Issue 2
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Table of Contents:
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1. Organic or Hydroponic? Or Both?
It's that old argument again. And getting a working definition for "organic" is not the easiest task. When I gardened organic- ally, I threw just about everything but the kitchen sink into the compost pile, sometimes to my dismay, especially by not watching for the weed seed I threw into the mix without think- ing. Next spring, oops! here comes all those weeds back again.
Mainly I used a lot of oak leaves, weeds and other debris from the garden, lots of manure from the rabbit and chicken pens and from a friend's horse barn which I cleaned out for him now and then. (Boy! I cannot believe I did all of that work!) Later, the horse manure showed up on xrays of my lungs which showed traces of damage such as one gets from the dust from bird manure.
So now we have other problems. Such as salmonella poisoning of people who ate cantaloupes which had been fertilized with chicken manure. Of course, if the manure had been properly composted to where the temperature got high enough to kill the salmonella, the problem would not have occurred.
Then there's the matter of chemical purity, as the organic farmers name it. This rests primarily upon refining. If a material has been refined it is supposedly no longer organic though it may well be no longer toxic to humans either. Take selenium which is found in some soils and which can build up in plant tissues and become toxic. When refined the toxicity is removed, but by definition the item is no longer organic though it can well be used in a hydroponic setup.
Because of the public's desire for things organic, hydroponic growers have been trying to get organic certification but have the following hurdles to overcome:
a. need to get rid of wastes, such as rockwool and excess or
spent nutrient solution
b. organic fertilizers (such as bone meal, blood meal and
manure) don't dissolve readily in water
But what about quality and taste? Hydroponics often surpasses the organic, primarily because organic by definition can only be grown at certain times and at certain places, thereby making organic produce more expensive. Hydroponics can be done anywhere at anytime.
have grown plants and vegetables both organically and hydroponically. At their peak, both offer excellent taste and variety. However, it is much easier, in my opinion, to stay at the peak with hydroponics than with organically grown plants and vegetables. And the work load is very light indeed when compared to organic gardening.
Too each his own. I'm sure the argument will continue for many
more years. It's mainly a matter of definition. Both methods can
yield superior crops. In British Columbia and other parts of
Canada, hydroponics is becoming a very big thing indeed.
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2. NFT and Gourmet Salad Greens:
One Australian outfit grows gourmet lettuces to full head with the roots still attached. And gets 8-10 crops per year. All of this was done in an open area until the weather (high winds, heavy rains) forced them to put up some occasional cover.
This grower uses the same process recommended for NFT as applied to growing baby lettuce and salad greens. But he carries it the whole way - to full head, which, though not as profitable as baby salad greens, is a lot less labor intensive. His Australian market likes the lettuce in full head with the roots still attached.
But if you are knowledgeable about the baby salad greens market in Europe and the USA, you know that baby salad or specialty greens is the way to go at this time.
Actually, the Australian idea is not that new. American and
European growers have been having a go at it for some time now.
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3. More Answers to Various Questions:
(a) If you have to use water which has a high salt content, you must get rid of the solution before the salt concentration gets too high and burns the leaf tips of the plants (they turn brown). You can empty the nutrient reservoir, clean it good and refill.
To clean pots or beds with perlite (and other) mixtures, you must have a way to immerse the pots and beds (like with flood and drain), fill them with clean water, let stand for an hour or so and then drain. The flushed liquid should not be poured into a stream or pond. Use it in the garden or on your roses.
(b) Why is agricultural rockwool in such demand by growers? Besides being cheaper and more readily available than peat moss, it has the following characteristics which make it ideal for a medium: non-toxic, sterile, wholly inert, porous, non-degrad- able and can hold high volumes of water as well as being highly infused with oxygen.
It also is easy to address to the following problems: it can be used with circulating or non-circulating nutrient/water systems. But since the non-circulating method is the one most respons- ible for ground water pollution, and the circulating method takes more sophisticated timing and machinery one method can be adapted which can solve the problem.
Rockwool in the future will be used in flood and drain systems.
Leftover nutrients which are in excess can be sent through and
sterilized by a heat exchanger. Necessary nutrient deficits
can then be added to bring the solution back to the proper
strength needed for any particular crop.
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4. Plant Plane Hydroponics:
We're just catching up on this one. It seems like every time you turn around, someone invents a new system to grow plants hydroponically. We've decided that this one, having been put aside for a few months, deserves more attention.
Basically, the idea is to allow the nutrient solution flow across a flat area or plane surface rather than being diverted down a narrow channel such as with NFT. The idea was developed at the oldest and most prestigious of German hydroponic research plants, originally known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute.
It is important to know that this system was designed to be out in the open, although it can be successsfully tailored to a greenhouse operation. Mainly the system is laid out on the ground in the following fashion. The ground level must be very even so that there will be no puddling of nutrient and so that every square inch of the plot will get adequate nutrient distribution.
