Category: Garden Tips and Ideas

Shedding Light on Cannabis Growth: Why Growers Oversize Lights And CO2 Constraints.

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In the bustling world of cannabis cultivation, where every watt of light counts towards the holy grail of high yields and potent buds, a peculiar trend has emerged. Despite advancements in cultivation technology and a wealth of knowledge about optimal lighting conditions, many growers are investing in larger lights than necessary. Why? The answer lies in an unexpected constraint: carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

CO2, often hailed as the “elixir of growth” for plants, plays a crucial role in photosynthesis. Cannabis plants, like all green organisms, convert CO2 and light energy into sugars, the building blocks of growth. However, there’s a catch. Increasing light intensity without a proportional increase in CO2 levels can lead to inefficiencies and even stunted growth.

Imagine a scenario where a cannabis grower installs powerful, high-intensity lights to maximize photosynthesis. These lights emit a copious amount of photons, providing ample energy for the plants. But without sufficient CO2, the plants struggle to harness this energy efficiently, resulting in suboptimal growth despite the abundance of light.

To tackle this issue, growers often resort to boosting CO2 levels in their grow rooms. By supplementing with CO2, they aim to match the increased light intensity with a proportional increase in carbon dioxide, thereby optimizing photosynthesis and maximizing yields. However, there’s a limit to how much CO2 plants can effectively utilize.

Herein lies the dilemma. Many growers, eager to harness the full potential of their high-powered lights, may inadvertently oversupply CO2, assuming that more is always better. This misconception leads to a vicious cycle where growers invest in ever-larger lights to compensate for the perceived shortfall in CO2 utilization. Consequently, they end up with more lighting capacity than their plants truly require, wasting energy and resources in the process.

The solution to this conundrum lies in striking a delicate balance between light intensity and CO2 supplementation. Rather than blindly ramping up either parameter, growers should adopt a holistic approach that considers the specific needs of their plants and the limitations of their environment. This entails:

Understanding Plant Physiology: Cannabis plants have specific light and CO2 requirements at each stage of growth. By familiarizing themselves with these needs, growers can tailor their lighting and CO2 supplementation strategies accordingly.
Optimizing Grow Room Environment: Factors such as temperature, humidity, and airflow can influence CO2 uptake and plant growth. By maintaining ideal conditions, growers can enhance the efficacy of both light and CO2, maximizing yield potential.
Investing in Precision Equipment: Rather than splurging on oversized lights, growers should prioritize precision equipment that allows for fine-tuning of light intensity and CO2 levels. This ensures efficient resource utilization without unnecessary waste.
Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment: Monitoring plant health, environmental parameters, and CO2 levels is crucial for identifying any imbalances or inefficiencies. Growers should regularly assess their setup and make adjustments as needed to optimize performance.

In conclusion, the phenomenon of cannabis growers purchasing larger lights than necessary stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the interplay between light intensity and CO2 availability. By acknowledging this dynamic relationship and adopting a nuanced approach to cultivation, growers can unlock the full potential of their plants while minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency. After all, in the world of cannabis cultivation, it’s not just about how much light you shine—it’s about how effectively your plants can bask in its glow.

Tags Grow Science

Agriculture Beneficials in the garden Garden Tips and Ideas Organic Gardening Self-Reliability Sustainability The Science Of Growing

Better Yield and Soil Health with Intercropping: The Benefits of Growing Crops Together

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Intercropping is a farming technique in which multiple crops are grown together in the same field. This method has been used for centuries and has numerous benefits for the soil, crops, and the environment.

Here are some of the benefits of intercropping:

Increased Yield: Intercropping can increase yield by making the most efficient use of available space, light, and resources. By growing multiple crops together, farmers can make use of different root systems, growth patterns, and nutrient requirements to optimize their use of the land.
Soil Fertility: Intercropping can help to improve soil fertility by adding organic matter to the soil and fixing nitrogen. Leguminous crops, such as beans or clover, can help to fix nitrogen in the soil, which can be used by subsequent crops.
Weed Suppression: Intercropping can help to suppress weeds by competing with them for light, water, and nutrients. This can make it easier to control weeds and reduce the need for herbicides.
Pest Control: Intercropping can also help to control pests by attracting beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, which feed on harmful insects. Additionally, different crops can have different susceptibility to pests, so intercropping can help to reduce the spread of pests.
Biodiversity: Intercropping can help to increase biodiversity in the agricultural landscape, which is important for the health of the ecosystem. By growing multiple crops together, farmers can promote a healthy and diverse ecosystem.

