HYDROMAG-008-Hydroponics-Magazine

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THE MAKING OF HYDROMAG...

Editor Cosmo Mackenzie cos@hydromag.co.uk

Welcome...

The New Year marks a new direction for HYDROMAG. Issue eight is the first in a series of special editions, each of which we hope will act as a definitive guide to the central facets of our shared interest.

First up; everything you’ll ever need to know about Grow tents. From the rank amateur to the hardened professional, we’re hoping this will work as the ultimate resource for all things black, boxy and shiny on the inside. Of course if we’ve missed anything, feel free to take us to task on it.

You may even be invited to watch our technical consultant having his toes removed with a pair of rusty secateurs. Seriously though, credit where credit’s due; Nico has worked his socks off on this one; kudos frater!

Of course, there are still all of our regular articles to enjoy, which you really should know of by now.

To business then; The HYDROMAG team would like to thank Erith for all the support they’ve given to us over the past two years. That support was fundamental to getting the magazine to where it is today. All the best, Erith, and we look forward to working with you again in the not too distant future. We’d also like to welcome FDP Wholesale to the fold; FDP will be stepping into Erith’s shoes for the duration, so a hearty thank you to them, too.

Cosmo Mackenzie

Technical Assistant Editor Bill Sutherland bill@hydromag.co.uk Lifestyle Christian Mason christian@hydromag.co.uk

Finally, an important notice; On page twenty-two of Issue 7 of HYDROMAG, I made a factual error, stating that; ‘...once the dielectric medium goes the whole[Uvonair CD] unit will need replacing.’.

In reality, replacement transformers can be purchased separately and replaced.

Ozone Environmental Technologies (OET), the developers of the Uvonair range, cautions users that these are high voltage transformers and must be treated with the utmost care. In the same paragraph, we reported on a rumoured redesign relating to the Uvonair range. In this instance, I failed to respect OET’s right to reply on this rumour, and have since been informed by them that the rumour is, in fact, false.

I’d like to personally apologise on behalf of myself and HYDROMAG to Ozone Environmental Technologies and anyone else who was misled by our reporting.

I’d also like to thank OET for helping us to resolve this issue. In a statement to us, OET said; “Many of our customers have units that have been working for 7-10 years. We continually improve and test our products, and have sold over 50,000 Ozonators in the past 10 years and our warranty return numbers continually come in significantly below industry averages. We are proud to be the world’s leader in hydroponic ozonation and continue to put the customer first.”

“In our efforts to continue to improve our products we are pleased to announce that we are introducing a new and improved Uvonair room model which has a slightly new design. This new design built using a stronger polycarbonate plastic, and achieving a more aerodynamic design, will increase durability and air flow which will add an increase of 15 % in ozone production. “

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 Design / Illustration Emma Godley emma@hydromag.co.uk Design Kim Tinker kim@hydromag.co.uk Accounts Claire Kennedy accounts@hydromag.co.uk Sales Administrator Megan Corless sales@hydromag.co.uk Sales & Feature Manager Nico Hill nico@hydromag.co.uk

HYDRO PUBLISHING LTD 5, The Old Bakery, 90 Acre Street, Lindley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD3 3EL T: +44 (0) 203 384 8940 E: info@hydromag.co.uk W: www.hydromag.co.uk PRINTED IN THE UK

Thank you to our distributors: HYDROMAG is designed in partnership with PARA www.paraltd.com

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. 008 03.2014

Featured In This Issue... 36 08

THE FEED Robot Farmers

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THE FEED Hydro for the Homeless

Taking the puritanism out of working the land; are these the first feasible aids to farming’s infamously hard toil since child labour was banned?

The Millionair Club Charity and UrbanHarvest take Soup Kitchens into the 21st Century.

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THE KNOWLEDGE Pimp My Grow tent

Hadouken! Two tent setups enter the fray, but only one can leave victorious. Ready? 3, 2, 1, Fight!

44

DISTRACTIONS 100 Films to Watch…

48

DISTRACTIONS A-Z of Music

52

GROW GEAR Grow Gear

64

COMPETITION TIME Win Some Stuff!

66

ASK THE EXPERT Letters:

Drama; not the sort your partner and mother feed off, but rather the deeper kind that deals with the existential crises of all human endeavours that most of us never get around to...

FEATURE Grow Tent Special

The ultimate guide to grow tents, period.

FAVOURITES Homebox Equipment Board and The Gorilla Yield Shelf

Essential space-saving solutions for the tidy professional and messy blighter alike; the perfect accompaniment to any grow tent.

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CONTRIBUTIONS Biobizz on Organics

In the first in a series of guest contributions, Biobizz shines a light on just how organic the organic sector really is.

24 32

EXPERT OPINIONS Root Stimulants

Industry experts divulge the science behind their particular products.

THE KNOWLEDGE Wheat Grass Grow Test

Cash for crops; just how viable is hydroponics for profit on a small scale? We put it to the test with the partner-pleasing horrible green gunge. Make mine a Pineapple juice.

Platforms, perms and pimp-mobiles at the ready, it’s time to get down like your daddy-o with some fine-ass Funk.

Premium products selected from the Industry’s best suppliers. We wouldn’t have them in HYDROMAG if they weren’t worth your time.

Your chance to win one of a ridiculously long selection of the best tents listed in our definitive guide.

Opinions are like arseholes; they’re all over the internet. Bill, on the other hand, deals in straight facts built on 30 years of experience. Get served, hombre!

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Robot Farmers When Bod Dylan sang the line “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more” some took it as a one-fingered salute to the protest folk movement, but he might just as easily have been bemoaning the loss of his farm-hand job to a robot.

Yes that’s right, the world has moved on somewhat from the days of cows moo-mooing here and ducks quack-quacking there down on Old MacDonald’s rural small-holding. In the near future you’re more likely to hear the “whir” “beep” and “scree” of a thousand tiny robots.

We’ve come a long way from the Spinning Jenny, but now in the early years of the 21st Century we’re on the cusp of witnessing a new phase in the Agricultural Revolution: Armies of robots will soon be sweeping through the land.

Readers of HYDROMAG will perhaps be more comfortable than many with the concept of robot revolution; by its very nature hydroponics has long been associated with innovative new technologies (see Issue 3 of HYDROMAG for an in-depth look at the rise of automated growrooms).

But for many there are some valid concerns. What are these farmbots and will this be the beginning of the end for rural communities (or even Mankind)?

Two speeches at the 2014 Oxford Farming Conference have been making waves lately and putting farmbots in the headlines. Professor Simon Blackmore of Harper Adams University outlined his vision for a robotic agricultural future by 2050; while Owen Paterson, the Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, enthusiastically endorsed the vision with a promise of hard cash, saying: “I want our farmers and food producers to have access to the widest possible range of technologies – from new applications of robotics and sensor technology to new LED lighting in greenhouses and cancer-fighting broccoli.” The ministry has earmarked £160 million of government money, with £70 million going towards commercialising new agricultural technologies and £90 million to establish Centres for Agricultural Innovation.

Professor Blackmore highlighted key areas where technology can be hugely beneficial: ground-level crop scouting (including phenotyping – or plant recognition); aerial scouting (using rapid assessment technique and high resolution imagery); and selective harvesting (instant plant quality grading). Harper Adams is at an advanced stage in its development of a microdot spraying robot; utilising complex leaf recognition software it identifies weeds from healthy crops to selectively spray the right plants. A second machine – the laser weeder – has been programed to isolate the growing point of a weed and eliminate it using heat. If these particular designs prove successful Blackmore estimates 99.9% of chemical weed-killing product will become redundant.

In Blackmore’s speech he also noted that up to 60% of harvested crops are wasted as they’re not of sufficient quality. Selective crop harvesting robots could save considerable time and effort by grading plants while still out in the fields, harvesting only those ready for market.

Furthermore an important concern has been the increasing size of agricultural machinery and the resultant problems of soil compaction.

Blackmore pointed out that up to 90% of energy going into cultivation is

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to repair damage caused by machines. Besides machine weight, haphazard traffic paths through fields are a major contributor to the issue. Lighter machines, guided by computer route planning can all but eliminate the problem. Picking up the baton is Professor Peter Corke and his team at Queensland University of Technology. They’ve created the AgBot: Small, light, and able to work independently of human control, Professor Corke hopes his machines will one day replace the unwieldy combine harvester.

“They don’t crush the soil, they don’t need drivers and if you’ve got 20 of them working the field and one breaks you’ve still got 19 left going.”

And this is just one of a growing number of new agri-tech products at varying stages of development: In Denmark the Hortibot, a semi-autonomous robot, uses a “plug and play” toolkit, and is capable of mechanically removing weeds or spraying them with herbicide. While the Rowbot, designed by three Minnesota brothers, goes row-by-row fertilizing individual plants. Its real-time sensors study the plants and adjust the necessary quantity of fertiliser accordingly.

Similar designs are hitting the headlines in France, where WallYe – a “wine bot” – has been put to use pruning and de-suckering vines. At present one machine can tackle approximately 600 vines a day, while simultaneously collecting plant data. And interestingly, in a notoriously secretive and competitive industry, it also has a self-destruct utility that will erase its hard drive in the event of being stolen.

Meanwhile in South America – where ranches often stretch to the horizon – drones are being put to more salubrious use than their cousins in Afghanistan, offering surveillance of herds and crops. In Japan drones have been equipped with crop spray, while researchers are looking into ways to program them to use wavelengths to identify particular weed types.

Allied with mapping software, the drones can then target problem areas and save on herbicide.

And it doesn’t stop there. While Iowa-based Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. have already built driverless tractors, the German-built BoniRob – equipped with 3D “time of flight” cameras, spectral imaging and other phenotyping sensors – can move autonomously through fields collecting nutrient data, temperature, water levels and so on, while recognising gaps so as to avoid bumping into or crushing plants. The Rosphere, developed by a team at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, has similar functionality, if a rather different form. Looking like an oversized hamster ball, the Rosphere propels itself using relocation of its centre of gravity. Its primary function is “in-situ measurement of environmental variables on crops”.

And if it wasn’t enough that famers’ jobs are being taken, a team at Sydney University are planning on taking their dogs’ jobs too. Milking robots have been in use for several years now, but soon we can expect to see the Rover at the local dairy farm – a cow herding robot. Early test results have been encouraging.

So can we expect to see mobs of out-ofwork itinerant labourers, whipped into a frenzy by Union rhetoric, picketing farms and perhaps smashing robots while bemused local cops look on? Is this also part of our brave new agri-tech future?

Undoubtedly the rural workforce is on the decline.

Already in Britain we’ve seen agricultural employment figures drop from 700,000 in 1984 to 464,000 in 2013.

And while the mechanisation of farms and a changing economy are largely responsible, the finger of blame can also be pointed at the increasingly sniffy attitude amongst our overly-qualified indigenous workforce towards menial work. David Gardner of the Royal Agricultural Society for England said: “Robots tend to do a better job than humans. Whilst they can break down, they don’t get tired, they don’t get sloppy ... [this is] likely to have an impact on jobs”. However most seem to agree that while some jobs for humans will likely disappear, others will be created. Guy Julien, the creator of Wall-Ye, said: “Obviously this means we’ll cut the jobs for vineyard pruners, but we’re creating jobs for someone who has gone to school and who will build, maintain and improve the robots.” Gardner also claims the difficulty in finding labourers is one of the driving factors behind the invention of agricultural robots in the first place: “Very large parts of the industry are already

reliant on Eastern Europe, things like picking fruit and harvesting vegetables,” essentially doing the jobs the local population won’t. Blackmore adds “While agricultural robots will replace semi-skilled drivers we will need an equal number of highly skilled engineers.” Besides new openings for robotics engineers, there will always (perhaps) be jobs on the farm that require a human touch. As Gardner points out: “‘There’s maintenance and service jobs, that kind of thing. And lambing sheep. Can you imagine a robot lambing sheep? I don’t think so.”

But the biggest hurdle for the robot fan club isn’t social guilt; it’s cost. The estimated price of Hortibot is about £33,200 a unit; while a Wall-Ye will set you back £20,000.

And the Rover is going for a rather prohibitive £530,000.

Designers are working on reducing costs but Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association is sceptical, saying: “The potential use of robots on farms has been discussed for years, but we haven’t yet seen anything practical close to reaching the market.” It’s certainly true that the technology is in its infancy, and unlikely to be too commonplace in the immediate future. But the long-term savings and increased efficiency will be worth it.

More importantly than the financial savings to individual farmers will be the collective benefit of a cleaner environment. The widespread use of robots will eliminate the need for the indiscriminate spraying of pesticides and herbicides; meaning contamination of soil and water – not to mention dietary contamination – will become a thing of the past. And if the issue of soil compaction can be solved, then less water – a scarce resource these days – will be needed too. Overall, more efficient use of soil and more efficient farms in general, can only be to everyone’s advantage. And as Gardner says: “Robots are not inconsistent with a very benign, bucolic environment, and in fact it would give opportunities to farmers to spend more time thinking about the rest of the environmental considerations that they would like to contribute to but simply don’t have the time because they’re doing mundane activities.”

So while you might run the risk of electrocution petting your robot sheepdog, and jobs at Maggie’s farm might be in shorter supply (unless you’ve got a degree in robotic engineering), at the very least we can rest assured that our farmers are doing their bit for the environment, while ensuring the estimated 9.7 billion world population won’t go hungry in 2050. But regretfully for the nostalgists and rural idealists amongst us: “We stand now at the turning point between two eras.

Behind us is a past to which we can never return ...” (Arthur C. Clarke)

Pras Michel of The Fugees once said seven out of ten Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. While unemployment in the United States has dropped from highs of 10% back in 2009 to a five-year low of 6.7% (as of December 2013), that still leaves 10.4 million desperate souls scrabbling to survive.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 12.8 million Americans are on welfare and 46.7 million are on food stamps. Finally, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 1.75 million are without a home entirely. These figures paint a bleak picture of the modern world, but thankfully, where Government may have failed, jobless and homeless people can count on the support of a multitude of charities to help get them back on their feet. Amongst them is the Seattle-based Millionair Club Charity. And they have developed a novel way to replenish their soup kitchens, create jobs, and raise finance – using hydroponics.

In Belltown, Seattle, the Millionair Club Charity has been providing essential services to the unemployed and homeless since 1921; allowing access to showers and laundry services, providing jobs, hot food, and even eye care. It currently serves 90,000 meals a year to the needy. In a move that must surely provoke a worldwide collective forehead-slap and a chorus of “why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” Jim Miller, executive director of the Millionair Club, has teamed up with UrbanHarvest, a Seattle-based urban farming business, to build a 250-square-foot hydroponic growroom in their basement.

Work was completed in November 2013, and at current capacity Miller anticipates growing roughly 800 plants a month, producing almost 20,000 bowls of salad annually.

Surprisingly, given Seattle’s liberal progressive reputation, this will be the city’s first commercial hydroponic farm. UrbanHarvest, founded by former US Naval Officer Chris Bajuk, is a newly-formed, for-profit, hyper-local urban farming business that specialises in bringing hydroponics onto the roofs and into the basements of Seattle. Produce will be in part sold to local business, part donated to struggling families, and part consumed through Millionair’s meals program. The project also provides training opportunities and jobs for homeless people interested in a career in urban farming. Grown under LED lights, they are currently producing butter lettuce, red oak leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, kale and bok choy. And in what Miller hopes to be one of many, the Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria has signed up to become their first customer. Restaurant owner Joe Fugere had this to say: “This program is another opportunity to help support the work that the Millionair Club Charity is doing on a daily basis to help hundreds of individuals who are homeless or unemployed in Seattle. And we’re going

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“...the Millionair Club Charity has teamed up with UrbanHarvest, a Seattle-based urban farming business, to build a 250-square-foot hydroponic growroom in their basement.” to be serving fresh hyper-local produce grown just blocks away from the Westlake restaurant. It simply makes sense.”

Simply making sense is the driving force behind the project, with Seattle joining a growing number of US cities adopting urban farming initiatives. In addition to the positive impact these initiatives can have on the blight of joblessness and environmental damage, there’s an increasing clamour for fresh, taste-filled food. Medical studies have shown the increased number of phosphates in processed foods accelerates ageing, while the journal Public Health Nutrition discovered people who cooked their own food were 47 times more likely to be alive after 10 years than the people who preferred a diet of TV dinners.

