimizing Plant Nutrition” takes over. Whew, quite a title, huh? It is based on cellular biology, for the most part. You have to have

“IF THEY (GMOS) WERE AS SAFE AS MONSANTO AND OTHERS WANT US TO BELIEVE, THEN WHY WON’T THEY JUST AGREE TO LABELING”

some chemistry and botany and cellular biology to get the full picture… I try and include what is needed and do so in a “light,” understandable fashion. It’s an interesting read which will lead you to some logical conclusions to make you a better and more sustainable gardener. What is your opinion about GMOs? Are they screwing up the environment? What are the dangers of GMOs in your opinion? Well, there is no question that the stuff being used as a result of GMOs, glyphosate mixtures, are harming soil structure and that is not good. It takes a long time to make good soil. If they were as safe as Monsanto and others want us to believe, then why won’t they agree to labeling. My goodness….what else needs to be said? Will there be a third book? A Teaming trilogy? Well, I have one in mind as we speak. You never know. I like the idea of doing a trilogy and becoming “Lord of The Roots” instead of America’s Dirtiest Lawyer! 3

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Soil Techniques in hydroponics “Does a human truly know what a plant WANTS?”

When people are first introduced to hydroponics many marvel at the concept of roots growing in water and the “technology” involved, or the magic of producing yields ten and even twenty times larger per acre than those accomplished in soil. While these are certainly real and relevant ideas, the reality is that a plant is a plant. Even if it was growing on Mars it would still require the same basic requirements provided by Mother Nature. The name of the growing game is how to deliver these most efficiently and effectively. This is best accomplished by considering what the plant wants, not what we want to get out of the plant. Think of it this way, it is one thing to allow a plant to grow, but it’s another entirely to allow your plants to thrive.

BY EVAN FOLDS

SOIL TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“A PLANT IS A PLANT - REQUIRING THE SAME BASIC ELEMENTS EVEN IF YOU’RE GROWING ON MARS”

For instance, as is attested to by anyone who has used them, a basic hydroponic nutrient is sufficient to grow a plant successfully. In other words, it’s designed to provide everything the plant requires to grow, which amounts to anywhere from 15-17 elements, depending on who you ask. Now let’s ask ourselves a question. There are over 90 Earth-bound elements on the periodic table, so why would Mother Nature make an element not needed in the garden? Think about that. Does a human truly know what a plant wants? The fact is that using natural and “organic” products allow people to use a wider variety of elemental nutrition unconsciously without choosing to bring these materials to the table because they are diverse by Nature. This is the basis for the generally accepted concept that hydroponics delivers higher yields, but “organics” brings a higher quality. There is truth to this idea. But it is also true that you can get the best of both worlds. In order to express these ideas fully it helps to have a clear delineation of soil growing versus hydroponic growing. In the simplest terms, hydroponic gardening is an emphasis on growing the plant, while growing in soil is a focus on growing the soil, or more directly, growing microorganisms. Microbes are beneficial to plants directly through making perfect plant food and helping them eat it, as well as indirectly by acting as a preventive measure towards root and foliar disease and pest infestations. It is an apt analogy to compare the living organisms that make up the soil food web to that of the ocean food web. Microscopic organism activity supports the entire ecosystem of the ocean, such as photosynthetic bacteria or plankton. In general terms, the big fish eats the small fish and all survive by attaining biological balance. The strength of the system is in the diversity and the magic is found, not in a single component, but in the symbiosis and synergy of the web of life.

