Hydromag 016 hydroponics magazine by Hydro Magazine

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THE MAKING OF HYDROMAG... Editor Christian Mason christian@hydromag.co.uk Technical Assistant Editor Bill Sutherland bill@hydromag.co.uk HYDROMAG. Probing your moist dark bits since 2012...

BOOMSHANKA…

Lifestyle Christian Mason christian@hydromag.co.uk Lifestyle Buddy Mason buddy@hydromag.co.uk

…and say hello to Issue 16 of Britain’s most beloved hydroponics magazine, as proven in an independent poll (they’ll never take that away from us!).

Managing Director Pete Turner sales@hydromag.co.uk

We feel pretty comfortable settling down alongside the Angela Rippons and David Dimblebys of this world as one of the country’s national treasures, and we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your enduring support. The warm, fuzzy (sexually-confusing) feeling in our loins is mutual. But if you really do love us, may we gently urge you to subscribe to our magazine? A few more subscriptions and we might even be able to start paying our staff, some of whom sleep in the office air vents and survive off chilies and microgreens from grow tests that we conducted two years ago. So please, just subscribe. You might just save a life.

Art Director Emma Godley emma@hydromag.co.uk

Coming up in this explosive issue, Sales and Features Manager Nico undergoes gender reassignment surgery to escape the clutches of the CIA, lifestyle writer Buddy Mason is forced to bury a high class hooker after a disastrous stag weekend, while MD Pete Turner is locked in a basement by his evil identical twin! Okay. None of this stuff is coming up. What we’ve got is even more seminal, even more incendiary; we’ve got the results of our world-ﬁrst LED grow test! In this era of Freedom of Information we’re all about full disclosure and raising standards. Our agenda-free, rigidly-controlled grow tests are for the industry’s beneﬁt as much as for the prospective customer. We say don’t shoot the messenger! Give him a cup of tea and a chair- he’s probably exhausted from all the message delivering. Finally, there could be a few very confused growers wandering around The Homebuilding and Renovating Show and the 8th International Orthodontic Congress later this month at London’s ExCel Centre. Why? Because Grow Expo 2015 – originally inked in the diary for late September – has been pushed back to next April (free tickets for the show given out in HYDROMAG Issue 15 will still be valid)! Despite record visitor numbers at last year’s Grow London something mysterious has happened in the intervening months and September has come along too soon. If you want to support your favourite shows, for God’s sake get off your arses and purchase a ticket. Big sloppy kisses and a dry root,

Project Manager Lydia Bennett lydia@hydromag.co.uk Design Kim Tinker kim@hydromag.co.uk Design David Sugden david@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 Ellerslie House, Queen’s Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield HD2 2AG T: +44 (0) 203 384 8940 E: info@hydromag.co.uk W: www.hydromag.co.uk

Christian Mason (stand-in editor)

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.

ISSUE NO. 016 10.2015

Featured In This Issue... 34 08

GRAPEVINE Your social media abuse answered

FEED Ten Ways to Reduce Your Electricity Bill

FEATURE Gavita Exposed! R&D Methods of the Pros

DISTRACTIONS A to Z of Music… Metal

It’s back. Chew off a bat head, glass yourself in the face and settle down for HYDROMAG’s take on the greatest Metal albums.

As incurable romantics we persisted with a Letters page for ﬁfteen whole issues. Well congratulations – we’ve relented and instead embraced the cesspit of social meeja!

“That **** IDS has taken away my beneﬁts! How can I afford to buy fags!?” Calm down. HYDROMAG is riding to the rescue.

HYDROMAG were desperate for an excuse to hang out in Amsterdam for a few days. Before you could say “expense form” our Nico was on the Eurostar.

DISTRACTIONS 100 Films to Watch ...

Rather like a green-ﬁngered “Q” to our readers’ “James Bond”, this is the bit where we show you some remarkable hydroponics gear.

Now chew off another bat’s head, glass yourself again and watch some of these inspirational science ﬁction greats... Well, why not?

FEATURE Hydroponic Myths

STUFF TO BUY Grow Gear

FEATURE LED Grow Test

COMPETITION WIN, WIN, WIN

FAVES Bio Green Tropic Heater and Hotbox Sulfume

Humans are unbelievably stupid, believing any old bunk we’re told by “a man down the pub”. We explode some myths like a ﬁrecracker up a frog’s arse!

As in A Few Good Men we’re searching for the truth - but we reckon we can handle it. Here, in an industry ﬁrst, we put LED lights under the microscope.

Nine more months before the next British “summer” … Ease the pain by getting an eyeful of the ﬁnest hydroponics kit known to humanity!

“Me, me, me, me, me, me,” you say? Well shut up kids, or you’ll get nothing! This issue, a whole, fully operational hydroponics tent... SCRAMBLE!!

GET SOCIAL

GRAPEVINE

With the art of letter writing (and general educational standards) being on a terminal slide, we’d like to welcome you to our brand new feature - HYDROMAG’s Grapevine. Here we finally give up waiting for letters and instead plumb the depths of the murky world of social media to bring you some of our warts-and-all interactions with the hoi polloi. And my were there a lot of warts… Up next, we reply point by point to an interesting email from the appropriately-named Nemesis One.

Dear Nemesis One, Thanks for getting in touch; we always like to hear from our readership. Thanks also for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns directly. Let’s get straight to it: N: I did have a good read of your latest writeup about LED growlights and very interesting it was too. H: We’re very glad you found it engaging, thanks for taking the time to let us know. N: Gavita bought you out then? Ikon backing them up? Ha ha ha, Shame..... H: Hydromag is an independent publication. Both Gavita and Ikon advertise with us, as do many other companies within the market: It is a necessary evil. Rest assured advertising with us doesn’t afford anyone a free pass when it comes to maintaining our integrity. N: How may grows have you completed with LED grow lights? How many different types have you tested? H: We are currently testing six different types of LEDs - you can glance over the first wave of results in this very issue! N: Looked into Osram yet? Gavita have... and running scared they are. H: Looked into them we have, find them on the earlier pages in the LED grow test you will. N: And please don’t forget that LEDs are catered for a different type of grower, mainly stealth. H: Hydromag covers Hydroponics in its totality, as a discipline. We make no comment on nor advise any specific purpose for which people should utilise it. Having said that, noise and heat pollution are considerations throughout the industry and we feel we reflect this in the magazine. N: Show me a HPS bulb that can give the same results in a small 60 x 60 x 180 area,,,,nah scratch that, cos you cant can you? H: I’m not sure what results you are referring to, but if I personally were to run a comparison over this footprint, I would likely pitch it against a 250w or 150w HPS light. N: You wouldn’t even be able to fit the smallest HPS bulb in there, and pleeeease don’t insult us all further by saying a CFL would work better. H: A 150w and at a push 250w HPS light would likely fit this type of area. Without setting it all up though it is hard to say which would be more suitable. N: I think you should look about forums more, as they are all changing over the LEDs, for different reasons, safety, cost of running etc...

“...on a personal note I would like to point out that our magazine isn’t designed to capture faecal matter so you may want to finish up with a wet wipe.” H: We do read the forums, but forum posts don’t qualify as a verifiable reference when it comes to printing facts and figures; hence our Grow Test series seeks to establish verifiable proof of claims made online and elsewhere. Testing is a time consuming and expensive venture, so hopefully you’ll stick with us whilst we get it all done. If you wanted to help to speed up the process you might consider subscribing to the magazine. N: Sell them? Shit no.... why would i want to do that? Lol. H: Hey there Mr. Defensive, why the need to bring that up? The obvious answer for you though would be to make money, though fear not, Hydromag caters for people within the industry as well as end users. N: I don’t give a flying fook what people buy, all i do is show that they work or not. Simple. H: We applaud your diligence in showing and advising people on your personal experience. N: So before you go throwing your toys out from your pram, think this,. I write many reviews for many companys and wouldn’t hesitate to show people the truth, so think carefully on your answer, if you have one that is. H: The Internet is a fantastic place for free speech, hopefully draconian laws intended to be put through by some governments will not get through and spoil this. N: It is a shame tho, as i used to like reading you mag, on the loo. But now its advert after advert with some bits of interesting stuff inbetween... Now it just wipes my arse. H: As an independent magazine we rely on the income from our adverts to keep publishing Hydromag. In order to cut them down we would have to sell out. All the same, we applaud your effort to recycle in the face of particular discomfort, but on a personal note I would like to point out that our magazine isn’t designed to capture faecal matter so you may want to finish up with a wet wipe. Thanks again for getting in touch. Happy growing! Sincerely HYDROMAG

QUESTIONS FROM YOUTUBE Waterlogging...

Recycle Clay Pebbles...

Pondering Propagation...

Comment on: Youtube / What growing media or medium should I use with hydroponics

Comment on: Youtube / Fan Test VENTS VK200 - Hydromag Grow Test Review

Comment on: Youtube / How to plant seeds in rockwool or jiﬀy’s mediums Part 2, with Nico from HYDROMAG

Q: I believe I have waterlogged from using pro mix soil. What should I do?

Q: Can you and how do you clean clay pebbles?

A: Well, to start with, stop watering it so much! Also if you are letting it stand in water each time you irrigate, stop doing this and get rid of any run oﬀ every time. Roots need to breathe too!

A: Can you? Oh Yes. Human beings have managed all sorts of achievements simply by putting our minds to it, the art of pebble washing is no exception to this. We can’t recommend a good scrubbing of your balls enough, it’s always best to keep them free of any dust and detritus that may aﬀect their performance.

Q: How much light should be used within the time of seeding? How long should I keep them in a dark humid state before transferring them to light cycle?

An easy method to know when to irrigate is to feel the weight of your pots after each watering, then don’t irrigate again untill they feel at least half that weight. Make sure you are not compacting your soil down when you are initially planting out either, this will only compound the issue you are having. Make sure the media is nicely fluffed and airy, tapping the pot regularly to help it settle when potting up. Differing brands of soil do have different water holding capacities, you can get more of an idea of how they fare from the bulk density section of our soil test in Issue 14.