And if you’re nonplussed about your own health, think of the environment. “By growing and selling our produce within the Seattle urban area, our fresh greens will travel very short distances from farm to consumer, resulting in reduced transportation costs and lower CO2 emissions,” said Chris Bajuk. The use of hydroponic gardens is equally beneficial to the environment because plants are grown so much more efficiently than traditional farmland, using approximately “one-fortieth of the space of a traditional land farm and onetenth of the amount of water” according to Bajuk. And then there are the employment opportunities: “Our goal with this program is to create a new industry in Seattle around urban farming.”

Washington State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles is impressed. “In fact, I am so impressed with the vision, significance and potential for it that I returned for a second visit. I’m also working to get funding included in the state capital budget as it brings so much into one project—urban farming, meals program and job development.” Indeed, the sheer number of birds killed with one stone here makes a compelling case for the Millionair Charity Club’s project to serve as a blueprint for other cities around the world.

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SUPER REFLECTIVE LINING

+20(ER[ (92/87,21 QHW

You want a tent?! Peel your peepers back and get a load of this in your face. Loads of brands of tents and all the specy jive together in one braptastic comparison chart. Boom!

There used to be a when that making your own controlled environment to grow in meant sourcing every individual component that makes up a room, and then actually building it from scratch. Go back ten or so years and the notion of a grow tent would likely encourage furrows on the foreheads of growers, and thoughts along the lines of: “who dis ras-claart company tinking they can sell me a better room than man can build himself? Cha…” The sheer popularity and growth of the tent market is surely suitable enough an answer to that question.

Although there are definite up sides to building your own room (such as: a completely customised shape and size, insulated to as well as you can afford or just the sheer satisfaction you get from constructing your own room), there are also some rather large downers. Careful selection of materials must be used. Already well known in the tent industry, some plastics will off-gas when they are subject to the sort of temperatures and conditions you will get in a grow room. This will cause your plants to die. Having to completely take down a room and rebuild it again just because a small bit of sealant you’ve used is killing your plants isn’t fun.

Other than this particularly hazardous point, it is a massive ball-ache.

Even if you are handy with some tools it will take you ages to put up and finish off correctly, and you are likely to have to enlist help of some sort to put everything together properly.

Saving all your pennies and spending them on a quality branded grow tent will take all of this guess work and labour out of your hands. You can now find them in pretty much any size, so you are able to make optimum use of whatever space you have available. The sort of materials sourced to make a decent grow tent now are almost undeniably perfect for the job at hand. This cannot necessarily be said of the cheaply imported tents currently flooding into the market. Although you can find yourself a moderately okay cheap import tent after hours of looking, you still run a gauntlet as to its build quality. The majority tend to have weak fabric, likely to tear just from staring at it in the wrong way, or poles that aren’t of good enough quality to hold a decent load (insert innuendo here). If you need further proof of this there is a HydrodshowTV clip with Panch from Greenfinger showing just how easily they will collapse under his epic weight. Check it out.

Not that I want to bad mouth cheap tents, some people have a very strict budget and can only manage to afford to stretch that far. But for the discerning grower, more concerned with quality than cost-effectiveness, a premium tent will take all the worries about questionable build qualities out of the way. It’s simply then a case of picking a tent that is going to most suit your purposes. Think about what ventilation you are going to use and whether their vent holes can accommodate them. Think about what lights, fans and filters you are going to be hanging up and whether the tent can hold them. Equally, what irrigation equipment / hydroponic system you are using, and whether it is going to be compatible with the tent, is worth taking into account. These are but a few of the things that you want to be considering, so before looking any further into particular brands, let’s look at these aspects a bit more closelier.

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Aspects of Tents So what sort of things do you need to consider when you are thinking of purchasing a premium tent, at a premium price? Well, quite a lot really. You want to make sure that the money you pay is going to get you a grow room that works for your purposes, taking into consideration your growing style, equipment and physical location. These vary drastically from grower to grower, so there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all option. What you need to bear in mind is: are the aspects of the tent you’re looking at going to match your needs. If not, then you’re just setting yourself up for many tedious hours of toil. So what are the specific features worth looking in detail at?? Behold……

Size: A pretty basic variable, but believe it or not, some growers often find themselves cutting tent poles and butchering tents for them to fit in the space right. With the massive range of sizes of tents around now, this really doesn’t have to be an option anymore.

Tent Skin Material: Is the density of the material enough to give you total blackout, and be strong enough not to tear? Thread/yarn count can give you a good indication of just how a tent will fare. Fortunately, plant toxic materials in premium brand tents are but a thing of the past. The roulette that is cheaply imported tents not so much yet.

Inner Reflectivity: How reflective do you need or want your tent’s lining to be? Most people would say as much as possible, and would generally be right. Then there is the argument of white versus silver, and which is best. There are many claims between reflectivity of tents, something I am going to scrutinize in a future issue.

Zips, seams and stitching: You need your tent to stay together, and to be able to open the doors/windows without them falling off. How well your tent is sewn together pretty much dictates this. No-one likes frayed seams or busted zips.

Door Placement/Size: Ideally you want to be able to access your tent from all angles, to make sure you can get to even the trickiest of places. Having sensibly sized and placed doors allows you to do this no problem. Always check what the access points are, and if they will suit you.

Windows: Just want a sneaky peek into your grow room to see what’s going on?

Windows are a good touch for this, especially sealed clear plastic ones in my opinion.

Being able to view your plants without affecting them in anyway is always a plus.

Intake / Exhaust / Cable Vents: A particularly important one to consider. You need to think what ventilation/irrigation equipment you would use for your chosen sized grow tent, and look to see if the vent hole points are going to accommodate your needs. If not, get back to the drawing board.

Passive Intake Vents: The mesh sections on the side of tents that allow air to passively draw through the tent, at the same time keeping out any nasty pests. Particularly if you are relying on a passive intake (no fan), it’s a good idea to consider what is on offer in this area and if any options particularly suit you.

Tent Corners and Poles: The size and material of these fittings will generally dictate how much equipment they can hold, so as usual, choose based on your needs. From features like click locking corners that help maintain rigidity, or super strong plastic polymer corners that are almost impossible to break, there is plenty of variety on offer.

Added Extras: It’s always nice to get a Brucie bonus whenever you’re buying anything, and getting things that actually make a practical difference to your purchase make it even better. When you’re spending a good deal of cash on a product anything extra helps. Owt for nowt.

Purchaseable Extras: A lot of manufacturers make add on products to tents that can be used to improve the functionality of a tent. Things like yield shelves for training plants, extra support bars or even extension kits for extra height. Are you likely to need any of these? If so choose accordingly.

Unique Features: Some tents have some features that are quite unique to them, and in a market that’s becoming almost as saturated as the nutrient one, this is becoming more and more the case. It is definitely worth deciding whether these features will benefit the method of growing you choose, and if any will make your life easier in the long run.

Brand Awareness There is a myriad of different brands available at the minute on the market, to the point where it’s a bit of a head scratcher as to where to start. We’ve put together a list of ten of the main brand names you can find on the market at the minute. I figured it would be a good idea to allow them all to introduce themselves and give a brief background on them just to make sure everybody is up to speed before we look a little bit more closely at the tents they offer. Over the next few pages, we’ll see what each company had to say about themselves, other than the usual marketing clichés, although as you’d expect we got a few of those as well…….

From this point onwards it’s time to get super serious and decide precisely what specifications on which branded tent are going to wet your whistle, and make you spooge your hard earned money all over your local grow store in some sort of fiscal ejaculative display. Having to spend time looking around is a pain in the arse though, especially when there is Call of Duty to be played. Wouldn’t it be great if someone took the time and effort to bring the techy details of a load of tents available and put it all together for you to easily look over and make your choice? That way you wouldn’t have to endlessly search around dozens of websites that are sometimes quite thin on the ground with information, trying to find yourself a decent tent. Oh wait a minute, someone has……me. Aren’t I a nice chap? You can all thank me later.

OUTER SHELL ATTRIBUTES

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Model

TENT DIMENSIONS Length x Width x Height

DR60 DR90 DR120 DR150 DR240 DR300 DR150W DR240W DR300W

60cm x 60cm x 170cm 90cm x 90cm x 185cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 150cm x 150cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm 150cm x 90cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 150cm x 300cm x 200cm

GGT 2x2.5 GGT 2x4 GGT 3x3 GGT 4x4 GGT 5x5 GGT 4x8 GGT 5x9 GGT 8x8 GGT 9x9 GGT 10x10 GGT 12x12 GGT 10x20

2’ x 2.5’ x 5’11” 2’ x 4’ x 6’11” 3’ x 3’ x 6’11” 4’ x 4’ x 6’11” 5’ x5’ x 6’11” 4’ x 8’ x 6’11” 5’ x 9’ x 6’11” 8’ x 8’ x 6’11” 9’ x 9’ x 6’11” 10’ x 10’ x 6’11” 12’ x 12’ x 6’11” 10’ x 20’ x 6’11”

75 Series Small 75 Series Medium 75 Series Large 100 Series Small 100 Series Large 120 Series XL 120 Series XXL TiTan 1 TiTan + TiTan 2 TiTan 3

75cm x 75cm x 100cm 75cm x 75cm x 160cm 75cm x 75cm x 200cm 100cm x 100cm x 180cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 360cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm

Evolution Q30 Evolution Q60 Evolution Q80S Evolution Q80 Evolution Q100 Evolution R120 Evolution Q120 Evolution R240 Evolution Q200 Evolution Q240 Evolution Q300

Tent Skin Material

Oxford 210D polyester

Zips, Seams & Stitching

Door Placement / Size

Hammered mylar fabric, up to 95% reflectivity

0.4” wide Zips, light-proof and strong. Double Zip carriage

by Zip

1x large front door 1x large front door 1x front door, 2x side door 1x front door, 2x side door 2x front doors, 2x rear doors 2x front doors, 2x rear doors 1x large front door 2x front doors, 2x rear doors 2x front doors, 2x rear doors

Marine-grade nylon stitching, Dense fabric skin dual reinforced 1680D thread Diamond Mylar count. 40 Mil reflective surface seams & corners, industrial thickness largetooth snagfree zips

Strong, durable and light proof canvas. 600D Thread count.

Available in prowhite or silver

30cm x 30cm x 60cm 60cm x 60cm x 120cm 80cm x 80cm x 50cm 80cm x 80cm x 160cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 90cm x 180cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm

Tough Black Canvas. 100% Polyamide.

600D Thread Count.

PAR+ Reflective Surface

MAX 0.5m MAX 0.76m MAX 1m MAX 1.2m MAX 2.4m MAX 2m2 MAX 2.4m2

50cm x 100cm 180cm 76cm x 76cm x 180cm 100cm x 100cm x 100cm 120cm x 120cm x 120cm 120cm 240cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 240cm

Triple layered woven polyamide. 600D Thread count

Lighthouse ‘Ultralux’ Intensive lining

LAB 60 LAB 80 LAB 100 LAB 120 S LAB 120 SX LAB 120 LAB 120 XL LAB 120 XXL LAB 150 LAB 160 SXL LAB 200 S LAB 200 LAB 240 S LAB 240

60cm x 60cm x 140cm 80cm x 80cm x 160cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 60cm x 120cm 120cm x 60cm x 160cm 120cm x 120cm x 180cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 230cm 150cm x 150cm x 200cm 160cm x 80cm x 180cm 100cm x 200cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm

GQ60 GQ100 GQ120 GQ150 GQ1224 GQ200 GQ240 GQ300

60cm x 60cm x 90cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 150cm x 150cm 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm

RQ120 RQ150 RQ1224

120cm x 120cm x 180cm 150cm x 150cm x 180cm 120cm x 240cm x 180cm

GR40 GR100 GR120 GR150 GR240N GR240 GR300

40cm x 40cm x 120cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 150cm x 150cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm

Mammoth Pro60 Mammoth Pro80 Mammoth Pro90 Mammoth Pro100 Mammoth Pro120 Mammoth Pro150 Mammoth Pro200 Mammoth Pro240 Mammoth Pro300 Mammoth Pro240W Mammoth Pro300W

60cm x 60cm x 160cm 80cm x 80cm x 160cm 90cm x 90cm x 180cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 150cm x 150cm x 200cm 200cm x 200cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm 300cm x 300cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 150cm x 300cm x 200cm

Tough canvas.

210D Thread Count.

PROBOX 60 PROBOX 80 PROBOX 100 PROBOX 120 PROBOX 240L PROBOX 240

60cm x 60 cm x 160cm 80cm x 80cm x 160cm 100cm x 100cm x 200cm 120cm x 120cm x 200cm 120cm x 240cm x 200cm 240cm x 240cm x 200cm

Strong Nylon certified plant friendly. 610D thread count

Total blackout metal zips, no velcro flaps required.

Design allows full frontal opening of the tents.

Tivax double lined zips.

1 large front 1 large front 1 large front 1 large front 2x large front 2x large front, 1x large rear 2x large front, 1x large rear

Waterproof Diamond Mylar military 10 guage Waterproof black (superior zips. Double canvas, 210 reflectivity). PVC stitched tough denier free, non-toxic nylon trim.

PEVA

97% Diamond reflective Mylar

Mylar Fabric 95% reflectivity

Prime mylar fabric.

Fully unzippable from front middle, back access doors on all sizes 4x4 and up

Sealed Window

Zipper Window

2x side windows 2x side windows

Front Front Front Front Front Front Front Front Front Front Front Front

Fully unzippable from front

Non toxic, Military Grade triple layered Diamond Mylar zips. All seams 210D fabric. reflective surface sewn for extra Re-enforced strength and material corners. light proofing

210D. Ligthweight, strong and durable.

DOORS AND WINDOWS

Inner Skin Reflectivity

2x side 2x side 2x side 2x side 4x side 4x side 4x side

2x side 2x side 2x side 2x side 2x side

Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door Large Front Door 2x Large Front Door 2x Large Front Door 2x Large Front and Rear Door 2x Large Front and Rear Door 2x Large Front and Rear Door

2x Side 2x Side

2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side

Large Front Door 1x Front, 2x Side 1x Front, 2x Side 1x Front, 2x Side 2x Front, 1x Side, 2x Rear 2x Front, 1x Side, 2x Rear 2x Front, 1x Side, 2x Rear 2x Front, 1x Side, 2x Rear

1x Front 1x Front 1x Front 1x Front 2x Front 2x Front 2x Front

2x Side 2x Side 2x Side 2x Rear 2x Side 2x Side 2x Side

1x Large Front, 1x Large Side 1x Large Front, 1x Large Side 2x Large Front, 2x Large Side

1x Front 1x Front 1x Front

1 x Side 1 x Side 2x Side

Heavy duty zips sewn with ‘Coates’ waterproof thread. (as used on Babour Jackets)

1x Front 1x Front 1x Front 1x Front 2x Front 2x Front 2x Front

Jam proof, water proof and light proof zips

1 front 1 front 1 front 1 front, 2 Side 1 front, 2 Side 1 front, 2 Side 2 front, 2 rear, 1 side 2 front, 2 rear, 1 side 2 front, 2 rear, 1 side 2 front, 2 rear, 1 side 2 front, 2 rear, 1 side

Extra strong durable zips.

1 large front 1 large front 1 large front 1 large front 2 large front, 2 large back 2 large front, 2 large back

2 2 2 2 2 2 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (500x300mm) 2x (500x300mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (500x300mm) 2x side 2x side 2x side 2x side 2x side 4x side

TENT CORNERS AND POLES

VENT HOLE POINTS Intake / Exhaust

Air Cooled Lighting

Passive Intake Vents

Physical Description

Pole Diameter

Load Bearing Capacity

Added Extras with tent

Purchaseable Optional Extras

Steel tent poles. Newly engineered polypropylene push-fit rigid corners.

19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm 19mm

50kg 50kg 50kg 50kg 120Kg 120Kg 50Kg 80Kg 80Kg

5 Spare Poles.

Straps for supporting equiptment.

Carry Bag. Two year guarantee

DryIT hanging drying racks.

WebIT plant support netting.

