Pipe Dreams Grow Chamber
Posted by admin
It’s time to Grow in to the future and get out of the dark ages. The strategically designed Aeroponic Growing System from Pipe Dreams, does just that. Made from high quality material including the introduction of titanium injection into the grow tubes. The titanium places a coating inside the grow tubes, stopping fungus spores from repeatedly reoccurring in crops. The systems comes with a uniquely designed stand, that tiers the growing tubes to form a stadium effect; giving the grower the ability to utilize their growing space.
What makes it work?
The grow tubes are 6″ (15cm) in diameter and depending on the system 4′ (122cm) to 10′ (305cm) in length. Each grow tube contains two unique molded end caps with a built in drain spout, web plastic baskets, which are placed on top of the grow tubes suspending down inside the grow tube, allowing the plants’ root system to receive misting. Inside the grow tubes are precision placed jet spray misters. Each mister connects to a feeder line that is held in the grow tube with a rubber grommet. The feeder line connects to a larger feeder tube that is connected to the aeroponic pump, which connects to the nutrient tank. A water cycle timer is connected to the aeroponic pump, allowing the misting system to perform multiple on and off cycles. The water cycle used is a 1 minute on, and 5 minutes (+/-) off time. The drain systems connects to a manifold that connects to the nutrient tank, for easy drainage.
All systems contain
growing tubes, aeroponic pump, nutrient tank, stand, all plumbing fittings parts, misters, water timer, web baskets, feed line, feeder line, drain line and instruction manual.
The Cage Growing Chamber
Posted by admin
THE CAGE takes up only 12 square feet of floor space; thus utilizing the vertical space that has previously been saved for plant height compensation. You can expect the same yields as two traditional flat 4′x8′ gardens. By using equidistant lighting, the plants receive maximum lumens while using minimal power
THE CAGE consists of 12 columns, each with 6 plant sites. This gives each of the 72 plants one square foot of growing space. To date, there are no other systems that can offer high yields, with such minimal power and space requirements.
THE CAGE offers growers an advanced hydroponic technique while maintaining plant needs simply.
It comes complete with a pre-plumbed manifold, 1 - Little Giant 1200gph water pump, one cycle timer, one 10ft. hose extension, , 72×3″ mesh baskets, 12×3.5″ mesh baskets and one 5″ mesh basket.
Positive Effects of Carbon Dioxide for Plant Growth
Posted by admin
Positive Effects of Carbon Dioxide for Plant Growth
By Simon Fowler
Many articles have been written about the negative effects of carbon dioxide. Sick Building Syndrome, loss of concentration due to high levels of carbon dioxide, asphyxiation in breweries or wine cellars, all these things spring to mind when we hear the magic phrase carbon dioxide. Yet, perhaps today when Venus passes across the face of the Sun, we should remember that our original atmosphere consisted of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Free oxygen is something that is not really chemically possible. Yet we have it as a result of plant life busily photosynthesising and converting carbon dioxide into oxygen during daylight hours. This is the original use of solar energy!
Plants require carbon dioxide to grow and why not help them by increasing the level of carbon dioxide? Normally, this is something that is undesirable, since carbon dioxide is the original greenhouse gas, as our neighboring planet Venus can testify. But in a controlled, genuine greenhouse environment, there is no real reason why the level of carbon dioxide should not be enhanced in some way.
Indeed, tests have shown that increasing the level of carbon dioxide in a greenhouse to 550 ppm will accelerate plant growth by 30 - 40 %. The natural level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is around 450 ppm, having increased from about 250 ppm in the last ice-age, so this slight increase may not appear significant at first sight. The point of the matter is that the level of carbon dioxide in the average greenhouse with the ventilation system closed will drop sharply due to uptake by the plants and will lie around 150 - 200 ppm if nothing is done about it. In summer the ventilation system will be open and the fresh air circulation will augment the level to a useful degree. But what about those long, cold, dark northern winters? Most commercial greenhouses will have lighting and heating systems to encourage plant growth, but you still cannot open the ventilation and allow the cold outside air into your heated greenhouse without losing all the early crops. The only real solution is to augment the natural level of carbon dioxide in some way. Where it is used, the general rule of thumb is to augment by about 1000 ppm when the sun is shining (or all the lights are on!) and keep the level around 400 ppm during times of darkness. This will require monitoring, since there are so many variable factors involved and a simple control unit using an infrared sensor will be able to keep the concentration of gas constant at all times.
Rate of consumption varies with crop, light intensity, temperature, stage of crop development and nutrient level. An average consumption level is estimated to be between 0.12 - 0.24 kg/hr/100 m2 of greenhouse floor area. The higher rate reflects the typical usage for sunny days and a fully-grown crop. This equates to roughly 150 litres of carbon dioxide per hour.
