Download - Garden Culture Magazine: UK 1
ENLIGHTENED LIGHTING
YEAR 1
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WILD WASABI TAMEDSECRETS TO BOOST YOUR HARVEST
THINK MICRO FOR MACRO RESULTS
IT’S ON!UK EDITION YEAR 1 - ISSUE 1 · AUTUMN 2012 - PRICE: £3,99
THE INVISIBLE GARDEN:
WW
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GROW YOUR OWN MONEY:BITCOINS
RhinoFilterThe Name in Carbon Filtration
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To watch product videos and to find a stockist Visit www.Nutriculture.com
A quick guide to fulfilling your potential
Manage up to 20 plants from one tank
The Wilma pots are filled with coco, soil or pebbles, the timer
is set and a pump delivers nutrient solution through the
drippers into the pots.
Available in sizes from 4 pots up to 20 pots.
Ideal for cultivating plants for cuttings
The Flo-Gro pot is filled with clay pebbles, the timer is set
and nutrient solution is pumped through a dripper ring over
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The fast-draining action pulls fresh oxygen into the root-zone
every feed.
Record-breaking yields
The Ebb & Flood can be filled with clay pebbles or with
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IN THIS ISSUE OF GARDEN CULTURE: EARTHSHIPS42
72
WINDOWFARMING
22
K.I.S.S.
7 Foreword & Credits
8 Product Spotlight
12 Carbon dioxide in plants & greenhouses
15 Product Spotlight
16 Humidity: the good, the bad & the ugly
20 The invisible garden: a perfect balance
24 Modern slavery and the illusion of consent
28 The art of lighting
32 Aquaponics: a sustainable solution
38 Cilantro
42 Earthships: down to earth
48 Fungi, molasses & rock phosphate
54 Things that make you a better grower
57 K.I.S.S.
58 Hydroponics for small apartments
62 Soy GMO
65 The world’s hottest Chilli peppers
68 Bitcoins: grow your own money
72 Window farming
76 Fresh wasabi
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 8
HYDROPONICS
FRESHWASABI76
GARDEN CULTURE I CONTENTS
6
26THE ART OF LIGHTING
57
58
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
7
FOREWORD & COLOFON I GARDEN CULTURE
FOREWORD
WELCOME TO GARDEN CULTURE MAGAZINE’S FIRST UK & IRELAND VERSION
These last seven months were a trip to say the least.
There have been lots of travel meetings and making
new friends. We finally did it though; the first issue of
Garden Culture in English is a fact.
As with any print publication we’re always looking for new writers who bring knowledge to the table, if you have the knowledge or a cool grow room you’d like to show off please contact us. Besides the magazine we’ve also invested lots of time in our website (www.gardenculture.net) and our new Fa-cebook page (facebook.com/GardenCulture)
We are proud to offer you the most effective garden tool ever used: knowledge. We have brought together on these pages intimate understanding of plant biology with vast ex-perience in gardening so that you can achieve a perfect balance in your garden. Each article adds a new brick in the construction of better gardens and shortens the path to enjoying great harvests. In your hands is an authoritative reference to help you optimize the productivity of your grow space.
This issue of Garden Culture focuses on how to make the most of your hydroponic garden with articles about using carbon dioxide, tuning your grow lights, and even growing live fish with your plants to save resources. It is this enhancement of natural processes through wise use of technology that we like to call the art of growing. In this increasingly crowded world the ability to grow your own is not only valuable to you but also does a great favour to the planet. Keep it green! Mike NivatoExecutive Editor
CREDITS
Garden Culture™ is a publication of GC Publishers B.V.
EDITORSExecutive Editor: Mike NivatoE. [email protected] Editor: Ben SearlE. [email protected]
Art Director / DTPJob Hugenholtz
Special thanks the following contributors:Dan F, Sheldon Aberman, Wade, Tammy Clayton, Alison Thompson, April Kazema, Chris Oldenburg, Erik Biksa, Evan Folds, Fred Decker, Jeroen Dercksen, Kayla Shaw, Maaike Visser, Sylvia Bernstein, David Murphy
PUBLISHERGC PublishersPostbus 21133200CC SpijkenisseThe NetherlandsEU +31(0)181-728101
w www.gcpublishers.nete [email protected]
ADVERTISINGEU +31(0)181-728101E. [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONSE. [email protected]
ISSN: 2211-9329
© GC Publishers B.V.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic
tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior
permission in writing from the GC Publishers B.V.
gardenculture.net
fresh
8
Happy Ending is an all-natural bloom stimulant that will increase the productivity of your plants through a pro-prietary blend of organic guanos and trace minerals that increase total yields and secondary metabolites – turning your plants into a flowering powerhouse.
www.xtreme-gardening.com
The needs of hydroponic growing are comprehensively covered by this collection of additives. Pure Essentials takes care of every possible requirement hydroponically
grown plants have at every stage of development. The ad-
ditives are premium quality and Black Label Nutrients have
made them simple to use and hard to mess up. They can be
used in any hydroponic medium and insure plants will be lacking
nothing even during incredibly fast growth rates. This is state of
the art technology applied for huge harvests. www.pureessentialsblacklabel.com
Nutrient Pack
Black & Decker have domesticated the chainsaw by
making safety the main feature of this design so that
anyone can use it around the garden. These gattors
can cut branches up to 10 cm in diameter keeping
users safe and in control with the patented alligator
jaw. Comfortable and quiet to use, the B&D Al-
ligator Lopper GK1050 makes any chopping a cinch
and will not disturb the neighbors.
www.blackanddecker.co.uk
alligatorlopper gk1050 from black & decker
product spotlight
Pure Essentials Black Label
XTREME GARDENING’S Happy Ending
fresh
9 gardenculture.net
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
lopper gk1050 from black & decker
The people at Widowfarms have condensed all that
they learned in their open-source community proj-
ect into a working garden that anyone can use. Any
source of light is sufficient to grow plants using this
hydroponic system though sunlight through a window
is ideal. All you need is a Windowfarm Kit and the will
to grow. A Windowfarm won’t stop you from visiting
the grocers but a thousand will, and that is part of the
idea: to bring part of the farm into the city by letting
everyone participate.
www.windowfarms.org
Now there is another weapon in the arsenal of guerrilla
farming. These friendly blasts of beauty only need some
water and good aim to send some blooms into any for-
gotten spot or even your own garden. It is a great way to
spread flower power and even come in packs designed to
help bees or even share love. Get militant and choose some
targets for seedboming. Always throw seedboms responsibly
and give them a good chance by choosing targets with some
soil, moisture and light.www.kabloom.co.uk
These revolutionary “no hassle, no tools” light and tray stands allows for a quick and simple assembly in min-utes. Designed and engineered for the pieces to simply slide together, the Fast Fit™, is truly a pioneer in the industry. The Fast Fit™ Tray Stands were created with heavy duty steel and interlocking components for ex-cellent strength and stability. The simplicity makes it easy to configure the tray stand and light stand the exact way you want it. Never mess with nuts, bolts, wrenches or screw drivers again with Fast Fit™! Accommodates popular brand trays and reser-voirs. Assorted add-on options available for many configurations and uses. Patent pending. Visit www.fastfitstands.com to see the assembly video and for more information.
Fast Fit Tray Stand
window farm kit
product spotlight
fresh
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No matter how you grow; measuring the strength (EC) of your nutrient solution is key to maintain-ing plant health and achieving maximum yield. HM Digital have now released a meter to meet the budget of the hobby grower, packed with the features to satisfy the green fingered expert.The COM-80 is the partner meter to the massively popular PH-80 – the UK’s best seller – and offers the features of a high end meter at a great price;-Choose your preferred reading – the COM-80 reads in mS and ppt, as well as uS and ppm-Monitor your solution temperature – switchable reading from degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC)-Simple maintenance – features ‘push button’ digital calibration and low battery indicator-Peace of mind – COM-80 carries a one year manufacturer’s warrantyThe wait is over! The COM-80 EC meter from HM Digital is now available in the UK. Ask your hydroponic retailer for HM Digital.Wholesale enquiries contact:Nutriculture – www.nutriculture.comDirect Gardening Supplies – www.directgardeningsupplies.co.uk
Plant Magic Magne-Cal+ is now available from your local retailer. It’s a Magnesium and Calcium additive that can be used throughout the entire growing cycle, but is particu-larly effective when used alongside a PK booster during the flowering stage. Magne-Cal + will prevent deficiencies and also assist in the uptake of Potassium, enhancing the effect of the booster; dra-matically enhancing you yield.
Ask your hydroponic retailer for Plant Magic Magne-Cal+.Wholesale enquiries contact:Nutriculture – www.nutriculture.comDirect Gardening Supplies – www.directgardeningsupplies.co.uk
Easy reading!
product spotlight
Use a premium bloom stimulator?
You need this product!
fresh
11 gardenculture.net
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
From one of the most respected innovators of hor-
ticultural lighting comes this state of the art light kit.
This kit uses a 240 Volt electronic ballast to power
Philips GreenPower 1000W 400V Double Ended
lamp. These technologies teamed up are the latest
step toward providing optimal lighting conditions for
great harvests and maximum efficiency in power us-
age. Two factors growers always appreciate.
www.gavita-holland.com
The ideal solution for a two light
garden, 5 sockets provide one
point for all electrical appliances.
Well-built for safety and peace of
mind the 5-Way Relay Timer pro-
vides timed power points for lights,
fans, heater and an extraction control-
ler. The specific needs of growers with
a two light system are known and Green
Power provides the smartest solution.
www.greenpowercontactors.co.uk
Rhino Products set the industry standard in high qual-ity ventilation products. The RC-1 thermostatically con-trolled, dual fan controller enables growers to create the ultimate two fan air exchange system.Let Rhino do the work! The RC-1 enables growers to accurately control the air exchange, set desired temperature and main-tain negative pressure in the grow room. Intake and extraction fans will run at maximum speed to quickly establish desired temperature, once reached the fans will drop to a minimum idle speed ensuring the room is adequately ventilated and preventing air leaks.www.nutriculture.comwww.directgardeningsupplies.co.uk
New! Rhino RC-1 Fan Controller
product spotlightGavita Holland Pro Line 400v Light Kits
G R E E N P O W E R 5 - W AY R E L AY T I M E R
12
Plants like all living creatures need energy to survive.
Animals get this energy feeding on plants or other crea-
tures. But plants don’t feed on other creatures; plants
store the energy they need by combining elements from
soil and air using sunlight to power the reactions. A rad-
ically different survival strategy compared to animals.
This method of energy harvesting is commonly known
as photosynthesis.
In essence photosynthesis isn’t all that complicated,
however when inspected more closely one will find out
that it is a cascade of many chemical reactions. To make
this a little less complicated photosynthesis can be split
up in two parts; ‘Light reactions’ and ‘light-independent
reactions’.
LIGHT REACTIONSLight reactions are the first part of photosynthesis.
These reactions require light in order to work. When a
Carbon dioxide in plants
photon from the sun or a grow light strikes the photo-
receptive pigment called chlorophyll, water is split into
two oxygen molecules and one positively charged hy-
drogen atom, also known as a proton. These protons in
turn are used by the plant in the light-independent reac-
tions. But most importantly, the plant uses the energy
of the protons to convert ADP (adenine di-phosphate)
into ATP (adenine tri-phosphate) by adding a phospho-
rous group. This is how plants store energy in a usable
way, essential in many vital processes. The ATP can be
used as a means to transport chemical energy because
when it is converted back into ADP energy is released.
The molecule can then be recycled into ATP again. The
resources the plant has to invest in order to perform
these reactions is always the same. However, not all
wavelengths of light are equally effective at stimulating
chlorophyll and some wavelengths transfer no energy at
all. In general plants are most efficient in the blue and
red ranges of the spectrum. Green light for instance
There are a couple of things that plants can’t live without. Carbon dioxide is one of these substances.
It’s a gas, commonly found in the atmosphere. Although it isn’t as common as oxygen and nitrogen,
which make up around 99% of the atmosphere’s volume, carbon dioxide is still relatively common.
Over the past decade or so, carbon dioxide has been in the news frequently and has suffered from a
bad reputation for being a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. This conclusion
has some merit since it is often added to greenhouses to boost plant production. This article is a short
introduction into the how and why of carbon dioxide addition in greenhouses.
An introduction:
13 13
CARBON DIOXIDE I GARDEN CULTUREBY JEROEN
gardenculture.net
Carbon dioxide in plants
is poorly absorbed by chlorophyll and is therefore re-
flected into our eyes, making plants look green to us.
LIGHT- INDEPENDENT REACTIONSThe dark reactions then follow up on the light reac-
tions. This is where carbon dioxide comes into play.
The proteins that were created during the light reac-
tions are now used to fixate carbon. Carbon fixation is
performed by plants using a process called the ‘Calvin
Cycle’. A number of different chemicals, including the
protons, carbon dioxide and ATP go into the reaction
and in the end yield a simple sugar which in turn can be
used by the plant to produce a number of other things
including larger sugars and starches. Contrary to the
light reactions, these light-independent reactions cost
the plant energy.
Like with any chemical reaction, or biochemical reaction
for that matter, a plant has to have all the ingredients
to perform photosynthesis. One of these ingredients is
going to be the limiting factor to the reaction. One can
understand that if enough water and light are available
to plants, CO2 could become a limiting factor. This can
certainly be the case since CO2 is present in the atmo-
sphere at levels around 360ppm (parts per million). This
and greenhouses
CARBON DIOXIDE I GARDEN CULTURE
14 14
is where it starts to get more difficult. Most
plants benefit from CO2 addition because the
enzyme that transports CO2 inside the plant
can get distracted. You see, this enzyme can
also bond with oxygen, transporting less carbon
dioxide into the plant. This makes the process rather
inefficient, as oxygen is available at higher concentrations in
the atmosphere. These plants, called C3 plants, benefit greatly
from added carbon dioxide.
CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCTION In a greenhouse there are a number of ways to produce
carbon dioxide. Piles of composting materials can be used
to produce carbon dioxide in a greenhouse however this
has drawbacks when it comes to pest control. A more
modern way to increase the CO2 concentration is by
burning propane, or some other gas. Gas burners can be
linked to controllers and sensors that monitor and adjust
the burn rate according to the need of the plants. This is
the most common method of CO2 production and, besides
recycling CO2 from another source, the least costly. Using
pressurized cylinders is too expensive and cumbersome.
There are some drawbacks to burning fossil fuels to pro-
duce CO2. With improper combustion there is a possibil-
ity carbon monoxide is formed instead of carbon dioxide.
This is a poisonous and potentially deadly gas, odorless and
definitely something to watch out for.
