I have had bad luck with foliar sprays. I either use too much and burn plants or use to little and waste my time and expensive fertilizers. Spray-N-Grow is an organic based micro-nutrient complex for use as a foliar spray. It is non-toxic and won’t burn plants. I highly recommend using Spray-N-Grow.
Spray-N-Grow is easy to mix up, but it has to be “activated”. Basically, a teaspoon is added to 16 oz. of warm water. It should then turn an amber color. If it doesn’t, add a pinch of baking soda, shake and check again. The amber color tells you that it’s ready to work.
I foliar feed with SNG weekly. Here is a green pepper in coco loving double strength Spray-N-Grow from this fall:
Spray-N-Grow is suitable for soil or hydroponics. It is non-toxic and fruits and veggies can be eaten the same day the plants are fed. If you plan on foliar feeding, Spray-N-Grow is low-maintenance and effective.
Forcing Amaryllis bulbs always reminds me of winter gardening at my folk’s house. A post about forcing bulbs on the Genhydro blog made me go out and pick one up on clearance. We will see how if I can force a bloom before the daylight gets too long.
I have always been interested in organic gardening, but there aren’t a lot of organic-based products offered for hydroponics. The folks at Aurora Innovations were kind enough to send me their Soul Synthetics nutrient line to review. Soul base nutrients and supplements are the closest thing to purely organic hydroponic nutrients available.
Soul Bloom and Soul Grow are 1-part base nutrients made from guano extract, botanicals, and very few inorganic salts. It is the organic backbone of their fertilizer program.
Oregonism XL contains strains of 6 endotrophic and 6 ectotrophic mycorrhizae species, 2 trichoderma, 13 strains of beneficial bacteria, yucca, and soluble kelp. It enhances nutrient and water uptake, encourages vigorous root systems and helps plants resist stress and disease.
Amino Aide is a blend of amino acids for explosive plant growth and yields.
Trinity is a bio-catalyst that is a complex blend of organic compounds for vigor, stress reduction, and increased micronutrient uptake. It is derived from botanicals and Leonardite.
HP is a phosphorus booster derived from bat guano. HPK is a phosphorus and potassium booster derived from bat guano and Lanbeinite.
I am excited to try this nutrient line out. I started a bunch of peppers to test in DWC tubs, so stay tuned for updates. The entire feeding schedule can be found HERE (pdf file).
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Now that the deluge from the holiday job rush is gone, I can get back to real life. This year, there will be tons of new beer reviews, gardening experiments, and questionable dietary habits.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
We just had 6 days without power in the Midwest. My Aerogarden and Megagarden froze solid while I tried to do watering and aeration maintenance by hand without plant lighting.
It’s unfortunate, but it almost feels nice to start my garden fresh . . .
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Here is my Aerogarden planted without expensive seed kits. I had previously written about it here.
Essentially, rockwool or Oasis is crammed into the seed pod hole and the seeds are set on top without sprouting domes. I am using 5 ml of Flora Nova nutrients per gallon of distilled water. It works great!
From left to right, the plants are are Toy Choi, Romaine lettuce, purple passion plant, Romaine lettuce, stevia, lemon balm, and chives. The white squares are Panda film, which are black on one side and white on the other, to protect the medium from algae.
I am thinking about swapping out the purple passion plant for sweet basil in the Aerogarden for a bit more utility around the kitchen. The Aerogarden has been a fun little toy.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
We just added Shiner Brewery to our product line that I sell. I have never really liked Hefes, but was surprised at the sampling. Shiner Hefeweizen is unique and tasty.
Shiner Hefe-Weizen pours a cloudy straw color with a white head and tiny bubbles that dissipate slowly with quite a bit of lace. This beer is bottle conditioned, so it is hazy with slight chunks of yeast. The smell is citrusy with only a hint of wheat.
The taste is bright and citrusy with a solid, but round malt flavor. It is like drinking golden sunshine. It is medium bodied with good carbonation on the palate. It finishes clean, but with just a touch of yeast.
This beer is really smooth drinking. Although this beer would be really refreshing in the summer, it is full bodied enough to drink year round. I paid $8.49 for a 6-pack.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sometimes I do things and I don’t realize that other people may view them differently. Today I was eating cheese crackers dipped in peanut butter and I was surprised to see someone looking at me funny.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
This one plant made my mom say “did your dog get sprayed by a skunk?” when she came to my house. Little did I know that sweet basil can fumigate an entire house.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Let’s all give thanks, eat way too much and have a couple of beers with family.
