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The technique edition: soil techniques in hydroponics, SIP gardens, air pruning, TOP5 Hydro, etc..
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US/CA EDITION YEAR 2 - ISSUE 1 · 2014 - PRICE: $5,95 US | $5.95 CAN
$5,95 US | $5.95 CANDisplay until 06-31-2014
WW
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ET
This new group of state-of-the-art reflectors and fi xtures are designed specifi cally to accommodate Double-Ended 1000 watt HPS horticultural lamps.
The AC/DE is the only air-cooled double-ended reflector on the market. These lamps feature increased PAR values as well as excellent lumen and PAR maintenance
Agrotech Magnum DE
(up to 90% PAR maintenance after 10,000 hours). The full spectrum lamps focus on the red component for increased photosynthetic response. Prepare for the best crops and yields you have ever seen.
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Gavita Pro 1000 DE
This new group of state-of-the-art reflectors and fi xtures are designed specifi cally to accommodate Double-Ended 1000 watt HPS horticultural lamps.
The AC/DE is the only air-cooled double-ended reflector on the market. These lamps feature increased PAR values as well as excellent lumen and PAR maintenance
Agrotech Magnum DE
(up to 90% PAR maintenance after 10,000 hours). The full spectrum lamps focus on the red component for increased photosynthetic response. Prepare for the best crops and yields you have ever seen.
Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our Check out our 1000 HPS Double-1000 HPS Double-1000 HPS Double-1000 HPS Double-1000 HPS Double-1000 HPS Double-Ended RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded RefectorsEnded Refectors
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Gavita Pro 1000 DE
Green-Up is designed to reduce yellowing when cuttings are rooting. It has the ability to feed a cutting before the roots have developed. Can be used on mature plants to reduce yellowing on lower leaves in flowering stage.
STOP THE YELLOWINGGREEN-UP
The addition of Blossom-Blood to a nutrient reservoir during the flowering stage of a plant will promote fuller buds & flowers utilizing selective pH control. Blossom-Blood’s reputation comes from the results.
GET FULLER BUDSBLOSSOM-BLOOD Liquid Gold will increase
the cell metabolic rate which translates into better growth. Liquid Gold is absorbed directly into the plant tissue and regular daily spraying will treat new growth cells.
LET YOUR PLANT TAKEUP NUTRIENTS FASTER
LIQUID GOLD
Clearing Solution is used to replace the nutrient in the final days before removing a floral crop from your growing system. Clearing Solution induces a stress on the plants system forcing reactions within the plant.
KEEP IT CLEAN AND MAXIMIZE
CLEARINGSOLUTION
Liquid Black Crystal assists in increasing the ion exchange across the root membrane. It improves the plants ability to absorb nutrients. Liquid Black Crystal is most effective when it is applied to the root zone of a plant. It can be used for gardens and lawns, particularly where the pH of the soil is high.
INCREASE YOUR PLANTS NUTRIENT INTAKE
LIQUIDBLACK CRYSTAL
Veg-Booster enables young cuttings or seedlings to better expand branches allowing for fuller growth in the later flowering stages.
PLAN FOR YOUR YOUNGCUTTINGS TO SUCCEED
VEG-BOOSTER
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Dry Flower Products are specific water treatment products that enhance particular aspects of a plant’s natural cycle. The success of Dry Flower Products is their performance.
IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE : SOIL
TECHNIQUES 68
18
9 Foreword
10 Product Spotlight
16 Maximizing Yield from Container Gardens
18 Top 5 Hydroponic Techniques
25 Air Plants are easy
26 Build a community connected by fruit
31 Salanova lettuce – a whole new leaf
34 Peace
40 A good start
46 Crafting the one trunk orchard
50 Turn surplus crops into cash
54 Mothering techniques
58 Ubergreen farm above
62 King of organic Hawaiian ginger
68 Soil Techniques in hydroponics
72 SIP gardening
76 Embrace the awesome power of air
79 How to make soil tacos
82 Bringing the farm into the kitchen
86 Secret to better tasting vegetables
89 Is Korn still growing corn?
90 Bio-solids
94 Looking at air
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT10
SALANOVAA WHOLE NEW LEAF
31
26
FALLENFRUIT
58
CONTENTS I GARDEN CULTURE
7 gardenculture.net
MARKETING TECHNIQUES
50
Hydroponic Techniques
top5
UBERGREEN FARM
botanicare.com
Make it your KIND™.Fully customizable.
For fast flowering annuals.Any media. Any system.
9
FOREWORD & CREDITS I GARDEN CULTURE
FOREWORD
THE TECHNIQUE EDITION
I dreamt the other night that my garden was a tropi-
cal forest, teeming with fragrant flowering orchids, ripe
juicy fruit and vegetables. A lushness that can only be
found in the deepest of jungles.
Then I woke up.
If you are anything like me, gardening is always on your mind. When something goes wrong, as it inevitably does, fixing it is not an option it is an obsession. When everything is going right, you want it to be better.
In this edition, we delve into the different techniques. Whether in soil or hydroponics, from the very first sprout to harvest time, each stage of growth has its challenges. We will give you some tricks that will help you create the garden of your dreams.
Container gardening, grafting, top 5 hydro techniques, mothering, as well as using plants to beautify your home are but some of the topics explored by our team of talented writers. I have often said that Garden Culture is more than a gardening magazine. It is also a social statement about the state of affairs of our food system. We want eve-ryone to know not just how to grow amazing indoor gardens anywhere, but why they should.
Do some research, discover the truths about super-market food, and join the gardening revolution.
Happy growing
Eric CoulombeCo-founder Garden Culture Magazine
CREDITSGarden Culture™ is a publication of GC Publishers B.V.
E D I TO R SExecutive Editor:Eric CoulombeE. eric@gardenculture.netSenior Editor:Tammy Clayton
DESIGN: Job Hugenholtz
Special thanks the following contributors:Tammy Clayton, Annelies, Jaïr Velleman, Everest Fernandez, Jeroen Kateehm, Gaby Bronsztein, Evan Folds, Grubby, Fallen Fruit, Ben Greene, Jenn Digioa, Maya Coulombe
P U B L I S H E RGC PublishersPostbus 4833200 AL SpijkenisseThe Netherlandst. +31(0)181-728101
w www.gcpublishers.nete info@gcpublishers.net
A D V E R T I S I N GEric Coulombe E. eric@gardenculture.net+1-855-427-8254+31(0)181-728101
S U B S C R I P T I O N SE. subscriptions@gardenculture.net
D I S T R I B U T I O N PA R T N E R SUSA: Sunlight Supply HydrofarmCanada: Biofloral Rambridge
ISSN: 2211-9329
© GC Publishers B.V.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic
tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior
permission in writing from the GC Publishers B.V.
Website : www.GardenCulture.net
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fresh
10
product spotlightDewey Mister
Aeroponic Mister HeadThe Dewey Mister Aeroponic mister head uses
air alone to feed your Aeroponic plants and clones. It eliminates the need for a water pump or air stones. This new mister head circulates the water and feeds your clones at the same time all with a single air pump. You can run organic nutrients with-out clogging and even use it to brew your organic compost tea. All Dewey Mister products are proud-ly made in the USAwww.deweymister.com
Bio 1 Component Soil
Bio 1 Component Soil is House & Garden’s natural one part fertilizer for soil amended with lime. It contains the
necessary minerals and nutrients needed for desirable results in both, vege-tative and flowering stages. Formulated specifically for soil containing lime, Bio
1 Component Soil does not contain calcium which must be added when switch-ing to bloom. Bio 1 Component Soil’s liquid formulation is 100% water soluble and
its unique composition assists with the transfer of nutrients from the root zone into the foliage. Application dosage may be adjusted to both normal and aggres-
sive strengths. Available in sizes: 1L, 5L, 10L, 20Lwww.house-garden.us
From House & Garden
Make the switch! The Under Current is the system of choice for large scale and profes-sional commercial growers around the world. Due to our proven Sub-Current Culture method the Under Current increases nutrient uptake and efficiency resulting in cost savings, time savings and increased yields. Available in 50+ completely modular con-figurations, the Under Current offers growers a quick and convenient way to fill very large spaces with fewer overall systems and plant sites. Our largest 32-site systems can accommodate 8 x 1000w lamps horizontally all the way up to 41 x 1000w lamps hung vertically. For more information or a recommended layout contact the Current Culture H2O design department. www.cch2o.com
for Commercial Growers
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
Behold the only air-cooled double-ended hood in the market. AC/DE’s unique double-ended construction allows for maximum op-tical efficiency and uniformity. The full spectrum DE lamps used in this fixture focus on the red component for increased pho-tosynthetic response. These lamps offer improved PAR values, and are made with high quality German aluminum. The design allows removal of heat generated by the lamp without cooling the lamp below proper operating temperature. The galvanized steel housing has a powder coat finish, double neoprene gas-kets for an air tight seal, and hinged glass to make changing lamps and cleaning glass easy. www.sunlightsupply.com
Sun System AC/DE Reflector
product spotlightAeroponic Mister Head
11
The Smart Pot Transplanter doesn’t trap your roots like some containers but instead, prunes your roots, letting you get to the next stage easier, and with a better plant. The Smart Pot transplanter is a re-usable 1 gallon, 2 gallon, and now available in a 3 gallon Smart Pot specifically designed for transplanting. Its convenient and simple overlapping design allows for clean and easy use with all grow mediums. No more struggling. Just peel down, transplant, and reuse. Made in the USA.www.smartpots.com
Double Ended Air Cooled Reflector
Fast Green Hand CleanGet your hands on a bottle of this amazing new spray and go hand cleaner.
The first and only of its kind - this all natural hand cleaner allows you to rid
your hands of sticky substances without the need for soap and water. Made
with certified organic ingredients, this product was designed to effectively
remove: tree sap, chewing gum, car grease, sticker residue, latex caulk, plant
resin, roof cement, grime and more.
Fast Green is also highly effective at removing skunk spray from your dog!
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Transplanting made even easier
The Smart Pot Transplanter
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The Best Substrates In The World
HydroCoco 60/40Mixed Hydroponic Substrate
Expanded clay pebbles and coco for horticulture
Gold Label Americaswww.goldlabelamericas.com
Gold Label AmericasPh.800.994.8775
60/40 MixGold Label Hydrocorn and Coco is an ideal match for high water capacity, lower watering frequency and better rooting. We utilize the 8-16mm Hydrocorn from Gold Label and the purest Gold Label Coco to give to give you the perfect ebb and flood growing media which also works well in any pot based systems. The 60/40 mix allows you to feed less frequently than in straight Hydrocorn and gives a buffer on the watering times.
NL - CERTIFIED SUBSTRATESK46009
The Best Substrates In The World
HydroCoco 60/40Mixed Hydroponic Substrate
Expanded clay pebbles and coco for horticulture
Gold Label Americaswww.goldlabelamericas.com
Gold Label AmericasPh.800.994.8775
60/40 MixGold Label Hydrocorn and Coco is an ideal match for high water capacity, lower watering frequency and better rooting. We utilize the 8-16mm Hydrocorn from Gold Label and the purest Gold Label Coco to give to give you the perfect ebb and flood growing media which also works well in any pot based systems. The 60/40 mix allows you to feed less frequently than in straight Hydrocorn and gives a buffer on the watering times.
13 gardenculture.net
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
Biobizz supports Justdiggit. Justdiggit is an organization that creates
awareness on, and takes action in the battle against desertification
and climate change. Biobizz also fights for a world that is fertile and
therefore liveable; not only by producing organic fertilizers, but also
by supporting initiatives like Justdiggit.
You too can take part in this battle! Justdiggit is initiated by the Naga
Foundation. The project was established to involve more people in
the battle against desertification and climate change; phenomenons
that will affect us all sooner or later. Biobizz and Justdiggit want to
create more awareness that now is the time to take action! De-
forestation, overgrazing, and detrimental agricultural practices are
turning large areas of the planet into deserts.
The top layer of soil has become hard and
impenetrable, and as a result, rainwater can-
not seep into the ground. The earth is warm-
ing up and drying out. The natural balance
is being seriously disrupted, and the earth
becomes less fertile. Results are failed crops,
hunger, poverty, and climate change.
But there is a solution! This is the time for
you to take action. We need to take care that the rainwater can
seep in the ground again, and channel underground. This can be
done by digging ditches a metre deep along contour lines in the
landscape to open up the impenetrable top layer. All run-off
rainwater is collected in the ditches, and can be absorbed and
retained by the soil. The seeds still present in the soil will start
to sprout, and the natural vegetation will return surprisingly
quickly. Thát’s our aim!
The first goal Justdiggit has is turning 266.000.000m2 green as
a start for climate recovery. Biobizz supports this project, and
is collecting money to aid the battle for a greener world. Our
first action: for every new friend (Like!) on Facebook, Biobizz
will donate “one green square meter” to Justdiggit.
You can help! Just go to the Biobizz Facebook Page, and click
the Like button. Help out before it’s too late! For more in-
formation on Justdiggit you can watch their video on: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzCjSuu8azE. For more infor-
mation on Biobizz check out: www.biobizz.com
Dig in for a fertile w
orld!
Wireless Environmental/
Lighting Controller
Titan Controls just announced its latest addi-
tion to their ‘Pro Series’ controller line, the
Hyperion 1! This Wireless Environmental/
Lighting Controller will monitor and operate
your grow room from up to 150 feet away! It
features day & night control of your tempera-
ture, humidity and CO2, as well as a fully func-
tional lighting controller for stand-alone use,
or activates trigger cord(s) of 4, 8, 16 and 24
light units). Functions include a high temp shut-
off/15 minute delay. Comes with pre-set and
custom light timing schedules. The Hyperion
1 grow room controller is super easy to oper-
ate- that’s what makes this product the ulti-
mate controller in the marketplace today!
www.titancontrols.net
Hyperion
product spotlight
gardenculture.net
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
Sunlight Supply is pleased to announce the arrival of the LEC 315 light fixture. The LEC 315 utilizes cutting edge Light Emitting Ceramic™ technology, along with a spe-cially engineered 98% reflective optical cavity. This fixture includes a highly efficient, agriculturally engineered Philips CDM-T Elite Agro Lamp. This lamp offers a greatly im-proved full color light spectrum, 3100K color tempera-ture, 92 CRI, 33,000 initial lumens (105Lm/W)! Higher amounts of beneficial UV and far red spectrums increase the lamps growth power to the plants. The LEC drive in-corporates built-in thermal protection, and the open rated lamp construction reduces radiant heat from the arc tube, and is suitable for open fixture use. www.sunlightsupply.com
Sun System AC/DE Reflector
15
Light Emitting Ceramic™ (LEC) 315
The GroGreen garden hose water filter by Hydro-
Logic Purification Systems provides filtered water
for your home & garden. The GroGreen eliminates
harmful chlorine and reduces chloramines, foul
tastes & odors, chemicals, V.O.C.’s, sediment, rust
& iron particles. This invigorates organic compost,
soil amendments, and bio-teas which improves the
quality of fruits vegetables and flowers.
www.grogreenfilter.com
garden hose watergro green
16
However, what sometimes gets lost, especially to the novice
or the beginner, is what makes that plant and that fruit look
great. That fact is, for most, all the attention is given to the
top of the plant, when in reality, if you do not have a great
plant below, you will not have a great plant up top. I am talk-
ing about the roots. The part of the plant that you don’t see,
but is the reason for the top of your plant being beautiful
and fruitful. If you have great roots, you will have great fruit.
For many years a challenge for
container gardeners has been
to create a natural environment
inside a container. Mimic the soil,
temperature, and drainage while
providing an area for the roots
to grow to their potential. After
all, a plant is only as good as its
roots. For a long time the only
option has been a plastic container. As we have learned, tra-
ditional plastic containers do not offer the best environment
for plants to thrive. They do not drain well, they hold heat in,
and they do not encourage a plant’s root structure to develop
to its potential.
M a x i m i z i n g Y i e l d f r o m Container Gardens
These reasons are why companies and home gardeners alike
have made changes to their plastic container designs and to
the mixes they use. Both have drilled holes in the containers to
deliver oxygen and better drainage. White plastic containers
are more popular to guard against heat buildup. Soil companies
have made a nice business from creating mixes that drain well
in a plastic container that doesn’t properly breathe or allow for
proper drainage. Over the last few years, many companies have
addressed these challenges, and now make both hard sided
and fabric containers that offer the benefits that the container
gardener needs to produce a healthy and productive plant.
