Organic

Anything organic must contain carbon. All living things contain this ingredient. To say that an organic input must come from a living thing is not entirely true. Glacial rock dust and Greensand are classic examples of minerals that are considered organic because there is no treatment to the mineral beyond its collection. But generally speaking, if it comes from something living, there is a good chance it is considered organic.

Mineral

Mineral based plant nutrients are just that, nutrients derived from minerals, and by definition they are considered “inorganic”. Through an energy rich process, there are a number of minerals that can be mined and then treated to create a multitude of mineral based plant nutrients. These mined mineral rich rocks are treated with heat or possibly with chemicals or any process to specifically separate the target mineral or minerals from other unwanted minerals that may be attached. Some people call mineral based nutrients “synthetic” since it’s so energy intensive or because the extraction may require a chemical process to break down to the minerals may leave some impurities.

This mineral based type of plant food represents the many advancements in science and technology, and is the primary type of plant food used in many hydroponic systems trying to grow organically. By nature, a mineral based plant nutrient is preferred because it is soluble in water, buffered accordingly, and in an available form for the plants to consume. Essentially, what this means is that a mineral nutrient program would be preferred in a hydroponic system because of the ease it interacts with water; as opposed to its organic counterparts which often times take much agitation to dissolve and are still less available to the plant in the form of plant food. Organic products need to break down at the root zone before they are completely available to the plant, but that is another topic entirely.

Organic vs Mineral

It seems the general consensus is that an organic garden is preferred for a number of reasons, Typically, superior taste, a certainty of a non-GMO product. Growing organic also fulfills the general desire to be a good steward of the land which is amongst the biggest motivators towards cultivating an organic garden. And while these merits can be debated ad infinitum, it is true say that an organic garden should have a smaller carbon footprint than its inorganic counterpart. This can be true when using mineral based nutrients, as long as you are sourcing your materials locally. If your inputs have to be mined from the other side of the world, ferried many miles on a large barge, to then be broken down, and packaged for distribution and sale… well, some might argue the carbon footprint of locally sourced and produced mineral nutrients would have a smaller carbon footprint…but I am sure we can argue that one for days as well.

Backyard soil and container gardening traditionally followed an organic path, using nutrient rich materials from the farm to grow the garden. It has only been the last 50 years or so with the advent of the Green Revolution, an agricultural practice that focused on increasing calories per acre, that has seen a mass adaptation to mineral based gardening practices. There is no question that the overuse of mineral based nutrients and inorganic inputs has played a significant role in the degradation of our fertile lands, and that while there are organic practices that wreak the same kind of havoc, there are also organic practices that can help to reverse some of these negative trends. Also, while organic practices can help to rebuild the disappearing soil communities, mineral based nutrients are the most apt solution for fueling the emerging technologies of hydroponic food production. As with anything, the misappropriate use, is what ultimately causes the problem. Whether organic or mineral based, the end result could very well be the same.

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Growing summer crops indoors under artificial plant lights is expensive. You’re essentially trying to replicate the sun’s intensity during the June, July, and August months, indoors. Until LEDs came to the retail garden market the only way to reproduce that intense light was with a power hungry HPS or MH light. So saving energy has always been of interest to anyone using a grow light. When electronic ballasts first entered the market about 8 years ago they were able to produce more light while using the same wattage as the magnetic ballasts which dominated the grow ballast market at the time. Light output, and therefore growth and overall yield, increased anywhere from 10-30% when using the new electronic (digital) ballast. Nowadays, electronic ballasts have taken over the grow ballast market while magnetic ballasts collect dust on the shelves. So it begs to question, if an LED that uses 650 watts can produce as well as a 1000 watt HPS, as many LED manufacturers claim, why aren’t they taking over the grow light market the way digital ballasts did 8 years ago? Why aren’t they the light of choice for most indoor gardeners?

Personally, I’ve have good success starting seeds and rooting cuttings under a 45 watt LED panel that utilized simple low wattage blue and red diodes. I’ve also grown young plants up to about 10” in height under the same 45w panels. Growth was always adequate and comparable to that of a T5 fluorescent. But my own experience with LEDs was limited and I’ve never used a high powered LED grow light so I needed to find another grower who had actually done some full cycles using an LED light.

I looked up my old friend Doc because I remembered he had been doing some tests with LED Grow Lights. I interviewed Doc because I knew he would give me honest feedback and he was a very experienced gardener. Like myself, Doc was very interested in the concept of using LED grow lights and was hoping for the best when conducting his tests. In the last 12 months he said he was able to do 3 separate tests using LED Grow Lights. Here are his findings.

Test 1

Materials:

1. LED total power consumption: 650 watts
2.  Diodes: Red, blue, and white 3 watt diodes
3.  Media: Organic potting soil in 3 gallon plastic pots. Drip system.
4.  Nutrient: Popular 100% organic nutrient
5. Grow area size: 3’10” x 3’10”

In the first test Doc used an LED grow light that used 3 watt diodes and approximately 650 watts of total power. He also used 3 gallon buckets of quality potting soil with a drip system and a premium 100% organic nutrient.