Replacment / spare corners and poles

3x 6 inch 4x 8 inch 4x 8 inch 4x 10 inch 6x 12 inch 6x 12 inch 4x 8 inch 5x 10 inch 5x 10 inch

2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 10inch 4x 8inch 4x 10inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 10inch

2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3

2 (30cmx20cm) 2 (30cmx20cm) 2 (30cmx20cm) 2 (30cmx20cm) 2 (50cmx30cm) 2 (50cmx30cm) 2 (30cmx20cm) 2 (50cmx30cm) 2 (50cmx30cm)

3x 11 inch 4x 11 inch 4x 11 inch 4x 11 inch 4x 11 inch 6x 11 inch 6x 11 inch 6x 11 inch 6x 11 inch 6x 11 inch 6x 11/13 inch 6x 11/13 inch

2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 8x 11 inch 8x 11 inch 8x 11 inch 8x 11/13 inch 8x 11/13 inch

2 2 2 3 3 4 4 6 6 6 6 6

1 1 1 3 3 4 4 6 6 6 6 4

2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 4x 8inch 4x 8inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch

2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 5inch 4x 6inch 4x 6inch 6x 6inch 6x 6inch

2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 6 6

3 x 4in 1x 6 in, 1x 5in, 1x 4in 1x 6in, 1x 5in 1x 6in, 1x 4in 1x 8in, 1x 6in, 1x 4in 1x 8 in, 3x 4in 1x 10in, 2x 6in, 3x 4in 2x 10in, 2x 6in, 4x 4in 2x 10in, 2x 6in, 4x 4in 2x 10in, 2x 6in, 5x 4in 2x 10in, 2x 6in, 5x 4in

2x 5inch 2x 6inch 2x 6inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 4x 8inch 4x 8inch 4x 8inch

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 4 4

1x mesh, 700u 2x Omniflow 700u 1x Omniflow 700u 2x Omniflow 700u 2x Omniflow 700u 2x Omniflow 700u 2x Omniflow 700u 4x Omniflow 700u 6x Omniflow 700u 6x Omniflow 700u 6x Omniflow 700u

Powder coated metal poles, reenforced push lock plastic corners.

1x 8inch 1x 8inch 1x 10 inch 1x 12inch 2x 12inch 5x 12inch 5x 12inch

2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 10inch 2x 12inch 2x 12inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch

2 2 2 2 3 4 4

3 3 3 3 4 6 6

Steel poles with welded metal steel corners.

2x 8 inch 4x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 4x 11 inch

1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 2 4 2

2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u 2x 500u

1x 4inch 1x 9inch 1x 9inch 1x 9inch 1x 10inch 1x 12inch 1x 12inch 1x 12inch

4x 9inch 4x 9inch 4x 9inch 4x 10inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch

1 3 3 3 6 6 6 6

1 3 3 3 6 8 8 8

1 x 9inch 1 x 9inch 1x 10inch

3x 9inch 3x 9inch 3x 10inch

2 2 2

3 3 6

4x 10inch 4x 10inch 4x 10inch 4x 12inch 4x 12inch 6x 12inch 6x 12inch

2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 2x 8inch 4x 8inch 4x 8inch

5 5 5 5 5 8 8

2 3 3 3 4 6 6

2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 4 6

5x 7inch 5x 7inch 6x 8 inch 6x 7inch 6x 7inch 6x 11inch 6x 11inch 6x 11inch 6x 11inch 6x 8inch 6x 8 inch 2x 11 in, 4x 13 in 6x 11inch 2x 11 in, 4x 13 in

2x 7inch 2x 8 inch

2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch 2x 11 inch

3x 6inch 3x 6inch 3x 8 inch 5x 8inch 5x 8inch 5x 10inch 4x 10inch 4x 12inch 6x 12inch 4x 10inch 4x 10inch 3x 5inch 3x 5inch 3x 6inch 3x 6inch 6x 10inch 6x 12inch

2x 5inch 2x 5inch 2x 6inch 2x 6inch 2x 8inch 4x 10inch

EXTRAS / UNIQUE

Cable Holes

100% Steel, secure locking fasteners for all connections

19mm x 1.2mm 19mm x 1.2mm 19mm x 1.2mm 19mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm 22mm x 1.2mm

2 foot extension kits

25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg 25-30Kg

Carrying bag, No quibble 1 year guarantee.

Air socks, utility shelves, aqua tanks and thermal jackets for top and bottom of tents.

16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm

20kg 30kg 30kg 40kg 100kg/m2 100kg/m2 100kg/m2 100kg/m2 100kg/m2 100kg/m2 100kg/m2

Door Hooks.

Frame Support Bar. Carry Case.

Extra Flange Port. Drynet.

Fixture Poles.

Hercules Support Bar.

PAR+ Reflective material.

Omniflow Air Vents.

22mm 22mm 22mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm

90kg+ 90kg+ 90kg+ 90kg+ 90kg+ 90kg+ 90kg+

2 year guarantee, carry bag, door clips, spill tray and filter straps.

Accesory Bag, Stretch net support netting, round drynet.

UltraLux Reflective Embossed Lining

16mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 22mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm 25mm

Up to 30kg Up to 80Kg Up to 80Kg Up to 80Kg Up to 80Kg Up to 80Kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg Up to 100kg 10Kg 100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg +

25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm

100Kg + 100Kg + 100Kg +

Simple to build ‘click fit’ steel poles and corners.

28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm 28mm x 2mm

75kg 75kg 75kg 75kg 75kg 75kg 75kg

2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (500x300mm) 2x (500x300mm) 2x (300x200mm) 2x (500x300mm)

Steel tent poles with stong plastic corners

16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm 16mm

60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg 60kg

Hanging strap hooks, water spill tray

3 (20cm x 12cm) 3 (25cm x 13.5cm) 3 (30cm x 16cm) 3 (38cm x 18cm) 3 (45cm x 20cm) 4 (60cm x 25cm)

Powder coated secure connecting metal poles. Strong plastic locking corners.

15mm 15mm 15mm 15mm 15mm 15mm

min 45kg min 45kg min 45kg min 45kg min 45kg min 45kg

Extra plastic coners and connectors.

Carry bag. Spill Tray.

Uplift Bar: Allows irrigation Thermal Blankets pipes to lie flat Filter straps; double oversized for lid and base to the floor, socks; spill tray; to add extra for irrigation plastic door insulation. systems. hooks and heavy Replace-able duty carry bag. outer shells.

Pitched Roof allows easy loft instalation

Internal floor tray and hanging straps.

RRP

Prices we found (min-max)

£110.00 £145.00 £195.00 £245.00 £550.00 £720.00 £195.00 £340.00 £465.00

£69-£107 £99-£140 £110-£190 £145-£240 £380-£540 £430-£705 £125-£190 £240-£330 £330-£490

£141.67 £195.40 £209.25 £258.34 £279.34 £406.32 £446.00 £678.17 £744.83 £842.00 £1,212.67 £1,724.17

£130-£145 £180-£195 £185-£210 £230-£260 £230-£290 £380-£430 £390-£470 £610-£800 £700-£780 £790-£880 £1150-£1120 £1600-£1820 £72-£90 £85-£115 £97-£130 £108-£170 £100-£180 £110-£150 £215-£255 £250-£360 £380-£410 £380-£600 £400-£600

1 year guarantee, waterproof spill tray, door hooks, 4 x fan / filter straps with buckles and storage bag.

25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm 25mm x 1mm

Powder coated green metal poles. Metal easy-click corners

Extendable height, optional additional extensions.

Extra thermally insulated roof

Free 1’ extension kit, IR Blocking Roof, Spill Tray, Tool pouch, Carrying bag

Anticorrosion white powder coated steel poles, high tensile plastic corners.

Powder Coated Steel Poles and click-lock corners

136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg 136Kg

PRICE Unique Features

Spare poles for all sizes available.

Patended structure to provide more stability

£109.99 £120.99 £139.99 £169.99 £279.99 £369.99 £395.00

£110 - £115 £105 - £125 £110 - £140 £160 - £175 £240 - £285 £300 - £380 £340 - £400

£74.99 £84.99 £119.99 £89.99 £99.99 £124.99 £129.99 £144.99 £199.99 £194.99 £224.99 £309.99 £244.99 £359.99

£60-£75 £70-£130 £90-£120 £75-£90 £95-£100 £105-£125 £120-£130 £135-£150 £170-£200 £170-£200 £180-£230 £250-£310 £180-£250 £300-£360

£74.95 £129.95 £149.95 £229.95 £284.95 £369.95 £394.95 £469.95

£60-£82 £120-£140 £125-£160 £215-£260 £230-£285 £325-£390 £340-£395 £460-£495

£179.95 £239.95 £299.95

£160-£190 £225-£245 £290-£320

£89.99 £179.99 £189.99 £269.99 £359.99 £504.99 £579.99

£75-£90 £155- £180 £165 - £195 £250-£280 £295 - £360 £450 - £510 £560-£580

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

£60-£95 £100-£140 £85-£130 £85-£176 £108-£205 £140-£210 £280-£340 £310-£470 £460 - £510 £220 - £245 £280 - £320

£69 £79 £115 £125 £229 £385

£60-£80 £70-£85 £115-£130 £115-£140 £210-£240 £370-£410

“Secret Jardin, created in 2006, specialize in indoor grow tent manufacture. We design a wide range of enclosures for all growing applications, from the small aromatic herb growers up to the professional big room farmer. Manufactured in China and Morocco, and distributed to more than 2200 resellers worldwide today: We sold 95 000 tents in 2013. In 2006, we arrived on the market with the first “Mylar” tent replacing the original white PVC plastic, allowing us to offer the only tent certified “DEHP” free – the Phthalate that kills plants in some white PVC tents. In 2010, we released an improved revision with ranges for Hobby, and ranges for Professional gardeners. We are now ready to release our newest products for 2014: For Hobbyist’s, we have released unique multi room grow tents such as the ‘Secret Jardin Twin’ and ‘Secret Jardin Lodge’ or the first light proof propagator, being the ‘Secret Jardin Cristal 60’. Also, a new professional propagator, the Secret Jardin DP120, allowing 700 cuttings at once, and the new ‘Secret Jardin Intense tents’ range with many improvements such as the inclusion of Orca sheeting. We have signed an exclusive contract with Orca Grow Film, allowing us to release the first 97% Orca Tents, giving 30% more lumens than conventional tents. The next two years will see Secret Jardin developing and upgrading with newer technologies (such as Orca technology) throughout all of our products, so watch this space!!”

“Frustrated with the current selection of grow tents, a group of California indoor gardeners, designers, and engineers collaborated in San Francisco in 2011 to revolutionize the future of the indoor greenhouse. The goal of the collaboration was simple: produce the thickest, strongest most durable grow tent that could also adjust vertically to instantly increase grow space. The message was clear, “Let’s build THE dream grow tent that will completely redefine what it means to grow in a grow tent. Let’s transform what a ‘grow tent’ even means. Let’s redefine the indoor growing environment experience that can be more closely described as growing in a grow “cabinet”, or grow “room”, that is safe, smart, big, strong, tall, quiet, odour protected, stealthy, insulated, durable, and long lasting zippers that never break!” After multiple design revisions and patent submissions, the result of their collaboration was a grow tent that defies comparison to other tents.

When it came time to name their new creation, the collaborators decided to honour the great Gorilla, which exemplifies many of the same traits as their new creation: strong, reliable, durable and intelligent. The mission of Gorilla Grow Tent is clear: To supply every grower with the most innovative and ideal indoor growing environment.”

“In 2004 Global Hydro Ltd was a small company with a great idea to build the best grow tent, formed and run by experienced hydroponics experts. We were looking for the solution to a big problem: How to convert a room in the home to a clean and protected growing environment. The solution was the BudBox grow tent. When we started out all those years ago we found success by offering a visionary, high quality solution to an old problem. Since then we have expanded and developed into the international brand we are today. Often imitated, BudBox grow tents have been designed from concept through constant modification. Every individual part has been designed, manufactured and perfected to our unique specifications. The 100% virgin plastic corner pieces (which are virtually indestructible) or our four layer reflective material (constructed using the highest quality DUP plasticizers, ensuring safe nontoxic environments for both humans and vegetation) are examples of this. We developed a full range of products all tailored to work perfectly alongside any size of our tent such as the AirSock or AquaTank, and will continue to evolve all our products ensuring we maintain our position at the forefront of the Hydroponic grow room sector.”

“Since we invented the original portable grow tent back in 2001, many others have since followed in our footsteps.

Being a German-based manufacturer we are (deservedly) well-known for being uncompromising over the premium quality and durability of our products, and take pride in producing what we consider to be the ultimate grow tent.

With the launch of the Evolution series, we are truly setting a new benchmark as we consistently lead the market with new design features such as the PAR+ super reflective lining, consistently outperforming silver lined tents in our in-house trials, and directional Omniflow passive air vents. Truly changing the fundamental blueprints for the modern Indoor growtent.

HOMEbox may not be the cheapest grow tent out there, but then again, Mercedes aren’t known for their cheap cars.

The long-awaited, new HOMEbox Evolution range offers exciting new models, enhanced durability, vents for air-cooled reflectors (at last!), side zipper viewing windows and enhanced bug protection with a 700 micron mesh on the directable Omniflow passive air-vents. If you want to give your plants a real advantage in life, the HOMEbox Evolution is for you.”

16

“LightHouse® is a UK business which started in 2013 to provide grow tents and accessories to aid successful growing. The range has the key benefits of easy assembly, whilst being strong, durable and efficient.

Having looked at what was on the market, the LightHouse® Development Team decided both premium and budget versions of grow tents were necessary to offer the best indoor self-contained growing environment available.

Designed by growers for growers, with the key benefits and features you would expect, but which were never previously combined in such a comprehensive way. The ranges benefit from a new reflective UltraLux liner, offering higher reflectivity over standard products, Tivax zips fitted to all doors with their proven ability to offer a quality seal when closed and plenty of air socks and cable glands as requested in market research.”

“Hydrolab is a small independently owned company run by a team of hydro experts based in Solihull, West Midlands.

We are highly focused on providing practical, easy to assemble grow tents that are not only full of well thought out features, but are also strong, built to last and very affordable.

Our first grow tent rolled off the production line back in November 2007. Since then our tents have been in a constant state of evolution, with many improvements to design and the addition of useful features along the way.

January 2014 marked the launch of our 6th generation of grow tents, which are now available in 14 different sizes, 6 of which are totally unique to us. The latest range of tents are built upon our already tried and tested platform and now include: ultra-thick steel poles capable of supporting up to 100kg, click-lock steel corner connectors, diamond mylar interior for superior reflectivity and a 1 year guarantee.”

“Green-Qube, based in Cardiff, has been designing, manufacturing and selling grow tents for nearly 4 years. Instantly recognisable with bright green metal super thick poles and corners, our tents are built to last.

Green-Qube was born from a design and production environment, stemming originally from manufacturing gazebos.

This has given us a unique and professional take on grow tent design with an unparalleled knowledge of the very best materials on the market. This invaluable experience coupled with working side-by-side with UK hydroponic experts means we have taken a fresh approach with our grow tent designs, basing our tents directly on customer needs, culminating in the innovative Roof-Qube; a tent designed specifically for attic and pitched roof spaces.

Demand has boomed simply by word of mouth, based on the quality, strength and durability of our tents. Plus with a continual stream of new products such as the Green-Qube Sky (one of the tallest fixed framed tents on the market) and Thermal Blankets they continue to innovate the industry. Now moving into Europe, Green-Qube continues to stand for quality: from the high-spec materials used, to the tents’ feature packed designs, to pioneering first-of-their-kind features, to (most importantly) the support and resources they provide to their customers.”

“At Growth Technology we have been innovating in the hydroponics industry since our foundation in the late 1980s.

Ground breaking innovations in propagation with Clonex and plant nutrition with Ionic have set the bench mark for all products developed by Growth Technology. The GreenRoom grow room is in no way an exception to this rule, all our hydroponic experience went into designing and creating a premium grow tent with market leading attention to detail.

Immaculate build quality based on 28mm x 2mm thick steel poles and heavy duty steel corner pieces give these grow rooms immense strength - a prerequisite for any modern grow room. Ease of access around the growing area is also essential, so the large front and side doors on these models provided the grower with easy access to any section of the tent.

As our entry to the grow room arena, the GreenRoom is a prime example of all our years of collective experience within this industry and boasts the sort of quality you would expect from any of our products. You can rest assured that the GreenRoom is yet another product from Growth Technology that will soon be recognised as one of the market leaders.”

“Here at Nutriculture, we are the pioneers of the hydroponics industry. Born in 1976, as the brainchild of people with a passion for all things hydro, we were the first company to bring commercial hydroponic techniques to the needs of the home grower.

