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ips For Taking Care of Fresh Cut Flowers

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:24:10 +0000

Fresh cut flowers add to the spirit and color for each room. When people receive the gift of fresh cut flowers, they want to keep it as long as possible. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to keep fresh cut flowers.

Here is a list of tips to help you take care of your fresh cut flowers:

1. Remove the flower from the wrappings and cut the stems at the side (about 3 cm) because this will show more of the rod into the water. Remove all leaves that will be in the water. For the roses, do not remove the thorns that will cause them to deteriorate at a rate much faster. Put a vase of flowers in the water. Warm water should be used because it contains less oxygen than cold water to reduce the amount of air bubbles that may be formed in the rod system. Distilled water is the best water to use. Use cold water for bulb flowers like daffodils, tulips, and daffodils. Add flower food to the water. Do not use metal containers as they reduce the effects of flower food. Rod should extend half way down the vase. In addition, a vase you can not contain residues that can be a haven for bacteria that can cause flowers to wilt.

2. Flowers remain fresh in the light and at temperatures 65-72F. Warmer temperatures cause faster rates deteriorated so that they keep them in the refrigerator and out of direct sunlight. Also, keep them away from any equipment that provides heat. Make sure you keep the flowers away from the concept that open like an open window.

3. Keep the cut flowers from the fruit. Fruits release ethylene gas that causes flowers to age more quickly.

4. Daffodils must be placed in their own vase for the flower stem is pulled out of a toxic substance other flowers. Keep flowers from direct sunlight

5. You should spray the flowers with a light mist of water daily and remove any dying flowers and leaves. Flowers biocide containing foods that help inhibit bacterial growth. Food can be purchased at the local flower shop and nursery. If you do not have a package of food plants, add a little sugar water.

6. Caring for flowers every day. Remove faded flowers. Decaying flowers and leaves can make the water toxic to flowers. Change the water every 2 days. Make sure you add the preservative each time you change the water. You also can re-cut the stems to absorb water better. The lower the temperature of the room, the longer the flowers will last. It is important to realize that the flowers at temperatures below four degrees would be reduced more quickly.

Most people receive flowers for special occasions like Valentines Day, Mother’s Day … etc., so they want flowers to last for a long time. By applying the above tips, you will be able to enjoy your fresh cut flowers for a longer period.

growing mediums used in hydroponics

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:21 +0000

The most widely-spread growing medium in hydroponics systems is, perhaps, rockwool. Originally used for insulation purposes and also known as mineral insulation, rockwool was first used as growing medium by Dane gardeners. Now, it is frequently used for drip-style indoor gardens around the globe.

Rockwool is produced by a process similar to making cotton candy: a particular mixture of sand and rock is melted and then turned into fibers by spinning the mixture to form products of multiple shapes and dimensions, from 1″ starter cubes and up to large slabs ofÂ 3″x12″x36″ in size. The variety of available forms and sizes turns rockwool into one of the most widely-used growing mediums.

How to Get Started with Rockwool

In order to start using rockwool as the growing medium for your hydroponic system, first of all, it is necessary to steep the material into water with a pH level of about 4.5 – 5.0. Just put rockwool cubes into a water-proof container and leave them for about 24 hours. When using a rockwool slab, first make a cut in the plastic wrapping of the slab, then pour in water with the adjusted pH balance until the slab is saturated, and leave the rockwool for 24 hours. Finally, do not forget to cut slits in the bottom of rockwool slab for drainage.

How to Use “loose” Rockwool

The major types of loose or granular rockwool are Hortiwool, repellant and absorbent. It is mostly used to fill containers for growing media with no limits in size. Another advantage of using such form of material is that it allows adjusting water retaining ability of the growing media in strict accordance with your particular need. However, working with loose rockwool, it is especially important to wear a mask for protecting lungs against small particles of rockwool whem using this growing medium for growing plants in hydroponics.

