HydroGarden Help by HydroGarden

Info, tips and advice

Dear Retailer, At HydroGarden we constantly strive to provide you with the best hydroponic products and the best possible support network to help you sell them. As part of that ongoing process we are delighted to introduce HydroGarden Help, containing all the key information you need in order to sell HydroGarden products with total confidence. HydroGarden Help contains all the contact details you need plus lots of handy tips and useful information. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a link on our website where you can feed back to us with suggestions for topics youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like us to include in future issues of HydroGarden Help.

So enjoy the read and happy selling!

Contents: 2

Our brands and partners

14 HydroGarden TV

Why choose HydroGarden? and contact details

15 HydroGarden on show

Webshop

Ordering and Ways to pay

Returns information

Abbreviations, Info on the web and Technical support

Our teams on the road

16 HydroGarden worldwide 17 V-Farm 20 Hydroponic growing systems 22 Essential hydroponic gardening tips

10 Available literature and POS

24 The art of cross-selling

12 The power of Social Media

26 Growroom safety

â&#x201E;¢

Why choose HydroGarden? HydroGarden is one of the true pioneers of the UK’s hydroponics industry. For over 20 years we have been sourcing the best products from around the globe and have established ourselves as the company that brings new, innovative and quality products to both the UK and world markets. Because we were originally involved in retailing, we understand the needs and challenges facing retailers. Now, as a ‘wholesale only’ business, we strive to support our retail customers by not competing with you, but by providing you with a range of products, marketing tools and literature unrivalled in the industry. Thanks to our specialist knowledge we also run a commercial hydroponic operation, V-Farm, supplying new and innovative food products to the food services industry. HydroGarden not only distributes world-leading brands, we also manufacture our own range of products, giving you the greatest opportunity to source the best and most innovative hydroponic and horticultural products in the world. We stock over 75 different brands and over 1,500 different quality products from around the world, unrivalled by any other UK-based company. Our on-the-road teams of Account Managers and Brand Managers are dedicated to supporting you through the introduction and demonstration of new products, providing general assistance and support as well as giving product training and demos to shop owners.

When you buy from HydroGarden you can rest assured that all products have been quality tested and conform to the latest standards. Our sales staff receive on-going product training and we have dedicated, experienced, hydroponic growers available to answer those tricky questions about products, as well as staff with a wealth of hydroponic and wider horticultural growing experience. Expert advice is always available at the end of a phone - all you have to do is give us a call, we are more than happy to help. No other wholesaler can deliver the range of products to your door like us - we are your true ONE STOP SHOP! Order before 2pm (3pm online**) to get next day delivery* and use the product info and resources available 24/7 on our website. Thank you for being a valued customer and please let us know if any aspect of our service needs to be improved upon and we will work on it! If you want the best products, greatest choice, top brands, largest stock, amazing new and innovative products, fast delivery, expert advice and outstanding results:

choose HydroGarden!

Member of AVF

Have a question? If you have any questions about using our services, contact us on:

024 7665 1500 Easy ordering Order online shop.hydrogarden.com Need an online account? Call Sales now on 024 7665 1500

Order by phone 024 7665 1500

Order by email sales@hydrogarden.com

Order by fax 024 7665 1060

Great news! NEXT DAY DELIVERY on all phone orders placed before 2pm NEXT DAY DELIVERY on all web orders placed online before 3pm** For full ordering information and details of next day delivery*, see the latest HydroGarden price list. *This service is only available in our courier areas and is subject to availability. **All web and iPad orders have a cut-off point of 2pm on a Friday.

webshop

Ordering

Ways to Pay

Online The easiest way to order is online at shop.hydrogarden.com Please obtain an online account by emailing sales@hydrogarden.com

We can accept direct transfers, credit cards, cheques and postal orders. All accounts are prepaid unless otherwise agreed.

By phone Call Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.00pm on 024 7665 1500 and follow the option menu to speak to one of our trained staff who are here to help you. Outside of hours please order online or leave a message on the answerphone and we will call you back the next working day. Orders must be placed before 2pm by phone, or 3pm via the HydroGarden website for next day delivery. Please note, we are closed on ALL Public and Bank Holidays. By email Please e-mail us at: sales@hydrogarden.com By fax If you prefer, you can fax us on: 024 7665 1060

Our bank account details are as follows: NatWest Bank PLC Coventry City Branch PO Box 301 24 Broadgate Coventry CV1 1ZZ Swift Code: NWBKGB2L Account number: 22198377 Sort Code: 56-00-45 Please note: For pro-forma orders we require proof of payment by the relevant cut-off time to ensure next working day delivery. No surcharge for accounts settled by credit cards.

