the indoor gardener magazine volume 3—# 2 (sept./oct. 2007)

4THE INDOOR GARDENER VOLUME 3 – ISSUE 2

Photos: Ultim

ate Controllers Inc., Maryland H

ydroponics, Dave G

uillemette &

D.R

.

CREDITS

Volume 3 – Issue 2September / October 2007

Published by: Green Publications

Publisher: J.M.

Managing editor: Bruno [email protected]

Contributing editor: Helene Jutras

Art Director: Anna Kanaras

Editorial coordinator: Bruno Bredoux

Collaborators in this issue:

C.A., A. Aubron, Kari Bayne, Pierre Bonnard, Bruno Bredoux, Jean-Pierre Daimé, Stan Daimon, B. Danny, Oliver Dubois, J. François, Herb Gardner, Vertuda Green, Dave Guillemette, G.H., Ilona Hufkens, Helene Jutras, Rob Kelly, Roxanne LaBelle, Fred Leduc, Mamylaine, Kirsten Oliphant, Tony Olissoff, Fernand Pigeon, Ch. Rémy, R. Ridou, Steve from CubeCap.ca, William Sutherland, vieux bandit.

Sales & advertising: Stan [email protected] Lydia [email protected]

Distribution: See the list of our distributors on our website.

Translation/Copy editing: Helene Jutras, trad.a.

Cover design: Anna Kanaras, after a photo by Mamylaine.

Illustrations: Anna Kanaras (also see credits on each page).

Administration: R. [email protected]

Information: [email protected]

THE INDOOR GARDENER MAGAZINEP.O. Box 52046, Laval, Quebec, H7P 5S1, CANADAPhone: 450-628-5325 Fax: 450-628-7758www.tigmag.comISSN: 1715-0949

© 2007, Green Publications Vertes, Laval, Qc, CanadaArticles, iconographic representations and photographs contained in this magazine cannot be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Publisher.

Legal deposit: Second Quarter 2005. National Library of Canada. Bibliothèque nationale du Québec.

Printed in Canada by Litho Mille-Iles Ltée,Terrebonne, Quebec, J6Y 1N9

Conversion TableLinear Measure (imperial to metric)1 inch 2.54 centimetres1 foot (=12 inches) 0.3048 metre 1 yard (=3 feet) 0.9144 metre

Linear Measure (metric to imperial)Imperial 1 millimetre 0.0394 inch 1 centimetre (=10 mm) 0.3937 inch 1 metre (=100 cm) 1.0936 yards

Volume (imperial to metric)Metric 1 (imperial) fl . oz. (=1/20 imperial pint) 28.41 ml 1 (US liquid) fl . oz. (=1/16 US pint) 29.57 ml 1 (imperial) pint (=20 fl . imperial oz.) 568.26 ml 1 (US liquid) pint (=16 fl . US oz.) 473.18 ml 1 (imperial) gallon (=4 quarts) 4.546 litres 1 (US liquid) gallon (=4 quarts) 3.785 litres

Volume (metric to imperial)Imperial 1 millilitre 0.002 (imperial) pint, 0.176 pint 1 litre (=1000 ml) 1.76 pints

Mass (imperial to metric)1 ounce (=16 drams) 28.35 grams 1 pound (=16 ounces) 0.45359237 kilogram 1 stone (=14 pounds) 6.35 kilograms

Mass (metric to imperial)Imperial 1 milligram 0.015 grain 1 kilogram (=1000 g) 2.205 pounds

Temperature To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 degrees and divide by 1.8. To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply by 1.8 and add 32 degrees.

ERRATA Volume 2 – Issue 6

pages 40-44: CO2 article:

We forgot to give the

information regarding

one of the manufacturers

of the CO2 controllers

mentioned in the article.

They were Ultimate

Controllers inc., 76,

rue d’Avila, Laval, Qc,

H7M 3Y6, Canada. Tel.:

450 975-4650 or 514

219-4650, fax: 305

422-0621, email: info@

ultimatecontrollers.

com, Website: www.

ultimatecontrollers.com.

Volume 3 – Issue 1

page 30: Industry News:

Unfortunately, the

landscaping company

Kuntur Béton closed

down since our last issue

was published.

On

the

cove

r: “A

ller a

ux fr

aise

s” b

y M

amyl

aine

.

50

44

Green Publications VertesGreen Publications VertesGPv

pages 44-46: Atmosphere article: The authors wish to thank William Guida and Aldo

Burcheri from Atmosphere inc., for their priceless collaboration when drafting this

article and for providing us a selection of photographs.

pages 59-60: The Hydroponic World of North America: The logo of hydroponic store

Maryland Hydroponics (Laurel, MD 20723), appearing three times in these pages, was

rendered illegible following a printing problem.

We wish to apologize to the store owners.

Visit: www.mdhydro.com.

Page 65: Q&A

In the last answer regarding the Bonzaï rotating garden, the distributor’s contact

information was erroneous. The Bonzaï system is now exclusively distributed by The

Indoor Gardener Hydroponics/Mr. Aidan Wilkins, 207

Exeter Rd, London, ON, N6L 1A4, Canada

Tel: 1 519 652-4224 – Web: www.indoorgardener.ca.

8 INTRODUCTION

SAFFRON, OR 100,000 CROCUS FLOWERS

By Ch. Rémy

20 CHECKING AND MONITORING PH IN INDOOR GARDENING By William Sutherland 26 INDUSTRY: WERNARD BRUINING, RUINED IN SPITE OF SUCCESS After A. Aubron

28 SUCCESSFUL CUTTINGS: TRADITIONAL METHOD By Pierre Bonnard and Jean-Pierre Daimé (CityPlantes)

38 HYDROPONIC CLASSICS 5 FROM AEROFLO® TO RAINFOREST®, FIND THE AERO/ HYDROPONICS SYSTEM THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS By G.H.

44 PLANT CLASSIFICATION: 7 – ROSE CULTIVARS NAMED AFTER FAMOUS PEOPLE By Bruno Bredoux

51 MARA DES BOIS STRAWBERRIES ON MY BALCONY By Mamylaine

52 GROWING EXPERIMENT: MY GROWING METHOD IN A CLOSET: A SUCCESS STORY

By R. Ridou

56 HORTICULTURAL LIGHTING: WHAT IS LIGHT FOR PLANTS? By William Sutherland

58 GROWING EXPERIMENT: A HOP PROJECT

By Fernand Pigeon

AND OUR USUAL FEATURES:

CREDITS AND ERRATA (4) EDITORIAL (6) ORDER FORM (6) NOTES & NEWS (10 TO 14)) SCIENCE (16) TIPS & TRICKS (18)

MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE, PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVELOPPMENT (50-51)

INDUSTRY NEWS (62 AND 65) SHOPPING (60 AND 64) THE HYDROPONIC WORLD OF NORTH AMERICA (61 TO 63) Q & A (66)

VOLUME 3 — ISSUE 2 / SEPTEMBER — OCTOBER 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

51

Photo: © 1978 Personafi lm

GM

BH, M

unich

Like music adding rhythm

to our lives, seasons return

with their joys and labours.

The fall announces both

the end of a cycle and the

often-invisible preparation

of a renewal that will sleep

for almost six months. Just

as in the Ingmar Bergman

movie that gave this text its

title, in which a mother who

neglected her offspring in

favour of her career returns

to see her daughter at the end of her life, Nature does the

same. She seems to be neglecting trees, shrubs, fl owers and

vegetables by allowing them to die where they stand, but

often only puts them in dormancy, making them even more

beautiful for the following year.

Many among us, however, do not want to accept that Nature

wants to abandon everything that formed the rhythm of our

internal music during the entire summer. That is why the

many inventions of hydroponic cultivation exist! The indoor

gardener’s autumn sonata is declined by transplanting the

most beautiful specimens obtained in the summer into the

greenhouse, the winter garden or the terrarium. Now is the

time to catalogue, evaluate and preserve what we liked best

in what Nature offered us. We draft lists of seeds or cuttings,

we store bulbs and tubers for the next season, in order to

renew the garden and restore it to its previous beauty.

This new issue of The Indoor Gardener explores all of these

themes, allowing you to begin your very own gardening

music, your personal autumn sonata.

Bruno Bredoux

The Indoor Gardener Magazine

August 2007

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EDITORIAL

Autumn Sonata


INTRODUCTION

In a measured gesture, the cook adds a small quantity of red powder to her fi sh soup, which turns yellow. A strong and tenacious perfume fi lls the room, bringing forth visions of blue vacations, of far East, splendid and fascinating. Mysterious saffron! When we use it in the kitchen, do we know its origin? Is it the bark of a tree, like cinnamon? A rhizome, like ginger? Perhaps an evanescent liana, prospering under the warm rains of the monsoon?

Saffron is extracted from a crocus fl ower much like those that can be seen on mountainous grasslands as soon as snow

melts. Botanists call it Crocus sativus, which is cultivated. It belongs to the family of Iridaceae, like sword grass and irises, but it differs from other crocus in two ways: fi rst, it fl owers in the fall rather than in the spring and, second and most importantly, on pale violet petals are the stigmata, three large bright red arrows – from which saffron will be extracted.

The stamens, displaying an attractive yellow, have no value.

Saffron originates from Nepal. The long tradition of using it as a dye has been known for years uncounted, and Buddhist monks still dye their garment with saffron, following a tradition lost in mystery. The botanists that accompanied Alexander the Great during his conquests in remote corners of India are said to have brought saffron to Greece, which may explain its continued presence in the Mediterranean basin.

Saffron was, from then on, used in Mediterranean countries for three distinct purposes: as a culinary spice, as a dye and as a religious symbol. Brides in Tyr wore saffron-dyed veils of yellowish green. According to legend, saffron dyes the sheets of love, and the myth of its aphrodisiac properties is tenacious on the borders of what is now Lebanon.

Saffron or 100,000 Crocus Flowers

By Ch. Rémy

Photos: D.R

., Ch. Rémy &

B.B.

INTRODUCTIONPh

otos

: Ch.

Rém

y &

D.R

Phoenicians used to spend their wedding night in sheets dyed with saffron. In Persia (Iran), however, saffron was rather

used in mortuary ceremonies. Romans used to lay its fl owers on the ground on holidays.

Arabs, being great traveling peddlers, helped to implant saffron in Northern Africa as

w e l l as in Spain, where it still fl owers under the wings of windmills. Does it grow in France? It used to, intensively, in one area where one might not expect it to: in Beauce or nearby, more precisely in the part of Gâtinais

located to the north-east of Orléans, where the forest is interrupted by the Loire, and is replaced by great fi elds.

Beware of saffl ower, or bastard saffron, which comes from western Asia. It has the colour of saffron, with its sunshine yellow stigmata that turn to burnt orange as they dry or age, but it has nowhere near the aroma concentration of real saffron.

You will require fi ve times as much saffl ower (or Carthamus tinctorius, an annual belonging to the Asteraceae family) as actual saffron to perfume a dish the same way! Because of

its high cost (over 100,000 fl owers give off fi ve kilos of stigmata, which once dried will give one kilo of saffron), many replacements are used in the kitchen: saffl ower, turmeric, Marigold petals or imitation products such as Rizdor, Afral or Spigol (containing only 1% saffron).

Saffron is simply the most expensive of all spices!

Saffron’s delicious perfume accompanies well fi sh dishes, sea food, as well as dishes from India, such as curries.

Photos and illustration: © 2007 H

arvest Master

Harvest Master Conquers Mould Ever noticed how badly some people suffer mould and fungus,

while others seem to never fall into their grip? How can a

“climate controller” help?

One of the main causes of mould is night-time “dew-point”.

Just as the evening dew in spring and autumn suddenly has the

clothes wet on the wash-line, your plant’s leaves can gather the

moisture of a fast falling temperature in the passing from day to

night when there is high humidity in a grow room. Once mould is in

your room, it is diffi cult to get rid of, so start clean with a plan to stay

clean. The best way to reduce the chance of mould development is to

limit the temperature drop and potential condensation onto the cooler

leaves of your plants. Using big fans to evacuate the air from your room,

especially if cool night air is being drawn in, makes this worse.

Small fans, controlled to “match the climate”, make slower changes to

your room’s climate, lowering the humidity and temperature together,

so that dew-point doesn’t occur. Harvest Master controllers limit the

temperature drop into the night period, monitoring, managing and

controlling the conditions to avert dew point, reduce plant stress, and

maximize crop yield and strength.

– T.O.

Growing Fast There are a million theories to maximize your crop yields and growth

rates. “Mom knows best” could be one of them, Mother Nature that

is. Select a place that grows the biggest, most lush and most

vigorous crops on earth, then emulate it. The jungles of Borneo

or Cambodia, the deserts of Nevada, or the green, green grass

of home? All of these have different dominant plant types, but

for sure, fast, lush and rapid cropping plants are more likely in

the jungles than high in the mountains or in the desert.

Raise the temperature. This helps. Temperatures into the 95oF (35oC) are

commonplace but worrisome for many growers. Proper climate control

does reduce the stress of high temperatures on the plants, turning it to

a growth opportunity instead! Just as in most chemical reactions, plants

photosynthesize more in less time at higher temperatures. Keeping the

balance of temperature with the other aspects of climate to maximize

plant comfort is the trick!

Some basic (and simple) facts

• Plant metabolism rises with temperature.

• Wide open stomata are necessary to allow a higher CO2 transfer rate,

to feed the increased plant metabolism, so humidity must be kept higher

to slow transpiration and improve nutrient uptake and assimilation.

• CO2 is plant food, the meat and potatoes of the plant kingdom. Make

sure to feed your plants with high (1800-2000 ppm) carbon dioxide

levels. Then add the nutrients to match the growth produced.

Harvest Master climate controllers manage the temperature, humidity,

CO2 and light cycles as a single organic growing environment. High

yielding harvests, fast crop rotations with minimal room maintenance

or crop management are repeatedly achieved even by novice growers.

The ‘man-in-the-machine’ Harvest Master controller becomes the 24/7

manager, holding the growing environment to suit the one you want.

Grow crops strong, fast and easy.

– T.O.

Need to Reduce That Monthly Power Bill?Is the power bill giving you the monthly heart attack? It may be time

to start using your head to cut that power usage down to size. Simple

steps for users of Harvest Master climate controllers have proven to

produce a massive benefi t. These controllers have “any length” Day/

Night timers and come standard with a “Fast Flowering” cycle (18 hr

per day). This allows a 6 hr Day period, followed by 12 hrs of night, to

ensure your plants stay locked in “Flowering”, but every day you gain

6 hours for the grow room to start a new day. In 3 days, your plants

have had 4 days! In 3 weeks your plants have seen 4 weeks! Simply

put, each month, your lights (and A/C units and dehumidifi ers) will

be on for just 240 hrs in fast fl owering mode, instead of the usual 360

hrs in 12:12 fl owering cycles. That is a massive drop of 34% on power

usage, just like that.

This can work two ways for you.

1) Make it possible for your plants to feed and process in 6 hrs, as

though it were 12 hrs: higher temperature, CO2 concentrations and

humidity, with nutrients to suit make this possible, with yields exactly

as for 12 hrs fl owering cycles.

2) Use the same lower temps, CO2 concentrations and humidity you

currently use. Allow more “cycle days”. 6 calendar weeks

= 8 plant weeks.

At worst, you’ll end up with the same yields, in a similar

length of time. The big gains are: heavily reduced

power usage, lower residual heat in rooms, easier crop

management.

Interestingly enough, this is old news. Indoor growing pioneers from

Holland, years ago developed and proved this technique. The trouble

was fi nding cycle timers to run short days. Now it’s been proven all over

the world by Harvest Master users, with an out-of-the-box solution.

More growth, less time. Less power, less mould, fungi and pests. Just a

string of bonuses, fi rstly proven by the advanced growers, now able to

be achieved by novice growers too.

– T.O.

Any questions on how to get on the Harvest Master big crops wagon,

email [email protected] or visit www.harvest-master.com.


NOTES & NEWS (WITH HARVEST MASTER)

Photos: Hydrofarm

& D

.R. – Illustration

: AP/C

BS

Industry: Hydrofarm Announces The Addition Of Sunshine Mix #4 To Its Lineup

This quality SunGro product is recommended where high

air capacity and fast drainage are needed: during winter

months, with water- and salt-sensitive crops, or where

frequent leaching is required. Sunshine Mix #4 ingredients

are: Canadian sphagnum peat moss, coarse perlite, starter

nutrient charge (with gypsum) dolomitic limestone and

long-lasting wetting agent. To fi nd a Hydrofarm authorized

retailer near you, visit: www.hydrofarm.com.

– R.K.

Industry: Odorsok Air Filters Are Now Part of Hydrofarm Product Line

Odor-Sok Air Filters are constructed using bundles of

microscopic activated carbon fi laments and fi bers. By

controlling fi ber width to 20 nm, the absorption rate of

carbon cloth is similar to that of a single exposed carbon

particle. Odor-Sok Air Filters retain all the properties of

deep fi lter bed canisters with the advantage of light weight.

Faster adsorption rates means smaller fi lter equipment and

up to thirty times less carbon in use, for the same result

over a one-year period. Visit: www.hydrofarm.com.

– R.K.

Eastern Europeans Shun The English Strawberry HarvestSpectators at Wimbledon’s tennis tournament this year were not

offered delicious English strawberries dipped in cream. The “blame”

lies on Polish and other Eastern European seasonal workers, who

used to come and harvest the aforementioned strawberry. Yet

this immigration of agricultural workers is coming to an end.

There were 22,700 in 2005 to come to Great-Britain, then 19,896

last year, and... 3,400 since the beginning of this year. “In some

[Eastern] European countries, living standards increased faster

than expected and workers would rather remain at home”, said

Philip Hudson, of Great-

Britain’s national farmers

union.

– T.I.G.

(Source: Reuters)

Polynesian Chicken Before Conquistadors!

A team of Canadian scientists has identifi ed

the remains of chickens found on the coast of

Chile as belonging to a variety of Polynesian

chicken, whose bones could date back to

between 1321 and 1407, well before Christopher Columbus’ arrival

in the Caribbean. This adds credit to historians’ theory according

to which peoples from Oceania were the fi rst to set foot on the

American coast... on the Pacifi c side. Strangely, with our geocentric

occidental point of view, we have always imagined the discovery of

the American continent through the Atlantic!

– T.I.G.

(Source: www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html)

Mexico: Oaxaca Confl ict UpdateAn Incarcerated APPO Counselor Reports Receiving a Death Threat

from the State Governor

Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, May 3rd, 2007 – At 24-years old and as a

clever, honest and articulate young man, David Venegas Reyes has

his entire life ahead of him, and before he fell prey to the state’s

repressive machinery, everything seemed to indicate a bright future

for the Oaxaqueno. After all, he was at the point of completing

his agronomic engineering studies, specializing in zoology at the

national university in Chapingo, when he chose to join his people

in the growing social movement. He had heard of the battle of the

14th of June and was moved. He joined in Oaxaca’s struggle and

emerged from the confl ict more or less unscathed. He ended up

as the chosen representative of the Brenamiel barricade, one of

the largest barricades, and as a Counselor in the APPO (Assembly

Popular of the People of Oaxaca). Even though he had left his

studies behind, he learned a lot during that time and even though

everything had gone quiet after the collective trauma infl icted on

the population, he kept at the struggle. Only this time, the nature

of the struggle was quickly changing, the brutal repression of

November was replaced by a more conventional anti-insurrectional

low-intensity dirty war combined with heavy

state propaganda. Attacks where now coming

from inside the movement as well as from

outside.

