Your -Original- Paperless Hydroponi cs Publication
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g Cycles Mastering Lightin
The Seed
Ask Erik When Knowing Less is Better
More!
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Serious About Seeds Ask E rik
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FLOW-Kni
Light Cy cles
HYDRO-Scripts Lighting
-Who Say s?
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Praise & s k n a h ext / T N g n i m o C
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From the Editor Erik & Mr. Wendal
wn. o D d a e H e h t m o r A Fish Stinks f A saying I first heard long ago, working for a buddy’s greenhouse fabrication company-t he owner was fond of that one. At the time, I didn’t quite get it. Perhaps still being a little naive and wet behind the ears. Through the years, the say ing stuck with me, and I would hear it in oth er places .
It really wasn’t until the last couple of years or so that the saying really took on any significant meaning . And I would like to share with you what it means to me, in terms of our community and industry, here in global hydroponics. If it’s not redundant to define a saying with another saying, to me it’s about “passi ng the buck”, i.e. Not taking responsibility cepting where a problem or situation is or actruly rooted. All too often, it’s easier for us to blame someone down the line-usually son that’s closer to the happening...yet, as a perwith many battlefields, the generals who are calling the shots are somewhere bac distance. k in the Our scene appears to have it’s head in the sand on a good many issues-we are in a time of consequential change that seems rant some discussion about the way we choo to warse to move forward Yet, there appears to be a concerted effort to maintain stat us quo. The way our industry is structured may not stand up to the types of changes that have been and will continue to come in droponic industry from societal, economic the hyand ecological trends and triggers. It seem s The Industry is built to funnel procee to the top: to the established controlling ds up bodies who will not want for anything, eve n if our marketplace as we know it drie evaporates because it was not adapting s up and to the realities of the world we live in For me, it’s sad to see former “renegades” become complacent FatCats. And besides sad, it’s hurting us. Making a profit from industry is cool. Protecting your own pro growing an fits at the expense of industry growth or positive change is not. Growing taught me nature. And to survive in nature, you hav about e to be able to adapt and diversify. If you don’t, you die. Very simple.
perceive to be a problem, or barrier in our indusSo, the next time your first instinct is to point a finger at what you the problem is usually over top, attached to the try’s growth and survival, pause and take a second looking upwards: other end of the strings. Erik Biksa-Editor erikbiksa@grozine.com
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Serious about Seeds
Your Growing Starts De-Constructed EB NOTE: It’s very easy to take for granted all the magic that is stored inside of a seed. When you understand it’s parts, you understand the complete picture much better. An expert lesson in seeds structure and function awaits..... Challenge Yourself to Understabnd What You Grow for Rewards You Can Weigh!!
Advantages o f Seeds: ve don’t ha s e n o l c tap Tap Roo d aggressive t n a thirsty roots
Don’t Inherit Problemswhen you grow from clones you often start with problems like spider mites or PM
f
By Brandon Pillon
yo comung plant embr yo a e ag ck ich pa ts lowering plan ed nutrients in a compact seed, wh or n. plete with st the ovule after fertilizatio develops from ation is llowing fertiliz fo yo br em e th ients Development of e of the constant flow of nutred . us se possible beca to the developing in t an pl nt re pa from the and food bryonic plant le em an ns ai nt ns. Enco A mature seeder the endosperm or the coty do the s nd th ou rr stored in ei e tissue that ,su iv it surtr is nu , e rn th tu is seed in e dosperm Th . ed se e th in ved t embryonic plan ve seed coat, deri ti ec ot pr h, ug to ule. rounded by a t layers of the ov from the outermos ort consists of a sh ed se e th in th wi c ni yo an embryo The mature embr n as the radicle;seed leaves. Monoow kn , ot ro c ni yo or ns embr or two cotyledoan d dicots have two. shoot; and one ng n, do le ty co le si a cots have ecting yonic shoot conn br em e th of n io ty The short port the cotyledons is the hypoco l. the radicle to the of attachment of t in po e th e ov po radicle, hy The shoot apexthab umule. After the formed; the young pl e is ns do le ve coty ns, and plumuleedha desiccacotyl, cotyledo rest , usually by ar is t en pm lo ve plant’s de or dormancy. tion (drying out) develr continuing the resumes fo t gh ri e ar ns io yo When condit ed germinates, and the embr hotosynopment, the