Growing in a hard plastic container almost always means that
a root-bound plant is your result. A root-bound plant is when
the roots of a plant outgrows the container it is in. This is easy
to do when growing in a container that doesn’t breathe and
promotes root circling.
Roots need oxygen. As they grow they are looking for and
seeking out oxygen. The roots of a plastic container reach the
edge of the container and begin to travel along the slick sides
of that container. With little to no oxygen and nothing to stop
the roots, they circle around and around the container until
they reach the bottom of the container and the drain holes.
Finally, oxygen!
Growing plants and having a garden is a rewarding hobby; especially when your plants look awesome. It
is a great feeling walking out your back door to check on your garden, and spotting the first ripe tomato
of the season. It’s almost as good as eating that first ripe tomato. Maybe almost as powerful as bragging
to your neighbors and friends how nice the tomato was, or how nice your garden is. The feeling is more
enhanced knowing your garden is nicer than theirs. For a home gardener there is nothing better.
‘a plant is only as good as its roots’
Fabric versus plastic
17 17
AIR PRUNING I GARDEN CULTUREBY CHARLES
gardenculture.net
This is why with traditional plastic
containers there are always roots
coming out of the bottom of the con-
tainer - it’s aerated here. At this point
the plant is basically root-bound. Even
though there is a void of root growth
in the interior of the container. That void is there because the
roots have gone elsewhere looking for oxygen. The container
gives the roots very little place to grow because they are try-
ing to get out of the 3 or 4 bottom drain holes. When this
happens many problems can occur. The plant may become
stunted, stretching can occur, smaller and slower flower
and fruit production, and watering needs increase dramati-
cally. Not the recipe for a great plant worth bragging about.
With the new technologies that have become available to
the home gardener, these problems are eliminated. Avail-
able now in both hard sided and fabric, there are contain-
ers that actually prevent root bound plants and will even
promote root pruning. I am talking about aeration contain-
ers designed to actually prune your roots. Some work bet-
ter than others, but all of them have the same ideas at
play. They stop root circling and promote root pruning.
In an aeration container when the
roots reach the edge of the container
they come in contact with the oxy-
gen that they need. Since most roots
cannot grow in straight air, the for-
ward growth stops and root pruning
happens. As the roots reach the air at the container wall, the
tip of the root will dry out, resulting in natural pruning. When
this happens that root will branch out laterally towards the
center of the container creating more roots that will grow to
the edge of the container and do the same thing. This action
will occur over and over filling up the entire container with
roots. It’s not just the same roots circling around, but a root
structure that includes many more root tips. The more tips
the better as this spot is most efficient at absorbing water and
nutrients.
Having this well-developed root structure will allow the plant
to absorb more water and nutrients. Just like humans who eat
too much, a plant that can eat more will get bigger too. Roots
will not grow to find nutrients. They grow when there are nu-
trients available. This being the case and the root structure
containing many more roots tips, the plant is sure to grow
beautifully and produce brag-worthy fruit. 3
‘a plant is only as good as its roots’
‘A container that will actually
prune your roots?’
Growing in a hard plastic container almost always means
that a root-bound plant is your result
Aeration containers are designed to stop root
circling and promote root pruning.
‘traditional plastic containers do not provide the best environment for plants’
18
BY JEROEN KATEEHM
Hydroponic Techniques
top5 “ E A C H O F T H E F O L L O W I N G S Y S T E M S H A S A P L A C E I N T H E W O R L D O F G R O W I N G ”
There are many ways to grow plants. Everybody has heard about hydroponics,
growing soilless. Hydroponics itself is more of a catchall term that defines
the soil being absent, but not the actual technique being used for growing.
19 19 gardenculture.net
top5 “HYDROPONICS ITSELF IS MORE OF A CATCHALL TERM THAT DEFINES THE SOIL BEING ABSENT, BUT NOT THE
ACTUAL TECHNIQUE BEING USED FOR GROWING”
Let’s explore the different types of hydroponics that are most successful and commonly used. We
will look at why each of these systems has a place in the world of growing. You’ll see the pros and
cons for each system and why to use them in certain specific situations. None of the systems is the
best per se, but in each different situation there will be a system that is best suited for the applica-
tion. I’m going to make it easy to pick which type of hydro to use in any given situation suiting your
needs.
NFTNFT or “Nutrient Film Technique” uses a flat growing
surface positioned at a slight decline. A thin ‘film’ of nu-
trient solution is continuously running along the surface
of the growing table. Usually plants are held in place by
neoprene discs, or rooted in rock-wool cubes to cre-
ate the anchoring needed so plants won’t wash away or
fall over. The film of water is usually a fraction of an inch
deep, with most of the roots actually being out of the wa-
ter. The roots will get plenty of aeration, which in turn
should lower the risk of root problems. It is however vi-
tal to protect the roots from light, and to keep them a
bit moist. A cover for the growing table is important to
regulate the moisture content of the air around the roots.
NFT systems are usually recirculating. Nutrient solution
constantly flows past the roots, and even though it’s just a
thin film, there will be plenty of water moving past the plant
roots. Disposing the nutrient solution after one pass would
increase water consumption in a massive way, and will be
destructive to garden efficiency, which you would normally
expect hydro to offer. Depending on the plants and their
nutrient consumption, the pH and EC levels of the nutrient
solution will gradually change as it passes through the plant
roots. Because of this gradual change it is advisable to in-
crease the number of growing tables instead of their length.
Since NFT is utilizing a thin film of water that is constantly
flowing it’s absolutely vital that the water keeps moving.
If the water stops moving for whatever reason, the plants
quickly start to show severe drought problems. It is there-
fore advisable to use two pumps for the same application.
In case one of the pumps breaks the other will still keep the
roots moist. Root zone temperature control can be ideal in
an NFT system, but it can also become the Achilles heel. If
the root zone is properly insulated from outside tempera-
ture influences it will only take a small amount of energy
to increase or decrease the nutrient temperature, an es-
sential part of hydroponics. If the root zone is not shielded
from these outside influences the temperature will most
likely get too high during the day. One of the biggest advan-
tages due to this is the small amount of nutrient solution in
use, although some kind of buffering is always a good thing.
top
5 HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
“WITH NFT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GROWING TABLES
INSTEAD OF THEIR LENGTH”
airpump
air stone
nutrientpump
water nutrientstimer
nutrientreturn
reservoir
20
AeroponicsThe most high-tech solution to growing plants in a hy-
droponic setup is aeroponics. These kinds of systems
are probably not suited for beginners due to their com-
plexity. Aeroponics systems are a sort of opposite to
Deep Water Culture. Opposed to a container filled
with oxygenated water these systems use a contain-
er with air saturated with a mist of nutrient solution.
Plants are usually
suspended with neo-
prene disks. Net-pots
don’t really work
because they allow
for the nutrient mist
to escape which leaves salt spots everywhere it goes.
The mist is usually made by pumping water with pres-
sure through a nozzle which creates a fine mist. Ob-
viously, it’s important that the plumbing be correct.
Cleaning the system often is necessary to make sure
the nozzles don’t clog up. Overall these systems prob-
ably do more to increase the risk of catastrophic failure.
Like NFT, aeroponics systems don’t do well should a pow-
er or pump failure occur. Roots will dry out and leaves will
soon start to lose their means to evaporate and stay cool.
In theory, this is the best method of controlling the root
climate and nutrient supply. How this works out in reality
depends on quality of the system’s design.
DWCThe key in aquaponics is to get everything the plant needs
to the plant as efficiently as possible. Deep Water Culture
does exactly that, it saturates the roots in a supply of nutri-
ent solution while also adding oxygen to prevent suffocation
of the roots. Deep water culture systems vary in size, each
plant can have an individual unit, or you can grow a number
of plants in the same container. The size of the container
determines how much buffer capacity the system has, a
bigger container will lead to more stability in temperature,
pH and EC. The drawbacks of having large containers is
that it requires a lot of water to fill them, and in some
cases, a lot of energy to heat it to a suitable temperature.
Plants are in net-pots filled with a medium such as clay
pebbles, but can also be suspended above the water using
neoprene discs. A common method used in lettuce farms
is to use styrofoam boards to suspend plants. A big ad-
vantage in doing this is the ability to grow plants close
together when they are small and placing them in another
styrofoam board when they have grown. In this way you
know you have full occupancy, boosting overall production.
The most important thing to remember is that the wa-
ter in a DWC must have constant oxygenation. This
can either be done by using a venturi type air inlet on
the circulation pump, or by using air pumps. The air
can also be added into the root zone directly which is
even better than just oxygenating the nutrient solution.
DWC is especially suited for places with high daytime tem-
peratures and cooler nights. The buffering capacity that
comes from the high volume of water slows down the
cooling of the water, lowering the energy bill. The amount
of overall engineering in the system is not too high, and
pump failures are not as catastrophic as other hydro sys-
tems. The cost or availability of (chlorine free) water can
form a prohibitive factor in some places though.
airpump
air stone
water nutrients
reservoir
“AEROPONICS SYSTEMS ARE A SORT
OF OPPOSITE TO DEEP WATER CULTURE.”
nutrientpump
water/nutrientstimer
reservoir
mist nozzle
top
5
21 21
Conventional HydroThe most conventional form of hydro growing is sim-
ply to replace soil with another - inert - medium. Even
though this resembles soil, the characteristics of grow-
ing are totally different. The grower has full control
over the nutrient supply but the water absorption and
drainage characteristics of the medium can usually be
maintained for longer periods of time than soil giv-
ing these simple methods advantages over soil-growth.
The two best known mediums in conventional hydroponics
are clay pebbles and rock-wool. Rock-wool has better ab-
sorption properties, and clay pebbles drain very well. Both
are good mediums for root growth and are reusable. Con-
ventional hydro systems are either recirculating or drain-
to-waste. They give you timed or constant flow options,
depending on the medium used. A medium such as clay
pebbles that drains well will do better in a constant flow
type situation. Rock-wool on the other hand will perform
better with a timed water supply since the rock-wool itself
will absorb water to keep the roots moist. Conventional
hydro is probably the best starting point for people looking
into hydroponics systems. It’s the simplest to set up and
the least likely to fail horribly.
gardenculture.net
HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
airpump
air stone
nutrientpump
water nutrientstimer
nutrientreturn
reservoir
grow tray
drippermanifold
driplines
“CONVENTIONAL HYDRO IS PROBABLY THE BEST STARTING
POINT FOR PEOPLE LOOKING INTO HYDROPONICS SYSTEMS.
IT’S THE SIMPLEST TO SET UP AND THE LEAST LIKELY TO FAIL HORRIBLY.”
not just afertilizer...
W W W . B I O B I Z Z . C O M
Biobizz_AD_Grow_DE (210x297).indd 1 12/5/13 1:22 PM
nutrientpump
water nutrients
timer
reservoir
grow tray overflow
fill/drain fitting
excess solution returns to reservoir
ebb & flow cycle (pump on)
timer
solution returns to reservoir via fill tube
ebb & flow cycle (pump off)
23
“EBB AND FLOW IS A LITTLE MORE DEMANDING THAN A CONVENTIONAL
HYDRO SYSTEM”
Other Things to NoteAll these systems still do the same essential thing,
deliver a nutrient solution to the plant roots, and
providing this in an oxygenated environment. Choos-
ing which system to use has a lot to do with personal
preference. The taking into account of your location
is a good thing, in a cold environment a lot of water
will be expensive to heat. On the other hand, a small-
er buffer of nutrient solution will need more manage-
ment to keep the values within the right range.
A good grower can probably have success with any
of these systems in any kind of situation. An experi-
enced grower however, is more likely to pick a more
simple system that has less chance of catastrophic
failure. That is also the key to hydro, a small error in
judgment or a power failure can result in mass plant
death. A well designed system has fail-safes to make
sure this does not happen!
HYDROPONIC TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
Ebb and FlowA slight adaptation to conventional hydro is Ebb and
Flow, plants in these systems get watered from below
for a set amount of time. This is one of the best sys-
tems to use when recycling nutrients. Nutrient solution
pumps out below the plants. The grower then allows
the plant and medium some time to absorb the mois-
ture, then the excess drains off again. Usually plants re-
ceive 5 to 15 minutes of high water levels, and then a
longer period without nutrient solution on the roots.
Technically, Ebb and Flow is a little more demanding than
a conventional hydro system, using a little more plumbing
to control the water height. Planting young plants requires
some planning, plants need to have roots long enough to
come into contact with the water. Especially if they are
grown on clay pebbles. However, it is easy to move around
plants in their individual pots. Unlike other systems there
are drip lines connected to the pots so moving them is easy.
These systems are perfect for experienced hydro growers
that want to have good control of their nutrient solution as
it’s easy to measure what the difference in pH and EC is in
between every flooding. The difference between Ebb and
Flow and conventional hydro comes down to preference.
Neither is a better system, and both work about the same.
It’s really up to the individual user and their location which
determines which system should be chosen.
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5
25
N O S P E C I A L R E Q U I R E M E N T SNo grow lights needed. Pot them,
mount them on wood, or display them
in the most unusual ways. All you need
is indirect bright sunlight or standard
fluorescent office lighting. They will
tolerate a couple hours of direct light
a day, but will need misting a couple
times a week in such a situation.
Don’t assume that these super drought tolerant beauties need
no water at all. Still they’re easy keepers, and normally require just
one good soak once a week. Establish a hydration schedule. Soak
them in a sink or bowl for 20
minutes on a regular basis.
Then let them air dry where
there is good circulation.
They aren’t real fussy about
climate either. Most air
plants do nicely at 50-90ºF
and without the demands
of precise humidity found
in maintaining indoor grow
rooms. 3
25
AIR PLANTS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
are easy!
THESE LOW MAINTENANCE BEAUTIES ONLY NEED INDIRECT BRIGHT SUNLIGHT OR STANDARD FLUORESCENT OFFICE LIGHTING...
Between structural limitations, hectic schedules and different
plants’ various needs - it isn’t always easy to have great looking
indoor plants. Atmospheric Tillandsia (air plants) change every-
thing, even for the accomplished brown thumber.
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
Air Plants
C O O L L O O K I N G T I L L A N D S I A• Bromeliads
• Bulbosa Belize
• Ionatha
• Caput Medusae
• Junicea
• Xerographica
• Streptophylla
• Usneoides (Spanish Moss)
• Tectorum
Space challenged?
Tillandsia will fit anywhere!
26
FALLEN FRUIT (DAVID BURNS, MATIAS VIEGENER AND AUSTIN YOUNG)
An activist art project founded by David Burns, Matias
Viegener and Austin Young, Fallen Fruit started as a mapping
of all the public fruit in our Los Angeles neighborhood,
Silver Lake. We encourage everyone to harvest, map,
plant, and sample public fruit, which is what we call all
fruit on or overhanging public spaces such as sidewalks,
streets, or parking lots. We believe fruit in public space is a
resource that should be commonly shared, like shells from
the beach or mushrooms from the forest. Fruit is universal
and uniquely democratic, crossing all classes as a symbol
of generosity and bounty. It is a healthy food, unrefined
and unprocessed; eaten virtually off the tree, it symbolizes
the uncomplicated goodness of nature, beauty, fertility,
and hospitality, not the excess or waste of commercial or
industrial culture.
We’re intrigued by the status of fruit hanging from a tree
in public space. Los Angeles is a city of moderate density
spread over a large area peppered with lawns, shrubs, trees,
and even survivors of long-gone fruit orchards, and public
fruit is found on almost every block. Bananas, peaches,
avocados, lemons, oranges, limes, kumquats, loquats,
apples, plums, passion fruits, walnuts, pomegranates,
guavas, and more grow year round in every neighborhood
in the city.
Urban public fruit, whether deliberate or accidental,
is more efficient to grow than farmed fruit because it
eliminates the cost of transport. Since it is not a mono-
crop, as in an orchard of a single variety of apple, there
are fewer pests and less chemicals required to treat them.
A further irony is that most public fruit in Los Angeles is
organic, blessed by neglect.
We began mapping the public fruit in our neighborhood,
just the triangle between our three houses. We appear in
our first images wearing plastic suits and rubber gloves, as
if we’d fallen to earth from another world and began by
investigating what there was to eat. The conceit was to
The most ancient forms of communion among people came through food. Hunters and gatherers
banded together for survival, and gatherers became farmers; farming laid the ground for human’s
connections to the earth and farms became the first communities. The social exchange of food
forms the basis of the culture. Among all the foods, fruit holds a special place as a symbol of bounty.