Carbon dioxide is something every plant needs and is pres-
ent in the atmosphere in small concentrations. In situations
where it’s preferable to grow crops intensively, CO2 is a
welcome addition to boost plant growth. The addition of
CO2 increases the rate of photosynthesis that is possible
in nearly all plants but other factors change too. In order
to get the maximum efficiency out of the added CO2, tem-
perature and humidity have to be pushed to an extreme. In
reaction to this the speed of every process in the garden
increases. This does sound rather easy however a more
extreme climate also increases the chances of pests and
other problems one would want to avoid in the crops. Car-
bon dioxide addition requires a lot of attention to do well,
but it can be a valuable tool in increasing yields. It is the
next step for gardeners who have mastered their indoor
growing environment. 3
WHEN ENOUGH LIGHT AND WATER ARE AVAILABLE,
CO2 BECOMES THE LIMITING FACTOR
15 gardenculture.net
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT I GARDEN CULTURE
The NEW Maxibright Compact Power Pack is available
now in selected indoor gardening stores across the UK.
With a revolutionary new design, the Maxibright Compact
provides ultra efficient lamp control, lower heat output
and silent operation. The internal unit is encapsulated in
resin that bonds to the injection-moulded plastic case. This
allows core heat to dissipate at a greater rate than has ever
been achieved by a magnetic ballast. A timed digital intelli-
gent igniter provides efficient lamp start up and a precision
wound ballast gives thermal and electrical durability. Built
with a wall-mountable case complete with carry handle.
Runs both High Pressure Sodium lamps and Metal Ha-
lide lamps. The Maxibright Compact 600W is a Genuine
600W ballast. For more information on Genuine 600W
visit www.genuine600w.co.uk.
The complete range of Maxibright Compact Fluorescent
Lamps has been expertly designed for every stage of plant
growth. Energy efficient with low heat output, they are safe
to place close to your plants to maximise light to your plants.
The Maxibright CFL range comes in blue 6400K for promot-
ing vegetative growth and red 2700K for flowering and is avail-
able in 125W, 200W, 250W and 300W. Simply interchange
between lamps to suit your plant stage. A new addition to the
range is the Maxibright Dual Spectrum CFL in 250W, the latest
in horticultural technology, providing enhanced red and blue light
wavelengths throughout the plant cycle. For more information
check out your local indoor gardening store.
www.maxibright.com
The NEW Maxibright Compact Pro is a leading magnetic ballast built with high quality components for a 10 year life expectancy. The Maxibright Compact Pro has a unique compact wall-mountable case design. The internal unit is set in resin that bonds to the injection-moulded plastic case for excellent heat dissipation and silent operation. Built with a timed digital intelligent igniter and a preci-sion wound ballast to ensure thermal and electrical durability and energy efficient lamp control. Runs both High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide lamps. The Maxibright Compact Pro 600W is a Genuine 600W ballast. For more information on Genuine 600W visit www.genuine600w.co.uk.
Maxibright Compact Pro Power Pack 600W
Maxibright Compact Power Pack 600W
Maxibright Compact
Fluorescent Lamps
www.compactpowerpack.co.uk
16
THE GOOD,
The Bad & THE UGLY
17 17
light cycle. However, different plants and different stages of
growth require varied humidity. So, be sure to learn what the
best RH levels are for your crop at each stage, as some plants
will prefer a drier climate and others need high humidity.
A seed sprouts and rapidly develops a good foliage
canopy and abundant roots in the cooler, shorter days
of late spring and early summer when high moisture
is present. As temperatures climb and day length
increases, high outdoor humidity can be a bad, even ugly
thing. The purpose of an indoor garden environment
is to give plants optimal conditions through all stages
to harvest. Coaxing them to produce that bumper
crop you want includes controlling relative humidity.
This is why many indoor hydroponic growers have separate
vegetation and flowering to fruiting grow chambers. It is
also why some plants are good indoor companions and
others aren’t.
gardenculture.net
Moderation applies to all life formsAs a grower you must regulate the environment and
climate for your crop. Especially if you don’t want
them to go on strike, get lazy and refuse to perform it
is best to take your role as climate creator seriously.
Understanding what relative humidity (RH) is and how it
affects the plants in your indoor garden is an important
part of a healthy crop and an abundant harvest. The
wrong humidity level can present you with a number
of issues that vary by crop type. At early growth stages
low humidity can cause your crop to go on a binge eating
spree while profusely perspiring. The result is they burn
to a crisp from the loss of water that maintains nutrient
levels in their systems. Obviously, this is bad, at best.
The plants in an attempt to improve dry conditions absorb
more nutrient solution than in proper humidity. At the
same time they rapidly shed water through the cell pores
on the underside of the leaves known as the stomata. What
is the result of this undesirable situation? Even a weaker
solution will lead to nutrient burn.
What’s the right RH Level?It would be great if it were that easy, to have one metric to
aim for here. You have an average humidity level of 50-75%
for best results with dark cycle RH levels being higher than
BY TAMMY
Everything and everyone is affected by humidity, or
the lack of it. Plants are more sensitive to humidity
levels and its variations than humans or animals.
We manage to live through the discomfort. Plants
manage humid conditions too, but the effect
can be undesirable. Improper humidity levels
affect plant functions and can cause irreparable
damage to roots, stem, foliage, flower and fruit.
The worst case scenario is pretty ugly. You could
watch the death dance in horror, not knowing
how to stop the process.
HUMIDITY I GARDEN CULTURE
UNDERSTANDING WHAT RELATIVE HUMIDITY (RH) IS AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE PLANTS IN YOUR INDOOR
GARDEN IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF A HEALTHY CROP
AND AN ABUNDANT HARVEST
Common Hydroponic Crop Relative Humidity (RH) Averages• Chilli Peppers: Ideal 50-70% (RH), with
65% being optimal.
• Bell Peppers: Ideal RH is 75%.
• Tomatoes: Ideal RH is 65-75% at night and
80-90% for light cycle.
• Herbs: Most prefer 40-50% RH
• Cucumbers: Will do well at 70-80% (RH), with
75% being perfect.
• Lettuce: Maintain RH below 70% at all times.
l Sunmaster Lamps are proven everyday
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hydroponics use
l Delivers 10% more light than
standard high pressure sodium
lamps; provides more energy
essential for optimized photosynthesis
l Long life and economical
l Optimised plant receptive-curve
spectrum with ZERO added heat at the
RED areas
l Environmentally friendly
l Rapid starting
l Energy Saving... EU Regulations
future compliance for high output
efficiency requirements. More
than 11% above the EU
efficiency regulations
l Available in 250, 400, 600 and 1000W
l Fully compatible with existing fittings
and ballasts
l Fully compatible with Electronic/
Digital ballasts
l Superior lamp performance
l Energy efficient avoiding excess
heat generation
l Designed to provide optimum
plant growth
"PHOTONIC"Enhanced Spectral Stability at lowered and overdriven power levels
One LampSunmaster Dual Spectrum
Wavelength (nm)
Plants Response Curve
L I G H T I N GVENTURE sunmastereurope.com
SUNMASTER ADVERT AUG 2012_SUNMASTER ADVERT AUG 2012 24/08/2012 17:42 Page 1
19 19
HUMIDITY I GARDEN CULTURE
VARYING RH LEVELS NEEDED FOR DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES GERMINATION & PROPAGATION STAGE: Maintain rooting
cuttings or germinating seedlings humidity at above 80%. A
propagator makes controlling RH more manageable and allows
your new crop to concentrate energy on producing the roots.
Some crops can be successfully propagated in your grow tent
using a humidifier with a humidistat.
YOUNG PLANTS: Between minimal foliage to breathe
out water (transpiration) at night and the hot lights, many
growers experience problems keeping the RH levels
high enough to produce strong growth and plant vigor.
In 0,6 m2 of grow space, using two 600 watt lights, you’ll
generally find 35-50% RH and a temperature of 22-28 C.
As described earlier, low humidity will make the plants work
overtime at creating humidity. You don’t want the RH to drop
below 40%. This brings issues with nutrient overload and other
related problems. Your target RH level at this stage of growth
should be 60-70% for faster root growth, leaf development
and more compact plants.
VEGETATIVE STAGE: These larger immature plants have more
shoots and leaves. They will take up increasing amounts of
nutrient and emit more water vapor as they increase in size.
At this stage you want to ensure the RH levels don’t climb too
high. This danger increases as plants thicken.
FLOWERING & FRUITING STAGE: The ideal RH range here
is 50-60% during daylight cycle and 60-70% during the dark
cycle. Keep on top of RH control, as both fruit and flower are
easily damaged by fungal disease with soaring humidity. High
humidity related fungal problems can ruin many kinds of fruit,
vegetable and flower crops.
Increasing the RHMisters and humidifiers are used to increase RH levels. The
more water vapor being emitted by your plants into the
grow room environment, the less the humidifier or mister
needs to be run. For plants that need tight humidity control a
humidification system with HR-HRSA humidistat is best.
Decreasing the RHVentilation drops your grow room RH level. Depending on
your crop and grow space situation, at times an extraction
fan with a variable speed control is all that is needed. High
RH levels can also be corrected by with a dehumidifier.
Great care is needed to not remove too much moisture,
creating a dry environment. This can cause some plants to
emit water through leaf tips, allowing it to collect on foliage
and promote disease development. Ultra-sensitive plants
may do best with a humidification system that delivers both
humidifying and extraction functions in one with precision.
Measuring Your Humidity LevelsTo stay on top of the RH level at all times, you
need an instrument known as a hygrometer
to give you humidity readings. Be sure
to select one that is water resistant and
designed for the demands of hydroponics.
These will give you accurate temperature
and humidity measures which are
connected.
RH Changes with Temperature VariationIn your grow space, the relative air humidity is influenced
by temperature. High RH disrupts a plant’s ability to
get rid of excess water. Low RH makes the plant emit
too much water and can cause the intake of CO2 to
stagnate, leading to impaired growth. Nutrient up-
take rate increases with dry air, and for about every 5,5
C temperature increase the amount up-take doubles.
Both of these fluctuations greatly affect your crop.
Ideally, you want your grow room to have a lower humidity
during the day cycle than the night cycle. During the
darkness hours in the growing space, many assume that
without the heat of grow lamps, the humidity will drop.
This assumption could get ugly. In darkness, plants breathe
out water, increasing the need for air flow and ventilation.
Ignoring this puts your entire crop at risk for pest and
disease outbreaks, among other health issues. 3
...IT IS BEST TO TAKE YOUR ROLE AS CLIMATE CREATOR SERIOUSLY
gardenculture.net
20
plant growth and often creates higher yields initially, but is the
growth truly a sign of thriving plants? Or is it obesity?
Plant obesity and deficiency are what attract and create pests
and disease, not unlike a human on a bad diet. Make the
connection that the average gardener believes that pests and
disease are bad luck and, due to this lack of perspective, most
make attempts to kill their problems away rather than address
the roots of the issue. It’s a vicious cycle. Most of the time we
are creating our own problems.
What should we expect when
we use artificial fertilizers and
toxic pesticides to grow living
plants?
Even hydroponic fertilizers contain no more than 17 elements,
or only what a plant has to have. Most plants can use upwards
of 30-40 elements directly or indirectly, some more than that,
but microbes use every single one of them to work their magic.
Growing a garden without all of the elements in play is like
hiring someone to build a house and giving them half the tools.
Consider using rock dusts or sea-mineral based products to
increase elemental diversity in the garden. Not only will you
increase yields, but you will build the innate capacity in plants
and microbes to fend for themselves. After all, why would
Mother Nature make an element not needed in the garden?
The same is true for microbes. The greater the mineral and
The quality of food cannot truly be evaluated until it is eaten,
but we cannot taste all the things that are harmful to us and
artificial flavoring has resulted in us forgetting how food is
supposed to taste anyway. We are farther away from the farm
and our food than at any point in human history. Many farmers
don’t eat what they grow. Agriculture has collectively become
a race to the bottom line and the food that is produced is
designed to sit on a shelf, not nourish our bodies.
But people are clamoring
for real food. Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA)
programs and farmer’s markets
are booming, and record
numbers of people are planting gardens for the first time in
their lives. The future of food is to know your own personal
agriculture. And what better way to do this than by growing
your own?
Growing the best garden of your life is done through the
marriage of quality gardening products and techniques, and
a proper perspective towards the natural world. One of the
primary ideas to keep in mind when growing a garden is diversity.
Using cheap budget fertilizers that have 6-7 elements in them
is the equivalent of fast food for plants. Sure, the plethora of
artificial gardening products available on the market stimulates
Think about it, some of the most important things regarding the evaluation of a garden and the food it
produces cannot be observed. The majority of people don’t imagine that the soil is alive and teaming with
beneficial microbes because they can’t see them. Most think microbes are for hand sanitizer or antibiotics.
Think of it this way...
don’t feed your plants,
feed your soil
THE INVISIBLE GARDEN
21
biological diversity in the garden the more strength and
balance you bring to the ecosystem. Think of it in this way…
don’t feed your plants, feed your soil. Microbes have been
helping and protecting plants since the beginning of time and
they are not going to stop anytime soon. In fact, over half of the
carbohydrates a plant makes for itself through photosynthesis
are exuded through roots to attract beneficial microbes.
A great way to enhance the
beneficial microbes in your garden
is by brewing compost tea. This
involves using aeration to grow
microbes from compost in the
presence of biological food sources and mineral catalysts.
Compost tea can and should be used in every garden, including
hydroponics, as it is a great way to make sure you are growing
thriving plants. After all, people don’t make plant food,
microbes do.
Besides the friendly microbes and fungi there are other
invisible forces active in your garden that affect the growth
of all plants. For those feeling truly experimental, consider
planting by celestial rhythms. It is well known that lunar
cycles affect plant growth. There are many “plant by
the moon” calendars online. There is even a method of
gardening called Biodynamics that includes a broader range
of celestial phenomenon and recommended planting days,
flower days, root days, etc. It’s fascinating. Biodynamics is
used extensively in other countries like Australia that have
poor soil, and is also used widely in viticulture. Not many
farmers pay closer attention to their crops than those
growing grapes for wine. The idea of working with natural
energies in the garden is a foreign concept to most, but life
21
is defined by energy on every level of its existence. The
articulation and use of subtle energies is the new frontier
of farming and gardening. The philosophy that utilizes the
subtle forces of nature in the garden is called Bioenergetics
and seeks physical, mineral, biological and energetic
balance. This is the sweet spot that allows plants to truly
thrive and become vitamins for life.
Beyond all the products and techniques, the most powerful
tool we have in the garden is our perspective. What we
think, we grow. Sure, we don’t have to grow this way, but the
question is…what are we missing?
You will find your own way into verifying and testing these
ideas, but hopefully some seeds of experimentation have been
planted. Now get growing! 3
A PERFECT BALANCE I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
PLANT OBESITY AND DEFICIENCY ARE WHAT ATTRACT
PESTS AND DISEASE, NOT UNLIKE A HUMAN ON A BAD DIET
BY EVAN HOLDS
It’s no illusion... You’ve got it in 1!
In just one glance it magically measures all3 critical parameters for successful growth; pH, conductivity AND temperature. Our innovative monitor is a new method to help guard the successful growth of your crops with immediate and accurate results. If you are looking for a quality product that will give you the assurance your plants have all the nutrients they need 24/7, then try a Bluelab Guardian. You will be amazed! Available worldwide www.getbluelab.com for details. Beware of imitations!