se e the embryonic plant is nonp ion until growth. Becaus be nourished during germinat -suffithetic, it must osynthetic and therefore self it becomes phot cient. age function as stor ts an pl ny ma ey of th The cotyledons me large, thick, and fleshy as proteins) co d be an es, oils, organs and reserves (starch m. absorb the food er sp as endo initially produced have little s in cotyledons is nt ie tr nu e a sunflowor st ample ex Seeds that an , ty ri tu ma at or no endosperm . ed er se thin cotyt or corn, havee ayoung plant ea wh as ch su , ts lp th Other plan on primarily to he e endosperm. th in ledon that functi ed od stor fo rb so ab d an st dige ze, shape, vary greatly instsilike seeds s ed se , ts an pl g copic, du In flowerin t , from the micros the double coconu and appearance of s ed se t an gi e s. of orchids to th up to 27 kilogram which can weigh seed size and eamong species, ai n sp io at ri va is th nt tr t within a ta Despite ns co ly ab errk ff ma di appearance is re inguish seeds from st di to sy ea it cies, making ants. ent species of pl
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AsK ERik
Q
Over the last several years, we have been successful with our indoor soilless garden. The grow mixes we pot in are blends of either or both coco coir with some additional perlite, worm castings, etc. Our marketplace is changing, and it’s getting tougher to stay profitable. To keep our growing efforts going ,we need to be getting more out of our set-up or spending less time in cropping due to the cost of space, electricity, water and supplies. The trouble is the strains that are in demand don’t yield well and take an awful long time to get to a good size-we don’t want to have scores of smaller plants around for our purposes, so Sea Of Green isn’t an option. We have some experience in hydroponics and have heard growers comment that they can get faster growth rates and often bigger yields with “water” methods. One of the reasons we grow in “dirt” is because we worry about crop failure, which is one of the reasons some people say “stay away from hydro”. I actually started growing hydro a long time ago, but on a much smaller scale. When things got big, I hit the dirt. What do you think, is the potential pay off worth the risk and what can you recommend?
Your story is a familiar one, with a lot of veteran growers having originally started out in hydroponic set-ups like bucket system, flood and drain or drip tables-and as the market exploded both from the inside out and the outside in, a lot of growers traded their tables, nutrient monitors and spaghetti lines for bales of dirt and containers as they ramped up their growing efforts. It became about keeping it simple, reliable and repeatable as investments into growing were cultivated. And here we are today-with the situation as you describe. Something needs to change to make it work for you in staying ahead of the curve. An active hydroponics system can be the ticket to what you are after because you simply can’t beat the levels of DO (Dissolved Oxygen) that you can deliver to the plants roots through active hydroponics over soilless cultivation methods. And that rush of oxygen combined with the precise control
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over nutrient and pH levels you gain can be a real game changer. For example, if you need to grow plants to bigger statures before flowering them, you might find you only need five weeks of strong veg instead of eight or even ten in hydro over soilles. Even notoriously slow growing varieties gain some legs when they go hydro. Some growers may have yet to try a real hydroponics system, because “dirt” has been the trend indoors in recent times. If you have a basic understanding of plant needs already or are seriously willing to learn (which means time spent) operating a plug and play hydroponics system shouldn’t prove to be a quantum leap. If you have more at risk than a few salad greens, reliability is a critical factor to weigh-in on when choosing a system that will work. What will happen if the power goes out, a pump fails or a emitter clogs-is the system design
going to keep things from overflowing or going bone-dry before you can discover and correct any issues? And most of all-look for systems that get good reviews of having no issues to begin with. Of course, price is always a factor, and sometimes building your own doesn’t really save anything if your crop suffers or you spend all of your waking hours ironing out the problems or fixing leaks. If you are used to soil, you are likely getting away with warmer grow room temperatures than you can with hydro. Roots can’t overheat in hydroponics, or root disease can become a harsh reality. Knowing how to keep a healthy root system, which includes maintaining optimal temperatures (sometimes with a reservoir chiller) is critical to have great success and help to avoid problems in hydro.
