Pineapple update

Its been a little over three months and hes still kickin! It definitely went through some stress and lost some foliage but the roots are forming and starting to grow through the block. Its starting to look healthier everyday. Originally I had it in my prop table but it is currently living under a 600w HPS and is loving it! 

Weekend Fun: Pineapple start in Hugo

Just so happened to get a pineapple this weekend and I decided instead of throwing it away I would attempt to get it to root into a Grodan 6" Hugo. Plus its fun!

First is first. Either cut off or just pull off a good amount of layers until you get this little nub about an inch and a half or so long. The more you pull off the more potential space for roots to come out.


    


Next Im actually gonna let this guy sit in some rooting compound for just a few

                     

After I let it soak for a bit I will pop it right into my Hugo, It just so happens to fit nice and snug in the pre drilled hole. So no need to dig anything out of the block. The block is simply rinsed with clean water, covered with a coco cap (to prevent algae growth), and set in the tray.

Side note: You do not have to use a rockwool cube! I just thought It would be cool. You can always use soil and some people even put them in a glass of water, but this must be changed often to make sure it doesnt rot out.


                        

Its as simple as that! Now I will keep it in a low light place in my kitchen until it starts to root and most likely it will end up under a nice warm T5

Thank you for checking out my blog!

 

 

 

 

 

Getting started: Grow Room Set up

 

If you want to be successful in your growing adventure, you should first be able to provide an optimal environment. In my case I will be gutting a bedroom of all problem starters. First on my list is the carpet. The reason I'm taking it out is because of the moisture it can hold, causing ideal environments for mold and fungi, especially if i have the risk of large amounts of water either getting spilled or if over flows happen. 40 gallons of water on the ground would not be fun to soak up. Another good reason is bug control. They will be very happy to hang out and cause you lots of stress trying to control.

Once we have a fresh space to work with I can get my flooring down. I went over my plywood with some Water sealer, not necessary but I figured it wouldn't hurt. We chose to try out the linoleum 12x12 stick on squares. This was the most effective option for us and I must day I am quite impressed with the outcome so far, we will see how it holds up.

We will be building a frame out of 2x4's and lining our walls with Orca film to avoid as much permanent damage as we can to our home. I have had experience with a lot of different options for make shift grow room material and I must say although the panda or poly film is less expensive i would much rather pay a little extra and have something durable and in my opinion easier to work with. If any of you have gotten a chance to hear the Orca Spiel at any of the Max Yield shows then  you know the advantages to using the Orca over a Mylar or any other "shiny" material.   If not, Here is a link to a short video touching on some of those benefits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEge3XNg9CQ

Once my support beams are up to hold these giant Raptors we can hang them and get them ready for action, Hanging our ballasts to avoid them getting wet on the floor, bundling any  loose cords, and getting things wired to be SAFE.

Finally got a chance to finish my walls! When it comes to room design I do not like anything but sophistication and cleanliness. I was juggling which products to use to finish off my walls and decided to go with Orca Tape. This stuff is pretty heavy duty just like their Film. I am a little concerned once temperatures change that it may come off the wall but for now it is working great and made everything look so nice and pretty!

As you can see, we also got the lights hung and duct ran through them. I chose to have 8" Raptors in there, which proves to be a tight squeeze but should work just fine.
 

 

 

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Contact and Consultation

Sometimes gardening can get you down when things don't go just perfectly!

Maybe all you need is some guidance and someone to ask those mind boggling questions to without feeling stupid. No question is stupid. 

If there is something you would like to see on my blog or just a question to ask, I would love to hear from you!

My passion is in teaching people the art of growing their own and to expand my own experience, that's exactly why I have created this site. 

Happy Happy Gardening!

Samantha Barcelona

The Grow Goddess

Email: Thegrowgoddess@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thegrowgoddess

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheGrowGoddess

Geo Pot Quick Stix

I was told by a little bird about the Quick Stix from Geo Pot. At first I was not sold on these but for the price (MSRP $14.95 for the combo pack) I was willing to try them. You can use them to push your branches apart from each other or pull them in. They come in multiple sizes either on their own or a combo pack of all three. Just so happens I have some chocolate sunflowers that are leaning due to seed production. It took me longer to figure out what size to use then to actually put these things on. Very simple and surprisingly stable on the plant. Take a look for yourself.

The ultimate test will be to see how they hold up in the gusty winds here in the mountains. If they can handle that, I am certain no oscillating fan will take them out. I think they get a Green Thumbs Up from The Grow Goddess. 

Garden Corner

Battle of the Nute's

Red Zebra Tomatoes

 

 2 week old Red Zebra Tomatoes

 Half in Rapid Rooters and half in A-OK 1.5" Starter Cubes.

 

 

GH Flora Series             Simple Path               Soul Sythetics

Each line will have a chance to show their stuff in straight Coco and Grodan Grow Cubes. I will feed each of them the same EC levels of each fertilizer. 

Keep in mind the Soul Synthetics line does have organics in it so it will not be a true apples to apples comparison. Soul will have an advantage as long as Im basing this on even EC levels.

