Natures Hydroponics

How To Adjust Your Hydroponics UV Ozone Generator To Increase Plant Odor Elimination

2010-07-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Now is the time in my plant growth cycle to step up the plant odor removal. If you have visited my blogs, you know that I use and recommend the Big Blue UV Ozone Generator. This Big Blue Ozone is the only ozone generator with enough UV lamps to go from no odor control needed to full-blown plant odor elimination and grow room sterilization at the end of the plant cycle.

Based on the size of your indoor grow room, if you have more than 3-4 plants, your plant odor elimination will require an 8", 10" or 12" UV ozone generator, all with multiple UV lamps and controls. With the Big Blue, UV lamps can be turned on individually. At the first sign of plant odor, turn on the first UV lamp, as odors pick up again, turn on the 2nd UV lamp, and on and on until all of the lamps in your UV ozone generator are on and running to eliminate that odor.

If, after turning all of the UV lamps on, you begin detecting the smell of plant odor near the end of your plant's life cycle, adjust the Big Blue Ozone within your duct work exhaust system to increase the "mixing chamber" for the ozone. You should notice immediate results and again your grow room will be free of plant odor.

There are a couple of different ways to easily adjust the Big Blue Ozone's mixing chamber:

If you have an attic, exhaust directly into the attic, which creates a large mixing chamber. The longer the ozone "sees" the plant odor, the more effective plant odor removal is.

Increase the length of your duct work, bring the UV ozone generator as close to the grow light reflector as possible which creates more of a distance between the ozone generator and the exhaust fan, therefore, increasing the mixing chamber once again.

Create more air flow around the Big Blue by using risers and reducers in your duct work, over the top of the Big Blue, which will again add to the mixing chamber and give you more plant odor relief. This also, by the way, is how you can purchase a 12" Big Blue ozone generator based on the number of plants you are growing and the size of your indoor grow room, even if you only have 8" duct work. There is no need to replace all of your duct work just because you have increased the number of plants you are growing.

As a reminder, always synchronize your Big Blue UV ozone generator to run at the same time as your exhaust fan. No sense trying to eliminate plant odor if there is no where for it to go, and you will also never get a build-up of ozone in your grow room.

Your ozone generator doesn't have UV lamps that can be easily adjusted as your plants grow? Sorry! And that is why I recommend the Big Blue Ozone. Purchasing a Big Blue will stop any worries concerning plant odor, and is perfect to sterilize your grow room of mites and mold at the end of the season.

Check out the different sizes and more benefits at Natures Hydroponics, then purchase your Big Blue Ozone for easy plant odor elimination. We are the only site that offers FREE SHIPPING on all Big Blue products, so take advantage today!

Hydroponic Gardening in the Fall

2009-10-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

While soil gardeners are gearing down, Hydroponic gardeners are gearing up. Fall starts the busy time of year for Hydroponic indoor gardening. Since you can grow Hydroponic plants at any time of year, I've always thought that things pick up now because of the cooler days and nights. We all finally have the energy to do something other than stay out of the heat. In the fall, that something is starting our Hydroponic plants.

The other great reason to start Hydroponic plants in the fall is to watch the envy on your neighbor's faces when you have beautiful plants growing, you start to enjoy the produce, and they are still looking at the bare dirt outback.

Yes, I still love to rub it in to soil gardeners, and continue to wonder why they continue digging in the dirt, rather than buy the Hydroponic equipment to be much more eco-friendly in water.

October is a great time to purchase your Hydroponic supplies. Even though the fall season is busy and shipping slows down, it is not as busy as it will get closer to the Holidays.

Come visit, browse, and purchase your Hydroponic supplies at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/. We have free shipping on some products, and specials on others right now. Let's get you started on seeing that envy on your neighbor's face.

Hydroponic Plant Odor Control - Ozone Generators, Ozonators

2009-10-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

In my previous comparison of carbon filters vs. ozone gererators, I mentioned that you will find an air purifier ozone generator is less expensive over the years, easier to control, eliminates more odor, and has the added benefit of sterilizing your Hydroponic indoor gardening area at the end of plant cycles. The Big Blue Ozone Generator does all of this and more!

Big Blue ozone generators are the most powerful, effective, reliable Hydroponic grow room air purifier available. Big Blue ozonators eliminate plant odor, destroy mold and pests, and purify the air. They are available in 4" to 12" sizes, and are easy to install into your standard exhaust duct work, with no fuss afterward. The Big Blue Ozone Generators use a replaceable germicidal UV-C lamp, which is effective for 14 -18 months if you run the Big Blue Ozone Generator continuously.

The only part that needs replacing on the Big Blue Ozone Generator is the UV-C lamp, about every 14 to 24 months for optimum performance. And the lamps do not burn out at the same time. Because the odor fighting power of each lamp is so great, it is unnecessary to replace all lamps at the same time. It may only require one lamp to be used early in the grow cycle, when odor levels are at their lowest. As the plants mature and the odor increases, the Big Blue has built-in switches that allow you to turn on lamps as needed.

