Archive for February, 2010

Who are they?

Secret Jardin are a  grow tent manufacturer who have their sales office based in Brussels, they were founded in 2006 with a view to enable everyone to grow plants in a portable environment by reproducing, and controlling natural environmental factors that affect growth.

We combine research, innovation and manufacturing quality to bring you total satisfaction with all our models.

The indoor grow tent manufacturer was the first to incorporate hammered effect mylar into its  grow tents (with the Mylar serving as a barrier to toxins generated by PVC, with a reflectivity value of over 95%).
Secret Jardin grow tents are suitable for growing a wide range of plants and are especially suited to those that may require specific conditions for optimal growth, such as – orchids, aloe vera, citrus plants, carnivorous or even tropical plant.

What do they offer?

Internally Secret a Jardin grow tent  has a 95% reflective hammered effect mylar layer which acts as a barrier against toxins (phthalates).

Some grow tents on the market sometimes use thick layers of white PVC as a reflective layer. This can spread toxins in the tent. However Secret Jardin use a very thin layer of PVC to bond the Mylar to the external fabric. They also use a high-temperature fabric manufacturing process which removes these toxins.

History of the Secret Jardin grow tent

Click to enlarge

2006

• Secret Jardin introduce a patented system for Mylar reflective surface internally – Giving 95% reflectivity

2007

• Double cuffed vent socks added with pulls to keep 100% light proof and odour free
• Vent windows included

2008

• Waterproof inner base liner
• Stronger lightproof zip
• Reinforced corners
• Strong carry bag
• Improved quality control
• Double cuffed socks for cool-tube lighting

Summary

From a Secret Jardin grow tent you can expect:-

• Quality materials
• Patented mylar coated reflective internal surfaces @ 95%
• 100% light proof when sealed
• Support structure rated to 30kgs
• Quick and easy assembly by just one person
• Fully washable for hygiene and odour control
• Light and compact design allows for ease of storage and transport
• Available in many different designs and sizes to suit the hobby grower up to commercial production

Now available from FluidsensorOnline.com

Images

PurLec, the Canadian based Hydroculture specialist has plans to increase its operation in the UK. They are currently building a new website: - www.purlec.co.uk and are working in conjunction with Davenport Technologies Ltd who will stock PurLec products. These will be available on line from Fluidsensoronline.com.

Products will include pots, (inner and outer) nutrient level indicators and slow release fertiliser.

Although still fairly new in the UK, Hydroculture is widely used in Europe, Canada and America for growing indoor plants – both in the home and in offices. When used indoors it has many advantages over soil or compost culture
For further information

e-mail: info@purlec.co.uk

web www.purlec.ca

What is Mildew?

Mildew is a fungus that looks like a dusting of castor sugar on the leaf and that harms the plant. There are many types of mildew. Very often a particular type of plant will have its own mildew, and that’s because diseases often evolve in line with the host plant. One type of mildew will attack cabbages and another only cucumber plants. Mildew can turn out to be so specific that it selects a specific variety. A form of mildew that attacks grains may prefer, say, either rye or wheat as its host, but not both.

Mildew variants have been given elegant Latin names such as Sphaerotheca macularis and Leveillula taurica. The first one has a taste for hops and strawberries. Blackberries and violets can also act as their host, meaning that this fungus remains fairly specific compared with other types of mildew. This mildew is far from choosy when it comes to its choice of host, infecting thousands of plant types, including many vegetables.

Recognising Mildew

Before any symptoms become clear the leaf starts to develop blister-like patches, and this is followed by the characteristic white powder where the blister was. The leaf looks as if it’s been dusted with powder. In general mildew is found on the upper side of the leaf, but there are exceptions. One type of mildew only grows on the underside of the leaf, so it’s no surprise it often gets overlooked.

True Mildew

True or False Mildew?

False mildew looks like true mildew. The general rule is that false mildew is found on the underside of the leaf, with true mildew on the upper side of the leaf. But that’s the general rule: as we noted just above, true mildew can sometimes be on the underside of a leaf.

False Mildew

P. humuli or Pseudoperonospora cannabina is one such false mildew. Taxonomically this is rated as identical to another false mildew, P.cubensis, that causes problems in cucumber cultivation. It first appears on the underside of the leaf in the shape of brown or even black discolorations that then turn into a fungal web that’s a sort of violet going on grey colour. A mosaic of dying patches starts appearing on the upper side of the leaf.
This mildew is known for attacking hop cones and causing them to turn brown.