Venegas was kidnapped on April 13th by eight

armed men dressed in black, waving automatic

weapons. They took him in a red truck with


NOTES & NEWS

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no license plate and disappeared with him for more than ten

hours before he reappeared in a safety house in the Reforma

neighborhood. His swollen face was a testimony to the beating

he had received, his bail was denied and he was transferred to

the penitentiary of Santa Maria Ixcotel, where “arrest orders”

awaited him. He is now accused of sedition and of having burned

the Federal Tribunal on the 25th of November. On May 2nd, his

family received alarming news from Venegas: a man had been

sent from the offi ce of Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz and minister of

Public Security Sergio Segreste Rios, to force him and his family

to negotiate his liberty. Otherwise, he would be “transferred and

killed” in another penitentiary. Unwilling to cooperate, he sent the

following letter to the media:

“[...] The impunity and corruption of the federal government and the

Oaxacan state must be denounced. Their human rights abuses and

crimes must be accounted for and punished. The war against the

people and the militarization of the state/nation must be evidenced

and stopped. The authoritarian and reformist organizations must

be presented for what they are, the historical co-optors of social

movements and traitors of revolutions of the type that created

deadly regimes in China, North Korea, Cambodia, Afghanistan,

Poland and Russia: regimes that massacred dozens of millions of

their own people and jailed and tortured countless persons. Hitler’s

portrait could have had legitimately been painted alongside those

of Stalin and Lenin, and if only for that reason the organizations

vindicating these anti-autonomous and anti-libertarian principles

such as the FPR should be kicked out of the APPO and be exposed

for what they are: historical tools of recuperation for the capitalist

system. [...]”

Putting the APPO back in the hands of the people was what

Venegas was fi ghting for, with a council that only refl ected the

will from the mass, one that could listen to the propositions and

preoccupations of its regional bases and help strengthen them and

coordinate them. With respect of the Constitutive principles and of

the spirit in which they were created, the APPO has the potential to

become a tool for the transformation of power within the state. It

represents a direct threat to the feudal dominion of Ulises Ruiz and

his minions over the Oaxacan state, as well as a threat to national

stability and, hence, to internal security. This analysis is shown to be

accurate through the heavy repression deployed against the people

on both the state and the federal government’s parts and through

the dirty counterinsurgency tactics deployed against the Oaxacan

people. If they had no fear, the people in their ivory towers wouldn’t

need to waste all this money on propaganda, shows of force and

repressive operations. The future belongs to us; as Gandhi said:

“fi rst they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fi ght you,

then you win.”

Join the international campaign to free David Venegas: signatures

of support and proposals of help and assistance can be sent

directly to [email protected]. Check www.oaxacalibre.org for more

information and resources on David’s case.

– By Oliver D., reporting from Oaxaca

Hilary Swank Spokesperson of a Relay-Race for Access to Drinking Water

Live from the UN in New York, the American star of Boys Don’t

Cry, Million Dollar Baby and Freedom Writers launched the start,

last June, of a relay race around the world. International athletes

were to raise public awareness about the fact that over 1.1 billion

of Earth’s residents do not have daily access to running drinking

water. The race, dubbed Blue Planet Run, includes 20 participants

who will relay one another, 10 miles at a time, to cover a total

distance of 15,200 miles in almost three months (approximately 95

days of running are planned), crossing a total of 16 countries. The

runners’ mission is to raise awareness in the countries they cross,

encouraging people to use clean water and showing them that it is

possible with simple and cheap solutions ($30 can save a life). Such

is the mission given to them by Jin Zindell, founding President of

the Blue Planet Foundation.

The fi rst runner left New York for Boston, where the team took a

boat for Ireland. Next up were England, France and Italy (ferries

take the team over water courses). The run will then go through

Eastern Europe and the Middle East, all the way to India and China.

In Beijing, the runners will board a plane for Tokyo, crossing Japan

and taking another boat, headed for the USA’s west coast, to return

to New York in early October. Hilary Swank declared: “[I have taken

the] ordinary miracle [of clean drinking water] for granted far too

many times. [...] Making safe drinking water available is everyone’s

problem, and it’s a problem it will take everyone to solve. [...] It’s

easy for me to show up today and talk about this. The real heroes

are the 20 people who are actually running ... and putting their

lives on hold for the 95 days.”

– T.I.G. (Source: A.P.)


NOTES & NEWS


SCIENCE

Humanity, it seems, only has a

50% chance to survive the current

century. Or, whether we see the

glass as half-full or half-empty,

humanity has a 50% chance never

to see the 22nd century. Such is,

in any case, the theory of reputed

British scientist Martin Rees.

Bio-terrorism, nuclear error

or accident, environmental

catastrophes, proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction,

breach during a lab experiment,

self-replicating machines stemming

from artifi cial intelligence (hello,

Terminator!)... These are a few of

the disaster scenarios envisaged by the British astrophysicist

in his most recent book, Our Final Century (re-titled as Our

Final Hour on the US market – Basic Books, 2004). You may be

laughing, but you should not. Martin Rees is not just another

oddball, nor is he a modern Nostradamus. On the contrary,

what makes his essay scary is that everything he hints at is

scientifi c, mathematical, probable…

Martin Rees is a black hole expert. What he puts forward

now is just as frightening as these great question marks that

punctuate the Universe. Indeed, all that would be required is

for a lab experiment in which scientists make atoms hit one

another with an intense force to go wrong. The breach made

in the safety system could provoke a chain reaction that would

disintegrate everything in its wake, literally eating up the earth

by making its atoms behave in crazy ways. The reaction could

even extend to all of space,

modifying or exterminating its

structure, travelling at the speed

of light throughout the entire

Universe, swallowing it whole

like a black hole. It would be a

kind of reverse Big Bang.

Rees is original, in that he is

honest with his readers. He

offers us a prospective outlook

without mixing his own opinions

with the purely factual analysis

of the theories he puts forward.

He warns the human with an

overly infl ated self-confi dence.

Are we certain that we will master

our future? Are we not creating tentacular monsters, both at

the infi nitely tiny level and on a gigantic level, which can one

day evade us? As Rees puts it: “It may not be absurd hyperbole

— indeed, it may not even be an overstatement — to assert

that the most crucial location in space and time (apart from the

Big Bang itself) could be here and now.” Asked by a journalist

from the Québec daily La Presse* whether he is pessimistic, he

replies: “I would rather describe myself as realistic. I think some

are overly optimistic and would rather deny these possibilities.

It’s a little like a man falling from a high-rise and telling himself

at each fl oor that up until now, everything is well…”

He nevertheless believes that 21st century scientists will apply

the precautionary principle, which will prevent them from

innovating in their respective research, without

being convinced that their work will not lead

to any catastrophic consequence. Our destiny

may lie elsewhere, however, since at the

same time, we cannot seem to manage the

proliferation of fl esh-eating bacteria

and C. diffi cile bacteria in our

hospitals... Yet another source of

human worry...

*La Presse, August 9, 2003

The Century of Living DangerouslyBy B. Bredoux

Photos: © 2004 B

asic Books & D

.R. – Illustration: D

.R.


Photos: © 2007 FloraZone/BioFloral

TIPS & TRICKS

With this “do it yourself” low volume hydroponics watering system, an amateur indoor gardener saves money and time by watering precisely and effi ciently his crops. This is the perfect item for beginners. You can even start an intensive indoor gardening operation because extra drippers (sold separately) can easily be added to this kit.

InstallationThis is a real hydroponcis kit, customized in a do-it-yourself low volume watering system that is ideal for shrubs and fl owers, fruit trees, vines and tomatoes. The installation is as easy as 1-2-3 (see below for instructions). By watering your crops precisely and effi ciently, it will give you healthy and sturdy plants, while saving both your money and time. The Biofl oral drippers hydroponics kit contains: tubing, Quick Disconnect tap adapter with snap-on fi lter, assorted fi ttings and 25 Midi Drip™ spikes (1.0 gph). As this is a “kit”, assembly is required, of course!

Step #1: Get ConnectedGet connected to the

water supply with the Quick Disconnect tap adapter and place the snap-on fi lter. The Quick Disconnect tap adapter with snap-on fi lter makes it very simple to connect to your water supply. This advantage will ensure that your system will be worry free for years to come.

Step #2: Layout Your System – Routing the Pipe/TubingThe mainline or supply tubing should then be laid out in the area you desire. Poly tubing is very fl exible. Remember that this is the main water supply and should be centrally placed. The mainline compression fi ttings should be used with the 1.2 cm mainline pipe. Once installed and connected to the water source, initial fl ushing is recommended. Then, cap the mainline tube with the end cap.

• Tip #1: Use straight, elbow or tee connections to extend or repair mainline tubes. Just push the tube in – an internal pressure lip holds it tight.• Tip #2: Punch the mainline tube with the tool where you want to insert distribution tubes. If you make a mistake, just insert a goof plug.• Tip #3: Distribution tube connectors join the mainline to the distribution tubes.• Tip #4: Connect the drippers to the end of the distribution tube.

Step #3: Drippers and More…Drippers provide close watering for individual plants and trees. Filters are required to trap particles to reduce the clogging of emitters. Install downstream from a tap or valve. The snap-on fi lter will adapt the polyethylene pipe straight to standard tap adapters. Distribution micro tubing (0.6 cm) is the link between the mainline tubing and the selected dripper, at the plant. Distribution tubes should not exceed 1.5 metres long or loss of fl ow will result at the head. Micro fi ttings are available for custom installation and can be used for multiple heads. Joiners (distribution tube connectors) are used for connecting the 0.6 cm tubing to the mainline tube.

And now enjoy your very fi rst hydroponics system like a pro!

Visit: www.fl orazone.ca/PROD_systemes.html and www.ontariogrowerssupply.com/Detail.asp?pid=1291&Key= or call 1 877 38-HYDRO, 1 877 384-9376 or 1 877 615-9654.

Amateurs’ CornerBiofl oral Drippers Hydroponics Kit

Photos: Hanna Instrum

ents, General H

ydroponics, Oakton &

D.R

.

What is pH? pH is the potential of hydrogen ions. All mineraI elements have a specifi c pH range, which means that the mineraI element can become more available within certain pH ranges. The scale goes from 0 to 14, 14 being the highest in alkalinity and 0 the lowest in acidity. To fi nd out more about the interactions of pH and the nutritive solution, please refer to the fi rst part of my article, entitled “Plant Foods: Notes For The Perfect Application” and published in The Indoor Gardener Magazine Volume 1 – Issue 5 (pages 26-27). An aspect that I did not consider in that article relates to pH measurement and the instruments required. This is what I will discuss below.

Checking and Monitoring pH

By W.S.


TIPS & TRICKS

21VOLUME 3 – ISSUE 2 THE INDOOR GARDENER

Illus

trat

ions

: B&

B H

ydro

poni

c G

arde

ns, H

anna

Inst

rum

ents

& M

adis

on A

rea

Tech

nica

l Col

lege

TIPS & TRICKSpH Measurement – How Does A pH-meter Work? – (Fig.1 to 5)The ratio of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxyl ions (OH-) determines the pH value of a solution. Any hydrogen activity will produce a 59.1 mV/pH unit across the glass membrane of a measurement instrument. The measurement is expressed on a scale of 0.0 to 14.0. Water with a pH of 7 is considered neutral (H+ ions = 10-7 and OH- ions =10-7). A solution is considered acidic when the hydrogen ions (H+) exceed the hydroxyl ions (OH-) and is considered alkaline (base) when the hydroxyl ions (OH-) exceed the hydrogen ions (H+).

The pH measuring cell: Hydrogen-sensitive glass is blown on to the end of an inert glass stem. A silver wire treated with silver chloride (Ag/AgCI) is sealed inside the glass (cell) in a solution of potassium chloride saturated with silver chloride. The measuring solution has a neutral pH level of 7, or 0 mV. A properly hydrated glass sensor will produce a “gel layer” on the inside and on the outside of the glass membrane. The “gel layer” enables hydrogen ions to develop an electrical potential across the pH glass sensor. The millivolt signal varies with the hydrogen ion activity on the glass membrane while it is submerged in the solution being tested.The reference cell: A silver wire treated with silver chloride (Ag/AgCI) is sealed inside an inert glass housing (cell) with a solution of potassium chloride saturated with silver chloride. The inert glass prevents the hydrogen ion activity from the test solutions to infl uence the reference cell’s constant millivolt signal. The combination of the reference electrode silver/silver chloride wire and the saturated potassium chloride solution develops a constant 199-millivolt reference signal. The millivolt signal produced inside the reference electrode does not vary, as long as the chloride concentration remains constant. The reference voltage is used as a baseline to compare the variations or changes in the solution being tested. The reference cell is in contact with the test solution through a reference junction

that is commonly made of porous Tefl on® ceramic or of a wick-type material. This junction completes the measuring circuit of the pH.

Display meter: When the pH sensor is placed in a solution, the pH-measuring cell develops a millivolt signal that refl ects the hydrogen ion activity of the test solution. A high impedance meter accurately measures the small millivolt changes and displays the results in pH units on either an analog meter or a digital display.

Temperature considerations: The pH glass membrane is sensitive to the temperature of the solutions being tested. Prolonged use or exposure to temperatures above 35° C will accelerate its aging and increase the chemical attack to the glass membrane, which will shorten the overall service life of the sensor.

How to plug a pH-meter (Fig. 6 and 7) Before you plug your pH-meter, you have to fi gure out how the electrodes plug into the meters. On most models, you will fi nd (facing the back of your pH-meter) the AC/DC power cord on the left side and the output for the electrode plugs on the right side. In between, if your model features ATC (adjustable temperature compensation), you will fi nd an output for the ATC probe and perhaps another output for attaching a recorder (this one resembles the output for

Fig. 1: General Purpose Glass Sensor

Fig. 2: Overview of a pH measuring system

a) H+ ions in low concentration: the voltage difference between the two electrodes is negligible.

b) H+ ions in higher concentration: there is a great difference of voltage between the two electrodes.

Fig. 3: Two-point calibration of a pH-meter

Fig. 4: pH/mV ratio Fig. 5: Effect of temperature on the electrode response

Photos: Hanna Instrum

ents, Myron L &

D.R

. – Illustrations: Om

ega Engineering, Inc.

your keyboard on the back of your computer tower). Before you plug an independent ATC probe into your pH-meter, be sure your electrode doesn’t already have an internal ATC probe! The electrodes can come with two different

types of connectors: BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman, a miniature version of the Type C connector developed in the late 1940s and named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman) or ASC (American Standard Connector). You must verify whether the output on the back of your pH-meter matches the connector on your electrodes or select the style of electrodes that matches your pH-meter. When the electrodes are plugged, fi nd the junction of each electrode, if possible. (Sometimes the plastic housing of the electrode makes the junction diffi cult to see.) The junction must always be submerged when you measure the pH of a sample.

(Illustrations: B & B Hydroponic Gardens, Cambridge, ON, Madison Area

Technical College, Madison, WI and Omega Engineering, Inc., Stamford, CT)

A Few Instruments For pH MeasurementA - The Myron L Company Agricultural Meters

Myron L Model AG6/pH agricultural meter with Soil Test Kit

Plant health can be greatly affected by pH (acidic or basic), salinity (soluble salts), and alkalinity, yet these factors are often ignored by gardeners. It is easy to test for these three important parameters using a portable Myron L Agri-meter with Soil Test Kit. Since 1957, the Myron L Company has designed and manufactured highly reliable analytical

instruments for a wide variety of applications. Using a Myron L Model AG6/pH agricultural meter for checking soil salinity and pH is easy: simply mix one part of soil with two parts of pure water in the vials provided with the Soil Test Kit (not the soil test kit below but the one provided with your Myron L AG6). Some organic media, such as peat moss, need a 5:1 water to soil dilution ratio. Only a heaping tablespoon of soil is required. Agitate the container vigorously. Allow to settle for 45 to 60 minutes and decant the water into the instrument cell cup. Push the buttons to read the result directly in mmho* (or millimhos), conductivity (salinity) and soil pH. In soils, optimum soil pH is essential for obtaining the maximum effi ciency from fertilizers and herbicides. This is especially true for artifi cial growing media which, without buffering capability, are much more pH-sensitive than natural soil.

AG6/pH features: Checks soil pH and salinity, correct fertilizer concentration, water pH and salinity and boiler water conductivity, uses automatic temperature compensation, which means no thermometers or adjustments and only a small amount of soil is needed for tests.

Myron L Model AG5 agricultural meterThe Myron L Model AG5 agricultural meter is only used for testing conductivity and salinity. The measurement range of this meter only oscillates between 0 and 5 MilliSiemens. It is a budget price version of the AG6/pH model.

Myron L Model 6P Ultrameter II™While priced the same as affordable single-parameter instruments, the Ultrameter II™ does the job of three, four or even six instruments. The Myron L Model 6P-II is a water resistant, fully automatic temperature compensation agricultural meter. It features adjustable temperature compensation (up to 9.99%/°C), which also aIlows TC to be disabled for those applications requiring non-compensated readings. It provides the user with an adjustable conductivity/DS (deciSiemens) conversion ratio for greater accuracy when measuring solutions not contained in a microprocessor. The auto-shut off function maximizes the life of the 9 volt battery to more than 100 hours or 5,000 tests. Its non-volatile microprocessor provides data back-up, even when changing the battery. This

Fig. 6: Back of a pH-meter Fig. 7: Two types of electrode connectors


TIPS & TRICKS

Photos: NutraD

ip™

ensures that all of the calibrations and memory data will be retained.

Applications: Irrigation, hydroponics, laboratories, homeland security, reverse osmosis, deionization, wastewater, cooling towers, environmental, desalination and printing for fountain solutions.

To fi nd out more about the Myron L Company agrimeters, visit: www.myronl.com.

B – The Measurement Products From NutraDip™NutraDip™ pH And TDS meters

NutraDip™ offers pH/EC/PPM/TDS/nutrient meters from wall mounts to portable testers. These units will give you accurate readings. If you want a certain concentration of plant food at a certain time during the growth of your plants, you can be sure of how much plant food is in the water at that time. Have you ever tried doing something blindfolded? Why do we want to feed our plants with blinders on? Know what you are giving your garden and when. Know the ppm, know the pH, and plants will respond in kind.

The NudraDip™ products are available from authorized distributors (Allie’s Wholesale Garden Supply, Bloomington Wholesale, Future Harvest Development, Homegrown Hydroponics, Hydrofarm East, Hydrofarm West Inc., Light Manufacturing Company, Mega Watt, North American Greenhouse Supplies and Rambridge Wholesale Supply) or worldwide through stores listed at the HydroMall (www.hydromall.com/stores/index.html).

Here are the main continuous monitoring system models from NutraDip™:

1. NutraDip™ TDS wall mount CMS (continuaI monitoring system)The NutraDip™ CMS nutrient meter with automatic temperature compensation measures the total dissolved solids in your water. The system uses a remote probe which stays in your reservoir and an AC powered display unit. The NutraDip™ continuous monitoring system (CMS) is an effective TDS management tool.

2. NutraDip™ pH wall mount CMS (continual monitoring system)

The NutraDip™ pH-meter is a continuous monitoring pH-meter with automatic

temperature compensation.

3. NutraDip™portable pH-meter (including batteries) CMS

This NutraDip™ pH continuous monitoring system reads pH

from 0.0 to 14.0 with an accuracy of ±2%. Simply plug in the power supply,

drop the probe into your solution, and in minutes the display will show

an accurate temperature-compensated measurement for your solution. Once placed, the probe can remain there indefi nitely.

4. NutraDip™ portable TDS meter (including batteries) CMSThe Nutra-Dip™ Liquid Nutrient Meter is a continuous monitoring system that measures the total dissolved solids in liquids. The unit constantly displays a measured range of 0-99 ppm with a 1.5 metre remote probe included.

5. NutraDip™ Tri Meter CMS (continuaI monitoring system)The NutraDip™ Tri-Meter continual monitoring system meter gives you the ability to monitor the pH level, the total dissolved solids (TDS) and the temperature all at once. This portable/continuous monitoring system requires no batteries. Just plug it in an AC wall receptacle and the meter will remain in a calibrated mode for months.

