HYDROPONICS
Most growers report that a hydroponic system will grow plants faster than a soil
medium, given the same genetics and environmental conditions. This may be due
to closer attention and more control of nutrients, and more access to oxygen.
The plants can breath easier, and therefor, take less time to grow. One report has
it that plants started in soil matured after hydroponic plants started 2 weeks later!
Fast growth allows for earlier maturation and shorter total growing time per crop.
Also, with soil mixtures, plant growth tends to slow when the plants become
root-bound. Hydroponics provides even, rapid growth with no pauses for
transplant shock and eliminates the labor/materials of repotting.
By far the easiest hydroponic systems to use are the wick and reservoir systems.
These are referred to as Passive Hydroponic methods, because they require no
water distribution system on an active scale (pump, drain, flow meter and path).
The basis of these systems is that water will wick to where you want it if the
medium and conditions are correct.
The wick system is more involved than the reservoir system, since the wicks must
be cut and placed in the pots, correct holes must be cut in the pots, and a
spacer must be created to place the plants up above the water reservoir below.
This can be as simple as two buckets, one fit inside the other, or a kiddie pool
with bricks in it that the pots rest on, elevating them out of the nutrient solution.
I find the wick setup to be more work than the reservoir system. Initial setup is a
pain with wicks, and the plants sit higher in the room, taking up precious vertical
space. The base the pot sits on may not be very stable compared to a reservoir
system, and a knocked over plant will never be the same as an untouched plant,
due to stress and shock in recovery.
The reservoir system needs only a good medium suited to the task, and a pan to
sit a pot in. The pots are filled with lava/vermiculite mix of 4 to 1. This medium will
store water, but has excellent drainage and air storage capacity as well. It is also
reusable to the extent it can be recaptured from harvested plants. Use small size
lava, 3/8" pea size, and rinse the dust off it first. Wet the vermiculite (dangerous
dry, wear a mask) and mix into pots. Square pots hold more than round.
Vermiculite will settle to bottom after repeated watering from the top, so only
water from the top occasionally to leach, and put more vermiculite on the top than the bottom.
The pan is filled with 1 _ - 3 inches of water and allowed to recede between
waterings. Every two weeks the plants are watered with no nutrients from the top
to leach out mineral deposits. If you go away, reservoirs made of 2 liter soda
bottles inverted into a container to fit, and hosed over to the pans with a water
level mark and position similar to a pet watering dispenser can be made to keep
the plants watered for 2-3 weeks at least.
One really great hydroponic medium is floral foam. Stick lots of holes into it to
open it up a little, and start plants/clones in it, moving the cube of foam to
lava/perlite later for larger growth stages. Foam rubber, or most types of porous
foam, as well as rockwool will be good for this as well. Many prefer floral foam, as
it is inert, and adds no PH factors. It's also pretty cheap if you buy the generic brands.
Planting can be made easier with hydroponic mediums that require little setup
such as rockwool. Rockwool cubes can be reused several times, and are premade
to use for hydroponics. Some advantages of rockwool are that it is impossible to
over water and there is no transplanting. Just place the plant's cube on top of a
larger rockwool cube and enjoy your extra leisure time.
Some find it best to save money by not buying rockwool and spending time
planting in soil or hydroponic mediums such as vermiculite/lava mix. Pearlite is
nice, since it is so light. Pearlite can be used instead of or in addition to lava,
which must be rinsed and is much heavier.
But rockwool has many advantages that are not appreciated until you spend
hours repotting; take a second look. It is not very expensive, and it is reusable.
It's more stable than floral foam, which crunches and powders easily. Rockwool
holds 10 times more water than soil, yet is impossible to over-water, because it
always retains a high percentage of air. Best of all, there is no transplanting; just
place a starter cube into a rockwool grow cube, and when the plant gets very
large, place that cube on a rockwool slab. Since rockwool is easily reused over
and over (with sterilization), the cost is divided by 3 or 4 crops, and ends up
costing no more than vermiculite and lava, which is much more difficult to reclaim,
sterilize and reuse (repot) when compared to rockwool. Vermiculite is also very
dangerous when dry, and ends up getting in the carpet and into the air when you
touch it (even wet), since it dries on the fingers and becomes airborne.
Rockwool's disadvantages are relatively few. It is alkaline PH, so you must use
something in the nutrient solution to make it acidic (5.5) so that it brings the
rockwool down from 7.7, to 6.5 (vinegar works great.) And it is irritating to the
skin when dry, but is not a problem when wet.
Hydroponics should be used indoors or in greenhouses to speed the growth of
plants, so you have more bud in less time. Hydroponics allows you to water the
plants daily, and this will speed growth. The main difference between hydroponics
and soil growing is that the hydroponic soil or "medium" is made to dry quickly, and
drain well so that there are no over-watering problems associated with continuous
watering. Also, hydroponically grown plants do not derive nutrients from soil, but
from the solution used to water the plants.
Hydroponics allows you to use smaller containers for the same given size plant,
when compared to growing in soil. A 3/4 gallon pot can easily take a small 3'
hydroponically grown plant to maturity. This would be difficult to do in soil, since
nutrients are soon used up and roots become cut-off from oxygen as they
become root-bound in soil. This problem does not seem to occur nearly as quickly
for hydroponic plants, since the roots can still take up nutrients from the constant
solution feedings, and the medium passes on oxygen much more readily when the
roots become bound in the small container.
Plant food is administered with most waterings, and allows the gardener to strictly
control what nutrients are available to the plants at the different stages of plant growth.
Passive hydroponics is easy with a reservoir system. Only a pot filled with the
correct low-moisture medium and a water tray to sit it in are needed. No pumps,
hoses or other apparatus is required. The pot is placed in the pan, and watered
from the top or directly into the pan. Holes in the bottom and side near the
bottom of the pot allows water into the pot, and is wicked up to the roots by the
vermiculite. A pot filled with lava and vermiculite should be moist at the top after
water is added to the pan. Kitty litter pans can be purchased at five and dime
stores on sale for as little as $1 each, and make great water pans. 12-16
cut-down paper milk cartons will fit in each pan. A small closet can easily hold a
hundred plants at a time when starting, and can hold 12-48 for harvesting.
Watering can be automated to some degree with simple and cheap drip system
apparatus, so take advantage of this when possible. Hydroponics will hasten
growing time, so it takes less time to harvest after planting. It makes sense to
use simple passive hydroponic techniques when possible. Hydroponics may not be
desirable if you're growing outdoors, unless you have a greenhouse.
CAUTION: it is necessary keep close watch of plants to be sure they are never
allowed to dry too much when growing hydroponically, or roots will be damaged. If
you will not be able to tend to the garden every day, be sure the pans are filled
enough to last until next time you return, or you can easily lose your crop. Plants
in soil are much easier to care for in this respect, since moisture storage crystals
can be added to the soil to buffer water for long periods between watering. If you
need to, it is possible to automatically regulate the water level in hydroponic pans
by toilet bowl float in a master reservoir, or using a gurgle bottle that holds water
and adds it as the level recedes, like a pet watering bottle used for dogs and
cats. Also, a pump can be put on a timer to add water to the pans.
If you're watering every day hydroponically, you may be able to water twice a
day if you increase ventilation and make sure the plants don't build up too much
humidity. You can water more often (and thus increase plant growth) if you have
slightly warmer temperatures, less water retention in your medium, and better
drainage, or all of the above. What counts is that you're watering more often, but
still allowing the medium to dry between waterings.
Change the solution every month if you're circulating it with a pump, but the
reservoir system does away with this problem. Just rinse the medium once a
month or so to prevent salts build up. Change plant foods often to avoid
deficiencies in the plants. I recommend using 2 different plant foods for each
phase of growth, or 4 foods total, to lessen chances of any type of deficiency.
Change the solution more often if you notice the PH is going down quickly (too
acid). Due to cationic exchange, solution will tend to get too acid over time, and
this will cause nutrients to become unavailable to the plants. Check PH every time
you water.
Watch out for alga and higher humidities in hydroponics when watering plants. A
layer of gravel at the top of the pot may help, since it will dry very quickly. Make
sure you're not over-watering the plants. Allow them to almost dry out after each
watering.

