Hydroponic Growing – Testing Your Waters Ph Balance

Often overlooked and often the cause of plant death and poor product. The pH of your plants root zone is very important because the marijuana roots cannot properly obtain nutrients if the pH is too high or too low. Medical Marijuana plants may actually show signs of nutrition deficiencies even if the proper nutrients and amounts are being used. If you attempt to feed your plant with improper pH levels you will most likely find your plant to display signs of nutrient deficiency.

You can test the pH of a water sample using a pH kit or a pH Meter. A pH meter is long lasting and give more accurate results than pH test kits. However the price is a turn off for a lot of amateur growers but my general feeling is that they pay for themselves with the more reliable results and sturdy design.

A pH kit work by putting a small amount of your nutrient solution in a container and adding a few drops of test liquid. The solution will then change color, you match this color with the color on the pH chart to find the pH of your nutrient solution.

It is important to add all of your nutrients to the water prior to checking and adjusting the pH. Nutrients often affect the pH of your water so it’s important they get added before making any adjustments. If you discover that your solution is the wrong pH you must be careful to only adjust the pH by no more than 0.5 per day, any more rapid than that and you will risk hurting the pant much worse than having the wrong pH.

You can buy solutions to adjust the pH level of your solution, they are called pH Increase and pH Decrease. They are simple to use, all you have to do is follow the instructions on the package and add the proper amount of solution. You should never adjust to a set pH number but rather try and cover a range because different nutrients work better at high pH’s and others at lower pH levels. For hydroponics an optimum pH to maintain is between 5.5 and 6.3 to ensure better nutrient absorption.

Check back in for more tips and tricks on growing and cultivating your own medical marijuana! Or visit GrowSetup.com to have a professional assist you, or call 888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

Hydroponic Marijuana Nutrients: Botanicare’s Aquashield

When running any kind of hydroponics setup, be it ebb and flow, top drip, deep water culture or aeroponics the nutrients you use in conjunction with the water are very vital and can vastly affect the your final product. Proper use of nutrients can increase bud and yield size, increase root mass, allow for better intake of water and chlorophyl and also make for healthier roots, leaves, and sturdier stems. It is important to consult a feed table that is formulated for your particular marijuana grow setup to get the proper balance of nutrients during the different stages of cultivation.

This post is all about Botanicare’s Aquashield which is one of the best hydroponic marijuana nutrients out there. Aquashield is a bio fungicide with a mix of a few different beneficial bacteria including Bacillis Subtillis, Paenibacillus Polymxa, Bacillus Circulans and Bacillus Amyloiquefaciens and it is useful throughout a plants life cycle by helping to create a natural and beneficial growing environment. Aquashield helps seedlings and cuttings root quicker more successfully by helping to establish the root zone and forming a barrier against harmful bacteria that is associated with dampening off and root rot.

Root Rot

With Botanicare’s Aquashield

When used in conjunction with other nutrients you will avoid any of the fallacies that come with with growing marijuana; root rot, dry leaves and weak stems can all be avoided with proper nutrition from start to finish. Botanicare’s Aquashield is particularly helpful in preventing root rot or Pythium and also in keeping your roots strong and healthy, if you are experiencing root rot and brown grimy gunky roots, adding Botanicare’s Aquashield will turn them back into healthy snow white roots.

Need help creating a feeding regiment, or getting brand name nutrients at an affordable price, or finding a feeding regiment visit
http://www.growsetup.com or call 888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

 

Hydroponic Marijuana Nutrients: Botanicare’s Cal-Mag Plus

Nutrient solutions are essentially food for plants. Marijuana plants need a certain amount of food in order to grow properly. The primary nutrients in plant foods are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Additionally to nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium, marijuana plants require a lesser amount of secondary nutrients and trace quantities of other elements like calcium, sulphur and magnesium and iron.

Botanicare Nutrients Cal-Mag Plus is an essential solution for any hydroponic growers arsenal. Cal-Mag is a bio-catalyst for plants which means it helps to correct the problems of calcium, magnesium and iron mineral deficiencies found some hydroponic nutrient solutions. This is one of the top solutions on the market, probably because it is known to help prevent rotting, tip burn and dry or withered buds and leaves. It is helpful is forming strong sturdy stems, bigger more potent buds, form better plant tissue and increase the intake of water as well as boost overall growth and yield rates. It is essential a boost of nutrients much like a multi vitamin!

It is important to note this product must be used in addition to other nutrient solutions and a feed chart should always be consulted when using a hydroponic grow setup.

Check back soon for a review of Botanicare’s Aquashield!