The Big Blue ozone generator is the best odor control money can buy:

Safely controls garden odor in your exhaust
Destroys white powdery mildew and spider mites
Serves as a grow room sterilizer at the end of the plant grow cycle
No air exchange restriction as with Carbon filters
Use your existing exhaust fan
Not impacted by high humidity levels
No messy carbon waste and dust
Lightweight and easy to install

Stop wasting your time with carbon filters, or small, cheap, ozone generators that do not kill mold, pests, or sterilize your grow room, like I did in the past. Start making your life easier and your grow room smelling better with a Big Blue Ozone Generator.

Want more detailed information on the Big Blue Ozone Generator? Visit http://www.natureshydroponics.com/ for specific information on each size available, and for replacement UV-C bulbs.

Hydroponic Indoor Gardening: Success Tips for Cloning Plants

2009-09-29T09:05:00.001-07:00

Propagation, or cloning plants, in Hydroponic indoor gardening can be extremely successful, or a failure. Yes, there are many in-betweens, but the goal is always for success! The cloning tips shown here will help you achieve healthy cloned plants. Add to that the experience gained every time you clone more plants, and you will have your own lush indoor garden.

Grow Medium/Rockwool Temperature - Before taking any Hydroponic plant cuttings, take a soil thermometer and place it into the grow medium for at least 10 minutes. Make sure the grow medium (not air) temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees. If the grow medium is below 70 degrees, place a heat mat under your bottom container. Do not place any plant cuttings into the grow medium until the temperature reaches at least 70 degrees.

Rockwool Cube Experiment - While this is not mandatory, some gardeners experiment with slicing the rockwool cubes on the bottom to allow roots an easier exit from the cube, and greater atmosphere holding capacity. What you might want to do for your first plant cloning, is to do half and half to see which clones grow faster and healthier roots.

If you decide to experiment, make your slices from the bottom of the cube to a point 3/4's of the way up. Two to four slices, going lengthwise and widthwise, are generally the accepted practice, but you can try more. Turn the rockwool cube over and push a sterile object through the cube's center from top down. This gives you room to insert the cutting's stem without damage. Be sure to mark and log your results so you know which way to go for your next cloning.

Rooting Hormone - Do not dip plant cuttings directly into rooting hormone bottle. Pour a small amount into a container such as a thimble and discard what is not used. This will prevent introducing any bacteria or disease into the main container. Store main bottle of rooting hormone in refrigerator after opening.

Vita Grow Anti-Wilt - Spraying the top and bottom of the plant cutting's leaf surfaces before you insert it into the prepared grow medium will help that initial shock wilt and put less stress on your plant cuttings. The Anti-Wilt formula will also reduce water loss in the cutting, and it has no poisonous effect on your Hydroponic plants.

Lighting - Plant cuttings need a cool, bright source of light. Fluorescent grow lights as close to the plant cuttings as possible is generally considered your best light source for cloning plants. Metal halide grow bulbs will work well if the grow bulb does not overheat or sunburn the plant cuttings from being placed too close.

Light sources should never be used to heat your cloned plants from the top. Only heat to the nutrient solution and grow medium should be used.

Grow Dome Vents - Close the vents on the grow dome for the first 3 days. Check moisture and temperature for the first couple of days. Mist cuttings morning and night with water and a couple of drops of Anti-Stress Nutrient. Do not let water sit in bottom of tray. Rockwool cubes should be able to freely drain at all times. Place cloning chamber under fluorescent fixture and grow bulb for approximately 16 - 18 hours per day.

General Care - When setting up and maintaining your plant cloning container, take care to provide your clones with the best propagation environment and care possible. To ensure fast rooting and high success rates, high humidity, 16- 18 hours fluorescent light, proper air circulation, strict attention to cleanliness, and correct bottom heat are of the utmost importance.

Humidity - Humidity should be 80-85%. If air in cloning room is dry, mist more often. Black leaf edges, black spots on leaves and mushy stems (damping off disease) are all indications of too much moisture and poor airflow.

Container Temperature - It is essential that you provide adequate heat on the bottom of the grow tray container. The cuttings and their cubes should be warm 24 hours per day. Often people fail to clone successfully because they do not provide bottom container heat and clones will root poorly when nighttime temperatures dip under 68 degrees.

Remember - Stress is Bad. The faster your cuttings develop roots, the less stress they will endure. Any stress the cuttings are exposed to can result in a decrease of final yield by up to 50%.

Good luck with your propagation and cloning! For your plant cloning supplies and other Hydroponic indoor gardening supplies, please visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

Hydroponic Indoor Gardening: Cloning Plants Part 2

2009-09-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

In Part 1 of Hydroponics Indoor Gardening: Cloning Plants, we covered the Mother Plant and the supplies you will need for cloning plants. Now the fun of cuttings and cloning actually begins.