 

Hydroponic Corn

Blue Jade Corn

 Did you ever think that you could grow corn hydroponically?!

While this will be my first go at corn in soilless mixes I am interested to see the outcome of the different mediums used. 

Half of my seeds were started in Rapid Rooters while the other half are started in Grodan's A-OK 1.5" starter cubes on 2/15

 

 

This is the corn at 2 weeks from germination. 

Corn #1 is in started in an A-OK starter cube and in a 4x4 block   

Corn#2 is in a coco and rice hulls mix                                             

Corn#3 is in a half and half mix of grodan croutons and coco rice 

Happy Valentines Day Hydro Lovers!!!

Check out this cool "I love You" Bean I found 

It is started and growing in a 4x4 Grodan Cube

 

Don't get caught being Stale: Ventilation

Ventilation and air flow is one of the most important elements of harvesting a successful crop. Not only do you want to make sure that your grow room is receiving ample amount of fresh, cool air, but also that you get out the stale, warm air that hangs out in the upper level of your room. Everyone knows that plants need carbon dioxide and oxygen for Photosynthesis. I'm not sure how well you would do if you couldn't eat. In a not so ideal environment your plants stomata can become clogged and make it very difficult to do its job and keep itself healthy. Fresh Air is the easiest element to come by, and its free! So no excuses.

The warm, humid air hanging around can cause your plants growth to become stagnant and make a great environment for disease to arise. Ideally your intake and exhaust fans would be on opposite sides of the room so the air is pulled across your plants.So yes, my drawing in slightly off but you get the point. My exhaust fan is placed high in order to catch the hot, stale air right where it likes to gather. Both of my fans would be on a thermostat so that they will automatically kick on when the room reaches, lets say 75 Degrees which gives me a nice even balance of temperature.

Ventilation fans are measured in CFM, Cubic Feet per minute. Ideally your fan should replace the volume of your room in less then five minutes. You can figure out the cubic feet of your room by multiplying the rooms Length x Width x Height


It is also necessary to to have an oscillating fan to move around and mix up the air. Without this, you will create a stagnant area of stale air the is most likely right at plant level in between your intake and exhaust. It is important that the oxygen and Co2 around your plants is replaced and circulated regularly.  The oscillating fan also helps harden up your plants, making them move around helps your stems get nice and strong.

You can also take advantage of the flanges on your hood that allow you to cool directly from the heat source. This will eliminate a lot of hot air going into the room from the start, making it easier to cool.

If you are wanting to exhaust through a Carbon filter you can easily figure out the proper size by calculating your CFM with the formula above. Each filter supplies you with two CFM ratings. One being for ventilation purposes and the other for scrubbing.

If you are Scrubbing your room, you are simply setting the fan on the filter and letting it recirculate through out the room. If you are exhausting you are pushing it directly outside the room. Remember when you have air pushing out you will need a comparable fan putting air back in the room or you create a negative pressure. Those of you with tents or home made boxes made of poly will find this rather annoying when your walls suck in and you loose a foot of space on each side.

Sage stick Project

This was a fun little project to do with our sage plants here. 

I took my cuttings off of a mature healthy plants in need of some trimming.

  Take as many cuttings as you want. Don't go too crazy if you plan on letting your sage re-grow. You will need a pair of scissors and some string to tie them up. Embroidery thread works best but you can use anything your little heart desires.

Start by tying a bundle of sage at the end. 

Start wrapping the sage guiding the leaves to wrap around each other with your other hand 

 Once you get to the top wrap in a criss cross back down to where you started. Tie them off and you have your freshly made smudge sticks. 

Last step is to dry them out. I have mine on drying rack, in a tent

Starting seeds in Rockwool

  

Step 1: Pick your seeds

I am filling an AeroFlo 60 with Red Choi, Green Oakleaf lettuce, Cherokee lettuce, Tat Soi, and Red Choi. 

Step 2. Choose your starter cubes

I am using Grodan's A-OK 1.5" Starter plugs 

Step 3. Adjust PH/fertilize

Some growers don't add any nutrients to their seedling. I personally like to give them a diluted mixture of 100-200 PPM.

For Rockwool I will set  my PH at a 5.5

Step 4. Soak

I like to put the whole sheet into a tray with holes sitting inside one without any. That way I can pour my premixed, pre adjusted water right on top and lift it out to drain. I will let these soak for about 15 minutes. 

Step 5. Drain 

Do not squeeze the water out of the rockwool. 

I will then transfer these cubes into a Grodan Gro-Smart tray. These are awesome and keep your plant from sitting in any stale water that can lead to multiple issues and increases the airflow around the plants. 

                                              

Step 6. Insert our seeds in your plugs

I usually find something like this eye glass size flat head screw driver as a seed setter. The seeds stick well to the flat surface and make it easy for me to get them into their new home.

Once your seeds are all planted and marked you can pinch the holes closed to keep the light out of the plugs while the seeds are germinating. 

I will cover my tray with another nursery flat to keep in humidity and put it in a nice warm spot, preferably on a heat mat. 

Once these little guys sprout I will get them under the light immediately to avoid any streching