6. The NutraDip™ Light Monitoring System (LMS)The NutraDip™ LMS meter is very easy to operate. It is designed to measure light in lux. It has only an on/off switch to display readings on a large seven segment LCD display. The Light Monitoring System (LMS) is capable of measuring a wide range of luminosity for any hydroponic garden. In every greenhouse, density of light is a major factor for the plants. This product uses the latest electronic technology and a silicon pin photodiode enhanced for blue sensitivity.

TIPS & TRICKS

Phot

os: H

anna

Inst

rum

ents

To fi nd out more about the NutraDip™ measurement products, visit: www.nutradip.com.

C – Hanna Instruments pH/TDS Meters and Soil Test KitsHere are a few Hanna Instruments products that we have already reviewed in our previous issues (see T.I.G. Vol.1 – Issue 1: Recommended Measuring Instruments (pages 54-55) and the shopping sections in Vol.1 – Issues 1 to 4):

1. pH–Pen Combo: pH/TDS/EC tester – AC compatible.

2. pH–pHep®4 Model: for pH only.

3. pH–Dist®5: TDS/EC pen tester with auto-calibration.

4. pH–Champ: pH only, it’s the most inexpensive.

5. Soil test kit: N, P, K, pH – 10 tests each.

To fi nd out more about Hanna Instruments products, visit: www.hannainst.com.

(*) Total concentration of soluble salts (salinity) is usually expressed as electrical conductivity (EC) in units of mmho/cm or dS/m (deciSiemens per meter, 1mmho/cm = 1 dS/m).

N.B.: A shorter version of this article was previously published in Canada by B & B Hydroponic Gardens in their brochure “Bringing Hydroponic Gardening To You Since 1985”, pages 9-11.

1 2 3 4

Article published in collaboration with:

and

TIPS & TRICKS


INDUSTRYPhoto: D

.R.

Wernard Bruining is a short, plump 56-year old man

with a smile on his lips and socks in his sandals. He is the

man behind the expansion of the hydroponic industry,

not only in the Netherlands, but throughout the world.

Wernard Bruining initiated what remains the only

attempt to “civilize” the commerce of hydroponic tools:

in 1985, he opened Positronics, the fi rst grow shop in

Amsterdam. As he brought new cultivation techniques

to Europe, he launched hydroponic commerce in the

fi rst specialized European gardening stores chain and

paved the way for commercial production. All of these

creations now generate millions of dollars, up to 1 or

2% of the Netherlands’ GDP. Wernard, however, has lost

everything. He became, in spite of himself, the godfather

of the cultural revolution that has transformed indoor

cultivation. He became an activist in spite of himself,

unshielded from negative connotations (clichés are long-

lasting!): he became the fl ag bearer of hydroponics’

incredible development over the last quarter century.

When, in 1997, the revenue services suddenly knocked

on his door, the godfather of hydroponics came down

from his cloud to realize his ship was already taking on

water: some of his sixty employees, hired because they

looked well and had a defi nite hippie style, had been

taking money from the cash registers. Those registers

are empty. The boat sinks. And the captain along with it.

“He doubted his own usefulness because he had failed at

what he considered to be a sacred mission”, remembers

his life companion, Yolanda. “Money is dirty”, he likes

WERNARDBRUINING

After A. Aubron (Sources: Libération.fr, Culture-hydroponique.com and Wietforum.nl)

Rui

ned

In Spite Of Success

INDUSTRYPh

oto:

D.R

.

to repeat. He is now immaculate, then. And a little bitter as

well, although he denies it. In the hydroponics industry, both in

the Netherlands and around the world, yuppies have taken the

hippies’ place, and profi t has supplanted utopia. The invention

has run off without its inventor. “Society could not prevent us

from building all of this,

so it tried to absorb us

instead. These days, it

is quite effi cient.”

And yet, everything

had started well,

and extremely

quickly. Shortly

after the creation of

Positronics, hydroponic

instruments, lamps, nutrients and irrigation systems could be

found all across the world. The fi rst hydroponic Boston lettuce

reached the Québec market in 1987. In America, from Canada

to Tierra del Fuego, hydroponics soars, thanks to Wernard

Bruining’s pioneer vision. Nicaragua and all Latin American

countries take the plunge with simplifi ed hydroponic techniques

to better fi ll the needs of the slums’ poor residents. With its

lamps, nutrients and substrates, Positronics is the leading

European hydroponic store. Soon, hundreds more will sprout

around the world. Until bankruptcy and the deposit of the fi nal

balance sheet.

From his catholic education in New Guinea where is father was

a manager for Shell, Wernard has retained the weight of sin and

a certain distance from Netherlander society and its reverence

for profi t. “For Protestants, as long as you don’t bother others

and you earn money, you can do what you want.” He is an

agnostic and a moralist: “We each have in us a part of the

divine which tells us what is good and what is bad.” Such as

earning fortunes? His 22-year old son Mipam says: “I do not

think my dad has ever wished himself rich.” His father says: “I

have never done it for money. I helped millions of people to

improve their lives with hydroponics.”

He now lives far from Amsterdam with his wife and kids. He

is getting used to a tighter budget and he cultivates his little

garden. “I seek spiritual experiences…” Despite his young

retiree good nature, a frustration rears its head. “What he is

missing is to fi nd something gratifying to do”, says Yolanda.

Now he mostly gives out information at schools and cultural

centres. He is no longer as haunted by the loss of Positronics

because of staff he trusted entirely. He is starting to live again

and to accept his status as the “old” godfather of hydroponics

– a status that is both recent and heavily loaded, tied to stigmas

that not everyone can conceal.


Photo: Josh Morell

TECHNIQUES

Successful Cuttings:

Traditional Method

By Pierre Bonnard and Jean-Pierre Daimé (CityPlantes)

I – What Is A Cutting?

A cutting is the exact replica of the plant from which it was taken; in other words, it is a clone. Experience has shown that dozens of successive generations can be obtained with no particular degeneration. Some gardeners make their cuttings from plants they cultivate forthat sole purpose: those are called mother plants. Others take cuttings on their plants before they enter the fl owering cycle.

II - Advantages

• Productivity: Cuttings grow faster than plants started from seeds, fl ower better and generate fewer roots.

• Homogeneity: A group of cuttings taken from the same plant will bear the same characteristics and will give a uniform result.

• Economical: one could make dozens of plants to create a hedge using only one shrub. By taking cuttings as you meet other gardeners, you can easily build up a nice plant collection.

CityPlantes offers various pieces of equipment to make your own cuttings. See www.cityplantes.com.

III - Traditional Cutting Method

You will fi nd below a traditional method for taking cuttings. The technical choices are: artifi cial lighting and hydroponic substrate (rock wool, Gardex (see below), etc.).

1) Mother plants

Choose bushy plants with many small branches to take cuttings from. Cuttings root more easily when they come from a plant going through its growth cycle, rather than in fl owering or in fruit-production. If the mother plant has nitrogen defi ciencies, the leaves will not be as green, but the cuttings will root with more ease. To achieve this, remove the nitrogen (N) from the nutrients given to the mother plant two to three weeks before taking the cuttings. Nitrogen will then be reintroduced in the mother plant’s feed.To get branches you can often take cuttings from, the best solution is to maintain mother plants. A mother plant is kept in the growth cycle all year by playing with the light duration, the temperature or other parameters, depending on the type of plant. What matters is to keep the donating plant in a vegetative stage, not to allow it to fl ower or produce fruit. You can trim its branches regularly for

cuttings, and you should even reduce its height as soon as it grows overmuch. Each cut branch starts two new ones. This makes kinds of bonsais, and forces the lower branches to elongate in height when they grow, giving you the perfect shape to take cuttings.

2) Material:

• 1 knife or a disinfected (alcohol, fl ame) knife blade;• 1 glass of water;• 1 small bucket;• small plastic containers fi lled with a very light soil, perlite, Gardex

substrate or hydrophilic rock wool fl akes mix.• 1 mini greenhouse, 40 x 30 x 20 cm;• 1 average lighting (two 60-cm fl uorescent tubes);• a few drops of pH Down Flowering;• rooting hormones;• a container fi tting the type of rooting hormone used (liquid, gel, powder).

3) Rooting Environment

The rooting environment for the cuttings must stay humid but not drenched. You can use rock wool or vermiculite, Gardex-type composed substrate (*see the box), aerated soil – for orchids or

In collaboration with

Phot

os: C

ityP

lant

es –

Illu

stra

tion:

Cit

yPla

ntes

TECHNIQUEScacti – or soil aerated with a mixture of sand and crushed bark. The goal is to allow the plantlet to absorb the air and water around its stem by capillarity and porosity.

* Gardex Substrate: a support. Gardex is a hydroponic substrate made up of a mixture of mineral matter: vermiculite, perlite, hydrophilic horticultural rock wool, water retaining agent. Its water-retention capacity is 60% of its volume, and this substrate allows you to space out your waterings without toasting your plants. With Gardex, you can use automatic watering systems without fear of excessive watering. The excess nutritive solution is eliminated through the action of gravity. Gardex is an ideal support for the rooting of cuttings.

Advantages:• Maximum aeration of the root mass: 33% of the volume is made

up of air!• Much higher water retention than soil.• Neutral pH (7) for most plants.• Accelerated growth.• Brighter foliage.• More abundant and colourful fl owering.• More assorted plants in the same container.• Decreased watering frequency and easy rehumidifi cation.• Constant volume: no compaction.• Sterile because treated at 1,000 degrees: no disease, insect or

unwanted seed.

In conclusion, this substrate offers results that cannot possibly be compared to those of soil! (Source: Agrilène – reproduced with permission)

4) No Stagnant Water4) No Stagnant Water

Too much water, especially stagnant water, increases the risk of rot and the cutting will take longer to root. Stagnant water is quickly drained of its oxygen by the plant and this blocks the generation of new root tissue. Aerated water, on the contrary, promotes rapid rooting.

5) Aeroponics5) Aeroponics

Cutting machines (aeroponic propagator-type, see below) create a continuous fl ux of oxygen-fi lled droplets. As a result, with less maintenance and overseeing, the cuttings’ success rate is higher than with any other technique. The only precaution to take is at the time of transplant. The young roots of the cuttings produced in these conditions are used to water. If you transfer them into a substrate, they must adapt to it and are fragile for a few days, time for the cuttings to settle in their new environment and to produce more roots.

Photos: CityPlantes & Technafl ora

6) To Get A Majority of Successful Cuttings, You 6) To Get A Majority of Successful Cuttings, You

Need a PropagatorNeed a Propagator

A Propagator® (like Nutriculture’s 20-pot aeroponic propagator) makes the gardener’s life easier, by limiting supervision and interventions. The device is based on the principles of aeroponics and will allow you to make most plants take root. A young green seedling (un-fl owered) suffi ces to obtain a new luxuriant plant. Easy to use, this product has been designed for the hobbyist and has been made to function year-long, using minimal space in your home.

A Propagator® includes: • 1 black PVC watertight anti-algae container• 1 crystal greenhouse lid with adjustable aeration slits• 1 white container-holder plate• 20 55-mm hydroponic baskets• 1 1,000 litres/h pump• Foam fi lter and inlet fi lter• Pipes, connector, caps, irrigators• Requires 8/16 mm clay pellets. See our article on substrates in The Indoor Gardener, volume 1, issue 3.

7) Rooting Hormones (such as Clonex)7) Rooting Hormones (such as Clonex)

Rooting hormones are synthetic hormones resembling those that plants produce in their tissue to induce root growth. Placing hormones on a wound or on a part of the plant that is able to produce roots helps to produce these roots faster and with more energy. You save time and make more cuttings when using these hormones. Various forms of rooting hormones are available, whether in gel form or powder form.

Gel is more practical, because it adheres to the cutting and is easy to manipulate. Powders work just as well, but is not as practical to use. You must leave a fi lm of powder on the cutting, avoiding compacted powder clumps that would seal the cut (which needs to drink water) and clog the stem’s pores. The best way to proceed is to blow on the powder at the base of the cutting or to apply it with a fi ne brush, or even to dip the cutting in the powder before gently tapping it to remove the excess powder.

8) Container Types8) Container Types

Professionals use trays containing hundreds of cuttings side by side. Wool rock plugs are an ideal support when it comes to fl exibility. A tray contains up to 240 round 2 x 4 cm plugs, each in its own cell. The polystyrene tray can be cut in sections that are suffi ciently small for your mini greenhouse. Individual pots must be avoided, unless you have an adapted support allowing you to manipulate them all at once. The mini Jiffy greenhouse, offered by CityPlantes, however, is sold WITH its baskets and their support.

9) Air Humidity9) Air Humidity

It is often recommended to create a tropical climate, with a

humidity rate around 100%. For this purpose, it is recommended to buy a hobbyist seedling mini greenhouse (30 x 50 cm) with a translucent lid. Humidity can also cause rot if there is no ventilation. You must thus maintain enough aeration to avoid problems. Keep the cuttings in a humid environment to prevent the leaves from transpiring more water than the rootless cut stem can absorb. One good practice (used in vegetable gardens!) is to “dress” the leaves of cuttings rather than leave them whole (see point 13, “Preparing the Plant”). The simplest way is to leave the cuttings under the greenhouse’s translucent lid for two days; close the lid but leave the aeration window open. Then raise the lid progressively during the next four days, opening it more and more until you can remove it entirely. Be careful to leave at least 30 cm between the cuttings’ canopy and the fl uorescent tubes, because cuttings are extremely sensitive to heat and will grab any chance they get to wilt.

10) Temperature 10) Temperature

Try to maintain the temperature at the cuttings’ base to 23°C. The minimum temperature hovers around 19°C, at which point rooting takes much longer: instead of waiting 10 days to see the roots grow, expect to wait for three weeks. The maximum allowable temperature is around 26°C. In these conditions, the cuttings can dry up, develop disease, or even rot if the humidity rate is high as well.

11) Lighting11) Lighting

Cuttings require a moderate light so as not to vegetate too much and so they can spend their energy making roots. Two 60-centimetre fl uorescent tubes are suffi cient for a 40 x 30 cm mini greenhouse. To prevent wilting caused by heat (infrared radiation), place the tubes at least 25 centimetres away from the cuttings.

12) Water, pH, Nutrients12) Water, pH, Nutrients

Most horticultural reference books advise the use of 5.8 pH-adjusted water for the cuttings to take root. Cuttings enjoy a liquid environment with a slightly acidic pH. Do not use fertilizers. Salts found in fertilizers retain water and block its absorption by the cuttings.

Increasing pH: in the (rare!) case where your tap water is overly acidic, pH Plus (alkaline liquid) can increase the pH value. Canna Hydroponics, Ferro Original, Hesi, Growth Technology and Advanced Hydroponics of Holland all offer one-litre pH Up bottles that are quite practical to:• adjust your solution’s pH during cultivation;• cancel a too important correction with pH Down when renewing

the nutritive solution.Increasing pH: to decrease the water’s pH, use a light dose of pH Down (acidic liquid). For example: for 20 litres of tap water at pH 7, 3 millilitres of Ph Down will decrease the pH towards 6.5. As for above, Ferro Original, Hesi, Growth Technology and Advanced Hydroponics of Holland all offer their acidic liquid solution, with however a certain number of difference:• Ferro Original offers three different pH Down

products: growth, fl owering and 50% C6H8O7 citric acid. The latter produces two essential actions for your plants. It triggers the production of ATP-ADP coenzymes, which transport energy for the cells, and it corrects the pH of often-calcareous tap water (pH 8 and above). It is used


TECHNIQUES

Phot

o: D

.R.

at the beginning of the growth cycle. It contains food-grade citric acid and must not be used at the same time as Ferro Enzymes or any other similar product.

• Hesi and Advanced Hydroponics of Holland offer only the growth and fl owering versions (in one-litre bottles for Hesi and 0.5 litre for Advanced Hydroponics of Holland).• Finally, Growth Technology offers a single kind of pH Down, less concentrated and 81% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) based, used to prepare the watering water of acidic-loving plants such as azaleas.

13) Preparing the Plant13) Preparing the Plant

Forty-eight hours before taking the cuttings, you can prepare them on the mother plant and give them a better chance of success. Choose the branches that can produce nice cuttings: the nodes are placed every three to six centimetres, its texture is rather tender (green, not woody, because this type of cutting requires special techniques) and a length, once cut, of 15 to 20 centimetres.

Lower branches are easier for cuttings, because they do not bear as much nitrogen, but all parts can root.

For each chosen cutting, cut all the leaves starting from the lowest node, leaving only the two highest (and youngest). To cut the leaves: hold the leaf and cut its stem with the knife, three to fi ve millimetres from the main stem. If you cut it too close to the stem, you could cause a wound. With scissors or a knife, reduce the two remaining leaves to one quarter of their original size. This will prevent the new cutting from spending too much energy on photosynthesis to force it to root.

Making those preparations 48 hours early allows the future cutting to scar and to live a lesser stress when you take the cuttings. With this method, since the cuts are already healing (see next point), the risk for air to enter the stem is minimized to the fi nal cut.

14) Getting the Cuttings14) Getting the Cuttings

To remove a cutting, use the knife to cut the stem diagonally, two or three centimetres below the lowest (leaf-free) node. Immediately (within the very second!) place the cutting in a glass fi lled with room-temperature water (20°C). The stem part next to the cut will empty its sap and an air bubble forms inside when it stays exposed to the air. This air exchange must be avoided at all cost, or the stem will necrose and the cutting will rot.

15) Cuttings and Transport15) Cuttings and Transport

It may happen that you get seduced by a plant found in nature or at a friend’s place, and decide to bring back some cuttings at home for yourself. It is possible. Simply take a plastic bag, put some water in it (approximately four table spoons for a standard grocery-store bag) and prepare the cuttings on the plant. Once they are all ready (cleaned of their leaves), cut them longer than you normally would (25 to 30 cm) and place them immediately in the plastic bag. Bring them home in the dark and cool. Beware of heat: they will wilt easily. As soon as you get home, make them root by cutting (under water!) a larger stem section. This works well if transport lasts less than four hours. For longer transport – a day or two – you can roll them in wet newspaper and keep them cool. You can keep them in their bag or rolled in newspaper for a few days, in your refrigerator’s crisper, but your chances of success will diminish.

TECHNIQUES

Photos: Bruno Bredoux

16) Acclimatization Phase16) Acclimatization Phase

Six to twelve hours in a glass of water in the dark. Neither hot nor cold: 20°C will suffi ce. This will give your cuttings a clearer idea of the trouble they are facing. The cuttings will begin to organize their survival. The lack of light allows them to focus on modifying the stem’s tissue – so that the plant can better perform exchanges with its environment without roots.

17) Preparing for Rooting17) Preparing for Rooting

This is an important moment, which you will eventually master. Once the cuttings are acclimatizing, you will need to place them in the substrate you have chosen. The cuttings must fi rst be made ready to root and then be placed in the substrate. Take a plastic kitchen tub, approximately 30 x 20 cm, with fi ve to six centimetre high sides. Fill it halfway with water containing a few drops of phosphoric acid to correct the pH and set it to 5.8. Do not go beyond a total electro-conductivity of 0.8 (see our article on electronic pH and EC testers at page 20).

Also prepare the rooting hormone: prepare a saucer and a fi ne brush if you are using powder. If you use a rooting gel, you can use a high and narrow container (medication tube, champagne fl ute) to let your cuttings soak for a few minutes before you plant them. Set the cuttings on one side of the tub and prepare them one by one. You must re-cut 1.5 to 2 cm (or more as required) at the bottom of the stem with a knife blade (fl ame sterilized). The ready-for-rooting cutting measures between 8 and 15 centimetres. Adapt the cutting’s height to that of your mini greenhouse. Beware: cut and work on the cutting UNDER WATER. The slightest air bubble entering the stem could make the cutting rot in a few days.

