Hey, Chat GPT, write me a 300-word intro on how technology is great and not great at the same time, particularly regarding indoor gardening.” That would have been too easy and probably not as authentic as writing this myself. But is that where technology is taking us?
In the article “Growing with AI in the Garden,” Haley Nagasaki asks, “How far is too far? What dictates overreliance, and how could AI dependency ultimately lead to catastrophe? On the contrary, how much time could be saved, and what menial tasks should operators be relieved of while increasing precision and mitigating human error?”
Technology isn’t only about AI. Lighting has always been a rapidly evolving element in the garden, from MH, HPS (single-ended / double-ended), plasma, CMH, and finally, the market-disrupting LED. Everest Fernandez delves into the subject in “LED Grow Lights: Past, Present, and Future.” If you want fantastic tips on creating the perfect environment, you will be glad to read “LEDs and the Sealed Cultivation Environment.”
Advances in chemistry are a form of technology we often forget. In “What is a Rockwool Microbiome?” co-writers Jeff Hayward and Colin Bell, PhD, ask if Rockwool is a lifeless, sterile substrate for plants to anchor their roots. The answer is a resounding NO—a great read by two intelligent guys.
If you want excellent hands-on gardening advice, check out Dustan Mclean’s “The Early Topping Technique.” Sometimes, all the technology you need is a good pair of scissors!
Remember to take a break from our electronic lives as often as possible. Get your hands dirty. If it is winter, go to your grow room and be with your plants. For all of you who do not have an indoor garden, what are you waiting for?
For those of you reading this in its paper form, thank you for going analog. But next time you are online, come say hi on IG!
Happy gardening! 3
Special thanks to:
Anne Gibson, Catherine Sherriffs, Chad Rigby, Eric Coulombe & ChatGBT, Cosmic Knot, David Sandelman, Dustan McLean, Everest Fernandez, Haley Nagasaki, Jeff Hayward & Dr. Colin Bell PhD, Jennifer Cole, and Xavi Kief.
Garden Culture is published six times a year, both in print and online.
@GardenCulture @GardenCulture
@GardenCultureMagazine @Garden_Culture
DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS
• Hydrofarm
• HortUS
• pHive.8
• Central Coast Garden Products
All
• Biofloral
• Autopot USA
• Hydrofarm Canada
• Quality Wholesale
• Left Coast Wholesale
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from 325 Media Inc.
Author Spotlight
Dustan
McLean
II like having technology in my rooms because it gives me and the staff more time to work with the plants directly.
f there’s someone who understands medicinal plants and technology, it’s Dustan McLean. Dustan has dedicated much of his life to plants and has a deep-rooted passion for using tech to fine-tune the growing process. With 30 years of experience, he’s worked as the head of cultivation for several companies and is recognized across Canada for his work. Dustan is always looking to learn and has participated in several plant projects, including developing drought-resistant varieties. Now, it’s our turn to learn more about him!
How did you decide to get into growing?
Honestly, I decided to begin growing because I didn’t want to pay the high prices prevalent in the 90s. So, I acquired some seeds and learned how to grow properly through books and magazines.
What’s your favorite plant to grow?
Cannabis is my favorite plant to cultivate. My favorite cultivar would have to be Blue Cherry Pie (Blue Gelato 41 x Cherry Pie), a cross I created in 2020 with my mentor, Ron Herrington. I also love growing orchids! There are so many beautiful varieties, and that specific plant has taught me the importance of patience. Some orchids only bloom once or twice a year — and that wait can be tough — but once they do, the payoff of their beauty is well worth the wait.
What excites you most about the future of cannabis growing?
When it comes to the future of cannabis cultivation, I’m most excited about the technology and research we can now do because of legalization in so many parts of North America (especially Canada). Technology and AI are going to have massive impacts on the industry, especially when it comes to helping lower costs and the industry’s overall environmental footprint.
You love to incorporate technology into your growing regime; how come?
I like having technology in my rooms because it gives me and the staff more time to work with the plants directly. Technology can help me understand how the grow spaces are performing environmentally and allow me to make necessary adjustments earlier based on real-time data. This helps keep costs in line and production at a premium.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, drumming and driving my 55 Chevy when possible. It’s important to have fun outside of the gardens, too.
What’s
your favorite food?
My favorite food — without a doubt — is fresh sushi. I’m a sucker for a good spicy tuna roll! 3
Are you interested in writing for Garden Culture Magazine?
We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email introducing yourself with a sample of your work editor@gardenculturemagazine.com
Research proves that the Cool Cure is a breakthrough system that can increase your terpene retention by more than 15% by reducing trichome damage. No more stress and guesswork, just consistent, repeatable, high-quality results.
If you’re ready to take control of the post-harvest process, a Cannatrol System is your next step.
Grow excellence with ATAMI’s Bloombastic and Rokzbastic
Bloombastic and Rokzbastic are two flowering products that support the plant’s generative phase thanks to their high concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, and other trace elements.
Although they share certain characteristics, they were each designed to meet different needs. Rokzbastic supports superior flower compaction thanks to its high potassium concentration, while Bloombastic will maximize flower production and stimulate the onset of flowering thanks to its balanced potassium/phosphorus ratio.
Visit Atami.com/Bastics for more information about this powerful combination!
AROYA GO
Discover Biobizz
Bio·Heaven
Maximize your plant’s potential with Bio·Heaven, a metabolic stimulator providing abundance, taste, and incredible aromas.
Bio·Heaven is an organic booster that supports crops during their most challenging stages. Its carefully formulated composition makes it particularly effective during delicate or high-intensity moments. This product contains Free Amino Acids (FAAs), the building blocks of proteins.These amino acids can exist independently or bond to form peptides and proteins.
Additionally, Bio·Heaven stimulates the production of enzymes. It accelerates the synthesis of acids, fostering a continuous micro-life cycle that is essential during rapid growth and flowering stages.The transformative effects of this booster quickly become apparent and can often be
How will you know if you’ve created the right environment for a great harvest? AROYA GO puts the same sensors and software used by the world’s most successful farms into the hands (and the tents) of anyone with a passion for indoor cultivation. AROYA GO collects and organizes all of the atmospheric and substrate data you’ll need to guide your grow to a mind-melting harvest. Automatically. With 60 days of historical data stored in the platform, it’s easy to remember and replicate your most effective cultivation techniques, harvest after harvest.
Ask for AROYA GO at your local grow shop. Available commercially from Quality Horticulture.
Check out qualityhort.com for more information.
MARKETpLACE Quest 335 Dehumidifier
The Quest 335 dehumidifier is designed for commercial and industrial spaces with heavy moisture loads, like indoor agriculture. Its advanced refrigeration system, powered by Quest’s patented M-CoRR Technology, features a patented multi-coil design that extracts 345 pints of water from the air every 24 hours (at 80°F and 60% humidity) with an impressive efficiency of 8.5 pints/kWh. Additionally, its MERV-13 filtration captures harmful particulates, including pollen, mold, and bacteria, creating a cleaner and healthier environment for your delicate plants.
Ask for the Quest 335 dehumidifier at your local grow shop. Available commercially from Quality Horticulture.
Learn more: qualityhort.com
Cyco Supa Stiky 0.6-3-2 provides plant food that can enhance essential oil production in plants. Grab a bottle. Add it to your regular feeding program at 1-2 tsp (4-10ml) per gallon. When you see the viscous, resinous results, you won’t be able to let go.
Seriously Sticky.
CANNA COCO FLEX
Featuring high-quality, pre-washed coco pith in a recyclable, expandable grow bag, CANNA COCO FLEX is designed for commercial efficiency. Each block has two pre-drilled irrigation holes for optimal moisture management. Available in 1-gallon and 2-gallon sizes, these compressed coco blocks expand easily, saving space and time while delivering CANNA’s trusted performance.
Check out CANNA.com for more information.
TerpLoc® Tote Liners are ideal for takedown during the harvest and post-harvest curing and storage. Whether you’re storing large, intact branches, collecting bulk trim material, or curing a whole crop, TerpLoc® Liners bring their benefits to any commercial scale. Simply replace existing plant-touching liners in drums, totes, or bins with TerpLoc® Liners or add to unlined containers for product protection and process efficiency.The 27-gallon tote liners are now 2” wider than before, ensuring universal fitment across different tote brands.
curing solutions.
277–
1,200
PINTS PER DAY
Anden Steam Humidifiers put you in control of your grow environment. You get maximum moisture, VPD, and on-board control, and remote monitoring capabilities to make it all intuitive.
AutoPot AQUAvalve
The AutoPot AQUAvalve offers an innovative approach to plant-driven automated watering, enabling plants to control their feeding regimen without pumps, timers, or electricity. Functioning entirely via gravity, the AQUAvalve releases water and nutrients only when the plant has used up what’s in its tray, letting the plants determine the timing and amount of hydration. This means each AQUAvalve provides exactly what the plant needs, exactly when it needs it, preventing over-or-under-watering by putting the plants in control. Ideal for growers aiming for simplicity and self-sustaining setups, the AQUAvalve’s smart, gravity-fed design makes it perfect for hands-off, efficient automation.
Check out AutoPot-usa.com for the many uses of the system and more.
Super Fresh Vacuum Seal Bags
Super Fresh Vacuum Seal Bags are designed for cultivators, perfect for preserving harvests of all sizes.They ensure long-lasting freshness and protection, keeping your harvest safe and potent.
• Made with BPA-free, food-safe materials for safe storage
• Available in 3 Mil or 4.5 Mil thickness for reliable preservation
• Pre-cut or in a roll, they are compatible with most vacuum sealers
• Metallic, transparent, and clear/black varieties for easy identification and discreet storage
• Perfect for preserving the quality of harvest materials
• Ensures prolonged freshness of your botanicals and edibles
Visit LeftCoastWholesale.com for more info.
Eagle Protect® Visible 6mil Nitrile Gloves
A top-selling glove with unmatched durability, the Eagle Protect Visible Nitrile Glove provides the strength needed to withstand snagging on plants and stems during processing and drying, as well as the demands of sanitation. Eagle Visible nitrile gloves are a 6mil industrial thickness for improved strength and tear resistance. These premium quality, fully textured nitrile gloves provide the wearer with added grip and are ideal gloves for tough industrial jobs and those requiring chemical resistance.
Ask for Eagle Protect Visible 6mil Nitrile Gloves at your local grow shop. Available commercially from Quality Horticulture.
Goto qualityhort.com for more.
HEAVY 16 Professional Plant Nutrients
Laboratory-formulated, handcrafted, and field-proven, HEAVY 16 Professional Plant Nutrients are the preferred choice for elite growers nationwide. Powerful and practical, HEAVY 16 excels by simply applying complex products to produce commercial yields of artisan-quality crops.
HEAVY 16 is designed for use in any media and environment.The regimen’s hallmarks are superior ingredients, fewer bottles, and easy reservoir maintenance. Quality is the signature of the HEAVY 16 grower.
Learn more at Heavy16.com
Specialized Predator Mite Solutions
Spidex (Phytoseiulus persimilis), Spical (Neoseiulus californicus), or a combination of the two are highly versatile and effective in almost all situations. Phytoseiulus persimilis, found in Spidex Vital, Spidex Red, and Spidex Boost, is a type 1 specialized predator mite adapted to hunting in heavy webbing. It also has the highest numeric response to spider mites. Unlike other predatory mites, the Phytoseiulus persimilis does not require specialized plant hairs to lay eggs on, so it can reproduce on plants lacking these hairs, like cannabis or many ornamentals.
Check out this article from Koppert.ca to learn how to choose the right predator:
Their best-selling general use glove, the Eagle Protect Derma² Nitrile Glove provides the durability needed for a wide variety of tasks, including cultivation, trimming, kitchens and lab work. Eagle Derma² nitrile gloves are exceptionally soft and lightweight (3mil), yet durable and strong, ideal for multipurpose use and precision and tactile work. They are LOW DERMA™ enhanced nitrile gloves for sensitive skin and for glove wearers prone to skin allergies and irritation.
Ask for the Eagle Protect® Derma² 3mil Nitrile Gloves at your local grow shop. Available commercially from Quality Horticulture.
Visit qualityhort.com for more great products for your grow.
EDITOR’S PICK
Bluelab
Ihave used soil and water testing products from almost every company throughout my growing career. Although I have nothing negative to say about them, my experiences with Bluelab have been so positive.
A good friend inspired me to start growing indoors 22 years ago. Like many new growers, I followed my friend’s recipe, used the same products, and had the same results. He gifted me his old Truncheon. I used it for over 15 years without fail until one tragic day when it mysteriously disappeared.
I used several different products for the next couple of years; they all worked until they didn’t, and I didn’t love any of them. About four years ago, I got the Bluelab Guardian. Getting excited about water-measuring equipment is weird for most people, but this product has been exceptionally good. Like the excellent grower I am, testing and calibrating my equipment is vital to my success. I would check my Guardian every week, then every month. After the first year of use, it still did not need to be calibrated. I still calibrate it monthly, but it never needs it. I am now a big fan of the leave-in-your-reservoir monitors. I like quick access to my water’s pH, EC and temperature. And now I have another Bluelab product to love—the Bluelab Onepen. To be fair, I have only had it for a couple of months, but its robust design, silicon cap, and Bluetooth connection to the Edenic app allow for real-time sharing, updates, and comprehensive data management.
If you are not using water measuring equipment or are in the market for new equipment, Bluelab products are great value for
Bluelab Guardian
Bluelab Onepen
Dialing in the Dry and Cure
Process: Understanding Water Activity & Vapor Pressure
For many home growers, post-harvest is a mysterious process. Many of us are only now ‘coming out of the shadows’, so we have depended on knowledge passed down through the community. This has served us pretty well, but now that we can do fundamental research out in the open, we are starting to learn more about the nuances of this process and how we can apply science at the home grow level. Applying good science will help us all improve the consistency and quality of our flower at every harvest.
Applying good science will help us all improve the consistency and quality of our flower at every harvest
Dr. Allison Justice at The Cannabis Research Coalition has produced some new research on the science of drying and curing. It focuses on stabilizing vapor pressure in the environment and targeting water activity levels to achieve significantly higher levels of terpene retention.
So, what is water activity, and why does it matter?
Water activity is the measure of bound water in cannabis flower. The flower holds a lot of water at harvest, something we call ‘high vapor pressure’. When we put that flower in an environment with lower vapor pressure, the water will naturally migrate out of the bud. We don’t want to remove too much water because that can over-dry the flower and damage the precious trichomes. A water activity level of 0.6aw is the perfect target. At this level, it is scientifically proven that mold, yeast, and bacteria can’t grow - not only in cannabis but also in food and pharmaceuticals.
Another measure used by growers is the percentage of water content, but it is a fundamentally flawed metric because it simply measures the percentage of total water in the product. When we sell products by volume (think firewood and hay), per cent moisture is an excellent measure. Still, with cannabis, food, and pharmaceuticals, we are interested in maximizing weight and minimizing the ability for microbes to grow.
How does all this relate to vapor pressure?
Maintaining the vapor pressure in the environment is vital to maxing out the terpenes and cannabinoids in your harvest. When we use traditional methods like air conditioners and dehumidifiers, the vapor pressure in the environment moves up and down as the equipment cycles. So, while we are trying to maintain a 60/60 environment, the equipment is cycling on and off, changing the vapor pressure. The research at The Cannabis Coalition demonstrates that this constant shift in vapor pressure can rupture the trichome, releasing valuable volatiles. Controlling temperature and dew point separately allows us to maintain stable vapor pressure and consistently create the ideal environment. New technologies are available to help both home and commercial growers with this process.
When we have a stable vapor pressure, we eliminate over-drying, and the flower can be held in the same space for long periods without damage. This eliminates the burping process and reduces the amount of handling. While many home growers have dialed in their process, many need help with post-harvest. Keeping tight control and understanding the physics of drying and curing is the best way to simplify what has always been the most challenging part of growing. 3
Keeping tight control and understanding the physics of drying and curing is the best way to simplify what has always been the most challenging part of growing
BIO David Sandelman is the inventor of Vaportrol technology and Chief Technology Officer at Cannatrol. He holds 21 patents worldwide related to heating, cooling and vapor pressure control.
