Maximum Yield AUS May/June 2012

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

CONTENTS May/June 2012

FEATURES 20

26

Trialling Your Way to a Successful Crop

by Raquel Neofit

26

How to Get Started With Micropropagation

by Brian Johns

30

Is Root Zone Heating Really Necessary?

by Chris Pianta

20 36

36

Flip Me On, Flip Me Off

42

Controlling Salt Buildup

44

How to Test pH Levels in Soil

by Casey Jones Fraser

DEPARTMENTS

by Donald Lester

by Therese Cressman

6

From the Editor

38

Growers Know

6

Letters to the Editor

46

You Tell Us

8

MaximumYield.com

48

Talking Shop

10

Simon Says

50

Distributors

12

MAX Facts

54

Do You Know?

16

Product Spotlight

54

Coming up in July/August

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

5

FROM THE EDITOR | JESSICA RAYMOND For impressive results every time growers must accept that advice can be gleaned from others who have been there, done that. This can be a difficult task for those of us that think we have everything figured out, although we might be experiencing less than perfect results in the garden. Local experts featured in this issue help you outperform and outgrow your past endeavours (and succeed at new ones).

Lessons covered in this issue include: seed trialling, controlling salt buildup, micropropagation and growing in glasshouses. This issue of Maximum Yield also contains a comprehensive round-up of the newest products available to help you grow. Check them out at your favourite shop. And make sure to enter for a chance to win some amazing grow products in our annual Win A Grow Room contest at maximumyield.com/wagr-au Want to learn more? Take the opportunity to learn hands-on at the Great Lakes Indoor Gardening Expo in Novi, Michigan June 3, 2012. More information can be found at indoorgardenexpo.com

Sign up for a FREE digital subscription to Maximum Yield and be the first to see each issue. Subscribe today at maximumyield.com/digital-subscription to have Maximum Yield delivered to your inbox each issue for free.

Jessica Raymond, Editor editor@maximumyield.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BACKING UP

MY FAVOURITE WEBSITE

Do you have any back issues from the last few years you could send me? I work at a hydroponic shop in Tassie and our staff and customers love reading the articles in Maximum Yield. We like to keep at least one copy of each issue in our shop but have lost some 2011 issues. If you could help me out in any way that would be great.

Regards, Steven Barry Green Acres Hydroponics Mornington, Tasmania

I just want to tell you that your website is incredible. I love to read Maximum Yield online.

Mario P

SUBSCRIBE TO WIN

FROM ZERO TO GROW

I was happy to find your site and all the great and helpful information you offer. I know absolutely nothing about hydroponics but am very interested in learning. Like any new field, there seems to be endless choices of ways of getting started in growing.

I’m not looking to go commercial with it—just to provide for my family and friends. I want to grow organically, and am not clear if this is possible hydroponically.

I guess my inquiry is: how can someone like me with zero knowledge about this get started?

Thanks for any suggestions or referrals you can make that would assist me.

Jason Trader Jason, you’re in luck.With every issue of Maximum Yield, one of our goals is to introduce beginners to modern gardening techniques and tools and help people like you navigate the oftentimes perplexing practice.

In the following pages we cover: seed trialling, micropropagation, testing pH, root zone heating and much more.

If we failed to answer your questions, I invite you to fill out our Ask the Experts question form at maximumyield.com/asktheexperts Maximum Yield is here to help you in your hydroponics venture.

Good luck and do keep us updated on your progress!

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

Every month we give away a special issue of Maximum Yield to one lucky eNews subscriber. If you aren’t subscribed, you can’t participate. Get involved, share your thoughts and participate in discussions monthly and you could win.

Sign up today at maximumyield.com/enewssignup so you can start winning!

Maximum Yield Team

Maximum Yield reserves the right to edit for brevity.

We want to hear from you!

Maximum Yield Publications Inc. Snail-mail: 2339 Delinea Place, Nanaimo, BC V9T 5L9 E-mail: editor@maximumyield.com Twitter: twitter.com/max_yield Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaximumYield

COMING UP ON THE WEB

VOLUME 10 – NUMBER 1 May/June 2012 PRINTED IN AUSTRALIA Maximum Yield is published bi-monthly by Maximum Yield Publications Inc. 2339A Delinea Place, Nanaimo, BC V9T 5L9 Phone: 250.729.2677; Fax 250.729.2687 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

MAXIMUM YIELD’S ‘GROW LIKE A PRO’ INDOOR GARDENING EXPO TOUR HITS MICHIGAN Celebrate with us on the second stop of our ‘Grow Like a Pro’ Tour at our Great Lakes Expo in Novi, Michigan, June 3, 2012. The vibrant and rapidly growing East Coast indoor gardening industry will be in for a treat as exhibitors from around the globe showcase the newest and most innovative products at the Suburban Collection Showplace. Stay tuned to indoorgardenexpo.com for event details and updates.

W GREOA PR!O

LIKTOUR

GOT QUESTIONS? GET ANSWERS.

Maximum Yield’s resident experts are available and ready to answer your modern gardening questions.

E-mail editor@maximumyield.com or fill out the Ask the Experts question form on maximumyield.com

FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION TO MAXIMUM YIELD

Now you can receive Maximum Yield free to your inbox every month. Subscribe to the digital edition of Maximum Yield by simply filling out the form at maximumyield.com/digital-subscription Connect to MaximumYield.com instantly from your Smartphone with our Quick Response (QR) Code, found on the cover of every issue of Maximum Yield. Now you can access the best products, the most in-depth articles and information, and the latest news at high speeds. Simply download the QR Code Reader software compatible with your Smartphone, scan the QR Code and your phone’s browser will automatically launch, redirecting you to maximumyield.com It’s that simple! maximumyield.com.

CONNECT WITH MAXIMUM YIELD

maximumyield.com facebook.com/MaximumYield indoorgardeningexpo.com twitter.com/max_yield

contributors Casey Jones Fraser owns Garden

Grove Organics, in Northern Kentucky/ Greater Cincinnati. He has a degree in communications and electronic media.

He believes that indoor gardeners can achieve the highest quality crops and maximum yields when proper science is applied. Since 1998, Casey has been testing various nutrients and supplements in search of outstanding harvests.

Raquel Neofit is a features editor

for Nutrifield’s online garden problem solver and a freelance writer for the hydroponics and travel industries.

She shares Nutrifield’s passion for quality education and sound advice.

She is encouraged by Nutrifield’s dedication to hydroponic research and development, and the belief that hydro is the way of the future.

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

Brian Johns is driven by his passion to change the way people think about agriculture. He encourages natural food production in soil and hydroponic farming. Brian owns and operates Happy Family Farms in Flint, Michigan where he resides with his wife and business partner, Becky, and their three children, Sara, Stephen and Noah.

Chris Pianta AgroSci CEO, has over

25 years of experience in the lawn and garden market. He managed two successful startups and developed programs for Franks Nursery, FTD, Profile Soil Products, Martha Stewart, Agway and GROWELL. Chris is a holder of two United States patents. He earned his B.S. in Environmental and Professional Horticulture from UConn.

If undeliverable please return to the address above.

The views expressed by columnists are a personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect those of Maximum Yield or the Editor.

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products manager at JH Biotech, Inc., a California based agricultural technology company with 27 OMRI certified products. Donald has a master’s degree in agronomy with an emphasis in entomology. He is an agricultural scientist with over 10 years of research experience and 50 scientific publications to his credit.

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SIMON SAYS Hello, I’m a student researching urban agriculture and vertical farming projects that incorporate hydroponics and aeroponics.

What do you think about these vertical farm projects? Do you think that they are utopian? What are the advantages and the drawbacks of hydroponics and aeroponics? How does the quality of hydroponic and aeroponic crops compare to crops cultivated outside in soil?

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards, Thibaut FortĂŠ

The future of agriculture is becoming a very interesting conversation as farmers around the world struggle with more volatile weather conditions while feeding a growing population. There are many facets to the changing face of agriculture, and vertical farming is one of them. The concept of layered farming within a building is an efficient and creative opportunity. Vertical farms require supplemental lighting to ensure the plants in the middle are receiving the light required for healthy growth.

This adds a large energy component to the project and the more floors there are, the more energy needed.

LED lighting options might provide an alterative, but not for vining crops such as cucumbers and tomatoes, which are two of the dominant crops grown hydroponically in the world. In the short to medium term, we should look at low cost, low input models before jumping into the high cost, high input option of dedicated structures for urban agriculture.

Using rooftops we already have is a good first step toward sustainable urban food production. There are a couple of problems when it comes to water-based roof gardens. The first problem is the amount of radiant heat on rooftops; this can make water temperature regulation a massive issue, especially in sensitive aeroponic systems. Also, the waste

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

water from hydroponic systems still has a vast amount of soluble nutrients unused by the plants. This creates an issue of disposal. Fresh substrate would also need to be brought in between crops. Most large green roofs currently use drought-tolerant species that are planted and then basically forgotten.

Now imagine the same space including people interacting with food crops.

An amazing first step in our urban food development would be to take the Cuban organoponicos concept and place it on rooftops full of shallow (30 centimetre) raised beds filled with soilless mix and compost. You would get the insulation value, cooling effect and water retention of a green roof along with the low cost nearly self sufficient aspect of the Cuban food experience.

Building food and biodiversity into a system that improves the urban environment at the same time would be such a positive step forward. Economically

speaking, the building could generate revenue by leasing this as an additional floor and it would provide opportunity for entrepreneurs looking at food production but just needing the space.

A chance to get a new generation of people excited about farming? That’s always a good thing.

In keeping with efficient urban farming and organoponicos, vermicomposting could supply the majority of nutrition in the soilless beds on the rooftop.

A building based on green diversion could keep 30 per cent of building waste on-site to build biodiversity and feed the plants. A small portion of the garden could also be dedicated to habitat for beneficial insects, improving the balance of the space.

The vertical farm is a very creative concept and will probably end up being exceptionally important in the future. Until we have worked out an efficient system and a reasonable cost, we need to adapt in different ways. Our rooftops are numerous and can provide nutritious, low impact food while reducing the heat island effect and making our cities more liveable. MY Do you have a question for one of our resident experts? Send it to editor@maximumyield.com or fill out the form on maximumyield.com and your answer might be printed in an upcoming issue.