Before you begin to take Hydroponic plant cuttings, all equipment should be ready and in good working order. The equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and the cloning area should be as sterile as possible. Complete Step 1 the night before starting your plant cloning.

Step 1. Rinse the rockwool propagation blocks with a half strength nutrient solution, and add 4 drops of pH lower per half gallon. If you have used the Europonic Rockwool Conditioner, the pH should be correct and should be tested. Let rockwool propagation blocks soak for up to 10 hours prior to cloning in this solution.

Step 2. Discard soaking solution. Just prior to taking your cuttings for cloning, rinse rockwool blocks again with 1 gallon of half strength, warmed nutrient solution, with 4 drops of Rootzone Accelerant and 5 drops of Anti-Stress nutrient added. Insert thermometer into cubes and allow temperature to reach the green zone before you being cloning plants. Temperature should be maintained day and night within the range of 70 to 85 degrees, if cloning is to be successful.

Step 3. Select cuttings - cuttings can be taken from anywhere on the mother plant provided the stem is of the correct thickness. Stem thickness should be between 1/8" and 1/4" diameter. Take cuttings with about four sets of well developed leaves and approximately 3 1/2" to 6" in length. The topmost growing shoots make excellent cuttings, however, make sure the wood is of the correct thickness and not too green or too woody. You may wish to take a number of cuttings at one time, immerse them in an ice cream container, or similar, filled with tepid water, with a few drops of anti-stress formula added.

Step 4. Take the scalpel, or single edged razor blade, and begin trimming your cuttings. Take cuttings one at a time from tepid water and trim bottom two sets of leaves flush with stem. Trim approximately 50% of leaves by cutting across the leaf surface. It is hard for the cutting to keep these large leaves alive and they usually wilt and fall off if not cut in half.

Take your cuttings from new growth on the plants if possible. Snip off the cutting from the plant at a 45 degree angle. Carefully cut the leaf stems 1/8" to 1/4" away from the node. Allow at least one node to remain on the main stem of the cutting. Gently scrape the cut area around the bottom of the stem. This disrupts the cells on the stem surface and helps them change into root cells.

Submerge the plant cutting's stem and nodes into your rooting compound for 5 seconds.

Step 5. Now you are ready to put the cuttings into the rockwool propagation blocks. Gently insert the stem into the cube making sure the stem does not protrude out of the bottom of the cube. After all the clones have been prepared and placed in the rockwool propagation blocks, water the block again with half strength nutrient solution, and Anti-Stress Nutrient and Root Zone Accelerant. Water the blocks until nutrient freely runs from the blocks. Allow to drain for a few minutes then place blocks inside the cloning chamber and place the chamber over the heating pad.

Step 6. After 3 days, open the vent on the Grow Dome. Monitor progress of clones for another 4 to 5 days. By this stage it should be time to take Grow Top off the unit and expose clones to normal air. Continue misting morning and evening, and monitor nutrient and moisture levels in the rockwool propagation block. By the end of 6 to 10 days you should be able to see root hairs protruding from the rockwool blocks. Healthy roots look thick, white and hairy. Sickly roots look thin yellowish or brown and hairless. The clones with the healthiest roots will be the same ones you will be proud of at harvest time.

Step 7. When your cuttings are well rooted and have begun to shoot, it is time to transplant them into your growing system. Slowly introduce them to full strength nutrient and place them under an HID grow light system. We recommend no higher than a 175 - 400 watt metal halide light while the Hydroponic plants are small and tender. Exposing the clones to a full strength metal halide light after the fluorescent grow bulb would be a shock. Care should be taken to acclimatize your new clones to the brighter light. Start by raising the grow bulb approximately 3 feet above the clones for the first few days. Slowly lower the lamp over the next week until the grow bulb is at the correct height of 12"-18". This will ensure a smooth stress free transition to growing under HID grow lights.

You're done and you have beautiful cloned plants growing to enjoy every day! I am going to pass on some tips for successful cloning in my next blog. Be sure to check it out.

Visit us for your Hydroponic indoor gardening supplies at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/. Drop us a comment, we would love to find out how your cloned plants are doing.

Hydroponic Indoor Gardening: Cloning Plants Part 1

2009-09-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Cloning plants is simply the process of taking a cutting from a mature female Hydroponic plant in the vegetative stage, and inducing it to grow roots and become an independent plantlet, exhibiting identical characteristics to its mother plant. Most soft or semi-hardwood cuttings will have developed roots within a week to ten days.

The newly rooted cutting can be induced to flower immediately, or it can be put under a vegetative Hydroponics grow light to attain a larger size. As soon as the clone is large enough you can begin to take cuttings from it. This can be done infinitely without any loss of desired qualities.

Clones will replicate the mother plant in every way, thereby making it crucial to have a mother plant of outstanding quality. When selecting a suitable mother plant consider the following:

Aesthetic qualities, shape, density of leaves, compactness and size.
Heavy flowering and fruit production.
Disease and insect resistance.
Early maturation.
Clones well and produces strong new plantlets.

