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THE MAKING OF HYDROMAG...

Editor Cosmo Mackenzie cos@hydromag.co.uk

Eòin Maccoinneach R.I.P. Son of the fair bright one 12th May 2013

Welcome...

…to Issue Five of HYDROMAG. As keen students of all facets of life and the Universe, we went digging in our library and uncovered rare Mesopotamian scripts on Numerology fortunately all our staff are fluent in Sumerian cuneiform.

We discovered Number Five is supposedly masculine, independent, attractive and fastmoving. Uncanny! (Not to mention reckless and self-indulgent – but we chose to ignore those woefully off-target characteristics.)

Attractive! Because in this ruggedly handsome edition of HYDROMAG we can report that our new hydroponics TV programme HYDROSHOW.tv has left audiences, critics and industry figures weak at the knees. Thank you everyone for your kind words! We are immensely proud of Season One and hope to keep attacking the airwaves with our attempts to bring hydroponics out of the nation’s basements and into the mainstream!

Independent! We have no undeclared interests, no bungs in our back pockets, no secret affiliations! We are our own people! For this reason only HYDROMAG, the saviour of hydroponics, can give you unbiased opinion on the latest aqua-aero-and-agricultural products on the market (on this note all serious growers MUST see our superb article in this issue on Soil versus Hydro versus Aero)!

Fast moving! Keep up, if you can, with our wonderful magazine on the Information Superhighway, Twitbook and Facer. Recently we scattered our back issues over the tarmac of said highway and they miraculously became www.hydromag.co.uk. We hope you enjoy it (but keep picking up the magazine in print, for Christ’s sake)!

Before I run out of paper to continue this foreword I should like to point out, for those of you too lazy to read the contents section of our humble magazine – that we can promise some fantastic articles covering, amongst our usual features: a preview of Grow Expo 2013; a look at Inga Foundation and their pioneering work on ending destructive slash-and-burn farming; the magical properties of Ozone in the growroom; and much, much more!

Finally, on a sad note, we’d like to dedicate Issue Five to John MacKenzie, father of our temporarily-absent editor (Cosmo MacKenzie), who sadly passed away on the 12th of May. He was an avid reader, and great champion, of HYDROMAG and will be sorely missed by many.

Keep growing and thank you for reading! Ever Yours,

Technical Assistant Editor Bill Sutherland bill@hydromag.co.uk Lifestyle Patrick Swift patrick@hydromag.co.uk Lifestyle Christian Mason christian@hydromag.co.uk Lifestyle Buddy Mason buddy@hydromag.co.uk Managing Director / Sales Pete Turner sales@hydromag.co.uk Art Director Russ Sealey russ@hydromag.co.uk PR Executive Nick Stokoe nick@hydromag.co.uk Art / Illustration Emma Godley emma@hydromag.co.uk Design / Photography Andrew Clegg andy@hydromag.co.uk Accounts Claire Kennedy accounts@hydromag.co.uk

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All editorial is copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or be stored in any retrieval system in any form without the prior permission of the Publisher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy no responsibility will be accepted for inaccuracies however caused. Contributed material does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Publisher. The Publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited materials. It is assumed that any images taken from sources that are widely distributed such as the Internet, are in the public domain. However, since such images are passed between sources such as websites, the original source is not always possible to trace.

The editorial policy and general layout of the publication is at the sole discretion of the Publisher and no debate will be entered into. No responsibility will be accepted for illustrations, artwork or photographs while in transmission with the Publisher or their agents unless such commitment is made in writing prior to receipt of such items.

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ISSUE NO. 005 07.2013

Featured In This Issue... 34 08 42 10 THE FEED The Inga Foundation

HYDROSHOW.tv decided to build the most ludicrously elaborate, no-holds-barred growroom.

Why? Because we can.

A possible alternative to slash and burn farming? How a Cornish farmer is winning hearts and minds in the rainforest.

THE FEED Ento Box Insect Cuisine

THE KNOWLEDGE Megarooms

DISTRACTIONS 100 Films to Watch…

Comedy. The Yin to Death’s Yang. Possibly… Here are five of the best comedy films.

“Side order of flies, sir?” Yes, you read that right. Could eating insects help save the planet?

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THE KNOWLEDGE Beginners Corner - Build a Grow System for £500

Find out what happened when HYDROWSHOW.tv set their presenters this thorny challenge.

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THE KNOWLEDGE Ozone in Your Grow Room

How ozone might just save your marriage and rescue your friendships.

FAVOURITES Platinum Hydroponics and Hortiline

We put Platinum Hydroponics’ Systems and Hortiline’s Northstar Reflector through their paces.

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THE KNOWLEDGE Grow Expos 2013 Preview

Where indoor gardening and glamour collide! We take a peak at who’ll be there.

Feature Soil vs Hydro vs Aero

We couldn’t bear not knowing any longer: which system produces fastest growth?

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DISTRACTIONS A-Z of Music

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GROW GEAR Grow Gear

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COMPETITION TIME WIN, WIN, WIN!

Afros, spandex, mirror balls and funky beats.

Enough time has passed – it’s cool again. In this issue: Disco.

We attempt to tickle your interest with more fantastic kit for the growroom.

Everyone wants something for nothing. Here we oblige this base human instinct.

The Inga Foundation The Sustainable Alternative to Slash and Burn Farming.

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Nov

Dec

Sep

Burning Slashing

Oct

Jul

Aug

May

Jun

Mar

Apr

Jan

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Feb

% of Farmers that Slash or Burn / Month

“Slash and burn” agriculture has been around since Mankind first decided the transitory lifestyle of hunting and gathering was no longer for him, and saw fit to plant down some roots – both figuratively and literally.

But while the technique has had its benefits, the world’s population has grown from somewhere between 1 and 10 million to over 7 billion in the intervening years – and the negative impact of its use, from soil erosion, deforestation, to loss of nutrients and biodiversity; has left governments and environmentalists scratching their heads searching for an alternative. The Inga Foundation, a charitable organisation based in Cornwall, believe they’ve found one.

Slash and burn isn’t a method that hides behind fancy words – it involves exactly what it says on the tin – hacking down vegetation and burning what’s left. It’s a simple technique that requires little expertise or costly materials; which is precisely why it’s proven so popular over the millennia and why it persists as a viable option amongst farmers in developing nations to this day. For many it’s the only option. It’s a form of subsistence farming and is typically associated with the practice of shifting cultivation, i.e. farmers cultivate what they can from a plot of land and then move on to a new location.

The benefits, besides relatively easy implementation, are as follows: A space for cultivation is created; pests are eradicated; and soil which might otherwise be low on nutritional content is enriched. Controlled, slash and burn can be as productive as modern, energy-intensive farming methods, and some argue it to be more sustainable (Joseph

D. Cornell, Idaho State University). It’s certainly the quickest way to prepare a patch of land to ready it for cultivation. Analysts suggest clearing a hectare of land without the use of fire will create 500 tonnes of biomass. This mass in turn would take approximately three years to biodegrade before the land would be ready for use.

However, with the populations of developing countries growing rapidly – the hazards are now outweighing the benefits by some margin. Between 200 and 500 million farmers worldwide are estimated to employ slash and burn method, while half a million farmers in Brazil alone are thought to be each clearing on average a hectare of forest a year. With slash and burn method being practised on such a scale, vegetation isn’t given a chance to grow back.

Without careful planning, permanent deforestation can occur and whole species of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction. Furthermore, when handled correctly nutrient levels in the leftover soil tend to return to pre-disruption levels – with the abandoned fields, or swiddens, often used for accommodating game, fruits and nuts. But with increasing competition for space many of these fields are abandoned for good – and too many of these fields in proximity to one another causes total nutrient depletion and desertification. The upshot of this is that shifting cultivation is now even more cataclysmic for the environment than logging – with the latter at least leaving root systems and seeds intact leaving regeneration still a possibility.

........................................................................................

“Slash and burn farming needs to be eradicated because the technique is unsustainable, without trees the soil quality becomes too poor to support the crops. ” ........................................................................................

And the disadvantages and damaging effects of slash and burn continue. It is estimated that a massive 1.5 to 2 billion tonnes of carbon are produced annually, accounting for 20-25% of all human-induced CO2 emissions. There is also a smaller scale, economic dimension to the problems caused by its continued use – subsistence farmers often struggle to generate enough crops to survive, let alone prosper.

So what can be done? Step forward Mike Hands, founder of the Inga Foundation, who has been researching the subject for Cambridge University since 1986. In particular Hands’ projects, predominantly based in Costa Rica and Honduras, focussed on why the soil in slash and burn sites degrades so quickly, and how alley cropping using trees of the Inga genus might just provide a sustainable alternative.

Alley cropping is an agricultural technique whereby trees are planted in rows through a plot of farmland, with crops grown in the spaces in-between. The theory is these crops can be grown repeatedly on the same land without a loss of nutrients in the soil, as trees are important soilimprovers. The idea of alley cropping was thought to have been a noble failure after projects (not associated with Hands) went belly up in West Africa in the 1980s.

But the clue to where the Inga Foundation differs lies in its name. The key to Mike Hands’ plans for a sustainable future lies in the qualities of the Inga tree genus. There are over 300 species that fall within this category and have fantastic ecological range, able to adapt to many different conditions. They grow rapidly and germinate with a success rate of between 95 and 100%. They thrive even in poor soil conditions and have been shown to improve soils immeasurably. Their branches fan out and create a canopy over crops, protecting them from the full glare of the sun without completely blocking out light. The wood makes an excellent fuel which burns well without the production of too much smoke. In addition these trees attract friendly insects which help protect them from plant-eating herbivores, and they also produce fruit which can be sold in markets.

But the key ingredient is that Inga trees produce mulch that replicates perfectly the normal conditions

of rainforest soil. Farmland can even be cultivated on abandoned slash and burn plots before it would normally be ready. Hands discovered that in normal circumstances soil affected by slash and burn initially provides a temporary burst of nutrient availability through soil exposure, ash deposits and pH change. However the soil fails to replenish itself due to the depletion of phosphorous – vital for growth and largely absent 20cm deep into the topsoil within seven weeks of the burn. Inga trees seem to thrive in these fields, drawing up phosphorous and rock-phosphate and recycling it. Decomposing mulch created by Inga trees returns the phosphorous and other key nutrients to the soil.

Starting from scratch farmers are encouraged to take a plot of fire-damaged land and plant rows of Inga seedlings. The Inga trees are allowed to completely dominate the area for the first 18 months to two years. This gives the trees enough time to work their magic and regenerate the damaged soil – fixing nitrogen and recycling phosphorous. When the trees are further developed they’re pruned, with leaves turned to mulch and the larger pieces of wood used by farmers to fire up their stoves for cooking (providing less motivation for them to hack trees down elsewhere). Amongst its many other benefits, this mulch is extremely effective at combating weeds and invasive grasses. It’s often said that this invasion of weeds and grasses in other systems is a key reason farmers abandon land prematurely. Soon the alleys created by the trees are ready for cultivation, and crops are planted through the mulch. The trees provide protection from the sun and before long crops are harvested. By the following season the farmers and the Inga valleys are ready to go again.

The benefits of using Inga’s alley cropping system are there for all to see.

Projects in Honduras and Costa Rica have proved extremely successful and popular with local farmers, and new projects are at various stages of development in Madagascar, Haiti and the Congo. With the support of Kew Gardens, The Eden Project and the Innocent Foundation amongst others, Mike Hands’ dream of creating a sustainable, viable alternative to slash and burn farming is slowly being realised. His energy and drive has seen him ranked 44th in a Guardian list of people doing the most to save the planet. Subsistence farming, and therefore slash and burn method, was a major evolutionary step in Mankind’s history. Here’s hoping Inga alley cropping marks another big step forward.

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY The rainforest The Inga Foundation are protecting by helping families give up slash and burn supports a rich biodiversity of different species.

GATHERING MOMENTUM “Our projects in Honduras are really gathering momentum. In the last 6 months, the number of families who have joined our projects in Honduras has nearly doubled. We now have a grand total of 64 families involved and that number is growing all the time.“ The Inga Foundation.

ENTO BOX INSECT CUISINE

Waiter There’s a Fly in my Soup...

Or rather, a caterpillar in my salad, a cricket in my pâté or a grasshopper in my mousse…

Regretfully, trying that line with new British company Ento isn’t going to get you your money back. Because here the insect is the cuisine.

Funded thus far by BraunPrize and the Green Design Competition, Ento is the brainchild of four design engineering students from Imperial College and the Royal College of Art (Julene AguirreBielschowsky, Jon Fraser, Jacky Chung and Aran Dasan). The name of their company is a cross between the Japanese concept of bento (a takeaway meal in a box) and entomology - the scientific research of insects, derived from the Greek entomos, meaning “that which is cut in pieces”. Which is apt, as Ento Foods Ltd is in the business of preparing insects for our consumption.

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What started as a graduate project is now evolving into a fully-fledged business, with the ambitious aim of changing the nation’s attitude to the eating of insects – a habit that is not only good for our health, but good for the planet.

