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Fishy Ferts
Trichoderma
Worm Castings
Compost Tea
A Brewer's Guide

Bio Fungicides
Peak Phosphorus
Grow Gadget Reviews
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CO² Devices
ATLAS 1
CO2 Monitor/Controller
Controls any 120 volt CO2 dispensing
system including Selene 1 & 2 Gen-
erators or Titan CO2 Regulators.
CO2 REGULATOR
Used to release CO2 from tanks. Com-
patible with Atlas 1 CO2 Controller or
Apollo 1 Short Cycle Timer.
SELENE 1 & 2
CO2 Generator – 4 & 8 Burner
The Selene 1 is for rooms
less than 300 sq. ft. and
Selene 2 for rooms 300
sq. ft. or larger. These fully
adjustable generators feature
electronic spark ignition and a
tip-over switch for safety.
CO2 INLINE HEATER
Install between CO2 tank and
regulator to warm gas stream
to prevent regulator freeze up.
Ventilation
MERCURY 1
Adjustable Fan Speed
Controller
Fully adjustable to tune your
ventilation system.
MERCURY 3
Day/Night Fan Speed Controller
This unit will activate your fan to maintain the
daytime and nighttime temperatures
within your preset parameters.
MERCURY 4
Day/Night Multi-Function
Fan Speed Controller
Plug ventilation equipment in, set the
high and low fan speeds, adjust the day
and night mode and the controller will acti-
vate inline fans within the preset parameters.
NYX 1
Day/Night Photo Controller
Set the daytime or nighttime switch to
control devices either while lights are on
or off. This includes products like light
movers, light ventilation fans or pumps.
Timing
APOLLO 1
Repeat Cycle Timer with Photocell
Provides precision timing control of
CO2 devices, fans or pumps. 3 seconds
to 30 minutes “ON” time and 3 minutes to
8 hours “OFF” time.
APOLLO 2
Day/Night Cycle Timer
Controls accurate timing sequences of
CO2 devices, fans or pumps. 10 seconds
to 20 minutes “ON” time and 1 minute to
12 hours “OFF” time.
APOLLO 3
Fixed Cycle Timer
Specifically designed to control aeroponic,
ebb & flow, NFT (nutrient film technique)
and fogging systems. 1 minute “ON” time and
4 minutes “OFF” time.
APOLLO 6
24 Hour Timer with 15 Minute Intervals
Features a 15 amp capacity to easily
run lights, pumps, fans and light
movers. 96 – 15 minute segments that
can be configured to meet the most
demanding requirements.
APOLLO 7
24 Hour Digital Timer
This precision timer can be set to as low
as 1 minute intervals with 8 separate
timing schedules per day. Features a
15 amp capacity to easily run lights,
pumps, fans and light movers.
APOLLO 8
Dual Outlet - 24 Hour Timer with
15 Minute Intervals
This 2 outlet timer features a 15
amp capacity to easily run lights,
pumps, fans and light movers.
96 – 15 minute segments that
can be configured to meet the
most demanding requirements.
APOLLO 9
Dual Outlet - 24 Hour Digital Timer
This 2 outlet precision timer can be
set to as low as 1 minute intervals
with 8 separate timing schedules
per day. Features a 15 amp capac-
ity to easily run lights, pumps, fans
and light movers.
APOLLO 10
240 Volt – 24 Hour Timer with
15 Minute Intervals
With a 10 amp capacity, this accurate
timer can operate your lights or any
other 240 volt equipment. 96 –
15 minute segments can be set to
meet any timing schedule you require.
APOLLO 12
Short Cycle Timer with Photocell
Controls timed equipment during the day-
time only, nighttime only or both. Tight
timing settings for the precision control of
your CO2 system, fan or pump. 5 seconds
to 30 minutes “ON” time and 5 seconds
to 60 minutes “OFF” time.
Lighting
HELIOS 1
4 Light Controller with
Built-in Timer – 120 Volt
Controls up to 4 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features a German made
timer and heavy-duty Seimens brand relay.
Timed 120 volt accessory outlet to activate light
movers or cooling fans.
 Environmental control products
for all your indoor gardening needs
Built with the finest quality components. • Digital and analog controlled devices. • Easy to operate. • Great warranty
program. • First rate technical support at 1-888-80-Titan. • RoHS compliant. • Heavy-duty construction. • Instructions
in both English & Spanish. • Easy to understand diagrams on most boxes illustrating typical applications.
HELIOS 2
4 Light Controller with Relay
Trigger Cord – 120 Volt
Controls up to 4 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features 120 volt relay trigger
cord and heavy-duty Seimens brand relay. Timed
120 volt accessory outlet to activate light movers or
cooling fans.
HELIOS 3
4 Light Controller with
Built-in Timer – 240 Volt
Controls up to 4 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features a German made timer and
heavy-duty Seimens brand relay. Universal outlets
allow the use of different types of power cords.
Timed 120 volt accessory outlet to activate light
movers or cooling fans.
HELIOS 4
4 Light Controller with Relay
Trigger Cord – 240 Volt
Controls up to 4 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features 120 volt relay trigger
cord and heavy-duty Seimens brand relay. Uni-
versal outlets allow the use of different types of
power cords. Timed 120 volt accessory outlet to
activate light movers or cooling fans.
HELIOS 7
8 Light Controller with
Built-in Timer – 240 Volt
Controls up to 8 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features a German made
timer and heavy-duty Seimens brand
relays. Universal outlets allow the use of
different types of power cords.
HELIOS 8
8 Light Controller with Relay
Trigger Cords – 240 Volt
Controls up to 8 – 1000 watt light
systems. Features 120 volt relay
trigger cords and heavy-duty Seimens
brand relays. Universal outlets allow
the use of different types of power cords.
www.titancontrols.net
Titan Controls® are available exclusively through our nationwide network of retail dealer partners.
APOLLO 4 & 5 KRONUS 3
Inline Timers for Ballasts Day/Night Temperature Controller
– 120 & 240 Volt + CO2 Integration
These heavy-duty timers provide Features independent day and
24 hour lighting control for up to night temperature settings to
1000 watt ballasts. maintain the ideal climate in your
growing environment. Activates
HADES 1 exhaust fans or heaters based
on set points. Integrated CO2
Hot Start 15 Minute Delay Timer outlet can activate/deactivate
Protects lights during power outage by activating a 15
minute delay before “restriking”. Prevents “hot start”.
CO2 Controller (Atlas 1) during daytime hours
based on temperature settings. Proprietary
10 minute delay keeps CO2 contained before
activating exhaust fan.
Temperature
& Humidity KRONUS 4
Temperature and Humidity +
CO2 Integration
Independent temperature and
humidity outlets to control two
KRONUS 1 Digital
different devices (i.e fan and
Temperature and
accuracy with
the simplicity dehumidifier). Integrated CO2
Humidity Controller outlet can activate/deactivate
of analog
CO2 Controller (Atlas 1) during
Maintains optimum controls
daytime hours based on temperature
temperature and humidity
settings. Proprietary 10 minute delay keeps
in your growing space.
CO2 contained before activating exhaust fan.
24 hour control of your air
Fourth outlet is connected to a photocell for
conditioner or exhaust
night only activation.
equipment and
dehumidifier.
ZEPHYR 1
KRONUS 2 Day and Night Temperature Controller
Controls a fan, air conditioner or
Temperature and Humidity heater to maintain independent
Controller + CO2 Integration day and night temperatures in
Controls exhaust equipment to your growing area.
maintain temperature & humidity
set points. Integrated CO2 outlet activates/
deactivates CO2 Controller (Atlas 1) during
ZEPHYR 2
High Temperature Shut- off
daytime hours based on temperature & humidity
settings. Proprietary 10 minute delay keeps CO2 with Adjustable Delay
Controller turns off your lights if the high temper-
contained before activating exhaust fan.
ature exceeds the set point. Innovative adjust-
able hot start delay with “hold” feature allows a
manual restart if desired.
DISTRIBUTED BY EOS 1
Humidify/Dehumidify Controller
Controls either a humidifier or
dehumidifier to maintain the humidity
level in your growing space at the
VANCOUVER, W ASHINGTON U.S.A. desired set point.
 Issue 014 February / March 2011

CONTENTS
The Organics Issue
“The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

12 Is the Clock Ticking for Hydroponics? 60 The World of Worms

If you rely on minerals to fertilize your crops, brace Worm expert, Larry Martin, explains how you can
yourself for some bad news! make worms work for you.

16 The Global GMO Agenda 68 Stop the Rot!

Corporatist imperialism exposed by Wikileaks, ignored Emily Walter helps you avoid the dreaded mildew
by mainstream media. and flower rot with natural foliar sprays.

20 Organic and Mineral Nutrients 98 Eye Candy: Root Aphids

Don’t know the difference? We explain!

100 Las Vegas’ Hangover

24 Grow Store 105 Graham Foster compares the Vegas from the
The final installment of Hydroguy’s tour of the Grow movie The Hangover with the real thing.
Store.

105 Vide-oh-no!
Check out the world’s most controvesial music
30 Clever Containers videos!
Make way for the pots that get more from your plants!

40 Reusing Coco Coir 110 Product Test: Bluelab pH Meter

Our Technical Editor, Gareth Hopcroft, puts
Save money, save resources, save shipping!
Bluelab’s premium pH meter through its paces.
Oh, and bigger yields!

112 Incoming: Nutriculture’s NFT Tank

44 A Fish Called Fertilizer Europe’s #1 super high-yielding hydro system
Master gardener, Jeff Lowenfels, explores fish-based finally lands in North America!
fertilizer products.

117 Grow Gear

50 Organic Growing Indoors Q&A The latest kit that’s begging to be in your garden!
Simon Hart answers some interesting questions on
organics.
122 Rant: Your Letters
Unload your brain spunk on us.
56 In Deep: Expert Q&A on microbes,
nutrients and compost. 128 Starving Artist: Rocket01

74 86

Trichoderma in Hydroponic Systems Breeding Microbes with Compost Tea

Does the soil fungus also work in hydro? Unveiling the microscopic secrets of connoisseur
organic growers.

004
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5. Stimulates the fruit and flower setting.
5

WWW.T-NOU.COM
 Urban Garden Magazine has been brought to you by…
Editor All editorial is copyright. All rights reserved.

Everest Fernandez No part of this publication can be reproduced

everest@urbangardenmagazine.com or be stored in any retrieval system in any

form without the prior permission of the

Technical Editor Publisher.