There are many processes that naturally and unavoidably produce carbon dioxide: Fermentation and combustion are two classic examples. In temperate zones it is necessary to heat a greenhouse (glasshouse is just another word for the same thing), and this heating will almost always involve the burning of fossil fuels, producing carbon dioxide. This leads to the natural urge to re-circulate the exhaust gas from the heating system into the greenhouse and so achieve a double advantage for the plants. This will require careful monitoring of the flue gas to ensure that there are at the most only traces of carbon monoxide being passed into the greenhouse. This is not only bad for the plants but also potentially lethal to the people working there! Such technology is available with gas monitors that will measure the carbon monoxide concentration continuously and have analogue outputs that can be used to regulate the burners or operate a trip to switch the unit off should problems occur. The combination of breweries with greenhouse systems is also serious business in some areas. Generally, these methods are to be approved and should really be worthy of government support. Not only are they producing crops, they are removing a pollutant that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere.
Monitoring of the added carbon dioxide is essential, however, since high concentrations of carbon dioxide can lead to dizziness or even unconsciousness of the personnel. Some plants will require higher levels of nutrients to compensate for some of the changes that occur. Particularly tomatoes and violets are sensitive to increased levels of carbon dioxide, hence the need for constant monitoring of the ambient concentration.
Simon Fowler studied Mechanical Engineering at City University in London, UK and now works in Vienna, Austria for madur electronics, a manufacturer of infrared sensors. http://www.madur.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Fowler
http://EzineArticles.com/?Positive-Effects-of-Carbon-Dioxide-for-Plant-Growth&id=1607
Let There Be (Plant) Light
Posted by admin
Let There Be (Plant) Light
By Eric Vinje
Indoor grow lights let you shine a light where and when the sun don’t shine. They allow you to extend the growing season; have a year-round supply of fresh flowers, vegetables and herbs; as well as give your seedlings a head start before you can plant them outside.
There are almost as many kinds of grow lights as there are different light spectrums. Everything from a simple $5 incandescent lamp to a sophisticated system using high intensity discharge (HID) lamps can help.
Here’s a rundown on what is available, how much it costs as well as the pro’s and con’s of different types of lights:
Incandescent. Incandescent lamps lay at the low end of the pricing spectrum for plant lights. A good 150 watt bulb will only set you back about $5. You can get such bulbs from a local hardware store or a large nursery. An incandescent lamp can keep a small house plant growing, but isn’t necessarily your best bet for starting a large garden indoors.
Fluorescent. Until recently, fluorescent grow lights had too low an output and were too big and bulky to be of much use except as a grow light for seeds or seedlings. Generally fluorescents are a poor choice for flowering and budding plants because of their low lumen (brightness per unit of energy consumed), but they are a great source for herbs and other plants that don’t need a lot of light. Indoor gardeners most often use the four-foot size. You can purchase the two lamp “shop light” variety for under $40 at your local hardware or garden supply store.
There is big news on the fluorescent light front: new “T5 Systems” are very efficient and bright and may be better in certain circumstances than the fancier high intensity discharge (HID) lights. T5 fluorescents are more compact and efficient than older forms of fluorescent lighting which allows them to be used for all plants rather than just for seedlings. Key advantages of these high-end fluorescents include: more of their light is used by the plant, they produce less heat than incandescent and HID grow lights and consequently can be placed much closer to the plant.
High Intensity Discharge Lamps. They are the brightest bulb in the box and very efficient, but expect to pay for the advantages. One 1,000 watt HID lamp can produce the same amount of light as 50 40-watt fluorescent lights.
Within the HID category there are several types of bulbs: High Pressure Sodium, Metal Halide, Low Pressure Sodium and Mercury Vapor. The only ones that indoor gardeners need to concern themselves with are High Pressure Sodium or Metal Halide. They most commonly come in sizes such as 400 and 1,000 watt. The 400 can supply enough light for a growing area of about 15 square feet or a 4 x 4 foot garden. The 1,000 watt lamp can cover an area of about 7 x 7 foot. For fast growth, use about 25 watts of HID light per square foot.
Metal Halide light is blue-white in color and is good for leafy growth and keeping plants compact. It is best used as a primary light source. A single bulb will last about 10,000 cumulative hours. (The bulb will continue to give light past 10,000 hours, but its quality of light will diminish, so it’s best to replace before it burns out.) Metal Halide bulbs are also a lumen powerhouse. They produce up to 125 lumens per watt compared to 39 lumens per watt for standard fluorescent lights and 18 lumens per watt for standard incandescent bulbs.
High Pressure Sodium light is red-orange and is best for flowering plants and as supplemental light. It’s economical since its average lifespan is twice that of Metal Halides. High Pressure Sodium bulbs produce up to 140 lumens per watt. Their major disadvantage is that they don’t produce light that falls within the blue spectrum. If a High Pressure Sodium light was the sole source for a plant, the plant would grow up thin and lanky, which is not the type of plant that most gardeners want.
Regardless of what type of lights or light you go with, there is one formula for computing operational costs. Start by taking the combined wattage of all the lights you will use and divide it by 1,000 to get the kilowatts used. Multiply the kilowatts figure by the amount your electric company charges per kilowatt hour. Once you get the operating cost per hour you can multiply that by hours used per month to get your monthly operational costs.
