Nutrient troubleshooting

Nutrient Disorders

George Van Pattens on Nutrients Nutrient disorders are caused by too much or too little of one or several nutrients being available. These nutrients are made available between a pH range of 5 and 7 and a total dissolved solids (TDS) range of 800 to 3000 PPM. Maintaining these conditions is the key to proper nutrient uptake.
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Nutrients

Over twenty elements are needed for a plant to grow. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are absorbed from the air and water. The rest of the elements, called mineral nutrients, are dissolved in the nutrient solution. The primary or macro- nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)) are the elements plants use the most. Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are secondary nutrients and used in smaller amounts. Iron (Fe), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are micro-nutrients or trace elements. Trace elements are found in most soils. Rockwool (hydroponic) fertilizers must contain these trace elements, as they do not normally exist in sufficient quantities in rockwool or water. Other elements also play a part in plant growth. Aluminum, chlorine, cobalt, iodine, selenium, silicon, sodium and vanadium are not normally included in nutrient mixes. They are required in very minute amounts that are usually present as impurities in the water supply or mixed along with other nutrients.

* NOTE: The nutrients must be soluble (able to be dissolved in water) and go into solution.

Macro-nutrients

Nitrogen (N) is primary to plant growth. Plants convert nitrogen to make proteins essential to new cell growth. Nitrogen is mainly responsible for leaf and stem growth as well as overall size and vigor. Nitrogen moves easily to active young buds, shoots and leaves and slower to older leaves. Deficiency signs show first in older leaves. They turn a pale yellow and may die. New growth becomes weak and spindly. An abundance of nitrogen will cause soft, weak growth and even delay flower and fruit production if it is allowed to accumulate.

Phosphorus (P) is necessary for photosynthesis and works as a catalyst for energy transfer within the plant. Phosphorus helps build strong roots and is vital for flower and seed production. Highest levels of phosphorus are used during germination, seedling growth and flowering. Deficiencies will show in older leaves first. Leaves turn deep green on a uniformly smaller, stunted plant. Leaves show brown or purple spots. NOTE: Phosphorus flocculates when concentrated and combined with calcium.

Potassium (K) activates the manufacture and movement of sugars and starches, as well as growth by cell division. Potassium increases chlorophyll in foliage and helps regulate stomata openings so plants make better use of light and air. Potassium encourages strong root growth, water uptake and triggers enzymes that fight disease. Potassium is necessary during all stages of growth. It is especially important in the development of fruit. Deficiency signs of potassium are: plants are the tallest and appear healthy. Older leaves mottle and yellow between veins, followed by whole leaves that turn dark yellow and die. Flower and fruit drop are common problems associated with potassium deficiency. Potassium is usually locked out by high salinity.

Secondary Nutrients

Magnesium (Mg) is found as a central atom in the chlorophyll molecule and is essential to the absorption of light energy. Magnesium aids in the utilization of nutrients, neutralizes acids and toxic compounds produced by the plant. Deficiency signs of magnesium are: Older leaves yellow from the center outward, while veins remain green on deficient plants. Leaf tips and edges may discolor and curl upward. Growing tips turn lime green if the deficiency progresses to the top of the plant.

Calcium (Ca) is fundamental to cell manufacture and growth. Soil gardeners use dolomite lime, which contains calcium and magnesium, to keep the soil sweet or buffered. Rockwool gardeners use calcium to buffer excess nutrients. Calcium moves slowly within the plant and tends to concentrate in roots and older growth. Consequently young growth shows deficiency signs first. Deficient leaf tips, edges and new growth will turn brown and die back. If too much calcium is applied early in life, it will stunt growth as well. It will also flocculate when a concentrated form is combined with potassium.

Trace Elements

Sulphur (S) is a component of plant proteins and plays a role in root growth and chlorophyll supply. Distributed relatively evenly with largest amounts in leaves which affects the flavor and odor in many plants. Sulphur, like calcium, moves little within plant tissue and the first signs of a deficiency are pale young leaves. Growth is slow but leaves tend to get brittle and stay narrower than normal.