When the first signs of flowering are visible, you can the change over to a flower nutrient.
The EC can also be increased to approx. 2.2. Increase the EC by 0.1 per day.
The pH remains at 5.8. It is advisable to occasionally (e.g. every one or two weeks) flush
the slabs through with clean tap water. This prevents the buildup of harmful salts. Adjust this tapwater with pH up or down to the normal pH-level of 5.8. It is advisable, from now upto and including the last day, that regular checks of all the values are carried out. For example, the drainage water gives us a good indication of the needs of the
plant. Therefore, frequently measure the amount, its pH and EC-values. If necessary increase the time of watering periods. In order to obtain an accurate measurement in the slab, you are best off using a 140ml syringe. Remove the water sample from the slab where the roots are. For taking water samples use a large syringe with a 0.5mm stainless steel needle. The optimal pH in the slab is around 6.0. This may not vary more than 0.5pH. (e.g. 5.5-6.5). The EC in the slab may be a max. of 0.5 higher then in the nutrient reservoir. The week before harvesting, stop with all nutrients, and only give tap water, without pH correction. This forces the plant to use up all its nutrients-reserves, this considerably improves the sweetness and taste.


ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

THE WHY'S GUY: QUESTIONS OVER THE COUNTER

WHY SHOULD I WATER MY CROPS AT THE START OF MY LIGHT
CYCLE?

- Water demand by crops is greatest during the light cycle.
- Unless there is a plentiful supply of water, the plant cannot take up CO2 - the
breathing pores will close.
- Watering at end of the light cycle, or in darkness, creates high humidity levels in
the garden. This can encourage disease or pest problems to gain a foothold in the
garden.

WHY SHOULD THE WATER BE ROOM TEMPERATURE?

- Cold water causes slow growth.
- Hot water damages roots. This reduces the ability of the plant to take up food and
water - and diseases may attack the damaged roots, invading the plant. Even very
warm solutions of water and fertilizer can damage roots, especially if the nutrient
solution is strong (over 1000 PPM).

WHY CAN'T I FERTILIZE A DRY PLANT?

- The fertilizer solution can cause root damage to dry roots, even if it is mixed at
normal strength. Water a dry plant well (with plain water) an hour before fertilizing.


WHY CAN'T I USE OUTDOOR FERTILIZERS INDOORS?

- Outdoor fertilizers can contain high levels of a nitrogen source called ammonia -
this is too active a form of nitrogen for hydroponics crops in containers. In an
outdoor garden, armies of bacteria in the soil quickly break down ammonia
nitrogen into nitrates - a milder form of nitrogen - for plant uptake and use.
Outdoor fertilizers often contain only three of the eleven required nutrients that
plants use. Gardeners hope the outdoor soil can supply these missing elements.
Hydroponic foods contain all the required minerals for best plant growth and crop
yield.

WHY IS pH IMPORTANT?

- pH affects availability of nutrients - if the root zone is very acidic or alkaline,
some minerals will bond together and become unavailable to the roots.

WHY IS ADDING AIR TO NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS IMPORTANT?

- Well-aerated nutrient solutions allow roots to take up fertilizers easier and faster.
- Adding air to water or nutrient solutions reduces disease problems. Hydrogen
peroxide can be added to water to actually kill diseases, using the oxygen that
peroxide releases into the water to destroy disease cells.