2011 saw the merger between Nutriculture and Direct Gardening Supplies. As well as the obvious business sense this made, our pool of knowledge for all things hydro also became ever deeper. With the merger came a strengthening of our relationships with hydroponic retailers, enabling shops to order the entire range of Nutriculture and DGS products from either of our sites.

To further our unique product portfolio, it was a logical progression for us to provide the most comprehensive tent range possible to the hydroponics industry. As you would expect, all of our cumulative experience went into sourcing the Mammoth range of tents, to satisfy every level and style of grower. From the price conscious growing enthusiast to the professional grower, the Mammoth range has a size and specification to suit the need of every grower.”

“GARDEN HIGHPRO is a relatively new Hydroponic supplies company created by a Swiss entrepreneur. We manufacture all of our high quality grow tents in our very own factory. Since their relatively recent launch, the PROBOX grow tents are already seeing distribution to more than 25 countries.

Our philosophy is simple: Create and provide premium grow tents that offer the typical high quality standards people are accustomed to nowadays, and make them available at a very attractive and affordable price. We have huge confidence in our product’s build quality and are happy to offer to the public 100% satisfaction guarantee. We don’t just stop there, GARDEN HIGHPRO also provides many different types of reflectors, fabric pots, nets, ventilation systems and carbon filters, suitable for any size tent you may choose to grow your favourite plants in.”

Summary As you can see, there is a lot of competition in the tent market nowadays, and they are all striving to make you their customers. It’s up to you to try and cut through the hyperbole (that’s clever talk for ‘bullshit’) and decide what tent is ultimately going to work for you. Now you’ve got this far into this article, I’m hoping you have become savvy enough to pick parts out of a tent’s specifications that would interest you, and have a fairly good idea of what brand options there are available (if not, go back a few pages and concentrate this time).

As much information on this chart was gleaned from manufacturers websites as possible. I then contacted all companies involved to provide any missing information I needed for the chart that wasn’t already previously published. This chart contains as much detail on everybody’s tents as the manufacturers would provide, so it’s pretty much as thorough as it can be for you to use as a buying tool.

So now I’m looking through this information just the same as you and I’m pretty sure that most of you will have the same quandaries coming up as I have. I think the most obvious would be the reflectivity of tents. They are all claiming to have an extremely high reflectivity. Is there going to be a tangible difference in the growth of your plants by having marginally more reflective surfaces? Do the hammered/ diamond mylar reflective surfaces between the different brands really differ by margins of 2%, and would this even make a difference? What difference is having a white or silver reflective surface really going to make to my room? Then there is the weight they can all hold. Firstly, do tents even need to hold that much? Secondly can they really hold that much?? I certainly think it would be fun to find out. Also the whole zips and seams debacle grinds my gears slightly, which really is best? Military or Marine grade?! I’m pretty sure there’s only one way to find out, and I’m looking forward to it……Fight!!! Essentially I’m going to do my best to push these tents in each one of these points (plus others) to the limits, in order to establish if there is any way in which a clear winner can be defined. Watch this space.

There is almost one thing that is certain though. All this competition on the market will push tent manufacturers to create products that really stand out in quality and features, in order for them to keep at the top of the food chain. Therefore, you the consumer can only expect increasingly better versions of grow tents to be coming your way, and we will be there to test the shit out of them.

The keen-eyed among you may have noticed the tent theme coursing through this issue of HYDROMAG. Well our regular feature Favourites has no desire to buck this trend.

First up we have the HOMEbox Equipment Board from German company Eastside Impex. All gardeners – or indeed almost anyone – can appreciate the importance of having a tidy workspace. Research shows it leads to raised morale, a greater sense of professionalism, increased efficiency, and of course there’s the dreaded but nevertheless relevant health & safety angle. Not a million miles away from being a vertical BudBox Utility Shelf, the HOMEbox Equipment Board snaps into your grow tent and acts as a “motherboard” for all your tent’s electrical kit. Let’s take a look at it.

HOMEBOX EQUIPMENT BOARD

P.S. We hope readers have noticed our restraint in not making capital out of the fact this product for enhancing efficiency is German-made.

INNOVATIONS Stability. The Equipment Board, constructed of high-quality powder-coated steel, provides a 40 x 90cm surface area to which you can attach a variety of kit. Compatible with grow tents of two metres in height, and with a maximum weight capacity of 30 kilograms, it’s possible to rig up ballasts, CO2 meters, pH meters, climate controllers, thermometers, control units, time switches, relays and switch cabinets. You name it, the board can take it. Pretty much everything the indoor gardener needs can be screwed or cable-tied onto the HOMEbox Equipment Board, allowing for easy access and providing a safe, secure environment from which to work.

Tidiness. Gone are the days of stubbing your toe on your ballast or scrabbling around looking for a missing thermometer. Open up a desktop PC and you won’t find drives, memory cards, and the processor lying in a jumble of wires at the bottom of the chassis. Why should your grow area be any different? Clean up that rat nest with a HOMEbox Equipment Board and you’ll have easy access to every corner of your grow tent. It’s simple to install and provides ample space for connecting various units and tidying up cabling.

For more infomation visit: www.homebox.net

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CONS With a heavy sigh we at HYDROMAG have to find a con or two for the sake of balance. We believe we’ve found the following: •

If you get your hands on this product you may be tempted to place every single electrical item onto the board and therefore inside your tent. But having a lot of electrical equipment inside a tent can push up temperatures slightly so be careful. However, with the correct levels of extraction this shouldn’t be a problem. Just use common sense.

•

Unfortunately for those of you rubbing your hands in anticipation of buying your first HOMEbox Equipment Board, they don’t fit every type of tent. Before handing over your hard-earned cash we strongly recommend checking the specifications of your grow box.

•

According to various reliable sources the HOMEbox Equipment Board has been discontinued (or is about to be) – so it’s only available while stocks last. Fans of this product (and would-be-fans) should write to the Bundestag and demand its return!

They say when you can’t build out, build up. And this is the philosophy underpinning our second product; Global Hydro Ltd’s BudBox Utility Shelf.

The Utility Shelf – designed to fit into most tent sizes – is a sturdy wire mesh that easily clips into place and gives you the dual option of acting as a crop support or allowing you to create levels within your grow tent. Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” and if that is indeed true Global Hydro have created one sophisticated piece of kit here. HYDROMAG put it through its paces.

BUDBOX UTILITY SHELF

INNOVATIONS Shelving. With spiralling property prices every square foot of our homes has to become accountable. Apartments the size of snooker tables are going for £200k in parts of London. Step forward the BudBox Utility Shelf. Robust and coming in three different sizes (75 x 75cm, 100 x 100cm, and 120 x 120cm) this simple design allows you to create additional tiers in your grow tent and more efficiently utilise your space. What you do with that extra space is up to you: double your crop size; build a combined mother plant/propagation room; or simply create a storage area in your tent. The utility shelf is designed to support 10-15 kilograms of weight, but if you whack in some worm drive clips under the shelf fixings you should find they’ll support up to 30 kilograms. The shelves can be set to any height – simply slide them up or down your tent frame and tighten the clamps.

Have your say...

Do you have a favourite product that you would like to share with HYDROMAG? Write 250 words, send to Cosmo, and you might win a lovely prize! email: cosmo@hydromag.co.uk

Crop Support. BudBox’s shelves are made up of mesh squares of 5cm2 each. If you don’t fancy using them as storage shelves, you can allow your plants to grow through the squares and have them act as support. Your plants can be manipulated so each new section of your grow tent has a higher number of flowering sites, and the shelves will also help you maintain a nice even canopy.

HYDROMAG suggests tying some branches down as the plant grows up through it, until the outward growth covers 70-80% of the shelf (further support netting should be placed a foot or so above the shelf to help other branches on their way up to the next level). Then begin flowering. Continue tying down branches for a week or so then leave to simmer. Within no time your grow tent will be overflowing with multiple tiers of flowering plants!

CONS Here at HYDROMAG we hate having to point out flaws in a product (unless that product thoroughly deserves it) but we’re bound by rigid journalistic principles and a commitment to uncovering the impartial truth of a matter. We can’t help it – we’re made that way! So here goes: •

For more infomation visit: www.global-hydro.net

Jam in a few too many plants or objects on or through your BudBox Utility Shelves and you might find yourself developing an access issue.

This can be solved by either having a grow tent with a back door or by simply thinking about your plant organisation carefully in advance. To quote a hideous corporate maxim: organisation equals happiness!

Organic Hydroponics

We were lucky enough to pick the brains of BioBizz’s research department in new developments in the organic world, here’s what they had to say...

Organic hydroponics: Surely a dream for most modern growers and gardeners. To have a system that would give you the quality and taste of organics combined with the ease of use and automation of hydroponics would be the ideal solution for many a green fingered reader, and would possibly be heralded as the all-time ultimate growing system. There have been claims over the years by many companies who would have us believe that the solution is already here and that we only need to buy their specific product and all will be well (hardly surprising in this industry). However, this unfortunately isn’t yet the case, and we may be still a long way from finding a truly workable solution.

The whole process has essentially been a progression of trial and error, combining various ideas and applicable formulas that try to involve the best elements of both systems. So far however, an answer has not yet been found that is wholly organic whilst remaining reliable and workable in a hydroponic environment. So is ‘organic hydroponics’ even possible? So far the answer is unsure. By their very nature, organic substances need to be alive and to have the ability to be able to combine with other organic elements in order to function at their best.

In a soil substrate the microbiological system (consisting of bacteria, funghi, protozoa and other various bits of organic matter) develops over time, and all of these organic elements work harmoniously together resulting in an explosion of natural growth and decomposition, creating and sustaining healthy micro-herds of life, which will in turn provide the essential nutrition in an available form to your prized plants.

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It is particularly hard(and so far impossible) for water alone to provide this function. There needs to be a basis to provide a catalyst in order to create this active micro-life necessary for an organic plant’s continued health and growth. Organic substances left in un-aerated water are unable to become stabilized nor are they able to catalyse with each other. Over time they will deteriorate, becoming stagnant and harmful to the plant as the dissolved oxygen levels become too low in the solution, and an-aerobic bacteria will become dominant.

Guanos and Fish products especially can become very noxious smelling and difficult to deal with. Try it and see for yourself, you have been warned here first though!

Entrepreneurs have tried using actively aerated compost teas and organic fertilizers in reservoir tanks combined with air pumps and bubblers in an attempt to keep the mixture alive and active. Used with soil-less mediums such as coco or pebbles this can work up to a point but, unlike most clean chemical/mineral hydroponic set-ups, the solution will need changing on a regular basis. Any un-used solution remaining in the irrigation lines will also quickly become anaerobic, requiring the flushing and cleaning of the feed lines after every irrigation. Other than simply defeating the point of automation, and also costing you more money in wasted fertilizer, this sort of wastage in a process goes well against the fundamental principles of organic growing as a whole.

Other attempts at creating organic hydroponic systems have involved having pots of soil placed onto a flood and drain or NFT system. The top layer of the pot would contain a soil or compost mix (with rocks, pebbles or gravel at the bottom to

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

Aerobic: Sufficient oxygen levels to support beneficial bacteria populations and aid nutrient uptake.

An-aerobic: Low oxygen levels, will promote an-aerobic diseases (Pythium) an hinder plant uptake.

.......................................................................................................... prevent the medium leaching into the water), but the actual system/reservoir tank will only be able to contain water and possibly the addition of a few organic bio stimulants.

The actual feeding of the organic nutrients would still have to be done from the top by hand. Up to a point this can prove successful as the organic catalyst process will take place between the biology in the soil and the nutrients contained at the top layer of the pot, much like in the case of conventional pot based growing systems. Essentially then this method would just function as a sophisticated watering system and is almost not really worth the trouble or the expense. It is a nice experiment that functions quite well, and it’s as far into organic hydroponics that we are going to get at this moment in time this is for sure. However, in this example soil is still used and will require regular top dressings for the nutritional requirements that are needed

to keep the micro-organisms in the medium functioning. As it is not soil-less, or automated it therefore cannot be considered ‘hydroponic’ in the traditional sense.

So now we have established that organic hydroponics isn’t yet possible, what direction can we take to progress any further, and what methods from either system can we utilize for best effects? Is it possible to take elements from either one and make them more functional or usable? This is a matter of much interest and research within our industry and development work continues down this avenue. How-ever, there are certain Bio-stimulants and energy boosters currently on the market which can be used in standard hydroponic systems. These will remain stable and usable in water and do not interfere with the EC measurements in any way. For example, organically certified substances such as those based upon fulvic

and humic acids or certain aminos can be used and happen to function incredibly well, in many cases performing better than their chemical counterparts.

Let’s have a look at, for example, some of the products of Biobizz World Wide Organics.

In particular the fertilizer Bio··Bloom™, and stimulants: Top··Max™ and Root··Juice™.

Though these were originally designed for growing in soil, some of their components are filtered and processed in such a manner that the products also work equally well in hydroponic systems. When used under the right conditions they are perfectly applicable for use in systems or media such as NFT, Stonewool, Coir or Clay pebbles. One of the main reasons organic cultivation is so popular is down to the quality and taste of the end product. So far hydroponics cannot seem to match this, no matter how pure the nutrients are. Bio stimulants such as these improve the overall health of the plant and serve as an ecologically sound alternative to an otherwise predominantly chemical system.

Another way of making a chemical based hydroponic system more organic (and also particularly as an easy way of improving the taste of the end product) is through the use of foliar applications. Seaweed and fish emulsions, such as Biobizz’ Alg··A··Mic™ or Fish··Mix™, can be taken in directly through the leaf and stems of the plant. Foliar applications of a nutrient become quickly available to a plant, enhancing chlorophyll content and supplying essential trace elements of organic origin. These products can also be used to great effect as the organic inputs in an Actively Aerated Compost Tea, which can then also be applied to the foliage in this way (and is equally beneficial as a root drench). In the same way that soil or compost grown crops are fed the results of this method offer immediate and huge benefits. Foliar applications of fish emulsion on plants grown hydroponically show the same improved grow rates as their conventional sisters in a pot or the earth. Similarly, seaweed applications serve as a rescue remedy to poorly or sick plants just as they would in the soil. In this way it is easy to see how certain elements of the organics platter can be brought to the table of hydroponics.

The solution is not perfect but it is the best we have for now. One thing is for sure: we have to continue our quest to find the perfect combination, for us, our society and our planet; mother earth.

Words:

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Expert Opinions:

ROOT STIMULATORS Cast aside any tent based thoughts this issue has given you for a moment. As usual we are looking at the science behind nutrient products, provided straight from a variety of industry experts...

Root porn is something I can unashamedly say I am a huge fan of (hopefully noone edits the word ‘root’ in this sentence before print). It’s somewhat a growing phenomena in the hydroponic world, particularly in online circles. To see crispwhite, healthy functioning root systems is something that just brings a warm feeling to my green-fingered loins. Particularly completely bare, aeroponic roots when they are still all white and shiny, dripping wet and looking both peculiar and magical in their natural naked splendour. (I’m sure I could have made more of the possible innuendos in this paragraph but it’s bordering on creepy as it is) It’s strangely ironic when you think about it. Most growers are constantly scrutinizing the beautiful foliage of their growing plants, closely inspecting leaves and flowers for any signs of deficiencies(discoloration), diseases(rashes), pests(crabs) or other such untoward activity that may have sullied their physical splendour. The power house of the plant, the very part that gathers and provides all the necessary energy and nutrition for perfectly formed flowers is pretty much impossible to view in the usual instantly gratifying way. It’s harder to spooge yourself when the instant communication of information though one of your many bodily senses that you are usually so reliant upon can’t really help you. It’s possibly this general lack of visual gratification the root zone can offer that spurs on enthusiasts within the root pornography community to continue their epic struggle.

Sticking with the porn analogies(they’re working well so far), the sort of products that we are looking at here, are to roots as Viagra is to your wizened mate who’s about to try and follow through on his recent success at courting a lady of questionable morals on the tail end of a four day bender in a field. It’s almost something that he cannot do without in order to maintain high performance.

What do the guys that make these things really take into consideration when they’re choosing the necessary ingredients to give your tap root the boost it really deserves? Regular readers will know by now that this is just the sort of thing that we ask a handful of manufacturers (sometimes fruitlessly, Cyco, I’m looking on your direction) each month for you, in order to get a little bit more knowledge and book smarts into that little old brain of yours.