Results: This test was never finished. There was a problem with the soil not drying out fast enough between feedings which Doc believes led to weak growth. Possible complications may have been the lack of heat from the LED light. This was something very new for Doc who like most indoor gardeners have only grown with T5 fluorescent and MH or HPS grow lights. Doc noticed how much his grow room relied upon the heat from his HPS lamps to bring his room up to optimal temperatures. During the test his grow room stayed around 60-65 degrees when his lights were on. Not only is this too cold for proper fruiting and flowering of most summer crops but it also didn’t allow his potting soil to dry out fast enough leaving his root systems water logged and starving for oxygen. About 2 months into the grow Doc decided to start over.

Conclusion: Inconclusive.

Test 2

Materials:

1. LED total power consumption: 650 watts
2. Diodes: Red, blue, and white 3 watt diodes
3. Media/Water: Hydroton in 1 gallon fabric pots. Ebb and flow.
4. Nutrient: Popular 2-part hydroponic nutrient
5. Grow area size: 3’10” x 3’10”

Using the same 650 watt LED grow light Doc switched from soil to hydroponics to have more control over the watering. He used 1 gallon fabric pots with hydroton grow rocks in an ebb and flow hydroponic system. He also added heat to bring the temperatures to a more comfortable 75-80 degrees when the lights were on.

Results: This test run was much better than the first and strengthened his theory that lack of heat was the main culprit his first time around. Health was good and bugs and or disease was non-existent. Keep in mind Doc is an expert grower and expert growers know how to keep a grow room healthy and free from bugs or disease. Yield was not as good as Doc would have hoped. While overall quality was consistent with plants grown under an HID light, Doc’s yield for his 650 watt LED grow light were closer to or slightly better than what you would expect from a 400 HPS light using a full spectrum HID bulb.

Conclusion: Fail. Yields were okay but we didn’t get a better yield to watt ratio than an HID grow light. There was also an extra energy cost to run the supplemental heat.

Test 3

Materials:

1. LED total power consumption: 650 watts
2. Diodes: Red, blue, orange, and white 5 watt diodes
3. Media/Water: Organic potting soil in 3 gallon plastic pots. Drip system.
4. Nutrient: Popular 100% organic nutrient
5. Grow area size: 3’10” x 3’10”

For his third test Doc switched lights and decided to use an LED grow light that used 5 watt diodes which are much brighter than the 3 watt diodes. This light also included orange diodes which the previous light did not. He went back to using an organic potting soil in 3 gallon pots and the same 100% organic nutrient he had used in test 1.

Results: The 5 watt diodes gave off more heat than the 3 watt diodes helping to maintain a more comfortable ambient temperature for the plants. Growth and yield came out equal to the growth and yields he would expect from a digital 600w HPS grow light (which actually consumes around 640-650 watts of power per hour). This improvement led Doc to conclude that the higher powered electrode equalled a higher overall yield. Ambient temperatures were about the same as in test 2 since a heater was used in that test to raise temperatures closer to an optimal range. Supplemental heat was not necessary in test 3.

Conclusion: Fail.The goal of these tests was to get a better yield to watt ratio than an HID grow light, a true test of efficiency, and that didn’t happen. I could possibly have given this last test a pass rating. In my opinion, equalling the yield of an HPS light is an impressive feat. But LED manufacturers constantly claim that LEDs are more efficient than an HPS and so I felt obligated to grade them based upon just that.

LED Test Synopsis

Doc’s results were very interesting. What stood out the most was the dramatic increase in yield when he switched from 3 watt diodes to 5 watt diodes. Using the same amount of power Doc was able to increase his yield by about 30-40% using the larger diodes. When comparing his yield per watt using the 650 watt LED with 5 watt diodes to that of the 600 watt HPS digital ballast (which uses 640 watts) he realized about a 1 to 1 ratio. So growth per watt was the same. This leads one to theorize that if an LED grow light were to come out with a diode that was larger than 5 watts, then the overall ratio of yield per watt could begin to turn in favor of the LED grow Light. What is unfortunate is that if you believe the sales pitch given by most manufacturers of LED grow lights then you probably believe that you are going to get a much higher ratio and this just isn’t the case. In other words, at least in our tests, an LED using 650 watts of power does not equal a 1000 watt grow light. From what I’ve read online it seems that Doc’s results were closer to those experienced by independent bloggers.

What Makes a Good LED Light?

As technology improves so will these test results. LEDs are hot. Residential, commercial, automotive, televisions, anything that uses a light source has recognized the energy value of an LED diode. And therefore there is a lot of money being poured into the technology and the gardening industry is no doubt going to benefit from that. So let’s look at a few things that need improved to create the ultimate LED grow light.

Spectrum

One one of the biggest hurdles LED grow lights have had to get over is the limited plant spectrum LED diodes offer compared to an HPS, Metal halide, or fluorescent grow light. HID and fluorescent grow bulbs can be designed to emit a specific spectrum that has been optimized for plant growth, and more specifically, different stages of plant growth. To date, LED lights are unable to combine all colors in the light spectrum in one single diode. Therefore in order to get a blend of colors, LED lights combine different color diodes to produce a specific spectrum that plants will respond to with healthier growth.