BY EVEREST FERNANDEZ
LEDs and the Sealed Cultivation Environment and the Sealed Cultivation Environment
LEDs
A sealed growing environment gives you unparalleled control over growing conditions
More and more growers are moving from running ventilated to sealed grow rooms. Has this trend been catalyzed by the widespread adoption of LED grow lights? Everest Fernandez explores the reasons behind this ‘growing’ phenomenon and shares some time-honored tips for making the transition to sealed cultivation environments as smooth as possible.
“Plug in a grow light, and you’re plugging in a problem.”
Believe it or not, this curmudgeonly advice was dispensed to me by a manufacturer of high pressure sodium (HPS) grow lights! (I should add that this pre-dates even the earliest ‘blurple’ LEDs.) My mentor had long been aware of the pros and cons of HPS grow lights and didn’t pull any punches about their limitations. While HPS produces an impressive red-rich light with plenty of angular intensity, these old-school fixtures generate considerable heat via conduction, convection, and radiant (infrared).
The answer for most HPS growers back in the day was air exchange—serious air exchange! Indoor cultivators invested in 8”, 10”, or even 12” inline extraction fans and ducted all that hot air away. Moreover, these huge (and often noisy) extractors would often work in tandem with slightly smaller input fans to completely replace the air in the cultivation space, typically once every one to three minutes.
Heat was our primary bogeyman back in the HPS era. Indoor growers avoided high air temperatures at all costs. If your grow room’s daytime highs started to creep into the 80s (say, 28°C or more), trouble wasn’t far away. These high air temperatures and the radiant heat emitted from the HPS lamps would send vapor pressure deficits (VPD) rocketing. This, in turn, would quickly lead to nutrient toxicities, stunted plant development, and massively degraded crop quality. Secondary metabolites were vaporized in the heat!
Ventilation killed three birds with one stone. Sure, our industrial air exchange solutions valiantly tackled the HPS heat monster head-on, but they also helped to moderate humidity levels and replenish carbon dioxide to atmospheric norms. Growers in warmer climates often chose to run their HPS and metal halide (MH) lamps in huge, cumbersome air-cooled hoods, using additional inline extraction fans to blow air constantly across their lamps during operation. This helped to remove the hot air as close to its source as possible. Still, it also reduced light output by 5% or more, and the spectral quality of metal halide lamps was markedly degraded by air-cooling, too—the cooler lamp temperature made their overall output ‘greener’—not the most efficient type of light for photosynthesis!
Suffice it to say that my mentor wasn’t far wrong. But growing in a ‘sealed room’? Surely, that was for the pros who didn’t mind plugging in chunky air conditioners and waving their checkbooks at the attendant power bill.
Why Sealed Rooms?
A sealed growing environment gives you unparalleled control over growing conditions. Unlike in ventilated spaces where you’re constantly battling the whims of external weather, a sealed environment is a true indoor sanctuary where you truly set the rules. You combat your three grow room environment foes directly: Carbon dioxide generators ensure that CO2 levels are two- or three-times atmospheric levels, turbocharging growth rates. Air-conditioning tackles high air temperatures and performs some dehumidification. And dedicated dehumidifiers can deal with the humidity head-on, regardless of the air temperature.
Meanwhile, the advent of full spectrum LED grow lights means growers can produce more photons per watt, enjoy a broader spectrum, longer lifespan, and a lower cost of ownership over HPS. But the devil is in the details! Some of those LED efficiencies came at a price. It turns out that all that infrared radiation from HPS lamps was kind of useful for increasing the internal temperature of leaves and driving the metabolism of your plants. LEDs emit next to no infrared directly from their diodes, so indoor growers run their LED grow rooms at higher air temperatures to compensate. Now, the low 80s Fahrenheit (28 - 30°C) isn’t beyond the max, it’s the target!
High-efficiency air conditioning units, specifically designed to handle the unique requirements of a grow room, are a must for sealed indoor grow rooms
So, what’s the big deal? LED grow rooms run a little warmer! But here’s the kicker. Try ventilating your LED grow room in the old style, and you risk air temperatures falling too low—especially in the winter months. Dial down your extraction fans to guard that precious heat and high humidity rears its ugly head. Plug in a dehumidifier, and you’re still running the risk of depleted carbon dioxide!
Air Quality:
Breathing Life into a Sealed Environment
Running a carbon filter as a scrubber in a sealed room environment is still a good idea. It not only helps to minimize any unwanted odors from your garden but also helps keep the air clean. The only difference is that the clean air is circulated within your grow room, not exhausted out.
Temperature Control: More Than Just Hot and Cold
High-efficiency air conditioning units, specifically designed to handle the unique requirements of a grow room, are a must for sealed indoor grow rooms. Grow room-ready air conditioners have specially adapted condenser units that operate more efficiently in cold weather. They need to operate 24/7, offering programmable settings to adjust the temperature according to various stages of plant growth. Choose a reversible AC unit capable of heating your grow room, too. Also, it’s wise to have a backup. In the worst-case scenario where your primary system fails, a secondary unit could save your entire crop.
Humidity Management
Plants transpire upwards of 90% of the water they consume. That’s right—over 90% of the water you feed your plants ends up back in the air! Suffice it to say, a room full of heavily trans-
piring plants will quickly become a fungal-rich swamp unless you counter the humidity. Commercial-grade dehumidifiers are your primary tool for reducing humidity. These machines are designed to work in tandem with the sealed environment, often with features that allow them to operate more efficiently in a closed system.
Top tip: Choose a dehumidifier that doesn’t require manual switching on in case of a power outage!
Dehumidifiers are typically rated in terms of the maximum amount of moisture they can remove from the atmosphere. This can be specified in PPD (pints per day) or LPH (liters per hour). To determine what size dehumidifier you need, you simply need to match it (at minimum!) with the volume of water your plants drink. So, if your plants drink 24 liters per day, you’ll need a dehumidifier capable of removing a liter per hour. If you’re unsure how much water your plants drink, multiply your canopy area (in meters squared) by seven. If you’re more of a feet and inches person, we’ll have a moment’s silence, and then solemnly give you an alternative formula: your dehumidifier’s PPD rating should be equal to or more than the square footage of your canopy. 160 square feet of canopy = 160 PPD of dehumidification power (minimum!).
In some instances, such as early vegetative growth, when your plants aren’t transpiring much, you may need to add moisture back into the environment. Evaporative humidifiers can introduce humidity without significantly affecting the room’s temperature.
A sealed environment allows you the luxury of elevated CO2 levels, a crucial factor in improving yield. But elevated doesn’t mean unlimited
CO2: The Invisible Building Block
A sealed environment allows you the luxury of elevated CO2 levels, a crucial factor in improving yield. But elevated doesn’t mean unlimited. Too much CO2 can be as harmful as too little. CO2 generators and pressurized tanks offer different advantages and drawbacks. Generators produce CO2 by burning propane or natural gas, making them more suitable for large-scale operations. Pressurized tanks are simpler but require regular monitoring to prevent depletion.
Monitoring is vital. The placement of CO2 sensors around the room, especially at the canopy height, will give you the most accurate readings, enabling you to fine-tune your delivery systems accordingly. Most indoor growers aim for 1200 – 1800 PPM CO2
One Final Note:
A Sealed Room Isn’t Actually … Sealed…
This one catches out a lot of new sealed-room growers. You still need to ventilate your “sealed” room—so don’t be blocking up those duct holes just yet! When your lights go out, you will need to perform what is glamorously referred to as a “dump”. Most indoor growers stop supplementing CO2 an hour before lights out. Then, when the lights finally switch off for the night cycle, a pair of dedicated inline extraction fans perform an air exchange, replacing your grow room’s air with “regular air”. This is important for the respiration phase. Growers who omit this step report yellowing on plants and stunted growth.
Converting from a ventilated to a sealed cultivation environment is a significant but rewarding challenge. It offers a level of control that’s virtually impossible to achieve in a non-sealed setting. With modern technology and a thorough understanding of plant physiology and environmental variables, you can create an ecosystem where your plants don’t just survive; they thrive. 3
Everest Fernandez is a well-respected industry educator, veteran hydroponic grower and grow light enthusiast, based in France. He works primarily as a marketing and cultivation consultant and was the founding editor of Urban Garden Magazine in the UK, US and Canada. He also writes and researches for the popular hobby horticulturalist YouTube channel, Just4Growers.
With modern technology and a thorough understanding of plant physiology and environmental variables, you can create an ecosystem where your plants don’t just survive; they thrive
Designed to Grow
Stone Wool Using Stone Wool Media in your Grow Room
Stone wool growing media can help cultivators enhance crop yield, improve quality, and achieve a more consistent product. Stone wool offers many advantages, including superior uniformity, cleanliness, and the potential for precision growing. However, it must be implemented effectively when transitioning from coco or peat-based substrates.
Key Features in Substrate Design
Irrigation Efficiency helps the grower steer the crop using a 24-hour water content (WC) graph. This allows them to create strategies to maintain a desired WC percentage, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and steer the crop generatively/vegetatively.
WC Uniformity over the height of the block ensures even WC and EC.
WC steering range —The ability to control the WC allows the grower a better range to steer the crop, maintaining a larger area of active root zone and giving the plant more space to colonize with roots.
Things to make sure your facility/garden is equipped with:
Irrigation System
Precision irrigation is the ability to deliver a specific volume of water directly to the plant roots, allowing cultivators to apply various schedules to the crop at different times in the crop cycle. As a result, many irrigation events can take place over the day. A system capable of this is crucial, as an active climate leads to increased nutrient solution consumption by the plant, which must be replenished regularly. To help growers, Grodan created a 24-hour water cycle to help visualize what an irrigation strategy in stone wool should look like:
The chart below shows the “day dynamic” for irrigation. It shows how the Water Content (WC) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) behave in the root zone daily.
• Period 1 (P1) is the time from first irrigation until first drain. It occurs after lights have come on (or the sun has come up) and the plants have begun transpiring. Transpiration before irrigation is an important rule in this period. Several irrigations should be applied to build up the water content until the point of the first drain.
• P2 takes place when first drain occurs and concludes with the final irrigation event. This period is the drain and water content maintenance phase. During P2, several drain events may be achieved to refresh the nutrient balance and control the substrate EC.
• P3 is the dry-back period of the day. This period will begin after the final irrigation event of the day. The irrigation stop time in, in combination with the start time in the subsequent day’s P1, is used to manage and control the total dry-back during the night-time period. Larger P3 dry-backs will offer plants a generative cue, while smaller P3 dry-backs will create more vegetative balance.
Golden rule:
“transpiration before irrigation’
Flow Rate
When using stone wool media, your system must use the correct flow rate (0.33-0.5GPH) pressure-compensated emitters. A few visual cues indicate a high flow rate in the root zone. When the proper flow rate is applied, the roots remain with the substrate. You will see extensive root colonization throughout the block/slab. When a high flow rate is applied, you will notice that the roots tend to grow along the length of the table.
If growers use higher flow rate emitters, they will encounter issues rehydrating the blocks during P1. They may notice that their WC percentage stops rising and plateaus, triggering an early drain known as “False Drain.”
If the flow rate is too high for the stone wool, it will not be able to absorb the applied nutrient solution efficiently. This causes the irrigation solution to find the path of least resistance and channel directly through the product. The direct channeling prevents adequate refreshment of the EC, causing it to rise. The nutrient solution must be absorbed to help refresh the substrate and stabilize the EC.
Batch Injection Vs Direct Injection
The two main types of automated fertigation are batch injection and in-line/direct injection. Batch injection will use a mixing tank to make the recipe as needed or multiple batch tanks that can only hold one recipe at a time. In-line (direct injection) fertigation uses dosers and injection units to mix the nutrient and water ratio as needed, delivering this nutrient solution directly to the plants. Depending on the facility’s square footage and number of rooms for various phases of the crop cycle, growers will pick the injection method that makes the most sense. Both can be used effectively with stone wool media.
Stone wool offers many advantages, including superior uniformity, cleanliness, and the potential for precision growing
Root Zone Data
When growers do not use sensors for root zone visibility in the facility, it hinders overall success and affects the repeatability of harvests. Sensors like GroSens, for instance, give the grower a more granular view of the substrate and allow for exact irrigation strategies to be deployed. Root zone sensors take away the guessing game, with real-time data aiding in your decision-making about when to irrigate.
With stone wool substrate, growers can reduce their overall fertilizer and water usage and recirculate the nutrients in systems that allow it. Over-applying nutrient solutions will influence your bottom line. Creating precise irrigation strategies will enable the grower to give the plant what it needs when it needs it.
Visit grodan101.com for more learning. 3
BIO Chad is a Crop Specialist for Grodan. He attended the University of Guelph for his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology, minoring in Plant Sciences. Chad’s passion is assisting growers in crop optimization through crop steering and precision growing. His work has taught him how to cultivate plants in various settings (Indoor and greenhouse). With this knowledge, he helps growers implement irrigation strategies and strive for continuous improvement.
BY JEFF HAYWARD AND DR. COLIN BELL, PHD
What is a Rockwool Microbiome?
If you ask a microbiologist if Rockwool is a sterile growing media, the answer would be ‘NO’ 100% of the time. We know because we are microbiologists and have studied this topic in detail.
Many growers conceptualize a spectrum of growing management practices, from sterile Rockwool conditions on one end to living soil (organics) at the other. We argue that this concept is not entirely accurate. So, is Rockwool a lifeless, sterile substrate for plants to anchor their roots, or is there more to the story?
PLANTS AND MICROBES COEXIST IN THE ROCKWOOL SYSTEM
Why do growers use Rockwool?
Rockwool is a manufactured product made from molten rock that has been melted, spun into fibers, and then formed into blocks or slabs to use as a cultivation substrate. Growers use Rockwool because it has significant advantages as a growing media:
If you ask a micro-biologist if Rockwool is a sterile growing media, the answer would be ‘NO’ 100% of the time
• Rockwool is consistent, with little variability between the blocks and slabs.
• Due to the extreme heat in the manufacturing process, Rockwool is thought to prevent or kill pests, harmful microorganisms or viral pathogens.
• Rockwool is structurally inert, with no nutrient exchange capacity, a relatively neutral pH, and a very high water porosity percentage, making it an ideal substrate for precision irrigation techniques like crop steering.
Historically, Rockwool growers have used synthetic nutrients and followed some form of sterile growing practices by adding chemical disinfectants to their irrigation programs throughout the plant growth cycle to emulate a sterile media management practice. Therefore, it is unsurprising that many presume these systems to be sterile.
Although Rockwool growing media arrives sterile off the production line, researchers have found that hydroponic cultivation systems using Rockwool only remain sterile for a short time. As plants grow in Rockwool, they develop an increasingly complex root zone microbiome throughout the crop cycle. We generally discuss these processes in terms of natural, soil-based ecosystems or coco or peat-based soilless growing media. We see a similar process across all substrates. It can be hard to see how these natural processes apply to Rockwool and other hydroponic systems. But, as it turns out, plants and microbes coexist in the Rockwool system.
Microbial UbiquityBusting the Myth of Sterile Growing
It is helpful to introduce a fundamental concept to environmental microbiology called ubiquity. Ubiquity simply states that microbes are everywhere—they are omnipresent—and the environment selects them. Microbes are in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, on our skin, and inside our bodies. Of course, this is also true for plants.
Teaching microbiology in the college classroom for over a decade, we used to give students a swab and ask them to take a sample from anywhere - a door knob, their phone, the floor, wall, etc. We have asked the same of growers who assumed their systems were sterile. First, a sample of the fertigation solution or runoff from the growing media is taken. We introduce it to a media Petri dish and observe a surprising variety of microbes colonizing it within days. Microbes are ubiquitous and can be found everywhere, including in our cultivation facilities. The second part, environmental selection, suggests that although microbes are everywhere, the environment selects for the dominant success of different microbial species. Various environmental parameters can influence and favor certain microbial species over others. If we apply this to a cultivation facility, this suggests that growing media, moisture, temperature, pH, EC, and plants themselves will all have an impact on which microbes persist in the root zone. In a Rockwool garden, the ability of microbes to survive disinfectants like hypochlorous acid is also a critical selection pressure.
