Plant Gardens 101

There are few things worse for a gardener than to step into your garden and see burnt tips, yellowing, and curled edges on your leaves. These are all signs that your plants are not getting the appropriate amount of the nutrients that they need to thrive. Plant deficiency can strike even when your nutrient solution is well balanced because some factors may be preventing sufficient uptake.

If you are a truly a passionate gardener, then you are often concerned about the welfare of your plants. You see, professional gardeners care for their plants like do their children or pets. They want to see them happy, grow to their potential and never want to see them hurt or sick. Now I’m not saying that children and plants need the same amount of attention; anyone who has raised two kids knows that. But plants do however need their own brand of nurturing. (more…)

Cloning is the process of making an identical copy of something. In plant propagation, cloning is a way to asexually reproduce a plant. Plants produced in this way are genetically identical to the parent plant. Plant cells exhibit a trait known as totipotency, meaning they all have the ability to divide and make another plant.

Many people choose to clone because it can actually create a new plant faster than seed propagation. Others choose to clone in order to make copies of genetically superior plants. It is not uncommon for an experienced hydroponic gardener to have his grow room be mostly filled with clones of a single original plant.

In hydroponics, the most common method of plant cloning is making a cutting. This simply involves cutting off a part of the “parent plant” and planting it in the medium. Since each cell in a plant has the ability to grow every part necessary for the plant’s survival, this will create an entirely new plant if done properly. (more…)

Hydroponic greenhouses provide an inorganic method of raising plants. Most plants that are hydroponically raised must be treated with proper care in controlled conditions. The use of gravel is common on this kind of greenhouses where the gravel supports the roots of the plants because no soil is used in raising the plants. It also balances the assorted nutrients that feed the plants in the form of liquid.

Those large commercially oriented greenhouse have automated ways to refine and propagate seeds. All the things needed to grow the seeds are all set with automated care and maintenance. There are sensitive sensors on the gravel that automatically turns on the pumps that contains water or other chemical solutions that are applied on the seeds.

Using hydroponic greenhouses gives a gardener the advantage of increasing the crop amount yielded in a single harvest. In normal agriculture, he may only produce the regular crop harvest. He may double or triple the crop production by applying the methods in hydroponic gardening. It should create big success in his greenhouse by using chemical fertilizers rather than the usual potting soil or organic fertilizers. (more…)

Indoor gardening is one of the most relaxing hobbies you can pick up. No indoor garden is complete without its good and efficient grow light systems . Often times, the quality of the light bulb and light movers is the different between an average garden and one which is thriving.

There are a number of different grow light systems you can choose from. Incandescent, fluorescent and high-intensity discharge bulbs each have their very own benefits. Your choice of light systems and grow light movers is ultimately determined by the type of plants you are growing and where your indoor garden is located.

Incandescent Bulbs – You’ll quickly recognize incandescent bulbs since most household bulbs are this type. They are a decent source of red light, but a poor source for blue. When combined with the use of good grow light movers, they are capable of producing some heat in relation to the amount of light they give off. However, the plants can be burned if they are placed to close to the bulb even with a grow light mover. (more…)

When shopping around for nutrients for your hydroponic system, you have probably noticed that there are two general options: organic and non organic. Assuming that these nutrient blends are well balanced and come from a reputable hydroponics supply company, they can provide your plants with what they need to grow and thrive well. So why do so many opt for the organic solutions over the synthetic solutions? And why does it seem that organic growing increases in popularity with each passing year? There are several reasons really why people go organic.

Higher Nutrient Levels – Some evidence exists that organic plants grown organically are healthier for you than those grown through more modern conventional methods. Using only organic plant nutrients makes each piece of food denser in dry matter, meaning that there is more food and less water. When you do not use chemical pesticides, it also forces the plant to rely more on its own natural defenses. This means that they naturally produce more of the antioxidants that make fruits and vegetables so healthy for people. (more…)

Hydroponics has been a breakthrough in agricultural science such that the such of the system has significantly increased food production. However, hydroponics is not only used for commercial production, hydroponics can aslo be used in ordinary gardening. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about hydroponics in home gardening.

