How to grow

How to grow marijuana

by Dr. Clone

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This is one method of growing marijuana indoors. It is based on growing with soil using metal halide lighting. You would probably get the same results using the same wattage of high pressure sodium lights. So you've decided to grow pot, but you don't have the money to buy several 1,000 watt halide lamps, and, unless you steal power (not a good idea, legal wise) four 1,000 watt halides will cost $256 every two months in British Columbia. That's a bit unwise, if your previous electric bill from BC Hydro (ponic) was $50 for two months. Then there is the large problem of massive amounts of heat, humidity and smell. And you might be concerned with all this equipment and activity and its association with a legal problem described as manufacturing or cultivating with the intent to distribute or some such charge. A simple way to solve this dilemma is to use one or two 400 watt halides. Some growers will tell you that this is way too little or you won't get anything worth while out of that wattage. I say hogwash to them. A 400 watt bulb will not give as much light as a 1,000 watt set-up, but the bulbs are cooler, last 2 to 3 times longer, and the spectrum is the same as 1,000 watt. You can flower six large plants (about 2' tall at the start of the 12/12 cycle), but the 2' tall plant will not flower as profusely as a one foot tall plant, nor will all of the light reach the back of the plant. So all in all, stick with a height of ONE FOOT high. This will allow you to flower 12 plants per 400 watt bulb. Place SIX plants ON tomato juice cans, coffee cans, etc., in a circle around the bulb, about one foot away from the bulb. There will be large spaces below for the other six to sit in. Each plant will yield around half to three quarters of an ounce of buds. If you have an exceptional variety (Big Bud, for example), seven or eight ounces per bulb can be grown, but you should be able to harvest 3 to 4 ounces (minimum) every 60 days (plus or minus one week, depending on variety). Let's start with your house. If your landlord lives upstairs, don't do it! If the landlord visits unannounced, don't do it. A bedroom with a closet works best. The closet should be a minimum 50 inches wide for 4-foot fluorescent fixtures. This will be your vegetative CLONE room. Keep this room open while the metal halide(s) are on. With a 400 watt system, you will not need to rewire unless you live in an old house with fuses. Your Grow Room White plastic is to be used in both the closet and a corner of your grow room. Since you want to contain as much light from the halide(s), it will be necessary to put a corner post where two walls (do not now exist) will meet. Put plants on an old table. In your veg/clone closet, hang one fixture above the upper shelf (one foot) and suspend the other fixture from clothes rod (make it adjustable -with chain).

Soil & Pots

I prefer one gallon nursery pots. For a good soil less mix, I use 50% peat, 50% perlite. To the dry mix add one tablespoon of fine dolomite lime and three tablespoons of bat guano per gallon (OF WHAT?). Mix well. Use a dust mask. Add water. Next, get a book like Marijuana Growers Handbook by Ed Rosenthal, as you need a reference book, no matter what. See the list of books at the bottom of this page and decide which is best for your needs.

Seeds vs. Clones

No question about it. Clones are best. If you start from seeds, it will be 5 - 6 months before you harvest. If you obtain clones, three months at most. If you have started your plants via seeds, keep them under fluorescent light until 6 to 8 inches tall. Transplant and put in the bulb area, two feet from bulb. In four to five weeks these plants will be anywhere from 10 - 36 tall, depending on variety and sex. At this point, take two clones off of each plant (long, lower branches are best.) To determine the sex of the plants, place a black, air-permeable piece of paper over one shoot of each plant. Within 7 days they will manifest sex characteristics on those shoots. Male plants (see your Handbook for pictures) -out! Or put all clones at this point in a closet with lights on a 12 hour on-12 hours off cycle. 8 - 14 days later, your clones will have male or female characteristics. Unless you want seedy pot (or seeds), kill all male plants. Put closet timer at 18 hours on/6 off as soon as sex identification is made. If you can, take two more clones off of each female and put in closet. Turn bulb timer to a 12/12 cycle and wait for your buds to start flowering. But, if you get clones from female plants, you won't have to do this. Just transplant immediately and put under bulb at 18/6 for one month. Take two clones from each plant and now turn closet lights to 18/6 and turn open area bulb to 12/12 (these plants will mature faster too). You won't need a fan in the closet. You will need an oscillating fan in the halide bulb grow area, blowing at the bulb. Also, a fan in the doorway will force hot air out of the grow area (an ugly box fan works fine).

Watering

Pot prefers a dry medium. Always. Don't keep plants saturated. Empty trays after watering, to keep humidity low. Low humidity will promote shorter, bushier plants. Water temperature should be about 70 degrees F. Never use hot tap water. It will kill your plants. Fill your pail with water & heat some on the stove to bring temperature up. PH factor will not be a problem if you have used fine dolomite lime. Fertilizer should be applied at half strength of what is recommended on jar or container, ONLY every third watering.

When To Harvest

The question of when to harvest tenderly cared-for plants is a question that puzzles many new growers. Most farmers' goal is to pluck the fruit at the exact moment when the potency of the bud is at is peak. Realistically, the skills needed to detect the specific day (or even hour) when a plant is at its peak can only be acquired through years of experience. However, even the novice grower should be able detect the window of time during which the harvest results in premier crop of outstanding bud. 0) Maturity and THC Although some growers are interested in fiber content, most people consider the plant to be mature when the percentage of THC found in the plant reaches its maximum. It is not practical for the average grower to actually measure THC in a plant, as the chemistry is somewhat complex. In a growing plant, each successive pair of leaves contains more THC than the previous pair. The budding tips of the plant contain the most THC of all. Both male and female plants contain THC. In fact, some research has shown that in the early stages of growth the males actually contain more THC than the females. From The Marijuana Growers Guide. Even conniseurs believe it is worth cutting and sampling shoots before the THC has reached its maximum. Clarke suggests that the best test for pot is to roll joints of several different strains, invite all your friends over, and see which pile of joints disappears first (Marijuana Botany, p. 94)

1) Plant Size

The size of the plant has little to do with its maturity. Outdoors, a plant might reach a height of over eight feet (2.5m) and still not be ready for harvest. Indoors, mature, budding plants can be under 18 (.5m) high.

2) Photoperiod

The Key to Maturation The chronological age of the plant has little to do with its maturity. How quickly a plant matures is mostly dependent on the amount of light the plant receives each day (photoperiod). Typically, a plant will transition from the growing (vegetative) stage to the budding stage when the light per day drops below 12 hours. This is not to say that a 3-week-old seedling will begin to bloom when the light is cut. As a general rule, a plant must be a minimum of 60 days old before it is mature enough to respond appropriately to decreased light. For indoor growers, the decision on when to cut the photoperiod depends on available growing space, as well as the need to harvest weed. Some growers report that clones (cuttings) can be forced to bloom prior to 60 days old, perhaps since the cutting itself is somewhat mature at the time it is rooted.

3) Male Versus Female Almost always, male flowers will show prior to female buds. Thus, once the males in the garden are detected, you can be sure that the female budding process will start soon - usually within 1-2 weeks.

4) Different Varieties Many gardeners report that certain cannabis varieties take longer to mature than others. In particular, the narrow-leafed Sativas are said to take significantly longer to initiate and complete budding, as compared to the wide-leafed Indicas. Under some conditions, Sativas will require an additional month or more to mature after the Indicas have been harvested.

5) Time of Year Obviously, indoor growers cannot use the seasons as a guide to harvesting (though a cold winter-time grow room can significantly retard the growth of the plants). Outdoor growers on the other hand can use the seasons as a predictor of the ideal harvest time. In the Fall, once the length of day drops below 12 hours, the count-down to harvest will be begin. Weather conditions will affect the exact harvest day from year to year, but generally you can expect to harvest within the same two-week window each year. If you can avoid it, don't harvest during or immediately after a rainy spell.

6) Monitoring Buds The best way to tell if the plant is ready is to examine the bud. In the paragraphs below, the terms pistal and stigma refer to the white hairs in the center of the female bud. The term calyx refers to the pod that would surround the seed (were the plant to be fertilized). Many growers elect to pick each bud individually, as it reaches it prime. Buds are at their peak potency about one week after flower formation slows...Harvest the plants when about half the stigmas in the buds have withered... When the plants are left in the ground, the resinous qualities of the plant may become more apparent. The bracts and tiny leaves may swell in size...The resin content of these buds may be higher, [but] the grass will smoke more harshly than if the buds were younger when picked. From The Marijuana Growers Guide. In the primordial calyxes the pistils have turned brown; however, all but the oldest of the flowers are fertile and the floral clusters are white...Many cultivators prefer to pick some of their strains during this stage in order to produce marijuana with a clear cerebral, psychoactive effect. From Marijuana Botany. Eventually the pistils start to turn color from pale white to red or brown...When the glands have swelled and the pistil has receded into the false pod, the bud is ready to pick. From Closet Cultivator At the peak of florescence, all but the oldest of flowers have white pistil development...Another indicator is bouquet. When a plant is at the peak of florescence, it has a sweet and musky fragrance. Later, it loses the sweetness. From Sinsemilla Technique The best way to harvest is to examine the resin glands on each bud. As they turn from clear to amber, that is the optimum time to pick. Buds usually mature from the top down, if grown under artificial light, and you will end up with more high-quality pot if you pick each bud when ready. However, the plant will not just continue to produces buds at the same rate. Like any other plant, the flowering cycle lasts a specific period of time. If you wanted a further harvest of buds, the plant would need a second cycle of vegetative growth. This can be achieved indoors by simply turning the lights back up to a 24 hour cycle for a few weeks. Outdoors though, you are dependent on the seasons. Frost and long nights will usually kill the plant. Of course, such a strategy is only viable if growing a few plants. If your operation runs on an industrial scale, just drive the combine harvester through the field.

