Showing posts with label grow video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grow video. Show all posts
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Hydroponic Lettuce and Misc Salad Vegetables: 30 Days Till Harvest!
http://www.howardresh.com/Hydroponic-Lettuce-Production1.html
I'm all about salad! I have some seeds growing that I planted in perlite in 2" net cups that germinated in 3 days! Using hydroponics, I can harvest lettuce up to 50% faster than growing in the soil giving me basically a perpetual living salad. To do this, there are several methods or rather, systems you can utilize, with one specifically called a lettuce raft. This is the system that my seedlings will graduate into as they grow bigger but you can start them off and I'm assuming I can possibly even grow from start to finish in the setup I am using today.
I am using an ebb and flow system that continuously runs effectively making it a NFT system (another system that is excellent for shallow root veggies like lettuce). To adjust the water, use different height overflow tubes (the grey part in the picture).
MAKE YOUR OWN BIOFILTER
There is a thick layer of expanded clay pellets on the bottom of the tray to serve two purposes:
1- to keep the water level at the right height so the net cup sits on top of a super thin film of water. This way the perlite wicks up the moisture (can travel up to 8" high in the pot) from the grow bed up into the part that holds the seed providing excellent air flow and moisture.
2- I inoculated the grow bed with Subculture M by General Hydroponics and Voodoo Juice by Advance Nutrients. Giving the beneficial bacteria a large surface to attach itself to, provides a breeding bed to promote healthy roots and fight root rot. Trichaderma species of bennies are excellent to fight pythium rot or so I hear.
YUMMY YUMMY NUTES
You have to run a very low (200-350 ppm) nutrient solution in the reservoir. Seeds don't even need nutrients really because the seed provides it's own till it germinates. I like to use a few though and so I mix up some Super Thrive and Rapidstart.
Super Thrive is tried and true old school nutes that are great for vegetative growth. I have heard some people having issues during flower and I am of the opinion that your plant should be healthy from taking it's "vitamins" while it was growing up so it's really up to you.
Rapidstart is another great nute for seedlings and the first couple weeks of veg. there are a lot of people showing comparisons and the results are really worth the price of the bottle ;)
Another way to speed up growth is to make sure your seedlings are getting the correct light spectrum and strength. I am using a metal halide 1000 watt which is super for leafy vegetables and provides the BEST spectrum that is superior to CFL bulbs or T5's. I choose a 1000 watt so I can raise it up and get a larger light footprint while still providing a great par rating. If you're interested in how lights work, there are several options which I will have to elaborate further some other time.
If you don't want to buy an ebb and flow table like mine, then you can use any Rubbermaid type container, kitty litter tray, anything really to design a lettuce raft using stuff around the house and a cheap Styrofoam panel from Home Depot. Here's a video that shows how the lettuce raft works: lettuce rafts explained
The tub to hold the water needs to be at least 6-8 inches deep because the nutrient solution will settle towards the bottom making it a little stronger the further the roots grow. There is a lot of info on the Internet showing all different set ups that people have creatively come up with and also many scholarly articles from universities agricultural dept's that have wonderful advice. This is where I get most of my information on veggies and what they like.
I'm all about salad! I have some seeds growing that I planted in perlite in 2" net cups that germinated in 3 days! Using hydroponics, I can harvest lettuce up to 50% faster than growing in the soil giving me basically a perpetual living salad. To do this, there are several methods or rather, systems you can utilize, with one specifically called a lettuce raft. This is the system that my seedlings will graduate into as they grow bigger but you can start them off and I'm assuming I can possibly even grow from start to finish in the setup I am using today.
I am using an ebb and flow system that continuously runs effectively making it a NFT system (another system that is excellent for shallow root veggies like lettuce). To adjust the water, use different height overflow tubes (the grey part in the picture).
MAKE YOUR OWN BIOFILTER
There is a thick layer of expanded clay pellets on the bottom of the tray to serve two purposes:
1- to keep the water level at the right height so the net cup sits on top of a super thin film of water. This way the perlite wicks up the moisture (can travel up to 8" high in the pot) from the grow bed up into the part that holds the seed providing excellent air flow and moisture.