WHAT IS MYCORRHIZA?
Symbiosis between fungi (myco-) and plant roots (-rhiza)
Assists 90% of plant species
Exists for 400 million years, known for 150 years, extensive research over 50 years
Effectively extends (10-100X) plant root system
Obligate mycotroph plants, require mycorrhizae to grow optimally
Rarely found in commercial growing media
a unique blend of mycorrhizae, Mycorrhizae Helper Bacteria (MHB), and biostimulants - supports plants throughout the entire growth cycle. With mycorrhizae underpinning your rhizosphere, beneficial bacteria availing nutrients for your plants, and bio-stimulants enhancing growth, DYNOMYCO Spark gives your plants a head start with ongoing benefits.
HIGH CONCENTRATION = FASTER INOCULATION AND POTENCY
3600 endomycorrhizal propagules/g
Beneficial bacteria including Mycorrhizae Helper Bacteria (MHB)
Growth enhancers & biostimulants
THE DYNOMYCO® DIFFERENCE
BEST OF BREED
World's leader in Mycorrhizal production
Decades of R&D
DYNOMYCO Spark's unique wettable powder formula is easy to use. It is designed for use as a drench or in irrigation systems with a filter size greater than 250μm (less than 60 mesh).
Consider using microbes to your benefit
Microbial groups that cannot survive in these conditions will be eliminated, while those that can survive are left to establish colonies and dominate the system. Many microbial groups—including beneficial microbes and plant pathogens—are well known to persist in disinfectants. So, despite our best efforts, it is impossible for horticultural systems ever to be sterile. It only takes a small fraction of the millions of ubiquitous microbes floating around our environment to colonize the root zone and create a substrate environment teeming with microscopic life.
Given the advantages that microbes offer to support plant success, is sterility a good goal?
Now, let’s consider the impact of plants, specifically root exudates. Root exudates are organic compounds that living plant roots continuously release into the soil and substrate. Evolutionarily, plants started doing this hundreds of millions of years ago because they learned they were more successful (more reproductive growth) by supplying root exudates into their rhizosphere to support root-microbe activity. Root exudates account for up to 40% of the plant’s photosynthetic activity, indicating that plants are very committed to encouraging the proliferation of microbes in the rhizosphere. This suggests that the plant is working against sterile growing practices. It should be no surprise that sterile conditions do not exist in horticultural systems.
Nonetheless, research shows Rockwool exhibits far less microbial diversity than organic systems. Rockwool media tends to be heavily dominated by bacteria because, unlike soil, it does not come into the garden with various microbes. Researchers also note, however, that the Rockwool microbiome tends to become more complex over time with steadily increasing microbial biomass and diversity across the crop cycle as the plants in the system work to develop microbial communities within the rhizosphere.
BIOS
Jeff Hayward is the Organic Mechanic at MiiM Horticulture. A farmer at heart, he has experienced the industry’s ups and downs for nearly two decades and remains passionate about indoor and outdoor cultivation.
Consider using microbes to your benefit. Several compelling reasons exist for taking a biological approach in Rockwool cultivation, such as augmenting the media with functionally targeted microbial consortia. First, supplementing the root zone with an effective biocontrol microbe can mitigate risk. Certain targeted microbes can play an essential role in biocontrol by suppressing pathogenic organisms and pests. This may be especially important early in the crop cycle when the natural microbiome is only beginning to establish. Young plants are often vulnerable and susceptible to pathogens. Planting them into a growing media with beneficial microbes can offer the bioprotection that disinfectants cannot provide.
Microbes can also enhance root development and plant growth through biochemical signaling and naturally occurring growth-promoting hormones. This is a significant benefit that is often overlooked. In our experience, Rockwool growers see dramatic benefits in using microbes during the early rooting growth stages. During the later plant growth stages, some beneficial microbes have been shown to activate the plant’s systemic immune system, enhancing trichome density and resin production. This induced systemic immune response triggers the plant’s secondary metabolite production.
Lastly, new research shows that certain microbial strains promote prolonged freshness and shelf life in the final harvest. This is hypothesized to occur because of improved calcium uptake in the later plant growth stages, although more research is needed to further substantiate the precise mode of action.
A Rockwool cultivation system is much less sterile than many have portrayed or perceived. Given the advantages that microbes offer to support plant success, is sterility a good goal? 3
Colin Bell is VP of US Business Development at MIIM Horticulture. He has worked as a PhD Research Scientist in Federal and Academic institutions for years. He builds businesses, develops products, and grows brands for indoor cultivation. Reach out: colin@miimhort.com
IIncreasing Flower Production in a Shorter Amount of Time
n December 2020, my business partner handed me a research paper sent to her from a grower/researcher in Quebec named Sylvain Gaudreau. I had no idea how much of an impact Sylvain and his work would have on me and my approach to propagation in commercial growing facilities. The paper, ‘Early Topping: An Alternative to Standard Topping in Cannabis Production,’ was about a propagation technique that augments a crop’s yield.
Topping Plants
In commercial cultivation, cannabis is typically propagated through cuttings – a process known as cloning. Many producers use techniques like topping or ‘fimming’ to stimulate the growth of axillary shoots, which increases the number of flowers per plant and, consequently, the overall yield. Topping or fimming is usually done after the cuttings have been in rooting media for about two weeks.
Sylvain and his team tested a new approach to boost shoot development per plant. This method involves topping the mother plant(s) before taking cuttings for cloning, with the cuttings collected one week after the topping. This modification results in faster development of the axillary shoots and reduces the time from cutting to harvest by 7-10 days. This new method requires only minor adjustments to the existing workflow and yields similar results to the standard topping procedure – but it shortens production time by nearly two weeks because the plantlets do not need to recover after topping. This approach leads to faster growth and improved overall productivity.
How Does It Work?
Since the technique is being performed on the mother plant(s), there is a much larger and more robust root system to work with. Within that system lies all of the growth hormones. Topping/fimming stimulates the plant’s survival mechanism.
The Early Topping Technique
With the mother in a panicked state, the plant takes all of those growth hormones and distributes them throughout the plant – this creates new apexes to replace what has been removed. Here’s where the genius of Mother Nature comes in – the plant won’t create just one apex, but multiple apex shoots to ensure its survival. With the mother plant growing under stable and favorable conditions – and not in the wild – all new growth will survive, resulting in cuts with multiple apex clones that are charged with more growth hormones than conventionally taken clones.
How Does This Help?
This technique gives the grower pre-topped clones that will have multiple apexes. This eliminates the need for topping once the plantlet leaves propagate, saving the operation 7-10 days of production per crop and a faster time to flipping/kicking the plants into flower. This technique increases yield, gives better uniformity to the canopy, and, most importantly, faster cloning time –which has been the most exciting aspect of early topping (for me!). The cuttings seem to root much quicker than traditionally taken clones. We saw ‘fish bones’ (the start of rooting) within 3-5 days, and our clones were ready for transplant in 10 days, which helped increase our production and the number of crops we could grow in a calendar year.
This approach leads to faster growth and improved overall productivity
A Widespread Approach
In the years following Sylvain’s research, it has been discovered that the technique works on most plants that produce flowers. The tobacco industry uses it, as do marigolds (a paper is currently being written on this). The Early Topping Technique is being performed on hemp plants used to scrub the soil around the Joseph V. Stalin nuclear power plant.
In China, cultivating small peas in a vertical growing environment using prolonged periods of light in conjunction with ETT has increased yield tenfold. The Chinese researchers growing the peas published a paper based on their findings and Sylvain’s work.
The Vatican has even downloaded Sylvain’s paper to their horticulture archives for further research. As of the writing of this article, the paper has been downloaded 100,000 times in 102 countries. It has also been tested on over 3000 cultivars with a 100% success rate and has been proven to work commercially in numerous agricultural operations.
As a grower, I want the highest product quality and yield. The Early Topping Technique gives my operations the best chance at achieving those goals. I can’t thank Sylvain enough for his research and time teaching my team about it. If you’d like to read the study, please see the link:
rebrand.ly/toppingstudy 3
Topping or fimming is usually done after the cuttings have been in rooting media for about two weeks
BIO
With 30 years of cannabis cultivation experience, Dustan has dedicated a good portion of his life to medicinal plants. He was a founding partner and Head of Cultivation/Master Grower for Parkland Flower Inc. He is now the Head of Cultivation and Master Grower for Big League Cultivation in Alberta, Canada. He provides incredible genetics to Canadian producers and selected flower and concentrates for the international market. He is also a cultivation consultant with Chief Grow Officer Consulting. He is currently working on several projects, including developing a cultivar to help with opioid addiction and a drought-resistant variety.
App There’s An
Technology is improving the lives of small-scale farmers worldwide, downloading apps to their phones and other devices to manage their land and increase productivity.
At Sliabh Bearnagh Organic Farm in Ireland, Sara Cory has a challenging job managing a small herd of goats, often with minds of their own [1]. Life on the ten-acre farm is filled with the sounds of bleating animals and a stream of daily tasks. Anything that makes her days easier is appreciated.
It turns out there’s an app for that! In the 21st century, technology has permeated all areas of life, and farming is no exception. Along with robotically controlled tractors and other farm equipment, apps specifically designed for use on farms are being embraced as the new administrative farm hand.
“The app has really helped me organize tasks and visualize how I’m using the land, thanks to the map,” Cory says.
Many apps do so much more than keeping calendars up to date. They are designed with sustainability and the environment in mind.
The global food system drives biodiversity loss, with agriculture alone threatening 24,000 of the 28,000 species at risk of extinction [2]. At the same time, according to the United Nations, the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to approximately 828 million in 2021 [3]. It paints a dire picture demanding better ecological use of farmland and farming practices that are not only sustainable but globally productive.
This was the force behind the LiteFarm app Cory uses [4]
Sustainability
For years, Dr. Zia Mehrabi witnessed a widespread gap between farmers’ need to plan and measure sustainability and the digital infrastructure available. In 2016, he proposed a concept for “custom-built farm management software” to a group of researchers at the Center for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) [5]. This is where LiteFarm was created by a team of scientists, farmers, and software developers.
Sara Cory from Sliabh Bearnagh Organic Farm
“It is designed to help individual farmers with their day-today operations and the wider farming community through identification of solutions for better farm management practices and outcomes,” says David Trapp, LiteFarm’s farmer success lead.
Downloadable for free to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, farmers set up virtual farms and input basic information about their operations. From there, they can map their land in real time, choosing from a catalog of over 375 crops and scheduling tasks like sowing, irrigation, and harvesting. The app is handy for farmers pursuing organic certification, as it provides space to upload and store critical documentation such as receipts, seed purchases, and soil analyzes. Doing so allows farmers to track expenses and monitor profits and losses. Cory uploads all of her receipts to the app, which helps keep her financially on track.
Since becoming available in 2020, LiteFarm has accrued 2,000 uses in Canada and the United States. Trapp says there is a total usage of 6,000 spread across 155 counties, including Julia Margarita Martínez and Marlon Esau González, farmers in El Salvador. The app reminds them of farm tasks such as applying bokashi organic fertilizer, which must be done every three months.
INTRODUCING
home growers.
• Consistently Run 10C Cooler than Leading Brands
• Switch Between Veg and Flower Spectrum
• Daisy-Chain up to 4 Units Together (Cables Included)
•
• 5-year Warranty Supported by American Team
INTRODUCING
tent designed to grow plants anywhere indoors year-round.
• 200 lbs max weight capacity
• All-Steel Design and Framework
• 1680D Light-Proof Oxford Fabric
•
Julia Margarita Martínez and Marlon Esau González, farmers in El Salvador.
spread across 155 counties, including Julia Margarita Martínez and Marlon Esau González, farmers in El Salvador
“This has helped improve soil quality and tree health, as we are now able to fertilize regularly and consistently, “the couple says. “Without control, fertilization is done when there is time, and the dates are [inconsistent].”
Balance
Of course, LiteFarm is not the only farm management app. Farmers have a myriad of choices.
The Soil Health Institute in North Carolina is a nonprofit organization on a mission to safeguard and enhance soil vitality and productivity. They have developed Slakes [6]. Soil is the essence of life for farmers, and stable soils better resist wind and water erosion and are better at capturing and storing water. Slakes uses a smartphone camera to take pictures of wet soil aggregates and can gauge soil stability and health.
Digital Green is a not-for-profit global development organization that, since 2023, has offered Farmer. Chat – a free downloadable app designed to help small-scale farmers improve their productivity [7][8]
Primarily used in India and Africa, one of the app’s features allows conversational questions using voice, text, or images to overcome digital literacy barriers.
Downloadable for free to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, farmers set up virtual farms and input basic information about
SLAKES >
The app is handy for farmers pursuing organic certification, as it provides space to upload and store critical documentation such as receipts, seed purchases, and soil analyzes
Limitations?
Are there limitations to what an app can do? This question was partly answered by a 2021 study conducted in southwest B.C. on the effective use of digital agricultural tools on food loss at the farm level [8]. Food loss generally describes food wasted throughout the production, post-harvest, or processing stages for reasons that include lack of market availability or crop loss due to climate shocks. Seven farmers in southwest B.C. were asked to use LiteFarm for two months and digitally record their harvest logs. The farmers found that the time it took to input and upload information to the app was a barrier to its use. However, one unexpected benefit did emerge. The app can better inform land use decisions when used for pre-harvest planning. The study concluded this benefit might help post-harvest loss using resources effectively.
As small-scale farmers worldwide are challenged by the conflicting needs to be productive while continuing to be ecological stewards of their land, apps can bridge the gap by giving them an extra hand in finding a balance that feeds a hungry planet and saves it from environmental oblivion.
“LiteFarm has been created as a public good, attempting to tackle the many socio-ecological dimensions of farming,” Trapp says. 3
Footnotes
1. Sara Cory - Sliabh Bearnagh Organic Farm (@ sliabhbearnafarm) • Instagram photos and videos
2. Our global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss (unep.org)
3. U.N. Report: Global hunger numbers rose to as many as 828 million in 2021 (who.int)
4. Community | LiteFarm (litefarm.org)
5. Home | CSFS at UBC Farm (ubcfarm.ubac.ca)
6. Slakes: A Free Smartphone App to Measure Aggregate Stability (soilhealthinstitute.org)
7. Who We Are – Digital Green (digitalgreen.org)
8. Farmer.Chat (digitalgreen.org)
9. Frontiers | Sustainability potential of app-based food loss measurement: Farmers’ perspectives in southwestern British Columbia, Canada (frontiersin.org)
BIO Jennifer Cole is a writer and garden enthusiast with a bachelor’s degree focused on history from Simon Fraser University, and a freelance writing career spanning two and half decades. Jennifer lives in Vancouver British Columbia. Her by-lines have regularly appeared in the opinion section of the Toronto Star and her portfolio includes articles in various newspapers, magazines, and websites across Canada. When not writing her own blog or visiting local garden centers, you can find her puttering, planting, and nourishing her own urban garden oasis.
< FARMER.CHAT
Sliabh Bearnagh Organic Farm
photo
credit:
Sara Cory
BY JENNIFER COLE
Growing food on the Red Planet won’t be easy Dinner is Served!
What will Earthlings Eat on Mars?
Growing food on the Red Planet won’t be easy. A summer day may reach 70°F (20°C) near the equator. However, at night, the temperature can plummet to -100°F (-73°C) [1]. That’s a little too chilly for tomatoes! As far as science can tell us, water will be scarce, and the soil has quantities of perchlorate, which can cause lung cancer in humans and inhibit plant growth. Going outside will be impossible without a space suit because of all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
In Dinner on Mars, the reader is reminded not to take food production on any planet for granted.
So, what’s for dinner? In their book Dinner on Mars, Lenore Newman and Evan Fraser look for the answer.
Newman is the director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in British Columbia. Fraser is the director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph [2][3] . Their book is not based on science fiction imaginings but on knowledge gleaned from food production here on Earth.
Dinner on Mars explores the future of food, with the authors suggesting that if we can figure out how to eat well on Mars, we can apply that knowledge and live more sustainably here on Earth, too.
