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In
times where technology is at your fingertips,
As
a plant goes through the natural stages of development, it’s needs for
certain mineral elements increases. Using G.E.T.’s POWER charged elements
is recommended for the overall health of the plant. These products are
designed to deliver that extra mineral element, which a plant requires
for development. Timing is everything! When applied at the proper time,
the plant can benefit greatly. Do not use more than the recommended amounts
until you are familiar with the product. Experiment with a few plants
and see the results; try the product at different strengths and different
times. We use very pure, high-grade mineral elements. I know you have
heard this before, but once you have tried one of our products you’ll
be back to try some or all the others! Use with care, remember we are
talking A
plant grows once all it’s needs are met. A
warm moist environment will germinate the seeds. Once the seed has broken
through the growing medium to the light, then the light energy starts
drawing water through the leaves creating a negative effect inside the
leaves. This in turn forces the plant roots to find water with mineral
salts that have been dissolved into the water. The plant uses these
mineral salts and water, with carbon from the air, to build the cells
that become the plant. Changes to temperatures, light intensity and
colour of light spectrum, will cause a plant to bloom and reproduce
itself. Then, the process starts again.
Okay how do they eat? One of the ways plants absorb nutrients is through their leaves, commonly known as foliar feeding. Foliar feeding is a quick way to correct deficiencies and is also good for giving your plants that extra boost of energy. Any nutrient can be sprayed onto a plant. However, don’t mix the nutrient solution too strong or it can burn the leaves. A mild solution is best. Foliage misting delivers the nutrients right to the leaves. Another way is through the very fine root hairs, where most nutrients will be absorbed. For instance, on a large tomato plant, these root hairs are so plentiful, that if we took them from a 1-gallon section of a 5-gallon pot of soil, and placed them end-to-end, they would literally span across hundreds of miles. The taproot and secondary roots, where these fine hairs are found, are always expanding and searching for new soil particles and soil solution (water with mineral elements already dissolved into the water). What are these mineral elements? On this planet, Earth, there is a total of 103 natural mineral elements. 60 of these elements have been found to be present in plant tissue. Of these elements, 16 are needed for essential plant growth. 3 are found in the atmosphere, they are Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. 13 are found in the growing medium (soil or nutrient solution for hydroponics), Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur, Chlorine, Boron, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper and Molybdenum. Some of these mineral elements have a positive charge (anions) and some are negatively charged (cations). When a plant is in need of certain elements, there is an ionic exchange. Top We all know that H2O, water, is one atom of Hydrogen and two atoms of Oxygen. Now when we add other atoms to water, by means of natural sources or our fertilizer salts, they dissociate into electrically charged groups called ions. These ions become available to the roots from the soil colloids and from the salts in the soil solution. The positively charged ions (anions) are found in the soil solution. The negatively charged ions (cations) can flow freely from soil colloids and the soil solution. The cations are exchanged into the soil solution where they become available to the plant root hairs. There are a number of theories proposed for how plants absorb atoms. Ions may attach themselves to a carrier and move across the membrane of the root. The release of the atoms from their carrier may occur only on the inside of the root. The vascular system of the plant transfers water and the atoms to the leaves. The leaves manufacture mineral atoms from the roots and carbon from the air into sugars and starches that fuel the plant’s growth. About 95% of the water, taken up by the plant roots, evaporates through the leaves; therefore, plants must take up new water solution containing mineral elements to keep the leaves from collapsing. Water keeps the leaves rigid; a lack of water will result in wilting. If the leaves dehydrate too much they will collapse and die. When setting up your growing area you will need to decide on whether to use soil and soil containers, or a hydroponic system. There is no physiological difference between plants grown in soil or hydroponics when nutrients are delivered in a proper manner. Soil.
What is soil? Top When gardening inside with soil, most customers use a soilless soil. And water their plants on a regular basis with a milder nutrient solution. Soilless:
What is soilless soil?