although, not above your head, well not at first anyways. If possible, look for a system that serves your needs that you can get familiar with that’s scalable. This way, once you have a successful crop under your belt from your hydro system, it won’t be such a risk for you as opposed to converting over your traditional soilless garden all at once-it will simply be a matter of expanding by adding additional modules. Once they get it right, a lot of growers marvel at the superior growth rates and often bigger yields hydroponics can deliver-just be prepared to spend some time monitoring the system if you can’t afford automation. Finally, shop around: there are LOTs of great choices to be had and see what fits you and your growing style best. Cheers, Erik Biksa erikbiksa@grozine.com
I say “go for it” jump into the pond-
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ze:
i Custom
Knives
Flow-
Just about anybody appreciates a good knife. For those of us who just adore our ripest and best tomatoes, there is almost nothing worse than going in for a slice to find that the knife is dull, and the tomatoe is simply mush after-what a waster..the horror, the horror.....
www.facebook.com/FlowKnives Same holds true with cutting a piece of twine, or even your take-out bucket of chicken n ribs that you grabbed on the fly: a good knife comes in handy. For those in the habit of carrying a pocket knife or a fixed blade on their belt they often feel “naked” when they forget to grab it with them on their way out the door. You really would be amazed at how often you use it when you first start to get into the habit. A lot of us wind up with our knives in the form of special gifts. Receiving an heirloom quality knife has long been the symbol of “you’re allright buddy, and thanks”. It’s a gift typically not forgotten and often cherished for generations. The qulaity and uniqueness of your knife can also refelct a lot on you-especially if it’s been custom made to your purposes and specifcations.
l or o o t ( type l a t e -m r) fighte ion t c n u f -shape -size rial e t a m e -handl ster/ l o h f o -type sheath -color -finish tions a z i l a n -perso
Like a lot of the finer things in life, so to speak, you often get what you pay for. Mass machine-produced knives can be a good buy if you are looking for “utility grade”. However, they will never perform or feel as good as a hand-crafted blade, whether folding or fixed because a machine doesn’t know how the knife is going to feel in your hand or what you are doing with it. On top of that, you never told the machine how big your hand or grip is, and whther you are a rightie or a south-paw. Flow-Knives are hand made in Austria by a budding young master knife creator called, well,,....Flow! Flow has been hand-crafting a variety of blades for several years now, and while it’s tough to improve on a great thing he just keeps getting better and better. The designs, their compoenents and their function continually evolve, although the bottom line is a rock solid knife that moves like it was a part of your hand; no matter what the job you have intended for one of his completly -original- (like Grozine!) designs. If you are interested in a superior quality, one-of-a-kind knife to call your own or even better as a special gift, for example to a valued employee or team member, you can contact Flow via his Facebook Page (linked). While you are there, browse around at the variety of designs from Tool to Tactical-he’s got some ideas for you to get your imagination going. Prices for the types of knives featured here start at around 250 Euros, and can typically be shipped world wide.
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Light Are Cycles By lb.
YOU still in the Dark? gger Savvy growers are reaping bi wer yields and cutting down on po bills. Here’s how....
Email: lb@grozine.com
Do you know what signals your plants into flower or how to maintain your plants in their vegetative stage?
*
Well typically people would answer 12/12 (12hrs. light/12hrs. dark) will set their plant into flower and 18/6 (18 hrs. light/6hrs. dark) or 24 hour light will maintain vegetative growth. While that is correct, why do most people answer that way? What if, for instance, a grower provided 12 hours lights on 5 1/2 hours lights off, 1 hour lights on and 5 1/2 lights off to maintain the plant in vegetative growth; would that work?