HOW DO I DECIDE ON THE STRENGTH OF MY FERTILIZER SOLUTION?

- The first time you use any new fertilizer, mix it only half-strength.
- Mixing instructions on a fertilizer assume plants are healthy, free of pests and
diseases and actively growing in full sun, with lots of fresh air, and with moderate
temperatures (about 30 degrees C). If all these conditions are in place, plants can
use full-strength nutrient mixes.
- If plants have disease or pest problems, poor air movement, bad light, or very
high (or low) temperatures, use only half-strength fertilizers while you correct the
problem.
- For fast-growing crop plants with excellent growing conditions, the use of
additional CO2 and growth hormones ("Growth Plus") can create situations where
plants might be able to make use of stronger fertilizer solutions than the
manufacturer's recommended mixing rate. Always use a food strength meter to be
sure that gradual increases in nutrient concentrations allow plants to adapt to
stronger food levels. If you decide to try increasing your food strength, do it
gradually, by 200 PPM increases, allowing two or three days between increases.
Keep a close watch on crops to spot signs of nutrient stress of damage. Flush roots
well with plain water (or water/powerthrive solution) and reduce food strength if our
plants show signs of over-feeding.
- During periods of slow growth, reduce strength of fertilizers.

WHAT'S FERTILIZER BUILD-UP? HOW CAN I AVOID IT?

- "Fertilizer build-up" refers to situations when foods accumulate near the roots,
burning them and stressing the plant. Some grow mediums - the soilless mixes -
tend to hold fertilizers and need different treatment than hydrocorn or rockwool
crops to avoid build-up of fertilizers in the potting mix. Feed plants in potting soils
once, then use plain water the next time - by alternating feeding and watering, we
avoid fertilizer build-up, since water re-dissolves the food that was held by the
potting soil, making it available again to the roots.
- In hot weather, feed crops in potting soils once, then water twice as needed before
the next feeding.

MY CROP IS GROWING IN SUNSHINE MIX AND NURSERY POTS, WHEN SHOULD I TRANSPLANT? WHY?

- Roots spread through potting soil until they reach the container. Then the roots
wind around the inside of the flower pot, forming a web around the outside of the potting soil.
- Root bound plants need re-potting. Sure signs of root bound conditions are:
Soil dries very quickly between waterings.
Soil shrinks away from containers, leaving an air gap between the soil and the nursery pot
Soil "collapses", forming a bowl-shaped surface, often with a crust.
- Re-pot before signs of root bound conditions occur.
- Remove container from soil occasionally to check on root conditions
- Re-pot plants when roots have reached the outer surface of the potting soil and
are just starting to wind around the inside of the container. Roots spread easier
into the new soil. Plants with thick, winding roots spread slowly into large
containers, and the web of roots can interfere with water movement through the
potting soil. Your new soil could be moist, but the inner core of soil will stay dry,
causing plant stress.
- Re-pot to final pot size at least two weeks before starting flowering or crop
production stage.

WHEN SHOULD I USE "GROWTH PLUS"?

- After transplanting to larger containers
- During periods of active growth (green growth, flowering, crop production).
- Use every 10 - 14 days.
- Mixing rage: one capful / one liter (foliar spray)
OR one capful / five liters (root soak)

WHEN SHOULD I NOT USE "GROWTH PLUS"?

- When crops are "shifting gears" - changing into a new growth stage:
- plants adjusting to higher light levels (new transplants). Plants changing from
green growth to flowering cycle, especially with reduced day length. (See "Shifting
Gears" information sheet for more hints on getting through this period of change.)
- During high-temperature periods, or when crops have disease or pest problems.
- When plants are growing in low light level conditions.
- During the final two weeks of crop production, as growth slows.

WHEN SHOULD I USE "POWER THRIVE"?

- For new cuttings and seedlings:
To pre-moisten grow mediums
To "water in" new cuttings and seedlings.
For misting and watering cuttings and seedlings until established.
- For fast recovery from stress:
Plants recovering from disease or pest problems
Plants recovering from heat or water stress

HOW CLOSE SHOULD MY LAMP BE TO MY CROP?

- The closest minimum distance between lamps and crops is determined by
temperature, since plants grow best at 30 degrees C = 85 degrees F. Since heat
levels will vary from one garden to the next, the minimum distance in your garden
may be different from another garden with different light levels, air movement, etc.
To find the minimum (closest) distance for your garden:
- Use a small thermometer, mounted at the top of your plants.
- When the thermometer gives a continuous reading of 30 degrees C, the lamp is at
its closest possible position to the crop - note this distance so you'll remember to
keep moving the reflector up as crops grow, to keep the best temperature for your plants.
- Once you have learned how close you can safely have the lamp from your crop,
move lamp away from the crop until all plants are well-lit.
- Fix the lamp into this position. Maintain at least the minimum distance from the
crop by moving the lamp higher as plants grow taller.
- High temperatures cause SLOW growth and STRESS plants!

READY FOR A RIDDLE?