24
BORN TO WORK“ “MODERN SLAVERYand the illusion
of consent
25 25
MODERN SLAVERY I GARDEN CULTURE
BORN TO WORK
If you’ve got kids, you’ll probably hear these words on a daily
basis. It’s not that “fairness” is a childish concept; it’s more
that the idea establishes itself so early that it runs to the
very foundations of our collective consciousness and
remains there for the rest of our lives. Indeed,
as we grow older many of us hold on to the
belief that we possess an intrinsic ability to
recognize when a situation is equitable.
BY EVEREST FERNANDEZ
In reality though, this world of fairness and equity is dependent
on one thing; our brains and our willingness to exercise them.
For instance, if I declare myself the “leader” of a remote
Polynesian island and convince its inhabitants that I am their
deity incarnate whom they must please with daily offerings of
their youngest, fairest maidens, while the men labor all day in
the fields and copper mines so that I, the Great Lord Everest,
may be glorified and gracious in sparing them my wrath. The
islanders, if taken in by this almighty bounder, may conclude
that their situation is quite fair and just. It’s a square deal: they
offer up their bodies for sexual and agricultural services in
exchange for my “wrath” being spared. On the other hand,
as an outside observer, you might conclude that they’re being
exploited for their ignorance.
If that example seems a little weak then picture another
scenario, a little closer to home perhaps. Let’s say you and
I are neighbors, living out in the lesser-trodden parts of the
Humboldt countryside in Northern California. Add to this
blissful scene a single cow grazing on my ample pastureland.
And you, perhaps not enjoying so grand an estate, are content
to take care of a small brood of chickens. Now, I’m not
suggesting that this situation is unfair. I may have chosen to
work longer and harder for my larger slice of this fine Earth.
But, in the spirit of community, we choose to share stuff. I
like eggs and you like milk, so we agree to make a swap
each morning: a pint of my (or Daisy’s) milk for two of your
(chickens’) eggs. What could be simpler than this direct barter?
Notwithstanding our animals’ rights or wrongs, so long as we
humans establish mutual consent, we can share and enjoy our
collective resources and life seems a whole lot more sunny-
side-up for the both of us.
However, here’s where the plot begins to curdle. What if I
awoke one morning intent on pursuing a more favorable
deal for myself—say, just half a pint of milk in exchange for
your two eggs? What then? A civil discussion over the garden
fence, perhaps, with the hope of modifying our consensual
agreement? Of course, you might inform me that I can “keep
my milk” or other choice words to that effect. So what if I
choose to avoid confrontation by secretly diluting your “pint of
milk” with rainwater? Just a few drops at first so as not to raise
your suspicions, yet slowly but surely, over the course of a
year or so, I dilute the milk to the point where it’s actually fifty
percent water! I’m patting myself on the back for executing
this change so gradually, while all along you are none the wiser!
I laugh with contempt at your hapless children, for watery
milk is all they’ve ever known! Moooooohahahahaha! Another
generation of suckers is born!
Perhaps I’m guilty of overly-indulging this example. Maybe I’m
assuming a little too much naiveté on your part? Surely you’d detect
that something was up with the milk, wouldn’t you? Nevertheless,
emboldened by your seemingly boundless gullibility, I decide to
take my scam to a whole new level. Instead of giving you watered-
down milk, one day I turn up at the garden fence with something
entirely new. It’s a piece of paper. I call it a “milk certificate.”
“You can redeem this for ‘real milk’ anytime! (Wink, wink)” I
assure you, “What’s more, you can use these milk certificates as
payment in trades with other vendors. It’s so convenient for you!
And, best of all, you don’t have to keep them in the refrigerator!”
Okay, by now you’ve guessed it; we’re talking about money,
not milk. But this milky analogy needs a few modifications
before it even comes close to accurately reflecting our
gardenculture.net
26
services. (The Spanish discovered
this when they returned from the
Americas with boats laden with
gold. They thought they were
going to be incredibly wealthy, but
the amount of goods and services
available back home had not really
changed. Result? Prices simply
went up!) The real privilege of the
super-rich is their priority lane access to this newly created
money. In essence, it’s not so much the quantity of money
they have, but the fact that they get to spend it into circulation
first, before the rest of us cotton on to the fact that it’s been
watered down. By the time these dilute dollars finally meander
to you and me, it’s little more than cloudy water, or symbolic
cloudy water, or … confused? Good. Now get back to work.
Perhaps we need to ask ourselves this very simple question:
what is money? Don’t shy away from it—no need to
overcomplicate it either. You don’t want to spend your
life chasing an enigma now do you? Don’t leave this to the
“experts”—the people whose career depends on maintaining
their intellectual propriety with confusion and obfuscation.
You shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that money is
intrinsically a bad or evil thing either. At the very least concede
that it’s very useful stuff, helping us to transcend the limitations
of direct barter. Problems really occur when we seek money
as if it were the true wealth in and of itself, rather than merely
a symbolic means of exchange.
So what are we to do? Should we join some protest movement
waving “End the Fed” banners? Should we petition our
governments for greater freedoms, or is that, as the monetary
prophet E.C. Reigel wrote over fifty years ago, just an absurd
act of deference, “wholly lacking the spirit of a freeman.” In
short, are we going to take responsibility for the mess we’re
in, or are we going to let “the economists” sort it all out for us?
All facetiousness aside for a moment, one by one, we are
indeed waking up to the fact that something is very wrong.
Looking at the world with the eyes of our ancients we realize a
fundamental truth—our monetary system has been corrupted
to one where national sovereignty is a joke on a naive
populous. We are collectively enslaved to ‘unelected’ central
banks through usurious and fraudulent money systems, an
eternally un-payable “debt,” created out of nothing but our
promise to repay. It is a deeply absurd and untenable situation
present predicament of economic
slavery. You see, up until 1971, a
dollar was redeemable for gold.
Gold was chosen because it was
viewed as universally valuable.
People, knowingly or unknowingly,
accepted dollar bills in exchange
for real goods or services backed
by a belief that these little pieces of
paper would be later accepted by others—and an assurance
that they were also convertible into physical gold at any
time—well, during banking hours at least.
However, since the dollar was decoupled from the gold
standard, it has lost around 90% of its purchasing power.
Thinking back to our milk for eggs exchange, you might be
tempted to picture a bottle of slightly cloudy water being
handed to you over the garden fence, or a fistful of worthless
“milk certificates.” But think again. For, if I am assuming the
role of the banker in this scenario, I’m actually asking you to
borrow some pieces of paper (with no mention of milk, eggs,
sex, honey or anything else that’s tangible) and pay interest for
the privilege! All these pieces of paper represent is your debt
to me—a debt that I have created out of nothing, meanwhile
you pledge to forfeit your house if you don’t keep up the
repayments! Perhaps the Polynesian islander’s example wasn’t
so far out of whack?
With the woe-is-us-machine we know and love as the Internet
now running on all twelve-cylinders, it’s easy to blame Wall
Street greed, the Illuminati, the neoconservatives, the royal
family—anybody, in fact, but ourselves for the mess we’re
in. But the inescapable fact is the only thing that holds up
our monetary system is our persistent belief in it and our
unwillingness to embrace viable alternatives. Our problem is
one of philosophy, not politics. How have so many of us been
hoodwinked into accepting such an absurd tautology: a dollar
is worth another dollar—what sort of insidious, circular,
recursive symbolism is this? But then, take these dollars away
and how are you going to pay for your groceries?
You really don’t need a PhD in economics (or any other
pseudo-science for that matter) to understand that as more
make-believe money is pumped into the financial system,
the purchasing power of each dollar is diluted, just like the
nourishment of our watery milk. This is inevitable so long as an
inflated money supply chases the same amount of goods and
WE ARE INDEED WAKING UP TO THE FACT THAT SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG WITH OUR MONEY SYSTEM
27 27 27
MODERN SLAVERY I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
WE ARE COLLECTIVELY ENSLAVED TO
‘UNELECTED’ CENTRAL BANKS THROUGH USURIOUS AND
FRAUDULENT MONEY SYSTEMS
for any person to endure. Yet
the mainstream media persist in
echoing the bankers’ threats of the
sky falling down and untold misery if
we don’t put up with the status quo.
Heaven forbid if enough people
discover the truth—that we don’t
actually need banks at all in order to
issue currency and trade with each
other, on a personal, corporate or
even national level.
The Internet has helped us share
our ideas, but its real power is in the
creation of a common monetary
language. Forget about “internet-
banking”—that’s just a sideshow.
Imagine a new form of money,
issued by the producers of this world. By producers I mean
the corporations that generate our electricity, or make our
computers, or grow the tomatoes. Imagine money backed, not
by debt, or by gold (or tungsten) but by … wait for it … real
stuff. Cars, beef burgers, Thai massages, goods and services
that we use every day. Sounds unbelievable? Well, so did the
concept of a spherical earth to most people a few thousand
years ago. It’s time to unplug from the Matrix.
At the center of it all is a global scale of value. What’s that?
Well, think of an inch. Or, if you prefer, think of a centimeter,
a foot, a mile, or a furlong. Where would we be without these
universal units of length? Now imagine if we created the same
thing, but for value. Of course, we’ve been conditioned into
mistaking our monetary units as our value units. When we
talk about the value of things we invariably think in terms
of dollars, or pounds, or yen, don’t we? This beautiful, shiny
phone costs $799. This car costs $25,000. This house is
valued at $500,000. We need to stop thinking like this.
This ignorance is at the kernel of our enslavement to the
bankers. We are guzzling watery milk without so much of
a whimper of complaint. Now it’s time for a good burping.
Unlike an inch or a centimeter, the dimensions of a dollar
keep changing. We call this “inflation.” But how then can we
measure “value” using these shape-shifting units of exchange?
It’s almost as if we are confusing the item being measured with
the ruler it’s being measured on. Are you beginning to see the
magician’s sleight of hand? Money has no real value.
Crucially, take note that a global
scale of value is not the same thing
as a global currency. Moreover,
a global scale of value would
give birth to thousands, maybe
millions of different currencies,
not just one—but they would all
be measured on the same scale,
and all of them backed by goods
and services in common demand.
The ratio of credit to demand
(i.e. offers to buy vs. offers to sell
a company’s credit token) can be
instantly evaluated, thanks to the
Internet, meaning the actual value
of the credits in circulation can
adjust in real time. The idea of
money as fluid and self-correcting,
does not reward greed and is based on real goods and services.
It may be a little tricky to grasp at first but really we’re only
describing a world where the monopoly over the issuance of
credit, currently enjoyed by banks, has been removed. If this
sounds crazy then remember, so did the idea that the world
was a sphere and that there were potentially people living
“upside-down.”
Ultimately, the real treasure of this planet is you and I. It’s time
for the credit commons to be restored to the people instead
of being monopolized by bankers who create nothing. Until
enough of us wake up to their false pretentions towards deity,
docile and malleable human beings will remain the ultimate
resource to be controlled, manipulated and exploited. 3
Footnote: Everest Fernandez did not accept any legal tender in return for
writing this article, but that doesn’t necessarily imply he wasn’t paid.
Want to know more? Check out these amazing videos:
The Essence of Money (7 minutes)
http://youtu.be/qBX-jaxMneo
Digital Coin – An Introduction (15 minutes)
http://youtu.be/dkXclJr1Z4U
28
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. It’s a technology based
on semiconductors as you find in transistors and chips. One
of the characteristics of a LED is that it emits light at a very
narrow bandwidth, resulting in a single pure color that only
covers a small portion of the light spectrum. Though the
intensity of current high power LED systems is very high,
you will always need an array of LEDs as grow light solutions.
Light Emitting Plasma (LEP) is a new type of plasma lighting.
Sulphur Plasma lighting has already been commercially
available for a long time, but these units are bulky, noisy,
have moving parts in them and are always high output
(>700W). It is very difficult to spread the high amounts of
light from such a small source over a large area. You need
to keep a lot of distance between the lamp and the crop
to make Sulphur Plasma work. In many climate rooms you
don’t have that distance.
LEP is a technology that enables the production of compact,
small plasma lights without any moving parts. It makes the
technology suitable for climate rooms. The principle is very
simple: Using concentrated radio frequency radiation a gas
and metal halide mixture is heated in a vial until it forms
into plasma which emits a very intense full spectrum light.
Other than the technology used to generate the light, the
biggest difference between LED and LEP is the spectral
quality: LEP technology enables a very high quality, full
continuous spectrum and includes UV radiation. Though
there are white (full spectrum) LEDs available most are
based on a phosphorous light emitting layer (like a CFL)
and do not generate a full continuous spectrum. To achieve
that it is necessary to mix several colors of LED into an
array, and include UV LEDs, which are very expensive.
So LEP seems to have really good cards for climate room
lighting and it is an emerging new technology. To understand
the impact of quality lighting in a commercial climate room
we need to understand first how important it is to give
the crop high quality lighting, and specifically: what is high
quality lighting?
LIGHT QUALITY.Many studies have shown that full continuous spectrum
with sunlight quality is the best spectrum for healthy plant
development. This is a full continuous spectrum which
includes UVA and UVB, far-red and infrared. It also includes
a lot of green light and here is something we need to clarify.
There are many new exciting developments in climate room lighting. As scientists start to understand
more about the influence of light quality in respect to quality and yield of the crop, two technologies
are emerging: LED and Light Emitting Plasma (LEP).
The differences between LED and LEP
LEP plasma emitter
Sulphur plasma lamp
29 29
LIGHTING I GARDEN CULTURE BY GAVITA
L ight
gardenculture.net
The differences between LED and LEP
emitting
plasma
LIGHT EMITTING PLASMA (LEP) IS A NEW TYPE
OF PLASMA LIGHTING. SULPHUR PLASMA
LIGHTING HAS ALREADY BEEN COMMERCIALLY
AVAILABLE FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THESE UNITS
ARE BULKY, NOISY, HAVE MOVING PARTS IN THEM AND ARE ALWAYS HIGH
OUTPUT (>700W)
in climate rooms
Image: solar light spectrum
If you study the solar spectrum you will see that green light
accounts for the highest amount in the spectrum. It would
be a waste of Mother Nature not to use that. Our eyes for
example are most sensitive to that green color because we
have evolved such sensitivity to see in the daytime. Most
plant response curves however such as the famous Keith
McCree curve (fig 2) show a lower relative photosynthetic
efficiency for blue and yellow/green light. This is correct for
low PAR levels. Recent studies however have shown that
the green light, which is most abundant in sunlight, is very
efficient when used in high intensity lighting. In fact, at high
irradiation levels the green light is equally or more efficient
than other colors.
Efficiency of light in the
PAR spectrum (in low light
environments)– McCree ’73
– P curve is plant sensitivity
curve, V curve is human eye
sensitivity
There are many important processes which are influenced
by the quality of the spectrum. Two very important
factors are photosynthetic rate of the leaves and the
morphogenesis of the plant (the structure of the plant).