This graph (left) focuses on the differences between short-day plants and longday plants and how their effected by light cycles. I am leaving out day-neutral plants because day neutral plants are not as much effected by light cycles but more so with the length of time meaning the plants are going to flip into flower after a set point amount of days even if the dark cycle is less than 10 ? Did You Know hours. (Plants will flower under 18/6)
Yes! SDP This is because plants are classified as: long-day (LDP) short-day (SDP) or day- neutral (DNP) according to their developmental responses to photoperiod. While there are some growers growing out the day-neutral varieties, typically most of us in the community are growing out Shortday plants (SDP). Here is a chart that should help bring some clarity to the subject.
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ABCDEFG-
FLOWER VEG. VEG. VEG. VEG. VEG. FLOWER.
LDP.
VEG. VEG. FLOWER FLOWER FLOWER FLOWER VEG.
Day-Night light cycles (Graph Breakdown) A- 8hrs. B- 8hrs. C- 8hrs. D-16hrs. E- 6hrs. F- 8hrs. G-16hrs.
Light/ Light/ Light/ Light/ Light/ Light/ Light/
16hrs. Dark 8hrs. Dark/1hr. Light/ 7hrs. Dark 6hrs. Dark/4hrs. Light/6hrs. Dark 8hrs. Dark 2hrs. Dark/8hrs. Light/8hrs. Dark 8hrs. Dark EB Note: 16hrs. Dark <+25% more light
*(A-E) Normal 24 hour light day-night cycle *(F) Artificially shortened day-night cycle *(G) Artificially lengthened day-night cycle
and still flowering? Never thought of that before!
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s can be modim th y rh n ia d Circa nt ntial treatme te o p r fo d e fi reStudies have of disorders. m ular mechanis ll e c e th d le vea s -adian rhythm by which circ ck the body clo also known as sm rgy metaboli -- modify ene novel e identified and also hav is at control th compounds th to t ndings poin action. The fi isatments for d potential tre ian d red by circa e g ig tr rs e rd o g nction, rangin rhythm dysfu and obesity to from insomnia cancer. - See diabetes and ://en.da-vincimore at: http ode/28453 learning.com/n
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*
ConT D
Graphs and information: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Molecular Life of Plants-Click-
SDP flower in response to long night (A) whether the light period is short (A) or long (G) Interrupting the long dark period with a short or long light break suppresses the flowering response (B,C) Most LDP. flower in response to short nights (D,E) even when the light period is also short (F) and remain vegetative under long nights with (B) or without (A) a short light break even when the day is also long (G) but a longer light break in a long dark period will induce flowering (C) a dark break in a long light period does not modify the response to SDP's or LDP's (compare D&E)
Now that you have some understanding of how light cycles effect SDP's growth pattern, I wanted to share with you a light schedule that i've ran with success for some time now that links to my last article for the "Bottle Rocket" varieties. Indoor Bottle Rocket Bloom Light Schedule
*36 hrs. Dark (lighting transition from Veg to Bloom for SDP) Week1- 11hrs. Light/ 13hrs. Dark
So by looking at the graphs, you can see how SDP are effected by light cycles. Hopefully you notice there are many different light cycles that can be used that are much different then the old school light schedules of the past(18/6)(12/12) This information is meant to be used wisely by the savvy grower to have a great effect on how they do there growing from this moment forward. Understanding light cycles and developing light schedules can have a great effect on yield, quality and at least a savings in electric. Which in this day and age everything counts when it comes to over-head. I wanted to give some examples on how these light cycles can be used to your advantage.