Need help creating a feeding regiment, or getting brand name
nutrients at an affordable price, or finding a feeding regiment visit http://www.growsetup.com or call 888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

Illuminator Pro-Series Hybrid 350W

In recent years the marijuana grow light industry has boomed, partially because of the reform on marijuana laws and the rise of dispensaries and medical growers. This means new developments and advances on current models and styles, but also it means a lot of research is taking place as far as colors of lights, wattage, spectrums and wavelengths. The end result is that new technologies are being developed in the world of medical marijuana grow lights, most specifically LED. But what is the difference between LED and standard HPS lights? What makes LED so much better? How do I select the right LED grow light for me? This question and more will be answered in the following article.

Why should you choose an LED light to grow marijuana when you know HPS and HID lights have been the standard and worked well for years. Well recent research has shown that when used properly LED lights will give you a larger yield and a more potent product. Why? Because with a standard HID light it floods the plant with large quantities of all spectrum light and heat, most of which gets wasted in the process it is not usable during photosynthesis and is lost as heat radiation so it goes unabsorbed by the plant; on average a HID light will only provide the plant with 15% of its light output.

LED lights on the other hand are proven to work at 95% efficiency which means more light for your plant and less wasted money for you. This is because LED lights produce less heat and only emit blue, red and orange light; these are the wavelengths proven to be most beneficial to indoor cannabis growing. Think of it this way, marijuana is green so naturally they reflect all green light and most yellow light as well. For cannabis, green and yellow light is utterly useless for growing so there is no need to waste electricity on a light that produces these wavelengths. Also LED’s eliminate the need for ballasts, heat removal duct work, fans, and constant bulb replacement which only adds to the amount of money you save.

Now that you know why LED is an optimal choice you must select the proper one for you. First off is wattage, with LED lights the wattage does not need to be as high as a HID because it only emits the wavelengths necessary for proper plant growth; a 350 watt LED grow light can out-perform a 1000 Watt HPS, a relatively low wattage LED light will produce just as much if not a vastly higher yield than its HID equivalent. So when looking to pick out you LED you must check and see how much wattage each individual LED bulb puts out (go for at least 1 watt per bulb). Other things to consider include size which really depends on your personal grow setup and how many pants you have. Shape is also more of a preference and vary from standard rectangles to the more popular UFO style. Color of light is also something to consider if you like separate lights for different stages, although most emit a vast range of wavelengths. Depending on your operation and level of expertise the price can be a major selling point, LED lights range from inexpensive closet grow lights to professional style pricier lights. It tends to always be true however that you get what you pay for. Now on to my personal recommendation.

Illuminator Pro-Series Hybrid 350W

$1,199.00 MSRP

This is the top light on the market and for good reason! The Illuminator Pro-Series Hybrid is specifically designed to provide equal coverage to the all types of grow setups. Perhaps the main selling point is that this grow light was designed to add a third spectrum to the mix of light and comes with the highest intensity LED bulbs available. Varying beam angles allow light to easily reach your entire plant from top to bottom.

Illuminator is known for their breakthrough “Peak Targeting Full Spectrum Technology” which means that the light targets all peak efficiency values this allows the signature 5-Band system to be perfectly balanced and it provides the proper amounts of wavelengths without overdoing one wave and not enough of another. It is properly adjusted to achieve the best performance and yield large quantity and large quality product.

The 5-Band Tri-Spectrum design delivers light to your plants using the trifecta combination of red, blue, and orange. Illuminator prides themselves on this configuration that works so well. This is what other LED grow light companies strive for but ultimately do not achieve as well as Illuminator.

With LED lights you will be sure to achieve powerful, targeted and the proper wavelength light to your plants. You will see the difference from HID in the form of thick, stocky plants that have huge buds and the biggest yields possible.

For discount hydroponics and the best price on Illuminator Pro-Series Hybrid 350W grow lights contact http://www.growsetup.com or call
888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

600 Watt Super Sun II Lumatek Grow Light System

So you want to know how to grow marijuana? Well this should help guide you in the right direction. Their are a number of different variables in the proper hydroponic grow system and we are going to start with growing lights. In the world of hydroponic systems there are so many different options when selecting a grow lamp for growing marijuana it can be very overwhelming trying to narrow it down to what suits your grow room setup best. From LED grow lights to Fluorescent and options that range from integrated ballast (power source) and reflectors to remote ballasts. Multiple spectrum fluorescents and multiple varieties of wattage, MH bulbs to HPS, this is the variable in hydroponic grow systems that causes much debate and stress for beginning growers. Over the next few days I will introduce you to some of my top picks for lighting. Enjoy!

600 Watt Super Sun II Lumatek Grow Light System

$449.00 MSRP

This grow light system is stacked with everything you need to grow medical marijuana indoors! It come with a pre-wired reflector with power cord and socket, built-in ballast, and a bulb of your choice.

