Grozine Edition #San

wns F#*K La

Bottle Rocket Hydro

Green Pa d CO2 Te st Ask

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Erik

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Contents -click- on subject(s)

From the Edit or

Ask Erik

The Straight Dope-Product Reviews

Bottle Rocke t Custom Fee dChart

Hydro-STAR: Perfect Gardens

Product Test : Green Pad C O2

F#$K Lawns: Aquascape 4 Life

Thanks & Prais e, Coming Nex t...

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From the Editor Welcome Back to another of YOUR -ORIGINAL- Pape rless Hydroponics Publication.. For those that have been along since we first set-out, you will know this is our 3rd Edition-”San”. If you just caught up with us, please drop by our website -click- and broswe our past editions (PDF). Some of you took the time to reach out and let us know that you liked the new look-THANKS-we are always a work in progress.

ORIGINAL FEEDING CHART-1999

Freedom of fun, enjoying the t lo a ng vi ha en be en We have only our “look”; it’s be t no ne fi Re d an ve have to Develop, Evol d on the feedback we se ba t, en nt co r ou g cultivatin what you want the real grower- on UYO om fr g in tt ge st rebeen proving to be the mo is at th . us om fr of to see more warding.

For as long as I can remeber as a hydroponic writer, people were always asking “what’s good?”. Of course I had some opinions, but when you write for the other guys, you can’t just come out and say whatever you think--Not here : )

other guys seem to leave off. We So Edition -San- starts where the u from Long Beach, California dehave LB, a real-working nutrient gur ce based) feedchart for HEAVY pro livering a mixed-brand (performan e you a savvy Hydro Shopper. duction-plus some tips to help mak We review Hydro products you might already be using (or thinking about using) We will also introduce you to our Green Pad CO2 Propagation Experiment-do they work, and is it worth it?!

While we ARE and ALWAYS WILL BE a HARDCORE HYDRO MAG geared at giving you better results from your growing, we also like to touch on things that you, our growing friends might find especially cool (and related to what you dig, yo) For example, in this Edition, Aquascaping borrows a lot from what you took to learn to grow Hydro, and allows you to create some very ZEN surroundings-why cultivate your death with a toxic lawn when you can, as Bruce Lee said: “ Be Water, My Friend”.

And of course we put in LOTS more awesome stuff we think you will just LOVE:)

Erik Biksa-Editor

Grozine’s Green Pad CO2 Experiment

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Q: A:

Ask Erik Hey Erik, Just read your article on LED’s in Max Yield, and had a couple of questions for you.

One of our distributors of AC units claims a watt is a watt, HID, LED, or Induction when determining cooling needs.

Was this taken into consideration when you determined you reached the same yield as under HID? Did the final watt calculation take consideration of “accessory” wattage (ie ac, inline fans) We have seen some great results grown under the Lumi, have you tried any other models other than the SG? What do you recommend, 5 band, 7 band, 9 band?

We can see the future of grow light options, first there was 1w diodes, then 2w, now 3w, 5w, and so on. We just want to be able to provide our customers with quality products.

We just want to clarify this, your thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your question., it’s a good one.

Re M.Y. Article: the LED article I had written was censored and edited; so the whole picture could not be presented. Apparently, there were concerns that an article summarizing two years with of LED experiments was all of a sudden going to put lighting, ventilation and AC suppliers out of business, which naturally couldn’t be further from the truth.

In examining the facts that came about from almost two years of real-working observations, it can be said that LEDs RUN COOLER. However,, they do put off some heat, and in a tightly enclosed area (especially with higher wattage panels) you are still going to need to ventilate or cool-just not as much . The yield in terms of watts was LIGHTING ONLY.

As a rule of thumb, your vent system or AC will kick on about half as often as it used to-so you still need fans or an AC, just half the size if you are building new, or if using existing gear, expect it to cycle about half as often.. Now on the flipside of this, I recommend a bigger De-Hum than you needed before and more air-circulation fans. This stimulates a higher rate of water-loss from the plant leaves (“transpiration”) because in a reduced ventilation environment, your plants may not take in as much water and nutrients. While efficient, it can cut down on production levels slightly if not compensated for. Taking advantage of the reduced ventilation requirements, especially when using fans, means adding CO2 to the garden is easy and affordable. This further helps to “amp-up” growth rates and contribute to heavier yields with less cropping time.