Growing tips II

I recently saw a *very small* indoor garden that used 4 common shop lights.
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The gardener was using two 12" x 4' shelves attached to adjacent basement walls. They were remarkably discreet and almost entirely above eye level. Above both shelves he had suspended a pair of 4' shop lights, which ran parallel to the shelf, right next to each other. In these lights he used both regular ol' 40W fluorescent tubes and the more expensive "grow lights". The decision of which to choose was solely an economic one. Fluorescent tubes can be found for a buck or two while the purple grow tubes can be rather pricey. The wall and ceiling above the shelves were covered with heavy duty aluminum foil. Also hanging above the shelves, right above the edge, were several homemade blinds. These "blinds" were simply a black sheet of vinyl and a white sheet of vinyl which were attached a 4' piece of wood. The wooden strip had then been fastened to the ceiling. The white vinyl hung to the inside and was able to reflect light back onto the plants while the black vinyl hung to the outside, making the whole set-up practically invisible. When he needs to water, etc. the vinyl is rolled up by hand and tied with a short piece of cord. And it can be held in its unrolled position rather nicely by a few strips of velcro. The ends of the shelves used a different homemade set-up. Using more vinyl shades would have suffocated the plants. Instead, he cut a piece of cardboard to fit the opening and into the top portion of this cardboard he cut a hole. The inside of the cardboard was covered with aluminun foil and the outside was painted black. Velcro was attached to the cardboard, the shelf and the ceiling so that this panel could be easily attached and removed.

Next, he hung two small fans from the ceiling. (the clip fans cost him $6.00 and were his most expensive purchase) One fan hung on the outside of his little grow house and one on the inside. One fan blew fresh air into the house and the other blew air out. On one of these shelves the lights were kept on 24 hours each day. Here he germinated and grew his herbs to the budding point. The other shelf was magical! The lights were cut back and his crop was allowed to reach maturation. It was so simple! It was so beautiful! It was so small! It was so inexpensive! A setup like this could work almost anywhere. Stop participating in organized crime. Grow it yourself!

I've tried to start cannabis seeds several times, using the suggestions offered in alt.drugs (germinate between wet paper towels, keep them warm, etc.). I've gotten about 5 or 6 seeds to the point where the shell of the seed opens and a small white shoot pushes out of the crack. But the seeds seem to dies upon transplanting to soil. Is it probably just a bad batch of seeds (all of Seed germination, be it with cannabis seeds or any kind of seeds, is a delicate art. The warm paper towels system works well, but I'd keep them in paper towels until you have a bit more sprout than just a small white shoot. I would wait until the shoot is a little more than 1/4" long. When you transplant them into potting soil, use commercial potting soil that has been well dampened before hand. Mixing a bit of peat moss into the damp soil might be helpful. Pot your seeds close to the surface -- I usually lay the seeds on top of an almost full pot, press the shoots *lightly* into the soil, and then just sprinkle some more potting soil on top. Then water; all the soil should be kept damp, but not wet, at all times. Something I've found helps seeds in the trnasition from paper towels to soil is to cover the pot with plastic wrap and put it in a sunny window. Poke a few pinholes in the wrap so that air can get in, and check it daily. Keep the soil damp -- this is crucial. Cannabis in particular *loves* water. Don't drown it, and if it starts molding leave the plastic off the pot for a bit, but keep it damp and warm and moist. Once your shoots start up to where they're pressing against the wrap, you can leave the wrap off. But again, keep the soil wet -- even one day dried out can kill all the shoots.Hope all this helps; I've only grown pot once, but I'm a chronic gardener, and much of the same rules apply.

Plants (and marijuana in particular) respond to different wavelengths of light differently. The optimum wavelengths for chlorophyll production and photosynthesis occur in the red and blue ranges, so any light in the middle of the visible spectrum is good for vegetative growth. In short, ordinary fluorescent lights work great; most incandescents are crappy because they put out too much infared (wastes energy, produces heat) and not enough blue. It has been suggested that THC is produced as a defense against short wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-short). This would explain any truth to the rumor that the best ganga is grown at high altitudes. As far as I know, no studies have been done. Other botanists speculate that THC is merely an insect repellant. Even so, the photochemical potential of UV-short cannot be ignored. [This is presumably for 3000 K incandesents. Higher temperatures would produce this same black-body radiation spectrum shifted to the left. Of course, you would then need UV protection. There are fluorescents available that simulate *only the visible portion* of 6000-7000 K black bodies. Why anybody would use incandescent light for growing when these efficient fluorescents are available is beyond me. Mercury and metal halide lamp spectrums are concentrated in a few "spikes" distributed through the visible spectrum. They would probably work fine for photosynthesis. The low-pressure sodium is pretty much a single spike in the yellow; high pressure sodium has spikes from green to red (not much blue). No regular lights put out significant UV-short, otherwise they would cause skin cancer. UV-short lights are designed into special box-type devices (such as EPROM erasers) for safety. If you do elect to experiment with UV-short, do not allow any humans or animals in the room when the light is on. Please post the results of any such experiment to alt.drugs. Inquiring minds want to know.

The planet earth has just passed the equinox which means the days are now becoming shorter and the nights longer. A very important time in the lives of happy growers. The plants life-cycle undergoes major changes as the grower watches with patient anticipation. This is a short but concise account of the critical time for the harvesting muller. What to look for, when to pick, and how to prepare the buds; so they look great, smell delicious and smoke you into fantasy land!!!

The cannabis plant regulates it's growth and flowering stages by measuring changes in the number of hours of uninterrupted darkness to determine when to flower. The plant produces a hormone (phytochrome) beginning at germination. When this chemical builds up to a critical level, the plant changes it's mode from vegetative growth to flowering. Male plants flower before the female. The male plants should be removed to stop any fertilisation occuring. A grower wants sinsemilla buds. An unfertilised plant will continue to produce new flowers. The buds get thick with the unfertilised flowers over a period of several weeks. The flowering patterns begin to change, the stigmas begin to wither and change colour.

Next the ovaries begin to swell, however it's only a false pregnancy. Here the glands begin filling up with canniboids. Usually the heads will seem as though they will burst, showing the last stage of flowering. As soon as the heads show any amber shade they should be harvested, otherwise the THC will begin to degrade into two other canniboids (CBL & CBN). THC is the ingredient which is PSYCHOACTIVE!!!

The other two are it's precursors, which often leave the smoker feeling disoriented, sleepy, drugged, and/or confused. The goal is to allow the plants to reach their full potential, that is to obtain the highest amount of mind blowing substance possible!!! When a bud is picked, many of it's metabolic processes continue for a while. The cell begins to convert carbohydrates back to sugars and break down some of the pigments. Chlorophyll is one of the pigments affected. Buds will appear a lighter green than when first picked. Some of the other pigments break down to give the bud a red-purple or cream colour. The crop needs to be dried slowly so that moisture remains in the cells to continue the life processes. Since all of the vegitation is contributing moisture to the air, ventilation is essential to prevent mould forming. While the plants are drying, the large leaves can be removed. It is harder and takes longer to manicure when the plants are wet. To manicure the budding area, large sun leaves present are removed. The buds should now appear almost naked, except for some single fingered leaves sticking out from between the flowers. To enhance appearance these leaves can be clipped to the circumference of the flower. Sun leaves are unsuitable for smoking, however they are useful for cooking, brewing or extracting the THC to make HASH or HASH OIL.

IT IS A VIOLATION OF THE CURRENT LAW TO CULTIVATE MARIJUANA IN AUSTRALIA!

Marijuana prohibition was initiated because of the people who smoke it. The laws continue in effect today for those same reasons. Politicians do not like people who think for themselves, are independant and who recognise bullshit. They would prefer for each citizen to become a subject; a ward of the state, who is dependant on the government for making his/her life decisions. Gunja tends to let us develop different set perceptions, to see the world a little differently, to change not only what we think, but how we think. This is what scares the regulators. Go forth and multiply Have a MARY season Raj - Profound Member

I have an eight inch plant that was growing like a weed until a few days ago. It was started in regular soil from my yard in a two-cup tupperware bowl and the entire thing was transplanted a week ago into an 8in potter filled with potting soil mixed with perlite. I am using a 150 watt grow bulb about two feet from the top of the plant on an 18 hour cycle. It is in a ventilated, 72 degree room and is watered daily. Also, when I made the transplant, I sprinkled some scotts herb and flower fertilizer (18-11-12) around on top of the soil.

Question: Why is it dying??
Any help would be appreciated. It appears to have about 2 days left.

There are a few things that may be wrong:

1) If the leaves are turning brown or wilting you may be over fertilizing it.
Solution: Flush the soil of the fertilizer salts with clean water.

2) You may be over watering. The plant's roots need oxygen.
Solution: Don't water as often. It's O.K. for the soil to dry out a little, just don't let it get too dry.

3) It may not be dying. It may be in shock from the transplanting.
Solution: None that I know. All you can do is wait.

4) The change in the light spectum from natural sun to artifical light can damage a plant (not getting the spectrum it needs or the spectrum it is used to).
Solution: Get a different light, or put it back outside.

5) The soil may have a nutrient difficiency other than what is in the fertilizer you are using. (You will have to describe what the plant looks like for a diagnosis.)

6) If the light is on 18 hrs, you want to use a vegetive fertilizer instead of a flower ferilizer. Or, turn down the light cycle to 12/12 (light/dark) to force flowering (if this is what you want). I do not think this would kill it, but I could be wrong.

I hope this helps.

Hydroponic principles II

Why does Hydroponics produce such fantastic results?

By giving a plant the exact nutrients it needs we accomplish several things:
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#1 We give it a perfect diet. In nature this is next to impossible, so when this actually happens, plants GROW & GROW & GROW.
#2 When we GIVE the plant it's food it doesn't have to go out looking for it. HUH?.....Yes, plants actually expend energy looking for food by growing huge root systems. If the plant doesn't have to waste energy looking for food, it puts all of it's effort into the parts above ground. The results are rapid, large healthy growth and massive fruit and flower production.
#3 By necessity, Hydroponic systems are automated. This removes the negative human influence from plant cultivation. Specifically, forgetting to water, or watering too much.

How do I grow my plants hydroponically?

Fortunately, many methods of Hydroponic growing have been invented throughout the years - from painfully simple to slightly complex. All you need to do is select the system that meets your needs and build it. As luck would have it, all of the systems that have been invented use very basic items assembled into very basic mechanisms. There is practically no method you cannot construct at home with no more than simple hand tools and commonly available parts.

Nutrients

All plants, weather grown hydroponically or in soil, need 16 basic elements to grow. Most of us are familiar with the top three that are consumed by plants. These elements are called the Macro-Elements and they are Nitrogen Phosphorous and Potassium, they are abbreviated N P K. You probably have seen these letters on bags of common fertilizer. The other 13 elements are grouped together as the Micro-Elements. Most people are not familiar with these elements because we have always counted on them being present in the soil, which works for the most part.

