Filed under: Grow room temperature, Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening | Tags: Grow room temperature, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening
This time of year and the colder weather it brings can be helpful to the indoor grower as it aids in keeping grow room temperatures down when grow lights are on. Once your grow lights turn off you can be faced with the exact opposite problem which is keeping your grow room warm enough! Big changes in grow room temperature are also a big problem and leads to stressed, unhealthy plants.
I have faced this problem myself and noticed my plants stems turning purple and very stiff in extreme situations. These purple streaks running down the stems are a sure sign that your plant is not happy. A good idea is to have a heater on a thermostatically controlled plug in. I got one of these from a well known DIY store was really easy to set up you just set your desired temperature and the controller would turn your chosen heater on and off as required to try and maintain your chosen temperature.
You will almost certainly experience this problem if growing in areas like cellars or out houses in the winter as the temperatures will fluctuate far too greatly from lights on to lights off. Without the use of thermostatically controlled heaters a grow room located in these kinds of places could easily have a temperature fluctuations of up to 20 degrees, which is obviously far too large a rise and fall in temperature twice a day for a plant to happily with stand.
The stress caused by the big changes in temperature will stunt your plants growth and leave them vulnerable to pest infestation or disease. All this combined leads to less fruits or flowers and possibly a total loss of your crop.
If growing plants in the winter using indoor hydroponics systems it is also well worth buying a fish tank heater for your nutrient tank/reservoir. Water in tanks can soon become near freezing if left in the wrong situation, Simply select the right size heater to suit your size of reservoir set your desired temperature and the heater will do its best to keep it there. Please be care full when using these heaters, turn off anything electrical like heaters and pumps before putting your hands in your tank as water and electricity can be a very nasty combo.
I once had a very bad experience with this where my heater had broke inside my hydroponics nutrient tank and I was actually getting little electric shocks from my plants! I only realised the heater was broke when I put my hands in the tank to mess with the heater and got a really bad electric shock. Some how the glass on the heater had broken leaving all the electric element exposed to the water electrifying all the water and my plants!!! I have no idea how this did not blow the fuse in the heater or even the house but just put it down to experience now ha ha.
Follow these few simple tips and it should make things a little easier on your indoor plants over winter time
Filed under: Home and garden, Hydroponics, orca film, reflective foil | Tags: Hydroponics, Indoor gardening, orca film, reflective film
This product has improved reflectivity and diffusion aspects that give your plants even more usable light. Orca has a microfibre structure that enables even light dispersal fully across the films surface regardless of the angle of light, the result is amazing reducing hotspots.
Orca reflective film measures a whopping 94% reflectivity across the full lighting spectrum and is 100% light tight which is always a good thing when it comes to the lining of a grow room. It is very durable being resistant to punctures and tears and is resistant to algae and mould resistant too.
It does look like a goo product but is very expensive at £10 per square metre, it is four times the price of standard mylar and nearly three times the cost of diamond diffusion foil which I think is just crazy, I mean surely this just can not be worth it.
If I were thinking of building a grow room and did not know which lining to use i would think again and if possible get your self a grow tent, they are the best way to make a self contained growing area and are more diverse as they can be de erected in minutes and packed away till the next time you need it.
Filed under: Home and garden, Hydroponics, Passive hydroponics | Tags: Hydroponics, Hydroponics systems
The AutoPot is the only passive hydroponics system that will automatically feed and water your plants with out the need for noisy pumps and even more importantly does not need any electricity supply what so ever making it perfect for the garden and green house.
The water supply is gravity fed from a tank placed above the growing plain, the flow of water is controlled by a simple but clever device called the aqua valve. The aqua valve is placed in a tray and will allow water to pass through it until the water level reaches a pre set level of 20mm which can be adjusted, then the aqua valve will shut off and stop the water flow. When your plants have drunk all the water the the aqua valve then opens and allows water to flow again re filling your tray with nutrient and water. I would liken it to the ball cock in your toilet as they work on exactly the same principles.
The bigger your plants get the more water they need and the aqua valve automatically gives them what they need through out their life.
I have used the auto pot myself and found it to be quite a good passive hydroponics system far less hassle than hand watering methods and returning really good results, however there are a few things to watch out for if you are going to use this system.
Use lots of copper discs to make sure your pots are totally lined to prevent roots exiting your pots and into the water, this can cause root rot leading to your plants dying.
Use air stones in your reservoir tank and in your tray that your pots sit in, I used to use air curtains for the trays as they are thin and quiet in the shallow water.
Watch out for filter and water lines blocking up, I had problems with this when using thicker bloom boosters in the later stages filters had to be cleaned out every few days.
