Home Improvement Solution

Archive for October, 2010

Organic gardening in hydroponics – The root system

Plants, growing in the containers, will develop two types of the roots: the upper one, which will uptake plant nutrients from the upper part of the medium; and the lower roots, which will reach the lava rock part of the growing medium.

The upper root system is primary; it includes web-like thin roots that look similar to those that develop in the plants grown in the standard soil. They absorb multiple nutrients, thus ensuring the flourishing of a plant and its normal growth. The lower roots that are secondary will grow in the lower part of the medium (which can be lava rock, sand, gravel, perlite or pumice). These look typically to the hydroponically grown plants: long, rope-like, and stringy. These roots mainly absorb water; in addition, they receive much oxygen between watering cycles, which leads to the improved nutrients metabolism and faster growth.

These days hydroponics gardening gains more and more popularity in different parts of the world. More and more people become fascinated with this way of plants growing. Due to the constantly increasing interest in hydroponics, new methods and techniques of this gardening type appear. They are all aimed at the easing of the process of plants growing, improving the fruits, vegetables, and greens quality and taste, as well as at the making the whole process as eco-friendly as possible. Indeed, the new techniques try to solve the problem of hard-to-dispose used materials (as rockwool) and chemically-laden water and other wastes. Moreover, the primary goal of today hydroponics is to use exclusively organic materials, which offer the benefits in the crops quality and work of a gardener. 

Not so long time ago gardeners were amazed by such hydroponics methods as Nutrient Film/Flow Technique, Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, and even Semi-Organic Hydroponics. These days the leader of this gardening is Totally Organic Hydroponics, which major benefit is the possibility to grow 100% pure organic garden plants.

How Eco Friendly Landscaping Benefits You And The Planet!

Copyright (c) 2010 J Bergman Consulting

When it comes to residential landscaping you have choices. You have to decide what you want your landscape to bring you. Most people want their landscape to be beautiful, but they also want it to add more peace in their life. A well designed friendly environmental landscape can give you a great sense of peace and belonging to the planet.

You can have the normal grass landscaping with a few landscaping shrubs and landscaping plants that often involves high maintenance or look for a better, more efficient way. The more traditional landscape requires lots of water and regular maintenance in order to preserve it.

With water shortage and restrictions these days, more and more people are looking at Eco friendly landscaping and the benefits it brings to your residential landscaping project. This type of landscape can provide both low maintenance and low water usage by replacing water guzzling grass with cutting-edge green technology by using 100% biodegradable artificial turf. No more watering or mowing the grass and your yard looks perfect all year long. It doesn’t turn brown in the winter, but remains beautiful year round.

Many homeowners are replacing high maintenance backyard landscape with edible landscape that includes fruit trees, vegetable gardens and drought tolerant plants that can be easily maintained with a drip water system. You can add your own herb and greens garden and supply food for the family year round. Edible landscaping is not only beautiful, but can supply nutritional foods that can be harvested for your family table.

If edible landscaping is not your thing, you may want to consider desert landscaping or native landscaping. Both of these landscapes are friendly environmentally and include low maintenance plants so that they require less water. A well designed native landscaping design can include native wildflowers and native ferns that add color to your backyard landscape. There are many landscape design ideas that include ground cover plants, drought tolerant plants and native gardening that add beauty to your landscape.

When it comes to entertaining, you may want to include outdoor fire pits or a barbecue outdoor or a fireplace outdoor. Outdoor patios with outdoor lighting can add to your overall enjoyment. They provide a place for outdoor activities and a great place to entertain your guests.

Whatever your goals are for your landscape and design project, I highly recommend that you hire a professional landscape design team. Good advice doesn’t cost, it pays!

Basic Indoor hydroponics Gardening Guide – Grow Light Reflectors

Grow Light Reflectors

Often neglected as to their importance, grow light reflectors play a major role in a good indoor hydroponic garden system. Light plays a great role or the most important role in photosynthesis. The use of grow light reflectors in your garden enhances light distribution and ensures uniform distribution. Discounts on quality grow light reflectors are easily available and a super cost effective way of improving your personal garden productivity and efficiency. With effective planning, the use of the right lighting system together with grow light reflectors greatly expands your garden area.

Size and shape are important factors when considering the right grow light reflector. Grow lights and their configuration and personal preference for the amount of light needed to grow your plants are taken into consideration. Horizontal placement of the lights and reflectors are effective ways of mounting this system. Garden size also determines what shape and size of grow light reflector to be used. Smaller grow light reflectors produce higher intensity light beams because of their shorter travel distance.

 Air-Cooled Reflectors

 For additional ventilation and heat control, air-cooled reflectors are used. Indispensable for those gardens cramped in small spaces because of the amount of heat generated by grow lights. It maybe difficult or close to impossible to maintain proper ventilation in such enclosed garden by the use of external fans. Usual setup for indoor hydroponic gardens includes grow lights with air-cooled reflective hoods covered by glass heat shields. This allows the light source to be placed closer to the plant canopy ensuring better light penetration. Gardens with no special cooling requirements also gains to benefit from its installation. This is the ideal setup of an indoor hydroponic garden system; investing a little more provides maximum garden performance and enjoyment for gardeners and hobbyists.