This setup includes a Lumatek ballast that is wired for 120/240V operation which allows you to switch between the two with a simple flick of a switch. The high frequency output results in low power loss and fast start-up, this means that they reach full brightness quickly. The reflective insert offers excellent reflectivity at 95% as well as prime diffusion.

For those worried about a lot of noise from your hydroponic system grow room you need not worry because unlike most other grow lights the Super Sun II is completely silent. With a small compact design the unit produces less heat than other brands and has a 6” air cooled fittings that pass cool air over the lamp from both ends. To reduce the risk of short circuiting your investment this hydroponic grow light has “Cut-off Circuitry” this means that the system cuts off when a short is detected for ultimate safety.

So for a great all around grow light system that includes everything you need look no further than the Super Sun II, with it’s sturdy steel construction manufactured to industry standards it operates both HPS & MH bulb, is completely silent, has a lightweight body that makes it easy to hang and is extremely efficient to help keep your grow setup running smooth and with as little energy as possible.

For discount hydroponics and the best price on a 600 Watt Super Sun II Lumatek Grow Light System contact http://www.growsetup.com or call 888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

Hydroponic System Breakdown: Ebb and Flow System

The best way to grow medical marijuana is with hydroponic gardening and hydroponics relies on the fertilized water solution to get nutrients and supplement the oxygen it gets from its leafs.  Hydroponic nutrients solutions must usually be below the temperature at which pathogen growth can begin; but not too cool because that would make root activity inactive, almost freezing the roots. Active aeration of the fertilizer solution is common and necessary, because roots remove oxygen from the water if it was not properly aerated the water would be more susceptible to pathogenic bacteria and molds.

Ebb and Flow utilizes the fact that the solution is not constantly in contact with the roots. This is to avoid the need for oxygenating or chilling of the solution but instead relies on natural root functions to provideoxygenation which tends to reduce the chance of pathogen growth.

This hydroponic system is more simplistic in the fact that water flows in, and out the buckets through the same tube. The pump raises hydroponic nutrients into the pots to briefly submerge the roots, the pump is then switched off via a timer; and the water flows back down the same tube it was pumped up in. This method eliminates the need for more than one sealed fitting and makes the entire grow system less complex

Aeration of an Ebb and Flood system is an important aspect of its operation; by flooding the pots it eliminates air which has been de-oxygenated by the roots as the water rises to submerge the roots; when the pump turns back off, gravity pulls the water back down and exposes the space around the roots with air and a normal atmosphere pressure.

The film of water left around the roots during drain has a high “surface to mass ratio” this means even as the roots absorb oxygen because it is spread so far and thin it can re-oxygenate itself, this can sustain the roots as long as their surfaces remain damp.

Hopefully this will provide you with some information on the various types of hydroponic grow systems and assist you in how to grow marijuana. Keep checking back for our next section where we will discuss different types of lighting, as well as brand reviews for hydroponic nutrient solutions.

For more tips and tricks or to speak to a professional about setting up an Ebb and Flow System visit http://www.growsetup.com or call 888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973

Hydroponics Systems Breakdown: Deep Water Culture System

When you think of the best craziest marijuana you don’t think about some “field of dreams” in the backwoods of some tiny town, you think of a high tech intricately planned hydroponics system that supplies the plant with the perfect balance of h2o and nutrients. Traditional methods for growing marijuana favor the use of plastic buckets with the plant contained in a net thats suspended from the center, the roots are suspended in the nutrient solution. An aquarium air stone powered by an air pump oxygenates the nutrient solution. As long as the plants are supplied with enough oxygen through the water and nutrient solution they can stay submerged constantly. Once the plants are ready to flower, the roots are exposed to air by lowering the nutrient solution into the retaining resovoir.

Plants absorb a great deal more oxygen directly from the air than from the oxygen in water. Deep water culture systems allow plant roots to absorb large quantities of oxygen while also allowing the optimal uptake of nutrients. This leads to rapid growth throughout the life of the plant and is the method chosen by cannabis cup winning strains all over the world.

Recirculating deep water culture systems use a reservoir to provide water for multiple buckets or pots. Other methods for growing marijuana that use unconnected pots (above) require individual testing for pH and CF.

This has led to advancements that have allowed for us to remove the air stones and instead connect multiple buckets together and recirculate the water allowing oxygen to be incorporated and aerated with the use of spray nozzles. This method of recirculation oxygenates the water and ensures a good mix of nutrients and stabilizes levels throughout the entire system so testing is required only at the reservoir.

With this method of growing marijuana the plants grow much faster because of the constant high amount of oxygen and well dispersed nutrients that the roots receive. These systems can be relatively difficult to maintain but with the right guidance and proper setup hydroponics can be outstanding!

For more tips and tricks or to speak to a professional about setting up or improving your existing garden visit http://www.growsetup.com or call
888-4GrowSetup 888-447-6973