How do you? Well that depends on your circumstance. You can wash bags individually by opening the top, slicing some holes in the bottom, and running a hose through it; stirring and agitating the pebbles until you see the runoff water go clear. You obviously need a suitable drain area for this method. If you have a seriously large amount of pebbles then you may want to look at getting a suitably sized vessel for mass cleaning. Just remember, there’s only so long the missus will tolerate you using your bath tub in which to bathe your balls. Once clean, it’s always a good idea to treat your pebbles with a pH solution before use. This is done most easily in flood and drain systems: fill the pots (or bed) with pebbles. Fill the reservoir with plain water and measure the pH. Then initiate a flood and drain cycle. Check the pH of the water after this cycle. Empty and refill the reservoir with pH adjusted water to an appropriate level to counteract the previous pH swing. Start a series of flood and drains until the reservoir has balanced out to a pH of roughly 5.5-6.5. Then empty the reservoir and carry on as normal.

A: The majority of seeds will need to have light as soon as they have broken the surface with their ﬁrst (Cotyledon) leaves. You can either wait until you see them break the surface to turn your lights on, or have the lights on ready for when they do so depending on how conscious you are of wasting energy. A light cycle of 18 hours per day is suitable for the majority of plant types. They only need low levels of lighting at this point. Most commonly recommended light sources at this point are CFLs or T5 strip lights. They only use small amounts of juice and give a nice gentle level of light. When they’ve developed a few sets of true leaves and are visibly growing more vigorously, get them under more intense lighting before they start to stretch unnecessarily.

“Just remember, there’s only so long the missus will tolerate you using your bath tub in which to bathe your balls.”

Hydromag on heavier paper? Survey: Your Responses

HYDROMAG’S psychopathic money-driven executives

Back in July, we received a request from an advertiser to print the magazine on heavier paper. We have always printed our magazine on woodfree matt paper in order to get the FSC’s approval and reduce the impact that HYDROMAG has on our planet. We put a survey out asking our readers what we should do, print on heavier glossy paper, or continue as we are.

Comment on: Recent Magazine Paper Weight Email

Over 100 people answered our survey, and 85% of you said the magazine should stay as it is, with 88% saying that it’s the quality of the content, not the quality of the paper which makes HYDROMAG the fantastic publication it is. Glad to put this to bed and thanks for your responses!

Q: Hydromag asked... Which of the following statements best describes your opinion?

1. I don’t care about cutting down trees, glossy toxins or more fuel being used for carriage, make HYDROMAG a glossy, heavier magazine. 2. I am conscious that heavier, glossy magazines mean more trees cut down, more toxins and more oil used - leave HYDROMAG how it is! 3. I couldn’t care less either way, it’s the content that’s in the magazine, not the paper it’s printed on.

“...85% of you said the magazine should stay as it is, with 88% saying that its the quality of the content, not the quality of the paper which makes HYDROMAG the fantastic publication it is.”

A: I cannot possibly answer this question honestly, because while I would like to believe that your intentions are honourable, if you are to become a successful company in this economic climate, these types of questionnaires are just a means by which the psychopathic money-driven executives inside your own company can pander to the people who actually care about these issues. You already know what you are going to do, you have probably already taken the money, and if you turned it down...you made the responsible decision and your business will suffer greatly without the capital in an exploding market, but you stilll have your soul. Either way, good luck.

Our guess is that being total psychopathic money-driven executives would definitely be the easier option. We’d be pimpin’ it on some beach somewhere sipping cocktails from coconuts whilst wearing staggeringly outlandish Hawaiian shirts. Until someone actually offers a suitcase of cash and we have that decision to make, we are going to take the moral high ground.

THE HYDROMAG SURGERY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS Get in touch by writing to us at: Ellerslie House, Queen’s Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, HD2 2AG or alternatively email us directly info@hydromag.co.uk You can also get in touch via our social networks:

facebook.com /hydromag

twitter.com /hydromagazine

youtube.com /user/hydroshowtv

hydromag.tumblr.com

10 WAYS TO...

Reduce your electricity bill Five tips to save electricity in your growroom... 1. Humidifiers don’t need to be switched on at night. Leaving them on in the wee hours is a tragic waste of your hard-earned cash as the plants won’t use the extra humidity produced. 2. Don’t use domestic circulation fans in smaller grow rooms. There are some great low-powered alternatives - some only consuming as little as 15 watts. 3. Limit your light usage to a maximum of 600w per square meter. More light doesn’t necessarily mean bigger plants. (e.g. an 80cm tent only needs 400w of light). 4. Try using a wicking or gravity powered irrigation system. Electricity used from multiple water pumps can add up. There are plenty of alternatives available if you can be bothered to look. 5. Don’t crank your lights to “eleven”. Some brands of lamps are not designed to be run at over 600w or 1000w. That boost button on your ballast might be as wasteful as a FIFA vice-president on a jolly.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the economy is booming. GDP’s on the up; house prices are even higher than the coke-addled estate agents that sell them; taxpayer-funded bailouts have become a distant memory and bankers are striding across the golf course with an extra spring in their step. But for the other 99% of us whose wages have been frozen over the last eight years, saving pennies is still a thing. Hydroponics is a voracious consumer of electricity. HID lights, extract and circulation fans, control equipment, humidifiers … the list goes on. So don’t be a mug - check out these 10 electricity-saving tips!

Five surprising power saving gadgets... 1. Buy a power consumption meter (Maplin - £10) and get all “mad professor” on your electrical devices. Did you know some devices consume just as much power in standby!

2. Use a timer when charging your phone overnight. Like having that last pint when your eyes are already closed – continuing to charge a fully charged phone is a waste of everyone’s time and money.

3. Buy a remote control power strip. Plugging all your devices into one strip allows you to turn them all off together without tearing an intercostal having to scramble around the back of the TV.

1 FDP Wholesale HR-50 Humidifier

4. Drinking lots of tea? Prevent multiple boils by using an iKettle. Power it up remotely with your phone and when ready it will ping you. What next – a Bluetooth toilet with automatic Facebook updates? 2

4 AutoPot 1 Pot System with AQUAvalve

Garden Highpro Clip Fan 5. Every time you plug a USB device into your computer the powerpack produces a power surge. Unplug those unused devices, or even better, buy a solar powered keyboard!

Gavita Exposed! R&D methods of the pros

Just because a product is on sale in a swanky box, with swanky visuals and with catchy marketing tag lines, doesn’t mean the product inside has had quality manufacturing or attention to design. “It’s cheap Chinese crap mate.” Possibly the most bandied about saying people like to use to convey a less than satisfactory build quality. Is it entirely justified though? The Chinese certainly are able to produce products at a much lower cost than almost anyone else; mainly down to the low cost of labour, amount of resources and sheer scale of production they have available to them. Whilst it is not always true that this will turn out products of questionable quality, it does mean that a European distributor or re-seller does not have total control over the production process. Without constant scrutiny over the manufacturing process, things can occasionally go awry. For example: Components may be sneakily changed to provide a cheaper build cost and therefore higher profit margin. The resultant impact on performance may then go unnoticed until correctly batch checked when they land in the UK, by which time it is generally too late. “It’s made in Germany mate.” Usually the only time you’ll find an Englishman praising the Germans is when it comes to build quality. This isn’t an inherent genetic natural ability Germans possess for crafting high quality goods, but more so down to the fastidious manner in which they stick to rigid development, manufacturing and quality control processes. Something by all accounts the Chinese occasionally let slip in favour of a larger profit margin. Manufacturing on your own territory affords you the luxury of having control over manufacturing to a point where you can guarantee the highest of build qualities, just like those Germanic types. Unless of course you are just another charlatan, in which case be prepared to scarper when the backlash comes for you. So we decided to force ourselves into Gavita’s inner sanctum. It was a tight squeeze, and sometimes uncomfortable for both parties, but ultimately a worthwhile exercise to gain insight into how the Dutch do it right.

Product Design Example: Reflector Shape You can’t just take a hammer to a sheet of metal, bang it around a bit until it resembles the image you dreamt up in your head, then churn it out in mass production when it seemed to do ok-ish in use. Well, I guess technically you can, but you probably won’t be in business for long. Accurate software modelling using top notch design packages are first used to predict how a reflector is going to perform. You can’t just use Microsoft paint for this. The software needs to be able to 3D render the reflector and then accurately calculate all reflections of light that it will produce. This design can then feed directly into software that maps and simulates reflectivity with multiple fixtures, to check for overlapping uniformity. Once you are happy with the design of your reflector, you then get it moulded up accordingly.

“If you get bored drawing reflectors, you could probably accurately model yourself a nice pair of boobs to stare at as well” Once you have your custom moulded reflector, you then need to test it to make sure it does what you thought it was going to do and to check whether the actual production can come within the tolerances of the design. Currently the most accurate way in which this is done is with a photogoniometer. This captures every bit of light that the reflector sends out, and at every angle. Commonly used 18-point PAR tests performed under reflectors only give very nominal insights into performance, mainly only highlighting how deep or wide a reflector is spreading its throw. This only indicates performance under the specific conditions of the test (in that particular tent, or at whatever distance it was measured) so cannot be used as an ultimate representation of the reflector’s performance.

“Reflector rotated through all angles using harness in a blackened room to avoid any reflected light from walls. Two lighting baffles with precisely cut holes ensure only light directly from the reflector meets the PAR sensor.” Once a design has been perfected, then it’s off to the production line. The new recorded reflector output is then used directly in calculation software to predict and map lighting levels. These measured models are always used for professional calculations.