How long grow lights should be run depend on the plant and its needs. Most plants and vegetables need about 10 to 12 hours of light per day in order to grow. Plants that produce fruit or flowers will need more: up to 16 hours a day.
This article was written by Eric Vinje of Planet Natural.
Get the most out of your indoor garden with grow lights available at Planet Natural.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Vinje
http://EzineArticles.com/?Let-There-Be-(Plant)-Light&id=522147
Indoor Gardening Tips
Posted by admin
Indoor Gardening Tips
By Kadence Buchanan
Even if you’re not an avid gardener or flower lover, the sight of a well-maintained indoor garden is impressive. However, if you’ve tried your hand at indoor gardening, it’s not as easy as bringing the plants indoors. Here are some tips to start you off on the right foot.
The first crucial decision has to do with lighting. Ask yourself, exactly how light should I give the plants? Your house may not have enough light for your plants to exist, so this is a prime consideration. Are you prepared to supply your plant with light through artificial means? It could be expensive. If possible, try to select plants that require minimal lighting such as Philodendrons and Boston ferns.
If there are not that many indoor plants, you may consider bringing them out into the sun during the day before bringing them back inside. Think of your plants as batteries. If you expose them to enough sunlight outdoors, they can store this as a reserve source of energy indoors. This is especially effective during summer.
It’s also important that you know how to spot the signs that will tell you whether your plants are getting the right amount of light. One sign is in the leaves. If the plant has small leaves and thin stems, it needs more light. The same is true if the color of the plant turns paler than usual.
You may even have to condition your plants, which is a way of making them used to the lights in your house gradually, especially if they came from a place that has brighter lights than your home. You start by exposing the plants to the brightest possible light in your house. Move them around daily while lessening the amount of light they get, until they reach that point where they are exposed to their regular amounts of light.
When it comes to watering, the rules are fairly simple. Make sure to water the soil thoroughly and to have the water drained at the bottom of the pot. The quantity of water depends on the plant. The biggest mistakes here are not watering them enough or watering them too much, so avoid both. Also, use water that has the same room temperature.
Try to keep the room temperature at an even level, ideally in the 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit range.
Other items such as fertilizers and humidity levels depend a great deal on the type of plants you choose.
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including
Gardening, Home Improvement, and Real Estate.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kadence_Buchanan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Indoor-Gardening-Tips&id=323401
Lesson on Lumens and Lux
Posted by admin
Lumens & Lux:
Light is the only plant food. All the other things we give a plant are just to help it digest and use the light. The more light a plant gets, the bigger and fatter it will become, provided all its other needs are being met. If there is not enough light, nothing else will make the plant bigger or produce more. Read the rest of this entry »
Hydroponics Dictionary Calculator
Posted by admin
2007 Annual Meeting of the PGTA Formally Known as The HMA
Posted by admin
That’s right, the 2007 Annual Meeting of the PGTA will be held at the Tuscany Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on April 21st and April 22nd, with pre and post conference activities on the 20th and 23rd. Come join us for world-class dining, casinos, entertainment, golf, hotels, attractions, spas, and … professional development education to help your business prosper.
2007 Indoor Gardening Expo
Posted by admin
2007 Indoor Gardening Expo Tour Makes First Stop in Vancouver, BC
Maximum Yield’s Indoor Gardening Expo is ready to make its first sop of 2007. The 7th annual Vancouver Indoor Gardening Expo is scheduled the weekend of May 26th and 27th at the beautiful Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre at Canada Place.
Read the rest of this entry »
Innergrow Hydroponics & Indoor Garden Supply
Posted by admin
Innergrow Hydroponics & Indoor Garden Supply is an indoor gardening oasis located in East Texas, between Dallas & Tyler, TX. Our retail store is serving the Rockwall, Plano, Forney, Terrell area to the north and the Tyler, Longview and Lindale areas to the east all the way to Shreveport!
At Innergrow Hydroponics we are committed to carrying only quality, earth-friendly gardening supplies and plant nutrients for gardening indoors and outdoors. We offer the finest selection of innovative year-round gardening products including: organic fertilizers from Advanced Nutrients, General Hydroponics, Botanicare & Foxfarm, Organic pest control products, complete hydroponics systems and starter kits, rockwool, Hydroton CocoCoir and other growing media. Environmental controls, pH and TDS testers / meters, supplemental metal halide (MH) or high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting systems and ballasts, fluorescent lighting, carbon dioxide (CO2) generators, fans, filters and ventilation systems, and more for your greenhouse or indoor garden.
Open MON-SAT 11am - 7pm (Closed on Sundays)
Address: 24451, Interstate HWY 20, Wills Point, TX 75169. We are at Exit 519 next to Canton RV Park on the South Side Service Road.
Please feel free to give a call Toll Free at 1-866-475-GROW (4769)