EXPERT OPINIONS | BIO NOVA

The health and efficiency of the root-zone(rhizosphere) of a plant can easily be considered one of the most important factors of your plant’s entire make-up, as this is essentially where the flow of life giving nutrients for your plant will begin. Other than simply looking at it in terms of root stimulating products, there are many other factors which will affect how well a root system will perform.

One very important aspect to consider is the temperature of the root environment. It is not simply the temperature of the foliage you need to look at, but also that of your root zone. A low root temperature will decreases the solubility of a number of substances in the nutrient solution. One particular example of this is phosphates (P). This element is often presented to the plant in a relatively poorly soluble form, and has to be transported by means of diffusion to the root wall. Both of these processes, solubility and diffusion, occur at a lot slower rate when at low temperatures and therefore create a shortage in the supply of nutrient to the plant above the ground. Also, at low temperatures, root activity and nutrient uptake is generally a lot lower across the board, putting other active elements such as Fe (Iron) and K (potassium) in jeopardy. It is not only the performance of existing roots that is affected, but also the growth of new roots at low temperatures becomes impeded, so elements like Ca (Calcium) and Mg (Magnesium) for young growing root-tips cannot be uptaken, and typical deficiency symptoms will quickly begin to manifest. The optimum temperature for the roots of your plants (throughout the cycle, day and night) is 22-24 °C. Another important factor to consider is simply the average moisture content of your plant pots, which in turn directly affects the availability of oxygen within the rhizosphere.

Over-water your plants, and the available oxygen levels will quickly drop within your pot, essentially suffocating your roots and exposing them to anaerobic infections such as Pythium. This is a particularly common problem with plants in early stages of growth when

BIO NOVA BioRoots Available in 250ml, 1, 5 & 20ltr

developing their young root systems.

Once you have understood and dialled in all environmental factors that will encourage good nutrient uptake and promote healthy root growth, the use of a good root stimulant product can then do wonders to create a perfectly optimised environment in the rhizosphere. A good root stimulant will enhance bio-activity, stimulate and increase root activity, and provide you with the most healthy specimen of plant you have seen: “As below, so above”. This will in turn lead to healthier, more vigorously growing plants, providing the top growth with everything it requires to produce a high yield and more importantly, high quality of end produce for any treated crops.

Bio-Roots is formulated by the delicate and precise mixing of a number of high quality components we have carefully selected and sourced over years of research: Kelp extract: Provides wound healing properties, cures chlorosis, supports high chlorophyll production as well as higher root hair development and activity. Delivers a broad range of micro-elements and organic substances that promote a healthy plant.

Effects: - Stimulates root activity, root mass and resistance against water and temperature stress - Enhances the efficiency of fertilizers - Reduces poisoning effects of pesticides - Boosts root tolerance for high EC values Bio-Roots will stimulate root growth on any kind of plant and can be used with all brands of fertilizers and additives, once diluted. You can find the dosage on our feed schedule available online, or on the bottle itself.

For optimum results, always try to use BioRoots in combination with other Bio Nova products!

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EXPERT OPINIONS | BIO GREEN

Humic compounds: Enable better oxygen uptake, faster root development and enhanced ion transport.

Ascorbic acid: Vitamin C, functions as a co-enzyme. Is also produced by the plant itself in small amounts.

Thiamine: Vitamin B1, Essential for growth.

Inositol: Produced by the plant itself, important for cell wall building. Plays a part in transfer of hormonal signals. One particular example of a reaction this plays part in is the setting free of Calcium ions within each cell.

Glycine: Amino-acid which promotes root development and stress resistance.

A good ground soil is very important for the plant. Healthy soil consists of a good structure and optimal bacterial life. How does X-Rooting ensure this optimal situation?

X-Rooting is a combination of the good characteristics of four active ingredients including, Bacillus subtilis, Humic and Fulvic acids, Vitamins, and Salicylic acid.

X-Rooting is ideal for fast absorption by the cells of the plant. This nutrient keeps the metabolism of the plant in equilibrium and increases the absorption of mineral nutrients by improving the flow of the plant juices. X-Rooting is very rapidly absorbed by the cells of the plant (via the biochemical system of X-Rooting, the oligopeptides), thus consuming no energy from the plant and therefore independent of photosynthesis.

X-Rooting increases the yield, the size and colouring of the flower/fruit and activates the ripening process. X-Rooting is especially suitable for the treatment of plants that have been subjected to adverse conditions such as transportation, replanting, frost, wind, hail, pruning and treatment against weeds or insects.

Bacillus subtilis is a natural soil micro-organism. The Bacillus subtilis strain that we use is produced from natural strains and is not genetically modified. The bacterium enhances the natural plant defence system. It promotes growth and increases yield. Plant hormones’ similar mechanisms contribute to improvement of the natural resistance and a yield improvement. The bacterium inhibits or prevents soil-borne diseases. It causes a healthy competition in the rhizosphere and strongly decreases pathogenic fungi. It also promotes the creation of new roots.

The characteristics of Bacillus subtilis. are such that a small, Gram-positive, aerobic and spore-forming bacterium. The organism grows at temperatures between 12° C and 55° C. It is a natural soil micro-organism.

BIO GREEN X Rooting Available in .....

250ml, 1, 5 & 10ltr

Research has shown which metals the bacteria can consume and under what growth conditions the transporting enzyme is created. It appears that Bacillus subtilis can consume magnesium, manganese, cobalt, nickel and zinc. It also appears that - in spite of the fact that citric acid occurs a lot in nature - it is necessary to add citric acid to the waste stream.

Humic acids and Fulvic acids play an important role in the transport of nutrients and stimulate the production of natural growth hormones. Strong roots develop thanks to Humic acids, allowing better absorption of nutrients. It stimulates the growth of micro-organisms, and it lowers the pH value. The Humic acids in X-Rooting increase production, the size and colouring of the fruit and activate the ripening process. The amino acids contribute to the increase in the chlorophyll content and slow down aging by increasing the photosynthesis.

The special vitamin cocktail ensures faster and better root growth, better nutrient intake and a more effective use of fertilisers.

Salicylic acid strengthens the cell wall and thus increases the resistance of the plant against external influences.

Root Stimulators

A selection of other root stimulators currently available on the market...

H&G ROOTS EXCELERATOR

H&G ROOTS STIMULATOR

CANNA RHIZOTONIC

PLANT MAGIC ROOT STIMULANT

SUPERTHRIVE

BLOOM ROOTS

BCUZZ WORTEL STIM

BIOBIZZ ROOTJUICE

DUTCH PRO TAKE ROOT

HYDROTOPS ROOT STIMULATOR

SHOGUN KATANA ROOTS

ATAMI ROOTBASTIC

NUTRIBOOST GROW HARD

VITA-LINK BIO-PLUS

PLAGRON POWER ROOTS

GROWTH TECHNOLOGY GREENFUSE ROOT STIMULATOR

B.A.C ORGANIC ROOT STIMULATOR

HUMBOLDT NUTRIENTS HUMBOLDT ROOTS

PLANT LIFE PRODUCTS PROP-O-GATOR

Expert Opinions The Voice of the Nutrient and Fertiliser Manufacturers...

Have your say...

Because plant nutrition is never straight forward, HYDROMAG invites its advertisers to explain exactly what goes on in their products.

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Contact Nico to have your say: nico@hydromag.co.uk

GROW TEST

CASH CROPS IN A TENT AT HYDROMAG HEADQUARTERS Can we grow profitable food crops in a growtent?

After visiting Autopot at their research and development greenhouse last issue, I was left with a cold, empty feeling after Jason’s remarks about making a profit from hydroponics...

When Nick asked him “So would you say that a nursery this size is commercially viable for growing chillies?” Jason answered “In my honest opinion, Nick, not really”.

Undeterred by Jason’s answer, I started to wonder, what crops are profitable and is it possible to grow a profitable crop in a grow tent? The third HYDROMAG grow test was born. At the time I was visiting a lot of shops whilst filming HYDROSHOW.tv. Every time I asked the question “Is there a [legit] crop we can grow in a tent and make a profit from?” I was given the same answer; “Not that we know of, but when you find one, let us know”. That was until I visited Gro Supplies in Newcastle, where Peter suggested Wheatgrass... what a great idea, a low light crop that grows in a matter of days and can be frozen and sold to pretentious Soho types for £4 a shot!

Having done a little research, I found an online store that was selling wheatgrass shots by delivery; 7 x 35ml shots for £15. Also online are several stores selling wheatgrass growing kits which usually consist of seeds, some basic growing trays and a bag of soil. But wait a minute, surely growing wheatgrass using hydroponics would be more efficient (as with pretty much every food crop currently grown in hydroponics)?

My first challenge was to determine the best growing method, then work out just how much wheatgrass juice I can create.

EQUIPMENT / COST OF SETUP...

First of all, I had to find the correct tent. A standard grow tent would be of no use, as it only has one growing platform - the floor! So I set out looking at cloning tents. The natural choice turned out to be Growlab’s CloneLab, as it has three shelves, and it’s tall and wide. I decided to maximise on growing space by buying two, that way I could have up to five shelves, plus the floor, and a spare skin.

Next, I needed to find grow trays. Having experimented with plastics from Ikea, this seemed like the natural choice, plus they’re readily available, food safe and cheap! I would also need lighting; I had some Sunblaster T5s hanging around and as wheatgrass doesn’t require a lot of light, these would be ideal. Finally, my seeds would need nutrition, so I went for GET’s Let’s Start, a full plant food ideal for young plants. Other bits and bobs are on the shopping list opposite...

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Growlab Tall x 2

£400.00

Airline 30m

£15.00

Sunblaster T5s x 5 £150.00

Air Fittings

£10.00

Garland Tray x 5 off £62.50

Correx x 3

£30.00

Trofast Tray x 15

£22.50

Wheatgrass Juicer £119.00

Trofast Tray Lid 15

£15.00

Airstones x 18

£45.00

Air Pump x 3

£82.50

Sieve x 3 Ikea Samla Tray x 3 Ikea Kroken Jar x 3 GET Let’s Start

Shot Glasses x 500

£36.00 £4.50 £3.75 £24.00

£79.00

5 inch TT fan & Duct £40.00

Total: £1138.75

TEST #1 - CONTROL We spoke to Thomas at NPK Technology in Liverpool, who stated that he had literally thrown a handful of wheatgrass seeds into a bucket with some plain water and 8 days later he had wheatgrass. So, we put this to the test. Using a tray from Ikea, we added a layer of wheatgrass seeds and kept it moist in a dark place for 2 days, then put it under a single 24w Sunblaster T5 lamp for a further 8 days...

The aim of this test was to give us a target to beat...

GROWTH PERIOD 10 days GROWTH HEIGHT:

4-8 inch

PROBLEMS: • Inconsistent /patchy growth

• White mould • Pink Mould

TEST #2 - SPROUTING TRIALS When growing wheatgrass for juice, it essentially has two growth periods; sprouting and growing. If we want to improve our growth results, we need to work out the most efficient method of each period. The next test would be sprouting.

METHOD MET HOD 1 We pla placed ced 2 cup cupss of of wheatg whe atgras rasss seed seedss in in a gl glass ass jar,, and jar and cov covere ered d them them with with water. wat er.

METHOD MET HOD 2 We pla placed ced 2 cups cups o off wheatg whe atgras rasss sseed eedss in in a gl glass ass jar,, cove jar covered red th them em with with wate water, r, and ad added ded an air air bubb bubbler ler..

METHOD MET HOD 3 We pla placed ced 2 cup cupss of of whea wheatgr tgrass ass in a lar large ge sie sieve ve alo along ng wit with h 3 ai airr bubb bubbler lers, s, and subme submerge rged d the the see seeds ds in wat water. er. Th Thee idea idea he here re was to gi give ve the se seeds eds much much moree air mor air ove overr a great greater er sur surfac facee area area..

Firstly, the seeds were kept in their respective sprouting vessels for 36 hours. The water was replaced every 12 hours, and the seeds were given a good rinse with the same amount of water. They were then transplanted in to the Ikea Trojan trays and given the same amount of water, placed on the same shelf in the Growlab Tall and kept in the dark for 24 hours.

METHOD MET HOD 1 - RES RESULT ULTS: S: Thinner more sparse growth, visibly shorter in height.

METHOD MET HOD 2 - RES RESULT ULTS: S: Thicker growth than Method 1 and visibly taller in height.

METHOD MET HOD 3 - RES RESULT ULTS: S: Thicker growth that Methods 1 and 2 and visibly taller in height.

GROWTH TEST - THREE ALTERNATIVE METHODS...

Having Hav ing de deter termin mined ed the be best st spr sprout outing ing me metho thod, d, it was no now w time time to find the be best st growin growing g meth method. od.....

METHOD MET HOD 1 We placed placed 2 cup cupss ((dry dry)) of of spro sproute uted d whea wheatgr tgrass ass seeds see ds in a TTrof rofast ast Tr Tray, ay, an and d fed fed it with with a ha half lf streng str ength th see seedli dling ng nut nutrie rient. nt.

METHOD MET HOD 2 We pla placed ced 2 cup cupss (dry (dry)) of of spro sproute uted d whea wheatgr tgrass ass seeds see ds in a Trof Trofast ast Tray, Tray, on a bed of fine see seedli dling ng soil,l, and fe soi fed d it it with with plain plain water water..

METHOD MET HOD 3 We pla placed ced 2 cup cupss (dry (dry)) of of sspro proute uted d whea wheatgr tgrass ass seeds see ds in a Trof Trofast ast tray tray wit with h hole holes, s, within within an anoth other er tray, tra y, add adding ing a bub bubble blerr and and fee feedin ding g it it w with ith a hal halff streng str ength th see seedli dling ng nut nutrie rient. nt.

METHOD MET HOD 1 (Third pl (Third place ace))

METHOD MET HOD 2 (Second (Secon d plac place) e)

METHOD MET HOD 3 (First pl (First place ace))

GROWTH HEIGHT:

6-8 inch

GROWTH HEIGHT:

PROBLEMS: • Inconsistent / patchy growth

8-10 inch

PROBLEMS: • Inconsistent / patchy growth

• Abundance of White mould

• Some White mould

Now I had found my prefered sprouting and growing methods, it was time to apply them to a full tent setup. I would use 5 garland trays, with a piece of Correx each housing 3 cross-drilled Trojan trays, as below...

YIELD...

RUNNING COST...

Electricity £150/annum

Per 25kg of Seed 150 crops

Wheatgrass seeds £75/annum

Shots per crop 4.5

Water £30.40/annum

Total shots / 25kg 675 x 40ml 15 crops 8 days

VALUE OF PRODUCE...

355 day per year/8 45.625 crops 45.625 x 15 trays 684.375 trays per year 684 trays x 4.5 shots 3079 shots per year

Wholesale £1/shot Retail Internet £1.50/shot Retail Highstreet £3.00/shot

TURNOVER - SETUP COST - RUNNING COST... (YEAR 1) Initial Cost £1138.75

34 32

Wholesale Gross Profit £1940.25

Retail Int’ Gross Profit £3479.75

Retail HS’ Gross Profit £6874.25

GROWTH HEIGHT:

8-10 inch

PROBLEMS: • Inconsistent height

• A little White mould

PIMP MY GROW TENT Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaah Boyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…..

Straight up pimpery of 1.2m Grow tents.

We pitch two stores head to head in a balls to the wall challenge, to see who comes up with the best bottom bitch (tent kit wise that is).

We’ve all done it: slowly wandered around your favourite grow store ogling all the shiny, state of the art toys they have to play with. Imagining to yourself how fricking awesome it would be to have your pick of everything they have on display, and get it all set up in order to craft the ultimate grow tent. It’s usually at this point that a big sad face would come over most people.

The minute you realise the crumpled tenners in your back pocket won’t stretch to get you even a fraction of the equipment you would like, let alone the supersized bacon double cheese burger meal you’d planned on the way home. So you shuffle off to the counter and with a long sigh you pay for a small bottle of ‘boost’(in recognition of all the money you normally spend), then grab your change and walk off sporting your best limp, whilst throwing up a fist or possibly peace signs up on your way out.

That is usually as far as the notion of a pimped out tent kit goes. As much as we all have the perfect vision of what equipment is needed for the ultimate tent in our head, that’s usually where the idea stays, no-one really ever has the money required to manifest it into real life.

Besides the monetary costs, everyone has a different idea of what would actually make up the ultimate tent kit.