Ready for a riddle? O.K., What's invisible, feeds your plants, fights off bugs,
brushes off disease, helps your crop bring food and water up from the roots, keeps
garden temperatures just right, and hauls away excess water? It has no batteries,
no mechanical parts, and you'll never run out of it!
Of course we're talking about air! It's the most versatile, yet unappreciated,
worker in the garden. When gardeners understand how many chores a little air can
do, they can put it to better use to make their gardens healthier and more
productive.
Let's start with air "feeding" plants. Everyone knows that plants grow from
fertilizers, right? Guess again! Almost HALF the dry weight of plants is carbon,
taken from air! Another 42% of your plants is oxygen! All those fertilizers you've
been mixing and feeding to your corps? They only make up about 2% of your
crop's dry weight! Considering air only has 300-400 parts per million of carbon
dioxide (0.03%), we can concluded two things: plants are pretty good at grabbing
CO2 from the air, and they can use all the fresh air they can get!
Air is your greatest ally in the war against bugs and disease! Moving air can blow
insects off your crops, and interfere with their meal-times. Who can eat in a
hurricane? Air movement also lays havoc with egg-laying and the growth of baby
bugs in your garden. Bugs want still, moist air - and if they can't get it in your
garden, they'll go somewhere else! This is one good reason why we emphasize
good spacing between plants, oscillating fans, an air intake source and good
exhaust fans. Let someone else get the bug problem!
Air movement through the garden helps keep diseases in check, by keeping
humidity levels from climbing to unhealthy levels. Diseases multiply quickly in still,
moist air, and use any water on the leaf as an entry point to damage leaves. If you
can run ALL your fans 24 hours a day (without chilling your garden) you'll help
your plants stay healthy and disease-free.
Air fights disease in the root zone, too. The worst diseases need waterlogged
conditions to multiply and attack roots - air is their poison! (talk about a safe,
cheap fungicide!) Want to keep roots - and plants - healthy? Don't overwater, and
let air work for you in the root zone.
How can air make crops take up water and food faster and better? In two ways:
first, air in the root zone means healthy, growing roots eater to work hard supplying
the top growth with food and water. Second, good air movement through plants
draws lots of food and water up from the roots. How? To understand this, you'll
want to meet the STOMA, a tiny breathing pore on the underside of a leaf. This
stoma's a busy place - a sort of grand central station of the plant world. Carbon
dioxide and oxygen are coming and going through this tiny opening, and this is
where water vapor drifts out of the leaf into the air. Lots of water vapor - if your
crops used 100 gallons of water and food mix last week, they "transpired" 99
gallons of water out of this breathing pore, keeping only one gallon for actual
growth! It sounds wasteful, doesn't it? But plants have a purpose in handling all
this water: as a drop of water evaporates and drifts out of the leaf, it yanks another
drop of food and water into the roots. In this way, plants suck water and food into
the roots and draw them up the stem to the leaves, concentrating the minerals from
the fertilizer mix in the leaves for use by the plant. Evaporation of the excess water
also cools the leaf, keeping it at an efficient working temperature. Another
important use of this water movement: it keeps air spaces in the leaves moist so
CO2 can dissolve into the damp air - a necessary first step for uptake and use of
CO2 by the plant. When we supply good air movement through the garden, we help
to speed everything up - CO2 uptake, food and water movement into the plant,
utilization of minerals by the leaves - in other words, we speed up GROWTH!
Air isn't a riddle any more - put it to work for you and your garden, and it will prove
its usefulness to the health and yield of your crops.



Creating Good Growing Conditions in the Garden
Temperature

If plants could be fussy about one main growing condition, it would be
temperature. Aside from drying out the roots completely (not
recommended unless you enjoy funerals !) the quickest way to create
problems in your greenhouse is to mess with your plant's temperature.
The bad news is : Letting the thermometer climb - or - drop by only a
few degrees can make plants clench up and stop growing.
The good news is : We know what they like.
Here is a list of recommended temperatures for different stage of
growth in the garden.
Please note: The listed temperatures refers to TEMPERATURE AT
THE TOP OF THE TOP OF PLANT not the floor , wall, or outside!
Use a small thermometer on a bamboo stake for accuracy!
SEEDLINGS AND CUTTINGS 21 C (70 F) Day and night
GREEN GROWTH 30 c (85 F) days 18-21 C (65-70 F) Nights
FLOWERING AND CROP PRODUCTION 27 C (80F) Day
15-18C(60-65F) Nights
ROOTS (Green Growth and Crop Production) 21C (70F)

Hydrogen Peroxide

Do you know how to use it?

Most distributors of 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide recommend using 3-5 mls
per gallon of solution. Here is what they don't tell you, they do not know how it
works in hydroponic situations and how it relates to nutrient solutions and delicate
root hairs.

When Hydrogen Peroxide is added to water it creates a certain level of Ozone,
Ozone will, having the opportunity, react with any organic compounds that are
present and this is called oxidation. Hydrogen Peroxide is water with an extra
oxygen molecule causing it to be unstable and when you add it to water H202 +
H20 = H403, the 03 in the equation is ozone and requires oxidation to break it
down into 02 which is stable.

The directions for use in hydroponics is 1 ml per gallon of water without nutrient
present in the water, if you add Hydrogen Peroxide to your nutrient solution then
you run the risk of the ozone reacting with the mineral salts allowing them to fall
out of solution. Do not use more than this because it may break down the outer
layer of the root hair making it susceptible to root disease which is in many cases
the very reason you are using it. When used properly it will enhance your oxygen
content of your solution. Another thing I need to mention is that when you add
Hydrogen Peroxide to your water let it stand for _ hour. before you add your
nutrient so as not to get any reaction.

1ml per gallon
let stand _ hour
add only to water.

