Exotic and often expensive, orchids can require a little more skill than most plants to produce their stunning blooms. The good news is that phalaenopsis orchids (also known as Moth Orchids) are relatively easy to grow and flower, even for the novice gardener. While many orchids are specialty plants that are expensive and hard to […]
Home Hydroponics by Peter
We were pleased to read this article and see that Peter Chrapchynski gave us a mention after we spoke to him on the phone regarding the setting up of his hydroponic system. Peter is growing lettuce and has designed an excellent hydroponic system, he contacted us with various questions but we concentrated mostly upon inner diameters […]
Hydrogen Peroxide Horticulture
Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is a clear sharp smelling substance very similar in appearance to water (H2O). Like water it is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen, however H2O2 has an extra Oxygen atom in an unstable arrangement. It is this extra atom that gives H2O2 its useful properties. H2O2 has been used for many purposes […]
Day-Night Temp & CO2 Enrichment
Carbon Dioxide is an odorless gas which makes up about 300 ppm of our atmosphere, yet dried plant material contains an average of 40% carbon which comes entirely from CO2. Therefore we need to consider CO2 to be a major plant nutrient, one that affects growth rate, yield and one that needs to be supplied […]
Oxygenation & Air Pumps
Oxygen is an essential plant nutrient – plant root systems require oxygen for aerobic respiration, an essential plant process that releases energy for root growth and nutrient uptake. In many ‘solution culture’ hydroponic systems, the oxygen supplied for plant root uptake is provided mostly as dissolved oxygen (DO) held in the nutrient solution. If depletion […]
Fans, Air Movement, Humidity & Temp.
The most overlooked environmental factor affecting plant growth inside a growing environment or growing structure is airflow. Getting just the right degree of air movement across a leaf surface is vital to good production and yields and can mean the difference between high rates of photosynthesis occurring or none at all. Good air flow also […]
Light Tracking
Artificial lighting in an indoor setting is used to replace the lumens provided by the sun. Outdoors the sun provides a high degree of light intensity which is ‘diffused’ as it passes into our atmosphere. The sun moves over the course of a day and the angle can change with the season depending where on […]
Aeroponics – Misting Frequency & The Root Systems
In the world of bugs and the Indoor Growing environment the grower has many problems to over come. The question is what is the best method of eradication? With so many products available and different needs for each gardener to address, the retailer’s may in some cases not be providing you with the best solution. […]
Dissolved O2 Levels & Nutrient Temp
Alternative titles for this article could very easily have been… Battling the Pythium Virus in Hydroponics or The Essential Need for Consistency in Harvests with the Utmost Quality and Yield… but the first one was a bit Zombie Apocalypse and the second one was too long. Okay less babble, let’s get on with it.. The […]
Plant Hormones & Thiamine
Outdoors plants may be free to roam and stretch but when faced with a small indoor growing area efficiencies of space and maximum use of the available light on offer become a vital part of a production system. Obviously when artificial light is supplied, a grower will want to make use of every photon produced […]