Preformulated Nutrients:

This is really the best option for the hobby to small farm Hydroponic grower. You can be assured that all of the necessary nutrients are present and available to the plants. All you have to do is mix a predetermined amount of concentrate with water and add it to your system. If you want to be successful as a first time Hydroponic grower, use a ready made nutrient specifically for hydroponics. Preformulated Nutrients come in the forms of 1-part powders, 2-part powders, 1-part liquids, 2-part liquids, & 3-part liquids. I have found that nutrients are pretty much nutrients, with the exception of the General Hydroponics 3-part flora series. This one nutrient system really stands out above the rest, it gives the best results by far. You can customize the mix for specific crops and different phases of the crop (i.e. one mix for vegetative growth and another for flowering/fruiting phases of growth).

Formulating your own:

Once you have some experience with hydroponics and you are producing large crops of a specific plant, you may want to look into formulating your own nutrients. Since all plants do not consume the same amounts of nutrients (individual elements) you can possibly save yourself some money by making very specific formulas for your crop. This involves a good amount of chemistry knowledge, some lab equipment and each of the 16 individual elemental nutrients. Many crop specific formulas exist from others' research, all you have to do is find the right recipe and mix it up. Over time you will probably adjust this formula to match your growing conditions and crop more closely. Mixing your own is best left to the more experienced who are producing large amounts of one crop (i.e. 1/4 acre on up).

Miracle Grow:

Many people insist on tying to use miracle grow plant food as a Hydroponic nutrient. It is true that this is great stuff for soil, I personally use it on my flowers and man do they freak out. Let me stress though, this stuff is not a complete nutrient for hydroponics. It does contain some micro elements, but not all. Your plants will start out fine using this, but eventually they will suffer from deficiencies. In the long run it is not worth the cost savings over a real Hydroponic nutrient. The analogy would be something like buying a brand new corvette and then having the cheapest tires put on it and filling up with the cheapest Circle K gasoline. You will not even come close to getting the performance that is possible.

Nutrient Additives

There are quite a few Hydroponic additives on the market. They mainly consist of combinations of kelp extracts, bone meal and blood meal. They are commonly sold as "Organic" boosters just to hook the "green" crowd. They are supposed to supply enzymes, hormones, vitamins, amino acids, sugars, and plant acids that can't be supplied by Hydroponic nutrients. I believe that there are some merits to using these additives, but many of the claims made by these products are UNFOUNDED and UNTRUE. I have tried the "Earth Juice Catalyst" and I THINK that I saw a performance increase, but nothing major. In the future I will perform an experiment with a control group of plants to see how this stuff really performs. One additive that falls in it's own class is the "DynaGRO PRO-TEEKT". It is a potassium and silicon supplement that is supposed to help increase resistance to pathogens, increase resistance to heat stress and build stem strength. I have yet to try this product.

pH

pH is simply the measure of the acid content of a solution. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14, 1 being very acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is very basic. pH affects the ability of a plant's roots to absorb nutrients. The range in which nutrient absorption is best is from 5.8 to 6.5. It is very important to maintain this range. Measuring pH: You can measure pH either chemically or electronically. Chemical test kits cost about $8 to $18, they are accurate but you have to replace them periodically because the chemicals are consumed. Electronic methods typically are packaged as a pen that you simply dip into the solution and the pH is read out on a digital LCD display. pH pens cost about $65 to $100, they are fairly accurate and must be calibrated periodically. The benefit is ease of use and they don't wear out - a wise investment. Adjusting pH: To lower pH add acid. The best acids to use are phosphoric, nitric, and sulfuric acid, these acids disassociate and free up phosphorous, nitrogen an sulfur respectively. Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulfur are all elements that plants need for growth. I have heard of people using Distilled Vinegar for pH adjustment, this seems a bit sketchy to me but I suppose it would word in a pinch. To raise pH add a base. The bases used in hydroponics are Potassium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide. These disassociate and provide Potassium and Sodium, respectively. Another pH up "elixir" that I have heard of is baking soda - personally I think this is a bad idea. TIP! When adding acid or base to adjust your nutrient solution, add small amounts at a time and wait about 1/2 hour to take a measurement. The closer your pH is to 7, the less acid or base it takes to effect change. This change takes place exponentially, for example: it can take two milliliters of acid move the pH of 25 gallons of nutrient from 7 to 6. From 6 to 5 it can take 8 milliliters, from 5 to 4 it can take 500 milliliters. BE CAREFUL and make changes slowly. Making your own pH adjusting solutions: One quart of acid or base from General Hydroponics retails for about $7.00. This is the biggest rip off in the Hydroponic business! It takes about $10.00 of concentrated acid or base to make 2000 gallons of pH adjusting solution. Subtract packaging and shipping and you'll see that they turn $10 into $4000. OUCH!!!!! Coming soon I'll have instructions for mixing your own solutions from concentrated acids and bases that you can buy in almost any town over-the-counter.

Organic Nutrients (??????)

With the relatively recent green movement the concept of "Organic" food production rings louder and louder every day. "Organic" guidelines prohibit the use of any refined chemicals in food production. The result is fertilizers derived from compost and animal waste. Naturally people want to try to apply these principles to hydroponics in the form of a teas made from compost and other natural ingredients. This seems logical but the result is counter productive when used in a hydroponics environment. To understand why, we must first understand what nutrients are and how they are absorbed by plants. Plants rely upon sixteen basic chemical elements for food - Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are just a few. These elements must be in a form that can be absorbed by a plant. This form is a chemical salt - a very basic chemical compound containing one of the sixteen elements and a complementary element that forms a salt. These elemental salts are what is absorbed from the soil by the plant's roots. So, the big question is - In the natural"organic" cycle of things how do these chemical salts get into the soil? Let's start with organic material (compost) and follow it to absorption by the plant. A bit of compost contains complex organic chemical chains that contain the elements for the chemical salts that eventually will be absorbed by a plant. At this point these complex chemical cannot be used by a plant. When the compost gets mixed into the soil it starts to be acted upon by soil born bacteria. This bacteria is what breaks the organic material down into the chemical salts that can be used by plants.

Organic material + Soil Born Bacteria = Nutrient Salts

Mother Nature uses bacteria to refine organic material into inorganic chemical compounds for plant absorption. In a Hydroponic system sufficient bacteria are not present for this critical conversion, instead we must provide these refined chemicals directly to the system. For those who insist that they can do it "organically" there are some "organic" nutrient mixes available for you to try. They typically produce limited results that I belive is entirely counterproductive to the Hydroponic philosophy. I suggest that if you want to grow organically, do it in the dirt. Supplement the hell out of your soil with natural fertilizers and you will get excellent results. I do this in my own dirt garden and everything grows wonderfully.

Pete the happy homegrower

Pete the Happy Homegrower Cannabis by Something Monstrous
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1) Amsterdam Sprouts

Peter looked at his books. There were a few of them, he would have to make a list of them later. The seeds that he had placed on a plastic tray filled with moist cotton wool had begun to sprout after a few days, and now they were the ideal length to plant. They were about 1' long maximum, most of them smaller. Pete took small drink cups (he had forgotten to buy Jiffy pots) filled with dampened soil of the same composition as the final growing pot. He poked his finger about 3cm into the soil and gently placed the sprout into the hole, head up, and sprinkled soil around it. The seeds had come from the same variety... but it didn't matter much too him, he was only a hobby home gardener. The best plant would later be singled out to provide seeds for his next crop. But first, he decided to have a closer look at the earth he was using:

2) The Earth

Peter looked at the bag of potting mix that he had bought. It would supply his plants with nutrients for a while, even though most commercial potting mixes required additional nutrients for his hungry plants. The texture was the primary consideration: It had to drain well and allow air to enter empty spaces so that the roots could breathe oxygen. Too fine a mix would make the soil sticky or soggy, preventing ventilation and promoting the growth of harmful bacteria. He squeezed a clump of his potting mix: Perfect. If formed a clump when squeezed, and the clod broke up with a slight poke. The last time, the clod had stayed together and he had added soil conditioners. He had also used some natural soil, which he had had to sterilise. This had been done by placing it in the microwave until steaming. Anaerobic bacteria might have harmed the roots of his plant, and the many insect eggs in the soil had been microwaved away. (The microwaving had taken 5 minutes on high for a microwave-safe container full of earth).

The components he had used in previous mixes were:

FOAM. It holds water trapped between its open cells, but also holds air. He had used pea-sized pieces of foam once, instead of styrofoam.

GRAVEL. In his hydroponics system, only gravel was used: Easy to clean, doesn't wear out, does not lock up nutrients, doesn't cost much. It creates large spaces for air pockets and gices the mix weight. Pete knew that gravel containing limestone should not be used.

LAVA. Lava was a very good medium on its own or in a mix, Pete knew. It is porous, holds some water on its surface... By itself, Pete felt it was a bit too dry. One frined of his had mixed 3 to 6 parts of Lava with one part of wet vermiculite. The vermiculite had broken up and coated the lava, creating a medium with excellent water-holding abilities and plenty of air spaces. This had to be watered from the bottom in order not to wash all the vermiculite away.

PERLITE. Puffed volcanic glass. Peter sighed. It was not a bad material, but the dust could harm the lungs and he had not wanted to buy a mask and respirator.

ROCKWOOL. A friend of Pete's had told him that he had achieved a phenomenal growth rate using rockwool. It absorbs water like a wick, and is convenient to use. It could be used in all systems, but Pete thought it was most often used for hydroponics.

SAND. Pete used this to add some weight to his planting mixture. It promotes drainage and keeps the mix from caking. It came in several grades, and all of them seemed to work. The sand to use was usually quartz. Peter avoided limestone sand because limestone raised the pH, causing micronutrients to become unavailable for the plant. Sand also had to be salt-free, Pete knew: Salt was bad for your plants.

STYROFOAM PELLETS. Pete's old chemistry teacher had called Styrofoam a 'hydrophobic' material: It repelled water and was an excellent soil mix ingredient. It allowed air spaces to form in the mix and kept the soil from clumping, since it does not bond with other materials or itself. The only problem was that it was so light that it tended to travel to the surface of the mix. Peter used Styrofoam pieces no larger than a pea in fine- textured mixes.

VERMICULITE. Pete tended to use the larger sizes of this material, which is processed puffed mice. Mice? Ah, Mica. Vermiculite broke down into smaller particles over time, Pete knew, and the larger ones provided more aeration. When he had used it, he had wet it before using it to avoid breathing inthe dust.