It’s a common misconception that logging is largely responsible for deforestation around the world. Between 1990 and 2000 in South America, logging only accounted for between 1 and 5% of deforestation, whereas large-scale agriculture and pasture accounted for more than 80% (HK Gibbs 2008). According to even the most conservative data from the Brazilian government, more than 60% of its deforested land ends up in the hands of cattle ranchers. In actual fact 70% of all agricultural land worldwide is given over to the livestock industry, and is responsible for 20% of greenhouse emissions (through farming machinery and of course voluminous farting). Livestock also largely eat the same cereals that are vital to our own diets – e.g. wheat, maize, rice – pushing up costs at a time when the vagaries of climate change are already forcing prices skywards. Impoverished communities are facing the prospect of being unable even to afford flour and corn.

And with emerging markets in China and India for the likes of beef and pork we’re approaching snapping point.

But there’s a sustainable solution round the corner. And it involves chowing down on our six-legged friends in the insect world.

In May a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation urged consumers to eat more insects to curb world hunger. Caterpillars contain more protein and iron than minced beef, as well as being low in fat and cholesterol. Crickets require 12 times less feed to produce the same amount of protein as cattle, not to mention a significantly smaller land mass to house them in (5m2 per 100 kilos of meat to 50m2 per 100 kilos of beef). And as the FAO say in their 2013 report: “rearing insects requires minimal technical knowledge and capital investment”. And as “it does not require access to or ownership of land, [it] lies within the reach of even the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.”

Insects could also be fed to livestock, resulting in deflation in the price of grains for human consumption (van Huis, 2013).

The only major stumbling block to this insect-eating utopia comes from the West.

Already 2 billion people around the planet supplement their diet with insect meat. It is only Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world that finds the concept of insect-eating “repulsive” – a kneejerk cultural reaction based on the West’s historical easy access to herds of large furry herbivorous mammals. In other parts of the world, where such animals were / are harder to come by – the eating of insects (or entomophagy) has been part of daily life for centuries.

And this is where Ento come in - helping us to break through the psychological barrier of putting an insect in one’s mouth. It’ll be a slow process, as Ento acknowledge; the ento box eases us in gently with some easy-on-the-eye Asian-fusion-style cubes, served with packets of soy sauce and salsa. Culturally we’ve not associated insects with edibility, so transforming the meat into something that looks, smells, and tastes delicious is an important first step in integrating entomophagy into our consciousness. Ento have taken heart from the example of sushi – once considered a revolting concept in the West. For now you can only sample Ento’s wares in festivals and markets, but they plan to open a restaurant this year and by 2020 they hope it’ll be the norm for mum to pick up a box of caterpillars in Sainsbury’s as casually as she would a box of fish fingers.

BUILD A GROW SYSTEM FOR £500 In episode one of HYDROSHOW TV, we set our presenters Gemma and Pooja a challenge to build a grow system from scratch using no more than £500. We plumbed the depths of our imaginations and ended up calling this segment of our show PRESENTER CHALLENGE.

GEMMA & AQUACULTURE First up, Gemma. She went to Sheffield for her purchases. Aquaculture have been in the business for 17 years and have stores in Barnsley, Ripley and obviously Sheffield (otherwise her trip there would have been a complete waste of everyone’s time). Read on to see what she picked up for her £500:

(Before you judge us on our creative thinking; we briefly considered “Anchorwoman Trial” but it just didn’t have a ring to it. “Announcer Gauntlet” was a bit of a mouthful… “Compere Exam” just sounded awful… So we threw away the Thesaurus in frustration and “Presenter Challenge” it was).

For the sake of argument we’ll assume, dear readers, that you’re absolute beginners in the business of home growing and hydroponics (don’t be offended – this is part of our “Beginners’ Corner” series).

The purpose of putting our presenters through this particular exertion was to show how easily – and at relatively low cost – one can set up a grow system. For those of you who’ve been flirting with the idea of hydroponics but have yet to take the plunge; we hope this will give you the inspiration to get up off your sofa, put down this magazine and crack on with building your first grow system (although we strongly recommend finishing this article first). To this end we gave Pooja and Gemma strict instructions to buy all the basic components of a hydro system – including a 1.2 x 1.2 metre tent (ideal for small spaces and the basis for our challenge), lighting kit, ballast, reflectors, ventilation, nutrient solution, and a pot system. Failure was not an option.

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POOJA & HOLLAND HYDROPONICS Pooja visited Holland Hydroponics Superstore in Manchester. Holland Hydroponics have been in the hydro business since 1995 and have outlets in Burnley, Huddersfield and obviously Manchester (or Pooja would have wasted a train ticket).

With co-owner of Aquaculture Simon Spinks offering advice, Gemma chose the following:

Pooja was advised by Holland Hydroponics’ Paul Duffy. Here’s what they plumped for:

A Bud-Box Grow Tent. As stipulated earlier 1.2m by 1.2m, and 2 meters in height. It’s designed to be sturdy, with a highly reflective interior; ventilation points in the top for an extractor fan; and lightproof passive air vents for further ventilation. It has a waterproof base to prevent spillage trashing your carpet and its aluminium bars are all colour-coded for simple installation.

A Silverback Grow Tent. Mylar lined, highly reflective and light-tight. This tent also has a waterproof base, three air ducts and is simple to install.

A CoolTube Air Cooled Reflector with a Sunmaster HPS Lamp and a Compact Magnetic Ballast from Maxibright, 600w.

It’s a tad pricier than your standard lighting system, but Simon insists it’s worth the extra pennies. When used with some ducting and the ventilation unit, the heat generated by the bulb is taken straight out of your grow area. The Maxibright ballast is cased in resin rather than metal, allowing for a more efficient dispersal of heat, it’s able to be wallmounted, is inexpensive, and pretty silent.

Lumen8 Dual Spectrum Lamps with Euro Reflector and 600w Kaizen Magnetic Ballast. Holland Hydroponics are particularly impressed by the Lumen8 grow lamps (designed by leading horticulturalists) – offering reduced colour shift, excellent compatibility with all ballast types, and utilising photosynthetically active radiation (or PAR).

Nutriculture’s Wilma Big Four Pot System.

An automated pot-based system with easy-to-use drippers, nutrient tank, timer and pump.

A Systemair RVK 100E2-A1 Extractor Fan. It can be used for exhaust or intake and can be speed-controlled in conjunction with environmental controllers. With a German motor it’s understandably renowned for its reliability.

Finally Simon recommended VitaLink Max Grow and Bloom for Gemma’s nutrient options. VitaLink are a well established hydroponic nutrient supplier, and Simon only provided Grow and Bloom Nutrients, stating he would normally aim this sort of system at complete beginners.

- 1x 1 ltr VitaLink Max Grow A & B - 1x 1 ltr VitaLink Max Bloom A & B

4 x OxyPot Pot Systems. A single-plant bubbler system that’s easy to set up, good value for money, and produces decent results. The bubbler essentially aerates the plant’s roots 24/7. Also comes with LECA (clay pebbles) as your substrate.

TT FAN - 4” and 6”. 4” intake and 6” extract, a popular product that’s great for medium duct runs, with thermal protection to prevent motor burnout.

Cyco Pro Kit Nutrient Kit. Extremely userfriendly with a colour-coded growth and bloom chart – this kit contains everything you’ll need for your plants and then some.

- 1x 1 ltr Cyco Grow A+B - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Bloom A+B - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Swell - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Potash Plus - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Silica - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Zyme - 1x 1 ltr Cyco B1 Boost - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Dr. Repair - 1x 1 ltr Cyco Uptake - 1x 100 ml Cyco XL - 1x Information Booklet

So far so good – the shopping was out of the way. Then it was time for the girls to put their motor skills, cognitive aptitude, and sheer bloody-mindedness to the test and put the things together. Nick and Simon got the ball rolling by erecting the grow tents, leaving hydroponics novices Pooja and Gemma to do the rest.

GEMMA & AQUACULTURE

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Fortunately neither Pooja nor Gemma embarrassed themselves – both systems having been assembled well, bar some pots being under-filled and the odd fan being on the wrong way.

POOJA & HOLLAND HYDROPONICS

THE RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS: VENTILATION

LIGHTING

What Simon of Aquaculture had to say: Simon wasn’t keen on Holland’s choice of a fresh air in, warm air out system, saying “I tend to find that if you have very high ventilation rates … you tend to have very low humidity”. He preferred having a cool tube reflector to remove the heat from the source, allowing for higher humidity and in his view “better establishment”.

What Simon of Aquaculture had to say: Simon conceded that Holland’s non air-cooled Euro Reflector gave better reflectivity, but was adamant that his choice of Coolshade Aero tubes gave Gemma’s kit the edge as “removing a lot of the convected heat that’s produced from the bulb … means the distance between the reflector and the plants is much smaller. So any loss in reflectivity is offset by that reduced distance between the lights and the plants”.

What Paul from Holland had to say: Paul felt the Inline Cooltube was unnecessary outside of the summer, and believed the Euro reflector with 600w ballast was sufficient. He also believed his choice of a larger sized fan gave Holland the edge, disagreeing with Simon regarding the humidity issue, saying it was important “[to] circulate the air, which will provide more for the plants”.

What Paul from Holland had to say: Paul defended the cheaper Kaizen ballast against Aquaculture’s much-admired Maxibright model. “Our customers have been more than happy with both of them. Using the Kaizen ballast obviously allowed me more money to grow a better plant with the nutrients in the end”.

What HYDROMAG had to say: We agreed with Paul in this case.

The superior ventilation of Holland’s system just outweighed Aquaculture’s humidity advantage.

What HYDROMAG had to say: Holland’s kit undoubtedly wins on reflectivity, but Aquaculture’s air-cooled reflector and pick of the excellent Maxibright ballast tipped the scales in their favour.

WINNER: HOLLAND

WINNER: AQUACULTURE

POTS SYSTEM

NUTRIENTS

What Simon of Aquaculture had to say: Simon wasn’t keen on Holland’s setup of four separate OxyPots, saying “I think that’s a lot of reservoirs to maintain, I much prefer to have one integrated reservoir that’s feeding all of the pots, so I’ve only got one system [for] managing the nutrients with”. He also warned that OxyPot’s deep-water culture system made it vulnerable to root disease.

What Simon of Aquaculture had to say: Holland’s choice of the CYCO Prokit was met with resignation by Simon: “Hands up, you know, a boy who likes his toys … you’ve got loads of nutrients to play with there”. He defended his lower-range nutrients kit by suggesting it might be more beneficial for the beginner, and its lower price enabled Gemma to spend more elsewhere.

What Paul from Holland had to say: Paul still felt that the Oxypot’s bubblers, with their implied superior aeration, are the better option for root growth. He also took umbrage at the root-disease accusation, countering that the Oxypot, unlike the Wilma, doesn’t transfer a problem with a plant around the system. While the Wilma “transfers everything around all from the central reservoir.”

What HYDROMAG had to say: The separate pot system of Holland’s gives it extra versatility but also results in more work to keep your plants fed. The Wilma is easier to maintain, but as Paul pointed out, there’s a slight risk of cross-infection from the shared reservoir. Both systems serve a purpose, but ultimately we plumped for the Wilma for its added efficiency.

WINNER: AQUACULTURE

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What Paul from Holland had to say: Paul conceded that it was a deliberate choice to ditch the expense of a Cooltube and a budget fan in order to spend more on the nutrients, claiming the CYCO Prokit’s “nutrient range … is enough for the whole grow all the way through, including additives, and repair products as well. We think that the actual results from our range will be better”.

What HYDROMAG had to say: Aquaculture’s product was by no means poor, but the CYCO Prokit is close to as good as you can get.

WINNER: HOLLAND

THE VERDICT With the teams winning two categories each, the competition was on a knife edge. Although both systems provided great value for money, in life there are winners and losers, and unfortunately we had to choose a victor. And the winner was …

Aquaculture. It was a close call, but we felt Aquaculture provided slightly better equipment overall than that of Holland’s setup.

The true test would be to see which would get the healthiest, biggest yields – and without the benefit of clairvoyance this proved a tough call. Aquaculture’s system focuses on high efficiency lighting and good humidity – but with less reflectivity and the nutrition provided wasn’t as comprehensive as that of their rival’s. Holland, however, gave us a massive range of nutrition with everything you need from grow, bloom, repair … to booster and more besides. Their tent would also have fresher air, meaning that the plants would be provided with plenty of CO2 . With all this in mind, although Hydroshow awarded the winning system to Aquculture, we’d ask you to make your own decision based on whether you would prefer a nutrient packed system, or a techno packed system.

“Fortunately neither Pooja nor Gemma embarrassed themselves – both systems having been assembled well, bar some pots being under-filled and the odd fan being on the wrong way. ”

Watch Episode 1 of

to see this feature Coming to your screens in September on Showcase 2, Sky Channel 192 & Freesat 402

If you would like your store to Feature in HYDROMAG/ HYDROSHOW TV please go to our contact page at www.hydromag.co.uk/contact

CRAPPY THINGS THAT COST – ROUGHLY – £500

Less than half a kilogram of top Japanese matsutake mushrooms.

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A fine for abandoning your cat in Malta.

A fake Turkish iPhone 4. Almost as expensive as the real thing, minus the warranty and reliability.