MAX FACTS

HYDROPONIC NEWS, TIPS AND TRIVIA

SCIENTISTS MAKE FUEL FROM ALGAE German scientists have developed a new catalytic process that permits the effective conversion of biopetroleum from microalgae into diesel fuels. A team from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen has been testing fuels made from microalgae as an alternative to biofuels processed from conventional oilcontaining crops. Using a new nickel-based catalyst has allowed the scientists to produce useful fuel products from algae for the first time.

Team leader Johannes A. Lercher said the new algae-based products had a number of advantages over currently available biofuels, particularly because “their use for fuel production does not compete with food production.”

(Source: sciencedaily.com)

MAXFACTS HYDROPONIC YDROPONIC NEWS, TIPS AND TRIVIA BLUE STRAWBERRIES Scientists have managed to come up with a blue strawberry. The genetically modified fruits are made with genes taken from the Arctic Flounder, which produces antifreeze to protect itself in frigid waters.

Researchers were attempting to find ways to safely freeze strawberries—the blue colour is an unexpected bonus.

The GM strawberries can be stored for long periods and will not degrade or turn to mush in the freezer.

While blue strawberries are not yet in commercial production, the study continues.

(Source: omg-facts.com)

ANCIENT NCIENTT PERUVIAN POPCORN PO DISCOVERED Ancient corncobs found at two mound sites on Peru's arid northern coast indicate that ancient Peruvians were eating popcorn much earlier than previously reported—even before they began using pottery.

The corncobs were between 3,000- and 6,700-years-old, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and indicate that although corn was still not an important part of their diet, the ancient inhabitants of Peru did consume it in several ways, including as popcorn and flour corn.

Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and a co-author of the study, called the find “very important for understanding how corn became the crop we know today."

(Source: sciencedaily.com)

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

FIRST-EVER TROPICAL FIG GRAFT A Northern Territory horticulturalist has successfully grafted figs onto a root system suitable for tropical climates for what is believed to be the first time.

Grower Chris Nathanael from Tropiculture Australia says he's identified a root stock that won't rot during the wet season—after 42 years of trying.

The new plant will be sold commercially by the end of the year, but it is considered unsuitable for home gardeners because of its huge root system, a legacy of its wild fig rootstock.

(Source: abc.net.au)

AUSTRALIAN GROWERS GO ORGANIC IN FARMING COLLECTIVE Australian farmers are turning to intensive organic agriculture with the help of ‘neighbourhood schemes’ like Rivers Road Organic Farms, a farming collective spread out over 120 hectares on the banks of the Belubula River, just outside Canowindra in Central Western New South Wales.

The collective is divided into 13 farm blocks and 10 residential blocks. While each farm is independent, the collective operates according to a unique model of rural development: community title under organic certification. The ‘community title’ designation is similar to strata title in a block of apartments.

The Rivers Road collective focuses on all aspects of organic living—from farming techniques to architecture.

(Source: abc.net.au)

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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MAX FACTS PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

HYDROPONIC NEWS, TIPS AND TRIVIA

VERY OLD FLOWER Russian scientists have used growth hormones to coax an ice-age flowering plant to bloom after it had been buried in a fossilised squirrel burrow in Siberia for almost 32,000 years.

Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow found the plant, Silene stenophylla, buried in sediments 38 metres underground and are now calling its flowers “the most ancient, viable, multicellular living organisms.”

(Source: treehugger.com)

JAMIE TAKES ON AUSTRALIA Aussie kids don't know where food comes from. A recent survey from the Primary Industries Education Foundation shows 27 per cent of grade six students thought yoghurt came from a plant and 45 per cent of Aussie kids didn't know foods like bananas and cheese came from farms…

Cue Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food Australia project. In partnership with the Bailieu government, Jamie’s Good Food Foundation looks like it's right on time to teach Aussie families about good food and nutrition.

An exact location is yet to be announced, but the project is heading to the Victorian state of Geelong first—where it is reported that 54 per cent of residents are overweight.

Although it won't be filmed for television you can make your way into the shop or mobile kitchen and learn the basics about food, a healthy lifestyle and cooking fresh produce.

People can register at the centre and courses cost around $10.

(Source: foodprocessing.com.au)

GREENHOUSE CUTTINGS NEED MORE LIGHT A Purdue University study suggests that greenhouse bedding plant growers can increase profits significantly by providing more light to spring bedding plants started in greenhouses during winter and early spring.

The study found that plants rooted faster with more light and the plants were of a higher quality, both factors that could increase profits for greenhouse growers. It was previously thought that using too much light would stress delicate cuttings and disrupt root development.

(Source: sciencedaily.com)

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Maximum

Yield | May/June 2012

COMPOSTT GOLD Composting has proven to be a gardener’s best friend for a woman in Sweden who found her lost wedding ring wrapped around a carrot growing in the backyard.

The woman initiated a desperate search when she lost the ring in 1995, even tearing up the kitchen floor, but eventually came to believe the ring was lost forever. The ring is now thought to have fallen into the sink and been mixed with potato peelings that were later composted and added to the vegetable garden.

(Source: warmearth.com.au)

RIJK ZWAAN PIONEERS REVERSE BREEDING Recently, researchers from Rijk Zwaan working in Australia have been attempting to develop a new breeding technique known as ‘reverse breeding.’

A study has demonstrated that reverse breeding—which allows scientists to identify an exceptionally strong plant they can use to produce the parental lines necessary for developing a new variety—works perfectly in thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a plant often used in research and a member of the same family as cabbage and radish.

Details of this groundbreaking work—the result of close collaboration between Rijk Zwaan and researchers from Wageningen University in The Netherlands and UC Davis, University of California in the USA—were recently published in Nature Genetics magazine.

(Source: rijkzwaan.com.au)

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

YOUR GUIDE TO THIS ISSUE’S

HOTTEST ITEMS Ask for them at your local indoor gardening store.

Sun System® Blazer Reflector—New Size Announcing the arrival of the 20 centimetre Blazer Reflector. eflector. Completely sealed for maximum air-cooling, 95 per cent reflective European uropean aluminum interior and double gasketed glass are only a few of the many excellent features Blazer has to offer. This state-of-the-art air-cooled reflector raises the bar for output and uniformity. An industry leader in its class, Blazer is a force to be reckoned with. Unmatched in output, uniformity and performance, you can’t afford not to have this reflector in your grow room. Your plants will thank you. Visit your nearest indoor gardening store to learn more.

Introducing House & Garden A&B Soil Base Nutrient

House & Garden Roots Excelurator

House & Garden A&B soil base nutrient is designed to be used only in soil. The unique composition of soil nutrients requires an extremely precise composition of the various minerals, which ensures that soil and nutrients are used to their full advantage. House & Garden two part soil nutrients are soil-specific.

The special composition of the nutrient solution leaves the water reservoir pure and keeps it fresh. At the same time it provides balance, ensuring optimal absorption at the root zone. Ask for it today at your local hydroponic retail store.

Roots Excelurator, now with a fresh new label, is the most powerful concentrated root stimulator on the global market today. Roots Excelurator is unique—by forming a film around the roots it keeps harmful diseases and germs out of the root zone but still allows full nutrient absorption. Roots Excelurator ensures explosive root growth and rids unhealthy root systems of brown roots by isolating the pathogens that attack the root zone, thus stopping them from reproducing.

Roots Excelurator provides an excellent rhizosphere (root zone) in all media types and can shorten grow times significantly enabling more turnover per year.

Healthy roots = Healthy plants = Healthy yields. Look for the new label at your favourite hydroponic shop.

Presenting the Raised Garden Bed by Root Pouch Root Pouch fabric technology is now available in circular raised garden beds. A raised bed makes gardening easy. A Root Pouch fabric raised bed makes gardening even easier. Just add your soil or soilless medium and plant. No building or assembly required. Comes in one to 2.5 metre diameter options. Visit your favourite indoor or outdoor gardening shop to learn more or purchase Root Pouch’s circular raised garden bed today.

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

Introducing Stealth Airbox The future of carbon filtration has landed in Australia. Sick of dismantling your ductwork just to replace your heavy carbon filter? We were. Now we have made it easy with the Stealth Airbox, the only inline filter with push and pull capability, adaptable to any duct system. Easy to replace slide out carbon filter panels, 100 per cent airtight and reliable for worry-free operation. These ‘made in the USA’ high flow filters are the solution you’ve been looking for. Check them out at your favourite indoor gardening shop.

Low Rider™ Air-Cooled Reflector Announcing the arrival of Low Rider™, the newest aircooled reflector in the Sun System Reflector lineup. The Low Rider™ has the distinction of being the most compact high output hood on the market. It is unique because it’s only 15 centimetres tall for low ceilings or use between floor joists.

It’s completely sealed with hinged and double gasketed glass, and features 95 per cent reflective European aluminum interior and built-in oval shaped air-cooled flanges with bead ring to keep ducting securely in place. Visit an indoor gardening shop near you for more information.

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

PAR Metre by Sun System®

The Future of Cloning has Arrived Down Under—Turboklone With its own cooling system and more sites for its size, the Turboklone will astound even the most seasoned grower. No more need for cubes, heaters, timers and other expensive equipment, the Turboklone does it all for you in less time. With Turboklone, success is guaranteed. Use with House & Garden’s Roots Excelurator for results that will amaze you. For more information visit an indoor gardening shop near you.

Announcing the arrival of the PAR Metre by Sun System®. The PAR Metre comes with either an integrated sensor or a remote sensor. Ideal for use inside with Sun System® grow lights, the PAR Metre helps ensure that your plants are receiving the optimum amount of light for photosynthesis. Simply place the metre under the grow light at the spot you want to measure, press the button and you’re done. Simple to use and easy to read, the PAR Metre is a must-have for any grower. Comes with a one year warranty. Visit your favourite hydroponic shop for more information.