The book he had just read had included a list of conditioners. A one- part-in-ten mix of cow manure was excellent and would break down over the growing season. Chicken manure was very fast-acting, and Pete used a one-in-20 mix. Blood meal, dried blood, worm castings, guano and even hair and feathers were included in that book... he would have to have another good read of it later. Ah, the miracle of Life. Peter sighed and took another deep drag on his hand-rolled cigarette. The sun was the best light for plants, but his shaggy apartment had no large windows and not even a balcony, and certainly no garden. His few plants were in a back part of the cellar. As he went down, carrying lamps and foil, he could hear a helicopter circling nearby, and praised the Law Enforcement Agencies who kept dangerous criminals at bay.
He had heard of thugs with rifles, dogs and bulletproof vests, who had shot people and harrassed them because of a small herb garden. 'Murderers', he thought, and was glad that the friendly police force was always ready to help and protect the citizens of this country. 'To serve and protect'! He started whistling his national hymn as he went down the stairs.

3) Can You See The Light?

The garden was a small section of the cellar. The walls had been painted white, which was a very reflective colour and worked about as well as aluminum foil. Heavy foil, hung in vertical strips, sealed the area off and reflected light back towards his baby tomatoes. Light requirements varied with the vriety of plants. During the growth period, 1000 - 1500 lumen per sq ft would do, although the plants could use as much as 3000 lumen/sq ft effectively. The equatorial varieties tended to need brighter light. During flowering, the various plnats would need between 2000 (the indian variety) and 5000 (equatorial) lumens. Peter set his camera for ASA 100 and the shutter for 1/60 second, with a 50mm ('normal') lens. He then set the f-stop, using the manual mode, and looked at the chart. Incandescent bulbs and quartz halogen lights were too inefficient to provide enough light - Pete recalled having read that they only convert around 10% of the energy to light. Peter was on a low budget and could not afford professional growing lamps, so he used fluorescents. They were easy to set up, were 3 to 4 times as effective as incandescents, and his plants grew well under them. A minimum of 20 watts of fluorescent light per square foot would be necessary, Pete had read somewhere, and he knew that the more light his plants would receive, the faster and bushier they would grow. Light also improved the tomato buds, making them heavier and more developed. For each foot of width of his garden, he would use two fluorescent tubes. He had achieved the best results by using a mixture of tubes with various shades of white light. The light was fixed to a movable bar that could be lowered, and he had carefully mounted reflectors. More fluorescents were mounted on the walls for side-lighting. He had read about metal halide and sodium vapor lamps... maybe sometime, when he had more experience. There were plants, he had read, that measured the amount of daylight per day in order to 'know' the season, thus determining when to flower. As the periods of darkness become longer, a certain hormone level builds up and the vegetative growth stops - and flowering begins. Different varieties of the same species of plant would need different amounts of light/darkness to flower.

For this purpose, he had an automatic switch that he could adjust to turn the light on and off. He would let the plants grow under 18-24 hours of light for the first period, he thought. Say, 18 hours of light a day for 3 1/2 months. Then, 12 hours a day for a while, to create autumn, and 1 1/2 months later his plants should be flowering. The full period of flowering might take as long as two months. A friend had claimed that days shortened to 9 hours a day of light had brought plants to flower within 6 weeks of germination... they had been rather small though, all flower and not much of that either. The cutback from 18 (or more) to, say, 12 hours a day had been quite aprupt, Pete thought. He marvelled at the ingenuity of the plant, who had responded to the new regimen without any problems., without showing signs of shock or unusual growth. After a month of flowering, he usually set the daylight period to be another hour shorter, especially in equatorial plants. Also, Peter usually removed male flowers immediately... The female tomato flower tasted much nicer in his herb tea. The desexing was done carefully, as even the female sometimes grew male flowers. One plant would be set aside - the healthiest one - and its flowers dusted with pollen to make seeds. Peter checked the thermometer. Moderate, that was OK. Although the plant could withstand hot weahter and cool climates, it grew best between 60 and 85 degrees. Strong light and low temperatures seemed to make the plant smaller, while moderate light and high temperatures seemed to make it higher. Peter had installed a fan to provide his plants with CO2 and to keep the temperature down. The fan was operated by a timer switch: 10 minutes every hour.

Preserve potency-pests & decay

HOW TO PRESERVE POT POTENCY... by stopping bugs and fungi before they damage your weed

by The Bush Doctor

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Growers taking time to harvest a healthy cornucpoia of cannabis must also carefully watch over their cut crops. In addition to two-legged thieves, myriad bacteria, molds and insects have been known to rip-off your stash while curing, drying, or in the fridge. Avoiding these ubiquitous threats is nearly impossible, but there is a way to lessen their impact. The key is being able to manipulate storage conditions. A variety of bacteria grow on damp marijuana. Many are deadly. Researchers have found Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae and Streptococcus (group D) growing in government-supplied reefer. Salmonella muenchen was found in marijuana growing across the Midwest. (Let someone else roll the joints. I don't lick rolling papers anymore!) Under anaerobic conditions (i.e., damp marijuana stored in airtight containers), Clostridium species will rot pot; these are the famous boutlism bacteria. In addition, a number of bacteria-like Actinomycetes have been identified in confiscated ganja, including Thermoactinomyces candidus, T. vulgaris, and Micropolyspora faeni. These bugs cause allergic reactions (sometimes severe), as well as "Farmer's lung" disease. Insects in pot are less intense. Growroom critters, such as aphids and spider mites, rarely damage marijuana after harvest. Smith & Olson (a list of references appears at the end of this article) identified five beetle species from confiscated Mexican weed in San Francisco. They completed this study at the request of the DEA agents, whose offices were overrun by the pests. The predominant species, Tribolium confusum (confused flour beetle), attacks only seeds, not marijuana proper. Two other beetles cited in the study, Adistermia watsoni and Microgramme arga, are fungus feeders (the marijuana was moldy). Thankfully, the researchers found no cannabis equivalent to Lasioderma serricone, the tobacco cigarette beetle. Otherwise some whacked government lab would be growing the bugs en masse to spread across the continent. Fungi destroy more bud than bacteria and insects combined. Bacteria in marijuana may be more dangerous to humans, but they are rare. Molds are common, and can be nasty: Ramirez reports four policeman developing pulmonary histoplasmosis after pulling up a 5,000-square-meter plot of marijuana in Puerto Rico. Some fungi won't rot pot, but they will put you in the hospital. Many fungi causing disease in plants die off after their host is harvested. Exceptions include Botrytis cinerea (the cause of gray mold) and Alternaria alternata (brown blight). After harvest, your competition becomes Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Mucor, the baddest actors on the planet. Each genus causes disease under different conditions: Ubiquitous Aspergillus grows on anything from rocket fuel to astronauts. The genus is millions of years old; while Home sapiens may come and go, Aspergillus will remain. Westendorp first found an Aspergillus species attacking Cannabis in 1854. More recently, Margolis & Clorfene describe a mold that increases potency in marijuana. Their "black weblike fungus" sounds like an Aspergillus species. What species, I'd like to know....

Schwartz scraped Aspergillus niger from the skull of a marijuana smoker experiencing sinus headaches. I frequently encounter A. niger growing in ganja stored at room temperature. It does not increase potency. Kagen also reports A. niger growing in moldy marijuana, along with two even nastier Aspergilli: A. fumigatus and A. flavus. Chusid et al. blame A. fumigatus for causing near-fatal pneumonitis in a 17-year-old. They note the patient buried his marijuana underground for "aging." No doubt the patient was looking for Margolis & Clorfene's fungus, but A. fumigatus found him instead. A. flavus, on the other hand, kills slowly. It oozes carcinogenic metabolites called aflatoxins. Llewellyn & O'Rear found aflatoxins contaminating Virginian marijuana. Aspergillus species grow better in warmer climates, Penicillium in cooler climates. Refrigerator storage encourages Penicillium infestation. Kagen et al. isolated Penicillium from marijuana cigarettes. Babu et al. identified P. chrysogenum attacking marijuana. (P. chrysogenum occurs abundantly in nature, and was Alexander Fleming's source of penicillin.) I isolated P. italicum from marijuana stored with an orange peel at 0 degrees Centigrade. Adding peels to pot imparts a "pleasant bouquet" (Frank & Rosenthal). In my case, the peel imparted a nidus of infection. P italicum, the "blue citrus mold," is notorious for its ability to spread by contact (i.e., "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch"). Five Mucor species have been described on Cannabis. Members of this genus grow fast and die young. One of them, M. hiemalis, regrettably bioconcentrates (and cannot metabolize) the herbicide paraquat from tainted substrates (Domsch et al.). Mucor's first cousin, Rhizopus, occurs in soil, ripe foodstuffs, and occasionally on people (especially diabetics). Grebeniuk isolated R. stolonifer from hemp stems. In an inoculation experiment, I quickly rotted some damp marijuana with a colony of R. stolonifer found growing on bread.

DIAGNOSIS

Rotting marijuana produces a spectrum of odors, from stale to musty to moldy. P. italicum perfumes a lavender bouquet, while A. flavus smells like a locker room. Clostridium bacteria stink like carrion. Infested marijuana often darkens in color and becomes crumbly. Anaerobic bacteria turn marijuana into brown slime. Marijuana undergoing rapid decay may feel warm to touch. (At this stage your stash is ready for the compost heap.) Tufts of fungi are often visible in mold material. In marijuana stored in darkness, strands look white to light grey. Exposed to light, storage molds spawn millions of colored spores in velvet clumps. A slight tap sends these spores into great billowing clouds. Generally, Rhizopus and Mucor produce grey-black spores; Penicillium species are light blue-green; and Aspergillus species are dark green-black. To check for aflatoxins, inspect your stash under a black light (in medicalese, a "Wood's Lamp"). Material contaminated with aflatoxin-producing A. flavus will fluoresce to a green hue under ultraviolet light. To screen for insects, simply shake samples in a No. 10 steel sieve. Of course, not all bugs found in marijuana cause damage. Some are simply "innocent bystanders" caught during harvesting and die right away. Live (and chewing) insects are more suspicious. A hand lens is helpful for I.D.