Please order by our stock codes to ensure you receive the products you want. Data sheets Product data sheets are available for most products, please call for details. Returns If something doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work or is found to be faulty, please contact our Returns department (see page 6). We will collect & test the products and then contact you with the results, determining credit or replacement at the time. For delivery information and savings on delivery, see our price list.

Returns

Our returns guidance booklet contains important information regarding our Returns Policy and Product Warranty. Make sure you have a copy to hand in your shop as well as the 3-part A4 summary cards (all available on request).

We cannot take responsibility for products not purchased from HydroGarden except faulty Gavita. Non-faulty goods should be sufficiently well-packaged to arrive back in a saleable condition and it is your responsibility to make it so. Whether the items are being returned as faulty or have been sent to you in error, you must ensure that the complete contents of each product box is returned in good condition. We always collect: Labels brought by the courier are attached directly to the package, so please ensure that the boxes are covered in either cling film, shrink wrap or in an outer box, so that the label does not adhere to the products/product boxes directly. If the latter were to occur, we are unable to return them to stock, which affects you having credit or replacement. Warranty expiry information is required for us to test products believed to be faulty. We reserve the right to refuse your claim if the product’s packaging, expiry date or warranty information has been removed, eroded or defaced in any way. In addition, you may be liable for any collection costs incurred.

In brief: There are generally two reasons why you might need to return something to us: 1. You have an item that is faulty or damaged 2. We sent you the wrong product Whatever reason you have for returning a product, we will send you a replacement or credit your account, as long as you follow the simple guidelines set out in the Returns Booklet. Please read it carefully and keep it somewhere safe so that you can refer to it in future. In Summary: Your responsibility Please ensure that you only return items that have been sold to you by HydroGarden (see inside). Par t 3

of 3

Part 2 of 3

of back

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& Conditions Product Returns Terms as faul Items returned to you

Issue 2 2015

Product Terms & CoReturns nditions

PROPAG KITS AN ATION IRRIGATID SYSTEMS GROWIN ON FIT TINGS NUTRIE G MEDIA AIR AN NTS AND ADDI VES ODOURD NUTRIENT COTI NTROL LIGHTIN CONTROL VENTILAG TI ON EQ PEST AN D DISEASUIPMENT PUMPS AN E CONTRO D ACCESS TENTS AN ORIES L AQUAPO D STANDS NICS

te comple r to the 0 or lete ase refe 7665 150 to the comp n, ple 4 or , please refer rmatio et, call 02 o.uk information call 024 7665 1500 okl re info n.c For more For mo t Returns bo drogarde ns booklet, k arden.co.u Product Retur please refer to the complete Produc urns@hy ns@hydrog For more information, ret email retur call 024 7665 1500 or email Product Returns booklet, co.uk email returns@hydrogarden.

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Returning items in their original packaging Even faulty items should be returned in their original packaging (with all the components complete), if your customer still has it. If this is not possible then sufficient packaging within an outer box should be applied to ensure safe passage back to us. Please take care to read the Returns Booklet carefully to save yourself costs, hassle and disappointment! For more information, please call 024 7665 1500 (option 1.2), or email returns@hydrogarden.co.uk NOW ACCEPTING GAVITA RETURNS Although we only normally accept returns sold to you by HydroGarden, the one exception is GAVITA products! Whoever you bought it from, we’ll take it back.

Legal

Information on the Web

Technical Support

Please note that the following brands are registered to HydroGarden Wholesale Supplies Ltd:

Here are some websites managed by HydroGarden and our suppliers that offer a great information resource for you.

HydroGarden is constantly striving to improve its products and offerings to ensure our customers receive excellent service. We have been working with our suppliers to ensure that we provide retailers with the best possible support. Our key suppliers now have dedicated lines available to all HydroGarden customers for product and technical support. We hope this will help you to provide a better service to your customers, therefore ensuring continued success.

LUMii LUMii BLACK EnviroGro by LUMii VitaLink VitaLink ESSENTIALS PowerPlant ROOT!T HALO Odour Neutralising Agent (O.N.A.) RAM PLANT!T FishPlant MegaLux LightHouse

HydroGarden UK - www.hydrogarden.com CANNA - www.canna-uk.com BioBizz - www.biobizz.com VitaLink/VitaLink ESSENTIALS - www.vitalink.eu ROOT!T - www.propagateplants.com RAM - www.rapidairmovement.co.uk HALO - www.halo-harpin.com ORCA Grow Film - www.orcagrowfilm.com LUMii - www.grow-lumii.com FishPlant - www.fishplant.co.uk PLANT!T - www.plantit-growit.com Can-Fan - www.canfan.nl Can-Lite - www.canfilters.nl Valoya - www.valoya.com CultilĂ¨ne - www.cultilene.com Alien Hydroponics - www.alienhydroponics.co.uk Canatronics - www.canatronics.com