The same is true in the soil. Microorganisms, or microbes, are the plankton of the soil food web. Up to 50% of the food plants make for themselves in photosynthesis is actually fed through its roots as an exudate to attract microbes. There is an intelligence to this system, and take note that this teamwork is generally absent from a conventional hydroponic system offering only 15-17 elements and water. Thinking about these systems properly is very important. In fact, it is the very act of treating soil environments like hydroponic applications that cause so many of the issues we experience on our farms and in our residential landscapes. Artificial products do not feed microbes. And microbes make plant food, people don’t. Given this understanding, the trick is in how to get microbes and the natural processes of Nature to support the yield enhancing benefits of hydroponic applications. One of the best ways to do this is using living compost tea. Compost tea is the act of growing microbes using diverse food and mineral sources within aerated water. The result is microbiological reproduction and the perfect plant food being created. While many choose to maintain “cleanliness”, in all reality considering the above arguments, the most important place to use compost tea is in a hydroponic system. For instance, budget fertilizers contain maybe 7-8 total elements, a hydroponic fertilizer maybe 17, but a good compost tea recipe contains over 90 elements. Not only are there more elements, but they are more available and there are more forms of them. Nature makes isotopes, or different forms of the same element. Never heard of it? Look it up. So there’s the total number of elements and the form potential of those elements, but let’s take it one step further. The different elements actually work together to produce superior results in the garden. That’s right. It’s accepted knowledge in good agronomy that, for example, you want manganese at ½ of iron, or

gardenculture.net

“THERE ARE OVER 90 EARTH-BOUND ELEMENTS ON THE PERIODIC TABLE, SO WHY WOULD MOTHER NATURE MAKE AN ELEMENT NOT NEEDED IN THE GARDEN? BASIC HYDROPONIC NUTRIENTS HAVE ONLY 15-17 ELEMENTS” that zinc is 1/10th of phosphorous in order for plants to have adequate access to these elements. In other words, certain elements unlock others in proper ratios. The idea is not to figure all of this out, it is arguable if that is even possible. But one thing is for sure, if you don’t put all the players on the field... your team will not win as many games.

elemental connection

The above illustration illustrates this. The fertilizer solution constantly aerates the roots from the bottom as they grow into the solution.

The diagram on the right is not proof of anything. It was put together by many people through many anecdotal experiences. And it is only scratching the surface. But most of the important information cannot be measured directly. Such is life. Regardless, it provides a window into the complexity and potential of balanced growing with natural potential and hopefully challenges the grower to think outside of the box of good enough. We need to start asking ourselves what we’re missing before all we are left with are empty genetically modified plants. But that’s another article. (Note - A smilie was here) Even one step further, it is important to consider elemental diversity from a plants perspective, but it may even be more important to consider it from a microbes perspective. Microbes create and use enzymes to do their work and every element on the period table has an enzyme potential. It’s called a co-factor, meaning the specific element defines the enzyme and acts as a backbone, so to speak. So in a very real sense, without all elements in your garden it’s like hiring microbes to build a house and giving them only half the tools.

Compost tea can, and should be, used in every garden. Water culture hydroponics is a technique most vulnerable to root disease because the roots are constantly submerged in the reservoir solution.

The organisms that cause common rooting diseases are always present in a hydroponic reservoir in the same way that mold grows when a room is humid. Again, it is weak plants and inferior conditions that allow them to express themselves. This grower had some browning roots that were limp and looked disease prone (pic at left). The roots were not yet rotten, but slime coated and the plant growth was limping along. root slime

Once the severely damaged roots were removed, and compost tea was added to the reservoir, BOOM, the fresh new white roots are popping out like crazy. The picture to the right shows the difference only 48 hours after adding compost tea to the reservoir.

no slime left!

SOIL TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“UP TO 50% OF THE FOOD PLANTS MAKE IS ACTUALLY EXUDED THROUGH ITS ROOTS TO ATTRACT MICROBES” Below is 72 hours after adding compost tea to the reservoir with images of two more plants that were in the same system. All of them have pearly white roots exploding from the root system. The above images are the middle plant below.

WITHOUT Compost Tea Pearly white root system after 72 hours with compost tea Here is another side-by-side from a customer using compost tea in hydroponics. In the image to the left you see rooting before adding compost tea. The image to the right shows the same plant 48 hours after adding it.

before addition of compost tea

after 48 hours with compost tea

Following is a side-by-side we did in-house in an ebb & flow hydroponic system. They were grown next to each other in separate systems. The plant on the left was the control and grown with a base hydroponic fertilizer and water. The plant on the right received 1 cup per gallon of compost tea with the same base hydroponic fertilizer. The results speak for themselves.