Photosynthetic rate describes the level of photosynthesis
in a leaf. In sunlight conditions you will see the formation
of sun leaves which have a very high photosynthetic rate.
This enables the plant to develop really fast and use
the light very efficiently. Also the position of the leaves
is optimized to intercept the light, which is steered by
colors in the spectrum. These two aspects are mostly
responsible for the fast vegetative development of
plants under simulated sunlight or full spectrum plasma
light. To build and maintain the photosynthetic system
of a plant you need blue light in every grow phase.
The UVA and UVB in the LEP light harden the plant and
thicken the leaf surface which is better protected against
(fungal) infections. UVB also increases the flavonoids and
volatile oils in the plant which results in a much better plant
aroma for example.
Overall high intensity LEP is the best solution for a climate
room to simulate sunlight conditions, specifically in the
vegetative stage when the plants are small and still need to
develop. But is it efficient?
LIGHT EFFICIENCY.High pressure sodium lamps are known as the most
efficient lamps to produce photons for grow light.
However, the quality of that light is not so good. Analysis of
the HPS spectrum shows a start of the effective spectrum
at about 560 nm (yellow to red). Below that wavelength
there are a few small spikes, but not a balanced continuous
availability and not enough in the blue spectrum.
Typical High Pressure Sodium spectral distribution diagram
Research in greenhouses shows that you need at least 7%
blue light (in a greenhouse from sunlight) for a healthy crop,
as the blue light also maintains the photosynthetic system.
It is important to know that in high intensity lighting there
is not a lot of difference in efficiency between blue and
red light. In climate rooms it is common to use Metal
Halide (MH) lamps to add additional blue spectrum. MH
lights however do not have a long lifetime, are generally
not very color stable, have a spiky spectrum, are not as
efficient as HPS and generate a lot of heat. Ceramic
Metal Halides (CMH) are already better in stability and
efficiency but still do not have the spectral quality of
30
Climate room with LEP
31 gardenculture.net
LIGHTING I GARDEN CULTURE
the plasma lamp nor the UV radiation. So how efficient
is Plasma light compared to HPS? Is it an alternative?
The plasma process of generating light is by itself very
efficient: The conversion from energy into actual light is
very efficient and generates a very low percentage of heat
radiation in the light; the light itself is very “cool”. In the
process of getting the energy to the small plasma cell you
still lose a lot of energy, which is dissipated into convection
heat from the fixture’s driver, power supply and emitter.
That heat will never reach the plant though as it rises
up and is extracted. For temperature controlled climate
rooms there are air
cooled LEP fixtures
available as well.
Air cooled plasma light
LEP is more efficient than high temperature MH lamps
and much more stable. The lifetime is as much as 30,000-
50,000 hours compared to the 2,000 to 4,000 of a MH. It
has a better light quality and is more efficient than MH, but
is it more efficient than HPS? No, it is not. Actually HPS
is 1,5-2 times more efficient in generating photons than
plasma light. But the HPS light quality is really bad. That
sounds like a catch 22. Either you have good light and bad
efficiency or good efficiency and bad light!
FOR A SOLUTION WE GO BACK TO THE GREENHOUSESIf you understand that you need a minimal amount of
additional quality spectrum to guarantee a healthy crop
(just like in the greenhouses) you would like to bring in
some additional spectrum, at least to complement the blue
light up to 7%. Also you want to introduce all the colors that
HPS is lacking, basically all under 560 nm. A 300W LEP can
provide just that in combination with up to 1,200 W HPS
light. This does not re-create the full solar spectrum and still
has more red light in it, but it is sufficient for a healthy crop.
It all makes sense. In greenhouses you need a percentage
of quality sunlight to guarantee a healthy crop when using
HPS lighting, in climate rooms you create that sunlight
by adding LEP to an appropriate level. LEP extras are the
UVA and UVB in the spectrum you normally don’t get in a
greenhouse because of the glass roof which shields UV in
most cases.
WHICH LEP FOR WHICH PURPOSE?Recently Gavita Holland, a horticultural lighting innovator,
introduced a LEP fixture which produces less red spectrum
and more green and yellow for use in combination with
HPS. The philosophy behind that is very simple: HPS is
the most efficient technology to produce red light, so why
would you want your LEP to produce this red spectrum
when used in combination with HPS? This type 01 emitter
is more efficient to use in combination with HPS and still
provides enough quality spectrum for a vegetative cycle.
The spectrum of the 01 emitter primarily picks of where the
HPS stops. Another advantage of the 01 emitter is that is has
a 50,000 hours
lifetime over
30,000 hours for
the 02 emitter.
Gavita Pro 300 LEP 01 fixture
The spectral difference between the 41.01 and 41.02 LEP
emitter.
The original LEP with 02 emitter is also still available
from Gavita and other LEP fixture manufacturers, and
produces the best spectrum for a pure vegetative cycle
or for artificial sunlight, for example for a dedicated
vegetative climate room. It is still a good choice to use it
with HPS, though the 01 green emitter has the advantage
there. There is something to choose now when it comes
to plasma lighting.
LEP IS MORE EFFICIENT THAN HIGH TEMPERATURE MH LAMPS AND MUCH MORE STABLE. THE LIFETIME IS AS MUCH AS 30,000-50,000 HOURS COMPARED TO
THE 2,000 TO 4,000 OF A MH. IT HAS A BETTER LIGHT QUALITY AND IS MORE EFFICIENT THAN MH, BUT IS IT MORE EFFICIENT THAN HPS? NO, IT IS NOT
32
“Can we feed the more than 9 billion people anticipated to live on this planet in 2050
without destroying Earth’s life support systems?” This captivating conundrum was the
title of a cover article for Nature Magazine’s edition titled “Solutions for a Cultivated
Planet.” The article details the findings of an international group of scientists and
researchers who gathered at the University of Minnesota tasked with nothing less
than figuring out how to sustainably secure the world’s future food supply.
33
AQUAPONICS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
How does it work? Aquaponics is, at its most
basic level, the marriage of
aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics
(growing plants in water and without soil) together in one integrated
system. The fish waste provides organic food for the growing plants
and the plants naturally filter the water in which the fish live. The
third and fourth critical, yet invisible actors in the play are the
beneficial bacteria and composting red worms. Think of them as
the Conversion Team. The beneficial bacteria exist on every moist
surface of an aquaponic system. They convert the ammonia from the
fish waste that is toxic to the fish and useless to the plants, first into
nitrites and then into nitrates. The nitrates are relatively harmless
to the fish and most importantly, they make terrific plant food. At
the same time, the worms convert the solid waste and decaying
plant matter in your aquaponic system into vermicompost.
BY SYLVIA BERNSTEIN
The sustainable solution for the world’s future food supply
34
AQUAPONICS I GARDEN CULTURE
35 gardenculture.net
“Farm and ranch lands cover nearly 40
percent of Earth’s land area”
While aquaponic techniques can’t address this shocking
statistic per se, they can certainly mitigate the impact. Be-
cause aquaponics is a soil-less growing technique, plants and
fish can be grown anywhere, including on land that is consid-
ered unfertile (too sandy, too rocky, too toxic) and even in
old warehouse buildings and unused parking lots.
“Agriculture consumes nearly three quar-
ters of the earth’s available water”
Because aquaponics is a recirculating system, the only
water “lost” is either held in the plants, transpires through
their leaves, or evaporates from the top of the fish tank.
Aquaponics is generally thought to use less than a tenth of
the water of traditional agriculture for the same crop output.
“Agricultural activities such as clearing land,
growing rice, raising cattle and overusing fer-
tilizers make up 35 % of the single largest con-
tributor of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere”
None of these practices have any place in aquaponic growing.
1
2
3
4
5
“About 40% of all crops the planet produc-
es are used to feed animals.”
Fish are the single most efficient converter of feed
to flesh of any edible animal. One and a half pounds
of feed will bring to harvest one pound of edible, om-
nivorous fish fillets. It takes eight pounds of feed to
produce the same single pound of beef fillets.
While not mentioned in the article, we should
also add “consuming petroleum” to this list.
Between oil-based fertilizers, oil-fueled farming
machinery, and long distances between farm and table,
modern food is “dripping” with oil. Aquaponic systems
on the other hand, have no oil-based inputs and are run
entirely on a small amount of electricity. This electric-
ity can be created through currently available renew-
able energy methods.
Nothing in the Nature Magazine report was
surprising for anyone engaged in the worldwide
‘future of food’ dialog. However, what was
striking was that aquaponics (growing fish
and plants together in a recirculating, soil-
less system) was not included among the set
of proposed solutions. Aquaponics is a food-
growing approach that addresses the harmful
practices cited in the study and simultaneously
realizes the potential for increased food
production envisioned by the researchers.
Widespread adaptation of aquaponics
could both alleviate all of the environmental
destruction cited by the researchers and provide the vehicle for increased sustainability and productivity.
First, the environmental problems with current agricultural practices were outlined in the report as follows.
1
Aquaponics is not the answer to all of our future
food supply and environmental issues. Grains and
root crops, for example, will probably always be most
efficiently grown in the soil. But for above ground,
vegetative crops and fish protein, there simply isn’t a
better growing technique on, and for, the planet. 3
2
3
4
5
36
The researchers then recommended five changes to
current practices that they believe will not only help
to solve the issues stated above, but will also extend
our ability to feed the burgeoning world’s population.
All but one can be implemented through aquaponic
growing techniques.
“Halt farmland expansion.”
As explained above, because aquaponics is a soil-
less growing system that can be set up anywhere, it is
perfectly suited to address this goal.
“Close yield gaps. Many parts of Africa,
Latin America and Eastern Europe have
substantial “yield gaps”- where farmland is
not living up to its potential for producing crops.
Closing these gaps through improved use of
existing crop varieties, better management and
improved genetics could increase current food
production nearly 60 percent.”
Because of the consistent and ideal mix of water, oxygen
and fertilizer that an aquaponics system provides, plants
grow significantly faster in an aquaponics system than
they do in soil. In addition, plants can be placed closer
together in aquaponics systems because they are not
competing for those resources in their root zone. This
is an answer to the search for “better management”
techniques that the researchers are seeking.
“Use inputs more strategically. Current
use of water, nutrients and agriculture
chemicals suffer from what the research
team calls “Goldilocks’ Problem”: too much
in some places, too little in others, rarely just
right. Strategic reallocation could substantially
boost the benefit we get from precious inputs.”
Since aquaponic systems use comparatively so little
water, inherently produce their own nutrients, and use
no agricultural chemicals, the problem of redistribution
becomes a non-issue.
“Shift diets. Growing animal feed or biofuels
on top croplands, no matter how efficiently,
is a drain on human food supply. Dedicating
croplands to direct human food production
could boost calories produced per person by
nearly 50 percent.”
Fish protein is not only heart-healthy but, as
mentioned above; it is the most efficient converter
of plant protein to animal protein known to man.
“Reduce waste. One-third of the food farms
produce ends up discarded, spoiled or eaten
by pests. Eliminating waste in the path from
farm to mouth could boost food available for
consumption another 50 percent.”
Because aquaponics systems are raised off the ground
they tend to have fewer pest issues than traditional
agriculture. And because aquaponic farms can be set
up anywhere, producing food directly within densely
populated communities can be implemented right now,
with no new technologies needed. The path from farm
to table can be made as short as down the block or
even from back yard to table. Thus, aquaponics is an
attractive way to localize food production and to cut
out the waste inherent in the long paths we have from
farm to market to home – paths that could be reduced
to near zero with widespread aquaponics.
AQUAPONICS I GARDEN CULTURE
37 gardenculture.net
Sylvia Bernstein
President, The Aquaponic Source, Inc.
email - [email protected]
website - http://theaquaponicsource.com/
book - http://aquaponicgardening.com/
Bio
Sylvia Bernstein is the author of “Aquaponic
Gardening: A Step by Step Guide
to Growing Fish and Vegetables
Together” and the President and Founder of
The Aquaponic Source, the leading U.S.
based company focused entirely on the home
aquaponic gardener. She runs the Aquaponic
Gardening Community, the largest online
community site dedicated to aquaponic gardening
in North America, and is the Vice Chairman of the
Aquaponics Association. She also writes
the Aquaponic Gardening Blog and teaches
and speaks extensively about aquaponics and its
exciting potential.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
THE AQUAPONICS FARM HAS IT ALL...
38
Grow Your Own Series:
Scrumptious salsas, south of the border dishes,
along with a variety of Asian and Indian delicacies
just aren’t the same without the unique zip of
different parts of the cilantro plant. Admittedly,
there isn’t any middle ground with this herb when it
comes to taste buds. You either love it or hate it. If you en-
joy the taste, you can’t beat the just-picked vivaciousness it
adds to cuisine. While it is available dried, cilantro is at
its divine best freshly snipped from the plant. Within
hours of being cut, fresh cilantro loses a great deal of
flavor, so if you’re purchasing it by the bunch in the produce
aisle, you’re already missing out on a lot. It’s simple
to keep a never ending supply on hand at home.
39
CROP BIOGRAPHYFor many people, cilantro is excitingly new and trendy. Actu-
ally this wildly popular ingredient is as old as the hills and used
in many foods and confections we’ve been enjoying forever.
Properly identified as Coriandrumsativum, this name comes from
the Greek word ‘koris’ and means ‘stinky bug’. Coriander is its
common name in English and many other languages, but today
generally refers to the seed. The leaves are known as ‘cilantro’
in Spanish, which is how the plant got to Mexico and why the
leaves are so commonly used in Mexican food and the cuisine of
other South American countries.
This is one of the few plants that all parts are edible, as well as
being classed as both an herb and a spice. Dried coriander seeds
are a spice derived from the sweetly fragrant, lacy flower heads
that are used ground or whole in cooking, baking and preserv-
ing. The pungent leaves and stems are classed as an herb, and
together with the roots are used in cuisines from around the
world. Which plant part is favored most often, depends on what
culture created the recipe.
For those who aren’t aware of it, there is a defining difference
between an herb and a spice, though we use these words inter-
changeably today. Spices are fragrant or aromatic parts plants
that are also edible. Herbs also have healing properties used for
medicine, beneficial properties used in cosmetics and food pres-
ervation, along with adding great flavor to food or drink.
BENEFICIAL ELEMENTSThe earliest record of health benefits from the coriander or ci-
lantro plant is in ancient Egypt where it was brewed into tea as
a cure for urinary tract infections, as well as made into salves
and poultices.You know there is something truly special about
a plant when its seeds are buried with King Tut to use in his
afterlife. Cilantro tea is still used in holistic medicine today and
in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat disorders
of the stomach. The Greeks also used the essential oils from the
foliage and stems for making perfumes.
It is known to be high in antioxidants and has antibacterial, anti-
fungal and anti-inflammatory properties and has shown excel-
lent results in treating diabetes where it lowers the blood sugar.
Cilantro is also used in the U.S. today for fighting cholesterol,
and research shows it is twice as effective at killing Salmonella
as gentamicin.