Hydroponics gardening guide – How to Prepare Starter Cubes

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:21 +0000

Starter cubes, used by hydroponic growers, as well as soil gardeners, are comfortable growing media for starting seeds. Made of inert material, starter cubes provide perfect support to the plant and its rhizomes. The cubes are capable of retaining water, but they do not supply a plant with any nutrients, unless the latter are dissolved in the water. Nowadays, there are 4 types of starter cubes: Organo-Cubes, Oasis cubes, Rockwool and â€œpeat potsâ€. The most popular among the gardeners are the first three kinds of cubes (Organo-Cubes, Oasis cubes and Rockwool), while â€œpeat potsâ€ lose their popularity due to their tendency to accumulate too much water, which can spoil the seeds and the seedlings. Oasis cubes, Rockwool, and Organo-Cubes, on the other hand, retain water along with enough air, which prevents the medium to be too moist.

Preparing hydroponics starter cubes for the use depends on the type of the cube you have. For example, Organo-Cubes are ready for use, while Oasis cubes and Peat pots should be soaked in water (with pH adjusted to 6 â€“ 6.5) before use. As soon as the cubes are saturated with water, they should be left to drain a bit, and then they are ready to be used. Rockwool is different, since it has high pH. Therefore, it should be soaked in water with pH adjusted to 5.0 in order for this acid solution to be balanced to the pH level required for the plants normal growing. These cubes should be soaked in water approximately for 24 hours, followed by the drainage prior to the use.

Having done these easy manipulations, the seeds can now be planted. Small holes about Â¼ to Â½ inch deep should be made in the cube with a tip of a pencil or a pen. Then seeds may be put into the holes and covered with some cube material from around those small openings.

It is best to keep the seed cubes moist, but not wet, always preventing them from staying in the water. The cubes do not need light until the seeds germinate. Similarly, no nutrients are necessary for the plants until they have their first true leaves developed. In this case a diluted nutrient solution

Basic Indoor hydroponics Gardening Guide – Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:21 +0000

Improper use of fertilizers is the common cause of many plant problems. Inadequate amounts cause weak and under nourished plants while an amount above desired quantities may burn and even kill the plant. Good judgment and decisions are required when a plant grows. Below are guidelines for applying nutrient solutions.

Hydroponic nutrient solutions are normally sold in concentrated forms. They are then added to the water supply with a specific ratio. Ideally, 150-600 parts per million consists a normal concentration of hydroponic solution. Normally sold in two or three parts because direct combination is not possible. Remember to mix nutrients into water first before combining, never combine two nutrients together.

How Much Hydroponic Nutrient Solution?

There are specific proportions for each plant type and phase of its growth. Advances in nutrient solutions have greatly improved the precision of concentration based on a plants growth stage. Hydroponic nutrient solutions are usually sold in â€œgrowâ€ or â€œgrowthâ€ formulas for the vegetative phases and â€œbloomâ€ or â€œflowerâ€ for the flowering phase of the growth cycle. Remember to switch to the bloom formula during the bloom stager to increase yields exponentially and max out your plants capacity.

In poor growing conditions weak nutrients are recommended. Low lighting, overheated gardens, crowding and root bound plants. Weak nutrients are also ideal for newly rooted cuttings and for transporting plants or when they are in the transition of growth cycles.

Normal, healthy plants can be used with regular strength solutions in ideal growing conditions. Increasing nutrient solutions could be utilized to enhance efficiency of your gardens. An ideal system such as high quality lights, proper aeration and ventilation when present is the only instance wherein you could increase the level of nutrient solutions to improve plant growth. Gradually increasing the nutrient solution is advised as not to burn the plant roots.

Various additives are also available for optimum plant growth. Maintain good grow logs or records of types of additives used, when applied and results. This enables you to measure its effectiveness in the future. If there are any negative effects with experimentation, flush or rinse your hydroponic system immediately.

How to measure Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions

Electronic conductivity of dissolved minerals in the water is the usual basis for determining nutrient solution. Parts per million (ppm) is the unit of measure. But this is just a general way of measuring conductivity in the solution and not the actual strength of individual minerals. This is the main reason why hydroponic nutrient solutions are sold as a mix of 3 parts. Once the desired mix is achieved it is very convenient to change the concentration to achieve proper conductivity.

Overuse of Hydroponic Fertilizers

Flushing out your growing medium is the first intervention once any signs of over fertilization are observed this is to prevent further damage to the plant. Clean water is used for flushing until signs of nutrient deficiency are observed in the plant. Normal feeding and schedule is then resumed. Some hydroponic systems require a top down flushing to completely clean out the plant.

2 weeks before your expected date of harvest, flushing is recommended for the plant. It is done to leave your harvest free from the hydroponic solutions taste.