WITH Compost Tea

Many already use hybrid approaches using “soilless” mixes containing peat moss or coir fiber. They cost less and are a suitable for making custom mixes. They are also more suitable for establishing healthy microbiological activity. And if you’re wondering. Don’t be concerned about killing microbes with artificial hydroponic nutrients. You’re not helping them, but microbes are extremely resilient and, generally speaking, if you are not harming plants with the salt toxicity you are not hurting the microbes. Besides, microbes actually act as a clearing solution. Most hydroponic growers tell themselves that living compost tea solutions will “contaminate” or “gunk up” their systems with bioslimes and all sorts of other scary things, when, in fact, the opposite is true. Use compost tea at a 1:20 ratio on reservoir changes and you will have the cleanest reservoir you’ve ever seen. Try it. Just goes to show that sometimes life is not as it seems. Consider the perspective that the first thing that we should know is that we don’t. The humility in this approach is where real progress is made. Happy growing. 3

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(self irrigating planter)

“THIS TECHNIQUE IS ALSO KNOWN AS PASSIVE HYDROPONICS” The problem with standard containers and planters is the you must pour lots of water in through the top to get good consistent moisture to all the roots. Potting mix has sharp drainage to protect roots from rot, so you have very low moisture retention as all unabsorbed moisture quickly exits at the bottom. This is great on automated irrigation. At home, it results in plants enjoying a heavy drink, getting parched, binge again existence... and the cycle continues for the length of their life. Not only is this a huge waste of water, it throws your plants off-balance. First they’re lovin’ life. Next they’re battling stress. Then it’s back to living large again when you come by with the watering can. You know what this kind of constant mood and energy swing does to you. Imagine what it does to plants and their ability to grow food! PLANTS AREN’T MADE FOR CONTAINERS autopot

Container growing any plant means being super vigilant in staying on top of your watering. Let it get too dry and you have foliar damage at best. This situation can maim or kill even a rugged plant quickly under the midday sun outdoors. Inside a building won’t make parched potting mix any friendlier. In fact, it’s much more critical. Modern homes and offices are climate controlled, free of dew and rainfall. With a SIP system, or self irrigating planter, you can still enjoy just picked delicious produce at a far lower cost. You’ll also use way less water and none of it is wasted. The bonus with these growing systems is that you have greatly reduced your risk of crop loss because you forgot to water.

BY TAMMY CLAYTON

SIP GARDENING I GARDEN CULTURE EARTHBOX SHOOL GARDEN

homemade set-up

You can also go away for a week and not come home to dead plants. The biggest benefit might be that your harvest will ripen more quickly than in a traditional summer garden and with a higher yield. Here’s the really cool part. You can grow totally organic food this way - indoors or outside. SIP gardens are perfect for an empty corner, a windowsill, rooftop gardens, patios, balconies, classrooms, greenhouses and even your office. For best results indoors, do plan on using full sun intensity grow lights.

HOW DOES THIS WORK? Any self watering planting system will hold a great deal of water in a reservoir with a storage capacity ranging from one to many gallons. Some are battery operated drip systems and others use natural gravity, water pressure and a specially designed container. An important note about inexpensive automated drip systems. Your tap water could cause problems with valve functioning. Claber makes one you’ll find easy to find that can water 20 plants for 40 days, but the reviews are anything but glowing. Why bother if it’s not reliable? Gravity is free and far less prone to issues. Plants know exactly how to make this system work. The simplest form of self irrigating system uses what is known as wicking or capillary action. This has long been used for starting