Signifying fertility, beauty, and hospitality, fruit is grown everywhere that people live, which is perhaps
why of all foods we most like to give fruit as a gift. The gift model, giving without expectation of
return, forms the basis and connecting thread of Fallen Fruit’s work.
(DAVID BURNS, MATIAS VIEGENER AND AUSTIN YOUNG)
Build A Community Connected By Fruit by Fallen Fruit
27 27
PUBLIC FRUIT I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
“FRUIT IS UNIVERSAL AND UNIQUELY DEMOCRATIC, CROSSING ALL CLASSES
AS A SYMBOL OF GENEROSITY AND BOUNTY. IT IS A HEALTHY FOOD, UNREFINED AND UNPROCESSED; EATEN VIRTUALLY OFF THE TREE ”
make ourselves look unnatural, wrapping
ourselves instead of the fruit in plastic,
which is how fruit increasingly appears to
us in the world. Perhaps a bit of our own
alienation manifests
itself in these images. We coined the term
“public fruit” as it expressed the way in
which a certain public or communal or
shared quality was lacking in these streets.
Overlaid with our fascination with space is
our interest in fruit. Three forms of fruit
presented themselves very quickly: the
private, the public, and the fallen fruit — no one’s fruit,
the waste of fruit. Whose banana is this, we began to
wonder, this banana that presented itself at arm’s length on
a city sidewalk? Certain residents prune their fruit tree’s
branches at the very edge of their property, and not an
inch further, while others clearly let their
trees spill into the public sphere. As we
came to know neighborhoods and spoke
to people who lived there we learned
that some residents were indeed inviting
strangers to pick. Their generosity is a
grassroots model for alternative thinking
about public space, property, and
resources.
An outgrowth of our maps and public
urban plantings, we regularly stage
Public Fruit Jams, inviting the public to
join us in making communal jam. The Public Fruit Jam
is our favorite public project because it forms dynamic
temporary communities. Since its beginnings it was
always considered an experiment in public participation
and social relations.
(DAVID BURNS, MATIAS VIEGENER AND AUSTIN YOUNG)
by Fallen Fruit
Represent this premiumnutrient from Hollandin your store.
29 gardenculture.net
PUBLIC FRUIT I GARDEN CULTURE
The jam is a classic collaboration. The ingredients can be
anything the participants bring, as well as fruit from the
communal table. Funded by arts grants and taking place
mostly in galleries and museums, these free events bring
strangers together around a table to cook. The fruit
is picked from the streets or grown at home, though
participants with store-bought fruit are not turned away.
We don’t use recipes, just simple proportions, and the jams
are negotiations among each group
of three to six people. Collaborative
and experimental, the process
echoes ancient rituals of communal
food preparation in contrast to the
anonymity of contemporary urban
life. Unusual jams are more tempting
than the kinds you see in a store:
apple pumpkin jam or quince and pear
with lavender. (Almost any fruits can
be jammed, even bananas, if you dare.)
Urban fruit is blessed by neglect,
almost always untended and thus
organic; it is like the electric wires or
the water systems underground, a layer
of urban infrastructure that could be
utilized far more than it is. Many people
are uncertain about its basic edibility.
They don’t need to worry; it is entirely
safe to eat. Even automobile soot
simply wipes off. It’s essentially organic
status, never sprayed or fertilized,
often barely watered, is striking to
the health-conscious consumer. In a playful way it starts a
conversation on our relationship to the natural world, and
to each other. 3
“THE PUBLIC FRUIT JAM IS
OUR FAVORITE PUBLIC PROJECT
BECAUSE IT FORMS DYNAMIC
TEMPORARY COMMUNITIES”
“URBAN FRUIT IS BLESSED BY NEGLECT, ALMOST ALWAYS UNTENDED AND THUS ORGANIC”
1st Public Fruit Park PlantedThe Forbidden Fruit guys recently
finished their first installation
in Los Angeles. They’re already
planning a new one in the city of
London, UK for 2015.
Learn more about
their unique venture at
www.ForbiddenFruit.org.
“The social exchange of food forms the basis of
the culture”
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31 31
A TRULY EFFICIENT CROP Excellent pest and disease resistance combined with very
little waste. Salanova is the result of many years of traditional
breeding. The leaves are precisely arranged around the core,
making it simple to a choice of green or red leaf in each type.
Coring has never been easier. Using a sharp knife or a special
cutter developed just for freeing these awesome greens from
the stem, you’ll be done in one swift movement.
A fast growing crop, with staggered germination, it is possible
to have uber fresh lettuce always available for a lovely garnish, a
sandwich crisper or a full-blown salad. Mix it up for a gourmet
look and taste. One commercial grower of Salanova in Germany
seeds 3 different varieties per growing block for instant salad
variety at market where it’s an instant hit with bouquet flair. Why
select plain green lettuce when you can have three colors and
types of goodness instead? A trick that you can easily duplicate
to get more exciting salads in the small grow room too.
THE COOLEST FRESH LETTUCE IN TOWNCreating a beautiful salad is super easy with these varieties. The
leaves are much smaller than regular lettuces. They’re ready to
eat, as is, and require no chopping or tearing into bite size pieces.
Just one cut to remove them from the head is all the prep work
SALANOVA I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
Grow Your Own Series
“BESIDES BEING SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL, SALANOVA
HEADS PRODUCE 42% MORE FRESH
GREENS PER SQUARE FOOT THAN ANY
OTHER LEAF LETTUCE VARIETY”
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
Heads up! There’s something to get ex-
cited about in lettuce land. Salanova let-
tuces have much to offer the indoor gar-
dener and urban farmer, whether you’re
growing fresh food for your own table
or feeding your community.
Besides being simply beautiful, the heads
produce 42% more fresh greens per
square foot than any other leaf lettuce
variety. Salanova Crispy, Lollo, Oakleaf
and Butter are delicious new stars for
the salad plate. You’ve got a choice of
green or red leaf in each type, making it
a cinch to produce your own salad mix
in either soil or hydro culture.
L e t t u c eSalanovaA Wh o l e N ew L e a f
MULTI -LEAF TYPESForming heads with a multitude of uniform baby leaves
arranged around a central core, the multi-leaf Oakleaf
and Butter varieties add flavor and color so desirable in a
beautiful salad. Use them alone or as a group to create the
popular baby greens mix. Fast and clean coring is done with
one cut using the ingenious Salanova cutter, with no waste
whatsoever. 3
33 33 gardenculture.net
Growing Salanova
Like all lettuces, this is a cool season crop. One you
can easily grow on a sunny balcony, patio, in a flower
bed or backyard garden in spring and early summer,
but it’s perfect for indoor gardens year around. Sala-
nova varieties finish out at one foot across, so be
sure to give it room. From germination to harvest
takes 8 weeks in the outdoor garden, and 6 weeks
in the indoor hydro garden. Seeding every 3 weeks
will keep you in a never-ending supply of fresh salad
greens.
SALANOVA I GARDEN CULTURE
OPTIMIZE YOUR SPACE: SALANOVA VARIETIES GIVE YOU FAR MORE YIELD THAN OTHER LEAF TYPES AND HAVE
AN IMPROVED SHELF LIFE. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THE SEED IS ORGANIC AND
THE PLANTS ARE GMO FREE.
needed. The leaves are thicker than standard leaf lettuce,
giving you more crunchy goodness and better shaping
that keeps a salad from turning into a glob after adding the
dressing.
With all this eye-catching color, flavor and fresh convenience,
it’s pretty hard to resist Salanova lettuces - as a grower and
as a consumer. You can also optimize your space, because
Salanova varieties give you far more yield than other leaf
types and have an improved shelf life. On top of all that,
the seed is organic and the plants are GMO free. For more
business info, visit www.business.salanova.com. In
the US & Canada you will find Salanova seed available at
www. JohnnysSeeds.com.
ABOUT THE VARIETIESWith so many lettuce types on the market, it’s hard choosing
a selection to grow. The process of elimination gets much
easier after investigating Salanova. While it is a comparable
green to baby leaf lettuces, it offers so much more, including
stronger leaves at maturity, and a noticeably increased 3D
structure.
Salanova selections are easily divided into incised leaf
and multi-leaf types. You can use both types a few leaves
at a time too, so it’s a vegetable that fills anyone’s needs.
Harvested as living lettuce with roots attached, they remain
fresh without refrigeration.
INCISED TYPESIncised varieties, Lollo and Crispy, have rather frilly, deeply
cut leaf edges and give a mixed salad weight, more texture
and loft. The Lollo types provide a flavorful base that gives
a baby leaf salad much needed structure, loft and weight.
The newer Crispy types provide that iceberg crunch as well.
All of these hold up well to dressings. Separating the bunch
is easily done with a single slice of a sharp knife across the
lower stem.
“HARVEST A HANDFUL AT A TIME
OR AN ENTIRE HEAD”
34
The barn is on fire.
It’s too late to put it out.
We’ll just let it burn.
~ Everest Fernandez,
‘Haiku for Stress’
PEACE
35 gardenculture.net
PEACE I GARDEN CULTUREBY EVEREST FERNANDEZ
The night was old and I needed a cab home. I’m a happy, “love everybody” type of drunk—a
good drunk—but not a good walker. Don’t get me wrong—I was perfectly capable of strolling
home, I just didn’t want to. Some people relish the nocturnal stumble, the elephant meat
kebab, the falling face-first into bushes, the urinating into trash cans and the acquisition of
traffic cones and other urban souvenirs, but not me. Just get me home to bed, bed, bed. Taxi!
there” as some sort of underhand slight
against their resplendent femininity? I
mean, how dare I fail to notice them!
Had I unwittingly punctuated decades
of bitter anguish with one final, camel’s
back-breaking insult?
“Please, go ahead,” I smiled and made
a passive, open-handed gesture toward
the cab’s open door.
“Fuck off twat, it was ours anyway!”
The mouthy one barged past me and,
in a comically petulant display of non-
compliance, stomped over to the other side of the cab. The
suspension sank and both doors slammed shut. The less
vocal of the pair seized her final opportunity to issue one
last scowl through the car window as their wagon of joy
sped them away into the night. And then, mercifully, they
were gone.
I felt sober again but, before I could wonder about where
my buzz had gone, another identical taxi emerged from
around the corner. (Taxi ranks work like that.) This time
I glanced left and right to see if there was anyone else I
hadn’t noticed but the coast was clear. On the way home
I pondered the possible origins of such bilious aggression.
It seemed more vehement coming from females—I could
see they really meant it. That sore contempt in their eyes
was real, not just macho posturing. Still, what exactly were
these women so pissed about? It was as if they inhabited an
entirely different world.
Magically it appeared to come out
of nowhere, its rear door stopping
perfectly adjacent to me as if somehow
reading my need. All my right hand
needed to do was regally reach out
for the handle. Don’t you just love it
when stuff like that happens?
“Hey! Wait your fucking turn you
prick! We were waiting here first!”
That’s how I became aware of the
presence of two rather angry-
sounding Welsh women who were
apparently also standing in the
vicinity of the taxi rank. Ah … not so magical after all.
“I’m dreadfully sorry,” I said in my plummy English accent, “I
didn’t see you there.”
Alas a plummy English accent counts for even less in Wales
than it does in England and there I was stood alone in its
Chlamydia-ridden capital, Cardiff, late on a Saturday night,
beneath the bright lights of St. Mary’s Street. If that means
nothing to you then grab your mobile device and allow a
Google image search of “cardiff st marys street vomit”
(vomit is optional) to put you unequivocally in the picture.
The cantankerous Celts were fiery with an overblown
rage and my well-enunciated apology seemed only to fan
the flames. I surmised that their evening had fallen short of
expectations somehow and now their crosshairs were set
on yours truly. Perhaps they’d mistaken my “didn’t see you
That sore contempt in their eyes was
real, not just macho posturing.
Still, what exactly were these women so pissed about?
It was as if they inhabited an entirely different
world
PEACE
36
Recently Tony Blair recounted a “ghastly roll call of
terror attacks in the obvious places” and listed “Syria,
Libya, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and
Pakistan” as examples. (He broadly cited “religious
extremism” as the cause of all the troubles and not
economic inequality, debt slavery, poverty-by-design,
land grabs / illegal occupations and drone strikes.)
Compared with all this “major league stuff” going down
around the globe my petty little taxi rank squabble might
seem trivial and insignificant. And yet I think there’s a
gem in here somewhere—a veritable pearl in the mire.
The world is not separate from us. It is us. We have
created it! The catastrophic wars we see on our TVs
are just the enlargement of our everyday lives. Once
you see this clearly and the importance of your role
within the vast matrix of human relationships then it’s
hard not to become radically peaceful. What was once an
“Anybody can become angry – that’s easy. But to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that’s not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”~ Aristotle
Few words have loftier ambitions than “peace”. Take the
word “table” for instance. Whether it’s a small table,
an eighteen-seater, or even Table friggin’ Mountain, it’s
still pretty humble furniture in the house of semantics.
Table is as table does. It is what it is. Wooden, plastic,
metal or rock.
Peace is another thing altogether. For one, you can’t
buy it flat-packed from Ikea. In fact, it’s not available
to purchase, period. Even labeling it is tricky. Best to
keep schtum about it—just as with words like “silence”
and “ineffable”. Silly words that only destroy that
which they seek to describe like a clumsy, stubby finger
prodding a Ming vase to check if it’s real.
The incessant planetary soap opera played out on
our flat-screened goggleboxes makes us all too apt
to externalize our notions of peace—or lack thereof.
The 24-hour news implies that peace is something
that first needs to happen “out there” in far off lands
before there’s even a faint hope of its tender arms
spreading out to a planetary hug. Peace is a distant
prospect, an ideal. But right now all we have are “peace
problems” begging to be solved—complicated, global
quandaries necessitating the involvement of fulltime
professionals such as Kofi Annan—certainly nothing
for you to worry your pretty little heads about.
37 gardenculture.net
PEACE I GARDEN CULTURE
isolated microcosm of meaningless existence
becomes a dynamic, pulsating epicenter
of loveliness. Peace suffuses out of you,
infecting others whether they like it or not.
“Peace is every step.”~ Nhat Hanh
Anyway, back to our Welsh ladies. Clearly
they wanted a drama—a shouting match—
perhaps even a few fists, boots and claws. And
yet all they received from me was a big blob
of soft, gooey, hippy peace dough—a warm
gift to take home and examine, squeeze,
stretch and pummel at their leisure. After
all, who knows what those poor women had
gone through that day? I certainly didn’t.
Perhaps they were sisters (as I recall they
sort of looked related) who’d just boxed-up
and buried their old man after he’d finally
succumbed to decades of stress created by
the incessant fiscal demands of a heartless
English landlord? Yeah. That would fit…
Seriously, would I feel the same if there were unmanned
robotic aircraft hovering above my head? Well—to be
honest—that really depends on whether they were
about to drop a bomb on my head or deliver an Amazon
order. What I’m not going to be is afraid because fear
is the destroyer of peace. If you begin to address your
fear then peace is already in the mail.
“A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
The acclaimed documentary maker Adam Curtis
suggested that western governments, realizing that
there was no more power to be gained by selling the
people a dream of a brighter future (robots doing all
the work for us, etc), decided instead to extract their
power and raison d’être from a different place in the
human psyche—the power of nightmares. (Also the
title of his excellent three-part BBC series.) Instead
of presenting us with dreams, governments claimed to
protect us from our nightmares.
This segways us neatly to the role of the mainstream media,
specifically that of keeping most of us in a perennial state
of fear—whether by some nefarious decree or cosmic
side-effect. The threat level can be orange, red, maroon
or flashing epileptically—but the unnamed, non-specific
“threat” is always there—if we acquiesce to give it residence.
Our fear makes us controllable. Virtually anything—the
mass surveillance of our everyday telecommunications, the
censorship of the Internet, the militarization of our police
force, or even forced medication through fluoridation
of our municipal water supplies—all of it can be vaguely
rationalized through the necessity of societal protection.
Peace isn’t to be found in heightened homeland
security or some distant, imagined utopia. It simply
waits patiently for our recognition, the cessation of
our selfish struggles, our quests for knowledge, wealth,
power and all the rest of it. Peace is realizing who you
are at the deepest level. (Everybody and everything.)
Peace is the ending of the illusion of separation from
the rest of the universe. Peace is so ubiquitous, so
persistent and pervasive you’ll find it in the most
unlikely of places—and yes, apparently lurking within
the pages of obscure indoor gardening publications. 3
“There is no ‘way to peace,’ there is only ‘peace.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
What I’m not going to be is afraid because fear is the destroyer of peace. If you begin to address your fear then
peace is already in the mail.