Besides the SG models I tested (which were both Quad-Band, but had different diode arrangement ratios), I have also tested a 600W “Tri-Band, Full Spectrum” model from a different manufacturer. While the results were impressive for propagation and Veg., it did not give the yield that the crazy purple looking lighting does, about 40% less to be specific in bloom (watt per watt comparisson).

It’s tough to make a recommendation with an LED because of all the inconsistencies from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from batch to batch. I have yet to trial anything higher than 3 watt LED chips, but would surmise that in the right arrangement they kick butt! I advise picking a unit, getting to know it-and if it performs stick with it-AND MAKE SURE THE SUPPLIER DOES TOO! The premise of the article was to say “YES, after two years of real-grow testing it’s safe to say these particular High Output LED models CAN and DO perform” Not that they are the only ones. They just happened to be the ones given to me and therefore tested. I always encourage growers to experiment, especially with new technologies; it’s what drives us forward as an industry-however, this recommendation is also tempered with the notion: “Don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose” because if something doesn’t perform, the consequences can be profound for a professional grower.

-Cheers, Erik Biksa (erikbiksa@grozine.com) Have a growing Question or Concern? Just Ask Erik-his column has been answering questions from hydroponics growers since 1999. Email: erikbiksa@grozine.com

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The Straight Dope: these products through a cycle or two in our gardens.

Here we tell you our findings after working

about A lot of growers just want to know -what is good-. Instead, they often hear a lot me, Trust tions. no real reason as to why and with no noteable real-life-growing observa about review some products, and give you the straight dope, so to speak, on whats good not have look at ones that have been out a while-just to make sure they still work and

how much better Product X is better than Product Z, yet seemingly with having a P.hD does not give you license to a green thumb! So here we something and whats not. While some products are newer, we also like to been slimmed down to be more profitable for someone-tust us, it happens....

Liquid Karma (www.botanicare.com) MSRP: $26.95 USD for 1QT This stuff has been around for a while, and while the label has changed (as most have in the industry) we are happy to report that it seems to work every bit as well toda y as when we first tried it many years ago. Not to say there has not been any changes, because we have seen the humi c portion get lighter or darker, what we are sayin g is this S#%t still works and is a good value. Basically, it helps boos t plant metabolic rates, stimulates microbes in the root s, and gives plants what they crave like vitamins, etc for susta ining higher growth functions.. A great general, all-p urpose additive.

Avg use about 10 ml per US Gallon When: cuttings, seedlings, veg, and bloom (we advise omitting for transition and ripening) What: Healthier, faster growing plants with better colors, denser buds, and more aroma and flavor GZ Rated: a good bang for the buck

Liquid Bud Blood (www.advancednutrients.com) MSRP: $21.95 USD for 1 L after Bumper Crops Blossom Blood.

Bud Blood has been around as a powder for years, and is one of many products styled the lights to 12 on 12 off for the bud Typically, thse products are used for the first one to two weeks after switching l growth, helping to build good strucphase. What you see is plant producing more flowering sites per foot of vertica is a welcome idea-powders are a ture to fill out later for bigger blooms and higher yields later. The liquid version and we did see a better flower set. pain in the ass to measure and mix properly. For the money, this is a good value a little longer in both trials-we would Note the flowers looked a little more gnarly than usual and the stigmas seemed use it again.

When: first one to two weeks of bloom cycle ng What: more flowering sites per foot of vertical growth; we did not see earlier floweri GZ Rated: a No-Brainer if you are already using the powders.

Sub-Culture B (www.generalhydroponics.com) MSRP: $39.95 USD per 200gm While GH set the standard for three-part hydro nutes, we feel they missed their mark with this one. The product is a bacterial-blend designed tio give your plants bigger roots systems and to improve nutrient absorption. While we DID see the root system get bigger and fuzzier, we also saw our plants stretch like F$%K. GH does in fact say not to use this until your plants are establsihed, however, we haven’t found a phase of growth where we like our stems to strech yet.

Well, OK, motherplants but even then you don’t want the extra N, right?

When: they say after plants are establsihed, we say skip it.