2- I inoculated the grow bed with Subculture M by General Hydroponics and Voodoo Juice by Advance Nutrients. Giving the beneficial bacteria a large surface to attach itself to, provides a breeding bed to promote healthy roots and fight root rot. Trichaderma species of bennies are excellent to fight pythium rot or so I hear.
YUMMY YUMMY NUTES
You have to run a very low (200-350 ppm) nutrient solution in the reservoir. Seeds don't even need nutrients really because the seed provides it's own till it germinates. I like to use a few though and so I mix up some Super Thrive and Rapidstart.
Super Thrive is tried and true old school nutes that are great for vegetative growth. I have heard some people having issues during flower and I am of the opinion that your plant should be healthy from taking it's "vitamins" while it was growing up so it's really up to you.
Rapidstart is another great nute for seedlings and the first couple weeks of veg. there are a lot of people showing comparisons and the results are really worth the price of the bottle ;)
Another way to speed up growth is to make sure your seedlings are getting the correct light spectrum and strength. I am using a metal halide 1000 watt which is super for leafy vegetables and provides the BEST spectrum that is superior to CFL bulbs or T5's. I choose a 1000 watt so I can raise it up and get a larger light footprint while still providing a great par rating. If you're interested in how lights work, there are several options which I will have to elaborate further some other time.
If you don't want to buy an ebb and flow table like mine, then you can use any Rubbermaid type container, kitty litter tray, anything really to design a lettuce raft using stuff around the house and a cheap Styrofoam panel from Home Depot. Here's a video that shows how the lettuce raft works: lettuce rafts explained
The tub to hold the water needs to be at least 6-8 inches deep because the nutrient solution will settle towards the bottom making it a little stronger the further the roots grow. There is a lot of info on the Internet showing all different set ups that people have creatively come up with and also many scholarly articles from universities agricultural dept's that have wonderful advice. This is where I get most of my information on veggies and what they like.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Save Money DIY How to make Yellow Sticky Traps (+playlist)
Save Money DIY How to make Yellow Sticky Traps (+playlist)
All About Spider Mites and Cannabis Plants - Exterminate Now! (+playlist)
Learn about the truly best ways to exterminate spider mites
I used Nuke Em which worked great! It's not oily so it won't clog your stomata (plant pores similar to our skin) like Neem Oil, no stunted growth, kills aphids and root aphids, powdery mildew and quite a bit else too! Smells great like oranges since it's active ingredient is citric acid.
I used Nuke Em which worked great! It's not oily so it won't clog your stomata (plant pores similar to our skin) like Neem Oil, no stunted growth, kills aphids and root aphids, powdery mildew and quite a bit else too! Smells great like oranges since it's active ingredient is citric acid.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sealed Grow Room 101: Indoor Garden Setup for CO2
you want a sealed room because you're paying for CO2 and if it has an exhaust fan.....guess what? you're wasting your CO2!!!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Go Organics! with Jorge Cervantes
Why you should go organic: besides a better quality taste, you should really be aware of ground water pollution; especially if you drink from a well. Hydro has a really hard time going organic though because the material used for organic fertilizers are filled with chunky stuff your pump won't like. I've broken two pumps with filters in less than 30 minutes before I made my organic hydroponic coco coir medium into a lettuce raft where I don't need a water pump. The baby romaines love it and I only have to power an air pump and CFLs. also, organics really, really, stink to high heaven! Decomposing materials rot and stink but provide a lot of nutrients to your ladies. I'm saving all of my organics for outdoors this summer time where I am constructing a NFT pvc system that I tried to build indoors but couldn't get it to not leak. Then I think a sump pump might be a better choice. They're used in ponds and my old one would get covered in dead water lilies but wouldn't break.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Jorge Cervantes Grow Guide Pt 2
Sequel to Jorge's original grow guide which was produced by High Times magazine
Jorge Cervantes Grow DVD 1: Soil & Hydroponics
The first hour is soil and then the second hour is hydroponics but all the other information is the same in each segment. You can watch whichever segment pertains to your grow!
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