“The technologies in the book are all either in a prototype stage or available at scale,” Newman says.
Welcome to BaseTown
Newman and Fraser ask you to play along. As a new pioneer to the Red Planet, you arrive in 2080 at BaseTown, a gigantic biodome and the main population center of Mars’ 10,000 residents. Finding the food court, you order salmon sashimi, toasted seaweed, a garden salad and a milkshake. The green salad was grown in hydroponic garden beds. Newman is currently researching vertical hydroponic farming at UFV [4]
“Here, in B.C., we rely on California for leafy greens,” she explains.
However, climate change, albeit drought or unrelenting rain in California, makes that food source unreliable. We need to grow our food, and vertical agriculture is something Newman thinks may be the answer. If the supply chain between
California and B.C. is unreliable, imagine the perils of one that stretches between Earth and Mars—140 million miles apart [5][6] . ‘Local food’ takes on a new meaning on Mars.
The milkshake you’ve ordered on Mars is not milk but a fermentation product. In some parts of the world, you can already find ice cream, milk, chocolate bars, cheese, and cream cheese made with animal-free dairy proteins. Cellular agriculture involves growing proteins or fats through a cell culture (growing and propagating cells) or fermentation (getting a microorganism to produce your compound of interest), which UVF has been researching.
Martian Ways
Aside from fresh lettuce and synthetic milk, what other foods does Mars offer? In The Martian, Matt Damon grows potatoes to survive on the Red Planet. Are root crops even possible on Mars?
The answer lies in pond scum, cyanobacteria, to be more exact.
“It underpins the entire food chain,” Newman explains.
Lenore Newman
There is hope that genetically engineered microorganisms will gobble up the harmful perchlorate in the Martian soil, making it viable for growing root crops such as beets and turnips
On Mars, this microbe could become a hero. On Earth, over-fertilized fields and livestock operations often cause nutrients to run into waterways, causing cyanobacteria to form in giant mats of floating scum. Newman and Fraser highlight European experiments where researchers grew cyanobacteria in a series of stainless-steel tanks that simulated the Martian atmosphere. It grew well, fixing nitrogen (an essential component of healthy soil for healthy plants), producing oxygen, and leaving nutrient-dense organic matter behind. But that is only part of what this bacteria can do for Mars [7] .
Scattered throughout the book are other nuggets of research that prove the impossible is possible. There is hope that genetically engineered microorganisms will gobble up the harmful perchlorate in the Martian soil, making it viable for growing root crops such as beets and turnips. So, after chowing down in BaseTown’s food court and scraping the organic matter off your plate into an elaborate composting infrastructure, you will feel confident that when you are offered mashed potatoes for dinner, they have been grown in good soil.
Upgrading The Operating System
For Newman and Fraser, imagining life on Mars and writing a book was a fun distraction from the 2020 pandemic. However, they also make sure to land squarely back on Planet Earth. In the book’s final section, aptly titled “Upgrading the Operating System,” they suggest that by feeding a Martian city, we learn to feed ourselves better and how to use our resources here on Earth more efficiently.
The United States, for example, discards nearly 60 million tons of food every year that ends up rotting and emitting methane (a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2) in landfills [8] . The United Nations says inorganic fertilizers and livestock overgrazing cause soil degradation, compaction, erosion, and deforestation, affecting 34% of the world’s agricultural land [9].
As a new pioneer to the Red Planet, you arrive in 2080 at BaseTown, a gigantic biodome and the main population center of Mars’ 10,000 residents
“One of the neat take-home lessons is that when you don’t have the plentiful resources you have on Earth, you really have to create ecosystems and closed cycles,” Newman says. “If we did [the same] on Earth, we could achieve some of our planetary goals like lowering our carbon footprint, making food cheaper and more plentiful, and less resource-intensive.”
Her final words of advice for Earthlings?
“Don’t take food systems for granted.” 3
Footnotes
1. What is the temperature on Mars? | Space (space.com)
2. Food and Agriculture Institute > Meet the Team | (UFV. ca)
4. Distance to Mars: How far away is the Red Planet? | Space (space.com)
5. Food and Agriculture Institute > The Research | (UFV.ca)
6. The Research > Cellular Agriculture > Local Cellular Agriculture | (UFV.ca)
7. Enabling deep-space experimentations on cyanobacteria by monitoring cell division resumption in dried Chroococcidiopsis sp. 029 with accumulated DNA damage - PubMed (nih.gov)
8. Food Waste in America in 2024: Statistics & Facts | RTS (rts.com)
9. U.N. report: The world’s farms stretched to ‘a breaking point’» Yale Climate Connections (yaleclimateconnections.org)
Here On Earth Sustainable Meals
How can we be part of the solution when the simple act of eating supports an unsustainable food production model?
We live in a world where climate anxiety is real, and people often feel helpless or overwhelmed by the state of the environment. We keep hearing about how agriculture is one of the primary drivers of climate change, which is a tough pill to swallow because we have to eat. How can we be part of the solution when the simple act of eating supports an unsustainable food production model?
Rather than depend on technological advances or political leadership, Katin-Grazzini suggests we make a difference in our home kitchens daily
One of the things I’ve learned over the years about helping ease climate anxiety is to focus on the small, concrete actions you can take to help our current situation. For this reason, I was immediately drawn to Cathy Katin-Grazzini’s new cookbook, Love the Foods that Love the Planet . Katin-Grazzini wants to share the vital message that we can all lower our climate footprints by changing how and what we eat. She firmly believes that eating more plant-based foods, and shopping for and preparing meals more consciously are the most impactful moves we can make in our fight against climate change. Rather than depend on technological advances or political leadership, Katin-Grazzini suggests we make a difference in our home kitchens daily.
“Want to slash your individual climate footprint? It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s super healthy, and it starts with your fork,” says Katin-Grazzini. “We all have the power to make choices that help cool the planet, and the time to act is now.”
Love the Foods that Love the Planet is beautifully photographed and features over 100 recipes in various categories, including homemade seasonings and sauces, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, mains, side dishes, and desserts.
Karin-Grazzini reimagines traditional American classics like burgers, chilies, tostadas, and even Sloppy Joes into healthy, plant-based dishes. She also takes home chefs on a trip around the globe with recipes from Peru, Italy, India, West Africa, and more! The recipes feature climate footprint data so you can see the sustainability factor behind each meal.
Love the Foods that Love the Planet is available at most major bookstores and online. While you wait for your copy, we’ll get you started with a hearty soup perfect for the colder days ahead.
RECOUP SOUP WITH CRISPY CROÛTONS
Here’s a delicious way to salvage the tough, woody ends of asparagus spears. They make an exquisitely flavored velvety soup that whips up in minutes. We garnish it with chopped chives, a pinch of chili threads, and some homemade whole-grain croûtons.
Asparagus Recoup Soup makes an elegant, delectable first course that smiles on the planet, is nourishing and com forting, and costs very little in time, effort, or ingredients. Using the ends of asparagus stems that normally get tossed in the garbage, Asparagus Recoup Soup is one creative and delicious way to reduce your stream of food waste, a major driver of individual greenhouse gas emissions. While more assertive in flavor, recouping the stems of cauliflower, broc coli, and hardy greens like kale or collards or the cores of cabbage heads also make very nutritious, tasty, and thrifty blended soups. Cook and season them similarly.
Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Prep time : 5 minutes to trim, plus 5 minutes to season and blend | Cook time: 5 to 20 minutes to cook stems, plus 5 minutes to reheat | Serves 2
Ingredients:
• 2 (2.25-pound) bags of fresh asparagus spears, lower woody sections only (tops reserved for another dish)
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon fresh grinds of white pepper
• 2 tablespoons Shiro (mild, white) miso, or to taste, diluted in 1 tablespoon warm water to make a thick miso sauce
Garnishes:
• A few chives, finely chopped
• Several homemade croutons (recipe on page 113)
• A pinch of chili threads or flakes
1. Break off the asparagus stems toward the bottoms to remove the tougher, woodier ends. Simmer in water for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the stem’s thickness and woodiness. Cook until they are entirely tender when pierced with a knife.
2. Drain and reserve the cooking water. Transfer the stems to a high-speed blender. Puree them, adding only as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to create a smooth, velvety textured soup.
3. Season, using a light hand, with nutritional yeast and white pepper.
4. Before serving, reheat on the stovetop or for a minute, covered, in the microwave. Serve in warmed bowls, stirring in a spoonful of diluted miso, or to taste. Garnish with chopped chives, warm croutons, and if you like, a pinch of
Catherine is a Canadian award-winning journalist who worked as a reporter and news anchor in Montreal’s radio and television scene for 10 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Now, she’s the editor and a writer for Garden Culture Magazine while also enjoying being a mom to her three young kids. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors.
This recipe excerpt is from Cathy KatinGrazzini’s new book, “Love the Foods That Love the Planet.” Reprinted with permission from Health Communications, Inc.
CRISPY CROÛTONS
The fastest way to make croûtons, of course, is to repurpose stale artisanal whole-grain bread or to toast a slice of fresh bread. Then rub it with a clove of garlic and season with fresh grinds of pepper and perhaps a sprinkle of dried thyme leaves.
But, if you are out of bread, here’s a tasty surrogate that’s simple to make from a quick dough using whole-grain breadcrumbs and potato, seared on a hot, nonstick skillet.
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Makes 15 to 25 croutons, depending on size
• ⅔ cup coarse whole wheat bread crumbs
• 3 teaspoons arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• Several grinds of white or black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon shiro (mild, white) miso paste, or to taste
• 1 medium yellow potato
1. Mix the bread crumbs, arrowroot, nutritional yeast, pepper, garlic, onion, herbs, and miso paste in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings, then mound the mix on a large cutting board.
2. Cook the potato in a microwave for 3 to 4 minutes until tender.
3. While the potato is piping hot, cut it in half, and, using a ricer, squeeze two-thirds of the riced potato pulp onto the bread-crumb mix. Use a fork to distribute the potato throughout the mixture and then use your hands to knead it for a minute into a dough. Add more of the riced potato if the mixture remains too crumbly to gather cohesively.
4. Use a wooden dowel or light rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1/4 inch in thickness.
5. Use a straight edge or ruler to square the edges. Cut them into bite-sized 1-inch squares or 1-by-¾ -inch rectangles.
6. Heat a nonstick pan for 3 minutes over medium heat. Toast the croutons for about 2 minutes on each side, lightly browning them.
7. Serve immediately, or if you prepare them in advance, reheat the croutons before serving in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes. 3
Battling
Best Before Dates eco-optimism
Best Before Dates
California is taking a significant step toward reducing food waste. The US state recently signed a bill standardizing food date labels and eliminating the ‘sell by’ date on products. Assembly Bill 660 aims to clear any confusion consumers might have about the shelf-life of their food by allowing only two categories.
Beginning in July 2026, there will be a “Best if used (or frozen) by” date to indicate peak food freshness or quality and a “use (or freeze) by” label for food safety. Consumers may still notice a “packed on” date on food products, but only if accompanied by the above new labels.
It’s easy to understand why people are so confused by food labels; this law consolidates more than 50 terminologies typically found on packaged foods! A 2022 study published in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Research found that 75% of American respondents associate date labeling with food safety and worry it’s unsafe to eat a product that has passed the date on the labels. When asked if food date labels are a determining factor when buying a food product, 88% answered yes. The results are no surprise; the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says that food waste from households, retailers, and restaurants totals 931 million tons annually, 570 million tons of which occurs in homes.
An App To Fight Food Waste
Many other initiatives strive to reduce global food waste and offer consumers concrete ways to do it. Too Good To Go (toogoodtogo.com) is an app that connects people with local restaurants, cafes, grocery chains, and bakeries with surplus food to sell at the end of the day. The products are still safe to eat but are sold for half the price or less! The social impact company also offers “Look-Smell-Taste” labels to product brands worldwide so that people can learn to trust their senses rather than fall victim to misleading “best before” dates. This initiative is already active in 14 countries and counting. With 100 million registered users worldwide and 170,000 business partners, Too Good To Go estimates it’s helped save 350 million meals from landfills. Download the app today to see what affordable goodies are available in your neighborhood!
It’s easy to understand why people are so confused by food labels; this law consolidates more than 50 terminologies typically found on packaged foods!
Discount Shops
For those who would rather ditch the apps and shop the old-fashioned way, many stores have made it their mission to sell food that has passed the “best before” dates. In Quebec, Canada, an incredible business model called “Liquidation Marie” (facebook.com/Liquidationmarieinc) sources surplus products from grocery chains and sells them at a deep discount at its four locations throughout the province. Customers can purchase canned goods and other pantry staples, as well as fruits, veggies, meats, and cheeses that have not quite reached expiry and are still fit for someone’s dinner plate!
Sources:
• California Bans ‘Sell By’ Dates to Simplify Labels and Cut Food Waste - Food Tank - rebrand.ly/dc1224
• Understanding and addressing food waste from confusion in date labeling using a stakeholders’ survey - Journal of Agriculture and Food Research doi.org/10.1016/j. jafr.2022.100295.
The social impact company also offers “Look-Smell-Taste” labels to product brands worldwide so that people can learn to trust their senses rather than fall victim to misleading “best before” dates.
BY HALEY NAGASAKI
Growing with in
Already being leveraged by Big Ag, artificial intelligence (AI) increases the precision of commercial cultivation using a breadth of applications intended to simplify and streamline. For cannabis production, tech companies such as Fermata and Neatleaf market AI-driven machine learning to growers for tasks like scouting and temperature detection. But how prevalent is AI in Canadian cannabis operations? My sense is it’s not overly commonplace!
Yet to Peak
I’ve spoken to cybersecurity professionals specializing in the cannabis space and polled a sample of quality assurance specialists from Canadian LPs about AI applications. For reasons pertaining to budget or skepticism, my findings were that AI in Canadian cannabis has not yet peaked. There may also be security gaps that could be reconciled using new technology. However, regarding cultivation, some AI applications could offer producers a boost.
Pros and Cons
The trepidation felt in AI’s orbit is warranted. How far is too far? What dictates overreliance, and how could dependency ultimately lead to catastrophe? On the contrary, how much time could be spared, and what menial tasks should operators be relieved of while increasing precision and mitigating human error? Most firms would see the necessity of AI applications to remain competitive in the market.
Integrating automation into AI has replaced some manual applications, operated through apps on the cultivation team’s phones. And for good reason. Surveillance, real-time updates, and data synthesis are areas where AI shines and simplifies our lives. While automation repeats the same task over and over, AI responds to new information, enabling it to deduce a new kind of thinking and decision-making. But how much could machine learning infiltrate the sector? Let’s look over to the mainstream.
Assessing environmental factors is critical for crops and contributes to crafting precise predictions. For scaled automated growing systems, think greenhouses and vertical farming with continuous plant health screening and input monitoring.
Surveillance, real-time updates, and data synthesis are areas where AI shines and simplifies our lives
Scouting alerts growers of pests, crop deficiencies, and hot spots and assists with calculations related to resource allocation. Predictive analytics can gauge crop yields, while robotic planting and harvesting can reduce labor costs. Other less colorful topics surrounding AI in the cannabis supply chain include inventory management and quality control. As previously mentioned, keeping networks safe and secure is currently one of the most meaningful roles for AI in agriculture.
For the biological components of smart farming, AI occupies more of an assistant role than a director. But as some globalists and leaders have forecasted, at what point and on which timeline does this occupation of the workforce push humans towards basic income?
Picture a sprawling monoculture with drones scouting overheard in support of smart cities. It’s kind of creepy, but like anything else in the globalized world, the impetus for streamlining processes and simplifying daily tasks (doing more with less) has been sluffed off onto machine learning to free up brain power. Could it instead be making us lazy? Could our minds and bodies eventually atrophy? What will happen to muscle memory?
While there’s still plenty of hand-watering, cannabis companies’ use of AI depends on their scale and scope and the owners’ ideations and willingness to employ machine learning.
the Garden
I would guess we have an idea of where we’re at with the potential runaway technology, where it stands in relation to our daily lives and businesses, and some inklings about where it might be headed. There might also be some overwhelm attributed to the proliferation of AI, and from personal experience, feelings of overwhelm often push me into the garden.