Iron (Fe) is a key catalyst in chlorophyll production and is used in photosynthesis. A lack of iron turns leaves pale yellow or white while the veins remain green. Iron is difficult for plants to absorb and moves slowly within the plant. Always use chelated (immediately available to the plant) iron in nutrient mixes.

Manganese (Mg) works with plant enzymes to reduce nitrates before producing proteins. A lack of manganese turns young leaves a mottled yellow or brown.

Zinc (Z) is a catalyst and must be present in minute amounts for plant growth. A lack of zinc results in stunting, yellowing and curling of small leaves. An excess of zinc is uncommon but very toxic and causes wilting or death.

Copper (C) is a catalyst for several enzymes. A shortage of copper makes new growth wilt and causes irregular growth. Excesses of copper causes sudden death. Copper is also used as a fungicide and wards off insects and diseases because of this property.

Boron (B) is necessary for cells to divide and protein formation. It also plays an active role in pollination and seed production.

Molybdenum (Mn) helps form proteins and aids the plant's ability to fix nitrogen from the air. A deficiency causes leaves to turn pale and fringes to appear scorched. Irregular leaf growth may also result.

These nutrients are mixed together to form a complete plant fertilizer. The mix contains all the nutrients in the proper ratios to give plants all they need for lush, rapid growth. The fertilizer is dissolved in water to make a nutrient solution. Water transports these soluble nutrients into contact with the plant roots. In the presence of oxygen and water, the nutrients are absorbed through the root hairs.

Problem-Solver, simply start at #1 below. When you think you've found the problem, read the Nutrients section to learn more about it. Diagnose carefully before making major changes.

1 If the problem affects only the bottom or middle of the plant go to #2. If it affects only the top of the plant or the growing tips, skip to #10. If the problem seems to affect the entire plant equally, skip to #6.

2 Leaves are a uniform yellow or light green; leaves die & drop; growth is slow. Leaf margins are not curled-up noticeably. Nitrogen (N) deficiency. If not, go to #3.

3 Margins of the leaves are turned up, and the tips may be twisted. Leaves are yellowing (and may turn brown), but the veins remain somewhat green. Magnesium (Mg) deficiency. If not, go to #4.

4 Leaves are browning or yellowing. Yellow, brown, or necrotic (dead) patches, especially around the edges of the leaf, which may be curled. Plant may be too tall. >> Potassium (K) deficiency. If not, keep reading…

5 Leaves are dark green or red/purple. Stems and petioles may have purple & red on them. Leaves may turn yellow or curl under. Leaf may drop easily. Growth may be slow and leaves may be small. >> Phosphorous (P) deficiency. If not, go to #6.

6 Tips of leaves are yellow, brown, or dead. Plant otherwise looks healthy & green. Stems may be soft >> Over-fertilization (especially N), over-watering, damaged roots, or insufficient soil aeration (use more sand or perlite. Occasionally due to not enough N, P, or K. If not, go to #7.

7 Leaves are curled under like a ram's horn, and are dark green, gray, brown, or gold. >> Over-fertilization (too much N). If not, go to #8…

8 The plant is wilted, even though the soil is moist. Over-fertilization, soggy soil, damaged roots, disease; copper deficiency (very unlikely). If not, go to #9.

9 Plants won't flower, even though they get 12 hours of darkness for over 2 weeks. >> The night period is not completely dark. Too much nitrogen. Too much pruning or cloning. If not, go to #10...

10 Leaves are yellow or white, but the veins are mostly green. >> Iron (Fe) deficiency. If not, #11.

11 Leaves are light green or yellow beginning at the base, while the leaf margins remain green. Necrotic spots may be between veins. Leaves are not twisted. >> Manganese (Mn) deficiency. If not, #12.

12 Leaves are twisted. Otherwise, pretty much like #11. >> Zinc (Zn) deficiency. If not, #13.

13 Leaves twist, then turn brown or die. >> The lights are too close to the plant. Rarely, a Calcium (Ca) or Boron (B) deficiency. If not… You may just have a weak plant.

