Sometimes it is best to look at a few pieces of old knowledge and some old school techniques to find some new ideas for enhancing your garden. I have recently come across some mentions of using molasses as a natural fertilizer in your garden and I wondered if it could be used with hydroponics. Let’s take a look.
There are rumors about adding sugar to the soil of your garden to increase the sweetness of the fruits of your plants. This may be a bit of a myth and I have not been able to confirm this yet, but I have been checking out the nutrient content of the molasses and I am impressed. There is calcium, magnesium and a bunch of other great stuff in there.
The biggest advantage of using molasses is that it supports a healthy microbial ecology in your hydroponics system. This is one of the biggest difficulties that we, as hydroponic gardeners, can face. You will want to get un-sulfured molasses as the form of sulfur they use is a preservative meant to stop microbial activity. We are trying to encourage those microbes and this would be highly counter counter-productive.
The best way to use molasses is to get some black strap and mix it with water in a ratio of 1 part molasses to 100 parts water. This is the absolute maximum concentration that you want to use. Any more than this and your risk causing root rot or slime in your hydroponics system. You also need to make sure that you fully dissolve the molasses or you are risking clogging your system. IT can gum up your growing medium, pumps or sprayers and be very difficult to clean out. For this reason, I suggest adding the molasses to boiling water, mixing it in completely and then letting it cool before using it with your hydroponics.
After getting several germination questions I decided to create a quick video on some techniques and tips I have learned over time. It is important to point out that nature makes germination a simple process. A warming ground, increasing light, available moisture, and a medium to allow roots to expand and anchor the plant all combine to set the seed in motion to create a new plant.
With that being said, there is no “best” method, but the simple basics will almost always allow success. I present a method and a few products that economically fit my goals and current growing systems. I will “up-pot” the starts destined for outdoors soil in coir as it is sterile and will do well in soil. Those will be germinated in peat pellets or under paper towels. All plants going into hydroponic systems (indoors or outdoors) will be germinated under paper towels or in rockwool. They will then be”up-potted” into silica stone grow media.
The methods I outline allow me to “up-pot” into both soil based raised
beds and containers or hydro media with a consistent method and products (peat pellets / rockwool) while using a common lighting system and 1020 trays. My goal of a completely “soiless” environment in my basement start and hydroponic grow room is achieved.
I also posted this under the youtube channel “Misterhalfwaythere1” along with the rest of the hydroponic growing videos at the Mister Halfway Youtube Channel Don’t forget to subscribe!
About Mister H: I journal my hydroponic growing endeavor in my blog at Frugal Hydroponics. After prompting from friends and family and seeing a need to better record my results, the blog has proven a great platform for videos and photos of my progress, techniques, and of course results. Hydroponics is highly efficient and a great complement to our soil-based containers and raised beds.
Azamax is an OMRI Certified Organic Pest Control solution. You simply mix a little bit with water and spray it on your plants to provide a pest and fungal barrier.
How Long Does It Take Azamax to Work?
7-21 days.
The first week of Azamax applications will pretty much stop the reproduction of your spider mites, aphids, or other pests. You need to reapply Azamax to your plants every 7-14 days.
You will still see the bugs, well what looks like bugs, but you will notice they aren’t really moving. Their dead bodies will still be on the leaves of the plant so make sure to spray your plants before harvest, and then give them a good rinse after harvest. You don’t want to be eating dead bugs!
If this sounds gross to you, think about what commercial farmers have to deal with. Now do you understand why they just use harsh pesticides to wipe out all the insects. If you grow your own food, you can be sure you are not ingesting harmful chemicals. Not to mention your food will taste and smell better. There are plenty of advantages to using Azamax over a harsh chemical pesticide.
Where is the Best Place to Get Azamax?
Get the best prices on Azamax at Amazon. You can also find the perfect hydroponic nutrients on Amazon. If you are interested in learning more about hydroponics or gardening in general, search through some of the 100’s of books Amazon has. I’ve picked up three or four used books from Amazon and they were all in perfect condition. They seemed brand new! Don’t be afraid to make purchases at Amazon, they have great customer service.
Every gardener is always looking for new nutrients to try. If you prefer real natural fertilizer, Annie Haven’s Moo Poo is for you. Moo Poo is an all natural soil conditioner made from life stock manure. It is also known as manure tea.
The Moo Poo comes in tea bag sized pouches that you let seep into water for a few days before use. It is a really simple process for some really strong organics.
One tea bag can make as much as 5 gallons of nutrients. If you are using a hydroponics system, I suggest using one tea bag for 10 gallons or more. You can really make these go a long way.
The natural tea is perfect for all kinds of plants. You can use it indoors or outdoors. It is good for container gardens, outdoor gardens, and even hydroponics.
Hydroponic gardeners will be able to get 90+ gallons of fertilizer out of the 9 pack which is only $22. Thats the same price you are paying for nutrients now.
