Month: March 2021

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How to Grow Successfully in Soil, Coco and Hydroponics

As a beginner, committing to a growing system, whether it be in soil, coco or hydroponics can be a daunting and complicated task. However, while aspects of growing systems may appear difficult, there are simple steps and processes that can be researched, mastered and put to the test upon entry into the world of indoor growing. If you’re thinking about getting started, or, just want to brush up on some tips and tricks, follow the article below on skills that will lead any gardener towards a successful harvest in soil, coco and hydroponics. 

Need help setting up your garden? Read our series of blogs on creating the perfect environment.

Creating the Perfect Environment Part 1: The Grow Space
Creating the Perfect Environment Part 2: Air Movement and Ventilation
Creating the Perfect Environment Part 3: Lighting Systems

Consider Your Method, Experience and Equipment

After you’ve assembled the internal workings of your garden, it’s time to choose a method of cultivation. When choosing this method, consider a few things before committing to a specific system in the garden. For example, rely on your experience, basic knowledge and available equipment to guide you towards the “right” system. For the highest rate of success, it’s recommended that novice growers stick to the basics. In this case, the “basics” could be described as a minimalists approach in the garden and may require a smaller investment as opposed to more complicated systems. So, if your just beginning your long career as a cultivator, mediums like pre-amended soil or peat moss will be your best bet for early and headache-free success. If you’re experienced, but like to take a relaxed approach in the garden, browse our selection of pre-amended soils like Fox Farm Happy Frog and Ocean Forest potting soils.

On the other hand, if you’ve had multiple successes in the garden over the years, more complex systems of growing, such as coco, rockwool or hydroponics, shouldn’t prove to be too much of a challenge. Keep in mind, however, that more intricate systems usually involve advanced equipment. For example, a completely water-based hydroponic garden typically requires the use of digital measuring and stabilizing equipment like pH monitors, PPM/TDS testing kits and automatic water-chillers. So, while the potential benefits of an advanced system are immense, keep in mind that the investments of time, research and equipment are fundamental to the success of a technologically inclined garden. With these considerations, let’s look at some of the most popular types of gardens in the industry, and discuss some simple tips that guide growers towards a successful harvest. 

Growing in Soil and Peat Moss

As stated above, growing in a dirt-based medium like potting soil or peat moss is perhaps the easiest way for beginners to utilize, develop and experience success in the garden. While it may be the “easiest” method of gardening, soil gardens can experience misconduct, and later, failure. So, to ensure growing is one of the more positive experiences in life, read the list below for tips on growing in soil and peat moss:

  • Invest in a high-quality potting soil, and read the “ingredients list”. Good potting soils will contain a pH buffering agent, like dolomite lime or oyster shell flour, and typically house inherent materials like worm casting, rock dust and perlite. 
  • Irrigate peat moss at a pH range of 6.0 – 6.5. 
  • Saturate soil in buckets until “run-off”. Water your plants until 10-20% of the irrigated water runs out of the bottom of your pots.
  • If possible, irrigate plants with cool or room temperature water. 
  • Wait until the soil is dry and light before saturating again.

Growing in Coco Coir

Coco coir occupies the grey area of media between soil/soilless and hydroponic gardening. While it may feel like a soil, coco acts and performs much like a hydroponic system. The following list is comprised of simple tips and considerations for growers in coco:

  • Coco can be purchased in brick and/or in loose form, such as Royal Gold Coco. Bricks may cost less, but they require the gardener to expand the coco in bulk. Want to speed up the expanding process? Try using hot water! 
  • “Pre-charge” your coco coir with a low dose of nutrients and a calcium-magnesium supplement before transplanting. Try GreenPlanet Nutrients Pro Cal for the best results!
  • Continue to use high doses of calcium-magnesium supplements during vegetative and flowering growth. 
  • Irrigate coco coir at a pH range of 5.8 – 6.2. 
  • Much like soil systems in a drain to waste garden, water coco coir until “run-off”. 
  • Treat your garden like a hydroponic system. While in the flowering period, coco may require several irrigation cycles a day; so, to ensure the root-zone always has enough to drink, consider automating your watering system. 