Solutions to Nutrient Deficiencies

The Nutrients:

Nitrogen - Plants need lots of N during vegging, but it's easy to overdo it. Added too much? Flush the soil with plain water. Soluble nitrogen (especially nitrate) is the form that's the most quickly available to the roots, while insoluble N (like urea) first needs to be broken down by microbes in the soil before the roots can absorb it. Avoid excessive ammonium nitrogen, which can interfere with other nutrients. Too much N delays flowering. Plants should be allowed to become N-deficient late in flowering for best flavor. Magnesium - Mg-deficiency is pretty common since marijuana uses lots of it and many fertilizers don't have enough of it. Mg-deficiency is easily fixed with ¼ teaspoon/gallon of Epsom salts (first powdered and dissolved in some hot water) or foliar feed at ½ teaspoon/quart. When mixing up soil, use 2 teaspoon dolomite lime per gallon of soil for Mg. Mg can get locked-up by too much Ca, Cl or ammonium nitrogen. Don't overdo Mg or you'll lock up other nutrients. Potassium - Too much sodium (Na) displaces K, causing a K deficiency. Sources of high salinity are: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate "pH-up"), too much manure, and the use of water-softening filters (which should not be used). If the problem is Na, flush the soil. K can get locked up from too much Ca or ammonium nitrogen, and possibly cold weather. Phosphorous - Some deficiency during flowering is normal, but too much shouldn't be tolerated. Red petioles and stems are a normal, genetic characteristic for many varieties, plus it can also be a co-symptom of N, K, and Mg-deficiencies, so red stems are not a foolproof sign of P-deficiency. Too much P can lead to iron deficiency. Iron - Fe is unavailable to plants when the pH of the water or soil is too high. If deficient, lower the pH to about 6.5 (for rockwool, about 5.7), and check that you're not adding too much P, which can lock up Fe. Use iron that's chelated for maximum availability. Read your fertilizer's ingredients - chelated iron might read something like "iron EDTA". To much Fe without adding enough P can cause a P-deficiency. Manganese - Mn gets locked out when the pH is too high, and when there's too much iron. Use chelated Mn. Zinc - Also gets locked out due to high pH. Zn, Fe, and Mn deficiencies often occur together, and are usually from a high pH. Don't overdo the micro-nutrients- lower the pH if that's the problem so the nutrients become available. Foliar feed if the plant looks real bad. Use chelated zinc.

Check Your Water

Crusty faucets and shower heads mean your water is "hard," usually due to too many minerals. Tap water with a TDS (total dissolved solids) level of more than around 200ppm (parts per million) is "hard" and should be looked into, especially if your plants have a chronic problem. Ask your water company for an analysis listing, which will usually list the pH, TDS, and mineral levels (as well as the pollutants, carcinogens, etc) for the tap water in your area. This is a common request, especially in this day and age, so it shouldn't raise an eyebrow. Regular water filters will not reduce a high TDS level, but the costlier reverse-osmosis units, distillers, and de-ionizers will. A digital TDS meter (or EC = electrical conductivity meter) is an incredibly useful tool for monitoring the nutrient levels of nutrient solution, and will pay for itself before you know it. They run about $40 and up.

General Feeding Tips

Pot plants are very adaptable, but a general rule of thumb is to use more nitrogen & less phosphorous during the vegetative period, and the exact opposite during the flowering period. For the veg. period try a N:P:K ratio of about 10:7:8 (which of course is the same ratio as 20:14:16), and for flowering plants, 4:8:8. Check the pH after adding nutrients. If you use a reservoir, keep it circulating and change it every 2 weeks. A general guideline for TDS levels is as follows: seedlings = 50-150 ppm; unrooted clones = 100-350 ppm; small plants = 400-800 ppm; large plants = 900-1800 ppm; last week of flowering = taper off to plain water. These numbers are just a guideline, and many factors can change the actual level the plants will need. Certain nutrients are "invisible" to TDS meters, especially organics, so use TDS level only as an estimate of actual nutrient levels. When in doubt about a new fertilizer, follow the fertilizer's directions for feeding tomatoes. Grow a few tomato or radish plants nearby for comparison. PH - The pH of water after adding any nutrients should be around 5.9-6.5 (in rockwool, 5.5-6.1) . Generally speaking, the micro-nutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu) get locked out at a high pH (alkaline) above 7. 0, while the major nutrients (N, P, K, Mg) can be less available in acidic soil or water (below 5.0). Tap water is often too alkaline. Soils with lots of peat or other organic matter in them tend to get too acidic, which some dolomite lime will help fix. Soil test kits vary in accuracy, and generally the more you pay the better the accuracy. For the water, color-based pH test kits from aquarium stores are inexpensive, but inaccurate. Invest in a digital pH meter ($40-80), preferably a waterproof one. You won't regret it.