CONTROL

Avoid damaging plants before they completely dry (even while they are in the ground and growing). Wounded tissues release exudates on which fungi feed and establish a foothold. Lucas says diseased and nutrient-deficient leaves (as well as old yellow leaves) produce more exudates than healthy leaves. Expect more mold problems in poorly grown plants. The secret to stopping bacteria and mildew is moisture control. Even grey mold dies if plants are carefully and quickly dried. Oven-cured pot rots less than air or sweat-cured crops. Sweat-cured Cannabis (remember '70's Colombian?) maintains a "tradition" of Aspergillus contamination. The oven-drying method inevitably leads to a harsh product. So most people air-dry by suspending plants upside down with enough space for circulation. Drying rooms should be cool and dry, preferably in uninterrupted darkness. (Most storage fungi require light to sporulate and spread.) Living cannabis plants are about 80% water. Perfectly dried marijuana contains about 10%-15% water or moisture content (MC). Material below 10% MC becomes too brittle and disintegrates. Fungi cannot grow below 15% MC. Unfortunately, many growers market their crop above 15% MC. Cannabis, like corn flakes, is sold by weight, not volume. Tobacco farmers also allow thier product to gain weight by reabsorbing moisture before sale. They term this risky business "coming into order." Recently purchased products should be redried. Freezer storage will not protect damp pot. Placing lemon or orange peels in stored marjiuana is discouraged, as they raise the MC above 15%. Dipping Penicillium-infested plants in a solution of baking powder will inhibit these acid-loving fungi but the product must be rapidly redried. Maintaining stored marijuana at 10%-15% MC also discourages insects. Insecticides have no application in stored marijuana. Their residue pose a danger to customers. Also, water-based sprays will kill bugs but trigger a fungus infection by raising the MC. Fumigants (gas, not sprays or aerosols) contain no liquid, thus they do not trigger mold infestations. But they leave residues in air pockets of fumigated material. Big buds are full of air pockets. Poisons are very useful for disinfecting drying rooms, but only after the crop has been cleared out. Low temperatures will "freeze" an insect infestation. However, with rewarming, many bugs continue their destruction. Another drawback to freezing above-15% MC marijuana involves the aforementioned exacerbation of Penicillium. Heating marijuana in a 66-93 degree Centigrade oven for 10 minutes will kill most pests. This also dries out the product--again, the cornerstone of control. Marijuana should not be heated longer than 10 minutes or 93 degrees Centigrade to prevent THC oxidation.

Feed your head-stash

Food and water are two critical components to a successful garden. One of the simplest ways to increase the quantity of your harvest while maintaining quality is knowing the right times to water and feed. It doesn't involve mysticism by any means, but it does require a care and attention to learn the needs of your plants. When the plant is dry and thirsty, it needs water. When the root medium is heavy with moisture, it doesn't. This may seem obvious, but learning to zero in on the optimum times to feed and water is dependent on this simple fact. As with any other aspect of this industry, hands-on contact with the plants, and close attention to them, is of utmost importance. Different needs will present themselves in regard to feeding and watering times, depending on the amount and type of medium, the size of the plants, how recently they were planted or transplanted, the amount of light, heat and ventilation in the room, and other factors such as humidity and air pressure.
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Hydro systems

Hydroponic systems are usually automated and should have the simplest schedule to satisfy. Active hydro systems merely need the nutrient solution passed over the medium three or four times a day. This can be done by the disciplined hand, but a timer and pump will eliminate the need. Passive hydro systems allow the roots of the plant to reach the reservoir, eliminating the need for watering altogether. In both types of hydro systems, the reservoirs usually need to be topped off regularly, and the nutrient solution will need to be changed at least once every two to three weeks. This is to help eliminate the nemesis to all hydro systems: algae. Algae can clog hydroponic medium and its tubing. Algae, along with other pests such as mold, fungus and bacteria, are capable of blocking the aerobic quality of the hydro medium and suffocating the plant via its roots. These problems must be addressed immediately upon finding them. Better still is to take the necessary precautions to insure that they don't begin.

The optimum mix

Soil mediums, especially organic varieties, are the trickiest to learn to deal with. Regard the process as an ongoing education, and it will go fine. The difficulty is the many variables related to the problem. Depending on the "mix" of your soil, it may be heavy or light. Heavy soil is generally more moss than perlite and holds water longer. A lighter soil is generally more perlite or vermiculite, and therefore releases its moisture quicker. Learning to condition the soil you are working with is the first step to success. Different brands have different ingredients (and even the same brand may have different ingredients at different times). If you use the basic soil mix I recommend, where equal parts of perlite and coarse cut sphagnum moss make up about 70% of the overall mix, then you have the optimum mix. This mix seems to be the perfect blend for a regulated watering schedule.

Dry weight

Vegetating plants in small containers (two to four inch pots, or 16 to 24 ounce cups) may need watering as often as daily, others may be fine for a couple of days. Plants in larger containers (2 gallon and up) may go anywhere from three to six days between watering. The trick is in realizing when the plant is going to wilt, and watering it the day prior. This is done by physically lifting the plant container and judging its weight. The plant will suck its bucket of medium dry and then begin to wilt. Only experience can reveal what exactly the weight of the dry pot is. If a plant does happen to wilt due to drying out, check the weight of its bucket to see what too far is. We want to avoid wilting as much as possible, but a minor wilt is by no means fatal to the plant. I've seen wilted plants revived within twenty minutes when relieved of their thirst. However, wilting can also contribute to stunting.

Bottom feeding

After getting the soil mix down and learning the right watering time by the dryness, or weight, of the medium container, there is one more important tip to best maintain the proper watering schedule for your plants. I call this tip the bottom feeder method. Not merely because the method was perfected in a white-trash trailer park, but because it serves the nutrient and solution to the outside-bottom of the medium container. The solution is then sucked up by the roots through the holes in the bottom of the buckets. This method requires that the buckets be placed within the confines of a watertight container, such as a solid grow tray or a kiddie pool. The nutrient solution is then dumped or pumped right into the tray, watering many plants at once. It takes the plants anywhere from an hour to a few hours to soak up all of the moisture that they need. Individual mini-trays may be used for each individual container, but this causes much more tedium during watering. There are a number of trays, from large to small and of varying styles and sturdiness, available on the market these days. Some may hold a dozen small plants while others may hold twenty or thirty large plants. An entire grow room may be water-proofed as well. First, lay out a layer of 2-inch thick Styrofoam insulation panels larger than the intended pool. Next, a basic wood frame is constructed to the exact size of the desired pool on top of the Styrofoam. Finally, a swimming pool liner or landscaping pond liner is laid over the area and over the edges of the wood frame, after being fitted to the space. Plant containers may be placed directly in the pool and watered all at once. Please note that although this method allows the greatest ease of watering a large number of plants, it would be nearly impossible to judge exactly how much water these plants would consume in any given watering. Therefore, the garden needs to be checked a few hours after watering to see if the plants need more, or if the excess solution needs to be removed from the pool.

Less is more

The main focus of feeding should be the concentration and mix of fertilizers in the solution. I cannot emphasize enough that "less is more" when it comes to fertilizing plants. If too little fertilizer is used the only problem will be a slightly smaller yield. Too much fertilizer, however, is liable to ruin the entire crop. It is generally recommended to use less fertilizer than the instructions call for. Most fertilizer companies print their maximum allowed amounts for mixing. I like to use half of what the directions call for. This is especially true if one is mixing different nitrogen fertilizers. If two or more nitrogen fertilizers are used during the same feeding, then even a smaller ratio of each is needed. That is, if two nitrogen fertilizers are mixed together during one feeding, then only a quarter the recommended amount of each is needed to make the final concentration truly half strength. Nitrogen is the most commonly abused fertilizer additive, but this same logic should be applied to phosphorous and potassium concentrations as well. When the fertilizer concentration is low enough, then fertilizer may be added during each watering (except, of course, the last few weeks of pure water flushes). The plants should look like they are thriving if they are properly fed. The leaves should stretch up and out to receive the light. Their color should be bright and consistent with a shiny, healthy glow. New growth should be obvious daily, and the old growth should last as long as possible. Underfertilized plants will merely be slow or, at worst, small, but overfertilized plants may look burned or splotchy. The leaves may become curled, with unnatural looking colors from bright yellow to dusty brown. The stems may stretch and turn dark, or they may harden and solidify, stunting growth. All in all, an overfertilized plant will look unhealthy and deeply in need. If signs of overfertilization appear, it may be necessary to dilute the concentration with pure water. For one or two waterings flush the plants with water only, and see if the situation improves. There are organic soil additives on the market that eliminate the need for any extra fertilizer additives in the water. Many of these fertilizer additives are made up of harsh petrochemicals. The best organic substances I've found are bat and seabird guano and pure worm castings. Fossilized bat and bird guano come in a powder form, while pure worm castings are like a very rich manure. Both may be added to soil to enhance its nutrient level. Most indoor plants do not remain in the same container for any longer than two months. So once the right soil mix is obtained then water alone will suffice, or water with a B-vitamin supplement to help the plant best metabolize the nutrients available to it. Plants grown using this method produce some of the most outstanding flavors and desirable palate and head.

A tale of two gardens

A Tale of Two Gardens
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Liz started a garden to keep herself supplied with primo buds. She wanted an efficient low care system which would produce high quality buds without much effort. Since she did not have a lot of space to spare, Liz emptied a closet and prepared it to serve as a garden. She painted the 4'x4'x7' closet flat white and installed a heavy plastic tarp on the floor to prevent water spillage. She hung a 400-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp from a hook in the ceiling with a chain so it was adjustable. A 20 lb. CO2 tank and short interval timer were placed in the chamber to inject the gas into it. A hole was made in the wall to vent an exhaust fan connected to a thermostate-humidostat. This was designed to keep the room termperature in the 70s and the humidity in the 50s. An oscillating fan was placed in the room to keep the air Circulating. (a negative-ion generator was used to control odor). Now it was time to start the seeds. Small rockwool cubes were placed in a tray and watered with a dilute solution of hydroponic vegetative growth stage fertilizer. The tray was drained of water so that only 1/4" - 1/2" layer remained. A seed and a label were poked 3/8" deep into each cube. The cubes were kept moist. The seeds, descendants of several varieties of Dutch seed, germinated in a few days and were ready for transplanting nine days later. The seeds were transplanted into round 6" diameter containers filled with pebble-sized crushed lava rock. The rock absorbs water and transports it through capillary action, much as a tissue moves water. Six containers were placed in each tray. An aerator was placed on the bottom of each of the five trays. Each aerator was attached to a gang valve which in turn was connected to a single small aquarium pump. The containers were watered from the top with a full-strength vegetative growth stage nutrient/water solution. About two to three inches of water was left in each tray for the lava to draw up, much like a wick. When the water level went down in the tray, unfertilized water was added.