Manufacturing Example: Full Fixtures All made in production line in Gavita’s factory at Holland. Keeping production close to home means much greater control over the process, and therefore quality of end results. For example: Large percent of production line are now female. This is because over time it has been shown that females are more consistent and efficient with their hands in the process, and produced fewer failures in their work overall. Each person is responsible for assembling their own unit from start to finish. The bracket and some parts are preconfigured made at another location before full assembly. Any errors can easily be fed back to the owner of the process to ensure a high level of quality control. Once they are fully assembled each full fixture is fired up to quickly check that it actually works. This is why you see burn marks on bulbs fresh fixtures when new and out of the box. These burn marks are a necessity of a complete electrical safety and functionality test. After ten minutes of use these marks will disappear when the lamp achieves operating temp. With a team of just 20, this relatively small facility can produce up to 7000 units every week. With correct processes in place a consistently high production is achieved, along with a high level of quality. This means that the likelihood of returns is minimalized.

In the spirit of keeping returns low and quality high, next we gaze over the quality control process.

Quality Control Keeping tabs on your produce to ensure each batch is up to scratch. One bad batch could be enough to totally blow your hard earned reputation, and give competitors the perfect angle to begin stealing from your market share.

Example: Lamps Lamps from every batch that pass through Gavita are subject to tests to ensure their lifespan and performance. In the case of lifespan, a lamp’s lifespan is directly related to how many times it strikes, not how long it has been on for, so they are fired up multiple times every day over a given period. This is done over various voltages by using control gear to adjust the power to the required levels, to mimic a wide variety of end user configurations. If anything untoward occurs then the batch can be easily highlighted and the necessary steps taken to ensure only quality products leave the building.

Once all these steps are in place, it is then a case of constantly assessing yours and your competitors’ products to make sure you keep on top of the game.

Product Development How do you know the various components you have now in place for manufacture are indeed as consistently as good as you are expecting? Periodically testing their performance, and also your competitors’ performance for comparisons are the only way in which to be sure. Then tweaking or altering things based on the accurate data you have generated, rather than a finger in the air.

Example: Ballasts/lamps. As usual you need reliable data. Only way to get data of the true umol output for a ballast/bulb combination is with an integrated sphere (plus power analysers/ stabilisers etc). Once bulb is up to temperature, all output from bulb is evenly bounced around sphere and captured by the sensor to give you an accurate umol level that the bulb is producing. The analyser will also give details like the frequency of the signal and total harmonic distortion. Once you have all this data for your own product and your competitors, you can see exactly how well your products fare in their performance. You can then identify what areas can be improved on, and what components need to be changed, be that the bulb or the ballast. All bulb specifications of umol output are given/measured in this free hanging state. Bear in mind when you add the bulb to reflector, its output will possibly increase, as the operating temperature in the reflector will be greater than that when hanging free in a sphere. Blammo. So that’s all you’ve got to do if you want a successful international company. Oh and all the other admin stuff. Then there’s the sales stuff. Then there’s the distribution stuff. Then there’s the marketing stuff. Easy, right?? Jesus wept.

BIO GREEN TROPIC HEATER

Families huddle together on a beach as menacing black clouds gather overhead. Holding plastic cups of Earl Grey with both hands for warmth, they stoically munch on the last of their sand-filled egg rolls. These hardy souls are as shrivelled and blue as the contents of the one swimmer on the beach’s Speedos. It is of course a classic scene of the Great British Summer. After another endlessly disappointing season of shattered barbecue plans and crying kids in sodden tents, a lot of us may be pining for a bit of tropic heat. Unfortunately, short of upping sticks and emigrating, there’s nothing that can be done about the weather in our green and sometimes deeply unpleasant land. But there IS something to be done about the conditions in your growroom! With Bio Green’s Tropic Heater you can play weather god and maintain total temperature control over your plants. And if you’re growing under LED lights (this being our LED-themed issue after all) your plants could be as heat-starved as a long-suffering denizen of this sceptred isle.

INNOVATIONS

Automatic. Crowded House once sang “Four Seasons in One Day”, possibly inspired by a harrowing childhood trip of Neil Finn’s to Scarborough back in the 1970s. If only they’d had a Bio Green Tropic Heater; it doesn’t just heat – it cools. Featuring dual thermostats, Bio Green has all the angles covered: you can set an upper and lower temperature limit, with a temperature range of 5°C to 40°C. During cold snaps it will fire up when the room temperature drops below your lower pre-set level, and if the summer comes alive and your upper pre-set level is reached, the inbuilt fan will whir into life to circulate the air of the growroom and keep it cool. Robust. The rugged, plastic covering is drip-proof and can withstand even the toughest environments. Tested to level IPX2, this sturdy little (German-made) unit packs a punch – heating rooms up to 8’ x 10’. Being a fan heater it has a quicker response time to its oiled-fired cousin, and it’s also impervious to water, making this the perfect heater for the moister environment. Odds and sods. Bio Green’s Tropic Heater has a couple of additional perks. Its handy indicator light tells you when power is being consumed, while its improved ventilation helps prevent fungal plant diseases. With a frost-shield function, 2-year guarantee and switchable 1kW / 2kW power settings, you’d be certifiably insane not to consider one of these for your growroom. Cheap as chips. Retailing around £60-£70, this is literally as cheap as chips (if you got your fish and chips at Guy Ritchie’s Mayfair pub before he got bored and sold it)…

CONS

Salvadore Dali once said “Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it…” and perhaps that’s the best attitude to have. The beautiful Marilyn Monroe used to get occasional bouts of haemorrhoids. The mighty Achilles of Greek legend had a shit heel… So here are some potential chinks in the armour of Bio Green’s Tropic Heater: Some customer reviews claim the heating controls are confusing (that’s not how we found them – but then we are fucking clever, even if we do say so ourselves). One amateur reviewer has even suggested the booklet is “so badly written that they have had to add a loose page to clarify”! Your growroom might become so snug during those brutal British winters you could end up moving your whole family in there. While we applaud families that eschew the typical “sofa and TV” evening scene, your kids may grow up weird! (Could be “good weird” though… We’ll leave it up to you.)

For more infomation visit: www.biogreen.de/en/

HOTBOX SULFUME

According to the Book of Revelations, God’s method of choice for despatching nuisances such as false prophets, the beast, and the Devil, is a lake of burning sulphur (Revelations 20:10). Now, whatever your religious inclinations, no-one can deny the efficacy of the Almighty Father’s pest control system. Vineyards have been using sulphur to control outbreaks of fungal infection for centuries, while Homer (author of the Iliad, not Simpson) wrote of the “pest-averting sulphur” 3000 years ago. So with the enthusiastic endorsement of deities, the finest winemakers and Greek poets – who are you to snub your nose at the marvellous Hotbox Sulfume Sulphur Vaporiser? Killer of mould spores, spider mites and other pests, “cock-blocker” of fungi and rot - sulphur is THE go to organic chemical for the indoor grower, for both prevention and cure! Simply fill the sulphur container in the Hotbox to the fill-level mark, pop it onto the hotplate, switch your fans off, and hey presto! For prevention it’s recommended you fire up the Hotbox Sulfume for two to three hours once or twice a week, while to blitz an ongoing infestation you can set the inbuilt timer to zap your growroom nightly for eight-hour long treatments. HYDROMAG decided to stick its nose in for a whiff.

INNOVATIONS

Hotplate. A thermostatically-controlled hotplate slowly vaporises sulphur into your growroom without overheating and creating harmful oxides. Only pure, unadulterated sulphur vapour is created rather than toxic sulphur dioxide! It is harmless to humans and plants in vapour form, but deadly for powdery mildew, botrytis, black spot, and pests such as spider mites! The Hotbox Sulfume produces an initial second-long burst of energy before the element levels out at 100 watts to reach the optimum temperature for vapour release. It then saves you money by dropping to under 50 watts to simply maintain said temperature. Sulfume’s hotplate discharges an unwaveringly consistent two gram dose of sulphur over an eight hour period to ensure there’s no waste. Efficient. Not only is the Hotbox Sulfume amongst the lowest energy-consuming sulphur evaporators on the market but it can work on any power supply between 110V to 250V without any performance loss in lower voltage areas. Its canister holds a sufficient quantity of sulphur to last repeated doses and is effective in rooms up to 100 m2. Comes with 500g of sulphur powder and refill packs are readily available from all good hydroponics retailers (if your local shop doesn’t stock them we recommend asking “why” defensively and then perhaps sucking your teeth as you turn to leave). Safe. As well as the thermostat-control ensuring no noxious gases are released from burning, the Hotbox Sulfume is constructed from high quality stainless steel and aluminium to eliminate the risk of breakage from improper use or sulphur spillage. The Hotbox is also “voltage-independent”, meaning it will maintain temperatures even if there are wild fluctuations in voltage. Finally, its self-regulated element guarantees no combustion, meaning no tiresome fires sweeping through your growroom and home!

CONS

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13). We think this means something about confessing our weaknesses and is therefore apropos of what we’re going to say next… Sulphur is of course the main ingredient found in farts. When you fire up the Hotbox Sulfume and turn off the extract fans it’ll be like the rugby club’s changing room after the fart-happy players had been lunching on cauliflower cheese with a side order of smoked mackerel and fermented cabbage pickled with horseradish. If you don’t want some of that “nose death” to creep out from under your growroom door and infect the rest of your house you’re going to need a sealed room. And heaven help you if you crash out one night in your growroom just as the Hotbox’s timer kicks in…

For more infomation visit: www.hotboxworld.com

HYDROPONIC MYTHS Particularly when you’re just putting your first foot forward into hydroponic growing, you can quickly get bamboozled with all the information you need to soak up. Over the next few pages we will take a look at the few most commonly held beliefs of hydroponics to see if they do indeed hold up. Myths are great really. They can stir the imagination and provide the inspiration for all sorts of ridiculous human schemes: from the countless treasure hunters searching for El Dorado’s spoils; intrepid adventurers on a hunt for an Abominable Snowman; to the ludicrous official explanation of what happened on 9/11. Myths form the basis of many human endeavours and misdemeanours throughout the ages. Where and why do they all start though? Are they innocently forged or deceptively crafted? For instance, was a unicorn dreamt up by a medieval parent simply trying to entertain and placate the overly energetic fruit of his loins? Was this child then the beginning of a sprawling Chinese-whispers type scenario until so many people were talking about this horned magical beast that it became legend? Or sticking with the 9/11 scenario: did Cheney, Rumsfeld and the halfwit Bush purposefully allow the towers to fall and then convince the world it was down to some Middle Eastern radicals in order to sway public opinion on an invasion into not just one but two countries, coincidently where there’s loads of oil?