Other Things…

Cold

Cold weather (below 50F/10C) can lock up phosphorous. Some varieties, like equatorial sativas, don't take well to cold weather. If you can keep the roots warmer, the plant will be able to take cooler temps than it otherwise could.

Heat

If the lights are too close to the plant, the tops may be curled, dry, and look burnt, mimicking a nutrient problem. Your hand should not feel hot after a minute when you hold it at the top of the plants. Raise the lights and/or aim a fan at the hot zone. Room temps should be kept under 85F (29C) -- or 90F (33) if you add additional CO2.

Humidity

Thin, shriveled leaves can be from low humidity. 40-80 % is usually fine.

Mold and fungus

Dark patchy areas on leaves and buds can be mold. Lower the humidity and increase the ventilation if mold is a problem. Remove any dead leaves, wherever they are. Keep your garden clean.

Insects

White spots on the tops of leaves can mean spider mites underneath.

Sprays

Foliar sprays can have a "magnifying glass" effect under bright lights, causing small white, yellow or burnt spots which can be confused with a nutrient problem. Some sprays can also cause chemical reactions.

Insufficient light

Tall, stretching plants are usually from using the wrong kind of light.. Don't use regular incandescent bulbs ("grow bulbs") or halogens to grow cannabis. Invest in fluorescent lighting (good) or HID lighting (much better) which supply the high-intensity light that cannabis needs for good growth and tight buds. Even better, grow in sunlight.

Clones

yellowing leaves on unrooted clones can be from too much light, or the stem may not be firmly touching the rooting medium. Turn off any CO2 until they root. Too much fertilizer can shrivel or wilt clones - plain tap water is fine.

Lighting principles

Energy Efficient Lighting

The quantity and quality of LIGHT around us determine how well we see and work. Light affects our health, safety, morale, comfort, and productivity.Lighting also directly affects our economy. In general, We spend about one-third of our (electricity) budget on lighting. Technologies developed during the past 10 years can help us cut lighting costs 30% to 60% while enhancing lighting quality and reducing environmental impacts.
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Lighting Principles and Terms

Illumination

A lumen is a measurement of light output from a lamp, often called a tube or a bulb. All lamps are rated in lumens. For example, a 100-watt incandescent lamp produces about 1750 lumens. It is printed on the lamp. The distribution of light on a horizontal surface is called its illumination. Illumination is measured in footcandles or lux. A footcandle of illumination is a lumen of light distributed over a 1-square-foot (0.09-square-meter) area. A lux of illumination is a lumen of light distributed over 1-square-meter area. The amount of illumination required varies according to the difficulty of a visual task. The Illuminating Engineering Society says that illumination of 30 to 50 footcandles is adequate for most home and office work. Difficult and lengthy visual tasks.like sewing for extended periods of time.require 200 to 500 footcandles. Where no seeing tasks (i.e., tasks whose speed and accuracy of completion are affected by quality and quantity of light) are performed, lighting systems need to provide only security, safety, or visual comfort.requiring from 5 to 20 footcandles of illumination. Another lighting term you will hear is efficacy. This is the ratio of light output from a lamp to the electric power it consumes and is measured in lumens per watt. It indicates the efficiency of the light.

Light Quality

Light quality describes how well people in a lighted space can see to do visual tasks and how visually comfortable they feel in that space. Light quality is important to energy efficiency because spaces with higher quality lighting need less illumination. High-quality lighting is fairly uniform in brightness and has no glare. For example, direct intense sunlight streaming through the windows of a room with chocolate brown carpets and dark wall paneling will likely give too much contrast in brightness. On the other hand, in a pale-colored room bathed in soft light, you can hardly tell where the light is coming from because no one area of the room appears much brighter than another. The walls, ceiling, floor, and work surfaces are relatively the same light hue.

