Ask Erik - Letters to Maximum Yield
Hello Erik, I have one more technical question: can I add calcium peroxide to soil that is to be sterilized (heated in a microwave for 10 min) or will this activate it too much and it will lose its potency? I understand that ordinarily it should be effective in releasing oxygen slowly for about one month. Thanks, Steve
Steve: If adding to a field area it should be incorporated to a depth of 6" at a rate of 20kg per acre. You must mix it into the soil (incorporation) for it to be the most effective. If this is done while crops are growing, roots might become damaged. The applied rate should be active in the soil for about six weeks. If applied in spring, this can help combat the wet soil often experienced early in the season.
For containerized plants, add about 15ml (one tablespoon) per 3.785 L (one US gallon) of growing medium. So, one tablespoon per gallon size of pot: three gallon pot requires three tablespoons. It is best applied when transplanting to a larger sized container. So use once from clone to grow, and once from grow to bloom. After plants have initiated flowering, you should refrain from transplanting, as results will suffer from the shock induced. Do not mix directly with dry, granular feertilizers with phosphates or sulfates, as they may react with the calcium peroxygen.
Cheers, Erik Biksa
Dear Maximum Yield: Could you please inform me about the ideal nutrient balances (macro and micro) expressed in ppm for the following crops:
a) sweet pepper d) tomatoe b) eggplant e) lettuce c) cucumber f) radish Consider that we are working in an open hydroponic system (we dont reuse nutrient solutions) and we tailor make our nutrient solutions. Thank you in advance for your information.
Carlos
Carlos: Much of the information that you are looking for will be dependent on environmental conditions, particularly season/growth phase, and growing medium. Water quality is also an important factor. There are some great resources that I can recommend to you.
Check out "Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes in Soil and Soilless Media" and "Growing Greenhouse Cucumbers in Soil and Soilless Media" both books are by Dr. A.P. Papadopoulos. They can be viewed online at the Canadian Greenhouse Crop Processing and Research Centre (GPRC)'s website. "Hydroponic Food Production" by Dr. Howard Resh and "Gardening Without Soil" By James Sholto Douglas would also be very useful in your search (available through MaximumYield, see pages 34 and 35). The "Neutron 2000" software program may also be of value to you. Typically people who are growing this many crop varieties would find it more convenient to use a commercially prepared fertilizer that can be tailored to each type of plant under varying conditions. Many commercially prepared hydroponic fertilizers have different feeding values listed on the label.
Regards, Erik Biksa