Gareth Hopcroft
gareth@urbangardenmagazine.com While every effort is made to ensure accuracy
no responsibility will be accepted for

Lifestyle Editor inaccuracies however caused. Contributed

Graham Foster material does not necessarily reflect the

g.foster@urbangardenmagazine.com opinion of the Publisher.

Associate Editor The Publisher cannot accept responsibility

Boris Bell for any unsolicited materials. It is assumed

boris@urbangardenmagazine.com that any images taken from sources that are

widely distributed such as the Internet, are

Marketing & Events Manager in the public domain. However, since such

Vicky Fox images are passed between sources such as

Resistance is Fertile...

T
vicky@urbangardenmagazine.com websites, the original source is not always
possible to trace.

he greatest change we need to make is Advertising Manager (North America)

Vicki Stanton The editorial policy and general layout of
from consumption to production, even if v.stanton@urbangardenmagazine.com the publication is at the sole discretion of
on a small scale, in our own gardens. If the Publisher and no debate will be entered

only 10% of us do this, there is enough Advertising Manager (Europe) into. No responsibility will be accepted for

Emma Brute illustrations, artwork or photographs while

for everyone. Hence the futility of emma@urbangardenmagazine.com in transmission with the Publisher or their

revolutionaries who have no gardens, agents unless such commitment is made in

Account Manager writing prior to receipt of such items.

who depend on the very system they attack, and who Dave Vincent
produce words and bullets, not food and shelter. dave@urbangardenmagazine.com Urban Garden Magazine is published
by Massive Publishing Ltd in
~Bill Mollison, founder of modern permaculture. Production Director Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Russ Sealey
Everyone’s talking about a revolution. Some even say it’s T. +1 604 558 0420
russ@urbangardenmagazine.com
being broadcast on Al Jazeera. But didn’t you listen to a word E. info@urbangardenmagazine.com
Mr. Warhol said? The real revolution occurs in a place where Art Director W. www.urbangardenmagazine.com
cameras cannot film. Can you think where? There really is no Pete Turner
pete@urbangardenmagazine.com PO Box 88097
need to bother signing a petition on Facebook or writing to your
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6A 4A4
congressman. We have been trained for millennia to defer our
Photography and Illustration
responsibility to others. And look where that’s got us! Emma Godley
Nobody is in control—not the government, the Federal emma.g@urbangardenmagazine.com PRINTED IN THE USA
Reserve, the Catholic church, the Freemasons, the Jews, the Nazis
or the Neocons—not even the shape-shifting grays and their
NORTH AMERICA ISSUE 014 Contributors
international banking cartel. These are merely “epistemological Boris Bell, Gaby Bronstein, Chris Butcher, Everest Fernandez, Evan Folds,
cartoons” as my friend Terence once said. In other words, it’s Graham Foster, Dan Gulliver, Simon Hart, Chris Hidden, Gareth Hopcroft,
all in your head! Protesting, blogging, arguing back and forth Dr. Elaine Ingham, Rob Hunt, Hydroguy, Larry Martin, Lynette Morgan, Zac
or even hurling bricks through Starbucks’ window just affirms Ricciardi, Dr. Carole Rollins, Jeffrey M. Smith, Emily Walter, Andrew Clegg.

your ardent belief in these fictions. Get back to your gardens.

It’s not going to be easy. Humans have been bred, just like
modern vegetables, to such an extent that life outside the gates
of the industrial food system seems impractical, even backward.
It’s easier for us to play the disempowered fool and ignore the Urban Garden Magazine is designed in partnership with
atrocious wars that feed our parasitism than to break through PARA www.paraltd.com
our conditioning and start taking responsibility for ourselves.
So, if you’re ready to get your hands soiled, read on. You’d
better be! Let us know what you think of the new layout and
super geeky articles within! Here’s hoping that this incredibly
dirty issue of Urban Garden provides some inspiration for a true
revolution!

“We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the Garden of
Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man
was not born to rest.” ~ Voltaire

008
 Is the clock ticking
for hydroponics?
If you think your plant fertilizers already cost too much
then you may wish to avert your eyes!
A report just out by the British Soil
Association has revealed that mined
phosphorus, a key component in your
hydroponic nutrients and other mineral-
based fertilizer products, is set to run out
after 2033. Finito! Growers and farmers
alike are going to have to look elsewhere
in order to feed their plants. Some growers
are already embracing composting and
compost-based products in order to give
their plants the nourishment they need.
The report, entitled ‘A rock and a hard
place: peak phosphorus and the threat to
our food security’, found that “the supply
of phosphorus from mined phosphate
rock could ‘peak’ as soon as 2033, after
which this non-renewable resource
will become increasingly scarce and
expensive.”
Composting experts have pointed out
that compost, particularly that produced
using green and food waste, is an excellent
source of phosphorus and is already used
by many farmers across the world.
Brian Chambers, of environmental
consultancy ADAS, said that the loss
of mined phosphorus was likely to lead
012
to an increase in prices for compost.
He commented: “As fertilizer prices get
higher composters will no doubt be able to
charge more for their product.” Currently
a lot of compost that goes to agriculture
is given away for free, or purchased at a
very low cost by farmers. Mr Chambers
explained that, although prices to
agriculture were likely to increase, they
would never reach the levels commanded
by mined fertilizers. This is due to the fact
that compost is “bulky” and the associated
transport and spreading costs will
always be higher than those for artificial
fertilizers, he explained.
Jeremy Jacobs, Managing Director of
the Association for Organics Recycling,
commented: “It is known that both
phosphorus and potash are significant
elements in compost which is why it is
a useful soil amendment. Compost is an
extremely valuable replacement and it
should be promoted more.” The report
says that a lack of phosphorus to return
to the soil could lead to food insecurity. It
recommends that human waste should be
used as a fertilizer instead of being wasted
- a process that is currently banned under
EU law.
It also praises the way organic farmers
use compost to nourish the soil. The
report states: “Organic farming systems
already make use of many practices to
reduce the need for mineral phosphate,
including managing nutrient loss; using
farmyard manure, crop residues and
green waste composts as fertilizers;
increasing the availability of phosphorus
to plants by encouraging microorganisms
and mycorrhizal fungi; and using crops
with high uptake efficiency.”
Compost is already widely
acknowledged in the farming community
as a way of nourishing the soil. Two years
ago, when prices for nitrogen-based
fertilizers rocketed, many farmers turned
to compost to reduce their costs.
Mr. Chambers said: “Farmers like using
compost if it is of a good quality and low
in plastic. It is a good replacement for
expensive fertilizer and it is also the right
thing to do.”
Source: www.letsrecycle.com
 A Hydrofarm Production

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 The Global GMO
agenda to control
the World’s food
has been exposed.
So now what?
“Control oil and you control nations;
control food and you control the people.”
Henry Kissinger
Nearly thirteen years ago, a 150-second TV
broadcast changed our world; everyone
everywhere owes a debt of gratitude
to the man whose life it turned upside
down—in his effort to protect ours. On
August 10, 1998, eminent scientist Dr.
Arpad Pusztai dared to speak the truth.
He had been an enthusiastic supporter of
genetic engineering working on cutting
edge safety research with genetically
modified (GM) foods. But to his surprise,
his experiments showed that GM foods
were inherently dangerous. When he
relayed his concerns during a short
television interview in the UK, things
got ugly. With support from the highest
levels of government, biotech defenders
quickly mobilized a coordinated attack
campaign trying to distort and cover up
the evidence.
It worked for a while, but when an
order of Parliament lifted Dr. Pusztai’s
gag order, the revelations touched off a
How To Fight GMOs
1. Avoid eating processed foods!
If you must, choose products that
are certified organic. The use of
genetically engineered organisms
is prohibited under organic foods
standards.
Download a shopping guide:
http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/
http://gmoguide.greenpeace.ca/shoppers_
guide.pdf
016
media firestorm that ultimately kicked
GM foods out of European supermarkets,
and derailed the industry’s timetable to
quickly replace virtually all food with
genetically engineered alternatives.
However there was barely a whisper of
the story in the US or Canadian media.
It’s the same story today. The latest
batch of diplomatic cables released by
Wikileaks reveals a US-led conspiracy to
force genetically modified foods (GMOs)
on to European countries by making those
countries pay a steep price if they resist.
But will you find any mention of this huge
story on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC? No.
Maybe it would raise too many questions?
The cable details the words of Craig
Stapleton, then the US ambassador
to France, who had been pushing the
commercial interests of the biotech
industry by attempting to force GMOs
into France. In his own words (below), he
expressed his frustration with the idea
2. Grow your own! 3. Demand better labeling
There’s no better way of Unlike in Europe, New Zealand,
knowing what’s in your produce China or Japan, food products
than to grow it yourself. containing genetically modified
Choose heirloom, organic seeds. ingredients do not have to be
Learn how to save seeds labeled as such in North America.
from one crop to the next. This was a key victory for the
Share with your friends biotech industry—
and family. keeping you in the dark!
that France might pass environmental
laws that would hinder the expansion of
GMOs:
“Europe is moving backwards
not forwards on this issue with
France playing a leading role,
along with Austria, Italy and even
the [European] Commission...
Moving to retaliation will make
clear that the current path has
real costs to EU interests and
could help strengthen European
pro-biotech voices.”
4. Spread the word
Educate yourself on the dangers of
genetically modified food and tell
your friends about it.
Visit urbangardenmagazine.com,
responsibletechnology.org, naturalnews.com
and seedsofdeception.com
Watch the movie “The World According to
Monsanto” on YouTube. Read Jeffrey M. Smith’s
bestselling book “Seeds of Deception.”
Stapleton goes on to say something
rather incredible. Remember, you were
never supposed to read this!
“Country team Paris
recommends that we calibrate
a target retaliation list that
causes some pain across
the EU since this is a collective
responsibility, but that also
focuses in part on the worst
culprits. The list should
be measured rather than
vicious and must be sustainable
over the long term, since we
should not expect an early
victory...”
The global GMO conspiracy is no longer
a theory. This cable proves, once and for
all, that there is a global GMO conspiracy
where government operatives work in
collusion with corporations to push the
biotech industry’s GMO agenda while
punishing opponents of GMOs and adding
them to a “target retaliation list.”
Google “Definition of Fascism” if you
need to.
“Stopping GMOs is simply a
numbers game. When enough
shoppers stop buying GMO
brands, the food industry will
kick out all genetically modified
(GM) ingredients. This happened
in Europe, and it’s happening in
the US with GM bovine growth
hormone (rbGH). We need about
5% of US shoppers-15 million
people or 5.6 million households-
to choose healthier non-GMO
brands in order to generate
a non-GMO tipping point.
It’s just a matter of reaching
enough people. That’s what our
educational tools and talking
points are designed to do.”
Jeffrey M. Smith,
bestselling author of
“Seeds of Deception”
and “Genetic Roulette.”
COMPILED BY: Boris Bell
Genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) are created by taking genes
from organisms such as bacteria,
viruses, or animals and inserting them
into other, often unrelated, species.
Unlike traditional breeding, genetic
engineering creates new organisms
that would never occur in nature,
creating new and unpredictable
environmental risks. The term
‘genetically engineered (GE) food’
refers to any product containing or
derived from GMOs. In North America,
up to 70 percent of the processed
foods found in grocery stores contain
GE ingredients. The most common GE
ingredients come from crops like corn,
soy, canola and cotton. Biotechnology
companies like Monsanto genetically
engineer these crops to produce
a pesticide or to withstand the
application of herbicides. They also
OWN these crops via patents which
means they can control who grows
the seed and prohibit farmers from
saving seed.
 Hydroponics & Organics
What’s The Difference?
Many newcomers to the world of
gardening mistakenly believe that the
difference between hydroponics and
organics simply lies in the bottles they
choose to buy. The organic grower buys
the bottle with the word “organic” on it
and the hydro grower buys the “hydro”
stuff. It’s a tempting over-simplification
but, in reality, the difference in both
practical approach and growing
philosophy goes a lot deeper.
WORDS: Everest Fernandez

