Come down Thursday, June 9th and talk with Supernatural and how using their nutrients will benefit your garden!  There are tons of FREE samples and you get 25% off all Supernatural products today!  We have a killer BBQ, drinks, chips, goodies and a chance to win a 500g Bud Blaster and one of five $20 gift cards!!  The vendor will be here til 5:00 so come on down!

We’ve got a new giveaway for the month of June!! It’s an awesome Sun System New Wave 44 T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture!!! It is a 4′, 4 tube fixture that produces 20,000 lumens! This normally retails for $219.95, but can be yours FREE! Come down and enter our raffle and try your luck!!

Sometimes the choice of which lighting to go with can be a daunting decision. One thing to keep in mind, is that lighting is one of the most important factors when it comes to your garden-one that shouldn’t be overlooked or not well thought out.

There are three main types of lighting to choose from-fluorescent, Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium’s. Fluorescent lamps tend to produce less heat and use less energy and are great for starting seedlings and rooting cuttings. They aren’t intense enough to support the growth that more mature plants need. Metal Halides give off a white light similar to that of natural sunlight. This is a good light to use during vegetative growth. High Pressure Sodium’s are more in the red range of the light spectrum, making it a superior choice during the flowering stages of growth.

A newer light source out on the market are T5′s. These linear fluorescent lamps are another option for your seedlings and cuttings. LED’s are making their way on the scene with the recent introduction of the quad band. These have yet to prove that they are effective during flowering stages.

We carry all of these different lighting choices.

Our veggies are loving it!  As you can see from the pictures, everything is growing and looking delicious!  We will be replanting the sunflowers outside in soil and harvesting the lettuce, basil and chard when ready.  Our ten year old daughter planted these when she was on Spring Break in April, so they’ve been growing for a little over 4 weeks!  Amazing, the results you get when you grow hydroponically! Yum!

Good, quality water is essential when it comes to our gardens.  Although many people may successfully grow plants with tap water or other untreated water, they would see a huge improvement when using filtered water.  It’s not uncommon to find a variety of harmful contaminants in our local source of water.  These can include bacteria from wildlife and sewage/septic systems; salts and metals from runoff; pesticides and herbicides; even radioactive contaminants.  All things that can alter a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and thrive.

Ideally, you want to use water that has a low PPM (parts per million) and low EC (electrical conductivity) giving you the room to add nutrients specific to the needs of your plants.  We recommend using a Reverse Osmosis system to filter your water.

pH (potential hydrogen) measures the acidity or alkalinity of your solution-anything falling below 7 is considered acidic.  When growing hydroponically, you will want your pH to somewhere between 5.8 and 6.2.  Lockout can occur with extreme pH levels, so be aware of what your numbers are!

In the United States, at least, the hydroponics industry grew by about 83 percent!  That’s amazing!  I have to say thanks to NASA who began researching the use of hydroponics over 50 years ago!  You’ve probably even seen hydroponics systems at work, but haven’t even realized it.  More than likely it was at Disney’s Epcot Center in Florida within their “Living with the Land” attraction.  They grow all kinds of vegetables including peppers, squash, cucumbers, lettuce and much more with the use of greenhouses, aeroponics and aquaculture.  If you get the chance, check it out!

Currently in the States, more than 3 hydroponic stores open each and every business day!  Wow!  This proves that consumers are concerned with where their food is coming from and would rather grow their own to eliminate the chances of consuming tainted and less nutritional foods.

We are seeing many advances in lighting technologies helping to push the industry even further.  LED’s are coming on the scene hard, proving to be a viable, and soon to be affordable, option!

Hydroponics is the future of gardening as we take our gardens vertically, eliminating the need to utilize vast acres of farmland.  It will be exciting to see where we will be in ten years with this rapid rate of gardening evolution.

Source:  Rosebud Hydroponics Growers’ Lifestyle Magazine, April 2010, http://www.rosebudmag.com.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_with_the_Land

Heard of enzymes?  Enzymes are naturally occurring, almost everywhere, even in our bodies helping us break down our foods.  Plants utilize enzymes in much the same way. Enzymes act as catalysts, speeding up the chemical reactions necessary for proper development.  The beauty of Hygrozyme is the fact that its proprietary blend is without bacterias that could harm and destroy your crops.  Hygrozyme can be used during all growing stages, is OMRI certified and has been used, tested and proven!  If you want  a healthy root system providing you with healthy plants, use Hygrozyme!

Check out their website at http://www.hygrozyme.net/.

There are many different growing mediums to choose from when starting a garden. Which medium you choose is important because it is vital in anchoring your plants via their root systems. Some mediums offer nutritional value while others simply act as a stabilizer for your plants roots. Some mediums include soil, soil-less mixes, coco, hydroton, rockwool or a combination of them.  One of our favorite mediums to use when growing hydroponically is a combination of rockwool cubes mixed with perlite-approximately an 80/20% ratio.  Rockwool is made from stone that is heated then spun into fibers, compressed into cubes, grow blocks or slabs.  Rockwool is recommended for ebb & flow systems or drip systems.

Coco is made from the husks of coconuts and is available in both compressed and loose forms.  It is very pH stable and has good moisture retention and natural aeration qualities.

Hydroton are clay pebbles made from expanded, pH neutral clay.  One great element to using Hydroton is that is can be cleansed with proper sterilization methods and reused.

Do your research, as there are many options when choosing which mediums will be best for your garden.

Do you struggle with annoying bugs infiltrating your garden?  Azamax, by General Hydroponics, is a repellant, antifeedant and insect growth regulator.  It truly is an effective means of eradicating pests including fungus gnats, nematodes,  soil borne thrips and many more irritating bugs.  It can be applied to soils, hydroponic reservoirs, directly onto plants and in any stage of growth.  Use Azamax and see the results!

Drop Bags are a 100% Organic Gardening Extraction Kit–

These multi-purpose extraction kits can be used for making aroma therapy oils, cooking oils, and other natural products.

Practical organic uses include but are not limited to…
1. Olive oil
2. Lavender oil
3. Peppermint oil
4. Orange oil
5. Flaxseed oil
6. Rose and other flower extraction (used for incense)

Check out their website at www.DropBags.com!