Identifying Mildew

1. Sphaerotheca macularis

This true mildew grows on the upper side of the leaf (figures 1 and 2). Its optimal spore reproductive conditions are temperatures between 15 and 27 degrees and relative humidity in the 75% – 98% range. But when relative humidity is lower the fungus happily compensates for the reduction in the number of successfully germinating spores by increasing the numbers released. So relative humidity is less of a factor for survival of this fungus. Rain and persistent dew do, however, hamper its dissemination.

Sphaerotheca macularis infection in strawberries. The fungus organs that bear its spores are found on the upper side of the leaf and are visible as a white powder (left). Magnification shows these organs as filaments. (right). Illustrations courtesy of Cal-Agri, China and University of Florida, USA.

2. Leveillula taurica

The fungus can survive on a great many other plants and on dead plant material such as leaves. It is fairly insensitive to climate. It is comfortable in temperatures between 15 and 33 degrees and is equally at home in conditions of low and high relative humidity, with between 75% and 85% being its favoured range. Infections often start in the older leaves of mature plants. In addition to direct damage, infection caused by this mildew will render the tops more sensitive to being scorched in the sun.

L. taurica differentiates itself from other true mildew varieties because, as with false mildew, it grows on the underside of the leaf, with moderate circular discolorations on the upper side of the leaf.

3. Pseudoperonospora cannabina

Pseudoperonospora cannabina is a false mildew that grows on the underside of a leaf. Unlike a true mildew the colour of this fungal web is not so much white as grey. The fungus usually gets discovered because yellow, later brownish, patches start appearing between the veins on the upper side of the leaf (figure 3). Ideal conditions for this fungus are temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees and relative humidity between 80 and 100%. Pseudoperonospora cannabina can also survive in seeds from infected plants in the ground.

Gherkin infected with Pseudoperonospora cannabina. The fungus organs that bear its spores are found on the underside of the leaf (right). There is a striking mosaic formation on the leaf that's easy to spot on the upper side (left). Photographs: Karna Maj

Infection

If the conditions on the leaf are ideal (let’s say the right temperature and humidity), a spore landing on it can germinate. A fungus filament will pass from the spore via a damaged part of the leaf or a stoma into the interior, and here the circumstances must be favourable as well. The filament then thickens and once it has penetrated properly a secondary thickening process takes place, and this allows the fungus to absorb nourishment from the plant cells. Further thickening then follows with more filaments (in the case of L. taurica this will be mainly on the plant the first time and in the case of S. macularis it’ll be on the surface of the leaf). The fungus then forms reproductive organs from which, by asexual reproduction, new spores are expelled into the air, so beginning the infection cycle.
Conventional types of mildew such as S. macularis only grow on the leaf surface, not inside the leaf. As we have seen, L. taurica is no conventional mildew. It can grow for 21 days hidden away inside the leaf tissue before coming up at the surface. This means that once an infection can be spotted, many more leaves have been invisibly infected.

True mildew spores need to be able to germinate and then to be able to grow into the leaf. Germination calls for the spores to have moisture on the leaf such as dew. But sprouting requires a dry leaf.

The chances of infection are therefore the most acute during a dry, warm period when there’s condensation on the plant in the mornings, which happens when the air warms up faster than the plant itself. If the plant is suffering from dehydration, then it’s extra sensitive to such an infection.

Plants in tunnel greenhouses or in poorly ventilated areas are especially susceptible to mildew infection, especially if moisture on the leaf evaporates within three hours as the heat rises or with a bit of a draught. These are ideal circumstances for spores to germinate and sprout. Draughts are also excellent for spreading spores.

Fungicides

Until now, only chemical products have proven their effectiveness against a mildew infection. One example of the relatively effective products you can buy at your local garden centre is that of triasol-based compounds (triadimenol, tebuconazole and bitertanol). If your plants have more or less completely stopped growing, as in the last weeks before the harvest or in the case of a very severe mildew infection then these systemic products will not work well, and you will need a direct contact product. Unfortunately these aren’t known for their effectiveness. The reason is that mildew needs to be attacked directly and every patch that gets omitted will remain.