Growing in Hydroponics

While having the greatest potential for impressive yields, hydroponic gardens can be the most challenging to manage. For tips on optimizing the inputs of your hydroponic garden, follow the list below: 

  • Choose one of the following popular hydroponic systems: flood and drain (ebb & flow), drip irrigation, aeroponics, deep water culture (DWC). 
  • Invest in a high-quality, concentrated and water-soluble fertilizer. 
  • Buffer your recirculating reservoir to a pH range between 5.8 – 6.2; and, to make sure your pH is stable, constantly monitor the pH of your reservoir. 
  • Invest in equipment to manage the inputs of your garden. For the latest in technology, browse GreenPlanet’s selection of TrolMaster’s monitoring solutions. 
  • Keep a stable water temperature of approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit. To maintain an adequate water temperature, consider investing in a water-chiller. 
  • Research your system, and choose the plant genetics that performs the best under specific conditions. For example, if you want to grow large plants in a DWC system, pick plants that are capable of growing to massive heights. 

Whatever your plans are for your garden, the team at GreenPlanet Wholesale is here to help! For more information about the products mentioned above, please contact GreenPlanet Wholesale directly. For all other inquiries about products and services offered by GreenPlanet Wholesale, contact our team or your local garden supply store for more information. 

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Ditch the Dirt with Water-Culture Hydroponic Systems

Anybody who has grown plants indoors, on any scale, knows that one of the most tedious jobs is the mess and work associated with bringing dirt indoors.  Not only are soils and soilless media cumbersome and messy, but they can also become downright expensive over long periods of time. Experienced growers may also be painfully aware that their growing media can be a source of problems, particularly when it comes to harbouring pests and their eggs – the two-spotted spider mite is the bane of the indoor farmer.  In some instances, no amount of spraying may ever totally rid the grow room of these and other pests when they have plenty of room to hide and regroup in the growing media below the plant canopy.  Additionally, the surface of the growing media may also hold mould spores; it is well-known that dirt media gives way to blights and mildews in the garden, as these potential hazards have a natural habitat from which to launch their crop-damaging assault. The list of the evident disadvantages of growing in dirt goes on – we haven’t even begun to discuss the hassle of removing and disposing of used, root-bound soil. 

Hydroponic systems, particularly water-culture systems like the Under Current RDWC (Re-Circulating Deep Water Culture), help to eliminate the problems touched on above, while simultaneously offering a full spectrum of advantages not had by soil or other media-based gardens. Advantages such as crop quality, steer-ability, and economical savings are just a few potential benefits afforded to hydroponic systems. Indoor gardens supported by automated hydroponics can expect these advantages over soil-based gardens because water-based systems give bare-rooted plants a clean and highly aerated environment system in which to grow. A continuation of the potential advantages of deep water-culture systems are detailed in the list below.

Advantage #1: Crop Quality

The most agreed upon advantage of growing completely hydroponically is the tendency for a particular garden to produce higher quality crops than those typically grown in soil. While this tends to initiate some debate among growers, anybody who has sampled a true water-culture flower (flower produced without growing medium) is more often than not, blown away by the quality. When you taste water-culture grown crops you are tasting the plant, not the soil or funky crop nutrient additives.

Increased Taste, Colour and Terpene Profile

Most of what we like to taste in plants comes from the essential oils they produce. These are typically referred to as terpenes or “terps”. Terps are also highly sought after and valued by those in the business of producing or enjoying concentrates extracted from crop harvests. Professional level extractors often prefer working with clean water-culture-produced harvests because there is little in the way of impurities. Additionally, these crops produce the best colours, tastes, potency levels and other qualities in their final stages of extraction.

Trichomes produce the taste and flavours in your final yield.
A closer look at trichomes.

Water-culture grown flowers are often noted to have a more profound “nose” and better coloration.  Again, from the simple fact that what you are enjoying is pure plant material with little to no impurities. That’s the key fundamental difference between growing in soil and growing in water, as water-culture is intended to bring out the very best in naturally occurring plant genetics by simply using clean water, oxygen and pure plant-available elements – no man-made extras needed.

Advantage #2: Crop Steerability

While soil and soilless methods of growing are about feeding the medium, water-culture growing is about directly feeding the plant. With this fact in mind, the benefits of water-culture are evident when attempting to produce a quality-driven harvest; additionally, having the ability to supply and manipulate crop nutrition gives the grower a significant advantage in being able to steer or direct crop development at any growth stage.