Intro Hydroponic Nutrients

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:20 +0000

Ultimate control of the growing environment for you plants is one of the greatest advantages of hydroponic systems. Plant health is maintained by the proper introduction of nutrients in terms of the amount and what type is assured.Â Soil b y nature contains numerous salt and minerals, it does not permit this much flexibility as can be seen with grow mediums. Indoor hydroponic gardens utilize grow mediums which do not contain salts or minerals. This allows the gardener the freedom to control the amount and type of nutrient specifically for their plants.

Nutrient adsorption by soil based plants is done through adsorption of nutrients from decomposed organic materials. Here is a simple description of how these nutrients are formed: organic matter is digested by fungi or eaten by insects and is turned as waste material in the form of compost. This waste material is then digested by microbes which breaks it down to nutrients. The action of water forces this down the ground where they remain until absorbed by plants.

Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are the three hydroponic nutrients essential for optimal plant growth.Â Concentration of each nutrient is found on the solutions labels. 20-20-20 on the labels means the solution contains 20% N, 20% P and 20% K concentration.

Several secondary hydroponic are essential as the plant grows through its different growth phases. Primary hydroponic nutrients combined with this secondary nutrients work to provide optimum plant growth. Examples of these secondary nutrients are Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Sulfur, Molybdenum and Boron.

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)

Hydrogen Peroxide is mainly used as a supplement for increasing Oxygen levels in the hydroponic nutrient solution. It also serves to stimulate plant growth and protects the plant against plant pests such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Phytophthora organisms. Hydrogen peroxide is also produced by the human body as a antibody to fight against viruses and bacteria in the body.

Hydrogen Peroxide occurs naturally in nature, when water in the atmosphere is exposed to the ozone (O3) it becomes H2O2. It is present in the rain and snow. It is used in indoor hydroponic systems because it oxidizes organic impurities upon contact. Hydrogen peroxide releases one of its oxygen atoms into the nutrient solution leaving water (H2O) as a by product.

Benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)

Oxygen content is increased in the nutrient solution

Protects and sterilizes growing mediums against harmful bacteria

Kills pythium and other harmful garden organisms

Increases protein development, improves metabolism and increases overall growth and health

Encourages root development in cloned plants and germination of seeds, enabling propagation of difficult plant species

Choosing Grow Lights for Hydroponics Gardening

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:20 +0000

Plants use light to convert it into energy during the process, called photosynthesis. Growth of the plant is directly dependant on the amount of light received. By the way, the amount and type of light depend on the particular plant and its stage of development. So, a good grow lamp is the one, which is chosen in accordance with the light requirements of the particular plant.

Light is essential for health of your indoor plants, but choosing a proper grow light may be challenging and always requires thorough considerations. Grow light fluorescent offers the benefits of high effectiveness, no heat generation and full spectrum of light. For comparison, incandescent bulbs also produce a lot of light, but at the same time they generate a lot of heat, which is not always beneficial for indoor plants.

Each stage of plant development requires a particular light. When the plant is in its growing stage during which stem, branches and leaves develop, it is the best timing to use metal halide lamps for they produce blue spectrum light. However, when plant forms flowers and fruits, it is better to use high-pressure sodium or HPS lamps, which provide red light spectrum.

The only downside of MH and LPS lights is the heat generated by them. Heat is not good for plants and soil. To prevent overheating, special cooling fans may be required.

diodes or LEDs, introduced in early 1920s, have debuted in hydroponic gardening as grow lights only recently. In comparison to metal vapor lights, LED lights offer a lot of benefits with the initial cost being their only disadvantage. However, these grow lights are more cost-effective in the long run, having the average life time of about 100 000 hours vs. 15 000 hours of other lights. Besides, LED lights consume less energy, providing energy saving up to 80% in comparison to fluorescents and metal vapor lamps. Furthermore, LED lights do not generate heat, and, therefore, they need no additional cooling and ventilation.

In order to increase plant growth and productivity it may be necessary to use certain additional accessories, such as reflectors, which help to increase light intensity and make it more balanced, eliminating any â€œhot spotsâ€.