Glare

Eliminating glare (i.e., excessive brightness from a direct light source) is essential to achieving good lighting quality. Suitable shades, fittings shall be used.

Light Color and Color Rendering

Lamps are assigned a color temperature (according to the Kelvin temperature scale) based on their "coolness" or "warmness." The human eye perceives colors as cool if they are at the blue-green end of the color spectrum, and warm if they are at the red end of the spectrum.Cool light is preferred for visual tasks because it produces higher contrast than warm light. Contrast is the brightness difference between different parts of the visual field, which is the expanse of space you can see at a given instant without moving your eyes. Warm light is preferred for living spaces because it is more flattering to skin tones and clothing (especially in cold countries- and not in southern states of India).Keep in mind, though, that artificial light sources vary widely in their color rendering indexes (CRI). The CRI is a measurement of a light source's ability to render colors the same as sunlight does. For example, incandescent lamps are rated at a CRI of 100.nearly equal to sunlight.while some high-pressure sodium lamps have a CRI of 22, which means they render colors very poorly.

Types of Lighting

There are four basic types of lighting: incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, and low-pressure sodium.

Incandescent ( in general our bulbs)

Incandescent lamps are the least expensive to buy but the most expensive to operate. Incandescent light is produced by a tiny coil of tungsten filament that glows when it is heated by an electrical current. Incandescent lamps have the shortest lives ( 500-1000 operating hours) of the common lighting types. They are also relatively inefficient compared with other lighting types.

Tungsten halogen

This newer type of incandescent lighting achieves better energy efficiency than the standard A-type bulb. It has a gas filling and an inner coating that reflect heat. Together, the filling and coating recycle heat to keep the filament hot with less electricity. These lamps are considerably more expensive than standard incandescents and are primarily used in commercial applications: theater, store, and outdoor lighting systems.

Reflector lamps

Reflector lamps (Type R) are designed to spread light over specific areas. They are used mainly indoors for stage/theater and store applications, as well as floodlighting, spotlighting, and downlighting.

Fluorescent ( common Tube lights and CFL)

The light produced by a fluorescent tube is caused by an electric current conducted through mercury and inert gases. Fluorescent lighting is used mainly indoors and is about 3 to 4 times as efficient as incandescent lighting. Fluorescent lamps last about 10 times longer than incandescents. But, to gain the most efficiency, you should install fluorescents in places where they will be on for several hours at a time.Fluorescent lights need ballasts (i.e., devices that control the electricity used by the unit) for starting and circuit protection. Ballasts consume energy. You can increase the energy savings for existing fluorescent lighting by relamping (e.g., replacing an existing lamp with one of a lower wattage), replacing ballasts, and replacing fixtures with more efficient models.

Tube fluorescent

The two most common types are 40-watt, 4-foot (1.2-meter) lamps and 75-watt, 8-foot (2. 4-meter) lamps. Tubular fluorescent fixtures and lamps are preferred for ambient lighting in large indoor areas because their low brightness creates less direct glare than do incandescent bulbs.

Compact fluorescent

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are the most significant lighting advance developed for homes in recent years. They combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience and popularity of incandescent fixtures. CFLs can replace incandescents that are roughly 3 to 4 times their wattage, saving up to 75% of the initial lighting energy. Although CFLs cost from 10 to 20 times more than comparable incandescent bulbs, they last 10 to 15 times as long. This energy savings and superior longevity make CFLs are one of the best energy efficiency investments available.