In order to get the most benefits from intercropping, it is important to choose the right crops for your area and to plant them at the right time. It is also important to consider the specific needs of each crop and to carefully manage the intercrop mixture.

By incorporating intercropping into your agricultural practices, you can help to increase yield, improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, and control pests. Whether you are a small-scale farmer or a large-scale producer, intercropping can be a valuable tool for improving the health of your soil and the environment.

Agriculture Composting Garden Tips and Ideas Organic Gardening The Science Of Growing

5 Organic Farming Techniques for a Thriving Harvest

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Organic Crops Grow on Fertile Farm Field in California. Vegetables in a row, clear skies and mountains in the background.

Organic farming is a method of agriculture that prioritizes the use of natural processes and materials to cultivate crops. This approach not only benefits the environment, but also results in healthier and more flavorful produce. Here are five organic farming techniques to help you achieve a thriving harvest:

Cover Cropping: Cover cropping is a technique that involves planting cover crops, such as clover or rye, in between harvest cycles to add nutrients back into the soil, suppress weeds, and improve soil structure.
Composting: Composting is the process of breaking down organic material, such as food scraps, yard waste, and animal manure, into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. This technique adds essential nutrients back into the soil and helps improve soil structure and water retention.
Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is a technique that involves rotating crops from year to year in order to minimize pest and disease pressure, improve soil fertility, and prevent soil depletion.
Intercropping: Intercropping is the practice of planting two or more crops together in the same field. This technique helps to improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, and increase overall yields.
Natural Pest Management: Organic farmers rely on natural pest management techniques, such as companion planting, releasing beneficial insects, and using natural pest repellents, to control pests and diseases. These methods are safer for the environment and more sustainable than using chemical pesticides.

By incorporating these five organic farming techniques into your farming practices, you can achieve a thriving harvest while also benefiting the environment and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Tags Composting, Cover Cropping, Crop Rotation, Intercropping, Natural Pest Management, Organic Farming

Container Gardening Garden Tips and Ideas Urban Gardening

Container Gardening: Top 10 Reasons To Grow in Containers.

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I love container gardening. As spring approaches, now is the time I get all my containers ready and even do some spring growing. Container gardening can be a solution to many problems, and is quite enjoyable.

I am sure you have seen or read people talking about container gardening. This can be as complex as a raised bed garden or as simple as a window herb garden. No matter your needs container gardening can likely fill the gap in your garden design and grow season. So in this article we are going to cover some of the basic uses and advantages of container gardening.

Space

– One of the largest reasons to start a container garden is space, be it an odd space or lack there of. You can build raised beds or design a container garden to fit in almost any area.

Soil

– If you live in the city, or even the suburbs your soil may be contaminated. Even if it is not it may not have a good PH or proper soil composition for growing in. You can test your soil for components like Ph, Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus fairly cheaply and easily with a home test kit. However other contaminants such as motor oil or herbicides like Round Up are commonly found in city yards and are harder to detect right away, and cost a lot more to test for. Container gardening solves this problem by letting you control the soil composition to a fine point. It can make gardening easier and also more productive. Books such as “Square Foot Gardening” can help you get the perfect soil composition.

Water

– If you live in a region where water is scarce, container gardens and hydroponic gardens can be water saving solutions for the home vegetable grower. They take and hold water at a better rate than watering a whole garden patch.

Children

– If you have children, you can do SO many projects with them. They will find container gardening easier for small hands and short legs, and they will find a great sense of responsibility and reward in caring for their own plants.

Run Off

– One of the bigger problem with many urban gardens is runoff. When nitrates and other fertilizers are leached by rain, they tend to run into sewer and river systems. This has caused dead zones in rivers and lakes, even the ocean. A lot of runoff is from lawns, so growing food in containers is one way to eliminate the lawn and to add home grown food to your diet.