What: improved roots systems (true)-too much stretching, likely due to N content GZ Rated: use outdoors, when Sky is the Limit for height.

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Cropping Schedule: SoCal Cu

stom

By L.B.

EB Note:

This isn’t my chart unde r another name-this ch painstakingly put toge art has been ther as a course of ev olution from a good fr who also happens to ow iend, n a large hydro store; not only are they an ow they are also one of th ner, e better growers I have had the pleasure of ch ting with. If you grow atthe So-Cal varieties, th is is your ticket to pu gold! re Also note the mixing of brands-Grozine isn’t tr ying to promote one co over another-this is ju mpany st what works best for this grower (and 100’s of clients). If u make nute his s and think yours are the best, send us someWILL USE THEM! WE

From the Grower: So after being in this market for many years both as a Gardner and a store owner I’ve came across the topic many times of custom feed schedules. What is a custom feed schedule might you ask? Well its usually a gardeners whole line up of nutrients to do there run composed of different products ( root booster, flower booster, microbes, base, enzymes) from different companies to make an ideal feed for there specific variety. I’ve learned from my own experience that certain varieties respond better to some feeding schedules as opposed to others. I’ve also done side by side runs where plants on both trays were completely healthy but one tray ended up being better in quality than the other tray based off the reaction from the nutrient it received.

Today I thought I would shed light on custom feed schedules by sharing one of mine. I call it the Bottle Rocket Bloom Schedule, I use it for plants that bottle rocket meaning first two weeks after bloom initiation the plant more than doubles it’s size.( Ex.in at 12inches after two week in 12/12 plant is over 36 inch.) This is just one of many schedules I plan on sharing that have been refined over many years and trails in efforts to meet the goal of maximizing varieties to thier full potential.

’s FOR: T I O H W

te to was n i a r D ch ol 6 in o w k c o -R Hugo r light e p s t n -14 pla ended) m m o c e (r

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WHO IT’s -NOT- FOR: -Newbies -Growers on a tight bu dget -Unstable enviornments (eg high temperatures, no pH co ntrol & EC Monitor, etc)

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4 Light days= 140 gal/ week 40 gal reservoir drain to waste switched out every 2

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ations c o L EAT R TTER G E B x Si U Our VE YO R S E T S A to Y BE D O B O and-N Service!

E ONLIN

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420ml A/B each week CANNA SUBSTRA A+B= 120ml A/B per 40gal mix= 5L A/B set 420ml x 8 weeks= 3360 each A+B per cycle = suggest ml each week ROOTS EXCELLERATOR= 40ml per 40gal mix= 140 tch out to 4 weeks) 140ml x 4 weeks= 560ml = suggest 500ml bottle (stre week HYGROZYM= 8ml x 140gal per week=1120 ml per le (4200ml=4L) 1120ml x 4 weeks= 4480 ml per cycle= suggest 4L Bott week (except last 2 weeks) CANNAZYM= 8ml x 140gal per week=1120 ml per per cycle= suggest 5L 1120ml x 3 weeks= 3360+ 2800(20mlx 140)= 6160ml week BUD IGNITOR= 8ml x 140gal per week=1120 ml per 1120ml x 4 weeks= 4480 ml per cycle= suggest 4L 250ml bottle RHIZOTONIC= Used as foliar spray goes a long way= PROTEKT= 40ml per 40gal mix= 140 ml each week tch out for whole run) 140ml x 8weeks= 1120ml per cycle= suggest 1L (stre SWEET= 40ml per 40gal mix= 140 ml each week tch out for whole run) 140ml x 8weeks= 1120ml per cycle= suggest 1L (stre week) 280ml each week x 8 weeks= 2240 CAL/MAG= 80ml per 40gal mix= (2ml x 140g each ml per cycle= suggest 2L, or 4L and use again next cycle suggest 100g MOAB= 1 tsp/ 15gal apply at recommended times= BIG BUD= 120ml per 40gal mix= 420ml each week 420ml x 4weeks= 1680ml per cycle= suggest 2L OVERDRIVE= 120ml per 40gal mix= 420ml each week 420ml x 4weeks= 1680ml per cycle= suggest 2L ks 3-7) NIRVANA= 80ml per 40 gal mix= 280ml per week (wee ch out 5 weeks) 280ml x 5 weeks=1400 ml per cycle= suggest 1L ( Stret starting week 2 ending week 8 (8ml BOOST ACCELERATOR= ratios fluctuate each week 3=400 week4=480ml week5=560ml ,10ml,12ml,14ml,12ml,10ml,8ml) week2=320 week week6=480ml week7=400 week8=320ml )= suggest 5L use 2 runs Total ml per cycle= 2960ml per cycle (used once a week suggest 1L GRAND FINALE= Used last two weeks ppm very= come in big bags buy COMPOST TEA= compost and castings usually only of each per 5 gal mix smallest bag of each and use until out. Usually 1 cup up a standard recipe online for recom* guanos and additives vary from recipe to recipe look meneded amounts.