My guess is it’s all six of one and half a dozen of the other. Whatever the reason for their conception, it doesn’t change the fact that they are, and always have been, no more than myth. It’s the consequences of myths that need mitigating against though. The quicker you can nip a myth in the bud, the less our collective consciousness will become dumbed down, and the less risk there is that snide organisations can use bogus information for their own means. If you think this is a bit over the top and people aren’t that self-serving, simply go ask the Pope how much wealth and power he and his paedophile friends have managed to obtain from the whole Jesus myth. Or maybe ask a Palestinian how much land or how many liberties they have lost based on myths from the Old Testament. Anyway, back to the point. A lot of myths get bandied about, that much is clear. This being a hydroponic magazine, we are going to focus on a few that you may well have heard along your journey and see if there is any truth to them. Considering the myths surrounding LEDs over the past few years, we felt this (our LED-themed) issue was most appropriate for an article such as this.

ORGANICS TASTE BETTER

NO PESTS OR DISEASES!

If it’s not been grown atop a pile of composted down cow shit, sprayed with a brewed lotion of worm poo and had fish blood and bone meal pumped through its xylem, then your crop just isn’t going to please the taste buds of some of the more discerning hippie douche-bag types out there. Thing is though, if they took the Pepsi challenge, would they actually be able to tell?

This one really does infuriate me. Whenever you see a bullet point based meme about the pros of hydroponics, this one is always there. Why exactly would pests and diseases decide to avoid some plants simply because they are grown hydroponically? Short answer is they don’t avoid them at all. You will get pests and diseases at some point if you are growing hydroponically, and when you do they will give you just as much headache as if you were growing organically.

You will find the hardened ‘organic’ growers out there becoming highly vocal at this point, swearing that their extra effort is evident in the superior taste, and that nothing else compares to the sumptuousness of their crop. They’ll usually then state that hydroponic produce is full of water and has a bland, homogenous taste, essentially robbing you of one of the most basic sensory delights us mortals can experience. Is this actually the case though? Is there less taste in hydroponically grown produce? A peer reviewed study from 2010 (M. Murphy, F. Zhang, Y. Nakamura and S. Omaye, “Comparison between Hydroponically and Conventionally and Organically Grown Lettuces for Taste, Odour, Visual Quality and Texture: A Pilot Study,” Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2011, pp. 124-127) would disagree. In this study the taste, odour and quality of the lettuces were shown to be indistinguishable between the organic and the hydroponic versions. Advocates of organic methods also tend to cite higher brix readings in organic produce as proof of a fuller flavour, however brix only realistically charts sugars, not every other nutritional element that plays a part in the overall flavour. The argument may well have gained most of its momentum due to the majority of supermarket produce being hydroponically grown, and at the same time generally lacking in flavour. This however has everything to do with the genetics of the plant rather than methods used when growing it. Most supermarket produce is selectively bred for transportation, high yields and long term storage. Unfortunately selectively breeding plants for these traits will at the same time breed out traits that give you the super flavours we all know and love. Essentially if you consumed produce grown from two clones, one from a well grown hydroponic plant and the other a well grown organic plant, the chances are very high that you will not be able to tell the difference.

Granted you may not be as susceptible to them from the get go: you have no soil harbouring any nasties and you have a sealed growroom far away from the outside, contaminated, world. So ideally there will be nothing present in the beginning. It will not take long though. Spores from diseases are microscopic and will pretty much make their way everywhere. Similarly, it’s only a matter of time until a pest of some type hitches a lift on your clothes into your growroom. Generally once pests and diseases have made their way into your room, they will tend to proliferate at a much higher level than they would naturally. This is down to a combination of the ideal environmental conditions a growroom offers them and the fact that there will be no natural predators around to keep the numbers down. Weeks of struggle will then ensue until your battle is won, or you have torn your hair out, or both.

SPIDER MITE

IT’S JUST FOR CHAVS WHO GROW THAT WACKY BACCY Certainly not. I know quite a few upper class toffee nose types who like to grow it too. Plus all those unsuspecting old retired types – they are bang at it. In all seriousness though, whilst there may be an association there, it’s a grossly overestimated one. You can find vast swathes of hydroponic enthusiasts online if you simply choose to look. Particularly within the superhot chilli community, more and more hobbyists are turning to hydroponic methods not only for the fun of the geek factor involved, but also because it generally makes it easier to get higher quality/quantity yields than conventional growing methods. Further to the hobbyist growers, you will find that the vast majority of all supermarket fresh produce is grown hydroponically. The commercial hydroponic market is huge, and one that essentially makes sure that we are all kept nicely fed. In fact you will see the inner workings of such a commercial hydroponic greenhouse in an upcoming issue where we visited some rose growers of Holland. I know what you’re thinking: “Using hydroponics in Holland eh? You aren’t helping your argument here, buddy”. But seriously just you wait. There were barely even any coffee shops around where we stayed so we ended up with plenty of time to investigate these commercial ventures, just for your entertainment.

IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE! OK, well this is one myth that does have some truth to it, but then it very much depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. This particular charge usually refers to the initial outlay on the cost of equipment. Once you have spent your cash on your system, however, there are only a few repeat purchases of nutrients and sundries you need to take account of. Of course if you are going on an all-out, balls-to-the-wall mission on creating the ultimate indoor growing area, then not only will you spend loads of spondoolicks on equipment, but also on your increased electricity costs as well. Basically unless you choose to fork out loads of money, you don’t really have to. One option to really cut costs down when going hydroponic is to build your own system. It really isn’t all that difficult once you understand the basic tenets, and you will find it a whole lot more rewarding when everything is a blazing success. In fact, you can check out our video on HydroshowTV where Gemma and Pooja compete to make a system, though make sure to take note of when Pete wades in at the end with a much better version he crafted. He certainly knows how to make the ladies feel good about themselves does our Pete.

PINCH OF SALT PEOPLE… PINCH OF SALT There are many other myths we could go into, like: ‘have your NFT pump on intervals’ or ‘don’t foliar spray with your lights on’ or ‘hugging your plants doubles your yield’ but we simply don’t have time here let alone the patience. The moral of the story here is to use your freaking common sense when presented with spurious ‘facts’. Remember: Just because it’s written on a meme and posted on Facebook, doesn’t make it true.

GROW TEST

LED GROW TEST: That’s right folks. We only went and bloody did it didn’t we? Possibly the most contentious topic in recent hydroponic history just got a jolly good old seeing to by your dearest pals here at HYDROMAG. The furore and hype surrounding the use of LEDs for growing plants is basically second to none. It’s clear that consumers are champing at the bit for the next big thing in the lighting world. If you just take the time to read the letter we got from Nemesis One, you can literally feel the emotional attachment some keyboard warriors have for it all. Almost like back when they were a six year old who just got the new version of Nintendo’s console for Christmas, bursting at the seams with belligerent excitement about it and insulting people who are still having loads more fun playing on their Megadrives. Anyways, LEDs have appeared on the market in one form or another for many years now, and from the very beginning they were quick to make ludicrous claims such as replacing three times what you would expect of the HPS equivalents. Claims from the marketing departments of some companies still bandy those assertions about, albeit not to such an extreme. At the same time the technology actually has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years. So the obvious conclusion we came to was to get cracking with a lovely little comparative grow test. So that’s exactly what we did. Originally, we very kindly got given the Bysen LED to test and decided to pitch it against an HPS side by side in a grow test. “This will be quick and easy” we thought. Interest quickly grew though and every month or so we kept getting a new light sent our way. What started out as a small comparison between one LED and one sodium, escalated fairly rapidly. “Amazing” we thought, “now we just need to find a space big enough and get enough equipment to properly manage and control seven individual grow tents... shit”.

If you don’t have the pleasure of knowing the inner financial workings of us lot here at HYDROMAG, I’ll break it down for you in one simple bite size sentence: We are completely skint. The problem with that is that it makes it tricky to get a load of equipment you need to perform such grow tests, let alone doing all the other stuff a magazine entails. So basically we put our best sad puppy dog expression on and went clawing up the legs of some of our chums in the industry and thankfully they did not let us down. More on that to follow, but for now, please brace yourself dearest reader. Shit is about to hit the fan. We’ve been cleaning our fan in preparation for the deluge of faeces that will no doubt follow this going to print. In fact, it almost doesn’t matter in what direction the results of this swing: If there is one thing you can be guaranteed of it is that we will be on the receiving end of a purple shitstorm.

“More on that to follow, but for now, please brace yourself dearest reader. Shit is about to hit the fan.”

WHICH LIGHTS DID WE USE THEN? Dimlux 600w 400v Expert Series We figured if you are going to test against a sodium, you may as well test against the top end ones. This Dimlux model kicks out a whopping 1.91umol/w using the Phillips Greenpower lamp which has arguably the finest HPS spectrums available. As well as looking sexy, the design of the micro silver aluminium reflector in combination with the lamp and ballast set a high standard for the LEDs to compete against.

Budmaster You can’t really have a conversation about LEDs at the minute without the name Budmaster being touted. It seems from the vast and varied initial feedback we have heard that Budmaster is possibly the top contender of all the brands we have here. Before they threatened to go all legal on us about an article they weren’t even mentioned or pictured in, we actually met the guys and got on totally splendidly. So much so that we still actually have faith that the Budmaster is going to perform.

Bysen This was the unit that kicked it all off for us. An odd looking jobby with huge weird lenses. The marketing for this one is simply fantastic, claiming higher outputs than basically anything else, clearly displayed with the lovely little charts they have put together. Despite the initial contempt, we actually have small hopes for this one. It would be like a case of the ugly duckling almost.