If possible, cut right under a vegetation node. It is more active than the stem and contains more rooting hormones. Make a few superfi cial wounds on the node’s bark. This creates a few sites where the hormonal activity is more intense. In fact, the plant will attempt to repair the wounded tissue and when it adds cells it will generate roots on the spot. Do not cut through the stem’s core: only through the external skin (0.1 mm).

Put the prepared cutting down on the side of the tub, without taking the stem out of water and prepare other cuttings. This prevents air from entering the stem. When a few cuttings are ready, place them in the gel rooting hormone for a few minutes, time enough for them to be well coated. If you use powder, apply it with a brush on the lower end of the stem and of the cut, right before planting it in the substrate. Do not use too much: avoid clumps and avoid blocking the cut that the cutting uses to absorb water.

18) Placing the Cuttings in Substrate18) Placing the Cuttings in Substrate

Now take the cutting containers (vermiculite-fi lled cups, light soil-fi lled cups, rock wool plugs, etc.). Make a hole in the substrate using a nail. Take your cuttings out of the liquid of gel hormone and plant them one by one, carefully, one per container. Avoid pressure and do not bend the stems to force the cuttings in the substrate: they are fragile!

Push the cutting in at least two centimetres deep and press gently on the substrate so that it adheres to the stem. Install the cuttings

in your greenhouse and place them under a medium light (two fl uorescent 18-watt 60-centimetre tubes suffi ce for a miniature greenhouse). The cuttings’ canopy should not be placed at less than 25 or 30 cm from the tubes. The infrared radiation generated by the tubes, although weak, is suffi cient to fry plantlets. Pour two millimetres of water at the bottom of the greenhouse to ensure a high humidity rate. Do not let the bottom of containers soak in water.

19) Keep Watch!19) Keep Watch!

To root, your cuttings require water, oxygen, light (not too much!) and a little time. They have a hard time drinking without roots and they pump up what they can through the cut and through the stem that is in contact with the moist substrate. They will enjoy one or two foliar sprayings each day, allowing them to absorb a little more water. Progressively reduce the sprayings and stop as of the fi fth day. Make sure to keep the substrate moist but not drenched.

During the fi rst day, leave the greenhouse’s lid closed, with only the aeration vent open.

The next day, place a fi ve-millimetre wedge under the lid on the opposite side from the aeration window. This creates a slight air circulation, low enough not to dry up the atmosphere or the cuttings.

Each following day, lift the lid by an additional centimetre, until its maximum. Even wide open, do not remove it. It protects the

cuttings from the fl uorescent tubes’ infrared radiation.

Cuttings start faster with less water around the stem: they thus have to produce roots to have access to the rare water. Stagnant water at the base of the stem can rot a cutting. Draught makes them wilt. We are seeking a compromise. We must maintain a balance between the humidity required to keep the cutting alive and the lack of water in the plant which forces it to

root. To force rooting, try to allow the substrate to dry up until you reach its limit, as soon as your cuttings are eight days old. It is a subtle game. Be very careful: at this stage they can wilt in one hour and if you get there too late to water or spray them... you will have lost! Keeping the substrate slightly moist does not mean the air around it should be dry!

As of this stage, keep the atmospheric humidity rate at least at 60%. Do not pull on the cuttings to see if roots are starting. This would only break the young roots. Wait until you see the roots coming out of the container’s bottom before you handle the cuttings.

20) Roots20) Roots

Seeing the roots is a wonderful moment. After eight days for the faster ones and up to three weeks for the slower ones, you will see roots appear on your cuttings. By then, you have almost won. Allow the roots to keep on growing for fi ve to eight more days before you re-pot your new plants: this will make it easier for them.

In a future article, we will propose an “accelerated” method, very different from this one.


TECHNIQUES

GALLERYThe CubeCap in PicturesThe CubeCap in Pictures

Side view of the CubeCap showing vents

Top view of the CubeCap

view of the CubeCap

View of the CubeCap on the top of a medium cube.

The functionality of the CubeCap.

Different Views of the ProductDifferent Views of the Product

Photos & illustrations: ©

2007 CubeCap.ca

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Description of the Two Blocks at the Stem’s Description of the Two Blocks at the Stem’s Base (No CubeCap and With Cubecap)Base (No CubeCap and With Cubecap)

Algae growth after three weeks in a grow facility. Algae have a strong odor and are the perfect breading ground for fungus gnats to lay their eggs, in turn hatching into root-eating larvae and infesting your crops. Algae also compete with the plant for oxygen during the dark cycle and for nutrients during the day. In another two weeks the surface of this block will be completely covered with algae.

After three weeks in the exact same growing conditions, the Cubecap block still remains fresh

and clean with no green.

Three week old tomato plant, grown without Cubecap. Notice the smaller

leaf structure and stem. You can see the formation of algae covering about 50%

of the block’s surface.

Three week old tomato plant grown with identical seed genetics, under the same conditions. Notice the height diff erence and the size of the leaf structure and stem, compared to the above photo.

Description Of Two Plants’ FoliageDescription Of Two Plants’ Foliage

GALLERYPhotos &

illustrations: © 2007 CubeCap.ca

1 - The AeroFlo2® Aeroponic Systems

Legendary growth and yield are the hallmarks of the GeneralHydroponics® AeroFlo2® System line. Countless growers, aca-demics, and researchers across the globe agree that no otherhydroponic system delivers the same staggering growth rates androbust crops. The AeroFlo2® super-oxygenates the nutrient solu-tion to deliver oxygen, water, and nutrients in ideal combinations,thus creating a root zone environment that surpasses anythingfound in nature. This system, which was derived from aeroponicstechnology, bring plants to harvest earlier and to maximize theproductivity of their grow space; the AeroFlo2® produces unbeat-able results. With seven different models to choose from, there is

an AeroFlo2® unit for everyone.

a) AeroFlo2® 20The AeroFlo2 twenty site system is an excellent choice for growingsmall crops such as lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, basil, and other herbs.Varieties of flowers and tomatoes, which do not grow taller than 90 cm,will also do well. The AF2 20 system includes everything you need toget started, and will work beautifully when placed near a sunny windowin your home or office. The AF2 20 dimensions are 2.1 m L x 46 cm Wx 60 cm H. The AF2 20 system includes:· 30 litre reservoir;· Two 1.6 m grow chambers;· Mag Drive® #3 pump;· Injection manifold;· SnapStand® support structure;· 7.6 cm grow cups;· CocoTek® Coco cups and Hydroton®;· 3 part Flora kit.

b) AeroFlo2® 30With a 75 litre reservoir and thirty plant sites, the three grow chamberscan be kept side-by-side or fanned out in a radial pattern to maximizegrowth on lower branches. The AeroFlo2® 30 is a perfect system forthose who want a smaller, high performance system. Excellent for

growing lettuce, basil and other smaller plants up to 0.9 to 1.2 metres inheight. The AF2® 30 dimensions are 2.1 m L x 75 cm W x 60 cm H. TheAF2® 30 system includes:· 75 litres reservoir;· Three 1.6 m grow chambers;· Bluestone® pump;· Injection manifold;· SnapStand® support structure;· 7.6 cm grow cups;· CocoTek® Coco cups and Hydroton®;· 3 part Flora kit.

c) AeroFlo2® 36Designed specifically for indoor cultivation under a grow light, the AF2

36 site system offers 36 plant sites in a compact footprint. It also fea-tures the generous 150 litre Panda™ reservoir. The AF2 36 dimensionsare 1.25 m L x 1.4 m W x 60 cm H. The AF2 36 system includes:· 150 litre Panda™ reservoir;· Six 1.2 m grow chambers;· Bluestone® pump;· Injection manifold;· SnapStand® support structure;· Thirty-six 7.6 cm grow cups;· Coco cups and Hydroton®;· 3 part Flora kit.

d) AeroFlo2® 60The AF2® 60 features sixty plant sites. Growers who wish to expand thissystem can enjoy a total of one hundred and twenty plant sites with theaddition of the AeroFlo2® 60 Extension Unit. Users can choose either toconfigure the grow chambers on the same side or to stagger them inorder to cover a larger area or to grow larger plants. The AF2® 60 andExtension Unit feature the generous 150 litre Panda™ reservoir. TheAF2 60 dimensions are (standard configuration) 1.5 m L x 2 m W x 60cm H, (staggered configuration) 1.5 m L x 3.5 m W x 60 cm H, (withextension unit) 2.9 m L x 2 m W x 60 cm H.The AF2 60 system includes: The AF2 60 Extension includes:· 150 litre Panda™ reservoir; · 150 litre Panda™ reservoir;

Founded in the mid-1970s by Larry Brooke, General Hydroponics® has led the way in offering the highest quality nutri-ents, nutrient supplements, growing media, and growing systems. Based in Sebastopol, California, General Hydroponics®proudly serves the Americas, Australia, and Asia with the best hydroponic gardening supplies available. In 1995, GeneralHydroponics Europe® was created in Fleurance, in the South West of France, to better serve the European market, andto further develop the General Hydroponics® philosophy for the European community. GHE prides itself in offering prod-ucts specially tailored for the conditions and trends of European growers. Today, twelve years after its creation, its marketincludes 16 European countries as well as the Middle East and South Africa.

From AeroFlo® to RainForest®, Find A Aero/Hydroponics System That Fits Your Needs

From the left:WaterFarm®,

AeroFlo2® 260,Eggplants inAeroFarm®,

RainForest® 66,RainForest®,Eggplants in

AeroFlo2® 30,RainForest®

AeroponicsCloning System

andBrugmansias in

WaterFarm®.

(Sources: General Hydroponics)

Photos: GH

& B&

B Hydroponics

HYDROPONIC CLASSICS 5

· Six 1.8 m grow chambers; · Six 1.6 m grow chambers;· TNC 1268 gph pump; · Injection manifold;· Injection manifold; · SnapStand® support structure;· SnapStand® support structure; · PVC reservoir connection tube;· 7.6 cm grow cups; · 7.6 cm grow cups;· Coco cups and Hydrotron®; · Coco cups and Hydrotron®™;· 3 part Flora kit. · 3 part Flora kit.

e) AeroFlo® 84AF® 84B offers 84 plant-sites (5 m2) with dimensions of L= 290 - W =195 - H = 32 cm and an effective capacity of 220 litres.

f) AeroFlo® 120

AF® 120 offers 120 plant-sites and its dimensions are L = 660 - W =120 - H = 32 cm, for an effective capacity of 320 litres.

g) New: AeroFarm®

Try aero-hydroponics now! This is the first - and most economical - ofall aero-hydroponic systems. Did you want to try aero-hydroponics butnever found a simple and economical way to do it? Well, now it's pos-sible, thanks to the AeroFarm®, GHE's® latest growing module. The

AeroFarm® exists in 2 standard models : for 5 cm or 7.5 cm pots. Itholds 1 to 5 plants and can be used for propagation, production or tokeep parent-plants. If you wish to transplant, it is better to use theAeroFarm® whose pot size coincides with your final growing system(5 cm pots for the DPS Aero® and 7.5 cm for the AeroFlo®).

2 - The WaterFarm® Hydroponics Systemsa) WaterFarm® Drip Hydroponics SystemOur best selling hydroponic module, the WaterFarm®, is built out ofhigh-impact plastic to assure a long service life. The WaterFarm® hasa unique square design, allowing growers to closely pack WaterFarm®

modules in order to create large, high-density installations. TheWaterFarm® will grow small, medium, and large plants. With its large

water capacity and low water requirements, the WaterFarm® is simpleand efficient. As it offers all the features of larger systems at a lowercost, without sacrificing quality of performance, the WaterFarm® is oneof our very best buys.The WaterFarm® comes in two forms: complete and modular. Thecomplete WaterFarm® comes with all the items listed below and isdesigned to be a stand-alone system, while the modular unit comeswithout the Drain Level Tube, the Elite® air pump, the Hydroton®, and

Phot

os: G

HHYDROPONIC CLASSICS 5

the Flora kit, but is designed for multiple use with a GeneralHydroponics® controller. The WaterFarm® dimensions are 30 cm L x30 cm W x 46 cm H. The WaterFarm® system includes (completeonly):· 15 litre reservoir;· 7.5 litre growing chamber;· Pumping column;· Column support tube;· Drip ring;· 1.3 cm grommet;· Drain level tube;· Elite® 800 air pump;· 9 litre Hydroton®;· 3-part Flora kit.

b) WaterFarm® 8-Pack Drip Hydroponics SystemThe WaterFarm® 8-pack is made up of eight Water-Farm® module unitsconnected to one General Hydroponics Controller: an integrated 49litre reservoir and a 30 litres controller unit. The Controller will keepeach unit topped off with the correct level of nutrient for low mainte-nance. The kit is powered by GH's® Dual Diaphragm Air Pump andincludes all the necessary hardware, supplies and GeneralHydroponics® Flora Series® nutrients. The grower can arrange theWaterFarm® units in a design that is suitable for any environment. Packthem tight or space them out to fit your growing situation. TheWaterFarm® 8-Pack is the system for large-scale growers. TheWaterFarm® 8-Pack system includes:· Eight WaterFarm® module units;· 49 litre reservoir;· 30 litre controller;· Dual diaphragm air pump;· 0.6 cm air line;· 1.3 cm blue tubing;· Seven 1.3 cm barbed tees;· Three 1.3 cm barbed elbows;· 1.3 cm grommets;· Drain level tube;· Float Valve;· 3 Part Flora kit.

3 - EuroGrower® Drip Hydroponics Systema) EuroGrower®

The new EuroGrower® from General Hydroponics® is the ideal systemfor someone new to gardening. The EuroGrower® provides users witha simple, elegant approach to home hydroponics. The heart of theEuroGrower® is our custom-designed 150 litre Panda™ reservoir,which is more than adequate for its eight 7.5 litre buckets. Growers canuse the EuroGrower® virtually anywhere. The EuroGrower® comescomplete with Flora Series® nutrients, which are currently the industrystandard. The EuroGrower® dimensions are 1.4 m L x 60 cm W x 60cm H. The EuroGrower® system includes:· 150 litre Panda™ reservoir;· Eight buckets;· Mag Drive® pump;· CocoTek® bricks;· 50 litre Hydroton®;· pH kit;· Grasslin® timer;· Flora Series® nutrients.

b) The EcoGrower® Drip Hydroponic SystemThe EcoGrower® incorporates an air driven "spider" drip system anduses the same revolutionary hexagonal reservoir with removable 15 cmlid inserts. Each lid insert will accommodate one 15 cm mesh pot thatcan easily grow very large plants.

4 - RainForest® Modular Aeroponics Cloning/Growing Systems

For propagating cuttings or for quick-starting seeds, seedlings, ortransplants, no hydroponic system will match the performance of theRainForest®. The Vortex® Sprayer lifts and oxygenates the nutrientsolution, then gently distributes it over the cuttings' base or the rootsystem, giving you the most oxygen possible in the root zone. This sys-tem is ideal for starting plants or even for growing plants to maturityand harvest. Many growers choose to start their plants in RainForest®

modules and later transplant them into larger systems like ourWaterFarm®. Several RainForest® modules can be connected to aTexas Controller for larger installations.

a) RainForest® 66The RainForest® 66 is a favourite among users who wish to grow medi-um to large size plants. Comes with six 15 cm modular lid inserts.

b) RainForest® 318The RainForest® 318 can accommodate up to eighteen small plants,from cutting to harvest, or up to ninety cuttings for rooting and trans-plantation with included 7.6 cm CocoTek® coconut caps. Comes withsix 7.6 cm modular lid inserts.

c) RainForest® 236Growers can use the RainForest® 236 to create a modest-sized nursery.Use this model to propagate cuttings or to quick-start seeds in a smallarea. Comes with six 5 cm modular inserts. The RainForest® systemsdimensions are 60 cm L x 60 cm W x 60 cm H. The RainForest® sys-tems include:· 64 litre reservoir with Modular Lid Kit;· Vortex® Sprayer;· Plastic cups;· CocoTek® liners;· 9 litre Hydroton®;· 3-Part Flora kit.

5 - The Panda™ Reservoir

Hydroponic growers have know for years that, when they need a wellbuilt, reliable, high quality system, General Hydroponics® is a compa-ny on whom they can depend. At General Hydroponics®, we take ourown high standards very seriously, and for our redesigned popularhydroponic systems, we searched far and wide for a reservoir thatwould meet the high standards for which we are known. Ultimately, wecame to the conclusion that if we wanted the perfect reservoir for ourhydroponic systems, we would have to build it ourselves. The result isthe new Panda™ Reservoir. We based our decision to name this new150 litre reservoir on its white exterior (which reflects heat) and itsblack interior (which discourages algae growth). In addition, the mate-rial with which we built the Panda™ - extra strong, high quality, co-extruded plastic - reflects our environmental concerns. The Panda's™small footprint enables it to fit through a standard doorway whilestanding upright, and the convenient access hatch makes nutrientchanges a breeze. Float valves and drain kits are also available to makeyour growing experience simpler and more efficient.

6 - SnapStand®

Our SnapStand® is specially designed for strength and is literally asnap to assemble. The custom SnapStand® pieces make standard 3 cmPVC into a stand for your system or as many uses as the grower's imag-ination can conceive.

Visit: www.generalhydroponics.com and www.eurohydro.com. Orcall: (707) 824-9376.


Photos GH

& G

HE

HYDROPONIC CLASSICS 5

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Photos: D.R

.BOTANICAL DICTIONARY

History SummarizedThere are countless rose cultivars. Throughout the centuries, generation after generation of breeders have left their marks in the shape of multiple hydribs. The rose as a plant was not born yesterday... and not even the day before that! It goes all the way back, long before our era and long before humans appeared. Indeed, fossils have allowed researchers to know that roses were already growing on earth 40 million years ago. In Egypt and Crete, scientists have found painted rose representations and carvings on tombs and mausoleums. Historians nonetheless agree that rose cultivation for horticultural purposes begun a little over 5,000 years ago in China. In ancient Rome and Greece, there were already known varieties, as reported by Pliny the Elder circa the end of the fi fth century B.C. We can be fairly certain that Romans knew at least two Damas varieties: the summer Damas (Rosa gallica x Rosa phoenicea) and the four-season Damas or ‘Bifera’ (Rosa gallica x Rosa Moschata). The passion for roses, however, did not survive the fall of the Roman empire, and we have to wait until the Middle Ages to see roses reappear in monasteries and convents, in medicinal herb gardens among other plants. Roses are then grown for their alleged medicinal virtues.