Top Hydroponic
growing consists
Top With hydroponics a new nutrient solution is constantly being delivered to the growing medium, leaching away the old nutrient solution and bringing new mineral elements to the roots. The more frequent that the nutrient is made fresh the faster the growth will be. Once the solution gets into contact with the root system, the mineral elements that have been dissolved into the water have begun to be absorbed. When you completely remove the old nutrient solution and make a fresh solution, you will see faster growth. When using the same nutrient solution over time, with each passing day you will notice a slow down in growth. Change the nutrient solution again and the speed in which the garden grows is faster. The longest that a nutrient solution should be given to a plant is about 4 days. When you top up a nutrient solution, always use plain pH adjusted water. Never use a nutrient solution to top up the reservoir, even if it is a milder form. By changing the nutrient solution often, it gives us the opportunity to grow our plants closer together. It also gives us healthier, larger plants and flower clusters and faster growth. Making much better use of our growing facility. One of the biggest fears in the 1930’s through to the 80’s was the spread of diseases through the interconnected piping used to deliver the nutrient solution. This is still true today. The longer the hydroponic system operates, through cuttings or long-term use of the same plant, increases the likelihood of diseases. Most hydroponic growers use a recovery system, where the nutrient solution is returned to a reservoir, and the nutrient solution is redelivered to the plants. Professional greenhouses usually return their nutrient solution to waste, which means that they don’t reuse nutrients, cutting down the chances of an invasion of bad bacteria. Common problems to soil and hydroponic growers TopThere are over four hundred types of moulds, parasites, bacteria and viruses that can attack your plants. There are good and bad bacteria and fungi in soil. Good bacteria are never a problem to the grower. The grower usually will benefit with higher yields from the toxicity of the good bacteria and fungi in the growing medium. Good bacteria benefit the plants by making organic mineral elements more available to the plants. Bad bacteria will attack the good bacteria and inhibit this from happening. Viruses behave differently however. When a plant gets a virus, it can never recover. It is best to look for a new plant specimen for your next crop. Organic
fertilizers for hydroponic growth
Top In outdoor gardens, if we always add fertilizer, then we destroy the natural balance of fungi and bacteria. Without the natural decaying process, new nutrients will not be delivered to the soil. At this point, you as a gardener will see a lack of growth and probably decide to start supplementing the soil with more fertilizer. Organic fertilizers for soilless soil Top We recommend the use of Ectomycorrhizal fungi tablets1 for use in indoor container gardens using a soilless soil. Soilless soil has been sterilized to ensure there are no unwanted seeds, bugs, bacteria and fungi present. Without reintroduction of dead vegetation such as leaves, trees, grasses, shells, bugs and animals, there is very little fungi food to break down into inorganic properties. pH: What is pH? Top pH means potential of Hydrogen ions. All mineral elements have a specific pH range; which means that the mineral element can become more available within certain pH ranges. The scale is from 0 to 14 with 14 being the highest for alkalinity and 0 is the lowest for acidity. Most life on this planet tolerates a range of pH between 4.5 and 8.5 without suffering too much harm. The pH within the higher and lower ranges will not allow for as much chemical availability. (See chart on page 5). By adjusting the solution’s pH to between 5.5 and 6.0, we can potentially provide the plant with more mineral elements and/or nutrients. Each fertilizer manufacturer should provide a proper range of pH to benefit their nutrients the most. Plants have the capability to adjust the pH of the growing medium. This allows the mineral salts to become more available by releasing the chemical potential of that element within its desired pH range. When you garden in soil, use a container that is large enough to allow the roots to spread out. Otherwise, they will be growing around and around, and on top of each other in the bottom of the container. When the roots lay on top of each other and are not being separated by the growing medium, the plants cannot react with the soil collides to release the mineral element. When you allow this to happen, you will be lowering your capacity for higher yields. If the roots were separated by soil particles, then they will be able to find new mineral elements. More nutrients, more yields! If we deliver a nutrient solution without adjusting the pH, certain elements will not be available and precipitation will occur. Remember that very little Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Zinc (Z) is available to plants in a pH range above 7. With Phosphorus (P) and Molybdenum (Mo), the availability of the mineral elements will be reduced with a pH above 6. Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P) can form Calcium Phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2); a precipitation that occurs above pH 6.0. A word of caution: If you are on well water and your pH is higher than 9 from the tap, and the parts per million are higher than 350, the levels of bicarbonate ions will be present enough to inhibit other ions (plant food) from being utilized by the plant. If you are growing with hydroponics and this type of tap water, your yields will be lower. We recommend that you look for a different water supply or alternatively, switch to soil. For soil, make the required amount of nutrients for each watering. The soil collides will retain the minerals and release them back to the soil solution and the plants will be able to feed on the nutrients. Make only enough nutrient solution for that watering. If you decide to continue to grow with hydroponics and you see precipitation in the water solution, then your nutrients have locked up and they are not available to your plants, nor will they ever be available to the plants roots. Keep in mind that some forms of precipitation that occur are not visible to the naked eye. Many manufacturers of plant food build their plant food to be pH stable. pH buffers such as 2-(N_morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid – abbreviated to MES will stabilize the nutrient solution. We, at Growing Edge Technologies (G.E.T.) build our plant food without pH stabilization capabilities, allowing the grower to monitor the nutrient solution and fix a situation before it becomes a problem with yield. By monitoring the pH of the hydroponic nutrient solution, the grower can monitor the health of a plant. If the pH of the nutrient solution continuously rises then the plant is healthy and actively feeding. Do not allow the nutrient solution to climb above pH 6.5. Change nutrient solution, even if it is before the regular nutrient schedule change. There are two main reasons why the nutrient solution can drop in ph value. One is by not providing adequate volume of nutrient solution. If the volume of water containing mineral elements is not enough then the alkaline ions, such as, Ammonium Nitrate (NH4+), Potassium (K+), Calcium (Ca2+), Magnesium (Mg2+) will be utilized by the plant or plants quicker. Use a Parts Per Million (PPM) Electrical Conductor Meter to monitor the strength of nutrient solution. When the nutrient solution drops by 200-ppm you have to change the nutrient solution. The second reason is that the plant is fighting off an invasion of bad bacteria in the root zone. Now, when the plant is sick, does the plant just stop growing or absorbing water? No. If a plant is under attack by viruses or diseases, the plant will secrete a secretion that lowers the pH of the surrounding area, in its attempt to kill the bacteria. In hydroponics, the pH of the nutrient solution will fall and other plants in the hydroponic system might get infected because of the interconnecting tubing. The pH will crash even faster, depending on the volume of water. All of this means lower yields. What do I do if I notice the pH dropping and I want high yields? Once the pH starts to drop, it is time for ROCKET POWER. Our ROCKET POWER is designed to give the plant such a kick-start, that the plant will have to restart growing again. If the plant does not start to grow again and all conditions have been provided, then we suggest to G.E.T. a new plant to start growing again. Because of the nature of chemistry and to G.E.T. the most out of ROCKET POWER set the pH at 5.2 and completely submerge the plant roots, in order to eliminate all of the oxygen surrounding the root ball. After 45 minutes remove the plant and wash off excessive solution. When using THE AROMA FORMULA, build a new nutrient solution 1 ml stronger than the strength that you first noticed the pH dropping. Change nutrient solution daily, keep at the same ml strength, and on the forth day increase ml strength. This will help ensure the bacteria won’t get a chance to build up to dangerous levels again while your garden is in recovery mode. After 4 days, resume the normal schedule of increasing ml feeding. Monitor closely the pH for dropping in value. Repeat application of ROCKET POWER if pH falls again. This process is easy to notice for Hydroponic gardening. Soil or soilless methods of growth cannot be monitored as accurately as hydroponics for pH dropping. There are pH test kits that can be used for testing the soil pH. A visual way is to look for a lack of growth or dullness in the leaves. Plants leaves should have a healthy vibrant shine to them. Regular
feeding formula: Top THE AROMA FORMULA MICRO BASE is used to keep the plant healthy. The A & B concentrates (VA, VB and FA, FB) are designed for accelerated growth. They are also used to agitate the plant for it to produce more oil content. The Micro Base cannot be increased or toxicity of microelements may occur. The acid and alkaline nature of the A & B concentrates may also damage the Micro Base. This is why we have 5 bottles to our formula! See our product description. You
can start building the nutrient solution using 12 ml of THE
AROMA FORMULA VA & VB concentrates (for vegetative
growth) and 20 ml of the MB (Micro Base) concentrate per 10 litres of
water for hydroponics (see chart page 9) and 15 litres of water for
soilless soil (see chart on page 8). Change the nutrient solution every
four days. Monitor the leaf colour to see if you need to increase or
decrease the amount of VA & VB concentrates. When leaf colouring
is light green, this usually requires an increase of one ml of concentrate
or more. When the colouring is dark green, hold or lower the amount
and monitor closely for toxicity. Always use 20 ml of the MB concentrate.