KIND LED K3 L600 One of the American ones that have made their way across the pond to our little island. With a claim that a 320W unit can replace 600 watts of conventional HID lighting, who wouldn’t want to try that out? It does look a little bit disco lightish, particularly with the little LEDs on the side but hey, we aren’t there to judge on looks, just its performance.

Growsun 5G 320 The largest of the Growsun range, no great claims made about this LED in terms of comparison to HID, but what it lacks in bravado it makes up for in functionality. Particularly with the remote allowing you to control the intensity from a distance, you can fiddle with your unit almost whereever you wish to, switching between its in-built seedling, vegetative and flowering settings.

Budbox Strip LED’s Bit of a dark horse these I think. A novel design whereby you daisy chain rows of these together and hang them close above your crop. On the downside you have loads of individual units to raise and lower all separately. On the plus side with the LEDs mounted around the bottom of the tube it means that more horizontal light is given out giving a nice spread and coverage. You can see this easily as there is very little shadow under things with these lights compared to other LEDs.

Spectrum King 420W One of the few LEDs that focuses on a nice full spectrum as its main weapon, rather than its intensity (which is also actually quite good). You also get a decent bit of heat kicked off from this one as well, which is nice from an LED. One of its main pros for me though has to be that it is waterproof. I’ve been told you can hose it down while it’s on and it is still OK. That and having no fans or moving parts to break gets this unit a big initial thumbs up from us.

WHAT WE DID The initial plan was to perform the grow tests using two different types of plants: With radish to give us quick comparable results and also with chillies to get a better idea of light penetration through a larger plant. Each light would have its own environment, and all kept within the same environmental parameters, so the only difference between them all would be the light being used to grow them. It’s basically your standard side by side grow test scenario.

What we used: BudBox 1.2m Grow tents: The new range of BudBox grow tents. BudBox are one of the longest standing grow tent manufacturers and their new range of tents certainly doesn’t disappoint. Sturdy poles, nice and light, tight and very straight forward to assemble. Vents Temp control fans / Systemair RVK: It was going to be the same Vents fans in all the tents, however with the HPS generally creating higher temperatures, a larger RVK fan was used to keep the temperatures down to the same as the rest of the tents. The RVK was then connected to a fan speed controller to keep things nice and stable.

WILMA Large 4 pot system: Basically the perfect size for a 1.2m square tent. Four pots spread nice and evenly with a neat little drip system for irrigations. Low pressure drip systems are simple to use and possibly the system of choice for those here in the office. Particularly great for nutrient management, they made an ideal choice for growing the chillies in. NEF100: Possibly the most underrated system going? At least in my opinion anyway. For irrigating loads of small pots, these flood and drain tables make it all oh so easy. From propagating masses of juveniles early on in the season or growing a beast of a tree full term in, these systems basically give you a whole bunch of versatility and are super easy to use. Shogun Nutrients: Lovely nutrients from Aqualabs. Knowing the guys there probably biases my opinion somewhat, but these nutes definitely get the job done. I’m sure there’s lots of USPs to harp on about but I think the most obvious benefit of them is the surfactant used. Making water wetter really does help your pots to get properly saturated!

Where we did it: In a nutshell, we forced our way into GroWell. In particular the Sheffield store branch. They are a lovely bunch of chaps there and as they are no strangers to product testing themselves, were great to bounce ideas off about it all (with the exception of Richard Cartwright!). They were kind enough to give us a nice sized room complete with air conditioning and offered to provide all the little bits and bobs like light hangers and stuff you don’t think of when going through things initially. All round top chaps (except Richard again).

So once they had established themselves nicely, it was time to pot on. I broke out all the WILMAs, bust out some Gold Label 60/40 and got planting up.

This couldn’t have been done without the support from all of these guys, so please join me in giving BudBox, Nutriculture, Ikon and Growell a big old round of applause.

ROUND 1: ALEPPO CHILLIS I once again went begging to a good friend of mine who has a penchant for all things hot and spicy. Well maybe not ALL things hot and spicy, I don’t want to get him into any trouble or anything. He’s well into his chillies is basically what I am trying to say, and definitely not insinuating that he is a perverted sex fiend or anything. Take a bow Mr. Dean Finley, for providing me with a sterling selection of very homogenous and healthy looking specimens of Aleppo to get things started with. So first things first, I got them all in one tent under a 315 CDM I found knocking around from MaxiBright and vegged them up for a week or so until they were ready to be potted on. If none of you have had the pleasure of using the Green Power 315w lamps, I can whole heartedly recommend them. They aren’t the focus of this test, but boy do they make a visible difference to plant structure and overall growth. We’ve been very impressed with them here, worth every penny.

Lovely eh? So all that was needed now was to basically let them grow. They were hand-watered for the first week or so in order to keep a closer eye on things and avoid overwatering. Then we plugged the WILMA drippers in to have everything automated, leaving me to just monitor the environment and nutrient solution. Things went swimmingly for a while: lots of lovely growth and definite differences between the lights were starting to show. It was at that point that things went entirely tits up and the plants all caught a disease.

Bacterial Leaf Spot. Fantastic eh? Suffice to say it basically ended this particular run. Doesn’t make for a particularly fair test when you’re growing diseased plants and you have dead leaves dropping off left, right and centre.

ENTER THE RADISH Radish are a perfect choice if you need to get quick and repeatable results from a grow test. Which is exactly the position we were in! They go from seed to harvest in 4-5 weeks and the size/weight of the radish that you get give a very simple and direct indication of the environment they have had to grow in. The seeds were sown into small pots and then placed onto the flood and drain tables from Nutriculture to germinate underneath the lights in situ. Once the seeds had germinated they were thinned out to leave just one lone radish in each pot.

different spectrums between the lights are making a difference in plant growth. Conversely, using the recommended hanging heights as a guide will give more insight into the overall intensity differences between the lights.

The main problem we had now was the hanging height of all the lights. Sounds like something fairly simple doesn’t it, but it actually has a few annoying implications depending on how you are looking at things. Do I use recommended hanging heights or set the PAR levels at crop height to as even a level as possible over all the lights? The reason this was even a question is because of the ambiguity of some of the LEDS we had. “Between 1 and 2 metres from the crop” is one example. As I’m sure you can guess, it makes quite a difference between those heights.

We used this Sunsystems PAR meter that we managed to swipe from the guys at MaxiBright. These PAR meters really do need to be more widely available. They are a great tool you can use when you want to see how well all your lights are working and adjust the heights etc. With all the measuring tools available for every other aspect of hydro management it strikes me a bit silly that these things aren’t easier to find. Light levels in your room are kind of important aren’t they? So after 4-5 weeks from sowing, you end up with a whole bunch of radish like this. It’s then just a case of weighing, drying and then weighing again.

Basically, we couldn’t make a decision and so decided to do both. At the very least, performing it in these two ways gives a bit more insight into the lights as well. Setting them to a roughly even PAR level over the canopy will give a good indication into how the

SHOWTIME!!

Guidline Hanging height

Set PAR Level

So here we are at the results. I know a lot of you probably haven’t even read the article and are just now staring at all this data going “wow isn’t that amazing?” So let’s quit the lollygagging and get straight to the results shall we?

Manufacturer

Model

Wattage

Fresh Foliage Weight

Fresh Bulb Weight

Dry Foliage Weight

Dry Bulb Weight

Gram per Watt

Budmaster

XG-9 675

400

227

609

0.14

Dimlux

Extreme Series

600

219

653

0.12

Bysen

ChloraBA C2

255

235

352

0.12

Spectrum King

SK400+

420

194

563

0.12

GrowSun

5G 320W Pro

320

174

257

0.08

KIND

K3 L600

300

171

465

0.14

N/A

LED Strips

400

247

385

0.08

Manufacturer

Model

Wattage

Fresh Foliage Weight

Fresh Bulb Weight

Dry Foliage Weight

Dry Bulb Weight

Gram per Watt

Budmaster

XG-9 675

400

278

1027

0.22

Dimlux

Extreme Series

600

307

1008

106

0.18

Bysen

ChloraBA C2

255

247

606

0.20

Spectrum King

SK400+

420

305

935

0.21

GrowSun

5G 320W Pro

320

242

527

0.14

KIND

K3 L600

300

232

546

0.16

N/A

LED Strips

400

268

498

0.09

Dry Bulb Weight 110 Recommended hanging height

Set PAR Level

‘Pleasantly surprised’ would adequately sum up the reactions to these results here. There are a fair few noteworthy points of course.

82.5

N/A

KIND

GrowSun

Spectrum King

Bysen

Dimlux

Budmaster

N/A

KIND

GrowSun

Bysen

Spectrum King

Dimlux

Budmaster

27.5

On a watt per watt basis the LEDs do seem to have the advantage. So, with radish at least, it would seem you can achieve a greater efficiency of power usage. You will need that efficiency though just to recoup costs, as the initial costs of LED’s at the minute are anywhere between three to ten or more times that of the High Pressure Sodium equivalents.

Gram per Watt 0.24 Recommended hanging height

Set PAR Level

0.18

These test results also only give an indication of very short statured plants, so don’t give a lot of insight into how well they can penetrate into the taller plants that most people would actually grow. At the very least you could tenuously argue that this data would translate to how the canopy of a taller plant would perform, but for us that’s not enough.

0.12

N/A

KIND

GrowSun

Spectrum King

Bysen

Dimlux

Budmaster

N/A

KIND

GrowSun

Bysen

Spectrum King

Dimlux

Budmaster

0.06

0.00

HPS still yielded the most overall. Even on the first run where you might expect a broader spectrum to have more of an impact, the overall uniformity of light the reflector gives over the footprint of the entire grow area meant a lot more uniform growth overall. Generally speaking, the LEDs seemed great immediately under the fixtures, but as soon as you move to the sides light levels quickly drop off.

With that in mind it’s on to tomatoes for the next issue. How exactly do they perform on taller fruiting plants with denser canopies? Hopefully they do well: justification for the annoying colours they give off may well be just around the corner.

