Growing Guides

OCTOBER 2011

Maintaining your grow room is key
Keep a close eye on the cleanliness of your growing environment and changing temperatures to get good results.

Cleaning out your growroom is vital part of maintaining a productive growing environment and something that should be performed thoroughly after every cycle is completed. While the procedure will vary depending on whether you are using a grow tent or have adapted a room, and whether you are growing in soil, coco or hydro there are a few essentials that everyone can and should practice.

Disinfecting and killing off mould spores using a strong bleach or Jeyes Fluid, removing dead vegetation, using smoke bombs for pests, replacing all consumables – plastic sheeting, blackout materials, shade netting etc. – sterilisation of all pots and trays and taking out and washing the removable material trays from the base of tents will help avoid pest and disease problems when it comes to starting a new crop.

With the colder weather arriving and with the first frosts due at any moment please be aware that falling temperatures hinder plant growth – ideally there should be no more than a ten degree temperature drop between ‘day’ and ‘night’ period. This can be achieved by reducing incoming cold air, so if you’ve been using ducting to draw air in from outside then pay attention to evening temperatures as your plants won’t appreciate a blast of near-freezing air!

There are other ways of keeping your growing environment at an optimum temperature but using greenhouse heaters to raise the temperature by a few degrees and avoid stressing your plants – see our special offers section for a range of different sizes and outputs for the rest of the month.

Alternatively there are other automated methods of climate control, such as the excellent Evolution Fan Speed Controller which uses a thermostat to measure air temperature and adjust your intake and extraction fans to maintain a healthy temperature and humidity for your growroom. This particular model can also be attached to a heater to eliminate the risks generated by frosts.  

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SEPTEMBER 2011

Grow right and harvest the benefits
There are several different techniques to help you enjoy the benefit of your harvest for many months to come.

With the summer officially behind us and the outside chance of high temperatures disappearing for another year, it’s time to start thinking about harvesting you crops – especially if you’ve been growing in a greenhouse or making use of the late summer sun.

Assuming you’ve managed to survive the challenges of mould and diseases as well as the insect pests then you should be looking at a healthy food crop – here are a few suggestions on drying, pickling and preserving your fruit and veg to enable you to keep enjoying them into the winter months.

One of our favourite ways of preserving tomatoes, peppers and chillies is to air dry and then preserve them in oil. You can either air dry them naturally by hanging them from a line, or laying them out on a drying net or rack which enables you to move them quickly should the weather turn against you.

If the clouds are being especially persistent, you can also slice the tomatoes or peppers in half or to a size of your choice, lay them on a baking tray and sprinkle lightly with rock salt before placing them in the oven on the lowest heat setting overnight.

Once dried you shake off the rock salt, place them in a jar and cover with olive or vegetable oil and seal ready for a cold winter day when you can simply open and enjoy!

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AUGUST 2011

Getting the timing right is everything...
Adding PK Boosters and Bloom Stimulators during the flowering and fruiting cycle can significantly increase yields.

The month before harvest is always a key time in any growing cycle whether you are using artificial lighting or have the opportunity to use a greenhouse and make use of the summer sun.

It is during this stage - the fruiting and flowering cycle - that real benefits can be found by adding additional nutrients and stimulants to a plant’s feeding schedule.

All plants require a combination of the three key nutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium – NPK – in order to grow. Generally a higher percentage of Nitrogen is required during the vegetative growth stages and a greater amount of Phosphorus and Potassium for the flowering and fruiting stages. This is the reasons for ‘boosters’ such as PK13/14.

There are a wide variety of these products available from almost every manufacturer: Plant Magic Bloom Boost, Hesi Phosphorus Plus, Ionic Boost as well as the more obvious Canna PK 13/14 (Canna Boost Accelerator itself is a sugar stimulant – more on that later). Organic growers also have ways of increasing their PK levels with Vintage Bat Guano, an additive naturally high in phosphorus and ideal for fruits and berries, as well as B.A.C. Organic PK 13/14.

The confusing part comes when you include products called bloom stimulants that encourage the movement of PK throughout the plant to where it can be used most effectively. These products: Canna Boost Accelerator, House & Garden Bud-XL, B.A.C. Bloom Stim or BioBizz Top Max for organics, can be used alongside PK’s to significantly enhance fruit and flower density and development and generate improved yields.