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-Bott le Ro cket10 We ek Bl oom Phas e Crop Feedi ng Sche dule

Week1Week4

~CAL/MAG- R.O water 175ppm /total ppm=175 ~SWEET- 1 ml/g usually adds 25-50ppm /total ppm= 200-225 ~ROOTS EXCELLERATOR- 1 ml/g does not effect ppm much /total ppm=205-230 ~BUD IGNITOR-6 ml/g /total ppm 225-325 ~MOAB-1 tsp per 15gal 50-100 ppm most/ total ppm 275-425 ~HYGROZYME- 4 ml/g does not effect ppm much/ total ppm 300-450 ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/ g / total ppm 325-475 ~CANNA SUBSTRA A/B- equal parts of each, add ppm to total of 1200 ppm pH 5.8 ppm 1200 ( ex:450ppm from previously noted products + 750pp m SUBSTRA A/B=1200ppm) * add pH down if needed to reach desired pH 5.8 *foliar spray Rhizotonic first week once a day for stress relief *foliar spray Boost ACCELLERATOR once a day until flower initiation to reduce intermodal stretch. *compost tea once a week * keep night temps above 70 degrees preferable no more than 3 degree difference from day time to night time temps.

Week2~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 200ppm/ total 200ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 235ppm ~ROOTS EXCELLERATOR - 1 ml/g / total 250 ppm ~BUD IGNITOR-8 ml/g / total ppm 300ppm ~BIG BUD- add 200 ppm to mix/ total 500 ppm ~HYGROZYME- 6 ml/ g / total 540ppm ~PRO-TEKT-1 ml/g / total 575ppm ~BOOST ACCELLERATOR- 8 ml/g/ total 650ppm ~CANNA SUBSTRA A/B- add 550ppm/ total 1200ppm

~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 200ppm/ total 200ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 250ppm ~ROOTS-1 ml/g / total 275ppm ~MOAB-1 TSP/ 15gal / total ppm 400 ~HYGROZYME- 8 ml/g / total 475ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 510ppm ~BOOST-12 ml/g / total 625ppm ~NIRVANA-6 ml/g / total 725 ~CANNA A/B- equal parts of each add 425ppm/ total 1150ppm

*add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week( add guano) *start 5-7 degree differential from day to night (ex: day-77, night-72)

Week5 ~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 150ppm/ total 150ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 200ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 235ppm ~BOOST-14ml/g / total 350ppm ~CANNAZYM- 8 ml/g /total 410 ppm ~OVERDRIVE add 175 ppm to mix/ total 585ppm ~NIRVANA- 8 ml/g / total 685ppm ~CANNA A/B- equal parts of each add 415ppm/ total 1100ppm *add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week ( add alfalfa, guano) * increase day/night differential

*add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week *keep night temps warm

Week6

Week3 ~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 175ppm/ total 175ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 225ppm ~ROOTS-1 ml/g / total 250ppm ~BIG BUD- add 200 ppm to mix/ total 450ppm ~HYGROZYME- 8 ml/g / total 515ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 550ppm ~BOOST-10 ml/g / total 625ppm ~NIRVANA-4 ml/g / total 700 ~CANNA A/B- equal parts of each add 475ppm/ total 1175ppm

~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 125ppm/ total 125ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 175ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 210ppm ~BOOST-12ml/g / total 320ppm ~CANNAZYM- 8 ml/g /total 375 ppm ~MOAB add to mix/ total 500ppm ~NIRVANA- 6 ml/g / total 575ppm ~CANNA A/B- equal parts of each add 500ppm/ total 1075ppm *add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week ( add alfalfa, guano) * increase day/night differential

*add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week *keep night temps warm

friends me of your grower so y wh er nd wo er or why does EB Note: Hey, ev at the Hydro Storeu yo an th al de er friendget a bett to get better and em se ys wa al u yo d the guy ahead of ps-visit our site, an Ti Gme so ed ne u e yo ; lier service? Mayb ow Shop Ettiquette Gr on ps Ti er ow Gr check out our ce! sed at the differen you might be surpri

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Your AD WILL look great here!