METAL

Spread The Metallurgy...

Like a hunting jungle tribe, hacking at the fauna with our machetes in search of meat and ritualistic hallucinogens, I don’t quite know what we’ve done to deserve our continuing serendipitous fortune, but yet again we have unearthed another classic genre for your reading and listening pleasure. Our grubby hands and fragile minds are considering Metal music, so sit back, relax, or rather jump up, headbang, don some mascara and self harm frantically to some of the finest and most influential bands in the genre. ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, was a famous line John Kay of the band Steppenwolf barked in one of the most recognisable songs of the 60s ‘Born To Be Wild’, an urgent proclamation of strength and individuality that encapsulated the beat generation’s somewhat angry auto-emancipation from the pillars of institutional authority, made famous by its inclusion in Dennis Hopper’s radical and dangerous movie ’Easy Rider’. For most it was the first time anyone had heard the term ‘Heavy Metal’, ‘heavy’ being hipster slang for profound or intense and ‘metal’ referring to mood, representative of a sort of grinding, of strong physical forces clashing together. Musically Metal began in the late 60s, with rock guitar bands such as Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and The Stooges, whose riffs were so dark, stormy and sexy, they had unprotected metaphorical sex (and with operation Yewtree still active, perhaps more literally) with teenage boys around the world and impregnated their hearts and minds. Power, masculinity and ‘heavy-osity’ was being appropriated by guitarists everywhere, none more so than by Jimi Hendrix and whilst his sensibilities may have been firmly in line with hippy style love and peace idealism, Funk eroticism and Blues, almost the diametric opposite of Satan worshipping and the Occult, he did blow up amps, set fire to his guitar and re-invent how the guitar could sound, elevating it from the status of a backing instrument, to a shamanic, licentious 1000 volt phallus, spunking tsunamis of aural jizz over his slutty crowds. Many guitarists were attracted to that level of audience adulation and he paved the way along with others for Heavy Metal by demonstrating just how deeply transcendent and powerful guitar playing, which is the backbone of Metal, could be. Birmingham, 1969, the hometown of Black Sabbath, was the birthplace of what we now refer to as Heavy Metal. The demonic tri-tonic scale in the opening of the first song on their eponymous debut, with church bells chiming to the backdrop of a rainstorm,

caused tremors throughout the musical landscape that have never stopped. They were a rock act doing something completely different from the ubiquitous shimmering blues oriented pop/rock, that invariably attempted to elevate listeners with themes of hope, love or just plain playful psychedelic surrealism. Black Sabbath were out to thrill, to terrify, to take heads off (literally in the form of small flying rodents) and exert their mark by being dark and destructive and boy did it resonate. There are now more subgenres of Metal then there are of any other musical genre and it can all be traced back to the initial motive of Black Sabbath, which was to experiment with music and an act, clad in leather, mascara and tattoos, that scared people. Music is a divine tool for achieving what one might call collective effervescence. Collective effervescence is a form of transcendent elevation and interestingly what Metal does is achieve this elevation by dismantling the bourgeois stuffiness of virtue, with drugs, vomit, blood and detuned guitars. Gospel church music, in their celebration of God achieves the same goal for its acolytes as Metal bands do for theirs, but like Gospel, most music and artistic expression looks to elevate us, to endow us with some form of virtue or noble truth, it nudges us to be better, to be more loving, more understanding. Metal though celebrates the opposite - degradation - and paradoxically achieves its ‘collective effervescence’, by denouncing virtue altogether. It grabs you by the heels, pulls you downward and appeals loudly and seductively to your basest nature and transcends us into our glorious animal selves. Society hinges on us playing by the rules and caring about our reputations, our social standing is dependent on us behaving ‘normally’ and we tend to mould ourselves in a certain way to be respected by the ‘world’ and to get on in it. If it ever feels tiring, this ‘act’ to keep up appearances, if suppressing your inner beast is a stressful drag, then a giant mosh pit with thousands of other people that gloriously and cathartically don’t give a flying fuck can be unbelievably therapeutic. It can feel like home.

KYUSS BLUES FOR THE RED SUN (1992)

RUSH MOVING PICTURES (1981) Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are the Canadian powerhouse trio behind Prog legends Rush. For their over the top virtuoso performances, self aggrandising melodrama and their lyrical references to science fiction, literature and philosophy, Rush have been perhaps unfairly pilloried in some quarters for their excess, regarded as a bit of an opulent joke, but if you can get past the 80s thing you will be soundly rewarded. Their total album sales currently stand at over 40 million, so for a Prog Metal band to be as big as they were, it shows that their appeal goes beyond the niche. They have a huge following for the simple reason that they are mind blowing musicians and intriguing performers. Moving Pictures is their biggest commercial success and a great place to start for those who have yet to experience them.

Kyuss are a stoner rock/doom metal band from Palm Desert, California, founded by Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age fame. Regarded as space or stoner rock, their sound has been attributed to them playing a mass of live shows outdoors in the desert, where with no bars to speak of, no one had anywhere else to go, so if ‘you sucked, the audience would scream it at you’. It gave them no choice but to get pretty damn good! Essentially an experimental grunge metal jam band, with the psychedelic influence of the desert skylines, Kyuss are not that well known in the mainstream, but an excellent and influential hard rock act that pushed the genre forward. Blues For The Suns’ greatest strength is that listening to it transports you front and center to one of their desert ‘generator’ party live shows, which by all accounts would have been one seriously awesome night…

BLACK SABBATH BLACK SABBATH (1970) ‘Isn’t it funny that so many people pay to go and see scary movies?’ Tony Iommi said to his band mates, watching a queue of people standing outside the cinema from the window of his rehearsal room, all about to watch Boris Karloff’s horror film ‘Black Sabbath’. This sparked an idea to create a song that sounded scary and using the tri-tonal so called ‘Devil’s Interval’ as a basis, a jam began and with it a seminal moment in music history. Black Sabbath was born and with it Heavy Metal as a genre. Using tuned down guitars (Iommi’s signature Gibson SG looking like Devil horns) aggressive drumming and themes of the occult, with a shamelessly openly hedonistic Ozzy Osbourne as their front man, Black Sabbath were the unforgiving Winter after the Summer Of Love. The inspiration for the entire Metal genre and essential listening for anyone interested in the history of music.

GRAVEYARD

UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS

HISINGEN BLUES (2011)

BLOOD LUST (2012) Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats are a Psychedelic Doom Metal band from Cambridge, that have taken their inﬂuence from the maggots in the soil of ‘Flower Power’ (think Koolaid and the spirit of Sharon Tate), The Abominable Dr Phibes, Old English Folk Mysticism and of course Black Sabbath. Blood Lust was released to critical acclaim for its pulsing distorted guitar riffs and powerful anthem like songwriting. Everything you’d want from a heavy rock act.

Graveyard are a fantastic psych/blues hard rock band from Sweden, who make no secret of being inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but their contemporary version of that style of music is not made anonymous by how derivative it is, rather it is their reverence for those classic bands that lends Graveyard an originality and authenticity that will immediately be found appealing by any fan of Hard Rock. An excellent band, great live and highly recommended.

THE DEFTONES

KORN

AROUND THE FUR (1997)

KORN (1994)

Late 90s Alternative Metal act The Deftones from Sacramento California, released Around The Fur at a time when the Nu-Metal scene had really taken off, but critics were pretty quick to realise that The Deftones were doing something a bit different. Dubbed by some as the Radiohead of Metal, they have more of a shoegaze, psychedelic take on Heavy Rock and on Around The Fur they attracted fans across the genres, with their more intelligent, sensitive approach to Metal. They are still an incredibly heavy band at times, but created a niche for themselves through their originality and distance from musical cliche. Around The Fur is a timeless classic, cult album from the era and well worth listening to.

Poster boys of the 90s Nu-Metal scene and with good reason. Disruptive teens up and down the USA hero worshipped Johnathan Davies and guitarist James ‘Munky’ Schaffer, who had a knack of making incredibly heavy, accessible, rock anthems. Commercially and critically loved, hugely inﬂuential and a fantastically innovative band, Korn pack a serious punch, in no small part because of the authenticity that lead singer Davies manages to portray in his violent, arresting, tornado like performances. His anger is coming from somewhere very real due to a seriously messed up childhood and backed up by a band tighter than Monsanto’s legal department, who value song craft and emotion more than virtuosity (unlike a lot of Metal acts), it makes Korn an accessible, yet seriously intense experience.

100 FILMS TO WATCH BEFORE YOU SNUFF IT:

SCIENCE FICTION 05 In 2007 Sir Ridley Scott told an audience in Venice that science fiction was dead. Perhaps to prove the point in the most expensive, elaborate way possible, he made Prometheus. But he wasn’t far off the mark. These days the genre is mostly represented by CGI-heavy, derivative fare, and aimed at the undemanding Flappy Bird generation or emerging non-English-speaking markets – the studios preferring to chase the dollar – or Yen – to an interesting idea. It’s tempting to despair that all the greatest art has already been created and we’re doomed to simply plagiarise each other in an ever shrinking cycle of mediocrity (a bit like Scott’s own career), but then films such as Under the Skin (see below) appear out of leftfield and it becomes apparent the Well of Creativity hasn’t completely run dry. N.B. Before any Star Wars fans send excrement in the post to the HYDROMAG offices, our film series is entitled “100 Films to Watch Before You Snuff It”. There isn’t a single person that hasn’t seen Star Wars. And Alien fans can pipe down too – we bunged that one in our Horror issue.