“WITH A SIP SYSTEM, OR SELF IRRIGATING PLANTER... ENJOY JUST PICKED DELICIOUS PRODUCE AT A FAR LOWER COST. YOU’LL ALSO USE WAY LESS WATER AND NONE OF IT WILL BE WASTED”

seeds. Here your containers sit on an absorbent mat with ends that drop over a riser stand to draw water from the pan below. In a seed starting tray like this, a clear plastic dome keeps moisture from simply evaporating and disappearing too quickly. Self watering growing systems today also enclose the water tray and reservoir for this same reason. Old fashioned methods of wicking into containers used cotton rope to pull water from the reservoir into the container where the media and roots could do their thing. Technology and advanced knowledge has improved this technique of low maintenance growing. Some SIP systems still use a wick, others use the wicking action naturally present in soil or moisture holding media. Water is heavy, but with proper aeration, any of it stored below is drawn up into the substrate easily without a wick. That is what capillary action is all about. When fine tunnels are available in the soil or potting mix, water can defy gravity and rise. Your plants make full use of it where it counts most - at the root zone. A huge reduction in water use and foliar issues from overhead watering. You can increase your water conservation with the use of lightweight sheet mulch covering the surface of the growing media. Additionally, these techniques allow fruits and veggies grown anywhere with minimal labor while delivering high yields in a very compact space.

HOW DO I GET ONE? You can buy ready to use systems online, at local garden centres and hydro shops. What you can grow this way runs the full gamut. There are shallow planters perfect for herbs and greens to those large enough to grow sweet corn and full-sized tomato plants. Plant a mixed mini plot in a single container, or a whole garden of goodness growing in several containers at once.

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Professional Odour Eliminator

Unrivalled odour elimination for just 4p per hour The Neutralizer requires minimal energy consumption and offers 6 weeks of round the clock, odour free cultivation, providing you with a cost effective aroma neutralising solution for your grow room. (Replacement cartridges available). The blend of natural oil based ingredients used in The Neutralizer effectively diffuses unwanted aromas from 375 cubic metres area within an hour of activation.

The Neutralizer – Small on stature. Big on impact

Complete Kit

£99.95 Replacement Cartridge

£39.95

www.theneutralizer.eu Made and Designed in Spain

SIP GARDENING I GARDEN CULTURE

BR ANDS TO INVESTIGATE

“CONTAINER GROWING ANY PLANT MEANS BEING SUPER VIGILANT IN STAYING ON TOP OF YOUR WATERING”

All of these function without timers or power, though you do need electricity for grow lights for reliable indoor gardening. If the SIP system has a pump, it operates using gravity triggered by water level when needed. This technique is also known as passive hydroponics.

EarthBox • • • • • •

• • • •

STRAPPED FOR CASH?

Window box styling; 2 sizes & 3 colors Fill your own or purchase a full kit Organic kit available Accessories & supplies available Priced from £17 More info and dealer location: www.earthbox.com

Lucheza •

EarthBox

Gorgeous individual pots for discerning indoor gardeners Priced from £12 Supplies & accessories available Visual reservoir level monitor Stacking systems available

Lucheza

Autopot Easy 2 Grow • • • • • • • • •

Gravity triggered pump Passive hydroponics Natural capillary activity Reservoir feeds & waters up to 4 weeks 2 pot system kit with reservoir Used in homes and commercial growing Expandable system with 1-2 pot trays Larger reservoirs available Priced from £44

autopot

WHICH IS BETTER?

Quadgrow and Octogrow (by Nutriculture)

• • • • • • •

Gravity fed passive hydroponics 4 pot or 8 pot system, doubles available Slim & square footprint options Capillary action via Smart Strips Easily expandable system Quad: Priced from £43 Octo: Priced from £85

You can build your own SIP planters. Check out these great plans that could cost as little as £4 to complete here: http://www. seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf. Practice some savvy repurposing or recycling, and you might do it for less. If you’re new to growing food, the DIY directions YOU CAN on that web page BUY SIP explains what you PLANTERS OR need once you’ve BUILD YOUR got your planter OWN built. There are also winterization tips if gardening solely outdoors, but you can grow indoors and outdoors with one unit - depending on the season. A note about building your own. Look for plastic tubs that are safe, like recyclable symbol 5 on the bottom, which identifies food grade polypropylene construction.