Part 2

Last month, Liz transplanted into 6-inch containers. Liz's closet garden took off. In 30 days, the plants were 18" tall and growing very rapidly. Liz changed the fertilizer solution in the trays every 10 days and kept the light about two feet above the plants. She made sure that the water level in the trays was maintained at about two inches. During the month that she was away from the garden for a three and a four day stretch. Though the water level in the trays had dropped a bit when she returned, the plants were still healthy and doing fine. The plants looked vigorous and showed no signs of deficiencies. Shortly after these pictures were taken (sorry no pics), Liz turned the lights back to 12 hours to induce flowering.

Part 3

Liz's garden was in mid-flower. The buds were swelling and creating their characteristic definition. The Early Pearl and Northern Lights bids grew along main branches, developing their configurations, then swelling out. The Skunks were maturing slower, their buds growing large on the primary branches. The plants looked healthy with no sign of deficiency. They were growing fast and vigorously. The system continued working without a hitch. Liz added water to the trays as needed to keep a level between 1 and 2 inches. The fertilizer solution was changed in each tray every ten days. Liz changed over to flowering fertilizer when she turned the lights down to 12 hours. Still, the plants showed no signs of lack of nitrogen (N). Because of scheduling problems, Liz was unable to take cuttings off the plants until two weeks after turning the lights down. After taking the cuttings she placed them in the refridgerator for a few days until she had time to work on them. From bottom up, her cloning kit consisted of: + A small heating mat (sold in nurseries) over the wooden bookshelf + A plastic tray about three inches deep, filled with water + An aerator sitting at the bottom of the tray hooked to a pump + And an almost flat styrofoam plate salvaged from a fruit carton. (The plastic tray had melted into the mat a little, so it was replaced with a glass tray.) The clones were cut from the bottom of the plants. Liz trimmed them to about 2 1/2"-3", leaving only a few leaves at the top. She punched holes with a pencil and inserted the cuttings. The styrofoam held the clones in place. The water-nutrient solution contained flowering fertilizer at 1/4-strength and Olivia's rooting solution (a brand name). The heating mat kept the water in the tray at a constant warmth, in the low to mid-'70s. The aerator insured adequate supplies of oxygen to the stems. The flowering fertilizer was used to limit leaf growth and help stimulate root growth.

Part 4

Liz transplanted the seedlings to 6" pots about 90 days ago. Now half the garden has been harvested. The Early Pearls and some Northern Lights have blossomed, ripened, and been cut. This leaves some NL crosses, the Skunks, and Hash plant. Hash plant seems to be having a hard time flowering and probably needs a shorter light period The glands have filled with resin causing the buds to floresce. New pistil growth has stopped. The fan leaves are yellowing and dying, leaving the maturing buds naked. The tray and pot system worked extremely well. Liz now changes the water every two weeks and adds water as needed to keep the level at between one to two inches. the five-parts-lava-one-part-vermiculite mix stays moist through capillary action, but has large air spaces, so the roots always have oxygen. The water itself is aerated with a small fish-tank air pump. Roots have been growing out of the containers into the water trays. They look healthy and white. The clones, which were started last month, are now rooted, ready to be transplanted into the garden. They have been growing in a tray filled with water. They are supported by a styrofoam divider salvaged from a vegetable box. The water is kept at 75 degrees F. using a fish-tank thermostat-heater.

Part 5

Liz has harvested all of the plants in the garden, yielding between 6 and 8 ounces. She likes all of the plants, but especially the NL-Skunk crosses. Liz now has three growing areas. Her largest space, is the 4' x 4' flower room. Underneath this garden, she has built a small vegetative growth space which can handle either clones or plants which are less than 8" tall. It is lit using flourescent lights. This space is not being used right now, but will be soon. There are only a few clones left in the rooting chambers. The rest of them have been potted and placed in the flowering room, where they are being given constant light. Some of the plants which were harvested are also in the room. Most of the buds have been picked off them, leaving only leaves on a stem no higher than 12". The plants are expected to revert to vegetative cycle and then will be reflowered. The lighting cycle will be cut back to the flowering cycle of 12-on/12-off within a few weeks.

Part 6

All three of Liz's gardens are being used now. The rooting section, the stage two vegetative growth section and the flowering section have healthy plants. The rooting section consists of a glass baking dish filled with water slightly enriched with high phosphorous fertilizer. Styrofoam forms the float on the water, holding the clones in place. The water is aerated using a fish-tank pump and aerator unit. To promote rooting, the water is kept between 70-75 degrees F. using a plant heating mat. The second stage garden is where the rooted clones are fattened up before flowering. The space is lit by flourescents and allows the plants to get about a foot tall. The plants in Liz's main garden, where flowering takes place, are in early flowering and filling out. Most of these plants have already flowered once. After removing the buds from the plants, Liz let them go into a vegetative cycle by running the lights continuously. After a few weeks the flowereing cycle regimen of 12 hours light/12 hours darkness was reinstated. When plants are reflowered they tend to be very bushy. To eliminate small branches crowding the area, most are clipped off. Liz let most of the branches grow. As a result she has hundreds of flowering sites on each plant, but they are much smaller than they would be with fewer branches. Liz is away, so she has placed "water fountains" in her garden to make sure that the plants do not go dry. The reservoirs are designed to keep the water level at two inches. The water is stored in a 2-liter plastic soda bottle and travels through a small tube directly into the tray.

A tale of two gardens

A Tale of Two Gardens
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Liz started a garden to keep herself supplied with primo buds. She wanted an efficient low care system which would produce high quality buds without much effort. Since she did not have a lot of space to spare, Liz emptied a closet and prepared it to serve as a garden. She painted the 4'x4'x7' closet flat white and installed a heavy plastic tarp on the floor to prevent water spillage. She hung a 400-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp from a hook in the ceiling with a chain so it was adjustable. A 20 lb. CO2 tank and short interval timer were placed in the chamber to inject the gas into it. A hole was made in the wall to vent an exhaust fan connected to a thermostate-humidostat. This was designed to keep the room termperature in the 70s and the humidity in the 50s. An oscillating fan was placed in the room to keep the air Circulating. (a negative-ion generator was used to control odor). Now it was time to start the seeds. Small rockwool cubes were placed in a tray and watered with a dilute solution of hydroponic vegetative growth stage fertilizer. The tray was drained of water so that only 1/4" - 1/2" layer remained. A seed and a label were poked 3/8" deep into each cube. The cubes were kept moist. The seeds, descendants of several varieties of Dutch seed, germinated in a few days and were ready for transplanting nine days later. The seeds were transplanted into round 6" diameter containers filled with pebble-sized crushed lava rock. The rock absorbs water and transports it through capillary action, much as a tissue moves water. Six containers were placed in each tray. An aerator was placed on the bottom of each of the five trays. Each aerator was attached to a gang valve which in turn was connected to a single small aquarium pump. The containers were watered from the top with a full-strength vegetative growth stage nutrient/water solution. About two to three inches of water was left in each tray for the lava to draw up, much like a wick. When the water level went down in the tray, unfertilized water was added.

Part 2

Last month, Liz transplanted into 6-inch containers. Liz's closet garden took off. In 30 days, the plants were 18" tall and growing very rapidly. Liz changed the fertilizer solution in the trays every 10 days and kept the light about two feet above the plants. She made sure that the water level in the trays was maintained at about two inches. During the month that she was away from the garden for a three and a four day stretch. Though the water level in the trays had dropped a bit when she returned, the plants were still healthy and doing fine. The plants looked vigorous and showed no signs of deficiencies. Shortly after these pictures were taken (sorry no pics), Liz turned the lights back to 12 hours to induce flowering.

Part 3

Liz's garden was in mid-flower. The buds were swelling and creating their characteristic definition. The Early Pearl and Northern Lights bids grew along main branches, developing their configurations, then swelling out. The Skunks were maturing slower, their buds growing large on the primary branches. The plants looked healthy with no sign of deficiency. They were growing fast and vigorously. The system continued working without a hitch. Liz added water to the trays as needed to keep a level between 1 and 2 inches. The fertilizer solution was changed in each tray every ten days. Liz changed over to flowering fertilizer when she turned the lights down to 12 hours. Still, the plants showed no signs of lack of nitrogen (N). Because of scheduling problems, Liz was unable to take cuttings off the plants until two weeks after turning the lights down. After taking the cuttings she placed them in the refridgerator for a few days until she had time to work on them. From bottom up, her cloning kit consisted of: + A small heating mat (sold in nurseries) over the wooden bookshelf + A plastic tray about three inches deep, filled with water + An aerator sitting at the bottom of the tray hooked to a pump + And an almost flat styrofoam plate salvaged from a fruit carton. (The plastic tray had melted into the mat a little, so it was replaced with a glass tray.) The clones were cut from the bottom of the plants. Liz trimmed them to about 2 1/2"-3", leaving only a few leaves at the top. She punched holes with a pencil and inserted the cuttings. The styrofoam held the clones in place. The water-nutrient solution contained flowering fertilizer at 1/4-strength and Olivia's rooting solution (a brand name). The heating mat kept the water in the tray at a constant warmth, in the low to mid-'70s. The aerator insured adequate supplies of oxygen to the stems. The flowering fertilizer was used to limit leaf growth and help stimulate root growth.

Part 4

Liz transplanted the seedlings to 6" pots about 90 days ago. Now half the garden has been harvested. The Early Pearls and some Northern Lights have blossomed, ripened, and been cut. This leaves some NL crosses, the Skunks, and Hash plant. Hash plant seems to be having a hard time flowering and probably needs a shorter light period The glands have filled with resin causing the buds to floresce. New pistil growth has stopped. The fan leaves are yellowing and dying, leaving the maturing buds naked. The tray and pot system worked extremely well. Liz now changes the water every two weeks and adds water as needed to keep the level at between one to two inches. the five-parts-lava-one-part-vermiculite mix stays moist through capillary action, but has large air spaces, so the roots always have oxygen. The water itself is aerated with a small fish-tank air pump. Roots have been growing out of the containers into the water trays. They look healthy and white. The clones, which were started last month, are now rooted, ready to be transplanted into the garden. They have been growing in a tray filled with water. They are supported by a styrofoam divider salvaged from a vegetable box. The water is kept at 75 degrees F. using a fish-tank thermostat-heater.

