Some very useful information for all growers out there.  We at Hydroponics Unlimited put this together to help you determine proper plant conditions from beginning to end.

Download the jpg here…

We just added Emerald Triangle’s Snow Storm Ultra, check it out at http://www.hydroponicsunlimited.com/product/719942.html.

If you like Purple Maxx/Snow Storm, but color is not your primary goal, then Snow Storm Ultra is for you. We isolated the “snow storm” effect and optimized it for maximum results. Absolutely nothing else like it on the market. Does not contain carbohydrates or molasses. Three years of development went into this Humboldt County original. Best of all, this additive works with all your favorite nutrient lines. When used with Gravity, Snow Storm will take your plants beyond anything achievable with fertilizer alone.

We have it in 3 different sizes; 1 Qt – $28.50, 1 Gallon – $85.50, and 2.5 Gallon – $170.95

We’ve just added Organocide to our site.  A great product and definitely work a look. It comes in both a spray and a concentrate.  See below…

Organocide Organic Insecticide – Concentrate 1 Quart

A nature-safe, organic spray oil effective on a wide variety of insects, mites, armored and soft scales and certain fungal diseases. It is insecticidal to the eggs, larvae, and nymphs of insects and adults of soft bodied insects. Controls a wide range of mite and insect pests, and certain fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, black spot on roses, helminthesporium and greasy spot on citrus. Use on vegetables, fruits, nuts, vine crops, herbs, ornamentals, greenhouse crops, landscape plants, bulbs, flowers and field crops. Active Ingredient: sesame oil 5.0% / Inert Ingredients: edible fish oil 92.0% and Lecithin 3.0%. Dilution Rate: Mix 2 oz. with 1 gallon of water. Exempt from EPA registration.

A New Year is quickly upon us and another decade complete.  Lots happened over the last year, and for that mater the last decade.  It’s been coined the decade of the “bubble,” with booms and busts every few years.  But most importantly it has become the decade of mainstream recognition and focus on the environment, energy efficiency and climate change.  But what does this mean for hydroponics in the general sense.  Hydroponics is one of the most efficient ways of growing and curbing the effects of climate change on farming and also reducing human’s foot print on the environment.  I’m making a bold prediction here, but I look at hydroponics becoming the new age farming in the next decade and being adopted by major growers throughout the world.  Hydroponics just makes sense in a world of ever growing populations and less room for growing.  Hydroponics has brought growing up, instead of growing out to the forefront and allows for farmers to grow year round.  Obviously there are more costs associated with hydroponics, but you also get a far superior product–more bang for your buck.  It will take time as traditional farming has been ingrained in us for centuries, but as a necessity I believe that growing hydroponically will be the best solution to our current food epidemic.  Enough said about predictions.

2010 should be a great year for all.  We’ve learned a lot in the last decade and are now pulling out of what the media has coined “the greatest recession since the Great Depression.”  I wish you and yours a successful 2010 and may each of you reach your goals and aspirations!  Happy New Year!

One of the major benefits of hydroponics is that you can grow anywhere and anytime of the year. I recently stumbled across a project called Window Farms from www.windowfarms.org.  Basically the concept behind them is that you can grow indoors in any space, but specifically in spaces without a lot of room.  See below:

“Researchers have argued that to grow some of his own food is the most effective action an individual can take for environment, not only because of the food industry’s heavy carbon footprint but also because participating in agricultural production cultivates a valuable skill set around sustainability issues.

Many neighborhoods (particularly low income ones) in cities aroun the world are considered food deserts, meaning little fresh food is easily accessible. Residents tend to consume processed, packaged, and canned food having depleated nutrients.

Few other projects provide opportunities for such direct personal involvement, make this productive use of existing construction, or so directly target urban dwellers estranged from agricultural issues.