YOU Saw it, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you? Contact us today. Just -CLICKor visit our site, please Illegitimi Non Carborundum

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Week7 ~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 125ppm/ total 125ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 150ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 185ppm ~BOOST-10ml/g / total 265ppm ~CANNAZYM- 8 ml/g /total 315 ppm ~OVERDRIVE add 200ppm to mix/ total 515ppm ~NIRVANA- 4 ml/g / total 575ppm ~CANNA A/B- equal parts of each add 425ppm/ total 1000ppm

* do not adjust pH * increase day/night temp. differential the *The reason I gave ppm numbers were to better show ers will relationship of my nutrient profile. The ppm numb are probably not be in direct relation to ml per gal. They tive based for a guild of reference. How strong each addi mstances. will effect reservoir will vary due to many circu

*add pH down if needed to reach 5.8 pH *compost tea once a week (guano) * increase day/night temp. differential Week8 ~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 125ppm/ total 125ppm ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 150ppm ~PRO-TEKT- 1 ml/g /total 185ppm ~BOOST-8 ml/g / total 220ppm ~CANNAZYM- 10 ml/g /total 300 ppm ~OVERDRIVE add 175ppm to mix/ total 475ppm ~GRAND FINALE add 400 ppm/ total 875 ppm

.

I hope this brings clarity to a custom feed schedule top of At the end of the day there are many ways to the others. the mountain, just some trails are more direct than top.

At the end of the day it's all about reaching the

* add pH up if needed Grand finale is very acidic * compost tea once a week (stop using guano) * increase day/night temp. differential

that I have found out through many years, trials and tests s seem y reall this schedule with the proper room conditions . to work out GREAT for the "bottle rocket" varieties

Week9 ~CAL/MAG- R.O. Water 75ppm/ total 75 ~SWEET-1 ml/g 25-50 ppm/ total 125ppm ~BOOST-8 ml/g / total 200ppm ~CANNAZYM- 14 ml/g /total 275 ppm ~GRAND FINALE add 400 ppm/ total 675 ppm

at the Many experienced gardeners can say after looking nt of schedule posted that there isn't a need for the amou products on the list. prodAll I can say is this list is not designed to sell you that ucts, its does visually point out on the other hand ucts there are multiple companies that carry great prod s work and it's really up to the end user to find out what out best for he/she to get to their desired goal.

* add pH up if needed Grand finale is very acidic * compost tea once a week (stop using guano) * increase day/night temp. differential Week10 ~SWEET-1 ml/g 50-75 ppm/ total 75ppm ~BOOST-6 ml/g / total 150ppm ~CANNAZYM- 20 ml/g / total 250ppm

Keep us Tuned in to get seasoned'

>>Taking clones to zones,

>l .b .

Do you have questions about this Custom Crop Feeding Schedule? Just -click- on an authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signiture in Grozine, and you can email them direct;)

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Green Joint Ventures>>>grows>>>Perfect Gardens So, now we turn our spotlight onto where it belongs: persons in and of the hydroponics community with a real love of growing-and the desire to give back by sharing and spreading what hydroponic gardening has given to them.

Four years ago a little hydro joint started up by father and son, which they cultivated into a growing business called Green Joint Ventures. Mark Boutwell Sr. And Jr. Had a love for all things leafy and green, in fact it had been a large part of Mark Sr’s professional and academic career via agriculture before making his lump in Real Estate.

r t-eve s r i f is our ur s o i h o T t me e re.

Welco and w featu ; r e n a i t sh t -S Hydro to let stars ent ways-juso r t place e in diffe ing green n w i all sh as it’s glo nks. g ha so lon r pages, t u o es? make it tak om t a h e w ne.c u hav info@grozi o y k n ne!

