Issue 1
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Well! It's been a long time, several years in fact, since we had a newsletter. The one we had was strictly hydroponics and did very well. But this one is for an online audience and will cover terri- tory not only involving hydroponics but beneficial insects and baby salad geens to boot.
We will have articles on various topics and try to keep you up-to-
date on what's going on in the various fields as well as with you
and our other customers who have already taken the plunge.
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Speaking of plunges, a new customer of ours who has quite a bit of business acumen is planning on setting up a hydroponic operation in downtown San Francisco. The greenhouses are already there and slated to be torn down. But our friend couldn't bear the thought of that and decided to sell lettuce and herbs to his friends in the restaurant business in the downtown area.
He plans on using the slab method: that's slabs of polythene with holes bored at intervals in which the seedlings are inserted within their rockwool cups. As the slabs float slowly from one end of the greenhouse to the other, the lettuce (or other crop) grows and is ready for harvest at the other end.
You have a steady uniform crop - and it's definitely clean. Our friend says his potential customers are quite excited by the idea. Especially when they compare the days-old stuff they're getting now to what our friend's greenhouses will supply.
Keep tuned. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Have any of you looked for "baby salad greens" on the internet? If you have, your mouth will begin to water when you read some of the descriptions, such as:
This one has promise:
Baby Salad Greens with sliced Pear mixed with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette.
Or this one:
Potato Cake with Wild Greens and Warm Goat Cheese.
Well now, I don't know about that. But this one looks good:
Pomegrante with Smoked Ham and winter salad greens.
Or this one from the bayou country:
Fresh baby salad greens mixed with bell peppers, roma tomatoes,
and roasted pecans. Tossed with vinaigrette of creole design.
I really like this one:
Rare Venison with Butter Greens sprinkled with Walnut Dressing.
.....Makes you hungry just thinking about it!
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Some hydroponic answers to various questions:
Root cooling in summer can become a problem because the nutrient solution can heat up quickly. Plant roots like a temperature range of 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. The best method we have heard of entails piping which runs through an aquaculture chiller. This is similar to refrigerator coils, only the nutrient circulates inside and is chilled as it courses through the tubes. It's advisable to run the system 24 hours a day in order to keep the fluid cool and at the right temperature.
To clean your equipment it's best to steam-clean as opposed to using chlorine bleach. It's more portable and easier to do. But if you use chlorine, bear in mind that it quickly dissipates as a gas. Some growers will take the perlite used after a crop and spray it first to kill bacteria and then to bleach it so it returns to its orignal color and then can be used again. The perlite is allowed to dry out for 24 hours before being using again.
Want to grow cilantro but don't know how? Number one: it's a
cool temperature crop, so plant the seeds in a seedling tray
and keep the temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit for a few
days until they germinate. How do you get that kind of
temperature? Place the trays in a cooler. After germination,
plant the seedlings in your regular hydroponic perlite units.
Keep roots aerated and cool.
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Something new?:
In order to grow strawberries without using methyl bromide (an ozone-depleting compound), farmers are having to go back to hydroponics. They found that the hydroponically grown plants were just as productive as growing them in soil with the old method. The plants were just as productive with high yeild and very good fruit.
How about that? Now they know!
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
Rearing Praying Mantis:
The best breed to buy for rearing is Sphrodomantis viridis from West Africa. About 3 inches in length, either light brown or a brilliant green.
The lifespan of this insect is a year or so. It sheds its skin as its body grows. As it grows larger you'll need larger quarters for it to live in. Whatever container you use, such as a fruit jar, etc., you need to enclose the top with plastic foil. Make a small hole in the film through which food and water can be placed into the container. Or you could have a lid with the necessary small holes drilled in the lid.
Small pieces of food can be pushed through the hole and a damp sponge placed into the hole afterwards. You can use an eye- dropper to apply more moisture to the sponge. The cage or jar must be large enough to contain a stick three or more times the length of the mantis.
Trying to figure out how to mass-produce mantis is a problem ready to be solved. Space and cannibalism add to the problem.
The insect needs to be kept warm, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is a tropical insect and can also be kept warm with heat mat or a light bulb (red).
The young eat fruit flies and small insects such as aphids. Give them as much as they want. Adults eat anything live which isn't bigger than they are. Locusts, crickets and maggots will do. The maggots which are easily found at most fishing bait shops will be great for the young after they've grown into adult flies. Of course you have to feed the maggots too.
There seems to be no end to the tasks Mother Nature imposes!
Unfortunately for mass-rearing, the mantis is cannibalistic and will not hesitate to eat its smaller relatives. That's real sibling rivalry! Each mantis should have a dish of water for humidity and thirst control. Or you can spray the cage each day.
Best to wait until the mantis grows older before trying to figure its sex. Males have eight segments on their abdomens; females have six. Almost as soon as they have become adults you can mate them - BUT FEED THEM WELL! Or the honeymoon will be over before it's begun.
Use a large cage when you mate them. Keep plenty of food and water in the cage and give the male enough time to approach and mate which may last a day or two. Feed him well too before placing him in the mating pen. And take out immediately once the mating process has been completed.
The female will produce anywhere from 30 to 300 or more eggs, all of which are enclosed in a cocoon like structure called an ootheca. If she is very fat, she might start laying these a day or so after mating. She will have several of these cocoons and will not need to mate again.
The young will hatch all at the same time and sometimes in batches in a span of a few weeks. The ootheca or cocoon should be hung 3-4 inches above the floor of the cage.
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bsaffell@mayhillpress.com...Last Update: 52008 copyright 1996 - 2008 by Hilmur Saffell
WE HAVE THREE BOOKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU.
They are as follows:
"How to Start on a Shoestring and Make a Profit with Hydroponics"
"Big Dollars Growing Gourmet Salad Greens"
"Beneficial Insects - How to Mass Rear and Make a Profit"
If you would like a copy or copies of your own,
CLICK HERE