‘The best’ is never as cut and dry as it ought to be. It is precisely this sort of ambiguity (as well as their access to products) that gave us the idea of pitching two well respected stores’ versions of pimped out tents against each other, and then judging them against one another in order to decide who we would crown with the highest of accolades going in our industry: ‘Tent Pimp of the Year’.

Watch Episode 2 Series 1.1 of

to see this feature Available on www.hydroshow.tv

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HOW WE DECIDE In order to give any sort of fair judgement between the kits, we decided to break the tent kit down to its main areas, and then compare each shop’s versions of equipment within each category directly against each other. The categories we broke it down into, and what aspects of these we would need to consider are as follows: 1. TENTS: Look at things such as: quality of materials used, vents hole sizes and placement, viewing windows, reflectivity of inner lining and any unique features that would give one brand of tent an advantage over the next.

2. LIGHTING: Which ballast and lamp combination will give the best output?

Which reflector would be most suitable for this sized area? Which arrangement of supplementary lighting would be most effective?

3. SYSTEM AND IRRIGATION: Is it even possible to judge a ‘best system’? We look at pros and cons of each system put forward, and how they are being used, to determine if there can be any clear leader defined between them.

4. VENTILATION/ENVIRONMENTAL: What ventilation equipment does each tent sport? What environmental control equipment does each tent sport? Which combination of equipment would give you the best control over the environment in a tent?

5. GROWTH MEDIA: Very tricky to judge a ‘best’. It is more of a question of whether the media suggested is suitable for the intended system.

6. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT: Again a tricky one to judge. In fact almost too close to call.

7. CO2 SUPPLEMENTATION: Which tent kit provides the best Co2 supplementation?

(If any… Gro Supplies, I’m looking in your direction).

8. GADGETS: Being a ‘Pimp My Grow Tent’ challenge, the inclusion of any extra gadgetry, wizardry or shiny things that gets the oil pumping through our technology loving veins will give extra bonus points to the deserving side.

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

NICK & GRO SUPPLIES

GEMMA & NPK TECHNOLOGY

In the blue corner Nick, our HYDROSHOW TV presenter visited Gro Supplies in Newcastle to kit out their tent.

We sent Gemma to NPK Technology in Liverpool to pimp out the challenging ‘green corner’ tent... let the games commence... yeeehaaaa!

1. TENT GreenQube 1.2m.

2. LIGHTING 400v, 600w digital Lumatek ballast.

Phillips 600w Greenpower Bulb. Grostar reflector. 18 T5 strip lights providing 432w of supplemental light.

1. TENT HOMEbox 1.2m.

2. LIGHTING 600w Digital Ballast, 600W Sunmaster bulb, Swiss pro gold standard reflector. 2x 30w LEDs for supplemental lighting.

3. SYSTEM & IRRIGATION Autopot 4pot Excel system.

4. VENTILATION/ENVIRONMENT 1x Isomax 6”. 1x Mixflow 5”.

SMS Hybrid controller.

3. SYSTEM & IRRIGATION Multiflow 4 Pot Flood and Drain.

4. VENTILATION/ENVIRONMENT 1x Can-Fan 6” silenced fan.

5. GROWTH MEDIA Coco and perlite mix.

6. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT Plantlife Products full suite.

5. GROWTH MEDIA Gold Label 60/40 Coir and Pebble mix.

6. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT Cyco Pro Kit.

7. CO2 SUPPLEMENTATION Occasionally breathing in the tent.

8. GADGETS Tri-meter.

7. CO2 SUPPLEMENTATION Exhale Co2 Bags.

8. GADGETS Biowave Mini.

NICK & Gro Supplies

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GEMMA & NPK TECHNOLOGY

THE VERDICT 1. THE TENTS:

2. LIGHTING:

3. IRRIGATION SYSTEM:

NPK: Homebox 1.2M VS Gro Supplies: Greenqube 1.2M

NPK: 600W Digital Ballast / 600W Sunmaster Bulb / Swiss Pro Gold Standard Reflector / 2X 30W Leds For Supplemental Lighting .

Gro Supplies: 400V / 600W Digital Lumatek Ballast / Phillips 600W Greenpower Bulb / Grostar Reflector / 18 T5 Strip Lights Providing 432W Of Supplemental Light.

NPK: Multiflow 4 Pot Flood And Drain Gro Supplies: Autopot 4 Pot Excel System

Both of these tents are high quality brands.

They both have heavy duty support bars, and a thick tent skin material. The main differences came down to the fact that the GreenQube tent had features such as viewing windows, more and larger vent ports and access points going for it, making it easier and more diverse a tent for the user. However, our decision was swung by the PAR+ reflective lining of the HOMEbox tent. We felt it provided more in the way of tangible benefits to the plants, effectively giving the plants more growing potential from extra available photons.

WINNER: NPK

The winner of this category almost needs no explanation. The choice of the 400v ballast to power the phillips greenpower lamp, and the use of a Growstar reflector give a clear advantage to this lighting system. With a combined total of 432 watts of T5 supplemental lighting, that can be programmed to mimic the rise and fall of the sun, this setup as a whole leaves NPK’s version (wait for it) in the dark.

WINNER: Gro Supplies

Initially it was decided that Gro Supplies had won this category, as their irrigation system was supplied with a Tri-meter for measuring the EC, pH and temperature of the solution.

However, after putting my anally retentive cap on, I’ve decided the Tri-meter should really be classed in the gadgets section, as strictly speaking, it is not a part of the irrigation system. As the Multiflow has a lot more electronic gadgetry built in that gives the user a lot more control over their irrigation cycles, I have now decided to give this category to NPK.

WINNER: NPK

4. VENTILATION/ENVIRONMENT:

5. GROWTH MEDIA:

6. NUTRITION:

NPK: 1X Can-Fan 6” Silenced Fan Gro Supplies: 1X Isomax 6”/ 1X Mixflow 5” SMS Hybrid controller.

NPK: Gold Label 60/40 Coir And Pebble Mix Gro Supplies: Coco And Perlite Mix First time round it was deemed that it would need too much testing, and be too close to call as to which media would be best. At first glance this could well be the case, however I think if you consider the application of each media you can easily argue that there is a winner. Using a 60/40 mix for a flood and drain system does work, but the pro in me screams out saying to keep it purely pebbles. Using pure pebbles means the media dries out quicker, which in turn means you need to flood and drain more often, which in turn means you get more fresh oxygen available to your root zone, which in turn means your plant has an increased potential for nutrient uptake. So then, because the choice of media NPK used was a less suitable choice for the system they went for, in my eyes this gave Gro Supplies the upper hand here.

NPK: Cyco Pro Kit Gro Supplies: Plantlife Products Full Suite

Again, this is almost a no brainer as to which set–up is best. Having two fans and a controller for ventilation, means fine tuning of your temperature is possible. This is particularly useful for the night time cycle.

The fans will run on idle so the temperature will not drop too drastically, and your fan heaters (if they were even thought about being included *cough*) will not have to work as hard. I have to say I’m somewhat surprised by the lack of both heating and humidification equipment in both of these kits. These are easy additions to pimp a grow room, and will actually make a massive difference to your end result when controlled correctly.

WINNER: Gro Supplies

WINNER: Gro Supplies

7. CO2 SUPPLEMENTATION: NPK: Exhale Co2 Bags. Gro Supplies: Occasionally breathing in the tent.

CO2 Exhale bags are a quick and simple way to raise your room’s ppm’s. Simply chuck them in your room and they start doing their thing. There is a host of other CO2 equipment on the market, but merely by their very presence do they win NPK this category. Slight oversight on the part of Gro Supplies here methinks.

WINNER: NPK

This one really is hard to call. Both ranges of nutrients have good grow and bloom versions, plus all the usual additives you could feasibly conceive. To say one range is better without direct testing really would be shooting ourselves in the foot here, so we are simply going to play Swiss. Like a caring mother unto her children, we love them both equally as much as each other (although really one is usually best).

WINNER: DRAW 8. GADGETS: NPK: Biowave Mini Gro Supplies: Tri-meter.

Previously the Biowave mini had won this category for NPK. However, other than some grandiose marketing claims, and a couple of 3rd hand reports, I’ve not seen any hard data that confirms the sort of results they claim are possible. Possibly my inbuilt scepticism at play, but If they were magic in a box, everyone would be using them, commercially in particular. The Tri-meter I see as a gadget that will give you physical data back that you can directly use for the benefit of your crop. It’s because of this I deem it a more worthy gadget to have, which now gives this category a new owner.

WINNER: Gro Supplies

OVERALL OUTCOME: NPK: 3 POINTS VS Gro Supplies: 4 POINTS - Gro Supplies WINS To be fair, they are both good kits in their own right, but under scrutiny I’d say Gro Supplies’ tent kit definitely has the edge in order for you to get the most out of your plants.

Going through the categories we set out it has been fairly close over-all, with Gro Supplies taking it by just one point. Obviously the next step would be to put the kit through its paces, so Aiden, if you could send all the equipment over to the office for us, we’ll make sure it definitely all works properly for you.

So then… Somewhat controversially, the Pimp Crown has been passed, and it would appear that the new mack-daddy of tent kits is officially Gro Supplies. We will be sending a cane, platform shoes, massive hat and a fur cape over to Aiden at Gro Supplies. With an accolade as prestigious as this I’m pretty sure that he’ll be wearing them all whilst going about his usual day to day business. If he isn’t sporting them when you next see him they probably all got lost in the post or something.

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Flora Series

FloraGro FloraMicro FloraBloom

B R I N G I N G N AT U R E A N D T E C H N O L O G Y T O G E T H E R

Gadgets

Tablets are fast becoming a huge part of everyday life and as they adapt so well to every day tasks, it’s easy to see why. Tablets are brilliantly versatile, and can be used for anything from presenter’s notes to TV catch-up on the train, art boards or children’s games consoles. They’re also great for reading from.

Unite - secure wall and cabinet tablet mount The wall and cabinet mount is more of a permanent fixture that allows you to position your tablet perfectly in your kitchen, classroom or office with the strong screw fixed mount. The tablet can be easily removed and taken with you, but gives you the perfect position every time for a load, secure, and go use.

Unite - Universal Tablet Clamp Mount

The perfect example of where this mount excels in is the kitchen. Getting sauce, milk or crumbs on a tablet is never an ideal pairing, but the adaptable tablet is the perfect cooking partner when you need your hands elsewhere.

One of the most obvious uses for a tablet is to watch TV or films on. They’re perfect for catching up or even for video calls on the move. They’re also brilliant for keeping the kids entertained on long journeys.

The Unite tablet clamp mounts allow your tablet to be perfectly positioned by the point of sale, on a desktop, as an additional screen on your home office desk, or just to ensure that your tablet is always in the right position to work from.

Watching a TV chef at work? Reading the latest recipe you downloaded from your online magazine? Simply just watching a YouTube ‘how to’ video? Mount your tablet to your wall or cabinet and it will help you, entertain you and guide you while you cook… without getting its hands dirty!

The Unite universal mount is perfect for any 7”-10” tablet, keeping your iPad, Surface, Nexus or Galaxy at the perfect angle. Built from carbon fibre, the Unite is also very strong whilst maintaining a lightweight structure. The spherical joints allow for limitless angles and positions.

Like the headrest mount, the tablet clamp mount is built from carbon fibre and has adjustable spherical joints. Perfect positioning keeps them adding to your work’s productivity rather than adding something else to mess about with.

Mount your tablet; don’t introduce more technology Unite - secure wall and cabinet tablet mount...

The Unite Clamp Mount attaches to the widest of flat surfaces and has two articulated arms for maximum reach and maneuverability, making it work for you while you work on it.

The adaptability of your tablet should not be affected by the environment you work in. Having a great mount allows you to take your tablet with you, and also saves you installing more technology when you already have a device that does the job of the TV, in-car audio and more.

Unite - Universal Tablet Headrest Mount

Adding a screen to your car’s headrests is a costly addition to your in-car entertainment, but using the Unite mount as an alternative allows you to use your tablet effectively and is far kinder to your wallet!

Why spend money on an entirely new system when it will become out-of-date? Secure your tablet with a universal mount and even if you update your tablet, the universal mounts will be there to help you get the most out of your new tech companion.

At the Gadget Bank we’ve tried and tested many electronics products and accessories, and we feel very passionate about everything we sell on our site. If you buy something from Gadget Bank, you can be sure it is of high quality!

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Use Offer Code: HY1013 for 10% OFF all tablet mounts at www.thegadgetbank.com

AVAILABLE JOR T H R O U G H MA DISTRIBUTORS WORLDWIDE

HYDRO-SCOPE.COM

100 FILMS

TO WATCH BEFORE YOU SNUFF IT: DRAMA

The grinding, inexorable march of time. Is it ten years already since your last holiday outside Europe? Twenty years since you left school?

Five years since your last really firm erection? Where did it all go?

Time just keeps on keeping on... All too soon you’ll be remembering your current depressing set of circumstances as some sort of “Golden Age”. But as Woody Allen’s suicidal character Mickey in Hannah and Her Sisters says after a life-saving trip to the movies: “I started getting hooked on the film. I started to feel, how can you even think of killing yourself, I mean isn’t it so stupid … and what if the worst is true? What if there is no God and you only go around once and that’s it? Well, ya know, don’t you wanna be part of the experience?”

And as we see the back of yet another Christmas, swirling into the vortex of time like so much detritus in a lavatory bowl, we move onto the granddaddy of film genres: Drama. Sat at the head of the table, nodding off occasionally, but solemn, serious, commanding reverence and respect – even as the young tykes of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror seem to be having more fun cavorting around the room with their party poppers and paper hats.

More than any other genre this is a tough one to distil down to just five recommendations. So before you send bullets in the post to HYDROMAG’S head office for leaving out Titanic or The King’s Speech, bear in mind these are just recommendations. (You ill-educated freaks).

This edition: Drama. A genre that encompasses realistically-drawn characters, usually dealing with weighty emotional themes and conflicts.

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Midnight Cowboy DIRECTOR: John Schlesinger (1969)

Who would have thought a film about a dumb young Texan having his dreams shattered in a wintry New York City would prove such fun? Jon Voigt plays Joe Buck, a dishwasher convinced the classy rich dames of the East Coast will pay good money for sex. His naivety is brutally exposed – ending up paying his first client, getting hoodwinked by Dustin Hoffman’s conman Ratso, and generally falling foul of the ruthless Big Apple. And while he dreams of becoming the American Gigolo, Ratso pines for the sunshine of Florida. Schlesinger described his Oscar winning movie as an exploration of loneliness, and much of its pathos derives from the touching but unlikely relationship that evolves between the street-smart Ratso and the childlike Joe – two spent swimmers clinging together for survival. Perhaps because of, rather than despite, his background, Schlesinger – a Jewish, gay middleclass Londoner was able to direct the quintessential film of the perversion of the American Dream.

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“Who would have thought a film about a dumb young Texan having his dreams shattered in a wintry New York City would prove such fun?”

04 8½

DIRECTOR: Federico Fellini (1963) Having directed eight and a half films (including shorts), Fellini was under contract to deliver his next project. Suffering creative block, he took the unusual self-referential route of making his next film about his struggles making his next film. The result is one of the most extraordinarily daring and influential pieces of cinema. 8 ½ is perhaps the best example of Fellini’s predilection for cinematic rule breaking, as well as his fondness for dream sequences, fantasy, and the absurd. His work has had a huge bearing on the careers of Woody Allen, Charlie Kaufmann, David Lynch, Terry Gilliam and many others besides.

The narrative follows the successful Guido Anselmi, as he seeks inspiration to direct an upcoming science fiction film while dealing with marital problems and existential crisis. Anselmi is a hotbed of conflicting desires and emotions. The film itself is a projection of his spiritual confusion – an energetic battle between rambling incomprehension and intricate genius.

“...when Death himself arrives to take him...Block buys time by challenging Death to a game of chess...”

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The Seventh Seal DIRECTOR: Ingmar Bergman (1957) There are many brilliant films in Bergman’s catalogue (12 of them with 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes) but we’ve opted for The Seventh Seal for its uncanny tie in with our theme of “Films to Watch Before You Snuff It”. This deeply allegorical story follows Antonius Block, a 14th Century knight on the final stretch of his return from crusading in the Middle East. He encounters his ancestral homeland in a state of flux, with a plague decimating the population. Furthermore, barely has he landed when Death himself arrives to take him. Block buys time by challenging Death to a game of chess – a game they play at regular intervals throughout the duration of the film. Block wavers between exhibiting a stoic – almost arrogant – belief that he can outsmart death, and paralysing existential dread. His squire in the meantime acts as a stark counterpoint, accepting the inevitable with witty cynicism. It’s a courageous art film steeped in metaphor, forcing us to confront our mortality and question religious faith.