Here is an example of the Cultured Solutions feed program during flower. Sourced From cch2o.com/cultured-solutions-feeding-schedule/

With nothing but clean water and a highly oxygenated nutrient solution, changes in the crop feeding program can be observed within hours, rather than days or weeks. By following a proven feeding program and utilizing high-quality nutrients like Cultured Solutions, the grower is in complete control of nutrient strengths, ratios and pH levels. When coupled with good plant genetics and a healthy growing environment, there is nothing but rigorous growth awaiting plants in water-culture. All of the plant’s needs are being met precisely and measurably, and good results are repeatable and transferable. One way to look at water-culture is that it is like a formula rather than a recipe.  Known inputs and methods will result in a predictable and desirable outcome versus more “hit or miss” approaches associated with conventional growing practices.

Did you know: Water culture grown crops thrive at lower EC levels and do not require any flushing prior to harvest for a super smooth and clean tasting finish in the final harvest.

Advantage #3 Water Savings & Management

Just because you have a bigger reservoir doesn’t mean that you use more water.  The larger volume of nutrient solution associated with water-culture systems adds stability for crops; furthermore, EC and pH fluctuations are buffered, lending to healthier growth and less incidence of deficiencies or imbalances. Water culture systems like the Under Current RDWC system are accurately classified as closed-loop recirculating systems.  This means that almost every drop of water used in the system is taken up by plants.  Little or no moisture is lost to the surrounding air in a closed hydroponic system.  Not only does this stack up to near 50% water use reduction per crop, but it also means that the grower has better control of the aerial environment; for example, no unwanted water vapour is being added to the grow room or greenhouse air from outside sources.

Here is an example of the inner workings of the Under Current systems. Water circulates through all the modules, ensuring plants can easily uptake nutrients with no wasted water. Sourced from the 2019 Current Culture H2O Product Catalogue

Having a tight hold on moisture in the system also makes measuring daily water use an accurate and invaluable crop diagnostic and management tool.  Daily water use is easy to chart, and with this tool available in the garden, growers can measure water intake consumed directly by the crop; there is no guesswork as to how much was lost to evaporation versus crop nutrient solution uptake.

CCH2O is always pleased to lend direct support for custom grow room design and installations – there is no project too big. And by working with our partners at GreenPlanet Wholesale, you can bet you’ll receive nothing short of professional excellence in service, both before and after you buy. 

This blog was written and provided in partnership with Current Culture H2O.

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Creating the Perfect Environment Part 3: Lighting Systems

Choosing a light source is perhaps the most important decision to make while creating the perfect environment. It will, among other variants, predict a variety of potential outcomes; these including, but are not limited to the prediction of quality, quantity, flower-size, trichome expansion, heat production and energy consumption. While choices of available lighting solutions are vast and vary from lower wattage fluorescents, traditional HID lighting, to the more technologically inclined LED fixtures, GreenPlanet Wholesale is committed to providing solutions to growers which not only perform but emphasize value. By maintaining partnerships with industry-leading manufactures of lighting solutions, we appreciate the concerns of any gardener interested in creating the ideal environment. Not sold on a particular system? Follow the article below for an examination of popular lighting solutions, and find the perfect light source for your environment. Just starting out? Read our previous blogs on creating the perfect growing environment! 

Lighting Systems: Information and Considerations 

Lighting System Styles

As stated above, by selecting different lighting solutions, varying outcomes can largely be predicted in the garden. Among other variations in light equipment, gardeners typically examine three features of a light source before investing: style, wattage and spread. Style is the type of light, whether it be a fluorescent fixture, HID or LED. The style of light will determine several things, but most importantly it will predict the heat production and energy consumption of the light source. 

HID
Fluorescent
LED

For example, the industry has seen major advances in LED lighting over the past decade; so much so, that high-wattage LEDs have been labelled as fixtures capable of competing with the industry’s previous standard of HID lighting. While both of these lights have the potential to produce similar yields, the main difference between these lights, in terms of style anyhow, is the heat produced and energy consumed by both HID and LED fixtures. For instance, a high-functioning HPS bulb produces an average of 3,600 British Thermal Units (BTUs), while a full-spectrum LED fixture, like ThinkGrow’s Model-H, has a maximum BTU output of 2,149. So, in short, be sure to examine the style of the lighting system in the garden, as this feature will dramatically influence the construction and management of other environmental controls.