(MONEY BETTER SPENT ON A GROW SYSTEM)

A third of The World’s Most Expensive Hotdog at New York City rooftop lounge 230 FIFTH ($2,300 for a whole one).

A return taxi fare from Tokyo’s Narita airport to the city centre.

Most growers have been there – you’ve had dinner with your friends, a bottle or two of wine has gone down rather nicely. You decide to show your guests your prized growroom – you’ve been cultivating basil, onions and garlic with organic fertiliser. The door opens, you switch on a light, and then it hits you – a fetid cloud of putrescence...

A malodorous fug. You’re not too bad – you’re used to it. But your guests’ nostrils flare.

Their cheeks puff involuntarily, their chests heave. They make their excuses (“Yeah … uh … nice growroom. We’ve actually gotta go.” “But why? We’re just about to bring out the cheese board…” “We … we got a thing we forgot...”). They don’t return your calls.

There’s no Christmas card that year.

You’re guilty by association. Anyone capable of producing a smell like that, even if it is vicariously through their growroom, must have something wrong with them. And let’s face it – you’re not hugely enamoured of that stench either. Your long suffering partner is sick of whole sections of your home being no-go areas… What can be done?

Well the answer can be found with ozone. In this edition of HYDROMAG we’ll take a look at its extraordinary properties and some great ozone products on the market.

For those of you unfamiliar with its use in hydroponics, ozone is the substance that’s been hitting the news headlines over the years for its depletion in the Earth’s stratosphere. It performs the vital function of shielding our planet from harmful UV rays and unfortunately has been taking something of a beating from free radicals such as nitrous oxide (N2O), atomic chlorine (CL), and nitric oxide (NO) amongst others.

These chemicals are commonly found in chlorofluorocarbons, a key ingredient in aerosol spray but thankfully on the decline following the 1987 Montreal Protocol – a worldwide agreement to phase out its industrial production.

To put it simply, ozone is oxygen with an additional oxygen atom (O3). This occurs

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when ultraviolet light (as from the sun) or electromagnetic radiation (such as during a thunderstorm) splits O2 into separate oxygen molecules (or atomic oxygen) and then attaches itself to regular O2 (or diatomic oxygen). This state of oxygen molecules splitting and attaching and splitting again is what makes up the ozone layer.

A bit closer to home, ozone can actually be found in the form of a pollutant at street level, and as a key ingredient in a number of different industrial products. Its coruscating, oxidising effect on whatever it comes into contact with makes it a versatile cleansing agent in a variety of different uses – including in laundrettes, tanning salons, hospitals, and swimming pools.

It’s even used, controversially, in the fight against cancer and AIDS; although its efficacy is a hotly debated topic. What doctors do know is that, counter-intuitively, ozone is an irritant for lower lung membranes and eyes.

Ironically, the word ozone comes from the Greek word ozein – meaning “to smell”. Yet in the growroom it does precisely the opposite – in fact it neutralises smells. (Despite this ozone does actually have an aroma – it’s that clean, fresh air smell you can detect during a thunderstorm.) All odours are essentially created by molecules floating off the source object and physically invading our nostrils (try not to remember this next time you visit a particularly unpleasant public lavatory). How does ozone defuse them? Ozone is like a molecular Begbie from Irving Welsh’s Trainspotting – unstable, volatile and quick to chemically react with any particle that looks at it the wrong way. Molecules, spores or bacteria that cause unpleasant smells are like scrawny students in the wrong pub, reading Voltaire with a half pint of shandy, unaware they’re about to be ruthlessly set upon. The extra oxygen atom in ozone attaches itself to odour molecules, breaking down organic double bonds, thereby neutralising the bad smell. Where spores and bacteria are concerned, ozone is even more deadly - pummelling the cells’ outer walls until they fall apart and die.

It’s this property – the ability to eliminate odour, spores and bacteria – that makes ozone an obvious benefit to the growroom. It has two main uses – atmospheric cleansing and water cleansing. The larger industrial products are also useful for wiping out insects and their eggs, as well as breaking down existing pesticides on your plants. Without further ado HYDROMAG now takes a look at some of the top ozone-producing products on the market.

PLUG IN OZONE - OZONE DIRECT The size of an AC adaptor, this device plugs into a standard electrical socket and sterilises the air in a space between 4m3 to 90m3. Using the corona discharge method to turn O2 to O3 – air passes two charged ceramic plates on a timer – ozone is released into your growroom at a rate of 7mg an hour (low enough to avoid any deleterious effects on health).

We tested it in our office by using a particularly stinky organic liquid fertiliser. Our reservoir used a bubbler, and after setting up the system the office quickly filled up with the smell of the fertiliser.

Within 45 minutes of plugging in the Ozone Generator, the smell was gone and we could safely eat sandwiches at our desks without retching.

UVONAIR UNITS Uvonair have two main units - the CD range creates ozone using corona discharge whereas the UV uses an ultraviolet lamp. The UV units are plugged in to the wall and used as an ambient / atmospheric air cleaner, while their CD cousins are all inline units connected to extract fans and ducting. With the corona discharge version, it is recommended you have 5 to 10 metres of ducting after the unit, to allow the ozone to mix with the air and clean it.

The CD units can produce ten times the quantity of ozone so aren’t to be recommended for the smaller grower. The UV units can be used with a timer and it is good practice to ensure they’re switched off at least 20 minutes before you enter the room. Your eyes and lungs won’t thank you if you walk straight into a cloud of freshly-produced ozone.

O’D-AIR O’D-AIR’s standalone unit produces 400mg of ozone per hour and claims to be the only generator to mix ozone with room air. This supposedly means the process of cleansing air is instantaneous. It has a useful inbuilt timer mechanism and can wipe out ‘root-rot’ in systems such as NFT, Wilma, DWC and IWS. Where O’D-AIR’s unit does differ from most other systems is that can also be used to inject ozone into your feed tank; extremely useful for eliminating pathogens, moulds such as Pythium, and algae. Ozonization of water does have a number of benefits if done correctly. Low levels of oxygen in water limit plant growth, and high levels of bacteria (microbial loading) compete with the plants for nutrients. Ozone can be used to combat both.

However, if your dose is too strong you may damage your nutrient solution – so watch out.

VERDICT Atmospheric ozone is extremely effective at cleaning the air and will help enormously in the reduction of mould and mildew. However it will not completely eliminate spores and bacteria unless it’s used on an industrial scale. For the smaller grower mould and mildew is best fought at the source of the problem, using ozone production as a supplementary measure. Equally the water ozone cleaner, while a useful addition to your growroom setup, doesn’t discriminate between friendly and unfriendly bacteria – killing them both. In fact ozone should not be used in conjunction with any organic stimulants, as it will oxidise them too.

So in conclusion HYDROMAG recommends ozone products for odour elimination, but the full benefits of their use are perhaps best left for the experts and industrial-scale users to extract. Ozone should not be used alone. But at the very least, next time you invite friends for an afterdinner visit to your growroom, you can swing the doors open with abandon, free from embarrassment, and inhale the sweet aromas of your flowering plants – not the stench of fertilizer. You might even remain on your friends’ Christmas card list.

PLATINUM HYDROPONICS SYSTEMS

In this issue HYDROMAG takes a look at French / Canadian partnership Platinum Hydroponics, who are claiming to have produced the most versatile hydroponics pot system on the market. Using 90% recycled plastics; Platinum Hydroponics’ system has something for everyone, from the rank novice to the seasoned expert. Rising from their simple single-plant drip-fed HydroGrower system, through a crescendo of complexity until one reaches the Aeroponic Aerotop system for the serious pros; Platinum Hydroponics have all the bases covered!

There are eight separate systems in total, with a sliding scale of expertise required for each one. Choose your preferred system or get the job lot and experiment! But their key selling point is the interchangeability of their component parts – which they say is second to none. Here we put their claims to the test

INNOVATIONS

Flexible, modular design.

Platinum Hydroponics have developed their systems to be entirely interchangeable, with an impressive array of “plug and play” options. Within their range are three aeroponic systems (with 360o spray); the Aerostar, the Aeropro and the Aerotop - and five hydroponic sytems, the HydroGrower (for a single plant setup), the Hydrostar, Hydropro, Ebb & Flow, and finally the Hydrostone.

With Platinum’s products you can jump from one system to another – and back again – with ease.

Importantly, each system is available to work with a number of different tray sizes; 40 x 40cm, 60 x 60cm, 80 x 80cm, 100 x 100cm and 120 x 120cm – something to cover whatever space constraints you have in your growing area. Finally, pots are also available in 6 litre, 11 litre, 18 litre and 25 litre dimensions (plants of all types and sizes can be grown) – making Platinum Hydroponics’ system easily one of the most versatile.

Platinum Hydroponics have introduced a simple but nevertheless extremely useful feature into their systems – a viewing panel.

If in doubt, remove the side panel and see directly what’s going on beneath your plants – check water levels and your nutrient solution, adjust the pump accordingly and hey presto! Or simply marvel at your plants’ roots to pass the time (whatever floats your boat).

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OTHER COOL THINGS

Over fifty products are available in Platinum’s line. As well as the interchangeable systems, Platinum Hydroponics have a range of EC and pH monitors, testing kits, clone machines, nutrient solutions and substrates.

All the pots are constructed from recycled plastics. The benefit of plastic is a reduction in cross-contamination between plants.

CONS CONS

OAs always HYDROMAG have to find a few drawbacks for the sake of balance.

Here are our (minor) gripes: As a French company, Platinum Hydroponics’ systems currently only supply a continental-style power plug with its pump. Luckily a UK-plug converter is included. Expect this to be remedied fairly soon as demand increases in Britain.

Despite detailed instructions, the drippers aren’t particularly easy to set up in comparison with other systems on the market.

See the interview with Matt Bromley from Platinum Systems on Hydroshow TV Episode 2, available on Sky and Freesat in September / October 2013.

For more infomation visit: platiniumhydroponics.com

HORTILINE NORTHSTAR REFLECTOR

Reflectors perform a vital function in the grow room. They’re the unsung heroes of a successful hydroponics system, maximizing the amount of light shining on your plants, and getting maximum efficiency from your light bulbs. A good reflector will also save you money as it reduces the necessity for lots of lights. Without a good reflector light can get lost, your grow room can heat to unacceptable levels, and you might dry out or even burn your plants!

Innovations Natural heat extraction. The Northstar has a hole in its roof, essentially creating a “chimney effect”. The rising heat is funnelled away from your plants, reducing temperatures at plant level by 13.8 degrees - a simple idea but surprisingly not that commonplace in the market. If you put your hand above the hole you can feel the heat escaping. The major benefit of this is that the grower can place the reflector much closer to his / her plants – meaning more light and better yields. The Northstar is so effective at dissipating heat you can touch it without any danger of burning your fingers!

Square base The Northstar’s squared base is ideal for grow tents (specifically designed for them in fact) and most pot systems. Hortiline claim the square shape is ideal for splitting light reflection equally – meaning no hotspots and a nice, even distribution of light over your plants.

With all this in mind, we’ll now look at Swiss company Hortiline’s Northstar Reflector – so named because, apparently, it’s the “star” product of their company. Having been designed by Swiss engineers and using ultra-reflective German aluminium, it’s a good-looking, well-constructed piece of kit.

HYDROMAG put it through its paces.

Closed edges. The edges of traditional reflectors are open.

While this is fine in larger grow rooms, in smaller tents a degree of light will get lost. With Northstar the edges are closed, meaning a greater intensity of light – and no light lost. Parabolic reflectors also do this – but they don’t have the cooling feature of the Northstar, and some of them are too big for grow tents. Watch episode four of HYDROSHOW where our presenters test the Northstar against some alternative reflectors on the market.

With the open end reflectors one can clearly see the reflection loss, whereas with Northstar’s closed-ends it’s immediately evident there’s no perceptible loss of reflection at all.

CONS

And finally, for the sake of balance – the drawbacks. In the case of the Hortiline Northstar we struggled to come up with any. The price is marginally higher than the average reflector but we’re clutching at straws here. The Hortiline Northstar gets a big thumbs up from us!

OTHER KEY POINTS: Inner profile developed to produce a homogeneous reflection in a square surface A 35% increase of the reflection at the corners 60 x 60 x 16cm in dimension Suitable for 400w and 600w bulbs Illumination area of 1.5m x 1.5m (2.25m2)

For more infomation visit: www.hortiline.com

There’s only one place to be this September 21st and 22nd. The greatest minds of the indoor gardening industry, from each far flung corner of the globe, are descending upon Manchester Central. And they’re going to paint the town green. Now in its fourth year, Grow, the UK’s biggest and sexiest indoor gardening expo, seeks to unite the hydroponics trade under one roof – both figuratively and literally. It’s a unique opportunity for the public, wholesalers, retailers, and manufacturers to press the flesh and exchange ideas.

Here we take a look at who’s going to be there…

ADVANCED NUTRIENTS Advanced Nutrients UK brings you one of the World’s favourite hydroponic nutrient ranges. Our extensive range of products cater for all the plant’s requirements and every stage of the growing cycle.