For technical support at HydroGarden contact Nina Trubanova (Cultivation and Technical Advisor): Telephone: 024 7665 1500 (option 5) For technical support at CANNA: Telephone: 0870 240 2991 (available 8am-11am GMT time) Email: uk@canna.com (reply sent within 48 hours)

For technical support at BioBizz: Email: info@biobizz.com For technical support at VitaLink: Email: technical@vitalink.eu For technical support at MountainAir filters: Email: info@mountainairfilters.com

Be safe! Remember water and electricity do not mix. Always use an RCD (Residual-Current Device) with pumps and any other electrical items likely to come into contact with water. Carbon Dioxide is an asphyxiant; always ensure that CO2 levels are not too high when working in the growing area. Always follow safety information and store out of reach of children.

As part of our objective to provide you with the best service possible we have two teams on the road to provide expert knowledge and support â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

HydroGarden Account Managers - to help you grow your business The HydroGarden Account Managers have years of experience out on the road promoting our vast range of products. With continuous in-depth technical training, their knowledge and advice provides great support to our customers. We believe that having a professional, down-to-earth and friendly approach is key to developing and maintaining strong working relationships.

Mike Bird

Senior Account Manager Area: The North East & Scotland Mobile: 07929 169 866 Email: michael.b@hydrogarden.co.uk

Dan Harper

Senior Account Manager Area: South East Mobile: 07837 943 249 Email: dan.h@hydrogarden.co.uk

Danny Bower

Senior Account Manager Area: Midlands, South West & North West Mobile: 07827 292 969 Email: danny.b@hydrogarden.co.uk

HydroGarden Brand Managers - brand knowledge when you need it

Ollie Chater – CANNA Brand Manager Mobile: 07951 159 559 Email: ollie.c@hydrogarden.co.uk I am working for HydroGarden as the CANNA Brand Manager looking after everything CANNA! My role involves building relationships with retailers, and thinking of ways to improve the CANNA Brand. Whether this is expanding on existing marketing tools, or creating fresh new ideas, I am constantly looking at helping our retailers to promote, and sell, the world’s most popular nutrient range!

Harry Wareham – Lighting Brands Manager Mobile: 07943 106 855 Email: harry.w@hydrogarden.co.uk Working as the Lighting Brands Manager, I take care of all things involving LUMii and Gavita! My role involves visiting and building relationships with customers inside and outside of the UK, creating innovative marketing literature and point of sale tools, and developing new and exciting ways to improve the lighting brands for both HydroGarden and retailers.

Richie MacDonald – VitaLink Brand Manager Mobile: 07539 191 365 Email: richie.m@hydrogarden.co.uk Working as the VitaLink Brand Manager is an exciting challenge. I live and breathe VitaLink! When I am not on the road visiting customers, promoting the VitaLink brand and communicating the major changes to the product range, I am in the office co-ordinating the development of different marketing materials and strategies to benefit everyone.

HydroGarden Marketing Material We have a wide range of literature and point of sale material that is constantly being refreshed and updated. Product information, growing advice, technical know-how – it’s all covered in the literature available to you. As for POS, just ask your HydroGarden Account Manager or call the Sales Desk for information on the range of promotional items you can display in-store or give out to your customers. LUMii Digita The LUMii Digita ballast is a fully electronic ballast. This technology is micro-processor controlled and works at higher frequency (hertz) than the standard magnetic ballast, meaning more light gets to your plants.

Carbon Filters

The LUMii Digita has a strike distance of up to 15 metres – this means 15 metres between ballast and bulb.

If the LUMii Digita ballast detects an abnormal input or output voltage (due to an old or damaged lamp) it will NOT attempt to ignite the bulb.

HydroGarden is an official distributor of MountainAir®

VitaLink Turbo covered onde thetamaño de su planta ¡AcelereResin el aumento inside to protect from con VitaLink Turbo! dust ingress All sizes of our VitaLink Turbo proporcionará a sus plantas un LUMii Digita come impulso significativo, el tamaño de la flor así como de with a spare fuse, simply use a small la propia planta se incrementará considerablemente al screwdriver to usar este producto. pop it out.

¿Por qué se incrementará el tamaño?

11376_LUMii_A5-Technical_Flyer_EN_13-07-15.indd 1

VitaLink Turbo contiene L-aminoácidos y brasinoesteroides. Los L-aminoácidos son aminoácidos levógiros y son los componentes básicos de las 23/07/2015 proteínas en las plantas – como probablemente sepa, las proteínas contribuyen en gran medida al crecimiento. Los brasinoesteroides son compuestos señalizadores que indican a la planta dónde enfocar su energía, son el principal ingrediente que contribuye al rápido incremento de tamaño y de peso.

www.HydroGarden.com HydroGarden Wholesale Supplies Ltd, 2 Progress Way, Binley, Coventry CV3 2NT

Tel: +44 (0)24 7665 1500

10:16

By HydroGarden

Disponible en botellas de 250 ml y 1 l.

