-Jordan Capps- We sell an amazing array of high quality pre-bagged planting mixes at Fifth Season, enough to cover pretty much any need a gardener may have, but have you ever wondered about the ins and outs of creating your own soil? There can be an overwhelming amount of information on the subject online, enough to make the task seem impossible. To help alleviate some of that “analysis paralysis” I have a (relatively) simple, easy to follow recipe that pretty much any plant under the sun … [Read more...] about Living Soil: 101
Nutrients
Grow Big with Canna Nutrients
-Jordan Trent- Does looking at a wall of different nutrient brands leave you with analysis paralysis? I get asked pretty much every day to help at least one of our customers wade through the sea of reputable nutrient brands that stock our shelves. Assuming the customer isn’t looking specifically for an all organic line, I pretty much always give the same answer: Canna. Canna is a Dutch company that I’ve used for years in my personal growing life, after getting a recommendation at, you guessed … [Read more...] about Grow Big with Canna Nutrients
Common Houseplant Pests and Ailments (and how to address them)
-Naomi Austin- It’s obvious that houseplants are becoming big again. Back in the 70s everybody had their basic spider plant and pothos, and that was pretty much the extent of it. Nowadays there are plant-obsessed groups online devoted to all different types of varieties of houseplants and their care, whether it be rare or standard varieties. People are absolutely filling their houses with green plants, and no wonder! They improve the oxygen quality of your home, reduce allergies, and bring a … [Read more...] about Common Houseplant Pests and Ailments (and how to address them)
Roots Organics: Terp Tea
“Activate the aromatic power of your garden’s natural terpenes.” If you’re looking for a versatile, organic, easy to use nutrient for your heavy-feeding plant varieties, Roots Organics: Terp Tea is the nute for you. We decided to test out this one-part grow and one-part bloom formula on our current batch of Citrus Cherry smokable hemp, and we couldn't be happier with the results so far. The 7-1-1 Grow formula, which we tried first, is derived from sustainably-sourced bat guano, fish bone … [Read more...] about Roots Organics: Terp Tea
One, Two, or Three-Part Nutrients?
-Luis Guerra- When it comes to feeding your plants hydroponically, there seems to be an enormous amount of information everywhere you turn. There are so many claims about which lines work the best and how many bottles a line needs to grow the best plants, many of them confusing or even contradictory. In my latest post, I’ll help you take some of the guesswork out of starting to grow hydroponically. One-part I mostly recommend one-part nutrients to new hydroponic growers simply … [Read more...] about One, Two, or Three-Part Nutrients?
Electrical Conductivity and hydroponic gardening
Electrical Conductivity (EC) measures a material's ability to conduct an electric current and the conductivity of a solution is directly related to the amount of salts dissolved in it. The more salts, the higher the EC. Why is this relevant to hydroponic gardening? Well, hydroponic nutrients are primarily composed of mineral salts, so Electrical Conductivity can give you an idea of how many nutrients are in your solution. Each ion in the solution has a different specific conductivity and … [Read more...] about Electrical Conductivity and hydroponic gardening
Chelation: Crucial for hydroponic gardening
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
Soil Testing: Learn your soil needs
Testing your soil is an important part of growing food- especially in areas with geologically old, nutrient-depleted, acidic soils as are commonly found in the Eastern United States. Fall is the perfect time of year to get your soil tested to see what type and quantity of soil amendments you need to give your plants the nutrients they need without adversely affecting the soil or environment. Application of too much nitrogen and phosphorus, for example, can leech into waterways and cause … [Read more...] about Soil Testing: Learn your soil needs
Liebig’s Barrel: A Paradigm for Thinking about Nutrients
The Law of Minimums Aspiring hobbyists often fall prey to what might be called the ‘more is more’ fallacy. As we learn about how plants use nutrients to function and thrive, our natural inclination is to look to add to the system to improve results. This tendency is reinforced by bold manufacturer claims for products heralded as ‘best kept secrets’ and on forums assuring ‘explosive growth’ with this or that product. This is not to say that we don’t believe in the value of the various nutrients … [Read more...] about Liebig’s Barrel: A Paradigm for Thinking about Nutrients