Beds are usually 6.5 feet wide with a .3% slope across the width. The length is 165 feet with a 1% slope from end to end. Again, the beds must be absolutely flat and even. Now looking at the bed width-wise (like looking upstream), the ground in the bed is covered with plastic lining about .5 or 1 mm thick. On top of this is placed polyester felt which will become the nutrient/liquid "reservoir" - the felt should weigh in the range of 2.0 ounces per square yard.
Now on the left side of the 6.5 foot wide bed will be a channel for nutrient drainage which will go back to the nutrient well and be recirculated again. On the right side on top of the felt will be a pipe through which the nutrient will flow and be expelled at different plant areas through a series of smaller pipes laid at every two or three rows of plants. A pump will come on at various times during the day, depending upon the climate.
Above that will be a sheet of plastic foil, white on top, black on the bottom. The white faces up and repels excessive light. The black faces down and keeps algae from growing in the felt below. Attached to this plastic sheet on the left will be a rainwater or sprinkler drain.
Now where do the plants go? They are first of all started of 1.2 and 4 inch rockwool cubes. Their size depends upon the crop, because you grow beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc with this method and the rockwool cube size will depend upon the mature plant size of the crop you choose to grow. An "X" is cut into the foil and the plant with its cube is inserted. The slit sides are folded up against the sides of the rockwool cube so the rain or sprinkle water will fall away and go to the drain.
Lettuce can be planted 8 inches apart. Tomatoes can be planted at about 18 inches apart. Other crops will vary, but as in all hydro- ponics the spacing will generally be less than that used with soil farming. Plant on a diagonal line so you get maximum coverage and production.
Like we said, you can use this system for both outdoors and indoors. What results can you expect from such a system? Gener- ally speaking, the crops will come in several days ahead of those grown in soil (if such is available), have a higher yield and more consistently desirable fruit quality.
But that's not the point! The main reason for this design is for use in arid areas where water must be conserved. And it does that nicely with the two return channels for nutrient and for rainwater. It goes without saying that separate reservoir tanks are set up for nutrient and rainwater or sprinkler water.
This system reminds me of the one I read about (and possibly reported on) some time ago. Only this was a bed of concrete, not earth. And the concrete was inside a greenhouse and very level indeed with about the same slope of 1% for the length. Channels of the desired width ( like 4 inches or six) were formed in the con- crete when it was poured. These channels ran the length of the beds. Another form of NFT only this time in concrete.
They all work in some fashion or other. Like anything else, you
pay your money and you take your choice.
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5. Rearing Butterflies (Part One):
Why and what for? They're beautiful, easy to rear and can make you a handsome profit when sold for release at weddings and other occasions such as funerals, fund raisers, corporate events - any gala or opening affair - even birthdays. They can even be sold as hobby kits. Indoor butterfly cages attract a sizable segment of the pet market.
The market for butterflies is larger than you might think and is growing rapidly larger. Retail prices of $4 to $10 per pound are normal and some species can even bring as high as $50. That makes this little creature a very valuable piece of livestock. And can help some individuals earn as high as a six figure income. As some growers say, if you get into this business be prepared to be sold out before the year is out. In other words, the problem will be mainly to keep stock in hand rather than selling it.
Some growers sell the butterfly itself - like to weddings. Others sell the pupa to butterfly houses, zoos, hospitals, and botanical gardens, to name a few.
So how does one get into it?
Though they can be reared outside, most growers suggest you do it inside to protect against climate and predators and to have a controlled environment. As with all insect rearing, those last two words are the gist of the matter. You must have a controlled environment. Even if you start out on a windowsill.
You can live anywhere you want and start out as big as you wish, but if you're a newcomer it is suggested you start out small and then build with profits and experience. You start out with either the pupa or the caterpillars. Your food supply will have to be varied. The caterpillars and the adult butterflies will consume different diets.
You will also need feeding containers for the caterpillars as well as breeding/laying cages for the butterflies. You can buy these items from suppliers (listed at the end of this article in next month's newsletter - go to Yahoo in the meantime and search for "butterflies"). I suggest you make your own - they're not a problem.
Containers for sold merchandise must be on hand - one for the pupa and one for the butterfly. These also can be obtained from a supplier.
Space requirements are minimal, especially when starting out. If you buy your diet and plant materials from a supplier, you can conduct the entire operation in one room, which can be designated for that purpose only. Or for the inquisitive just starting out, you can play around with the idea on a windowsill.
Within a space of and 8 by 10 room, thousands of butterflies can be raised. And you have full control throughout the entire year. The average cost of raising a butterfly to maturity is 5 cents, but you can sell the same butterfly for up to ten dollars. For some species, you can get much higher prices.
The indoor environment must be at room temperature (usually 70 degrees Fahrenheit). The indoor enclosure must be kept separate from supplies and other items. The area must be kept as clean as possible - sterile if at all possible. Insects get diseases too - so you must do your utmost to keep things clean and orderly. (See my book on Beneficial Insects at http://www.mayhillpress.com/insects.html).
(See issue #3 next month for the rest of this article.)
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