¡Consulte a HydroGarden y añada VitaLink Turbo a su pedido! www.hydrogarden.com

www.vitalink.eu

Product Brochure 2016/17

LUMii IS THE NEW BLACK

Product Brochure Product Brochure

Web

info@grow-lumii.com

NEW RANGE. NEW STYLE.

@LUMiiLighting

facebook.com/LUMiiLighting LUMii and LUMii BLACK are HydroGarden brands. 2 Progress Way, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2NT, UK | www.hydrogarden.com

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14/04/2015 14:58

METAL MAGNETIC BALLAST PLASTIC MAGNETIC BALLAST CONTACTORS 600W HPS LAMP REFLECTOR

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29-01-14 13:35

M A K I N G U N WA N T E D S M E L L S D I S A P P E A R

For more information visit:

www.VitaLink.eu @VitaLinkEU facebook.com/VitaLinkEU

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Make sure your plants are protected from adverse climate conditions with the Evoponic range of protectors HydroGarden is an official distributor of Evoponic

It’s back

Trust the original

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www.evoponic.com 19/03/2015 16:12

The latest innovation in propagation ROOT!T® Natural Rooting Sponge

Specially designed dual hole

Benefits

The top section is the perfect depth for seeds. It’s designed to a specific width to create an ideal humid micro climate around the seed assisting fast seed germination.

Environmentally friendly & biodegradable. Faster more vigorous rooting & reduces plant shock. Superior absorption of nutrients & easily maintains perfect water/air ratio. Improves water retention & reduces transplant losses.

The lower section is thinner and ideal for cuttings. It’s designed to hold the cuttings firm while also holding the perfect amount of ROOT!T® Rooting Gel to aid quick root development.

Insulates roots against heat or lack of moisture. Contains micro nutrients & beneficial microbes to aid germination.

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Unique premoulded hole for cuttings and seeds.

Ask us for more information about

Cuttings

Seeds

Canatronics Contactors 38 mm

Canatronics Contactors - the safest, most robust and reliable contactors on the market. Available in 4, 6 and 8-way options

ROOT!T® Natural Rooting Sponges can be found in these products:

Need more power? Made to order is available!

HydroGarden is the exclusive distributor of Canatronics Contactors

ROOT!T® Value Propagation Kit

ROOT!T® Natural Rooting Sponges 50 refill bag

ROOT!T® Propagation Kit

Join ROOT!T® on Facebook and Twitter.

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ROOT!T® 24 Filled Propagation Insert & Tray

ROOT!T® Windowsill Propagator

propagateplants.com

04/10/2013 12:19

The power of Social Media The future is often difficult to predict but you can be sure of one thing - more and more people will use Social Media in the course of their daily lives. From a commercial point of view Social Media is now the most powerful form of marketing and market research the world has ever seen. The beauty of Social Media though is that it can be as complicated or as informal as you care to make it. It’s a tool that’s just as effective for small businesses as it is for large corporations.

At HydroGarden we use Social Media extensively to promote our products and communicate with our customers. You may already be doing the same but if you’re not quite there why not contact us for help and advice on how to put Social Media to work for you. To connect with us, visit one of our Social Media pages.

If you have a TV in-store ask us for one of our USB sticks containing all of our product videos.

HydroGarden TV contains videos on products from the HydroGarden range with instructions on how to use the products and information on how to get the most out of them. We regularly add new product videos to our channel and welcome your feedback on which product videos you would like to see next! Subscribe to our channel here:

HydroGarden On Show In line with its position as a leader of the hydroponics industry, HydroGarden will appear at most of the major European and North American trade shows in the next 12 months where innovative new products will be showcased. Detailed information will appear on www.hydrogarden.com as it is released.

Spain, 10th-12th March

Grow X San Jose, USA, 3rd-4th June

Indo Expo Portland, USA, 5th-6th August

HydroGarden Weston Beach Race

Spain, 15th-17th September

UK, 13th-15th October Czech Republic, Dates TBC

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HydroGarden Worldwide As well as being the leading supplier of hydroponic equipment in the UK, HydroGarden have an ever-increasing presence abroad.

Europe

U.S.A.

South America

Australia

We have a dedicated sales team that manage our operations across many European countries. We’ve got an ever increasing presense especially in France and Spain where we have permanent reps.

We’ll soon be travelling over the Atlantic to the U.S.A! Launching in summer 2017 we’ll be exhibiting at some of the best shows that North America has to offer.

In the last couple of years we’ve been regularly supplying a distriubutor in Chile.