Now this is neither good nor bad. It just means the light spectrum that the grow light is producing is produced differently in an LED compared to a full spectrum HPS. It’s important to note the ability that an LED has to manipulate a specific color in the light spectrum to produce the maximum peak spectral output of a specific color in the light spectrum. The most notable color to mention is red which is a prefered color by plants during the blooming stages. Currently, HPS lights do not have the ability to provide the maximum spectral output of red light that a plant can use but an LED can. By maximizing that spectral output, you maximize the amount of light photosynthesized by the plant. Another advantage over HIDs that many higher end LEDs have is the ability to change the light spectrum using a dial or a set of switches. As technology improves I’d expect that the level of light spectrum manipulation will improve as well.

Light Intensity

Another big area of concern for gardeners thinking about growing under LEDs is the amount of light intensity that LED grow lights are able to provide. We saw obvious differences between the 3 watt and 5 watt diode in our tests with the 5 watt diode showing a much better ability to bloom summer crops that are used to the intense sunlight and warmth available during the summer months. While warmth can be artificially added to a grow room, light intensity is usually supplied by a Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium HID light. Even the best fluorescent grow lights will not grow fruits and flowers as big as an HID (high intensity discharge) light. So for now I have to give HID lights the advantage over LEDs when it comes to light intensity. Not only is this intense light necessary for fruiting and flowering plants to reach maximum growth but also for the ability of the light penetrate deeper into a plant canopy. This means that when growing taller plants, the more intense your light is, the more budding sites you will see growing vertically along the plants stems. And generally more flowering sites means bigger yields.

However it’s not all bad news for LEDs when it comes to intensity. Our final test showed that the current LED technology is capable of growing plants and producing harvests at least equal to that of an HID when comparing yield to watts. We also saw that when the diode size was increased, so was the growth. Therefore, it’s theoretically possible that when, not if, larger diodes are available, growth and yield could increase even more. Of course we don’t know how much more power will get used by these new larger diodes so for now we’ll just have to wait until they become available.

Heat

I wasn’t planning on adding heat as one of my points to talk about but after getting the feedback from our LED tester Doc I chose to include it. Why? Because even an experienced grower like Doc made a point to tell me, “I was really surprised how much I missed the heat that my HID lamps provided”. What this tells me is that LEDs can be a huge advantage to anyone battling heat in their grow room but could cause some problems for anyone growing indoors during cold weather or in cold damp areas like a basement. Moving forward I expect the heat output from an LED to increase as light intensity and diode size increases but once again we will have to wait and see. So depending on what LED light you choose, heat or the lack of will have to be dealt with by the grower to insure maximum plant yield.

The Future

The future is bright for LED lighting. I’m very excited to announce that one company I talked to recently will be coming out with a new LED in the next couple months that uses a higher powered diode than what is currently available! This new LED grow light will also include the ability to choose from 7 or 8 different Kelvin settings so that you can literally dial in the spectrum you want! Would you like to start your plants under a 6500 Kelvin spectrum of light for excellent vegetative growth, switch to 3000 Kelvin for your bloom stage and finish up the last 2 weeks with a 10,000 Kelvin spectrum? Sounds like it’s going to be possible. We will be sure to test this new light when it’s available so look for the follow up article in future newsletters. As soon as it is available to the public we will have it for sale at our eHydroponics online store. Cost is expected to be around $1500 and as always you’ll get the best price on it at eHydroponics.com, guaranteed.

I hope this article helps anyone interested in growing with LED lights. Just writing about it has been fun and exciting. There’s so much possibility when it comes to gardening with LEDs. Personally I believe there will be a day when growing with an LED light will be the norm and HID lights will be seen as archaic and inefficient. But for now I have to conclude that a full spectrum HPS lamp combined with an electronic ballast or supplementing an HID with an LED light is your best bet for the best possible quality and yields. Happy growing!

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Spring is here which means anyone with a garden is bound to do some type of transplanting.  A well executed transplant is one key to having a bountiful harvest.  Whether you garden in soil, soilless, or hydroponics, there are a few helpful hints that will make this transition nice and easy for you and your garden.  The number one goal when transplanting any full grown plant or newly rooted cutting or seedling is to reduce or eliminate “transplant shock”.  We define transplant shock as the negative effects on a plant that is being moved out of its environment, and into a completely new one.  Reducing that shock will make this process as smooth as possible resulting in faster healthier growth..

Transplanting is one of the hardest times of a plants life cycle so causing the least amount of disturbance to the root zone is a must.  The roots are very delicate and easily damaged.  One thing a gardener can do is use some form of mycorrhizal fungi like Xtreme Gardening’s Mycos or Great White from Plant Success.  Mycorrhizae is a beneficial root fungus which will help your plants roots re-establish themselves quicker and with more vigor.  Mycorrhizae works symbiotically with the plant’s root system to help deliver needed nutrients to the plant. What happens is the living fungi want to produce more roots so they can establish more colonies. So they break down nutrients to feed the root system which encourages root growth.  Mycorrhizae can be purchased in a granular or water soluble powder form.  The granular form is most popular due to it’s lower cost.  With the granular mycorrhizae you simply place a tablespoon or so in the transplant hole for larger plants or a teaspoon for cuttings or seedlings and place the root ball directly on top of it.  With the water soluble mycorrhizae you can water it in with the rest of your mix.  Check the label for recommended mixing amounts.

