Types of Plants (purpose for a greenhouse)
Ornamental – cut flowers, potted foliage (leafy), potted flowering, landscaping plants
Hobby- Bonsai plants, potted flowers, garden plants
Herbal/medicinal- homeopathic herbs, cooking herbs, native medicinal and religious plants
Nursery- commercial landscaping of potted plants, fruit trees, and propagation lines (plants grown specifically for clone production)
Food- ‘off season’ vegetable crops, pest-free produce
Research- GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) isolation, day length and night temperature manipulation, UV (Ultra Violet Light) level filtration, pesticide/herbicide isolation, and biological control (introduced insects) isolation.
View this pdf on how to select your growing environment. “Conceptualizing a Greenhouse”
Fertilizer strength and mixing
EC is the measure of the Electro Conductivity of water by the resistance across a one cm gap.
Pure distilled water does not conduct any electricity and will only conduct
when dissolved salts and ions are added to the water, more salts added
will increase the Electro Conductivity and the water's EC rises.
We add these electrolytes in the form of water-soluble nutrients in
your plant's fertigation water.
The EC may also be measured in water extracted from
soil but remember that there are many other factors
involved in soil and the EC levels may be triple that of hydroponics.
Constant liquid feed recommendations Target EC
Plugs, Containerized plants, Bedding plants .08 - 1.2
Potted foliage 1.2 - 1.7
Potted flowering crops, landscaping/outdoor plants 1.2 - 2.4
Vegetables, Cutflowers, and Fruits 1.7 - 2.1
Bi-weekly feeding recommendations Target EC
Plugs 1.0 - 1.2
Containerized plants, Bedding plants 1.2 - 2.1
Potted foliage, 1.2 - 1.9
Potted flowering crops, landscaping/outdoor plants 1.9 - 2.8
Hydroponic Basics
Hydroponic systems offer more control over water and nutrient application but are not able to support the organisms required for breakdown and pH buffering of urea and ammonia.
Begin by choosing a hydroponic system and nutrient package according to the plants being grown.
Fertilizer requirements will initially be low and increase as the plant grows in size and health, building towards flower production.
A high nitrogen, nitrate based, vegetative formula is best used at low levels in the beginning and slowly increased until the plant is ready for flowering. This also prepares the plant for the large inputs required for flower production.
Ph levels can be maintained at the general level of 5.95-6.25 but they can be adjusted to get more out of your nutrients; based on the plants stage of growth.
During seedling or cutting stage an acidic pH of 5.5-5.9 is ideal. This is to make available the micronutrients that young plants love while limiting nitrogen to prevent burning.
Increase to 5.7-6.0 for strong vegetative growth by making nitrogen, potassium, and sulpher more available.
Flowering stage requires an large amount of phosphorous, potassium, sulpher, and calcium. The best pH for this is 5.9-6.5 the idea is to supply the most calcium, while maintaining phosphorous and iron solubility.
System/plant interaction
Mother-plants do best in heavy aggregates such as cinder, peat, gravel, clay, or stake-supported in perilite or rice/coconut husk.
Nursery/landscape plants are best grown in NFT, deep-root-submersion, or aeroponics. These systems are ideal because they lack aggregates that can injure roots during transport or that need to be removed for shipment.
When transplanting from a hydroponic system into a soil-landscaping situation you must take care to handle the plant as little as possible and avoid exposing roots to the environment until they go into the ground. After transplanting water heavily and fertilize according to plant size and site. A shade structure and misting will minimalize shock.
View this pdf file for a rundown on Soil, Hydroponic, and soilless growing. Growing Plants in Media
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