02

Citizen Kane DIRECTOR: Orson Welles (1941)

As boring as it may be to include it here, there is a good reason Citizen Kane is continuously cited as, if not the best, then one of the best movies of all time. It’s a staggering accomplishment, more so for the fact the film was written, produced and directed by, as well as starring, the then 25-year-old Orson Welles on his cinematic debut. The ambition of Welles, on all counts, was extraordinary.

To this day the pioneering cinematography, use of light, and technical wizardry of Welles and his cinematographer Gregg Toland is startlingly fresh and imaginative. Similarly, the story (in effect a mystery revolving around the final words of a dying media magnate) tap-dances back and forth through time - feeling vibrant and modern. For some while critics have speculated when the fuss will finally die down. Seventy three years and we’re still counting.

“...there is a good reason Citizen Kane is cited as one of the best movies of all time. It’s a staggering accomplishment, more so for the fact the film was written, produced and directed by, as well as starring, the then 25-year-old Orson Welles on his cinematic debut. ” 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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01

Tokyo Story DIRECTOR: Yasujirō Ozu (1953)

In Japanese culture there exists a concept called “wa”. The exact translation is slightly elusive but it pertains to the importance of peaceful, unspoken adherence to social and group harmony.

Creating a scene is considered a heinous crime. Tokyo Story is itself a wonderful expression of the wa concept – making powerful points without ever rocking the boat. There are no unseemly outpourings of emotion, no raised voices.

The film serves to highlight the lack of reverence and gratitude the younger generations often have for their elders, and how modern living is exacerbating this trend. Elderly couple Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama pay a visit to their grown-up children and their families in Tokyo, knowing it’s likely to be for the final time.

Once there, they are treated almost as an irritant, passed from one ungrateful, albeit busy, child to the next. Although clearly smarting, Shūkichi and Tomi’s dignified acceptance of their situation makes its conclusion all the more poignant. There will be a lump in your throat long after viewing.

FUNK Funk That Shit…

Sliding gracefully through the A-Z of music, we meet fleshy resistance in the form of the uncontainably cool genre of Funk. And boppers, we have some great selections for you here at HYDROMAG. James Brown was asked ‘What is Funky Music?’ and he replied ‘If you can describe it, then it just ain’t Funky’, insinuating that ‘Funk music’ is not crafted from the conscious rational mind, that Funk is a feel thing, it is tribal, more limbic brain, more of a body grooving, always moving, underpant protruding vibe of pure cool. Funk can mean a strange smell, someone can be in an emotional ‘Funk’, if someone is described as ‘Funky’ they are generally thought of as cool, bohemian, laid back and a bit out of the ordinary. So in an attempt to link these together and defy James Brown, Funk is an abstract term for a ‘vibe’ that is not part of the conservative, bourgeois, uptight mainstream. It is music that puts a smile on your face and a spring in your step. It can be socially conscious, it can be just plain erotic a la Prince, but essentially it is the voice of the working/middle class Black urban underground, hence its directness, its lack of pretence. The intention of Funky music is to get you to ‘get down’. Or is it to ‘get on up’?

FUNKADELIC

FUNKADELIC (1970) ‘If you will suck my soul, I will lick your funky emotions’ - (The opening line from Funkadelic’s eponymous debut). At a time when a lot of successful musicians of Black origin were releasing soppy soul pop with soft focus album covers, George Clinton formed Funkadelic, (‘Momma whats a Funkadelic?’) not just a band but a way of life, that mixed comedy, eroticism and wailing electric guitars into a cornucopia of funky psychedelic futurism. Their elaborate live shows were some of the most expensive in history, thrilling audiences with their supersonic music, performance art and crazily entertaining set pieces like entering the stage via their ‘mothership’, creating characters like ‘Dr Funkenstein’, who would fire his ‘Bop Gun’ to defeat nemesis, ‘Sir Nose D’voidoffunk’, by getting him to dance.

‘Maggot Brain’ is not on their debut, but is one of the greatest solo guitar pieces of all time and essential listening. The story goes that Clinton, under the influence of lysergic acid asked guitarist Eddie Hazel to imagine he’d been told his mother is dead, only then to find out that it was a lie. Funkadelic are quite simply mind blowing and I’m filled with jealousy for anyone yet to discover them.

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BETTY DAVIS BETTY DAVIS (1973)

“The intention of Funky music is to get you to ‘get down’. Or is it to ‘get on up’?”

CURTIS MAYFIELD SUPERFLY (1972) With his inimitable falsetto (Pharrell ahem..) and gorgeously subtle, tasteful signature Wah Wah guitar tone, Curtis Mayfield is a hero of American music.

Made as a soundtrack to the Blaxploitation movie of the same name, every song is constructed like its own groovy mini movie. Mayfield expresses through a simple and unsentimental lens, a series of cautionary ‘hipster parables’, sympathetic to the destructive choices disenfranchised urban males coming from a culture devoid of tangible routes to affluence, will largely and indeed understandably end up making. It is dire socio-economic situations that link people to a life of drugs and crime, not someone’s skin colour, an important sentiment at a time where casual and some not so casual racism was prevalent. One of the most inspirational songs of all-time, the urgent, the relentless ‘Move On Up’ isn’t on ‘Superfly’, but it is a vital part of his social message and considered one of the best songs ever written. ‘Ghetto Child’, ‘Pusherman’ and ‘Freddie’s Dead’ show us the vice ridden underbelly of Black urban America and ‘Move On Up’ is a rousing, spiritual call to arms for the oppressed Black community, to transcend both the prejudice and accusatory tone of Middle America and the lure of the gang bangers and criminals.

‘Move On Up’ reminds us that spiritual emancipation is a constant struggle; whether fighting prejudice in any of its awful forms or simply weighed down by the sometime crippling existential complexity of life, its hard to be a human sometimes, but with Curtis in your corner, Moving On Up feels absolutely possible…

Betty Davis AKA ‘The Patron Saint Of Badass Women’ as she was also known, was quite simply ‘A Tour De Ass’. Aggressively lascivious, the album is soaked in sweat, sex, tobacco, late nights and whiskey. If Betty Davis had hit the scene in a different era, she probably would have been a huge commercial success given her talent and compelling effervescence, but she cut a pretty controversial figure in 1973, a time when no one of any colour or background was used to seeing women be quite so overtly sexually liberated, masculine, provocative or independent. She terrified the Y Fronts off of almost everyone. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) tried to keep her as a niche artist as they had concerns she would inflame racial tensions on the religious right and cause riots if she became too big. Sadly they got radio stations to ban her songs and encouraged people to boycott her shows. She was progressive, exceptionally talented and beautiful and her marriage to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis had an enormous influence on his tastes. She turned Miles wild and got him into psychedelia, funk, its fashions and its movement which very directly led to the creation of arguably the greatest Jazz album of all time, Bitches Brew.

THE METERS THE METERS ANTHOLOGY (1995) Stewart Copeland from The Police said ‘The Graham Bond Organisation were to musicians, what The Beatles were to everyone else’ and exactly the same could be said about The Meters, who were an incredibly tight, ultra classy, jazz funk band from New Orleans. Led by Art Neville (also of Neville Bros fame), they are a super group of fantastic Louisiana session players who forged their craft by ripping up the club scene and emerged as the best funk band to come out of New Orleans, which is no mean feat considering the discerning tastes and reputation and love for music in that region. They exercise a tender discipline and exude the kind of effortlessness that bands only achieve after playing together for years.

There is a timeless appeal to any form of art that is so obviously exceptional. The Meters and the enjoyment to be had hearing their cool, catchy, funky as shit riffs is transpersonal and trans-generational.

JAMES BROWN

HERBIE HANCOCK

LIVE AT THE APOLLO (1963)

HEADHUNTERS (1973)

Like a lot of iconic stars in the pantheon of musical greats, it’s easy to become a bit blasé about James Brown, we’ve all heard Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag a thousand times, but it is a challenge to think of any performer of any genre of any era that has quite the same intensity, energy, sexiness, talent and power. He strutted out on stage every time, to take people’s heads off. By marrying the outpouring of passion and transcendence from the gospel church, with the hedonistic and erotic energy of rock, his music urges you to move, to dance, to freak out, it gives us funk seizures, causing us to speak in tongues full of nothing but reverential worship for ‘The Godfather Of Soul’. His live shows were a moveable feast, amazing costumes, enormous swinging bands, sexy female backing singers and dancers and of course Brown, this tiny, wailing, frenetic, sweating, incomprehensibly skilled incandescent dancing ball of pure funk.

Simply one of if not the greatest performer of all time in all music.

Classically trained Jazz impresario Herbie Hancock released arguably his best work with the incredible ‘Headhunters’. Playing his distinctive Fender Rhodes electric piano, the album kicks off with one of the most instantly recognisable bass riffs with ‘Chameleon’, a song that has become as ubiquitous to jam to in the Jazz world as ‘My Funny Valentine’. If you like Jazz, Funk or Blues it is a non negotiable, you simply have to get this record. It is in the top 500 greatest albums of all time in almost any music critic’s list and for very good reason.

Herbie Hancock is one of the greatest living musicians and deserves a lot of attention and respect as a truly transcendent pianist.

This dirty funk period of his, was by his admission ‘low brow’ by his standards, as it was a departure from his usual more spiritual, meditative approach that is such a feature of his recent solo work and his career with Miles Davis, but Hancock’s low brow is still one of the grooviest, catchiest, popular and greatest sounds going in Funk music.

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“He strutted out on stage every time, to take people’s heads off. James Brown is simply one of, if not the greatest performer of all time in all music”

GROW GEAR Grow Gear gives you a taste of our advertisers’ 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.

ATAMI Blossom Builder Liquid - A finisher like no other!

Especially for the grower who only wants the best for their plants Atami has expanded their B’cuzz range with Blossom Builder Liquid; a finisher like no other! It is commonly known that as the flowering phase progresses, your plants’ need for Phosphorus and Potassium will increase as well. Especially for the final 2 to 4 weeks in this flowering phase, Atami has developed B’cuzz Blossom Builder Liquid.

Blossom Builder Liquid ensures an improved structure of the fruit and creates strong, healthy and beautiful large fragrant flowers/ fruit.

Due to the unique P:K ratio of 20% and 32% Blossom Builder Liquid meets all your plants’ needs, also the higher level of Phosporus compared to Potassium improves the hardening of the fruit.

The B’cuzz Blossom Builder Liquid can be used in combination with soil, cocos or hydro and is usable in any irrigation system.

ATAMI Dynamic Duo Bloomstimulator Following our, by now well-know, Dynamic Duo Bloombastic with Rootbastic, we now introduce our new Dynamic Duo Bloomstimulator with Blossom Builder Liquid. An indispensable combination for the flowering period. Bloomstimulator makes for an increase of the sugar production, allowing for an even better taste of the product. The flowers will become bigger and more compact, but they preserve their charasteristic scent and taste.

Blossom Builder Liquid contains a unique PK ratio of 1-1,5 (20-32) and is highly concentrated: 0.25-0.5ml per litre of water. It will increase the size and the weight of your fruit. To be used as a finisher during the last 2-4 weeks of the ripening phase.

Buy one liter of Bloomstimulator now and get 50 ml of Blossom Builder Liquid for free!

For more information you can visit us at www.atami.com

CANNA COGr The less familiar line of CANNA is called CANNA COGr. This coco line consists of the same quality products as the CANNA COCO line but you are able to control the growth better via the Vega and Flores nutrients.

CANNA COGr Vega ensures healthy and strong plants that produce long, vigorous growth. CANNA COGr Flores stimulates fruit development and provides an unequalled juice production and large fruits. Both nutrients contain all the essential elements for optimal growing and optimal flowering. Not familiar yet with the CANNA COGr line?

Visit www.canna-calendar.com

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GROW GEAR CANNA COGr Board The CANNA COGr board is a compressed slab which consists of a sophisticated mix of coconut grit, coconut fibre, and coconut granulates.

The COGr board has the unique property of being able to absorb a large amount of nutrients, moisture and air, which is made available to the plant immediately. As the COGr board is delivered dry and in pressed form it is ideal for transportation!

For more information about the CANNA COGr board please check the CANNA website at www.canna-uk.com

CANNA COGr Buffer Agent

Especially for the grower who only wants the best for their plants Atami has expanded their B’cuzz range with Blossom Builder Liquid; a finisher like no other! It is commonly known that as the flowering phase progresses, your plants’ need for Phosphorus and Potassium will increase as well. Especially for the final 2 to 4 weeks in this flowering phase, Atami has developed B’cuzz Blossom Builder Liquid.

Blossom Builder Liquid ensures an improved structure of the fruit and creates strong, healthy and beautiful large fragrant flowers/ fruit.

Due to the unique P:K ratio of 20% and 32% Blossom Builder Liquid meets all your plants’ needs, also the higher level of Phosporus compared to Potassium improves the hardening of the fruit.

The B’cuzz Blossom Builder Liquid can be used in combination with soil, cocos or hydro and is usable in any irrigation system.

The CANNA COGr board comes pressed and is therefore not buffered.

To buffer the CANNA COGr board you need to use CANNA COGr Buffer Agent. With this product you can buffer the CANNA COGr board.

For more information about the CANNA COGr Buffer Agent please check the CANNA website at www.canna-uk.com

DUTCH GARDEN Rock Resonator Rock Resonator is uniquely formulated to actively stimulate oil production in any flowering plant. Reduced water content, combined with increases in essential oils results in an end product with increased weight, quality, density, aroma; everything a grower craves in a stand-alone flowering supplement. Resinator is specifically blended to feed readily absorbable potassium, phosphorous, and organic amino acids directly to the flowering sites with the result being a discernible increase in the final weight of any yield as treated plants produce dense, heavy flowers.

Rock Resinator works equally well in hydro, coco or soil, and with virtually all feeding regimens including DWC.

GROWING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES Power to Bloom and UMPH Power The only 2 part PK boost on the market. GET could not formulate this into one product as these two Boosters need to be applied at different times.

Use Power to Bloom to increase your flowers, at the third and fifth week of flowering. Add to growing medium, 1 gram per 10 liters of new nutrient solution. This causes an explosion of growth. Then four days later mist Umph Power onto your leaves and watch the essential oils on your plants increase.

It’s that simple, what we have done is not that simple though. Look after your garden and your garden will look after you.

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G.H.E WaterFarm NEW! To celebrate manufacturing our 150,000th WaterFarm, we are happy to announce the availability of our special “green birthday line”. Our WaterFarm is an excellent introduction to hydroponics: Top performances, reliable, easy-to-use and inexpensive. You can use them wherever you want: in a sitting room, an office, a veranda or a greenhouse; for any project: nurseries or indoor gardens for mother plants and collectibles, in the house for decorative or culinary plants of all sizes.

WaterFarm : limited edition 30.5 x 30.5 x 37 cm Volume 15L Still available in grey.

Also available: Special green AquaFarm

GORILLA GROW TENT 5’x5’ Gorilla Grow Tent Gorilla Grow Tent, now the leading manufacturer of grow tents, has revolutionised the industry by constructing the tallest, thickest, and strongest tent on the market today. Along with having the first ever height adjusting grow tent, increasing the tent’s size from 6’11” to 7’ 11”, Gorilla Grow Tent chose to increase the size by a foot on both width and length of the standard 4’x4’ conventional grow tent size. The result is the extremely popular 5’x5’Gorilla Grow Tent. All 4’x4’ flood and drain trays and most hydroponic systems fit comfortably in this perfectly sized grow tent with room to spare. According to indoor growers, this extra foot on both width and length also increases air circulation and results in much greater yields.

Grow Strong. Grow Gorilla.

F.D.P HR-15 & HR-50 Humidifiers Trying to raise humidity inside the grow room can be a difficult job.

Commonly available small scale humidifiers often prove too small to increase humidity to a satisfactory level. The HR-15 and HR-50 humidifiers are the only units capable of doing the job. With a choice of a basic Analogue Humidistat or a more advanced Digital Humidistat which will also control a dehumidifier or heater, you will have full control of these important factors.