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 as they chew the plant roots and drain the sap. Even the adults - tiny flies that hang around the bottom of the plant and run across the surface of the grow medium look harmless. Usually, growersonly see a few tiny flies, and sometimes the flies lay their eggs near the plant's roots and escape unnoticed by the gardener. This hidden activity by fungus gnat larvae separates gnats from topgrowth -attacking insects like thrips or spider mites. Even careful examination of the root zone may miss these tiny larvae - the grower would see only damaged and discolored roots. Meanwhile, the baby bugs are: Chewing and damaging root t issue, interfering with nutrient and water uptake. Sucking sap from roots that was necessary for the needs of the plant. -Infecting the damaged roots with fungus disease. This last activity is the reason these insects got their name - they carry disease spores on their bodies that can infect the damaged roots easily, creating more problems for the grower. New fungus gnat problems in a garden usually occur in autumn (as cooler weather forces insects indoors) or spring (when over-wintering eggs outdoors hatch and the flies find their way into the grow room). Continuing fungus gnat problems can happen anytime of the year, indicating that an infected plant somewhere in the garden or nearby (house plants, or outdoors near the indoor garden) is serving as a continual source of these pests. Often the problem is traced to stock plants, which are usually neglected, old, and rootbound. And good riddance! Because of the severe damage these pests can inflict on a garden, store staff and growers must be aware of how to i dentify and handle them. Bright yellow leaves - normally shaped, no wrinkles or spots - and very slow growth are strong clues to their presence in the garden. Have growers search for "tiny flies - like fruitflies" hovering near the base of the plant or on the grow medium. Once spotted, urge immediate treatment of all plants, not just the ones that look sick - the larvae can already be present and start to damage plants that still look healthy, and untreated larvae turn into more flies to re-infect the garden. Plants recovering from fungus gnat problems still face the risk of disease problems - remember that these bugs can spread fungus spores to damaged roots. As a precaution, these plants should be given a treatment with a fungicide a day or two after pesticide application. A root drench is more effective than spraying the top growth. Follow a similar procedure to your use of pesticides, drenching the entire root zone with fungicidesolution, with irrigation pumps off for at least several hours. Lef t over fungicide in the root zone will not interfere with nutrients, so it's not necessary to drain and replace the fertilizer mix. Yellow sticky cards are very useful as an early warning system for these flying pests, since the gnats are often attracted to the bright yellow surface. Soon, new gangs of these bugs will be pulling "home invasions" on our gardeners as the milder weather will allow gnat eggs to hatch out of doors. Fortunately, treating this pest is very straight forward: Wilson's Potting Soil Insecticide or Wilson's Fungus Gnat Powder will eliminate fungus gnats from the root zone, usually with a single application of pesticide. These products are very gentle on the plant, making them useful for all grow mediums. We do not recommend stronger, outdoor pesticides (liquid diazinon 5% strength) since these can cause major damage or death to an indoor garden! Stick with safe, effective products that allow plants to recover quickly. Using these products with "Potting Soil" plants is very simple: just sprinkle the powder on to the soil and water it in.


TYPES OF HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS
Various growing media can be used in hydroponic systems. However, any system
must have the following four qualities:

-sufficient support for the plants
-appropriate distribution of air, since roots
-need oxygen and respire other gasses, such
-as carbon dioxide
-maximum water availability for the plant roots
-accessible nutrient solution with consistent
-chemical characteristics

Liquid (non-aggregate) Hydroponic Systems

Deep Flow Marijuana Hydroponics

The classic hydroponic system, where plants are supported so that their roots hang into a nutrient solution, is generally called "deep flow hydroponics". This system is appropriate for hobbyists and large scale production of leafy vegetable crops. The system consists of horizontal, rectangular-shaped tanks lined with plastic. The nutrient solution is monitored, replenished, recalculated, and aerated. Commercial facilities are now quite popular in Japan. The rectangular pools act as frictionless conveyor belts where large, moveable floats of plants (lettuce) can be transported from transplant to harvest.

Nutrient Film Technique

A modification of the deep flow system is called "nutrient film technique", where a thin film of nutrient solution flows through plastic lined channels, which contain the plant roots. The walls of the channels are flexible; this permits them to be drawn together around the base of each plant, excluding light and preventing evaporation. For lettuce production, the plants are planted through holes in a flexible plastic material that covers each trough. Nutrient solution is pumped to the higher end of each channel and flows by gravity past the plant roots to catchment pipes and a sump. The solution is monitored for replenishment of salts and water before it is recycled. Capillary material in the channel prevents young plants from drying out, and the roots soon grow into atangled mat. This method is mainly used for tomatoes.

Aeroponics

Aeroponics is another technique, where nutrient solution is sprayed as a fine mist in sealed root chambers. The plants are grown in holes in panels of expanded polystyrene or other material. The plant roots are suspended in
midair beneath the panel and enclosed in a spraying box . The box is sealed so that the roots are in darkness (to inhibit algal growth) and in saturation humidity. A misting system sprays the nutrient solution over the roots periodically. The system is normally turned on for only a few seconds every 2-3 minutes. This is sufficient to keep
roots moist and the nutrient solution aerated. Systems were developed by Dr. Merle Jensen at the University of Arizona, for lettuce, spinach, and even tomatoes, although the latter was judged not to be economically viable. In fact, there are no known large-scale commercial aeroponic operations in the United States, although several small
companies market systems for home use.

Aggregate Cannabis Hydroponics

In aggregate hydroponic systems, a solid, inert medium provides support for the plants. As in liquid systems, the
nutrient solution is delivered directly to the plant roots. Aggregate systems may be either open or closed, depending
on whether surplus amounts of the solution are to be recovered and reused. Open systems do not recycle the nutrient
solutions; closed systems do.

In most open hydroponic systems, excess nutrient solution is recovered; however the
surplus is not recycled to the plants, but is disposed of in evaporation ponds or used
to irrigate adjacent landscape plantings or wind breaks. Because the nutrient solutions
are not recycled, such open systems are less sensitive to the composition of the
medium used or to the salinity of the water. These factors have generated
experiments with a wide range of growing media and the development of more
cost-efficient designs for containing them.

There are numerous types of media used in aggregate hydroponic systems. They include peat, vermiculite, or a combination of both, to which may be added polystyrene beads, small waste pieces of polystyrene beads, or perlite to reduce the total cost. Other media such as coconut coir, sand, sawdust, are also common in some regions of the world.