The top scientists at Advanced Nutrients work night and day to make products that will make your grow room produce more! Using the best sourced materials and manufacturing processes, you get stronger products that work better, cost less, last longer and produce fantastic results.

www.advancednutrientsuk.co.uk

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AGRAWOOL Agrawool is a company that have dealt with various substrates for 3 years. Two years ago they started to develop a substrate of Earthwool® and foam. By introducing biological life into the production process, Agrawool’s substrates are much more accessible for the plants’ roots.

Clever packaging is an important selling point for Agrawool, with three easily stacked bags per box, with 240 litres of substrate somehow fitting into a surprisingly small packet.

www.agra-wool.nl

AGRICULTURAL ORGANICS Agricultural Organics is revolutionising the way you garden with ‘bloom’ advanced floricuture. They are an Australian owned and operated liquid fertilizer manufacturer fusing science with nature to give you the most advanced floriculture feed system available. Their range of organic and organic based fertilizers and additives have been developed to help you take control of your gardening success. The ingredients they use to formulate the bloom products are mostly derived from plants, fungi or the earth. There are many exciting products in the range, each with a specific function and timing for application that is highlighted in feed schedules. www.agriculturalorganics.com

AGROWTENT Agrowtent is the latest vertical grow system to hit the market. The problem in other vertical systems is odour control as most systems have open ventilation so the outside room also needs converting into a grow room as few tents on the market are capable of easily and efficiently containing a vertical system. The Agrowtent has been built with this issue in mind. Based loosely on the concept of the ever popular “ecosystem” vertical hydroponic system, the Agrowtent has the added advantage of being built into either a single or twin grow tent, making it odour controllable and avoiding having to convert an existing room.

AIR SUPPLIES HOLLAND AirSupplies Holland BV is an innovative, pioneering company which develops high-grade horticultural products in-house.

Their goal is to develop products that achieve the best performance in every field. They achieve this goal by making use of advanced technical methods.

AirSupplies Holland BV products enable you to maintain the optimum climate you need for maximum yields.

www.airsupplies.nl

CAN FILTERS The CF Group was incorporated in 2000 as a North American Manufacturing and Distribution company. Part of their strength extends from their alliances with world class manufacturers who bring research and development capabilities to the mix. The CF Group has manufacturing and distribution in: Nelson BC, Sacramento California and Charlotte North Carolina. Their alliances bring additional manufacturing facilities in Holland, Germany and Romania. Their long term approach to business requires their commitment to quality control, innovation, and smooth distribution. Recognition of market demands and a willingness to work with you, the customer.

www.canfilters.com

AUTOPOT WATERING SYSTEMS AutoPot are specialists in selfwatering systems, with emphasis being strongly placed on efficiency and preservation.

AutoPot delivers products that are considered the most environmentally friendly watering systems in the world to both domestic, hydroponic and commercial markets. Their systems ensure this claim as the plant uses everything that is supplied to it; there is no loss of water, run-off or leakage!

www.autopot.co.uk

CENTURY GROW SYSTEMS Century Growsystems’ design and manufacture a comprehensive range of Hydroponic and Lighting products. Their ongoing product development program ensures their product range is constantly being updated and improved, a key feature of Century Growsystems success and strategic growth over the last 10 years.

Century Growsystems work in partnership with the world’s largest and leading component manufacturers such as Venture and Vossloh to ensure they exceed the quality and safety expectations of their customers.

www.centurygrowsystems.co.uk

BIOBIZZ Since 1992, when the company was founded, Biobizz® has made a positive contribution with its commitment to ecological awareness. They produce soil, natural nutrients, fertilizers, stimulants, and additive mixtures for plants.

These products have been developed for every sensible horticulturalist, gardener or demanding user who makes a conscious decision to reject every product containing chemical ingredients - which seen in a long term perspective will ultimately destroy your harvests, land, and the planet.

Biobizz is fully dedicated to researching, developing, manufacturing, and marketing organic gardening products that have a positive impact on our society and the world we live in. www.biobizz.com

BIO NOVA Since the early nineties Bio Nova presents itself as a producer of supreme quality fertilizer for all kind of growing and flowering plants.

Bio Nova believes we all benefit from and are all responsible for a clean environment. You can see this reflected in our products, production and every business decision we make. They make clean, eco-friendly, ballast-free premium fertilizers.

www.bionova.nl

CO2 BOOST CO2Boost, the industry leader in allnatural and renewable CO2 presents The CO2Boost bucket and pump and their “new and improved” Boost Buddy CO2 Bag.

CULTURE INDOOR Culture Indoor has a range of the best indoor cultivation products and accessories – pots and hydroponic systems, fertilizers, ventilation and lighting equipment, etc.

CO2Boost is the only one-ofa-kind, all-natural and organic CO2 generator that pumps CO2 DIRECTLY to your garden for up to 90 days. CO2Boost has been proven to safely increase your yields and maximize your plant’s growth.

Whether you are a novice or an experienced gardener, Culture Indoor has all you need to get the most from your passion.

www.co2boost.com

www.cultureindoor.co.uk

DOWN TO EARTH KENT Down to Earth Kent are a family run Horticultural Wholesale company dedicated to providing excellent, honest service. They stock tried and tested products that they believe in. They are focused on innovation and bringing the best quality, market leading technology to the Hydroponics Industry - ensuring their customers get only the best.

They are the sole distributor of the Award Winning Minimax 150w Ballast, a product which they spent years developing. Their Mission is to provide the growing industry with the best possible products, they do this by only selling products they 100% believe in.

www.downtoearthkent.co.uk

DUTCH GARDEN SUPPLIES Dutch Garden Supplies is a wholesale distributor of general hydroponic and horticulture equipment. Based in Oldbury in the North West of Birmingham Area, they have been hard at work developing and bringing to market the most reliable, highest quality, and cost effective equipment.

Dutch Garden Supplies provides customers with excellent customer service, fast delivery options, and nohassle return policies. They have the capabilities of providing single small package shipments to full trailer loads. Birmingham and surrounding area hydroponic shops are provided with same or next day delivery service by their own delivery driver.

www.dgsupplies.co.uk

DUTCH PRO Dutchpro is one of the pioneers of growing and still the sole company & supplier from nutrients founded and based in Amsterdam. About 30 years ago growers who didn’t want to settle for the grow & bloom stimulators at that time, started to develop specific nutrients.

Finally they designed a complete line of nutrients that met all demands and could fulfill all wishes of the modern grower. Nowadays their award winning products are successfully sold in Europe and USA. The demand for this user friendly product line increased enormously and is one of the strongest upcoming brands in Europe.

www.dutchpro.nl

EASYGROW Easy Grow have been supplying horticultural wholesale with food & plant safe foils and reflective sheeting since 1998, to over 30 countries worldwide. Priding themselves on being providers of high quality grow products to its distributors, proven by the British Retail accreditations they adhere to and by winning the award for the best UK exporter. The company has continued to grow and now provides a wide range of excellent grow products including the number one odour neutraliser ONA, the biggest selling product line in north America from NPK industries – Mighty Wash, PM Wash, Power Wash, Multiply and Stack, Exhale CO2 bags – a revolution in indoor CO2 production, the award winning Green Planet nutrients, Metrop Concentrated fertilisers and brand new Microbe Life premium hydroponics. easy-grow.co.uk

FLIRMASK Flirmask is a groundbreaking material designed to offer unmatched thermal radiation reflection and FLIR infrared thermal shielding, for use in the military and horticultural fields.

FLIRmask is unique because it is the only thermal radar and signature management material available that is able to perform multiple functions.

FLIRmask is thinner than comparable foils and films already on the market at just 0.22mm gauge, it is chemical, algae, mould and flame resistant.

It’s flexible and easy to cut making it easy to install, yet rigid and durable when in place. In short, FLIRmask is a high-performing and competitively priced, all-in-one solution for thermal and infrared shielding needs. www.flirmask.com

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GROWING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES Growing Edge Technologies owners have been leading the industry since 1985 in the indoor gardening sector.

The two people responsible for their plant foods, have over 60 years of practical experience in formulating and creating their nutrient programs.

They searched the globe to find the highest quality base ingredients for all their products. As all gardeners and growers know, a plant’s requirements for specific nutrients and micronutrients changes as the plant moves through cycles of growth. Growing Edge Technologies paid particular attention to these changing demands and designed all their products to satisfy each stage of the growth from seedlings through to final harvest. www.growingedgetechnologies.ca

GROTECH Established in 1995 Grotech has become one of the leading hydroponic suppliers in the south east. They have seen this industry grow in the last 15 years and have an excellent knowledge of the products and how they work.

They have a large range of items chosen on their reliability and value for money and new products are tested in the store before they reach the shelves. When possible they have everything in stock and well displayed in a spacious show room on private property. Friendly staff can give good advice and help you to choose the right product.

www.grotechonline.co.uk

“There’s only one place to be this September 21st and 22nd.

The greatest minds of the indoor gardening industry, from each far flung corner of the globe, are descending upon Manchester Central...”

GROWTH TECHNOLOGY For more than 25 years Growth Technology has been developing and manufacturing horticultural products with liquid nutrient production at its core business.

From its modest beginnings in Western Australia, the company has prided itself on absolute credibility in its production values. The products are based on the practical expertise of the Growth Technology team and driven by continuous experimentation. During the nineteen years Growth Technology has been established in the UK, it has developed an extensive customer base nationwide and is rapidly increasing its foothold in Europe. www.growthtechnology.com

HYDROLAB At Hydrolab they’re a little obsessive when it comes to the finer details, they’ve spent months tweaking their designs, with countless prototypes made and remade until everything was just right, even going as far as completely redeveloping the way their tents are stitched together for greater levels of light proofing.

They pride themselves in making sure that their tents are finished to a high standard and aim to exceed your expectations every time. As part of their mission to produce high spec, high quality grow tents at affordable prices they quality check every tent that leaves their factory to guarantee consistency of these high standards.

www.hydrolab-grow-tents.co.uk

GROW IN BERLIN As a leading global wholesaler, located in Berlin, Germany - they reliably supply their grow customers and specialist vendors with one of the widest assortments in the grow sector.

Their sales team speaks different languages and offers direct and immediate support to questions concerning your orders. They pack all orders carefully and ship worldwide.

Grow In - your one stop shop for all your growing needs.

www.grow-in-berlin.net

HYDROMAG & HYDROSHOW TV No introduction required, but we may as well take this opportunity to blow our own trumpet. Hydromag is the UK’s premier Hydroponic publication, featuring the world’s serious hydroponic companies. No fluff, no nonsense and no backhanders - our magazine is our pride and joy, and we always endevour to make it the best read in the industry. And what other magazine has gone to the lengths to make a broadcast TV show? We rest our case…

www.hydromag.co.uk www.hydroshow.tv

HORTILINE SOLUCION HORTILINE is a Swiss based brand that produces highly performing products for the Hydroponics’ Industry. Most of the products are classified Swiss Design and respond to highly established quality controls.

The main products available in the market are the worldwide famous NORTHSTAR reflector made out of 1st quality European aluminium, the innovative CLIP FAN 5W - HORTIFAN which engine is based on a direct drive magnetic system, the HORTILAB considered by consumers as a premium grow tent, the HORTIFILTER made out of active carbon and many other interesting products that can be very easily discovered at www.hortiline.com www.hortiline.com

IKON INTERNATIONAL IKON INTERNATIONAL is one of the UK’s leading and long established hydroponics wholesalers.

Ikon International supplies products directly to the trade from a variety of industry-leading manufacturers including: PLATINIUM modular systems, DIAMOND FILTERS, GROWING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES (GET), UVONAIR, ROOT POUCH, HESI Nutrients HACIENDA ballasts, COCO POTZ, VENTS fans and the original OXYPOT

www.ikon-international.com

HYDROGARDEN HydroGarden have become a leader in the market and regularly supply products and services to retailers within the UK and abroad, as well as to an ever-increasing number of commercial growers and research organisations.

As they don’t supply direct to the public they are able to focus on providing the reseller with a service and product range unequalled in the market.

HydroGarden also manufactures their own range of products, giving you the greatest opportunity to source the best hydroponic and horticultural products in the world. Their range of added value services and marketing initiatives give their clients the edge in an expanding and increasingly competitive market.

www.hydrogarden.com

LIGHTRAIL The science is fairly straight forward: Plants need the energy of light to grow. Lightrail takes it deeper – all the way to the bottom of your plant. The lamp-moving technology allows for more illumination in your garden including underneath the foliage, so more of the plant is in photosynthesis. By moving your light source along their unique-to-themarketplace rail system, your light will reach new lows – and your plants will reach record high yields.

LightRail Light Movers offer a variety of track lengths, time delay and speed adjustments, so you can choose a combination that works best for you.

www.lightrail3.com

MAXIGROW Maxigrow Ltd is a wholesale supplier of specialist horticultural products.

Maxibright has been manufacturing horticultural lighting since 1996. It is through their commitment and passion that they have earned a reputation for being specialists in this field. Their aim is to deliver quality products at the right price, backed up only by honest information. Delivering excellent and consistent service, they strive to accommodate all their customers’ needs whilst being fair in all their business activities.

www.maxigrow.com

PRIMA KLIMA Founded in 1995 in Bretten (Germany), Prima Klima Trading CZ s.r.o., is a Czech based manufacturer of ventilation and air filtration, lighting products and activated carbon air filters for a wide range of industry sectors. Now with around 50 employees based 20km from the well-known city of Pilsen, they export quality products to more than 20 countries, including all European Union Countries, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, USA among others. Prima Klima is a manufacturer and distributor only business, selling their products exclusively through their authorized dealer partners, being also a distributor of Venture Lightening Products.

www.primaklima.biz

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METROP Metrop Hydroponics is a company that specializes in high quality liquid plant nutrient used in agriculture, horticulture and hobby farming.

