from the editor | toby gorman
We spend a lot
of time talking
about growing
plants, but
far less time
discussing how
plants grow.”
16
My marks in high school never really reflected my keenness for virtually every subject.
I loved French, but just scraped by. I appreciated math, so much so that I took Gr. 10
math twice. Geography became my chosen major in university and I enjoyed the
real-world applications of economics, English and law. One subject I truly loved and
didn’t have to work at was biology, specifically plant biology. Part of this was the
subject matter, part of it was our teacher, Mr. Spinks. He was larger than life. He had a
massive head fringed with steel wool-like red hair and a matching beard, and when
his sea green eyes looked at you, you knew you were about to be singled out with a
question. But it was his voice I remember most. When he really wanted to emphasize
something, he would stop mid-sentence, take in a deep, wheezy breath and really
go for it. For example: “The powerhouse of a cell is the …” deep, wheezy breath …
“MITOCHONDRIA!” You never forgot it. It was genius.
I mention this because in this issue we feature Frank Rauscher’s “Understanding
Plant Biology” article. We spend a lot of time talking about growing plants, but far less
time discussing how plants grow. As Frank says, “If we want to learn from the many
informational articles available, and then put the best practices into effect on our own
crops, we need to have a working knowledge of what’s happening inside the plant.” It’s
true. As indoor gardeners we invest a lot of time and money in growing. But what are
those lights actually doing? Photosynthesis is a magical process that is barely understood by even the best scientists, and any attempt to duplicate it has fallen far short.
How plants feed, how they breathe and how they grow are all fascinating processes
that should not be overlooked. To understand advanced plant biology is to have a
better grasp on your ability to grow.
With that in mind, we’ve included features on building the best organic soil, micronutrients, fertilization in deep water culture systems and finding the sweet spot for artificial lighting. Once an understanding of plant biology is gained the more impact these
articles will have and the better grower you will become.
Jim Spinks passed away Sept. 16, 2011. He was a biology teacher for 30 years and
brought the world of biology to life for thousands of students. I am grateful to have
been one of them, and few days go by working here at Maximum Yield where one of his
lessons doesn’t echo through the decades.
As always, thanks for reading Maximum Yield
and if you have any questions feel free to contact
us at [email protected].
Maximum Yield USA | October 2016