SEED VARIETIES & CROP PLANNINGFor those who try to time outdoor garden harvest of tomatoes,
jalapenos and cilantro for the most heavenly of salsas, the heat
required to finish of the peppers and tomatoes makes the plants
quickly bolt and turn into coriander. As soon as the plant begins
39
to form flowering stems, the sought after flavor of cilantro is
ruined as the leaves become bitter tasting. This makes indoor
growing of cilantro even more valuable year around.
Coriander, like all other cultivars, has been paid great attention
to by hybridizers. You will find seed varieties available that are
sold as having improved flavor and slower seed setting. Still this
annual performs best for prolonged cilantro harvest at cooler
temperatures, so be sure to make note of this inherent trait.
Pinching back flower stems buys you a little more foliage harvest
time, but not much. For continual harvest, it is better to start
new seeds about every 4-5 weeks to ensure that you have a
continual supply of fresh cilantro for whipping up your favorite
dishes.
All varieties of cilantro or coriander mature to about 60 cm tall
at flowering, so be sure to have ample height for lighting adjust-
ment as they grow.
SOWING & GROWING INFOCilantro is a great candidate for indoor gardening with its hardy
constitution, minimal light requirements and preference for
lower ambient temperatures. With good grow lighting, you can
enjoy great success in potting soil, but it is also a simple crop for
hydroponic containers, and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) or
drip irrigation systems. In a greenhouse it is difficult to maintain
the climate for this crop and it is prone to fungal infections. Days
that are too short cause the plants to quickly thin, wither and
die off, so don’t cheat your plants out of any of the required
sunshine hours.
This member of the carrot family does not transplant well, so
CILANTRO I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
HIPPOCRATES PRAISED THE HERB FOR ITS HEALING BENEFITS AND WAS USING TEA BREWED FROM
THE LEAVES TO TREAT HEALTH DISORDERS IN 500 B.C.
GYO Fast Facts• pH range 6.5-7.5 for best results
• Cilantro likes low humidity
• 20-23 C best for leaf harvest
• 11-hour daylight minimum
• Crop yield: 1 Kg. x 3 m.)
of NFT trough
• Harvest per sowing: 2-3
• Harvest 12 months a year is possible
BY TAMMY
Don’t grow short of your potentialIt’s a fact; no matter how good your lights, nutrients and
growing medium; if your grow room is missing a hydroponic system your plants won’t achieve their optimum yield.
To find out how hydroponic systems massively increase your yields Visit www.Nutriculture.com
TM
Nutriculture Hydroponic Systems
Record breaking yields since 1976
TASTE BUD TEASERSRub it on meat, sprinkle it in salads or have
a constant supply for any number of ethnic
dishes. Cilantro is used in so many popu-
lar dishes today; it will be hard to imagine
how you lived without it constantly avail-
able for picking fresh. Here’s an awesome
sounding recipe to try.3
41 41
CILANTRO I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
you will want to start and finish it in the same medium. The
best mediums for hydroponic growing of cilantro are high qual-
ity free-draining soilless mixes or sterile media. Seeds start best
at 20 C - 24 C), and will germinate in 5-7 days. Cilantro is best
started misting the medium twice a day and keeping the con-
tainer in a covered germinating tray or sealed plastic bag. Main-
tain full sun lighting for 12-14 hours each day. Plants are ready
for your drip irrigation or NFT hydroponic system when the
seedlings are 2-3 inches tall. The plant’s preferred daytime tem-
perature is 24 C and 15.5 C at night with no more than 75%
humidity and a minimum of 11 hours of sunlight a day. Higher
grow room temperaturebrings bolting rapidly. You want only
the immature parsley-like leaves for cooking. Once the feathery
leaves that precede bolting appear, you might as well allow it to
produce seed. The feathery leaves are bitter and of no value.
You can expect good harvesting in 4-6 weeks. If you can’t wait
that long to whip up some salsa, you can begin cutting as early as
you have about 6 inches of leaf and stem available. The plants will
continue to generate new stems, as their goal in life is to flower
and set seed. Just don’t expect them to grow thick and full in
the face of your impatience for culinary ingredients. At the same
time, trimming helps to stall bolting. If you’re after both seed and
leaf, plan your crop and harvest accordingly.
Controlling the heat that causes cilantro to quickly bolt and start
the seed setting process is much easier to accomplish with light-
ing versus summer temperatures outdoors. This plant does very
well under standard fluorescent or high output fluorescent lights
and High Intensity Discharge (HID) grow lights. With the thin
leaf structure and hot HID lights, you will need a fan with the
power to circulate air rapidly enough to prevent over-heating of
your crop. The last thing you want after successfully producing
great plants is to burn the uppermost foliage.
Nutrients for cilantro will be ‘grow’ solutions that are high in ni-
trogen for increasing leaves and roots as opposed to flower and
fruit. If your interest in growing fresh cilantro is more business
orientated, plan on the full 6 weeks for your first crop harvest.
You’ll find a good market for this fast growing herb in super fresh
condition almost anywhere, especially when organically grown
which will bring the highest wholesale crop income.
Spicy, piquant sauce perfect for topping off botanas or
grilled vegetables. For fresher fire, omit the cayenne
and add a jalapeno pepper. A little dab will do you,
this flavor explosion sauce will go a long way.
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts or walnuts
• 1 ½ teaspoon lime juice
• 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves (short stems)
• 1 cup lightly packed parsley sprigs (small stem)
• Few pinches of cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
Put all ingredients but the salt and
cayenne in your blender or food
processor and mix to combine.
If you’re using fresh chilli, you
will want to add it with the first
ingredients.
Add the salt and puree until smooth.
Transfer to a small serving dish for the table.
Bon appetite!
Cilantro Pesto
DAYS THAT ARE TOO SHORT CAUSE THE PLANTS TO QUICKLY THIN, WITHER AND DIE OFF, SO DON’T CHEAT YOUR PLANTS OUT OF ANY OF THE REQUIRED SUNSHINE HOURS
Don’t grow short of your potentialIt’s a fact; no matter how good your lights, nutrients and
growing medium; if your grow room is missing a hydroponic system your plants won’t achieve their optimum yield.
To find out how hydroponic systems massively increase your yields Visit www.Nutriculture.com
TM
Nutriculture Hydroponic Systems
Record breaking yields since 1976
42
D O W N T O E A R T H
Coming from the north, east or west it seems like a
little hill grown over by grass. But who approaches
an Earthship from the south will recognize a cry-
stal like greenhouse. When you think about it for
a minute you realize that the windows are facing
south for a good reason. They are directed toward
the most sunlight, toward where the sun gives life
– in the Northern hemisphere, anyway. And this is
one of the key concepts of what Earthships are all
about: to enable one to live comfortably with what
nature has to offer.
Earthships
43
Public Park Nooterhof in the city of
Zwolle (the Netherlands) lodges one
of these Earthships. This Earthship
functions as a public tea houseand
opens its glass doors to visitors fasci-
natedaboutliving in and with the earth,
and outside the paradigm of the mod-
ern urban world.
THREE PRINCIPLESKnown as radically sustainable green,
these curious buildings covered in dirt, not only spare the en-
vironment, but help improve several issues the environment is
faced with nowadays. As is often the case with brilliant ideas,
the principles behind an Earthship are surprisingly simple. In
fact, the buildings leave anyone first looking into their concept
startled by its simplicity. Three principles give Earthships their
deep green color: the use of recycled products, self-sufficiency
for its inhabitants, and the implementation of sustainable tech-
nologies.
STACKED TIRES FILLED WITH EARTHStanding next to the Earthship’s several feet thick walls makes
you realize that they are nearly impossible to penetrate, or
even to disturb. It is discarded car tires, stacked like bricks
43
and jam-packed with earth, that make
up the building’s frame. Visitors of the
teahouse are allowed a peak into the
Earthship’s outer walls. A small piece
of the northern wall has been left un-
finished. It showsa couple of the thou-
sand discarded car tires that shape the
walls.
However impressive, not car tires but
earth is the humble secret ingredient
that makes up the Earthship. Just as the building’s name sug-
gests. Earthships use earth as their weapon in a building’s nev-
er-ending battle with the ambient air temperature-with hardly
any intervention of air conditioning or heating. Earth functions
as thermal mass that passively absorbs natural heat when the
sun is out. During the night or on cloudy days, the earth gives
its stock of warmth back to the room. This way, even in cli-
mates as chilly as the Dutch, Earthships provide fora constant
indoor temperature year-round with a minimum of utility bills.
GLASS WALLSWhoever has concerns about an Earthship’s aesthetics can
stop worrying. Itscar tire, earth-filled walls are normally
plastered and painted over making them appear similar to
EARTHSHIPS I GARDEN CULTURE
THREE PRINCIPLES GIVE EARTHSHIPS THEIR DEEP GREEN COLOR: THE USE OF RECYCLED PRODUCTS,
SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR ITS INHABITANTS, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES
gardenculture.net
radically sustainable greenEarthship in Taos, New MexicoEarthships
BY MAAIKE VISSER
44
Earthship in Zwolle, the Netherlands
45
EARTHSHIPS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
those of an elegant, modern adobe style house that would
fit any community. The inside walls, however, are the walls
that allow for creativity in interior design. Looking at these
artsy walls you would almost forget that they are sound-
damping, temperature moderating as well as fine-looking.
EFFICIENCY AND SELF-SUFFICIENCYNow that the earth-part of the concept has been cleared
up, the mystery remains why these buildings are dubbed
ships. This piece of the puzzle will fall into place at the mo-
ment one enters an Earthship. Walking into one of these
self-sufficient capsules in their earthly environmentsis
like boarding a ship: suddenly you are autonomous from
the outside world. As Earthships are not connected to
any power, gas, water or sewage lines, they are fully self-
contained. Not only does this trigger a strong feeling of
independency, it also allows for more efficiency in terms of
energy, water, economics and environment.
Rainwater that hits the Earthship’s roof is collected, fil-
tered in plant troughsseveral times, and then used and re-
used.Starting off as drinking water, it seconds as shower,
washing machine, and toilet water, after which it is finally
used to water the plants. And solar panels beaming on top
of the roof generate enough electricity and warmth for a
family to get through a normal day.
THE FIRST EARTHSHIPOne tire at a time, an experienced international Earthship
crew finished construction of the Dutch tea house in 2009.
Thereby they realized the first Earthship in the Benelux, but
certainly not the very first of its kind. Introduced by American
eco-architect Michael Reynolds, the prototype Earthship was
built in the desert of Taos, New-Mexico.
Ever since graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1969
Reynolds has been devoted to building houses out of natural
resources and discarded items. His conviction that, with the
right formula, products can be recycled to form buildings that
won’t spoil the resources and beauty of the earth, led him to
design the first Earthship in the 1970’s. Since then Reynolds has
written five books on the topic and directed the film ‘Garbage
Warrior’ in 2007.
WORLDWIDE HYPEThe tea house in Zwolle is just one of the many Earthships
that can be found worldwide. After some start-up trouble,
they now have reached worldwide celebrity status. Hun-
dreds of Earthships can be found throughout the globe today
and still dozens of Earthship crews work on new radically
sustainable green buildings. Each building is custom made to
fit the climate it is placed in, and through a process of trial
and error, each new Earthship is a bit better than the last.
As for the Netherlands, after having introduced Earthships
to the Benelux, the country is currently the first in Europe
to develop an official Earthship district. Last spring the
construction of twenty-three radically sustainable buildings
started in the city Olst.
YOUR CUP OF TEA?Earthships are remarkable buildings that enable civilized living
while helping to restore the exhausted and damaged environ-
ment. Anyone interested in these sustainable and recycled
buildings can go and have a look at the tea house Earthship
in Zwolle. Reflecting over a cup a fair-trade tea here makes
you realize all too well the beauty and comfort of radically
sustainable living. And while you are there, don’t worry about
enjoying that piece of pie: it has been locally grown. 3
AS EARTHSHIPS ARE NOT CONNECTED TO ANY POWER, GAS, WATER OR SEWAGE LINES,THEY ARE FULLY SELF-CONTAINED
48
Fungi, Molasses, & ROCK PHOSPHATE
Many plants go through a juvenile stage where they sharply increase in size before shifting
their energy into flowering and fruiting. The size plants reach during this stage has an impact
on how much harvest they produce.
Beneficial fungi, molasses, and rock phosphate have been used to help boost plant growth
during this critical stage for years. They work in concert to help plants thrive.
49
GROWTH BOOSTERS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY GRUBBYCUP
Fungi, Molasses, & ROCK PHOSPHATE
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MYCORRHIZAE AND THE PLANT IS A SYMBIOTIC ONE; BOTH ORGANISMS BENEFIT FROM THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE OTHER
The two most important fungi for most gardeners are
ecto-mycorrhizal, and endo-mycorrhizal.
Ectomycorrhizae form primarily on tree and woody
plant roots, although some can form on a wide variety
of plants. The fungus forms a covering on the roots, and
then branches out into the surrounding soil.
Similar to hair extensions for roots, this
fungal web called hyphae both extends
the reach of the root system, and in-
creases the amount of surface area
collecting nutrients for the plant.
This network of nutrient collect-
ing hyphae is anchored between
the cortex cells of the roots. The
hyphae pick up nutrients from the
soil, and transport them to the
plant in exchange for carbohydrates
made by the plant. Certain varieties
also have antibiotic properties, which
help protect the plant from infection, and the
sheathing of fungus on the roots offers some pro-
tection from nematodes. Since the hyphae strands are thin-
ner than roots, they not only extend the reach of the root
system by meters, but they can also exploit smaller nooks
and cracks in the growing media. One milliliter of colonized
soil may contain up to four meters of ectomycorrhizae.
For most other green leafy plants including vegetables, en-
domycorrhizae is the more important fungus.
Instead of helping the plant by extending the root system, they
improve the existing root system. Where ectomycorrhizae
help by moving nutrients into the plant, endomycorrhizae help
move nutrients within the roots themselves, speeding them
to the rest of the plant for use. Weaving itself into the corti-
cal cells of the roots, endomycorrhizae form small structures
Since beneficial fungi take time to establish and colonize
the root system, they are best introduced early. Mycor-
rhiza fungi are beneficial and assist in nutrient collection
and uptake. Adding carbohydrates to a nutrient solution
is a gardening trick for boosting plant performance going
back to at least the 1960’s.
Mycorrhizae (fungus-roots) are found
naturally occurring in healthy “live”
soil. Sterile hydroponic media
may require a spore inoculation
to establish colonies. They are
caused by mycorrhiza fungi in-
fecting a plant root and the two
together are what are known as
mycorrhizae.
Plants with well-established mycor-
rhizae tend to perform better than those
that do not. Approximately 90% of all plants
can benefit from some form of mycorrhizae, includ-
ing trees, shrubs, and garden plants. The relationship be-
tween mycorrhizae and the plant is a symbiotic one; both
organisms benefit from their association with the other.