Through years of cultivation and testing experience Metrop approximates the crops in a different way than most other food producers.

Plants Power Supplies are developed and improved by Metrop through a nutrient analysis of the sap, every 2 weeks in a growth and bloom cycle.

Metrop do this in cooperation with two laboratories, which are specialized in making high concentrated liquid fertilizers and solving problems in specific crops, and there is a specializing in the manufacture of so-called crop stimulators. www.metrop.net

SMARTPOT The patented Smart Pot is for the gardener who wants a container that will grow the best possible plant. It is a new and unique advancement in container technology that is better than any other method of container gardening. It is better than Standard Black Plastic Containers, Ceramic (Clay) Containers, Raised Beds and Decorative containers.

The Smart Pot is a soft-sided, fabric container that has the rigidity to hold its shape and can even support large trees. In fact, the Smart Pot was originally developed for and has been used by commercial tree growers for over twenty years.

www.smartpots.com

“Now in its fourth year, the UK’s biggest and sexiest indoor gardening expo, seeks to unite the hydroponics trade under one roof – both figuratively and literally.”

UVONAIR Uvonair products are industrial strength odour eliminators. They don’t just filter odours, they destroy them. They work in areas with high humidity and work in a wide range of temperatures. They sanitize grow rooms and eliminate mould, mildew, bacteria and viruses. Uvonair products are environmentally friendly and create no hazardous waste. Engineered, built and guaranteed by years of Ozone Generation Experience.

All Uvonair products are manufactured in Canada, using only the highest quality components on the market today.

www.uvonair.com

NUTRICULTURE DGS Nutriculture are pioneers of the hydroponics industry. Born in 1976, the brainchild of people with a passion for all things hydro, they were the first company to relate commercial hydroponic techniques to the needs of the home grower.

They manufactured and introduced the first domestic hobby hydro system - the NFT Gro-Tank - and, from a small industrial unit in south Lancashire, began to supply the first hydroponic retailers in the UK. As the UK industry grew with them, they invested substantially in their premises, manufacturing techniques and research and development to meet the needs of a demanding market. www.nutriculture.co.uk

VITALINK VitaLink is the UK’s own professional plant nutrition, additive and growing media range. All of their products have been developed with highly qualified plant scientists in conjunction with a leading UK university and are scientifically proven to give healthy growth and maximum yield.

VitaLink Plant Nutrition products are used by thousands of growers. The range is a bestseller in the UK and is sold in leading retail outlets. It is also popular throughout Europe and Australia. All of the VitaLink products are proven, reliable and renowned for delivering optimal growth and yield consistently. www.vitalink.eu

SOIL VS HYDRO VS AERO Earth, Water, Air and Fire. All the great early civilisations – from ancient Babylonia, Vedic India, to pre-Socratic Greece – embraced the notion that all matter was comprised of these four basic elements.

Can one of these elements be the best?

“With help from our expert, Nico of Aquaculture, we took our three different systems and for fairness’ sake placed them in the same spot in the greenhouse – this way environmental factors affecting growth such as temperature, humidity and airflow would be identical.”

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Absurd and improbable as that may sound (bear with us), HYDROMAG decided to put this theory to the test.

But as readers of this magazine will know, we’re in the business of plant cultivation, so we set the parameters for this epic metaphysical experiment the only way we knew how – with a grow-off!

Before we even began we had to eliminate Fire. As fantastic and vital an element as it is, being responsible for light and heat and therefore all creation, it’s pretty useless as a vegetative growth method. Although slash-and-burn technique has its uses in agriculture, that’s usually as a prelude to growing - plant roots tend not to respond well to naked flames. So we instead focussed on the more obvious options: soil-based cultivation; hydroponics; and aeroponics. In Episode One of HYDROSHOW we looked at how simple (or not) each system was to set up, and then came back in Episode Six to see the growth results.

Episode One The Setup With help from our expert, Nico of Aquaculture, we took our three different systems and for fairness’ sake placed them in the same spot in the greenhouse – this way environmental factors affecting growth such as temperature, humidity and airflow would be identical. Furthermore, we used the same batch of seedlings (three to four week old chilli pepper plants) for each system and an identical nutrient solution for the non-soil systems. Our three contenders were:

Soil (or geoponics – derived from the Greek word geo, meaning “earth”; and ponics, meaning “labour”).

It was comprised of four pots, a collection tray and bucket for watering. Nutrients would be drawn from the soil itself and just required watering every few days as and when necessary (usually determined by the tried and tested method of lifting the pots and checking for weight). An extremely simple setup.

Hydroponics (derived from the Greek word hydro, meaning “water”; and ponics, meaning “labour”).

This involved a drip feed watering system, complete with pump, reservoir and drip lines, with the inert growth medium of coco coir holding the plant roots in place. With no soil all the plants’ nutrients are derived from the solution that one must mix in the reservoir.

Most solutions come with instructions on doses so shouldn’t be too taxing, even for the novice. The setup involved connecting the reservoir’s pump to a delivery pipe, which in turn required the attachment of drip lines into each pot. The pump is activated by a timer, with irrigation times set as required (in this case every three to four days). Nutrient levels would need regular checks. The hydroponics system is slightly more complex to install but not beyond the wit of the average Joe.

Aeroponics (derived from the Greek word aero, meaning – have a flying guess – “air”; and ponics, meaning … well, you get the picture).

The setup is similar to the hydroponics system; with a reservoir, complete with nutrient solution, connected to a delivery pipe and lines into each pot. The fundamental difference being that the lines connect to a spray within the roof of each of the four closed pots. At the top of each pot is a small opening into which the plants are dropped. There they are suspended in nets, with their roots dangling in the closed environment beneath. The sprinkler heads are timed to release solution 24 hours a day, the roots drawing nutrients from the resultant fine mist. The installation was no more complicated than the hydroponics version and had the timesaving benefit of not utilising a growth medium. However, as the root system was fairly young and undeveloped, Nico had to restrict the timer to irrigate just 15 minutes a day until he felt the plants were ready – requiring more monitoring in the early days of the test.

Proponents of soil-based plant cultivation would argue that their system is the cheapest and easiest of the three to set up. And they’d be right on that count. Some argue, notably Jeanette Longfield of food campaign group Sustain, that soil-grown produce contains superior flavour, citing the concept of terroir (a subject more commonly discussed regarding the production of wine). However, this argument has never fully gained traction, as attested by a 2010 study for the University of Nevada which found no discernible difference in the flavour of hydroponically-grown and soil-grown lettuce.

But whatever the vagaries of this debate, the terroir argument goes out of the window somewhat when discussing soil-grown peppers in a greenhouse. In our test environment, whatever “terroir” flavours one might derive from the potted soil will likely be shared by its hydroponic and aeroponic cousins sitting right next to it, given they’ve shared the same atmospheric conditions.

In the hydroponics corner the arguments for its use are well known to regular readers – more efficient use of water, no run off, more nutritional control, less disease, fewer pests, less back-breaking work and no weeds amongst other positives. On the flip side the grower needs to develop a new skillset and expand his horticultural knowledge (although furthering one’s education in life can never be a bad thing). The equipment required to get started is clearly more expensive than the rudimentary tools used for soil cultivation and the grower generally will have to tend to his plants more regularly (unless he invests in an “automated growroom” – see Issue 3 of HYDROMAG for more information). Finally, waterborne diseases can quickly spread through plants sharing the same reservoir and solution; so a degree of vigilance is a necessity.

With an aeroponics system, you get most of the benefits of hydroponics but with a couple of added perks. But first the downside: aeroponics systems are not the cheapest and they’re totally reliant on a steady supply of electricity – an outage while you’re on holiday can have disastrous results. Soil and substrates such as coir or rockwool maintain water and nutrients next to your plants’ roots long after a soaking – with exposed roots this is self-evidently not the case. And with no medium to hold the plant in place the grower must ensure his taller plants are well secured. But the positives are many: There’s no risk of transplant shock if plants need to be moved (there’s no growth media for them to move to and from, so as far as they’re concerned, they haven’t moved at all); there’s less risk of root zone disease due to the lack of material in which pathogens can reside; and the freedom which the plants’ roots enjoy allow a superior intake of oxygen.

This last benefit in theory should result in superior yields. But the proof would be in the pudding – and in Episode 6 of HYDROSHOW we returned, two months later, to the oven to stick our pudding with a fork.

Episode Six The Results The soil and hydroponics systems were the proverbial “hares” to the aeroponic “tortoise”, racing into the lead in the early weeks. But once the plants’ roots in the aeroponic system were established, the greater volume of oxygen in its pots allowed for a superior uptake of nutrients, and before long it was battering its rivals. After eight weeks the soil-grown plants had grown 28 centimetres, the hydroponically-grown plants 30 centimetres, and the aeroponically-grown ones a massive 40 centimetres – a 33% per cent increase on its nearest competitor.

For the losers there wasn’t a great difference in growth rates, but the hydroponically-grown plants showed greater uniformity in their growth than those in the soil – all four looking virtually identical. This was down to the fact they had shared identical nutrients, whereas the more unquantifiable nature of the soil system had led to uneven nutritional values within each of its pots.

The aeroponic system produced faster growth for two reasons; firstly because any kind of growth media, inert or not, limits the potential for root growth - the more root, the more opportunity for nutrient uptake. Secondly, roots need oxygen, and with nothing getting in the way, the entire surface area of each root is unimpeded in its ability to draw in oxygen within the pots. The net result – much faster growth. As Nico pointed out in our test, you could save a couple of weeks over each crop. And if the intention is to grow three or four crop cycles a year, you could actually fit in a whole extra cycle. In addition, an aeroponics system can be of great use to the outdoor gardener who wants to get a head start by growing crops through the winter rather than wait for spring. Again, with no growth medium, aeroponically-grown plants can be easily moved to outdoor soil and with a reduced risk of transplant shock.

So there we have it, the heavyweight belt for greatest crop yield goes to Aeolus, the Greek god of wind. Some of us might have expected a tight points victory over Apam Napat, the Vedic god of water, but ultimately it was a brutal knockout. The Egyptian soil goddess Sopdet was also dispatched with consummate ease. While each system has its merits depending on your budget, time and space – for rapid vegetative growth aeroponics wins hands down.

“The soil and hydroponics systems were the proverbial “hares” to the aeroponic “tortoise”, racing into the lead in the early weeks. But once the plants’ roots in the aeroponic system were established, the greater volume of oxygen in its pots allowed for a superior uptake of nutrients, and before long it was battering its rivals.”

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MEGAROOMS For this issue of HYDROMAG we present to you our new feature, MEGAROOMS. What is MEGAROOMS, you ask?

Well, to put it simply, it’s where we show you the most elaborate grow rooms built by the UK’s grow stores. We’ve asked UK stores to build grow rooms with no limits, right here in our very own Hydroponics TV Studio. Never before has any hydroponics publication undertaken such a monumental task, or gone to such lengths. Unique to HYDROMAG, our MEGAROOMS feature will appear in all episodes of HYDROSHOW and a supplementary article will be created in this issue, which you’re reading now, and the next two issues as well. We are expanding on this in the magazine in order you give you more detail on how to set up your very own Megaroom.

For Episode 1 of MEGAROOMS, we here at HYDROMAG toiled late into the night creating what we would put into our Megaroom.

We divided the room into three areas, one for clones, another for mother plants and we used the largest part of the room for the main grow area. Dividing the room like this means you can crop on a regular basis.

It all begins with the cloning tent, within which we used a low-powered T5 4 foot light cluster. These lights have proved to be a revelation when it comes to plant growth, and using florescent grow lights is the ideal way to increase growth and produce great harvests whilst maintaining low heat levels and lower electricity consumption. With this in mind, the lights can be lowered right down to the plant canopy (or in this case the propagator lid) giving maximum light penetration.

Also in the cloning tent, we installed a platinum aeroponic propagator from the Super-Cloner range by Platinum Hydroponics.

Using an aeroponic cloner gives you faster growth in the cloning stage. The Super-Cloner has a 15 to 20 litre tank and a tray with neoprene disks which you wrap around the stem of your cuttings.

This aeroponic system has a 360º sprayer to spread the nutrient solution, which is necessary for successful cuttings. This particular cloner has 30 sites, however you can choose between 12 clones or 84 clones if you want more or less. Watch this space, because the Super-Cloner could soon become the number one cloner on the market thanks to its attractive pricing. This cloner is not currently supplied with a lid, however the manufacturers insist in tests it performs better without one.

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Next up in our mother plant area we included a one metre Homebox tent, which are widely regarded as one of the best quality grow tents on the market.

Recently, Homebox have been championing all sorts of PAR light research, claiming that their tent provides the best PAR light reflection with the least amount of hot spots.