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Symbiot’s Inoculation Trial Pack Symbiot growers and Australia’s leading horticultural biotechnology manufacturers have developed three exciting new biological crop enhancement products for professional and home hydro growers. By adding specific combinations of plant growthpromoting beneficial microorganisms or (plant symbionts) to the hydroponic growing environment, overall crop performance can be improved considerably. Combine Symbiot’s Myco-RhizoPhyllo as an integrated inoculation program and watch them work wonders with a simple grow and bloom nutrient or with your existing nutrient regime. It’s a simple and effective way to bring out the best in your grow system, your nutrients and your plants’ genetics. Visit a hydroponics shop near you to purchase the Symbiot Inoculation Trial Pack.

Nutrifield® NF Coco Bricks Nutrifield’s NF Coco Brick and NF Coco Mega Brick are the fastest expanding bricks on the market. They arrive dried and compressed for ease of transportation, storage and handling. You simply add water and your brick expands to create NF premium coco medium. NF Coco Bricks are biodegradable, pre-buffered organic water-absorbing bricks. They hold the RHP Dutch standard of quality for horticultural substrates, and are free from harmful parasites and diseases.

NF Coco Bricks can be mixed with Nutrifield’s Expanded Clay. For more information visit your favourite indoor gardening shop.

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

19

Just don't take advantage of seed companies’ generosity.

Some seed companies freely give away seed trial packs containing 1,000 seeds; if you do plant out the full pack and subsequently request another trial variety to avoid handing over your hard earned dollar, they will eventually cotton on and you'll seriously reduce the likelihood of being supplied free seeds to plant out in the future.

If you are planning to start a small hydroponic business, make sure you develop a good relationship with your local seed sales rep. They will keep you up-to-date on what's happening in the industry and let you know when they're releasing new varieties.

Some varieties that grow well in the ground (which is where most breeders and sellers do their trials) won't necessarily grow well hydroponically. They might grow too flat or too tall for a hydroponic system, thus not allowing enough air to flow through or simply falling over. However, most varieties will suit hydroponics and these trials can guarantee a successful crop.

Mignonette lettuce

Germination rate is another important factor to consider.

Most commercial growers expect a very high percentage in the germination rate for their money.You should look for a seed that has a minimum 90 per cent germination rate. Just remember, the lower the germination rate, the more time, space and money you might waste.

Most reputable seed companies will have trialled their seeds for a couple of years before it lands in your system.

Seed growers and sellers Rijk Zwaan run three phases of trials before their major growers get their hands on the trial stock. Phase one and two are screening tests done in-house.

Phase three is where the growers are invited to the growing fields, called open field days, to view the produce in the ground and talk to the breeders and sales reps about the new varieties they are screening and which seed varieties

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

21

Michael on someone wanting to start their own hydroponic business “Be careful…

Speak to the specialised seed company of that crop, get the knowledge out of the sales rep who should know what that plant can and can't do, but definitely don't rely on them 100 per cent. Always do your own screening trials throughout different periods of the year and always stay one step ahead.

Don't think, ‘I've got this variety and it's going to be there forever,’ because varieties change frequently and certain diseases will come in and wipe out one variety where with the next one it won't.

Always have a fallback scheme. If you're happy with a variety, stay with it, but always have a backup plan so if something happens you've always got something to switch to straight away.”

Ron Bertoncello, EE Muirs sales rep (seed resellers) Ron dishes the dirt on resellers recommending seed stock “We tend to work hand-in-hand with the seed companies.

They like all resellers to come and see the trials of all the new varieties coming onto the market. When a customer rings me up and asks what variety they should be growing I'll suggest two or three varieties that I have seen grown somewhere.

If they need more information, I'll talk to the seed reps or get the seed reps to go and visit the growers. We work in a partnership.” MY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brian Johns is driven by his passion to change the way people think about agriculture. He encourages natural food production in soil and hydroponic farming. Brian owns and operates Happy Family Farms in Flint, Michigan where he resides with his wife and business partner, Becky, and their three children Sara, Stephen and Noah.

Untreated dill seeds

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

25

MICROPROPAGATION

BY BRIAN JOHNS DISCOVER THE BASIC STEPS OF MICROPROPAGATION, BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN ALL THAT, THERE IS ONE POINT THAT CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH—MAINTAIN CLEANLINESS! ALL OTHER FACTORS IN MICROPROPAGATION ARE IMPORTANT BUT NONE OF THEM WILL AFFECT YOUR RESULTS AS MUCH AS THIS ONE.

1.

2.

3.

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Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

Select a plant from which to take tissue samples. It is important that your plant is free from any visible signs of disease or infestation. Typically plants that are grown indoors are more successfully micropropagated than those grown outdoors simply due to lower levels of contaminates.

It is also important to sterilize your plant as much as possible. Wipe the plant down with a mild bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution (approximately ½ teaspoon per litre).

Select the appropriate containers in which you will be placing your grow medium and tissue cultures. This can be something as simple as baby food jars. I recommend small mason jars because they are glass (easily sterilized); you do not have to remove any labels (labels block the plants from receiving light and you don’t want that); the lids can be easily adjusted to accommodate more or less airflow; and they are readily available and inexpensive.

Prepare your grow medium. There are many different forms of grow mediums suitable for tissue culture on the market today. The advantage of purchasing a prepared grow medium is that it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process. Also many of the prepared grow mediums are plant specific, which means they contain all of the appropriate

4.

5.

6.

minerals, nutrients and hormones needed for your specific plant. (Note: Prepared grow mediums are only partially prepared as there is some mixing involved).You also have the option to mix your own grow medium.

Take cuttings from your plant and place them into the grow medium. The best way to do this is with a scalpel and tweezers that have been sterilized. As it pertains to what sections of the plant to take your cuttings from—this is one area where you get to experiment a little bit. With some plants, even sections of the leaf tissue will root and form clones, so be creative and take samples from various locations of your plant and keep track of which cuttings work best. It is important to think small when taking your cuttings. All that is needed is 0.5 to 2.4 centimetres of plant material.

Now you have your grow medium and cuttings in sterilised jars with the lids loosely on top. Place the jars approximately 30.5 centimetres underneath cool spectrum lighting. The temperature should be kept between 15°C to 24°C. Light cycles can be kept consistent with vegetative plant light cycles (16+ hours of light per day). The area in which you store/grow your clones should have little to no air circulation, as to reduce the risk of contamination.

In a very short period of time you will begin to see your plants take shape and begin to resemble adolescent plants as opposed to chunks of plant material. At this point you have a couple options.

A. You can continue to grow your plants with the same method, transplanting them into larger containers as needed. Once your plants have quadrupled in size you can actually divide them into pieces and start the process over..

B. You can place your plants into soil or a hydroponic growing medium. The key to success in transferring your plants from the micropropagation growing medium to any other growing medium is ensuring that you have removed all the micropropagation medium prior to transplanting. Also you should treat these small plants with as much care as possible until they have been assimilated to their new environment (placing a humidity tent over them and diffusing their lighting is highly recommended for the first week after transplantation).

Again, it cannot be stressed enough that cleanliness and sterility are of utmost importance. From the instruments that you use to the area in which you take the cuttings from your plants, your success will depend on how well you are able to protect these small plants and limit their exposure to contaminants. MY

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problem. Dave stopped by my shop for suggestions on a heater for the night hours and an air conditioner for the daytime.

"I think we can save you some cash here." I grabbed a catalogue for a quick price check. "Get one of these lighting flip relay systems and two grow tents."

For those of you who don't know: you can buy a device that will run two lights off a single ballast at different times. One light will be on for a set number of hours (usually 12), then the ballast's power is "flipped" to a different reflector. One light goes out, the other comes on.

So, Dave set up two large grow tents, each big enough to hold a four by eight foot table. He runs one pair of lights for 12 hours, then his new relay system flips the power to the other tent for 12 hours of light. Both gardens get a 12 hour light cycle and a 12 hour dark cycle at opposing times.

Because Dave only runs two lights at a time, the heat never gets above 27째. In fact, temperatures are usually in the mid 20s, day and night. The regulated temperatures help the plants grow fast yet compact.

Save

Dave was going to buy an air conditioner and a heater, but instead he bought a ballast flipping relay system. There are many different brands available. I have heard rumors that some grow stores have tried to make these systems themselves. Because these units transfer thousands of watts of power, there is a chance of failure or even fire. Please purchase your flipper from a reputable horticulture control company.

In this scenario, Dave was able to buy less equipment, save money on his power bill and still run four grow lights. This level of efficiency is better for the environment and easier on the budget. Now that's green! MY

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

37

GROWERS KNOW

The Grass is Greener Under Glass

Michael and Paul Mifsud, Paulmar Hydroponics

by Raquel Neofit

This father and son team are revolutionising hydroponic lettuce production.

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In 1992 Paul Mifsud fell in love with hydroponics on his cousin’s property in NSW. In 1994 he moved his family back to Geelong to grow a variety of lettuce hydroponically. Now, with their 31-year-old son Michael on board, they are set to change the face of hydroponics as we know it. I caught up with Michael Mifsud to find out exactly what goes on in their hidden corner of Geelong…

“Originally dad’s intention was to set up three or four sheds, look after the local area, send a few crates to the Melbourne markets and go fishing for the rest of the afternoon,” Michael said laughing. “We work long days now, 14 to 16 hours, but it’s a pretty good industry,” he said.

“I’m a chef by trade, I did that for 10 years,” Michael said. “ I had my own restaurant for the last two years of that.” But in 2002 his parents’ hydroponics business was experiencing significant growth so he sold his restaurant to help Paul expand the business.

“Mum and dad are of Maltese background,” Michael said. “My father’s father always said wherever you can grow stone fruit or vines you can grow anything.”

Although they didn’t find any grapevines in 1994 when they returned to Geelong, 25 years prior there was a thriving vineyard industry until disease wiped it out.

“Another reason we picked the Geelong area,” he said, “is because we were pretty much the only fully commercial growers here. There used to be a lot of spud farmers, but we came to this area so we’d be sort of pest and disease free. It’s an isolated location.”

Geelong’s climate is prefect for hydroponic leafy greens—plenty of sunlight, light rainfall and close to the coast so the temperature drops in the evening, even on a scorching hot day.