LARGE
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Control the dreaded “Hot Spot” with the optional “SUPER-SPREADER”. (Shown on the LARGE & MEDIUM models)(Not required for the SMALL model)
Follow our “LayOut Tips” for optimum results. (included)
Resists corrosion or loss of brightness.
Increase the growing areaunder each lamp by up to 75%
Now availablein the USA
40
A G O O D
S TA R TIndoor garden productivity requires good
practices and techniques from the beginning.
Abundant harvests from any herb, fruit or ve-
getable plant depends on seed quality - and
everything that happens during each of its
growth stages. Even in your garden, excellence
is never the result of inferior materials or shod-
dy workmanship. Remember that and deliver
perfect conditions from the very start.
41
Always obtain seed from reputable
sources. An established seed house is
best. Your seed will be fresh and come
from disease-free plants. It will also be
handled and stored properly to make
sure the best germination results are
possible. Stick with suppliers who have
signed the Safe Seed Pledge as your
GMO-free source for garden seed.
Check out: www.councilforrespon-
siblegenetics.org
A seed is a dormant embryo. Each one comes packed with the
knowledge the new plant needs to grow roots, leaves, flowers,
fruit and set seed to continue the species. Powering it up re-
quires only consistent moisture, air and the right temperature.
It comes with its own start-up energy source. They need no
fertilizer or nutrients during the germination stage. Light isn’t
even needed for the first week or two.
SETTING THE STAGEA plant’s idea of the gray area between right and wrong is a
pretty slim window. In your indoor garden, you can’t blame
poor germination on thieving birds and squirrels. If your seeds
don’t germinate, either you have not purchased quality seed,
failed to monitor environmental conditions, or ignored this
particular seed’s needs.
41
There are cool season and warm
season plants. Understanding this is
important. Before you get started,
you need to create the perfect sea-
son for your selected crop. Cool
season plants grow beautifully in an
environment that will send warm
season plants like tomatoes into
a sickly tizzy. You can grow both
types simultaneously with separate
germination chambers and grow
rooms. You can’t force a plant’s vigor in the wrong condi-
tions. It leads to weak plants, climatic disease issues and
poor harvests... or total failure.
Maximizing your harvest while reducing costs starts
with discovering your seeds’ needs for germination
and providing the best circumstances. Seeds sprout
in cooler conditions than for flower and fruit stages.
It’s Nature’s way of protecting their fragile parts from
more intense sunlight and long, hot days. Maintaining
the proper temperature is easily done with a heat mat
beneath your germination chamber. This will allow for
faster, more robust and uniform development. Do in-
vest in a grower’s mat with a thermostat to avoid cook-
ing your seeds or sprouts.
A GOOD START I GARDEN CULTURE
“A SEED IS A DORMANT EMBRYO. EACH ONE COMES PACKED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THE NEW PLANT NEEDS TO GROW ROOTS, LEAVES,
FLOWERS, FRUIT AND SET SEED TO CONTINUE THE
SPECIES”
A G O O D
S TA R T
gardenculture.net
“MAXIMIZING YOUR HARVEST WHILE REDUCING COSTS STARTS WITH DISCOVERING YOUR SEEDS’ NEEDS FOR GERMINATION AND
PROVIDING THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES”
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
42
SELECTING THE MEDIAUnlike planting outdoors, you want thoroughly moistened me-
dia for indoor garden seeding. There are a variety of materials
you can use, dependent on your growing system. Some people
swear by the wet paper towels enclosed in a plastic baggie
routine. Handling just sprouted seeds is a delicate matter. You
run the risk of breaking or damaging the fragile young root or
shoot. You don’t have to work this hard or introduce such
intricacy to getting a grow going.
Jiffy peat pellets (a.k.a. pucks) aren’t your best option. Issues
include slow germination and root growth, poor air flow ca-
pacity and high acidity. Finally, it is the nature of peat moss to
tie up nitrogen. Thinking of using Jiffy peat pots filled with pot-
ting mix? Wood pulp added to their composition increases this
removal of nitrogen for breaking down. There is also a danger
of peat pucks holding too much moisture causing rot, diseases
or damping off.
Rockwool starter cubes or
propagation plugs commonly
used in hydroponics offer a
perfect balance of air, moisture
and drainage. Sprouting varies
by seed type and takes 2-8 days.
Consistent saturation and a pH
level of 4.5-5.5 is needed (de-
pendent on seed type) and accomplished by soaking the cubes
for 24 hours. Chlorinated tap water can harm sprouting action.
Use distilled water or mineral water instead. Adjust the soak-
ing solution’s pH level to correct your water’s pH and that of
the rockwool’s alkalinity. Do this by slowly adding acid solution
to lower pH or alkaline solution to raise it. Measure the water
pH until you meet the desired level for the plant type.
Put your prepped rockwool starters in a standard nursery tray
with a dome. Sow the seed at the required depth. Keep the
Essential: start off with good seeds
and always read the package
ALL THE NUTRITION NEW SPROUTS NEED IS IN THE COTYLEDON. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE SIGNS OF LIFE, DOESN’T MEAN IT IS TIME TO FEED. PATIENCE. YOU NEED ROBUST ROOT SYSTEMS FOR AN OPTIMUM HARVEST, WHICH DEVELOP AT THIS STAGE.
43 gardenculture.net
covered tray in a warm, moist place until vegetation appears.
Note that proper temperature ranges are generally only 5-7
degrees apart. Five degrees might not seem like much, but you
aren’t a plant. Deliver the happiness zone.
Seed starting mixes shouldn’t have huge chunks of material.
It should hug your seed loosely without leaving large tunnels
exposing the seed or roots to too much air. Mist if you must
moisten again soon after sowing. Overhead watering causes
light media and seed float resulting in losing planting depth and
central placement. For small seed at a shallow depth, this could
mean failure to sprout due to ending up on top of the media.
A QUESTION OF DEPTHMost seeds grow best when covered with media to their pre-
ferred depth, though some seed types can do well on the sur-
face with enough moisture. Plant too deep or too shallow, and
your germination success is doubtful. Don’t guess - read the
seed packet. The purpose of planting depth ensures that the
seed can absorb enough moisture to activate.
A seed must absorb 50% of its weight in moisture to germi-
nate. Poor drainage, improper planting depth, and loss of mois-
ture due to evaporation are all things you can’t allow to happen
if you are going to eat. Depending on what you want to grow,
it can vary from 1/8 inch to a full inch or more. As a rule of
thumb, fine seeds need a shallow depth, while large seeds get
planted deep.
FEEDING THE BABIESAll the nutrition new sprouts need is in the cotyledon. Just
because you have signs of life, doesn’t mean it is time to feed.
Patience. You need robust root systems for an optimum har-
vest, which develop at this stage. Seedlings are fragile, and even
a weak nutrient solution can burn leaves and roots, as well as
make them focus on producing top growth. Don’t mess up their
programming!
If you continue to supply enough pH balanced water, your new
plants will swiftly send roots down deep and in all directions
seeking a food source. The harder they search, the more devel-
oped the roots will become. Nature provides plenty of nutri-
tion with the seed to fortify young plants until they reach the
vegetative stage of growth.
SEEKING THE SUNOnce small seedling leaves appear, plants start reaching to find
sunlight. Remove the dome and get your seedlings under lights
right away. Cover all roots to
prevent damage and support
rapid growth. If you don’t act
fast enough, they will stretch
and get leggy searching for the
sun, leading to less robust plants
and harvest. Give them 12-16
hours a day under CFL lamps.
The heat of HID grow lights will
overheat or fry tender seed-
lings.
Closely monitor temperature
and moisture. In 10-14 days ac-
tual leaves and rooting through the bottom of your media are
present. It is time for transplanting. Your young crop has en-
tered the vegetative stage. Now they need intense light, grow-
ing temps and nutrients. 3
DON’T GUESS - READ THE SEED PACKET.
THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING THE RIGHT PLANTING DEPTH ENSURES
THAT THE SEED CAN ABSORB ENOUGH MOISTURE TO
ACTIVATE Rockwool starters
A GOOD START I GARDEN CULTURE
GARDENSSIMPLIFIED.®
WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DOSANCTUARYSOIL.COM
46
G R A F T I N G T H E O N E T R U N K O R C H A R D“MULTI-GRAFTED FRUIT TREES ARE PERFECT FOR SMALL GARDENS” Seeds and cuttings aren’t the only way
to acquire new plants for your garden.
Grafting is more tedious, but allows
a gardener to accomplish things with
plants not possible in any other way. It
is the technique of joining the parts of
two or more plants to create one plant.
Ornamental plants used in landscaping
and flower gardens are more commonly
seen grafted than with fruits or vegeta-
bles. In the realm of food plants, grafting
is usually found in trees - but not always.
47 47
GRAFTING I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
WHY LEARN ABOUT GRAFTING? Let’s say you have a tomato variety that is now impossible
to find seed for. Maybe you live in a cold climate that makes
it difficult to grow really awesome tomatoes to vine ripened
harvest due to early frosts. Grafting allows you to stick
stem cuttings to a more developed root system, or a more
robust and disease resistant variety to make the impossible...
possible. It can also make certain crops possible at all.
All sweet orange trees are grafted onto sour orange variety
stock because sweet orange trees are highly susceptible to
root disease. In the 1880s a Texas scientist actually saved the
wine industry in France by grafting French grape varieties
onto wild grape roots when a disease epidemic threatened
to drive the French varieties into extinction. Wild Texas
grapes are immune to this grapevine plague and are the only
reason fine French wines are enjoyed around the world today.
While lots of people would love to have an organic fruit
orchard just outside their door, small yard space makes it
impossible. Multi-grafted fruit trees are perfect for small
gardens. It’s your one trunk solution for orchard variety
harvest in limited space. This growing technique lets you
have several types of apples on one tree; or peaches, pears,
cherries, plums and citrus. As long as you stick to the same
type of fruit, it works well.
THE FRUIT COCKTAIL TREESometimes it is possible to graft types of fruit trees
to a single trunk that are less similar. Stone fruits and
citrus plants are easily adapted to each other, making for
successful grafting of a wider variety of fruit grown in
one spot. The Fruit Cocktail Tree gives you a source for
tree-ripened fruit salad even in a tiny outdoor garden.
Stone fruits are those that have pits, like cherries, peaches,
plums, apricots and nectarines. Citrus gives you limes,
lemons, grapefruits, oranges and tangelos variety. You’ll find
both orchard-on-a-trunk delights available pre-grafted from
online nurseries. Or you could try your hand at grafting and
create your own Fruit Cocktail Tree. Not only could it be
an interesting project, what if one type of fruit on a ready-
made tree isn’t hardy where you live? What if you want only
heirloom varieties or a different mix than you can buy?
NO YARD AT ALL?You can grow fruit trees in large containers where they will
never get more than 6 feet tall. A sort of bonsai orchard
in a movable box that produces full size fruit. So it’s
possible to grow truly dwarf fruit trees on a rooftop, the
balcony or patio. This method would also allow you to take
your orchard with you if you move to a new residence.
Be sure you have proper winter storage for outdoor
container grown fruit trees in a cold climate. Frigid
winter temps aren’t kind to roots above ground. If you
live in the north, container grown fruit trees with proper
winter storage will allow you to grow fresh peaches and
less hardy crops that would never fruit when planted
in the ground. A garage or seasonal room will work for
overwintering. You just need to make sure the temperature
never drops below the lowest range for any given tree.
“GRAFTING ALLOWS YOU TO STICK STEM CUTTINGS TO A MORE DEVELOPED ROOT SYSTEM, OR A MORE ROBUST AND DISEASE RESISTANT VARIETY TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE... POSSIBLE”
Multi-grafted fruit tree
GRAFTING I GARDEN CULTURE
49 49 gardenculture.net
GRAFTING I GARDEN CULTURE
WHAT DO I NEED?Obviously, you will need to gather the plants you will use
to make your grafted wonder. Depending on the type
of plant (woody or soft stemmed) you need to decide
if it is best to do stem or bud grafting. The best way
to start your research is searching for answers online.
Next you will need the proper tools and supplies.
Grafting is a precise science, so don’t set yourself up
for failure by trying to improvise. For small projects,
look for a grafting kit online. The basic kits aren’t that
expensive, so it is within most people’s budget to
arm themselves with the stuff that is proven to allow
success. At the very least you need a grafting knife,
grafting tape and grafting wax. To do bud grafts you also
need rubber bud strips. A good grafting kit will also
include a guide booklet you can follow step-by-step.
INVEST IN QUALITY PLANTSNo matter what type of grow you want to do, never
forget that ‘quality in, quality out’ applies to gardening
too. The better the health of the plants you use to graft
your new tree, the easier it will be for you to succeed.
The main tree you use for the trunk should have a well-
developed root system for faster growth and better
graft support. A more whip-like version of what you’re
budding or stem grafting makes more economic sense
as you only need a small piece for your project. Well
developed root systems will cost more as they have
been kept in the nursery at least a year longer for this
purpose.3
Suitable Veggies for Grafting
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplants
• Melons
• Cucumbers
“DECIDE IF IT IS BEST TO DO STEM OR BUD GRAFTING”
50
Mobile farm markets are riding high on the heels of the
white-hot food truck trend. It’s a new take on the old fash-
ioned neighborhood ice cream truck. Instead of selling ice
cream to screaming kids running after a lighthearted tune
coming from a colorful van, you are selling your locally
grown food to enthusiastic urban hipsters. Calling them to
your mobile market with Twitter, FourSquare, geo location
apps like Google Latitude or blasting obscure indie techno
music from your speakers in dense urban neighborhoods.
Pick your vehicle for your mobile market wisely, just re-
member that character matters. Think converted airstream
trailers, ironic postal jeeps or your grandfather’s old pickup.
For some great examples, be sure to check out Lomo Mar-
ket in Raleigh-Durham, NC (www.lomomarket.com) or the
Honeybee Mobile Market (http://www.honeybeemobile-
market.com/). Cost: About the price of a small row tractor.
Mobile markets created from trailers, trucks or vans
are great for when you have planned stops and a bit of
cash. Perhaps you need something cheaper and easi-
er to do without much planning required. Consider a
slower, more approachable alternative: your bike pull-
ing a trailer full of produce. Turning your bike into a
mobile produce stand offers a charming, approachable
venue to sell to urban dwellers as they stroll through
their neighborhoods and downtown restaurant districts.
The slow speed of a bike-borne market makes it easy for
people to stop and buy, keeping you from having to stop for
extended periods and having to get permits or ask permis-
sion from establishments. There are a few farmers expe-
riencing great success with this technique. If you’d like to
try it out yourself “the Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand” is a
great design, view
it here: www.mat-
tapanfoodandf it-
ness.org. Cost:
A new implement
for your tractor.
Celebrate your un-
sold surplus as an
occasion by cook-
ing a farm dinner
at your farm from
your surplus crops.
Agritourism has
proven a very prof-
itable venture for
many farms. There is actually more money in selling the small
farming experience than the products you’ve produced.
Create a “dinner club” and spread the word through your
Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest accounts. Contact a couple
local food bloggers and invite them to a couple in exchange
for posting about the “privileged opportunity” to attend
Tu r n Surplus Crops i n t o You know the routine; you’ve spent months looking after your crops, cared for them and
watched over them carefully. After all your hard work, on the day you harvest your un-
able to sell your gorgeous harvest at the farmers market because it rained, it’s a holiday, or just
bad luck. Perk up! Turn that surplus harvest into an opportunity to experiment with new ex-
citing approaches to direct to customer business models that are a rising trend across the nation.
Marketing Techniques
Ca$h
Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand
“A BIKE-BORNE MARKET MAKES IT
EASY FOR PEOPLE TO STOP AND BUY. NO
PERMITS NEEDED.”
“CALL YOUR SHOPPERS TO
MARKET ON TWITTER AND FOURSQUARE”
51 51
GOING TO MARKET I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY BEN GREENE
your farm surplus dinner.
And if your ‘farm’ is in an
urban basement or small
backyard greenhouse?
Improvise! People love
the unique and unusual.
Its not just where you’re
growing, but what you’re
growing that they’re after.
Follow the recipe for success other’s have done well with.
Don’t have enough diversity in your surplus to create an
entire dinner? Create what you can and make it a potluck,
where the cost is half price if the attendees bring a dish.