Make sure your nutrient tank is at least a foot higher that your pots to ensure good water flow.
Follow these simple steps and these systems are really great to use for a wide variety of crops with tomatoes absolutely thriving in them making them ideal for any green house, They are cheap to buy and run with out needing a 240v mains supply any where close making them safe too compared to tanks with pumps as in NFT hydroponics systems and the like.
Filed under: Ebb and flood hydroponics, Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening, NFT hydroponics system, The Wilma hydroponics system | Tags: Ebb and flood hydroponics, Hydroponics, Hydroponics systems, NFT hydroponics systems, Wilma system
Hydroponics systems can usually be grouped into two different groups, these are active and passive hydroponics. There are major differences in these two types of system each with their own benefits and uses here i will explain them all.
Active hydroponics is the method where all the nutrient and water is delivered to your plants roots via a submersible pump and is often re circulated after it drains away. Absorbent media growing media is not needed in an active hydro system as there is a constant flow of nutrient and water flowing over your plants roots. This constant flow increases oxygen content in your solution and will eventually lead to healthier plants not to mention the most important part which is increased yield.
Passive hydroponics on the other hand is more like an auto watering system. Plants grown with passive hydroponics equipment are still grown in a media that is automatically watered usually by way of a gravity fed system. Nutrient and water is made readily available to your plants through your growing media your plants sit in.
Passive hydroponics is much more effective than standard hand watering methods it relies on the media as the way of taking in vital nutrients and water and as a result oxygen levels are greatly reduced around the root zone. Passive hydro is an ideal starting point for those growers looking to change from standard hand watering to hydroponics.
I think all in all the active system is far better than the passive, it is water efficient with no waste run off and little evaporation, plants grow faster allowing you to harvest your plants sooner meaning more crops per year, no soil born pests and diseases as there is no soil and finally you have ultimate control over when and how much your plants are fed.
With the use of hydroponics on the increase it is important that you know the facts in order to make an informed decision on which system you would like to grow your plants in.
Filed under: Ebb and flood hydroponics, Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening | Tags: Ebb and flood hydroponics, Hydroponics, Hydroponics systems, Indoor gardening
The Flo Gro ebb and flood hydroponics system is a top flooding system that with the use of a timer controls the number of floods that you plants will get through out the day. In this system your plants sit on a clay pebble filled tray that sits on top of a nutrient solution tank.
Based firmly on the ebb and flood method, solution is pumped from the containment tank to the flood tray and then drains or ebbs away back into your tank. Plants get the vital nutrients and water that they need and because of the water draining action lots of oxygen is pulled down to the root zone every time it drains.
When using this system with clay pebbles The Flo Gro makes a massively oxygen rich environment for the roots of your plant created by the easy draining media.
Healthy roots
These system create amazing quality roots in your plants giving them the start in life they need giving you that optimum yield
Practicality
These systems are so easy to use and give full access to the pump and nutrient tank.
Adjustable
Creates the perfect conditions for your plants through out its life cycle by adjusting timers to feed more or less depending on the size and age of your plants
Hints and tips
You have got to use clay pebbles with this indoor hydroponics system is the best media with out a doubt. If you prefer coco or soil then a wilma system would be better for you.
When plants are young and first go into the system they will need 3 x 15 minute feeds per day
As plants grow this will need to be increased as your plants hunger and thirst grows with it.
When growing plants full term in a Flo Gro it is advisable to leave the pump on during light hours as this will further maximise your quality and yields.
In my opinion the Flo Gro is a decent system with many good features and positives with realistic prices and ease of use this is a very popular piece of kit that works very well for beginner to expert. However depending on what you would like to grow and how many it could start to get expensive as one system holds one plant so if growing twenty plants you would need twenty systems. In this situation get the wilma system as you can get twenty plant system that will do the lot.
Filed under: Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening, The Wilma hydroponics system | Tags: Hydroponics, Hydroponics systems, Indoor gardening, Wilma system
The Atami Wilma system is an active hydroponics version of the drip irrigation system. Plants grown in a Wilma system benefit from all the positives of hydroponics coupled together with the flexibility growing in pots brings.
Filed under: Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening, NFT hydroponics system | Tags: Gardening, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening, NFT hydroponics systems
NFT stands for nutrient film technique and is one of the most basic hydroponics systems you can use. In most NFT systems the nutrient solution is held in a tank with your plants on a tray or channel above the tank. Nutrient solution is then pumped from the tank up to the tray which is angled and flows over your plants roots down the tray and back into the main tank, ready to be re circulated back over and over your plants roots. This thin film of nutrient provides all the elements your plants need and the only medium used is the medium the plants were started in usually rockwool .