They own two sites now; the old one boasts 1.4 hectares under low tech-plastic. No ventilation, cooling or heating, just adjustable sides where they grow a variety of lettuce, herbs and now pak choy, bok choy and choy sum. This location is also home to Paulmar’s head office with mum Mary heading up the office duties.

But it’s the new site where things get exciting.

Named The Glasshouse Farm, this state-of-the-art cabriolet (or convertible) glass structure is only four kilometres up the road from the old site. The 6,048 square metre structure was two and a half years in development with Paulmar’s joint venture partners Fresh Select, a marketing company servicing Coles supermarkets.

The glass is new technology boasting a low iron content, which means it allows the UVB spectrum through so even the red lettuce can absorb everything they need to colour from the sun’s rays.

Glass though? Sounds a little expensive for the humble lettuce…

“When we made the decision to go to glass we looked at the comparison in the price of glass and plastic,” he

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GROWERS KNOW

said. “You’re supposed to replace plastic every three to four years. Well glass has a lifespan of 25 years and sometimes a sheet of plastic might only last two days.” In this scenario they will recoup the cost of the glass in two plastic replacement cycles.

“We’re always chasing our tails repairing things with plastic, but once the glass has settled it’s there; you might get one or two broken panes a year but you’re not always chasing things like with plastic,” he said.

The new site is also where things move into the 21st century.

It’s completely automated, run from a mezzanine floor overlooking their crop with a single computer, which can be manually overridden at any time. “We can tell it to stop dosing, or we can tell it to modify the dosing,” Michael said. They have total control over the environment.

The glasshouse farm has 96 per cent ventilation, heating and cooling through a fogging system, circulation fans, a shade screen and an infrared system that monitors plant temperature. And that’s just on the inside; outside they can monitor humidity, temperature, light and wind direction, wind speed and rain.

“The easiest way to control your greenhouse is through your climate temperature,” Michael said. “We want to start controlling plant temperature because we will be able to keep the plants much happier.”

Happy is certainly how they like their plants to be.You can tell by the way Paul encourages his son to look at a plant: “Dad looks at a plant as a human being without a brain or a heart because they eat when they need to, they drink when they need to and they let off gasses like we do.

Look at it this way, if you’re uncomfortable in an environment then the plant definitely is,” Michael said.

The glasshouse farm also boasts two new developments that Michael has been working on for the last few years.

The first is the transport system that handles the harvest, sanitisation, storage and re-planting of the tables and channels, which Michael will launch on the market as Hydro Coaster. It’s a system of tables with rollers underneath, and a motorised track so the channels, complete with produce, will come to you.

Basically, the staff will stand in a pack room, the glass panes separating them from the crop will rise up and the tracking system—think of your local sushi train restaurant—will deliver the entire nine by 1.6 metre bench to the pack room.

They’ll harvest the crop, then the train track will move the table to the sterilisation area, it will be automatically sterilised, then it will move on to a storage rack ready for the train to drop it at the re-planting station where staff are ready. The computer then sends the bench back into the glasshouse and locates it in the appropriate location.

“We can tell the computer we want two benches out of 40

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bay one and three benches out of bay four and I want the first bench to be in the pack room at 7 a.m. and it will be sitting there waiting for us,” he said.

It will bring the labour costs down by over half. “We’ll be going from 10 staff on our old site down to four doing the same amount of produce on the new one,” he said.

Impressive, huh!

The second new development is the not-so-humble lettuce variety they grow in here. In development for three years with seed suppliers and the likes of Coles and Fresh Select ‘Symphony’ (as in the music) is three lettuce varieties grown into one. No genetic modification, just three seeds planted into one seedling block that grows into one amazing lettuce.

Currently under the patenting process, it consists of a red oak, a green oak and a coral to produce the ultimate salad mix set to spice up the Aussie salad bowl.

“We’ve finally gotten to a point where we’ve got different varieties for different seasons and they all look uniform and look like one lettuce,” Michael said.

The different variety comes down to taste and desires in winter.

The winter variety has more red throughout the plant, ideally enticing to people to eat more salad in the colder months by giving them a feeling of warmth.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into getting these three lettuces just right so we knew that once the consumer got it home they’d get what they want,” Michael said. “We concentrated on value for money—as in the plant lasting a long time—the size of the product—so that when people got it home they’d get a good feed—and on making sure that the flavour is specific.”

Senny and Jeetu harvesting asian vegetables at Paulmar.

They actually took the time to get Coles involved with this product, sat down with an armload of Symphony, tasted the leaves undressed and then with a variety of salad dressings to ensure this product would bode well with every possible taste and dressing option when it hit the stores in late February.

It’s not the first new variety they have developed.

Paulmar teamed up with seed growers Rijk Zwaan to produce Salanova, a one-cut-ready lettuce that even has its own website: salanova.com.au And the cost factor in developing a new plant variety?

“We’ve never really budgeted it out. We want to stay ahead of our competitors and it’s not just us involved,” he said. “The seed companies give us seed, there’s been Coles and a whole network of people involved, but we do spend a lot of money on research and development.”

Nutrients are another area where Michael and Paul excel.

‘We buy all individual elements and mix our own recipe, Michael said. “Not a lot of people do it—most buy the standard mix and do it that way, but we do a lot of trials and testing, we take samples of the water every two to four weeks and send them off to the lab for testing.”

Between lab tests they’ve developed enough knowledge of their crop and each nutrient’s responsibility that they can generally identify visually which element is missing from the crop—a talent passed down from father to son over the years.

“We scout the crop three times a day, look at what the plants are doing, looking for deficiency, disease, pests, anything like that. The advantage with hydroponics I suppose is if you see something in the morning early enough, you can generally rectify it in 24 hours,” he said.

“We’re getting pretty good at guessing it. Most of the time we can look at it and go, okay, it’s deficient in iron or magnesium,” Michael said.

I asked Paul about his nutrient talents later when I visited the impressive glass structure and he replied in a heavy Maltese accent, “ I know my recipe and I know what the lettuce needs, so by me looking at the plant I know if it’s got a deficiency or not. Then I can add—I can’t subtract—but I can add…

“It has been 18 years doing it,” he said.

“You gotta know the plant, know what it’s doing, you gotta look at the weather too; it’s all by experience.

You do make mistakes but that’s how you learn, by mistakes,” he added.

I also asked him what he thought of his son’s advancements and handing over faith and reins to Michael’s new ideas.

“You can’t beat it—young generation, new technology. We’re getting too old, hey,” Paul said. “That’s the way you gotta go these days you know, you can’t go the old way. This is the way: save work, save labour, better

environment.Yeah, the young generation, they know their technology, they know computers…my grandchild beats me and is only two years and three months.”

Not that he can fool me, at 52 Paul might think he’s getting too old, but I saw him monitoring the new system in the glasshouses nerve centre, looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks! MY

Michael Mifsud with employees Senny and Jeetu at Paulmar’s original hydroponics site.

Paulmar Hydroponics is located at 105 Swan Bay Road, Wellington,Victoria. Visit paulmar.com.au

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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Salt Controlling

BUILDUP

BY DONALD LESTER

KNOWING WHY AND HOW SALT ACCUMULATES IN HYDROPONIC SOLUTIONS AND SOILLESS SYSTEMS CAN HELP YOU AVOID THE SITUATION IN THE FUTURE.

Salt buildup is a common problem for growers; in soil systems, it is characterized by an accumulation of white or off-white (sometimes even brown or gray) crystals forming on the soil surface in fields and on the surface of potting mix in pots. Salt buildup can also occur in hydroponic solutions and in soilless systems.

Salt buildup can be a serious problem for plants because it affects the ability of their roots to take up water. Plants normally regulate how much water they have in their system by actively drinking through their roots. When the water surrounding the roots becomes too salty, however, the salty water does not have enough water molecules in it relative to the fresher water within the plant, so it becomes hard for the plant to suck up the few water molecules left in the salty water outside. Humans have the same problem with their cells trying to get fresh water from salty water—which is the reason a sailor lost at sea can die of thirst in the middle of the ocean.

Plants respond to excess salt in the same way they respond to conditions of drought. The common symptoms are stunting, wilting, drying of the leaves and even death.

There are several reasons why salt accumulation can occur, including the use of high-salt fertilisers, a poor water source, poor water drainage, bad substrate selection or even salt-sensitive plants.

These factors can occur alone or in combination.

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One side effect of too much salt is that it can negatively affect the pH of the soil or nutrient solution. When a weak acid or a weak base is added to a salt it is called a buffer. If the pH is not in the desired range, then buffering can make pH correction more difficult. This is one reason why growers can continue to add a pH adjuster and see quick results, but then over time they see the pH drift back to where it was before the adjuster was added.

Salt buildup can be corrected by leaching, changing the water source, choosing the proper substrate, switching to fertilisers with a low salt index, by the addition of calcium or by adapting to the salt by using plants with a high salt tolerance.

LEACHING AND YOUR WATER SOURCE In soil-based systems, salts can be leached out of the soil. Pure water can dissolve the salts and leach them out of the soil profile, but that is usually not practical in agricultural fields or large indoor cropping systems. Some growers resort to leaching salts out of the soil profile with water that is less salty. This method works, but it takes a lot more water to dissolve the unwanted salts than it would with pure water.

Check the salt levels in your water source—any environmental laboratory can do this for you. Water softeners add sodium to the water, so softened water should never be used for watering plants.

SUBSTRATE CHOICE Some substrates can be high in salt, so staying away from the main culprits can help avoid the problem. Coir coconut fibre can be one of the offenders, so some industry experts recommend thoroughly rinsing the coir before use to remove excess salt.

Sphagnum peat and compost made from purely plant sources are both good low-salt choices. Ask for an analysis of any organic amendments that you are considering, and choose your amendments wisely. If no analysis is available, you should test a small amount of the amendment before purchasing a large quantity.

When considering substrates, remember that growing media should contain a substantial quantity of large pores to facilitate good drainage.

“PLANTS RESPOND TO EXCESS SALT IN THE SAME WAY THEY RESPOND TO CONDITIONS OF DROUGHT. THE COMMON SYMPTOMS ARE STUNTING, WILTING, DRYING OF THE LEAVES AND EVEN DEATH.”