Another key component of the grow light system is ballast, which provides energy. While fluorescent light fixtures have built-in ballasts, the other types of grow lights, namely metal vapor and LED lights require remote or external ballasts. Digital ballasts are important components, so itâ€™s better not to save money on them. It is recommended to choose domestically produced digital ballasts instead of old magnetic coil types or those imported from China. In addition to being more reliable, expensive digital ballasts are equipped with additional features, such as short circuit or defective bulb detection.

Hydroponic gardening belongs to the most common techniques to grow plants and flowers with no land required. While building hydroponic system, sooner or later one faces the necessity to invest in high quality grow lights. A lot of people give their preferences to HID (high intensity discharge) lights equipped with digital ballast. These types of lamps provide the most natural light similar to sunlight, which is especially important for successful indoor plants growing. However, there are certain differences between HID lamps worthy to know.

In general, five types of HID lights exist. They are mercury vapor, xenon short-arc lamps, metal halide, low-pressure sodium and high-pressure sodium lights. Among these metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights are the most preferred types.

Hydroponics gardening guide – growing mediums used in hydroponics – Soil less Mixtures and Coconut Fiber

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:19 +0000

Soil less Mixtures

There is a great amount of soil less mixtures available, which contain different ingredients. Sphagnum moss, perlite, and vermiculite are the most widely spread s supplies hydroponic”>hydroponics components, used in such mixtures.

Being organic, soil less growing media are usually used for container gardening wick systems or on-recovery drip systems. It is also possible to use soil less mixtures in recovery systems, however, it is necessary to remember that because of very fine particles in such mixtures, they can clog tubes, pumps and drip emitters, when used without a good filtration system. By the way, according to the urban gardeners, one can use panty hose as a filter: just fit it to the return line and to the pump inlet, and all the tiny particles will be filtered out.

Most soil less mixes form a good growing medium for multiple hydroponic and organic gardens, because they can hold water well, have great wicking action, and, at the same time, they provide a reasonable amount of air to the roots of growing plants.

Coconut Fiber

The popularity of coconut fiber as growing medium increases rapidly around the world. Being the first totally organic growing medium, providing highest performance for hydroponic systems, coconut fiber may soon become the most popular growing medium ever. It is interesting to note that coconut fiber is, actually, a waste product, which contains the powdered husks of coconuts.

In comparison to rockwool, coconut fiber is characterized with higher oxygen capacity and water retaining. These features are important advantages for hydroponic systems with intermittent watering cycles.

Coconut fiber also contains a lot of root stimulating hormones, thus offering some protection against fungus infestation and other root diseases. The mixture of 50% coconut fiber and 50% expanded clay pellets is considered to be the perfect growing medium.

However, it is necessary to underline one precaution when buying coconut fiber. Avoid purchasing a low grade coconut fiber, which is very fine grained and contains a high level of sea-salts. Such coconut fiber will have negative and disappointing effect on hydroponic system.

What is Hydroponic Gardening – benefits, place in present and future agriculture industry

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:19 +0000

Key Facts on Hydroponics

Hydroponic plants do not require soil to grow in. They use different growing media instead.
All the required nutrients are supplied through nutrient solution.
Hydroponic system allows cultivation of plants, irrespectively to climate and environmental condition.
Hydroponic system allows increasing the density of plants significantly (up to 3 times higher in comparison with traditional soil gardens).
It may be surprising but hydroponic plants consume considerable less water than those, growing in soil.
Since soil is not used in hydroponic systems, there is no need to worry about crops rotation.
Hydroponic plants are healthier, because there are no or very little risks for them to get infected by parasites, living in soil.
Hydroponic gardening does not depend on seasons of the year. You can grow plants and gather harvest all year round.

Hydroponics in the Present

Thanks to many technological achievements and innovations, hydroponic growing has already become much more effective, convenient and affordable. Plastic, used for manufacturing of hydroponic equipment, such as plumbing products, fittings, growing pots and containers, etc., made it possible to lower the cost of hydroponic systems significantly.

Multiple electronic devices, such as pumps, timers and monitors, have made hydroponic growing a fully automated process. Furthermore, the hydroponic plants themselves have evolved significantly, ensuring high yield results even if used under the most extreme environmental conditions, for example, at the submarines.

Hydroponics in the Future

The next goal of hydroponics developers is to make indoor gardening eco-friendly and more energy-saving. In this regard, current achievements in the development of solar heating systems look very promising. On the other hand, current innovations open new opportunities for designing new growing light systems with higher lumen output, better spectrum profile and lower electricity consumption. In the long run, hydroponic systems may allow increasing the amount of grown plants to completely satisfy the needs of people in food products, without using additional natural resources and soil.