Nutrients: Hydroponics Nutrients: Organics

Hydroponic nutrients contain a precise
balance of elements needed by your
plants to grow and bloom. I like to use
the analogy of an astronaut’s health-
shake—one of those mega-nourishing
drinks that contains everything they
need to go on space walks, play cards,
and whatever else astronauts do all
day. Liquid hydroponic nutrients are
derived from mineral salts that have
been mined from the earth and then
chemically synthesized using fossil
fuels to create inorganic fertilizers.
These fertilizers are in a ionic form that
plant roots can access and assimilate
immediately.
Organic nutrients … well, we should
stop right there. It’s more accurate to
speak of organic inputs, rather than
nutrients. That’s because organic
growers rely on bacteria and microbes
to mineralize or ‘break down’ these
complex organic substances into ionic (plant accessible) nutrients. They can also be
brewed at home in compost tea. These bacteria and microbes are present in healthy soil.
They can also be brewed at home in compost tea. Organic inputs are largely naturally-
occurring, unrefined materials that will fertilize plants through the action of microbial
mineralization. These organic fertilizers include sugar beet extracts, worm castings,
guano, animal manures, compost, blood meal, bone meal, fish products (meal/emulsion/
hydrolysate), alfalfa meal, feather meal, seaweed, unrefined naturally occurring
minerals (glacial rock dust, soft rock phosphate, Epsom salts) and many, many more.
Manufacturing liquid organic nutrients is a complex process that involves the selection
of key ingredients that will stay stable and soluble.

If you’re new to the concept of ‘microbial mineralization’ try thinking of the earth
as one giant compost heap. This amazing hidden world of microbiology does the
work of cycling this organic matter back into a form that plants can use. It’s the
reason why the Amazon rainforest thrives without any additional fertilizer!

020
 Cultivation
Hydroponics is a preferred method of cultivation, especially commercially, because it
affords the grower increased control over the nutrition available to the plant. When
factors such as nutrient pH, strength and temperature are well managed the results can
be astonishing—huge production is possible from the smallest of spaces.
Organic growers, on the other hand, will counter that their chosen method is more
sustainable as it does not rely on large quantities of fossil fuel energy required to purify
this finite mineral resource. Exponents of hydroponics often counter this with the fact
that recirculating hydroponic growing systems use up to 90% less fresh water than
conventional growing methods!

Can we use both?

Language often holds in itself
more wisdom than the wisest
of those that use it. The word
“hydroponics” literally means
“water working” – the water
does the work of carrying the
nutrients to the roots and the
job is done. In organic, soil-
based growing, or “terraponics”
growers focus on “feeding the
soil” rather than feeding the
plant. The soil, or rather, the
microbiology within it, does the
“work” of getting water and
nutrients to the roots, usually
in some mutualistic exchange
that benefits all concerned.
Exponents of bioponics and aquaponics
claim they have successfully merged
organics with hydroponics and combined
the benefits of both. When you consider
the very different approaches in terms
of plant nutrition, this is no mean feet!
Simply adding organically derived liquid
inputs to a hydroponics system is not
going to cut it. (We’ve seen many growers
try and fail!) There are many reasons for
this but the primary cause is the absence
of the microbiology needed to breakdown
the organic inputs into plant-accessible
form. Other problems include organic
nutrient solutions going ‘bad’ and clogged
drippers. Most organic nutrient solutions
are unable to stay stable in a hydroponic
reservoir for more than 24-48 hours, which
often leads to a smelly sludgy soup, the
growth of bio-films and clogged pipe work.
There are a number of exciting new
technologies that may help us to combine
hydro with organics. William Texier
from General Hydroponics Europe has
developed a concept he calls ‘BioPonics’.
Four years of research and development
resulted in the BioSevia Grow and Bloom
nutrients, the ingredients of which are
soluble, derived from approved organic
sources and proven to remain stable in
a hydroponic reservoir. It is a complex
combination of already dissolved
ions from organic origin, and larger
organic molecules that will decompose
rapidly (in a couple of days), to allow
continuous nutrition availability from
start to finish. This fast decomposition
process is activated and sustained by the
introduction of beneficial microorganisms
contained within a ‘biofilter’, in which
bacteria and fungi (particularly
Trichoderma harzianum) feed on the
carbon part of organic molecules and
release the ions attached to them, which
is exactly what plants are looking for.
For more information on the development
of this ‘Bioponic’ Nutrient – see the article
in Urban Garden Magazine Issue 6 (08/09 –
2009) My Quest for “Bioponics”, or visit our
website: www.urbangardenmagazine.com
This year we will also see new lines of
nutrients coming onto the market that
claim to deliver the power of hydroponics
in an organic boxing glove! Here at Urban
Garden HQ, we look forward to testing the
claims of the emerging ‘organic hydroponic
nutrients’ and sharing our findings with you
in 2011!
 CCOON
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 Grow
Store 105
The Other Stuff and
Then Some by Hydroguy
Making sense of some of the less obvious products a person can purchase at a grow store
can be a rabbit hole of confusion. Such is the case with the product types chosen for
Grow Store 105, aptly subtitled “The Other Stuff,” a term I have previously used to describe
the numerous compounds contained in organic nutrients. In this instance I’m using the term
to catch some of the more confusing product types that we haven’t already discussed and,
specifically those which I believe hold most promise of being beneficial.

Wetting Agents
Wetting agents are primarily used to
increase the effectiveness of foliar
applications. The term is a common name
given to a class of compounds called
surfactants, or surface acting agents,
based on their observed property of
reducing the surface tension of liquids.
We all know water is wet, so “making
water wetter” seems obtuse at first, but
the term exists because of the notion that
water acts as it does simply because of the
force of cohesion of water molecules to
other water molecules, and this results in
surface tension at the boundary of water
and whatever it has contacted. When
an aqueous solution, such as a diluted
pesticide, is sprayed onto a waxy leaf
surface, tension is formed where the water
contacts the leaf, and the solution will
tend to bead and run off the leaf because
it is repelled. A surfactant, when included
with the solution, will reduce the tension
between the water and the leaf, allowing
it to bond to the leaf surface; it will reduce
the tension between the air and the water
as well, allowing the solution to spread.
The wetting agent is a unique particle,
illustrated quite similar to a sperm, with
a water-attracted head and a water-
repelled (or organic-attracted) tail. The
head nestles comfortably bonded to water
molecules while the tail is free to bond
to leaf surfaces or a waxy or oil based
(organic) particle. In cases of oil-based
products designed to be sprayed on leaf
surfaces (such as neem oil), the surfactant
acts within the solution reducing the
surface tension between the oil and
the water, which is more appropriately
termed interfacial tension—the tension Spraying the leaves of foliage is
where the oil and water interface. To
produce an emulsification of oil and the most common, but not the
water, where the oil appears to be mixed only use of wetting agents in
in solution with the water, a surfactant is
usually used since it can effectively unite hydroponics.
the two otherwise opposing compounds.

024
 Spraying the leaves of foliage is the most
common, but not the only use of wetting
agents in hydroponics. There is another
possible benefit from wetting agents,
and that is the enhancement they can
give to the uptake of root-fed nutrients,
based on the interactions between the
wetting agent, the nutrients, and the
target plant species. Wetting agents used
in this fashion have been found to allow
a reduction of fertilizer usage with each
application, since more of the nutrients
that are irrigated to plants find their way
into a plant than without the use of a
wetting agent. There are several wetting
agents available on the market that have
been formulated for agricultural use, but
not all of these will necessarily work to
improve uptake.
CAW increases the
uptake of fertilizer
so well that using
full-strength nutrients
with CAW can cause
plant roots to burn.
Catalyst Altered Water [CAW]
You may have heard of “Lourdes healing
waters,” “living water,” or some other
dubious “magical water” claim, which
you probably ignored—understandably.
Catalyst Altered Water is no doubt
perceived in the same light by a lot of
people, yet in truth it is a unique, and
possibly beneficial, adjuvant (helper)
in both foliage feeding and nutrient
irrigation. Catalyst Altered Water could
be a catchall for any water that has been
catalyzed, but in most instances (as in
this article) it refers more specifically
to a solution invented by the Professor
Emeritus of Chemistry at the South
Dakota School of Mines and Technology,
Dr. John Willard.
The story of Dr. Willard and how
he came to invent the CAW is pretty
interesting, but let’s just focus on what it
is and does. The active ingredient in CAW
is a tiny micelle, which is a silicate colloidal
particle illustrated somewhat like a
pompom. Surfactants can form micelles
in high concentrations and pressures, but
most micelles in chemistry are notably
toxic. Dr. Willard created a micelle that
would cleave the bonds of carbon chains
(intended for train engine spark plugs)
out of very common substances including
road salt and castor oil. His micelle is
10 to 100 times larger than most water
molecules and has a powerful negative
magnetic field. The negative surface of
the micelle attracts and unites water
molecules, generating chains of water
that permit nutrients to be carried more
effectively.
Dr. Willard and his colleagues claim
they have witnessed a reduction of
one-half to one-third of fertilizers with
the inclusion of Willard’s Water at the
rate of 2 oz (60 ml) to 15 gallons (57 L)
of water, and this has been supported
by third-party commercial greenhouse
tests in the U.S. and Canada. In fact, Dr.
Willard states quite cautiously that CAW
increases the uptake of fertilizer so well
that using full-strength nutrients with
CAW can cause plant roots to burn. CAW
can be used to improve the health and
germination rate of seeds, as a substrate
soak for clones, and can be sprayed on
the root system of rooted cuttings or
seedlings during transplant. As a spray for
foliage, Dr. Willard recommends reducing
the pesticide or nutrient by one-half, and
notes a list of additional benefits, which
include nitrogen acquisition from the
air, as well as delivering a host of plant-
available nutrients from lignite if the
CAW XXX product (containing dissolved
lignite) is used.
 Vitamins
In Grow Store 101 we discussed the “short list” of vitamins and minerals that humans
need to survive, and I compared this to the “short list” of micro- and macronutrients
that plants need. So what about vitamins for plants? You might already be aware that
vitamin products exist, but without knowing what they have been found to do, you will
not necessarily be able to maximize their potential benefits. It is not necessarily as easy
as picking a “vitamin product” off the grow store shelf and calling it a do-all vitamin
supplement. Various vitamin compounds have been shown to induce different plant
responses, and we will soon see that “plant vitamin science” is still, more or less, a work
in progress.