On the other side of the world a HydroGarden sister company, Pocket Herbs & Produce offer the finest micro greens, culinary baby leaf herbs and specialty greens to fine dining establishments, caterers and retail grocers throughout Eastern Australia.

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V-Farm V-Farm is a vertical farming system from HydroGarden that is intended to help alleviate the ever-increasing demand for food that faces us. Indoor farming can help to utilise redundant buildings and warehouses in cities, which helps to cut food miles. It also allows countries that have poor growing conditions to produce their own food source, through fresh fruit and vegetables, without having to use the same amount of water that’s required with conventional systems. It can be installed in very remote locations - for example, near or within the

Arctic Circle, where otherwise everything would have to be trucked or flown in and where fresh produce is very hard to keep. And beyond this planet, increasingly lengthy space missions mean that scientists are investing huge resources in trying to find a way for astronauts to grow their own food both in space and, incredibly, on faraway planets. The answer is hydroponics and more specifically, V-Farm. And with an ever-increasing consumer demand for fresher foods and unique flavours, a growing number of restaurants

have added hydroponic systems to their premises. V-Farm allows restaurants to grow a selection of ‘greens’ and herbs from basil to lettuce. Originally adopted by fine dining establishments, the benefits of these systems are now filtering down to more casual restaurants. So, whilst customers are poring over the menu, some key ingredients are, literally, still growing a few feet away.

You can’t get much fresher than that!

Advising Your Customer 19

Hydroponics Growing Systems There are various hydroponic growing systems available. If you have a customer who needs some basic advice on which system to employ, the following information should be useful. Each of the systems described has its own way of supporting the crop. Plants require food, water, and oxygen for the roots to keep them from drowning. The main types of hydroponic growing systems are...

• Hand-watering method • Deep Water Culture (DWC) or Bubbler • Flood and Drain or Ebb and Flow • Dripper System • Nutrient Film Technique • The Wick System • Aeroponics

Hand Watering Often, people do not realise that hand-watering can be one of the simplest hydroponic growing methods, but hydroponics boils down to this...the food is in the water. If you mix perlite, vermiculite and coco coir (all nutrient free) and use this to grow your plants in a container garden, you will have to add some plant food in the water when you hand-water. By definition, this is an example of hydroponic gardening. A 50/50 mix of perlite/vermiculite would work just as well. Coconut coir and vermiculite retain quite a bit of water. By using more of them in the soilless mix, the containers will stay moist between handwaterings (every day or two). Because of its simplicity, this is obviously an easy home method and one that will easily support organics.

Deep Water Culture (DWC) or Bubbler The deep water culture method, also known as the reservoir method, is one of the easiest of all the true hydroponic growing systems. A tank holds the nutrient solution, where one or several plant containers will sit in the solution. An aquarium air pump constantly bubbles in the nutrient solution, ensuring that the plants are supplied with nutrients, water and oxygen, which allows them to grow and function properly. Often, hydroponic net pots or baskets are used, allowing the roots to grow out into the nutrient solution. An effort is usually made to keep light from getting to the nutrient solution. Wherever there is light and nutrients, algae will grow. Algae eat the nutrients you are trying to feed to your plants. When algae die and decompose, they leave solution devoid of dissolved oxygen. The roots

of the plants do not receive enough oxygen. When the plant root system gets suffocated, it becomes vulnerable to pathogen attacks.

Because of its simple design and simple function, this method is a good choice for home hydroponics. This system is well suited for clay pebbles. As with any hydroponic growing system, it’s useful to have available the recommended feeding schedule from the manufacturer of nutrients you are using but you need to be prepared to change it, depending on the plants performance.

Flood and Drain or Ebb and Flow Flood and drain systems are recirculating systems, with the main principle being to bring fresh water and nutrients to the root zone (flooding the system) and then drawing oxygen to the root zone (draining the system). There are two types of ebb and flow systems, table and bucket/pot systems. Your choice of growing media determines how often and how long you flood the container for. Fast draining, clay pebbles may be flooded for a half hour 4 times a day, whilst slower draining rockwool can be watered less frequently. This system is also well suited for growing in straight perlite. The components and function of this hydroponic growing system are pretty basic, making it another good option for a home system. With a good filter and water pump, you can also use this method for organic hydroponics.

Dripper System With a dripper hydroponic growing system, the plants are again in their own tray, separate from the nutrient reservoir. A pump pushes nutrient solution through many small tubes, which feed each plant from the top. Different emitters can be placed on the end of each tube to make the drip slower, faster or in a specific angle.