Your mother plant should be healthy and stress free. Cuttings coming from a stressed mother plant may root poorly, be slow growing, produce poorly and become mutated. It is important to reinforce that the condition of your mother plant is paramount to the success of your clones. As a general guide do not take more than 20 - 30% of the vegetative material from each mother plant.

The following items will help you to achieve successful Hydroponic plant cloning:

Fluorescent fixture with two full spectrum T5 or T12 fluorescent tubes per fixture.
Drip Tray, Seedling Tray and Plastic Dome Top. Generally, the 1020 flat size works great, and comes in 32 or 72 cells.
Rockwool Propagation Blocks or Slabs, or Rapid Rooter plugs. We suggest using Europonic Rockwool Conditioner to pretreat the rockwool for pH adjustment and stability.
Hormone rooting compound such as "Clonex" or "Olivia's Cloning Gel".
Heating pad or propagation mat. The Ken Bar Agritabe Seed Tray Heater uses a low voltage, 24-volt transformer, which is energy efficient and cost effective.
Dark Energy Nutrient Additive or Superthrive anti stress agents.
Plant Root Zone Accelerant such as House & Garden Roots Excelurator or Green Fuse Root Stimulator, from Holland - hormone to enhance the development of roots.
Plant nutrient solution - for organic Hydroponic indoor gardening, Botanicare Pure Blend Pro; for traditional, General Hydroponics Flora Series Advanced Nutrients (we now offer these in a convenient set).
Thermometer or a thermostat like the Super Sprouter Thermostat, made specifically for cloning plants and seedlings.
Timer to turn the fluorescent grow lights on and off. The Intermatic Digital 24 hour Timers are easy to program and use.
New razor blade single edge or a scalpel, and pruning shears or sharp scissors.
Spray bottle for misting clones.

If this sounds like a lot of work, you are right until you get experienced, but the results outweigh the time involved! We do have an 18 site Aeroponics Cloning Machine, which includes everything needed to get started at least, and will have roots on your cuttings in 6-10 days.

Part 2 of Cloning Plants will get down to the nitty gritty. All of the above supplies for cloning and Hydroponic indoor gardening can, of course be purchased at www.natureshydroponics.com.

How To Maintain a Hydroponic Indoor Gardening System

2009-08-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

As with soil-based gardening, growing plants in Hydroponic systems always requires maintenance. The following list may seem like a lot of work; however, as you become experienced, most tasks and checks will only take a few minutes each day.

Daily

Check Reservoir for water levels, pH and TDS fluctuations.

Check grow room temperatures and humidity percentages.

If you use CO2, the CO2 system should be checked to ensure that it is working correctly.

Check watering system. If a pump fails it should be replaced immediately. If drippers are blocked they should be cleaned or replaced immediately. Using House & Garden Drip Clean will help prevent your drippers from becoming clogged, especially if you use organic nutrients.

Check Hydroponic plants for disease and insect infestations. It is always best to stop disease and insect outbreaks early, especially if you are an organic gardener. The longer an infestation is left the more difficult it will be to cure, yield losses will be high and crop failures are possible.

Check Hydroponic plants for leaf discoloration and deformities that may be caused by such problems as nutrient deficiencies or nutrient burn (over feeding), as well as leaf curl from lights being too close.

Individual plant hygiene is extremely important. Cut off and discard diseased leaves. If a plant is badly diseased, it is always better to throw out one or two plants to control disease outbreaks than it is to destroy a complete crop. The same applies to insect infestations, especially spider mites. You should always have insect and plant disease controls on hand to stop any problems early. Once a problem starts, there is no time to run around trying to find the insect or disease control you need.

General maintenance - failed light bulbs, fans, loose ducting, leaks etc. should be replaced or repaired. If you use a light mover, make sure the delay time at the end of the line is sufficient to supply proper lighting to the outside of your Hydroponic plant canopy.

Weekly

Flush the growing medium to stop nutrient lock up.

Foliar spraying for disease and insects to prevent outbreaks.

Complete reservoir change to prevent nutrient imbalances and bacteria build-up. This entails "dumping" your reservoir and re-filling it with fresh water and nutrients. The reason for this is that as the plants feed, the nutrient solutions will fall out of balance. Also, bacteria grows at a geometric rate. If you change your solution every week you will decrease the possibility of bacteria becoming a problem. While it is possible to go longer between changes if you are using reverse osmosis water instead of tap water, you still have the bacteria issue to contend with, so unless you are using something to inhibit the bacterial growth, you should still change your reservoir weekly.

Check your plant nutrient supply and ph testers for sufficient quantities to feed and monitor your Hydroponic plants for the next two weeks.

End of Each Plant Cycle:

Hydroponic systems should be completely sanitized at the end of each plant cycle. This will minimize disease carry-over to the next plant cycle.