Landscaping

– Container gardens come in all shapes and sizes, making them sometimes decorative. what a great way to add some decoration to your lawn while also growing some great fruits, vegetables or flowers.

Convenience

– You can grow an small vegetable or herb garden inside or out and have fresh cooking herbs at your disposal at any time. And if you live in a cold climate like I do, an indoor winter garden can be cheaper, easier to fit in a small space and easier than a greenhouse

Portability

– If you live in a rental home or just like to change things up sometimes, only container gardening offers the flexibility to move. You can rearrange, replace or move anytime you need to, with little or no losses.

Control

– If you have ever grown certain types of plants such as mint or strawberries, you will know they can take over a garden. Growing these in a controlled garden you can keep them to their own area and not have a whole garden of mint after a year or two.

Maintenance

– When it comes to weeding, I find that raised beds and other containers are MUCH easier to weed. This is also true if you need to change out or amend soils or anything else.

All of this does not have to replace in the ground gardening, but it can do pretty well. Container gardening is especially valuable for people who have limited space or no yard at all. So check it out, maybe get some grow bags and try it, but most of all have some fun and grow some food!

Tags container gardening

Agriculture Beneficials in the garden Garden Tips and Ideas Nature Organic Gardening Sustainability The Science Of Growing Urban Gardening

Azospirillum Brasilense Bacteria (Azos) And Why Every Gardner Needs It.

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Once again this is an example of how one must feed the SOIL not the plant. Nature has already thought of everything you need and provided it somehow, all you have to do is learn to restore what has been lost. Many fungi and bacteria have been killed off by spraying and other pressures of modern Western life. So here is a knowledge bomb of one of the hardest working bacteria in your garden, and maybe on the planet,

Azospirillum Brasilense, commonly referred to as Azos or A.Brasilense, is one of the most well-studied plant growth promoting bacteria. It is considered a free-living soil bacterium that has the ability to affect the growth of numerous agricultural crops worldwide through the excretion of various hormones and the bacteria’s ability of nitrogen fixation.

Pull Nitrogen From Thin Air.

Even though you and I breath oxygen and plants breath carbon dioxide, the atmosphere is actually comprised of around 80% nitrogen which is in the form of N2 atmospheric nitrogen that is not conventionally available to plants. Nitrogen is a key component in growing anything. it drives chlorophyll production keeping the plants dark green and happy. It is a huge part of amino acids and other compounds that keep your plants strong and healthy. It is a part of every major protein molecule, and yet soil is often lacking enough N. Chemical fertilizer could provide this N, but they are expensive and can be dangerous.

Somewhere along the evolutionary development of the “Plant – Soil – Microbial Matrix”, certain bacteria began to specialize in tasks to enhance plant growth, which in return provided the microbes with a food source exchange opportunity. A select group of bacteria classified as “Diazotrophs” began to supply nitrogen to plants from a range of sources, including decomposed plant litter, dead micro-organisms, and sequestration of atmospheric nitrogen.

Azos is a particularly efficient agent originally isolated in the Amazon Basin where the lack of soil, the reapid breakdown of any vegetation by hungry microbes, and the environmental conditions which require growth to survive is a fundamental proposition of the ecosystem. Azos specialized in the highly-efficient conversion of the N2 form of nitrogen into plant-available NH3 ammoniacal nitrogen. Azos is so efficient that between 50-percent and 70-percent of all the nitrogen required by most crops can be supplied by this organism. Azos benefit to plants is not limited nitrogen-fixation alone. Azos also acts as a growth simulant, catalyzing the release of a natural growth hormone in plants. This naturally-released hormone increases root development and optimized the harvest potential of your garden. Together, Azos and mycorrhizae fungi work symbiotically to help ordinary plants become the fullest they can be (read about mycorrhizae in this post).

Azos can be used as a cloning solution, though I have not tried it personally.

So grab some for your spring transplants and improve your crop this summer.

Tags Azos, Azospirillum Brasilense, nitrogen deficiency, Nitrogen fixing, Nitrogen fixing Bacteria

Agriculture Beneficials in the garden Garden Tips and Ideas Nature Organic Gardening Sustainability The Science Of Growing Urban Gardening

Top 5 Reasons To Use Mycorrhizae, Friendly Fungi And Fabulous Friends For Gardeners

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Do you want way to naturally and organically produce more food from your garden or farm. Well, nature provides. Mycorrhizae is a fungi that will rock the roots of most plants and show a HUGE gain in size and yield. In combination with Azos bacteria, the two can nearly grow a plant in anything. So here is some info and The Top 5 Reasons To Use Mycorrhizae.