Part 5

Liz has harvested all of the plants in the garden, yielding between 6 and 8 ounces. She likes all of the plants, but especially the NL-Skunk crosses. Liz now has three growing areas. Her largest space, is the 4' x 4' flower room. Underneath this garden, she has built a small vegetative growth space which can handle either clones or plants which are less than 8" tall. It is lit using flourescent lights. This space is not being used right now, but will be soon. There are only a few clones left in the rooting chambers. The rest of them have been potted and placed in the flowering room, where they are being given constant light. Some of the plants which were harvested are also in the room. Most of the buds have been picked off them, leaving only leaves on a stem no higher than 12". The plants are expected to revert to vegetative cycle and then will be reflowered. The lighting cycle will be cut back to the flowering cycle of 12-on/12-off within a few weeks.

Part 6

All three of Liz's gardens are being used now. The rooting section, the stage two vegetative growth section and the flowering section have healthy plants. The rooting section consists of a glass baking dish filled with water slightly enriched with high phosphorous fertilizer. Styrofoam forms the float on the water, holding the clones in place. The water is aerated using a fish-tank pump and aerator unit. To promote rooting, the water is kept between 70-75 degrees F. using a plant heating mat. The second stage garden is where the rooted clones are fattened up before flowering. The space is lit by flourescents and allows the plants to get about a foot tall. The plants in Liz's main garden, where flowering takes place, are in early flowering and filling out. Most of these plants have already flowered once. After removing the buds from the plants, Liz let them go into a vegetative cycle by running the lights continuously. After a few weeks the flowereing cycle regimen of 12 hours light/12 hours darkness was reinstated. When plants are reflowered they tend to be very bushy. To eliminate small branches crowding the area, most are clipped off. Liz let most of the branches grow. As a result she has hundreds of flowering sites on each plant, but they are much smaller than they would be with fewer branches. Liz is away, so she has placed "water fountains" in her garden to make sure that the plants do not go dry. The reservoirs are designed to keep the water level at two inches. The water is stored in a 2-liter plastic soda bottle and travels through a small tube directly into the tray.

Aero-hydroponic

Aero-Hydroponics: The Method Of the Future

by Lawrence Brooke

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NOTICE: TO ALL CONCERNED Certain text files and messages contained on this site deal with activities and devices which would be in violation of various Federal, State, and local laws if actually carried out or constructed. The webmasters of this site do not advocate the breaking of any law. Our text files and message bases are for informational purposes only. We recommend that you contact your local law enforcement officials before undertaking any project based upon any information obtained from this or any other web site. We do not guarantee that any of the information contained on this system is correct, workable, or factual. We are not responsible for, nor do we assume any liability for, damages resulting from the use of any information on this site.

A Brief History

The aero-hydroponic method was developed in Israel in the early 1980's. Dr. Hillel Soffer, senior researcher at the Volcani Institute at Ein Gedi developed the aero-hydroponic method to overcome the challenges presented by the hot, arid conditions at Ein Gedi. The discoveries that followed the development of aero-hydroponics offer great benefits to all hydroponic growers. During a two-year period from 1986 to 1988, Dr. Soffer performed extensive research using the aero-hydroponic method at the University of California at Davis, where he had received his Ph.D. in the early 1970s. The specific area of research was in quantifying the effect of various levels of dissolved oxygen on root growth, especially in the propagation of plants from cuttings. The findings of his research were published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, and HortScience. Both studies were co-authored with David Burger at UCD. In addition, Dr. Soffer presented his findings at the annual conference of the Hydroponic Society of America in 1988. Except for the papers mentioned above, very little has been printed up to now on the aero-hydroponic method. The method was patented internationally, though few licenses for the production of equipment have been granted. Without aggressive commercial support, the aero-hydroponic method has remained largely a research tool, known mostly to university researchers.In the meantime, the rockwool method was becoming available internationally following 12 years of exhaustive research and a strong marketing program with lots of investment in advertising, production and distribution, first in Europe and later in Japan. Following nearly a decade of rockwool use, the Dutch contacted Dr. Soffer to request permission to develop and use the aero-hydroponic method. The reason for the sudden interest of the Dutch in the aero-hydroponic method has implications for the development of hydroponic cultivation worldwide. For rockwool cultivation to work efficiently in most commercial operations it is preferred to a use a non-recirculating nutrient solution. Nutrient solution is sent on a one-way trip through the rockwool and is then discarded. The real cost advantage of rockwool cultivation over other hydroponic methods was that the nutrient did not have to be recaptured and recirculated, reducing the system complexity of reservoirs, plumbing, pumps and pH and conductivity controllers. The once-through nutrient system also reduces the problem of nutrient solution becoming imbalanced due to erratic uptake of minerals by rapidly growing plants; plus the build up of dissolved minerals from slowly dissolving rockwool. The discharge of enormous amounts of spent nutrient solution has become a major problem in Holland, contaminating surface and ground waters. Consequently, the Dutch government has prohibited the dumping of nutrients resulting in renewed interest in recirculating systems such as aero-hydroponics. As leaders in both horticulture and commercial hydroponics, the Dutch have recognized the value of a method, which enables rapid and trouble-free cultivation and eliminates the problems of disposing of spent nutrients and exhausted media.

The Aero-hydroponic Method

Aero-hydroponics is not a simple method to understand. The equipment required is somewhat more complicated than other hydroponic methods, but there is a great advantage in that once an aero-hydroponic system is set up, it will run almost indefinitely without additional investment in such disposable components as growing media and non-recirculating nutrients. What is most surprising about aero-hydroponics is not how it works, but why plants grow better. The key is dissolved oxygen at the root boundary zone. The essence of Dr. Soffer's work at UCD was in quantifying root growth in proportion to dissolved oxygen. Only the green parts of the plant can form oxygen from carbon dioxide - roots require a supply of oxygen for metabolism and growth. Plant growth in oxygen deficient conditions, such as those found in many soils, is limited. Dr. Soffer found the enhanced oxygen at the root zone produced enhanced growth. In aero-hydroponics, the nutrient solution is sprayed through the air in order to infuse the nutrient with dissolved oxygen. The method differs from classic aeroponics in that most of the plant's roots are not suspended in air and fed by a spray of nutrient solution; rather, the majority of the roots are submerged in oxygen-infused nutrient which is in constant motion in order to maintain high levels of dissolved oxygen at the root boundary zone where oxygen and nutrients are taken in by the plant. The result is a propagating tool of unsurpassed performance. Dr. Soffer was successful in propagating plant varieties at UCD that had never been propagated before. He took particular delight in propagating varieties of conifers and even pistachio trees (pistachio cuttings required 90 days to generate roots). Moreover, he found that cuttings could be rooted aero-hydroponically in purified water without using rooting hormones such as IBA or NAA. This is because plant tissue already contains the natural rooting hormone IAA (Indole Acetic Acid).

Aero-hydroponic Systems

Aero-hydroponic systems can be built using quite a variety of materials and in numerous design configurations. The Ein Gedi "Mini Unit" which was used at UCD for dissolved oxygen studies is a stand-alone module which supports four plants in 10 liters of nutrient solution. An electric motor mounted on the top of the unit spins a nutrient sprayer, which lifts nutrient solution and sprays it onto the "aerial roots." Additionally, the rotation causes the nutrient within the unit to stir, moving it constantly over the submerged roots. Large-scale aero-hydroponic systems follow the design of the commercial installation at Ein Gedi. These commercial systems consist of "canals" or growing chambers with plant sites on top. A pump provides the pressure to drive a system of sprayers to supply the aerial roots, while the submerged roots hang into the flowing nutrient in the canal. Both of these systems share fundamental characteristics, which define the aero-hydroponic method. The plants are supported above the flowing nutrient. The roots hang down through an air gap in which nutrient is sprayed, then into the moving nutrient solution below the air gap. The nutrient sprayed through the air gap is not so much intended to feed the plant, but rather to infuse oxygen into the nutrient solution wherein the feeder roots remain constantly submerged. It is these submerged roots in oxygen rich nutrient that provides most of the nutrition and oxygen for the plant.

Home Installation

The AeroFlo system is designed and built by General Hydroponics following the Aero-hydroponic method. It consists of a reservoir placed below the growing chambers, which support the plants. The nutrient in this system is changed every two weeks and the pH is adjusted to 5.5 to 6.5 and nutrient conductivity is maintained at about 800 to 1200 ppm. Since there is no growing medium except a handful of "GROROX" at each plant site, pH remains very stable and only requires an initial adjustment when mixing fresh nutrient, if the water supply is of good quality. The AERO-HYDROPONIC METHOD is without doubt the most advanced hydroponic method that has been developed to date. The cost of constructing and installing systems, plus the complications of obtaining licensing, have been deterrents to widespread commercial application. This is changing as commercial growers, researchers, serious hydroponic gardeners and manufacturers become aware of the capabilities and value of aero-hydroponics.

Hydroponic solutions

General Hydroponic Recipes Salt Fert Recipes
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Geeezz I like answers like this. This is the kind of discussions I am looking for. I wish i was as diplomat and fine writer like you. But unfortunatly I am not :) I am a rough, short fused ,undiplomatic and grouchy old fart. maybe reading messages like yours and ~shabang~ will teach me how to act properly here. I am working on it :) You got it right bro. If I would be newbie, I would not start with salt fert. It is simply too complicated. But when I did start growing many years ago, GH wasn't on the market yet,so I have had to learn to work with salt fert. And since then I can compare the difference between both type of fert. from seeing other crop of my friends who are using GH. And they keep asking me how to get the harsh taste out of their weed. But they wouldn't switch for salts, so I sure don't expect to convert everyone here :) I never did work with organic fert, since I wouldn't have a clue about what is going on in the substract when I would be adding some chem fert like GH. Impossible to know because of the large amount of mineral in organic fert, combine with Chemical fert, end up being a brew too hard to control. I don't like to not knowing what is going with my fertilization. The only thing I can say is as long as urea nitrate is used, it will be very hard to get a smooth taste with the finished product. urea Nitrate seem to stick forever in the plant and is so hard to wash out.

