Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category
Frequently Asked Questions on Hydroponics gardening and hydroponic supplies
Frequently Asked Questions on Hydroponics gardening and hydroponic supplies
We welcome everyone, who is willing to grow herbs, plants and flowers inside the house. It is so easy to get lost among the large number of sources about the indoor gardening; that is why, we will do our best to give you the most important and easy to understand information before you start.
HOW TO CHOOSE A PLACE FOR HYDROPONIC GARDEN?
The very first and the most important task for you to do is to choose a place in your house, where you will make a garden. Actually, any free space, whether it is a closet or a basement, will do. You will need 250 Watt – 400 Watt high pressure sodium or halide light for not less than about 6 feet (150-180cm) of grow room height to avoid the growing place overheating. These lights are enough to properly light up the space of about square meter.
WHAT DO I NEED TO START INDOOR GARDENING?
Hydroponics belongs to those avocations, which, along with requiring much time, knowledge, and skills, will need good equipment to be successful and satisfying. Here belong inert hydroponic media, hydroponic system, either natural or artificial source of light, hydroponic nutrients and, actually, plants.
COULD YOU, PLEASE, EXPLAIN WHAT HYDROPONICS MEAN?
Hydroponics is an art of growing plants using a nutrient rich solution instead of soil.
ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS TO THE PLACE FOR HYDROPONICS?
The trickiest and the best thing about hydroponics is the possibility to grow plants everywhere: inside or outside the house, as well as in a greenhouse. To tell the truth, any plant can be grown with the help of hydroponic method, though some herbs may require more skills from the gardener to grow well.
WHAT DOES AEROPONICS MEAN?
Aeroponics is another way for the gardeners to get rich crops. In this case the infusions of oxygen into the nutrient solution are used to hasten plants growth.
ARE HYDROPONIC PLANTS ORGANIC OR NOT?
For the time being, the question whether hydroponics is organic remains debatable for many people. However, a large number of gardeners are definitely the advocates of this statement. Hydroponics uses the methods of direct supplying all the necessary minerals to the plants without growing them in the soil. It is a proven fact that the yields obtained in this case are much richer and of better quality than those received from any other organic method of plants growing.
WHAT IS THE KEY BENEFIT OF HYDROPONICS OVER SOIL CULTIVATION?
Having the possibility to adjust the rate of nutrients required for plants optimal growing, hydroponic gardeners manage to achieve the best growth rates and increased crops volume for the shortest period of time.
IS IT TRUE THAT HYDRPONIC PRODUCTS HAVE DIFFERENT TASTE THAN THE SAME PRODUCTS, GROWN ON SOIL?
Taste, flavor, and nutrition rate of hydroponic produce often surpass those of the soil grown produce, due to the fact that nutrients, necessary for the plants, are easily accessible for them at the time when plants need them the most.
WHAT MINERAL ELEMENETS IN PARTICLUAR ARE NEEDED FOR PLANT GROWTH?
To succeed in the plants growing a gardener should know what elements are essential for the plants. Here belong those provided by water and air: oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C); several others are available for the plants from soil or growing medium: calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and potassium (K); as well as some others, determined as essential not so long time ago: zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mb), copper (Cu), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn) and boron (B).
How to Identify and Manage the Basic Types of Garden Insects
How to Identify and Manage the Basic Types of Garden Insects
Garden insects: know your friends & foes
Learn to identify and manage three basic types of garden pests
Why is it when 97% of the world’s insects are considered to be either beneficial or harmless, your garden attracts only the remaining 3% that are considered PESTS? Although it may seem this way, there are both “good” and “bad” insects in your yard.
There is a constant battle going on to maintain a balance between these two groups. Toleration of some pests should be allowed as they provide a food source for the beneficial insects, allowing them to thrive in your yard and keep the pests in check. However, even in the best of gardens, uncontrolled outbreaks do occur. Preventing an infestation of bugs is an important part of gardening. By taking several precautions and putting forth a little bit of effort in the beginning, you will hopefully be rewarded with (almost) pest-free veggies and flowers.
Why are some bugs in your yard a good thing? A vast majority of the insects in your yard provide many services that improve your garden and lawn. Insects help pollinate the blossoms, which lead to more fruit, vegetables, flowers, and seeds. Insects improve the soil condition by crawling through the surface layer. Droppings and dead bugs increase the fertility of the soil. Earthworms and centipedes also help aerate the soil during their travels. Insects keep the numbers of bugs in line by capturing and eating other types of insects
Learn to identify and manage three basic types of garden pests:
Soil Insects: This type of pest feeds on the seed in the ground or small tender vegetation. They will also attack larger, established root crops (such as potatoes and carrots). Examples of soil insects include cutworms, white grubs, slugs, and mole crickets.