LOW SALT INDEX FERTILISERS There are several types of salts that can build up in soils and fertiliser solutions, but sodium chloride (table salt) is arguably the most common. In fact, many fertilisers use salts as active ingredients.You can get a good indication of how much salt is in a fertiliser by looking at the salt index (SI). University studies have measured how much salt is in certain brands of fertiliser and they have been ranked accordingly. It should be noted, however, that the SI does not predict the exact amount of fertiliser or the particular formulation that could produce crop injury, although it does compare one fertiliser formulation with others regarding the relative osmotic (salt-related) effects. It also shows which higher-SI fertilisers will be most likely to cause injury to germinating seeds or seedlings if placed in close proximity. For example, a liquid 2-10-10 formula might rank 27.5, whereas a 2-20-20 might rank at 7.2. Clearly, using half the rate of 4-10-10 is still saltier than using the full rate of 2-20-20.

ADDITION OF CALCIUM In soils with high sodium content, gypsum (calcium sulphate) can be applied to improve the soil structure. Managing soil sodium is really about maintaining optimum levels of soluble soil calcium—in order to amend a salty soil, sodium must be replaced with calcium, which is usually accomplished with high rates of gypsum. Calcium has a more powerful electrical charge than sodium, so the application of gypsum will displace soil sodium.

Irrigation then leaches the free sodium through the soil profile, thus restoring the physical properties of the soil.

SALT TOLERANCE IN PLANTS Plants vary in their susceptibility to high salt concentrations. Salt buildup is a common complication. If excessive salt accumulation is an issue in your garden, then hopefully these tips will help you isolate and rectify the situation and avoid the problem in the future. MY Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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HOW TO TEST PH LEVELS IN

SOIL

BY THERESE CRESSMAN

IS YOUR SOIL ACIDIC? NEUTRAL? ALKALINE? WHY DOES IT MATTER? FIND OUT. Most plants need a fairly neutral soil so they can retrieve all the nutrients from it that they require, but some are more fussy and may want a more acidic or alkaline soil. By testing the soil, you can determine if a garden location will be ideal for a new plant or if the soil should be amended first (to adjust the pH level as needed).

Many plants thrive in neutral soil (a pH reading of approximately 6.5 to 7.5) but there are some that require a more acidic (below seven) or alkaline soil (above seven). The scale is from zero (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline).

Before testing: For an accurate reading use clean tools and remove any debris

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“MANY PLANTS THRIVE IN NEUTRAL SOIL (A PH READING OF APPROXIMATELY 6.5 TO 7.5) BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT REQUIRE A MORE ACIDIC (BELOW SEVEN) OR ALKALINE SOIL (ABOVE SEVEN).” from the garden surface, then dig down about four inches to retrieve a soil sample. For potted plants, a couple of inches below the surface is fine.

THREE WAYS TO T TEST TEST TES EST SOIL: • Use a soil metre, probe or kit:These vary in price and quality.

• Quick and dirty DIY test: Not very specific but can give you an idea of what type of soil you’re working with and the testing supplies are likely in your pantry already.

• Send out samples:This can be done free or at low cost using local government or horticultural facilities (universities, greenhouses, etc.).

SOIL KITS, PROBES AND METERS There are a few different types you can buy and the kits will come with instructions for using their particular product. Generally a soil test kit is used by pouring a bit of dirt in the supplied tube or container, adding the provided tablet or powder, filling container with water and shaking until the powder or tablet dissolves. After a few minutes the test will display a color that you will compare against the kit’s color chart to see how your soil has tested.

Another option is a soil metre or probe that is either inserted directly into the ground or in a water and soil slurry mix. These can provide near instant readings and display either a color code or number to indicate the soil content.

QUICK AND DIR DIRTY DIRT TY TEST TY ES EST This won’t give you a specific reading, but it can give you an idea whether or not your soil is acidic or alkaline.

• Vinegar test: Take a sample of dry soil (about 1/4 cup), mix with distilled water to make a liquid mud and then start pourpour ing household

vinegar over top. If the mixture fizzes, the soil is alkaline.

• Baking soda test: Mix dry soil and distilled water as above then start sprinkling baking soda over top. If the mixture bubbles, the soil is acidic.

• If neither test produces a reaction, you have fairly neutral soil.

Do you remember way back in the day when grandpa would grab a handful of dirt on the farm and smell or taste it? It was the oldtimer’s method of determining the pH level of the soil…if it tasted or smelled sour the soil was acidic and he knew then that it was time to add lime to increase the pH. If it tasted or smelled sweet that told him the soil was more alkaline.

SEND OUT SAMPLES If it’s imperative that you know precisely how your soil tests, your best bet is

to check with your local government agricultural office or university’s horticultural department. They’ll do the soil analysis or advise where local gardeners can get their soil samples tested.

QUICK TIPS FOR AMENDING SOIL • For more acidity (sourness) try adding sulphur, pine needles or cottonseed meal to lower soil pH. • For more alkaline (sweetness) try adding lime or wood ash to increase soil pH. MY

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45

YOU TELL US

The Stealth Garden team from left: andrew Higgins (director/tech support), Anthony Presto (warehouse manager), Sasha Kotlar (director/sales) and Bensa Grizzle (graphics/IT).

Andrew Higgins from Stealth Garden Supplies talks about coming to Australia with $300 in his pocket and having a passion for working in the hydroponics industry…

Maximum Yield: How did you come up with your name? Is there a story behind it?

Andrew Higgins: Stealth Garden Supplies is the new name for quality products in Australia. Formerly A&S distribution, we decided to rebrand to reflect our expanding wholesale product line.

MY:Talk about your product lines.What do you carry and why? What do you looking for in a product line?

Andrew: Four years ago we brought the House & Garden Van De Zwaan product line to Australia and New Zealand, which set a new benchmark in quality plant nutrients and stimulators.

The success of House & Garden has set the standard on how we evaluate new products to introduce and distribute. Our basic philosophy at Stealth Garden is this: when all the hype is stripped away, do the products stand up on their own? And do they offer something unique to the market?

We have recently introduced Turboklone to our range, simply because the product works and it puts a new spin on cloning not seen before here in Australia.

Our new carbon filter, the Stealth Airbox, again offers a unique perspective—it has push and pull capability and the interchangeable carbon panels make it a breeze to replace even mid-cycle. Again, it’s

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another product and design new to the Australian market. To us at Stealth Garden there’s no inspiration in selling the same old products—if there’s no edge, there’s no point.

MY:What is your biggest-selling product and who’s buying it?

Andrew: Our biggest seller is Shooting Powder by House & Garden—this unique product continually proves itself, works with any nutrient range and surprises even the most seasoned growers with its ability to continually encourage cell division and increase yield.

MY:Who are the people behind your company?

Tell us a bit about the owner/managers.

Andrew: Stealth Garden started out as A&S Distribution—not the most imaginative name—but it served us well in the early days.

It is owned and managed by Sasha Kotlar and myself. We started with nothing, scraped together enough cash to begin distributing House & Garden nutrients out of my garden shed and slowly built a business by ploughing all our profits back into stock for the first two years while working two jobs.

A traveller by heart, I left England looking for something new.

My journey took me through the Netherlands, Asia and New Zealand before I arrived in Australia with $300, a backpack and a passion for growing hydroponically.

Sasha has a great passion for business and marketing and a zest for life that is infectious to be around. Together we have over 25 years experience in the hydroponics industry.

MY: What are your facilities like? How many people do you employ? Do you have plans to expand physically or into other markets?

Andrew: Luckily for us, the days of unloading by hand are gone! We now have 700 square metres of warehousing, a greenhouse and an indoor growing facility for testing and trialling all the products we sell. We stand behind every product in our catalogue and extensively test it on-site so that when we talk to customers we know exactly how the products will perform.

Our test facilities give us an accurate appraisal of new products—if they don’t make the grade, then we don’t sell them.

We currently employ five people. 2012 is a year of expansion for us—we have diversified from a one product line company and are now working closely with commercial growing facilities, council environmental departments and colleges both here in Australia and in New Zealand.

MY: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the hydroponics industry today? How are you equipped to deal with them?

Andrew: Today’s hydroponic business is an inspiring industry to be involved in, as we all know hydroponics has massive potential for food production and greening our cities. The biggest challenge for every industry these days is sustainability in a fossil fuel-based economy. Our main goal for this year is to become carbon neutral and give back what we take—it’s the only way forward.

MY: Do you go to a lot of trade shows and exhibitions? What else do you do as far as marketing and promotion is concerned?

Andrew: We introduced House & Garden to Australia with a television advertising campaign. Since then we are always thinking of new ideas, from holiday giveaways to free window graphics for our retailers. Our aim is to always be a step ahead with fresh ideas—innovation is evolution.

Advertising in and distributing Maximum Yield have also been of great benefit to our business as a way of reaching our target audience.

MY:What company do you most admire (and possibly model yourselves after) in the industry?

Andrew: Humboldt Wholesale is an inspiration in the industry—and of course being part of the House & Garden network we work together on some marketing ideas.MY Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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TALKING SHOP

AT A GLANCE Company: Green Acres Hydroponics Owners: Andrew Clifford and Rodney Fisher Location: 46-48 Binalong Road Mornington, Tasmania Phone: 03 6245 1066 Website: greenacreshydroponics.net E-mail: greenacrehydro@bigpond.com Motto: “For all your hydroponic needs…”

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From Left: Rod, Steve and Andrew

Green Acres is the Place to Be Andrew Clifford and Rod Fisher got into the hydroponics business because they enjoyed it—but they’re staying in it because they believe that for Australia, hydroponic growing is the industry of the future…

Andrew Clifford was part-owner and manager of a steel fabrication business in Adelaide, with 20 years experience in management and sales. Rodney Fisher was a part-owner in a rendering business with many years in the building trade.

Andrew and Rod have always loved growing and hydroponics seemed the perfect way to express their passion.

When Andrew moved back from Adelaide and across the road from Rod, the two friends decided to follow their hearts and start a hydroponics shop—especially since there weren’t any hydro shops in the area. With a shopping complex up for rent just down the road from where they lived on the Eastern Shore, Andrew and Rod made their move.