The grow room should be sanitized with insecticides and fungicides. Walls, floors, ceilings and equipment should be wiped down to remove insects/eggs and fungi spores. The cleaner the grow room, the fewer problems you will have in the following plant cycle.

The Big Blue Ozone Generator, installed in your exhaust system, will do this work for you. Not only does the Big Blue eliminate plant odors, it will eliminate mold, pests, and sterilize your entire Hydroponic indoor gardening area in 4-5 hours. How easy is that!

Inspect each piece of Hydroponic equipment, system and container for working condition. Repair or replace any potential problem prior to the start of the next plant cycle.

Stock up on all supplies you will need to not delay the beginning of the next growing cycle.

Find more information, and purchase your Hydroponic indoor gardening supplies, at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

Hydroponic Plant Odor Control: Carbon Filters vs. Ozone Generators

2009-08-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

There are many debates in the Hydroponic indoor gardening community over plant odor control and how to best eliminate it. Is a carbon filter the best? Does it work as well as an ozone generator and last as long?

Carbon is an effective odor eliminator. However, carbon does not kill or eliminate airborne contaminates. Additionally, carbon absorbs moisture, not a good thing in a Hydroponic indoor gardening area. The carbon particles become saturated as the moist garden air is pushed or drawn through the particles. This saturation minimizes the ability of the carbon to absorb odor.

Adding a carbon filter in your Hydroponic indoor garden typically requires an increase in your exhaust fan CFM, therefore a new exhaust fan, to overcome the restriction in flow caused by the carbon filter

Carbon filters are less expensive to purchase upfront. However, many are heavy, more difficult to transport and install in your ductwork, may require a new exhaust fan, and are difficult to dispose of. Depending on the size of your Hydroponic indoor gardening area, a carbon filter requires replacement every 12-24 months. So, are they really less expensive than an ozone generator?

Ozone, one of nature's basic elements, is a powerful disinfectant and deodorizer. Ozone has been used in Europe as the primary domestic water purification media since the early 1900's. Currently, over 20 major cities in the US use ozone water purification, the largest being Los Angeles, which treats over 600 million gallons daily. Las Vegas uses ozone air purifier generators to deodorize the air in its large, smoke filled casinos.

Ozone/UV air purifier treatment is best accomplished with the lowest fan CFM that allows for the best Hydroponic indoor gardening area air exchange. The longer period of time the odor is exposed to the ozone, the better the odor is destroyed. This slower air movement reduces the amount of post ducting required to effectively treat the exhausted odor. So, no new purchase of a higher CFM exhaust fan is needed, or your initial purchase can be a lower CFM fan at a lower cost.

My preference is an ozone generator/ozonator, specifically the Big Blue Ozone Generator. It is lightweight (the largest 12" ozone generator weighs only 15 pounds), easy to install, eliminates all of the odor, and I can use it to destroy mold and pests. The only thing that needs replacing is the lamp about every 18 to 24 months. And the lamps do not burn out at the same time.

Because the odor fighting power of each lamp is so great, it is unnecessary to replace all lamps at the same time. It may only require one lamp to be used early in the plant grow cycle, when odor levels are at their lowest. As the plants mature and the odor increases, the Big Blue has built-in switches that allow you to turn on lamps as needed.

Which is better, carbon filter or ozone gererator? I believe you'll find, like I did, that an ozone generator/ozonator is less expensive over the years, easier to control, eliminates more odor, and has the added benefit of sterilizing your Hydroponic indoor gardening area. The Big Blue Ozone Generator wins by a mile!

I will give you all of the great benefits to the Big Blue Ozone Generator in my next blog. In the meantime, visit http://www.natureshydroponics.com/ for more information and purchasing.

HYDROPONICS: How to Choose GROW LIGHTS, Part 5

2009-07-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Should I use Fluorescent Grow Lights for plants? What is the difference between Fluorescent and HID Hydroponic Grow Lights? Can you use Fluorescent Grow Lights throughout a Hydroponics plants life cycle?

Do these questions sound familiar? Everyone has these questions initially in Hydroponic gardening. And, as usual, the answer is based on the size of your Hydroponic indoor gardening area, location, and type of Hydroponic plants you are growing.

As discussed in my previous blogs, MH grow lights for Hydroponics plants growth stage and HPS light system for Hydroponic plants bloom stage work for all types of plants, and have the intense light required for taller Hydroponic plants like tomatoes. These HID grow lights create more heat in your Hydroponic gardening area, so good air circulation, and generally an exhaust system, are needed for temperature control.

