Chelation: the interaction between a metal ion and a chelating agent. Chelating Agent: Chemicals that form soluble, complex molecules with certain metal ions, inactivating the ions so that they cannot normally react with other elements or ions. Now that we've gotten the definitions out of the way, here's a quick explainer on why understanding chelation (key-LAY-shun) is vital for hydroponics gardening: The nutrients you mix up to form solutions in water are charged metal ions. … [Read more...] about Chelation: Crucial for hydroponic gardening
Hydroponics
Are your hydroponic plants eating their nutrients?
In hydroponics gardening, plants get all of their nutrition from the minerals found in hydroponic nutrients. Getting your plants to eat their minerals is a bit more complicated than simply providing enough minerals, however. There are many types and brands of nutrients available on the market, but no matter what kind you choose, plants can only consume the minerals if the conditions are right. A grower can mix nutrients in a reservoir, but this doesn't necessarily make them available to the … [Read more...] about Are your hydroponic plants eating their nutrients?
Year Round Lettuce…Fast and Furious
Delicious, year round lettuce is easy when you use an indoor grow system like the Sunleaves Float & Grow. The lettuce growing in this system was started from seed just a few weeks ago. It's growing under a Sun System 'Sun Blaze' grow light outfitted with a full spectrum of red and blue T5 bulbs. I can tell you from personal eating experience, the lettuce grown in here is healthy and delicious. This is a simple and easy hydroponic system to set up, even for a soil grower like me. The … [Read more...] about Year Round Lettuce…Fast and Furious
Managing Carbon Dioxide in Your Grow Space
If you are green to gardening you might not know that carbon dioxide, the gas we all exhale, is critical to plant growth and development. Photosynthesis, the process through which plants use light to create food, requires carbon dioxide. CO2 concentration in ambient air ranges from 300-500 parts per million (ppm), with a global atmospheric average of about 400 ppm. If you are growing in a greenhouse or indoors, the CO2 levels will be reduced as the plants use it up during photosynthesis. … [Read more...] about Managing Carbon Dioxide in Your Grow Space
Basil Grow Journal Week 10 (4/16-4/23)
An enormous amount of growth has occurred since my last update on the hydroponic sweet basil. As full as the tray is getting, it's safe to say that our project nears its conclusion! As is evident in this photograph, our objective- hydroponically growing basil from seed- was a success. I plan to 'top' the plants one more time to remove any flowers or buds that have begun to form as the basil bolts (i.e. the transition from the vegetative, to the generative or reproductive phase which we … [Read more...] about Basil Grow Journal Week 10 (4/16-4/23)
Taking Clones: Methods and Products for Success
Whether you are looking to get an extra harvest out of your indoor garden each year, or have a high yielding plant that you want to perpetuate indefinitely, learning how to root stem cuttings can help you out immensely. The best way to have a steady supply of cuttings is to grow a donor or ‘mother’ plant that is kept in a vegetative state. You want your donor plant to be as healthy as possible with many nodes from which to cut clones to minimize stress as you shear off pieces of … [Read more...] about Taking Clones: Methods and Products for Success
Basil Grow Journal Week 7 (3/23-4/1)
Some big changes were made in the basil grow this week. The plants were switched from their initial top drip set up to an ebb and flow. For more information regarding the differences and advantages of each system, I'll refer you to a post I made a few months ago regarding using cloners, top drip and ebb and flow systems for an efficient continuous harvest system. In any case, the ebb and flow system, which works by flooding the entire Botanicare tray with nutrient solution, should solve the … [Read more...] about Basil Grow Journal Week 7 (3/23-4/1)
Basil Grow Journal Week 5 (3/7-3/14)
I skipped a week as I wanted to keep Anna Haupt's excellent seed starting post featured on the front page and there wasn't a ton to report last week... In any case, the seedlings seem to be doing really well. In proportion to the height of the plants, the leaves are huge! There is also lots of side branching going on. All the better for vigorous photosynthesis to put on lots of harvestable vegetative growth. The reservoir is reading 300 PPM and about pH 5.8. I will probably go ahead and … [Read more...] about Basil Grow Journal Week 5 (3/7-3/14)
Basil Grow Journal week 3 (2/20-2/27)
This was a week of establishment for the basil sprouts. Most notable was the development of the first set of 'true' leaves. These 'true' leaves are prominent on every sprout with a second set clearly on the way so it appears that things are going well. The basil sprouts are not burning under the 1000-watt MH bulb (due to it being elevated several feet above the tray) and they appear verdant and turgid. Given their health, I very gradually increased nutrient levels. I continued to use … [Read more...] about Basil Grow Journal week 3 (2/20-2/27)
Hydroponic Basil Grow Journal Week 2 (2/12-2/19)
If you missed last week's inaugural basil grow journal post, it can be found by following this link. This week, I planted the starter plugs in Hydro Korrels, the analogue of the now defunct Hydroton expanded clay balls. I chose this medium for its excellent capillary action, its low bulk density (relative heaviness) and its high porosity for air and nutrient solution holding purposes. The basil seedlings are fed nutrients via a top drip system that is connected to a pump on a timer. The … [Read more...] about Hydroponic Basil Grow Journal Week 2 (2/12-2/19)