A faster draining medium (like VitaLink Clay Pebbles) will need emitters with a higher nominal flow (litres per hour), this can be achieved with a higherpressure pump or watering in the shorter intervals (more often). If you decide to make your own dripper system, be careful to make all tubing leading to emitters the same length to ensure the water pressure (amount of water) is the same throughout the system. The standard media for drip systems is rockwool, although clay pebbles and perlite are sometimes used. The flow rate is easy to control when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using adjustable emitters but making your own dripper system can be the best method, it will allow for your system to be fitted for your own specific purpose. If you choose to create your own system, just make sure the tubes are the same length so that the pressure throughout the system is the same. If the pressure is high enough, your system should be able to push through any clogs that organic nutrients can cause. A run-to-waste dripper system is one of the best systems to use for growing with organic fertilizers.

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) In this hydroponic growing system, plants are placed in a tray or gutter separate from the nutrient reservoir. One end of the tray is lower than the

other, to encourage the flow of water. A pump delivers a steady flow of water at one end, creating a constant stream of nutrient solution in the bottom of the tray. In order to make sure the water flowing through the bottom of the tray is nice and even, a layer of absorbent material (called capillary mat) is placed in the bottom. No capillary mat is needed if the nutrient solution level in the pipes are kept deep enough. The system would be operating as a deep water culture at that point (or a combination of DWC and other techniques). NFT is another method that is easy for the do-it-yourselfer. Once again the parts, the design, and the function are all simple. In a pure NFT system or a NFT-DWC hybrid system there are no drip or spray emitters to clog. However, there is one thing to consider. You must start with plants that have a root system large enough to hang down into the nutrient solution. Otherwise, you need to top feed the plants with a drip system until their roots grow long enough. NFT systems are very often used in combination with drip systems. With a little capillary mat and a cheap drip system, you can make a very affordable and effective hybrid NFT system. If you plan on having a tray NFT, you will need to use rockwool as your chosen media. Opposed to if you are

using a gully system, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a substrate and can just use a net pot. Either way, once they are in place in the system, the roots will be growing right in the water!

Aeroponics In these hydroponic growing systems, a large tank holds nutrient solution in the bottom. A pump then pushes nutrient solution through spray heads that constantly soak every inch inside the container with fine drops of nutrient solution. As you can expect, there really is no growing medium in this method. The plant roots hang down into the container and grow mostly in air, except for the few that grow long enough to make it into the nutrient solution in the bottom. Sprayers are made specially to deliver a very fine, highly oxygenated spray. Of all the hydroponic systems, this is one of the most difficult, because of the pH changes, as with all recirculating systems, and the need to maintain the correct temperature. Without media being present, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to set up and maintain the right conditions for the plant from the start. All of this aside, aeroponics provide the best oxygenation of the solution possible, with even NASA using this method!

Essential Hydroponic Growing Tips It’s worth knowing the basics so that you can pass on the following tips to your customers:

In brief • Know what equipment you need and why • Know the nutritional requirements of your plants • Know the light/ photoperiod requirements of your plants • Use HydroGarden professional products • Have all necessary equipment and nutrients before you start • Check your nutrient reservoir solution every day

Having a Plan • Change your water and nutrients in accordance to your system’s needs • Use a digital or mechanical timer to control your photoperiod (digital timers are recommended for higher wattage) • Keep your dark period completely dark and un-interrupted • Clean and sterilize your system between crops

• Minimise light exposure to your nutrient solution

• Do not allow pets in your growing area or nowhere nearby

• Have an extra reservoir of plain water waiting for your next nutrient change

• Put a screen or filter over your air intake and exhaust (if outdoors)

It’s useful to have a week-by-week feeding schedule that identifies what nutrients and additives your plant may need at that exact point of its growth. It’s important to remember though, that you can never exactly plan what is going to happen with your plant so it’s better to use a schedule as a guide and assess your plant on a day-to-day basis to decide what and how much it needs.

Feeding/Nutrients As mentioned above, you can’t always stick to a strict feeding schedule for your plant but it is recommended that beginner growers do stay within the guidelines of the recommended feeds. Whereas a more experience grower can use this as a guide and with an EC reader can adjust to cater to their plant’s needs. Plants need a variety of macronutrients (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, calcium and magnesium), as well as micro-nutrients

to develop during its life cycle. It’s important to know what your plant will need at different times to ensure that you’re providing it with all the nutrients that it needs. Do not try to mix up your own plant food. Instead, start with a professional hydroponic nutrients product such as VitaLink/CANNA product. These are usually 2-part, A&B, Grow and Bloom systems and are complete (and easy to use). Remember! Always check your pH when growing in hydroponics, pH preference varies depending on what you’re growing and at the different stages of a plant’s life so it’s best to keep an eye on it! It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for each nutrient and be careful not to mix them, each brand may have a different amount of ingredients so it’s best to stick to the same one. Finally, you need to check and maintain your nutrient reservoir regularly and

change your water and nutrients in accordance to your system’s needs. The most beneficial way to do this is to have two nutrient reservoirs, one with nutrient solution for your system and one with clear water for your next nutrient solution change. The second reservoir allows the water to de-chlorinate and come to room temperature. If the second tank has been sat there for a while, then you’ll need to oxygenate the water which is ideally done with an air pump and airstone.