Their first day of trade was June 1, 2009.

Although their original shop had just 100 square metres of floor space, they have since expanded the premises to 150 square metres, with room to expand to 320.

When they started the company only Rod worked full time. Six months in, they were both working full time and had hired their first part-time employee.

Andrew now runs the business side of things—he has a Certificate IV in marketing and has been involved in the marketing business for 20 years—and Rod looks after sales and the technical side of the business, since he’s been in the hydroponics scene for many years.

Some of the problems Rod and Andrew faced in the early years were a lack of recognition within the industry, insufficient stock, inadequate cash flow and some trouble just getting their name out to the public. They had to learn about new product lines coming into the marketplace, customer requirements, what product lines to stock and where to advertise—and they also had to keep upto-date on their hydroponic knowledge in this fast-changing industry.

Rod and Andrew gained marketshare and recognition by making sure they carried the right products—quality, selection, price and after-sales customer service were all important factors in choosing which brands to stock. They also marketed their company through TV, radio and newspaper advertising, market stalls, street signage, their Green Acres van, a website and word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.

What makes their company unique in the hydro business is their excellent customer service, comprehensive product range, great store displays and grow rooms. Andrew and Rod offer superior customer service by providing their clients with their own personalised grow charts and tip sheets and by supporting their customers from start to finish, helping them achieve fantastic results. Their philosophy is to ensure that their customers receive the right information to be able to achieve great results in their home grow rooms—and they’ll do what it takes to achieve this.

Green Acres Hydroponics is humming along quite nicely now and Rod and Andrew are looking at expanding into a second store in the near future. Their main product lines include House & Garden, Nutrifield, Canna, Cyco, Rock, Dutch Master, Can Fans and Filters, Bluelab and Homebox tents—Rod and Andrew believe in stocking nothing but the best products, since their customers deserve the best possible results.

Andrew and Rod offer superior customer service by providing their clients with their own personalised grow charts and tip sheets and by supporting their customers from start to finish, helping them achieve fantastic results.

Green Acres now distributes all over Tasmania and South Australia and to some other parts of Australia as well.

Andrew and Rod count among their major successes their increasing sales and widening customer base—which has grown by 20 to 30 per cent each year— plus their great relationship with their suppliers and customers.

“One significant thing that we have learned about this industry in our first three years is how fast new products are coming into the marketplace—better and more effective products—and how important it is to stock the improved nutrient and additive ranges that are now available,” Rod tells us. “How important customer service is, having a very good shop display and having the correct product range and stock available at the right price—to grow and improve our shop we need to never lose sight that both customer service and product knowledge is very important. Our company philosophy hasn’t really changed since we first opened—we still believe providing customer service and product knowledge to help our customers achieve fantastic results is our most important job.”

Andrew agrees. “The hydroponic industry is in great shape going forward in Australia because of water shortages and lack of space—especially in the inner city areas—and hydroponics can be grown anywhere, from rooftops to small yards. Hydroponics is a great way to grow vegetables, flowers or plants— either commercially or for your own use—and it gives you a great sense of pride when you produce your own. We believe that hydroponics will be one of the most important industries in the near future as the public becomes more familiar with the concept behind it and begins to realise the great benefits hydro growing can provide.” MY

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

49

MAXIMUM YIELD distributors

AUSTRALIA ACT

South Pacific Hydroponics #2 - 84 - 86 Wollongong St., Fyshwick ACT 2609 South Pacific Hydroponics 70 Oatley Court , Belconnen ACT 2617

(02) 6239 2598 (02) 6251 0600

NEW SOUTH WALES ABC Aquaculture 54 Wahroonga Road, Kanwal NSW 2259 (61) 2 4393 3131 ASE Hydroponics Factory 10/45 Leighton Pl., Hornsby NSW 2077 (02) 9477 3710 Ballina Hydro 3 Ray O’Niell Crescent, Ballina NSW 2478 (02) 6686 7321 Brunswick Hydro & Aquarium Supplies 19 Booyun Street, Brunswick Heads NSW 2483 (02) 6685 1552 Criscete Hydroponics and Organics Unit 2/15 Kam Close, Morisset, NSW 2264 (02) 4973 5779 Dr. Van Der Bloom’s Hydroponics Supplies 5/5 Forge Drive, Coff’s Harbour, NSW 2450 (02) 6651 9992 Dubbo Hydro & Tobacconist 42c Victoria Street, Dubbo West NSW 2830 (02) 6885 1616 Ezi Grow Hydro 177 Mt Druit Road, Mt Druitt NSW 2770 (02) 9832 1610 Ezi Grow Hydro 1B/340 Windsor Street, Richmond NSW 2753 (02) 4588 5826 Ezi Grow Hydro 56 Fish Parade, Bathurst NSW 2795 (02) 9832 1610 Ezi Grow Hydro - Head Office 18 Part Street, Eglinton NSW 2795 (02) 6337 1485 Favgro Hydroponics Growers 107 Glenella Road, Batehaven NSW 2536 (02) 4472 7165 Felanza - Hydroponics 140 Princess Highway, Arncliffe, NSW 2205 (02) 9556 1494 General Hydroponics 7/14 Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown NSW 9676 (02) 9676 8682 Grow Australia Factory 1/5 Sefton Road, Thronleigh NSW 2120 (02) 9473 5000 Grow Your Own Unit 6/34 Alliance Ave, Morisset NSW 2264 (02) 4973 5179 Happy Grow Hydro 15/The Crescent Street, Penrith NSW 2750 (02) 4732 2870 Hobby Grow 6/46 Through Street South Grafton NSW 2460 (04) 2283 8069 Home Harvest 423 Princess Highway, Rockdale NSW 2216 (02) 9567 8841 Hyalite Moorebank 6/376 Newsbridge Road, Moorebank NSW 2170 (02) 9824 3400 Hyalite Villawood 2/21 Birmingham Avenue, Villawood NSW 2163 (02) 9723 7199 Hydro Masta 100 Station Road, Seven Hills, Sydney NSW 2147 (02) 8812 2845 Hydro Masta Pty Ltd 76 Beecroft Road, Epping NSW 2121 (02) 9869 3011 Hydro Net 2/14 Aific Street, Long Jetty NSW 2261 (02) 4334 6955 Hydro Place 1/68 Nelson Street, Wallsend NSW 2287 (02) 4965 6595 Hydro Shop and Reptile Supplies 2/390 The Esplanade, Warners Bay NSW 2282 (02) 4958 1489 Hydro Shop Pty Ltd Unit 1/5-7 Channel Road, Mayfield West NSW 2304 (02) 4960 0707 Hydro Supplies 57 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 (02) 9326 0307 Hydro Wise B/385 The Entrance Road, Long Jetty NSW 2261 (02) 4333 5700 Hydroponics Grow All Year 14 Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 (02) 6921 5911 Hygrow Horticulture (Greenlite) 252 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022 (02) 9369 3928 Indoor Sun Shop 745 Victoria Road, Top Ryde NSW 2112 (02) 9808 6511 Indoor Sun Shop Unit 2/109 Junction Road, Moorebank NSW 2170 (02) 9822 4700 International Fans PO Box 120, St. Mary’s NSW 2760 (02) 9833 7500 Kyper’s Tools and Hydroponics Stuart & Tincogan Sts, Mullumbimby NSW 2482 (02) 6684 4928 Lismore Hydro 1/106 Canway Street, Lismore NSW 2480 (02) 6621 3311

50

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

Retail Stores listed alphabetically by city in each state.

Lismore Hydroponics rear of 28 Casino St., South Lismore, NSW 2480 Northern Nursery Supplies Pty Ltd 14-16 Nance Road, Kempsey NSW 2440 Nowra Hydro 68 Bridge Road, Nowra NSW 2541 Nutriflo Hydroponic Systems 19/5 Daintree Place, Gosford West NSW 2250 Parkview Plants 250 Princess Highway, Nowra South NSW 2541 Port Pumps and Irrigation 20 Uralla Road, Pt Macquarie NSW 2444 Quik Grow 510a Great Western Hwy., Pendle Hill NSW 2145 Quick Grow 823 King Georges Road, S. Hurstville NSW 2221 Quik Grow Pty Ltd 490 Parramatta Road, Petersham NSW 2049 Simple Grow Hassall Street & Windem, Wetherill Pk NSW 2164 Tweed Coast Hydroponics 2/58 Machinery Dr., Tweeds Head South NSW 2486 Uncle Wal’s Gardenland 31 Crescent Avenue, Taree NSW 2430 Home Grown Aquaponics 13/8a-8b Hartley Drive, Thornton NSW 2322 Westside Lighting & Electrical (Ezi Range) PO Box 274, Mascot NSW 1400 Wollongong Hydroponic Center 318 Crown Street, Wollongong NSW 2500 NORTHERN TERRITORY Katherine Hydroponics Centre 17 Rundle Street, Katherine NT 0850 QUEENSLAND A Happy Medium Hydroponics Unit2/10 Central Court, Browns Plains QLD 4118 Allgrow Hydro 13 - 58 Bullock Head St., Sumner Park QLD 4074 Aquatic Oasis Unit 2/33 Smith Street, Capalaba QLD 4157 Billabong Hydroponics Lot 1, Billabong Court, Childers QLD 4660 D-Bay Hydroponics Shop 5/404 Deception Bay Road, Deception Bay QLD 4508 E.T. Grow Home Unit 1/4 Windmill Street, Southport QLD 4215 Eye Lighting Australia Pty Ltd PO Box 306, Carole Park QLD 4300 Green Power Hydroponics 2/80 Beerburrum Road, Caboolture QLD 4510 Grow Hydro 22 Mining Street, Bundamba QLD 4304 H2 Gro Pty Ltd 2 Sonia Crt.,Raceview QLD 4305 Hyalite Varsity 5/11 John Duncan Crt.,Varsity Lakes QLD 4227 Hydroponic Roots & Shoots Lot 3 Herberton Road, Atherton QLD 4883 Hydroponics & Garden Supplies 93 Cook St., Portsmith QLD 4870 Hydroponics Today PO Box 785, Stanthorpe QLD 4380 Indoor Solutions Unit 2 / 79 Oxford Tce., Taringa QLD 4068 J&K Hydroponics 10 Wacol Station Road, Wacol, Brisbane QLD, 4076 KY Garden 3/31 Argyle PDE, Darra Brisbane QLD 4076 Nerang Hydroponic Centre 27 Lawrence Drive, Nerang QLD 4211 North Queensland Hydro Supplies Shop 2B/20-22 Fleming St., Townsville QLD 4810 Northern Hydroponics 383 Mulgrave Road, Cairns QLD 4870 Pioneer Hydroponics 194 Doyles Road, Pleystowe QLD 4741 SA Hydroponics Shed 3, 1191 Anzac Avenue, Kallangar QLD 4503