Week2- 6hrs. Light/1hr. Dark/ 5hrs. Light/12hrs. Dark Week3- 12hrs. Light/12hrs. Dark Week4- 12hrs. Light/12hrs. Dark Week5- 8hrs. Light/1hr. Dark/4hrs. Light/11hrs. Dark Week6- 14hrs. Light/10hrs. Dark Week7- 13hrs. Light/11hrs. Dark or 12hrs. Light/12 hrs. Dark
For instance the outdoor grower: Week8- 6hrs. Light/1hr. Dark/5 hrs. Light/12hrs. Dark
(B) 8hrs Light/ 8hrs Dark/1hr Light/ 7hrs Dark Hopefully you notice here with light schedule (B) you are only giving the plant NINE HOURS of light and FIFTEEN HOURS of darkness (TOTAL) and both LDP and SDP both stay in VEG. This means a huge savings on electric for those outdoors who are getting plenty of light during the day but want to make sure there finicky varietis stay into veg. Typically outdoor growers are running generators at night with incadecents (usually) or some other source of light in efforts to keep there "clone only" varieties from inducing into bloom to early, now using this light cycle the generators are only on 1 hr as opposed to 2-6 hrs. Same results less money! * 12hrs. Light/5.5hrs Dark/1hr Light/ 5.5hrs Dark is another light cycle that will keep SDP's in VEG. *For Indoor growing the same schedules apply for veg. If the grower is trying to maintain varieties vegetating and at the same time save money. ( Pay attention to how plants are growing in effort to reduce stretch from lack of light. Indoor lighting is different in many ways than the light people get from the sun outdoors, might need to play with schedule to meet your specific varieties need)
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Week9- 11hrs. Light/13hrs. Dark I am by no means stating that there is anything wrong with running a 12/12 light cycle for bloom because there isn't, this is just a refined light schedule that has been ran for some time now that is catered to the bottle rocket varieties I wrote about last month. EB Note-and that is a rocking schedule! see it in this Grozine Edition: http://www.grozine.com/GrozineEditionSan.pdf
Well I hope this article has opened your eye's and shed some light so you as a grower have a better understanding of how one can play with light cycles to increase yields, save electricity and grow a healthier plant. At the very least hopefully this article dropped some knowledge to the fact there are other light schedules other than 18/6 for VEG. & 12/12. for Bloom. As always turning clones to zones... EB Note-Heck YES! This goes waaaay beyond the same old. Final Note: If you grow strains that are very light sensitive and have hermaphrodite tendencies, try it on a test garden first to avoid sex reversal that may lead to pollination. Check in and stay tuned for next month.
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so, a guy walks into a hydro store...
How come your plants in what you are calling the Hybrid system look so much better than mine? During my last grow, my pH was all over the place, and the guy I was just speaking with who works here was commenting on how stable the pH in this Hybrid system really is.
Hydro-Scripts aser r F s e n o J y e s a Featuring: C m o .c s c i n a g r o e v o engr http://www.gard
I do prefer my Hybr id Buckets over st andard DWC bucket would only be a bi s, but the pH t more stable than in your system. Any hy with intense aerati dro system on will typically ha ve a steady rise in pH levels.
When I harvested, it wasn’t bad qualit y or anything. I still wished it co uld have been bett er though, for example firmer frui ts and flowers. Wh y are your blooms so dense co mpared to mine? If you are hoping to grow dense blooms, DWC can be tricky. I’ve seen it work wonders with leaf crops, but fruits and flowers don’t always do so well sitting in water. In some basic DWC gardens, the plants bulk up with water, which goes away later. Leaves and stems get big, but the fruits and flowers are lightweight. However, I’ve also seen growers get top-notch yields and quality with well-designed (recirculating) DWC systems.
