Article 2-6 Calcium Peroxide

Where can I find Calcium Peroxide and can you tell me more about it. – Lloyd Calcium peroxide is available in most indoor garden supply retail outlets. Consult your yellow pages or retailers index in the back of Maximum Yield. It goes under the trade name of “Oxy-Cal” and “Soil Blaster,” to name a couple. As an amendment to your [ read more ]

Article 2-5 Water Should Taste Good to Plants

by Larry Brooke Taste as we all know, is something personal. Pure water containing no dissolved solids whatsoever, tastes completely flat and offers no nutritional value to either plants or animals. Spring water may be delicious to people, containing dissolved minerals which help build strong bones and teeth. But the same water offered to plants may not offer balanced nutrition [ read more ]

Article 2-5 Calcium Build-up

Hi: I have a question for you about using Oxy-Cal. I noticed a slight yellowing between the veins on the leaves which appears to be caused by a Magnesium deficiency. According to Maximum Yield’s latest issue on p.26, this could be caused by excess Calcium. I used Oxy Cal on the sunshine mix. Is it possible that I applied too [ read more ]

Article 2-3 Why Use Calcium Peroxygen

Why Use Calcium Peroxygen? For some time now, growers have realized the benefits of increased oxygen levels at the root zone. Up until recently, soil growers had few options with regard to increasing oxygen levels in the soil. Aerating materials such as rock, bark, perlite, and vermiculite, to name a few, were used as amendments in order to prevent anaerobic [ read more ]

Article 2-1 Advance Nutrient Management

Advance Nutrient Management by Larry Brook To the skilled hydroponic grower, nutrient management represents an opportunity to enhance plant growth. To the novice, it represents a challenge to be dealt with. The difference is in knowledge, understanding and equipment. Consider the following questions to test your nutrient IQ: What temperature is your nutrient solution, what is the range during a [ read more ]

Article 1-6 Persimilisa Predator Against Spider Mites

A biological control agent effective against spider mites is available from a Vancouver Island company, Nature’s Alternative Insectary, Ltd. (NAI). Spider mites are common pests and can be identified as small spider-like mites, visible on plants as black dots on the leaves, with a close-up view showing dark lateral spots on the abdomen. They are usually found on the underside [ read more ]

Article 1-5 Benefits of Kelp

Kelp is any of a variety of large, brown seaweeds that grow underwater and on rocky shores. Kelps are found in cold waters throughout the world. Kelps vary widely in size and form. One type of kelp, called giant kelp, may have hundreds of branches, each of which has hundreds of leaves. Giant kelp may reach over 200 feet in [ read more ]

Article 1-3 Pest Profile: Aphids

Aphids are major greenhouse pests because of their large host plant ranges, ability to produce high populations rapidly, ability to transmit plant viruses, their resistance to many commonly used insecticides and finally, difficulty in detection. There are more than 4,000 species of aphids, but only a few of them are pests in the greenhouse. The most common aphids in the [ read more ]

Article 1-2 Fungus Gnats

This question deals with a successful grower who’s created a productive garden with good growing conditions, so many potential causes of the problem (overheating, crowding, mites) can be eliminated. He’s already had these problems and corrected them! Even experienced gardeners can be puzzled by fungus gnat symptoms. The larvae of these pests can destroy a garden, working out of sight [ read more ]

Article 1-2 Efficient Nutrients

Gardeners can take advantage of their good growing conditions by supplying their crops with the right strength and the right formula of their nutrients as their crops grow. Use a good hydroponic nutrient designed for your grow medium – some fertilizers are mixed especially for soilless potting mixes, but they will not work well for crops growing in rockwool. Use [ read more ]