Vitamin B (Thiamine) Vitamin C Vitamin D

The most common vitamin type found
in hydroponics products, vitamin B is an
ingredient within various supplements
designed to increase root growth,
as well as to reduce plant stress and
transplant shock. Vitamin B is one of the
most confidently used vitamins in the
hydroponics industry, so a grower may
be amazed to learn that a University of
Colorado State publication has effectively
attempted to debunk what it calls a
“gardening myth.”
As it goes, back in the 1930s there was a
study done by James Bonner on isolated
pea roots cut from their growing medium.
The roots were placed in culture with
thiamine present and such a dramatic
response was observed that Bonner
concluded that thiamine was “essential to
the growth of pea root.” What Robert Cox
points out in his brief debunk sheet was
that thiamine is normally produced in
the leaves of the plant and transported to
the root. In the absence of a plant system,
where the roots have been removed, they
will respond and continue to grow with
exogenous applications of thiamine. In
normal circumstances, he concludes,
where vitamin B has been tested on intact
production crops such as corn, tomatoes,
beans, pepper, and watermelon, among
others; there is no evidence it provides
any type of growth response. Researchers
at the University of California concluded
the same, noting there was “no discernible
differences in color or vigor among
treatments.”
Lets look at a vitamin that most people Another vitamin that is synthesized
have never even imagined giving to a naturally within plants, vitamin D has
plant. If you do not recall ever reading been shown to produce growth responses
vitamin C as an ingredient on any bottle in plants, promote adventitious root
of plant food or supplements, you are not growth, and is a critical player in the
alone. Yet, lo and behold, not only have absorption of Calcium to plant stems.
researchers found that plants respond to Compared in function to the rooting
vitamin C, they even go so far as claiming it hormones IBA and NAA, Buchala and
is essential for plant growth! Now, before Shmid published a paper in July 1979
you get too excited, let’s first note that the suggesting vitamin D and its analogs
scientists at Britain’s University of Exeter should be a new class of growth simulators
are not endorsing pipe dreams—they are affecting root development.
not saying feed your plants vitamin C, but
they are stating that plants contain gene
coding for the production of an enzyme
called ‘GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase’
that endogenously produces vitamin C at
particular stages of a plant’s growth. Not only have
So is there any reason to seek a plant
vitamin supplement that contains vitamin researchers found
C? Some researchers at the University of
California may think so, since they have
that plants respond to
reported an increase of photosynthetic vitamin C, they even
response as well as production of various
bio-chemicals when a plant’s enzymes, go so far as claiming
called dehydroascorbate reductase, it is essential for plant
were manipulated to create higher
concentrations of vitamin C in leaves. If growth!
manipulating plant enzymes is not your
thing, Synnöve v. Hausen published a
study in Nature showing that 40 mg of
ascorbic acid (vitamin C) added to a sterile
liquid growing medium increased the dry
weight of the treated plants over that of
the control plants by 35–75%.

026
 Humics
Humus: I often refer to peat and coco as “nearly ground-up clothing”
in an exaggerated illustration of the non-composted fiber quality it
has in comparison to soil. This is not to be taken literally, but there is
still a very distinct contrast between good rich dark earth and the
common peat-lite or coco substrates used. And the primary difference,
as I see it, is humus.
Because a lot of modern growing substrate is marginally composted
it lacks the qualities and benefits that humus provides. Humus increases
nutrient exchange capacity and water retention, chelates heavy metals, promotes microbial life, and is considered by some the
life force of soil primarily responsible for fertility and soil quality. Humus that is not entirely decomposed can provide more
readily available nutrients to plants and microbes and contains a high percentage of fulvic acids, but it is not as effective for soil
conditioning. The best way to get the benefits of humus is to mix well composted material into your substrate that is high in
organic matter

Humic Acid Fulvic Acid

There are varying qualities of humic acid
depending on the source of lignite or
leonardite used. Some humic acids will
contain heavy metals as contaminants,
and these contaminants are referred to
as ballast and ash. Humic acid is used
largely for soil conditioning, improving
texture and water retention, and giving
soilless media a more biologically active
component. “Humic acid” here refers
specifically to the less active and high
molecular-weight humic acid products.
The distinction between humic and fulvic
acids is not always made in literature,
as fulvic acid can be considered a low
molecular-weight humic acid. Fulvic acid,
which is derived from the more active
partially composted humus, is used to
improve the uptake of nutrients, promote
the conversion of nutrient elements into
plant-available forms, and to improve
nutrient transport through plant cell
walls. As a natural and organic electrolyte,
fulvic acid is capable of conducting an
electrical current that allows minerals
to interact with each other much more
easily. Interfacing with plants, fulvic
acid has been found to stimulate plant
enzymes, promote microbial activity
around the root zone, enhance a plant’s
natural resistance to disease, increase
root respiration and formation, increase
the germination and viability of seeds, as
well as many other perceived benefits to
gardeners.

Paramagnetic Earth
Now we’re going to look at something
cut straight from the bizarre—or cut
from a basalt mine, to be more specific.
Paramagnetic earth is a sort of group-
all name for volcanic rock that exhibits
varying degrees of paramagnetism,
which means “attracted to magnetic
fields.” To be straight from the hop, the
idea of paramagnetic earth being any
benefit to plants, as a direct result of the
paramagnetic qualities of the substance,
is not something necessarily believed
even by researchers who work ardently
to prove the hypothesis. Unfortunately
for them, the notion has held firm
against all forms of tests that isolate the
paramagnetic material from the growing
substrate, including researchers placing
paramagnetic materials in various
containers, placed adjacent to the roots of
plants within a growing media.
One researcher who was a part of
extensive tests on basaltic paramagnetic
earth and plant development in Australia
notes, “stones have a secret life that
involves two equal and opposing
magnetic forces, the plus and the minus of
nature, the yin and yang of the Chinese.” in ways perceived positively by growers,
As silly as that may sound to a lot of is probably true until proven otherwise.
readers, myself included, his point is well One last thing to note is: where
taken regarding the secrecy of such forces paramagnetic material has been found
when we are relating to the interface to increase stem and leaf length,
between plants and magnetic materials. ferromagnetic material was shown in one
Studies are not entirely conclusive, but test to decrease stem length. Will iron
it is looking to date like the notion that filings then promote tighter internodes?
paramagnetic earth affects plant growth Who nodes?

Was that crazy enough for you? Or have we only just scratched the surface? Let us know
what you think by emailing us at rant@urbangardenmagazine.com

028
 Clever Containers in Action
This illustration shows how air
pruning works in a breathable
fabric pot.
1.
Shortly after the cutting/seedling

CLEVER
is planted into the pot, primary
roots grow towards the sides and
bottom edges.

CONTAINERS The fabric sides of

2.

the pot allow it to

Plant pots. What a breathe, letting air
get to the growing
beautifully simple growing
media. This air is
system. Fill it with potting drier than the root
soil and voilà - you’re good zone environment
to go. No wonder that this within the pot, so
technique dates back to as the roots start
to grow out of the
ancient times. growing media
the relatively
In fact, fragments of Egyptian dry air prevents
horticultural pottery have been dated further growth,
as far back as 10,000 years. These pots and stimulates
are thought to have been used simply secondary roots to
for portability between settlements. The branch out within
Romans, however, are presumed to have the pot.
been the first to have grown perennial
plants in pots with the intention of 3.
bringing the plants inside during periods The root branching
of cold weather.
and pruning cycle
Until the 1950s, most plant pots you
keeps repeating,
could buy at your local gardening store
creating a plant
were made of terracotta clay—then
with an abundance
along came plastic, a substantially
of healthy, well-
cheaper more durable and lightweight
branched roots within
product. However, not all gardeners were
convinced plastic was a good idea, and for the growing media.
good reason. Unglazed terracotta pots
insulate the root zone from hot and cold
temperatures and, because clay is porous,
the pots are able to “breathe”—albeit with
only the small amount of air that’s able
to pass through the clay pot. Many old-
school gardeners claim this as the main
reason they can produce better plant
growth using clay pots rather than plastic.

“Plastic pots are far from perfect! Which means of course, that there’s room for improvement.”