Those growers that are getting the top notch results-what are they doing different? Do you have any special recommendations for better results in DWC? To get the best possible results with DWC, I recommend major aeration and circulation with a sterile nutrient solution. Too much microbiology will increase that upward pH drift. Use a big pump to move water through the containers. For aeration I prefer the Venturi method over air stones, because of the higher levels of dissolved oxygen, and less maintenance. Water temps should stay BELOW 72 degrees F. Get a good chiller. Finally, use a sterilizing product in your nutrient solution. I would use Water Max or Clear Rez, or any Hypochlorous acid product. Do not use peroxide on living plants, if you can avoid it. Even with all of that, you should check and maintain pH at least every other day. Adjust the pH to 5.6 and don’t worry about it until it reaches 6.6. Think of it as a pH range, not a exact number. I’ll probably re-vamp my approach. Even though I have gotten a few good crops out of this inexpensive DWC system, I know for sure I can do better. Your Hybrid system is totally rawking man! Is there any other kinds of systems that you think might fit the bill for me, so to speak? If you want to see an amazing DWC system, check out the Under Current from Current Culture. The Under Current is possibly the best DWC system for indoor gardens. Use a very clean nutrient line, such as General Hydroponics or Black Label. Avoid any nutrients or supplements that make the solution look thick, chunky, or dark. With DWC, clean roots are key! If you follow these steps, your crops will thank you. And FYI, I don’t work for any of the manufacturers mentioned here. I just know their products grow amazing gardens.
Image Provided by Google Earth
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g n i t h lig
The LESS You Know, the SMARTER You Grow!
Lighting is a nutrient for plants. Light energy delivers little packages of “light nutrition” by way of Photons (see Grozine #3 for more on Photon Flux Density). These little packages can also differ in terms of their nutritional content due to the different spectra (wavelengths of light, ie a prism) that light may come as. Think of taking a multi-vitamin: there are different ratios of the listed vitamins (i.e. B1, C, E, etc) being supplied. As humans, we look at things like our Age, Gender, Fitness Level and LifeStyle in determining which multi-vitamin is most likely to work best for us. It also matter how these nutrients are getting delivered in terms of their effectiveness, for example as part of our food, as a pill or even injected. While there are some similarities here, there are also some striking differences. One of the main ones being: we don’t really know doodley-squat about light as nutrition for plants. Next time you hear a “horticultural lighting expert” tell you impressive sounding figures about CRI, PAR lighting or Lumens or whatnot, take it with a grain of salt. The truth is most of what we know about lighting and how to best apply it comes from informal grower trial and error versus light laboratory engineering. For example, according to lighting lab data a MH (metal halide) bulb should yield more crop going watt for watt with a high pressure sodium lamp because it has a spectrum that more closely follows the PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) Curve. Halt, say what? Most of the strains you grow indoors clearly yield better with HPS lighting, which is incredibly disproportionate in spectral output compared to the PAR Curve we have come to hold as what drives plants as far as lighting goes. Don’t believe us? Look at it, and you will see: science says MH should give you better yields. Real world shows that it usually does not, in most of the plants we grow indoors.
crop quality aside, 9 out of 10 times the HPS will yield better in your grow room. The significance here is that we as indoor hydroponic growers have a lot to learn and share still. It’s easy to get caught up in debates about Lumens VS PAR, etc-and to what end? There are LOTS of different forces at work when it comes to artificial crop lighting that weigh in on the final results and what is going to work and be practical for you, as a modern grower-and they don’t they don’t seem to have names or solid theories for some of these factors yet. So let’s get real, and drop the “we know crop lighting” act because it’s not helping anybody. Well OK, to be fair, we are quite a bit further ahead than where we were say 50 years ago on crop lighting-but we still have lots more road forward. For now, let’s talk philosophy and what we see is working in our grows. A great contrast in examining some of the factors that are at play, but not necessarily documented to date, in our crop lighting is done by comparing how and HPS lamp performs compared to a good quality LED grow lighting fixture. BTW, this the author’s comparison, after working with these particular lighting sources side by side for over two years.
Findings: 600W of Quad Band (purple) LED Lighting Yielded similar dry weights to 1000W of HPS Horticultural Lighting with LED requiring significantly less cooling power to keep grow temperatures optimal indoors. However, to keep the LED grown plants at or near an equivalent rate of transpiration (water and nutrient uptake) versus HPS, additional de-humidification and air movement were found to be necessary. The LED plants didn’t seem to produce as well lower down on the plant versus HPS, but overall, the harvest quality was much better on the LED grown plants The most interesting finding is in the way one light source appears to BEHAVE over the other. After over two years of informal observations in the garden, you get to know about something; whether a light source, soil or plant type. Well, at least if you are keeping your eyes and mind open...