High-Intensity Discharge

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps provide the highest efficacy and longest service life of any lighting type. They are commonly used for outdoor lighting and in large indoor arenas. HID lamps use an electric arc to produce intense light. They also require ballasts, and they take a few seconds to produce light when first turned on because the ballast needs time to establish the electric arc. The three most common types of HID lamps are mercury vapor, metal halide, and high-pressure sodium. HID lamps and fixtures can save 75% to 90% of lighting energy when they replace incandescent lamps and fixtures. Significant energy savings are also possible by replacing old mercury vapor lamps with newer metal halide or high-pressure sodium lamps. Mercury vapor.the oldest type of HID lighting.is used primarily for street lighting. Mercury vapor lamps provide about 50 lumens per watt. They cast a very cool blue/green white light. Most indoor mercury vapor lighting in arenas and gymnasiums has been replaced by metal halide lighting, which has better color rendering and efficiency. Metal halide lamps are similar in construction and appearance to mercury vapor lamps. The addition of metal halide gases to mercury gas within the lamp results in higher light output, more lumens per watt, and better color rendition than from mercury gas alone. Metal halide lamps are used to light large indoor areas such as gymnasiums and sports arenas, and for outdoor areas such as car lots or anywhere that color rendition is important. High-pressure sodium lighting is becoming the most common type of outdoor lighting. It provides 90 to 150 lumens per watt.an efficiency exceeded only by low-pressure sodium lighting. High-pressure sodium lamps are also reliable and have long service lives. Their color is a warm white, and their color rendition ranges from poor to fairly good depending on design and intended use.

Low-Pressure Sodium

Low-pressure sodium lamps work somewhat like fluorescent lamps. They are the most efficient artificial lighting, have the longest service life, and maintain their light output better than any other lamp type. Low-pressure sodium lighting is used where color is not important because it renders all colors as tones of yellow or gray. Typical applications include highway and security lighting.

Energy Efficiency with Lighting

In a typical residential or commercial lighting installation, 50% or more of the energy is wasted by obsolete equipment, inadequate maintenance, or inefficient use. Saving lighting energy requires either reducing electricity consumed by the light source or reducing the length of time the light source is on.

"Relamping" means substituting one lamp for another to save energy. You can decide to make illumination higher or lower when relamping. But be sure that the new lamp's lumen output fits the tasks performed in the space and conforms to the fixture's specifications.

Relamping incandescent fixtures

Example, for energy savings of 60% to 75%, many incandescent lamps can be replaced by CFLs. In general , a 60 W bulb can be replaced with 11 W CFL. In selecting CFL: Take from an accepted dealer or shop, commonly known make in India, integral Ballast (choke) is better, if pin type, select 4 pin type. BIS mark in choke is a mark of approval for the choke. Electronic ballast consumes 2-4 W while electro-magnetic choke takes 6-10 W. If electronic ballast , check the symbol (H) which indicates low harmonic distortion.

Relamping fluorescent fixtures

Common 40-watt and 75-watt lamps can be replaced with energy-saving lamps of 34 watts and 60 watts, respectively. Energy-saving lamps for less-common fluorescent fixtures are (26 W retrofit) also available. If you need to replace the ballasts in your fluorescent fixtures, consider using one of the improved varieties. The new electromagnetic ballasts reduce ballast losses, fixture temperature, and system wattage. Because they operate at cooler temperatures, they last longer than standard electromagnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts operate at a very high frequency that eliminates flickering and noise. They are even more efficient than improved electromagnetic ballasts. Some electronic ballasts even allow you to operate the fluorescent lamp on a dimmer switch, which usually is not recommended with most fluorescents. Check the symbol (H) which indicates low harmonic distortion

Improving Lighting Controls

Lighting controls are devices for turning lights on and off or for dimming them. The simplest type is a standard snap switch. Other controls are photocells, timers, occupancy sensors, and dimmers.

· Snap switches, located in numerous convenient areas, make it easier for people in large, shared spaces to turn off lights in unused areas.
· Photocells turn lights on and off in response to natural light levels. Photo-cells switch outdoor lights on at dusk and off at dawn, for example. Advanced designs gradually raise and lower fluorescent light levels with changing daylight levels.
· Mechanical or electronic time clocks automatically turn on and off indoor or outdoor lights for security, safety, and tasks such as janitorial work.
· Crank timers, which are spring-driven and similar to old oven timers, limit lights to short durations where the need for light is brief.
· Occupancy sensors activate lights when a person is in the area and then turn off the lights after the person has left. They are popular for areas used infrequently, such as warehouses. They also offer security advantages over continuous lighting: when lights suddenly come on, they startle intruders and alert residents and neighbors to motion in the area.
· Dimmers reduce the wattage and output of incandescent and fluorescent lamps. Dimmers also increase the service life of incandescent lamps significantly. However, dimming incandescent lamps reduces their lumen output more than their wattage. This makes incandescent lamps less efficient as they are dimmed. Dimming fluorescents requires special dimming ballasts and lamp holders, but does not reduce their efficiency.