Thi s a li u p o Dr

Green Joint Ventures>>Perfect Gardens 61 Tarp Circle Salinas, CA 93901 855-GROW-GOOD Email-Click-

Things were going OK with the business-the market was growing.

Then in one day walked Joey Espinoza, in his early twenties and with a burning desire to cultivate not only his own hydroponic skill-set, but to help grow the business of his now favorite place to shop for hydroponics goods and information.

It took a lot of convincing before Mark Jr & Sr agreed to see that there was a need and a spot for an employee in their organization. It took even more convincing, and by way of demonstration Joey was able to establish that he shared in their passion and had a real desire to see the business grow which earned him a place at the family table as a Partner, rather than employee.

Over the last four years, they have seen their local market change. While they still (and happily) see a lot of new entrants coming to get the gear and more importantly, the information they need to get growing with success, what they have also seen is more competition-by way of price.

Rather than play the drop your price lower game (why bother when you are already competitively priced), they have continued to grow by adding value to their customer’s experience. Priding themselves as one of the more knowledgeable places you can shop, and backing it up with the right goods has allowed them to grow in what can be a harsh climate, competitively speaking. According to Joey, it has been more than one occasion where customers have been politely advised that they can get a better price somewhere else; but to stick around if they want a fair price and everything they need to know to have real growing success.

Quick Rewind: After the market crashes of around '06-'07, Mark Sr wanted to do something different; and most importantly something he cared about and could share with his family and community-this was the seed that gave way to an idea that grew into the early days of their hydroponics supply shop, located in Salinas, California.

Salinas also happens to be one of the world's largest producers of strawberries and lettuce-to the tune of billions-but, more on that later...

EB NOTE: These guys have a HUGE listing of great Hydro-Vids-check ‘em out!

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Besides growing plants, Green Joint Ventures, as it will be formerly known is helping to grow communities by way of a name change to Perfect Gardens as they plough forward in helping bring their surrounding agriculturally based community in through their doors-and beyond, as they are expanding their already well-know Aquaponics set-ups into a larger scale set-up.

They have already had involvement with Educators, Institutions, etc who have expressed a strong interest in co-piloting Aquaculture related projects and raising ecologically friendly farming practice awareness through pioneering programs they have under works. Naturally having their hydroponic shop connected directly to the project won’t hurt their growth either.

“We Help You Grow”. These simple and powerful words are what drives Perfect Gardens (formerly Green Joint Ventures), and they don’t just mean your plants. They believe in growing a community, and growing the hearts and minds of the people in it. When we grow crops we do more than harvest-we learn to cultivate...and Grozine sees a bright future ahead for Perfect Gardens and the growers and community they help to serve.

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The Green Pad:

In the Last Edition of Grozine, we spent some time talking about the benefits of “unseen” elements in our grows, for example like CO2. Most of us realize the benfits of CO2 enrichment in our veg and especially bloom phases, but how many of us growers have enriched their propagation environments with this invisible friend of ours?

Most of us think “O2” (oxygen) when it comes to this phase-so is there a

Propagation-Showdown

benefit to raising carbon dioxide levels under the domes to 800 PPM?

CO2 for Victory?

Green Pad, the MFGs of this innovative pad that releases CO2 when it comes into contact with humidity from the air, say YES it does. Sounds cool, so we decided to try it out for ourselves (and for YOU of course!)

The SET-UP: We relaize not all types of pl;ants are going to respond the same, espeically early on in development. So the way we mapped it out is as follows: Two 1020 Prop Trays with 36-Cell Inserts Two 1020 Prop Lids (Humidomes) Peat-Based professional growing mix (Pro-Mix) Liquid Karma

The -ONLY- difference between the two trays is that one will have the CO2 Pad from Green Pad replaced every other day, following the instructions provided.

The other tray will not

Seeds: a variety of tomatoes, chives, chard, basil, sunflowers, etc Side by side, we set-up or Propagation trays in a 40 cm X 40 cm grow tent. We light it up with a 400W PlantMax MH lamps in an engineered horizontal reflector. Light cycle is 18/6. Average temperature is about 85 deg F inside the domes

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Green Pad Co2: prop test v1.1-FINAL

RESULTS

7 days after planting: WITH GREEN PAD CO2

7 days after plating: NO GREEN PAD CO2

Picture d: The P rop Tes growth t chambe r, as us conduc ed to t our i n f ormal C Pad Tri O2 als

NOTES & OBSERVATIONS: After seven days enough of the different seed types had germinated inside the humidity domes to neccessitate removing the lids (to avoid seedlings from stretching

While the difference was not â&#x20AC;&#x153;strikingâ&#x20AC;?