Sucking Insects: These insects have a mouth type to pierce the skin and to suck the sap from the plant. Sometimes the hole made by these critters is so small that it is unable to be seen without a magnifying glass. Severe injury or even death can occur once your plant has fallen victim to these sucking insects. A badly infested plant will become yellowed, wilted, stunted or deformed. Examples of sucking insects include aphids, leafhoppers, stinkbugs, spider mites, and squash bugs.
Chewing Insects: This group causes the greatest amount of damage to gardens and yards. They chew off all parts of the plant including leaves, fruits, vegetables and flowers. Chewing insects include Colorado potato beetles, tomato hornworm, cabbage looper, webworms, leaf miners and various caterpillars
There are even parasitic insects that live off “bad” bugs, eventually killing them! The braconid wasp larvae infests the tomato hornworm and uses it as a food source. Insects act as janitors for your yard. They search out any dead plants or animals and feast on them, which provides a cleaning service for you. Most important of all is the insect population control created through fighting among themselves.
Surveillance of your garden
Plant your garden in a location so you can constantly see it. If an insect attack occurs you can take care of it early.
Choose resistant plants
Your local nursery or Extension Office can help you select some plants that are less tempting to the pests in your area. Other information sources are seed catalogs and plant reference books at the library.
Proper conditions
Plowing and cultivating you garden brings soil insects to the surface. Birds and other predators can then feast on them as a snack.
Fertilize
Follow an organic fertilizing program and provide the proper amount of water. Strong and healthy plants will be less likely to come under attack by pests.
Practice “clean culture”
Remove debris, including old or dead fruit and veggies, before planting the next season’s crops. By either burning, burying or removing the debris, you will rid the area of insect infestation or disease. Keep surrounding weeds under control.
Encourage beneficial bugs
Do not use an indiscriminate insecticide. Try to use target-specific sprays.
Rotate crops
By moving your plants around yearly, any bugs specific to certain crops will be forced to relocate. Garden pests can be placed into three separate groups: soil insects, sucking insects, and chewing insects.
Be sure to check out Spray-N-Grow‘s organic and environmentally friendly insecticides
Bonide Bon-Neem Insecticidal Soap Concentrate
Bonide Rotenone-Pyrethrins Concentrate
Sluggo Snail and Slug Killer
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Indoor Hydroponic Garden : Use Clones for a Quick Start
Indoor Hydroponic Garden : Use Clones for a Quick Start
Cloning, or taking cuttings of, your favourite plants is the very best way to perpetuate their existence. It’s also the best way to get them started for an indoor hydroponic garden. For instance, I had a very successful Rosemary plant growing on my kitchen window-sill. However, it was in dirt and I really don’t like dirt in the house. I took cuttings from it and ended up with three new healthy clones that I planted in a LECA (small, clay pellets) medium in my indoor hydroponic garden.
With an indoor hydroponic garden, you can keep it constantly fresh with new clones. You never need to be without a special herb, flower or vegetable you really like ever again. Here are a few lighting tips to get perfect clones for your indoor hydroponic garden.
Unlike when you start seedlings, clones need light from day one after rooting. It’s a good idea to start with lower and diffused light intensities from sources such as T-5 or T-8 fluorescent lighting. During the first few days, the cuttings will do best with just one or two 24 watt strips over the top of a standard 10″ x 20″ propagation tray in your indoor hydroponic garden. You can gradually increase the light intensity after a few days by lowering the light fixtures closer to the propagation dome. However, make certain the temperature doesn’t rise in your indoor hydroponic garden above 85o F/29o C inside the dome after making this adjustment.
Once the roots develop, you can switch to HID lights that provide mostly red and blue growth stimulating spectrums. Metal halide grow lights should be used for the vegetative stage of plant growth in your indoor hydroponic garden. Metal halide grow lights will produce strong light in the blue and white spectrum which effectively mimics a typical summer day. High pressure sodium grow lights will produce strong light in the red spectrum which mimics the angle of the sun during fall. When your plants are ready to start flowering you should switch from your metal halide grow lights to your high pressure sodium grow lights in your indoor hydroponic garden.
Condition your plants to this more intense light in your indoor hydroponic garden by gradually decreasing the distance between the plants and light fixtures. After a couple of weeks, your plants should be able to handle very bright levels of light which will encourage healthy, robust and fast-growing plants in your indoor hydroponic garden.
An indoor hydroponic garden will be a source of great joy and wonderment once you’ve got it started and the fastest way is with clones or cuttings. As the summer comes to an end, take cuttings from the garden and start new plants for your indoor hydroponic garden. Show the children what you’re doing and they can share in the magic of starting new plants for your indoor hydroponic garden.