For growing row crops such as tomato, cucumber, and pepper, the two most popular
artificial growing media are rockwool and perlite. Both of these media can be used in
either closed or open systems (gravel is not recommended as an aggregate in either
system). Both media are lightweight when dry, easily handled and easier to
steam-sterilize than many other types of aggregate materials. Both can be
incorporated as a soil amendment after crops have been grown in it.

Rockwool, or stonewool, is produced from basalt rock, and can come as spun wool,
resembling fiberglass, or it can be granulated, offering an alternative to perlite and
vermiculite in terms of water holding capacity and aeration. Stonewool has a high pH,
generally greater than 8.0, however, it has essentially no buffering capacity, meaning it
will not affect the pH of the nutrient solution nor will it affect any other media it is mixed
with, such as peat moss (which has a pH of 3.8 to 4.5). Stonewool can be purchased
in prepackaged "slabs"(commonly 15 x 7.5 x 100 cm long), ready to use, or as bulk
granules for those growers who wish to mix their own soilless media.

Perlite is usually bagged in opaque white bags with drip irrigation tubes at each plant
and drainage slits in the bags. Perlite is an inert media providing excellent aeration
and water holding capacity. As in rockwool, it can be steam sterilized, rebagged and
reused several times.

When both perlite and rockwool are used as closed systems, great care must be
taken to avoid the buildup of toxic salts and to keep the system free of nematodes and
soilborn diseases. Once certain diseases are introduced, the infested nutrient solution
will contaminate the entire planting. In addition to the common practice of sterilizing
the recirculating solution, there is current research exploring the use of surfactants to
control certain root diseases. Such systems can be capital intensive because they
require leak proof growing beds as well as subgrade mechanical systems and nutrient
storage tanks.



LIGHTING
Understanding lighting can be very confusing for the beginner ... we are here to help
make it simple.Incandescent bulbs, like the one in your bedside lamp create light by passing electrical
current through a very fine wire. Resistance in the wire causes it to heat up and glow.
Flourescent tubes and low pressure sodium lamps pass electrical current through
gaseous vapour under low pressure. Flourescent tubes are very good for seedling and
cuttings. Flourescents can be kept very close to the leaf canopy without fear of scorching.
These can be raised as the plants grow. If your plants require medium-high, or high light
levels flourescents are not recommended.Low pressure sodium lamps and mercury vapour lamps are of little value in the case of indoor gardening. Restrict their use to illuminating parking lots.
High Intensity Discharge or H.I.D. lamps produce light by passing electrical current
through vaporized gas under high pressure. The different gases or materials contained in
the arc tube dictate the colors of the spectrum that the light will produce.

WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

When deciding upon what light source you want to use, you must consider the plants
needs. The blue-violet and red-orange segments of the visible light spectrum are the
most important for photosynthesis and chlorophyll production. Red-orange light will encourage flowering and stem elongation. Light strong in the blue-violet spectrum will keep plants short and bushy with short internodal space.
In combination the two will produce more balanced growth.Metal Halide or Multi Vapour H.I.D. lamps provide the most complete spectrum for plant growth from a single source in absence of actual sunlight. Metal Halide lamps
produce a decent amount of light energy in both the blue-violet and red- orange ends of
the spectrum but, leaning slightly towards blue-violet as the predominant area of spectral
energy. Metal Halides can be used for both vegetative and flowering stages.

A definite improvement upon the standard 'white' metal halide is the new Daylight Full
Spectrum bulb by Duraguard. This bulb illuminates a very definite blue spectrum
resulting in very healthy vegetative growth, with short internodal spacing. Since this bulb
has a balanced spectrum it would be a perfect bulb for a one lamp operation. Available in
both 400 and 1000 Watt.

High Pressure Sodium or HPS lamps produce light energy weighted toward the
red-orange area of the spectrum. Many growers use these lamps for all stages of
growth, unless natural sunlight is available we would only suggest their use during
flower initiation and development periods. There is a new strain of HPS bulbs that have
an augmented blue segment (30% or more) making them a worthwhile choice for all
growing periods.

For those who have metal halide systems and want to add or change to high pressure
sodium lamps for flowering, there are Retrofit High Pressure Sodium Lamps available
that are compatible with a metal halide ballast. The definite advantage that the retrofit
bulbs have over conventional H.P. S. bulbs, is that you can use metal halides for strong
vegetative growth as they are predominant in the blue-violet spectrum and high pressure
sodium lamps, which are high in the red- range spectrum for flowering. Available in both
360 and 940 Watt.

We hope this information will help you make an educated choice in purchasing your next
lighting system.


VENTILATION
Fresh air is key...

Fresh air is at the heart of all successful indoor gardens. In the great
outdoors, air is abundant and almost always fresh. The level of C02 in the
air over a field of rapidly growing vegetation could be only a third of normal
on a very still day. Soon the wind blows in fresh air. Rain cleanses the air from dust
and pollutants. The ecosystem is always moving. When plants are grown indoors
the natural balance that is present out of doors must be achieved indoors by way of
fresh air ventilation. You must take the task of bringing in fresh air seriously or
else your green thumb is going to wilt and turn brown.
Fresh air is inexpensive and easy to find. An exhaust fan is the main tool used to
satisfy this need.
In order to have a good flow of air through your growing environment,
adequate air circulation and ventilation are necessary. Indoors, fresh air is
one of the most commonly overlooked factors in contributing to a plentiful
harvest. Experienced gardeners realize the importance of fresh air and take care in
setting up proper air movement. Three factors affect air movement: stomata,
ventilation, and circulation.

STOMATA are microscopic pores which are located on the undersides of the
leaves. These stomata regulate the flow of gasses into and from the plant. These
can get clogged with dust, filmy residues, pollen etc... So it is very important to
have air movement to keep these pores clean and free.