IT IS NOTICEABLE: the covered prop trays that had the Greepad CO2 Pad replaced every other day looked better: the young seedlings were a little further ahead and there are more of them in less time versus without

in high humidity).

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Friend or Foe?

-Springtails- visited

By Casey jones Fraser (click to email)

dro system? hy r ou y in e av w a ng hi critters catc e ik -l ea fl e, al p , ny ti en Have you ever se

Maybe you’ve seen these little guys crawling in your soil, rockwool, or clay pellets, or even on bare roots. Fret not!

These friendly bugs are called Springtails. They are often mistaken for thrips, root aphids, or spider mites, but they are not a pest.

Springtails (Collembola) are one of the most abundant creatures in healthy outdoor soil. Some evolutional scientists have theorized that other insects developed wings just to get away from the mobs of Springtails. EB Note-Finally, a critter you WANT to find in your garden!

Technically they aren’t even insects (insects have external mouthparts -- Springtails have internal mouthparts). While they have existed on this planet for hundreds of millions of years, and their populations are massive, they don’t have many obvious relatives. They might be more closely related to crayfish than typical garden insects.

Unfortunately, many gardeners will freak out upon seeing these little bugs. They look like thrips from a distance, and they are athletic jumpers. The sight of possible pests in the thousands, jumping all over the place, is enough to make most growers reach for the bleach. Before you do that, reach for the microscope.

They are surprisingly darker under magnification. Their bodies reflect light, and may appear light gray or beige to the naked eye. You will usually see a segmented body with six legs and two antennae. You may also notice the furcula tucked under the body of the Collembola. This appendage is like a cocked trigger which allows the Springtail to jump with the speed of a bullet. Now you see them, now you don’t!

Since they don’t eat plants, what do they do?

For the most part they eat decomposing organic matter, like soils, leaf debris, compost, dead roots, etc.

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e proi. The wast g n u f d n a ttle bacteria a. These li i g r n i e t d c lu a c b n i d anisms ents an e microorg anic nutri g m r u o s n h o t c i w o . h benThey als oot system tail is ric r g n a i r r p distribute e S v d e o n h a t ll r a y e b t f f t d u a have duce ecaying m lity, they he good st d i t b y a d n t a a e p r a m p d o s a r nf guys can d extreme ee them co our roots n s y a s n e e a z m i i le s t c e y m y n he can so heir ti In hydro, t water. You sms. With t i f n o a g n r o o i s o r n c e face t eficial mi on the sur t s i x e o t learned

If your hydro solution contains organic matter, these arthropods can live their entire lives surfing in a reservoir. Springtails can even mate on the surface tension. “Hey baby, check out my water bed!”

So if you get ‘em, don’t sweat ‘em. If you would like to catch some for your garden, try this trick: mix some seaweed into a bucket of water, and set that bucket near an outdoor organic garden or in a wooded area. Check the bucket a week later, and you may see a few thousand Springtales wiggling their butts as they cruise for chicks. If you’ve seen them in action, you know what I’m talking about. Cue the kinky 70’s music. Bowchicka-bow-bow!

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. an obsessed gardener Casey Jones Fraser is th bo th wi rs we rbs, and flo He grows veggies, he s ar ye His s. od th oponic me traditional and hydr ev him n ke ta nces have of botanical experie to Northern California ica ma Ja erywhere from ad knowledge. You can re on a quest for more es, zin ga ma ics on us hydrop his articles in vario nop: Garden Grove Orga or visit his retail sh tea Gr of n gio ntucky re ics in the Northern Ke om s.c nic ga or dengrove er Cincinnati. www.gar

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F*@K Lawns!

Aquascape 4 Life You make the call: you have grown tired of the same old poison, and make a call for something that’s going to take your mind and surroundings into a liquid state. You hear it coming before it even arrives.....a v-twin thunderstorm is rolling up your driveway.