Some products such as the excellent Atami Bloombastic combine PK with a bloom stim to create an ‘all-in-one’ boost at the correct proportions and can lead to extremely impressive results.

If you are uncertain about these products and how best to combine them, please call or ask in store for advice.

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JULY            2011

Success comes from the roots upwards
Oxygenation is a vital part of maintaining a healthy root zone, improving top growth and giving better results.

Oxygenation is always important in horticulture, but often requires particular attention during the summer months when the extra heat causes a drop in available oxygen levels.

The benefits of increased oxygen levels are both a healthier root zone, or ‘rhizosphere’, and an increase in growth rates leading to healthier, stronger plants. By contrast a lack of oxygen creates ideal conditions for pathogens to attack the rhizosphere allowing Pythium to multiply massively and causing root rot as a first sign.

Healthy roots can be identified by their bright white or cream colour and an abundance of fibrous air roots – the smaller hair-like roots. An unhealthy rhizosphere can be identified by the brown colour of the roots and an unpleasant smell where they are starting to decay. At this point drastic action is necessary to revive the roots and will usually involve adding a rooting product such as Regen-a-Root as well as an enzyme to break down the dead root matter.

In hydroponic systems it is possible to increase oxygenation by adding an air pump with either an air stone or preferably an air curtain. Both produce a large quantity of fine air bubbles which adds vital oxygen to the nutrient solution.

A similar technique can be used for plants growing in soil or coco using an Autopot system where an Air Dome can be added to the base of the pot before potting on to increase root zone oxygenation. Air Pots can be used in place of traditional pots and will also significantly increase oxygenation and encourage root growth.

Ozone generators can be used in hydro systems to treat and guard against pathogens, if you are using one then make sure you add UV balance to replace lost trace elements.

Mould and Powdery Mildew is another problem at this time of year and is generally caused by high humidity. Increasing fresh air intake and extraction levels will help to keep these problems at bay while they can be treated with either Microbial or a sulphur burner.

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JUNE         2011

Don’t let the pests bug you!
Summer temperatures often mean more irritating insects. Identify, target and destroy the problem before it starts with this guide and product suggestions.

With June now underway we are into the season of festivals, summer solstice and an annoying increase in creepy crawlies.

Thrips and Spider Mite in particular are especially prevalent at this time of year and while there are natural predators that eat these pests outside, if they are introduced into an indoor growing environment the lack of natural predators mean they can get out of control very quickly.

As with many problems, prevention is better than cure and we stock several products that will work to protect your plants.

Used regularly, foliar sprays such as GH Bio Protect or Bcuzz Bio Defence help to build resistance to a wide variety of pests by increasing the alkaloid production within the plant. These alkaloids are the foundation of plant immunity.

Traditional defenses such as sticky fly traps have their part to play, and they are essential when it comes to identifying uninvited guests.

It is also worth remembering that if you’re out in the fields or parks then in all likelihood you’ve picked up pests on your clothing – even if you can’t see them – and something as simple as taking your shoes off before stepping into your growing environment can make a big difference.

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MAY             2011

Get that plant a drink!
Humidity is the second most important factor after temperature for indoor gardeners to improve productivity.

In the late spring and early summer months extra watering becomes vital and it’s important to remember that this means you will need a more diluted nutrient solution as the plants will transpire more and use more water.

A good starting point is about a 0.2 reduction in EC and remember to keep an eye on how your plants react to this.

Irrigation is what it’s all about and if you haven’t already done so it might be time to consider an automated watering system. Using drippers will provide a steady way to keep your plants watered without breaking the bank – if you need any advice on setting up a dripper system then please call into the shop or give us a ring and we’ll be happy to help you.

A low humidity is also something to be aware of as the warmer drier air starts having an effect. A simple hygrometer will help you keep an eye on how your growing environment is doing.

A higher humidity of around 60% or more will help keep pests like spider mite at bay although thisis only realistic for the first half of your plant’s life. Later you will want to drop the humidity down toaround 40% to avoid problems with mould and rot on your flowers.

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