Lots of candles, white linen covered picnic tables and am-
ple mason jars are sure to create the perfect mood. Some
great examples of farms using on-farm or local pub dinner
clubs effectively are the Rogowski Farm (rogowskifarm.
com) and the Land’s Sake Supper Club (http://www.lands-
sake.org/). Also check out dinner clubs that travel to many
dinners like the Highlands dinner club (highlandsdinner-
club.com) and City Provisions (cityprovisions.com) Cost:
Free meal for friends in exchange for labor and supplies.
Of course, the best option is to eliminate next week’s sur-
plus! Surplus produce is often surplus because your custom-
ers are not familiar with your crop’s use, preparation or just
simply haven’t been inspired to use it. Give them some sug-
gestions by grouping the produce together in “meal packs”.
For example, create a stir fry kit by placing your Asian
greens with a recipe and some bulk seasonings together.
There are many online resources that allow you to type
in your ingredients and an ideal recipe will be generated
from your input, my favorite is gojee.com. This makes
it easy to find a recipe and create soul food meal kits,
salad kits, kids lunch kits, tapas kits, ethnic meal kits, or
create special diet kits like gluten-free, diabetic or pa-
leolithic diets. Cost: Extra labor and sleek packaging.
The prices for these new economic models are within reach
and the most ambitious are often no more expensive than
a piece of production equipment. Instead of increasing your
production this year by 10% with new equipment, consider
receiving twice the price you’d normally receive with an in-
vestment into unique approaches to direct to consumer mar-
keting.3
“PICK YOUR VEHICLE FOR YOUR MOBILE MARKET WISELY... CHARACTER MATTERS”Ca$h
Mattapan Mobile Farm Stand
54
Mothering TECHNIQUES
H O W T O
C A R E F O R
A M O M
55
MOTHERING TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY JENN DIGIOIA
“IT ONLY TAKES ONE MOTHER PLANT TO CREATE A WHOLE GARDEN OF PLANTS”
Genetically speaking, everyone has a mother. In the horticultural world, being a mom means you
either produce seeds sexually or clones asexually. There are a few different techniques you can use to
reproduce plants without needing pollen from a parent plant(s) to produce seeds. The newest, most
scientific way to do this is tissue culture. This uses a series of chemical processes to grow a full size plant
from a tiny piece of plant tissue, in a test tube. While this method isn’t practical for most gardeners, it
is definitely neat! There are two methods any gardener can easily use: grafting and cloning.
plant. This allows the mother to search out more fertile
ground or better sunlight for her offspring. A mother al-
ways wants the best for her children and the strawberry
mom is no exception. In your garden, you can aim the run-
ners to root into a pot or a desired spot. After the run-
ners have established roots they can
then be cut from the mother plant
for sale or replanting.
Most plants won’t do this naturally,
conveniently creating clones as the
strawberry plant will. So it is impor-
tant to know what to look for when
selecting a mom. You will be making
exact copies of her so choose the
best, strongest looking one you can
find. Keep her planted in a pot that’s large enough to hold
her root mass. The new fabric pots on the market like
smart pots or root pouches are great for mothering pur-
poses. The fabric is a felt-like material and allows air thru
the walls, yet it is enough to not allow light in. This pot can
prevent root rot and root circling known as being ‘root
bound’. Both can stunt or hinder growth at best.
FEEDING YOUR MOTHER Most nutrient product lines have a ‘grow’ formula that,
when fed lightly, will work great for your mom. A few
examples for this are: Botanicare’s Pure Blend Pro Grow
with a liquid N-P-K of (3-2-4), Fox Farms Grow Big (6-4-
4) or General Organics Biothrive Grow (4-3-3).
Need a lot of clones? You may want to train a young seed-
ling to be your mother plant, pruning her to promote
more branching before taking any cuts. We can do this by
WHY DO I NEED A MOTHER PLANT? To get more plants for your garden. Our need for cloning
stems from the gardener’s mantra: bigger, stronger, faster.
One of the big reasons for avid gardeners is to retain ex-
act copies of very rare plants. Cloning can even keep your
grandmother’s heirloom tomato strain
alive for generations to come. It only
takes one mother plant to create a
whole garden of plants. No waiting for
spring to buy plants or for seedlings to
mature. Using cloning to sustainably
manage your vegetable garden just
makes sense. You can make clones of
plants that you consume the most of...
forever.
Cloning is a necessity for some plants. Most of the bananas
we eat today are clones! A devastating genetic mutation
in the edible varieties made the fruits of the banana plants
sterile. In nature this usually means a road to extinction.
Savvy farmers propagated the yummy fruit plants, spread-
ing them around the world centuries ago. Thanks to this
process of cutting the ‘suckers’ from the base of a plant in
the vegetative stage and cloning them, we still have bananas
today. Nor would we have French wine. A set of devastat-
ing disease and pest plagues almost wiped out the vines.
Cloning via grafting with resistant roots saved France’s
vineyards more than a century ago. Obviously, cloning and
mother plants are important to know about.
Nature has cloned on its own forever. Strawberry plants
are a perfect example. The plant will send out a ‘runner’
shoot at the base parallel to the ground. When it reaches
fertile soil, it automatically produces roots, forming a new
57
MOTHERING TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
TAKING THE CUTAlways start the cutting process with clean equipment
and have everything ready to go. You will need a sterile
blade or scissors, growing medium or rooting plugs, a
rooting hormone to aid in the process and of course
your mother plant. Choose a branch for the cutting that
includes new growth with at least 2-3 sets of leaves. Cut
at a 45 degree angle and quickly get the cut end into the
rooting hormone, then push the dipped end down into
growing medium. Mist cuttings daily with water to keep
them happy until roots begin to form.
THE MOTHER OF INVENTION & SPEEDGrafting takes the root sys-
tem of one plant called a
‘rootstock’ and fuses a cut-
ting called a ‘scion’ to the
top. The plant created has
the genetics of the mother
plant and the rootstock will
supply the uptake of nutrients
through its root system. You can
use the grafting technique to get cre-
ative, combining different mixes of colors
and types of desired crop characteristics of rootstock
and cuttings. It can also allow your plants to overcome
stress factors like diseases or pests, and even the soil
quality of an outdoor garden.
Grafting can make your indoor garden more efficient.
Grafted vegetable plants can also
deliver an earlier harvest and
a much longer harvest pe-
riod. Reproducing ready
to bloom plants offers a
variety of benefits. Suc-
cess starts with a healthy,
happy mom and knowing
when to make the cut. 3
“IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SELECTING A MOM”
simply trimming the top new growth of the main branch-
es as the plant gets bigger. Remember, less is more when
pruning anything! Be sure to make cuts above at least
two sets of growth so that when you cut one main stalk,
two branches will form from the leaf sets below.
You can continue to use this manipulation trick as the
mother plant grows until you have enough branches to
accommodate your cloning needs. For faster branching,
try an extra nutrient boost using a marine algae product
such as Nitrozime or Bioweed. These help to create the
burst of new shoots at the right time. It can also help
with the rooting process, so include it with the week-of-
cutting feeding too.
MAKING GOOD BABIESCloning is best done in the vegetative stage of growth
for almost all plants. You will need to set up a light to
provide 18 hours of light for your mom to keep her in
that stage (ready) for vegetative propagation.
Mother plants need a regular schedule for nutrients and
water. Being careful not to overdo it on either. Over-
feeding can lock out essential nutrients your mom needs
to thrive. Overwatering can cause a multitude of mold,
fungus and bug problems. An over flux of food or water
in your mom’s system when it comes time to take cut-
tings can also make rooting more difficult. Giving your
mom the right food before cloning her can make a
world of difference in the babies. Remember what-
ever is in her system at the time of cutting will also be
in the system of the clone.
A good rule of thumb is to cut your normal fertilizer
mixing directions in half a week before taking cuttings.
Adding a bit of vitamins and hormones to that week’s
feeding is also a good idea. A dose of Superthrive is also
great for the expectant mother. Follow label directions
for mixing. When deciding how much to water take the
simple route and touch the growing medium. You want
moist media, not wet. If the media dries up between
feedings just use plain water to supplement.
58
on the greenhouse project took
2 years to complete, and started
the first crop in February 2013
with a first harvest planned for
late spring. Along the way, Agoa-
da formed partnerships with a
team of highly qualified professionals, each with a distinct
set of skills and knowledge to take the fledgling farm from
startup to success in short order. The scientific advisory
board includes Will Allen from Milwaukee’s Growing Pow-
er, and Michael Christian from American Hydroponics.
The South Bronx is a place that has distinct cultural groups,
each with their own organizations. In forming partnerships
with local neighborhood groups, Sky Vegetables ensure
that good food is being made available to people living in
the blocks surrounding the farm. Plans include hiring and
training from the neighborhood to fill the duties of caring
While urban farms aren’t new to
New York City, the Sky site toward
the north end of the metropolis
isn’t a touring stop. It’s a serious
agricultural operation that will sup-
ply fresh, locally grown food to the
neighborhood via harvest boxes through community sup-
ported agriculture programs, as well as through markets
across the Bronx borough. All produce is grown without
pesticides or insecticides in greenhouses that will use solar
power and rainwater harvesting. Unlike many other urban
farms across the country, Sky Farm is a totally hydroponic
operation.
Partnerships Are Big At SkyKeith Agoada, founder of Sky Vegetables, began planning
the now functioning rooftop farm in 2009. Construction
Sustainable urban farming hits the roof - literally, and on several levels. In the low income food desert known
as the South Bronx, Sky Vegetables is paving the way to greener inner city neighborhoods everywhere. It’s
a farm that residents will no doubt look up to for multiple reasons, the most obvious being that the totally
closed unit occupies the rooftop of a newly constructed 8-story apartment building.
GREEN
“ T H E M A R R I A G E O F G R E E N B U I L D I N G
TO R O O F TO P G R E E N H O U S E FA R M ”
“ N OT H I N G Q U I T E L I K E I T E X I S T S E L S E W H E R E”
FARM ABOVEUBER
59
for the crops, harvest, distribution and community out-
reach. Since his initial concept to what is now a reality,
Agoada always saw teaching people in the neighborhood
how the growing operation ticks as part of his big picture.
Green InnovationsArbor House, that sits beneath Sky Farm, is not your aver-
age affordable rent building. Freshly completed by Blue Sea
Development, 124-unit housing project is a model in green
building and sustainable living for the city, the state, and
literally all of the United States. Adding a vegetable farm
to the roof is like the icing on the cake. “It is an exciting
project,” as Laurie Schoeman, NYC Community Relations
Manager for Sky puts it. Nothing quite like it exists else-
where.
Innovation abounds between the marriage of green build-
ing to rooftop greenhouse farm. The partnership between
59
Sky Vegetables and Blue Sea is one to be proud of. For
residents, the place is full of healthy lifestyle perks from
the living green wall in the foyer to music in the stairways,
and on to energy efficiency that will allow them more af-
fordable utility bills. While residents might not be able to
access the farm casually, it provides important heating and
cooling benefits to their homes. Arbor House is construct-
ed mainly with recycled materials, and was awarded both
a Platinum LEEDS certification and NAHB Green certifica-
tion.
The Crops and SystemsUnder the direction of master hydro farmer, Joe Schwartz
and his assistant Kate Ahearn, winter crops provide the
neighborhood with lots of fresh greens, including kale, 5
kinds of lettuce, chard and basil. Warmer weather will
bring more sunshine and the crops will change to take ad-
UBERGREEN FARM I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
GREEN
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
“SKY VEGETABLES IS PAVING THE WAY TO GREENER INNER CITY
NEIGHBOURHOODS EVERYWHERE”
Vertical garden in lobby
60
GARDEN CULTURE I UBERGREEN FARM
vantage of that, versus the use of grow lights that is needed
to supplement on days with less than 6 hours of sunlight.
Grow lights are also used for germination to ensure the
process is smooth.
All growing equipment used in the rooftop farm comes
from American Hydroponics. Sky Farm will employ 20 full
time and 10 part time workers. They’re using NFT and
flood and drain setups for seed germination. Anticipated
yields of 300-400 tons of local fresh produce are expected
every year from the 8000 square foot growing space.
Aiming HighSky Farm and Arbor House in the Bronx offers the world a
model for sustainable development and building integrated
agriculture. On a mission to improve city dweller’s health
and nutrition, Sky Vegetables also seeks to help localize the
economy, help educate community residents and youth to
growing fresh food, create new jobs, as well as promoting
healthy eating through community programming.
For Sky Vegetables, anticipation for germinating that first
crop’s seeds spanned years. It’s not the end of new begin-
nings for this urban agriculture company. They are already
busy planning the next Sky Farm. Where it will appear has
not been decided, though possible locations exist. One
thing you can most likely count on, it won’t grace the top
of just any building. The project will no doubt be greener
than green.3
“ANTICIPATED YIELDS OF 300-400 TONS OF LOCAL FRESH PRODUCE ARE EXPECTED EVERY YEAR”
On a mission to improve city dweller’s nutrition, Sky
Vegetables also seeks to help localize the economy, help
educate community residents and youth to growing fresh
food, create new jobs, as well as promoting healthy eating
through community programming
62
If you’ve eaten fresh
ginger, you haven’t
really experi-
enced it at its
finest, until
you’ve had Bik-
er Dude Ginger.
You won’t find
it just anywhere, but
those who frequent Whole
Foods, and other specialty organic
grocery stores, have easy access to the best ginger avail-
able in the country. It’s the only brand of ginger you can
buy that is completely disease-free.
Not that all other fresh ginger in stores is harmful if eat-
en. Ginger is so prone to plant pests and diseases that it’s
surely tainted when grown in soil. The trick for traditional
growers is getting the crop out of the ground before the
root quality diminishes to an unsellable state. It’s a field
crop relying heavily on chemicals to bring it to the harvest
stage. Biker Dude Ginger stands apart from the competi-
tion by a mile. It never touches the soil - or the average
grocery store shelf.
Grown in a remote part of Hawaii, even the seed is pris-
tine. A feat possible only through tissue culture. Like many
root crops, sterile ginger is grown from pieces of a mature
root. All ginger seed produced in soil may already be infect-
ed with fusarium or bacterial wilt. When fusarium strikes,
Hugh Johnson will tell you that he’s just a dirt farmer from North Carolina, but Biker Dude Organic
Hawaiian Ginger is cream of the crop. A brand with such a reputation for quality in the U.S. that picky
retailers, discerning chefs, and high-end organic consumers know it by name. The branding alone is unfor-
gettable. The quality is superior.
“Puna Organics is the oldest organic ginger farm in Hawaii”
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
BikerDude
King of Organic
Hawaiian Ginger
“Biker Dude Organic Hawaiian Ginger is cream of the crop”
63 63 gardenculture.net
the grower is lucky to harvest half of the crop. If it’s the
dreaded bacterial wilt, the entire crop is lost, and the dis-
ease remains active in the soil for 10 years. Both of these
pathogens are huge problems due to Hawaii’s wet climate.
Up until about 5 years ago, Hugh grew ginger for the U.S.
market organically in soil. Farming
is hard enough, but the persistent
soil-borne disease issues brought
him to join forces with Daniel Kel-
ly. Dan brought tissue culture and
off-ground growing in coir to Biker
Dude Ginger production. Puna Or-
ganics is the oldest organic ginger
farm in Hawaii, and light-years ahead
of the competition, which is why their fresh ginger is in big
demand on the high-end organic market coast to coast.
Hugh and Dan have other irons in the fire, and edible ginger
is only part of the Biker Dude enterprise. They also grow
organic turmeric, and can import fresh ginger and turmer-
ic to Canada as a food. The Puna Organics operation is
more diversified than edible harvests. They sell coir from
inland Thailand too. Their coir is much lower in salts than
any other product on the market,
because it doesn’t come from a
coastal area. Always aged 2 years,
and washed to have below .5 EC.
In 2014, they’re introducing 10 va-
rieties of medicinal ginger. They
also sell disease-free organic turmeric and ginger seed to
mainland growers. You can grow organic baby ginger in
most climates, even in the northern states, and it’s a huge
hit at farm markets everywhere. For market growers, fresh
baby ginger is an exciting crop with a lucrative price tag for
produce that has a waiting market. They’d love to ship their
top quality ginger seed beyond the U.S., though importing
regulations are tricky.
“the only brand of ginger you can buy that is completely
disease-free”
ORGANIC GINGER I GARDEN CULTURE
64
And finally,
Hugh and
his wife, El-
vira run a
sus t a inab le
resort serving
up a funky blend
of southern hospital-
ity and aloha in the middle
of beautiful Hawaiian nowhere.