Fluorescent Bulb grow lights for plants create less heat in your Hydroponic gardening area, and are ideal for seedlings and rooting clones. The T-12 Fluorescent Bulb with 6,280K is engineered to reproduce all of the colors and balance of natural light. The more intense T-5 puts out twice as much light for the same wattage as a T-12, however, needs a ballast made for T-5 Fluorescent Bulbs, such as a New Wave Fluorescent Fixture Ballast, that can power their high output.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs emit light in squares, rather than the rectangular 2' or 4' long T-5 or T-12. For those who have a small Hydroponic gardening area that is 1'x1' (requires one Compact Bulb) or 2'x2' (requires two Compact Bulbs), the Compact Fluorescent Bulb grow light for plants will work great for the growth stage.

The biggest downfall to Fluorescent Bulbs is the bloom stage. Fluorescent Bulbs just do not produce enough lumens to create an abundant yield. Your solution? Use an HPS light system or Conversion Grow Light, and add a Compact or T-5 Fluorescent Bulb next to it. This will give the Hydroponics plants more blue light to continue growing while they bloom, and will hold down the heat in your Hydroponics gardening area.

Need more information? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

HYDROPONICS: How to Choose GROW LIGHTS, Part 4 HPS & MH

2009-07-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Which one? Metal Halide (MH) or High Pressure Sodium (HPS light system) Grow Lights for plants? Both High Intensity Discharge (HID) grow lights are great - at their given time in a Hydroponic plants stage of life. Hydroponic plants need what both offer, and there are ways to have both.

Metal Halide Hydroponic grow lights have the intense light of blue white spectrums for the initial growth period of Hydroponic plants. Blue light drives photosynthesis, translocates sugars and keeps the immune system working properly. MH grow lights will give your Hydroponic plants increased leaf growth, strong stems and branches, and a healthy life.

High Pressure Sodium Hydroponic grow lights have the red, orange and yellow spectrums for blooming, flowering and produce yield stages of Hydroponic plants. An HPS light system elevates electromagnetic wavelengths hitting the plants, signaling the Hydroponic plants to start producing bloom hormones, which, along with quality nutrients, creates higher yield, more abundant blooms and fruiting sites.

Since your Hydroponic plants need all the spectrums for their life cycle, and it's expensive and time consuming to buy two types of ballasts, two types of grow lights for plants, and rewire when the blooming time is right, consider these options:

Eye Hortilux and Sun Master make MH Hydroponic grow lights that have enough red, orange and yellow, along with blue white spectrums, to trigger bloom hormones. They also have MH conversion grow lights for plants made to work in HPS ballasts.
Sun Systems and Galaxy makes Electronic ballasts, which are quiet and energy efficient with a power factor of 99%, and switchable ballasts. Both types of ballasts will run MH and HPS light system. So no more rewiring ballasts, just screw in the different grow lights.
T-5 thru T-12 Fluorescent grow lights for plants, which I will cover in detail in Part 5 of How to Choose Hydroponic Grow Lights, are intense enough for most Hydroponic plants, not all.

All of your plants can be happy and fruitful with the proper Hydroponic grow lights, and with these options, life will be easier for you also. Don't forget proper air circulation and venting in your Hydroponic indoor gardening area!

Want more information? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

HYDROPONIC: How to Choose GROW LIGHTS, Part 3 SIDE LIGHTING

2009-07-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

It's never too early to think about and plan for side lighting in your growing area when you are growing tall Hydroponic plants. Even though side lighting will not be needed until your Hydroponic plants are about 3' tall, you need to have the space and equipment to add side lighting when the time comes.

By the time the Hydroponic plants reach 4' tall, the bottom of those plants are receiving only about 12% of the light emitting from the Hydroponic grow lights above. Without side lighting, your plants will begin to stretch for the light and will become spindly at the bottom. With side lighting, your plants will stay full, bushy and green.

Hydroponic side lighting options depend on the size of your growing area and spacing of your plants:

High pressure sodium grow lights or metal halide grow lights have the intensity needed and most can be hung vertically between Hydroponic plants. You must have substantial spacing between plants, good air circulation and exhaust system to compensate for the heat produced by these grow lights for plants, and make sure the Hydroponic grow lights are not "horizontal only" grow lights.
T-5 Fluorescent grow lights for plants have the light intensity and spectrums Hydroponic plants need to grow, produce less heat and are easier to hang vertically in between or outside Hydroponic plants.
Purchase or build a light stand out of pvc pipe to hang your Hydroponic grow lights on to furnish the light but keep the grow lights out of your actual growing area. If you build the light stand with a shelf on the bottom, you will have more space for plants.
Floor flood lights which you can tilt in different directions for movable side lighting.
For shorter Hydroponic plants, if you want just a little extra reflection of light, mylar film may work for you and it is very reasonable to purchase and easy to use. Just do not expect a big difference in your Hydroponic plants.

Regardless of how you supplement your Hydroponics grow lights, always make sure you have great air circulation, and rotate your Hydroponics plants as needed.

Part 4? MH vs HPS light system.