The plant provides a carbohydrate source for the fungus,
and in return, the fungus helps assist the plants in nutri-
ent uptake, drought resistance, and blocking their environ-
mental niche from pathogenic fungi. It is better to have
helpful flat mates than destructive ones, so making sure
beneficial fungi take up the space can prevent something
worse from moving in. Mycorrhizae collect and process
nitrogen, phosphorus and a variety of micronutrients and
pass them to the plant. Of particular use is their ability to
increase phosphorus uptake, which dramatically increases
over non infected plants.
Mycorrhizae
50
called arbuscules. These arbuscules are where the fungus
delivers the transported nutrients for the plant to receive,
and picks up carbohydrates supplied by the plant. Nutrients
transported by endomycorrhizae include nitrogen, phospho-
rous, potassium, calcium, sulfur, and zinc, with an emphasis on
phosphorous uptake. Of particular use is where rock phos-
phate is being used as a phosphorous source instead of the
more available superphosphate, as endomycorrhizae speeds
the solubility conversion. Adding endomycorrhizae generally
replicates the effect of increasing the strength of phosphorous
in nutrient solution by improving existing phosphorous uptake.
Although commonly already present in healthy soil, mycorrhi-
zae fungus levels can be increased by adding powdered spores
(inoculants) available at garden and hydroponic shops. Sterile
media and poor soils can be brought from a complete absence
of mycorrhizae to abundance with the use of inoculants. All
they need is food (carbohydrates), water, and half a chance.
High applications of chemical nutrients can be detrimental to
development, so this system is less appropriate for “goose
pate” style gardens where nutrient is supplied to the plant at
the upper end of its ability to absorb. This can create an appar-
ent paradox where continuing to apply additional nutrients can
impede the plant’s nutrient absorption. For example, killing off
the endomycorrhizae will require additional phosphorous to
be added to make up for the loss in efficiency and uptake.
If using mycorrhizal inoculants, apply at the beginning of
the season to establish the colonies early. Once estab-
lished, the infected roots should serve as a host to allow
the fungus to spread throughout the root system. Much
like a small colony of mold will take over an entire loaf
of bread; in a healthy root system mycorrhiza will spread
to fill the available space. Plant improvements from inocu-
late use are particularly pronounced when used early in
poor or sterile mediums. In soil that already contains high
Roots with mycorrhizae
THE BENEFITS OF ADDING CARBOHYDRATES ARE MOSTLY INDIRECT; THEY FEED THE BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS AND MYCORRHIZAE WHICH HELP THE PLANTS
51
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levels beneficial fungi, adding more
spores has a less pronounced effect.
Mycorrhizae thrive on carbohy-
drates, which is part of what they
receive in payment from the plant
in exchange for helping the plant
thrive. One way to boost benefi-
cial microorganisms including my-
corrhizae is to feed them with a
carbohydrate additive such as molasses.
Carbohydrates (saccharides) are molecules with spe-
cific combinations of carbon and water. A subset of
carbohydrates are the sugars ending in “-ose”. For ex-
ample, table sugar is sucrose (C12H22O11), milk sugar is
lactose (also C12H22O11, but the atoms are arranged dif-
ferently), blood sugar is glucose(C6H12O6) and so on.
Carbohydrates store energy that many life forms can use,
people included. The “sugar rush” from eating a lot of
sweets is an effect from overindulging in sugars. The en-
ergy is easily converted, but then is quickly used. Keep in
mind that unwelcome visitors such as ants may be enticed
to visit if a carbohydrate banquet available, so make sure
to clean up any spills promptly.
The benefits of adding carbohydrates are mostly indi-
rect; they don’t help the plants directly, they feed the
beneficial microorganisms and mycorrhizae which help
the plants. These microorganisms use the ready en-
ergy available in carbohydrates to thrive and reproduce.
Cane syrup, maple syrup, fruit juice, and molasses can
all be used as carbohydrate sources. Dilute to two tea-
spoons per gallon (10 ml./3.8 l.) of water. Cleanliness is a
must, as these may attract insects and leave a sticky resi-
due. Ants may be attracted to the residue, and if hydrated
(mixed with water) and allowed to go anaerobic (stale)
these may encourage the wrong sort of fungal growth.
Molasses (also known as Treacle) is a byproduct of sugar
refining, and contains not only plenty of carbohydrates
to add to your garden, but potassium, nitrogen, and iron
as well. Many micronutrients are locked in their chelated
form and require a chelating agent to unlock them. Mo-
lasses acts as a chelating agent (like Humic Acid), by en-
ergizing the root level biology, it makes micronutrients
more readily available for nutrient uptake by the plants.
Be careful when purchasing molasses as prices vary widely. Al-
though all three are usable for gardening
purposes, molasses marketed as a plant
additive tends to be very expensive, mo-
lasses intended for human consumption
is moderately priced, and molasses sold
as cattle feed supplement tends to be
pretty cheap. Molasses sold for cattle
feed is often mixed with a grain to add
structure. The addition of grain not only
makes the molasses easier to work with, but adds composta-
ble organic material as an additional benefit. Personally, I tend
to purchase molasses made for human consumption, as I don’t
have a large garden; I like it on my pancakes, and in Shoo Fly
Pie. Apply at two teaspoons (about 10ml.) per gallon of water,
or the same amount per pancake.
To complete the trio, add a good dollop of powdered
rock phosphate to the mix. Not only will this provide
the mycorrhiza with a supply of phosphorous to supply
the plant, but it can also provide a suitable environment
for other beneficial organisms to take up residence. The
well fed mycorrhiza should be put to work, and what they
do best is absorb and supply phosphorous to the plant.
Rock phosphate is available in two forms, “soft rock”
phosphate, and “hard rock” phosphate. Soft rock phos-
phate contains a higher amount of immediately available
phosphorous, and is usually the choice for container soil
enhancement. Hard rock phosphate is better suited to
improve a field where plants are to be grown for several
years, or where the soil is reused.
Mycorrhiza help bring phosphorous and other benefits to
plants, and carbohydrates help mycorrhiza. During early
growth is a good time to add inoculants with a packed
carbohydrate lunch and rock phosphorous dessert to
your growing media. Feeding your fungus carbohydrates
regularly throughout flowering can have the end re-
sult of giving your plants a phosphorous boost, and re-
introducing spores can help reestablish lost colonies.
Beneficial fungi help with keeping plants well fed, and
proper nutrition is one of the keys to bountiful harvests.
Embrace the fungus among us, feed them, and give them
phosphorous to carry.
Peace, love, and puka shells. 3
MYCORRHIZA HELP BRING
PHOSPHOROUS AND OTHER BENEFITS TO PLANTS, AND CARBOHYDRATES
HELP MYCORRHIZA.
we’ve got eye
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for green business
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54
T H I N G S T H AT M A K E Y O U A B E T T E R G R O W E R
Improving your grow-game doesn’t always have to be
expensive or difficult to learn-our greatest growing
successes are often the culmination of many small ef-
forts and tweaks rather than one grandiose slam-dunk.
55 55
GROW TIPS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY ERIK BIKSA
Let’s have a look at a few tasty bits that you can easily adopt
into your garden -whether you are just starting out or have
been enjoying indoor harvests for a few moons now.
• Don’t water your plants right out of the tap or
immediately after RO (reverse osmosis) filtering your
water into your holding tank-chances are, it’s too cold and
is going to shock your plants. The roots will have to warm
again for the plant to get back on the rails of accelerated
growth. Temperature is the number one governor of all living
reactions on this planet.
• Understand how much space your
plants are going to need. How many
plants it will take to fill your grow
space within the time you allot for
the crop? This usually takes practice
to dial into perfection; you need to
understand the characteristics of
the strain you are working with. Will it grow 25% or 300%
more after you initiate the bloom phase? Asking breeders or
other growers may provide some answers. Those answers
can be worth more than gold!
• Keep the growing area clean and uncluttered. Too many
growing disasters originate from clutter or plant debris
scattered about the growing area. Keep the inside of the
grow room or tent as clean and as organized as possible-
no wires on the floor either! Your life may seem like pure
chaos, but in your garden is where you can reign supreme.
• Maintain the right temperature. It’s easy to blast plants
with light; and it’s even easier to overheat your crop if you
can’t manage it properly. Most artificial light sources throw
off a lot of heat. If you can’t keep your grow temperatures
below 29.5 C when the lights are on, your plants are likely
to suffer. Dimmable ballasts or using lower wattage lighting
may be an option if your ventilation abilities are maxed-out.
• Don’t fly blind, learn some biology. While you don’t
need to become an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air
Conditioning) expert or a fertilizer chemist to achieve great
results these days, it still pays to have a good understanding
of how the different types of equipment operate in your
garden and what the different nutrient ingredients are going
to do for your plants. Reading gardening magazines can help
a lot, and the internet can also be a good source of info.
Once you understand the fundamentals you can make it all
work better for your particular growing needs.
• Don’t under estimate the
importance of training and sculpting
your plants in the garden so that they
can give you the best production
and quality possible. For example,
the lower third of the plant is often
receiving much less light than the
top. These lower portions produce
poorly and rob energy from the more intensive top
growth. Prune those suckers off after about the second
week of flowering.
• When you are a grower, avoiding disaster is as much
a mark of success as any. If you have waterlines that are
pressurized in the grow room, for example city or well pump
pressure; make sure that you use reinforced hosing that will
not burst when unattended. You could wind up coming back
to a huge problem if you don’t.
• Avoid interrupting the dark cycle, especially in the bloom
phase. If you don’t you can wind up with confused plants
that produce poorly or that go straight to seed. When
entering the room during the dark cycle is a must, only
green LED lighting is recommended. It will help you see your
way around without seriously interrupting your plants’ rest.
Make sure you don’t see any light leaks when you stand in
the room during the dark phase. 3
WHEN YOU ARE A GROWER, AVOIDING
DISASTER IS AS MUCH A MARK OF SUCCESS AS ANY
57
What could this possibly have to do with
gardening and the success or failure of
your garden? When you need a new cell-
phone do you head down to your local
electronics supplier and buy a bunch of
microprocessors and resistors and head
home to construct your new phone like
the mad doctor did with Frankenstein on
that stormy night? Of course not, you
head over to the cell phone store or dial
it up online and click buy, pay for it and
then start texting your friends to boast of your new pur-
chase. You don’t know how to wire or build a cell phone and
for most of you new growers, your garden is no different.
You’ve spent hours researching online, head out to your lo-
cal Hydro store or order online and acquire your new grow
equipment, head home and start to assemble the puzzle of
pots, trays, tubing, pumps and then muster up the courage
to mix up your first batch of feed solution. You’ve done all
this with no experience growing a plant and no knowledge
of how it should all work, why?
Your new garden is a like a new baby. Would you bring
your new bundle of joy home and sit him in front of a giant
57
NY prime steak and expect him
to eat, would you? You’ve got to
take it slow, learn to walk before
you run and K.I.S.S.
A new grower should start simple
with one ore two lights, minimal
number of plants, pots with soil
and a very basic nutrient feed
solution. Hand water these new
born babies and spend time in
your garden EVERY DAY!
Take the time to study your plants, study their reactions, what
makes them happy and of course what makes them sad. As
you get through your fist crop or two, you will begin to realize
that there is more to indoor gardening then meets the eye and
only then can you begin to make the educated decisions need-
ed to outfit your garden and progress into a more advanced
and automated grow system.
The simpler your first garden is, the more SUCCESSFUL
you will be! There will come a time for the latest technol-
ogy and all the bells and whistles, just think of the evolution of
spy planes. Clarence Johnson said it right when he coined the
phrase Keep It Simple Stupid! 3
K.I.S.S. I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
Keep It Simple StupidHistorical concepts for a Bumper Crop
YOUR NEW GARDEN IS A LIKE A NEW
BABY. WOULD YOU BRING YOUR NEW
BUNDLE OF JOY HOME, SIT HIM IN
FRONT OF A GIANT NY PRIME STEAK AND EXPECT HIM TO EAT?
The acronym was coined by Clarence Johnson, lead
engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works (creators of
the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes,
among many others). The principle is best exemplified
by the story of Johnson handing a team of design engi-
neers a handful of tools, with the challenge that the jet
aircraft they were designing must be repairable by an
average mechanic in the field under combat conditions
with only these tools. Hence, the ‘stupid’ refers to the
relationship between the way things break and the so-
phistication available to fix them.
The principle most likely finds its origins in similar concepts such as:
• Albert Einstein’s maxim that “everything
should be made as simple as possible, but no
simpler”.
• Leonardo da Vinci’s “Simplicity is the ultimate
sophistication”
• Mies Van Der Rohe’s “Less is more”
• Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s “It seems that
perfection is reached not when there is noth-
ing left to add, but when there is nothing left
to take away”
BY SHELDON
58
Hydroponic growing systems are your answer to grow-
ing food in tight spaces. When you grow food hydro-
ponically the food grows up to 25 to 30 percent faster
because the plants do not have to spend valuable energy
growing roots to find food. The plants are suspended in
a nutrient rich solution which also saves you the has-
sle of dealing with messy soils and insects that are at-
tracted to the soil. This nutrient rich solution contains
essentials such as potassium, zinc, magnesium, borine,
copper, etc. The pH level needs to be constantly moni-
tored to maintain the balance. There are many meters
and monitors available to keep a constant watch on the
solution as the pH strips are not reliable for constant
monitoring.
The benefits farmers gain from using hydroponics grow-
ing systems are that they don’t use soil so you never
have to worry about contamination or soil borne dis-
eases. Operation is easy as there are automated sys-
tems that do all of the timing for you and hydroponic
systems recycle the potable water so you only have to
change it once every couple of weeks. Aside from all
the benefits of the hydroponics system, there are sev-
eral different plants that you can grow in this method
including, but not limited to, tomatoes, potatoes, beans,
cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, grapes and a variety of dif-
ferent herbs.
The basic 0.5 m2, sixteen unit hydroponics setup is easy
and affordable. You can either buy the unit from an online
retailer or hydroponics store or you can build one your-
self. There are many variations on the hydroponic growing
system, but the easiest method to use if you are limited
by space is to use the drip method that includes a pump
and timing system. First you must decide to either buy the
system or build the system. It would seem that building one
would be cheaper than buying a ready-made system, but
by the time that you buy all the individual components it
actually costs about the same. Not to mention the money
that you will save growing all or even a small part of your
family’s food supply.
Just because you live in a shoe box doesn’t mean that you can’t grow delicious food that provides a
large supplement to your family’s normal diet. While it may be easier to have the expansive and rich soil
of farmland in the Great Plains, you can easily mimic the process of growing food in only a four by four
feet chunk of space. With the right set up and know how you can grow almost any type of vegetable
or fruit that you can imagine.
Hydroponics
59 59
HYDROPONICS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY KAYLA SHAW
If you live in a small space you will need to allocate at least
a 0.5 m2 space in your apartment or on your balcony. You
can reduce this space even more by building vertical, with
a two by two feet space on the floor and another two by
two foot space on the wall above the floor units. When you
do it this way, you will have 16 separate units that you can
use to grow different plants, the same plant in all of them
or do half and half. This is all up to you and your food needs
and preferences. However, wherever you decide to put the
system, it needs to be in close proximity to a window so
that it can receive the sunlight it needs. If this is impossible,
then you can also buy lamps that will give the plants the
radiation they need to grow.