When the crusaders returned, the rose was awarded a new symbol, taking it into the fi elds of love and religion. The well-known Roman de la Rose turned it into an ideal representation of courtly love. The red rose is supposed to symbolize the blood of the fi rst martyrs, with its fi ve petals recalling the fi ve wounds of Christ. In parallel, the white thorn-less rose will be closely linked to the representation of the Virgin Mary. Arabs distillate rose water, and use it as a symbol and as a religious purifying agent. After the Crusades, the Arabs used rose water to purify the mosques that had been soiled by Christians, such as the Omar mosque, which had been converted into a church by the Crusaders. At the time, the most common variety was the cabbage rose (probably a hybrid of Rosa gallica x Rosa alba). The fi rst painted representations appeared in Flemish and Holland paintings. We can infer that until the 18th century, roses from the

Incomplete List Since the Beginning of the 18th Century

(Year of Introduction, Name of the Rose, Breeder,

Country of Origin)

1700: ‘Charles de Mils’ (unknown breeder, Netherlands)1750: ‘Celsiana’, after Jacques-Martin Cels (unknown breeder, Netherlands)

1800: ‘Duc de Cambridge’ (Laffay, France)

1813: ‘Marie-Louise’, after Marie-Louise of Austria, French empress (unknown breeder, France)1815: ‘Impératrice Joséphine’ (Descemet, France)1818: ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ (Vibert, France)1816: ‘Reine du Danemark’, after Marie-Sophie Friederike (Booth, Danemark)

1821: ‘Duchesse d’Angoulême’ (Vibert, France)1824: ‘Profi lera de Redouté’, after Pierre-Joseph Redouté (unknown breeder, France)1826: ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ (Jacques, France)1828: ‘Aimée Vibert’ (Vibert, France)1829: ‘Duchesse de Montebello’ (Laffay, France)

1831: ‘Madame Hardy’, or Félicité Hardy (Hardy, France)1834: ‘Laura (or Laure) Davoust’ (Laffay, France – cultivar restarted in 1920 by Francis E. Lester, Monterey, CA, USA, hence this cultivar’s other name: ‘Marjorie Lester’)1834: ‘Félicité Parmentier’ (probably Parmentier, Belgium)1836: ‘Charlemagne’ (unknown breeder, France)1835: ‘Madame Plantier’ (Plantier, France)1836: ‘Louis-Philippe’ (Hardy, France)1837: ‘Robert Le Diable’, also called “Le Magnifi que” (unknown breeder, France)1839: ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ (Laffay, France)1842: ‘Marquise Bocella’, or Marquise Cesare Bocella (Desprez, France)1842: ‘Céline Forestier’ (Trouillard, France)1842: ‘Jenny Duval’ (unknown breeder, France)1842: ‘Souchet’ (Souchet, France)1843: ‘Yolande d’Aragon’ (Vibert, France)1843: ‘Catherine de Württemberg’ (Robert, France)1843: ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ and ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ climbing (Béluze, France and climbing by Henry Bennet, Great Britain, 1893)1845: ‘Princesse Marie’, after Marie-Christine, Princess of Orléans (Parmentier, France)1845: ‘Nuits de Young’, after Edward Young (Laffay, France)1845: ‘Paul Ricault’ (Portemer, France)1847: ‘Cardinal Richelieu’ (Parmentier, Belgium)1847: ‘Duchesse de Rohan’ (Lévêque, France)

1850: ‘Princesse de Lamballe’ (unknown breeder, France)1850: ‘Sombreuil’, after Marie-Maurille Virot de Sombreuil (Robert, France)1851: ‘Duchesse d’Abrantes’ (M. Robert, France)1851: ‘Duchesse d’Orléans’ (Quétier, France)

Rosa ‘Melle de Sombreuil’


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200

7 M

eilla

ndBOTANICAL DICTIONARY

Gallicanae family are the only ones known in the Western world. This family includes Rosa Gallica, R. Alba, R. Damas, R. Centfeuilles, R. Mousseux (mutation of the cabbage rose) and R. Portlandica (R.Gallica ‘offi cinalis’ x R.Damas ‘Bifera’).

The “Personifi cation” Trend in Naming Rose CultivarsThe “revolution” came, we might say, in the middle of the 18th century, with the arrival of the fi rst Chinese rose in Sweden in 1752. As of 1780, China roses start to truly spread in Europe, fi rst in England, where they are their called ‘Old Blush’ or, more frequently (and strangely, given origin) ‘Rose Bengal’. In parallel, explorers bring back from Calcutta (!) the true China Rose, Rosa chinensis or R. indica in 1792. As of this date, three other major China rose varieties will spread on the Western market. First, in 1792, came the R. China rouge or ‘Slaters Crimson’. It was followed in 1809 by the fi rst type of tea rose, which transformed rose cultivation, and the introduction in Europe of Rosa indicata odorata or ‘Hume’s Blush’. Finally, in 1824, R. China jaune or ‘Parks Yellow’ completes the trio – a trio that will then allow the appearance of countless new hybrids. The fi rst tea rose hybrids, however, only came in 1850. In

1799, Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of France, buys the famous Malmaison estate and expresses her wish to create the fi rst true rose garden in Europe. A few years later, she won her bet and launched the trend of hybrid roses – they will be numerous: the Empress hired the best European horticulturalists. Dupont and Descemet are at their peak. In 1915, Descemet (1761-1839), an exceptional nurseryman, as the title of his biography (authored by François Joyaux) indicates, introduces the ‘Impératrice Joséphine’ rose, launching the trend of cultivars bearing famous people’s names.

As you will notice in the side table, roses were at fi rst named after French political or aristocratic fi gures from the First Empire, then from the Restauration and the July Monarchy. It remains an essentially French phenomenon, even though the Belgian horticulturist Parmentier is also a star at the time. In 1834, he launched a new subcategory among rose cultivars named after persons by baptising one of his hybrids ‘Félicité Parmentier’, after a member of his family. From then on, another wave of names were given to roses, taken from the breeder’s name or that of one his family members. At the time, Cochet, the personal gardener of Admiral Bougainville, is one of the best rose breeders. The naming trend then evolved towards past historical fi gures, such as ‘Charlemagne’ (1836), ‘Robert Le Diable’ (1837) and ‘Cardinal Richelieu’ in 1847, another creation of Belgian

Parmentier. In the middle of the 19th century, England makes a

timid attempt with the ‘Charles Lawson’ rose,

introduced in 1853 by the breeder bearing the same name, then with Aaron Ward, who introduces his ‘John Hopper’ in 1862

– a hybrid with famous French

1851: ‘Jeanne de Montfort’ (Robert, France)1851: ‘Madame de la Roche-Lambert’ (Robert, France)1851: ‘Louise Odier’, or ‘Madame de Stella’ (Bourbon & Margottin, France – some sources list Margottin Senior as its only breeder)1852: ‘Henri Martin’ (Laffay, France)1853: ‘Maréchal Davoust’ (Robert, France)1853: ‘Général Jacqueminot’ (Rousselet, France)1853: ‘Charles Lawson’ (Lawson, Great Britain)1855: ‘William Lobb’ (Laffay, France)1855: ‘Souvenir d’Elise Vardon’ (Marest, France)1856: ‘Botzaris’, after Markos Botzaris (unknown breeder)1856: ‘Comtesse Cécile de Chabrillant’ (Marest, France)1856: ‘Impératrice Eugénie’ (Guillot, France)1856: ‘Général Kléber’ (Robert, France)1857: ‘Duchesse de Brabant’ (Bernède, France)1857: ‘Maréchal Niel’ (Pradel, France – cultivar restarted by Verdier, France, in 1864)1858: ‘Anna de Diesbach’ (Lacharme, France)1858: ‘Édith de Murat’ (Ducher, France)1858: ‘Empereur du Maroc’ (Guinoisseau, France)

1860: ‘Comte de Chambord’ (Moreau & Robert, France)1860: ‘Enfant de France’, after Napoléon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph (Lartay, France)1860: ‘Catherine Guillot’ (Guillot fi ls, France)1861: ‘Charles Lefebvre’ (Lacharme, France)1861: ‘Prince Camille de Rohan’ (Verdier, France)1862: ‘Lady Emily Peel’ (Lacharme, France)1862: ‘Deuil du Dr Raynaud’ (Pradel, France)1862: ‘John Hopper’ (Parents: ‘Jules Margottin’ x ‘Mme Vidot’, Ward)1863: ‘Président Lincoln’ (Granger)1863: ‘Sophie de Marsilly’ (Moreau & Robert, France)1864: ‘Prince Eugène de Beauharnais’ (Moreau-Robert, France)1864: ‘Eugénie Guinoisseau’ (Guinoisseau, France)1864: ‘Prince Napoléon’ (Pernet, France)1864: ‘James Veitch’ (Verdier, France)1865: ‘Madame Knorr’ (Verdier, France)1865: ‘Souvenir du Président Lincoln’ (Moreau-Robert)1867: ‘Souvenir de Pierre Vibert’ (probably Vibert, France)1868: ‘Baronne Caroline von Rothschild’ (Jean Pernet Senior)1868: ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ (Paul, Great Britain)1868: ‘Jacques Cartier’ (Moreau & Robert, France)1868: ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ (Bizot, France)1869: ‘Comtesse d’Oxford’ (Guillot, France)

1870: ‘Henri Foucquier’ (unknown breeder, France)1871: ‘Princesse de Galles’, after Alexandra, Princess of Wales (breeder and origin unknown)

Rosa ‘Louis de Funès’

Rosa ‘Philippe Noiret’

Photos: D.R

.

parents: it is a hybrid of ‘Jules Margottin’ and ‘Mme Vidot’. Another English horticulturist, William Paul, introduces the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ cultivar in 1868. A short-lived trend was to create roses for special occasions, such as public fi gure funerals (for example, ‘Deuil du Dr Raynaud’ – Pradel, France, 1862 – or ‘Souvenir de Pierre Vibert’ – Vibert, France, 1867). Towards the end of the century and in the early 20th century, horticulturists from Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and Ireland join in the fun. They too kept up the tradition of naming roses after public fi gures in politics, aristocracy, horticulture or symbolic fi gures from the past.

As of the 1950s, Americans join the trend with cultivars named after people, Even though some breeders, such as Meilland, remain the major source of this trend for over a half-century. From then on, names given to rose cultivars become more democratic, in a way. A rose is thus named for an Irish minister (Arthur Bell Nicholls) and dubbed the ‘Arthur Bell’ in 1951, and for two of the most famous singers of the time: ‘Kathleen Ferrier’ (1952), a British contralto (1912-1953) and, of course, ‘Maria Callas’ (1965). A song is even immortalized as a rose in 1959, by German breeder Kordes: it is, of course, ‘Lili Marlene’. From then on, the names of famous cultivars will move towards the growing world of show business and of entertainment for entertainment’s sake. Aristocratic characters from the past must make way for movie stars (‘Catherine Deneuve’, ‘Elizabeth Taylor’, etc.), popular singers (‘Bing Crosby’, ‘Tino Rossi’, etc.), folk and country singers (‘Marjorie Fair’, ‘Buffy

Sainte-Marie’, etc.), architects (‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh’, etc.), writers and athletes (‘Gabriela Sabatini’!). The bottom of the barrel was even reached with a rose named after televangelist ‘Billy Graham’ and starlets such as ‘Liv Tyler’ or ‘Arielle Dombasle’, Or even television personalities such as ‘Rosie O’Donnell’. Finally, we must note the originality shown by some breeders who keep alive the tradition of names that stem from historical art, literature, science and exploration fi gures, as well as the late arrival of Canada in this domain, with its Explorers and Canadian Artists series. Even a French vineyard is immortalized with the ‘Rose de Tavel’... a rose best appreciated with a glass of wine in hand!

A Comedian Who Left a Rose BehindTo conclude, I want to briefl y touch upon a particular case, that of the great French comedy actor Louis de Funès, who had a passion for horticulture and thus designed the ‘Louis de Funès’ rose, which keeps his name alive. Hi success and ensuing fortune had allowed him to buy back the castle of Clermont, near Nantes, which was built in the mid-17th century for the Duke of Montmorency, whose estate went back in 1861 to the Nau de Maupassant family. Louis de Funès was the husband of the great-grand-niece of author Guy de Maupassant and he wished to give his wife this family property as a present when the last heirs put it up for sale. The park contained majestic century-old trees and Louis de Funès, in-between movies, went there on a regular basis to quench his thirst for rose cultivation. He developed a magnifi cent rose garden,

1871: ‘Annie Vibert’ (Vibert, France)1872: ‘Reine Victoria’ (Labruyère and Schwartz, France)1873: ‘Deuil de Paul Fontaine’ (Fontaine, France)1874: ‘Commandant Beaurepaire’ (Moreau-Robert, France)1878: ‘Madame Pierre Oger’ (Oger, France)1878: ‘William Allen Rich’ (Ducher, France)

1880: ‘Mademoiselle Cécile Brunner’ (Ducher, France)1881: ‘Archiduchesse Élizabeth of Austria’ (Moreau & Robert, France)1881: ‘Madame Isaac Péreire’ (Garçon)1881: ‘Reine Olga de Wurttemberg’ (Nabonnand, France)1882: ‘Lady Mary Fitzwilliam’ (Bennet, Great Britain)1882: ‘Ulrich Brunner fi ls’ (Levet, France)1884: ‘Souvenir d’Alphonse’ Lavallée (Verdier, France)1884: ‘Grace Darling’ (Bennet, Great Britain)1886: ‘Ännchen von Tharau’, after Anna Neander (Geschwind, Germany)1886: ‘Princesse de la Couronne Viktoria’ (Vollert, Germany – cultivar restarted in 1888 by Späth, Germany)1886: ‘Vicomtesse Folkestone’ (Bennett, Great Britain)1886: ‘Mme Chevalier’ (Pernet Senior, France)1887: ‘Mrs John Laing’ (Bennett, Great Britain)1888: ‘Madame Ernest Clavat’, née Marie Perrin (Schwartz, France)1888: ‘Claire Jacquier’ (Bernaix)1889: ‘Première Dame Mary Washington’ (unknown breeder)

1890: ‘Souvenir de Victor Landeau’ (Moreau-Robert, France)1890: ‘Mme Dubost’ (Pernet Senior, France)1890: ‘Madame Caroline Testout’ (Pernet-Duchet, France)1891: ‘Impératrice Auguste Victoria’ (Lambert, Germany)1892: ‘Comtesse Festetics Hamilton’ (Nabonnand, France)1893: ‘Captain Hayward’ (Bennet, Great Britain)1893: ‘Maman Cochet’ and ‘Maman Cochet climbing’ (Cochet, France)1894: ‘Lady Penzance’, after Mary Pleydell-Bouverie (Penzance, Great Britain)1894: ‘Marie-François Sadi-Carnot’ (Pernet-Duchet)1894: ‘Francis Dubreuil’ (Dubreuil, France)1896: ‘Princesse Marie-Adélaïde du Luxembourg’ (Soupert and Notting, Luxembourg)1897: ‘Baron Girod de l’Ain’ (Reverchon, France)1898: ‘Mrs Anthony Waterer’ (Waterer)1899: ‘Conrad Ferdinand Meyer’ (Dr. F. Müller, Germany)

1900: ‘Noëlla Nabonnand’ (hybride de ‘Reine Marie Henriette’ (HT climbing) x ‘Bardou Job’ (Bourbon x HP), Nabonnand, France)1901: ‘Mrs B R Cant’ (Cant of Colchester, United Kingdom)1902: ‘Comtesse du Cayla’, after Zoé Victoire Talon (Guillot, France)1902: ‘Souvenir de Pierre Notting’ (Soupert and Notting, Luxembourg)1902: ‘Mme Driout’ (Thirat, France)1904: ‘Mme d’Enfert’ (Vilin, France)

Rosa ‘Bauget-Jouette’ Louis de Funès


BOTANICAL DICTIONARY

Photos: Bruno Bredoux & D

.R.

one of the nicest ever seen in Loire, and which unfortunately no longer exists, the actor having died in 1983.

Louis de Funès considerably improved the park of his property. He planted many species of fl owers, fruit-bearing trees and vegetables. His main passion, however, was roses. It this castle, with its 366 windows and view over the Loire, the actor developed, with the help of breeder Meilland, his famous ‘Louis de Funès’. Unfortunately, the rose was born one year after his death, in 1984. Its full name is Rosa x ‘Louis de Funés®’ Meirestif. It is a magnifi cent standard rose, reaching 1 to 1.7 metres, with a fl ower diameter between 13 and 14 centimetres. The fl owers open to a very contrasted orange, with yellow variations. It usually fl owers during the entire season, from May to September (it must be planted between October and April). Its foliage is dense, shiny and deep green and its leaves are deciduous. The fl owers are generous and heavy and have a strong, tenacious perfume. It can be ordered directly from Meilland’s site (www.meilland.com, in English, French and Spanish).

Other cultivars named after famous persons for which we have not been able to fi nd the breeder and year of introduction (if you have the information, let us know!).‘Aimée Plantier’, ‘Albéric Barbier’,

‘Alexander Hill Gray’, ‘Alexander

McKenzie’, ‘Amanda Patenotte’,

‘Annie Laurie’, ‘Audrey Hepburn’,

‘Barbara Worl’, ‘Baronne

Prévost’, ‘Bauget-Jouetté’,

‘Capitaine Dyel de Graville’,

‘Cary Grant’, ‘Chevy Chase’, ‘Clare Grammmerstorf’,

‘Dick Balfour’, ‘Dolly Parton’, ‘Duchesse d’Auerstadt’,

‘Duchesse de Grammont’, ‘Duchesse de Rohan’,

‘Elizabeth Taylor’, ‘Ellen Willmott’, ‘England’s Rose’

(Diana, Princess of Wales – rose baptised after her death

and whose profi ts go to charity), ‘Eugène de Beauharnais’

also called ‘Prince Eugène’, ‘Excellenze Von Schubert’,

‘Fantin-Latour’, ‘Garibaldi’, ‘Gartendirector Otto Linne’,

‘Général Cavaignac’, ‘George Cuvier’, ‘Ghislaine de

Féligonde’, ‘Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco’, ‘Heinrich

Conrad Soth’, ‘Helen L’Haÿes’, ‘Honorine de Brabant’,

‘Ingrid Bergman’, ‘Irene Watts’, ‘Jacqueline Humery’,

‘James Bourgault’, ‘Jean Kenneally’, ‘Jeanne Lajoie’,

‘Johasine Hanet’, ‘John F. Kennedy’, ‘John Keynes’,

‘Juan Desprez’, ‘K. A. Victoria’ for Kaiserin Victoria

Adelaide Mary Louisa von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha,

‘Kaiserin Auguste’, ‘Lady Ann Kidwell’, ‘Lady Carolina’,

‘Lady Emily Peel’, ‘Larry Daniels’, ‘Loeta Liggett’, ‘Louis

Gimard’, ‘Louis Philippe d’Angers’, ‘Margo Coster’

and ‘Margo Coster climbing’, ‘Marie Pavie’, ‘Marie

Van Houtte’, ‘Marquis de Balbiano’, ‘Martha Rice’,

‘Maurice Bernardin’, ‘Mev. Nathalie Nypels’, ‘Mlle

Blanche Laffi tte’, ‘Mlle Cécile Brunner’ and ‘Mlle Cécile

Brunner’ climbing, ‘Mme Abel Châtenay’ and ‘Mme

Abel Châtenay’ climbing, ‘Mme Alfred Carrière’, ‘Mme

Berkley’, ‘Mme Caroline Testout’ and ‘Mme Caroline

Testout’ climbing, ‘Mme de La Roche-Lambert’, ‘Mme

de Sévigné’, ‘Mme Élisa de Vilmorin’, ‘Mme

Grégoire Staechelin’, ‘Mme Isaac Perreire’,

‘Mme Louis Lévèque’, ‘Mme Moser’,

‘Mme Platz’, ‘Mme Souveton’,

‘Mme Victor Verdier’, ‘Mons.

