Issue 28
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Table of Contents:
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1. Alex gets his answer
Hi Alex,
There are several places in the Queensland Department of Primary Industries website http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au with information on the redclaw industry and production issues. Just go to the site and type "redclaw" into the search box at the top of the home page.
I've also sent this to Bob in case any other readers may be interested.
Regards,
Tonia
Tonia Grundy
Information Extension Officer
Farming Systems Institute
Qld Dept of Primary Industries
Biloela Research Station
LMB 1, State Farm Road, Biloela 4715
phone (07) 4992 9170; fax: (07) 4992 3468
e-mail: grundyt@dpi.qld.gov.au
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2. Worried about the economy? Try hydroponics.
The following is re-printed by permission from Tom Alexander, editor and publisher of Growing Edge, a leading magazine which deals with front-line agriculture and hydroponic developments. I like it. I subscribe to it.
You can get a subscription to this bi-monthly magazine by contacting the publisher at: Growing Edge, P O Box 1027, Corvallis, OR 97339. Phone: 1-541-745-7773. There is also a comprehensive web site at:
http://www.growingedge.com
Here is what Mr. Alexander has to say:
As I write this in the first week of 2001, there's widespread fear of a downturn - even a recession - in the U.S. economy. Many signs do point to a weakening economy, and if a recession does take hold as the year progresses, many industries and businesses will be effected. But the hydroponics industry wont be one of them.
If past economic downturns or recessions are an indicator, the hydroponic industry will only continue to grow - whether or not the economy weakens. As people are put out of work, they look for something else to do. Many try hydroponics to grow a cash crop of some kind and become their own boss. The market for a reliable supply of fresh, high quality produce in large metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada continues to grow. And everyday people who frequent small restaurants, taverns, and pubs are consistently demanding quality salad greens and other produce. In my area of Western Oregon, such quality is expected of even the smallest establishments.
Another sign that the hydroponics industry is taking off is represented in the increasing attendance at hydroponic workshops and conferences. At the American Hydroponics conference held in Santa Rosa, California, in October, there were over 50 attendees and the CropKing conference in Orlando, Florida, in November hosted almost 200 people. Some of these attendees were established growers brushing up on their cultivation techniques but the majority were folks who are planning on starting a commercial venture. People came from all over North America and even overseas. I really get a feel for how the industry is growing at conferences and workshops. It helps me see more of the picture.
Additionally, universities, high schools, and even elementary schools across the United States are adding hydroponic classes to their curricula. Frequently, higher education horticulture graduates consider either working with established hydroponic operations or starting businesses of their own. Fresh, locally grown produce markets are expanding in many of the major metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada.
So it's an exciting and challenging time to be in an industry which is poised to take off in the coming years - regardless of what the economy does. People still have to eat. And those people will increasingly pass up inferior, corporate-grown - possibly GMO tainted - produce that has to travel hundreds or thousands of miles in favor of fresh, flavorful, locally grown hydroponic vegetables.
I hope you have a great year and best wishes for a profitable venture in whatever you do! And make sure you keep The Growing Edge informed on what you're doing. We want to tell the rest of the world the story of how you did it! Stay in touch.
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3. Potatoes in a tub
Like fresh new potatoes? Any time of the year? Try growing them hydroponically in a tub. Here's the way one grower does it.
Take a 44-gallon plastic drum or anything comparable to it. If you're persistent you'll find something used to fit your needs. The drum must not have had anything in it previously which is toxic to plants. And it must be thoroughly cleaned and washed out before using.
Next cut it in half - the other half you can keep for storing extra media. You can use just about any kind of saw. Don't forgot to file off the sharp edges after you have cut the drum in half.
Now you need to allow for drainage. Remember, for our purposes here all liquid, including rain water if you have the tub outside, must be able to drain away as fast as possible. This can be done by using one half inch polythene pipe which fits through a hole near the bottom of the tub. Use a rubber grommet to seal the entry point. Inside the tub, attach a filter strainer to the end of the pipe.
Since you don't know exactly what kind of media you will be using in the future, make sure your filter screen is made of very fine mesh.
Lay the filter strainer on the bottom of the tub and surround and cover it with pieces of broken pots. Make sure that any old pots which you use for this are clean and have no toxic residue on them.
The grower who uses this method for growing potatoes likes to use expanded clay as a media because it is long-lasting and can be used again and again for many years. The only problem is its weight. When you want to harvest some potatoes, you have to harvest the whole tub.
If you use a media such as perlite, you can harvest what you want by making sure there is plenty of foliage left to support all those other potatoes down below. You'll want to gently re-cover those potatoes you haven't harvested.
Plant four or five seed potatoes right above the drainage outlet and gently cover them with media. That's all. Go no further. Wait until foliage appears. When you see 3-4 inches of growth, start placing more media up and around the new growth and continue to do so as the leafy stems grow. Do this until you reach the top of the drum.
Do not cut back or trim any of the foliage. Let it grow no matter how lush it gets. Soon you will see flowers. Pollination outdoors will be no problem. If you are growing the potatoes inside, you will have to devise a means to pollinate them by hand. Usually this is done with a cotton tipped wooden pick or something similar and delicate.
You probably have your own choice of fertilizer. Whatever it is the main formula should have the middle number larger than the rest. The middle number stands for phosphate. All fruiting plants require phosphate.