Q. What is hydroponics?
A. Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil. The plants thrive on the nutrient solution. The medium merely acts as support for the plants and their root systems, and perhaps to hold moisture around the roots.

Q. Isn’t hydroponics gardening complicated?
A. At first you might get confused of the pre-requisites in doing hydroponics indoors. But once you get used to the routine, it will be as easy as a snap of your finger. (more…)

Hydroponics is the perfect solution for the gardener in all of us and the best solution for indoor gardening. Hydroponics means soil-less gardening and it allows growing healthy plants and vegetables without getting your hands dirty from soil. I’ve recently begun to grow all of my herbs and vegetables using hydroponics nutrients and organic gardening supplies. We’ve noticed a change in our health for the better already, too.

Hydroponics is not new 21st century way of organic gardening nor is it new technology. Actually, the use of hydroponics nutrients has been used for years on commercial farms. It’s only over the past few years that hydroponics has taken off as a form of indoor gardening. There is nothing stopping you from buying an indoor hydroponic kits and getting started today. (more…)

Hydroponic gardening might seem very scientific and difficult but, in fact, it is as simple – and maybe even easier – as regular gardening. They both have many elements in common that being the need for light, humidity, water and nutrients.

Hydroponic gardening, however, uses no soil. A soil substitute is used to hold the roots and the nutrients are carried by the water. You can do hydroponic gardening indoors and plants do respond well and thrive with this type of system.

One vital consideration in hydroponic gardening is the nutrient solution. The solution must maintain a pH level of 5 to 6 after it is diluted. In hydroponics gardening, the plants need to be watered more than three times a day which is typically done automatically using a pump and timer. (more…)

B’Cuzz Company offers a full line of exceptional hydroponic nutrients for you to use with your indoor gardening plants. This includes the popular Bloombastic plant nutrient and stimulant for exceptional growth. b’ cuzz also offers a host of other hydroponic nutrient solutions for you to try.

Bloombastic was formulated to provide the time-released nutrients your plants need for every stage of growth, from seedling through to maturity. If you wish to achieve the quickest growth that produces the nicest flowers and best-tasting fruit, then Bloombastic is a great choice in hydroponic nutrient for your indoor plants.

The company also offers Bloom Stimulant. This is a type of nutrient that will enhance your plants’ flower cell production and also allows for more efficient transport of sugar molecules to the flower itself, leading to beautiful flowers and superb-tasting, sweet fruit produced by the flowers on your plants. (more…)

Soil-less

You see fish nibbling on plants in an aquarium, and seaweeds in the ocean, and you observe—these plants can grow without soil. You call this technology, hydroponics. Hydroponics is also called soil-less gardening, soil-less culture, chemiculture, and water gardening.

Taken from two Greek words—“water” and “work”, hydroponics simply means growing plants without soil. Hydroponics system is used to grow plants without soil in water to which nutrients have been added. Thanks to the people who conducted experiments on the feasibility for growing commercial crops using the hydroponic system in the early 1900s—a century before that, hydroponics was just used as a research technique. (more…)

Hydroponic gardening is not just for professional cultivators anymore, although these professionals depend on hydroponic kits for indoor setups it is also a great way for beginners in indoor gardening. The hydroponic kits these days are build with plug and play features which makes them also suited for the beginners. Most manufacturers build there systems with specific features and we will take a closer look at them in this article.

Oxygen and Nutrients

Without Oxygen and the proper nutrients plants will not grow healthy, and that is why most manufacturers have accommodated their hydroponic kits with highly oxygenated nutrient solutions. They even use, in some cases, large sized aerator stones. These highly oxygenated solutions helps the roots and the plants to grow healthily and vigorously. The healthy growth is specifically influenced by the high content of oxygen in the nutrients. (more…)

As in any business there are good hydroponic stores as well as bad ones. And what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’? It’s mostly a personal matter – are your needs being met?