A drip system is one of the easiest hydroponic systems to
use because there is not a lot of setup and the maintenance
is not time intensive. A drip system incorporates a reser-
voir of nutrient rich solution that gets pumped to the indi-
vidual units and is placed right at the roots. The usual tim-
ing is to drip the solution on the roots for 15 minutes every
couple of hours. The plants are very sensitive to this so you
must keep a schedule for watering. This is why a pumping
system with a timer is a very handy thing to have because
otherwise this can become a full time job. This pump and
reservoir system recycles its own water so you only have
to change the solution every couple of weeks and you can
use the gray water as water for your other house plants.
Now you have the basic information you need to start
growing hydroponically in your apartment, on your balcony
or in your back yard. There is more to learn and many dif-
ferent methods you can use than what is described here.
There are also a multitude of products and gadgets that you
can buy to make growing food hydroponically extremely
simple and cost effective. 3
WHEN YOU GROW FOOD HYDROPONICALLY THE FOOD GROWS UP TO 30 PERCENT FASTER
for Small Apartments
Check our website for more info:
www.woma-tuintechniek.comVisit our web shop to order your kit today!
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62
engineered varietals. Their “high
risk” list includes soybeans, canola,
corn, sugar beets and zucchini. Al-
falfa also makes the list, because it
affects GMO-free and organic cer-
tification when it’s used as fodder
for livestock.
Major GMO crops such as soybeans and corn are among the
hardest to avoid, although their direct role as foodstuffs is rela-
tively limited. Their importance lies primarily in their use as a
raw material. Corn and soybeans are grown in such huge quanti-
ties that they are the ultimate agricultural commodities. If an in-
gredient can be extracted or refined from them, they are usually
the cheapest available source of that ingredient. A considerable
portion of the biotechnology industry is devoted to finding new
uses for these crops. As a result, anything from your morning
vitamin C tablet to the aspartame in your diet soda might have
been extracted from a GMO food.
Consider soybeans as an example. Figures published by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture show that 94% of the U.S. Soybean
For consumers in much of the in-
dustrialized world, this is already
the case. The European Union,
the United Kingdom, Australia and
Japan all require labeling of foods
containing GMO ingredients. So
do India and China, despite their
large populations and constant
concerns over their respective food supplies. South Africa, the
continent’s major producer of GMO crops, has labeling laws
but their enforcement has been questionable. The question of
labeling has been a subject of hot debate in emerging nations
throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Yet, that hasn’t been
the case in Canada and the U.S.
If you’re among the nearly 80% who doubt the safety of GMO
foods, you might be shocked to learn how widespread they are.
In North America, several major crops are currently grown
almost entirely from GMO seed. The Non-GMO Project,
which provides third-party certification of GMO-free foods,
maintains a list of staple crops that are dominated by genetically
In a joint survey released in October of 2010, news agency Thompson Reuters and National Public Radio
polled Americans about their attitudes toward genetically modified foods. The study, viewable on the
Thompson Reuters website, revealed a number of contradictory perceptions. Just over 64% of the study’s
respondents said they were unsure whether GMO foods were safe, and another 14.6% felt they were unsafe.
Yet, 60% also said they’d be comfortable eating genetically engineered plant products. There was a broad
consensus on one point: 93% of those polled felt that GMO foods should be labeled.
SOY
FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SHOW THAT 94% OF THE U.S.
SOYBEAN CROP WAS GROWN FROM GENETICALLY ENGINEERED
SEED IN 2011
GMOI S E V E R Y W H E R E
63
crop was grown from genetically
engineered seed in 2011. This af-
fects many other countries as well,
because the U.S. is the world’s
leading soybean exporter. Her
closest rival is Brazil, which by 2010
was using GMO seed for 80% of its
own production. Between them,
these two countries account for
three quarters of the world’s to-
tal production. Unless you live in a
country where GMO products are
prohibited by law, your food almost
certainly contains some of these
soybeans.
You might not eat tofu or drink soy milk, but soybeans are al-
most inescapable in the food chain. Soy lecithin is widely used as
an emulsifier in processed foods, helping ingredients combine
more readily. Soy protein is incorporated into processed foods
as a meat extender, or as a flavoring agent. It’s not only present
in processed foods: “seasoned” chicken breasts or pork chops
from your supermarket probably contain soy protein as well.
This soy-based seasoning is one that’s familiar to most consum-
ers. It’s best-known as monosodium glutamate, or MSG. The
label on your food will often list it under a less-obvious pseud-
onym, such as hydrolyzed plant protein or simply “natural fla-
vor.” Shoppers who diligently scour product labels for MSG
frequently overlook the possibility of finding it in uncooked,
minimally processed meats. The controversial flavor enhancer
isn’t always manufactured from soybeans, but they’re often used
as a source because of their low cost.
There are a number of other, innocuous-sounding ingredients
that often betray the presence of soy. The most universal are
63
the various gelling prod-
ucts used to improve
the texture of processed
foods. They might be
listed as gum Arabic, guar
gum, thickening gum, bulk
thickening gum, vegetable
starch or the blandly unin-
formative “stabilizer.” These
are used in soups, ice cream, sal-
ad dressings, baked goods and snack
foods among other products. Ironically,
health-conscious diners may be consuming more
soy than others: these thickeners are often used to
create palate-pleasing textures by replacing eggs or fat in low-fat
and vegan foods.
If you’re making an earnest effort to screen your food for po-
tential GMOs, food-allergy organizations and support groups
are often a good starting point. They offer a variety of useful
resources, including tips for identifying less-obvious sources of
soy. Soybeans are among the handful of most significant food
allergens, and any packaged food that contains soy must be la-
beled under the laws of the United States, Canada and many
other countries. However, if your goal is avoiding GMO ingre-
dients rather than catering to a food allergy, food labeling isn’t
comprehensive enough.
Studies evaluating soy’s impact as an allergen have shown that re-
fined soy oil seldom triggers an allergic reaction. It’s accordingly
exempt from allergen-labeling laws, making oil another common
source of GMO soy. Vegetable oil almost always contains soy
unless it is clearly labeled as 100% canola, peanut, sunflower or
other oil. Most varieties of consumer and commercial shorten-
ing and margarine also contain soy.
SOY GMO I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
SOYBY FRED DECKER
IF YOU’RE AMONG THE NEARLY 80% WHO DOUBT THE SAFETY OF GMO FOODS, YOU MIGHT BE SHOCKED TO LEARN HOW WIDESPREAD THEY ARE
THIS SOY-BASED SEASONING IS ONE THAT’S FAMILIAR TO
MOST CONSUMERS. IT’S BEST-KNOWN
AS MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, OR MSG. THE LABEL ON YOUR
FOOD WILL OFTEN LIST IT UNDER A LESS-OBVIOUS
PSEUDONYM
I S E V E R Y W H E R E
64
GARDEN CULTURE I SOY GMO
Even buying organic foods doesn’t
necessarily guarantee that you have
a GMO-free product. Organic label-
ing has historically required that any
GMO or potentially GMO-containing
foods be held to less than 1% of the
total ingredients. However, it’s in-
creasingly difficult for organic farm-
ers to avoid cross-pollination from
neighboring fields where GMO crops
are grown, contaminating their own
crops. There is a movement afoot to
relax organic labeling standards to re-
flect this new reality.
The growing difficulty of avoiding
genetically-engineered foods, and big
agriculture’s resistance to consumer labeling, has begun to trig-
ger a backlash in the United States. Critics argue that allowing
unlabeled, untested GMO ingredients in the food chain amounts
to a large-scale human testing program, one that represents a
massive abdication of responsibility by government and indus-
try. State legislatures in Connecticut, Hawaii and Vermont are
actively considering bills to mandate labeling of transgenic foods,
and in California a campaign is underway to put a labeling initia-
tive on ballots for the November 2012 election.
Industry apologists typically cast the debate as a clash between
scaremongering Western elitists and the world’s hungry. They
argue that GMO crops raise yields and improve crops’ ability
to survive and flourish under adverse conditions. The reality is
rather different. Most GMO soybeans were developed to show
resistance to patented herbicides. Unsurprisingly the same com-
panies that sell the herbicides also sell the herbicide-resistant
soybeans. Farmers using the engineered seed are committed to
using the corresponding herbicide for weed control, sharply in-
creasing the patent-holder’s profits. The seed companies forbid
farmers to save their seed from one year to the next, requir-
ing the purchase of new seed. This combination of expensive
seed and expensive herbicide can be difficult even for Western
farmers, and often represents a crippling expense for growers in
developing countries.
The problem goes well beyond the economic impact of the
seed companies’ strong-arm seed marketing techniques. For
one thing, the spread of GMO soy has resulted in an increased
use of toxic herbicides, encouraging
unsustainable farming methods and
greater environmental contamination.
Worse, their altruistic-sounding goal of
feeding the hungry masses has proven
groundless. There is no third-party re-
search to demonstrate that genetically-
engineered crops produce higher yields
than conventional crops, and a grow-
ing body of evidence shows that their
yields might in fact be lower.
A number of groups are attempting to
bring opposition to transgenic foods
into the political mainstream. In the
United States organizations such as Just
Label It and Food Democracy Now ad-
vocate mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Their strategy is to
tap the traditional American reliance on free markets: label the
product, they say, and let the market – in other words, individual
consumers -- decide the future of genetically-engineered foods.
Ultimately it’s up to you to determine how comfortable you
are with transgenic foods, and where you want to draw that
line. For example, in the Thompson Reuters poll nearly 60%
of respondents said they’d be comfortable eating GMO plant
foods, but less than 40 percent were comfortable with trans-
genic meats or fish. Lack of labeling, and therefore lack of choice,
is the sticking point in countries including Canada and the U.S.
Concerned voters in non-labeling countries can choose to sup-
port initiatives such as Just Label It, or write personally to their
elected representatives. Until labeling laws change, seeking out
certified GMO-free foods and minimizing your consumption of
processed foods are viable strategies.
Growing as much of your own food as possible is the ultimate
answer to the thorny question of food safety. Ordering and
growing heirloom open-pollinated varieties of your favorite gar-
den plants, or hybrids that predate the GMO era, keeps you in
control of your family’s diet. Buying grass-fed meats and pas-
tured poultry from local growers provides a similar measure
of certainty. Until the political winds change and create an im-
peccably safe food supply, the best way to ensure your family’s
health is to build one of your own. 3
IT’S INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR ORGANIC FARMERS TO AVOID CROSS-POLLINATION FROM NEIGHBORING FIELDS WHERE GMO CROPS ARE GROWN, CONTAMINATING THEIR OWN CROPS
THERE IS NO THIRD-PARTY RESEARCH TO DEMONSTRATE
THAT GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED CROPS PRODUCE HIGHER
YIELDS THAN CONVENTIONAL CROPS, AND A GROWING
BODY OF EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THEIR YIELDS MIGHT IN
FACT BE LOWER
65
CHILLI I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
Latest research points to a small area around Lake Titicaca in Bolivia as the ground zero where
the Chilli developed and was first domesticated over 6000 years ago. This is a truly ancient
cultivarthat has been used in its many forms for a very long time. The fact that it was one of the
first plants to be domesticated verges on the mystical in many Mezzo-American cultures and has
spread around the globe in the last 500 years thanks to the Spanish and Portuguese explorers.
Now half the world’s diet contains chillis and peppers from of over 3000 varieties.
BY CHILLIPEPPERPETE
Originally spread by birds that were attracted by the
bright color of the ripe pods and were not affected by the
capsaicin burn which the plant developed as protective
oil against fungal invasion inside the pod.Coincidentally it
also repelled mammals which travel a far lesser distance
than birds. The acids inside the birds gut also softened
the outer casing of the seed to quicken germination.
Bearing in mind the growing conditions of high humidity
and heat and the difficulty of germinating the seed, one of
the first concerns when growing chillis is the germination.
There are many products on the market that mimic the
acid in the bird’s stomach but I have always found a very
mild 10% solution of bleach and water to be successful.
Leave for an hour or so and rinse the seed before planting
shallowly on their edge.
Some seeds can still take up to 6 weeks to germinate at
a constant 29.5C (particularly the new superhots). A
heated propagator is essential for speedy germination.
The growing plants are happy in any medium from compost
to coir but there are a few basics to keep an eye on. A
40/60per cent blend of perlite when using soil substrate
helps aeration. Their ideal pH is 5.7. Any lower causes
trace element problems and any higher can effect nutrient
take up. PH can be balanced with the gentle use of nitric
acid. The 5.7 pH balance refers tothe soil measurement
notthe pH of the input solution.
The plants are very vigorous and can quickly deplete soil
nutrients. The plants require a good root ball which can be
sped up with root stimulatorand the early use of additives
affects the overall balance of looks and heat.
The humidity and heat chillisrequire to grow at their
optimum is best provided undercover where the
environment can be totally controlled and the plantscan
grow to their highest potential. Commercially grown pods
very rarely reach their maximum heat as the control is not
there outdoors.
High humidity and heat increases capsaicin content but at
over 37Cessential flower drop increases. However later in
the cycle temperatures of over37C increase the ripening
process. So, effective temperature control is essential.
Unfortunately optimum nutrient, environmental conditions
andfull spectrum trace element research is sorely missing
at this time. Although there is a lot of research being done
in China which is at this time is leading the world in chilli
production by many factors.
The superhot varieties have a high calcium demand when
young but nutrient lock-out can be a major problem and
too much potassium exacerbates the problem. As ever
balance is everything.
Withholding water regularly and exposing the plants
to wind and generally stressful conditions also increase
the capsaicin content. A chemical that used to be made
from corpses and now called putrescine also shows great
promise of increasing capsaicin content. However it will
take several seasons to know if this compound will do what
it says on the bottle.
Our own research is ongoing and there are many other
inputs to investigate and many new varieties to explore.
The search for the world’s hottest chilli continues. 3
THE WORLD’S Hottest Chilli
68
BITCOINS
GROW YOUR OWN
MONEY
69
BITCOINS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY DAVID MURPHY
In final months of 2010, at the height of the Wikileaks scandal, the major online financial institutions
VISA, Mastercard and Paypal moved to cut off the supply of donations to the site, under pressure
from powerful governments around the world. Faced with ruin, Wikileaks turned to an alternative
currency. One that wasn’t controlled by any government around the world. A currency that had
essentially been created with the press of a single key, by an enterprising young programmer who was
known in the cybersphere as Satoshi Nakamoto. It was called bitcoin.
ers there are, the less each one re-
ceives, and the system is designed to
run for a twenty year period, yield-
ing no more than 21 million bitcoins.
It is the combination of these fac-
tors that give bitcoins their value, in
much the same way as gold acquired
more value than water in the an-
cient world, because it was limited
in quantity and took a great deal of
effort to extract.
Almost as soon as mining began, Bit-
coin exchanges opened on the web.