Throwing a leg off the bike, up to your door walks a leather and denim clad (and looking like a young Marlon Brando) biker name Joe Richard to answer the call-and deliver on a promise:

To rid you of your boring and toxic conventional lawn-scape and replace it with an Aquascape.

Aquatech Designs is a BC-Canada based company owned and operated by Joe Richard that specializes in transforming landscapes into moving and flowing “Aquascapes”; he is also an Aquaculture specialist, and is well known in local aquatics circles for his micro-biological skills in diagnosing and treating a variety of ailments and disorders for pond fish like Koi. While this itself is cool stuff in the opinion of this publication, we especially like this guy because he loves hydroponics as much as most of the people who read this publication. So, here we have a guy who can bridge some very transferable skills between the two fields and give you insights on how to help create healthy ecologies rather than support synthetic and toxic conventional landscapes. But, if you want to catch up with him while he’s on his custom Harley...well, good luck with that, because this guy really moves, so we caught up here at Grozine instead.

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GZ-knowing that you started a career in the retail hydroponics trade in the late 90’s, when and how did you start to make the crossover to Aquascaping?

JR-I was living at a property where there was an inland-fish hatchery around 2001-it caught my attention right away, because I always loved the moving water aspect of active re-cicrculating hydroponic systems-at the time drip tables were very popular here. So I started out with small pond I dug out and lined, then dropped in a few aquatic plants because they kind of blew me away compared to land plants for looking so...well, “extra terrestial”.

It made me happy, and from the there it grew into adding some Koi-that’s what really set things in motion.

GZ-What do you mean, the Koi “lit the match”, so to speak...how so?

JR-Like most people who do their first pond, and are excited and do it in a hurry, I ended up making a lot of mistakes. The Koi likely had parasites to start with-it’s kind of like buying clones. You have to know what to look for and buy from reputable sources. So with my first pond akin to a novice built hydro system planted with sick clones I quickly realized that if I wanted my water gardens to flourish like my hydroponic gardens, I needed to do some more learning.

Luckily, there was guy on site at the fish hatchery who took pity on my first pond-he seemed to warm up to me after I started discussing Carbonate values; something I had picked up on working at the retail hydroponics shop. He was Pro-and taught me how to use a microscope and do a micro-scopic biopsy. It was a real eye-opener, as it opened up a whole new world that was living in my pond the whole time.

GZ-So, it sounds like that was foundational for you?

JR-Yes, absolutely. It taught me that it doesn’t matter whether you are growing land plants or aquatic plants and fish, you must understand the nature of their environment and how it’s all interrelated to be able to make any kind of real effective treatment.

GZ-OK, so here we are at present day, and you with an impressive portfolio of completed jobs and projects.

JR-Actually, I do a fair trade in maintaining Aquascapes, besides just the initial installation. I also offer specialized services, including removing sick fish from a system, quarantining and then returning them once they are 100% healthy again.

GZ-That’s definitely worth mentioning, thanks. Alright, so what does it take to get started, budget wise? Let’s say I have a small yard that I would rather not maintain a lawn and toxic chemicals and a gas mower, but would rather have something a little more Zen, like a modest Aquascape-I’ve got a shovel and a strong back, what’s it going to cost?

JR-Initially it’s probably going to cost more of your time than anything, but if you are willing to do the back work and can research and learn the basics, you could probably get started with a decent sized pond, complete with pump, filtration system etc for under one thousand dollars. After that sky is the limit but like hydroponic systems, it’s about economies of scale. The bigger you go, the lesser the cost typically on a square foot or per gallon basis. Believe it or not, Koi can cost as much as a car-but just a few goldfish is a great place to start if you want to add fish to a modest .aquatic plant garden.

GZ-For space allowing, let’s let your work speak for itself, visually. Any closing thoughts?

JR-For sure. I can tell you 100%, that if you love hydroponics, you really may prefer Aquascaping over conventional landscaping. Think about it: with a lawn, all you are left with is a patch that constantly needs water, and sometimes harmful chemicals, fuel to mow, etc.

With a pond, you are left with a living system that yields thousands of gallons of healthy living water and adds beauty and tranquillity to your life and surroundings. For me and my clients, it’s become the clear the choice.

Illegitimi Non Carborundum

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