When your plants have reached the desired height and age you are ready
to start the flowering process. Start mixing the FA and FB solutions
1 ml over the level that you left off in the vegetation stage. Keep
following the ml increase or decrease by the colouring of your plant
leaves. When you have light green colouring, increase the strength 1
to 3 ml at a time. If dark green colouring is visible, decrease the
strength in the same manner. Always use 20 ml of the MB concentrate.
There are growers using only 19 to 22 ml of the A & B concentrates
staying with a normal growth rate, which is highly recommended.
Power
feeding: Top Have you had a friend that has gone on a diet, lost 30 – 40 pounds only to regain more weight once the diet is over? We can apply nutrient solution in a similar manner for similar results. The best time to put your plant on a diet is just before introducing the flowering food. As you increase the strength of the vegetation food (19 – 22 ml VA & VB), the chemical potential is increased on the inside of the plant’s root system. 4 to 7 days prior to going into flowering, you decrease it (16 – 19 ml VA & VB), creating a higher need for certain mineral elements. Now, start the flowering cycle by increasing flowering formulation 3 ml stronger (22 – 25 ml FA & FB) than where vegetation levels were (19-22 ml VA & VB). The plants’ natural ionic exchange should have a higher negative and positive need within the plant; therefore, absorbing more mineral elements (fertilizer salts), and triggering faster growth and flowering. Plants are not unlike us…the more you get, the more you want. Don’t forget to adjust all the other requirements like, light, heat, water, air and carbon dioxide. Day 1 starts as soon as the seed breaks through the growing medium. Once the light (artificial or sun light) illuminates the leaves, then the plant is ready to utilize nutrients. Chose one of the following charts that best suits your stage of growing. LEAF CROPS
SUCH AS LETTUCE OR HERBS All
measurements are in ml per 10 litres of water for Hydroponic systems
Maintain the formula at the rate of 20 ml for normal growth.
keep building the formula stronger.
TO
ROOT CUTTINGS
SOIL
APPLICATION
All figures are in ml of liquid fertilizers per 15 litres of water Stage
1 - Vegetation Growth Formula. Start plants in 9 litres
of soilless soil.
Always water plants with nutrient solution, unless plant has become dehydrated, and then water with plain water. Once leaves are not dehydrated then water with nutrient solution. Dehydrating a plant on purpose only weakens the inside cell wall structure and creates undo stress on a plant. All plants grow at different speeds, because of health, condition of soil, watering techniques, placement of plants to light, location to vent fans and so on. When you are uncomfortable (sweating, cold or hot) your plants probably are uncomfortable too and they can’t leave the room. Remember plants grow through transpiration of moisture through the leaves; if the room is full of humidity then plants can’t transpire water. Before next crop plan ahead and get properly prepared. VEGETATION formula - All measurements are ml per 10 litres of water.
Decide how many days you want to vegetate before flowering. Increase the ml strength every 4 days as per chart. Once you understand how your plants respond to The AROMA FORMULA then change chart to accommodate your preferred method. If you want to grow a larger plant, keep increasing VA & VB till desired height is reached. WHEN YOU START FLOWERING increase the ml strength by 1 ml for the FA & FB. The chart below follows the feeding schedule for the chart above (From Vegetation to Flowering).
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