Root Health If roots become damaged, they cannot take up nutrients to feed the plants. Any damage below ground will result in damage above ground as dead leaves and sick plants. Protect your roots by maintaining your nutrient solution properly and by minimising the amount of light that comes into contact with your nutrient solution.

Adequate Lighting Getting the correct lamps are key to how your plants grow and develop, there’s a range of lamps available on the market that suit each stage of a plants life:

T5s (Fluorescent Lights)

LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) Emitting light of a specific wavelength, LED’s are a great investment as they generally have a long life span. You’re usually able to choose the light with a combination of wavelengths that are suitable for vegetative or flowering stages. For all the lamps above, you don’t need a ballast.

HID (High Intensity Discharge)

stops once temperatures reach over 29 degrees Celsius (unless you’re constantly pumping in CO2). Some ballasts, such as magnetic coil ballasts, produce a lot of heat so temperature control is vital but even if you have an electronic ballast it is still important. If the temperature in the growroom is still too high, you can use an AeroTube inline air-cooled reflector.

Photoperiod Manipulation

cool (used for propagation) at 14000 K, cool

HID lights are the most popular type of lamps used as they provide the highest illuminance to plants. Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps are under this category, with MH having more light in the blue spectrum so are better for growth, and HSP being the best for flowering or during the whole plants’ life due to the most of the light being in the yellow/orange spectrum.

(perfect for growth) at 6400 K, and warm

These kind of lamps need a ballast.

And Finally...…

Controlling the Temperature

Ensure you have all the correct equipment

Perfect for the propagation of smaller plants as they give out 6500 K of light.

CFLs (Fluorescent Lights) There are three types of CFL lamps, super

white (used during flowering) at 2700 K, our new LUMii CFLs come in 130 W, 200 W, and 300 W. They can be used in all the different stages of the plants life, you just simply need to swap to your preferred lamp.

Temperature control can be challenging and having a grow room that’s too hot can be detrimental to your plants. Growth of your plants

Many crops require shorter daylight periods to trigger flowering/fruiting. Two great tips are: use a timer so that your lights turn on and off at the same time each day. Secondly, the plants should be kept in absolute, complete, un-interrupted darkness during the dark period.

needed before you start growing and always read the instructions provided with HydroGarden products!

Cross Selling Cross-selling is the art of getting a customer to buy something else along with the product they’ve already chosen. The well-worn textbook example of crossselling is the McDonald’s all-time great: ‘Do you want fries with that?’ Simple, yet incredibly effective for upping revenue. It’s important to point out that cross-selling isn’t about manipulating your customers. It’s completely the opposite - it’s most effective when you focus on extra items the customer would have a genuine interest in anyway - items that are wellconnected to their original choice. But if you stay safely within the boundaries of relevance and restraint, customers actually appreciate a nice spot of cross-selling. It makes their life easier, after all. So here are the 7 best ways to do it.

1. Get prepared - then ask! Make sure you understand the products that complement each other. Travel sites like EasyJet and Expedia are masters of this on a larger scale - if you search for a flight, they offer you hotels, travel insurance, car rental. Then it really is as simple as just remembering to ask customers whether they want the extra item. Your cross-sell item should be cheaper than the original product, and something that only takes a quick buying decision. The more complex the product and the way you need to explain it, the more difficult your cross-sell will be. Make sure staff are familiar with all of your products and that they know which go hand-in-hand, and teach them how to master the cross-sell too.

2. Position wisely Learn from supermarkets and newsagents all over the world: there’s a reason they always have gum, chocolate bars and magazines by the check-out. Placing a cheap impulse purchase where people queue is enough in itself to prompt a purchase. Aim to use the cheapest items most likely to complement your bestselling products.

3. Other people who bought this also bought’ In 2006, Amazon reported that a whopping 35% of the year’s sales came from cross-sells. Their introduction of ‘Customers who bought this item also bought’ and ‘Frequently bought together’ is nothing short of cross-selling genius.

4. Incentivise

6. On-product copy

You might also try a discount or gift voucher for orders over a certain amount, or, the reward card favourite, double loyalty points (or similar) for a certain spend.

If you’ve ever absent-mindedly read the back of a shampoo bottle in the shower (who hasn’t?), you may recall that old cosmetics and beauty marketing staple: ‘For best results, use in conjunction with [insert same-brand product of choice]’. Strategic placement of such messages around your shop is a no-brainer.