It’s pretty obvious why plastic pots with
solid sides are now the norm; they’re
cheap, more practical and durable than
clay and, of course, featherweight in
comparison.
Also, although they restrict air, there’s
no arguing that they work, and in most
cases they work pretty well.
However, plastic pots are far from
perfect, which means of course, that
there’s room for improvement. It turns
out that with a few design modifications
many of the fundamental problems
associated with standard plastic pots
can be reduced, if not eliminated.
SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH
STANDARD CONTAINERS?
Remember, Mother Nature didn’t create
plant pots. Humans did! In normal plastic
plant pots, roots grow until they hit the
inner edge and then invariably the roots
start circling around the inside wall of the

030
 Air Pruning
Essentially, air
pruning is a physical
technique that
inhibits root growth
from extending
beyond its growing
media
Root Trapping
Root Trapping may be a new
concept to some growers.
With root trapping the root
tips become physically
trapped in the pot material,
which is made from coarse
felt or some other fabric.
pot. Now in this case, being on the fringe
isn’t such a good thing because roots like
cool and moist conditions, and plastic pots
can get fairly warm, especially under grow
lights or when exposed to direct sunlight.
Roots that are circling around the inside
edge are more susceptible to the negative
effects of excess heat (no media to provide
insulation), drought (edges of growing
media tend to dry out first) and disease
(unhealthy roots suffering in these
conditions are more prone to disease). One
Key Benefits of
Clever Containers
Stronger, healthier
starts.
are air pruning and root trapping.
Elimination of root Understand how these techniques work,
circling in pots. and you’ll understand how plant pot
design can be vastly improved!
Less growing media
needed.
AIR PRUNING
Decreased risk of
Essentially, air pruning is a physical
transplant shock.
technique that inhibits root growth from
extending beyond its growing media, or
Improved overall root
circling around its container, by exposing
structure (more root
the root tips to relatively dry air and
tips).
stopping their growth. As these roots now
have nowhere else to grow, it stimulates
Better use of water and
further growth of secondary roots that
nutrients.
branch out from them within the growing
media. These secondary roots will spread
Promotes the activity of
throughout the pot until they reach the
beneficial biology.
sides and bottom and get air pruned again,
stimulating more root growth and more
Quicker growing times.
root hairs. More root hairs = more root tips.
More root tips = more water and nutrient
Fewer transplants
uptake. The overall effect of this growth
required.
and pruning cycle is the establishment of
a well-developed root system in a relatively
short space of time throughout the growing
media.
ROOT TRAPPING
Root trapping may be a new concept to
some growers; it involves a more mechanical
approach to the problem than air pruning.
With root trapping the root tips become
physically trapped in the pot material,
which is made from coarse felt or some
other fabric. When a root tip grows into the
material at the edge of the pot it becomes
trapped, preventing horizontal and vertical
growth around the edge of the pot. I know, I
know, words like “trapped” and “preventing”
don’t sound good. But, because the root tip is
unable to grow any further at the pot’s edge,
it’s forced to branch and grow secondary
roots within the growing media. This all
thing is for sure - these outer roots are adds up to a more effective root zone.
certainly not taking advantage of all the Parallels with the above techniques can
water, nutrients and beneficial biology be made with the plant growth we observe
that may be present within the growing above the ground. Most gardeners know
media. that pruning a lateral branch or terminal
So how do you get the roots to (uppermost growth tip) can create a more
concentrate their growth within the productive plant. You cut and remove the tip
growing media? The answer actually to encourage lateral branching and in this
lies in providing a consistent restrictive way create a fuller, bushier plant with more
environment for root growth at a pot’s branches. The same can be done for the root
edges. This can be done in a variety of structure; air pruning and root trapping is all
ways, but the most common techniques about encouraging lateral root branching.
 There are many containers
in grow stores and garden
centers that have adopted
air pruning or root trapping
capabilities, or a combination
of both, into their designs.
High Caliper -
Smart Pot
Made from black, custom,
non-woven, polypropylene
material, Smart Pots use a
combination of root trapping
and air pruning. The root tips
grow into the fuzzy fabric of
the pot and become trapped;
the breathable fabric causes
the root tips to become air
pruned. The black fabric
helps to warm the growing
media (outdoors in the early
season) and also allows heat
to escape via the breathable
material (evaporative cooling
action in summer). Smart
Pots are highly durable. The
smaller sizes now come with
handles too!
“Smart Pots are
highly durable...”
Sizes Available: 1-2-3-5-7-
10-15-20-25-30-45-65-
100-200-300-400 (Gallon)
5 Gallon MSRP: $5.95
032
These can be classified into
two general categories: fabric
and plastic containers. Here’s
a list of clever containers
with brief descriptions of
how they work.
RootMaker –
RootTrapper II
These containers are made
using thick felt, and as the name
suggests, utilize root trapping to
encourage root branching. The
felt is lined with an outer white
plastic layer that is designed to
keep the internal temperature
of the container cool as well as
prevent evaporative moisture
loss. The white outer coating also
reduces the risk of roots dying
on the sides that are exposed to
direct sunshine. This can happen
with black containers. Water use
can be reduced because there are
no large drain holes at the bottom
or evaporative sides. The base
is made from a slightly different
material that allows for adequate
drainage. These felt pots are
reusable, but trapped root tips will
remain in the fabric.
Sizes Available: 1-2-3-5-7-
10-15-30-45-60-100-150-
400-500 (Gallon)
5 Gallon MSRP: $7.25
Root Pouch -“Diamonds and plants should last forever, not nursery pots!”
New to the industry, the Root Pouch is a patented, degradable fabric container. Available in 1-600 gallon sizes, the Root
Pouch boasts all the features you come to expect from breathable, fabric pots. The pouches are made from recycled
plastic water bottles and natural fibers and are one of the few degradable fabric containers currently on the market.
Sizes Available: 1-600 (Gallon)
FABRIC CONTAINERS
Generally, fabric containers are relatively inexpensive, can be used
with a variety of growing media, and are suitable for hydroponics
systems (ebb & flow and drip irrigation), as well as the basic hand-
watered application.
Aurora innovations -
Root Pots
Made from 100% recycled
materials, the Root Pots
certainly have an authentic,
recycled look to them. The
breathable fabric allows air
pruning of the roots to occur,
which prevents root circling.
This fabric pot helps with
thermal insulation during cold
temperatures, and also allows
evaporative cooling during hot
conditions. Root Pots are re-
useable for three to five years,
and are also biodegradable.
“Made from 100%
recycled materials, the
Root Pots certainly
have an authentic
recycled look to them.”
Sizes Available: 1-2-3-5-7-10-
15-20-30-45-65-100-150-200
250-300-400-500-600 (Gallon)
5 Gallon MSRP: $4.00
5 Gallon: $TBC
Square Root
Aeration Containers
Utilizing a slightly different
approach, these containers
have a space saving square
design. The soft, breathable
fabric provides adequate
drainage at the base and
aeration through the sides,
allowing air pruning to occur.
The black fabric helps to keep
the substrate warmer during
cold temperatures and cooler
during high temperatures.
“The soft breathable
fabric provides adequate
drainage at the base
and aeration through
the sides, allowing air
pruning to occur.”
Sizes Available: ½-1-3-5-7-
10-20-30-100
(Gallon)
5 Gallon MSRP: $5.95
Driven To
Succeed!

NUTRI-PLUS.CA
 PLASTIC CONTAINERS
These high-tech plastic containers are more expensive than fabric
pots, but are more durable and can be reused time and time again.
Like the fabric pots, they are suitable for use with many types of
growing media, and for indoor and outdoor gardening applications.
“Clever containers” have some historical roots; clay pots with many holes
in the base and lower sides have been made in Greece for over 3000 years!
These perforated pots allowed growers to bury them partially in the soil to
allow the roots to grow out in an effort to minimize transplant shock.

Air-Pots RootMaker II - RootMaker II - Injection RootBuilder II

Air-Pots have a somewhat
unusual design, the sides
of the pot are made up of
inward- and outward-pointing
cones, much like an egg box,
and the bottom is plastic
mesh. The inward pointing
cones are solid whereas the
outward pointing cones are
open ended. The purpose of
these inward-pointing cones
is to deflect the roots and
stop them from circling within
the pot and, more importantly,
to direct the roots towards the
outward-pointing cones. This
exposes the root tips to air,
which causes air pruning.
“the sides of the
pot are made up of
inward- and outward-
pointing cones...”
Propagation Tray
These plastic propagation
cell trays have either 32 or
60 cells. Within each cell
there are three tiers and
in the corner and sides of
these tiers are small holes.
These holes allow air pruning
to occur during the initial
propagation stages, which
prevents root circling.
“These plastic
propagation cell
trays have either
32 or 60 cells.
Within each cell
there are three
tiers and in the
corner and sides
of these tiers are
small holes.”
Molded Containers
Larger versions of the
propagation cells, these plastic
pots have a tiered design
with multiple small holes on
each tier to allow air pruning
to occur and stop roots
circling around the pot’s sides.
These are available in square
and round variations in the
1-gallon size, but are available
only in the round design for the
3- and 5-gallon containers.
The Root Makers are made
largely from recycled plastic.
“...these plastic pots
have a tiered design
with multiple small holes
on each tier to allow air
pruning to occur and
stop roots circling
around the pot’s sides.”
These pots have a similar
design to the Air-Pots. The
walls are assembled around
a bottom disk to create
either a 3- or 5-gallon
container. These walls have
outwardly projecting funnels
with holes at the tips.
Root growth is directed
toward the holes at the end
of these funnels, where the
roots get air pruned. The
shape of the container is
designed to direct the roots
to the air holes, but it also
creates shade to keep the
container and the root zone
cooler, which also helps to
improve plant growth. The
RootBuilder II containers
have solid root-directing
bottoms, which direct the
roots towards the edges of
the pots.

Sizes Available: 0.3-0.8-1.2- Sizes Available: Sizes Available: Sizes Available:

1.5-2-2.4-3.4-4.3- 5.2-6.5- 32-Cell Tray & 60-Cell Tray 1-3-5 (Gallon) 1-2-3-5-7 (Gallon)
8-10-12-45 (Gallon)
5 Gallon MSRP: $10 MSRP: $8.95 for 32-Cell Tray 5 Gallon MSRP: £8.95 5 Gallon MSRP: : £12.95

“These high-tech plastic containers are more expensive than fabric

pots, but are more durable and can be reused time and time again. ”

034
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 CLEVER CONTAINERS -
Grower Feedback and Tips
QUICK ESTABLISHMENT
The quickest way to see the benefits
of the various root-pruning containers
described above is to use them in the early
stages of propagation and vegetative
growth, when plants are establishing their
root systems. Growers using root-pruning
containers observe quicker establishment
into new pots (whether these are larger
root-pruning containers or larger normal
pots), improved root growth and overall
plant vigor.
SMALLER VOLUME
Plants grown in root-pruning containers
demonstrate an ability to cope with being
containerized for longer, when compared
to plants of a similar age in the same sized
standard pots. This means you could
potentially decrease the size of your
containers without the risk of a plant
becoming root bound; you would also
save floor space and reduce the amount of
growing media. However, if you do reduce
the volume of your pot, an increase in
water requirements should be expected.
MOVING POTS
One of the advantages of growing in a
pot—any pot—is the ability to move it
around the garden to suit your needs.
Obviously this is still possible with all root-
pruning containers, but the fabric pots
need some extra care. Lifting any fabric
pot using the rim will cause the sides to
stretch, even more so when they are wet
and heavy. This often causes the root tips
that have grown into the fabric to rip,
which can often be felt as the pot is lifted.
So, when lifting or moving fabric pots it is a
good idea to support the bottoms.
FILLING TECHNIQUE
A few growers we spoke to who use Air-
Pots and RootBuilders reported that they
had to spend more time during the potting-
up stages when adding the growing media
to the pot. The growing media in these pots
needs to be slightly more compacted than
in normal pots; frequent tapping down
during the filling is absolutely crucial to
ensure all the growing media settles in all of
the outward-pointing cones/funnels. Some
growers tip the pot on its side while filling
it with growth media to ensure that it fills
every nook and cranny - very important!