Another helpful supplement to use while transplanting is vitamin B-1. Vitamin B-1 was probably used by your grandparents and therefore is a little more well known than mycorrhizae. B1 acts as a stress reliever which is ideal to combat transplant shock. A couple popular products that utilize vitamin B-1 is Thrive Alive B-1 and Advanced nutrients No Shock.  While B-1 reduces shock during transplanting it does not encourage new root growth like a product containing mycorrhizae. Vitamin B-1 and mycorrhizae can be used together for extra protection against shock if you prefer.

One more thing to keep in mind in regards to transplanting is the difference in the previous home compared to their new home.  When transplanting indoors and moving from a weaker light source like a T5 fluorescent to a more intense light like a Metal Halide or HPS grow light, it is always best to to raise the new light at least 3 or 4 feet above the plants or place the plants on the outskirts of the lights to give the plants a few days to acclimate to the change in light intensity.  The same idea can be applied when moving plants from inside to outside after transplanting.  If you can, use a shade cloth or limited sun on some level to help the plants transition to their new home.  Hope this is helpful in your transplanting. Good luck and good growing!

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BIO·BLOOM

Bio·Bloom is food for flowers and is made up of the major elements of potassium and phosphorous. Potassium makes the petals and flower heads form and bloom. While phosphorous provides them with the food to produce and make the calyxes and petals in the first place – the building blocks so to speak.

The addition of potassium, particularly, into the feeding program informs the plant, along with the change in the daylight cycle, that it is time to reproduce. A flower does this like any other organism. It makes itself as appealing as possible to attract the opposite sex to fertilize it so it can make seeds; this is the purpose of a flower. Sometimes a seed or a fruit is not required in the flowering process and the pollination partners are kept separate. This confuses the plants somewhat. With the addition of the elements required for flowering it forces the flower to produce more and more pretty petals in order to announce its availability to a mate. So as a result we get fuller, bigger and more beautiful blooms.

BIO·GROW

When the first leaves appear, add Bio·Grow immediately and continue through flowering until the end of fruit production. A rich harvest of sweet fruit is obtained thanks to the natural sugars and potassium in Bio·Grow. Bio·Grow also creates a perfect balance of bacteria in the soil.

FISH MIX

The use of fish and fish by-products is an ancient agricultural practice goes as far back in time as about 4000 years ago. The Chinese were already using the fish residues and waste to fertilize their soil for growing vegetables.

In India it was customary to bury a whole fish below particularly special plants. Today, both the European continent and the rest of the world are becoming more familiar with this powerful fertilizer. Fish-Mix was created to continue this tradition.

ROOT JUICE

Root Juice was originally developed to accelerate the root growth of transplants in soil. However, Root-Juice™ has now become popular in North American deep water culture hydroponics (including bubbling buckets, and EZ Clone users), and with rockwool growers because of the explosive root growth associated with this product. It has also a found favorite with Bonsai gardeners in Japan and the USA who need strong roots developed from eco-friendly and organic sources.

ALG·A·MIC

Alg-A-Mic’s five-principal effect on plant growth:

1. Immune system: improves the plant’s ability to withstand certain levels of environmental stresses and reduce the attacks and flare-ups of sap-sucking insect pests on the plants.
2. Chlorophyll: provides greater maintenance of chlorophyll, leading to greener plants.
3. Microbes: serves as a source of food for beneficial and benign soil bacteria, resulting in a large increase in microbe numbers.
4. Nematodes: helps reduce nematode damage. This includes a reduction in hatching and a disorientation or simple ‘burn-out’ of immature nematodes , minimizing root penetration.
5. Frost initiates or speeds up the acclimatization process even when the plant is not subjected to cold stress. This allows plants to tolerate greater levels of cold, reducing the amount of damage.

TopMax

Top Max is a 100% organic flowering enhancer. Using Top·Max can help your garden with three important tasks. First, the nutrients in Top·Max can help increase the actual size and weight of clusters of flowers. Second, plants grown with Top·Max have a sweet, smooth taste in the finished products. Third, using Top·Max™ can help increase your plants uptake of nutrients.

BioHeaven

Bio Heaven is specially formulated plant energy booster, which contains hydrolyzed proteins. Hydrolyzed proteins are the basic building blocks for proteins and enzymes, which are essential for the plants structure and metabolism. These processes stimulated by BioHeaven enhance the availability of nutritionally important trace elements. These trace elements are a crucial component to increased yield since major nutrients like phosphorous and potassium quickly use up these trace elements during heavy growth periods.

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A common pest to most outdoor and greenhouse gardens are caterpillars. These are ravenous feeders that, when left unchecked, do lots damage. There are a few precautions that you can take that will defeat these quickly and safely.

First step is knowing what to look for to identify caterpillar activity. One sure way to tell is when you see your flowers partially eaten and small black specks are left around the area. Those are the droppings of the caterpillar and you might notice the droppings before the damage. They are slightly larger than a grain of sand but smaller than a BB.