quadgrow slim

Factory produced systems are probably much more durable and they are the closest thing to a plug and play SIP garden possible. If you’re not real handy and can afford them, buying a ready made gardening system might be your key to success. 3

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All images courtesy of EZCLONE, INC (http://www.ezclone.com/)

“Pamper your cuttings”

Embr ace t he Awesome

Power of Air If you’ve got the need for speed let go of your dirt and water! Aeroponics, cultivating plants in an air or mist environment without a growing medium. Aeroponics often uses misting nozzles to create a humid environment that roots thrive in.

Cuttings are ideal for aeroponic systems because the roots grow much faster than in growing medium and they are less prone to diseases because the roots are in air instead of lying in growing substrates that provide a habitat for pathogens. Cuttings rooted in aeroponics are ideal for transplanting into hydroponic and soil based growing systems. Often, many growers use aeroponic rooting machines like the EZ-CLONE aeroponic cloning machine or they may create their own system from a plastic storage bin and spare plumbing parts from their local hydroponic retailer.

“Cuttings are ideal for aeroponic systems because the roots grow much faster...”

Here are the some simple steps to use a rooting machine to turn your fresh cuttings into a rooting extravaganza!

STEP 1. Fill ‘er up! Fill your machine with room temperature water. You might be inclined to throw some nutrients into the water at this stage, but your cuttings will not uptake the nutrients because they lack roots. As you begin to notice roots, you can gradually add nutrients to feed your cuttings. It’s recommended to use non organic mineral based nutrients over organic nutrients because the plant can immediately absorb the nutrients. There are numerous nutrient mixes on the market designed for rooting cuttings. Look for nutrient products with phosphorus to encourage the growth of your roots. Try to get you’re your EC between 0.4 and 0.6.

STEP 2. Environment Controls Pamper your cuttings with an ideal temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius and try to keep the highest temperature to below 29 degrees to reduce stress. The nutrient solution should stay between 26.6 and 29 degrees. Keep an eye on the submerged pumps, air vents, and placement on appliances, or strong sunlight that could vary the temperature of the nutrient solution.

BY BEN GREENE

CUTTINGS I GARDEN CULTURE

“Use non organic mineral based nutrients”

: “If you’ve got the need for speed let go of your dirt and water!”

STEP 5. Go Forth and Grow! STEP 3. Light it up! Cuttings require much less light than they will need during later stages of their life. Avoid intense light and direct sunlight as it distracts the plants from rooting. Window sills are fine, but growers prefer the control of 55 watt T5 fluorescent lights placed 30-38 cm above the cuttings. The lights should stay on for 18-24 hours a day for maximum growth.

STEP 4. Place your cuttings into the aeroponic machine Many aeroponic machines use neoprene foam inserts. Ensure that your foam inserts are clean and free from debris to prevent disease. You should insert the cuttings into the slit in the foam, allowing 2” of the stem to dangle into the misting chamber. Only bare stems should be placed in the misting chamber.

Expect the leaves on your cutting to wilt slightly for a few hours while they are becoming adjusted to their new environment. If the cuttings continue to wilt, mist the leaves with water. If it looks like you may lose a couple of cuttings after the first 24 hours, go ahead and create a replacement for those. You should begin to see white roots forming on the cuttings by day 3. At this stage you can begin to add your nutrient solution. Keep an eye on the machine and ensure that your nozzles don’t clog, this is very important, because extended periods of dry air will lead to a quick death for your cuttings! On day 7, you should notice a proliferation of roots forming. This is just the beginning! Give your cutting 4 more days to develop its root system and mature into its own plant. Root hair formation is a sure sign that your cuttings are ready to transplant. If you’re not in a hurry to plant, your plants can survive for weeks in the aeroponic machine. Go forth and grow! 3

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A NT E E

UA R AN

UMBER

EURO

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TO BETTER TA S T I N G V E G E TA B L E S â&#x20AC;&#x153;These (cooking) methods preserve nutrients, provide great flavor, a nice crunch and does not cook it to baby food hell. â&#x20AC;?

