Articles

Article 3-5 I Have 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 3-4 TDS-EC

TDS, EC, PPM, microSiemens: What do all those letters mean? What is the best way to calibrate a TDS or Ec meter? Answer: Standard reference solutions are used. The bottles are marked with the conductivity (EC) value in microSiemens/cm and the corresponding ppM values for sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) solutions, and sometimes for a “442” reference mixture. [ read more ]

Article 3-4 Rules of Green Thumb

When you receive your babies (cuttings or clones): Tender clones require fluorescent light, 1-4 inches above the top of the plant. When kicked (put into bloom) the 1000 watt light should be 4 ft inches above the plant the first day, watch plants for first 24 to 48 hours of okay lower 1 ft a day until desired height. Tip [ read more ]

Article 3-4 I Work for the City

I work for the City of Elk City in Oklahoma. I am researching a potential project of beginning a hydroponics garden to be operated by the City. We have two potential sources of water and nutrients we are considering for the garden. We have two fish ponds that could be utilized and then the sewer lagoon gray water. What type [ read more ]

Article 3-4 Purple Plants

My plants stems are quite purple in color, they are four weeks into flowering and appear to have stopped growing. Most of the larger leaves are yellowed, dried up and fallen off. This is the first time this has happened with my plants which are normally healthy. Can you help or suggest anything I can do for them? Thank You [ 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 3-4 Harvesting Profits

A rapidly expanding global marketplace is stimulating interest in hydroponics as a means for growing commercial crops. In connection with the enlarged marketplace are a combination of other factors that have also contributed to this growing interest. Worth mentioning are: the innovative technologies that make hydroponics an easier and more successful growing method; the increased availability of equipment for the [ read more ]

Article 3-4 Pesticides

by Erwin Rosario, Atami, Holland Pyrethrum: Pyrethrum is made from the flowers of an African type of chrysanthemum. Its Latin name is Chrysanthemum Cinerariaefolium. It is very poisonous to insects and bees, because it works on their central and peripheral nerve system. This causes the impulse transference to be disrupted. After convulsions death will follow. An insect that is contaminated [ read more ]

Article 3-4 Growing Environment

by Erik Biksa Often, the primary focus of indoor garden enthusiasts is on crop nutrition. This plays a vital role in the results achieved, however, nutrition also includes the growing environment. Carbon makes up the largest portion of the dry weight of a plant, yet typically, is not taken up by the roots, but supplied in the air. Temperature plays [ read more ]

Article 3-3 Optimum Candelbra Method

Optimum Candelabra Methods The Sea of Green Method was developed by Hydro-Tech in the 1980s, popularized by an American author, and is now widely used in high-tech Holland. The basic idea is to eliminate the vegetative stage and go right into bloom after the cutting is fully rooted. This takes up a lot less floor space, produces less large leaves, [ read more ]