Caterpillars mostly come out in the evening and mornings. If you happen to be in your garden at those times you might spot them and remove them by hand. One of the worst things that they can do is nibble down to the stem of the plant and cause damage to the stem itself. This can cause everything from that point up to die and rot on the plant (bud rot) and it’s not pretty. One particularly bothersome caterpillar is the Tobacco (Geranium) Budworm. This worm will find a bud that is about to flower then cut a hole just big enough to let itself in and eat out the budding flower before it opens. Leaving you with hollow flower buds that never open.

Luckily Mother Nature has supplied us with a remedy. (BT) Bacillus Thuringiensis. This is a soil borne bacterium that only affects caterpillars and is the main ingredient in Caterpillar Killer from Safer. By recognizing the presence of caterpillars early, and spraying with BT, you’ll avoid larger problems down the line and enjoy more of the flowers you painstakingly grew. All without harming beneficial insects or turning your plants into poison. It works quickly and keeps working for about 2 weeks.

Safer Caterpillar Killer

Caterpillar Killer from Safer is what I’ve used for over 20 years to protect my flowers from budworms in the summer months, and I’m still using it today. If you’re seeing signs of budworms I highly suggest spraying some BT and getting them under control.

It is recommended that this product be applied late in the afternoon or on cloudy days since BT breaks down in the sunlight.

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DIY Hoop House Materials

Some folks with DIY skills might be apt to build their own hoop house with PVC or other building materials. Here is one example of many found on YouTube showing how easy it is to frame a small raised bed. Once a frame is built, materials like clear poly plastic are among the most commonly used. It is economical, semi-permanent and easy to work with. It comes in sizes as large as 100 ft rolls, with 20, 40, 60 foot lengths. It is easy to lay over a frame and can last multiple seasons. Tufflite IV is another plastic option that is a little more expensive, and a little more permanent. It is UV resistant and ultra-clear. This material will last up to four seasons, and is a definite upgrade from straight poly plastic. It comes in rolls as well. It can’t go without mentioning that the light transmission of this material is comparable to that of glass.

Breathable Fabric and Ground Cover

Agribon fabric

Another great hoop-cover that folks have been using is Agribon fabric. This fabric is a cloth-like, breathable fabric that allows air and light to pass through. One of its main uses is to temporarily protect row crops from frost. It allows light to get through, breathes, and helps to retain heat. Some folks use it as a ground cover to prevent weeds, as well as helping the ground to stay warm. This is another great way to protect plants from the cold. If you can keep the ground warm, the plant is more tolerant of the cold. By using black ground cover, heat can be trapped during the warmth of the day helping to protect the plant from the cold, all the while preventing weed seeds from germinating as well similar to the Agribon. If you don’t have a way to enclose your garden, using ground cover to keep the soil warm is your second best option. In extreme cold environments ground cover and elemental protection can be used together for maximum protection from the cold.

Economical Greenhouse Options

FlowerHouse Farmhouse

The next step up from hoop house style enclosure, would be a more traditional greenhouse style, made with poly plastic. Most of these new enclosures are designed to be easily set-up by one person. While there are a number of brands that have become available recently, the FlowerHouse Farmhouses has been the best option for our customers. These greenhouses can be put up by one person, and can fit just about anywhere. They are extremely economical. And while there are a number of sizing options, we are showcasing their 9 x 9 x 7 model, because it is extremely easy to work with, it is not obtrusive, and it has an all around great design. They have twelve vents and two zippered doors to keep your greenhouse cool. They are waterproof, modular, and can be attached ad infinitum.This is our first year using these these greenhouses, and we are off to a great start!

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Glass is expensive, heavy, fragile, and difficult to install. Single-pane glass is a terrible insulator, and can be very expensive to heat in the winter. Glass has a high light-transmission rate, but it also has the tendency to intensify the light on your canopy. It’s not uncommon for a blazingly bright day to kill plants in glass greenhouses, even in well-ventilated structures. While these houses might be ideal in the low-light environment of the Netherlands, there are better options in areas of the world where available-light isn’t an issue.

Hoop House

A lot of people don’t need a fully enclosed greenhouse. They are called hothouses for a reason, the midday summer temps can reach astronomically high ranges if not well-ventilated. Even with fans, providing proper ventilation in structures of this size can be difficult and expensive. People who are only growing through the spring, summer, and autumn seasons often choose to grow in hoop houses (sometimes called cold frames or poly-tunnels) because you can choose to leave your straight-walls (end walls) open for air movement. This can completely eliminate the need for ventilation, but still allows you to cover your plants. You can still get the benefits of diffused light, and shield plants from the wind and rain. Hoop-houses are far less expensive and easier to build than your standard greenhouse. And if you’re trying to force plants to flower by restricting their photoperiod, a hoop house can provide an inexpensive structure to drape blackout material over.

So which materials are the least expensive, easy to install, work with hoop houses, and have light-diffusing properties to avoid scorching your plants? The answers are poly-fabrics, poly-films, or Polycarbonate/Polyethylene walls. What’s the difference, and which works best for your application?

Transparent and translucent materials:

A greenhouse poly-film is a clear plastic, usually around 6 mil thick, that in regards to light has properties similar to glass. It lets in nearly 100% of the light, but does not diffuse the intensity. It’s also a poor insulator, but compared to glass costs pennies on the dollar. It’s lighter, and therefore less-cumbersome and easier to install. Poly-film is the least expensive of the options, but for just a little more you could get a light-diffusing woven poly-fabric.

