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    Environment

    This category contains 40 posts

    Plant Stress

    Masterclass: Positive Stress
, Can being “unkind” to your plants ever be a good thing?
    Stop reading this. Please. Make sure you’ve completely dialed in your grow first. It’s far more important! Perfect your daytime and nighttime temps, keep a tight grip on your relative humidity, maintain optimum light levels, exact your feeding regimen, the works – [...]

    Peak Food: Can Another Green Revolution Save Us?

    Norman Borlaug, widely seen as the father of the “Green Revolution,” was a true savior. Many have considered him misguided or worse, but it is hard for a compassionate person to argue with what he accomplished: saving “more human lives than any other person in history.”2 It seems to be a professional disease among saviors, [...]

    Planning Your Grow

    So, you’ve selected where you are going to set up your indoor garden. Now it’s time to spec out exactly what you’re going to need to make it all happen! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to provide your plants with all the light they need to grow and bloom, but .. and it’s a big BUT …. you need to maintain your indoor garden’s environment so that it is optimal for plant metabolism.
    Here’s our guide to setting up a basic, conventionally ventilated indoor garden on a budget. We’re going to show the different ventilation requirements for a 2 light and a 6 light grow in the same space.

    Plantworks: Part 1 – Humidity and Vapor Pressure Deficit

    Have you ever been given this odd-sounding advice? Even when we are encouraged to try and understand how plants work, our inherent tendency to personify the natural world is inescapable. Growers often like to draw parallels between humans and plants, after all, there’s no doubt that plants are marvelous, highly specialized and well-adapted organisms. You might even go as far to say they are “intelligent.” But let’s be honest here. Plants are totally different from us, especially in the way they react and respond to their environment. However, if we can get our heads around the world from a plant’s perspective, we become what is commonly referred to as “green-fingered.” We become … better growers.

    Recirculation Basics – Part 3

    As we’ve learned in parts 1 and 2 of this series, in order to grow successfully in a hydroponic system, there are certain basics that always need to be kept in check, otherwise plant performance inevitably suffers. After covering source water, nutrient and pH, world-renowned hydroponics expert Michael Christan breaks down the final ingredients of a healthy indoor growing environment: oxygen, light, temperature, humidity, air circulation and CO2.

    Half-Cooked Thoughts: Eggshell Hydroponics

    Grubbycup demonstrates some basic hydroponics principles using eggshells. Yes, eggshells.

    Tomatoes in Rockwool

    Rockwool is a mainstay of commercial hydroponic growers – and for good reason. It takes up a minimal footprint and, when used correctly, yields like crazy. We asked Dr Lynette Morgan, a world authority on hydroponic vegetable production, to give us some expert advice on growing tomatoes in rockwool. There’s LOTS to be learned here as Dr Morgan takes us through how to develop irrigation strategies for your particular growing environment.

    Cucumber Grow Diary: NFT

    Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems are used widely by both commercial growers and hobbyists worldwide. They are renowned for being low maintenance and producing fast growth. By following some basic principles, anyone can achieve superlative results using NFT systems. Following on our introduction to NFT Gro-Tanks in Issue 9, Gareth Hopcroft takes us through how to set up and maintain this popular hobby system. After all, a picture of a cucumber-laden vine is worth a thousand words!

    What is Permaculture?

    Javan Kerby Bernakevitch, a permaculture designer and teacher-in-training, introduces us to the principles and practice of permanent (agri)culture.

    Feed Four Families with this Hydroponic Greenhouse

    “Grow your own food!” is easy to say, but what exactly do you need to do to make that happen? We asked the indoor garden and greenhouse design and construction experts at Good Green Builders to draw us up a plan of a greenhouse that could feed not just one, but four families! So if the initial set-up costs of a family food production facility seem prohibitive, why not collaborate with your friends, split the investment, and enjoy the harvest together. Happy days!