CIRCULATION if the air is completely still, plants will tend to use all of the C02
next to the leaf surface. When this air is used and no fresh air is forced into its
place, dead air space forms stifling the stomata, slowing growth. Air also stratifies
with the warm air rising and the cooler air settling towards the bottom of the room..
All of these potential problems are avoided by opening a door or window and
installing oscillating fans. Air circulation is important for insect and fungus
prevention. Mold spores are present in all growrooms.

VENTILATION an average l0' x l0' foot vegetable garden will use from 10 to 30
gallons of water per week. Where does all this water go? It transpires and
evaporates into the air. So basically, gallons of water will be held in the air. If this
moisture is left in a small room, the leaves will get limp, transpiration will slow
(remember the flow of water through the plant helps keep it erect) and the stomata
will be stifled. This moisture mist be replaced with dry air that lets the stomata
function properly. A vent fan that pulls air out of the grow room will do the job.
Successful indoor gardeners know that a vent fan is as important as water, light,
heat, and fertilizer. In some instances it is more important. All greenhouses have
large ventilation fans. It is sometimes said that the person with the most fans wins.
Vent fans are rated by the number of cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) they
can replace or move. Buy a fan that will replace the volume (cubic feet) of
the grow room air in about 5 minutes or less. The air that is pulled out is
immediately replaced by fresh air which is drawn from little cracks under the doors
or window sills. If a grow room is sealed tightly then an intake fan will probably be
necessary to bring in fresh air.

A vent fan is able to pull air out of a room many times more efficiently that a fan is
able to push it out.

To calculate the room size multiply width by height this will give you the total cubic
footage of your room for example 10 by 10 by 8 = 800 cubic feet. Remember that
you want your fan to exchange the air within 5 minutes so for a room that is 800
cubic feet a fan that is capable of moving 160 cfm is needed.



ROCKET FUEL RECIPE
Our Recipe for plant 'Rocket Fuel'
In Order:

1 Liter of water at room temperature with a PH at 6.3 in a misting bottle.
Add 16 drops Hyper Oxygen. Hyper Oxygen is a 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide to remove
any chlorine and increase the level of oxygen availability in water, improving nutrient uptake, and
effective use in plants. Also destroys harmful bacteria and viruses.

Add 36 drops Agri 2. Agri 2 is an extremely effective wetting agent ensuring plant tissue
penetration especially when misting plants with waxy or hairy leaves. Also contains an antifoaming
agent.

30ml (lOz) Earth Food. Earth Food is a 2 part product, first being catalyst altered water, changing
the structure of molecules in water. Your water will now form attractions with free electrons,
helping better serve water's role as a transportation, cleansing and absorption mechanism within
your plants circulatory system. Second it contains activated Carbon, Amino Acid. organic trace
minerals and other desirable ingredients obtained from Lignite (the fossil remains of plants grown
50 million years ago).

5ml (3ml min. To 10 ml max.) Growth Plus. Growth Plus is the main ingredient and the best kept
secret in the industry. It is a very concentrated solution of natural growth hormones with cytokinin
being the main one. This product is dynamite just on its own.

30ml (15 ml min. To 60 mi max.) Sea Mix.
Sea Mix is a concentrated solution of sea plant (Ascopilyum nodosum) and Sea fish processed
together for effective foliage feeding of plants. Sea Mix feeds your plants with a healthy supply of
micronutrients from the sea plant and macronutrients (N-P-K) rich in sea fish.]

NOTE A: The above mix is then lightly misted covering the whole plant every 2 - 3
weeks and no more than once a week during active growth. Foliage feed before 11
:OOam or after 4:00pm. It is important to note that University studies show foliage
feeding to be about 10 times more efficient than dry fertilizers and nutrients are
immediately made available to the plant.
NOTE B: To use the above as watering solution dilute 3 to 4 times.
NOTE C: Only mix up enough to be used within 48 hours. Also 5ml is equal to 1 teaspoon.
NOTE D: All of the above products are of the highest quality and at the same
concentration as manufactured. Altering the above recipe is at your own risk.
Remember "more is not always better".


Insects, fungus, bacteria and more
TREATING FUNGUS AND BACTERIA IN THE GARDEN

SEEDLINGS AND NEWLY-ROOTED CUTTINGS
Treat with NO-DAMP or other mild fungicide.
Be sure roots are already wet before root-drench treatment: NO-DAMP contains alcohol that
could damage dry roots or unrooted cuttings.
Treat plants once a week until plants recover.
VIGOROUS PLANTS - GREEN GROWTH (no flowers or crop on plant)
Spray top-growth well with SAFER'S GARDEN FUNGICIDE
Wet all leaves until liquid runs off leaves.
- CAUTION: DO NOT SPRAY PLANTS WITH FLOWERS OR CROP ON THEM
- you will definitely BURN your crop!
Treat your plants once a week - best time to spray is late in the day, so the plants can dry in the
dark; avoid spraying in strong light.

FLOWERING OR CROP PLANTS

Treat plants by hand-watering BENOMYL fungicide into the roots.
- CAUTION; NEVER SPRAY A FLOWERING PLANT WITH FUNGICIDE - IT COULD
DAMAGE THE FLOWER OR CROP!
Water enough BENOMYL solution into the roots to DRENCH the entire root system.
Treat the plants when the roots are ALREADY WET from feeding or watering and when they
won't be watered again for at least a few hours.
Treat once a week.

HINTS ON TREATING PLANTS FOR DISEASE:

Avoid high temperature and strong fertilizers until plants recover.
Disease can become tolerant of a fungicide if used many times" after you have used one product 3
or 4 times in a row, switch to another suitable product and attack the disease with a new weapon.