This edition: Science Fiction – movies about hypothetical advancements in technology and science, or simply any story featuring parts of the Universe outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

Melancholia DIRECTOR: Lars Von Trier (2011)

This extraordinary disaster ﬁlm about depression opens, Dogme style, with an excruciating, Thomas-Vinterberg-Festen-like wedding between Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and nice-but-uninspiring Michael (Alexander Skarsgård). There is something intangibly apocalyptic hanging over this reception party, engendering a sense of a Danse Macabre. It transpires a rogue planet has entered the solar system and the world waits with bated breath to discover whether it signals the end of days. The second half of the ﬁlm switches focus to Justine’s “sensible” sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), as she discovers being organised and practical doesn’t equip one for dealing with impending doom quite as well as Justine’s severe depression. Hippocrates characterized the condition of melancholia as being a state of “fears and despondencies, if they last a long time”, and the world’s imminent destruction is very much a metaphor for the overwhelming power of mental illness. Melancholia, a quite beautiful nightmare, is testament to Von Trier’s wonderful imagination and directorial genius.

Stalker

DIRECTOR: Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Glazer (2013)

Stalker is an allegorical, redemptive tale of three men journeying into “the Zone” – an out-of-bounds area set in a kind of quasiapocalyptic Soviet Union. No-one is sure how the Zone was created (“A meteorite? A visit of inhabitants of the cosmic abyss?”) but it’s clear therein lies great danger. The plot follows the eponymous Stalker (slang for guide) as he attempts to deliver The Writer and The Scientist to The Room – a mysterious place where dreams can come true. Each man comes with a wish, but conscious and innermost desires aren’t always in harmony, and a tale of tragic reversal begins to put the willies up them. Filmed in grimy sepia outside the Zone, and in grimy colour inside, the landscape is littered with derelict buildings, twisted metal and weeds. It has the look and feel of many a survival horror game, despite being ﬁlmed on a shoestring. Its pacing might be too glacial for some, but the emotional payoff is worth the wait.

After finishing the highly acclaimed Sexy Beast and then Birth, director Glazer spent more than a decade tweaking and perfecting this adaption of Michel Faber’s novel of the same name. The result is so original and downright unusual that audiences have been utterly polarised. At the Cannes Film Festival critics were left either gloriously stunned or on their feet booing as the final credits rolled. Largely free of dialogue, the plot follows an alien (Scarlett Johansson) sent to seduce and harvest human males. Many of the Glaswegian “actors” are non-professionals who didn’t even realise they were being filmed. The insidious effect of Glazer’s direction is to force one to view humanity through alien eyes, and the simple rituals of shopping, commuting to work, partying on a Saturday night, start to feel as mechanical and foreign as the actions of an ant colony. Mica Levi’s chilling score, channelling Ligeti, Bernard Hermann and Vangelis, is as important to this haunting film as the mind-bending direction and pitchperfect performance from Johansson.

Under the Skin

2001: A Space Odyssey

DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick (1968)

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott (1982)

2001: A Space Odyssey breaks film rule after film rule. It was revolutionary, hugely ambitious, and encompasses millions of years of human history, from the Dawn of Man to the future where we witness the birth of a “Starchild”. There are no obvious protagonists, very little dialogue, and a final act so abstruse, so daring, it still amazes that this is a Hollywood product. Working with the great Arthur C. Clarke, Kubrick presaged the emergence of all-powerful computers and showed audiences for the first time the silent, dark grandeur of space (as opposed to all the high camp that preceded it). The plot follows the arrival of a mysterious black monolith in prehistoric times to kick-start Man’s evolution, only for an identical monolith to reappear on the Moon in the modern age. A small team of scientists and pilots travel to Jupiter, whereupon things start to turn ugly as HAL, the ship’s computer, takes his orders to protect the mission to extreme lengths. Quite simply an incredible headfuck of a movie.

Shot as futuristic film noir and based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, this follows Rick Deckard, a “blade runner” (read robot hunter) as he tracks down a group of lifelike androids that have escaped captivity and illegally come to Earth. Scott creates a world so sumptuous, so well-realised; you want to live in it – killer replicants and all. Science fiction films, to achieve greatness, need to say something about the human condition while packaging the message with great visual aplomb, impeccable sound design, and a timeless score. Blade Runner delivers all of this in spades, with composer Vangelis (along with everyone else involved) producing the finest work of his career. In Ridley Scott’s Venice speech about the death of sci-fi, he went on to praise 2001: A Space Odyssey and claim the genre died after its release, with every science fiction film since ripping off its effects and atmosphere. But he’s sold himself short here. Blade Runner has proven every bit as influential, and dare we say it, as good.

Bladerunner

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

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.

BLACK ORCHID Proto-Star Reflector The Black Orchid Proto-Star reflector is a highly versatile and unique lighting reflector. Made with pure crystallised glass the reﬂector provides a proven increase in light penetration to your indoor garden. The Proto-Star also features a removable glass plate for versatility. Available in 5” and 6” air cooled duct connections. Lower radio interference with RFI complaint cable and connectors. Fitted with pure Crystal-proTM glass for improved light penetration. For further information on any of our products visit: www.blackorchid.co.uk

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.blackorchid.co.uk

THE GROWERS GUIDE NUTRIENTS Formula-XL Propagation Plant Feed FORMULA-XL is a scientifically designed bespoke product which is specifically tailored for the propagation stage of a plant’s life, full of all of the micro and macro elements that are crucial for a plant’s early development. It also can be used as a fantastic pre-soak for jiﬀy plugs and rockwool cubes. We believe that there is no other dedicated premium propagation and pre-soak plant feed that is as eﬀective as The Growers Guide Nutrients FORMULA-XL

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.TheGrowersGuide.co.uk

CANNA NEW CANNA Coco Pebble Mix CANNA is very proud to extend the substrate family with the brand NEW CANNA Coco Pebble Mix: a mixture of the CANNA Coco Professional Plus (60%) with CANNA Aqua Clay Pebbles (40%)! high quality product, as always, from CANNA. The bags are guaranteed to contain 50 litres! Please contact your local hydroponic shop for more details or visit www.canna-uk.com.

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.canna-uk.com Distribution by: Highlight, Hydrogarden - Distributors on website

CANNA CANNABOOST As a consumer you are bombarded with all kinds of boosters. But be aware these boosters work diﬀerently and cannot always be compared with each other. A booster should help a plant take up nutrients. The uptake of nutrients depends on the plant’s health and metabolic rate. A true booster like CANNABOOST really boosts the metabolism of a plant and makes it healthier. For more information please visit the CANNA website www.canna-uk.com

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.canna-uk.com/cannaboost Distribution by: Highlight, Hydrogarden – Distributors on Website

GROW GEAR SENTINEL Sentinel - Control Switches The Sentinel CS4 and CS8 are a range of robust, Grasslin precision-timed control switches built using top quality components from reliable brands. Available in 4-way or 8-way versions, the Sentinel range is suitable for either wall or grow tent pole mounting. The compact design and individually-illuminated, switched sockets provide the user with excellent ﬂexibility, control and reliability at an aﬀordable price.

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.maxigrow.com Distribution by: Find your local supplier: maxigrow.com/where-to-buy/

MOONSHINE Moonshine - Nutrient Enhancer Moonshine is a brewed plant bio stimulant that is designed to promote impressive plant growth, health and terpene production. The first effect that this illicit brew imparts is by increasing the amount of cations available to the plant at any given pH; as a result the fertility of the growing medium is increased, allowing nutrients and trace elements to be readily absorbed through the roots. The second effect gives the plant a good source of growth stimulators and amino acids. Growth stimulators include naturally occurring levels of auxin, gibberellin and cytokinin plant hormones which are readily used to regulate plant growth, essential oil production, bud growth and cell division in roots and shoots. Finally the unique formulation promotes the transport of sugars through the plant to the places needed, increasing aroma and taste. Visit our Moonshine page at: maxigrow.com

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.maxigrow.com Distribution by: Find your local supplier: maxigrow.com/where-to-buy/

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HYDROMAG, Ellerslie House, Queen’s Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, HD2 2AG

GROW GEAR PLAGRON Plagron Power Roots ADDITIVE / ENHANCER Stimulates root growth and boosts resistance Power Roots is an organic root stimulator. Plants will quickly develop a healthy root system, so nutrients can be absorbed easily. Thanks to the perfectly balanced composition of Power Roots, plants will develop an optimal defence against stress. The main active ingredient of Power Roots is seaweed extract. Seaweed extract is a natural source of protein. Proteins are building blocks for the cell, but also play a role in developing resistance to plant stress. Power Roots contains vitamins as well. Vitamins remove the waste material from the plants, causing the plant to be more vital. Power Roots ensures rapid branching of the roots. The composition of Power Roots doesn’t just promote proper root development, but also promotes formation of seeds and fruits. Therefore use Power Roots in the growth phase and the first weeks of the flowering phase. It’s fast, efficient, and immediately absorbed by the plant. Advantages of Power Roots: Fast and vigorous root development. Rapid recovery after being transplanted. Suitable for all types of watering systems. * Power Roots can be used in all grow styles. Questions answered at servicedesk@plagron.com For additional information about Power Roots and other products: www.plagron.com.

Manufacturer / Product Website: www.plagron.com

SHOGUN FERTILISERS SHOGUN Katana Roots SHOGUN Katana Roots is a brand new root booster to add to the impressive SHOGUN range. Used primarily as a cube soak at 5mL/L Katana roots instigates strong root growth in those vital early stages – creating a complex network of healthy white roots and laying fantastic foundations for high performance nutrient uptake in the later growing stages. With no root staining, Katana Roots is suitable for use in all types of system and will perform equally well in all of the main rooting media types such as rockwool, jiﬀy plugs, and root riot.