Ready to purchase your grow lights for plants? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

HYDROPONIC: How To Choose GROW LIGHTS, Part 2 LIGHT MOVER

2009-06-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

In Part 2 of Hydroponic Gardening: How to Choose Grow Lights for plants, I want to side-step a bit and cover the two lighting problems that can affect overall plant growth:

In-between sizes of Hydroponic indoor gardening areas when one grow light is not enough and two grow lights are too much, or create too much heat

Lighting the bottom of your tall plants and shelf plants

Most Hydroponic grow lights and reflectors work great in a 3x3 or 4x4 Hydroponic gardening area, except...what is happening to the plants on the corners and ends? The plants are getting taller, but they are kind of leggy and the foliage isn't as full. Not enough intense light is reaching the outer edges of your Hydroponic gardening area. And what about your 2x6 or 3x5 Hydroponic gardening area? Depending on your particular space for gardening, it is sometimes impossible to conform to the size of grow lights and reflector coverage. What to do? A Light Rail Light Mover will solve all of these problems. Linear light mover benefits include:

Hydroponic Grow Lights can be placed within 12" of the plant canopy with no fear of burning the tips of the Hydroponic gardening plants, especially since the grow lights for plants are moving constantly with the Light Mover. Stationary grow lights always shine the same intensity in the same spot, light from different directions on more foliage means more light energy being processed by more foliage, promoting even growth
The Light Mover increases the intensity of light coverage to more plants by 25% or more
Delivers light from different angles providing even lighting, including the corner and end Hydroponics plants
Economical use of grow lights-can use one grow light with a Light Rail light mover to cover a space that typically would require two grow lights-and savings on cost of electricity

A Light Rail Light Mover System is easy to install, and comes in a 3.5 size for hobby Hydroponic gardeners, and 5.0 commercial or Hydroponic gardening areas of 8x8 and larger.

I believe the Light Rail Light Mover is a valuable addition to most Hydroponic gardening areas to solve lighting consistency problems with grow lights for plants. So much so that I used up all my space and did not cover lighting the bottom of your tall plants. Next time.

Ready to purchase your Light Rail Light Mover System? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

HYDROPONIC: How To Choose GROW LIGHTS, Part 1 WATT SIZE

2009-06-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Grow Lights for plants are undoubtedly the most important aspect in indoor Hydroponic Gardening. Without this light source, your Hydroponics indoor plants will not survive. In Part 1 of Hydroponic Grow Lights, I will discuss the first basic; what size grow lights wattage do you need for your Hydroponic gardening area.

The first two decisions you need to make are:

What size Hydroponic indoor gardening area you plan to have
What type of Hydroponic plants do you intend to grow, tall like tomato plants or short like lettuce

Once you decide the size and type of plants to grow, you are ready to choose the wattage for your Hydroponic grow lights:

150-175 watt grow lights are primarily used for seedlings or cloning plants, although you can grow Hydroponic plants to maturity if the plants are kept short
250 watt grow lights can be used for Hydroponic gardening areas up to 2 1/2'x2 1/2' maximum, with a 2' plant height maximum
400 watt grow lights are used for 9 to 12 square foot, or a 3'x3' to 3'x4', Hydroponic gardening area
600 watt grow lights are used for 12 to 20 square foot, or a 3'x4', 4'x4', up to a 4'x5', Hydroponics gardening area
1000 watt grow lights are used for 12 to 20 square foot, or a 4'x5', 5'x7', maybe stretching to 5'x8' maximum, Hydroponic gardening area

The taller your plants, the more grow lights wattage you will need, since light intensity diminishes by 50% for every foot the plant is away from the grow lights. A 4' Hydroponics plant receives about 12% of the grow light intensity at the bottom of that plant.

In Part 2 of Hydroponic Grow Lights, I will discuss various ways to solve the light issue problems with the bottom of tall plants, and what to do for grow lights when you have those in-between Hydroponics gardening area sizes. I hope that you have enjoyed and learned a little bit about purchasing Hydroponic Grow Lights.

Ready to purchase your grow lights for plants? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

HYDROPONIC OZONE GENERATOR OZONATOR

2009-06-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Odor Control in a confined Hydroponic grow room or growing area can be a very big issue to deal with, depending on the types of Hydroponic plants being grown. Even though we all attempt to keep the Hydroponic grow room as clean as possible to prevent mold and mildew, reservoirs and Hydroponic plants can produce enough odor to become overpowering.

What I have found that works very well is the Big Blue Ozone Generator, inline ozone air purifier units, in 4" to 12" sizes, small enough for the Hydroponic hobby gardener, yet powerful and effective for the commercial gardener.

The Big Blue Ozone Generator Ozonator is:

easy to install right into your exhaust ducting, with no fuss afterward
comes in 4" to 12" x 20" long sizes; the 4" is perfect for a 465 cfm squirrel cage fan, while the 10" covers 1500 square feet and the 12" is ideal for a 1200 cfm fan, so there is a size for everyone
made from corrosion resistant stainless steel
an ozone odor control eliminator, does not just mask odors, because it uses germicidal UV-C lamps, which I can replace myself, and has been effective for 14-18 months using continuously
reasonably priced for the ozone generator air purifier job that it does

Try one of these Big Blue Ozone Generator Ozonator units in your Hydroponic grow room and see if it solves the Hydroponic grow room plant odor problems for you also.

