Hydroponics Rocks!

Believe it or not, I'm making some headway with hydroponics. I've got some seeds germinated and I decided to set up a DWC (Deep Water Culture) grow, under one set of LED lights! I'll report on how my vegetables are doing, but first watch this awesome video:



If this got you excited about growing using hydroponics, you owe it to yourself to check out the following link!

Organics vs. Synthetics--Hydroponics is Different!

After spending some time on the phone with the Advanced Nutrients technical advisor, I realized that my choice of hydroponic system more or less precludes my using organic nutrients. Rockwool is not the choice medium for organic nutes, and drip irrigation sometimes involves a clog problem with organics.

But he convinced me that when plants absorb nutrients, they don’t know the difference between organics and synthetics. They absorb the basic elements from both. Besides, the synthetics made by Advanced Nutrients contain pharmaceutical grade ingredients, which are the finest available. So the tech advisor suggested that I use Sensi Grow for vegetative growth, and if I grow anything requiring flowering and fruiting, then I should switch to Sensi Bloom for the bloom phase.

Also, if I want to grow Lettuce and Swiss Chard and Basil, I should grow them together, since they get harvested before they go to flower and seed. In fact, if they are allowed to go to seed, they usually become too bitter to eat. So for my first cycle, I’ll grow these three vegetables and will only use Sensi Grow, along with the beneficial fungi and bacteria, as well as Humic and Fulvic Acid, to provide some organic content.

Then after I harvest these, I’ll grow Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Peppers for my next cycle. For these vegetables, I will switch to Sensi Bloom for flowering. In order to grow Lettuce and Tomato simultaneously, I will need two systems with separate reservoirs and nutrient solutions.

I’m learning. But in answer to a comment on my previous posting, I am using LED lights specifically designed for horticulture. I read about a university research project, where LED lights actually performed better than HID lights, given the same criteria and identical pepper plants. If you don’t believe me, Google it!

Easy Hydroponics--Piranha, Tarantula, Voodoo Juice

As you know, I am in the process of setting up my very own hydroponic indoor garden. I did extensive research and chose a Drip Irrigation System with Rockwool as my medium. Also, to save electricity, I invested some of my development money in buying LED Grow Lights, which use a lot less power than High Intensity Discharge (HID) grow lights. They're also a lot cooler, requiring less ventilation.

One of the very first things I learned was that healthy roots practically guarantee a bountiful harvest. So in addition to my basic fertilizer, I am mixing beneficial fungi and bacteria into my hydroponic reservoir, in order to ensure a large root mass and better nutrient absorption. The following video will explain:



For further information, please click here.

All Along the Watchtower, Starting Home Hydroponics

Took the ferry to Vancouver just to see an old favorite of mine (and many others, it seems) – the aging legend, Bob Dylan. When I told Hedgehog that I was going to get tickets to his concert, she burst out laughing. It seems that nothing short of Miley Cyrus or Hilary Duff impresses her in the area of music. “Why would you wanna go see him? He sounds like an old man…” Sara and Jim weren’t interested, either.

Dylan does sound like an “old man” these days. Perhaps it’s because he has passed his 67^th birthday. But Friday night at GM Place his voice was just as powerful and commanding as in his younger years, when he played concert halls in London and New York solo, singing and playing an acoustic guitar.

He played the guitar only during the first song this time. Then he took his position at an old keyboard and stayed there for the rest of the concert. A few times he wandered around the stage and he even did a few songs crooner style, with outstretched arms.

Dylan re-works his old tunes and sometimes adds a totally new melody line, along with a new rhythm structure. Some of his stuff Friday night had a rockin’ the cradle feel to it, with a steady, back and forth beat that comforted the nearly sold-out audience. Some even flicked on their cigarette lighters, seventies style.

But during “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” he was back in his old groove. When he got to the line “…even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked,” the crowd erupted in cheers. “Propaganda, all is phony…flesh-coloured Christs that glow in the dark, it’s easy to see, without looking too far—not much is really sacred.”

The Master of the Apropos Line, Bobby Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota has matured into an elderly gentleman of dignity, who can out rock many who are decades his junior. “He not busy being born, is busy dying.” By re-working his old songs constantly, even the lyrics sometimes, he ensures that he is busy being born continuously, and surprising us all in the process. He earned his standing ovation with two encores.

It was a very satisfying concert and a reassurance that a super-talent like Dylan still walks the Earth with us and helps light our metaphoric night of economic despair and panic.

Sara’s flower garden and my vegetable patch are slowly turning yellow and some major trimming is in order to prepare the beds for winter. A few cherry tomatoes are still ripening on the upside-down tomato plants, and once in a while I pop one into my mouth, straight off the vine. The burst of incredible flavour again reminds me why we grow our own vegetables.

I’ve set up a hydroponic experiment in the basement, where we’ll continue to grow some simple vegetables and fruits throughout the winter. I’ll be using Iguana Juice Grow and Bloom to continue producing 100% organic produce, since the family’s health warrants it.

More about home hydroponics in future blogs.