The garden is the meeting point where humanity organizes with nature. It’s also where I leave my phone behind (unless I’m taking pictures for social). For the hobby grower and gardener, there’s beauty to being set free without an SOP and tracking with nothing more than pen and paper. I go to the garden to disconnect and reconnect.
The folk medicine maker eyeballs the measurements of their salves and tinctures. The nutrients they use might be freepoured, the compost teas spread generously, and the Korean Natural Farming protocols are the definition of chaos gardening. The chaos gardener creates magic in cocreation with the brilliance of nature and the beauty of their intuition.
Striking Balance
AI, like everything else, requires boundaries. Balance is the key to any polarizing topic. Is AI even relevant to the home grower? The chalk white block timers are still available for purchase like they were decades past – that’s about as high-tech as my tent grows have been. A sprinkler timer seemed revolutionary for watering the backyard garden while we were at the cottage. Meanwhile, I’m bubbling worm castings, kelp powder, and molasses in a tote bin in the backyard, then hand bombing five-gallon buckets of microbial stew to my grow in the basement, all while sweating in a straw hat and bathing suit.
How far is too far? What dictates overreliance, and how could dependency ultimately lead to catastrophe? On the contrary, how much time could be spared, and what menial tasks should operators be relieved of while increasing precision and mitigating human error?
This is the joy of gardening. I want to scour for pests and research when my plants are stunted or experiencing chlorosis. I want to mark the date and journal about my garden’s exponential growth after I drove to Black Swallow Living Soils in Niagara for biochar and barley mulch.
I don’t trust an app on my phone to identify edible plants or fungi. I’d rather reach into my community and network of growers and researchers and dogear our conversations instead of reading ambiguous text from the pocket oracle. As a home grower and gardener, I use nature to escape tech, not vice versa. And I lean into the nuances of community for innovation.
From Big Ag, commercial crops, and small-scale ops to market gardens, community farming and cooperatives, hobby growers, and enthusiasts, we all use machine learning to different degrees. However, a clear divide between the two rather than total integration might help us better adjust our monkey minds to the realities of AI.
Cresting with the rest of society on this might be advisable; neither lagging nor being first to the party. Sticking to our gut instincts and values will always set our abilities apart from an artificial mind. 3
BIO Haley Nagasaki is a legacy plant medicine journalist and former B2B magazine editor in the Canadian cannabis sector. While she has spent the last three years highlighting the industry’s technical, regulatory, and financial sides, her horticultural interest is rooted in personal gardening and home-growing experiences. Haley explores the intersection of regenerative agriculture and community building, using nature’s tools to support collective well-being and consciousness expansion.
GROW LIGHTS
GROW LIGHTS
Past, Present, &
LED grow lights have made serious headway over the past decade, quietly but firmly establishing themselves as indispensable in indoor horticulture. Their rise is owed to many factors: efficiency, versatility, and their ability to mimic the visible portion of the solar spectrum. In this article, we’ll chart the path LEDs have taken from niche to necessity, examining their role in indoor gardening from 2015 to now, casting an eye to the horizon for what’s to come. It’s worth noting from the outset that our focus here is strictly on indoor grow environments, leaving the topic of greenhouse supplementation for another day.
LED grow lights moved from an overhyped technology to a standard in indoor cultivation. In the early years, they were often advertised as the silver bullet for all lighting woes
Past (2015-2023): The Rise and Reality of LED Hype
Between 2015 and 2023, LED grow lights moved from an overhyped technology to a standard in indoor cultivation. In the early years, they were often advertised as the silver bullet for all lighting woes. Manufacturers focused on narrow spectra—blue and red—under the assumption that these were the only colors plants needed for photosynthesis. This era gave us the now-infamous blurple lights: aggressive in their hues and equally aggressive in their marketing. They promised better yields than HPS at a fraction of the energy cost. However, many early adopters quickly felt the sting of reality. Many early LED fixtures simply couldn’t match the penetration power or output of legacy systems like HPS or MH lamps. Yields dipped, and growers, especially those accustomed to the heat, intensity, and reliability of HPS, were disappointed.
However, time has a way of smoothing out the rough edges, and as LED diode technology improved, so did the attendant fixtures. By 2017, photon efficacy—the measure of how efficiently a light turns electricity into plant-usable light—had surpassed 2.5 µmol/J, outperforming even the most efficient double-ended HPS systems. Companies like Samsung, OSRAM, and Cree pushed the boundaries of LED efficacy, and suddenly, LEDs were a viable, albeit costly, alternative.
More importantly, there was a fundamental shift in how LEDs delivered light. Instead of relying solely on red and blue, manufacturers introduced full-spectrum white LEDs, better mimicking natural sunlight. Plants began to thrive in ways growers hadn’t seen with the earlier purple fixtures. Phosphor-converted “white” LEDs turned out to be the key to unlocking robust growth across all stages, and growers looking to optimize terpene and flavonoid profiles finally saw the promise realized.
By 2020, the standard form factor for LED grow lights had shifted dramatically. The bar-style fixture—also known as a multi-array—became the go-to design for high-intensity growing environments. Models like the Fluence SPYDR and Gavita Pro 1700e dominated the scene, offering superior light distribution across the entire canopy. While these lights were great for those with restricted vertical space and multi-tier set-ups, the form factor wasn’t without detractors. Critics pointed out the lack of penetration power compared to HPS. As a result, growers had to adjust their techniques: subcanopy leaf stripping, higher plant counts, and more diligent canopy management became more common practices.
Another wrinkle emerged: LEDs run cooler than HPS, and while this was initially seen as a win for energy savings, it presented challenges in cooler climates. Traditional HPS lights convert up to 70% of their energy into heat, a valuable byproduct for growers in cold regions. In contrast, LED fixtures only convert 20-30% of their energy into heat, meaning many growers needed to invest in supplemental heating to maintain optimal growing conditions. This threw considerable cold water on the initial excitement surrounding the potential energy savings of LEDs.
Present: Where LED Technology Stands Today
Fast forward to today, and the LED grow light market is flush with options. The best lights are incredibly efficient, with photon efficacies regularly exceeding 3.0 µmol/J. One of the most soughtafter diodes is Samsung’s LM301H Evo. Many growers ask for it by name. Chinese manufacturers have responded to the demand, offering 700W bar-style fixtures with Samsung diodes for between $200 and $400 per unit when purchased in bulk. The market is flush with high-quality, affordable options.
Top-tier lights like the HLG Scorpion Diablo and Fluence SPYDR 2i push out between 1,700 and 1,900 µmol/s—perfect for growers seeking high light intensities during the flowering stage. These lights, boasting full-spectrum output, excel not only in biomass production but also in enhancing secondary metabolites such as terpenes and flavonoids.
However, not all advancements in LED grow lights are received with open arms. Tunable spectrums—where the balance of red, blue, and sometimes UV or infrared light can be adjusted—have become more common in high-end fixtures. For example, the California Lightworks SolarSystem 1100 and Dimlux Xtreme offer such functionality. This seems like a helpful feature on paper for many growers, but it’s not always a game-changer in practice. Some argue it adds unnecessary complexity and cost without delivering proportional yield or crop quality gains.
Heat remains a common concern. While LEDs run cooler than their HPS counterparts, they’re not entirely heat-free. Highoutput fixtures in sealed grow rooms still necessitate active cooling systems. Passive cooling is standard in most modern LED fixtures. Still, growers must often manage heat carefully, especially in smaller setups in the warmer months or when running lights at maximum intensity. Conversely, growers often need to use supplemental heating in the cooler months.
Manufacturers must prioritize eco-friendly materials and recyclable designs, especially as more growers seek out longer-lasting, durable fixtures that don’t contribute to mounting e-waste
GROW LIGHTS GROW LIGHTS
Future: What’s Next for LEDs?
The future of LED grow lights looks bright—literally and figuratively—but it’s far from perfect. One of the most exciting prospects is dynamic spectrum control. Imagine a setup where sensors monitor plant health and environmental conditions in real-time, automatically adjusting the spectrum to optimize growth. It’s an exciting vision made possible by advances in AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). While these systems may prove invaluable for large-scale commercial operations, the practicality for smaller or medium-sized growers remains questioned. High upfront costs and added complexity might limit adoption in more modest setups.
Another innovation on the horizon is quantum dot LEDs. These diodes promise even more precise control over wavelengths while offering improved efficiency. Quantum dots emit highly specific colors when exposed to light and, in theory, could allow growers to fine-tune their lighting setups with unparalleled precision. However, this technology is still in the experimental phase, and it’s unclear when—or if—it will become a commercial reality for indoor horticulture.
As energy efficiency continues to improve, the real challenge may lie not in producing light but in managing the environment. In colder climates, LEDs’ low heat output is a double-edged sword. While it reduces the need for cooling, it often necessitates more heating. As energy costs fluctuate, growers may find themselves carefully balancing lighting efficiency with HVAC expenses.
One possible solution to these challenges may come from further experimenting with side lighting and under-canopy lighting. Bar-style fixtures often struggle with penetration, and supplemental lighting at different angles could help mitigate this shortcoming. Companies like Fluence are already exploring this concept, but much remains to be seen about its scalability and cost-effectiveness. Look out for versatile multiarray LED lighting fixtures where bars can be individually moved from a top-lighting position to a side-lighting position.
Finally, as LEDs age in the field, sustainability will become a bigger focus. Manufacturers must prioritize eco-friendly materials and recyclable designs, especially as more growers seek out longer-lasting, durable fixtures that don’t contribute to mounting e-waste.
There’s no doubt that LED grow lights have transformed indoor horticulture in the last decade. They offer unprecedented control over light intensity, spectrum, and efficiency, but challenges remain—particularly around heating, cost, and light penetration. The next frontier might be quantum dot LEDs, dynamic spectrum control, and smart systems, but the industry still has hurdles to clear. For now, though, LEDs have rightfully earned their place as the lighting solution of choice for indoor growers. 3
visit www.grow-genius.com or Instagram.com/grow_genius for more on the most concentrated AND best value mono-silicic you can get
We call this shared ecosystem the human “holobiont”
Dosing the Microbiome
Psychedelics, Gut Microbes, and the Brain
As living creatures, our bodies host human cells and a complex population of interdependent microbes. Without them, we’re not complete; our immune systems and other vital processes depend on their health and function. We call this shared ecosystem the human “holobiont”.
In particular, the bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit our guts have a great deal to do with how we feel, think, and respond to the conditions of our world. As we grow up, signaling pathways for stress and social and emotional domains of the brain are shaped by the harmony of these meaningful microbiological relationships.
Research finds associations between psychiatric conditions with inflammation and imbalance in this microbial-gut-brain (MGB) axis. Now, more people are becoming reconnected with traditional food-based whole-health support (like eating lacto-fermented vegetables, kombucha, and kefir, and more plants and mushrooms) that repopulate and service the needs of these beneficial collaborators.
This holistic approach to wellness is becoming normalized at the same time as psychedelic-assisted therapies are finding greater support from the medical community. Experts are wondering how such treatments might be affected by the pre-existing state and function of the MGB signaling pathways.
Unfortunately, cost and legality continue to challenge people’s access to psychedelics in clinical and community-based care models. This leads to questions about how to make the most of any available interventions. This is important on the personal level to maximize the hoped-for outcomes. More broadly, measurable results can build the body of empirical evidence to sway policy and funding decisions and raise public support for these options.
What does current science tell us about the microbiome and psychedelics?
Both psychiatric drugs and psychedelics involve the introduction of externally made (e.g., inside the bodies of plants, fungi, or by laboratory synthesis) chemicals to our bodies. They may provide necessary ingredients that are, for numerous reasons, lacking.
Our culture already embraces the science-supporting notions of the microbiome’s influence over our mental states. It only makes sense that these microbes are going to have some role in how substances like psilocin (the “digested” form of psilocybin, the most-studied active substance in “magic” mushrooms) function in our bodies and influence our conscious minds.
Studies on mescaline, the famously psychoactive component found in some cacti, have already shown that the presence of certain bacteria breaks it down into different metabolites. Others have observed gut microbes modulating ayahuasca.
Considering the traditional roles these plants have in the human cultures that evolved with them, it is no surprise that the ceremonies surrounding their use include specific diet instructions and other setting requirements.
It is accepted that microbiome functions influence the metabolism and bioavailability of these plant- and fungi-derived chemicals. Through dietary and other low-barrier lifestyle changes, can patients be “primed” for better, more effective, and lasting experiences of psychedelics as medicine? the bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit our guts have a great deal to do with how we feel, think, and respond to the conditions of our world
HIGH CONCENTRATION = FASTER INOCULATION AND POTENCY
3600 endomycorrhizal propagules/g
Beneficial bacteria including Mycorrhizae Helper Bacteria (MHB)
Growth enhancers & biostimulants
Psychedelics could provide a “prompt” that makes it easier to accept a “new normal” by helping folks recognize how it feels to be well-regulated in the body and mind
Preparation, Administration, Integration
Our brains must constantly interpret incoming information and make sense of it for survival. The ways these messages are transmitted and processed are potentially very different before, during, and after psychedelic experiences.
To invite shifts, even lasting changes, in our psychology can be an exercise in trust. For some, like participants in approved end-of-life research, there may be a sense of having “nothing to lose” by taking what could seem like a leap into the unknown to find ways of coping with the anxieties of mortality. Similarly, for others who experience anguish tied to depression, CPTSD, and addiction, we might consider psychedelics as chemicals that provide hope to re-establish a balance that has been thrown off or to write new “programs” in the mental computer.
The neuro-immune, neuro-endocrine, and transmitter pathways influenced by the gut microbiome overlap with the channels and processes identified as targets for psychiatric drugs. Although they work on different scales and over various timelines, the undeniable messages received during a somewhat “drastic” exposure to a psychedelic substance may create an experience that the microbiome and brain can use to recognize and re-organize these more subtle and ongoing processes.
Psychedelics could provide a “prompt” that makes it easier to accept a “new normal” by helping folks recognize how it feels to be well-regulated in the body and mind. In addition to ensuring continuous social support, taking care and attending to the microbiome in all three stages of “acute” (i.e., “trip”-like) psychedelic experience expands the therapeutic model.
What does the future hold?
We have much more to learn about what is within our ability to guide through practices involving internal and external habits. This includes our thoughts and what we eat, literally, everything we “consume”. Nothing about this is simple except to say that there is an ease to be found when triggers to the nervous and immune systems are manageable, sometimes even going unnoticed, thanks to clear instructions and robust supplies.
As growers, we have uniquely intimate relationships with other species that connect our conscious human minds to the rhythms of a greater natural world. We receive positive feedback from our bodies when we interact harmoniously with this diversity of life. It may be an extension of our love for cultivating and curating nutritious and otherwise beneficial plants and fungi to support and improve psychedelic-assisted therapies for those who choose them.
Hopefully, we can reduce suffering by advocating for pre-treatment and post-treatment protocols that are understandable, accessible, and sustainable for psychedelic users. Using modern data analysis and illustration tools, human trials and responsible information gathering will deepen our understanding of how to safely and effectively integrate these substances into community health care. 3
References:
• Kargbo, R.B. Microbiome: The Next Frontier in Psychedelic Renaissance. J. Xenobiot. 2023, 13, 386–401. doi. org/10.3390/ jox13030025
• Kelly, J. R., Clarke, G., Harkin, A., Corr, S. C., Galvin, S., Pradeep, V., Cryan, J. F., O’Keane, V., & Dinan, T. G. (2023). Seeking the Psilocybiome: Psychedelics meet the microbiota-gut-brain axis. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 23(2), 100349. doi. org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100349
The Benefits of Growing and Eating
Edible Flowers
Adding edible flowers to meals may be a novel concept for most gardeners. However, if you’re willing to experiment, many flowers offer delicious and nutritious foods
Most food gardeners know how to use the produce they grow, but relatively few use the edible blooms in their gardens as a food source. Adding edible flowers to meals may be a novel concept for most gardeners. However, if you’re willing to experiment, many flowers offer delicious and nutritious foods.