Manufacturer Website: www.shogunfertilisers.com Distribution by: Ikon-International

GROW GEAR SOLER & PALAU TD-SILENT range WE’RE BIG FANS OF PEACE & QUIET Soler & Palau (S&P) was the first fan manufacturer to be awarded the Noise Abatement Society’s prestigious QUIET MARK back in 2012 for its inline mixed flow TD-SILENT range. Since then the competition has tried to come up with fans that can match the ultra-low noise levels of the TD-SILENT but once again in 2015 it is still the only inline fan range approved to carry the mark. S&P invests heavily in R&D to address key issues such as noise and the fruit of that investment comes in the form of this prestigious award. More details at www.silentfans.co.uk & www.quietmark.com

Manufacturer / Product Website: http://www.solerandpalau.co.uk/ Distribution by: Distributors shown on website

SOLER & PALAU CAB ECOWATT range DON’T WASTE YOUR ENERGY… Soler & Palau (S&P) continuously improves its product ranges in order that they meet the changing needs of fan buyers in the Hydroponics market, and the latest acoustic box fan range, the CAB ECOWATT, focuses on energy-saving motor technology and the development of the onboard controls. Straight out the box the EC fan provides a 30% energy-saving over conventional fan motors but the bigger savings come when using the simple potentiometer speed control to turn the performance down to a lower level when the temperature allows – the energy use is reduced by a factor of 8 when the speed is halved! More details at www.solerandpalau.co.uk/product. jsp?PRODUCTID=599&CATEGORYID=54

Manufacturer / Product Website: http://www.solerandpalau.co.uk/ Distribution by: Distributors shown on website

GROW GEAR DIMLUX AUX BOX Dimlux Dimlux Aux Box Now manage your temperature and humidity parameters through the Dimlux Aux Box! The Auxbox is connected to the Dimlux Maxi Controller through the auxiliary port on the unit. With this module you can connect a heater/heating system, humidifier or dehumidifier to control the relative humidity, and temperature and RH set points for both day and night operation within your micro climate.

Distribution by: Hydro Station Ltd

DEWEY MISTER Dewey Mister with Suction Caps A great little device from over the pond that makes setting up an aeroponic cloner quick, easy and inexpensive. The Dewey Mister is also great for replacing internal air pumps inside existing cloners that may inadvertently raise the water temperature above ideal parameters. Just put the Dewey Mister inside your chosen container and connect it to a small air pump.

Manufacturer Website: www.deweymister.com Distribution by: FDP Wholesale

DRI-EAZ LTD Revolution Dehumidifier State of the art dehumidifier technology in a compact, portable and stackable unit. Built to survive the toughest environmental conditions such as flood disasters and restoration, it’s no wonder the Revolution is number one choice for the indoor gardener. This unit is capable of removing 40ltrs a day in grow room conditions, more than units three times its physical size! Software controlled, just dial in your settings and its job done.

Manufacturer Website: www.drieaz.com Distribution by: FDP Wholesale

ZIP-ZAG Zip-Zag Brand Bags XL 50 Packs This household name in Canada became an instant success across the UK leading to the introduction of the XL 50 pack. Although these bags look like something you can buy in the super market, you just can’t! Made to exacting standards using the finest food grade materials, Zip-Zag Brand Bags are reusable, tear and puncture resistant, and most importantly the only bag guaranteed to lock in all aromas and flavours! Take home a pack today and see for yourself. Available from all good hydro stores.

Distribution by: FDP Wholesale

FUNGIVORE LLC My CO2 Like extra CO2 for your grow room? Like eating your own freshly grown oyster mushrooms? These CO2 bags let you do both without any hassle. Unlike other CO2 bag products on the market, these are activated by you - when you need it. With the slower release ‘Grow’ version (using Reishi Mushrooms) and the faster releasing ‘Bloom’ version (using Oyster Mushrooms) your levels of CO2 can be nicely tailored to your favourite plants’ needs. Being sustainably produced, certified organic, and with the convenience of a fully compostable box and medium is a big win for all the environmentally conscious of you out there. Faster growing higher yielding plants? Free edible gourmet mushrooms? Yes please!

Manufacturer Website / Product Website: www.myCO2bag.com Distribution by: www.eden-horticulture.com

GROW GEAR CYCO Cyco Supa Stiky If you are going to do anything, make sure you do it well: a mantra that surely encapsulates the whole Cyco range. No strangers to selecting the finest ingredients, Cyco’s proprietary blend of pharmaceutical grade nutrients in this highly renowned range offers you some of the highest quality fertiliser you can currently find on the market. Supa Stiky is one additive that no self-respecting grower should be without. With its elevated levels of potassium and phosphorous, and a formulation to help drive the production resins and essential oils; expect to witness higher yields accompanied with a more pungent aroma and full bodied flavours. What more could you ask for? Available in 1 litre, 5 litres and 20 litres

Manufacturer Website / Product Website: www.cycoflower.com Distribution by: www.eden-horticulture.com

OMEGA LIGHTING Omega 600w Digi-Pro Ballast Bear witness to the exceptional new digital dimmable ballasts from Omega. Not only do they look sleek and sexy but they also boast a high end performance to boot! Wall mountable for a nice and tidy installation, these ballasts offer all the mod-cons you would expect and come complete with a flying IEC lead for ultimate health and safety guarantees. Compatible with all High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs, the handy dimmable settings are tailored to all wattage variations of the lamps currently on the market. To make sure you are getting optimal performance from these ballasts it is recommended that they are to be used in combination with Omega HID lamps. Designed to work in harmony, this combination will see your indoor garden flourish.

Manufacturer Website / Product Website: www.omegagrowlighting.com Distribution by: www.eden-horticulture.com

HID Sicce – Submersible Pumps In the world of water pumps, Sicce is a name that should not need any introduction. Developing and innovating products since 1974, Sicce’s long history of innovation has resulted in an outstanding range of aquarium and hydroponic pumps. With a rigorous quality control process and variety of prestigious international product marks: accept no lesser alternatives. Sicce submersible pumps are extremely quite when in situ. No more do you need to put up with the loud droning of pumps flicking on and off with each irrigation. With a design to allow it to pull water from the base of the pump even the lowest of water levels can still be worked. Available in a range of sizes to provide a variety of water flow rates, when you need true performance from a water pump, make sure it is a Sicce.

Distribution by: HID Manufacturer Website: www.hydroindustrydirect.com Email: sales@hydroindustrydirect.com

“A highly anticipated book.” MAXIMUM YIELD

“How to become the perfect indoor gardener.” THE INDOOR GARDENER

“Outstanding drawings. I keep my reference copy close at hand.” JORGE CERVANTES

“William Texier is considered one of the most knowledgeable hydroponics experts worldwide.” SOILLESS GARDENING

“You’re going to understand how it works... It’s impressive!” FRANCE 5

THE WORLDWIDE REFERENCE

Available through GROWTH TECHNOLOGY , HIGHLIGHT HORTICULTURE , Hydrofarm, BWGS and major distributors worldwide. MAMAPUBLISHING.COM

GROW GEAR HID Nutrifield Nutrients Australia: Spectacular landscapes, shrimps on barbies and the Minogue girls are just a few of the exceptional gifts that this continent is known for providing. New to this list is something seriously special to make you smile, and we aren’t talking hats with dangly corks. Those of you already familiar with Nutrifield substrates available in the UK will have become accustomed to the superior quality of our product. No doubt you have been waiting for the accompanying nutrient range, one tailored to work in perfect harmony with our media, for some truly next level results. Well, the wait is over my friend. Born from extensive scientific plant trials, our unique blend of base nutrient not only gives you the perfect combination of nutrition (macro, secondary and micro), but other key ingredients such as amino acids, enzymes and natural plant stimulants to deliver truly stunning growth. Not forgetting our supplements, one product truly deserving of a special mention is CargoBoost. For use from seed to harvest: nutrient absorption is enhanced through optimising chelation, pH fluctuations are mitigated against and an optimal environment for beneficial bacteria is created. Basically, it’s bottled win.

Product Website: www.nutrifield.com.au Distribution by: HID Manufacturer Website: www.hydroindustrydirect.com Email: sales@hydroindustrydirect.com

HID Elektrox Lamps If you are looking for a high quality HID lamp, with a build quality you know you can rely on, then you need look no further than the new Elektrox lamps that have just landed here in the UK. With the advantage of being a German based manufacturer, you can rest assured these lamps benefit from a high quality of production. With the combination of the high quality of components selected, particularly the ceramics used, the output of these lamps truly is second to none. The spectrum of this High Pressure Sodium lamp has been precisely tailored to offer a greater presence of photons within the red end of the spectrum. It is well known about the positive effects on flowering plants this bandwidth has, so we have manufactured our 2000K HPS lamp to give your plants exactly the right levels of light within the ideal spectrum range. Accept no lesser alternatives.

Distribution by: HID Manufacturer Website: www.hydroindustrydirect.com Email: sales@hydroindustrydirect.com

THE UK’S FASTEST GROWING HYDROPONICS WHOLESALER

www.eden-horticulture.com

01952 455 725

COMPETITION Competition Time Oh yeah, that’s right, it’s competition time again baby. With it being a HYDROMAG competition I’m sure you’re wondering exactly what amazing prize we have in store for you this issue. Well, we thought we’d go on an all-out rampage this time and get you an entire 1.2m tent kit. Bosh! Everything you need! All you have to do is open the boxes, put it all together and you’ll be self-sufficient in no time guvnor! Kindly donated from various corners of the industry we gathered together the finest pieces of equipment you will find gracing your local hydro shops. Seriously, just you try and check all this lot out without uncontrollably jizzing everywhere.

THIS MONTH’S PRIZES...

1.2m Homebox Evolution, 600w Maxibright 600w/400v Digilight Kit, 5” Prima Klima and Filter combo, WILMA Large 4 Pot (11L) system, Bluelab EC and pH Pens, 2x Growth Technology Clip Fans, 50L Canna Coco, 5L Coco A+B, 1L Katana Roots, 1L PK Warrior, 1L Sumo Boost, 1L Dragon Force, 1L Ecothrive Charge, 1L Terpinator, 1L Shield Mite Repellent.

HOW TO ENTER...

As of HYDROMAG ISSUE 008, there is a new way to enter competitions. You must now go to www.hydroshow.tv/competition and enter your phone number and email address into the form. Winners will be chosen at random before the publication of our next issue. Your information will not be shared with third party companies. *Full terms can be found at http://hydroshow.tv/competition-terms

BOOST

Often imitated never equaled

Better Taste

Higher Yield

Flowering Stimulator

Powerful Ripening