For quick reference, a premium 1K MH horticultural lamps is said to have 581 PAR Watts, while a premium 1K HPS Horticultural is said to have 535 PAR Watts. Now
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ConT D And here’s an interesting thing, that the author has yet to see in a Science or Hydroponics textbook: HPS light may work overall very well as a grow light because it BOUNCES. That’s right. Most of us know that HPS doesn’t give the “best” spectrum when we compare it to the widely-followed photosynthetic response curve, however, it seems to do very well at allowing lower parts of slightly taller indoor plants to produce decent quality. With most artificial light sources, quality drops quickly with distance travelled from the source of light. Take a well engineered LED grow light as an example. Growth rates and crop quality can be phenomenal with similar yields to HPS, but only where the plant is receiving very direct light, ie. lower portions of plant doesn’t produce well with overhead lighting. One idea here is that the spectrum of the engineered LED grow light is very good-plants simply “suck it up” through the leaves. While with the HPS light which isn’t as “clean” for plant growth, the photons ricochet through the canopy, and into lower portions somewhat, because the light energy takes longer to absorb, and may even change in properties as it is redirected and deflected before absorption for photosynthetic purposes. There are a lot of factors at work here, including conversions from long waves to short waves, etc-possibly too much for our little brains to handle actually. So here we are towards the end of our crop-lighting-deconstructed article, and are we any further ahead in our knowledge of crop lighting after this? The answer is YES if your recognize that there is much more going on than anyone has measured or charted to date; and the how the combinations that these factors get delivered can make such a difference in plant growth and ultimately, the life of YOU the grower. When comparing light sources for growing, and discussing which one is “best”, realize there are many different factors at work, and in differing degrees dependent on the type of grow lighting and perhaps even more importantly how it is being applied. Hopefully, this will also serve as a call to question and begin to re-examine what we hold “fundamental” as a group or industry. Take for example the photosynthetic response curve we have been worshipping-we have only touched on it here, and it is clear that the “rules” don’t always seem to apply. Stay flexible in your thinking, and the rewards can be bright!
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The Straight Dope
#4
Hardcore Hydro Gear Reviews
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Current Culture’s Updated Under Current XXL: Old Vs New
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We would be lying if we didn’t admit that we experienced the Original Under Current XXL Deep Water Hydroponic System as one of the best refined and thoughtout hydroponics sytems avialble to grow ers; whether home hobbyists or commercial growing moguls. What was not to love? Most hydroponic systems don’t buffer very well against changes in temperature, nutrient uptake or pH fluctuations. Further, some system designs don’t take advantage of the accelerated hyper growth and yield rates that can be achived in a super-oxygneted root environment. They offer ambient DO (dissolved oxygen) levels at best and aren’t very well suited to chilling the root zone, which can heat up quickly in shallow hydro systems as the grow room warms through a common daily cycle. The UC XXL does not have all of those common drawbacks to hydroponics systems like flood and drain or NFT because it takes advantage of running a significant volume of solution supporting well anchored and bare rooted plants that have lots of room for developing big roots as well as buffering against changes in the root environment. A stable root zone is a productive one, afeterall.
So Why Would they Change It?!?! We are pleased to report that it must have been to make a great thing even bet ter, in almost all respects. Heres the run-down on what’s new in Version Two:
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The Drain-Flow Fittings. Being the biggest is nice, but squeezing into the old-style rubber grommets was not a small feat; a source of pain and frustration. The new threaded bulkheads use a very clever design to take the force required out of assembly. However, there is a bit of a technique to getting it right; so don’t fill your system up full right away.