If you can’t be bothered spending
your own money on a mining effort,
then you can simply buy a miner’s coins with con-
ventional money through a more traditional digital
currency system such as paypal. At the peak of their
value, a bitcoin was worth more than 15$ although
market fluctuations and other factors have since
brought the price back down to about 5$.
For your cash, you get what is essentially a block of
uniquely encrypted data. It cannot be replicated, and
because every copy of the program keeps a record
Twenty years of aggressive
growth on the internet has given
us a string of dotcom billionaires.
From Larry Paige to Mark Zuck-
erberg, the ability to conjure up
vast sums of money simply by
having the right idea at the right
time is nothing new. But what
Nakatomo was trying to achieve
with bitcoin was something dif-
ferent. His system mimicked the
popular peer-to-peer networks
already used by millions to down-
load and share their favourite
games, movies and music; it also
incorporated new anti-spamming
and cryptography technology which would enable it
to create money literally out of nothing.
It functions on a simple principle. Bitcoins can only
be produced by completing complex mathematical
puzzles, a process referred to as mining. The puzzles
require a real world investment, in terms of comput-
ing power and the energy required to run a proces-
sor, and prospectors are rewarded by the occasional
trickle of bitcoins into the system. The more min-
GROW YOUR OWN
MONEYFOR YOUR CASH, YOU GET WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A
BLOCK OF UNIQUELY ENCRYPTED DATA.
IT CANNOT BE REPLICATED
71
BITCOINS I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
of where every bitcoin was created,
it would take a million times more
work to fake the file than to create a
real one. If you delete the encrypt-
ed data, or damage the computer it’s
stored on, it’s gone. Other than that, it works just
like any real world commodity. You can spend it at an
exchange, or with a retailer – anyone else who runs the
bitcoin software. You don’t register your name, and
none of your personal details are included in the coin.
Everything is tied to a single bitcoin address, secured by
incredibly complicated, paired encryption keys.
The irony is that the supposed anonymity of bitcoins is
a fallacy. The lengthy chain of data encrypted by each
computer includes all of the transactions ever pro-
cessed by the system, linked to the various IP addresses
of the users. With enough forensic investigation, any
particular transaction can be traced back to a physical
location. There are now sites that offer what is called
a bitcoin “fog”. This fog acts as a mixing service where
funds transferred to the fog get mixed with other us-
ers’ funds and when requested are paid out in multiple
randomized transactions to further obscure the source
of the money.
SO WHY DID SATOSHI NAKAMOTO
CREATE BITCOIN, AND
SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR OFF THE FACE OF THE WEB?
So why did Satoshi Nakamoto cre-
ate bitcoin, and suddenly disappear
off the face of the web? He had
done nothing illegal and he didn’t
stand to make some outrageous,
immoral level of profit from floating the company a year
down the line. Like a 21st century Salk, the creator of
the polio vaccine, he gave his invention away. There
have been suggestions that Nakamoto hoarded a stash
of bitcoins before the software’s release, and that at
the optimum moment in the bitcoins twenty year lifes-
pan he will release them onto the market and make mil-
lions. But like everything else surrounding Nakamoto,
it is merely rumour, heaped on speculation, stacked on
a wobbly pile of guesswork. Is he a single individual? A
cadre of programmers working under a collective alias?
The other coders credited with developing the bitcoin
technology, and with maintaining it, stay tight-lipped
about his identity. For them, the individual isn’t impor-
tant. The project is more about good old-fashioned
rebellion; a reaction to the financial irresponsibility
demonstrated by the world’s leading institutions over
the last five years. It’s about taking digital currency out
of the hands of administrators and governments, and
putting it back in the hand of the private individual. 3
72
W I N D O W F A R M I N G
With farm land decreasing at the same time that population numbers are increasing
worldwide, vertical hydroponic gardens may be one solution to the world’s food
shortages. Because hydroponic gardening is ecologically and economically sound,
it is one of the fastest growing areas of patenting in the U.S. today. The trend is
far from restricted to the U.S., however, and many innovators across the globe are
creating these gardens in urban environments.
73 73
WINDOW FARMING I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY MELANIE VOTAW
Some of these farms are large scale, such as
the vertical greenhouse called Plantagon,
which is set to be built in Linkoping, Swe-
den. The concept is a helix system in
which plants are transported on a spe-
cial elevator. The crops grow during
the slow ride down the helix, and an
automatic harvesting machine allows
the food to be harvested in batches.
A smaller scale, grassroots urban
agriculture movement was launched
in New York City in 2008 by Britta
Riley and Rebecca Bray. What start-
ed as a simple idea has since turned
into a worldwide movement and a
company called Windowfarms. More
than 33,000 people now participate in
the Windowfarms community.
Their concept was created for people to
become more nutritionally independent.
Using a vertical stack of recycled bottles in
which plants are rooted in clay pellets with no
soil, a pump at the bottom sends liquid nutrients to
the top. The nutrients then trickle down through the root
systems of the plants, and the roots remain compact, re-
quiring less space than plants grown in dirt. As a result,
organic vegetables can be grown indoors in any climate
year-round using natural or artificial light.
Riley and Bray knew that NASA had been using hydropon-
ics to explore growing food in space, discovering that opti-
mal nutritional yield can be achieved by running high qual-
ity liquid over plant root systems. So, they gathered some
friends and created their first prototype. As Riley said in
her 2011 TED talk about Windowfarms, the first systems
were “leaky, loud, power-guzzlers that Mar-
tha Stewart would definitely never have ap-
proved.” She and her team were able to grow
enough vegetables for a single salad a week
in their New York apartments, but they
wanted to work out the bugs in the sys-
tem and make it better. So, they opened
the idea to co-developers in what Riley
calls “open source collaboration.”
In order to encourage this collaboration,
they created a social media website that
spilled the beans on how the systems are
created, as well as what was not work-
ing. They hoped people would take the
idea and run with it. And run they did.
A number of people wanted to become
more nutritionally independent, so they
each worked on improving and customizing
the farms for their own needs.
One Windowfarms enthusiast, for example,
discovered that using air pumps instead of water
pumps would cut the carbon footprint of the system
by nearly half. Another learned by trial and error that he
could get his strawberry plants to fruit in low light by sim-
ply changing the nutrients in the liquid. A Windowfarmer
in Finland outfitted the system with LED grow lights.
As people shared their ideas and discoveries, Riley’s team
incorporated the improvements that were most likely to
benefit the majority. The end result? Manufactured kits
that will be available for shipment in the U.S. and a few
other countries in the summer of 2012.
Funding for manufacturing was achieved through crowd-
sourcing. Riley’s Kickstarter.com page was begun with
the goal of raising $50,000 in Windowfarm pre-sales. She
MORE THAN 33,000 PEOPLE NOW PARTICIPATE IN THE
WINDOWFARMS COMMUNITY
W I N D O W F A R M I N G
a small amount of electricity is required to run the Win-
dowfarm. In the U.S., the average electricity cost of even a
4-column farm is just over £2.00 per year.
While these small vertical hydroponics do not grow every-
thing, such as root vegetables or tall grain plants like corn
and wheat, most plants like greens and herbs, as well as
fruit, can be grown, with heavier plants tied to the metal
rack that holds the bottles.
74
raised $257,000 instead. Windowfarms is now both a for-
profit company with a patent and a non-profit organiza-
tion. The for-profit company makes the products, and the
proceeds fund the non-profit, which focuses on the com-
munity, the movement, and education.
CREATING A VERTICAL HYDROPONIC FARM AT HOMEIndividuals can build their own Windowfarm rather than
purchase a kit using the instructions provided on the or-
ganization’s website. Setting it up can take a few hours up
to a full day. After that, the system is mostly self-sustain-
ing. Water simply needs to be changed weekly, and some
cleaning must be performed monthly.
The systems are 1.2 meters tall, fit in different sized win-
dows, and are hung by a hook or sit on a platform below
the window (the floor, a shelf, or the windowsill). Wide
windows can handle several columns, while tall windows
can accommodate one on top of the other. Some growers
use clip-on CFL or LED lights on timers to better control
the environment for their plants.
After the initial material costs, maintenance expenses are
minimal. If the pump is run on a timer, as suggested, only
Recycling: collecting plastic bottles in Manhattan for creating window farms
WINDOWFARMS IS NOW BOTH A FOR-PROFIT COMPANY WITH A PATENT AND A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
75 75
WINDOW FARMING I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
VERTICAL IS THE FUTUREWhile Plantagon is centralized, and the Win-
dowfarms concept is decentralized, both
seek to grow food in cities as a response to
global crowding. Riley says that urbanites rely
on others more than rural dwellers. “It’s pre-
cisely when we hand over the responsibility
for all of these things to specialists that we
cause the kinds of messes that we see with
the food system,” she said in her TED talk.
As a result of these food system issues, the
vertical hydroponics trend is fully entrenched.
As more and more people move into urban
environments, growing their own food or
purchasing from sources like Plantagon may
become the norm rather than a novelty. 3
76
Grow Your Own Series:
If you’re a regular patron of Japanese res-
taurants, fiery green wasabi paste is a
familiar and welcome sight. So, it might
come as a surprise to learn that you’ve
probably never tasted real wasabi. Most
restaurants use a substitute made from
Western-style horseradish and other in-
gredients, including vinegar and mustard
powder.
FreshWasabi
77
That’s because real wasabi, Wasabia japonica, is rare and
expensive even in its Japanese homeland. It’s native to the
cold upland streams of that mountainous country, and is
notoriously difficult to grow. It flourishes only in a nar-
row range of conditions, and most cultivars are specific to
one small region of Japan. However, commercial growers
in Japan, Taiwan and North America have slowly learned
to coax this uncooperative plant into producing reliable
crops.
Wasabi is part of the larger brassica family, which also in-
cludes the cabbages and mustards
as well as Western horseradish and
other root plants including turnips,
daikon and the familiar garden rad-
ish. Like horseradish and the mus-
tards, its fiery nostril-clearing char-
acter is a chemical defence against
predators. When the cell walls are
crushed or grated, enzymes in the
root quickly convert stored sulphur
compounds into an irritating chemi-
cal called sinigrin. It’s highly volatile
and aerosolizes quickly, which is
why you feel the effect primarily in
your sinuses.
Growing wasabi can prove a fasci-
nating project for experienced gar-
deners in search of a challenge. The
plant requires lots of shade, ideally
75 % coverage or better. It requires
high humidity and cool air tempera-
tures, ranging from 8 C to 20 C, and
flourishes best at 12 C to 15 C. In
warmer, sunnier or drier climates
the shade-type greenhouse can be
the best solution, providing shelter
77
and a microclimate that can be kept humid and tempera-
ture-controlled. A fertilizer containing sulphur will help
increase the root’s potency.
In nature, wasabi grows in a semi-aquatic environment
along stony riverbeds. If you have running water on your
property, or have an existing hydroponic system, you can
use that water to cultivate wasabi. Prepare a deep bed or
large box-shaped planter, approximately 75 to 125 cm in
depth. Fill the bed with stones approximately 6 to 8 cm in
diameter, leaving 10 cm at the top. Cover the stones with
a layer of rounded gravel the size of
large peas, approximately 6 to 8cm.
Finally, fill the rest of the bed with
fine sand.
The plants will flourish best when
the water flows gently down a slight
slope, usually 2 to 4 degrees. Wa-
ter should be distinctly cool, with
an ideal temperature of 12 C to 15
C. Water flow should be gentle, no
more than 10 cm per second, to pro-
duce straight and healthy rhizomes.
If the water flow is too strong, the
roots will grow in a curved shape.
The flavor will still be fine, but if
you’re growing them for sale curved
roots don’t fetch as high a price.
Wasabi can also be cultivated on
dry land, in a light, well-drained soil
with lots of sand and organic mate-
rial. Prepare your beds in an area
where there’s a lot of natural shade,
or where you can easily shade the
plants with a cover. The plants re-
quire constant moisture even on
WASABI I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
BY FRED DECKER
GROWING WASABI CAN PROVE A FASCINATING PROJECT FOR EXPERIENCED
GARDENERS IN SEARCH OF A CHALLENGE
LIKE HORSERADISH AND THE MUSTARDS,
WASABI’S FIERY NOSTRIL-CLEARING CHARACTER
IS A CHEMICAL DEFENCE AGAINST HERBIVORES
78
Japanese wasabi farm
79
WASABI I GARDEN CULTURE
gardenculture.net
land, so plan to irrigate with soaker hoses or some other
form of low-flow irrigation. Monitor your plants closely.
Provide more water if they wilt, and less if you begin to
find stem rot.
Wasabi can be propagated from seed, slips or the small
plantlets that grow around the crown of a mature plant.
Plantlets 3cm long, with four or five leaves of their own,
can usually be planted directly into your aquatic or dry-land
beds. Place each plantlet in its own hole, about 30cm apart,
with 1cm of the root left above the surface once you’ve
patted the sand or soil back into place. Plants grown from
slips or seeds must be grown to a height of approximately
5cm before transplanting into their beds.
The fiery roots will usually be large enough to harvest in
16 to 24 months, depending on your growing conditions.
Remove plantlets from the main stem for replanting, and
then wash the root thoroughly. Trim away any small roots
then peel the stem with a paring knife or peeler. As with
chilli peppers, it’s best to wear gloves while working with
fresh wasabi. The juices can be decidedly unpleasant if they
find their way to a sensitive spot.
Real wasabi is best when grated as needed. Japanese chefs
use a special grater made from shark skin, but a very fine
conventional grater will also work. The flavor will reach its
peak within 3 to 5 minutes, and will diminish within 15 to 20
minutes if it’s left uncovered. Fresh wasabi has the familiar,
fiery effect in the diner’s sinuses, but mellows quickly to a
sweet and complex flavor quite unlike the artificial variety.
Grate only as much as you need for one meal, then store
the remainder of the root tightly wrapped in your refrigera-
tor. It will keep for several weeks. To preserve your wasabi
for the longer term, slice and dehydrate the roots. Grind
the dried roots into powder in your spice grinder, and store
it in airtight packaging in a cool, dark place. 3
WASABI CAN BE PROPAGATED FROM SEED, SLIPS OR THE
SMALL PLANTLETS THAT GROW AROUND THE CROWN OF A
MATURE PLANT
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IWS flourish_Layout 1 25/05/2012 09:57 Page 1
with the latest
innovations from IW
S
IWS Flood & Drain System• The most highly developed system on the market• Proven, reliable technology & great results every time• Pro system can run up to 80 pots
IWS Dripper System• Complete control of feed times and duration• Run-off is drained away automatically• Uses technology from D.I.G. Irrigation
IWS Deep Water Culture System• Unique new product from IWS• Precise control of filling and draining• Nutrient solution kept fresh as pots empty and fill
IWS Hand Watering System• Ideal for novice growers• Control your run-off easily and precisely• Available with 10, 16 and 25 litre pots
To see our systems in action, visit our website:
iwssystems.co.ukor contact your retailer for further information.
IWS flourish_Layout 1 25/05/2012 09:57 Page 1
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GROW YOUR OWN MONEY:BITCOINS