Hydroponics Unlimited Blog

Make room for great new buckets and mesh pots sure to help your growing!

The Superoots Air-Pot is a recyclable, reusable plastic container that actively enhances the quality of the root systems of plants. This revolutionary approach to containerizing plants and trees produces fabulous, non-spiraling root systems that are impossible to develop in any other available container. Buy it!

Botanicare’s New HERCULES pots are formed with a unique shape to help give your plants the guidance they need to keep from becoming root bound. Air holes positioned around the sides of the HERCULES pots encourage grow media to dry more evenly between feedings giving growers increased control over plants’ nutritional and watering needs. HERCULES pots are available in 6 sizes from 6″ to 16″. Buy it!

The Smart Pot is now offered in tan! The Smart Pot is a soft-sided aeration container that air root prunes your plants. Air root pruning is a key component to a healthy fibrous root ball. Unlike plastic containers, roots do not circle. Instead, air root pruning creates a more fibrous root structure with more root tips. More roots means quicker growth. No circling roots mean better growth. The tan Smart Pot is available in sizes from 1 gallon to 100 gallons. Buy it!

Check out all our buckets and mesh pots at:

Hydroponics Unlimited Buckets and Mesh Pots

Not cleaning your plants can lead to a "pesky" infestation.

If you are anything like the average person, your list of housekeeping chores can seem endless. From bathrooms to bedrooms, mopping to vacuuming, keeping a clean and tidy house can be a full time job. So, you are probably not overly enthusiastic at the thought of adding plant washing to the already time-consuming list of chores. BUT, adding this task could be the task that saves your hydroponics garden.

Ignoring your plant washing duties can cause many problems for your hydroponics garden. One of the most common effects of leaf washing negligence is an infestation of spider mites. Spider mites are small bugs that will turn a thriving crop into a dry and dead one.  Spider mites flourish in warm and dry climates. Once they arrive they pierce single leaf cells of the plants and suck out the contents, causing the plant cells to collapse and die. Initially, spider mite infestations will cause speckled browning on the plants’ leaves and the undersides of the leaves may become yellow and crusty. But, as the infestation worsens the spider mites will remove most of the chlorophyll, which makes the leaves crumple, die and fall off.

A Spider mite infestation is an undesirable situation and can ruin the hard work you have put into creating a prosperous indoor garden. Therefore, it behooves all of us to keep these pesky mites away. One simple solution is to use a new and revolutionary spray: Mighty Wash. Mighty Wash is a ready-to-use proprietary formula and can get rid of spider mites in all stages of development, from eggs to adults. It may be used throughout the grow and flower cycle up to (including the day of harvest) Mighty Wash is truly the cleanest solution to your spider mite problem. With items like Mighty Wash, plant cleaning is now a quick and easy task on that long list of household chores.

Other great leaf washing products:

PM Wash: A new revolutionary way to solve your mold and mildew problem in all stages of plant growth.

Power Wash: Power Wash is a new revolutionary way to remove residuals left by other plant sprays.

We just added two new items to the online inventory, Feliz Blue and Red Fluorescent Lamps.

Feliz Blue Fluorescent Grow Lamps:

• Ideal for use with our Sun System 8 and Bright Wing® fixtures. (300Watt does not fit Bright Wing and is not ETL listed)
• Proven success in high humidity.
• Designed for horticulture.
• Full Spectrum.
• Fits standard mogul base socket.
• Cool spectrum for vegetative growing.
• 6 month warranty.

Feliz Red Fluorescent Grow Lamps:

• Ideal for use with our Garden Bright and Bright Wing fixtures. (300Watt does not fit Bright Wing and is not ETL listed)Proven success in high humidity.
• Designed for horticulture.
• Compatible with digital timers.
• Warm spectrum for flower production.
• Fits standard mogul base socket.
• 6 month warranty.

We’ve just added four new products from Bio Bizz!  Bio Bizz TopMax, Bio Bizz Alg-A-Mic, Bio Bizz Bio-Grow and Bio Bizz Bio-Bloom.

Bio Bizz TopMaxx - BioBizz TopMax fuels prolific blooming while enhancing the flavor of herbs and vegetables in any garden. TopMax is perfectly suited for soil but can be used in other growing media as well. All BioBizz products are certified organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

Bio Bizz Alg-A-Mic – Listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), this all-natural energy booster contains concentrated seaweed, trace elements and hormones of vegetable origin, amino acids, and vitamins. Alg-A-Mic can be used as a soil drench or as a foliar feed.