Ready to purchase your Big Blue Ozone Generator? Visit us at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/. We have FREE SHIPPING on all Big Blue products!

HYDROPONICS Overview

2009-06-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

What exactly do Hydroponics plants need to survive, grow and yield produce or flowers? Without at least an adequate amount of the following conditions, your Hydroponics plants will not survive:

Natural sunlight or an equal amount of artificial light (grow light)
Warmth, approximately 50 to 78 degrees for established plants and 70 to 80+ degrees for clones and seedlings, depending on the types of crops or flowers you are growing
Oxygen - inadequate air circulation can cause mold, mildew and plant disease in your growing area. Air circulation is a must around Hydroponics plants and the root system
Water and proper drainage, as necessary as for us
Mineral salts (plant nutrients) for the Hydroponics plants to grow, bloom and mature into healthy, productive plants

Add the following to the above conditions and grow strong, sturdy, happy Hydroponics plants of all sizes:

Stress-free shelter from the elements, which makes a Hydroponics Grow Room ideal for growing Hydroponics plants
Plant support, not only stakes, ties and strings as you would typically think of, but growing mediums to take the place of soil, which naturally supports your plants
Early insect and disease control to ensure your Hydroponics plants remain healthy and have the optimum growing conditions, which is easier to do since soil-borne diseases are eliminated in Hydroponics gardening

With the Hydroponics grow lights, reflectors, fans, heaters, watering systems and plant nutrients that are available, growing healthy Hydroponics plants really is easy with your watchful eye and your proper care.

Ready to start your Hydroponics indoor garden? Visit us at www.natureshydroponics.com.

Top 10 Advantages To HYDROPONICS INDOOR GARDENING

2009-06-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hydroponics indoor gardening has so many advantages over soil gardening, from where and when, to what you grow. On Monday I posted my Top 10 FUN Hydroponics Gardening Advantages and promised to share my Top 10 serious Hydroponics Gardening Advantages with you:

Hydroponics indoor gardening can be set up almost anywhere, no yard space or natural sunlight required, making it perfect for apartment and city dwellers

Grow Hydroponics plants year round and constantly enjoy fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers
Grow more Hydroponics plants in a concentrated area for more yield and less money
Studies show Hydroponics produce has a higher nutritional value and tastes better than produce from plants grown in soil due to the concentrated nutrients always available to the plant roots
With the correct nutrients, Hydroponics gardening plants mature quicker and produce a larger yield than soil gardening plants
It is much easier to grow organic vegetables since you control the nutrients and pesticides applied to the Hydroponics gardening area
Amazingly, since Hydroponics indoor gardening is based on growing in water, less water is actually used since the water and nutrients are recycled, again, saving money
There is no water waste as there is with soil plants, when the water saturates the soil and weeds around the plants, then drains away
Soil-borne plant diseases are eliminated, creating healthier plants
No weeds to pull water and nutrients away from the plants; the nutrients are concentrated on the plant roots, as they should be

I realize that it is rather expensive to set up Hydroponics indoor gardening areas, but once you have your basic lighting and equipment, the savings in water and food purchases can add up over soil gardening. You can always start off with a small growing area to get your feet wet in Hydroponics indoor gardening, so to speak. The main point is, you can grow Hydroponics plants any time of year and anywhere you choose, and in my book, you cannot go wrong with that.

Find out more and purchase your Hydroponic supplies at http://www.natureshydroponics.com/.

Top 10 FUN Advantages To HYDROPONICS GARDENING

2009-06-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hydroponics Gardening is a serious, busy business, which means we all need to take time to have a little fun with Hydroponics also. These are my top 10 reasons why I enjoy indoor Hydroponics Gardening:

Do not have to go outdoors to admire my green thumb
My Hydroponics plants are better to look at than silk plants
No dirt under my fingernails
Those pesky, cute rabbits do not eat my lettuce before I do
I love scrambled egg and homegrown tomato sandwiches (doesn't everyone?)
No farmers tan (yes, I grew up on a farm)
Do not get all sweaty pulling weeds, shoveling and tilling the garden
Can watch my baseball games and tend to my plants at the same time
My hair does not get wind blown
No bumble bees (did I mention I'm a girl?)

Wow, if these advantages don't convince you that Hydroponics Gardening is better than soil gardening, I don't know what would! Now that I have had my fun, I will be back again to share my serious thoughts and facts on Hydroponics Gardening Advantages.

Let me know what your fun Hydroponics Gardening Advantages are so I can add them to the list. Maybe we can together make it the Top 20 or 30 FUN Hydroponics Gardening Advantages!

Visit us for your Hydroponic supplies at www.NaturesHydroponics.com.