The grower who recommends this method likes to use the two-part formula which Dr Alan Cooper originated. You can get it at most hydroponic supply outlets.
He also advises an EC (electrical conductivity) of 1.6 to 2.0 and a ph of around 6.3. He uses dilute mixtures of phosphoric acid to drop the pH and potassium hydroxide to bring it back up
.Alas, all this talk of new potatoes and the advent of spring makes me recall those days 20 years ago when I grew potatoes in the ground in Texas as abundantly as I could grow grass. I always had a good crop but something strange occurred every season (until I finally wised up).
When walking down the rows, I would notice a little wilting of the leafy tops. When I took hold of the tops, they came out of the ground with no resistance at all. I would then dig down to find the potatoes and there were none. The gophers were at it again.
Or so I thought. One day I came home early from work and quietly strode over to the garden. There was my wife carefully placing a potato top back into the ground and placing the harvested potatoes in a pan. I had at last found my gopher
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4. Here and there
A. If you need to save on water, place plastic lining over the media. But be sure to cut out some space from around the stem of the plant to allow air to get to the root system. Opaque white plastic liners are best because they slow down the growth of algae and also reflect light back onto the leaf system.
B. Fertilizer should be varied to match the growth and strength of plants in a variety of conditions.
Weak fertilizer should be used for plants with low light, in overly-heated areas, afflicted by bugs or disease, in crowded root-bound areas with poor air circulation, and which are in transition in various stages of growth. Also for cuttings which have been freshly rooted.
Regular strength fertilizer should be used for plants which are healthy and growing well and which have good air circulation, optimum temperature and good light.
Strong fertilizers should be used for plants with prime growing conditions which include heavy CO2 delivery, high-quality lighting and intake and exhaust fans. Also if you use hormones to help plants take up more fertilizer.
BUT watch the leaf tips for any blackening. You should increase fertilizer strength gradually, not all at once.
If you want to avoid stem stretching (as with chrysanthemums where you want to keep the plant compact until buds appear), use lower nitrogen levels in your fertilizer (less than 1/2 the usual). You can return to the regular level when the plant begins another stage of growth.
In short keep a close eye on your plants and fertilize or change other conditions accordingly
.C.How about this name for a new piece of equipment? It's called the Electronic Ultrasonic Aeroponic Fogarific Nutrient Delivery System. What does it do? Well if you are interested in having micronic atomized droplets of nutrient supplied like a fog to a growing chamber (such as in the Ein Gedi method or aeroponics) this may well fit the bill.
The device creates a fog equivalent to the structure of earth-type clouds. As with all machinery and devices, read and follow the directions carefully.
If you're interested ask your nearest hydroponic or greenhouse supplier. Remember I only convey the news - I don't furnish the items in question. Nor do I know the supply source in many cases.
What I do know I will pass on to you.
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5. Ohio man does his hydroponics outdoors
And with great success. Tired of clay soil which wouldn't produce a decent garden, this man decided to try hydroponics. Now his garden flourishes. Here's how he did it.
Using the concept of flood and drain, he took 6 inch plastic pipes normally used in sewers and cut them in 5 foot lengths. Then he placed these pipes, usually six at a time, upon a sturdy rack which he has built in his usual garden area. He has learned to use treated wood in order to prevent the rack from rotting away.
The pipes rest upon planks which are 2x8 inches. These are attached to 2x4s every 2 feet. At first he used half-moon cutouts but has replaced them with 2x2 pieces of lumber which make the pipes sit better. The entire unit rests upon braced legs which make the unit around 3 feet high and which makes the unit easy to work
.At first, he cut out 4 inch holes in the tops of the pipes in which to place his plants but soon found it better to just cut long open strips and leave connecting plastic every now and then to hold the pipe together. That way he could get more garden for his efforts.
He uses pea gravel for his media and fills up the pipes with it. One half inch plastic pipe is inserted at one end of the pipes (through a plywood cap which is sealed with silicone caulk). One half inch garden hose is attached to the plastic pipe and leads to the nutrient tank.
His nutrient comes from a plastic trash can about 32 gallons in capacity. One Little Giant pump circulates the nutrient. At the other end of each pipe he placed another one half inch of garden hose which led the drainoff back to the nutrient tank. Each of his 3 units has its own nutrient tank, pump and nutrient supply.
Simple. So very simple.
The only water used is that which comes down as rain into the rainspouts. Ohio usually has good rainfalls so this grower hasn't had to supplement with any other water.
He has found that flood and drain cycles should be at least five a day, especially when the plants are heavy with growth and are fruiting. When the pumps do run, they run for 15 minutes which seems to be just about right.
He mixes his own nutrient and controls its content daily with and EC meter. He found that monitoring the pH every day was better than trying to correct it every day. The pH stayed within a 6-8-and 7.2 range anyway without any additional help. Plus his crops grew just as well. One more thing, he learned that a nutrient which was somewhat weaker than the usual concentrated form worked a lot better.
At present, he has 3 units sitting in the back yard. Even though he is getting more vegetables than he and his neighbors can eat, he is dreaming of bigger things.
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6. Think about it...
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if
green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
- Doug Larson
There's one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn
look as nice as your neighbor's.
- Clyde Moore
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