Total plant maintenance

A plant grows once all of 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 to feed your plants 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 one-gallon section of a five-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).

The mineral elements that a plant requires are broken down into inorganic elements and organic elements. These mineral elements then dissolve into the water and can be absorbed by the plant’s root system through ionic exchange.

What are these mineral elements? On the planet Earth, there is a total of 103 natural mineral elements, with 60 of these elements present in plant tissue. Of these elements, 16 are needed for essential plant growth. Three are found in the atmosphere: They are Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. Thirteen 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 have a negative charge (cations). When a plant is in need of certain elements, there is an ionic exchange.

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, and some examples follow: 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?

There are very few mineral elements available to plants from soil that do not have to be first broken down into a usable form for plants to use as plant food. Many of the organic and mineral elements that a plant requires from soil must first undergo decomposition by fungi and bacterial processes. Soil is made up of 5% organic materials such as, dead leaves, trees, grasses, shells, bugs & animals. It also consists of 45% inorganic elements, such as, gravel, clay, sand, metals (ores) and silt which are derived from the original rock by weathering. The remaining 50% of the soil is made up of water and air.

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?

Soilless soil is made up of ground up sphagnum moss and peat moss with vermiculite and perlite mixed in to improve water holding capacity. Soilless mixes are date coded: Use within a six month period. The sphagnum and peat moss should not be used for long-term growing, as these mosses will break down over time, in approximately six months. Another soilless soil is CoCo-Peat. CoCo Peat is made from the husk of the coconut and takes a fairly long time to break down. Both of these soilless soils should be fed a nutrient solution on a regular feeding schedule.

Hydroponic growing consists of keeping the root system moist with an enriched water solution holding the necessary mineral elements essential for plant growth. This can be done with or without a growing medium. If you use a growing medium, the medium should be inert and pH neutral so it can’t interfere with the mineral elements being delivered to plants. The growth rate and yield will normally be higher when gardening with hydroponics, if you change the nutrient solution on a regular cycle.

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 will grow is faster. The longest that a nutrient solution should be given to a plant is about four days. When you top up a nutrient solution, always use plain pH adjusted water and 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 accelerated growth. Make the best use of your growing facility.

One of the biggest fears in the 1930s through to the 1980s 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 disease. 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

There 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

Because of the sterility of a hydroponic system, there is a lack of good fungi and bacteria, which is needed to help break down the mineral elements, and therefore, the growth can be considerably slower. We recommend the use of fertilizers (mineral elements), which have been properly balanced with all the 13 mineral elements that a plant requires from the soil. They are already in their ionic exchange capabilities.

Organic Fertilizers for Soil

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

We recommend the use of Ectomycorrhizal fungi tablets 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?

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 zero to 14 with 14 being the highest for alkalinity and zero as 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 pH Chart.)

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 colloids 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 seven. With Phosphorus (P) and Molybdenum (Mo), the availability of the mineral elements will be reduced with a pH above six. 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 nine 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 colloids 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.