WATER CONSUMPTION
Of the majority of growers we spoke to, all Tip: Consider installing a drip irrigation system
found the growing media to dry slightly to water your plants. These are an excellent way
quicker than usual. Most said this was not to deliver water slowly in order to achieve an even
as significant as they thought it would be; and steady re-saturation.
the average report being a 10-20% faster
drying time. When growing in standard pots, if the growing media has been allowed to
dry out more than usual, the water can run straight down the sides making it difficult to
re-saturate. The same goes for Air-Pots and RootBuilders, but instead of water running
down the sides, it runs out the outward-pointing cones. To avoid this instant run-off you
need to re-saturate with small amounts, and water slowly.

“Of the majority of growers we spoke to, all found the growing media
to dry slightly quicker than usual.”

REDUCING THE CHORE OF TRANSPLANTING

While it’s important to match pot size to plant size, transplanting can be a chore! One of
the great benefits most growers can achieve with root-pruning containers is the reduced
amount of necessary transplants—particularly when growing with potting soil. For
years, commercial nurseries have experienced time- and labor-saving benefits, and now
many indoor growers are taking advantage of some of these same benefits.

When growing in standard pots and potting soil, With root pruning containers this can be
most growers would go through three to five (and significantly reduced, with most growers only
in many cases more) potting stages - for example: having to use two potting stages - for example:
Propagation cube > 0.3 gal > 1 gal > 3 gal > 5 gal. Propagation cube > 0.3 gal > 5 gal.

036
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 GROWING MEDIA
Most growers using root-pruning containers are growing with potting soil and hand watering.
However, other growers are choosing to use clever containers for automated growing
applications—particularly drip irrigation systems. Growing media that are more prone
to drying out faster, like rockwool and clay pebbles, are much more suited to automated
irrigations.
Nearly all types of growing media are suitable for use in root-pruning containers, but we did
hear of one minor issue from growers using clay pebbles in Air-Pots in automated drip systems.
These growers are happy with the improved growth of their plants, but found that some of
the outward-pointing cones became blocked with pebbles when filling. They solved this by
tapping the sides of the pot and poking the obviously blocked holes.

GENERAL AIR-PRUNING TIPS

Air pruning can be applied to any stage of plant growth; however, most growers avoid
air-pruning roots of newly rooted cuttings or seedlings grown in small propagation cubes

EVEREST’s TOP TIPS or plugs. Cuttings and seedlings are quite tender stages of a plant’s life, so a sensible
approach would be to wait until the next propagation stage to begin air pruning: when
plants are growing in larger rock wool blocks or low volume root-pruning containers.

FILLING To help deal with over- and under-watering

issues, seasonal variations in climate should
be taken into consideration when choosing
The relative humidity of the air in the growing
environment will determine the severity of the
air pruning. In humid conditions, roots may stop

POTS: Top Tip

whenever filling pots with
growing media, be sure to tap
the sides and bang the bottom
of the pot on the floor. This
will help to settle the growing
media, preventing large gaps
or air pockets forming. Avoid
pushing and firming down the
growing media with your hands
as this will compact it.
the growing media or potting soil mix for short
cycle plants in air-pruning pots. During the
winter when average temperatures are lower,
the growing media can be lightened up with less
absorbent media like perlite, clay pebbles or
coarse coco chips. During summer when water
requirements increase, the mix can be made
heavier by reducing the previously mentioned
additives. These seasonal variations will help you
achieve the maximum potential when using air-
pruning techniques.
growing at the surface of the media and produce
secondary roots within the media, but the tips
may not completely dehydrate. Although we want
the roots to stop growing in response to contact
with drier air, we don’t want to stress the plants
by trying to grow them in an environment with
low humidity (below 50%). Experimenting with
different relative humidities for your species and
variety of plants and growing media is highly
recommended. Try varying the humidity between
55-80% to see it affects your air pruning.

038
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 Grow. Bloom. Harvest.
Dump all that media. Buy a load more.
And start all over again.
It’s a cycle that many of us, as indoor gardeners, are all
too familiar with. Whether you choose to grow in soil,
coco coir, rockwool, clay balls or soilless mix, chances
are, when the crop’s been chopped, invariably it’s back
to your local grow store to reload with fresh media.
However, it turns out that lots of indoor growers
(especially those growing short-cycle annuals) choose
a different route. They reuse their growing media! And
before you think this is just the preserve of penny-
pinching hippies, it turns out that it’s not all about
saving a few dollars – it could increase your yields too!
Aha, there we go … increased yields …
that’s all we needed to say, wasn’t it?

It’s worth pointing out that not all growing media

is suitable for re-use. So first, here’s what you REUSING MEDIA:
COCO COIR
should factor into your evaluation:
Structure stability Nutrient retention Practicality

Now let’s look at coco coir in these three terms.
Coco coir, as a soilless growing media, is usually a
mix dust and fiber, but some mixes can also
contain larger coir chips.
About the authors: Robert Hunt is the owner of Rocky Mountain
Hydroponics in Golden and Edwards, CO and of Evergreen Garden
Center in Portland, ME. Zac Ricciardi is the products trainer for Rocky
Mountain Hydroponics in CO.

1 Structure Stability 2 Nutrient Retention In the early days when coir

Good quality, buffered coco coir, will keep most of its
attributes throughout its useable life. However, the
structure of steam sterilized coco coir will degrade
faster than its un-cooked counterpart. For the
purpose of this discussion we will assume that the
coco coir is soft water washed, unpasteurized and
chemically buffered; this represents the majority
of coir available to hydroponic growers. Coco coir’s
miniature “sponges” will become misshaped and
smaller towards the end of their life, resulting in
less air space between particles and an overall
higher water holding capacity. Even though this is
a slow process, some adaptation in watering may
be required. After using coir for short cycle crops,
amendments with 10-20% fresh coir or perlite may
be required when being reused for the 3rd and
4th cycle. Care must be taken with the irrigation
regime and nutrient program to insure the coir has
an adequate life span. Principally, good watering
practices and monitoring run-off EC (keeping it
within optimal range) will permit seamless re-use.
Buffered coir remains relatively was first introduced into
chemically stable throughout its life, the hydroponic market,
particularly when used with a coco
coir specific nutrient; formulated to
the pre-treatment process
complement the unique cation exchange was overlooked. Young
properties of the media. Coco coir can be non-composted and non-
easily EC controlled by monitoring the
EC of the run-off. Watering with a low
buffered coir products were
EC nutrient solution will reduce its EC sold without instruction
without rinsing off the famous buffer. and many growers suffered
If plain water is used in excess, the coir
may be rendered chemically imbalanced major nutrient issues and
and may create problems in subsequent lost crops. Although these
culture. On the other hand, coir reacts
days are behind us, this
quickly to low EC rinse and thus it
requires much less run-off than peat initial introduction to coir
mixes. Unpasteurized coco coir is also a tarnished its reputation as
very hospitable substrate for its natural
beneficial fungal inhabitant trichoderma,
a quality growing media for
making it a very disease resistant and many years.
root protective growing medium.

040
 What is Coco Coir?
Grab some coco coir out of the bag and, at first glance, it looks like soil. But it isn’t. It’s actually a
bi-product comprised of the fibrous husk of … you guessed it … coconuts. From this husk three main
Fine horticultural coir products can be acquired; coir chips, coir fiber and coir pith/dust. The dust retains
Coco Dust water well while the fibers and chips help with air space and drainage. Many mixes and grades of coco
coir are on sale in grow stores, variations of coir media exist to suit the irrigation strategy or hydroponic
system of the grower. Coco coir dust is the major constituent of most coir products and is composed
of millions of capillary micro-sponges that absorb and hold up to nine times its own weight in water. It
has a natural pH of around 5.7 to 6.5, plus good a cation exchange capacity or ‘CEC’ (how easily it gives
up nutrients to the plant’s roots), making it ideal for hydroponic cultivation. Plants grown in coir can
develop large roots, stems and blooms. Unlike regular potting soil, which can easily become compacted,
Coarse
coco coir has plenty of air spaces for plant roots, giving rise to a healthy aerobic rhizosphere—essential
Coco Coir with
for favorable nutrient and water uptake. Coco coir has a naturally high lignin content which encourages
high fibre
favorable micro-organisms around the roots and discourages decomposition, making it an ideal growing
content
media for reuse.

Buffered and Non-Buffered Coco Coir

Coir coir in its natural state contains a lot of sodium ions, which cling to the coco coir like a magnet on
the cation exchange sites, and is also rich in potassium. In order to make coco coir suitable for use as a
growing media it must be pre-treated or ‘buffered’ before use. The buffering process involves pre-soaking
Coarse the coir for 12-24 hours with a buffering solution high in calcium; this displaces the sodium and balances
Coco Coir the naturally occurring potassium. After the soaking period the media is washed with water, this removes
with high chip the displaced sodium, leaving the calcium in the coir. This buffering process prevents unwanted draw
content down or ‘lockout’ of calcium and magnesium, and avoids sodium toxicity issues. Luckily for us home
growers, most pre-packaged coir products in grow stores are buffered at the point of manufacture and
will be ready to use, however; it doesn’t hurt to check the packaging before use!