Furthermore, maybe in the nearest future hydroponic systems, which have already been tested in space on the space stations, will even become another valuable step in the space exploration by the humans.

Hydroponics gardening guide – LIGHTING FOR YOUR HYDROPONIC GARDEN – Metal Halide (MH) grow lights

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:18 +0000

Generating between 65 to 115 lumens of light per each watt of consumed electricity, metal halide grow light lamps are considered to have high efficiency. MH lights produce light, which is very close to the natural sunlight with the rich blue spectrum. Due to this, MH lamps support vegetative growing in the most desired way â€“ when plants have many leaves on the stem with short internodes.

Structurally, metal halide lamp is a vacuum glass tube. There is also an arc tube inside, filled with mercury and other metals in iodine form. Under the influence of electric current, those metals start to generate light and heat intensively. Though metal halide bulbs can be either transparent or coated with phosphorus, the first type is more preferred for the indoor gardening, since it produces very bright light.

There are different sizes of metal halide lamps, starting from 70watts and finishing with 1500 watts. However 250w, 400w and 1000w are modifications, most commonly used in hydroponics systems gardening. In order to make MH light to work, it is necessary to use a ballast, designed for a particular bulb size. Ballast is, in fact, a transformer, which decreases voltage to some predefined amount.

The lamps can work only in the positions they were designed for. Those marked with BU or BD should be used only in vertical position; while those lamps, which carry HOR sign, are for horizontal application. Besides, there are also universal (U) lamps, which can operate in either position.Â

There are also many different styles of metal halide lamps available on the market today. Along with typical or regular MH bulbs, there are also Super Bulbs, which can produce up to 10-12% more light than ordinary bulbs.

Regular metal halide bulbs should be replaced after about 18 months or 9500-10000 hours of use. Super bulbs are less durable and should be replaced more frequently â€“ approximately after 12 months or 6500 hours of use. These recommendations apply if grow lights will work 18 hours daily.

Hydroponics gardening guide – growing mediums used in hydroponics – HOW TO USE ROCKWOOL

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:18 +0000

The most widely-spread growing medium is, perhaps, rockwool. Originally used for insulation purposes and also known as mineral insulation, rockwool was first used as growing medium by Dane gardeners. Now, it is frequently used for drip-style indoor gardens around the globe.

Key advantages, as well as disadvantages, of this popular growing medium are listed below.

Rockwoolâ€™s Strong Points

HOLDING WATeR â€“ rockwool as a growing medium in hydroponics systems is capable of holding a large amount of water. This creates an additional protection for situations, when water is not supplied because of power outages or failures in pumping or other gardening equipment.

ACCUMULATING AIR â€“ up to 18 % of air are constantly kept by rockwool. Due to this capability, there is a very little risk to over water rockwool; besides, the plants are always supplied with enough amount of oxygen.

MULTIPLE SHAPES AND SIZES AVAILABLE â€“ whether it is a small 1″ cube for seeds propagation or a large 3×12x36 inches slab for huge plant, rockwool offers a wide variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. Besides, loose rockwool is also available, designed for filling different plant containers.

NO DUST AND EASY TO USE â€“ since rockwool maintains its form almost perfectly, it cannot be scattered accidentally. Besides, usually packed into plastic rockwool is a very clean material that is easy and comfortable to work with.

Rockwoolâ€™s Weak Points

NOT A â€œGREENâ€ MATERIAL – rockwool is claimed to be not environment-friendly material, because of its almost indefinite time of breakdown.

HEALTH HAZARDS â€“ rockwool particles and fibers pose serious health danger, especially for human lungs. That is why it is necessary to wear a protective dust mask, while working with rockwoll.

pH PROBLEMS â€“ because of rockwoolâ€™s high pH level, it is necessary to balance pH level in the nutrient solution properly and make it suitable for the plants, you are growing. In general, the use of rockwool requires more routine work to keep pH level of your nutrient solution at steady level.

LONG PRE-SOAK PERIOD â€“ before rockwool can be used in the hydroponic system, it should be soaked for at least 24 hours beforehand. Other growing media usually do not require pre-soaking, it is enough just to well-water them.