(02) 6621 3311 (02) 6563 1599 (02) 4423 3224 (02) 4323 1599 (02) 4423 0599 (02) 6581 1272 (02) 9636 7023 (02) 9546 8642 (02) 9568 2900 (02) 9604 0469 (07) 5524 8588 (02) 6550 0221 (02) 4028 6388 1 800 661 475 (02) 4225 8773

(08) 8972 1730

(07) 3809 3322 (07) 3376 7222 (07) 3245 7777 (07) 4126 3551 (07) 3204 8324 (07) 5591 6501 (07) 3335 3556 (07) 5428 1133 (07) 3816 3206 (07) 3294 3253 (07) 5593 7385 (07) 4091 3217 (07) 4035 5422 (07) 4683 3133

(07) 3271 6210 (07) 3375 9098 (07) 5527 4155 (07) 4728 3957 (07) 4054 5884 (07) 4959 2016 (07) 3285 1355

Simply Hydroponics Gold Coast 42 Lawrence Drive, Nerang QLD 4211 Sunstate Hydroponics 1137 Ipswitch Road, Moorooka QLD 4105 Sunstate Hydroponics 67 Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore QLD 4558 The Hydroponic Warehouse Shop 3/73 PIckering Street, Enoggera QLD 4051 Tumbling Waters Hydroponics 2 Clarkes Track, Malanda QLD 4885 Walsh’s Seeds Garden Centre 881 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350 SOUTH AUSTRALIA Amazon Aquariums & Gardening Unit 5, 16 Research Road, Pooraka SA 5095 Ascot Park 753 Marion Road, Ascot Park SA 5043 Barry’s Hardware Saints & Main North Rd., Salisbury Plains SA 5109 Bolzon Home & Garden 103 Tolley Road, St Agnes SA 5097 Chocablock Discount Variety Store 15-17/1220 Grand Junction, Hope Valley SA 5090 Complete Hydroponics 1581 Main North Road Salisbury East SA 5109 Country Hydro 434 Saddleback Road, Whyalla SA 5600 D & W Dependable Hardware 45B Kettering Road, Elizabeth South SA 5112 Festive Hydro 2 Kreig Street, Evanston Park SA 5116 Fulham Gardener Nursery 597 Tapleys Hill Road, Fulham SA 5024 Futchatec Distribution 4 Symonds St. Royal Park, 5014 Glandore Hydroponics 644 - 646 South Road, Glandore SA 5037 Greener then Green 52 - 54 Cliff Avenue, Port Noarlunga South SA 51 Greenhouse Superstore Lonsdale 35 to 37 Aldenhoven Road SA 5160 Greenhouse Superstore Royal Park 4 Symonds St. Royal Park SA 5014 Ground-Up Service Nursery 3 Copinger Road, Pt. Pirie SA 5540 Harvest Time Hydroponics Shop 3/146-148, Findon Road, Findon SA 5023 Hindmarsh Hydroponics 39a Manton Street, Hindmarsh SA 5095 Highland Hydro 14/1042 Grand Junction Road, Holden Hill SA 5088 Hong Kong Hydro 13 Research Road, Pooraka SA 5095 Hydro Heaven Kane Motors-Hunt Road, Mount Barker SA 5251 Hydro Sales & Service 1 Salisbury Crescent, Colonel Light SA 5041 Hydro Technics 321 South Road, Croydon SA 5008 Hydro Warehouse 181 Seacombe Road, South Brighton SA 5048 Hydro World 40 Folland Avenue, Northfield SA 5085 Koko’s Hydro Warehouse Unit 2/2 McGowan Street, Pooraka SA 5095 Larg’s Bay Garden Supply 239 Victoria Road, Largs Bay SA 5016 Martins Road Hydro # 5- 353 Martins Road, Parafield Gardens SA 5107 Mitre 10 Drive In 152 Hanson Road, Mansfield Park SA 5012 New Age Hydroponics 135-137 Sir Donald Bradman Dr., Hilton SA 5033 Owen Agencies 17-19 Railway Terrace, Owen SA 5460 Professional Hydro 4/522 Grange Road, Fulham Gardens SA 5024 Professional Hydro Shop 5/645 Lower North East Road SA 5075

(07) 5596 2250 (07) 3848 5288 (07) 5479 1011 (07) 3354 1588 (07) 4096 6443 (07) 4636 1077

(08) 8359 1800 (08) 8357 4700 (08) 8281 4066 (08) 8265 0665 (08) 8396 3133 (08) 8258 4022 (08) 8645 3105 (08) 8287 6399 (08) 8523 5100 (08) 8235 2004 (08) 8447-1122 (08) 8371 5777 (08) 8386 2596 (08) 8382 0100 (08) 8447 5899 (08) 8264 9455 (08) 8244 0222 (08) 8346 9461 (08) 8395 4455 (08) 8260 2000 (08) 8391 1880 (08) 8272 2000 (08) 8241 5022 (08) 8377 1200 (08) 8262 8323 (08) 8260 5463 (08) 8242 3788 (08) 8283 4011 (08) 8445 1813 (08) 8351 9100 (08) 8528 6008 (08) 8353 0133 (08) 8365 5172

Professional Hydroponics 113 Maurice Road, Murray Bridge SA Seaton Hydroponics 129 Tapleys Hill Road Seaton SA 5023 Soladome Aquaculture & Hydro 44 Chapel St., Norwood SA 5067 South Coast Hydroponics 6/25 Gulfview Road, Christies Beach SA 5165 State Hydroponics 174 Semaphore Road, Exeter SA 5019 Tea Tree Gully Hydro 32 Famechon Cresent, Modbury North SA 5092 Two Wells Hardware 86 Old Port Wakefield Road, Two Wells SA 5501 Urban Grow Solutions 1/111 Main Sth Rd, O’Halloran Hill, S.A 5189 West Garden Centre Peachey Road, Elizabeth West SA 5113 TASMANIA Advanced Hydroponics 26 Mulgrave Street, South Launceston Tas 7249 Ezy Grow 625 East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne Tas 7015 Garden World 717 West Tamar Highway, Legana Tas 7277 Green Acres Hydroponics Unit 1 46-48 Bingalong Rd, Mornington, TAS 7018 Growers Choice 225 Main Road, Derwent Park Tas 7009 Hydroponics Systems 131 Main Rd, Moonah, TAS 7009 Hydroponic World 322 Bass Highway, Sulphur Creek Tas 7316 Organic Garden Supplies Tas 17 Don Road, Devonport Tas 7310 Tas Hydroponic Supplies 99 Lampton Avenue, Derwent Park Tas 7009 The Hydroponic Company 69 Charles Street, Moonah Tas 7009 The Hydroponics Company 289 Hobart Road, Kings Medow Tas 7428

(08) 8532 3441 (08)82682636 (08) 8362 8042 (08) 8384 2380 (08) 8341 5991 (08) 8264 9455 (08) 8520 2287 (08) 8322 0040 (08) 8255 1355

(03) 6344 5588 (03) 6243 9490 (03) 6330 1177 (03) 6245 1066 (03) 6273 6088 (03) 6278 3457 (03) 6435 4411 (03) 6424 7815 (03) 6272 2202 (03) 6273 1411 (03) 6340 2222

VICTORIA Albury Hydroponics / Cappers Hydroponics 62 Thomas Mitchell Drive, Springvale Vic 3171 61 (02) 6024 4029 All Seasons Hydroponics 3 Springvale Road, Springvale Vic 3171 (03) 9540 8000 Banksia Greenhouse and Outdoor Garden 530 Burwood Highway, Wantirna Vic 3152 (03) 9801 8070 Barb’s Hydro and Nursery 15 Wallace Avenue, Interverloch Vic 3196 (03) 5674 2584 Bayside Hydroponics Factory 2/8 Rutherford Road, Seaford Vic 3196 (03) 9775 0495 Belgrave Hydroponics 5/ 60-68 Colby Drive, Belgrave Heights Vic 3160 (03) 9754 3712 Brew ‘N’ Grow 4 - 479 Nepean Highway, Edithvale Vic 3199 (03) 9783 3006 Casey Hydro 12 The Arcade Street, Cranbourne Vic 3977 (03) 5996 3697 Casey Hydro 78 Spring Square, Hallam Vic 3803 (03) 9796 3776 Chronic Hydroponics 31 Anderson Street, Templestowe Vic 3106 (03) 9646 8133 Complete Garden Supplies 580 Ballarat Road, Sunshine Vic 3020 (03) 9311 9776 Discount Hydroponics 752 Waverley Road, Chadstone Vic 3148 (03) 9568 1860 Echuca Hydroponic Nursery & Supplies 23 Ogilvie Avenue, Echuca Vic 3564 (03) 5480 2036 Echuca Pump Shop 128 Ogilvie Avenue, Echuca Vic 3564 (03) 5480 7080 Excel Distributors Pty Ltd 2/41 Quinn Street, Preston Vic 3072 (03) 9495 0083 F.L.O.W. Plants and Environments 66B Chapel Street, Windsor Vic 3181 (03) 9510 6832 Gardensmart 810-834 Springvale Road, Keysborough Vic 3173 (03) 9769 1411 Global Hydroponics 10 Knight Avenue, Sunshine Vic 3020 (03) 9356 9400