BY BRIAN BURK

TASTY VEGETABLES I GARDEN CULTURE

Attention all home growers! Did you know there are ways to make your vegetables taste better than they already do? What if I was to tell you this way only involves some rapidly boiled water, a couple of bowls, a strainer and about the same amount of time it will take you to read this article? It sounds crazy, I know, but bear with me for your own benefit. What if I told you these methods would preserve nutrients, provide great flavor, a nice crunch and won’t involve any genetic “enhancements?” Oh what is this wondrous witchcraft I’m spouting, you may ask? It’s called blanching and steaming. It may sound familiar. It may sound like it’s a myth. But it is real. So what is the difference between blanching and steaming? How can I do this myself without a trained chef? Well that’s where I come in. Blanching is a process of flash cooking and cooling. You take a pot of rapidly boiling water and add a bit of salt. Put your fresh veggies in (cutting off stems and cleaning beforehand). Cook for around two to no more than five minutes (depending on the veggie toughness factor; broccoli takes longer than green beans, etc.), and then immediately transfer to an ice water bath for about thirty seconds. That’s it! So why should you do this few minutes of labor? I recently visited a small, family owned dining establishment in Lancaster, CA. While I was there I spoke to head chef and manager of Barones on the Blvd, Thomas Powers. According to chef Powers, blanching is reserved for vegetables with a cell structure that will break down when overcooked. Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and squashes he says. When you overcook these types of veggies, they turn to mush in a pale shade of what was. But, chef Powers says, if you blanch, you preserve the crunchy bite, the lush color and best of all, the nutrients. Blanching does quick cook the fresh veggie, but does not cook it to baby food hell.

STEAMING IS A METHOD OF USING HIGH HEAT... THE VEGGIES GO ABOVE THE WATER

But wait! Don’t leave your love seat just yet. All this talk about blanching may have made you jump up and go on a food adventure. Yet we haven’t even touched the other way to make crunchy, nutrient rich veggies, steaming. Instead of asking a professional chef for steaming advice, I instead went to my local resident expert and parent, Lucy Burk. My mother has been cooking veggies and local foods for years. She has worked in various restaurants as well as feeding my well for eighteen years of my life. I don’t know a better cook. When I asked her about what steaming is, she stated, “Steaming is a method of using high heat (to boil water) to steam the vegetables without making them wilt.” Just like blanching, this method preserves flavor and nutrients. This method is quicker, because you don’t need the ice bath step. But, you may lose some color. Any vegetable can be preserved this way. All you need to do is get a boiling pot

gardenculture.net

TASTY VEGETABLES I GARDEN CULTURE of water on your stove. Add a bit of salt for flavor. Once the water is boiling, put your veggies in a good strainer and place it on the top of the pot. The veggies should be ABOVE the water, not soaked in it. Vegetables that are more dense may take about four or five minutes to steam. Veggies that are less dense could take around two or three minutes to cook. Again, like blanching, this method preserves flavor and texture. Now there are some differences between blanching and steaming. Blanching can preserve the color more than steaming will, but you may lose some nutrients since the vegetables are being fully immersed in the boiling water. Steaming may cause some loss of color, but will keep more of the nutritional benefit. Serving time wise, blanching is better if you’re planning on serving a bit later in the day or the next day. Steaming, on the other hand, may be better if you’re planning on serving your fresh vegetables right after the steaming process.