Top 5 Reasons To Use Mycorrhizae In Your Garden.

5. Can give your plants up to 10000% more root mass (yes 10000%!)

4. It makes a plant heartier and more resistant to drought, pests and disease.

3. Use less water to grow even better plants.

2. Use less compost and fertilizer, meaning less work, energy and waste go into your garden.

1. Plant yield and growth will explode!

Runner Up: They look really cool when you see them pop up on your seedlings.

Mycorrhizae (or Myco’s for short) form a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots of most plant species. Let me simplify the science. The fungus colonizes roots of plants and breaks down certain nutrients for the plant, in return for those nutrients the plant feeds the fungus the sugars it so craves, its just a fungus with a sweet tooth looking for its next fix, which it is willing to work for. The mechanisms of increased absorption are both physical and chemical. Mycorrhizal mycelia, tiny little hairs which you can see on the roots, are much smaller in diameter than the smallest root, and thus can explore a greater amount of soil, providing a larger root mass for absorption of water and nutrients. While only a small proportion of all species has been examined, 95% of those plant families are predominantly mycorrhizal. And here is the real kicker, it may be myco’s that allowed waterborne plants to move to the dry land many millions of years ago!

Mycorrhizae should be everywhere, but due to pollution, runoff, pesticides, herbicides and anti-fungal sprays, mycos are missing in many gardens and raised beds, not to mention all indoor potted plants that are started with sterile soil.

Two Types, Two Jobs, Too Easy

There are two types of mycos, endo and ecto. Rather than bore you with my poorly explained science, I will simply tell you that endomycorrizae are for most vegetable and fruit species in your garden (spinach and lettuce type plants do not colonize with it, though it will not hurt them either), and ecto are for a lot of trees and some flowers such as roses and orchids. I just generally get a mix of ecto and endo so that it can both colonize the plant I am planting and rebuild the soil by possibly colonizing other areas and plants.

Technically there is a third type, but it is for bogs and not commonly sold or needed.

You can spray on myco, you can use it as a root inoculate when you transplant or plant, or you can “drill’ a small hole in the soil and spray or sprinkle some in the hole for existing plants. The key is to get it in contact with the roots.

So have heavier yields with less fertilizers and compost for less than $20 an acre. And I will give you a little tip that the guy at the garden center may not. You can use a small amount of myco and culture it in your potting soil, use it in house plants and then put that medium in the garden when done recycling the myco or you can even grow your own with certain grasses etc, but I just find it easier to buy a box or two a year (about a pound) for our whole farm to use.

Here is a good video if you want more info, the more you know, the more you can grow.

Research shows that the lack of mycorrhizal fungi can create problems with many plants, shrubs and trees when they are growing in our gardens, so make sure you get some before this spring.

Garden Tips and Ideas Urban Gardening

I Never Knew That! -Sweetgum Balls

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I Never Knew!

You know, the super magical thing about the internet is that it can make you the bearer of almost instant knowledge on just about anything. This comes in handy when you hang out with kids. The ‘aha, I never knew!’ moments are exhilarating.

For instance, yesterday I finally looked up ‘tree with spiky balls.’ Yeah, I giggled a little inside at the search terms. However, the search is long overdue; we’ve taken hundreds of walks in our neighborhood and have run into the same patches of ‘spiky balls’ countless times. On our typical route, there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls. I’ve twisted my ankle on them more than once; when I’m pulling a wagon full of kids, they can make travel difficult; Simon has crashed his bike more than once when his front tire hit one. Despite these nuisances, we always slow down to take a look, and to collect the unusual alien balls–we always end up with pockets full and fists bulging because they really are just amazing things to study.

Sweetgum tree with seeds

It wasn’t until yesterday, after a walk along the snowy sidewalks when we gathered a few of these funny spiky sweetgum balls, and Noah said ‘What are they called?” that I decided it was time to find out! Incidentally, he has become so fascinated with all the things in our compost, that he added “Can we put these in our special trash to turn them into dirt?” We are always in need of brown stuff (carbon rich things like dead leaves and straw), so I was thinking, hmmm, maybe!