Cordeau’, ‘Mons. De Montigny’,

‘Mons. Tillier’, ‘Mr Bluebird’,

‘Mrs Charles Bell’, ‘Mrs Herbert

1907: ‘Madame Aaron Ward’ (Pernet-Ducher, France)1907: ‘Mrs Dudley Cross’ (William Paul, United Kingdom)

1910: ‘Yvonne Rabier’ (Turbat, France)1910: ‘Lady Hillingdon’ (Lowe and Shawyer, United Kingdom)1912: ‘General Superior Arnold Janssen’ (Leenders, Netherlands)1917: ‘Lady Hillingdon climbing’ (parents ‘Papa Gontier’ x ‘Mme Hoste’, Hicks, U.K.)1919: ‘Souvenir de Sainte-Anne’ (Campbell, Ireland – cultivar restarted by Hilling in 1950)1919: ‘Kathleen Harrop’ (Dickson, UK)

1920: ‘Souvenir de Gilbert Nabonnand’ (Nabonnand, France)1924: ‘Henry Nevard’ (Cants)1926: ‘Conseiller d’État Rottenberger’, after Regierungsrat Friedric Leo von Rottenberger (Praskac, Austria)

1932: ‘Amelia Earhart’ (Reymond, France)1935: ‘Betty Prior’ (Prior)

1942: ‘Madame Chiang Kai-Shek’ (Carl G. Duehrsen)

1951: ‘Arthur Bell’ (McGredy)1952: ‘Kathleen Ferrie’ (Buisman)1954: ‘Reine Elizabeth’ (Dr. Walter Lammerts, U.S.A.)1959: ‘Lili Marlene’ (Kordes, Germany)

1960: ‘Louis Bugnet’ (Bugnet, France)1963: ‘Papa Meilland’ (Meilland, France)1964: ‘Mister Lincoln’ (Swim and Weeks)1965: ‘Maria Callas’ (Meilland)1968: ‘Baronne Edmond de Rothschild’ (Meilland)

1974: ‘Charles de Gaulle’ (Meilland, France)1976: ‘Sally Holmes’ (Fryer)1977: ‘Margaret Merril’ (Harkness)1978: ‘Honest Abe’ (fourth rose named after Abraham Lincoln – Christensen)1978: ‘John Cabot’ (Svejda, Canada)1978: ‘Marjorie Fair’ (Harkness)1979: ‘Helmut Schmidt’ (Kordes)

1981: ‘Bing Crosby’ (Weeks)1981: ‘Catherine Deneuve’ (Meilland)1983: ‘William Baffi n’ (Svejda, Canada)1984: ‘Cardinal Hume’ (Harkness)1984: ‘Louis de Funès’ (Meilland)1985: ‘Lichtkönigin Lucia’ (Kordes)1987: ‘William Shakespeare’ (David Austin)1988: ‘Charles Aznavour’ (Meilland)1988: ‘Princesse Caroline de Monaco’ (Meilland)1988: ‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh’ (David Austin)1988: ‘Charlotte Rampling’ (Meilland)1989: ‘Gina Lollobrigida’ (Meilland)

1990: ‘Tino Rossi’ (Meilland)1991: ‘Paul McCartney’ (Meilland)1991: ‘Niccolò Paganini’ (Meilland)1992: ‘Arielle Dombasle’ (Meilland)1992: ‘Gabriela Sabatini’1993: ‘Comtesse du Barry’ (Verschuren, Netherlands)1993: ‘Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’ (Meilland)1994: ‘Honoré de Balzac’ (Meilland)1994: ‘Léonard de Vinci’ (Meilland)1994: ‘Jean Giono’ (Meilland)1995: ‘Colette’ (Meilland)1995: ‘Frédéric Mistral’ (Meilland)1995: ‘Pierre-Auguste Renoir’ (Meilland)1996: ‘Marcel Pagnol’ (Meilland)

Rosa ‘Jean Kenneally’

Rosa ‘Asso di Cuori’

Rosa di Montalcino



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o: D

.R.

Stevens’ and ‘Mrs Herbert Stevens’ climbing, ‘Mrs J. F.

Redly’, ‘Mrs Lovell Swisher’, ‘Mrs Oakley Fisher’, ‘Mrs R.

G. Sharman-Crawford’, ‘Mrs William G. Koning’, ‘Oderic

Vital’, ‘Omer Pacha’, ‘Opal Brunner’, ‘Pablo Picasso’, ‘Papa

Hemeray’, ‘Paul Noël’, ‘Paul Ricault à fl eurs pourpres’,

‘Paul Verdier’, ‘Pauline Bonaparte’, ‘Pierre de St. Cyr’,

‘Président Herbert Hoover’ climbing, ‘Princesse de

Galles’ (Diana, Princess of Wales – the only rose bearing

her name authorized during her lifetime), ‘Queen of

Bourbons’, ‘Rachel Bowes Lyon’, ‘Red Dorothy Perkins’,

‘Red Maman Cochet’ or ‘Nils Cochet’, ‘Rose de Mons.

Pomeroy’, ‘Souvenir de Claudius Denoyel’, ‘Souvenir

de MacKinley’, ‘Souvenir de Mme L’Advocat’, ‘Souvenir

de Mme Breuel’, ‘Souvenir de Mme Leonie Viennot’,

‘Souvenir de Nemours’, ‘Souvenir de Thérèse Levet’,

‘Susan Louise’, ‘Thérèse Bugnet’, ‘Tom Breneman’,

‘White Maman Cochet’ climbing, ‘William III’ (after the

king of England, Scotland and Ireland – 1650-1702),

‘William R. Smith’, ‘Yellow Maman Cochet’, ‘Yvonne

Rabier’, etc.

You will fi nd even more roses named after famous persons on the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden (San Jose, California)

site (conservator: Ed Wilkinson): www.heritageroses.us /AlphaWithinClass_a-ch.htm. We had to end our list due to lack of space and to the fact that it would be virtually impossible to draft a complete list of these cultivars without it becoming a weary task for the reader.

Most of these cultivars are offered in the huge catalogue from RogersRoses (Southern California), where you will fi nd almost 450 different roses. Visit www.rogersroses.com or call 1 884 468-4900.

Sources: Wikipédia, Christian Hays (Société d’Horticulture

du Pays d’Auray), RogersRoses, San Jose Heritage Rose

Garden, Die Namen der Rosen, Meilland, Plantes & Jardins,

discussion forums on www.heritagerosefoundation.org,

www.rose-story.com, www.morii-paint.co.jp and www.

canadianrosesociety.org.

1996: ‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’ (Select Roses, Canada – cultivar restarted by Carl Pallek and Son Nurseries, Canada, in 1998-99)1997: ‘Marie Curie’ (Meilland)1997: ‘Alphonse Daudet’ (Meilland)1997: ‘Michel-Ange’ (Meilland)1997: ‘François Rabelais’ (Meilland)1998: ‘William Franklin Graham, Jr’, alias ‘Billy Graham’ (Zary)1998: ‘Rosie O’Donnell’ (Winchell)

2000: ‘Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’ (Meilland)2001: ‘André Le Nôtre’ (Meilland)2002: ‘Rose de Tavel’ (Reuter, France)2003: ‘Dee Dee Bridgewater’ (Meilland)2005: ‘Jeanne Moreau’ (Meilland)2005: ‘Nancy Reagan’ (Zary)2005: ‘Countess of Wessex’ (Beales, UK) 2005: ‘Ronald Reagan’ (Zary)2005: ‘Liv Tyler’ (Meilland)2005: ‘John Cabot II’ (Explorers Series by the Horticulture Research and Development Centre (HRDC), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada)2005: ‘Champlain’ (Explorers Series by the Horticulture Research and Development Centre (HRDC), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada)2005: ‘Frontenac’ (Explorers Series by the Horticulture Research and Development Centre (HRDC), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada)2005: ‘Elle’ (named for Elle magazine, Meilland)2005: ‘Lady Elsie May’ (Noack)2005: ‘Joan Beales’ (Beales)2006: ‘Claude Brasseur’ (Meilland)2006: ‘Michel Serrault’ (Meilland)2006: ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ (Meilland)2007: ‘Félix Leclerc’ (Canadian Artists Series, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)2007: ‘Édith Piaf’ (Meilland)



Photos: Dave G

uillemette

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

It’s fall. The temperature is dropping. Darkness comes earlier and earlier. Trees and other plants will wear their nicest robe as a prelude to the white cover that winter will bring. If you take a stroll through the woods in September or October, you fi ll see a most magnifi cent display. Tree leaves are no longer green, but take on shades that go from yellow to bright red, to orange and bronze. Are those colours there for the pleasure of our eyes, to remind us that the warm days are behind us and cold is ahead? Plants will later shed this attractive dress and will endure bitter cold while nude. But why? And what of those that keep their leaves in the winter?

The triggerEverything begins when, in the fall, temperatures drop and days shorten. Of course we are not talking about shorter than 24 hour days, but of the reduction of the photoperiod, i.e. the duration of sunlight available to plants during one day. One of the plant leaves’ pigments is the phytochrome (phyto, for plants and chrome, for coloring), a protein molecule that perceives the change in luminosity and temperature and triggers a reaction within the plant.

Why?Why do trees shed their leaves just before the onset of cold weather? It is, in fact, a reaction to the intense cold observed for several months in temperate areas. Indeed, what allows trees to survive below zero temperatures is that they are somewhat insulated from the cold by a layer of lignin (very hard wood making up the bark) and that their roots stay warm in the depths of the earth. What happens to leaves, which have no lignin to protect them from the cold? Since the tree cannot afford to waste energy to keep alive tissues that are destined in any case to die in the cold, it simply lets them go.

How does it work?As we saw before, everything begins with the drop in temperature and the decrease of the photoperiod. Starting at a precise stage, the phytochromes we previously discussed send a chemical signal to the leaf cells. This message will induce the production of ethylene gas and of abscisic acid. When these two gasses act together, they have the ability to degrade the chloroplasts, the pigments in charge of photosynthesis and of the green colour of leaves. This increases the concentration of the other pigments contained in the leaves. Where does the yellow, orange or red colour of leaves come from? It comes from pigments such as carotenoids (orange red) and xanthophylls, which are always found in the leaf but are usually hidden by the

Morphological Change, Physiological DevelopmentIt’s Cold: Why Get Undressed?By Dave Guillemette

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PLANT PHYSIOLOGYgreen pf chlorophyll. Now that chlorophyll is no more, these pigments can shine through!

What about the fall of leaves? Ethylene is also used to stimulate the production of cellulase, an enzyme capable of destroying the primary cell walls, and of pectase, which destroys pectin (the substance uniting the cells). To simplify, these substances will dissolve the link between the leaf and the branch. A wind gust will suffi ce to send the leaf to the ground, where it will end its life. The hole left by the leaf’s departure is called leaf scar and becomes and entryway for pathogenic organisms. The tree produces methylcellulose, suberin and lignin to create a sort of cap in order to protect itself from potential enemies.

Persistent or marcescent?As we can notice, some leaf-bearing trees and most conifers keep their leaves during the winter or for the greater part of it.

We say plants have deciduous foliage when their leaves normally detach from the tree or shrub before the onset of winter (most species of hardwood trees and some conifers).

The foliage is marcescent when some or all of the leaves dry out, but remain on the tree for the greater part of winter, before falling (some oaks, beeches and hornbeams). It is, however, a youth phenomenon, rarely observed on older specimens.

When the leaves can stay on the plant for many years without falling, we are dealing with an evergreen. These plants have coriaceous leaves (holly), needles (spruce) or scales (cedar) that are covered by wax or by hair that can limit the plant’s evapotranspiration ability (loss of water through transpiration).

Some examples of fall colours:* Maple (Acer) yellow/orange/red* Oak (Quercus) brown/red* Birch (Betula) yellow* Hackberry (Celtis) yellow/greenish yellow* Hornbeam (Capinus) yellow/orange/bright red* Ash (Fraximus) yellow/golden yellow* Elm (Ulmus) yellow

GALLERY

We had big storms these last few days. I feared for the little strawberries on my balcony, but no damage was done. It would have been too bad: look! I have six plants like this one. They are Woodland strawberries (Fragaria vesca L., biferous plants that produce from spring until the fi rst frosts of autumn), and it is a delight even to think of their fl avour. I can’t wait to see them redden.

Why not do like me and set up a vegetable patch on your balcony, with pumpkins, tomatoes, strawberries...?

Nice weather is back and the temperature is up: everything on my balcony is growing. This morning, I woke up and ate my fi rst strawberry of the season. I’ll only say this: yum! Others will follow: look!

Mara des Bois Strawberries on My Balcony Until the First Frosts

BY MAMYLAINE


Photo: Maple Leaf R

ag® – Illustration: R

. RidouGROWING EXPERIMENT

I will describe here my closet growing

technique; the technique is derived from

the environment I had to work with and my

own desires for the cultivation. This is more

an article about “how I do things” than

about “what you should do”. Nevertheless,

some information remains true in most

conditions, and if you don’t know where

to start, your closet might give you ideas.

That’s the goal…

The closetI live in the city and I do not have much

exploitable area, even less a grow room. I

do what I can in a home-made closet, with

bookcases without the middle shelves:

• Height: 185 cm;

• Depth: 44 cm;

• Width: 88 cm;

• Ground surface is about 0.5

square meters.

The base structure is made of aluminum,

with four posts, a ceiling and a fl oor. The

posts have holes into which the shelves

would normally be fi xed. As we will see later,

I use those holes for a different purpose.

Right now I use a 250 watt HPS (high

pressure sodium) lamp; it is more than

suffi cient for the size of my closet and for

the ground surface I can use.

If possible, make your closet light-tight, as

well as waterproof: put air fi lters in front of

any fan to limit the intake of “stuff” from

the outside (dust, etc.). Your light should

not be seen from outside (think darkness

hours) and the light from outside should

not leak inside (think protection of the

photoperiod).

You will need one or more programmable

timers. The cheap models do the work: I

have had some of mine for fi ve years and

they still work.

How many plants?Great metaphysical question. Here’s what I

have tested in my closet:

• 18 plants in 1,5 L pots;

• 10 plants in 3 L pots, 8 plants in the same

pot, 6 plants in the same pot;

• 6 plants in 5 L pots, 5 plants and 4 plants

in the same pot.

I did this starting from seeds. The story is

different if you start from clones. Starting

from seeds in such a small space and under

such a lamp, here is my advice, for what it’s

worth: have 10 plants in 3.5 litre pots.

Another space management technique: drastic selectionTake the smallest black plastic cups, and see

how many fi t on the ground of your grow

space once your closet is installed – not

before, because you will need space for

fans, saucers, etc. Once everything is ready,

place the little pots and germinate one seed

in each. For example, in my 0.5 square meter

space, I can germinate about 25 seeds. I

now germinate seeds directly in little pots

fi lled with coco: the seeds that germinate

this way are much better developed, after

an equal duration, than those that pass

from cotton to coco…

THE CLOSETHere is the closet with the approximate

location of the various systems:

• ventilation;

• aeration;

• extraction.

Those three systems are essential to a good

harvest.

On the left, two exhaust fans placed at

different heights in the closet; at the

bottom to the right, a big fan brings in fresh

air through a fi lter made of plastic screens.

Inside the closet, there are also three mobile

fans, which refresh the ambient air, but also

make the plants and the air around them

move. I say they are mobile because I use non-

permanent fi xations, to be able to move them

easily in the closet; I use Nortem jacketed wire,

made for gardening and very practical.

The lamp hangs on a chain from a hook in the

”ceiling” of the closet. Why a chain? Because

it is the easiest way to modify the height

at will, to follow plant growth as closely as

possible.

Latest modifi cations: my closet now reaches

the room’s ceiling and has two distinct spaces,

one up top with strong neon lamps (2 x 55

W), where I have seeds germinate and where I

start clones. The lower

part contains the HPS

lamp (the 250 W), now

in a “cool tube”. The

closet now reaches up

250 cm.

To sum up: a 0.5 square meter closet, a 250 W

HPS lamp, and a ventilation system like that of

an aerodynamics lab...

My Growing Method In A ClosetA Success Story By R. Ridou


Phot

o: A

groP

lant

– Il

lust

ratio

n: T

.I.G

.GROWING EXPERIMENT

The next step is choosing the best

plants, those that will grow the

fastest, the ones that look the

strongest, etc. Look at the plants

every day to know where they are

at. After three days, you can tell

which plants are the fastest. After

fi ve days, you know which are the

strongest. After ten days, you can

remove the ones that did not germinate and those that are weak.

The plants you keep can go in 1.5 litre pots. New selection: the

winners go in 3 litre pots. Usually, they will remain in those, except

if you can go to 5 litre pots. It depends on the space available!

Depending on the time, after selection and re-potting of the best

plants, my closet can hold 5 to 25 plants.

What to put in the pots? Another great metaphysical question! I

put coco fi bre, clay pellets, granulated lava (when I fi nd some), fi sh

food, lava powder, grains of water (polymer). Coco fi bre needs to

be re-hydrated: it comes as compact blocs and, as it re-hydrates,

gives about eight litres of ready to use matter. I fi nd it very practical

to use and transport. The mixture is called substrate.

WaterMy latest trick: I now use a fi ltering Brita pitcher, because tap water

is unusable, whether for a cup of tea or to water plants. The pitcher

clearly lowers the electro-conductivity (EC) and pH of tap water:

the pH goes from 7.5 to 6.0, and EC goes from 0.5 to 0.25.

This point is important, very important. You must know the pH of

the water before giving it to plants, and then its EC. We will see

later how to correct the water’s pH and EC before you give it to

your plants.

FertilizersI have used many fertilizers, but Canna’s in particular: Canna Vega

and Canna Flores, as well as Canna PK and CannaZym. I use acid to

correct the pH of any watering, and I test the EC once in a while if I

need to make changes or if I am adding something to the solution

(composed of water, pH correcting agent and fertilizers, and other

elements as required), or if I switch fertilizer, etc. I own a pH and

EC tester – an expensive investment, but that procures tranquility

in all circumstances. I use it often at other growers’.

On coco fi bre, a good pH is between 5.5 and 6.2 – say 5.8, but

the most important is to have a pH that is stable, stable and still

stable! Plants are sensitive and like stability, so do what you must,

and make sure the pH moves as little as possible, and that it doesn’t

varry violently from one day to the next.

Your tap water’s EC could be very high or low. In cities, the EC is

usually at 0.5, but you can have surprises and fi nd it is, for example,

at 1.0. The EC of solution given to plants is generally between 0.5

(very low, for clones) and 2.0 (very high, for full growth or the

middle of fl owering).

I will not describe pH and EC in detail, as I do not have the required

knowledge but here is what I have come to understand:

• The pH is the level of acidity or alkalinity of the water, which

impacts the plant’s ability to take the nutriments in the solution

you give it. Stability is essential because plants get used to pH; if

you change the pH abruptly, the plants will not be able to take the

nutriments in the solution and will suffer from defi ciencies. Some

hydroponic systems, however, can function with a surprisingly

low pH without the plants suffering (just the opposite).

• The EC represents the “stuff” in your water: elements, traces…

Schematically, the higher the EC, the more fertilizer in your water

(I mean fertilizer… or other particles), hence the 0.5 EC found in

city tap water, for example. Search online for more information.

Electro-conductivity (EC) • 0.5 for clones and young plantlets for the fi rst 3 to 5 days;

• 1.0 early in the vegetative stage, after the 5th day;

• 1.2 after the 10th day;

• 1.5 after the 15th day.

I usually leave it at 1.5, then raise it to 1.8 between the end of

growth and the three-fourths of fl owering.

If you do not have the choice, don’t take EC into account, and buy

a pH kit for pools; test your tap water to determine if you must

correct it or not. If you need to correct it, buy acid and a pipette to

dose it. Make many attempts in water bottles, without any fertilizer

until you calibrate one bottle to the proper pH, between 5.5 and

6.0. Once your bottle is calibrated, you know how much acid to

add to every watering bottle. Afterwards, add nutrients according

to the seller’s instructions and/or the fertilizer bottle label (they

don’t always say the same…). Then, adjust the addition of fertilizer

according to your plants’ evolution stages.

Alternative method: prepare your

solution with water, nutrients,

etc., test the pH and correct it

with pH Down (acid). Always test

the pH last, right before giving

the solution to plants, so you

really know what you are giving

the plants.

Always observe your plants’

reactions!

Observe them: any change can

indicate a lack or a surplus, a disease or an attack by insects, etc.

I develop a relationship with my plants, I take pleasure in caring

for them, in watering them, in moving the fans and the plants in

Photos: R. Ridou – Illustration: T.I.G

.

the closet. I end up knowing them well, and I

know what’s going on if they start behaving

strangely.