Bio Bizz Bio-Grow - BioBizz Bio-Grow (8-2-6) liquid fertilizer is ideal for promoting lush growth during the vegetative cycle, particularly in soil gardens. Bio-Grow can also be used as a plant tonic during the flowering stage. The natural sugars in Bio-Grow benefit bacteria in the soil while the additional micronutrients and vitamins boost overall plant health. Certified organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

Bio Bizz Bio-Bloom – BioBizz Bio-Bloom (2-6-3.5) encourages abundant flowering and fruit production by supplying much needed macro- and micronutrients as well as enzymes and amino acids.

We’ve just added JD Lightings Electronic Ballasts to our inventory — 400 Watt, 600 Watt and 1000 Watt.  Check them out below and to purchase and for more information head over to Hydroponics Unlimited.

JD Lightings high performing Electronic Ballasts are a technological revolution that creates energy efficiency and produces more Lumen output than magnetic ballasts. This grow light system works with both Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Lamps . They are silent, lightweight, extremely efficient – 99.9% power factor, soft starting, increases lamp life and reduces lumen depreciation. They eliminate the need for conversion lamps or multiple light systems. MH lamps are better suited for seedlings and vegetation stages, while HPS lamps promotes fruiting and flowering.

Dimmable Features

50% 75% 100% and 110%

E-Ballast Features

• Extruded aluminum housing is engineered to dissipate heat and keep the components cool.
• Resin-sealed case for completely silent operation
• Resettable circuit breaker for short circuit protection.
• Wire core 120/240V compatible
• Completely silent and lightweight
• Operates both HPS & MH lamps
• Extremely efficient – 99% power factor
• Detachable power cord that allows easy change over
• Available in 250, 400, 600, and 1000 Watts
• 5-YEAR WARRANTY — 3 year full + 2 year prorated

Check it out, Proper Plant Conditions from Beginning to End all in one page.  What we have been using for years now is available to all and you can print out as many copies as you like and plaster them all over your indoor garden.  Download the PDF below and also below is a image sample of the PDF.  You can always access the pdf via http://hydroponicsunlimited.com as well.

Download Proper Plant Conditions (pdf)

Cloning Instructions

- Start by cleaning and sterilizing EVERYTHING (trays/domes/scissors/razor blades).

- Soak rooting medium in R/O (reverse osmosis) water mixed with both of these products:

- Nature’s Solution Compost Tea (1 cup per gallon of R/O water) (Root Soak

- KLN Rooting Hormone (2 teaspoons per gallon of R/O water) & Spray)

- Re-soak rooting medium in above solution every 5-8 days (pour any excess water out of tray).

**The trick is to let the grow medium dry out 5-8 days prior to re-soaking (approximately 75% dry). The clones will try to put out roots to find water

- Squeeze the excess water out of the rooting medium (coco plugs or Grodan blocks) and place the medium in tray.

- Keep PH between 5.4 and 6.4

- Take 8″ long clones and place in a cutting tray submersed in room temperature R/O water (this is the safest way to cut a clone).

- Cut down the 8″ long clone to 4″- 6″ at a 45 degree angle underwater.

- Dip 4″ – 6″ long clone (1/2 inch deep) in one of the following Rooting Hormone.

- Clonex Gel

- Dip & Grow

- Rootech

- Wood’s Rooting Compound

- Place clone 1″ deep in one of the following grow tray medium.

- Coco Plugs

- Oasis Cubes/Wedges

- Grodan Blocks

- Cut all large fan leaves on the clone in half with sterile scissors.

- Spray clones immediately with the same mixture from LINE #2.

**Mist clones with this spray once every three days

- After spraying the clones, spray the humidity dome with the same mixture then place the dome over clones and keep the ventilation holes closed.

- Place clones in a dark or subdued light for 24 hours.

- After 24 hours, open (halfway) ONLY 1 ventilation hole and put a Dual Florescent Light (T-12) or a Single T-5 Light Fixture 1″ – 2″ over the humidity dome.

- Set light timer to 20 hours ON and 4 hours OFF.

- Place Heat Mat under the tray and set thermostat at 77 degrees (always keep clones 74-79 degrees).

- After 5 days, open (halfway) the 2nd ventilation hole.