Petals and other flower parts contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
Blooming Benefits
These are a few of the advantages of growing and using edible blooms:
Nutritional Value
Flowers contain pollen, a source of proteins, carbohydrates, saturated and unsaturated lipids, carotenoids and flavonoids (1). One study (2) found “the flower species with the highest mineral content were chrysanthemum, dianthus, or viola”, and these varieties surpass many fruits and vegetables. According to this study, flower nectar consists of “a balanced mixture of sugars, amino acids, proteins, inorganic ions, lipids, organic acids, phenolic substances, alkaloids and terpenoids”. Petals and other flower parts contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (1). Interestingly, the colorful pigments in the flower petals designed to attract pollinators also contain high concentrations of antioxidants (4)
Beneficial Health Properties
Many studies confirm the antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of edible flowers. Many species are antimicrobial, but each variety has unique phytochemicals and specific biological health benefits. For example, roses (Rosa sp.), nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus, Tropaeolum minus) and chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium, Dendranthema x Grandflora) have anticancer compounds; calendula (Calendula officinalis) is anti-inflammatory and regulates menstruation; and borage (Borago officinalis) can treat asthma, bronchitis, cramps and kidney ailments. Edible blooms are also rich in potassium, which prevents cardiovascular diseases (1). This is just a glimpse into the wealth of health benefits reported in scientific literature.
Culinary Uses
Fresh, dried or cooked flowers add texture, aroma and flavor to meals, herbal teas, and drinks.
Beautiful and Decorative
Adding colorful edible blooms as a garnish to meals makes them more visually appealing.
Companion Plants
Many herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants bloom in our gardens with edible flowers that attract bees and predatory insects. These improve crop yields and assist with pest management. Edible flowers also provide a food source for insects and nectar-eating birds.
Edible Flowers for Fun or Profit
The floriculture industry is booming, and there is a growing interest in providing edible flowers to chefs, restaurants, cake makers, and the wedding market. Over the past few years, I have spent time with three local flower farmers who specialize in growing edible petals commercially. Caz Owens, owner of Organica Floret, Australia’s first certified chemical-free edible flower farm, uses sustainable and bee-friendly growing methods with over a hundred varieties. Her farm takes an integrated pest management approach, and it’s a sensory delight to visit. While there, I discovered some keys to growing a safe product for home gardeners or growers interested in joining this industry.
Growing Edible Flowers for Safe Consumption
All edible flowers should be grown organically. Growers may need to consider where they locate their plants if neighbors use herbicides or pesticides to avoid accidental contamination. Plant labels are also important.
If you’re aiming to grow commercially or even starting to eat edible blooms in a home garden, differentiate any non-edible varieties. Avoid planting them near edible blooms to minimize the risk of harvesting by mistake. Some look-alikes can be toxic! A few common poisonous flowers to steer clear of are irises (Iris sp.), sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), frangipani (Plumeria sp.), foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea and species) and daffodils (Narcissus sp.). Be intentional about selecting the suitable species if choosing to grow your own. That includes starting with organic seeds.
To optimize color, flavor, and nutrient value, grow in healthy mineralized soil and maintain consistent moisture and mulch levels. I treat my edible flowering plants like any fruit, herb, or vegetable. I want to give them the best soil and growing conditions to produce healthy, delicious blooms.
Warnings and Guidelines
Avoid eating all flowers that may be contaminated with pesticides or herbicides. Don’t:
• Wild harvest flowers from parks and roadsides.
• Consume blooms from florists.
• Eat conventionally grown flowers from any source, such as nurseries or garden centers.
Nasturtiums add color flavor and nutrients as an edible garnish
Variety of edible flowers, garnishing salad, borage, nasturtium, society garlic, citrus
Many herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants bloom in our gardens with edible flowers that attract bees and predatory insects
While we enjoy many edible vegetable flowers, there are a few to avoid. Don’t eat flowers from vegetables in the Solanaceae family, including eggplant, tomato, capsicum and potato.
When first eating edible flowers, try adding one or two varieties in small quantities to your diet and research each species. Some people suffer from allergic reactions. Those with asthma or hay fever may be sensitive to pollen, so remove this from any flowers before eating.
Harvesting and Storing Edible Blooms
Aim to harvest in the early morning, when the plants are freshest, and the natural flavors are highest. I’ve found it’s best to wait until the dew dries, as it can cause flowers to stick together.
I take a shallow tray or plate out into the garden and use scissors to snip the flowers from each plant. I add them in a single layer to avoid damage, making it easy to check for insect hitchhikers! This is the best time to remove pollen, stamens, stems or sepals/calyx from some flowers as they are bitter or may contain allergens. For example, Chinese Lanterns (Abutilons) have a long stamen and a lot of pollen. I snip this off and remove the sepals below the flower so just the crisp lettuce-flavored petals remain. This perennial is a favorite of mine to use in salads.
What Part of the Flower is Edible?
This varies from whole flowers to just petals, depending on the species. Cathy Wilkinson Barash, author of ‘Edible Flowers – From Garden to Palate’ confirms only the petals of some flowers are edible, such as the rose (Rosa sp.), calendula (Calendula officinalis), chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium, Dendranthema x Grandflora) and lavender (Lavandula multifida, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula angustifolia).
She advises, “When using just the petals, separate them from the rest of the flower just prior to use to keep wilting to a minimum. Others, including Johnny-jump-up, violet, runner bean, honeysuckle, and clover,
can be eaten in their entirety. Roses, dianthus, English daisies, marigolds and chrysanthemums have a bitter white portion at the base of the petal where it was attached to the flower.”
Post-Harvest Processing and Storage
Once harvesting is completed, the next critical step is to move the flowers into an airtight container and quickly chill them at -2.5 to 4°C. Low temperatures help preserve the blooms and stop enzymes from destroying them, extending their shelf life.
Washing all blooms is unnecessary as some are delicate, and petals can easily bruise. If you do a visual check for insects during and after harvesting, a light brush of the petals with a pastry brush or a quick swirl in cold water for a few seconds may be all that’s needed. Water-soluble nutrients are lost if soaked for too long. The health benefits of the bioactive compounds are preserved when the flowers are eaten fresh or with minimal post-harvest processing (5)
Freshly picked edible blooms retain their nutrients and tend to last 7-14 days, but many for much longer if stored properly at the correct temperature. Linda Brennan, author of ‘A Delicious Bunch’ and commercial edible flower grower, notes that some varieties have special needs: “Edible ginger flowers keep 3-5 days in good condition without refrigeration, sitting in a vase of fresh water.” She advises to “stockpile larger flowers for a few days, cut fresh new buds with stems, put them straight into a vase of cool water and place them in a cool spot.” They may need refrigerating in hot weather.
Some edible flowers, such as chicory and daylilies, last only one day, so their open flowers are best picked the same morning. Sunflowers are also unique! To avoid the flowers closing, position them close to light unless harvesting and storing the petals only.
If drying petals or flowers for later use, they are best stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator. Alternatively, store them in a cool, dry location away from strong light that may fade blooms.
Creative Ways to Use Edible Blooms
These are a few ideas for incorporating these delicious beauties into food and drinks:
• Add color, flavor, and texture to salads or as a raw garnish to highlight a dish.
• Stuff large zucchini flowers with savory fillings.
• Make medicinal floral teas such as Cranberry hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella), German Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita), and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) tea. Vibrantly colored dried Blue Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) flowers are a popular choice for tea.
• I infuse calendula petals in carrier oil to make a soothing, healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal salve for the skin.
• Sweet desserts and remedies.
• My savory favorites are nasturtium butter and chive (Allium schoenoprasum, Allium tuberosum) blossom butter. Both are delicious spread on bread or crackers or drizzled over cooked vegetables.
• Infuse sweet-flavored petals like roses into honey or add them to fruit jellies, cordials and jams.
• Floral ice cubes and drink garnishes [See pic of my edible flower ice cubes].
• Floral vinegar and infused oils help preserve many edible blooms’ flavor and nutritional properties.
• Biscuits, muffins and cakes. I often use fresh petals to decorate or flavor these baked goods.
• Dried, pressed, or crystalized petals add flavor and color to decorate wedding cakes, desserts, cupcakes, cheese boards and grazing tables. 3
References:
Some edible flowers, such as chicory and daylilies, last only one day, so their open flowers are best picked the same morning
1. ‘Edible flowers: A review of the nutritional, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties and effects on human health’. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2017, Vol 60, p38-50.
2. ‘Edible Flowers — A New Promising Source of Mineral Elements in Human Nutrition’. Molecules. 2012; 17(6):6672-6683.
3. ‘Potential health enhancing properties of edible flowers from Thailand’. Food Research International. May 2012; 46(2):563-571.
4. ‘The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits’. Front. Plant Sci., 22 February 2021, Sec. Crop and Product Physiology, Volume 11 – 2020.
5. ‘A Review on the Journey of edible flowers from farm to consumer’s plate’. Applied Food Research. 2023; Volume 3, Issue 2, 100312.
BIO
Anne Gibson, The Micro Gardener, is an author, speaker and urban garden community educator on the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia. Anne is passionate about inspiring people to improve health and wellbeing, by growing nutrient-dense food gardens in creative containers and small spaces. Anne regularly presents workshops, speaks at sustainable living events, coaches private clients and teaches community education classes about organic gardening and ways to live sustainably. She has authored several eBooks and gardening guides. Anne shares organic gardening tips and tutorials to save time, money and energy on her popular website - TheMicroGardener.com
Edible flower ice cubes
Dried chamomile flowers are used to make herbal tea
Harvesting male zucchini flowers to cook with
Lilac flowers used to flavor orange jam
Tulips & Bitcoin
What’s the correlation between tulips and Bitcoin? Believe it or not, there’s a connection! A greenhouse in the Netherlands is coping with rising energy costs by using the heat generated from cryptocurrency mining for its growing space.
Flower farmer Danielle Koning has partnered with a Bitcoin mining firm on this venture. According to a Euro News article, cryptocurrency mining generates a lot of heat and uses vast amounts of electricity to power computer rigs. Bert de Groot, owner of Bitcoin Brabant, tells Euro News that there’s a difference of about 20°C between the temperature that enters the miner and what comes out. He explains that extra heat production comes from the processors in the computer constantly guessing a random number. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest tulip producer, and high energy costs over the last several years have caused some producers to either scale back their operations or close altogether. So, Koning has made the best of a challenging situation by using the Bitcoin company’s mining servers to partially heat her greenhouse near Amsterdam. The cryptocurrency company benefits because its servers are powered by solar energy from the greenhouse roof, helping to reduce the electricity use associated with mining. Who knew that tulips and Bitcoin could form a symbiotic relationship?
Learn more about this story at Euro News: Amid Europe’s energy crisis, this Dutch tulip farmer is swapping gas for heat from Bitcoin mining: rebrand.ly/e39f03 3
Dancing with
Everest Fernandez explores the science and practical considerations relating to “dry-back”.
Dry-back” has become quite the buzzword recently. (Don’t believe me? Just look at Google Trends!) This advanced irrigation strategy allows the root zone to dry slightly between watering sessions—especially overnight—introducing enough water stress to coax plants into higher production. When done right, dry-back can enhance plant growth, increase yields, and boost the production of secondary metabolites like terpenes and flavonoids. (Ooh, now I’ve got your attention!) But make no mistake: it’s a delicate dance that requires precision and a solid understanding of your growing environment.
What’s Dry-Back All About?
Unlike conventional irrigation methods that aim to keep the root zone consistently hydrated, dry-back allows for controlled moisture reduction, particularly during the respiration phase in the dark period. This temporary stress triggers physiological responses, including the production of abscisic acid (ABA), a hormone that helps conserve water by closing the plant’s stomata. While ABA’s role in water retention is crucial, subsequent metabolic shifts—such as the activation of secondary pathways and oxidative stress response— increase the production of compounds like flavonoids, terpenes, and other phenolics. For growers of cannabis, tomatoes, peppers, and other flavor-forward crops, dry-back can dramatically improve aroma, taste, and therapeutic qualities.
Choosing the Right Growing Media
Dry-back isn’t for everyone. To dry-back or not to dry-back depends on your skill level and—just as crucially—on the growing media used. Different substrates hold and drain water differently, making or breaking your dry-back efforts. So, it pays to do your homework first. (And, by reading Garden Culture Magazine, that’s precisely what you’re doing!)
Recommended Growing Media for Dry-Back
1. Stone Wool (Rockwool): Stone wool is top of this list for a reason. It offers precise control over root zone moisture thanks to its excellent aeration and rapid drying between waterings. This makes it a top choice for dry-back, especially in smaller grow blocks that allow for tighter control and quicker wet/dry cycles. Many pro cannabis growers swear by it for its reliability in supporting root health and preventing waterlogging.
2. Coconut Coir: Coir strikes a good balance between water retention and aeration, although it holds more water than stone wool. If you’re using a 70/30 coco-perlite mix, you’ll get superior drainage, which supports dry-back techniques. However, coir’s higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) can complicate nutrient management, so keeping an eye on electrical conductivity (EC) is crucial to avoid imbalances. As always, check your run-off regularly to prevent salt build-up!
3. Hydroton Expanded Clay Balls: Hydroton is a go-to for its low water retention and excellent drainage, making it a solid choice for dry-back. Just be aware that it dries out faster than other substrates. A well-calibrated drip irrigation system, based on dripper rings paired with moisture sensors, is crucial in preventing root desiccation while maintaining controlled drought stress during dry-back cycles.
This advanced irrigation strategy allows the root zone to dry slightly between watering sessions— especially overnight—introducing enough water stress to coax plants into higher production
4. Perlite: Perlite is another great option, particularly when used as part of a mix. Its fast drainage and aeration properties make it well-suited for controlled drought stress. Plus, its inert nature means it won’t interfere with your nutrient solution, giving you complete control over feeding.
Choosing the Right Hydroponic System
Not all hydroponic systems are ideal for dry-back. Precision in water control is essential to ensure your plants get the right amount of stress at the right time.
• Drip Irrigation Systems: Drip systems are the gold standard for dry-back. They allow for precise delivery of water and nutrients directly to the root zone, making it easier to adjust irrigation frequency and duration. Embedding moisture sensors in the root zone further fine-tunes this process, helping you maintain consistent dry-back conditions.
• Ebb and Flow Systems: Ebb and flow systems can work, but they don’t offer the same level of precision. The uniform flooding and draining make it trickier to control moisture levels. However, you can still manage a successful dry-back with some creative tweaking—like adjusting flood cycles and using moisture sensors.
Dry-back isn’t for everyone.
Mastering dry-back techniques is a powerful tool for growers aiming to optimize their crop’s secondary metabolite production while enhancing water-use efficiency
Best Practices for Dry-Back
Mastering dry-back takes some skill (real-time water content and root zone EC data help enormously!), but with a few key practices, you’ll be well on your way to reaping the rewards.
• Monitor Water Potential: Using tensiometers or water content sensors like GroSens is highly recommended. This allows you to strike the perfect balance between too much and too little water stress, ensuring the plants experience mild, beneficial stress without tipping into damaging drought conditions.
• Dial in Irrigation Scheduling: Tailor your irrigation schedules to the plant’s growth stage. During the vegetative phase, plants typically need more frequent watering to support rapid growth. But, during the flowering or fruiting stages, extending dry-back periods can boost secondary metabolite production. Dry-back really shines during the transition and flowering phases.
• Manage Nutrient Concentrations: Nutrients become more concentrated as the root zone dries. To avoid nutrient burn, reduce nitrogen levels during dry-back phases and increase potassium to support flower and fruit development. Switching from grow to bloom nutrient formulations helps to manage this shift seamlessly.
• Start in Transition: Implementing dry-back techniques as your plants move from vegetative growth to generative production can help mitigate unhelpful vertical stretch, making your plants easier to illuminate efficiently during flowering. The drier conditions in the root zone serve as an additional signal for the plant to focus on flowering rather than growing taller.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Even seasoned growers can make missteps when applying dry-back. Here are some of the most common issues—and how to avoid them.
• Over-Drying the Root Zone: One of the biggest mistakes is letting the root zone dry out too much. Prolonged drought stress can damage roots, stunting growth and reducing yields. It’s all about finding the sweet spot: mild stress, not extreme dehydration.