If their research is true (and we believe it is), the benefits of spending a few extra quid on this range of tents would most probably pay for itself in the long run, with greater yields and better longevity. It’s also quick and simple to assemble, we had it up in a jiffy, and it included sewn-in zips for easy access. The outer shell is canvas, and the interior is made of a reflective PVC material (as opposed to being mylar lined like many of its counterparts). The tent features metal framework and plastic push lock corners, of which you get a spare one provided with every tent.

In the mother tent we then included a budget reflector alongside a 150w CIS self-ballasted fluorescent lamp. CFLs can be used as either a primary grow light or as a supplementary light to your main grow light. In this case, the 150w lamp is small enough to keep our mother plant at bay, too much light in this area and things can go a little wild. The CIS CFLs are available in both blue and red spectrums for vegetative growth respectively, and while they may not be as productive as high intensity lights they are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run too. No separate ballast is required for these lights, they simply screw into a standard E40 fitting (normal grow light lampholder) and run directly through a mains plug.

The home for the mother plants in the HYDROSHOW Megaroom was a platinum 60 x 60cm Hydropro dripper system with four 11ltr pots. The dripper system is incredibly easy to set up and use. A tank sits underneath the pots and the nutrient solution is pumped through a series of drippers. Handily, the system comes with an inspection hatch which allows you to see in to the tank and inspect the roots or see how much nutrient is left. The plastic also has a little notch to allow the wire from the pump to exit the tank, and these are the sort of features typical to the platinum whose designers have looked at existing competitor systems and added a little innovation.

For lighting in the main grow area, we then brought in 4 OG reflectors, one for each of our systems. The OG is a new innovative design which hangs the lamp vertically whilst surrounding it with specially-contoured aluminium which directs the light straight down from the reflector. These contoured pieces of aluminium also create an airflow which cools the lamp extremely efficiently. The

“For Episode 1 of MEGAROOMS, we here at HYDROMAG toiled late into the night creating what we would put into our Megaroom. We divided the room into three areas, one for clones, another for mother plants and we used the largest part of the room for the main grow area. Dividing the room like this means you can crop on a regular basis.” duct is available with either 8” or 10” holes and can be set up as a push or pull duct for airflow. The light also has a removable door for easy lamp access, and this also makes it a doddle to clean. It features 1/8” thick tempered glass, one pair of v-hooks for mounting, and a 15ft cord and ballast plug comes as standard, as does 22 gauge steel construction.

The lights were powered by hacienda electronic ballasts which are relatively inexpensive but reliable and efficient. Each ballast was connected to a Green Power Contactor. Green Power lighting control units are designed to control your HID lighting and maintain a safer grow room. Containing a relay, they absorb the electrical power surges which occur every time your HID lights turn on, so that these surges never reach the built in timer.

The final and vital part of the HYDROMAG Megaroom was the Platinum AeroPro, which is available at an affordable price and offers a simple-to-use aeroponic solution. Aeroponics provide the root of your plants with lots of oxygen making this system better for nutrient uptake. Its independent pots and 100% ABS aero plates supply include an anti-UV barrier and anti-light system which prevents the development of algae. The tank on these systems is big enough to hold up to 110 litres of nutrient solution and again come with a detachable inspection hatch, plus marked graduations that allow you to quickly check out how much water is left in the tank. The Aerostar is supplied with all the pipes, pumps, netpots and neoprene required, including a 360º aeroponic spin sprayer. Aeroponics is said to increase the results in the region of 10-15% in comparison to hydroponics given the much more significant air to waiter proportion which speeds up the growth stage by as much as 30%.

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For Episode 2 of MEGAROOMS, Greenfinger stepped up to suggest what you should put in your grow room. Rather than dividing the room up like we did, they decided to use the entire area to create a gadget-packed grow room. They kicked it off with the XL Autopot. The Autopot consists of multiple interlinked 25ltr pots, made up of the ‘1Pot’ modules that are extremely versatile and can be used in the greenhouse, polytunnel, garden or home to water and feed your plants whether you’re using hydroponics or any other growing method. The 1Pot XL system is easily extended so literally any number of pots can be linked to a single tank. The system is gravity fed, and each pot comes with a smart valve which allows more nutrient to pass in to the pot when it’s required.

Supplying the AutoPot system is a 400L FlexiTank, which have pretty much revolutionised water storage. The FlexiTank comes flat packed and is extremely compact and light weight – so easy take through the door to your grow room or greenhouse.

There’s no tool assembly required, and it can be set up in minutes.

Made from sections of soft malleable fabric, the creators of the Flexi-tank have used reinforced stitching to make it resistant to leaking.

Greenfinger recommended Mapito for the growing media, consisting of rockwool flock, coco fibre and PU foam. Mapito prevents compaction allowing for better root growth, drainage and aeration. The Rockwool/Foam ratio provides excellent water repellant/water absorbent qualities. Greenfinger always recommend top feeding fresh EuroFoam to begin with to ensure there aren’t any ‘dry’ pockets. Capillary action does the rest.

Greenfinger’s lighting system were powered by two different types of ballast, the acclaimed Maxibright compact – a resin filled magnetic ballast, and the new Maxibright Digitlite FX, an adjustable electronic ballast with lots of gismos and gadgets to boot. Maxibright are renowned for creating quality lighting products and Greenfinger always suggest using higher quality brands over some of the cheaper Chinese models available on the market today.

The lamps in the grow room’s lighting systems were Sunmaster FX Metal Halide lamps – ideal for the growth stages of the plants.

Sunmaster are a long standing popular choice of lamps in the hydroponics industry.

The reflectors chosen were Maxibright’s Supernovas, which is again a long standing famous brand of the hydroponics industry. The Supernova has a closed-end design and dual parabolic reflector that bounces all of the available light from the lamp downwards toward your plant canopy, thus increasing the efficiency of the light reflected. The ends of the Supernova reflector are powder coated in a white finish and have large holes to aid cooling, however this reflector can produce a small amount of heat below it, so it is important that good air circulation is maintained between the plant canopy and grow light.

To control the lighting in your grow room, Greenfinger recommend Maxiswitch Pro 8 contactor. In keeping with the high quality products from Maxibright, the Maxiswitch is constructed using only the highest quality components, including Grasslin

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timers and GE contactors. The contactors are used in conjunction with lights to stop the power overloading and to prevent timers from blowing. This unit switches the electrical load away from the timer through a heavy-duty contactor. Hydromag (and Greenfinger) recommends you ALWAYS use a contactor with your high powered grow lights.

For the fans in their Megaroom, Greenfinger brought along the Airforce 2 12-inch extraction fan and some acoustic ducting.

These bad boys are top of the range, and they’re a prime example of German engineering at its best. If you want efficient, quiet and powerful ventilation then the Air Force 2 fans are for you. They’re robust, lightweight, extremely powerful exhaust fans built into a silencer housing to provide amazing levels of noise reduction. They are of a quality build and design with horticultural applications in mind, and they shift huge amounts of air considering their spigot sizes and noise levels.

Air circulation is one of the most important factors within the greenhouse for controlled growing, which is why the Hotbox heater and circulators are an essential purchase. They help to prevent botrytis and mildew, plus they improve heat distribution and carbon dioxide takeup. Condensation is also reduced, and temperature gradients are removed thanks to the Hotbox Mistral Air Circulation Fan.

“For Episode 2 of MEGAROOMS, Greenfinger stepped up... Rather than dividing the room up like we did, they decided to use the entire area to create a gadget-packed grow room.”

16-inch fresh floor fans are perfect for mixing and circulating air. Getting the circulation of air going in grow tents and grow rooms is vital for eliminating hot spots. Without this type of air movement to mix the incoming and outgoing air, the bottom of a grow area can become colder than the top.

The Hailea water chiller Greenfinger provided is ideal for balancing the temperature of your nutrient solution to guarantee optimum delivery. The unit can chill between 50 and 400 litres of nutrient solution, and this is needed because if your nutrient solution is too warm it can lead to there being too little dissolved oxygen in the solution, leading to roots not being properly aerated, this can also lead to pathogens and you guessed it – root rot (or pythium), every grower’s nightmare. For optimum results in plant growth and yield, the temperature of your nutrient solution should be kept at a constant 20 degrees Celsius; however maintaining this can be difficult. That’s where the Hailea chiller comes in, as it cools the nutrient solution by absorbing excess heat using a refrigerant (a highly heat-absorbent chemical). This heat is then transferred to a condenser where it is released into the atmosphere via a heat exchanger. Once the refrigerant has left the condenser, it is compressed to lower the temperature and sent back to absorb more heat. In the warmth of the summer months, you do not want to risk the health of your plants with an improperly maintained solution.

Popular with many gardeners, ozone generators are very efficient when it comes to eradicating bad odours and kill airborne and waterborne pathogens. Something like the OD Air Ozone Gas Generator destroys moulds and bacteria that can lead to poor plant health and reduced yields. The OD will particularly help suppress botrytis/flower rot, and it does so by bonding with odour molecules to neutralise them. Unique to the OD is its ability to add Ozone to the water tank, for further details on Ozone, see the article on page 20 of this issue of Hydromag.

Another great little gadget Greenfinger supplied was a Centrifugal Humidifier. By using a humidifier you can ensure an optimum level of relative humidity (50-75%) in your grow room, it’s also compact enough to fit into small growing areas. Installation is easy, as it just connects to a water tap or tank.

Last but not least, Greenfinger included the Biowave DI 9200.

Biowave machines emit subsonic harmonic waves that resonate with plant frequencies and cause the stomata to dilate. Tests in laboratories, farms and hydroponics have all confirmed that an average yield increase of 20% is gained, and no test has ever produced an increase in yield lower than 12% which is impressive.

The Biowave DI 9200 attached to ceiling joists with ratchet pulleys, and one machine is enough to cover one acre, which is about the size of a football field. We have still to hear feedback from UK growers, however lots of units are being sold and we expect to know more in the coming issues of Hydromag.

So, there we have it. That was a full and in-depth breakdown of what your perfect Megaroom should and could have in it according to HYDROMAG and the kind chaps at Greenfinger, no expenses spared! We hope this feature proves useful in the building of your own Megaroom, and be sure to look out for the next two Megaroom installations in the next issue of HYDROMAG.

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100 FILMS TO WATCH BEFORE YOU SNUFF IT:

COMEDY You will die. That’s right. YOU WILL DIE and so will everyone you’ve ever met or even heard of. Think you’re immune? Grow up! The best we can hope for is to put off the inevitable for as long as possible, and shrivel up with age, gravity slowly pulling our withered flesh from our bones. And that’s the BEST CASE SCENARIO! What awaits us? Eternal blackness? Can you comprehend what that even means? No sights or sounds. No memories. No more you. And who will ultimately care? In the grand scheme of things you’re no more significant to the Universe than a grain of sand or the maggot that will soon be picking at your bones… On a lighter note there are some fantastic movies out there to watch as you while away the time before your obliteration! And in this issue we’re looking at comedy – the Yin to death’s Yang. Or as Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin put it: “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”.

This edition: Comedy. Films made with the intention of amusing the audience, perhaps making them laugh if they’re doing their job properly.

P.S. It seems somehow criminal to find only five films for this issue. Many apologies to Mel Brooks, Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, Abrahams and the Zuckers, The Coen Brothers, Rob Reiner and many others whose films were all a mere heart-breaking coin toss away from making this list.

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5. Withnail and I DIRECTOR: Bruce Robinson (1987) Bruce Robinson wrote and directed this drink-and-drugssodden tale based on his own experiences as an out-of-work actor in the late ‘60s. Quite frankly it’s a miracle Withnail got made, the project had been a hard sell given its almost plot-free script and the fact all the key players were making their debuts - Robinson as director and both Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant as actors. Here we must thank George Harrison – whose production company HandMade Films has been singularly responsible for financing some of Britain’s finest movies where other backers have proved reluctant (including Life of Brian – see further down). The story loosely covers two actors attempting to “clear their heads” with a trip to the supposedly-empty country retreat of Withnail’s outrageously camp Uncle Monty. But their problems continue – with rain, hostile locals, randy bulls and a persistent sense of existential despair (largely brought about by underemployment) curtailing their attempts at relaxation.

While the direction is fairly perfunctory, marvel at Richard E. Grant’s acting and at a script that’s almost Shakespearian compared to those of many modern comedies.

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After Hours DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese (1985) One of Scorsese’s finest and, bizarrely, least feted films; After Hours is a gripping pitch-black comedy set over a single night as Griffin Dunne’s attempt to pick up fellow Henry Millerfan Rosanna Arquette in a café initiates a series of disastrous misunderstandings. What starts as a moment of romantic spontaneity, in the otherwise dull nine-to-five existence of a lonely programmer, descends into a fight for survival, with New York’s Soho itself becoming the chief antagonist of the story.

The real shame of After Hours is that it didn’t catapult the excellent Dunne to stardom. Like all the films listed here the writing is close to perfect; and with memorable performances and a wonderful tone-setting score from Howard Shore; After Hours really deserves a wider audience.

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The Life of Brian DIRECTOR: Terry Jones (1979) From a modern audience’s perspective it’s hard to fathom the fevered controversy this film generated almost from the moment of its immaculate conception (it was inspired by Eric Idle’s off the cuff quip that their next film would be entitled “Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory”).