For more information call FDP Wholesale 01392 848399 or visit www.fdpwholesale.co.uk

www.lighthouse-tents.com

MAX TENTS

Model

Size

MAX 0.5

0.5m x 1m x 1.8m

MAX 0.76

0.76m x 0.76 x 1.8m

MAX 1

1m x 1m x 2m

MAX 1.2

1.2m x 1.2m x 2m

MAX 2.4

1.2m x 2.4m x 2m

MAX 2m²

2m x 2m x 2m

MAX 2.4m²

2.4m x 2.4m x 2m

LITE TENTS

Woven Polyamide (PA) extremely strong – 600 Denier

Woven Polyamide (PA) extremely strong - 210 Denier

Black-out lightproof layer

Black-out lightproof layer

Silver coated metallised UltraLux film – durable and highly reflective

Model

Size

LITE 1m

1m x 1m x 2m

LITE 1.2m

1.2m x 1.2m x 2m

LITE 2.4m

1.2m x 2.4m x 2m

Clone

0.7m x 0.9m x 0.5m

Silver coated metallised UltraLux film – durable and highly reflective

GREEN-QUBE Grow Tent Green-Qube grow tents are super durable, ultra strong grow tents for serious growers, and with a low price tag they are also ideal for beginners.

Instantly recognizable as they come with bright green metal, extra thick poles and corners which can support over 100kg, Green-Qube tents are built to last. Other neat features include uplift bars for gravity-fed water systems, e.g.

AutoPot, military 10 gauge waterproof zips and innovative space savers such as the Roof-Qube, created for attic spaces. Designed and engineered by the experts, Green-Qube grow tents are durable, strong and most importantly affordable.

Visit us www.green-qube.com

GROWING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES The Aroma Formula A truly different way of feeding your plants! We have five bottles: VA & VB containing macro nutrients for Vegetative growth, FA & FB containing the perfect ratio of macro nutrients for flowering. MB contains the other vital micro elements and is used alongside both VA & VB, and FA & FB. This means the macro nutrients can be controlled precisely by gently increasing the quantities of the A+B per plant, whilst the micronutrients can be kept within optimum levels.

Some particularly heavy feeding plants may demand a lot more macro nutrients, which can now be catered for without increasing the micros too much. Growing Edge Technologies learnt that in order to successfully increase your yields, correct control over your macro nutrients is vital. The Aroma Formula unique delivery methods allows you to find that perfect schedule whatever your type of growing!

To learn how go to www.thearomaformula.com

HYDROGARDEN Pro Active Carbon Filters RAM® Filters are a professional filter range designed with the grower in mind. Easy use, value for money, flexible, available in a variety of sizes and incorporating virgin Australian RC142 Carbon (one of the superior carbons for air filtration), they benefit from a high specification carbon pore size, for increased absorption of odour.

F.D.P PRO3 Generator A brand new approach to odour removal inside ventilation ducts.

Unlike ozone generators that fit inside the duct, the PRO3 Generator is located outside of the duct and injects ozone into the duct via an integral pump and delivery tube. This means they can be installed in minutes, they’re more reliable and capable of producing far higher levels of ozone than in-duct versions with the same rated output.

For more information call FDP Wholesale 01392 848399 or visit www.fdpwholesale.co.uk

GROW GEAR IKON Cyco XL CYCO XL used in the early stages of growth (not recommended before week 3) will help with the uptake of essential elements and increase root growth more rapidly; any increase in root growth will increase the amount of root hairs on your plant allowing for more absorption of water and nutrients.

Derived from ‘Super Phosphoric Acid’ CYCO XL provides phosphorus and phosphorus containing compounds thus playing a vital role in photosynthesis.

IKON Platinium Super Cloner 12 The Super Cloner 12 (Also available in 30 and 84 sites) offers the perfect environment for your cuttings and small plants. Now available with domes, featuring an adjustable air-vent, the super cloner range will give you optimal control and results. Complete with pump and 360 degree aeroponic fogger, the oxygen saturated nutrient is evenly spread within the chamber for the roots.

SECRET JARDIN The Secret Jardin LODGE L90 and L120 Furthering the developments of the “all in one” controlled grow rooms, Secret Jardin have designed two new products:This multi-purpose growing station has rooms arranged side by side in order to meet the demands of smaller growing areas. The ‘Growth Area’, situated to the right, is divided into two levels. One to accommodate the propagation of seeds and cuttings, the second for keeping healthy mother plants in. The left hand side of the tent is therefore intended to be kept as a perpetual flowering room. This allows the user amazing efficiency within a small space, enabling the optimisation of time and space, all in one tent.

RRP’s: SJ Lodge L90 = £135 SJ Lodge L120 = £210 inc VAT Secret Jardin LODGE 90: 90 x 60 x 135 cm Secret Jardin LODGE 120: 120 x 90 x 145 cm

DIMLUX 600w Ballast Including DIM Button This Remote Ballast has a 250-660 Watt output. Features an on and off switch, and infinitely variable power control when used with the Maxi Controller, however it can also be dimmed and boosted to pre-set levels, with the stand alone dim button on the ballast. The ballast has a soft start (low inrush of current) and when it’s used in conjunction with the Maxi Controller, no inrush of current occurs at all! Equipped with diagnostic LEDs that indicate the exact ballast status, and also comes with a 3m rubber input and output cable.

58

AN INCREASE IN ROOT GROWTH WILL INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF ROOT HAIRS ON YOUR PLANT

A HIGHER QUANTITY OF ROOT HAIRS ALLOWS FOR MORE ABSORPTION OF WATER AND NUTRIENTS.

Cyco XL used in the early stages of growth of a plant’s growth stage will help with the uptake of elements and increase root growth more rapidly (not recommended before week 3).

Any increase in root growth will increase the amount of root hairs on your plant allowing for more absorption of water and nutrients.

DISTRIBUTED BY Contact: sales@ikon-international.com | Tel: 01925 822 503 (Trade Only)

GROW GEAR H.I.D Medi-One From Green Planet comes a product that is, without question, the finest single part organic feed on the market. Developed for use exclusively in Coco or Soil, Green Planet Medi-One is a complex blend of the purest organic ingredients available. It has been designed to work effectively as a single-part feed, all the way through grow & bloom without the need for extra additives. Whether you prefer the organic taste or just want to keep it simple, Medi-One consistently produces crops of excellent quality and taste with minimal effort.

H.I.D BudJuice Manufactured by GROWHARD Australia for over 20 years, Bud Juice is a potent flowering booster designed to increase yield and essential oil production. One of Australia’s best known boosters, Bud Juice is great value, contains only natural ingredients and is incredibly easy to use; simply add 2.5ml throughout the flowering phase and you will gain larger, more developed flowering sites with no nasty side-effects.

One of Australia’s best-selling flowering boosters.

H.I.D Inline Filter It’s time to think different! Phresh Filters have introduced the Phresh Inline to their industry leading range of ventilation products.

Much more versatile than a conventional extraction filter, it can be fitted at any point in your extraction circuit, before or after the fan, inside or outside the room. It can be added to your current setup to give double filtration, run two separate environments through one filter, or replace your current extraction filter completely for maximum airflow. Designed around the industry’s best exhaust filter the Phresh Inline solves commonly faced problems whilst maintaining the highest airflows and levels of odour removal.

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H.I.D Adjust-a-wing The original Adjust-A-Wings reflectors were developed to mimic the changing of the seasons nearly 25 years ago and have yet to be beaten in design or quality. The Adjust-A-Wings Defender is the latest addition to the range, offering industrial strength at a modest price.

Made from Aircraft grade aluminium and coated with Titanium White polymer the Adjust-A-Wings Defender offers excellent reflectivity. The Adjust-a-wing Defender’s white coating also improves heat dissipation, and reduces hot spots and corrosion, maintaining reflectivity for longer.

Always use with the Adjust-A-Wings patented light spreader to give your plants the maximum amount of light possible without burning, increasing plant response and yield.

H.I.D Blossom Blood The Original and Best! Often copied but never beaten, Rambridge Blossom Blood is not a conventional flowering booster. Completely unique and without comparison, it increases fruit size and therefore total yield without adding PK. Blossom Blood works by maintaining optimum pH levels, ensuring maximum optimum uptake of available nutrition. Only to be used when plants are established in the flowering phase, and never as a foliar feed, nothing comes close to reproducing the effects on flowering plants. Results have to be seen to be believed.

H.I.D Hi-Q When everything else is the same, quality always wins. Introducing Hi-Q - one of the unique new products from Uber, a new range from Canada with a completely different approach to plant nutrition. Most flowering additives will add yield but in many cases will restrict quality, Hi-Q is different, it doesn’t claim to increase yield and will only improve quality. Hi-Q is to be used during the last 7 days before harvest, a critical period in a plant’s development. It protects the plant from UV degradation leading to a noticeable increase in flavour, colour and importantly the look of your crop.

GROW GEAR PLAGRON Euro Pebbles Hydroponic growth for the highest yield Plagron Euro Pebbles is a high-quality inert hydrological substrate. Among experts, Plagron Euro Pebbles is known as ‘The cleanest pebble out there’. The pebbles are treated with the greatest possible care, therefore they are cleaner and firmer than comparable products. The raw material are pure and salt-free clays that are baked in an open oven to produce the characteristic irregular granules. The fine pores of Euro Pebbles are capable of absorbing large amounts of moisture and nutrients, the absorbed moisture can be released to the plant gradually.

Plagron Euro Pebbles is widely applicable, because nutritional value is adjustable and pH value is neutral.

When the Euro Pebbles are carefully washed after each cultivation and then soaked in Plagron Hydro A & B and Plagron Pure Enzyme for 24 hours, they are indefinitely reusable. Euro Pebbles can also be mixed with other substrates to improve drainage.

Advantages of Euro Pebbles: - Cleaner and firmer than comparable products - High water and oxygen holding capacity - Suitable for recirculating systems *For the best results, combine Euro Pebbles with Plagron Hydro A&B and Plagron Pure Enzyme.

Do you have any questions? servicedesk@plagron.com For additional information about Promix and other products check www.plagron.com

PLAGRON Lemon Kick Additive / PH Control Naturally reduces the pH value Lemon Kick is a benediction for organic growers. The pH value of soil and water will be reduced in a natural way, whereby the plant can optimise nutritional uptake. It is very important to monitor the pH value on a daily basis. The ideal pH value lies between 5,5 and 6,5. Too high or too low, a pH value hampers the nutritional uptake of the plant. Unlike other pH-regulators, such as nitric acid and phosphoric acid, Lemon Kick does not affect the NPK value. The active ingredient in Lemon Kick is citric acid.

Citric acid plays a role in the so-called citric acid cycle. During the citric acid cycle, nutrients are converted into energy. This energy can then be used for growing and flowering of the plant. Citric acid is a trivalent acid, every molecule has three acid-forming particles. A single shaped acid such as nitric acid has just one acid-forming particle. Lemon Kick is highly concentrated. So very little is needed for optimal results.

Advantages of Lemon Kick: - Suitable for organic agriculture and horticulture - Three times as effective as other pH-regulators - Stimulates growth - Can be used in the growing and flowering phase * Plagron recommends not to use any additives in the last week of the flowering phase. This can affect the taste and smell of the end product.

Do you have any questions? servicedesk@plagron.com For additional information about Lemon Kick and other products check www.plagron.com

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THE GREAT TENT GIVEAWAY...

Prizes Worth

£1000+

More prizes in one draw than ever before!

Hydromag continues to reward our readership with a ridiculously simple shot at winning the best quality grow gear known to man. In Issue 8, each of the UK’s top tent manufacturers has given us one of their very best grow tents to pass on to you. The Result; a grow tent extravaganza! We’ve got so many tents in the office that...

- we’ve had to call in mountain rescue to recover the legal team.

- errant DJs have started asking directions to the main stage.

- Occupy protesters have started squatting by the coffee machine.

So please, get yourself to our new competition page on Hydroshow.tv page and enter our latest and, as ever, most packed competition yet. There’s a very real chance that you could win one of the following...

1st PRIZE

This month’s competition prizes are kindly donated by....

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HIGH PERFORMANCE GROW TENTS

Also up for grabs...

RUNNER-UP PRIZES...

Gorilla - 2’ x 4’ Hydrolab - 1.2m Lighthouse - 1.2m GreenRoom - 1.2m Garden High Pro - 1.2m

HOW TO ENTER...

As of HYDROMAG ISSUE 008, there is a new way to enter competitions. You must now go to www.hydroshow.tv/competitions and enter your phone number and email address in to the form. Your information will not be shared with third party companies. *Full terms can be found at www.hyrdoshow.tv/competitions-terms

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.

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

ROOT ROT ADVICE Hello Bill, I grow in an Ebb & Flow setup with three 2x2” flood trays.

The plants are in 4x4” potters with Hydroton. I run the FloraNova line of nutrients and the GH expert line feeding chart. I use Hygrozyme and add Myco beneficial bacteria.

Even though reservoir temps are 65-70°F and I change them out regularly, I have an issue with root rot.

My first two grows resulted in the plant starting to almost bleach out towards the last third of the life cycle before harvest. The lights were not the issue; it was a nitrogen deficiency as the green disappeared slowly.

I eventually started an H2O2 treatment on the second harvest and it didn’t seem to help. I’m on my third harvest and started with H2O2 + Hygrozyme.

On a forum I read that after a person examined the sludge on their roots that began clear and snotty and gradually became brown snot, apparently the person [...] found out it was actually cyanobacteria. On that hunch I treated one of my newly infected lettuce DWC reservoirs and my more important other three. I ended the H2O2 a couple of weeks ago and treated the rest with API E.M. Erythromycin Anti-Bacterial. I also treated the water with API AlgaeFix (Polyquaternium-42 I believe).

The next week, I treated everything with API Stress Zyme Water Conditioner. Select others had either Myco Maddness or that with WhiteWiddow added (beneficial bacteria brands).

Since this treatment, the roots are much healthier looking; an explosion of healthy white roots occurred. I believe what happened was a complex change of factors: 1. Harsh treatment H2O2 ended allowing root growth.

2. I used double the dose of H2O2 suggested as the roots weren’t getting better when I started the treatment initially.

3. GH Floranova is partially organic and sludgy. The roots had some of the sludge build-up of the nutrients on them that I mistook for more root enemies. That was under my radar until months of experimentation.

4. Sludge needed beneficial bacteria to break down the sludge which was organic nutrients.

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

Hi User 7x5x3x2x2, Water temperature is fine, 78 degrees is better but bacteria multiply at a much higher rate.

Another way of noticing anything wrong in the root zone is this. If pH goes up from set pH, plants are happily feeding and growing. If the pH drops from set pH settings, then you would have an invasion of bad bacteria and need to start corrective measures.

Hydrogen Peroxide 35% can be used up to and including 30ml per 1litre of water. This makes a very strong solution that will leave little bubbles all over anything organic. Use this when your roots no longer smell like fresh carrots. You do not need to use this strength on healthy roots.

Plants have different appetites depending where in their growth cycles they are. During the final three weeks of flowering plants require less nitrogen, causing leaves to yellow slightly; as harvest gets closer you will see more yellowing. But this is not the case for you. Lettuce does not need to be put on a flower regiment formula. The P and K will be out of sorts and the Nitrogen that lettuce needs will not be there. Next time do not use a flowering formula for lettuce. This was probably your biggest problem; using the wrong formula to grow plants.

This is a great example of why analysis is generally better left to the experts. What happened here is that the roots showed some discolouration; this is from Humic or some similar dark solution. This was misread as a sign of ill health and an unnecessary treatment was applied.

Doubling the Hydrogen Peroxide will not hurt roots. Similarly misread was the lighter green colour in the leaves, which is in fact a result of the lack of nitrogen provided by the flowering formula.

The current state is that I have healthy roots for once.

Am I way off base or does this sound appropriate?

Any comments? Advice?

Plants that are harvested before they go to seed production should be left on a vegetation plant food, these include; lettuce and family, celery, and herbs again with no flowers on plant; if flowers were to form on these plants they would have a bitter taste. Plants that we want to harvest the flowers of, which contain the seed, need more P and K than N in the formula, but these plants still need P and K.

Reddit user 7x5x3x2x2

Cheers, Bill

All we need is SCIENCE

The synergy of science fused with quality ingredients gives every product of Grotek you buy quality and consistent results time and time again. From novice growers to the seasoned veteran everyone can Grow Big with Grotek.

www.grotek.com

www.canna.com