To check periodically• Lamp height: as near as possible, as long as

the temperature above the plants allow it;

• Temperature above the plants: never above

28/30°C, ideally at 25°C;

• Humidity: between 45 and 65%;

• Substrate humidity, weight of the pots;

• Foliage color, leaf shape, stem diameter;

• General look of the plants;

• Closet cleanliness.

WateringI personally water my plants by hand,

using 1.5 litre bottles. Plants prefer

a generous watering every two or

three days to small waterings every

day. You must learn to adapt to

climactic conditions: lift the pots to see if the plants drank every

drop. Be careful: too much water and the roots will asphyxiate, and

the plant will die. Too little water and the plant feels a drought, and

dies. Not too much, not too little, and observe your plants.

In 3 litre pots, in coco fi bre substrate, I give 0.5 litre of solution to

each plant every two days. If I use 5 litre pots, I give more, and if

the weather is very hot, I feed the plants more often. The grower

must adapt.

I water my plants from under, which means I fi ll the saucer until

the plant stops drinking, absorbing by capillarity. This way, the

top of the substrate remains dry, which prevents rot, insects and

pathogens.

In practice, however, I recently started watering from the top as

well. It seems that alternating is a good compromise, for example

by watering three times from above, once from below.

Watering must not be a chore: it must be privileged time you spend

with your plants, a nice moment to see how they are developing,

how well they are doing, how the fl owers and fruits are getting

bigger.

The plants enjoy water spraying, but be careful to spray them

outside the closet so no water gets on the HPS lamp. Ideally, spray

right after the light period. Bring the plants out one by one and

spray them generously with a corrected (always!) solution enriched

with trace elements, for example. Spray under the leaves: it is the

area most receptive to this treatment.

VentilationWind serves many uses in a closet: it refreshes the air by bringing

in fresh air, and it strengthens the plants by making them move –

because your plants must move: from the time they start growing,

they must be submitted to a wind that is strong enough to make

them almost bend. I said “almost”: be careful, especially for the

fi rst few days. After fi ve days, however, your plants must be in their

very own gym!

Wind also means oxygen circulation: if possible, let your fans run

night and day. It might prove impossible because of noise concerns.

Think also of your neighbours, who could be bothered by your

ventilation sounds.

Ventilation may have a dehydrating effect: it you allow it to run

non-stop, beware of this, and check the

substrate more often.

Plants like fans, and they life getting their leaves

in the blades. Put a screen in front of the blades,

or measure carefully the fans’ position in the

closet.

Wind reinforces stems and branches, giving you

a nicer harvest.

Light The lamp is the sun. Like the sun, your lamp is very hot and shines

greatly. Don’t touch it while it is on, and don’t look at it directly.

Do not spray the plants while the light is on, and do not cut the

light abruptly. If you do, always wait at least twenty minutes before

turning it back on (except with PIA bulbs).

Refl ectors matter: a good refl ector can gain you 20% additional

light. I use two kinds of refl ectors. One is very directive; it sends

the light downward and takes space at the top of the closet. The

other is wing-shaped, fl atter, and is useful when my plants grow

too high. A good refl ector is worth 1000 years of happiness.

I now use a “cool tube”, mainly against heat. The light is well

spread.

I recommend changing your bulb once in a while, because an old

one may have lost 20, 40% of its strength. From experience, not

science, I would say it is best to change bulbs every four or fi ve

full harvests. There are many makes and models, but I have not

experimented enough with those to discuss it now.

Your closet’s inside walls must be as refl ective as possible. Aluminium

foil is a bother: don’t use it. Mylar works well but turns your closet

into an oven. White Venilia* (a glossy adhesive paper) works well

too. An emergency blanket does the trick and is cheap to buy. The

crucial point: it must refl ect well. I have read that Venilia-type white

papers refl ect a larger part of the luminous spectrum, so if you can,

use white paper.

To be continued...


GROWING EXPERIMENT

* Or white glossy d-c-fi x® adhesive paper in Canada (www.dcfi x.de) and white glossy Kittrich Magic Cover® or Kittrich Con-Tact Paper®(www.kittrich.com) in the United States.


Illustrations: © 2007 A

DEM

E, D.R

. and from the book “Jardin d’intérieur” (Le Lézard Eds)

TECHNOLOGY

What is Light?

Like any other kind of light sources, plant light is part of the electromagnetic radiation. At a range estimated between 380 to 780 nanometers, it is where the plants get their photosynthetic active radiation (or PAR). All plants use within 5% of the same quantity and quality of PAR radiation. The electromagnetic radiation is described as a stream of photons that moves at the speed of light, i.e. 186,000 miles* per second. Every photon has a certain amount of energy. Radio waves have the lowest energy, then microwaves, infrared, visible spectrum for living organisms, ultraviolet, X-rays and fi nally gamma-rays. Each part of the electromagnetic radiation has it own particular size. You can never use a light to illuminate an atom, our scientists must use the same size of electromagnetic radiation as the object that they want to look at. For instances look at your micro wave oven; it has many holes that we can look through to see what’s cooking. Our eyes never get burnt or sore because the electromagnetic radiation is considerably larger than the holes in the door. Check out the fi gure to the left.

It is very important to give plants a balanced electromagnetic radiation spectrum of light as too little blue will cause stem elongation and possibly yellow leaves. A shortage of red light prevents stem growth. Red light will heal a sick plant faster than blue light. There are different light absorbing receptors within plants leaves that gather the light energy. These carotenoids and chlorophyll absorb the different spectrum refl ecting back the unused portion of light, hence why plants are green. They have very little need for green light. These pigments that absorb the light will hold the radical energy and release the electromagnetic radiation within the plant. As the electromagnetic radiation is utilized the plant must gather more light so that the plant can continue to grow at an accelerated rate. By not providing enough electromagnetic radiation (light energy) plants will become stunted or die.

The same goes for plants mineral element, without providing suffi cient nutrition plants cannot combine electromagnetic radiation (between 350 and 750nm), carbon dioxide and water (H20) with nutrient solution containing mineral elements such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, B, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, Cl, and Ni. These mineral elements will all be combined to create sugar and oxygen. They will form indeterminate cells which will produce roots, stems and leaves, and determinate cells which will form fl owers, pistil and ovary. The reason that fl owers look so beautiful is that they no longer absorb as much light energy refl ecting unused light, so they are now used to attract insects and birds to pollinate the seeds. The different cells created by plants are xylem, phloem, epidermis producing roots, shoots, leaves and fl owers. The human eye uses far less light energy than a plant. See picture to the left.

Now we would like you to try some new techniques on short day plants that have been working great for customers. As we mentioned before, plants absorb light energy and utilizes it with nutrition. To initiate fl owering faster on short day plants, keep your plants in total darkness for 36 hours allowing the plant to utilize some of stored light energy. What we hope to accomplish is that the plants will begin their move to determinate fl owering cells faster. Because plants absorb light faster than all other needed elements, we must allow the pigments to release some of the absorbed light before plants can start fl owering. As you know most short-day plants need approximately 2 weeks to start the onslaught of fl owers. In other words it takes about 10 days to loose most of the electromagnetic energy. Short-day plants need 12 hours light, and 12 hours dark. As little as 1 min. of light during darkness can slow down or reverse the fl owering. With long day plants the opposite happens where the plants need an extended period of light, more than14 hours to initiate fl owering. Some plants need dry or wet, cold or warmth to initiate fl owering.

Color Spectrum and Distance from Lamp

Metal halide lamps are available in a few different spectrums, and can be mixed and matched to achieve that perfect sun. Metal halide clear lamps are the most popular. They are cheap to buy and provide a great spectrum of light for your plants. Use them during the growth cycle of your garden or use them to keep your favorite plant in vegetative stage for cuttings. Use them during fl owering to provide the much needed ultraviolet and blue spectrum. The metal halide phosphor-coated lamps produce more red light than the regular metal halide.

By coating the inside of the MH glass bulb with phosphor we achieve a more reddish light but we give up some of the output of light (approximately 8,000 lumens). Metal halide 4,000°K provides more red and blue light with a greater balance of all color spectrum. Check out the plant sensitivity curve against the chart on the left. Metal halide 5,000°K still provides more of the color spectrum that plants require. By providing plants with the best overall effi ciency, light will provide the healthiest fastest growth. High pressure sodium lamps are strongest in the yellow/orange color spectrum with a shift towards the red spectrum. During fl owering, most gardeners only use a HPS lamp. This increases the red section of the spectrum stimulating fl ower production. Most gardeners do not supplement their HPS with metal halide lighting and, as the chart on the left shows, plants could really utilize their color spectrum. The plant sensitivity chart shows that most of the color spectrum is not available to the plants. Remember light is like vitamins to a plant. By providing what the plant needs the plant will provide you with bigger, heavier yields. Any gardener that has used a metal halide in conjunction with a high pressure sodium during

Horticultural Lighting: What is Light for Plants?

Horticultural Lighting: What is Light for Plants?

By William Sutherland

Fig. 1: PAR radiation

Fig. 2: Human eye spectrum

Fig. 3: MH lamp spectrum

Fig. 4: Agro HPS lamp spectrum

* or 299 792 458 meters per second.

Illus

trat

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: Fro

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ok “J

ardi

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Le L

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D.R

.TECHNOLOGY

fl owering will attest to the fact that the best, healthiest, vigorous plants are right in the middle of where the two color spectrums overlap.

High Pressure Sodium Coated

I have found very little information about this lamp, but I did fi nd a chart regarding a HPS lamp with a phosphor-coating on the inside (check www.thomaselectronics.com/telecine/7m554_spectrum.php. – I’m sorry, but I can’t reproduce the picture here). Yes, the intensity is slightly lower, but there it has more red than a regular HPS bulb. When growing with high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, plants should never be placed closer than 15 centimetres from the lamp’s outer glass. The farthest that a lamp should be placed from the plants is around 1.5 metres. A 1,000 watt lamp can be placed farther than a 600 watt, and a 400 watt will need to be even closer.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lights produce the most accurate color spectrums, but their light intensity is only suffi cent to grow short plants. Keep the fl uorescent tube about 8 centimetres from the growing tip. As the growing tips grow near the fl uorescent, raise the light 8 to 13 centimetres higher above the growing tips. Once the plants are taller than 40 centimetres, the light radiating from the tube will not be able to illuminate the lower leaves or fruit, and the plants will cease to produce. Fluorescent tubes are great for cuttings. They emit a stronger light in the middle and weaker light towards each end. Also, when the tubes become dark at the end, replace them. The latest technology to have reached the market in fl uorescent

lighting is found in T5 lamps, producing an impressive 5,000 initial lumens. Older fl uorescent technology only allowed about 1,200 initial lumens. Mix and match 3,000, 5,000, 6,500 or 10,000°Kelvin temperature lights to get the colour spectrum your plants need. Hydroponic stores carry special fl uorescent fi xtures for these lights, with a wide range of two, four, six or eight adaptable lamp fi xtures. Compact fl uorescent lamps produce two colour spectrums: 2,700°K and 6,400°K. They produce 8,900 lumens of light from 95 watts or from 125 watts. Metal halide (MH) lamps provide a white light that is excellent for growth: white light resembles outdoor summer light for growth. High pressure sodium (HPS) red light is used to duplicate the harvest sun during the fall. By increasing the red light, we trick the plants into thinking that winter is coming and that they have to produce enough fl owers to catch the pollen to form a seed.

Why Do You Need a Light Meter?

Did you ever wonder when you should replace lights? Or whether alI the plants are being illuminated evenly? You can verify that using a light meter that reads aIl the light. Do not be fooled by cheap light meters that can only read one or two wavelengths of the colour spectrum.

Compare the chart on sunlight (to the right) to the plant sensitivity chart. Sunlight is the best source of light available. Use it to grow whenever possible. But with today’s technology it is defi nitely possible to achieve superior crops with artifi cial light. There will be no artifi cial taste to your garden. Enjoy and remember look after your garden and your garden will look after you!

Fig. 5: Standard HPS lamp spectrum

Fig. 6: Plant sensitivity chart

Fig. 7: Natural sunlight chart

Fig. 8: Distance of light in lumens


Photos: Fernand Pigeon & la revue Rem

ueGROWING EXPERIMENT

On my land in the Eastern Townships, I have developed a project, and I would like to share the steps of this project with you. I would like to have you follow, month after month, the evolution of our hop crop.

Our farm is located in Durham-Sud. Once our production is viable (in a year or two), we will invite the public to come and check it out. For 25 years, the farm has been operating in accordance with a biological production mode (uncertifi ed). It includes a tomato and cucumber greenhouse, 1,200 highbush blueberry plants, 50 heads of cattle, cultivated hay and, in the end, a biodiversity that I fi nd rather interesting. We also produce various types of compost and we raise worms for vermicomposting. We make compost teas, plant manure, and we try to respect the planet as much as possible. We also have a gardening centre, offering everything for indoor and outdoor horticulture (natural fertilizers, compost, vermicompost, professional mixes, rabbit, sheep and horse manure, mycorhiza, algae, fi sh emulsions, equipment for indoor production in a green house or an indoor garden, CO2 equipment, controllers, etc.).

For a few years now, we have been dreaming of producing hop (Humulus lupulus, from the Urticaceae order and the Moraceae family). In 2006, we prepared a fi eld which was used as a cattle pasture. We dug ditches, removed rocks, we

harrowed and amended the soil. This spring, in 2007, we installed the poles that will support our hop plants. Hop is not well known in Québec. It comes from the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere: parts of Northern Europe and parts of North America. The ancient Romans knew of hop one century B.C. — they considered it to be a vegetable. In the Middle Ages, it was used for its relaxing virtues. As a medicinal plant, it unveils an entire world, and is often used to make pillows with calming properties. Here, we select strains that are rich in alpha and beta acids and rich in bitter, bacteriostatic resins: they provide our beers

A Hop A Hop ProjectProjectBy Fernand Pigeon

Phot

os: U

nive

rsité

de

Bret

agne

-Sud

& Je

an T

osti

GROWING EXPERIMENT

with an exceptional fl avour.

Our marketing projects include the sale of acclimatized strains as cuttings and young shoots and the sale of young shoots for culinary purposes (like asparagus) to gourmets and connoisseurs and to fi ne cuisine lovers. Our dreams go much further. We would like to re-sow hop throughout Québec: it is both useful and ornamental. Hop plants reach up to over eight metres in July and could easily create a shady area on your terrace (creating a natural-looking pergola). Given the early harvest (mid and late August), we have considering sun-drying our harvest. We believe that the eight metre stems could be make into wreaths (probably with the help

of young students who would make and sell them to help pay for part of their ex tra-curr icular activities).

Dreams begin and never end! It is up to us to fi nd means of spreading the joy brought on by plants, while respecting our planet!

To fi nd out more, our Web site is a good tool, allowing us to exchange with the magazine’s readers regarding this project: www.fernandpigeon.com.

Hor

ticul

tura

l Nov

eltie

s


Photos: Ram

bridge, Advanced N

utrients, Hydro-Tim

es, Allie’s W

holesale & E. W

aldo Ward

SHOPPING

Frost Protection Plus! Protects Your Plants From Frost and DroughtIf you worry about your plants because of an unstable weather when

you have just transplanted them outdoors, you can stop worrying using

Rambridge’s line of products designed to help plants adapt to the highs

and lows of extreme weather. Frost Protection PLUS!

helps plants survive in harsh conditions and fi ght

against drought, heat, transplantation stress and, of

course, frost. It can be applied through a foliar spray

or as a soil drench. Front Protection PLUS is ideal to

remove the stress of freshly transplanted plants.

– B.D.

Dr. Node’s Keep ‘Em Short Keeps Your Plants Short And DenseThis fertilizer has been specially formulated to control your plants’

size and to act on the plant’s excess growth. You can start using

it at the very onset of the fl owering cycle; you should see a

difference by the following week. The product works because

of a certain number of proteins chosen to stop the height while

managing the proper development of the plant’s density. Your

plants will remain thicker and more compact. Rambridge’s Dr.

Node’s Keep ‘Em Short is not the most organic product out

there, but it will be much appreciated by balcony gardeners.

– B.D.

B-52: Bomb Your Plants With B VitaminsVitamin B-1 is essential for plants, but seven sources of B vitamins

is even better. Advanced Nutrients’ B-52 acts like a bomber,

releasing its B vitamins onto your plants. The product

supplies an effi cient concentrate of essential B vitamins

for potted plants. B-52 has a major impact on bacterial

fl ora. It increases the production of folic acid, a B vitamin

that helps plants assimilate pantothenic acid (or vitamin

B-5), which prevents them from wilting and makes the

foliage shiny and thick.

– C.A.

Biosphere Provides a Rotating Space for 192 PlantsHydro-Times’ Biosphere rotating

garden includes a total surface of

four square metres (unrolled) lit

by a 1,200 watt internal lamp. This

garden can contain 192 plants that

grow freely, without interference

from atmospheric pressure, following

the principle of geotropism. This allows plants to accumulate a

maximum quantity of auxins, these plant hormones that ensure

a more important cellular elongation and that improve root

formation. The rotating system and auxins combines then improve

plant growth in width, not in height. The plants thus become more

compact and dense, with strong roots and an extremely interesting

yield.

– J.F.

Allie’s Wholesale’s Two-in-one BallastAllie’s Wholesale’s electronic ballast fulfi lls the needs of the

gardener for both the growth and fl owering cycles. You can

use the same ballast for both steps, without the need to switch

to an HPS ballast when moving from metal halide lamps to high

pressure sodium ones. At the end

of the growth cycle, you only need

to change the bulb, and voilà! No

more hassle to unplug, replug,

recalibrate, etc. This ballast has

two other benefi ts: it is very light,

and the background noise it emits

while running has a lower frequency compared to older models. Its

actual power is 1,000 watt, but it is advised to use it with 600 watt

bulbs and lower to prolong its useful life.

– B.D.

E. Waldo Ward Preserves: Foods for the EpicureE. Waldo Ward products carry on a continuing tradition of quality

since1891, a tradition of quality that began when E. Waldo Ward

Sr. fi rst planted his citrus grove in Sierra Madre, California. At the

end of the 19th century, Edwin Waldo Ward created a line of

premium food products in his own kitchens. And today, in the same

kitchens, the family still uphlod tradition. Over a century later, the

Ward family continues the heritage by making all E. Waldo Ward

products with the utmost attention to detail and fl avor. The fi nest

ingredients made in small batches ensure that each jar is derserving

of the Ward name. Four generations later, the Ward family assures

you it will always be that way.

We’ve tried the lime marmalade which only contains sugar, fresh

limes, water, pectin and citric acid. And also the apricot/pineapple

preserve made with sugar, apricots, pineapple, citric acid, pectin

and water. Both are delicious and the only complain we could

formulate is that the jars are too small! Visit: www.WaldoWard.com

or call (800) 355-WARD to order an assortment of delicious and all

natural preserves.

– T.I.G.

