Article 5-1 Reflector

Reflectors – Let there be Light By Trevor Shields And let there be light. Lots and lots of light. But where there is smoke, there is fire where there is an all-you-can eat pizza bar there is Oprah Winfrey, and where there is light there is heat. Accumulated heat can be a huge detriment to a hydroponic garden; possibly burning [ read more ]

Article 4-5 Why Hydro?

As I mentioned earlier, the most important tasks facing the indoor gardener are copying and improving upon nature. Okay, now that you are a god, you have to make a sun. Poof! Are you done yet? Probably not. TERMINOLOGY There are four basic terms that are used to describe light and how it affects your plants. These terms are Lumen, [ read more ]

Build Your Own Light Splitter

Dayton 5X847 Power Relay THIS RELAY WIRING SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN. POTENTUALLY LETHAL VOLTAGES ARE PRESENT.AT ALL TIMES WHILE IN OPERATION. RELAY MUST BE MOUNTED IN AN INSULATING ELECTRICAL “BOX” TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL ELECTRICUTION. Unplug ballast from power. Cut lamp cord aprox. 12” from ballast. Orient the Dayton 5X874 power relay as shown in Diagram. Strip [ read more ]

Article 4-2 Home Grown Tomatoes

by Cindy Rae, Compliments of Homegrown Hydroponics Imagine that first bite of a sweet, succulent, ripe tomato picked fresh from your garden. The warm juice runs down your chin as a delightful explosion of flavour awakens dormant tastebuds. In our harsh climate, fresh tomatoes can usually be enjoyed for only a few short weeks of the year. Then it’s back [ read more ]

Article 4-1 Green Growth Plants Into Short Day Crop Production Plants

We use our green growth stage to grow our plants “big enough” for crop production. “Big enough” means different things to different growers (a few inches tall for one grower and several feet tall for another). But the time will come when our green plants have reached their “target size”: they are big enough to shift gears again – from [ read more ]

Article 4-1 Do I Need More Light

Hello. I’m wanting to know would you recommend adding more light in my 10×12 area because I’ve read that more light means more yield in the end? I’m working in a 10×12 room with around 16 plants in a 4×5 area just under the light which is a 1000 watt HPS lamp. The area is well ventilated and has plenty [ read more ]

Article 4-1 Trimming Technique

Hello.. Love your magazine.. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me First. Do you suggest stripping off most of the leaves on the plants after a few weeks into bloom so that the flowers get the maximum light? People have varied opinions.. And should leaves with a reddish purple stem by trimmed off? Finally, do [ read more ]

Article 3-4 I am Beginning

I am beginning a research project for 9th grade biology. I would like to show the effects that various commercially available light bulbs have on plant growth. I am going to buy incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, etc, as well as bulbs specifically engineered for plant growth. I am also going to include information on the commercial use of artificially grown plants, [ read more ]

Article 2-5 A Guide to Pre-Flowering

by Eric Biksa Many annual flowering crops grow through a transitional period before initiating intense floral production. This often over looked phase provides the grower with an opportunity to increase overall yield and floral production. By providing the plant with ideal transitional conditions, you are paving the way for the final few weeks of flowering to reach optimum production, as [ read more ]

Article 2-1 Technique For Effective Lighting

Planning Light -Use in Grow Rooms: 1. Determine Area to be Lit: Number of plants x space required per plant = total growing area needed. 2. Determine Type of Lamp Required: Propagation (seedlings and cuttings) – Fluorescent or small (to 400 watt) metal halide lamp, color-corrected mercury vapor lamp (175 watt, self-ballasted). Green Growth (vegetative growth) – Clear metal halide [ read more ]