Ginger is best grown in bags off the ground using drip ir-
rigation. It’s a crop that requires hilling, like potatoes and
leeks. Sunburn is an issue without covering the rhizomes
as they develop, decreasing it’s marketability, so it’s not
well-suited for hydroponics. It’s most efficiently grown
outdoors or in a greenhouse, and not under lights. The
crop takes a full season to reach the baby ginger harvest
state in subtropical climates.
Toying with the idea of growing baby ginger from root-
stock bought at the grocery store? Unless it’s Biker Dude
brand - don’t plant it in the ground! Fusarium spreads like
the plague on your hands, shoes, clothes, and garden tools.
You’ll infect your soil with pathogens that can attack a lot
of other crops in your garden.
“A field crop relying heavily on chemicals...”
“Ginger is best grown in bags off the ground using drip irrigation.”
ginger tissue culture
“their fresh ginger is in big demand on the
high-end organic market”
Want more info on Puna Organics?www.hawaiianorganicginger.com
65
ORGANIC GINGER I GARDEN CULTURE
Love ginger ale? Make your own - it puts the stuff you buy at the store to shame. Best of all, it’s
super easy to whip up. Add some ice and enjoy!
Homemade Ginger Ale
RECIPE
Ingredients:• 2 cups peeled, coarsely chopped fresh organic ginger
(about 10 ounces)
• 3 strips lemon peel (about 4 inches each),
yellow part only
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 3 quarts chilled club soda
• Ice cubes
Directions:Put ginger, lemon peel, and water in a 4-quart pan. Bring to a
boil over high heat. Reduce heat a bit, and simmer 10 minutes
uncovered at a low boil. Add sugar, stirring constantly, and con-
tinue to boil until reduced to about 3 cups - about 15 minutes.
Cover a large bowl with a fine wire strainer, and pour in
your ginger mixture to separate solids from liquid. Discard
the lemon peel, but save the candied ginger. It’s great for
topping ice cream, stirred into yogurt, among other uses.
Cool the syrup, pour into a glass container, seal tightly, and
chill at least 1 hour until cold. Can be stored up to 1 week.
For each 16-ounce serving, mix 1/4 cup ginger syrup
with 1 cup cold club soda and pour over ice. Addi-
tional ginger syrup and/or sugar may be added to taste.
Yield: 4 quarts. 3
65 gardenculture.net
we’ve got an eye
GARDEN CULTURE OFFERS ADVERTISERS: · EXCELLENT EXPOSURE · STRATEGIC PLACEMENTS· GREAT RATESMORE INFO ON WWW.GARDENCULTURE.NET
for green business
GARDENCU LT U R E
caughtyour
EYE?
GARDENCU LT U R E
caughtyour
EYE?
68
Soil Techniques in hydroponics
“Does a human truly know what a plant WANTS?”
When people are first introduced to hydroponics many marvel at the concept of roots
growing in water and the “technology” involved, or the magic of producing yields ten
and even twenty times larger per acre than those accomplished in soil. While these are
certainly real and relevant ideas, the reality is that a plant is a plant. Even if it was growing
on Mars it would still require the same basic requirements provided by Mother Nature.
The name of the growing game is how to deliver these most efficiently and effectively.
This is best accomplished by considering what the plant wants, not what we want to get
out of the plant. Think of it this way, it is one thing to allow a plant to grow, but it’s another
entirely to allow your plants to thrive.
69 69
SOIL TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY EVAN FOLDS
For instance, as is attested to by anyone who has used
them, a basic hydroponic nutrient is sufficient to grow a
plant successfully. In other words, it’s designed to provide
everything the plant requires to grow, which amounts to
anywhere from 15-17 elements, depending on who you ask.
Now let’s ask ourselves a question. There are over 90
Earth-bound elements on the periodic table, so why would
Mother Nature make an element not needed in the garden?
Think about that. Does a human truly know what a plant
wants?
The fact is that using natural and “organic” products al-
low people to use a wider variety of elemental nutrition
unconsciously without choosing to bring these materials to
the table because they are diverse by Nature. This is the
basis for the generally accepted concept that hydroponics
delivers higher yields, but “organics” brings a higher quality.
There is truth to this idea. But it is also true that you can
get the best of both worlds.
In order to express these ideas fully it helps to have a clear
delineation of soil growing versus hydroponic growing. In
the simplest terms, hydroponic gardening is an emphasis on
growing the plant, while growing in soil is a focus on grow-
ing the soil, or more directly, growing microorganisms.
Microbes are beneficial to plants directly through making
perfect plant food and helping them eat it, as well as indi-
rectly by acting as a preventive measure towards root and
foliar disease and pest infestations.
It is an apt analogy to compare the living organisms that
make up the soil food web to that of the ocean food web.
Microscopic organism activity supports the entire ecosys-
tem of the ocean, such as photosynthetic bacteria or plank-
ton. In general terms, the big fish eats the small fish and all
survive by attaining biological balance. The strength of the
system is in the diversity and the magic is found, not in a
single component, but in the symbiosis and synergy of the
web of life.
The same is true in the soil. Microorganisms, or microbes,
are the plankton of the soil food web. Up to 50% of the
food plants make for themselves in photosynthesis is actu-
ally fed through its roots as an exudate to attract microbes.
There is an intelligence to this system, and take note that
this teamwork is generally absent from a conventional hy-
droponic system offering only 15-17 elements and water.
Thinking about these systems properly is very important.
In fact, it is the very act of treating soil environments like
hydroponic applications that cause so many of the issues
we experience on our farms and in our residential land-
scapes. Artificial products do not feed microbes. And mi-
crobes make plant food, people don’t.
Given this understanding, the trick is in how to get mi-
crobes and the natural processes of Nature to support the
yield enhancing benefits of hydroponic applications. One of
the best ways to do this is using living compost tea.
Compost tea is the act of growing microbes using diverse
food and mineral sources within aerated water. The result
is microbiological reproduction and the perfect plant food
being created.
While many choose to maintain “cleanliness”, in all real-
ity considering the above arguments, the most important
place to use compost tea is in a hydroponic system.
For instance, budget fertilizers contain maybe 7-8 total
elements, a hydroponic fertilizer maybe 17, but a good
compost tea recipe contains over 90 elements. Not only
are there more elements, but they are more available and
there are more forms of them. Nature makes isotopes, or
different forms of the same element. Never heard of it?
Look it up.
So there’s the total number of elements and the form po-
tential of those elements, but let’s take it one step further.
The different elements actually work together to produce
superior results in the garden.
That’s right. It’s accepted knowledge in good agronomy
that, for example, you want manganese at ½ of iron, or
“A PLANT IS A PLANT - REQUIRING THE SAME BASIC ELEMENTS EVEN IF YOU’RE GROWING ON MARS”
Compost tea can, and should be, used
in every garden. Water culture
hydroponics is a technique
most vulnerable to root dis-
ease because the roots are
constantly submerged in
the reservoir solution.
The above illustration il-
lustrates this. The fertilizer
solution constantly aerates the
roots from the bottom as they
grow into the solution.
The organisms that cause common
rooting diseases are always pres-
ent in a hydroponic reservoir in the
same way that mold grows when a
room is humid. Again, it is weak
plants and inferior conditions that
allow them to express themselves.
This grower had some browning
roots that were limp and looked
disease prone (pic at left). The
roots were not yet rotten, but slime coated and the plant
growth was limping along.
Once the severely damaged roots were
removed, and compost tea was added
to the reservoir, BOOM, the fresh new
white roots are popping out like crazy.
The picture to the right shows the dif-
ference only 48 hours after adding com-
post tea to the reservoir.
that zinc is 1/10th of phosphorous in or-
der for plants to have adequate ac-
cess to these elements. In other
words, certain elements un-
lock others in proper ratios.
The idea is not to figure all
of this out, it is arguable if
that is even possible. But
one thing is for sure, if
you don’t put all the play-
ers on the field... your
team will not win as many
games.
The diagram on the right is
not proof of anything. It was put
together by many people through
many anecdotal experiences. And it is
only scratching the surface. But most of the
important information cannot be measured directly. Such
is life.
Regardless, it provides a window into the complexity and
potential of balanced growing with natural potential and
hopefully challenges the grower to think outside of the box
of good enough. We need to start asking ourselves what
we’re missing before all we are left with are empty geneti-
cally modified plants. But that’s another article. (Note - A
smilie was here)
Even one step further, it is important to consider elemen-
tal diversity from a plants perspective, but it may even be
more important to consider it from a microbes perspec-
tive. Microbes create and use enzymes to do their work
and every element on the period table has an enzyme po-
tential. It’s called a co-factor, meaning the specific element
defines the enzyme and acts as a backbone, so to speak.
So in a very real sense, without all elements in your garden
it’s like hiring microbes to build a house and giving them
only half the tools.
“THERE ARE OVER 90 EARTH-BOUND ELEMENTS ON THE PERIODIC TABLE, SO WHY WOULD MOTHER NATURE MAKE AN ELEMENT NOT NEEDED IN THE GARDEN? BASIC HYDROPONIC NUTRIENTS HAVE ONLY 15-17 ELEMENTS”
70
elemental connection
root slime
no slime left!
71
Below is 72 hours after adding compost tea to the reser-
voir with images of two more plants that were in the same
system. All of them have pearly white roots exploding from
the root system. The above images are the middle plant
below.
Here is another side-by-side from a customer using com-
post tea in hydroponics. In the image to the left you see
rooting before adding compost tea. The image to the right
shows the same plant 48 hours after adding it.
Following is a side-by-side we did in-house in an ebb & flow
hydroponic system. They were grown next to each other
in separate systems.
The plant on the left was the control and grown with a base
hydroponic fertilizer and water. The plant on the right re-
ceived 1 cup per gallon of compost tea with the same base
hydroponic fertilizer. The results speak for themselves.
SOIL TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
“UP TO 50% OF THE FOOD PLANTS MAKE IS ACTUALLY EXUDED THROUGH ITS ROOTS TO ATTRACT MICROBES”
Pearly white root system after 72 hours with compost tea
before addition of compost teaafter 48 hours with compost tea
WITHOUT Compost Tea WITH Compost Tea
Many already use hybrid approaches using “soilless” mixes
containing peat moss or coir fiber. They cost less and are a
suitable for making custom mixes. They are also more suit-
able for establishing healthy microbiological activity.
And if you’re wondering. Don’t be concerned about kill-
ing microbes with artificial hydroponic nutrients. You’re
not helping them, but microbes are extremely resilient and,
generally speaking, if you are not harming plants with the
salt toxicity you are not hurting the microbes.
Besides, microbes actually act as a clearing solution. Most
hydroponic growers tell themselves that living compost tea
solutions will “contaminate” or “gunk up” their systems
with bioslimes and all sorts of other scary things, when, in
fact, the opposite is true. Use compost tea at a 1:20 ratio on
reservoir changes and you will have the cleanest reservoir
you’ve ever seen. Try it.
Just goes to show that sometimes life is not as it seems.
Consider the perspective that the first thing that we should
know is that we don’t. The humility in this approach is
where real progress is made.
Happy growing. 3
72
The problem with standard containers and planters is the you must pour lots of water in through the top
to get good consistent moisture to all the roots. Potting mix has sharp drainage to protect roots from rot,
so you have very low moisture retention as all unabsorbed moisture quickly exits at the bottom. This is
great on automated irrigation. At home, it results in plants enjoying a heavy drink, getting parched, binge
again existence... and the cycle continues for the length of their life.
Not only is this a huge waste of water, it throws your plants off-balance. First they’re lovin’ life. Next
they’re battling stress. Then it’s back to living large again when you come by with the watering can.
You know what this kind of constant mood and energy swing does to you. Imagine what it does to
plants and their ability to grow food!
(self irrigating planter)
“THIS TECHNIQUE IS ALSO KNOWN
AS PASSIVE HYDROPONICS”
PLANTS AREN’T MADE FOR CONTAINERSContainer growing any plant means being super vigilant
in staying on top of your watering. Let it get too dry and
you have foliar damage at best. This situation can maim
or kill even a rugged plant quickly under the midday sun
outdoors. Inside a building won’t make parched potting
mix any friendlier. In fact, it’s much more critical. Modern
homes and offices are climate controlled, free of dew and
rainfall.
With a SIP system, or self irrigating planter, you can still en-
joy just picked delicious produce at a far lower cost. You’ll
also use way less water and none of it is wasted. The bonus
with these growing systems is that you have greatly re-
duced your risk of crop loss because you forgot to water.
autopot
73 73
seeds. Here your containers sit on an absorbent mat with
ends that drop over a riser stand to draw water from the
pan below. In a seed starting tray like this, a clear plastic
dome keeps moisture from simply evaporating and disap-
pearing too quickly. Self watering growing systems today
also enclose the water tray and reservoir for this same
reason.
Old fashioned methods of wicking into containers used
cotton rope to pull water from the reservoir into the con-
tainer where the media and roots could do their thing.
Technology and advanced knowledge has improved this
technique of low maintenance growing. Some SIP systems
still use a wick, others use the wicking action naturally
present in soil or moisture holding media.
Water is heavy, but with proper aeration, any of it stored
below is drawn up into the substrate easily without a
wick. That is what capillary action is all about. When fine
tunnels are available in the soil or potting mix, water can
defy gravity and rise. Your plants make full use of it where
it counts most - at the root zone. A huge reduction in
water use and foliar issues from overhead watering.
You can increase your water conservation with the use of
lightweight sheet mulch covering the surface of the grow-
ing media. Additionally, these techniques allow fruits and
veggies grown anywhere with minimal labor while deliver-
ing high yields in a very compact space.
HOW DO I GET ONE?You can buy ready to use systems online, at local garden
centres and hydro shops. What you can grow this way
runs the full gamut. There are shallow planters perfect
for herbs and greens to those large enough to grow sweet
corn and full-sized tomato plants. Plant a mixed mini plot
in a single container, or a whole garden of goodness grow-
ing in several containers at once.
SIP GARDENING I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY TAMMY CLAYTON
You can also go away for a week and not come home to
dead plants. The biggest benefit might be that your har-
vest will ripen more quickly than in a traditional summer
garden and with a higher yield.
Here’s the really cool part. You can grow totally organic
food this way - indoors or outside. SIP gardens are per-
fect for an empty corner, a windowsill, rooftop gardens,
patios, balconies, classrooms, greenhouses and even your
office. For best results indoors, do plan on using full sun
intensity grow lights.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?Any self watering planting system will hold a great deal of
water in a reservoir with a storage capacity ranging from
one to many gallons. Some are battery operated drip sys-
tems and others use natural gravity, water pressure and a
specially designed container. An important note about in-
expensive automated drip systems. Your tap water could
cause problems with valve functioning. Claber makes one
you’ll find easy to locate that can water 20 plants for 40
days, but the reviews are anything but glowing. Why both-
er if it’s not reliable?
Gravity is free and far less prone to issues. Plants know
exactly how to make this system work. The simplest form
of self irrigating system uses what is known as wicking
or capillary action. This has long been used for starting
“WITH A SIP SYSTEM, OR SELF IRRIGATING
PLANTER... ENJOY JUST PICKED DELICIOUS
PRODUCE AT A FAR LOWER COST. YOU’LL ALSO USE WAY LESS
WATER AND NONE OF IT WILL BE WASTED”
homemade set-up
EARTHBOX SHOOL GARDEN
75 gardenculture.net
“WATER CAN DEFY GRAVITY AND RISE INTO MEDIA USING CAPILLARY ACTION.”“.”“YOU CAN GROW INDOORS AND OUTDOORS WITH ONE UNIT - DEPENDING ON THE SEASON.”
SIP GARDENING I GARDEN CULTURE
BRANDS TO INVESTIGATEAll of these function without timers or power,
though you do need electricity for grow lights
for reliable indoor gardening. If the SIP system
has a pump, it operates using gravity triggered by
water level when needed. This technique is also
known as passive hydroponics.