8484 Florin Road # 110 Sacramento, CA. 95828

Ph. (916) 381-2464Fax: (916) 381-2468

Opening soon1918 16th street

Sacramento, Ca 95814

PLANT’ IT EARTH2279 Market StreetSan Francisco, CA 94114(415) 626-5082www.plantitearth.com

PLANT’ IT EARTH1 Dorman AveSan Francisco, CA 94124(415) 970-2465www.plantitearth.com

BERKELEY INDOOR GARDEN

844 University AveBerkeley, CA 94710

(510) 549-1234Fax: (510) 549-2582

GREENMILE HYDROPONIC GARDEN SUPPLY

1035 South Mt Vernon Ave, Suite GColton, CA 92324Tel: (909) 824-9376

Boulder / Denver

Year-round Year-round Garden Supply

1100 Carver Road, #20Modesto, CA 95350

Tel.: (209) 522-2727Toll free: 1-866-788-0765

5561 South Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando FL. 32802 Toll Free(888) 833-4769

132 Kennedy AvenueCampbell, CA. 95008

http://www.precisionhydroponics.com

Tel: (408) 866-8176Fax: (408) 866-8187

We specialize in CUSTOM DESIGN

116 West Orangeburg AvenueModesto, CA 95350

www.cocas-hydroponics.com

Monday to Friday: 10AM-6PM

Saturday & Sunday: 10AM-5PM

THE HYDROPONIC WORLD OF NORTH AMERICA

AHL Garden Supply1051 San Mateo Blvd SE

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108phone 800-753-4617 / fax 505-

255-7417Read what other customers are say-ing about their experience with AHL

and ahlgrows.comat http://ahlgrows.com/kudos.html

e-mail: [email protected]

United States

Emerald GardenAll you ever wanted and more(866)697-8509

10% off just mention this addRancho Cucamonga, Ca.

10051 North 2nd St.Laurel, Maryland

20723301-490-9236

866-MD-HYDROWWW.mdhydro.com


20723301-490-9236


Place your ad hereContact Sales & advertising:

[email protected]


THE GROW ROOM8 Bridge StreetNyack, NY 10960Toll Free:

(800) 449-9630Fax: (845) 348-8811www.thegrowroom.com

38 Front StBallston Spa, NY 12020

Toll free (800) 850-GROW(518) 885-2005

Fax (518) 885-2754www.saratogaorganics.com


INDUSTRY NEWS

1555 Hurffville RdSewell, NJ 08080

Tel.: (856) 227-6300Toll free: 1-888-927-6300

Fax: (856) 227-2930www.tastyharvest.com

Photos: B&B H

ydroponics & H

ydrofarm

Growing Edge Technologies’ Total Plant Maintenance

It’s all about a plant food maintenance program that is so complete you’ll just have to try it! In these times, with technology at your fi ngertips, we believe that you will enjoy our introduction to the world’s best nutrient program. Our website, www.bandbhydroponics.com, is going to load you with information! Browse around the site and you’ll see what we mean. It all started back

in 1985. The products that were needed for hydroponics were not available in stores, so, over the next decade, the staff of B & B Hydroponic Gardens Inc. (our retail stores’ name) looked for great products and bought the rights to them. All products are manufactured under the trade name Growing Edge Technologies Inc. (G.E.T.) or G.E.T. the Power! There is a bit of extra work, but as with any project that we have ever worked on, a little extra attention to detail made for many yearsworth of fi ne enjoyment! Each of our B & B Hydroponic Gardens store managers has been taught this method of feeding plants. Feel free to ask by writing to: [email protected] with any specifi c question regarding your typical applications.

As a plant goes through the natural stages of development, its needs for certain mineral elements increase. Using G.E.T.’s Power charged elements is recommended for the overall

health of the plant. These products are designed to deliver that extra mineral element a plant requires for development. Timing is everything! When the products are applied at the proper time, the plant can benefi t greatly. Do not use more than the recommended amounts until you are familiar with the product. Experiment with a few plants and see the results: try the product at different strengths and different times. We use very pure, high-grade mineral elements. I know you have heard this before, but once you have tried one of our products, you’ll be back to try some or all the others!

– W.S.

Purple Maxx, Gravity and Bush Master Added to Hydrofarm’s LineHydrofarm has added three products from Emerald Triangle to

its line. Purple Maxx channels your favorite nutrients to maximize fl ower and color development. Bush

Master promotes bushier, more compact plants. Gravity takes your fl owers beyond anything

achievable through fertilizers alone and forces fl owers towards

complete development. To fi nd a Hydrofarm authorized retailer near you visit

www.hydrofarm.com.

– R.K.


20723301-490-9236


3839 6th AveTacoma, WA

(253) 761-7478www.indoorgarden.com

714 South CentralKent, WA


23303 Highway 99, Suite AEdmonds, WA


Canada 107 Falcon Drive (Hwy. 97 S) Williams Lake, BC V2G 5G7

Phone: (250) 398-2899 Fax: (250) 398-2896

Toll Free: 1-877-588-5855www.hallsorganics.com

AQUA GRO HYDROPONIC SUPPLIES101-2689 Kyle RdKelowna, BC V1Z 2M9(250) 769-7745Fax: (250) 769-7748

GREEN WONDER GARDENING INC.22 Waddell Ave.Dartmouth, NS B3B 1K3Toll Free:

(877) 845-6866(902) 466-1255www.greenwonder.com

DEN HAAN'S GARDEN WORLD

exit 18 off 101Annapolis Valley, NS(902) 825-4722www.denhaansgardenworld.comwww.denhaansgreenhouses.com

www.AnthonysGarden.com

"Our Business Is Growing"Your Indoor Outdoor

Gardening Specialists

93779 Troy Lane - Coos Bay, OR 97420(541) 266-8822 Fax: (541) 266-9754

394 Route 15/P.O. Box 235Underhill, Vt 05489

Tel.: Toll free 1 (800) 564-9376www.hooked-on-ponics.com

Green Thumb Gardening

Grow Monster Plants

[email protected] sales and advertising, contact:


4-2133 Royal Windsor driveMississauga, Ontario

L5J 1K5(905) 403-GROW (4769)

1-877-263-6287www.secondnaturehydroponics.com

3132, Isleville St.Halifax, N.S.

902-454-6646B3K 3Y5

4 Ontario locations: Ottawa, Gloucester,

Mississauga, North York

1-800-489-2215www.hydroponix.com

Hydroponics, fertilizers, lightingHome of Optimum Hydroponix®

bma404 Maitland Drive #2Belleville, ON K8N 4Z5(613) 967-9888www.bmacanada.com

Place your ad hereContact Sales & advertising:

[email protected]

Photos: Worm

’s Way-Sunleaves, Botanicare, PBI/G

ordon Corporation & H

ydrofarm

Do Chickity Doo DooWith all-natural Chickity Doo Doo (5-3-2.5), you’ll make a big impact

on your plants and a little one on the earth. Approved by the

Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Chickity Doo Doo is one

hundred percent composted poultry manure, rich in nitrogen and

calcium, and recommended for all plants types. This multi-purpose

fertilizer won’t burn plants and is safe for use around pets and

people. Chickity Doo Doo is available in granular and pulverized

formulations. Pick some up from your favourite organic gardening retailer

and give plants their Doo!

– K.B.

Hanna Instruments Soil Testers Testing soil conditions is effortless with the Direct Soil Conductivity and

Temperature Tester and the Direct Soil pH Meter Kit from Hanna Instruments.

Both hand-held garden tools deliver accurate results in seconds. The Direct

Soil Conductivity & Temperature Tester reveals conductivity within 0.0 to

4.0 mS/cm and temperature from 0.0 to 50.0°C. The Direct Soil pH Meter

Kit tests a pH range of -2.00 to 16.00 pH and a temperature range of 23 to

221 degrees Fahrenheit (Celcius display also available). Both testers feature

automatic temperature compensation and a manufacturer’s warranty.

– K.B.

Sunleaves Comet 200 Fit for tight spaces and pocketbooks, the Comet 200 is the latest addition to

the Sunleaves line of compact fl uorescent lighting systems. Each ballasted

fi xture is outfi tted with a 200-watt Sunleaves VitaLUME compact

fl uorescent bulb, a highly-refl ective mirrored interior and built-in

ventilation to maintain cool operation. Plants love the full-spectrum

light provided by the 6,400-degree Kelvin daylight fl uorescent

and gardeners appreciate the unit’s fi ve-year manufacturer’s

warranty (there’s a one-year warranty on the included bulb). Get

more information and fi nd out where to buy the Comet 200, replacement

VitaLUMEs, and the shatter-resistant Comet 200 Safety Lens by visiting

www.sunleaves.com.

– K.B.

Let it Be with a SunDial3 It’s easy for indoor gardeners to get dialed-in with new Sunleaves SunDial3

Digital Multi-Timers. Single-output timers are fully grounded, accurate to

the second and 24-hour programmable, to keep any 120-volt appliance

running on schedule every day of the week. The SunDial3 comes complete

with alarm and clock, countdown feature, replaceable batteries, clear LCD

readout and a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Point your browser to

www.sunleaves.com to learn more about the SunDial3 and other fi ne

Sunleaves garden products.

– K.B.

Sweet Supplement: Give Your Plants a Sweet Treat!Sweet is an organic carbohydrate synthesizer and mineral supplement from

Botanicare that helps your plants at all stages of their growth. With its unique

combination of organic compounds and essential elements, it can be used at

all stages of a plant’s life, including fl owering. The elements contained in Sweet

are directly involved in plant photosynthsesis and respiration.

Sweet contains carbohydrates (end products of photosynthesis

with optimal concentrations of glucose, fructose and sucrose),

organic acids (citric acid and vitamin C or ascorbic acid),

vitamins, amino acids (serving as building blocks for proteins),

esters (enhancing fl avor and aroma), essential secondary and

trace elements. All of those components are necessary for the

bio-synthesis of essential compounds to maintain the highest

possible level of metabolism in your plants.

Sweet is now available in two different fl avours: berry and citrus (new). Visit:

www.botanicare.net.

– T.I.G.

Azatrol® EC InsecticideAzatrol® EC Insecticide is a unique low-odor formulation

of azadirachtin A & B, two of the most active insecticidal

components of neem. The patented extraction process used in the

manufacture of Azatrol bypasses neem oil production, extracting

the insecticidal components directly from the seed kernel. This

process creates a product with much greater activity than neem

oil and other neem-based products. The result is a truly unique

product. Azatrol’s multiple modes of action, including IGR, anti-

feedant and anti-ovipositioning, make it virtually impossible for

insect resistance to develop. Azatrol provides excellent control of

mites, fungus gnats, mealybugs, aphids and many other chewing

and sucking insect pests. Azatrol has very low mammalian

toxicity, making it ideal for indoor application. It can even be

applied to food crops on the day of harvest. Azatrol is an OMRI

listed organic product.

– K.O.

Active Aqua Water Chiller SeriesHydrofarm is pleased to add the Active Aqua Water Chiller series to its

product line. These chillers are available in

150, 280 and 360 watt models. They are

ideal to keep the hydroponic solution in

your reservoir at the perfect temperature.

They feature a user-friendly microcomputer

control system and LCD display, and a

temperature memory system. With their

large refrigeration capacity, water can be

refrigerated to any degree above 3,8°C in a

short period of time. Additionally, they are

freon-free, environmentally friendly, and

surge protected so they will turn off if there is a power surge. To fi nd a

Hydrofarm authorized retailer near you visit www.hydrofarm.com.

– R.K.


SHOPPING

Phot

os: ©

200

7 Ca

nna

& H

ydro

farm

INDUSTRY NEWSNew Product: CannaBoost

Accelerator, Fuller Fruits, Better TasteThis year, Canna will be launching CannaBoost, the bloom accelerator for every cultivation method. It improves quality and increases yields. CannaBoost stimulates the development of newly formed fl owers, which ultimately results in fuller fruits. It also leads to a more homogeneous harvest, because the fruits mature evenly. Something very special about CannaBoost is that it does not only ensure excellent yields, but also a better

taste, a little something extra for the Canna grower. Soon available in Canada.

More info on CannaBoost can be found at www.canna-hydroponics.ca or write to [email protected].

– I.H. (Ilona Hufkens)

Hydrofarm is Proud to Announce

The Addition of The All New Lumatek

600 Watt Dual Ballast to Its LineThe 600W Dual Ballast is the brightest 600W ballast on the market. Incorporating two ballasts into one enclosure, the 600W Dual ballast features an ON/OFF switch allowing users to choose between using two ballasts or just one. Lumatek ballasts produce more lumens while using less energy and are capable of powering both HPS and MH lamps. The effi ciency, versatility, and reliability of Lumatek ballasts has made them the ideal solution for today’s indoor gardening enthusiasts.

• Two 600W outputs in one enclosure• New fuse protection – external fuse system protects

against surges.• Up to 20% more lumens than comparable magnetic

ballasts.• Internally RF shielded – the best on the market.• Completely silent – leave the

humming and buzzing behind.• Best warranty in the industry – 3

years full + 2 years prorated.• Resin-sealed for water resistance

and maintenance-free operation.• Snap-in rubber feet included.

To fi nd a Hydrofarm authorized retailer near you visit www.hydrofarm.com.

– R.K.

SEASON’S TIPSIn The Fall, Separate The Wheat

From The ChaffAnother gardening season came and went, with its ups and downs. Fall is the time to assess the situation. We must sort through successes and disasters. Before jumping to conclusions, we must try to understand the reasons behind a failure, and also gather seed

reserves from plants that have met extraordinary success, to repeat the feat next year.

“Fortune favours fools; beginners have all the luck.”

In an article from October 2005*, Anne Raver, who is in charge of the New York Times’ gardening section, thought, for example, that her Springer spinach and her Amish deer tongue and Bunte forellenschuss lettuce never germinated, it was simply because they would have required a drip-irrigation system during the entire dry season that preceded the fall of 2005. Her Melody spinach, her aragula and her Russian kale and Asian tatsoi quickly came back to life, however, after a lazy and dry summer. Soups and mixed salads are then on the menu. And the list of what to choose and what to forget for next year is already drafted.

“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”

At the onset of fall, we can no longer be careless about frost. We can look out for it every morning in October. Yet we may still hope to see our last tomatoes ripen... or turn them into green tomato jam. In the same article, Anne Raver also advised, for immediately-ripened tomatoes, to put them, while green, in the attic, wrapped in a paper bag with a banana. The banana releases ethane, a natural ripening gas. Ms. Raver had only good things to say about her heirloom yellow and red Brandwyne and her purple Cherokee tomatoes. In the cherry tomato category, the Sungold produced hundreds of delicious, juicy yellow fruits, while the Aunt Molly’s ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa) variety only gave scrawny tiny fruit with a thick skin. Forget it...

“Beggars can’t be choosers; half a loaf is better than no bread.”

Now, fl owers. You like the denser tones that your zinnias and sages bear in the early fall. They have become garden pets? You can preserve them by unearthing them carefully, cutting their leaves and branches at 10 centimetres and re-potting them. Keep them in a winter garden, an atrium or a veranda. In the spring, young shoots will appear. You can detach them and plant them as clones. For tuberous sages such as dahlias, tuberous begonias and sword grass, you only need to carefully dig up the bulb or the tuber. Roughly clean the dirt around them, and store them in cardboard boxes in a dark and dry spot, covered with mulch.

“When in doubt, don’t.”– B.B.

* « Cuttings: Preserving the Favorites of a Fall Crop », by Anne Raver, The

New York Times, page D6, October 27, 2005.

Photo: Fiorisimo – Illustration: H

anna Instruments

Q Q Help!

One of my favorite plants seems to be dying. It is commonly called

“upside down pine tree” and usually found for sale around Christmas

time. I have had this plant for about 5 years. It has been growing

really well, probably tripling in size. I transplanted it into a bigger

pot, because I thought it might be dying. It is losing its branches, and

what I would call its leaves. The very top branches seem to have new

growth on them. Can you please help me out with this problem? I

will be just sick if I lose this tree.

Thank you, Elaine Cousineau, Bitely, MI

AA Hi Elaine, Your upside down pine tree is a Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla),

native to a small South Pacifi c island about 10 square kilometres. Norfolk

Island is 1,500 km east of Australia. In a natural setting, they can reach a

height of more than 40 metres. The largest recorded was 57 metres high

and 4.2 metres in diameter at Hollow Pine National Park Norfolk Island.

The Norfolk Island Pine is what I would call a fussy house plant. It requires

bright light but no full sun and high humidity. As a house plant, it will be

happiest in a cool room with temperatures of 18°C in daytime and 10°C

at night.

Watering and humidity is where most people go wrong with this plant. The

soil must be kept slightly moist but never wet or soggy! In the winter, you

can let the soil dry out a bit more. Over-watering, under-watering and low

humidity will cause the needles to turn brown and fall off. If left unchecked,

the lower branches will die off too. You should mist your Norfolk Island Pine

often – at least once a day, everyday, with cool water. Always remember to

empty the drip tray. Never let your pine stand in water!

Re-potting is another problem for this plant, it really doesn’t like it! Re-pot

every 4-5 years using something like Pro Mix V.P. (very porous). Fertilize once

a month in spring and summer with half strength water-soluble 3-1-2 plant

food. I think you may have complicated the situation by re-potting.

There’s not much to be done about the damage, it’s permanent. You

should cut off the damaged branches and browned tips. If you increase

the humidity, water properly and keep it cool, your Norfolk Island Pine will

be fi ne.

– Fred

QQ Hi!

First off, thank you for your horticultural magazine. It is complete and

not only targetted at expert growers (that’s a plus) while remaining

technical and thorough.

Here are my questions: I have a Hanna Instruments Grotek pH/EC/

TDS combo (reference HI991405, see attached fi le). It allows me to

choose various parameters:

1) I can choose a conversion factor between 0.45 and 1.00.

(The article “Scientifi c Factors And Measuring Instruments In

Hydroponics”, in volume1, issue 1 recommended a hydro-specifi c

factor between 0.64 and 0.7);

2) I can choose a “beta” compensation coeffi cient between 0.0 and

2.4%!

Here are my unanswered questions:

1) What is a compensation coeffi cient? What do the different values

of this coeffi cient mean?

2) Last one: is the conversion factor the same in hydroponics and in

aeroponics? I’m hoping that you can shed some light on this.

Thanks in advance. Alex, Grenoble, France

AA Hi,

I am sorry to tell you that your question was over my head and I had no idea

what you were talking about. The more I researched it, the more confusing

it became. I read the article from issue one. I e-mailed the questions to

tech-support at Hanna. He had no idea what I was talking about. Here is

his answer:

First, what do you mean by hydro-specifi c? Do you mean conversion factor?

The temperature coeffi cient (Beta) is the variation of conductivity per °C. If

you are using tha Hanna buffer solutions to calibrate conductivity, it should

be set at 1.9. Regarding your third question, I have no idea if those two

applications require the same conversion factor or not. I can’t help you much

either telling you which conversion factor to use for your application. You

should send this question to an agriculture specialist (probably one of

your distributors could advise you with that), as we are instrumentation

specialists.

– François Coulombe, Service technique / Technical Service, Hanna

Instruments Canada Inc., 1-800-842-6629, [email protected]“

Sorry, but this is the best we can do for you!

– Fred

QQ Hi!

This year, my four year old mophead hydrangeas grow in partial sun

but are scarcely blooming. What is the problem?

Thanks, – Bobbi, Buffalo, NY

AA Hi,

Most mophead hydrangeas make their fl owers on the previous year’s stems,

so they should not be cut in the fall or

frozen up during the winter. So, keep all

the stems at the end of the season and

protect your hydrangeas under a foam

container during the winter.

– F.L.

QU ESTIONS & A NSW ERSQU ESTIONS & A NSW ERSTo keep on getting the best service available, send your questions to [email protected]. Our gardeners will answer your questions and comment your remarks.


Q & A

pH metre

Accelerator

www.canna-hydroponics.ca

CANNABOOST is CANNA’s powerful fl owering stimulator.

It improves quality and increases yields. CANNABOOST

stimulates the development of newly formed fl owers which

ultimately results in fuller fruits. This also leads to a more

homogeneous harvest because the fruits mature evenly.

Something very special about CANNABOOST is that it does

not only assure excellent yields but also better taste, a little

something extra for the CANNA grower.

More info on CANNABOOST can be found on our website.

FULLER FRUITS, BETTER TASTE

Soon available in Canada

the indoor gardener magazine volume 3—# 2 (sept./oct. 2007)

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