ThinkGrow LED Model-H Features:

  • Outstanding Efficiency at 2.7 μmol/J
  • Plug and Play for a quick installation
  • On-board Dimming and Adjustable Spectrum
  • External Controllability with 256 fixtures per channel
  • Group Control Capability

Wattage Potential

The next feature of a light source to consider is wattage. Although many varying factors go into producing a heavy harvest, there is a general consensus concerning the connection between wattage in the garden and dry weight following harvest. While notions of this conclusion aren’t as clear cut as they once were, again, because of the introduction of new, more efficient technology, you can still consider the following while examining a light source: higher wattage = higher yield.

“Footprint” or Light Spread

Finally, but not least important, is the spread of a fixture. In this case, the word spread is used to describe the “footprint” of light dispersed by a specific light source. If you’re trying to fill a 10ft x 10ft room with plants, for instance, your fixtures must be able to disperse light across 100 square feet; and, depending on the spread of each individual light, this feature will determine how many fixtures will need to be installed. With these considerations in mind, lets looks at some of the most popular lighting solutions available at GreenPlanet Wholesale: 

Popular Types of Lighting Systems

Ranging from Fluorescent T5 lights to high wattage LEDs, the following is a list of lighting “types” which can assist gardeners in creating the perfect environment. For the entire catalogue of lighting solutions available at GreenPlanet Wholesale, click here; otherwise, read the list to find out which lighting style works best for your garden.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lighting is a great option for gardens that are limited on space and energy affordances. Unlike fluorescents you might see at the hardware store, horticultural-grade T5 fluorescents are smaller, highly efficient, and produce intense levels of light. Arguably the first choice for small gardens in tight spaces, tents or closets, T5 fluorescents produce little heat, and, when combined at scale, can produce impressive results. Interested? Check out Sunblaster’s selection of T5 fluorescents at GreenPlanet Wholesale.

 

HID Lighting

Coming in a variety of styles and spectrums, high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting is an industry favourite. HID lighting is made possibly by heat reacting with noble gases such as mercury and sodium under extreme pressure. The arc made by these reactions produces a chain of light that can illuminate a footprint of 3ft x 3ft – 6ft x 6ft, depending on variables like wattage, lamp and reflector. All the lamps listed below come in a variety of wattages including 315W, 400W, 600W and 1000W. Like fluorescent lighting, however, ballasts are required to operate HID lighting systems.

There are three types of HID lighting systems commonly utilized by the indoor gardener: High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH) and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH). Although these lights have similar properties, each lamp “type” has a different function in the garden. For example, HPS lighting has a low Kelvin rating of 3000K (a measurement that describes spectrum) and is typically used by gardeners in the later stages of flower to promote periods of autumn-like light, and intense red and yellow photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). MH lighting, on the other hand, has a higher Kelvin rating and emits blue light. Given the spectrum of MH lighting, most gardens utilizing HID lighting will choose MH lamps in periods of vegetative and early flowering growth to promote foliage expansion, general plant health, and tight internodal spacing. CMH lamps have a spectrum of 4000K, and therefore falls in the middle of the Kelvin range. This light has shown great success in both vegetative and flowering periods of growth and is arguably the best choice for gardeners who want both intensity and efficiency.  

LED Lighting

Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has made major advancements in horticulture over the past decade. With these advancements, high-quality LED fixtures are now able to compete with HID lighting, not only in terms of efficiency, longevity, and energy consumption but also in output. Unlike HID lamps, which typically occupied a niche spectrum of colour and intensity, high-quality LED fixtures have a “mixed-spectrum” and are able to not only produce high levels of reds, blues and yellows but also have the ability to produce ultraviolet light (UV) in specific diodes. This leads gardeners, not to the assumption, but to the tested conclusions of the production capabilities of LED technology. If you’re interested in creating the perfect, long-lasting and environmentally conscious indoor garden, LED technology is probably a good fit. 

 

Whatever your plans are for creating the perfect indoor garden, the team at GreenPlanet Wholesale is here to help! For more information about the products mentioned above, please contact GreenPlanet Wholesale directly. For all other inquiries about products and services offered by GreenPlanet Wholesale, contact our team or your local garden supply store for more information. 

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