A persistant flow of water and nutrition to the roots of your plant as well as plentiful oxygen means growers experience much more consistent results and greater uptake of nutrients and water solution. As well as this your plants are never under or over watered and no nutrient build up in the media occurs because there is no media!!
Plants grown with the NFT technique are proven to provide up to 4x greater yield than conventional growing methods making your garden more productive.
NFT tips
Make sure your plants have healthy and big enough roots before they go into the system. You should be able to see lots of white roots on the outside of the starter media.
As a general rule put one plant per square foot. This can be increased or decreased depending on plant variety.
Run you pump twenty four seven. No need for segmental timer or feeding schedule.
Totally remove all plastic wrapping from around rock wool cubes or take out of plastic pots if in soil or coco media. This allows the roots to access evan more vital oxygen.
Cut lengths of spreader mat so long that they hang down from your tray into your reservoir tank. This cuts down on the noise created by running water.
Make sure you use the correct feeds a specific hydroponic or aqua nutrient that is formulated for re circulating hydroponic systems.
Follow these few basic stops and you are on the right track to a successful NFT hydroponics equipment system grow and in my opinion once you experience the killer yields and hassle free grows you will not look back to conventional soil or coco growing and all the stress and hassle that it brings you.
Filed under: Home and garden, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening | Tags: Hydroponics
As you may know i work in a hydroponics shop in west Yorkshire called In The Grow. Me and my brother opened the shop in may 2010 and have both worked here ever since. We both had quite a lot of experience of growing plants with the use of hydroponics having been growing this way for many years, and me being an electrician understood the workings of relays, timers and control equipment to a high degree.
Filed under: Home and garden, Indoor gardening | Tags: grow lights, Hydroponics, Indoor gardening
Well summer is definatley over now as you can tell by the rain all weekend and the temperature on a night. I have not been out in the garden this weekend as it has turned into a muddy mess with the rain and I am putting more time into my indoor garden!
I have been up to the shed to get out all my growing gear and give it a clean and a quick once over to make sure there has been no damage to it over the summer. Luckily everything is in good working order with only lamps needing to be replaced which I always do anyway as lamps loose lumens over time and i always like my plants to have optimum growing conditions where possible. I cleaned my hydroponics trays at the start of spring last year but always do this again with a proper room cleaning agent just to make sure there are no nasty bugs or diseases on them, cleanliness is so important and should never be over looked.
I am lucky and have a huge cellar in which to set up my grow tent and hydroponics equipment with lots of space for all my bits and bobs. Cellars are ideal for growing indoors as they are usually cool which helps a great deal in keeping grow room temperatures down to an acceptable level. My tent is a 2mx2mx2m which is a good size space which fill with four indoor grow lights, one for every square metre and a high powered six inch fan with a carbon filter to stop any nasty smells my plants may give off.
I have got sixteen plants to grow in there which is an ideal four plants to every square metre of growing space to go with one six hundred watt indoor grow light in the same space again an ideal ratio.
I use big 15 litre pots to ensure enough room for my plants roots as it grows and use a fifty percent coco, clay pebbles mix for good drainage and oxygen levels in my media. I will be going down to my local hydroponics shop later today to get all the media,lamps and feeds i need to get my crop under way will keep you posted on results.
After summer has passed and the weather changes we notice a big difference in our garden. The flowers have died off for another year and trees loose their leaves but there are ways to carry on growing through these times, indoor gardening!
I have grown plants indoors for several years and it really is quite easy, all we need is sunshine. You may think this impossible during the winter but you can buy sun in a box today in the form of grow lights. Grow lights are lights designed with the correct colour spectrum in them to grow plants coming in different forms for each stage of your plants growth. High pressure sodium vapour (like flood lights) are an ideal light to flower plants under. I have a few different types that I use, I start with a 250w blue CFL to grow my cutting or seedlings this is an ideal veg lamp that gives off very little heat so is ideal for fragile young plants. After roots have taken hold I switch light to a 400w metal halide which again has a blue spectrum ideal for veg but gives me more watts of power to really get my plants into overdrive. Once I am happy with the size and structure of my plants I switch lighting again to a 600w high pressure sodium indoor hydroponics grow lights which is full of red spectrum light exactly what your plants love in the flowering phase of their growth.
Most indoor growers tend to just use the high pressure sodium from start to finish and this is a viable option, all I would say to that is that yes your plants will grow this way but no where near as well as plants grown with the different lighting spectrums.
As well as a light you will need an extraction system in place in order to cool down your grow room as grow lights give off heat as well as light and this can be harmful to your plants.
If you are going to try and grow through winter be sure to do your research and be sure to only buy equipment from reputable shops who know what they are talking about so you know what you are buying is going to work for your situation.