There are three types of manure tea from the ManureTea.com shop. You can choose from horse or cow manure for your vegetable garden. There is also an alfalfa mix for roses.
When I saw people were searching for this on Google, I just had to write a post about it. Below is an excerpt from Suite 101 about Early Research on Plant Growth and Music.
Early Research on Music and Plants
Dorothy Retallack, a researcher at the Colorado Woman’s College in Denver, published her work on music and plants in 1973 in the book The Sound of Music and Plants. In one experiment, Retallack found that plants thrived when she played a tone intermittently, but died when she played the same tone constantly. In another experiment, she found that plants grew better when she played “soothing” music on the radio, whereas rock music affected plant growth negatively.
Another of Retallack’s experiments sought to discover what kind of classical music plants liked best, finding that plants exposed to North Indian classical music leaned towards the speakers, while plants exposed to the modern, dischordant classical music of composers such as Schoenberg leaned away from the speakers — but not nearly as much as the plants exposed to harsh rock music.
Isn’t that interesting? I didn’t find the study report, just the reporter’s view on it, but nonetheless, its interested to hear a scientist make claims like this.
What do you think?
You could try your own experiment or research more about the topic. I figured it would be insignificant gains at best, but anything is worth a shot! Here is a link to a experiment you can do yourself.
Leave your results and thoughts in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
Are you preparing for your Spring Garden? Do you know when to start your seeds or is that why you’re here? Its a common question/anticipation between gardeners everywhere. When should I start my seeds?
You can closely watch your weather forecasts and plan the frost dates of your zone, but it takes a lot of time. Time that a lot of you don’t have. I’ve found an easy solution to the age old Spring Garden planning dilemma.
GrowVeg.com is a Garden Planning service. You sign up for an account(Free 30 Day Trial) and plan out your garden. You can choose the type of plants you are growing and set up automatic reminders for yourself.
GrowVeg.com Client Area
Why Should You Care?
You can plan out the varieties of plants you want so you don’t forget any. GrowVeg also allows you to setup automatic reminders, so you can plant varieties on the exact days you want. GrowVeg will adapt to your zone and tell you when to plant your seeds. You will get a reminder saying when its time to start seeds.
GrowVeg also remembers your garden for next year. You won’t have to replan your garden. When Spring time comes around, planning your garden will be a piece of cake.
Pura Vida is a pretty well known brand of hydroponic nutrients, and has been tried by a lot of different gardeners. Pura Vida hydroponic nutrients are great for indoor gardening because they come in liquid format. You measure out the desired amount of nutrients, and pour them into a gallon of water. After mixing the nutrient solution, it is ready for use.
You apply Pura Vida nutrient solutions with normal irrigation. The best time for feeding is usually in the morning, when the plant is just starting its metabolic processes for the day.
Note: The Pura Vida Organic Solution was OMRI Certified Organic. The Pura Vida Grow was not organic. The plants did not seem to notice the transition.
The first things you need to know about the Pura Vida combo is there are micro nutrients built in. It is a two part solution, but only one part per phase. One part per phase is talking about the growing phase of the plant, Grow or Bloom.
You only need to use the grow for the first part of their life. You only need to use Bloom for the second part of their life.
If you are new to hydroponics, I recommend starting with that type of simplicity. You are making up for the simplicity with the quality of nutrients.
Advanced Gardener’s Box: There are instructions for an aggressive two part formula on the back labels of these bottles. The PPM of the nutrient solution is MUCH higher than the one part formulas. Only experienced gardeners should attempt the aggressive formula once you know how to grow your particular variety of plant. It is very easy to salt lock your plants with this aggressive formula. You need to do frequent water changes to ensure balanced PH.
The Negatives:
I tested the nutrients in a large variety of hydroponics systems including three different drip systems. On the drip systems that used drip emitters, about 1 in 10 drip emitters would clog from the organic material. One way to defeat those clogs is to mesh out the chunks of fertilizer before you pour it in your reservoir. There are also pre-filter systems that can catch some of those pieces.
In open-ended 1/4 inch tube drip systems, with no drip emitter, the nutrients worked beautifully. The key to success with the open-ended tube system is to lower the ppm of your nutrient solution while buffing the number of regular feeding times as the plant grows and expands it’s root system.
The open 1/4 inch tube allows the root systems to get optimal amounts of aerated water. Use an aeration stone in your reservoir so the nutrient solution stays oxygenated and moving. The open ended 1/4 inch tube allows the water to connect with more air molecules before landing in the plant container. This system works for hydroponics, soil-less, and even soil growing methods. Talk about versatility.
Overall
Consider trying these nutrients if you have never used them. The bottles cost a little more than the lower end hydroponic nutrients, but thats for a reason. Do not under estimate the strength of these nutrients. Make sure to lower the ppm of your nutrient solution so you do not get salt locked plants. These nutrients can go up to three weeks with no water change in a 15gallon + reservoir. However, you should monitor your PPM for optimal conditions. Water changes every 12-14 days with a standard plain water rinse out is typical.