A greenhouse poly-fabric has all of the positive properties of a poly-film, but also gives the benefit of strength and diffused light because it’s a woven material. Diffused light is helpful because it scatters the light in your greenhouse. It reduces the intensity on the top of your canopy, and allows the plants to fill out consistently even in the undergrowth. It’s not uncommon to see over 100’F temperatures but still have the plants perky and happy, because the canopy and soil temperatures are spared from the direct intensity of the sunlight. The idea is to deflect as much of the harsh UV light from hitting the top of your plants, while still allowing the beneficial PAR light (Photosynthetically Available Radiation) all around. A poly-fabric is also significantly stronger than a film. They are impact and tear resistant, ideal for situations where you may have to pull your material on/off your greenhouse. Woven poly-fabrics are also completely waterproof, so rain and wind aren’t a problem.

Solexx Pannel

Polycarbonate materials like Lexan are rigid, lighter, and less expensive than glass. Like glass, Lexan does not insulate well, so we recommend Solexx as an alternative material. It’s still inexpensive, rigid-but-flexible, easy to install, has light diffusing properties, and is double-walled for insulation. Solexx resists hail and snow, is warrantied for 10 years, and could easily last much longer than that. It’s ideal for permanent or semi-permanent structures. And if you do intend to build an enclosed structure Solexx allows you to heat your greenhouse at around 1/3rd the cost of glass or other polycarb/polyethylene materials because of the insulating properties.

Opaque Blackout Materials and Bumper Crops (Light Deprivation):

Many professional growers are supplementing their regular season with bumper crops. The way they accomplish that is to manage the plant’s photoperiod, so in effect the plant believes it’s the time of the season to flower. Short-day plants (Coffee, Tobacco, Corn, Cotton, and Sugar Cane just to name a few) think it’s time to flower when their night (dark) cycles grow longer and their day cycles grow shorter. For most short-day plants, this can be accomplished with a 12/12 light/dark photoperiod.

If we take an inexpensive lumen meter and go outside, when it registers just 1 lumen that’s when the plant begins to recognize the light. Let’s say the first bit of light registers at 1 lumen at about 5:30am on May 1st (depending on your location) and the sun sets at about 8:30pm. That is 15 hours of daylight. Plants should be covered-up in complete darkness for 3 hours of that day to restrict the photoperiod to 12 hours. That could be accomplished by pulling a blackout tarp over your greenhouse either in the morning or in the evening.

Greenhouse Blackout Cloth

(5:30 am – 8:30 am, or 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm). It’s not a good idea to cover your greenhouse for the entire evening, say 8:30 pm to 8: 30 am, because these materials generally do not breathe well. Our plants still need cool temperatures, moderate humidity, and fresh air exchange. Covering them for 12 hours of the day is almost like smothering them. Take the cover off at night so they can breathe and cool down.

There are a few common blackout materials that gardeners implement to control their photoperiods. The most common being; silage film, woven-blackout material, and breathable blackout materials.

Silage Film is usually a black on white poly, around 5 ml thick. It’s very inexpensive, but can easily tear or puncture. Remember, we need to pull these materials twice every single day of the season, so durability is a must! If something punctures your material and lets light through, your blackout materials will not be doing anything for you. Better to go with something stronger that will last longer.

There are also Woven Blackout-Polys, like the Hortiroll. These are similar to the translucent woven poly fabrics, but completely opaque. They are black on white, so you can have the white side reflecting the sunlight off your structure to reduce internal temperatures. They are incredibly heavy-duty, impact and tear resistant. You could pull these fabrics for multiple years without ever getting a tear or puncture. It’s a smooth fabric that won’t cause too much friction while pulling it, thereby making your job much easier. If you get tired of waking up at 5am, they are also resilient enough to put on an automated system, and motors and pulleys could do the work for you. They are completely water and light-tight, but do not allow air-exchange.

Which leads us to the Breathable Blackout Fabrics. While they do allow some air to pass through the fabric, it’s still going to raise the internal temperature of your structure while it’s covered. And while they’ll repel light-showers, I wouldn’t trust one to disperse a heavy rain. While it may not be my first choice for a hoop house cover, these breathable fabrics make excellent end-walls. Cover the top of your greenhouse with a less-expensive waterproof woven-blackout poly, and use the breathable blackout material to cover your straight walls. This allows some airflow, and will still repel water and lower costs.

There are so many ways to garden outside. I’m building a simple hoop house with a woven poly for light diffusion and rain deflection. Then I’m going to use a woven blackout poly for my light-dep bumper crops. Quick, simple, effective, and doesn’t break the bank. If only they made suntan lotion for plants…

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The term “cold frame” typically refers to a low profile covered structure used to protect plants from the elements. Often cold weather, and excessive wetness or moisture can hinder the growth of small plants – so a cold frame can be a viable solution to nurture the plants to a size where they can withstand the elements. As far as greenhouses go, the term cold frame actually has more than one meaning. Basically, the different groups that make up gardening as a whole have different definitions for cold frame greenhouses. One common similarity is that cold frames are traditionally not heated, and rely on the radiant heat from the sun to maintain optimum temperatures for consistent growth of the developing plants. Trapping this heat helps during the chilly night time conditions in some areas and plays a major role in cold frames being an effective tool in starting crops early. With that being said, cold frames generally help start plants sooner in the season- but need to be opened or vented accordingly to maintain proper temperatures and humidity, as they typically are vented manually.