Turns out, they are the seed pods from the sweetgum tree. Green in the spring, they darken as autumn and winter pass, and they fall from the sweetgum by the hundreds. If you look very closely, they are actually a bit scary looking–they appear to be made of a collection of tiny, dark brown bird beaks. Noah is the one who make the beak connection, and once he did, he was too freaked out for awhile to touch his ball again. He got over it. 🙂

Here is something interesting to pass along: The sweetgum doesn’t even start producing the seed pods until they are TWENTY years old! That will widen the eyes of any curious kid!

Six Great Things To Use Sweetgum Balls For:

The spiky seed pods from the sweetgum tree are not only fascinating to look at, they can actually help out in the garden. Who knew?! Go out with a bucket and fill it with seed pods, and in the spring you may just use some:

1. Lay the seed pods around young plants to deter snails and slugs who would rather not tangle with them

2. Put them around plants that you also want to protect from rabbits (press the spikes in the ground a bit so they don’t blow away)

3. Use them as mulch (you can’t have too much mulch!)

4. Like Noah suggested, you can always throw them in your compost for some much needed brown material. However, they will take a long time to compost

5. Use them in the bottom of planters as the drainage filler instead of stones

6. If you have hard, compacted soil that you are trying to amend, dig deep and place a thick layer of the seed pods down to help aerate and drain–cover back up with soil and other amendments

The pods would also be great for making wreaths or ornaments. They have a natural beauty to them, even if they do look like weird little baby bird beaks.

If you walk by a sweetgum tree like we do almost every day, now you know they can be useful for more than twisting your ankle or causing a bike wreck!

P.S. If you are feeling really motivated, get on ebay and sell some like these folks are! I’m totally kidding. Maybe.

Via: Andrea @ Little *Big* Harvest

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Garden Tips and Ideas

Fast Friday Tip-Tomatoes on Newspaper

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When you are collecting tomatoes every day, they start taking up a lot of counter space. As they wait for their end (eaten fresh, juice dripping down your chin? sauced? roasted?), set them out on a layer of newspaper. Make sure each tomato has its own little space (try not to stack them), and the newspaper will help with airflow so the tomatoes continue to ripen, not rot.

If you have a silly tomato with a nose, by all means, dress it up and hide it among the others. The reaction from passersby is awesome.

These tomatoes are waiting to become sauce! Stay tuned!

Garden Tips and Ideas

Fast Friday Tip: Panty Hose Tomato Ties

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Don’t spend another dime on fancy tomato ties from the garden center! Panty hose work perfectly for the task of keeping wayward vines trained where you want them.

I’ve always kept store-bought ties like the ones pictured below on hand, but always felt like I had to ration them out. The cost can really add up when you only get a dozen or so in a pack that cost 2 or 3 bucks. The cable ties on the far left are essential for other garden tasks, but can cut into the tender skin of your tomato vines, leaving them injured and susceptible to disease.

I personally don’t wear panty hose, but bought some just for this purpose. This pair cost me only a dollar (at the handy dollar store within walking distance from me) and will give me dozens of ties.

Just take the panty hose and cut a length from it. It will stretch out and tie easily around your vines. The material is soft and gentle and you won’t have to worry about the homemade ties cutting into the vine and hurting your plant.

Now go search your drawer for some old hose you know you are never going to wear again, and tie up some tomatoes!

Garden Tips and Ideas

Fast Friday Tip: Lettuce Lattice

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Lettuce lattice….trying saying that 3 times fast! Okay, I just did. It’s not actually very difficult. 🙂

Even less difficult is using scrap lattice in your garden. This is a very simple idea I found to help protect your lettuce (and other more heat-sensitive veggies and herbs) from extreme sun. Filtering the sunlight a bit will prevent lettuce from quickly going to seed and becoming bitter. If you know of anyone getting rid of some lattice board, try this; or even purchase some, it’s relatively inexpensive!

Here’s another example, using white plastic lattice (the white will reflect more sunlight):

Source of photos HERE and HERE