- After 14 days, open (entire way) both ventilation holes.

- You should have rooted clones ready to transplant in 14-21 days.

- 24 hours prior to transplanting, prop open the humidity dome 1″ – 3″ to let air in to harden the clones off.

Tips for after Cloning

**When taking clones from clone tray, feed roots with 1/4 strength bloom nutrients for the first week (PPM should be 300 – 500 and PH should be 5.3 – 6.3).

Advanced Spraying for Veg – Flower

**All sprays should be mixed with 1 quart R/O water and a wetting agent (such as Coco-Wet, SM-90 or Dutch Master Saturator) to make plant sprays.

First Week of Veg: Spray rooted clones with 3/4 tsp. Canna Rhizotonic and3/4 tsp. Grotek Insta-Green. Spray once per day for 5 days.

Second Week of Veg: Spray plants with 1 tsp. Ful-Power Fulvic (Humic) Acid and 1/4 tsp. Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro. Spray once every other day for 5 days.

Third Week of Veg: Spray plants with 1/4 tsp. Silicate and 1/4 tsp. Messenger (and 1 drop PH Down). Spray only once this week.

Fourth Week of Veg: Spray plants with 3/4 tsp. Canna Rhizotonic and 1/2 tsp. Spray-n-Grow. Spray only once this week.

**This is a good week to cut clones and trim plants before going into flowering

First Week of Flower: Spray plants with 4 tbsp. Dutch Master Max FX Flower and 3/4 tsp. Canna Rhizotonic. Spray only once this week.

Second Week of Flower: Spray plants with 1/4 tsp. Messenger and 1/2 cup Nature’s Solution Tea. Spray only once this week.

**You should start to see small flowers now. The following will be your last spray.

Third Week of Flower: Spray plants with 1 tsp. Ful-Power Fulvic (Humic) Acid and 1 1/2tsp. Sray-n-Grow. Spray only once this week.

**If you wish to keep spraying plants in the flower stage, use Dutch Master Max FX Flower with a very fine misting spray only. Spray once per week.

1. Keep your air temperature 10 – 15 degrees less at night (except in the clone & seed stage).

2. Flush plants every three weeks with a flush product or water with 1/4 strength nutrients and Cannazym or Hygrozyme.

3. No need to run CO2 when lights are off (nighttime). The plants make their own CO2.

4. If you run CO2, run the temperature at 76 – 80 degrees when the lights are on.

5. CO2 levels should be at 600 – 900 during the Vegetated stage.

6. CO2 levels during the Flower stage should be at 1100 – 1500.

7. First watering should be when the lights first come on (morning).

8. Last watering should be 1-1/2 hours before the lights shut off (most mediums).

9. Change your nutrients every 7-14 days.

10. Always pour your nutrients in your reservoir one at a time so they mix slowly.

11. Always keep an air bubbler and air stone in your reservoir for oxygen.

12. Never water plants when the lights are off unless the plants look like they are wilting from no water (this is very rare).

13. If using R/O water, add Calcium/Magnesium/Iron.

14. Spray your plants 45 minutes before turning lights on (or when the leaves are dry).

15. Spray water temperature should be between 75 – 85 degrees (luke warm).

16. I recommend using Foliar Spray all thru the vegetative stage and once every 5-7 days during

the first 3 weeks of flower.

17. PH is how acidic or how alkaline your water or nutrients are. Hydro = 5.3 – 6.3 , Soil = 6.2 – 7.2

18. The following meters measure your nutrients/food levels. PPM (Parts Per Million) , TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) , EC (Electro Conductivity)

19. I highly recommend Microbial Inoculants like Nature’s Solution Tea or Great White.

20. Store all your nutrients in a cool and dark place.

21. Spray plants for bugs every 7-10 days (spray for spider mites every 3 days) or use an auto sprayer 24/7.

22. If water temperature falls below 63 degrees, add a heater. If water temperature above 76 degrees, add a water chiller.

The other night on Dateline NBC, in the last segment they featured a restaurant in New York with a simple concept.  We grow what we serve, and they can do this thanks to Hydroponics!  It’s the first of its kind — they grow the produce and herbs on the roof of their restaurant using a tower system and thanks to the processes of hydroponcis they can go from seed to mature plant in 7 weeks, allowing them to supply the entire restaurant for at least 10 months out of the year.  The video is below, source is Dateline NBC.