Compounds based on chlorothalonil, imazalil or myclobutanil are contact products for use against mildew. This group of compounds has recently been supplemented by a naturally derived product that attacks true mildew with the help of enzymes. CannaResearch is carrying out extensive research on this, together with other naturally based compounds. CannaResearch advises against the use of sulphur spraying as a contact product because this leaves residues that are visible for a very long time.

First try out a product on a plant to see if any damage arises from the dosage you’re using. It’s best to do this before you have an outbreak of mildew.

What’s the damage?

The share of harvest you may lose is very much a question of whether the infection has been limited to the leaf, but if the infection has attacked the fruit as well losses can be as high as 100%. The period when the infection hits is also significant. If the infection comes late in the cultivation it’ll have significantly less of an effect on the yield than one that hits when the plants are still young.

Mildew Coverage

The rule of thumb is that mildew growth accounting for 1% of the leaf surface equates to a 1% reduction in harvest. A surface that has been attacked tends to get overestimated, and drawings have been prepared to help in making the estimates

In Conclusion

Climate control is the key to avoiding mildew infection. Good ventilation and not too high a level of humidity are indispensable, as is ensuring that moisture on the leaf gets followed by dry conditions. In general harvest losses resulting from a mildew infection will not be too heavy, but if the plant gets infected early on in its life cycle or if the tops get infected the damage can become pretty serious.

The point here is that, even if you use chemical products, it’s difficult to do much against an infection towards the end of the cultivation or against a severe outbreak. Climate control is one thing, but checking frequently for mildew and reacting on time are important too. It may be impossible to guarantee you’ll never have any mildew problems, but we’d like to hope that this article will help you reduce your chances of major problems.
.
.
.
.
Reproduced with the kind permission of Canna-UK

Paignton Zoo’s new vertical farming system featured on BBC breakfast time earlier today. The zoo hopes to save £20,000.00 per year on growing salad crops for the animals and claims to have saved £9000.00 pounds last year on lettuce alone.
The system uses hydroponics but unlike more conventional hydroponics systems which are on one level, the vertical farming system has trays on multiple levels.
It is claimed that 10 – 20 times more crops can be produced than conventional farming could produce for the same area.
Another feature of the system is that the racks rotate. This helps to ensure that the plants get an equal amount of light, it also creates air movement. The plants are fed at a feeding station and it is easier to harvest the crop

Vertical Farming systems are being pioneered by Valcent Products (EU) Ltd from their base in Launceston Cornwall.

Video of the Verticrop launch at Paignton Zoo

For more information on the system visit:-
http://www.valcent.eu

Product overviews

Tropica aquarium substrate acts as a long term nutrition store for aquarium plants, so ensuring magnificent and healthy plant growth. It is a natural concentrate of clay and sphagnum, laid underneath the aquarium gravel layer.

Seachem Flourite Black Sand™ Best suited to planted aquaria, but may be used in any aquarium environment. It is a stable porous clay substrate for the natural planted aquarium and is most effective when used alone as an integral substrate bed, but it may be mixed with other gravels and sand.

Seachem Onyx Aquarium Sand™ is a specially fracted, stable porous clay aquarium substrate for the natural planted tank. Its appearance is best suited to planted aquaria, but may be used in any aquarium environment.

Seachem Onyx Aquarium Gravel™ a porous clay gravel may be used in any aquarium environment. Being Carbonate rich it provides an advantage to any plants able to utilise bicarbonates.

CaribSea Eco-Complete. A natural black substrate containing live water purifying bacteria.

In the natural world plants have to find their essential nutrients in the soil. The growth of a plant will depend very much on the nutrients that it can find. If the soil is lacking in a particular element then the plant may not survive, its growth may be stunted or it may not produce fruit.
In a hydroponics system, plants are grown in, or with, a nutrient rich water solution. Provided that the water solution contains all the plants nutritional requirements and that all its other requirements – warmth, light, oxygen and carbon-dioxide – are provided, it will thrive.
In fact crops produced hydroponically can crop three times more heavily than soil grown crops and consequently much of the food we eat today, particularly salad crops, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and the like come from commercial hydroponics farms

There are 6 main hydroponic systems which can be put into two groups:-

1) Media Culture

Plants are planted in an inert rooting media – clay pebbles, coir or rockwool are a few examples.