5. Bundle up Bundles work because they group products that fit naturally together at an attractive price point. The consumer feels like they’re making a saving on stuff they would possibly buy - or at least want - anyway. Find that golden price tag that feels like a bargain buy while still earning you a tidy profit. Then make the offer glaringly obvious to customers and place all the products included right next to each other.

7. Expert recommendations Leverage expert opinion on which two or three products are most effective when used together. The expert can be you if needed: you know your niche better than your customer (hopefully!), so cite that knowledge. Or use quotes from other experts and articles you’ve read.

Growroom Safety Growroom safety is essential. Your customers will be grateful for any expert advice you can offer them that ensures they create the safest growroom conditions possible. How do they keep themselves and their crops safe? How do they prevent fires? How do they prepare for the event of a fire, just in case? How do they protect their eyes? How do they prevent disease? All these questions and more are covered in the following basic safety advice you should pass on to your customers.

Do everything you can to prevent f ire

Have a plan in place for the event of a f ire

• Don’t leave any rubbish lying around. A really simple and effective tip is to not

• Keep at least one fire extinguisher in your grow area. Check that it is full and in

have a bin inside your grow room, instead just keep a roll of bin bags and use

good working order, and replace it within the ‘use by’ date. Keep a good torch

a fresh one every time you’re in there, taking it with you when you leave.

next to it; if your lights are off, and your room is as light-proof as it should be,

• Check for anything in your growroom that could catch fire, or burn quickly, and get it out of there! Your growroom should not be used as a storage area, especially for anything flammable. • Install a smoke alarm, and make sure you replace the batteries and test it regularly. Also test whether or not you can hear it from other places in the area or building, as it’s no use if you can only hear it with the door open.

you may be dealing with a pitch-black space filled with smoke and lit only by flickering flames. • It’s advised you fit a heavy-duty, preferably fire-resistant door to your grow space – especially if it is in or attached to your home. If you can, have two, with a small area between them; this seriously reduces the speed at which the fire spreads (and is also handy for changing your clothes on the way in and out). • Have an exit plan. In the event of a fire getting out of control, you should already know which way(s) you can leave the building, and what you’re going to do about alerting other people in the area and the emergency services.

Know that you can never be too careful with electricity! •D on’t overload your electricity circuits or otherwise stress your cables and power-points. If you have to splice wires, use a proper connector; invest in heavy-duty extension cables with built-in circuit breakers. •K eep as many of your electrical components off the floor as possible; not only is this better for fire safety, it’s better for overall safety to keep cables out of the way so you don’t trip over them. • F amiliarize yourself with basic wiring safety.

Protect your eyes, lungs and skin Eyes •P rotect your eyes with protective glasses when you’re working with nutrients, pesticides and pH balancing substances. When working with these chemicals, without protection you’re more likely to get these harmful substances in your eye – which, depending on the chemical, can cause blindness. •K eep an eye bath and a bottle of saline solution handy in case of an emergency. Rinse your eyes for at least ten minutes, the worst damage from chemical burns occurs in the first one to five minutes so having this to hand can make a big difference.

Lungs •P rotect your airways as well as your eyes, especially when working with chemicals.

Skin • Invest in a box of latex gloves, and use them. Needless to say, always use them when dealing with nutrients, pesticides, pH adjusting agents and other growing substances. • Keep a first aid kit handy, and keep it well stocked! Remember to replace any items that you use up and check items are in date.

Remember that water can be as dangerous as electricity in its own way! • Water on the floor is hazardous in various ways: you can slip because of it; it can conduct electricity and it can cause mould and bacteria to grow. • Dripping water is even more dangerous, as it can get into your wiring systems and electrical outlets, and will eventually accumulate somewhere and cause further problems. However, condensation from humidity can be a less visible but equally problematic threat. Whenever you are running cables for electricity, especially towards the upper part of the room, be sure to leave a ‘drip loop’, or bend, in the cable. This curve allows condensation to collect at the lowest point of the cable rather than running along it and reaching the plug or the bulb. • Although it sounds obvious, always check that your taps are off and your feed tank isn’t empty or overflowing before you leave. Floods, along with fires, are the two major hazards for growers’ health and safety. However, feed tanks running on empty can be hazardous too. If your pump is on an automatic timer and your tank has run dry, the resulting loud thumping noise can be annoying for neighbours, and eventually burn out your pump, which can lead to a fire.

Notes:

facebook.com/HydroGardenUK @HydroGardenLtd @hydrogardenltd HydroGarden Wholesale Supplies Ltd 2 Progress Way, Binley, Coventry CV3 2NT

Tel: 024 7665 1060 Email: sales@hydrogarden.com Web: www.hydrogarden.com

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