Over the years I have ordered from several online stores and have mostly had a good experience although there are one or two I will never deal with again.

Consider this: you personally call a store to request a catalog. The store employee is curt and gives forth an attitude that you are a bother. During the short conversation you mention you know nothing about hydroponics but find it interesting and you hear a sarcastic laugh over the phone…

Is this a store you wish to deal with? It’s not for me – and this situation really happened to me. (more…)

Xeriscape (pronounced “zera-scape”) gardening is a water efficient method of gardening. While the term Xeriscape gardening can sound intimidating to some, it is actually a simple method of gardening that can be used for many different types of gardening. Rather than replacing the way you currently do your gardening, think of Xeriscape gardening as an additional technique that will make your water usage more “green” by using less to grow more.

Using the principles of Xeriscape gardening will allow you to plant and maintain your annuals, perennials, vegetables and trees in the most water-wise manner possible. Now, you will not have to use as much water for the same numbers of plants that you would like to grow in you garden or lawn area.
With as much as 25% of our water supply being used to maintain lawns and gardens, it is becoming increasingly important to learn to plant wisely, taking into account the type of soil you have, the sun exposure needs of your plants and the water needs of your plants. (more…)

The use of grow lights to maximize plants growth stages, maximizing size and quality, is a science. To get it right requires following each plant’s delicate needs from proper lighting to nutrients and air quality.

If growing plants indoors is something that interests you, then you’ll most likely need grow lights to help accomplish the job. A grow light provides the special lighting and light spectrum that plants need to grow and thrive, and there are two types of lights that accomplish this: high intensity discharge lights, and fluorescent lights. High intensity discharge grow lights come in two varieties — the metal halide grow light (often referred to as MH), and the high pressure sodium grow light (often referred to as HPS). The metal halide light is designed to nurture plants during their growing cycle. The growing cycle applies to pants that are non-fruiting and/or non-blooming. (more…)

If you have heard of hydroponics or other methods of growing plants without soil and want to try it out at home, you can. Hydroponics is easy to care for and set-up at home. There are materials you can buy or some you may be able to find around the house.

The dirt or soil that you use to grow plants in a traditional method is substituted for a growing medium (full of nutrients the plant needs to grow) in hydroponics gardening. The growing medium is fed directly to the roots by method of a drip-feeder. The system can be automated and the gardener can control how many drips the roots receive in a specified time frame. The more of the growing medium the faster the plants grow.

Since the system can be automated, the amount of time and energy that is required to maintain a hydroponics garden is less than with a traditional garden. As long as enough water is present and growing medium the plants can be left unattended for a longer period of time. (more…)

If you are looking for a versatile nutrient booster that will help your plants achieve more flowers and ripened fruit with a speed not normally seen, Bloombastic could be the nutrient for you. Produced by the B’Cuzz Company, Bloombastic, also known as Atami Bloombastic, is a wonderful nutrient additive that can be used in hydroponics, aeroponics or in traditional soil gardening.

If you are a commercial grower, you know that the sooner you can get a plant from seed to fully mature plant, the quicker you will realize a profit. Even if you are a home gardener, you look forward with fervent hope to the day your plants are mature and in full fig. (more…)

Indoor gardens can be tricky when figuring out the correct lighting cycle to ensure your plants lasting happiness and prosperity.

Grow lights are electric lamps that are designed to encourage healthy plant growth by emitting electromagnetic radiation that provides the right conditions for the plant to undergo photosynthesis. This emitted light spectrum is much like that which comes from the sun, except that because it comes from a light, the plant does not need natural sunlight or even to be outdoors in order to benefit from it. Did you know that the lighting that comes from natural daylight has a high color temperature that makes the light appear bluish? Grow lights can replicate this same 6000°K lighting, so the plant grows and matures much like it would if it were outdoors and soaking up the full benefit of natural sunlight.