Daylighting

Daylighting means using daylight for indoor lighting. Modern buildings designed for daylighting typically use 40% to 60% less electricity for lighting needs than do conventional buildings. Sunlight and daylight are free and readily accessible.( During a sunny day at noon, light levels at different places- open lawn- 30000 lux or above, a class room with windows open - 400 lux, with windows closed- 160 lux. With 4 tube lights ON in the night-100 lux.

POLLUTION from Fluorescent Lamps

All fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, and short-lived radioactive material. Because of these hazardous materials, you should not dump burned-out lamps into the yard. Mercury, antimony, chromium, lead all will ooze out into the drinking water-well,river,pond etc. which is dangerous. Dispose of them with other household hazardous wastes such as batteries, solvents, and paints at your community's designated drop-off point for proper disposal by the panchayat or corporation Light from fluorescent lamps without proper radiation shield contain a very small % of UV rays harm full to eyes. Do not use Tubes/CFL without proper shields.

Lighting Maintenance

Maintenance is vital to lighting efficiency. Light levels decrease over time because of aging lamps and dirt on fixtures, lamps, and room surfaces. Together, these factors can reduce total illumination by 50% or more, while lights continue drawing full power. The following basic maintenance suggestions can help prevent this.

· Clean fixtures, lamps, and lenses every 6 to 24 months by wiping off the dust. However, never clean an incandescent bulb while it is turned on. The water's cooling effect will shatter the hot bulb.
· Replace lenses if they appear yellow.
· Clean or repaint small rooms every year and larger rooms every 2 to 3 years. Dirt collects on surfaces, which reduces the amount of light they reflect.
· Consider group relamping. Common lamps, especially incandescent and fluorescent lamps, lose 20% to 30% of their light output over their service life. Many lighting experts recommend replacing all the lamps in a lighting system at once. This saves labor, keeps illumination high, and avoids stressing any ballasts with dying lamps.

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.

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.

Hydrogen peroxide

What are the benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide and how do i apply it?

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) it is made up of Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2), however H2O2 has an extra Oxygen atom in an unstable arrangement - it is this extra negatively charged Oxygen atom that gives H2O2 its useful properties. H2O2 is used for many purposes including cleaning, bleaching, sterilizing, rocket fuel, animal feed treatment and in addition many miraculous claims about its health benefits have been made. This faq focuses on its use in horticultural applications. H2O2 is of great use for both hydroponics and dirt/soilless gardening.
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What Does Hydrogen Peroxide do?

H2O2 is an unstable molecule; when it breaks down, a single oxygen atom (O-)and a molecule of water is released. This oxygen atom is extremely reactive and will attach itself to either another Oxygen atom (forming a stable O2 molecule) or attack a nearby organic molecule. H2O2 will rapidly eliminate the Chlorine used in many municipal water supplies, as well as degrade any pesticides, herbicides or other organic matter that might be present. Well water is often high in methane and organic sulfates, both of which H2O2 will remove. Both the stable and O- forms will increase the level of dissolved oxygen. Increasing the DO in your nutrient solution will benefit the root system and be detrimental to harmful anaerobic bacteria such as pythium. Many disease-causing organisms and spores are killed by the free O- atom. The free Oxygen atom will destroy dead organic material (i.e., leaves and roots) in the system, preventing them from rotting and spreading diseases. H2O2 will help eliminate existing infections and will help prevent future ones. It is also useful for suppressing algae growth.

