LETTERS TO
the editor
“ Your articles are great
and very useful.”
I just started reading your magazine about six months ago and
so far I love it.Your articles are great and very useful. In the
current issue there is an article on the importance of humidity
and climate control, which was very helpful and informative.
I have a question about CO2 and a delivery method. If you
put carbonated water into a humidifier would that add CO2
to the environment? I know there won't be any control of the
level but some controller could probably be rigged up to the
humidifier or at least a timer for daylight. What do you think?
Dave S.
That’s an interesting idea. While the water carbonated with
carbon dioxide (CO2) diffuses the gas through the water, it will
emit some levels of CO2. However, the volume of air being
treated in the growing area will dictate how much the actual
CO2 levels in the growing area will increase. Consider the
volume of gas in the carbonated water relative to how many
gallons of air it is being dispersed in. In very confined areas
where ventilation and air exchanges are minimal, such as a small
propagation chamber, the gas from the carbonation might be
able to boost up the CO2 levels a little, resulting in more rapid
growth and development of the crop. It is more likely that
attempting to boost up CO2 levels in this manner will have a
minimal effect.
However, some growers will occasionally foliar spray their
plants with sodium-free carbonated water. Because the gas
from the carbonation is right against the leaf where it may
be absorbed, the plant can benefit from the presence of the
elevated CO2 levels surrounding the leaf. It’s important
never to spray under bright lights, and to also ensure that the
carbonated water is free of sodium. Neglecting either factor
could result in damaged foliage.
Hope this helps, and if you follow through with your idea,
please feel free to let us all know how it works out for you.
Highest Regards, Erik Biksa
ASK
erik
Do you have a question for Erik? Forward it to [email protected] with the words
“Ask Erik” in the subject line, and your answer will be printed in an upcoming edition.
I have a question regarding using honey to give plants a good supply of carbon. Because
honey contains sugar, could it be used in sugar water and sprayed onto the plants? I’m just
wondering because I am a beekeeper so I have plenty of it.
Cheers mates!
Thanks from a cold Sweden
Dante - A guardian of plants
Honey contains glucose, fructose and sucrose. The chemical
composition of these sugars contains carbon. There may also
be other beneficial substances in honey, particularly if unpasteurized. It would seem honey is a source of readily available
bio-energy. The qualities of the honey will naturally vary from
the sources of the pollen collected.
Triacontanol, a naturally occurring substance in beeswax and
alfalfa extracts has some hormonal-like properties to plants.
Some research demonstrates increased yields and essential oil
production in crops that receive some levels of triacontanol
during the growth of the crop.
The difference between attempting to supplement your
crop with carbon and sugars from home sources versus
manufactured products is often consistency. When you buy a
manufactured supplement, it is typically the same from batch
to batch. Also provided are specific instructions as to how and
when to apply the product, and most importantly, at what
dosage. This way you are using a product that is
proven for your application, and can help
to give you consistent results from
application to application
and from crop to crop.
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MAXIMUM YIELD USA - January 2009
You may have to do some experimentation as to how much to
use, and when the best time to apply it is. Determining if it is
suitable in hydroponics or soil only will also require some trial
and error. If you go ahead with it, I would recommend giving
a few different test plants different dosage rates, and perhaps
replicate the dosage on another set of plants but vary the times
that you added the honey.
Keep your eye out for any potential increased insect attraction
to your honey-sweetened growing system and plants.
I have had organic soil growers report adding small amounts of
honey to their waterings in the final phase of cropping, during
the flush period. They felt that it helped improve the taste of the
material harvested.
Well, that’s the buzz…
Cheers, Erik Biksa
I am interested in starting up a hydroponic garden. At first it
will just be for home use but eventually, I would like to increase
it to market garden size. I know nothing about hydroponics and
would like to get information on how to get started and setting
it up. Thank you and I await your reply.
Brett Doblo
The first issue you will want to tackle is deciding on the type
of system to use and the variety of medium to grow with. The
following articles will help you with these decisions. Check
out Philip McIntosh’s three part series, Roots and Rooting Media
(November 08’) and Matt Lebannister’s Hydroponic Growing
Methods (December 08’). We also have a great short read in this
month’s Beginner’s Corner titled Indoor Growing Terms, which
further details hydroponic growing systems. From there you
will want to locate articles on lighting, water, nutrients and
possibly, growing organically to further your success.You will
find hundreds of archived articles on hydroponics for beginners
on our website, www.maximumyield.com, that are sure to help you
get started and answer any questions that you may have along
the way. I wish you good luck.
Thank you for publishing the articles on spectral distribution
of the different lights. The article was very informative. After
reading the article I thought it would be great to share my
experience with the new LED panels.
I recently purchased four 14 watt LED grow panels from a
garden supply retailer on eBay and conducted a basic test of
growing a lettuce salad mix.
The results were unsatisfactory; the seedlings grew tall, lanky
and fell over. I think it would be an interesting scientific study
to grow the same plants with the same soils under different
artificial lighting systems to compare the different features and
benefits of the various lighting systems. This study would be a
great cost benefit analysis of the different LED panels on the
market today.
Sincerely,
Charles M. James
Maximum Yield reserves the right to edit for brevity.
I’m new to hydroponics and I was wondering if there
are any articles on using honey in hydroponics? Can
honey be used simply as is, dissolved in warm water then
introduced to a system? What are the benefits of using
honey as one of hundreds of additive choices? Thanks.
Rexenne
In Maximum Yield USA January, a similar question is
answered in our Ask Erik column. Erik Biksa goes into
detail on the beneficial components of honey, and what
to expect when using it in hydroponics.You can access
Erik’s columns by visiting www.maximumyield.com
MAXIMUM YIELD USA - March 2009