D E

Down to Earth Kent Ltd

“TOO MUCH COOKING WILL RESULT IN MUSHY LUMPS OF LOST NUTRITION” When you look at it side by side, you can’t go wrong either way. Blanching or steaming will get you great results as long as you don’t cook the vegetables too long. Too much cooking, with either method, will result in mushy lumps of lost nutrition that you couldn’t pick up with a fork. Also, make sure you clean and cut off all the non-edibles BEFORE you do either method. So you have your home garden, try something new. When you have that party, or friends come over for some dinner, or maybe you’re making some food for yourself and you want some great healthy flavor, try one of these methods. Go ahead. Get up and do it. 3

Tel: +44 (0) 1223 610021 Tel: +44 (0) 1223 500633

Email: info@downtoearthkentltd.org.uk Website: www.downtoearthkent.co.uk

Looking at Air (Climate Techniques) When all of the beverage from a drinking cup has been imbibed, it is considered to be “empty”, and admittedly that definition tends to work as far as drinking needs go in gardening. It is sometimes helpful to remember that it is not empty at all, but

“PLANTS GROWN IN STILL AIR TEND TO HAVE MORE PROBLEMS”

rather full to the brim with air.

In a natural setting such as a meadow; an ocean of air washes over and though the plant life. Waves of air push away excess humidity and oxygen, and they carry carbon dioxide in. When a plant is removed from its native habitat, the natural sources of light, rain, and wind are lost, and the gardener becomes responsible for meeting the environmental needs of the plant. Indoor gardeners take their plants away from the wind, and fans or other environmental measures are used to replace it. Plants grown in still air tend to have more problems with molds, insects, and disease. Moving air from fans helps to keep moisture from collecting and encouraging mold spore growth. Fans can also help remove excess heat, to help defend against heat loving spider mites. Indoor gardens tend to have more trouble with heat than cold. This makes sense if you consider you are adding energy into a closed room in the form of electricity, which converts into light and heat by the lighting fixtures. The plants absorb and use some of that energy,

but the rest can cause heat buildup if the amount of heat generated by the equipment is higher than the amount of heat removed from the room. Hot air is just high energy air, and by removing it close to the heat source, you can pull the energy out of the garden before it transfers much of its heat to the surrounding air. To lower the garden temperature to growing temperatures it is more efficient to vent off the hottest air than it is to try to dilute it with cold air. Since lights are likely your largest source of waste heat in the garden, they are one of the biggest climate concerns. Whenever possible, keep the ballast outside of the garden proper. As part of their functioning, ballasts generate a fair amount of waste heat, and any heat you can avoid putting into the garden is heat you don’t have to worry about dealing with. Tents in particular should have the ballasts located outside of the garden environment.

BY GRUBBYCUP

CLIMATE TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“THE “EMPTY” SPACE AROUND US ISN’T ALL THAT EMPTY. ATMOSPHERIC GASES LIKE OXYGEN, CARBON DIOXIDE, AND WATER VAPOR ARE ALL TRANSPARENT TO OUR EYES”

Two 400 cfm fans would again clear the air once a minute, and so on. Read the listed cfm on the box, but keep in mind that fans are usually rated while under a very low load, so any ducting can reduce cfm dramatically.

Using sealed and vented hoods are a way to remove the waste heat from bulbs quickly and efficiently. A fan and ducting brings cooler outside air to the hood, then across the bulb, where it captures heat, before being sent out of the garden. Ideally this creates a closed path for outside air to pass through the garden and return without mixing with the air in the garden room itself. The total amount of air moved is small, and concentrated around the heat source, so you’ve dealt with much of the heat before it spreads. When designing ducting layouts, keep in mind that wide turns are better than sharp turns, and that unwanted hot air rises. If a passive air vent is required to replace vented air (depending on how airtight the garden is), the incoming air needs to be taken from cooler air from the outside of the garden and located opposite to the exhaust vent. To calculate how many cubic feet per minute of ventilation you need, start with calculating the size of the garden in cubic feet. You do this by multiplying the height, length, and width of the room. A 2.4x3x3m room would make for 8 m2 of garden space. A single 800 cfm fan would move the room’s area air mass every minute, and a 400 cfm fan would do the same every two minutes.

