Additive: Additives are vitamins/supplements/nutrients for the plant, they do not have the needed based nutrients. Using additives without base nutrients is like trying to live on vitamins instead of food. ex: There are many different kinds of additives that you can use in addition to nutrients.
Aeroponic Systems: Plants that have the root system suspended in nutrient solution or misters spraying the root system. ex: I saw an Aeroponic System at Epcot.
Ballast: The complete component used to igniting and operating the grow light systems. ex: I have to have a ballast to use my HID bulb. cc: Cubic Centimeter. I unit of measurement for liquid. ex: If you needed to measure 5 ml you could use a syringe that has 5 cc’s on it. A cc & a ml are the same amount.
Clone: The clone is an adult which has the same characteristics as the plant that you took the cutting from. Once it has roots it is considered an adult. ex: I found which plant I like the best so now I need to clone it.
CO2: Carbon Dioxide. The top portion of your plant breaths Carbon Dioxide while the roots of the plant use oxygen. You need an adequate amount you both. A Carbon Dioxide level above 1500 ppm is not beneficial to the plants and can actually be harmful to the plants. ex: The CO2 level in my grow room is 1200 ppm.
Conversion Lamp: Bulbs that allow you to put a HPS bulb in a MH system and a MH in a HPS system. You should use a conversion lamp anytime you are trying to go from MH to HPS or vise versa without a switchable ballast. HPS needs an ignitor to work MH does not so if you put a HPS in an MH fixture it will not fire. If you put a MH in an HPS fixture it will continually fire burning out the bulb. ex: I need a 600 watt MH conversion lamp/bulb in order to have a 600 watt MH.
Ebb & Flo/Flood & Drain: With an Ebb & Flo System there is a tray & reservoir. Water fills the tray to the water level you set with an over-flo, when the pump turns off the water drains back down the same hole it filled with collecting in the reservoir to be reused again and again. You will get the best results completely changing your water every 7 to 10 days. ex: I prefer Ebb & Flo systems because they are the simplest and easiest to maintain.
EC: Electrical Conductivity. It is the amount of nutrients in the water. It is the same as TDS but a different measurement. Basically it is like metric vs. standard. ex: The EC level in my reservoir is at 2.2 (same as 1500 ppm).
Enclosed Ballast: A ballast that is together in one component with the reflector. ex: I chose to go with an enclosed fixture to save money.
ex: Example. A presentation used for explaining.
ex: Each definition has an ex.
gal: Gallon. A unit of measurement for measuring liquid. There are 4 quarts in a gallon. ex: I buy nutrients buy the gal to save money.
HID: High Intensity Discharge. ex: All MH & HPS bulbs are HID lighting systems.
Hot Nutrient Mix: Very high nutrient level. ex: Anything above 1500 ppm is considered hot.
Hot Spot: A hot spot is minor to sever burning on the top of the plant directly under the bulb. A hot spot is not necessarily caused by heat, intense light can also cause hot spots. ex: I have a hot spot in my grow room on the plants directly under the light.
HPS: High Pressure Sodium. ex: HPS is a light used during the bloom/flowering stage.
Leaching Agent/Flushing Solution: Solution used to remove nutrient salt buildup in the medium or soil. ex: I use a leaching solution every two weeks to avoid nutrient lockup.
L: Liter. A unit for measuring. ex: There are 3.8 L in a gallon.
MH: Metal Halide. ex: MH is a light used during the grow/vegetive stage.
Mom: A plant that the clones/cutting are cut from. ex: Mom’s need a vegetive growth cycle.
ml: Milliliter. A unit of measurement for liquids. ex: There are 5 ml in a teaspoon.
Nutrients: Hydroponic, Organic, or Bio-Organic plant food. ex: Every 7 to 10 days I change my reservoir adding fresh nutrients.
Nutrient Lockup: Nutrient salt buildup that does not allow new nutrient to be used. ex: I got nutrient lockup so bad that it burned my plants to a crisp.
oz: Ounce. A unit of measurement. ex: Use 1 oz per gallon of hydrogen peroxide to treat root rot.
ppm: Parts Per Million. Usually describes the concentration of something in water, soil, or air. When measuring units in a reservoir or soil, TDS & ppm are the same thing. ex: The ppm in my reservoir is at 1500 ppm.
Propagation: Process of cloning. When you find a plant that has the characteristics that you are looking for, you clone it. ex: Simply Hydroponics sells propagation kits on-line as well as step by step instructions on how to successfully take a clone.
pt: Pint. A unit of measurement for liquid. ex: There are 2 pt’s in a quart.
qt: Quart. I unit of measurement for liquid. ex: There are 4 qt’s in a gallon.
Remote Ballast: A ballast that is separate from the reflector and only attached by a socket assembly cord. ex: I was able to remove more heat from my grow room by using a remote ballast allowing me to put the ballast in another room.
res: Reservoir. I container used for storage of water/nutrients. I use a 40 gallon res. with my 3 foot x 3 foot tray.
Run To Waist System: A run to waist system uses the water one time and disposes of it. A run to waist system is usually but not always a system that has 2 reservoirs & a tray that the plants are in. One reservoir has the fresh unused nutrients, in that reservoir there is a pump on a timer. When the timer kicks on it feeds the plants in the tray, The tray collects the water and sends it to the second reservoir which collects the water for disposal. A run to waist is the best system for providing fresh unused for your plants every time. Run To Waist Systems are usually are viewed as wasteful. ex: Most stores do not stock a run to waist system because they do not recycle the water & nutrients.
Tbsp: Tablespoon. A unit of measurement. ex: There are 3 teaspoons in a tbsp.
TDS: Total Dissolved Solids. The amount of nutrients in the water. When measuring units in a reservoir or soil, TDS & ppm are the same thing. ex: The TDS in my reservoir is at 1500 ppm.
tsp: Teaspoon. A unit of measurement. ex: Greenfuse full strength uses 3/4 of a tsp per gallon.