EarthBox• Window box styling; 2 sizes & 3 colors
• Fill your own or purchase a full kit
• Organic kit available
• Accessories & supplies available
• Priced from $25
• More info and dealer location:
www.earthbox.com
Lucheza• Gorgeous individual pots for discerning
indoor gardeners
• Priced from $25
• Supplies & accessories available
• Visual reservoir level monitor
• Stacking systems available
• More info: www.lechuza.es
Autopot Easy 2 Grow• Gravity triggered pump
• Passive hydroponics
• Natural capillary activity
• Reservoir feeds & waters up to 4 weeks
• 2 pot system kit with reservoir
• Used in homes and commercial growing
• Expandable system with 1-2 pot trays
• Larger reservoirs available
• Priced from $70
• More info: www.autopot-usa.com
STRAPPED FOR CASH?You can build your own SIP planters. Check
out these great plans that could cost as
little as $6 to complete here: http://www.
seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf. Prac-
tice some savvy repurposing or recycling,
and you might do it for less. If you’re new
to growing food,
the DIY directions
on that web page
explains what you
need once you’ve
got your planter
built. There are also
winterization tips
if gardening solely outdoors, but you can
grow indoors and outdoors with one unit
- depending on the season.
A note about building your own. Look for
plastic tubs that are safe, like recyclable
symbol 5 on the bottom, which identifies
food grade polypropylene construction.
WHICH IS BETTER?Factory produced systems are probably
much more durable and they are the clos-
est thing to a plug and play SIP garden pos-
sible. If you’re not real handy and can afford
them, buying a ready made gardening sys-
tem might be your key to success. 3
“CONTAINER GROWING ANY PLANT MEANS
BEING SUPER VIGILANT IN STAYING ON TOP OF
YOUR WATERING”
YOU CAN BUY SIP
PLANTERS OR BUILD YOUR
OWN
EarthBox
Lucheza
autopot
quadgrow slim
76
Cuttings are ideal for
aeroponic systems be-
cause the roots grow
much faster than in
growing medium and
they are less prone to
diseases because the
roots are in air instead
of lying in growing sub-
strates that provide a
habitat for pathogens.
Cuttings rooted in
aeroponics are ideal for
transplanting into hydro-
ponic and soil based growing systems. Often, many grow-
ers use aeroponic rooting machines like the EZ-CLONE
aeroponic cloning machine or they may create their own
system from a plastic storage bin and spare plumbing parts
from their local hydroponic retailer.
Here are the some simple steps to use a rooting machine
to turn your fresh cuttings into a rooting extravaganza!
Embrace the Awesome
Power of Air
STEP 1. Fill ‘er up!Fill your machine with room temperature water.
You might be inclined to throw some nutrients into the wa-
ter at this stage, but your cuttings will not uptake the nutri-
ents because they lack roots. As you begin to notice roots,
you can gradually add nutrients to feed your cuttings. It’s
recommended to use non organic mineral based nutrients
over organic nutrients because the plant can immediately
absorb the nutrients. There are numerous nutrient mixes
on the market designed for rooting cuttings. Look for nu-
trient products with phosphorus to encourage the growth
of your roots. Try to get you’re your EC between 0.4 and
0.6.
STEP 2. Environment ControlsPamper your cuttings with an ideal temperature of around
75 degrees Fahrenheit and try to keep the highest tem-
perature to below 84ºF to reduce stress. The nutrient
solution should stay between 79-84ºF. Keep an eye on the
submerged pumps, air vents, and placement on appliances,
or strong sunlight that could vary the temperature of the
nutrient solution.
If you’ve got the need for speed let go of your dir t and water! Aeroponics, cultivating plants in
an air or mist environment without a growing medium. Aeroponics often uses misting nozzles to
create a humid environment that roots thrive in.
“Pamper your cuttings”
All images courtesy of EZCLONE, INC (http://www.ezclone.com/)
“Cuttings are ideal for aeroponic systems because the roots grow much faster...”
77 77
CUTTINGS I GARDEN CULTUREBY BEN GREENE
gardenculture.net
Embrace the Awesome
Power of Air
STEP 3. Light it up!Cuttings require much less light than they will need dur-
ing later stages of their life. Avoid intense light and direct
sunlight as it distracts the plants from rooting. Window
sills are fine, but growers prefer the control of 55 watt T5
fluorescent lights placed 12-14 inches above the cuttings.
The lights should stay on for 18-24 hours a day for maxi-
mum growth.
STEP 4. Place your cuttings into the aeroponic machineMany aeroponic machines use neoprene foam inserts. En-
sure that your foam inserts are clean and free from debris
to prevent disease. You should insert the cuttings into the
slit in the foam, allowing 2” of the stem to dangle into the
misting chamber. Only bare stems should be placed in the
misting chamber.
STEP 5. Go Forth and Grow!Expect the leaves on your cutting to wilt slightly for a few
hours while they are becoming adjusted to their new envi-
ronment. If the cuttings continue to wilt, mist the leaves
with water. If it looks like you may lose a couple of cuttings
after the first 24 hours, go ahead and create a replacement
for those. You should begin to see white roots forming on
the cuttings by day 3. At this stage you can begin to add
your nutrient solution.
Keep an eye on the machine and ensure that your nozzles
don’t clog, this is very important, because extended peri-
ods of dry air will lead to a quick death for your cuttings!
On day 7, you should notice a proliferation of roots form-
ing. This is just the beginning! Give your cutting 4 more
days to develop its root system and mature into its own
plant. Root hair formation is a sure sign that your cuttings
are ready to transplant. If you’re not in a hurry to plant,
your plants can survive for weeks in the aeroponic ma-
chine. Go forth and grow! 3
“Use non organic mineral based
nutrients”
: “If you’ve got the need for speed
let go of your dirt and water!”
79 gardenculture.net
SOIL-TACOS I GARDEN CULTUREBY: TAMMY CLAYTON, PHOTOS:GABY BRONSTEIN
HOW TO MAKE SOIL TACOS FOR GROWING MICRO GREENS
Give the micro greens a treatment of Earth Tonic Concentrated Ocean Water now and once a week until harvest. Water the
trays daily. Here’s Gaby Bronstein’s micro greens potting mix recipe: 80% peat moss, 20% perlite. Add a little oyster shell to
improve pH, a little Earth Recharge from Progressive Earth, and a tiny bit of worm castings. Mix well and moisten before filling
micro green growing trays. 3
Use 46” of good 2-ply paper toweling.
Cheap brands or recycled towels don’t
work. Try Bounty or Brawny..
Lay one end of toweling in tray. Spray
the towel in the bottom of the tray with
water to hold in place.
Add your micro green growing mix.
Spread and smooth it out. Only half fill
the tray’s depth.
Fold other half of the toweling over to
cover your growth media in the tray.
Tuck the paper towel in between media
and tray on the end and both sides.
Wet down the top of your soil taco
with water from your sprayer.
Sprinkle a handful of seed over the wet
surface. Mist the seed. Cover with an
empty tray.
Mist with plain water 3 times a day.
Constant moisture and you’ll have this
2 days later.
Remove the tray on day 3. The yellowish
sprouts will quickly green up under lights.
31 2
64 5
97 8
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82
Growing Micro Greens Indoors at John Ash and Co.
BY GABY BRONSTEIN
Bringing the Farm intothe Kitchen…
Thanks to chefs like Alice Waters and John Ash in California, the “Farm to Table” movement has seen
exponential growth in restaurants across the country in recent years. The philosophy of farm to table
is simple one, based on restaurants using locally grown, seasonal ingredients on their menus. In most
cases, this establishes a relationship between the restaurant and the farm. Often times, the restaurant
may actually be on the same property as the farm. This blended model not only allows the chef to give
input on what’s grown, but it also allows for harvesting the fruits and vegetables at peak ripeness and
plated within minutes harvest. Foods delivered to your plate with this method not only have peak flavor,
they also have maximum nutritional value.
83 83 gardenculture.net
I find it interesting even with the rapid growth of the Farm To
Table movement, very few, if any restaurants grow their own
micro greens on-site. The restaurants
I spoke to buy their micro greens from
local farms or farmers markets, and
refrigerate them for a few days before
using them. I realized this presented
a unique opportunity to help restau-
rants to not only increase freshness
and nutritional value, but to also lower food costs simultane-
ously. Much of the cost of micro greens is the packaging, deliv-
ery and marketing, and nothing is more nutritious pound for
pound as garden fresh micro greens.
Following a good friend’s suggestion, I contacted some restau-
rants to see if they would be interested in me helping them
grow micro greens on-site. I did a quick internet search where
I live for “Top Restaurants Santa Rosa California.“ The num-
ber one response was “John Ash & Co. ” PERFECT!!! Not
only is John Ash and Co. one of Sonoma County’s top restau-
rants, but the namesake, John Ash, is both the “The Father of
Wine Country Cuisine,“ and one of the pioneers of the Farm
to Table movement.
I emailed the Executive Chef, Thomas Schmidt, with the pro-
posal of helping them grow micro greens indoors on-site. I
asked if I could deliver a sample so
he could see what we could produce
there. To my joy and amazement a
response to my email arrived imme-
diately, because the chef was inter-
ested!
I made arrangements to deliver samples and to speak with
Chef Schmidt later on that week. Arriving at the restaurant
for our meeting, I could see he was pleasantly surprised that
I brought flats of LIVE micro greens. The samples included
Arugula , Red Russian Kale, Daikon and Red Rambo Radishes,
Broccoli, Opal Basil , Snap Peas, 3 types of Mustards, as well as
a Spicy and Mild Mix.
The vibrancy and flavor of my micro green samples impressed
Chef Schmidt, but he was a little concerned about how much
space would be needed to grow enough micro greens to sup-
ply the restaurant. I explained that if we used Growlab Hor-
ticultural’s Clonelab Tall (with some shelves added) from that
we could grow 20 flats in an area of 2’W x 4’L x6’H. The micro
greens take 5 - 14 days to grow, and we would have no less
than 10 flats a week ready for harvest. We located an unused
“the Farm to Table movement has seen
exponential growth”
FARM TO TABLE I GARDEN CULTURE
Germinating Russian red kale
Gaby Bronstein and Sous-chef Devin Kellogg (left)
“very few, if any restaurants grow their own micro greens”
85
“growing micro greens couldn’t
be easier!”
FARM TO TABLE I GARDEN CULTURE
Etoliation
space behind a door in the staff break room … PERFECT! This
was an empty space just a few steps away from the kitchen.
Less than one week later, the micro green garden was up and
running. To ensure the restaurant’s success, we started seeds at
my indoor garden shop, The Garden Spout. I prepared the soil
using a new technique I saw being used
in a micro green forum I follow. This
technique involves making what I call
“Soil Tacos.“ We cut out a long sheet
of paper towels. We place the beginning
of the towel in the flat, we then add soil
and finally we wrap the paper towels
back over the soil and tuck it in.
This Soil Taco method serves 2 main functions. Firstly, many
micro green seeds are quite small, and when planting such fine
seed they can fall into the cracks of the soil, burying them too
deep for good germination rates. Secondly, and this is even
more important and useful, is how clean the paper towel meth-
od is. Most micro greens can simply be plucked out of the paper
towel with the roots attached, and harvested free of soil, mak-
ing cleaning as simple as a quick rinse.
The seeds are sown directly on the paper towel, and are then
covered with a sheet of white plastic. This gives the seeds
the darkness they need, and protects them from drying out
since they are on the surface. Without this plastic sheet, the
seeds dry out very quickly unless they are misted multiple times
a day. The planted flats are then placed on a heating pad, and
left to do their thing with nothing more than a daily misting for
3 days needed.
Now it’s time for finishing off the crop. All the seeds have germi-
nated and started growing in that short span of time. Removing
the plastic, you find many seedlings are yellow colored due to
the lack of exposure to light. This green pigment deficiency is
called “etiolation.“ Within a few hours of exposure to light the
micro green seedlings green up nicely.
The last thing I do before delivering
these starts is to thoroughly water
them with Earth Tonic, an ocean
water concentrate with added bio-
dynamic preparations. Besides the
small amounts of compost in the soil
mix, the Earth Tonic is the only plant
food used. Ocean water has all the elements on earth in their
most natural form. When used properly these solutions help
grow even more nutrient dense crops, which translate into
stronger flavors as well.
From this point on, the restaurant staff only needs to make
sure the micro greens do not dry out. We set up a simple
system that allows them to water all the flats in less than 5
minutes. Making this process easy helps ensure that it is not
forgotten.
Within 2 days from this point, the Chef can harvest the micro
greens as needed. To serve patrons the most vibrant greens,
while at the same time ensuring little to no waste, harvesting
will take place as often as 3 - 4 times in a service.
In the following weeks I will be training the culinary gardener
at John Ash how to prepare the soil mix for the Soil Tacos,
and the planting procedures so they can become fully self-suffi-
cient… but growing micro greens couldn’t be easier! Anyone
can grow them. I would even go as far to say it’s the easiest
crop of all, and offers the highest possible nutritional value.
So get a Micro Green Garden growing for Macro results. 3
85 gardenculture.net
Red-Rambo radish seedling
Aragula in Soil-Taco
86
S E C R E T T O B E T T E R TA S T I N G V E G E TA B L E S
Attention all home growers! Did you know there are
ways to make your vegetables taste better than they
already do? What if I was to tell you this way only in-
volves some rapidly boiled water, a couple of bowls,
a strainer and about the same amount of time it will
take you to read this article? It sounds crazy, I know,
but bear with me for your own benefit.
“These (cooking) methods preserve nutrients, provide great flavor, a nice crunch and does not cook it to baby food hell. ”
What if I told you these methods would preserve nutrients,
provide great flavor, a nice crunch and won’t involve any ge-
netic “enhancements?” Oh what is this wondrous witchcraft
I’m spouting, you may ask? It’s called blanching and steaming. It
may sound familiar. It may sound like it’s a myth. But it is real.
So what is the difference between blanching and steaming?
How can I do this myself without a trained chef? Well that’s
where I come in.
Blanching is a process of flash cooking and cooling. You take a
pot of rapidly boiling water and add a bit of salt. Put your fresh
veggies in (cutting off stems and cleaning beforehand). Cook
for around two to no more than five minutes (depending on
the veggie toughness factor; broccoli takes longer than green
beans, etc.), and then immediately transfer to an ice water
bath for about thirty seconds. That’s it! So why should you do
this few minutes of labor?
I recently visited a small, family owned dining establishment
in Lancaster, CA. While I was there I spoke to head chef and
manager of Barones on the Blvd, Thomas Powers. According
to chef Powers, blanching is reserved for vegetables with a
cell structure that will break down when overcooked. Veg-
gies like broccoli, cauliflower and squashes he says. When
you overcook these types of veggies, they turn to mush in a
pale shade of what was. But, chef Powers says, if you blanch,
you preserve the crunchy bite, the lush color and best of all,
the nutrients. Blanching does quick cook the fresh veggie, but
does not cook it to baby food hell.
But wait! Don’t leave your love seat just yet. All this talk about
blanching may have made you jump up and go on a food ad-
venture. Yet we haven’t even touched the other way to make
crunchy, nutrient rich veggies, steaming.
87 87
TASTY VEGETABLES I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
Instead of asking a professional chef for steaming advice, I
went to my local resident expert and parent, Lucy Burk. My
mother has been cooking veggies and local foods for years.
She has worked in various restaurants as well as feeding my
well for eighteen years of my life. I don’t know a better cook.
When I asked her about what steaming is, she stated, “Steam-
ing is a method of using high heat (to boil water) to steam the
vegetables without making them wilt.”
Just like blanching, this method preserves flavor and nutri-
ents. This method is quicker, because you don’t need the
ice bath step. But, you may lose some color. Any vegetable can
be preserved this way. All you need to do is get a boiling pot
of water on your stove. Add a bit of salt for flavor. Once the
water is boiling, put your veggies in a good strainer and place
it on the top of the pot. The veggies should be ABOVE the
water, not soaked in it. Vegetables that are more dense may
take about four or five minutes to steam. Veggies that are less
dense could take around two or three minutes to cook. Again,
like blanching, this method preserves flavor and texture.
Now there are some differences between blanching and steam-
ing. Blanching can preserve the color more than steaming will,
but you may lose some nutrients since the vegetables are being
fully immersed in the boiling water. Steaming may cause some
loss of color, but will keep more of the nutritional benefit. Serv-
ing time wise, blanching is better if you’re planning on serving a
bit later in the day or the next day. Steaming, on the other hand,
may be better if you’re planning on serving your fresh vegetables
right after the steaming process.
When you look at it side by side, you can’t go wrong either
way. Blanching or steaming will get you great results as long
as you don’t cook the vegetables too long. Too much cooking,
with either method, will result in mushy lumps of lost nutri-
tion that you couldn’t pick up with a fork. Also, make sure you
clean and cut off all the non-edibles BEFORE you do either
method. So you have your home garden, try something new.