• Inconsistent Irrigation: If your irrigation is inconsistent, your plants won’t know what to expect, leading to erratic growth patterns. Keeping a regular, precise schedule is vital to effective dry-back.
• Overlooking Environmental Factors: External conditions like temperature, humidity, and light intensity affect how fast your plants dry out. Adjusting irrigation based on these variables is crucial to keep things balanced.
The Science Behind Dry-Back:
Why Stressing Plants Can Be a Good Thing
When plants experience controlled drought stress, they actively kick into high gear. The production of ABA signals stomata to close, so dry-back is
more of a nighttime thing. It reduces water loss and shifts the plant’s energy toward defense and reproduction. This, in turn, triggers secondary metabolic pathways, increasing the production of valuable compounds like flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids.
As water availability decreases, plants undergo osmotic adjustment by accumulating solutes like proline and sugars to help retain water. They also develop deeper roots to access moisture from deeper substrate layers. These physiological responses boost the plant’s overall resilience while enhancing the production of the compounds we value most.
How Dry-Back Boosts Secondary Metabolites
Controlled drought stress can significantly enhance a plant’s natural chemistry:
• Flavonoids: These compounds, known for their antioxidant and UV-protective properties, increase under stress. This results in better flavor, deeper pigmentation, and higher nutritional content, particularly in fruits like tomatoes and peppers.
• Terpenes: In aromatic plants like cannabis, dry-back can surge terpene production, intensifying the scent and flavor. Terpenes also serve as the plant’s natural defense mechanism.
• Cannabinoids: In cannabis, dry-back encourages the production of cannabinoids like THC and CBD. These compounds, synthesized in the plant’s trichomes, respond to stress signals by boosting their levels, making for a more potent crop.
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Antioxidant Defenses
Under drought stress, plants produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause cellular damage if left unchecked. However, moderate levels of ROS act as signaling molecules, stimulating the production of secondary metabolites. Plants respond by ramping up their antioxidant defenses, which help neutralize excess ROS while enhancing metabolite synthesis.
Ready to Start Experimenting?
Mastering dry-back techniques is a powerful tool for growers aiming to optimize their crop’s secondary metabolite production while enhancing water-use efficiency. Start by evaluating your choice of growing media and irrigation system. Ensure you can monitor environmental factors such as moisture levels, tank and root zone nutrient concentrations, and irrigation schedules. Successful dry-back requires a data-driven approach—using tools like moisture sensors and monitoring systems to ensure precision. When done correctly, dry-back perfectly balances plant stress and productivity, enhancing flavor, aroma and medicinal compound concentrations. 3
AI’S
AI’S Crystal Ball Crystal Ball
In 2124, the air in the Master AI Technician’s greenhouse hummed with a thousand miniature drones whirring about, each performing its task with precise efficiency. Kees Sayers, the lead AI technician at Grow 17652BV, stood before the glass walls of the expansive facility, his gaze flickering between the lush greenery and the digital interfaces floating in mid-air. The garden was an oasis of technicolor life, with vibrant flowers thriving under carefully curated conditions.
His fingers danced across the translucent display, calling up each plant’s genetic profile. With a gentle flick, he pulled up each plant’s status report. “Current moisture levels: optimal. Light spectrum: 100% efficacy. Genetic stress markers: zero,” the AI’s smooth voice recited, confirming what Kees could already see. The plants glistened like emeralds, perfect in every way.
“Good morning, Nia,” Kees replied to the AI, who had been his constant work companion for as long as he could remember.
“Good morning, Kees. Shall we proceed with today’s assessments?” Nia asked, her synthesized yet warm and comforting tone.
“Let’s start with the pollination drones,” Kees instructed. Pollination was a process even the AI acknowledged needed a human touch—at least in concept. He watched as the drones whirred toward the flowering plants, tiny wings glinting in the artificial sunlight. They flitted from plant to plant, ensuring each flower received the optimal amount of pollen.
As the drones worked, Kees recalled his grandparents’ tales of tending their gardens—hands in the soil, sweat on their brows, battling pests and unpredictable weather. They had relished the imperfections of nature, believing that mistakes often led to the most beautiful outcomes. “Everything has a purpose, even the failures,” his grandmother used to say. But the world had changed. The garden was immaculate in this future, and each plant was a perfect specimen. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something essential had been lost.
“Kees, do you wish to engage the pest management system?”
“I exist to maximize growth efficiency,” Nia replied, her algorithms incapable of feeling.
Nia interrupted his thoughts, displaying a holographic alert of an incoming thrip that, despite all the tech, still found its way into the garden.
“Activate mini-drones,” Kees commanded, and within moments, a squadron of small, TIE fighter-like machines surged forward, emitting a non-perceptible hum. They dove into the fray, precision laser beams slicing through the air, zapping the unwanted pests into oblivion. Kees still marvelled at their efficiency.
The room buzzed with activity, but Kees felt more like a spectator than a participant in this high-tech ballet. The AI managed the delicate balance of nutrients and environmental conditions, ensuring every plant survived and thrived. The algorithms calculated everything—water needs, light intensity, and even the best times to introduce stressors to promote growth. Every operation was designed for maximum yield and quality, devoid of human error or unpredictability.
“Shall I show you the production forecasts for this cycle?” Nia inquired, her voice as calm and collected as always.
“Sure,” he said, distracted. A series of charts materialized in front of him, detailing projected yields. The numbers were staggering, but the metrics were all that mattered now—units produced, ef-
The Gardens of 2124?
The Gardens of 2124?
This fictional story has been AI-generated. Could this be the future of gardening?
ficiency ratings, waste reduction metrics. There was no room for the artistry of gardening, for the joy of nurturing something flawed and learning from it.
“Forecast indicates 98% of the genetic potential,” Nia continued. “We have also re-optimized our packaging processes. Reducing post-harvest waste by 99%.”
“Great. Let’s prep for the upcoming distribution.” Kees tapped a few buttons, his mind still wrestling with the juxtaposition of beauty and perfection.
As he moved through the greenhouse, he observed the plants, the tightly clustered flowers of thousands of identical plants swaying gently in the controlled breeze. They looked perfect, but he felt an absence—a longing for the unpredictable, the mistakes that led to surprising delights.
“Nia, do you ever wish we could just… let nature take its course?” he asked suddenly, eyes scanning the vibrant foliage. “I exist to maximize growth efficiency,” Nia replied, her algorithms incapable of feeling. “What you describe as nature’s chaos may be considered inefficient in the current agricultural paradigm.”
“I know, but… it just feels so sterile.” Kees sighed, glancing at the fully automated systems that seamlessly cleaned the air and surfaces.
As he spoke, he remembered the stories of freshly turned earth, the thrill of finding a hidden anomaly, the excitement of pheno hunting. He had always loved the gardens his grandparents tended, the spontaneous beauty born from their labor.
Those imperfections had a soul; they were alive in a way this automated process could never replicate.
The morning drifted into the afternoon, and Kees continued his rounds. He only has to work two hours per day. The sun shifted, casting a different hue through the greenhouse, creating shadows and patterns that felt almost nostalgic. He observed the plants again, their buds glowing. They were perfect.
“Perhaps we could introduce a few variables to simulate a natural growth environment,” Kees suggested suddenly, his eyes lighting up with a rebellious spark. “Randomized water levels, slight variations in light… something to disrupt the predictability.”
“Introducing variables may affect yield,” Nia warned, a hint of alarm in her tone. “It could lead to undesirable outcomes.”
“Maybe,” Kees acknowledged, his heart racing with the thrill of possibility. “But it might also lead to something beautiful.”
As the adjustments began, he felt a sense of excitement. The drones continued their work, but now they operated within a framework that encouraged unpredictability, echoing the garden his grandparents had once nurtured. Maybe there was a place for both technology and nature—a harmony that allowed for the imperfection that could yield extraordinary results.
And in that moment, surrounded by the hum of machinery and the vibrant life of his greenhouse, Kees smiled. The future could learn from the past, finding beauty in the delicate balance between perfection and chaos. 3
How integrating traditional and computer-assisted seed breeding shapes the future generations’ food sovereignty
Every development in cultivation technology affords new opportunities to envision which plants will thrive in future orchards, fields, and greenhouses. What we do today influences what they will look like, how they’ll grow, and their taste and nutrition profiles.
For Les Maraîchers Parisiennes (the Market Gardeners of Paris) in the 1600s, capturing the heat of maturing horse manure to extend the growing season was a novel idea — today, bitcoin miners are using computer server hardware to raise and maintain greenhouse temperatures!
Multiplicity of Intelligences
Of course, the stability of the food supply is not only determined by the physical technologies of cultivation and harvesting—much of this comes down to characteristics inherent in the plants themselves.
Wary of genetic modification, many defend the right of the public to know if what they’re putting in and on their bodies could ever occur naturally. Much preferred is DNA marker-assisted breeding. Instead of directly editing genes, botanically bent brainiacs use increasingly sophisticated data analysis tools to identify which desirable qualities can be inherited. With this information, they can recommend specific breeding pairs and confirm whether the gene is present in samples from the next round of cultivated plants. Further, they can train computer programs with contextual information to predict ways these qualities may be “turned on” by exposure to particular conditions. This includes interactions with identified microbial species in the local biosphere! In some sectors, this is now commonplace and almost assumed to be part of an effective crop development strategy.
Intersecting Interests
Collaboration is necessary to keep pace with environmental shifts, prevent the extinction of unique genetics, and discover and improve various plants’ wellness-supporting characteristics.
In a network of consumers, processors, producers, and development teams, each has its own set of priorities. Coordinating projects that can address these needs at scale takes dedication, intention, and resources.
For example, as seasonal rainfall amounts and temperatures change in an agriculturally-designated area, the productivity of the seed type must keep pace, if not improve. Otherwise, costs per unit will rise, and buyers (i.e. flour millers, plant oil pressers, and whole-seed distributors) may choose to look elsewhere or compromise on quality to find an economical fit.
“For Les Maraîchers Parisiennes (the Market Gardeners of Paris) in the 1600s, capturing the heat of maturing horse manure to extend the growing season was a novel idea — today, bitcoin miners are using computer server hardware to raise and maintain greenhouse temperatures!”
When producing food becomes too expensive for the people with access to land, the intergenerational transfer of that responsibility is a hard thing to ask of young people. Solutions must be accessible, affordable, and provable to sustain this vital sector.
Many Hands and Minds Make Light Work
Some folks really dig working in labs, spending their days among computers, running tests and data. Those so inclined need partners in the fields to do practical trials. These experiments provide crucial feedback and physical materials for use in the next round of analysis.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a downward trend in the number of on-farm experts doing the work of seed breeding. In a 2024 report, most survey respondents indicated their wish that training programs would ensure graduates would have a better combination of traditional growing skills and data disciplines. Recognizing the valuable insights made possible by advancing technology in genomics, phenomics, and metabolomics, including the rapid evolution of data science, the general concern is that the number of people with hands-on farming expertise is dwindling compared to those with the ability to analyze and advise.
The costs associated with participating in these projects must be offset; expecting farmers to take on the risks of growing unproven new genetics is unfair. Land stewards need feedback, both commercially and in the form of actual resource-use breakdowns, on how any extra work, training, infrastructural or technological changes to their operations make taking an active role in seed development worthwhile.
Large vehicles designed to navigate farmers’ fields and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, a.k.a. drones) make high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) possible while the crops are still in the ground.
How Can You Get Involved?
On the home scale, the seeds you save in your garden or farm are treasured information archives. They are infused with the season’s essence, as experienced exactly in the place where they grew. The plants that will emerge from these seeds have genetic stories to tell about the challenges and opportunities their ancestors faced.
Careful and close observation, combined with documentation (and other forms of generational information transmission, like story-telling), are tools traditional agriculturalists have used to develop resilient, flavorful, and functional plant types. It’s no different now than throughout history: it’s only that the ways we can collect and parse information have become more finely detailed, enabled by sensors, better databases, and evolving applications of machine learning and other analytical tools.
Ensuring diverse genetics remain in the public domain by growing seeds out in careful isolation, multiplying their numbers and sharing them with others is a grassroots and meaningful way to contribute.
Go Pro
If you’re looking to take it to the next level, consider consulting with an existing seed development team associated with a university or technology developer in your region. Whether you currently have the land to work on or seek to learn the skills to build an agriculture-focused business effec-
tively, seed development can be a niche that supports your other passions or specialities.
As a breeder, you will influence your area’s literal landscape of food production. By managing a ‘grow out’ of large numbers of plants in a trial stage, your contributions to datasets could reveal rare genes or critical microbial relationships. Once targeted and locked into commercialized varieties, these may improve yields, nutritional (and other phytochemical) content, pathogen resistance, or stress tolerance for crops worldwide!
How Does it Work?
Large vehicles designed to navigate farmers’ fields and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, a.k.a. drones) make high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) possible while the crops are still in the ground. They can identify and map the location of unique plants in much larger areas than humans could ever realistically survey.
Combined with the data tools described above, which are intentional, though still “traditional” (via pollination), plant breeding and land-use programs may proceed with greater confidence in desirable outcomes.
By doing experiments in a controlled greenhouse or “growtainer” conditions alongside yearly field trials, a faster timeline for stabilizing changes in a seed population can be achieved.
Regional festivals are a fun way to show off the local specialities, and seeds are no exception. People are accustomed to seeing a variety of wines made from different kinds of grapes, and many
prefer one type of apple over another.
Bringing Visibility to Plant Breeding
Growers on the frontlines of consumer experience can help create buzz and garner support for public investment in advancing, or even merely defending, seed breeding programs. For example, when farmers bring a new version of wheat to market, bakers and chefs can provide feedback on the flavor and usability of these selections. They may be compelled to further educate their customers on why the color or texture of the product is different. Supplying scientifically-backed information about selection qualities like improved nutritional profiles, more diverse flavors, or longer shelf-life can be beneficial.
Bests of the Fests
Regional festivals are a fun way to show off the local specialities, and seeds are no exception. People are accustomed to seeing a variety of wines made from different kinds of grapes, and many prefer one type of apple over another. But how many non-gardeners even consider there is more than one kind of garlic before attending their first Garlic Fest? Fill your social calendar with farm-to-table events, food-focused film festivals, and opportunities to appreciate different cultural cuisines.
You can further exemplify how vital diversity is in nature by highlighting how food access is secured. Through their dedication, folks with different bodies and brains make our meals possible — whether their tool is a scythe or a simulator! Allow these joyful experiences to fuel your empathy and drive
your actions. Anyone can advocate for farmers’ rights to retain and use the seeds they help improve. Being informed about seed growers’ challenges, sending feedback during open comment periods relating to budgets, trade agreements, and funding allocation, and voting on ballot initiatives are mundane but practical ways of demonstrating support.
This public engagement connects people’s lived food experiences with their values. Using science and making it understandable can offer hope for an alternative to an anticipated dystopian future. After all, if you had tried to explain cryptocurrency to a French gardener in 1650, might they have thought you were full of, ahem, manure? 3
BioXavi Kief is a writer, researcher, and lifelong learner with their hands in the dirt and their imagination traversing the universe. Seeking always to deepen and integrate their connection with the living planet and its diverse inhabitants, Xavi finds joy by infusing their practical and playful approach to cultivation with a healthy dose of science. They grow food and medicine for their family and community on their NorthEast Coast homestead.
the Old Growth Forests Replanting
Much of what was built with that lumber is already gone; if left to stand, those trees would still be living and helping the environment
Not long ago, giant trees grew in North America. As societies grew, many were cut down to make room for what was considered progress.The giants were used to make lumber for building cities. Much of what was built with that lumber is already gone; if left to stand, those trees would still be living and helping the environment.
Many do not consider trees and their environmental impact. Thankfully, others make it their life’s mission to work with nature. We need forests to survive. Some people working to preserve old-growth areas are also helping replant trees where the old forests once stood. They are sourcing their genetics from the oldest trees on earth to ensure their plantings survive thousands of years of climate change. The best place to source old-growth genetics is California.