Very loosely-based on the life of Christ, it was banned in many countries – and was only just passed fit for audiences in Aberystwyth in 2009. Yet the focus of Python’s satire is the blind faith and absurdity of followers of religion – not religious scripture itself. Here Monty Python are at their very best, mixing their usual brand of surrealist humour with a surprisingly touching coming-of-age narrative about a young man who simply wants to find love and some purpose in life (and perhaps escape the yoke of his overbearing mother in the process). It also contains some of the most intelligent, hilarious and quotable lines in cinema.

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01

Manhattan DIRECTOR: Woody Allen (1979) 1979 was a great vintage for comedy, with this, Woody Allen’s most poignant film, coming out shortly before Life of Brian and The Jerk (sadly just missing out in the Top 5). It’s a beautifully-filmed love letter to New York, shot in black and white with an entirely Gershwin-composed soundtrack. Manhattan is at turns cynical and romantic, funny and tender – and laced with Allen-trademark existential angst, references to high art, and razor-sharp dialogue (after denying deliberately trying to run over his ex-wife’s new girlfriend, Allen is asked what Freud would say. He replies “Freud would say I really wanted to run her over that’s why he was a genius”). Having abandoned the slapstick that marked his early years, Allen changed tack with Annie Hall in 1977, breaking conventions and elevating his ambitions to great effect. Manhattan fell smack bang in the middle of his most productive and brilliant period – a period in which Allen himself could arguably have joined the rank of genius.

“Sellers plays several key characters, including the US President and the eponymous Dr. Strangelove – a German nuclear scientist with a nervous tic that results in one hand involuntarily doing the Nazi salute.”

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick (1964)

It seems remiss to bandy around the word “genius” too much but here one can be forgiven. Dr. Strangelove married the mercurial talents of some of cinema’s greatest ever players – Stanley Kubrick, the inimitable Peter Sellers (in his best role/s), and a delightfully hawkish, deranged George C. Scott. The saying goes that behind every joke is some truth, and here Kubrick superbly lampoons the insanity behind a defence policy of mutually assured destruction. The story revolves around the insane General Jack Ripper who, convinced that fluoridation of America’s water is a Soviet plot, decides to unilaterally initiate an atomic conflict with Russia. The conversation between Ripper and Seller’s decent British officer Mandrake, where the former explains how he devised his theory (“during the physical act of love”) is one of the funniest sequences of all time in this writer’s opinion. This somewhat terrifying black comedy is all the more disturbing for the lingering suspicion that the Rippers and Strangeloves of this world might actually exist.

See the official trailers for these movies.

HYDROMAG YouTube channel will be full of playlists to supplement our articles.

You can also see sponsored playlists from our advertisers.

Visit: www.youtube.com/user/hydromagazine

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Whilst the Nazis were being assholes occupying France, they banned jazz, bebop music and jitterbug dancing, citing them as pernicious, decadent American influences. It’s a futile exercise trying to stop the French from being decadent and despite the dangers, it was around that time that ‘la discotheque’ was born (cross between biblioteque [library] and disc). La resistance said ‘pah!’ to the ban and organised secret sessions of late night dancing, drinking and baguette greasing, normally around a turntable playing swing records.

Disco is not so much an album genre, or even an artists genre, it was a ‘scene’, that developed mainly in late 70’s-early 80’s New York, pushed more by producers and popular amongst all races, backgrounds and persuasions. It was driven by mega singles, with the ability to get people to flock to the dance floor. What the disco scene really did of note, for better or worse, was shape the way we socialise, in popularising the nightclub as a way to spend your Saturday night. Rather than pay reverence to a band as a mere audience member, now everyone had their shot at being the centre of attention. Big hair, extravagant clothing, glitter and dancing to music played through a sound system.

Disco clubs were a paradise for hedonism, places for men and women about town to strut their stuff and revel in that heady combo of drugs, dancing and sex. It brought down racial and sexual barriers and made us more tolerant and socially cohesive (as well as perhaps perpetuating more solipsistic traits like egotism and social competition). It’s an important footnote in music history and is the backbone of a lot of the dance, electronica and R&B we hear today.

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Daft Punk Random Access Memories (2013) ‘Random Access Memories’ is the fourth studio album from maskwearing French duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who are better known as Daft Punk. This album pays particular homage to the music that was coming out of the United States, Los Angeles especially, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ‘Random Access Memories’ enlists the help of disco legend Nile Rodgers, who was the guitarist in Chic, the band who was responsible for the timeless classics that are ‘Le Freak’ and ‘Good Times’. This album sits very much in the modern day disco revival that is going on right now, and notably Daft Punk recorded live session musicians to use for samples rather than using samples they already had.

Donna Summer

The Donna Summer Anthology (1993)

‘The Donna Summer Anthology’ is a double compilation by the late American singer Donna Summer, and it was released on Polygram Records in 1993.

Much like the Bee Gees, Summer achieved unprecedented success at the height of the disco phenomenon. The anthology features a good chunk of Summer’s best known songs, which is to be expected, but it also included some surprise cuts such as ‘Carry On’ which was

“1977 disco film ‘SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER’ which starred John Travolta.”

Bee Gees

produced by none other than synth-pop legend Giorgio Moroder (more on him further down). ‘Carry On’ marked the first time the pair had worked together since the creation of the anthem that is ‘I Feel Love’. Moroder has done his fair share for disco, and he is also a part of Daft Punk’s latest album, ‘Random Access Memories’.

Saturday Night Fever (1977) UK trio the Bee Gees were behind the original movie soundtrack for the huge 1977 disco film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ which starred John Travolta. Astonishingly, in the United States the album was certified 15x Platinum for shipments of over 15 million copies. The album stayed at the top of the album charts for 24 consecutive weeks from January to July 1978 and stayed on Billboard’s album charts for 120 weeks until March 1980. That was just in the US, too. In the UK, the album was at #1 for 18 weeks. ‘Saturday Night Fever’ was the embodiment of the disco phenomenon, and featured disco classics such as ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘More Than A Woman’ and ‘Night Fever’.

Giorgio Moroder Best Of Electronic Disco (2013)

Italian producer, performer and songwriting giant Giorgio Moroder, has boogied back into the public’s attention for his more recent collaboration with French Electro Pop outfit Daft Punk, but for those just hearing of Moroder, in 2004 he was inducted into the Dance Music Hall Of Fame, for a hugely impressive catalogue of work in what has been an enduring, influential and highly successful career, spanning 48 years. He has won awards for his film scoring work (Midnight Express, Scarface, Metropolis, Cat People) and has produced numerous hits from the late 70’s and 80’s such as Blondie’s Call Me, Berlin’s Take My Breath Away and Donna Summer’s Love To Love You Baby. He is the godfather of modern electro, really paving the way for whole genres and sub-genres of modern music and his best of Electronic Disco, is a fantastic collection of his work and a great reference point for any music fan and a hugely enjoyable listen, being playful, lubricious and down right groovy! It transports you instantly to a late 70’s, Studio 54 style disco.

You can almost smell and taste the perfume, cigarettes, cocktails, glitter balls, sweat, cocaine and filthy bathroom sex… and why wouldn’t you want to be transported there?

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Candi Staton

Young Hearts Run Free (1976)

Candi Staton grew up singing gospel music in church and her staggering vocal abilities quickly drew her a lot of attention. Her career began as a Southern soul singer, which is where she developed that powerful, knowing, world weary, heart rendering vocal quality. She covered a lot of soul and R&B songs superbly, with particular highlights being ‘Evidence’ and ‘Another Man’s Woman’. It wasn’t until Staton started collaborating with producer David Crawford though, that she found international fame, recording Disco mega hit ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ in 1976, which topped the billboards. She followed up with a string of successful singles and after a brief return to Gospel, she bounced back into the charts and flooded the airwaves with her guest vocal on British band The Source’s song ‘You’ve Got The Love’ (made famous again more recently by wailing, stressed out, satsuma haired siren Florence, of band Florence and Her Machine).

Chic

C’est Chic (1978) Ahhhh Freak Out! ‘On a personal level, Freaking Out is a process whereby an individual casts off outmoded and restricting standards of thinking, dress, and social etiquette in order to express creatively their relationship to their immediate environment and the social structure as a whole.’ – Zappa.

In an era dominated by producers and mechanical drum beats, Chic were a proper band. Jazz school grads Nile Rodgers (guitar) and Bernard Edwards (bass) were sensational musicians and pop/disco song writers, with Rodgers’s guitar playing being cited as an influence by the likes of Johnny

Marr of The Smiths and Duran Duran, with Queen also famously copying Edwards’s baseline from ‘Good Times’ for their famous intro on ‘Another One Bites The Dust’. Chic’s hits are endless, ‘Le Freak’, ‘Dance Dance Dance’, ‘I Want Your Love’, ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’. They also wrote and produced hits for Diana Ross (‘I’m Coming Out’), Sister Sledge, Bowie’s ‘Lets Dance’, Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’, Blondie’s ‘Rapture’. They are one of the most successful double acts of all time, with Le Freak selling 6 million copies, being Atlantic Records and parent company Warner Music’s biggest selling single to date. Masters of songwriting, performing and production, Chic are true shapers of modern music.

GROW GEAR

PLAGRON Alga Grow and Alga Bloom Base Nutrient Alga Grow and Alga Bloom: two fertilisers that guarantee to give you a high yield and excellent taste. Sea algae contains vitamins, amino acids, ferments and natural hormones which increase the fertility of the soil and stimulate the development of the plant. Sea algae ensure a healthy stable soil life. Your growth will prosper in a natural way. Sea algae also are capable of buffering nutrients and make them available for the plant whenever needed. By adding sea algae to Alga Grow and Alga Bloom, the plant receives nutrients for a healthy and sturdy grow and bloom. Alga Grow and Alga Bloom are organic basic plant foods that were created especially for soil-based cultivation. Alga Grow is used in the plant’s growing phase. This organic fertiliser ensures healthy and uniform growth and good root development.

Alga Bloom is only used in the plant’s flowering phase. Alga Bloom ensures healthy, sturdy plants and profuse flowering.

The advantages of Alga Grow and Alga Bloom: Natural growth and flowering hormones for higher yields.

Stimulates the production of chlorophyll.

Provide protection against high salt concentrations and moulds.

Can also be used as leaf nutrient.

For the best result, combine Alga Grow and Alga Bloom with the other products from the 100% BIO grow style. This is the perfect grow style for starting growers and devotees. With a minimal effort you will get an intense taste of the end product.

Do you have any questions? Please contact servicedesk@plagron.com For additional information about Alga Grow, Alga Bloom and other products, www.plagron.com

CANNA COCO Same Recipes for Years!

After years of research CANNA succeeded in being the first to develop a fertiliser specifically tailored to the characteristics of the coco substrate. The constant quality and same recipe have proven to be a huge success in the UK! Thanks to the special characteristics of the CANNA COCO substrate, CANNA COCO does not have a Vega and Flores version. CANNA has developed one unique formulation for both the growth and flowering phase. CANNA COCO is easy to use, dissolves directly and is extremely suitable for growing in many watering systems.

For more information about the CANNA COCO fertilisers please go to www.canna-uk.com

CANNA COCO SUBSTRATE Same Recipes for Years!

Growing in coco is one of the most popular growing methods in the UK. Therefore CANNA developed years ago two different substrates; CANNA COCO Natural and CANNA COCO Professional Plus. CANNA COCO Natural is an organic product that is very lightly buffered and free of harmful viruses or soil diseases, it has an excellent water/air system, that provides the ideal circumstances for this cultivation method. CANNA COCO Natural is not as heavy buffered as the CANNA COCO Professional Plus which means you have more control over the buffering process and have more influence on the growth and bloom of the plant. CANNA COCO Professional Plus is a pure, organic product with a homogeneous structure and has had a full buffering.

It is free of harmful viruses and soil diseases thanks to CANNA’s unique production process, it also has a complex water/air system that provides the ideal conditions for growing. Just like the Natural, CANNA COCO Professional Plus contains Trichoderma that protects the plant.

CANNA COCO Natural is available in selected countries.

For more information about both products visit www.canna.com

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Grow Gear gives you a taste of our advertiser’s premier products, from popular classics to new-fangled curiosities. We can’t guarantee that they’re right for you, but we can tell you that we wouldn’t have them in HYDROMAG if we didn’t respect their work. Even if you aren’t in the market for something new, Grow Gear is well worth a read.

GROWSTONE Why Roots love Growstones The great advantage of porous media is its ability to provide simultaneously sufficient levels of oxygen and water to the roots, but what’s truly unique about Growstones is the combination of pore size distribution and pore interconnectivity. Interconnectivity gives large surface areas for roots to grow in and around and assures drainage and air exchange, guaranteeing oxygen is dissolved and supplied to roots. As a result, after irrigation each pore acts as a ‘micro NFT system’ creating an ideal environment for roots and microorganisms to thrive. Growstones pore size and interconnectivity also facilitates horizontal water diffusion leading to uniform moisture distribution, which in turn induces uniform root growth allowing you to take advantage of the entire volume of growing medium you paid for. Growstones have good wicking/capiliary action, absorbing and retaining moisture 100mm above water level, the upper layer of Growstones will keep moist and filled with air. This eliminates the possibility of excess moisture at the surface of the medium reducing chances for infestations and algae growth. Finally, because Growstones are made from recycled glass, its surface leaches out silica in a form roots can uptake - monosilicic acid (H4SiO4). Plants that accumulate silica have higher resistance to stresses such as drought, salinity heavy metals, and pathogens.