My friend have tried to rinse with water only for 2 weeks prior harvesting and they still have this harsh taste, and I don't. I don't cure neither. It is on the market 5 days after harvesting with no harsh taste and very sweet. Those who are using organic fert should not add micronutrient before half way thru the growing process. It is less harmfull to lack a bit of micronutrient than to have too much of them. Many peoples are overfeeding, wich create super problems. Don't forget that the guys selling the product wants you to use as much as possible , they want to make money. I suggest to those who want to do a test, to have a few plants with half the fert you are using for the other plants and see for yourself. Can you beleive i have been fertilizing my KONG weed only twice a week so far? and do they ever grow fast these guys. You can see when your plant is ready for another shot of fert because of the top leaves getting paler green. The main thing is better less fert than too much. when nutrient start to lock up it is very hard to know what to use to undo this since we can't know exactly what is locked up with what. if you don't overfertilize you won't get fert lock up. Micronutrient are the most touchy part about fertilizing. It has to do with the kind of water you are using. Other thing that growers should know is the amount of oxygen the roots system get. OK ,P2O5 has 5 atoms of oxygen for 2 phosphorus,but as soon as you balance your ph the O5 is reacting and oxydize turning iron to rust and zn to who knows what, instead of giving the oxygen to the roots. This is why it is an incredible mess to describe. If anyone wants to learn more about all of this go to this url . EVERYTHING is there. Full course on nutrient and all.

Doesn't matter if they talk about tomatoes, super site to learn about ferts. read the section about Soil reaction (ph) they know what they are talking about. Will save me a lot of typing :) i hope this help Bye for now and thanx for the input. I needed that :)

I would give some tricks about salt fert only if there are someone using this kind of fertilizer right now,or intend too. It would be useless for me to post on salt fert if nobody plan to use it. If there is someone who is starting with salt fert, let me say this: don't be surprise to see larger leaves and paler as well. Don't overuse Nitrate to try to get the same dark green as GH would do, the leaves are very happy with this paller green. The plant will grow much faster than with other type of fert so you will have to watch closely cause it will go fast and you will have to keep track of the calcium Nitrate ,because it is the only Composant of all the familly to watch for. Calcium Nitrate does wonder but can kill the plant too if missused. The other composants will stay the same ratio during all the plant life, only the amount will vary. You don't have to use K2SO4 ,instead raise the KH2PO4 and KN03, slightly. Overfeeding is easily recognised with salt Fert because of the rapidity of this type of ferts to work. If you start seeing Nitrate overfert, Rinse the medium and let the plant drink the water. you won't burn them unless you fertilize when the medium is too dry. Over feeding with P or K is very rare with salt fert . The only one to watch for will be the Micro nute, don't overuse it, and the Calcium Nitrate. If i get some peoples interested on this subject, i will post later on the WONDER of Calcium Nitrate and all the Good things this stuff can do to your plant. Friendly yours Frenchie ... O.M. is gonne

I hand water ,in Promix#4, i use a garbage container about 80 liter. One is filled with water and Monophosphate potassium KH2PO4 (one small plastic fert cup) Micro nutes and one tea spoon of MgSO4 (half a fert cup)depending if the water in your locality is hard or soft. hard water contain enough Magnesium , Calcium and sulfates to do the job. I use this Mix for Washing twice a week. If the promix is too dry, use plain water ,wait 2 hours then fertilize. The other container is filled with the full recipe.Smaller the plant ,more water i use (to let the medium get dry ,good for the roots). The solution has to be as fresh as possible, not cold.When you fill up the reservoirs, make sure to make as much bubbling with the hose to oxygenate the water. At the rate the plants will drink,you should never have some old solution. When flowering,i use half and half (both reservoir)so i can play with the Nitrates. Fresh Promix should keep his PH in good shape aqll the way. Overwatering degrade the peatmoss . With salt ferts to tell you the thruth, the last time i did check the PH was 15 years ago and was neutral so i never checked it again since. The only way I can see if something goes wrong is by looking at the leaves and the way they grow. The growth will be very consistant, so if something goes wrong,you can see it. The only fert to watch is like i said calcium Nitrate, this stuff on an very thirsty (dry) will kill it in 4 hours. If you see the tip of the leaves turning brown, flush with water and let it dry and pray. I 'll stop here for now. waiting for questions.

calling it monophosphate potassium may get some strange looks across the counter, better to call it monopotassium phosphate. True there is only one phosphorus atom per molecule and thus "mono = one" says monophosphate is fine, the ambiguity in the compound is the number of potassium atoms present as the phosphate can attract one, two or three potassiums, thus it is better to specify "monopotassium phosphate" and there'll be no ambiguity as to the number of potassium atoms per phoshate compound. Using a heater would do, just make sure you make some Bubling each day to keep the oxygen level nice. If you go with a Pump system,then the water get oxyganeted with the flow and spraying. One can for example: make a new solution, go with it for one day, if half the solution is left in the reservoir,add water for the next day. Then discard waht's left ,to get a fresh solution on the third day. The best is to be able to use the solution as quickly as possible but i sometime use the same solution for up to 4 days if i don't have enough plants and too much solution. After stretching wich was minimal the Kong went down to a more normal level as water intake.... When one plant is processing at least one liter of fluid a day, you can say... it is in shape and growing. 2 liter a day, you're in business. :)

Hydroponic setup

've been exploring hydroponic gardening lately, and thought y'all might be interested in hearing about my setup:
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Materials

1 Footlocker or trunk, bigger is better.
1 Rubbermaid dishpan that just fits on the bottom of the trunk, when the trunk is turned on its side (this will make more sense in a few minutes, I used a 12 quart one) 3-4 blocks of FLORAL FOAM (Preferably agricultural grade, as it does not have preservatives in it, but Oasis will do if it is completely rinsed/soaked first) 1 Muffin Fan (look in computer surplus stores)
1 50 WATT High Pressure Sodium lamp (Or your lamp of choice)
1 roll of tin foil

Comments on Cost

If you bought all this stuff, it would run about 100 bucks... However, I got my trunk at a yard sale for $5, had the fan lying around, and through some creative scrounging on a public bike trail late at night, came up with the HPS lamp and ballast for free. The dishpan came from a 'Everything's a dollar' store, and foam is cheap... I think I spent $30 total (including fertilizer, which I will discuss later)

First, cut the handle off of one end of the trunk, then stand the thing up on that end. Sitting it on a phone book with the door hanging off the end makes it much easier to open and close. Then install the fan... I put mine on the top of the box, but It could go in the top back corner if light leakage is important. A good deal of light will be exiting the fanhole (well, more than anywhere else)... keep this in mind. I also painted the fanblades white in an attempt to reflect the light back into the box, but Im not sure if it worked... it probably isnt necessary. Put some intake holes along the bottom of the box, these will be covered with foil later, so not too much light will be leaking out. Cover the entire inside of the box with foil, excluding the fan area, and where you plan on installing the lamp. I used duct tape to affix it to the walls/door, and I LEFT IT UNATTATCHED AT THE BOTTOM so air could come through the intake holes. Install the lamp! I put mine at the very top center of the door, with the bulb sticking straight out, so it enters the rest of the box when the door is closed. This made it easier to wire, but In the future, I would put it on the back wall of the box, as less of your room will be illuminated when you open the thing (it's kind of like opening up the sun).

Thoughts on Lamps

According to Ed Rosenthol (believe him if you want to, ignore him if you dont) HPS lamps are some of the best growing lamps made, especially when efficiency is an issue. These lamps give off an amberish glow, and are often used to light parking lots, bike trails, etc. They operate on a very high voltage, and require a transformer or ballast to work. Metal Halide lamps (used in photographic and theatrical lamps) are smaller, and much whiter, and usually do not require ballast, but they use up a hell of a lot more energy. I used a Flurescent to sprout the plants, and switched to HPS after they had developed 3 sets of leaves (about 48 hours after germination) This was acceptable. Next, it is time to deal with the foam and plant. I soak the foam overnight in a nutrient-water mixture (more on that later) after rinsing it extremely well. Then I cut a brick or 2 into 1" cubes, and plant one seed in each cube. Planting in foam means you place the sead on the foam, and push it in with a small wire or something similar, so the seed is surrounded as much as possible by the wet foam. The cubes are placed in the dishpan, and 1/2" of water-nutrient mixture is added to the pan. The foam will suck up water and nutrients as necessary, so it is important to try to keep the water level at about 1/2". It is better for the water to be slightly too low (but not dry) than too high
The seeds can take as long as a week or 10 days to germinate, do not worry if nothing happens at first, and it seems that I never get more than about 15% of my planted seeds to sprout. This suggests a fault somewhere in my system, but I havent identified it yet, no do I especially care. I just plant a LOT of seeds, and then use the best seedlings for my gardening. Usually a smoking-buddy or someone will take a free marijuana seedling off your hands with a minimum of hassle. About 3 days after germination, a few pairs of leaves should've formed. Now is the time to transplant. And transplanting is the glory of foam. All you need to do to transplant things growing in foam, is put the small block of foam (with the plant in it) on top of the larger block , and rub them together a few times. The roots will grow out of the small cube, and into the bigger one in a matter of days. I managed to find foam in 12" cubes... cutting these in half gave me 2 pieces of 12"x12"x6" foam, and each of those can easily hold one plant, probably 2. I personally grow only one plant in each trunk, but 2 smaller ones are probably perfectly acceptable.

Lighting

When I transplant is when I turn on the HPS lamp. It then stays on for 24 hours/7days until the plant is 8-15 inches tall. Then it is time to force flowering. This can be done by giving the plants a 10-16 hour dark period in each 24 hour day (this should be done using a cheap timer like people use when they go away on vacation in an attempt to foil burglers) In a matter of 3 weeks, sex should be apparent on the plants... REMOVE THE MALES. Keep the dark period constant until it is time to pick, dry and enjoy.

A word on water-nutrient mixtures

Floram foam should be totally inert, meaning it does not provide the plant with ANYTHING except something for the roots to grow in. Thus all nutrients that the plant would get from the soil MUST be in the water. Read a few books on hydroponics to figure out what mixture suits you best, I personally use a liquid plant food that shows on its label an N-P-N count of 10-15-10. This seems to work fairly well for me. I know people who use 20-20-20, and quite a few who use different foods during different stages of growth. Read up on the subject and decide for yourself. Anyway, this was not ment to be a 'HOW TO GROW WEED' type of post, but apparently it has become one (sort of). It was ment to talk about my grow room, as it was described earlier in this post. I have found that a single plant can grow to maturity without any trouble in this space, and 2 smaller plants (forced to flower at about 8 inches, instead of the 10-12 that I personally use) would probably be ok too. This grow room is very portable (unplug it and take it with you) clandestine (it looks like a trunk to me (not an uncommon thing in a college dormatory if you are a student), and it can be locked with a padlock) and effective (trust me!) I assume one could grow using standard soil and such in this thing, but I have had great success with foam, and it is much easier to keep it watered. Rockwool has been sugested to me as a medium, but I dont even know where to buy it... apparently it is much like foam in that it is inert, and transplanting is a breeze.