However, grow lights do not only emit a bluish cast of light. There are different light spectrums that are needed for different stages of growth in a plant. The plant in its initial vegetative state requires blue, but the flowering stage that occurs later on needs red and orange spectrums. Grow lights are available in colors all throughout the plant growth spectrum, and some specialty bulbs will be able to cover the entire spectrum. (more…)

An indoor herb garden grown by an aeroponic system is a rewarding experience for those looking to not only begin a wonderful new hobby but also craving fresh herbs to serve friends and family. You may not realize it but growing plants and herbs through aeroponic hydroponics offer a great deal of benefits. Aeroponic kits produce great tasting herbs that bring out mouth watering flavors of your cooking and also produce herbs with medicinal value, as well.

Aeroponic gardening is still relatively new and not many people are aware of it and its many benefits. One thing people do agree on is that once they learn more about it, they all agree it is an interesting process for growing plants without soil. An aeroponic system uses the environment to grow its plants. (more…)

Growing and caring for orchids is a very pleasurable experience for any enthusiast. There is however an alternative to growing orchids the traditional way and that is with hydroponics. Hydroponics allows you to grow crops and plants without soil or compost as the roots of the plants are placed in a mineral nutrient solution.

The Babylonians and Aztecs cultures grew plants without soil so technically they were using a form of hydroponics. Our technology and scientific knowledge has improved dramatically since the times of the Babylonians and Aztecs as well as our understanding of the benefits

In their natural environment, plants absorb mineral nutrients from soil when these nutrients dissolve in water. The level of our understanding of the required nutrients has enabled us to artificially introduce them into the plants water supply and as a result the soil is no longer required.

Please be aware that there is a difference between hydroponics and a soilless culture. Hydroponics is a type of soilless culture but other soilless cultures include sand and gravel.

There are many advantages using hydroponics which can be applied to the care of orchids.

• No soil – It should be obvious that you don’t need to purchase any soil. No soil means that soil borne diseases are no longer an issue which reduces the need for pesticides.

• No weeding required

• Watering – It is very difficult to under water an orchid but over watering is a very common problem. Hydroponics removes this headache and at the same time saves water.

• Space – Less space is required with hydroponics.

• Light – More of the plant is exposed to sunlight. Also, as more of the plant is exposed it is possible to see the roots so identification on any problems is easier.

• It’s easy – The system is very easy to set up and once set up it requires very little maintenance.

• Growth – The orchid is given the correct nutrients in the correct quantities which means more beautiful and healthy orchids can be grown.

There are obviously many advantages which hydroponics provides. It won’t however solve all the problems faced by the orchid enthusiast. Greater flower yield isn’t always guaranteed and the costs can sometimes be higher than when grown in soil.

Orchid enthusiasts should make an effort to at grow at least a few orchids using this method. They will be surprised at the ease of using hydroponics and it will only increase their knowledge and experience in the care of orchids.

Nigel owns OrchidCareExpert, a website which contains lots of useful information if you wish to know more about orchid care

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The phrase “working water” is also used to refer to hydroponic gardening. This is a correct reference because in hydroponic gardening, the water does almost all of the work to get the plants the nutrients that they need. Hydroponic gardening refers to the act of growing plants without traditional soil, but it generally uses another form of growing medium that is more successful and produces higher yields. Typically, the plant’s roots are hanged in the solution so it gets maximum nutrients and oxygen. With a proper hydroponics grow system, you can be assured that you will not soon go back to traditional gardening.

Many indoor gardeners employ the Ebb and Flow method (also known as the Flood and Drain method). With this hydroponic gardening system, a submersed pump floods the grow tray with a nutrient rich solution at regular intervals. A mechanism monitors the surrounding environment to help determine the amount of nutrients to provide to the plants for optimum growth. With this hydroponics grow system, gardeners can use a variety of different growing mediums. Gravel and Grow rocks are also helpful when placed in the bottom of the grow tray to help the plants get the nutrients provided by the solution. Or, for smaller plants, gardeners may choose to use individual pots that they can easily move around if needed. Beware of power outages, though. Since some equipment runs on electricity, a power outage can cause the roots to dry out quickly. (more…)