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The old LIDS fit inside of the containers, and under weight they could flex and fall in. when handled. The new lids are extra sturdy and fit tightly around the outside; helping to keep leafsprays out of the sytems too Access ports mean you don’t need to lift the lid up, so plants cant fall right into the system when you are doing root zone inspections or maintenance. When roots have 100% humidity, light doesn’t bother them directly; but growths can. The new Pods are Black-Out and contain UV Stabilizers for durability and plant health. The mesh basket supports are now CC’s own design, and are much strudier and more durable. They now come in eight and ten inch diamter sizes. They even have a “step” built into the bottom to help keep stems from staying too wet.
Sure, there’s other refinements and options-even the tubing and packaging has been stepped-up...and it was great to begin with. If you are serious about growing, either generation of the Under Current is sure to please. For newbie,s, it may mean finding the earlier generation lightly used at an affordable price.
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Custom Grow Ro oms: Part One Growers wh
o have learned to manage their endevors so that th pand and build new grows ey can exas they operate their exist ing facilities profitably have serious earni ng potential.
Often, these growers have come to the conclusion or had the realization that you simply don’t have the time to do it all your self if you want to think big and start to pr oduce more hearvest than you can pull out of a closet or spare room dedic ated to indoor gardening . Automation is certainly he lpful in maintaining and operating existing installations It also help s to protect an important invest ment. However, having an automate d growing system is really only help ful once it’s up and running smooth ly. A big saver on time and ha ssles that can get very costly if things don’t go together right an d correctly when building a grow ar e Total Solution Grow Packages. These can range from relat ively inexpensive grow tents th at come with a light, fans and a fil ter to ready-to-haul semi tractor trailers that have professionall y been converted to multiple 100 0Watt HID (high intensity discharge) lighting systems that come complet e with air-condtioning and infra -red controlled CO2 (carbon dioxid e) enrichment. These are available from some hydroponic retailers as well as companies that specialize in fabricating and supplying mobile growth chambers. There is a big advantage in knowing that everythin g is guarunteed to go together an d work as a complete assembled unit, rather than guessing and scrambli ng for odds and ends that may no t work as well together. By going for a package, you often save money too. However, sometimes a growe r is going to need to change their growing style-and it may not be in synch
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with what is held as “ The Standard” in convnetional Total Grow Packages. For example, if you find som e choice commercial space with ve ry high ceilings (lucky you!), Are yo u going to be able to take advant age of all of that swell headroom for bigger yields in the same square footage due to increased grow roo m volume? Most grow packages for ex ample, aren’t especially well suite d to growing giants-typically, they will lack the vertical height advantages and use a configuration of systems and lighting that is inten ded for more modest sized plants, whatever the number in total. That’s assuming there is an advantage at the location.. So, what about disadvantages? Sa y for example, you have lots of sp ace, but the amount of electricity you can safely access is limited-a n instance where you might want ot use power saving LEDs. And experie nced growers know that LEDs work be st only with tweaks to a conventio nal growing environment
So, if you are thinking ab out expanding, whether by a Tota l Solution Grow Package or a Cu stom Designed grow room, you will want to stay tuned.....we are going to give you the goods to make inf ormed decsions and avoid common hassles.
BE
Water Wise
Outdoors, if you water at night while DEWPOINT is occuring, it is possible to pick up moisture from the air, as your trickle feeds or sprinkler droplets fall through the air, on their way to contacting the soil surface. Free water. Collect Rain Water. If there is any significant rainfall, you should be storing it for hot and dry days., especially in remote garden areas.
Roots need air. Don’t forget to give it to them along with all of that water. Take care not to overwater for prolonged periods.
Darker containers can heat up really quick, so sometimes it pays to make sure the water is a little cooler when applied, helping to keep your crop’s feet nice and cool
A well planned and constructed HYDROPONICS SYSTEM can consume considerably less water than conventional growing methods over a cropping cycle.
When it comes to different plant types or even varieties, your plants will have watering needs that change through the growth cycles to maturity. Some strains prefer sparse moisture at the roots, and do not respond well by sitting oxygewn deprived root environments from heavier waterings. Others can be water hogs-get to know yours!
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Illegitimi Non Carborundum Your -ORIGINAL-Paperless Hydroponics Publication
www.grozine.com