Greenleaf Hydroponics 9a Church Street, Traralgon Vic 3844 (03) 5176 0898 Greenleaf Hydroponics Factory 7, Industrial Park Drive, Lilydale Vic 3140 (03) 9739 7311 GreenLite - Ringwood 291 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood Vic 3134 (03) 9870 8566 Grow 4 XS Rear 24 Simms Road, Greensborough Vic 3088 (03) 9435 6425 Holland Forge Pty Ltd. 5 Hi-tech Place, Rowville Vic 3178 (03) 9764 1372 Hydroware 59a Lara Way, Campbellfield, Vic, 3061 (03) 9357 8805 Hyalite Airport West Unit 4/504-506 Fullarton Road, Airport West 3042 (03) 9331 5452 Hyalite Bayswater 4/19 Jersey Road, Bayswater Vic 3153 (03) 9720 1946 Hyalite Global 10 Knight Avenue, Sunshine North Vic 3020 (03) 9356 9400 Hyalite Westend 3 Third Avenue, Sunshine Vic 3020 (03) 9311 3510 Indoor Garden Company 29 Glasgow Street, Collingwood Vic 3066 (03) 9416 1699 Impact Distribution PO Box 2188, Salisbury Downs 5108 (08) 8250-1515 JB Lighting 492 - 500 Neerim Road, Murrumbeena Vic 3163 (03) 9569 4399 Just Hydroponics Deer Park Unit 11 29-39 Westwood Drive, Deer Park, VIC 3023 (03) 8390 0861 Just Hydroponics Geelong Unit 7 36-38 Saunders street, North Geelong, VIC 3215 (03) 5278 6478 Latrove Valley Home Brew Supplies PO Box 802, Morwell Vic 3804 (03) 5133 9140 Living Jungle 345 Sommerville Road, Footscray West Vic 3012 (03) 9314 0055 Melton Hydroponic Supplies 18/10 Norton Drive, Melton Vic 3194 (03) 9746 9256 Midtown Hydroponics Factory 1, 821B Howitt St., Wendouree Vic 3355 (03) 5339 1300 One Stop Sprinklers 1 Burwood Highway, Wantirna Vic 3152 (03) 9800 2177 Pam’s Home Brew & Hydroponics 61 McArthur Street, Sale Vic 3850 (03) 5143 1143 Palms & Plants 175 Salisbury Highway, Salisbury S.A. 5108 (08) 8285 7575 Prestige Hydroponics Pty. Ltd. S 2.10 Level 2, 343 Little Collins St. Melbourne VIC Australia 3000 61 4 187 81083 Shepparton Hydroponics 87A Archer Street, Shepparton Vic 3630 (03) 5831 6433 Simply Hydroponics 5/ 411-413 Old Geelong Rd., Hoppers Cros. 3029 (03) 9360 9344 Simply Hydroponics 8, 59-61 Miller St., Epping 3076 (03) 9408 4677 Sunlite Hydroponics 1/104 Shannon Avenue, Geelong West Vic 3281 (03) 5222 6730 Simply Hydroponics - Pakenham Factory 6/3-11 Bate Close Pakenham, Victoria 3810 03 5940 9047 Sunray Hydro 157 Tenth Street, Mildura Vic 3500 (03) 5023 6422 Supply Net International P/L PO Box 171, Highbury Vic 5089 (88) 264-3600 The Hydroponic Connection 397 Dorset Road, Boronia Vic 3155 (03) 9761 0662 Waterworks Hydroponics Unit 1, 5 Brand Drive, Thomastown Vic 3074 (03) 9465 1455 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Accent Hydroponics Unit 2/141 Russell Street, Morley WA 6062 Aqua Post Unit 2B 7 Yampi Way, Willetton WA 6155 Aquaponics Lot 12 Warton Road, Canning Vale WA 6155 Bunbury Alternate Growing Supplies 8/13 Worcestor Bend, Davenport, WA 6230 Creative Hydroponics 1/95 Dixon Road, Rockingham WA 6168 Great Southern Hydroponics Shop 1, 21 Hennessy Road, Bunbury WA 6230

(08) 9375 9355 (08) 9354 2888 1800 640 222 (08) 9725 7020 (08) 9528 1310 (08) 9721 8322

Greenfingers World of Hydroponics Albany Hwy & Kelvin Rd.,Maddington WA 6109 Greenfingers World of Hydroponics Unit C 14-16 Elliot Street, Midvale WA 6056 Greenlite Hydroponics 4/91 Wanneroo Road, Tuart Hill WA 6060 Growsmart Hydroponics 47768 South Coast Highway, Albany WA 6330 Hydro Nation 41A Rockingham Road, Hamilton Hill WA 6163 Hydroponic Solutions 1/1928 Beach Road, Malaga WA 6090 Hydroponic Warehouse Unit 7/627 Wanneroo Road, Wanneroo WA 6065 Hydroponica 317 Guildford Road, Maylands WA 6051 Isabella’s Hydroponics 66 Jambanis Road, Wanneroo WA 6065 Johnson’s Nursery Garden Centre 30 Blencowe Road, Geralton WA 6530 Neerabup Organic & Hydroponic Supplies Unit 1, 21 Warman St. Neerabup WA 6031 One Stop Hydroponics 947 Beaufort Street, Inglewood WA 6052 Perth Hydroponic Centre Shop 4, 171-175 Abernathy Road, Belmont WA 6104 Reptile and Grow Store Unit 7 - 117-119 Dixon Road, Rockingham WA 6168 Southwest Hydroponics Lot 29, Pinjarra Road, Mandurah WA 6210 The Grow Room 1/1451 Albany Highway, Cannington WA 6107 Bloem PO Box 1816, Subiaco WA 6008 The Watershed Water Systems 150 Russell Street, Morley WA 6062 The Watershed Water Systems 2874 Albany Highway, Kelmscott WA 6111 The Watershed Water Systems 1/146 Great Eastern Highway, Midland WA 6210 Water Garden Warehouse 14 Drake Street, Osborne Park WA 6017

(08) 9452 0546 (08) 9274 8388 (08) 9345 5321 (08) 9841 3220 (08) 9336 7368 (08) 9248 1901 (08) 9206 0188 (08) 9371 5757 (08) 9306 3028 (08) 9921 6016 (08) 9404 7155 (08) 9471 7000 (08) 9478 1211 (08) 9527 2245 (08) 9534 8544 (08) 9356 7044 (08) 9217 4400 (08) 9473 1473 (08) 9495 1495 (08) 9274 3232 (08) 9443 7993

NEW ZEALAND

Easy Grow New Lynn 3018 Gt North Rd New Lynn, Auckland Easy Grow Manukau 15/69 Wiri Station Road, Manukau, Auckland Guru Gardener 14 Molesworth St., New Plymouth Otaki Hydroponics 1083 S.H. 1 South Otaki House of Hydro 221 Waiwhetu Rd., Lower Hutt Wellington Pet and Garden 10 Fitzgerald Ave., Christchurch Grow and Brew 14a Flexman Place, Silverdale Auckland Green Day Hydroponics Cnr of Maunganui Rd & Tawa St., Mt Maunganui Switched on Gardener Number 189 (Lower) Dent Street, Whangarei Switched on Gardener Unit 159 Central Park Drive, Henderson Switched on Gardener Unit 1/60 Ti Rakau Drive, Pakuranga Switched on Gardener Number 1c Sunshine Ave, Hamilton Switched on Gardener Number 513 Heretaunga Street West, Hastings Switched on Gardener Number 62 Kaiwharawhara Road, Wellington Switched on Gardener Unit 7/67 View Road, Glenfield Switched on Gardener Number 1 Rata Street, New Lynn Switched on Gardener Number 57 Cavendish Drive, Manukau Switched on Gardener Number 427 Cameron Road, Tauranga Switched on Gardener Number 1060 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt Switched on Gardener Number 3 Pascoe Street, Nelson Switched on Gardener Number 9 Buckley Road, Linwood Switched on Gardener Number 143 Tuam Street, Christchurch CBD Switched on Gardener Number 313 King Edward Street, Dunedin

09 827 0883 09 263 7560 06 758 6661 06 364 2206 03 377 2507 09 426 2095 07 575 4090 (09)438 0223 (09) 837 1210 (09) 576 0296 (07) 850 8351 (06) 876 7885 (04) 472 5265 (09) 443 0106 (09) 826 4444 (09) 263 4336 (07) 579 9840 (04) 526 3913 (03) 546 4769 (03) 381 0937 (03) 374 5682 (03) 456 1980

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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DO YOU KNOW? D

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Plants respond to excess salt in the same way they respond to conditions of drought. The common symptoms are stunting, wilting, drying of the leaves and even death.

Typically plants that are grown indoors are more successfully micropropagated than those grown outdoors simply due to lower levels of contaminates.

Using substrates that retain a lot of moisture—such as fine grade coconut fibre—and running lowernutrient EC levels encourages vegetative growth.

If accumulated salts are not removed from the rooting medium on a routine basis, they will begin to affect water absorption by the plant roots.

In Cuba, organoponic technology now produces 50 per cent of the vegetables consumed in the island nation.

Biological control agents or BCAs are living organisms and suffer from the same environmental pressures as humans.

Starchy, biology-covered root balls—that gardeners usually throw away—start to break down in a matter of days when combined with a nitrogen source, and they have all of the right ingredients for healthy compost.

Sodium chloride (table salt) is arguably the most common salt that builds up in soils and fertilizer solutions.

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

COMING UP IN July-August

Companion Planting in Hydroponics Companion planting outdoors is a popular gardening trend, but in a hydroponic garden, it’s a whole different game. Pay attention to these fresh tips and success and great yields will surely result.

TheTop 5 Mistakes Made by Advanced Growers Everybody screws up from time to time—Shane Hutto shows us where the pros often go wrong and how to avoid their mistakes.

AustraliansThat Grow in Glasshouses Get an exclusive peak inside the TAFE glasshouse, a one-of-a-kind controlled environment horticulture unit in Dandenong, Victoria.

New products and technologies, industry news, facts and trivia, local grower profiles and more.

www.maximumyield.com Maximum Yield July/August will be available in July for free at select indoor gardening retail stores across Australia and New Zealand. Subscriptions are available by visiting maximumyield.com. Digital subscriptions are also available.

Maximum Yield | May/June 2012

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Maximum Yield Australia | May/June | November/December 2012 2010