Since the lights are usually the largest source of waste heat in the garden, when you’ve dealt with, then controlling the temperatures in the rest of the garden usually becomes a lot simpler. If hot air is collecting in a particular area of the room, try to vent it off. Although more expensive initially, using solar-powered fans to give an extra boost during the hottest part of the day without adding to the electric bill. If the garden still needs more cooling, bring in cooler outside air or air-conditioned cold air. One of the reasons that the temperature around the lights is so important, is that the cooler the lights are, the closer you can get them to the plants. Since light is broadcast across an area; a plant at 30 cm away from the light source receives 4 times as much light energy than one at 60 cm. Ideally, you want the tops of the plants in the “sweet spot” where they are close enough to the light to grow well, without being so close to the light that the heat damages them. Fortunately, with a couple reasonably priced meters, it is easy to find exactly how far away the “sweet spot” for plant growth is. The two devices you need are a light meter (£13-£65) and a quick acting digital indoor thermometer (£7-£13). Put the temperature sensor next to the light sensor, and hold them below the light. Ideal temperatures are between 21-29C so raise and lower the sensors until you find the place where it reads 26C, and check to make sure the light levels are at least 25,000 lux (in general, more is better). That is as close to the light as the tops

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CLIMATE TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE

“AN OCEAN OF AIR WASHES OVER AND THOUGH THE PLANT LIFE”

“WAVES OF AIR PUSH AWAY EXCESS HUMIDITY AND OXYGEN, AND THEY CARRY CARBON DIOXIDE IN” of your plants should get. Then lower the meter until the light level drops to 20,000 lux or so, that is about the bottom of the “sweet spot” where unblocked light is still strong enough that it’s useful. By using this pair of meters, it becomes very clear that having the light cool enough placed reasonably close to the tops of the plants that has a strong benefit in the amount of light available to the plants. Bright sunlight is about 100,000 lux and free, which is why even partial natural lighting can often be cost-effective. Aside from transporting excess heat out of the garden, air circulation is also important for evaporation and available carbon dioxide (CO2). Evaporation in a garden is important to remove stray droplets of moisture that may collect. This moisture, if left unchecked, can encourage unwanted mold and bacterial growth. Mold does not grow as well in low humidity, so one of the first steps to treat a mold issue in an indoor garden is to increase air circulation (although you must do so with care and not to spread the pathogen in the process). Excessive evaporation however, indicates low humidity, which can attract dreaded pests. Too low of a humidity level can lead to spider mites and too high leads to molds. If the garden is kept between these two extremes, things tend to go a lot smoother. If a problem with one or the other arises, change the environment to disfavor the pathogen. Mist spider-mites regularly, and let areas of mold outbreaks dry out a bit more than usual. Photosynthesis in plants requires light and heat energy, water and carbon dioxide (CO2). Chlorophyll collects light in leaves. Plants use part of this energy to split water molecules into free oxygen gas (O2), and hydrogen (H). The hydrogen is then bonded with carbon dioxide

(CO2) to form the sugars the plant can use to grow. If light and water are already present in sufficient quantities, then you can increase the heat slightly as carbon dioxide levels will raise. Without air movement this process can result in the plants sitting in a cloud of oxygen and not receiving enough carbon dioxide. CO2 is naturally occurring in fresh air, but it is also sometimes added to the garden environment artificially. In the garden, CO2 is usually generated by chemical reaction, combustion, biological reaction, or slowly released from pressurized tanks. My preference is for the gardener, who is as much a part of the system as anything else, to spend time in the garden, and contribute their breath to the system. If you think that your garden isn’t getting enough CO2 , consider bringing a friend in and do some heavy breathing together. Human beings are fairly large animals, and generate quite a bit of carbon dioxide when exercising, just make sure there is enough fresh air to be healthy for the humans involved. The “empty” space around us isn’t all that empty. Atmospheric gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor are all transparent to our eyes, and therefore easy to forget, but these gases in the proper amounts are important for proper plant health and growth. We live in an ocean of air, complete with currents, flow, and volume. By giving plants the fresh air and airflow they need, not only will the plants be happier, but it can help keep molds and moisture loving fungus gnats at bay. 3

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