More information can be found at www.growstones.com and www.dgsupplies.co.uk sales@dgsupplies.co.uk tel: 0044 (0)121 5523855 fax: 0044 (0)121

GROWSTONE Gnat-Nix!™ The only scientifically proven, environmentally friendly fungus gnat control product on the market. Trials at Kansas University have shown that used as a top dressing, Gnat-Nix!™ is an effective physical barrier against fungus gnats. Gnat-Nix!™ Controls gnats at different points of their lifecycle, preventing adult emergence from hatching larvae and deterring females from laying eggs in the growing media. As a result, their lifecycle is interrupted.

Effective under dry or moist conditions, Gnat-Nix!™ is also non-toxic/ chemical free. Plants love it, Gnats don’t!

More information can be found at www.growstones.com and www.dgsupplies.co.uk sales@dgsupplies.co.uk tel: 0044 (0)121 5523855 fax: 0044 (0)121 55248005524800

G.E.T Dip To Grow Dip To Grow’s unique properties hold moisture and minerals in the root zone - right where the plant needs them to get a great start for growth. You can mix in your favorite rooting hormone or vitamin solution such as Power Thrive, for an added boost at transplant time, Dip to Grow will ensure that these solutions will not be washed away. Now wait, we are not finished yet with what this product can do! Used as a foliar spray Dip To Grow will slow down the evaporation of moisture through the stomata! Cuttings will benefit from the lack of water transpiring through leaves, since they have no root system to provide adequate water. And if the cell walls collapse to much they can not rehydrate themself. Dip to Grow is not a rooting hormone, use on rooted plants while transplanting.

GROW GEAR G.E.T Power Thrive Power Thrive is not a plant food; it is a carefully formulated blend of vitamin and natural plant hormones for use during all phases of plant development. G.E.T’s chemist has discovered a unique way of extracting the valuable growth potential from kelp, one of the world’s fastest growing plants. Power Thrive helps your plants survive during stressful periods of growth, especially when starting seeds, transplanting, or taking cuttings.

Power Thrive also ensures stronger, more vigorous vegetative growth and when used during the flowering cycle, will result in more vibrant blooms and improved fruit quality! Power Thrive is not organic but the organic content is used to maintain the cations and anions that provide mineral elements to the nutrient solution.

G.E.T Let’s Start All plants grow by cell division and cell expansion; plants need favorable growing conditions such as proper temperatures and light along with Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen plus nutrients from water with inorganic salts and organic substances creating a nutrient solution. Let’s Start contains physiological active materials that play a specific role in plant growth, in doing so Let’s Start feeds the soil and the plant, creating stronger, larger and healthier plant stock and roots which are needed to achieve high yields of fruits and vegetables.

GROTEK Blossom Blaster – 0-39-25 Abundant Flower Development Formula This powerful flowering supplement should be added twice during the initial three weeks of flowering. Blossom Blaster™ is effective in all growing media and is compatible with all base nutrients. It provides available phosphorous to improve root development as well as aid in blooming and fruiting. Potassium is instrumental in moving sugars produced by photosynthesis. Do not use as a foliar spray. Always use fresh product. Do not add to existing solutions. For added impact, apply Bud Fuel™ with your Blossom Blaster. Make sure to switch to Monster Bloom™ during the later stages to add density to the extra flowering sites produced by Blossom Blaster™.

Available in: 20g, 130g, 300g, 500g, 1kg, 2.5kg For more information go to: www.grotek.net

GROTEK vegetative growth booster – 8-39-0 Vigorous vegetative growth Formulated to encourage early and vigorous growth, Vegetative Growth Booster™ is an excellent supplement for growing plants. High nitrogen supports green growth while phosphorous supports photosynthetic energy production. The phosphorous also works to increase the metabolism of carbohydrates and aid in root development. Vegetative Growth Booster™ is designed to be a one-time application product prior to photo period change and the onset of flower development.

Available in: 20g, 130g, 300g, 500g, 1kg, 2.5kg For more information go to: www.grotek.net

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HORTIPOTS Soft Fabric Pots HORTIPOTS are produced with soft fabric made out of recycled PET that allows the roots not growing in circle and be able to breathe properly. They are strong and reusable. They can be machine washed. HORTIPOTS have been designed with a square base that allows maximum optimising of the space within the grow tent.

Ideal also for outdoor growing: HORTIPOTS stabilize themselves perfectly to the ground and do not heat with the sunlight.

IKON Hacienda 600w Dimmable The Hacienda digital ballast range has become one of the most established digital ballasts sold in to the UK and to compliment the range they now offer a 600w dimmable version that gives you the capability to adjust upwards or downwards depending on the individual’s need and has the option to super boost your ballast if desired.

IKON PS1 Propagation Light Kit Photoponic System One Set (PS1) is designed for propagation and all day every growing which comes available with a Purple or White colour spectrum. The kit comes complete with 2 x 24w self ballasted CFL’s, Power plug, connection cable and a clip set for mounting to any propagator. The kit also comes with 4 suction pads making it very easy to mount to the propagator as required. The latest version now also includes a rigid spine that helps keep the tubes on a fixed point and also makes it easy to extend or fix more tubes if needed.

XTREME NUTRIENTS RHINO Drive The latest technology in plant maturity control, triple action technological breakthrough. Have you ever wondered how to get even more quality and aroma from your plants than you currently do? After you’ve grown your plants for so many weeks and got them successfully to the harvest stage, you certainly want to reap only the best quality for your efforts. Until the introduction of Rhino Drive, there has been no guaranteed way to do this. Up until now, getting superb quality has been something of a hit and miss affair.

There are many additives that claim improved quality, and no doubt you have tried some or all of them, but the actual results produced will be variable for most growers. Well, no longer. You can now have it all. Heavy yields and superb quality that will blow your socks off are now within easy reach of any grower.

When you use triple action Rhino Drive you are guaranteeing yourself the highest quality and heavy yields EVERY TIME.

GROW GEAR XTREME NUTRIENTS Grow Xtreme Grow should be used in week 3-4 at 2ml per gallon in growth period or when plant canopy is the size of the pot. 120ml will treat 60 gallon of solution and should only be used once. This product will double the size of your plants in 4-5 days without stretching and cutting a week off your growth programmers. It is very important to adjust pH at 5.5 for best results.

Directions Mix 2 ml/Gal of water in the third week of growth cycle Xtreme Grow should only be used once Adjust ph at 5.5 – 5.8 for best results

ADJUSTA-WATT DIGITAL BALLASTS From 2009 Sol-Digital set an entirely new standard in digital lighting that other manufactures were sure to follow...

Sol-Digital were the first to bring you: Smart Step Technology - Operate lamps of different outputs to give full control over the growing cycle.

Ignition Control - When multiple ballasts are connected to the same circuit, lamps are ignited sequentially to avoid power surges and spikes that can overload the mains circuit and trip breakers.

Full Circuit Protection - Integrated software that protects against a series of faults protecting your ballast, your lamps and your property.

Available at all good hydro stores. www.soldigital.co.uk

ROX FLOWER ENHANCER ROX acts in four ways.

ROX controls the finish height of plants. Just apply when plants are two thirds of the desired height. Works every time!

ROX increases the number of flowering sites. More flower sites, more yield!

ROX then packs on the weight. The extra flowering sites turn into extra weight. Rather than spreading the same weight over a greater number of flowers, ROX ensures that ALL the extra flower buds are completely filled.

Now, even the flowers low down will have substantial weight. Overall effect is between 20-35% with reports of up to 50% MORE weight!!

ROX advances the maturity of your crop by as much as one week saving you TIME! Available at all good hydro stores.

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COMPETITION...

Every issue the team at HYDROMAG bring you a chance to win a prize kindly donated by one of our advertisers, and we’re not talking a pack of sticky fly traps or a pair of latex gloves - to make it worth your while we’ve asked our competition prize sponsor to think big!

THIS MONTH’S PRIZE: Hortiline Northstar Reflector

HOW TO ENTER...

You can enter this issue’s competition by using one of two methods: 1. Find the competition image on Facebook (www.facebook.com/HYDROMAG) 2. Send a postcard titled HYDROMAG COMPETITION to the address below:

No.5, The Old Bakery 90 Acre St, Lindley Huddersfield, HD3 3EL

Prime and ultra reflective European aluminium (97%)

Up to 35% increase of the reflection at the corners.

If your postcard arrives after the competition draw date, we will enter you in the next issue’s competition.

Its innovative system of natural extraction, evacuates by itself the heat produced by the bulb.

Full terms available at: www.hydromag.co.uk/competition.

Up to 13.8 °C less temperature at the height of the plants.

The competition winners will be drawn before the release of the next issue.

Up to 50% increase of production.

Inner profile developed specifically to ensure a homogeneous reflection in a square surface.

HORTILINE NORTHSTAR REFLECTOR COMPLETE WITH HACIENDA BALLAST...

Worth over £150.00 56

Ballast courtesy of Highlight Horticulture

LETTERS

The HYDROMAG surgery is open for business...

“Don’t get taken down the garden path…”

As both a store owner and product manufacturer, Bill Sutherland believes in honest advice. If he buys too much of one product for his store, he doesn’t try and offload it or force it on his customers; he’ll give them the product that works and disregard the useless stuff.

It’s this approach that makes him the perfect person to answer any questions you have about Hydroculture.

We found this grower with a root problem on a forum. Being a common problem, we thought we’d put the question to our resident expert, Bill Sutherland of Growing Edge Technologies.

Get in touch with us by writing to us at: 5, The Old Bakery, 90 Acre St, Lindley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, HD3 3EL or alternatively email Bill directly bill@hydromag.co.uk You can also get in touch via Facebook & Twitter: facebook.com/hydromag twitter.com/hydromagazine

Bill noticed many things that could be causing this...

Here’s the question...

At the end of last week I checked the nutrient solution due to some yellowing of a few leaves and found that the pH had drifted up to 7.5. (I was using lemon juice to adjust it down - I’ll probably buy something that’s buffered for the future.)

Came back after a vacation weekend and found things growing very vigorously, but with some brown discoloration on portions of the root mass on some of the plants. Any thoughts on possible causes and what to do about it?

Edit: I checked the temperature of the reservoir it was around 76F. Edit2: One other thing I thought of. The nutrient solution I’m using is a concentrated liquid that is brownish in color, not unlike the brown color in the pictures. The color seems to go right up to the level on the roots that are submerged, and they are white above that level. Finally, in a previous hydroponic grow of tomatoes when I was using GH MaxiBloom powder which makes a pink solution, I had pink roots. Could it just simply be that whatever it is in the nutrient solution that is brown is accumulating in the roots? ..........................................

At pH 7.5, phosphorus, manganese, iron, zinc, molybdenum and are not being very available to plants. Most other elements are also not in a balanced formulation. Lemon and other juices are not very stable and vinegar is also not safe for plants either. The fast growth could have been from the warmer than normal temperatures, that would have caused some bolting. From pictures I do not see this.

78 degrees F will allow plants to pick up more mineral element but the downside is that bacteria start to explode in growth creating more problems. Also the higher the nutrient temperature the less dissolved oxygen will be in the nutrient solution. Cool nutrient solution down below 68 degrees F. Roots do pick up the dyes in fertilizers, if they are very concentrated in nutrient solution. If your nutrient solution has a strong color that is not brown in color watch out for dye being picked up by your plants or look for another nutrient manufacturer that uses less dye in their manufacturing process. Dyes are not important other than to make sure the right product is in the right bottle. I do not think this is the problem here as brown in fertilizers usually means there are worm castings, kelp or humic acid in the solution. If the bottles smell like ammonium then certain types of bacteria could be hurting the roots. If you detect this ammonium gas smell then do not use.

Looking at your reservoir in picture #2; I can see some roots are white even though they are in nutrient solution. This indicates the nutrient solution is okay. pH going up in value means plants are happily feeding, there is plenty of nutrient solution per plants in your system. 1 liter per small plant such as lettuce, spinach, mint and so on, for larger plants tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers use at least 10 liters per plant. Lettuce does not like heat, lettuce is a cool weather crop. No sign of bolting.

What do the roots smell like? Do they smell rotten or have a hint of smelling rotten or do they smell like fresh carrots. Hopefully like fresh carrots. Pythium will cause roots to turn brown and smell rotten.

I would have to say heat is the problem. Your nutrient solution was too warm, and with the temperature from the lights the combined effect has been to dry out your lettuce.

You can see signs of drying in your photos. Leaves cupping downwards, with brown spots between veins and at leaf tip, are an indication of potassium deficiency. Older plants are not worth saving as their leaves will have to be removed to allow for new growth. New leaves from older plants will have a much stronger, bitterer taste to them. The younger plants that show no symptoms can stay.

Harvest them when they’re big enough to eat.

When growing lettuce, discard the unpalatable leaves, and keep the outer undamaged leaves for the dining room table.