Look for the OMRI Certified bottles at your local hydro shop or you can order them online.
Bubbleponic cloning systems are an easy to build solution to weak and limpy clones. The entire system will not cost you very much. If you use neorepene discs, like the E-Z Clone uses, you will have an efficient cloning system that uses no growth medium. The aeroponic cloner you will have after this guide can root clones in as little as 7 days with an organic rooting gel like Earth Juice Earthstock. There are plenty of other types of rooting gels and powders. Clonex and Olivia’s are two other gels that work well.
Example
Check out this Pre-Assembled Aeroponic Cloning System
Supply List
-Storage Tote
-Neorepene EZ Clone Discs
-Air Pump
-Air Tubing
-Air Stones
-Power Drill w/ drill bit that is the same size as your discs.
Light Proof Your Tote
If you bought a light proof tote, you can skip this step. If it is clear or semi clear you need to wrap it in a reflective material. You can use Christmas wrapping paper if you do not have access to something else. You just want to make sure no light comes in through the walls of your tote. The storage tote will be the water reservoir for your cloning system.
Use HDPE Food Grade plastics for your storage tote if you plan on cloning consumable plants like fruits or veggies. Food grade plastics ensure the safety of you and your family. If the cloning system is only for flowers, there is no risk since you will not ingest the chemicals.
Words from the wise: Use your AzaMax applications carefully! The best way to spray your garden with this organic pest control is lightly! Azamax is Strong not harsh.
Step 1: Read over the AzaMax instructions. The bottle came with a little chart detailing the volume needed to obtain different strength solutions.
Step 2: Stay on the lower end of the chart when making your solutions. Remember – you can always spray the solution a few different times to ensure the plant is covered.
Step 3: Fill up a beaker or your spray bottle with water. You want to use something with liquid measurement so you can easily calculate how much Azamax to add. You will notice the Azamax has a self measuring compartment. Squeeze the bottle to get Azamax into the measurement area. Use enough liquid to require 2 -4 ml of Azamax so it is easy to measure.
Step 4: Mix the Azamax with the water to form your solution. Shake the bottle vigorously to completely mix the solution. This should only take about 10-15 seconds.
Step 5: As you spray your plants continue to gently shake your bottle. Continuous shaking will ensure the solution stays mixed throughout the spraying process.
Step 6: Spray the Azamax about 6- 8 inches from the plant depending on the power of your sprayer. The large hand pump sprays should use more distance to avoid plant damage.
Step 7: Spray directly on any pest sites or spider mite eggs. Spray the under sides of the leaves and the top of the soil or growth medium. Spraying the medium will kill hatching eggs nested away from light.
Use the Precipitator 360to get the undersides of the leaves easily.
It takes about 7-10 days for every insect to die off. You can spray again safely the seventh day. If you have a really bad infestation, you could try spraying every four or five days. If you do not have time for as many applications, try using a slightly stronger solution. Large quantities of any type of spray will affect the taste of your final product. Let us know how you use Azamax or any other Pest Control option in the comments below!
Get General Hydroponics AzaMax at Amazon today to protect your indoor garden investment. You can also read customer reviews here.
The key to keeping mother plants small lies in taking strong cuttings. Strong cuttings will root fast and grow into large plants of higher quality. Weak clones are susceptible to disease and bug infestation. Cloning is very rough on the mother and fresh cutting. Avoid taking too many clones from one mother plant in one day. When mother plants lose a lot of their vegetative growth, they can become weak. A weak mother plant can only provide weak clones(a problem you are already trying to avoid).
Follow these step by step instructions to ensure you have a successful cloning system.
The mother plant could produce 4 or 5 fresh cuttings at this point.
First identify the best part of the plant to clone. This can vary a little depending on the type of plant. For the most part you want to have a long enough stem to fit through your growth medium. Use a razor blade or trimmers to cut a clone at a 45 degree angle. Cut at a node where another branch will grow out. The old stem will appear to split into two new stems. Those two stems can turn into two strong clones or one very strong clone. You have the power to decide.
The line is exactly where you should cut your clone. Below the line the new growth is sprouting out.
Once you have cut the clone from the main stem, you want to cut off any large leaves because they will drain the cutting of its moisture. Do not fear, the leaves will grow back. The bottom 6-8 inches of the steam should be completely clear of leaves.
Dip the end of the stem in your favorite Cloning Gel. I prefer Earth Juice for organic applications and Clonex for flower types.
Next put the cutting into its own growth medium to be put into your cloning system. The growth medium could be a rockwool cube, a net pot of hydroton, or a neorepene disc. After a few hours if you notice your clones are sagging or wilting, gently mist them with plain water. DO NOT OVER DO IT. You want the plant to feel the need to grow roots to find water and nutrients. Good Luck Gardeners! Feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions.
to get the undersides of the leaves easily.