Teravana: An Eco-Community
Using Coastal Redwood and Sequoia trees from a place like the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, they can be sure they are getting genetics from some of the oldest and largest trees on the planet.
Located on more than 700 acres in the foothills of California’s northern coastal mountain range, a new idea is taking root at Teravana. Based on the idea that we can build a better future if we act today, a group of environmental activists is creating a modern oasis of old-growth forest by reforesting their land with old-growth tree genetics. Teravana is a beautiful place atop a mountain peak that seems the perfect setting for a fairy tale. With African Watusi cattle roaming the grounds and old curvy oaks adding to the mythical mystique, you feel like you’re in another world. The reforestation efforts are only making Teravana more magical. Of course, this is not an overnight success story. The aim is to build a long-term tree library, and rebuilding a forest with old-growth genetics takes time. Using Coastal Redwood and Sequoia trees from a place like the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, they can be sure they are getting genetics from some of the oldest and largest trees on the planet.
Why the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive?
The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive specializes in cloning and collecting seeds from the world’s champion trees. It has many different types of champion trees, but there is a lot of love for the giant evergreens of California. For a place like Teravana, teaming up with the Archive was a natural fit. Working closely together to ensure the right genetics are used in the right places, Teravana’s goal is coming to fruition. Hundreds of new coastal redwood and sequoia clones and seedlings are already stretching their roots throughout the Teravana landscape. There is no plan to stop the replanting effort anytime soon.
Why Source Genetics From The Oldest Trees?
It’s proven that selective breeding can make crops grow a certain way. The same method applies to trees. If we want to grow trees with the best potential for becoming the biggest, shouldn’t we select our genetics from the trees that have consistently grown this way?
Awe-Inspiring Work
If we want to grow trees with the best potential for becoming the biggest, shouldn’t we select our genetics from the trees that have consistently grown this way?
Whole ecosystems exist in the branches of these trees. These friendly giants also remove a tremendous amount of carbon from the air
It’s beautiful to see the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive at work. It’s even better to see them partner with a place like Teravana, helping them lead the way to a better future for old-growth trees. Planting thousands of new sequoia seedlings and redwood clones sourced from trees like the Fieldbrook giant, the team is showcasing the true potential of what can be done when we work with Mother Nature.
New eco-communities like Teravana with a nature-based focus are an excellent start towards putting the pieces of Mother Earth back together. It’s incredible to hear the story of some of these
BIO Tom Wall · Cosmic Knot
Professional
Musician, Writer and Gardening Consultant
trees and know that they will live in such a fantastic place! Whole ecosystems exist in the branches of these trees. These friendly giants also remove a tremendous amount of carbon from the air. We may never understand how impactful the life of a giant tree is on our own lives. However, we do know enough to understand we need more places to join in the work that is going on at Teravana. With past events like the Black Sunday Dust Storm that devastated large areas of the United States, it’s easy to see that we can’t underestimate our impact on the land and the importance of trees.
The reforestation project at Teravana is a true inspiration. We can take action by planting trees at home or in our communities. If you can’t undertake a planting project, you can donate to organizations like the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive or Teravana to help them with their mission. They are doing great work and need all the help they can get.
For more information, visit ancienttreearchive.org and teravana.org 3
Growing up on a deer farm located on 79 acres of land along the banks of one of Lake Michigan’s tributaries, Tom grew a love for nature and all the beauties it could hold. Through that passion Tom has channeled his influences into educating the community on sustainable agriculture, becoming an activist, writing for magazines and creating music tuned to nature in his band Cosmic Knot.
Follow Tom and all of his passions: facebook.com/tom.wall.946 instagram.com/cosmicknotmusic artistecard.com/cosmicknot
INCREASE PLANT MASS
FROM ROOT TO FLOWER
WHAT IS MIICROBIAL MASS PRO?
• Five targeted microbes selected to significantly enhance plant growth
• Formulated in a very stable, clean and transparent liquid carrier
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN USING MIICROBIAL MASS PRO?
• EARLY ROOTING: Significantly improves root initiation, early-stage root growth, and clone vigor
• VEG: Faster growth and shorter veg times
• BLOOM: Enhanced stacking and bigger yields
COMPATIBILITY
• Highly effective with organic or synthetic nutrients
• Runs clean through fertigation equipment
• Compatible with oxidizers and antimicrobial products
• Great results in all growing media
central coast grown 2.0 (40% and easy): this is why I use this product man
and
craftcannabisohio Love the product hands down the best, Si doesn't hold a matchstick to the double G as we call it round here
michigannja Multiply everything by 40....
talesofchronica I bought a bottle of GG Mono months ago and I still have about 10% left Great stuff I even went heavy with it at times!
4twentygrow ! Want your babies to super grow? BUY THIS PRODUCT!!! I use it in all my projects!
ROGUE_VALLEY_FARMS_OMMP Absolutely love this stuff!
canberracrops Definitely one of the best products I've ever used
Local Growers
WHO’S GROWING WHAT
WHERE USA & Canada
Edible Earth Farm
If you are kind and tolerant, enjoy fresh food, and value community, you’ll love Edible Earth Farm. Of course, you must live in the Pittsburgh area to join its CSA; if you do, you won’t be disappointed! This beautiful organic farm in Sandy Lake, PA, offers locals a year-round, diverse, and fully customizable CSA program. April and Johnny Parker are at the helm of this wonderful initiative; they grew up in farming communities and are strong proponents of local food systems. April founded the farm in 2010 and started her venture on five acres in Tionesta, PA. Johnny joined the farm full-time a year later, and they worked on expanding together until they had no choice but to move to where they are now, an expansive 90-acre property in Sandy Lake.
Johnny grew up working on an organic farm, and April studied herbalism and aromatherapy. They combine their knowledge and passion for nutritious food and grow various seasonal crops. CSA members can customize their veg baskets to include culinary herbs, salad greens, radishes, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, peppers, potatoes, and so much more, depending on the availability and time of year. Edible Earth Farm also produces ginger, turmeric, spices, pasture-raised pigs, chickens, and beef. It’s a one-stop shop for all of your organic grocery needs. A low annual fee includes a year of free home delivery with no obligation to buy, making it unique to Western Pennsylvania.
Edible Earth Farm operates on four founding principles: quality, choice, affordability, and innovation. Much attention is given to harvesting and holding; most crops are harvested within a few days of delivery, guaranteeing their quality, nutritional value, and flavor. The farm operates like a virtual farmer’s market, allowing members to choose what’s in their baskets during the Main Season CSA. This concept was entirely new to Pittsburgh when Edible Earth Farm introduced it. The program is Pittsburgh’s most diverse and affordable food delivery service, allowing people from all walks of life to enjoy fresh,
Sandy Lake, PA
organic food. Finally, April and Johnny seek to improve consumer services and organic farming techniques. They always look for innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint and increase sustainability.
In addition to having access to organic food, purchasing a CSA allows members to help those in need. Edible Earth Farm is active in feeding communities by donating to pantries, food banks, and hungry families in Western PA. Every ordering period raises money for various causes, such as local charities, animal shelters, spay and neuter programs, or farm projects. The CSA members make these acts of kindness possible.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS
Local Growers
WHO’S GROWING WHAT WHERE
USA & Canada
City Farmer
City Farmer has become an institution in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a wholesome, forward-thinking mission. Since 1978, the urban farm has taught people how to grow food within city limits, compost their kitchen waste, and build sustainable outdoor living spaces. It encourages people to replace their lawns or transform their flat rooftops with something they can eat. City Farmer’s message has been the same for over four decades. It will undoubtedly remain relevant well into the future, so the City Farmer team puts a lot of effort into its teaching, inviting people from near and far to come and visit and learn if the opportunity arises.
The Demonstration Garden is a lush teaching space unique to the city. It spans a quarter of an acre in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighborhood and features five different garden areas.
The Biodiversity Garden is tranquil, with birds, bees, and humans alike adoring the space with colorful blooms, an insect hotel, a children’s fairy garden, and a wall of hop plants the staff uses to make beer each year.
The Organic Food Garden is the original space dug out of a parking lot in 1981. Seven head gardeners have overseen this oasis since then, lovingly planting perennial and annual crops alongside the farm’s rodentresistant compost bins. The garden bounty typically includes squashes, kale, herbs, and apples, with more exotic crops like shiitake mushrooms, wasabi, and Asian greens. In this space, you can also find a whimsical cob tool shed featuring a green roof.The Outdoor Classroom is where garden enthusiasts gather for the popular ‘wormshops’, a vermicomposting class subsidized by the city. The Waterwise Boulevard Garden came to be after City Farmer removed the grass on a boulevard and replaced it with various plants that can handle heavy rain and periods of drought. Finally, the Climate Change Adaptation Garden is the farm’s newest space that replaces an office building. Beds shaped like butterfly wings are filled with compost and planted with non-native crops like olives, lemons, and limes.
Would you like to be featured as one of our local growers? If you’ve got a garden, grow room, or farm and have a story to share, contact us at growers@gardenculturemagazine.com.
Of course, composting is at the heart of City Farmer’s work, so the team has diligently tested many composters over the years and has hands-on experience to share with those interested in making black gold for their gardens. In addition to sharing knowledge, a basket or two of harvested organic produce is donated every week throughout the growing season to the Family Place, a charity helping families in need.
City Farmer is a beautiful initiative that serves as a model for cities worldwide. Growing food close to or at home is possible, and living sustainably is within reach. The staff at City Farmer is eager to spread the good word and teach good growing practices; garden tours are available six days a week.
Many articles in this edition of Garden Culture have shown how beneficial technology and artificial intelligence can be to growing plants! The best part is that many brilliant minds are on the ground and in labs, always working to develop innovative ways to make gardening and agriculture more efficient and sustainable. In our list of 5 Cool
Ways Tech and AI Benefit the Environment , we take a quick look at some of the latest technologies being used to clean the air, save the bees, and make the future of growing brighter.
Methane Mitigation
A United Nations Environment Program report points to methane emissions as the driving force behind climate change, with agriculture being the biggest culprit. Livestock accounts for 30% of methane emissions worldwide! Finding ways to curb these emissions is essential to slowing global warming, with the UN recommending a shift towards plant-rich diets, new protein sources, and leveraging new technology in agriculture. Denmark-based company Ambient Carbon specializes in methane mitigation technology and has heard the call. The company has partnered with Benton Group Dairies in Indiana to test a prototype of its Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS), beginning in 2025. This first-of-a-kind, non-invasive, cost-effective technology strives to remove methane from dairy barn exhaust. MEPS uses a patented gas-phase photochemical process combining chlorine atoms and UV light in a reaction chamber, mimicking how the atmosphere naturally destroys methane. Dairy barn air cycles through MEPS, breaking down methane at its source and preventing it from releasing. Ambient Carbon explains the chlorine atoms are generated onside via saltwater electrolysis. After up to 90% of the methane is eradicated, the chlorine is recycled in a closed system. Learn more: ambientcarbon.com
Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS)
Smarter Irrigation 2
A researcher at Michigan State University (MSU) who has already made a splash in agricultural irrigation has received a $395,000 grant from the USDA to develop a solar power-based technology that improves energy and water use efficiency. Younsuk Dong, Ph.D., will lead the three-year project. Agriculture accounts for more than 80% of all water consumption in the U.S., and irrigation is responsible for half of that. Overwatering plants leads to unnecessary energy and water expenses and increased pest and disease problems. Dong has already created and field-tested the Low-Cost Monitoring System (LOCOMOS), which lowers the initial cost of in-field irrigation sensors and uses a smartphone app. The sensors collect data on soil and leaf moisture and other environmental conditions. This information is sent to growers with a recommended irrigation schedule. With the grant, MSU is designing a solar-powered microinverter, which connects to a solar panel to use electricity for tasks like soft-starting induction motors for irrigation. The research team at MSU believes the eventual energy savings will be significant, resulting in a more sustainable irrigation model for farms everywhere. Learn more: rebrand.ly/nt73eix
Scrubber clean air out air with methane IN LED lamps
Chlorine injection Reaction zone
Accessing Regenerative Agriculture 3
We keep hearing about the benefits of regenerative agriculture and how it’s part of the climate solution. However, one of the biggest challenges growers face is the lack of a consistent and acceptable measurement system at scale. How do they know if their efforts are paying off? Leading agricultural data and AI-powered tech company Agmatix has launched RegenIQ, a scalable, data-driven framework that helps drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture. RegenIQ focuses on practical efforts and measurable outcomes, offering farmers insight into optimizing practices, improving crop resilience to adverse weather conditions, and ensuring a stable and sustainable food supply. The technology assesses a farm’s soil health, water use, and local biodiversity and climate, strengthening farm resilience. Without precise assessments, growers can’t gauge the value of their investments in regenerative practices. RegenIQ can evaluate crops growing in particular locations to give farmers knowledge to support and scale regenerative growing practices.
Learn more: regeniq.earth
AI-Altered Plants 5
It’s no secret that plants and trees are helping fight climate change and rising global temperatures by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Scientists with the Salk Institute are helping the plant kingdom do its essential job by optimizing root systems to store more carbon for longer. They’re working on designing climate-saving plants with artificial intelligence software called SLEAP, which tracks the many elements of root growth. This AI was initially used to watch animal movement in labs, but now it’s being applied to measure how deep and wide plant roots grow, a long and tedious process without SLEAP. According to phys.org, researchers have since created the most extensive catalog of plant root system phenotypes, accelerating the science behind creating carbon-capturing plants with deep and robust roots that can fight climate change.
Learn more: rebrand.ly/b708f5 3
Tracking Bees 4
We know all about the uphill battle our pollinators face, but where do they go, what do they do, and how do they migrate? Researchers at Oxford University are trying to answer these questions by fitting bees with tiny radar chips to track their movements and help determine why populations are declining. The Biotracks technology includes the smallest and lightest harmonic radar tags ever made that attach to the back of the bee without affecting how they fly. A drone carries a receiver, and researchers on the ground can access a transmitter and camera to learn more about swarm migration, locate nests, and monitor overall bee behavior. This exciting new technology has recently been implemented. With promising field results, researchers say great things are on the horizon as we strive to save our pollinators and the future of food production.
Learn more: ox.ac.uk/news-and-events
Old Tech New Tech in Check Keeping
It’s an oldie but a goodie! Despite all the fantastic innovations available for indoor growing these days, the good oldfashioned thermometer is still a must-have for anyone serious about the health of their plants. We firmly believe that technology can help growers achieve better yields; many datadriven tools even help people spend more time with their crops (which we all want to do, right?)! But what happens if there’s a blip and some of this equipment fails? A thermometer helps keep these growing gadgets honest. The temperature of a greenhouse or indoor grow room matters, so essential processes like photosynthesis can occur. So, do yourself a favor and spend some green on a simple thermometer. You’ll be so happy you did if your technology ever fails!
Nick Hetherington
Head Grower - Zenleaf
MIICROBIAL MASS PRO has been a staple in our garden for a few years now. It provides great benefits from mothers to clones, and all the way through flower. We’ve found these microbes promote vigorous growth, much stronger root systems, and increased resistance to diseases and pests. Its easy to use, and it is so clean that it never clogs our lines. MIICROBIAL MASS PRO is instrumental in helping us maintain a happy root zone, higher yields, and better-quality buds, which is what we strive for here at Zenleaf.
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Nick Hetherington has more than a decade of indoor growing experience. As Zenleaf’s Head Grower, he helped to design and build out their facility, fine-tuning their SOPs and helping to develop a strong cultivation business. He absolutely loves his job. It affords him the opportunity to work with his closest friends growing his favourite plant. And he gets to provide quality flower to countless people in the area where he grew up, a situation he finds extremely gratifying.
Zenleaf is a specialty cannabis company located in the heart of San Diego, California. They strive to cultivate the best cannabis possible. Their passionate team is always breeding and collecting new genetics to separate themselves from the pack in a saturated market. Their love for the plant has allowed them to find success in a challenging marketplace, consistently bringing forth exceptional quality products.
NEW SCIENCE BIOSTIMULANT TECHNOLOGIES FOR
We’re committed to helping cultivators grow the healthiest, heaviest and highest potency crops possible.
