A warm, well-lit environment is required to prevent tarragon plants going
into dormancy which halts growth and, in an indoor garden, tarragon can
be grown year round. Tarragon has similar nutritional requirements to
other slower growing herbs such as rosemary and thyme, with an EC of
1.6-1.8 for mature plants and 1.0-1.2 for young plants, cuttings/root divisions,
or plants just coming out of dormancy.
Bay
“ BAY IS A SLOW-GROWING
TREE, BEST SUITED TO
BEING INDIVIDUALLY
PLANTED INTO
CONTAINERS WITH A DRIP
IRRIGATION SYSTEM. ”
Top: Removing the growing point of bay
trees helps control height and increase
branching. Bottom: Bay is a tall growing
tree, however, height can be restricted by
regular trimming and
leaf removal.
42
Maximum Yield
Bay leaves, sold both fresh and, more commonly, as a dried product, are
produced by the Bay tree (Laurus nobilis) a native of the Mediterranean region
where it can reach heights of over more than 40 feet. Under hydroponic cultivation
for fresh herb production, young trees are regularly trimmed to restrict height. Fresh
bay leaves currently receive around $30/lb and are used to flavor a wide range of
dishes. Bay is a slow-growing tree, best suited to being individually planted into
containers with a drip irrigation system. Small plants are generally started as
cuttings and potted on as they grow in size. The growing point of young plants needs
to be removed to encourage branching and stem development for higher yields of
individual leaves as the plants grow to a harvestable stage. Bay trees are fairly
hardy and can survive cool conditions, but for maximum growth, they do best in a
warm, dry, high-light environment with EC levels maintained in the 2.4–2.6 range.
While bay is relatively disease free, it is prone to attack by mealy bugs which can
either be manually removed for small plantings or sprayed regularly with neem oil.
Ginseng
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) is a relatively new crop to hydroponic
production and one which has considerable potential to increase both yields and
quality of the harvestable product. Dried ginseng root is reported to receive
$500-$600 per pound, however, the plant is slow growing and low yielding
compared to most other fast turn-around hydroponic crops. One of the main
advantages of ginseng is that it must have a very low light, cool envi-
ronment and is thus suited to indoor production where these factors
can be easily controlled. American ginseng is native to the cool,
shady hardwood forests of eastern US and Canada and since
the 18th century, has been hunted down and dug from the
wild to supply markets, often exported to Asia. However,
the high prices and demand for ginseng combined with
its slow rate of growth and reproduction has meant that
wild populations are often dug at an early age before
flowering and seed production has occurred, thus the
plant faces extinction in the wild. Due to the high
prices paid for wild ginseng, cultivation of this crop
has become more widespread with most systems still
being soil based. Cultivated plants are a long-lived
crop, with the roots becoming larger each year until
harvest, often in the fourth year — at this stage roots
are usually forked and around four inches long and one
inch thick. Mature plants are between one to two feet
tall and enter into a dormancy phase in autumn when
the leaves turn yellow and stems die back.
Propagation of ginseng is somewhat time consuming
as the seed requires at least 12 months of after-ripening
(stratification at low temperature) before germination will
occur. However, for quicker crop establishment, growers can
start with one- to two-year-old roots which are precisely spaced
to maximize plant density in the growing area.