When you have that party, or friends come over for some din-
ner, or maybe you’re making some food for yourself and you
want some great healthy flavor, try one of these methods. Go
ahead. Get up and do it. 3
BY BRIAN BURK
STEAMING IS A METHOD OF USING HIGH HEAT... THE VEGGIES GO ABOVE THE WATER
“TOO MUCH COOKING WILL RESULT IN MUSHY LUMPS OF LOST NUTRITION”
89
KORN I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
The original plan proved to be a little over ambitious,
we needed to simplify. Once again, my buddy Nick and I
were off to Bakersfield to build a garden for Korn. We
completely tore down everything and started again from
scratch. We built a beautiful 12’ x 4’ 5 channel NFT garden.
Lit on one side by an OG reflector running a 1000W ‘blue’
bulb, and the other end has an Inda-Gro Induction Light
with “pontoons.”
Korn was touring when we were there so they didn’t get
to see the garden then, but when they got back they were
quick to call. They are loving the new design and can’t wait
to see it full of life.
Just reading Korn’s 2013 touring schedule will make you
tired. They just released their 11th studio album, The Par-
adigm Shift, and have been all over the world promoting
it. We were there working on the first garden when they
were recording it. At one point during the build Ray Luzzier
came down and gave me the drumsticks he used to record
that day. I took a picture of him and my kid’s stuffed animal.
Now they are back, and will be spending a lot more time in
the studio, and in their garden.
I am very pleased to say that the Hydro Nerds will be
maintaining the garden, which pretty much guarantees
its success.
Stay tuned as this garden is about to take off. 3
BY ERIC COULOMBE
KornIs
corn?still growing
Right now the band’s garden is growing kale, basil, and other yummy veggies. Unfortunately, the corn
crop didn’t really work out. Like so many indoor gardeners Korn had to learn their gardening lessons
the hard way. They killed every plant in their first grow. Instead of throwing in the towel, total failure
seemed to increase their resolve to make it work.
90 90
(A.K.A. SEWAGE SLUDGE)
BIOSOLIDS
“BIOSOLID” IS A MISLEADING PUBLIC RELATIONS TERM”
“A PROBLEM BY-PRODUCT OF SEWAGE TREATMENT...”
91 gardenculture.net
BIO-SOLIDS I GARDEN CULTUREBY GRUBBYCUP
Gardeners and health conscious consumers may be shocked to learn that the organic sounding
ingredient “biosolids” found in some potting and compost mixes is actually municipal sewage sludge.
and 1% domestic waste can still be considered “biosolids”
after treatment since it contains some domestic wastewa-
ter product.
The details of treatment vary, but they generally start with
using a bar screen to remove large objects such as shopping
carts that could damage the processing equipment. The
waste is then allowed to settle. The portion that
sinks to the bottom is the sewage sludge, and
the portion that floats is known as scum.
The water between the two layers is
then removed, filtered and treated,
and released into rivers or oceans.
The scum from the top is some-
times collected and reintroduced to
the collected sewage sludge from the
bottom. Most studies on sewage treat-
ment effectiveness have centered around
the removed wastewater effluent layer, and
not the leftover sewage sludge.
Treatment to convert the sewage sludge into “Class A
biosolids” can be accomplished by aerobic composting, an-
erobic composting, heat drying, or pasteurization. These
methods reduce the amount of active live pathogens pres-
ent in the material. Class B biosolids have less stringent re-
quirements, and use restrictions. It can only be applied to
areas where public access is “limited”, such as commercial
food crop production. Some studies suggest that at least
some of the inactive pathogens in the sludge may reactivate
when exposed to wet conditions (such as watering of plants
treated with sludge).
Biosolids may be spread on agricultural fields, which they
consider as “surface disposal sites”. Cattle and other ani-
mals meant for human consumption are allowed to graze
on surface disposal sites as long as there is documentation
that steps are taken to “ensure protection of public health
“Biosolid” is a misleading public relations term for semi-
treated municipal sewage sludge. The sludge is sometimes
sold or given to consumers and farms for use as a free or
low-cost fertilizer. It is also used in some low grade pot-
ting and compost mixes. While biosolids do contain about
4% nitrogen, and several micronutrients, they also contain
elevated levels of harmful bacteria, heavy metals, medical
waste, and other hazardous materials. An esti-
mated 3-5 million dry tons of biosolids fertil-
izer is in use annually on farms, in land-
scapes, and by unwitting homeowners.
Biosolids are a problem by-product
of sewage treatment. Since the ban
on ocean dumping went into effect,
waste management companies have
increased efforts to sneak more and
more of the toxic substance into the con-
sumer food chain. Waste products enter the
sewage system through toilets, sewers, industrial
and medical drains, and then collected at sewage facilities.
Untreated sewage contains everything dumped into the
sewer, not only human waste products, but anything else
that gets poured down a drain. Considered to be a danger-
ous biohazard, untreated sewage generally contains human
pathogens, and at least some form of medical waste. It can
also be a chemical hazard depending on the amount of drain
cleaners, solvents, heavy metals, radioactive materials, or
other potentially toxic chemicals present.
The EPA defines sewage sludge as a solid, semi-solid, or liq-
uid residue generated from processing domestic sewage in
a treatment works. “Sewage sludge includes scum or solids
removed in primary, secondary, or advanced wastewater
treatment processes and any material derived from sewage
sludge” (The Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage
Sludge– Part 503 - US Environmental Protection Agency). It
also mentions that material containing 99% industrial waste
“CLASS B BIOSOLIDS MAY BE APPLIED TO FOOD CROPS OR GRAZING LAND”
“CONTAIN ELEVATED LEVELS OF HARMFUL
BACTERIA, HEAVY METALS, MEDICAL
WASTE, AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.”
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93 gardenculture.net
BIO-SOLIDS I GARDEN CULTURE
“USED AS A FREE OR LOW-COST
FERTILIZER”
and the environment from any reasonably anticipated ad-
verse effects of certain pollutants that can be present in
biosolids.”(also from The Standards for the Use or Disposal
of Sewage Sludge– Part 503 - US Environmental Protection
Agency). Class B biosolids may be applied to food crops or
grazing land as long as the edible portions do not touch the
surface of the soil, and harvest is at least 30 days after the
last application. If the edible portions come in contact with
the soil, the last application must have been over 14 months
before harvest. Grazing animals cannot be allowed back on
the pasture for the first 30 days after application. People
without protective suits are also restricted from the site for
30 days on a farm, or 1 year for public
access (although these restrictions are
lower for the actual food produced in
such fields).
“EQ” biosolids show lower (but mea-
surable) levels of heavy metals and
pathogens, and are exempt from these restrictions. These
biosolids can be sold or given away in bulk, mixed with soil
amendments and sold to consumers, or bagged for direct
consumer use.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) purchased
nine off the shelf samples of biosolids available to consumers
for study. They tested the samples for 87 different pollut-
ant chemicals selected for their ability to pass through cur-
rent treatments essentially intact. Out of the 87 chemicals
tested, 55 were present in at least one of the samples. Every
sample had 25 chemicals in common, with one sample hav-
ing measurable levels of 45. Some of the organic wastewa-
ter contaminants (OWCs) they all had in common include
an antimicrobial disinfectant, an antihistamine, an antiepilep-
tic drug, and steroids. These contaminants were found to
comprise up to 1,800 ppm of the biosolids tested. The study
concluded that “the results indicate that biosolids have high
concentrations of these emerging contaminants compared
to treated liquid wastewater effluent.” (Household Chemi-
cals and Drugs Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treat-
ment Plants - United States Geological Survey). Another
study found elevated levels of these types of chemicals
found in earthworms taken from areas of repeated biosolid
use. (Environmental Science and Technology – Colorado
State University of Pueblo, USGS)
Although the information on long-term effects of the use
of biosolids is inconclusive at this time, a USGS study of
long-term intensive land disposal of treated sewage in Cape
Cod has shown the damage caused to a nearby aquifer will
take at least decades to return to
pre-contamination conditions. (Toxic
Substances Hydrology Program -
United States Geological Survey).
We don’t have to spread sewage
sludge on our food crops and home
gardens; alternative uses include using it as a fuel source
for bioreactors, or used to help restore landscapes already
damaged from mining and landfills.
The intentional misrepresentation of the product to the
consumer is a cause for concern. Amendment products
that contain biosolids may or may not be labeled clearly as
such, and the meaning of the organic sounding word “bio-
solid” is not commonly understood by the public. Foods
grown under conditions where they are exposed to bio-
solids, even under direct contact, are not required to bear
any indication to allow the consumer to make an informed
choice in making purchasing selections.
When in doubt as to whether a product contains biosolids,
contact the manufacturer. If they do not use sewage sludge
in their products, they will likely be quick to say so. If they do
use biosolids, be prepared for an obtuse or confusing answer
as they try to cover up the reality of their ingredients. 3
“99% INDUSTRIAL WASTE AND 1% DOMESTIC WASTE CAN STILL BE
CONSIDERED “BIOSOLIDS””
94
Looking at Air
Hot air is just high energy air, and by removing it close to the
heat source, you can pull the energy out of the garden before
it transfers much of its heat to the surrounding air. To lower
the garden temperature to growing temperatures it is more
efficient to vent off the hottest air than it is to try to dilute
it with cold air.
Since lights are likely your largest source of waste heat in the
garden, they are one of the biggest climate concerns. When-
ever possible, keep the ballast outside of the garden proper.
As part of their functioning, ballasts generate a fair amount
of waste heat, and any heat you can avoid putting into the
garden is heat you don’t have to worry about dealing with.
Tents in particular should have the ballasts located outside of
the garden environment.
Using sealed and vented hoods are a way to remove the
waste heat from bulbs quickly and efficiently. A fan and duct-
ing brings cooler outside air to the hood, then across the
bulb, where it captures heat, before being sent out of the
garden. Ideally this creates a closed path for outside air to
pass through the garden and return without mixing with the
In a natural setting such as a meadow; an ocean of air washes
over and though the plant life. Waves of air push away excess
humidity and oxygen, and they carry carbon dioxide in. When
a plant is removed from its native habitat, the natural sources
of light, rain, and wind are lost, and the gardener becomes
responsible for meeting the environmental needs of the plant.
Indoor gardeners take their plants away from the wind, and
fans or other environmental measures are used to replace it.
Plants grown in still air tend to have more problems with
molds, insects, and disease. Moving air from fans helps to
keep moisture from collecting and encouraging mold spore
growth. Fans can also help remove excess heat, to help de-
fend against heat loving spider mites.
Indoor gardens tend to have more trouble with heat than
cold. This makes sense if you consider you are adding energy
into a closed room in the form of electricity, which converts
into light and heat by the lighting fixtures. The plants absorb
and use some of that energy, but the rest can cause heat
buildup if the amount of heat generated by the equipment
is higher than the amount of heat removed from the room.
(Climate Techniques) “PLANTS GROWN
IN STILL AIR TEND TO
HAVE MORE PROBLEMS”
When all of the beverage from a drinking cup has
been imbibed, it is considered to be “empty”, and
admittedly that definition tends to work as far as
drinking needs go in gardening. It is sometimes
helpful to remember that it is not empty at all, but
rather full to the brim with air.
95 95
as much light energy than one at 2’. Ideally, you want the tops
of the plants in the “sweet spot” where they are close enough
to the light to grow well, without being so close to the light
that the heat damages them.
Fortunately, with a couple reasonably priced meters, it is easy
to find exactly how far away the “sweet spot” for plant growth
is. The two devices you need are a light meter ($20-$100) and
a quick acting digital indoor thermometer ($10-S20).
Put the temperature sensor next to the light sensor, and hold
them below the light. Ideal temperatures are between 70-
85ºF so raise and lower the sensors until you find the place
where it reads 80ºF, and check to make sure the light levels
are at least 25,000 lux (in general, more is better). That is as
close to the light as the tops of your plants should get. Then
lower the meter until the light level drops to 20,000 lux or
so, that is about the bottom of the “sweet spot” where un-
blocked light is still strong enough that it’s useful.
By using this pair of meters, it becomes very clear that hav-
ing the light cool enough placed reasonably close to the tops
of the plants that has a strong benefit in the amount of light
available to the plants. Bright sunlight is about 100,000 lux
and free, which is why even partial natural lighting can often
be cost-effective.
Aside from transporting excess heat out of the garden, air
circulation is also important for evaporation and available car-
bon dioxide (CO2).
Evaporation in a garden is important to remove stray droplets
of moisture that may collect. This moisture, if left unchecked,
can encourage unwanted mold and bacterial growth. Mold
does not grow as well in low humidity, so one of the first
steps to treat a mold issue in an indoor garden is to increase
air circulation (although you must do so with care and not to
spread the pathogen in the process).
Excessive evaporation however, indicates low humidity, which
can attract dreaded pests. Too low of a humidity level can
CLIMATE TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY GRUBBYCUP
air in the garden room itself. The total amount of air moved
is small, and concentrated around the heat source, so you’ve
dealt with much of the heat before it spreads.
When designing ducting layouts, keep in mind that wide turns
are better than sharp turns, and that unwanted hot air rises.
If a passive air vent is required to replace vented air (depend-
ing on how airtight the garden is), the incoming air needs to
be taken from cooler air from the outside of the garden and
located opposite to the exhaust vent.
To calculate how many cubic feet per minute of ventilation
you need, start with calculating the size of the garden in cubic
feet. You do this by multiplying the height, length, and width
of the room. A 8’x10’x10’ room would make for 800 cubic
feet of garden space. A single 800 cfm fan would move the
room’s area air mass every minute, and a 400 cfm fan would
do the same every two minutes. Two 400 cfm fans would
again clear the air once a minute, and so on. Read the listed
cfm on the box, but keep in mind that fans are usually rated
while under a very low load, so any ducting can reduce cfm
dramatically.
Since the lights are usually the largest source of waste heat
in the garden, when you’ve dealt with that, then controlling
the temperatures in the rest of the garden usually becomes
a lot simpler. If hot air is collecting in a particular area of the
room, try to vent it off. Although more expensive initially,
using solar-powered fans to give an extra boost during the
hottest part of the day without adding to the electric bill. If
the garden still needs more cooling, bring in cooler outside
air or air-conditioned cold air.
One of the reasons that the temperature around the lights is
so important, is that the cooler the lights are, the closer you
can get them to the plants. Since light is broadcast across an
area; a plant at 1’ away from the light source receives 4 times
“THE “EMPTY” SPACE AROUND US ISN’T ALL THAT EMPTY. ATMOSPHERIC GASES LIKE
OXYGEN, CARBON DIOXIDE, AND WATER VAPOR ARE ALL
TRANSPARENT TO OUR EYES”
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97
CLIMATE TECHNIQUES I GARDEN CULTURE
“WAVES OF AIR PUSH AWAY EXCESS HUMIDITY AND OXYGEN, AND THEY CARRY CARBON DIOXIDE IN”
biological reaction, or slowly released from pressurized tanks.
My preference is for the gardener, who is as much a part of
the system as anything else, to spend time in the garden, and
contribute their breath to the system. If you think that your
garden isn’t getting enough CO2, consider bringing a friend
in and do some heavy breathing together. Human beings are
fairly large animals, and generate quite a bit of carbon dioxide
when exercising, just make sure there is enough fresh air to
be healthy for the humans involved.
The “empty” space around us isn’t all that empty. Atmospher-
ic gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor are all
transparent to our eyes, and therefore easy to forget, but
these gases in the proper amounts are important for proper
plant health and growth. We live in an ocean of air, complete
with currents, flow, and volume. By giving plants the fresh
air and airflow they need, not only will the plants be happier,
but it can help keep molds and moisture loving fungus gnats
at bay. 3
lead to spider mites and too high leads to molds. If the garden
is kept between these two extremes, things tend to go a lot
smoother. If a problem with one or the other arises, change
the environment to disfavor the pathogen. Mist spider-mites
regularly, and let areas of mold outbreaks dry out a bit more
than usual.
Photosynthesis in plants requires light and heat energy, water
and carbon dioxide (CO2). Chlorophyll collects light in leaves.
Plants use part of this energy to split water molecules into
free oxygen gas (O2), and hydrogen (H). The hydrogen is then
bonded with carbon dioxide (CO2) to form the sugars the
plant can use to grow. If light and water are already present
in sufficient quantities, then you can increase the heat slightly
as carbon dioxide levels will raise. Without air movement this
process can result in the plants sitting in a cloud of oxygen and
not receiving enough carbon dioxide.
CO2 is naturally occurring in fresh air, but it is also sometimes
added to the garden environment artificially. In the garden,
CO2 is usually generated by chemical reaction, combustion,
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