Large Agricultural Cold Frames vs the Hobby Gardener Cold Frame

In commercial agriculture, cold frames are often used in conjunction with a larger greenhouse(s) to prepare the seedlings, or cuttings for their next stage of growth. To commercial farmers, a cold frame often exists as a green house on the side while they prepare the plants for their new homes in larger greenhouses. To the hobby gardener, a cold frame often helps to prepare the plants, and get them ready for the outdoor season to come. Now that those distinctions have been made, we can look at some different types of cold frames that can be found in gardens.

Noncommercial Cold Frames

The above cold frame is a hoop house cold frame which is very simple and inexpensive to build. Note that this greenhouse is taller and thus allows for larger plants then other shorter cold frames.

The above cold frame has a slanted roof, allowing excellent drainage, and a hinged top- for ventilating when it is warm enough to do so. The low profile aspect helps to keep the elements at bay.

These two types of cold frames are inexpensive and somewhat easy to build. Cold frame number 1 is very low profile and ideal for smaller plants and cuttings. The lower profile makes it a great choice for areas with high wind, or critters foraging for food or a warm place to hide for that matter. Cold frame number 2 uses galvanized steel with poly film that can be replaced as need be. The steel frame is very sturdy, and is large and strong enough to withstand the weight of blackout fabric- if the user wanted to shorten the length of visible sunlight with the intention of forcing the plants to flower earlier.

Commercial Style Cold Frames

Commercial Style cold frames are often used to start plants that will eventually end up in a much larger greenhouses . Notice there are sidewalls, but they are low to the ground. The greenhouse is covered with a fabric that helps diffuse direct sunlight as well as adds a visible barrier making the greenhouse somewhat private. Lastly, note that the fabrics can easily be rolled on, and off the cold frame allowing for light deprivation if needed.

In conclusion, we hope we’ve helped to explain the different types of cold frames, and how they may help you to get an early start on the grow season. You will find that we sell many of the important items like poly and greenhouse fabrics to help you move forward with your gardening goals. Stay tuned as we will be providing instructions on creating a hoop house in the near future.

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Greenhouse Blackout Cloth

If you grow plants that need extra beauty sleep, our blackout screens are double layered to provide more than 99.9% blackout (enough for the most sensitive plants).

The Triple layer breathable blackout fabric is black on one side and white on the other to deflect excess heat from the sun. The fabric can be used inside the greenhouse with sliding and suspended systems for rolling applications, or it can go on the outside.

Woven Black & White Non-Breathable Blackout Fabric

Greenhouse Blackout Fabric Non-Breathable

Woven black & white non-breathable blackout material is used for blacking out side and end walls in automated systems or as a pull cover in manual setups.

A super strong, UV resistant, 100% light proof fabric, Woven Non-breathable blackout material will have you and your plants sleeping comfortably for years to come. Woven Non-breathable blackout material comes in widths of 24′, 36′ & 48′. Available in standard 50′ or 100′ ft. rolls. Custom lengths available.

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IDENTIFICATION

To the naked eye spider mites are barely visible and look like tiny moving dots; however, you can see them easily with a 10X magnifying loupe.  At their largest, the mite is less than 1/20 inch long.  You can find Spider mites living in colonies, mostly underneath leaves. The presence of webbing is an easy way to differentiate them from all other types of mites.  If mite webbing is present in your garden it’s safe to say that spider mites have been in your garden for an extended period of time and have begun establishing their colony.

Adults have eight legs and an oval body, with two red eye spots near the head end of the body.  Females typically have a large, dark blotch on each side of the body and numerous bristles on the legs and body.  Spider mite eggs are sphere-shaped and translucent.

LIFE CYCLE

In warmer climates, spider mites can feed and reproduce all year on plants that hold on to their green leaves through the winter and in cooler climates they will begin feeding and laying eggs when warm weather returns in the spring.

Spider mites reproduce quickly in the hot weather and frequently become numerous from June through September.  Every 10 degree increase in temperature can increase the spider mite’s reproduction rate up to 10x.  If temperature and food supplies are favorable, an entire generation can be completed in less than one week.  Spider mites generally favor dusty, hot conditions and are usually found first on trees or at margins of gardens.  Plants under water stress are also highly susceptible to a spider mite infestation.  As foliage quality declines on heavily infested plants, female mites catch wind currents and disperse to other plants. High mite populations may undergo a rapid decline in late summer when the weather turns cooler, the host plant conditions become unfavorable or after rainfall.

DAMAGE

Mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves.  A very small amount of mites are typically not a problem, but very high populations can be very damaging to plants.  At first, the damage shows up as a stippling of light dots on the leaves; sometimes the leaves take on a bronze color.  As feeding continues, the leaves begin turning yellow and then fall off. Quite often you will find leaves, fruit and twigs completely covered with large amounts of webbing.  A mite infestation can easily start a domino effect of problems by stressing and weakening the plant making it more susceptible to other garden pests and plant disease.

