Archive for the 'General Gardening Tips' Category

Advantages of Organic Hydroponic Gardening

May 04th, 2011 Comments(0)

There are so many organic gardeners who view hydroponic gardening as non-organic, since it doesn’t use soil as most people would like to. These people usually believe that true organic gardening is nowhere close to possible without rich, loamy soil. To some extent they do have a point, since organic gardening is based on good soil. However, it is sad that they have their minds fixated in such a way that they assume, and ignore the fact that organic hydroponic gardening does exist, and even has some advantages over the traditional organic gardening.

Organic hydroponic gardening works basically in the same way as the conventional organic gardening, the only difference being that but it doesn’t necessarily need to use the soil. This type of gardening relies heavily on the use of water to provide the nutrients needed for plant growth. Apart from that, organic hydroponic gardening will definitely require a means of growing, something solid to put the plant roots into. In this case however, the growing medium will not act as the source of nutrients, however; it is as sterile as a chemically fertilized monoculture wheat field. The growing medium simply acts as a structure by which the plants will root into and also use to hold the nutrient-filled water.

Apart from that, there is also the need to understand that in organic hydroponic gardening the growing medium can be of any organic material. In most cases, so many gardeners usually end up using either Vermiculite orperilte. In the event that you decide to use the former, you have to be very careful when handling vermiculite, because it is a source of asbestos. In the event that you cannot get your hands on this, there are also other options that you can go on and explore, like using straw, cotton, plant fiber or any other organic material that you can lay your hands on.

Fruit Bearing Plants for Greenhouse Hydroponics

March 15th, 2011 Comments(0)

Now we’re ready to discuss specific cultivars. Greenhouse tomatoes are generally grown from F1 seeds. Beefsteak cultivars include Blitz F1, Match F1, Matrix F1, Geronimo F1, and Trust F1. These cultivars produce large tomatoes in the half-pound range.
Cluster or truss tomatoes are four or five ounces in weight and grow with three to seven fruit attached to the truss. They keep for a fairly long time and have a little tougher skin than do beefsteak tomato fruit. Cultivars include Tradero F1, Clarance F1, and Ambiance F1. If you are interested in small tomato cultivars, Dasher F1 is a grape tomato and Flavorita F1 and Conchita F1 are cherry tomatoes. Read more »

Identifying Bad Water Quality Part 1

September 11th, 2008 Comments(0)

Most growers have ppm pens or monitors that can tell them the quality of their water. This is a good starting point, but knowing the hardness (calcium and magnesium) of the water is important, to see how much of the ppm is the hardness and how much is other contaminants. There is a myriad of other substances that can be read by a ppm pen. Sources for ppm in your water include agricultural runoff, urban runoff, industrial waste water, sewage, and natural sources such as leaves, silt, plankton, and rocks. Piping or plumbing may also release metals into the water and add to the ppm.

Below is a guide to identifying certain water problems:
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Controlling Indoor Pests – Leaf Miners

August 05th, 2008 Comments(1)

If you’re looking for a true challenge when it comes to an indoor pest, look no further than the leaf miner. The leaf miner is more of a threat to an indoor gardener using a greenhouse, but leaf miners have been known to develop in any indoor garden when conditions are right.

Although there are standard ways to deal with most pests, even identifying these pests can be challenge. The adult leaf miner looks exactly like small fly. Without an expertise in entomology, you probably will not be able to spot them, even if you study them on sticky yellow monitoring tape.
The problem with leaf miner is that they do exactly what the name implies — mine the leaf of your plant. Basically, the adult leaf miner lays an egg on the leaf of the plant and it hatches a larva. In turn, the small larva tunnels between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf and goes to work. And, of course, because it is between the layers of the leaf, it is protected form any sprays you might want to use. Read more »

How To Make Your Own Compost for Under $15

February 24th, 2008 Comments(6)

Compost is one of the best things that you can add to your garden. It allows you to use organic materials that would normally go to landfills. Organic materials make up approximately 24 percent of items send to landfills. It’s very inexpensive and much better than spending money on commercial fertilizers. It helps with soil texture and structure. It also adds nutrients to your garden. The best time to start your compost is in the spring. Read more »

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