3 Practicality Preparations and Conclusion

The widely held belief in the
gardening industry is that coir may
be used for up to one year, or three
to four crops for short cycle plants,
without any compromise on crop
quality. Others growers claim that
they have successfully re-used coir
for years. The amount of times
that coir cam be utilized ultimate
depends on the initial quality of the
coir and the steps taken to prepare
the media between each use. The
first thing that must be done is
the removal of dead cellulose e.g.
root matter left over from previous
crop. To remove the large roots
the coco coir can be broken up,
passed through a ¼ inch soil sieve
and larger roots can be discarded.
Enzyme products (e.g. CANNAZym,
Hygrozyme / Grozyme, or Multi
Zen) when applied in the latter
stages of the crops cycle will do a
sufficient job of cleaning up the
residual decaying material. It is not
advisable to have lots of dead roots
remaining in the media because
they can contribute to an anaerobic
(low oxygen) environment. Once
the root material has been disposed
of, coco coir should be flushed with
water or a low EC nutrient solution
to bring the nutrient levels back
down to an acceptable range.
Considerations
Once the media is ‘clean’, the
addition of beneficial microbes is
highly recommended. Coco is an
ideal environment for beneficial
bacteria and fungi, in particular,
the introduction of trichoderma
and mycorrhizal fungi will help
maintain good growth and disease
resistance. Inoculating coco coir
with beneficial fungi also has great
benefits when re-using the media, as
fungal colonies improve with time.
The deciding factor as to how long
coco may be reused is how far it has
decomposed naturally. Coir does
decompose when wet over a period
of time. Unfortunately, fungus gnats
thrive in the presence of decaying
organic matter, and coir is a perfect
environment for them. Making sure
that all the dead roots are removed,
the coir isn’t over-watered and a
using dry mulch of coir chips or clay
pebbles on the surface of the media
will all help to prevent fungus gnats.
Utilizing certain “drench” products
definitely controls gnat populations,
along with sticky traps and the
natural predator Hypoaspis miles.
IMPORTANT: You should not reuse coco
coir if you encountered any pathogenic
or root insect issues during a cycle.
Coco coir can often produce better results on the second
or third use; this can be due to a number of factors. Coir
can get better after the first successful crop because
there will be a stable balance of ions on the cation
exchange sites, leading to subsequent crops starting
life with an improved root environment. Another
reason growers often see improved results is due to the
beneficial microbes present in media, these take time
to develop and flourish; particularly mycorrhizae and
Trichoderma, which can reach much higher potentials
for growth improvement over longer time frames.
However, an alternate explanation might be that the
original coir coco was too young in decomposition first
time round and may have degraded in a favorable way
after reuse.
Crops that went through a flush period at the end of
a crop cycle fair better because salt levels are reduced
during the leaching process. Salts are constantly given
off by coco coir as it decomposes, mainly potassium and
sodium. Since the medium decomposes throughout
its life, this process is continuous. Washing the media
out well before planting should mitigate any negative
effects. Reusing coir that has not been flushed often
results in nutrient imbalance and over-fertilization
issues. However, it should be noted that the presence
of some of these ions is what buffers the coco. If you
lose this buffer you return to calcium and magnesium
lockout and pH issues of untreated coco.
In summary, coco has great potential as a reusable media,
but to what extent is dependent on the motivation of the
gardener. Should a gardener decide that the preceding
is too much trouble, coco may always be reused as a
soil improver for outdoor plants as well as a ‘brown’ high
carbon addition to compost piles.
042
 A Fish Called Fertilizer
Mention the words “fish fertilizer” and all too often growers are
holding their noses. Sure, some fish-based products stink, but
that’s not necessarily a bad thing! An aside—some growers
mistakenly believe that root feeding fish-based products to their
plants results in their produce tasting fishy! WRONG! But hey, these
are probably the same folks that buy those exotically flavored
flushing products expecting their tomatoes to taste like mangos!
Go figure…
Seriously, there has to be a
good reason why fish fertilizer
has been used for thousands
of years. So we called in
organic expert and gardener
extraordinaire Jeff Lowenfels
to give us the lowdown on the
various products available that
are derived from our aquatic
friends.
American kindergarteners are taught the
story of Squanto, a Native American who
showed the Plymouth Rock pilgrims how
to use fish to fertilize their corn plants.
Egyptian children learn about their
ancestors using fish to feed plants along
the Nile, and Peruvian youths are taught
that their pre-Columbian ancestors put a
kernel of corn into the mouth of a fish and
planted the whole thing.
My Grandfather, an avid gardener and
fisherman, was my Squanto. He taught me
to bury fish guts and too-bony-to-eat-fish
in the rose garden and beneath the tomato
plants. The results were outstanding. I’ve
been hooked, if you will pardon the pun,
on fish as great fertilizer ever since.
What is Fish Fertilizer?
Obviously, fish fertilizer is fertilizer
made from fish or fish parts. However,
not all fish fertilizers have the same
characteristics. In fact, there are actually “...not
“...not allall fish
fish
fertilizers
three different categories of fish fertilizer,
actually
actually three
three
different
so don’t just walk into a store and pick up
whatever is on the shelves without doing a store
a store and and
pick upup whatever
a bit of homework first. homework
homework first.”
first.”
044
Each category of fish fertilizer is made
using a different process and the products
that result contain varying amounts of
nutrients. There are also best uses and
special problems, so it is important to
know a bit about fish fertilizers before
you wade into the water (sorry, I can’t
help myself!) and start using them.
In sum, the three categories of fish
fertilizers are: fish meals, fish emulsions
and fish hydrolysates. Fish meals are made
by grinding fish carcasses after a heating
process has removed much of the oils.
Wastewater left over from making fish
meal can be concentrated to produce fish
emulsions. Finally, fish digested in vats
using enzymes instead of heat produces
fish fertilizers called hydrolysates.
What types of fish are
processed into Fish Fertilizer?
Virtually any kind of fish can be made
into a fertilizer. However, fish are usually
divided into two groups. The first are fish
harvested for human consumption. These
include tuna, salmon, catfish, halibut, bass,
anchovies and sardines. Fish processed
specifically to make products for plants
and animals make up the second group.
These include pollack, menhaden and
herring.
What are the advantages of Fish
Fertilizer?
Fish fertilizers have several advantages
over their chemical counterparts. First,
they can be totally organic with all the
benefits associated with improved soil
structure, increased microbial life and
better plant health. Second, fish fertilizers
don’t burn plants as readily as chemical
fertilizers. Fish fertilizers generally have
slower release rates and they don’t need
to be applied as often. Moreover, fish
fertilizers are not readily leached from
the soil, rather they are held in the bodies
of the microbes that turn then into plant
food. Finally, they often contain trace
nutrients not found in chemical formulas.
fertilizers
have
have thethe same
same characteristics.
characteristics. In In fact,
fact, there
there areare
different
categories
categories of of
fishfish fertilizer,
fertilizer, soso don’t
don’t just
just walk
walk into
into
pick
whatever is on
is on thethe shelves
shelves without
without doing
doing a bit
a bit of of