Over Watering

Both soil and hydroponic plants often fall prey to the same syndrome. Hydroponic crops often fail due to "root rot" and soil crops succumb to "over-watering." The actual cause is a shortage of Oxygen at the root zone, allowing a Pythium infection to take hold. In a soil system, the soil consists of particles, a film of water on the particles and air spaces between the particles. When too much water is put into the soil, the air spaces fill with liquid. The roots will quickly use up the dissolved oxygen within these pore spaces. If the root system has not absorbed the water within these pore spaces, air will not be able to enter and Oxygen within that space will become depleted. In a low oxygen environment, roots will begin dying within twenty-four hours. As the roots die, the plant’s ability to uptake water and nutrients will drastically decrease, and the plant will show symptoms of nutrient deficiencies (pale leaves, and slow growth). Plants will start to wilt (appearing water deficient) – at this point many growers will mistakenly water their plants! In a Hydroponic system, oxygen deprivation is often caused by high temperatures and inadequate nutrient circulation and/or aeration. High reservoir temperatures interfere with Oxygen's ability to dissolve into water. Temperatures above 70F (20C) will eventually cause problems, 62F-65F (16C-18C) is recommended. Oxygen deprivation symptoms in hydroponics are similar to that of soil - but at least you are able to check the roots. Healthy roots should be mostly white with maybe a slight yellowish tan tinge. If they are a brownish color with dead tips or they easily pull away there is at least the beginning of a serious problem. An organic, ‘dirt like’ rotting smell means there is already a very good chance it is too late. As roots die and rot, they remove Oxygen out of the water; as Oxygen levels are depleted even further. more will roots die - a viscous circle!. Reduced Oxygen levels and high temperatures encourage anaerobic bacteria and fungi, which attack the plant further mercilessly.

How does Hydrogen Peroxide prevent root rot & over-watering

Plants watered with H2O2 will experience extra oxygen in the root zone when the peroxide breaks down. This helps stop the Oxygen from being depleted in the water filled air spaces until air can get back into them. High Oxygen levels at the roots will encourage rapid healthy root growth. In a Hydroponic systems, H2O2 will disperse through out the system and raise Oxygen levels as it breaks down. Strong white healthy roots with lots of fuzzy new growth will be visible. This fuzzy growth has massive surface area allowing for rapid absorption of the huge amounts of water and nutrients needed for rapid top growth. A healthy plant starts with a healthy root system.

How to use/apply it

H2O2 comes in several different strengths: 3%, 5%, 8% and 35%, also sold as food grade Hydrogen Peroxide. The most economical is 35% which we recommend be diluted to three percent before using. When working with food grade H2O2, it is very important that you clean up any spills or splashes immediately, it will damage almost oxidize everything very quickly. Skin will be temporarily bleached pure white if not washed cleaned. Gloves are strongly recommended when working with any strong chemical. Food grade H2O2 can be diluted to three percent by mixing it one part to eleven parts water (preferably distilled). The storage container should be opaque to prevent light from getting in and it must be able to hold some pressure. If three-liter pop bottles are available in your area they are ideal for mixing and storing H2O2. There are twelve quarter liters (250ml) in three liters, if you put in one quarter liter H2O2 and eleven quarter liters (250ml) water in the bottle it will full of three percent H2O2 and the bottle can hold the pressure that the H2O2 will generate. Three percent Hydrogen Peroxide may be added at up to 3 ml's per liter (2 1\2 tsp. per gallon), but it is recommended that you start at a lower concentration and increase to full strength over a few weeks. For hydroponic applications, use every reservoir change and replace twenty-five percent (one quarter) every day. Example: In a 100L (25gal) reservoir you would add three hundred ml's (3%) H2O2 when changing the nutrient. You would then add seventy-five ml's more every day. [Editor’s note: high concentrations of H2o2 can be detrimental to organic additives (such as beneficial additives) and organic nutrient mixtures.]

Application: US Standard

1. 28*G/C= Liquid Oz's per day
Metric 10*L/C= Ml per day
Where; C= % concentration of H2O2 L= Number of liters in reservoir G= Number of Gallons in reservoir

Example: How much 3% H202 should I add to 7 gallons of nutes?
1. 28*7/3=2.986 Oz's each day.

Where to get it

35% food grade is called “food grade” because it has no toxic impurities. Of course your local hydroponics retailer or web stores have it (there may be shipping restrictions on high strength peroxides). The local feed supplier may have it in small towns. Prices range from fifteen dollars per quarter liter to eighty dollars a gallon. One gallon will treat up to fifty thousand liters of water. 3%5%, 8% Can be found at most drugstores or pharmacies, prices start at a less than a dollar for a one hundred-ml bottle that will treat one hundred liters.

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.