Inner city dwellers can grow their own food in their apartment or office windows throughout the year by means of these elegant, inexpensive, vertical, hydroponic vegetable gardens made from recycled materials or items available at the local hardware store. The first system produced 25 plants and a salad a week in mid winter in a dimly lit 4’ x 6’ NYC window.”

If you go to www.windowfarms.org you can download instructions for creating a kit.  It’s just a great thing to see hydroponics growing to all areas and new ideas for growing spreading.

So I was flipping through a magazine the other day, and came across a great article on the “Relative Efficiency of Light Bulbs.”  We love hydroponics, but we’re always looking for information and ways of making hydroponics “greener” than it already is.  We started manufacturing Top Feed Systems for this very reason.  It has really cut down on our energy costs, which in turn helps the environment.  Anyway, back to lighting.  So it all comes down to lumens — measure of light intensity hitting a surface.  Household bulbs are measured in Watts, but when growing we care about Lumens (and lumens give us the most bang for our buck).  So they compared 6 types of light bulbs; incandescent, mercury, fluorescent, fusion sulphur, metal halide and high pressure sodium (HPS).  The 100 watt incandescent bulb shining 1 foot away from an object will put roughly 175 lumens, but 100 watt mercury will produce 600 lumens.  Put a 100 watt HPS bulb in the same circumstances and we’re talking 1,400 lumens.  So in conclusion High Intensity Discharge bulbs may cost more, but you’re getting a lot more bang for your buck and your plants will appreciate you more.  Lastly, here is the relative efficiency for the 6 bulbs types I mentioned above.  Incandescent: 8% efficiency; Mercury: 29% efficiency; Fluorescent: 38% efficiency; Fusion Sulphur: 44% efficiency; Metal Halid: 45-57% efficiency; and the big winner, High Pressure Sodium: 64% efficiency.  

Original Soure: How to Supercharge Your Garden

I stumbled upon a section on Co2 in the “How to Supercharge Your Garden” book written by Graham Reinders and illustrated by Marseene Mainly. I thought I’d share a piece of the chapter as it kind of made me laugh inside, but also displays our innate relationship with nature and the plants that we grow. See below and enjoy;

“People laughed when it was claimed that playing music to plants made them grow better.  It really did because the sound vibrations actually strengthen the stem fibers, shorten the internode length, and cause stress growth reactions  from the plants.”

(Go figure.  I wonder which genres produce best results.  It might depend on the plant…)

“Then people laughed when it was claimed that singing to plants made them grow better.  However, it is true.  The CO2 from human breath actually makes plants grow faster.  If you and a few gardeners stay in the indoor garden area during the light period, the plants would do very well.”

(So I’m not that crazy after all.  I knew my tomatoes loved a morning serenade.)

“It is thought that the massive plants that developed millions of years ago had lived in an environment with much more carbon dioxide in it.  In their evolution, the plants will maintained the capacity to use much more carbon dioxide than the world has now.”

(So create more CO2? Not so sure on this one…)

“Luckily in smoggy cities, the CO2 level can be as high as 500 PPM, and by just having a good circulating fan, the plants should have enough CO2 for a medium-light indoor garden.”

(Yes luckily.  And we’re located just outside of LA, so we’re very lucky!  So smog is good?)

“A high-light garden with the carbon dioxide amount increased from an ambient level of 300 PPM to a high level of 2,000 PPM can nearly double plant growth.”

(Bring on the Co2)

This book is a great resource and walks you through a number of areas dealing with both growing in general and hydroponics.  A must read for anyone interested in growing.

Check it out…

What’s the best light for seedlings?
I have a 250w MH and a 400w MH. I think I’ll go with the 250w to keep electric costs down. I would use fluorescents but I’m not sure if they’ll put out enough light. Is the 250w too much on seedlings?
The best light for cloning and seedlings is a fluorescent T-12 tube.  This full spectrum fluorescent is ideal for seedlings.  You can purchase this light from HydroponicsUnlimited.com.
http://www.hydroponicsunlimited.com/product/BUAG24.html