MANAGEMENT

Spider mites have many natural enemies that are capable of limiting populations.  Ample irrigation is important because water-stressed plants are most likely to be damaged. Indoor gardeners can help resist spider mites by keeping temperatures cool and humidity around 60-70%. Broad-spectrum insecticide treatments for other pests frequently cause mite outbreaks, so avoid these when possible.  Sprays of water, soaps or insecticidal oils can be used for spider mite management.  Always monitor before treatment.  Pyrethrums and pyrethroids, neem oil, or azadirachtin are all effective on spider mites.  Two popular all natural products for spider mite control are Azamax from General Hydroponics and SNS-217.  Insecticidal soap is effective and has a very low toxicity but needs to be sprayed more regularly than an oil. Oils and soap can be combined for a double effect but make sure to cut the application rate in half for each product.

Mites are tiny and very difficult to find.  Usually plant damage or yellowing of leaves will be noticed before you see the mites themselves.  To find the mites, look on the tops of leaves for small yellow dots and check the undersides of leaves for mites with a hand lens.  To observe them more closely, shake a few off the leaf onto a white sheet of paper.  Once aggravated they’ll quickly start moving around.  Be sure mites are present before you treat.  Occasionally, the mites will be gone by the time you notice the damage and plants will usually recover after the mites have left.

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

Spider mites have many natural enemies which limit their numbers in many gardens, especially when untouched by pesticide sprays.  We call these Beneficial Insects or predatory bugs.  Some of the most important to the gardener are the predatory mites, including the western predatory mite, Galendromus  Occidentalis, and Phytoseiulus species.  Predatory mites are about the same size as plant-feeding mites but are more active and have longer legs.  A variety of other insects are also important predators such as the sixspotted thrips, the larvae and adults of the spider mite destroyer lady beetle, the larvae of certain flies including the cecidomyid Feltiella acarivora, and various general predators such as minute pirate bugs, lacewings and big eyed bugs.

The major predator mites commercially available for release are the western predatory mite and Phytoseiulus. The western predatory mite is more effective under hot, dry conditions.  These predators do not feed on foliage or become pests; thus if pest mites are not available when predatory mites are released, they will starve or migrate elsewhere.  If you want to establish predators in a heavily infested orchard or garden that has few predators, first use a soap spray or selective miticide to bring the current mite infestation to a lower level. Wait a day or two and spray again with just water and then release the predatory mites once the foliage has dried.  A good guideline is that one predator is needed for every ten spider mites in order to provide control.  It should be noted that the more infested your garden is with pest mites, the harder it will be to gain control using predatory spider mites.  More than one application of beneficial insects may be required if you want to reduce the pest populations rapidly.  Concentrate releases in hot spots where spider mite numbers are highest.  Once established on perennials, predatory mites may reproduce and provide biological control without further augmentations unless non selective insecticides are applied that kill the predators.

CULTURAL CONTROL

In gardens and on small fruit trees, regular forceful spraying of plants with water will often reduce the amount of spider mites.  This will not only knock mites off the plant or tree but will also slow down their reproduction cycle as they will have to wait for foliage to dry before they continue on their search for food and possible mates.  Be sure to get good coverage, especially on the undersides of leaves.  If more control is required you may need to use an oil such as neem oil or horticultural oil, or an insecticidal soap in your spray.  To be safe it’s always wise to test the product on one or two plants first to be sure it’s not damaging in any way.

CHEMICAL

Spider mites frequently become an issue after the application of insecticides.  Outbreaks are typically a result of the insecticide killing off the natural enemies of the mites, but also occur when certain insecticides stimulate mite reproduction.  Insecticides applied during hot weather usually appear to have the greatest effect on mites, causing dramatic outbreaks within a few days.

If a treatment for mites is needed, use selective materials such as insecticidal soap or an oil based pesticide.  Do not use soaps or oils on water-stressed plants or when temperatures surpass 90°F.  These materials may be phytotoxic to some plants, so check labels and test them out on a portion of the foliage a few days before applying a full treatment.  Oils and soaps must contact mites to kill them so excellent coverage, especially on the undersides of leaves, is crucial and repeating applications may be necessary. Since many miticides do not kill the spider mite eggs it’s a good idea to spray your garden with your pest control spray every 3 days for at least 2 or 3 applications.  The eggs might survive your first spray but the second spray should kill the newly hatched young mites before they have a chance to lay their own eggs. Under optimal conditions a mite can lay eggs as early as 4 or 5 days after hatching.  Sulfur dust or sulfur sprays can be also used on some vegetables, but will burn cucurbits. Do not use sulfur dust if temperatures exceed 90°F and do not apply sulfur within 30 days of an oil spray.  Sulfur dusts are skin irritants as well as eye and respiratory hazards so make sure to always wear suitable protective clothing.

Spider mites are a notorious garden pest that can damage plants to the point of death. Most expert gardeners would agree with Benjamin Franklin who said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  With some simple knowledge and a little bit of time you can successfully manage the spider mite population in your garden.

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