- SAFER'S GARDEN FUNGICIDE is a sulphur-based product ONLY FOR SPRAYING
GREEN GROWTH" DO NOT USE SAFER'S GARDEN FUNGICIDE FOR CROP
PLANTS!

Pests
MITES
Spider Mites
Look for browning of foliage, sometimes accompanied by extensive webbing. Mite
damage occurs most often during hot, dry weather in July and August. Look for very small,
spider-like creatures that are almost invisible without magnification.

Use a hand lens of at least 10X magnification to examine undersides of leaves for the presence of
mites
Fungus Gnats
These flies are gray or black, delicate and about 3 to 6 mm long. The young are white maggots
with black heads, found in decaying plant matter. They thrive in moist soil. The adults are a
harmless nuisance, but the maggots can injure the roots. Affected plants appear stunted, and
foliage may drop.

Whiteflies
These small delicate, white insects suck the plant juices and are usually found on the underside of
leaves or fluttering about the plant. Leaf surfaces are covered with sticky honeydew excreted by
these insects. Leaves become pale or discoloured.

Thrips
Several species of thrips may infest house plants. Thrips are small, slender pests, the young being
whitish to yellow or orange and the adults brown or black. Adults are hard to see because they fly
about the plant, especially when disturbed. They feed by rasping the plant tissue and sucking the
juice, causing a silvery, speckled appearance to leaf surfaces. Dots of black excrements cover a
badly infested plant and small scars are formed where each female placed eggs in the plant tissue.



Light Energy for Plant Growth

Plant Development is dependent on the specific spectrums of the lightsource and the usable light energy
Only 37% of the energy in sunlight is within the wavelength (colors) useful for photosynthesis,
while 62.4% is infrared (thermal energy) and the remaining 0.6% is ultraviolet. Photosynthesis in
the plant leaf is powered by 1% of the sunlight that falls on the plant, 10% of the sunlight is
reflected and 10% passes through the leaf. The leaf will retain 80% which is used for transpiration.
Some of the light is re-radiated, while the fraction that remains is used for building food
from the carbon dioxide, minerals and water. For photosynthesis the most important spectrums of the light are blue and red. Germination, flowering and stem growth are influenced by red to far red. In artificial environments it is important to keep these factor in mind when programming the light source for the plants life cycle. For the
associated light spectrum consult your bulb's manufacturer. Useable light energy for plant growth is measured in Micro-Einsteins ( micro-mols ofphotons per meter squared per second). The sunlight reaching a plant is approximately 2,200 micro-einsteins on a cloud-less day and 170 micro-einsteins on a cloudy day.
For indoor growing under artificial lighting a range of 395 to 500 micro-einsteins is considered by
experts to be minimal for plant growth. Note: The higher the bulb wattage the further away the
plant must be from the light source to prevent the plant from transpiring too quickly. Thus, the
further the plant is from the light source the less available useable energy is delivered to the plant.
For optimum usable energy, select a bulb that has the lowest wattage with the highest usable
energy coefficient.

Feminised Cannabis Seeds by Dutch Passion Seed Company, Amsterdam In November 1998 we introduced our Female Cannabis Seed. We did this after our own experiments showed that from female seed, we acquired all but 100% female off-spring. In the mean time we are six months further. We have received a lot of feed-back from our customers. The reactions are mostly positive, clients who have successfully produced almost 100% female off-spring. However there have been reactions from customers who found a few hermaphrodites or male plants. Apparently environmental influences affect the sex of the female seeds as well. Because of the fact that Female seeds do not grow into female plants under all circumstances, we changed the name from Female Cannabis Seeds into Feminised Cannabis Seeds. From literature and from our own findings it appears that the growth of a male or a female plant from seed, except for the predispositioon in the gender chromosomes, also depends on various environmental factors. Not only the origination of entirely male or female plants is partly affected by these environmental factors, the number of male and female flowers on a hermaphrodite plant is afffected as well. The environmental factors that influence the sex of the plant (or the flower in the case of hermaphhrodites), are among other things: 1) the quantity of nitrogen and potassium of the seed bed, 2) humidity and moistness of the seed bed, 3) level of temperatures, 4) colour of the light used, 5) length of daylight. Stress, any form of stress, makes that more male individuals will originate from seed. Even the taking of cuttings from female plants may produce male or hermaphrodite cuttings. To optimmise the result, changes in one or more of the above-mentioned environmental factors for a certain period during growth, may be applied. During this time these environmental factors will deviate froom the standard growing system for maximum harvest and quality, as described in nursery literature. The desired change(s) in the environmental factor(s) are started from the moment that the seedling has three pairs of real leaves (not counting the seed-lobes). This is the momment that male and/or female predisposition in florescence is being formed. After approximately two weeks the standard growing system can be reconverted to. FEMINISED CANNABIS SEEDS by Dutch Passion Seed Company, Amsterdam (continued) Of the 5 above-mentioned environmental factors the first three are the most practical: 1) Level of nitrogen and potassium of the seed bed. A heightening of the standard level of nitrogen makes for more female plants originating from the seeds. A lowering of the nitrogen level shows mmore male plants. A heightening of the level of potassium tends to show more male plants, while a lowering of the potassium level shows more female plants. A combination of a higher nitrogen level for the period of a week or two and a lowering ofthe potassium level is recommended. 2) Humidity and moistness of the seed bed. A higher humidity makes for an increase in the number of female plants from seed, a lowering for an increase in male plants. The same is valid for the moistness of the seed bed. 3) Level of temperatures. Lower temperatures make for a larger number of female plants, higher temperatures for more male plants. 4) Colour of light.. More blue light makes for female plants from seed, more red light makes for more male plants. 5) Hours of daylight. Few hours of daylight (for example: 14 hours) makes for more female individuals, a long day (for example: 18 hours) makes for more male plants.