There are three methods of irrigation:-

Bottom irrigation
Also referred to as Hydro culture or Passive Hydroponics.
Plants are potted in an inert medium usually clay pebbles – Hydroton or Hydroleca. The pot is placed in a tray or inside a second pot containing nutrient solution and capillary action takes the solution up into the rooting medium.

Drip Irrigation Systems.
Also known as drip watering, drip system or top irrigation
The water supply is fed to the top of the rooting medium in a drip.

Flood and drain (Ebb and flow)
The rooting media and plants are placed in a shallow tank. A timer is used to switch a pump on which floods the tank. The pump is then switched off and the tank is allowed to drain back to a reservoir.

2) Solution Culture

Plants are not actually planted but are supported with their roots suspended in the nutrient solution.

There are three methods:-

Static solution culture.
This means that a plant is simply placed in a container of nutrient solution. This is the easiest of all hydroponics systems and is therefore ideal for beginners.

NFT Hydroponics. (Nutrient Film Technique)
Also known as continuous flow system
This means that the nutrient solution continually flows over the plant roots. The solution is recirculated and aerated to ensure that the roots can obtain a supply of oxygen.

Aeroponic culture.
With this method, the roots are in air and are “misted” with nutrient solution. This helps to ensure that the roots receive an adequate supply of oxygen – which they might not with the static solution method

Fertilisers

Nutrients are the key to growing any plant successfully. One of the main advantages of a Hydroponic System is that the nutrients can be carefully controlled. The plants can be given exactly the nutrients they need – the right nutrient and the right amount.
Hydroponic fertiliser is not the same as ordinary garden fertiliser.  It is specially blended to provide all the plants nutritional requirements whereas a garden fertiliser is essentially a supplement to provide additional nutrients to those found in the soil.
There are many brands of nutrient on the market and most are available in “Grow” and “Bloom” formulations.
The Grow formulas are for the early or vegetative stages of growth and the Bloom formulas for the flowering or fruiting stages.
There are also additional additives available – designed for seedlings or cuttings to ensure plants get off to a good start and products which will give an additional boost to increase the yield of the crop.

Just like animals plants need a source of fuel to provide energy in order to grow and thrive. The fuel source for animals is food – meat or vegetables which they eat. ‘Plant food’ is rather different in that plants ‘consume’ their food by absorbing simple chemical elements through their roots and leaves.

Plants contain chlorophyll which absorbs light. The light energy converts carbon, hydrogen and oxygen into sugars, starches and cellulose. These are called carbohydrates and this is how plants store the energy derived from light.
Oxygen (O), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H) are obtained from air (oxygen,) water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is absorbed through the leaves of the plant and water through the roots. Perhaps surprisingly oxygen is also absorbed through the plants roots.

The process of using light energy to convert these elements into carbohydrates is called photosynthesis.

In addition to carbohydrates, plants require other essential elements – nitrogen for amino acids to make protein, magnesium is required to make chlorophyl and so on.

These essential elements can be divided into two groups:-

1) Macronutrients. These are nutrients required by plants in relatively large amounts. They are: nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) and sulphur (S)
2) Micronutrients. These are nutrients required by plants in relatively small amounts – sometimes referred to as trace elements. These include iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), boron (B), molybdenum (Mb) and chlorine (Cl)

In the natural world these elements can be found in the soil. However soils vary considerably in both their make up and consistency. Some may be rich in nutrients and others may contain little or no nutrient. Soils can be light and sandy. These soils may be well aerated but with little or no water retention. Some can be heavy or waterlogged, providing adequate water for a plant but restricting the amount of oxygen available. Over many thousands of years different plants have adapted to suit these different conditions.

In the artificial world the one thing we can’t do is wait for thousands of years for our plants to adapt to the conditions we provide. Whether it’s a plant in a pot on the windowsill or a container on the patio, a plant in an aquarium or a plant in a hydroponic system, it is essential that it is provided with the right nutrients and an adequate supply of water and oxygen at the roots, CO2 and of course light.

In any sort of contained planting, house plants, patio containers, planted aquariums or hydroponic systems, the most convenient way of ensuring that plants receive an adequate supply of nutrients is to use a specially formulated fertiliser. This may be in the form of powder, pellets or liquid but it is essential to use a product that has been designed for the application. You can’t use garden fertiliser in a hydroponic system and certainly not in a planted aquarium.