Hydrolysates contain all of the fish
oils (Top Circle).
American kindergarteners are taught
the story of Squanto, a Native American
who showed the Plymouth Rock pilgrims
how to use fish to fertilize their corn
plants (Bottom Circle).
“Fish fertilizers generally
have slower release rates and
they don’t need to be applied
as often.”
Characteristics of Fish Fertilizer
The characteristics of a fish fertilizer are
based on the way it is processed as well
as what is in the fish used. Processing
methods are either listed on the label
or implied by the name of the kind of
fertilizer.
Fish Hydrolysates
These fish fertilizers are made from whole
fresh fish, or fresh fish scraps, which are
digested using special enzymes that break
down the large proteins in fish meat and
bones. Enzymatic digestion is known as
hydrolysis, hence the name hydrolysates
for the liquid mixtures that result. These
liquids are like thick fishy milkshakes.
Phosphoric acid is added to the mixtures
to halt the digestion process. As a result,
the pH of hydrolysates is usually lower
than other kinds of fish fertilizers. Also
they don’t smell nearly as bad.
Generally, fish hydrolysates have an
NPK analysis around 2:3:0, 2:4:1 or 2:5:0.
Because no heat is involved in making the
fertilizer, and nothing is removed from
the fish, hydrolysates contain more of a
fish’s proteins, hormones, trace elements
and vitamins than do other kinds of fish
fertilizers. Application requires dilution
to about five or six teaspoons per gallon of
water. Fish hydrolysates can be used in all
stages of growing.
Finally, unlike the other two kinds
of fertilizers, hydrolysates contain all
of the fish oils. These oils are excellent
beneficial fungal foods, which make fish
hydrolysates a good nutrient source for
maintaining and increasing soil fungal
populations.
The word “fish” can refer
to both a single fish or plural
when referring to fish in
general or to a quantity of
fish of the same kind; the
word “fishes” is a special
kind of plural used to refer to
a quantity of various types
of fish.
Fish meal is a good soil
conditioner for use early
in the outdoor growing
season—it’s ideal in new
vegetable or flower beds
because it will help root
development. Although
most fish-meal fertilizers
will last for 6-8 months,
most of the benefits are
realized in the first few
months.
The nitrogen contained
in fish emulsion is released
more gradually than in
many other non-fish-based
fertilizers.
Hydrolyzed fish is widely
considered to be the “high-
end” fish fertilizer product.
It doesn’t have a highly
objectionable odor like
fish emulsion and it’s also
highly water-soluble, so it’s
great for drippers and foliar
applications. It also contains
higher levels of phosphorus
than fish emulsion products.
Fish themselves
naturally contain about
2.3% nitrogen. However,
some fish emulsion
products contain synthetic
sources of nitrogen, such
as urea, to boost the
nitrogen percentage. Be
sure to check with the
manufacturer to find out if
their fish emulsion product
is comprised only of organic
inputs.
 Fish Meals
Fish is often heated to remove fats and
oils to use in various products. The lean
carcasses that remain are ground up
into a meal and sprayed with phosphoric
or sulfuric acid for stabilization and
deodorization. Unlike hydrolysates and
emulsions, fish meals are not liquid. They
have more protein than emulsions, but
less than hydrolysates.
Fish meals usually have an NPK
analysis around 10:6:2 or 12:6:2. The high
nitrogen obviously makes them good for
vegetative growth and the relatively high
phosphorus content makes fish meals
good for root development, too. The down
side is that fish meals have a strong odor.
Fish meals are granular or powder in
form, and are usually applied at a rate
of 5 to 10 pounds per 100 square feet.
They continue to smell for a few days
and are therefore usually buried into the
root zone. They are not recommended
for indoor use because of their odor, but
if you can stand the smell, they can be
mixed into soils where they act as a slow
release fertilizer.
Fish Emulsions
After oils, fats and proteins are removed
from fish, a liquid slurry is all that
remains. This slurry can be concentrated
by evaporating up to half of its liquid,
resulting in a syrupy emulsion suitable for
use as a fertilizer. Some phosphoric acid
is added to stabilize and deodorize things.
This lowers the pH of the emulsions, which
is still not as low as that of hydrolysates.
The cooking segment of the fish
emulsion manufacturing process destroys
a lot of the fish “goodies” such as the
vitamins and hormones so useful to
plants and microbes. There is much less
protein in emulsions, and fewer solids, but
the upside is that fish emulsion is more
soluble than other fish fertilizers and
cheaper, too.
Fish emulsions have an NPK analysis of
5:2:2 or 5:1:1, even though they are known
for their micronutrient content. As the
most soluble fish fertilizers, they are good
for foliar feeding.
The fish used to make emulsions are
usually “trash” fish, which are harvested
only for this purpose and not for
046
Common objections to, and prejudices against, fish fertilizers.
There are some basic objections to using fish fertilizers, which may help you decide
to use one versus another.
It Stinks! Toxins Sustainability
One of the biggest Adding to the problems No one should ever buy
concerns about using caused by high fish fertilizer made from
some fish fertilizers is concentrations of chlorine endangered or depleted
their smell. Fish meals, in the steam water used to fish stocks and some argue
for example, smell cook some fish fertilizers that there are good reasons
horrendously. The odor are the existence of not to buy any fish fertilizer
goes away after a few days other toxins. Some fish made from “trash” fish. For
but using the stuff inside fertilizers contain heavy the most conscientious
might be problematic, even metals like mercury, which growers, only waste fish
for those growers with the are found in fish living at and fish wastes from
largest carbon filters! the top of food chains. human consumed fish are
Concentrating solutions acceptable. Again, a little
Fish emulsions can when making emulsions snooping around on the
also have a strong, also concentrates these Internet can provide you with
offensive odor even when toxins. However, these the valuable information
deodorizing agents are fertilizers may still be fine needed to make a rational
added to them. Generally, for inedible plants. purchasing decision.
hydrolysates have much
less, if any, offensive odor. Unfortunately, the In this day and age, there
amount of toxins in a are other sustainability
While humans may take fish fertilizer is not going considerations. Packaging,
offense to the smells of to be listed on the label. energy resources spent
fish meals and emulsions, However, you can look up on processing and
many pets and pests find individual fertilizers—to transportation, as well
the odor attractive. Cats, determine any heavy as additives used are all
dogs and raccoons love metal content—on a great inputs to making a choice
to eat fishmeal and some website maintained by as to which category or
dogs like to roll in it. If the Washington State brand of fish fertilizer to
you are concerned about Department of Agriculture, purchase. Again, a little
animals disturbing your http://agr.wa.gov/ research is worth it in terms
plants, take protective PestFert/Fertilizers/ of environmental, plant and
action. FertDB/Product1.aspx. human health.
consumption by humans. They often Application rates of fish emulsions
contain toxics. Menhaden, for example, generally run about five or six tablespoons
spend part of their lives in waters that per gallon of water. Fish emulsions are
are heavily polluted with metals. Some often used in mixtures made up of kelps,
freshwater fish that can’t be eaten other seaweeds and crab shells. They
because they are polluted are also often sometimes contain additional materials to
processed into fish emulsions. raise the NPK. These may not be bad, but
Moreover, if the steam employed to you need to take into account what they
strip oils from the fish is from a municipal provide before using these fish fertilizers
source, it usually contains chlorine. When on your plants.
the final liquid is concentrated, so is the
chlorine—reportedly up to as much as
50%. Chlorine can be harmful to plants “Application rates of fish
and beneficial soil microbes, so you might
emulsions generally run about five
want to review product material safety
data sheet reports to make sure what you or six tablespoons per gallon of
buy isn’t too loaded with chlorine. water.”
 “The cooking segment of the fish emulsion manufacturing Fish meals, too, support loads of microbial
activity. They contain tremendous
process destroys a lot of the fish “goodies” such as the vitamins and amounts of protein and are great foods for
hormones so useful to plants and microbes.” bacteria, and annuals and vegetables that
prefer a bacterial dominance in their soil.
Covered with bacteria, fishmeal added to
Suitability for hydroponics and foliar applications a compost pile gets the pile cooking due to
its high microbial metabolism. In addition,
Fish emulsions and fish hydrolysates can be used in hydroponics systems because they
flies (and their larvae) love it, which in
are liquid in form. Emulsions are more soluble and some of their nutrients are plant
turn attracts other members of the soil
useable without beneficial microbiology, but both work best in organic systems with
food web.
microbes. Odor is a concern, especially with emulsions, and toxins may be as well. If you
use a filter in your system, fish hydrolysates may need straining to prevent clogging the
filter’s fine mesh screen. Fish Fertilizers:
All of the major hydroponics companies sell fish based hydroponics fertilizers. They Be an educated consumer
also supply lots of information to promote them, but read labels carefully and fish (ouch!)
for the necessary information to make an informed decision. You can also request MSDS Not all products sold as fish fertilizers are
(material safety data sheets) from these companies. made just from fish. Some contain non-
fish additives as previously mentioned—
Fish fertilizers as a catalyst for beneficial biology primarily seaweed and crab shell. The
seaweeds are full of micronutrients,
Organic fish fertilizers excel at supporting the microbe herd that is at the base of the soil auxins and cytokinins; crab shells
food web. They all provide some NPK and most, at least those made from sea fish, also provide chitin found in the cell walls of
provide trace elements, micronutrients and other good stuff. fungi. Sometimes, however, non-organic
Fish hydrolysates, in particular, come about as close to duplicating the practice materials are added to boost NPK, so
of burying a whole fish. Only the hydrolysis process makes the fish more available to always read the labels on fish fertilizers.
microbes, breaking down large molecules into tiny ones. Microbes can and do happily
feed off the organic matter and proteins from the meat and guts. Calcium from the fish “No one should ever buy fish
bones is also retained in hydrolysates. And, as noted, the oils in hydrosylates make great
fungal food for those plants that prefer fungal dominated soils: perennials, trees and
fertilizer made from endangered
shrubs. For this reason, hydrolysates make great fungal food for compost teas. or depleted fish stocks... a little
research is worth it in terms of
environmental, plant and human
health.”
The right fish fertilizers, or combinations
thereof, can be great for your plants. Fish
hydrolysates provide more nutrients and
vitamins, hormones and micronutrients.
Fish meals are slower acting, more
suitable for outdoor use and larger areas.
Fish emulsions are ideal for quick-acting
foliar sprays.
However, while fish fertilizers can be
extremely useful, do your homework
before buying. Research the web, read
labels and know what to ask for and you
won’t go wrong.

Words: Jeff Lowenfels - author of the best selling

gardening book “Teaming With Microbes: The
Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web”
from Timber Press.

Got a fishy fertilizer tale you wish to share?

Email us at rant@urbangardenmagazine.com or
post it for all to see on our website, or Facebook
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 ORGANIC
GROWING
INDOORS Q&A
WORDS: Simon Hart
Prior to Urban Garden’s Grow Expo, in Los Angeles
last year, I was given the opportunity to talk
about organics on the presenters’ stage. As an organic
enthusiast I accepted the opportunity, and decided to
solicit composite questions from readers about organics.
The following questions are simple, yet their answers can be complex as
most relate to microbiology. That, in itself, demonstrates the first rule of organics,
especially as it relates to micro flora and fauna. We are only scratching the surface
of understanding. Even the most complex and cutting-edge technologies our industry
promotes appear unsophisticated and heavy-handed when compared to the nearly
incomprehensible biological synergy that exists within functioning ecosystems.

The last slide of my presentation simply stated: Experiment and observe. If

you are considering organics and microbiology, your garden is cutting-edge. Can I use organic nutrients in
You could be doing a combination of things that have not been used together a soilless mix? Can I cultivate
before. When you make a change in your garden, enjoy the experiment but beneficial microorganisms in
always observe. A solution is not an answer if you can’t replicate it. this medium?
Organic nutrients
Can you use organics and mineral based nutients together? can work well in
Do hydro-style nutrients damage microbiology? soilless media. If you
are using a powder
It is possible to use organics with mineral-based products. In or granular option
fact, there are many “hybrid” products within the marketplace try and premix it
already. Organic acids such as humates can provide substantial with your medium.
benefits to synthetic forms of nutrients. Stimulants such as Also, consider
kelp and yucca—among others—have also found their way into charging it with
many products. Clearly organic enhancements to mineral-based some useful beneficial organisms and
programs can provide benefits, though it is up to the gardeners to some enzymes to begin the decomposition
test what works in their own situations. process. If you can’t mix with your medium
When it comes to biology in your indoor garden, mineral-based nutrients can cause because your plants are already rooted,
issues. Soluble phosphorus can inhibit many strains of mycorrhizae, while abundant consider using an organic liquid, which
nitrogen will cause nitrogen-fixing bacteria to become dormant. would include digested nutrients and
There are many instances where mineral-based nutrients can damage biology; in would have a higher initial availability.
this case your indoor garden is no different than conventional agriculture. Remember Using the premix and then adding in
that in an indoor garden, biological stimulants are a temporary adjustment, whereas in liquids is a great way to get the best
nature they’re in an omnipresent relationship, which builds and diversifies over time. results out of organics indoors. You can
You’ll never duplicate that relationship, so use biological stimulants as temporary and cultivate microbes in a soilless medium
specific beneficial substances instead. but it is difficult to find balance and
ensure long-term survival. Use biology
as you would any other supplement—as
You can cultivate microbes in a soilless medium but it a short-term beneficial substance. Pick a
is difficult to find balance and ensure long-term survival. biological option for a specific need and
give your medium as heavy an application
Use biology as you would any other supplement— as necessary.
as a short-term beneficial substance.
050

What is the difference
between fungi and
bacteria?
They are both
exceptionally
important in the
ecosystem, being
part of the trophic
layer related to
decomposition,
however they are
quite different.
Bacteria are unicellular organisms that
can rapidly colonize localized areas
in soils. Fungi are multi-cellular and
slower growing so apply them as soon as
possible. What’s more, bacteria can thrive
in disturbed soils, but generally fungi
can’t as soil disturbances interfere with
their mycelia networks. In many cases
bacteria and fungi compete, but they can
both exist together in a balanced system.
Both types of organisms secrete various
byproducts such as organic acids that can
be exceptionally beneficial to your plants.
As with any microbial option, be sure to
understand why you are choosing and
applying the organism you have selected
for use.
Should I use carbohydrates
to feed my beneficial?
How can carbs help plants?
Feeding beneficials
with simple sugars
sounds good in
theory but in
practice it can cause
headaches. When
bacteria are exposed
to high levels of
sugar they begin
to frenzy (a desired effect within a high
oxygen aerobic compost tea system). The
unfortunate problem with this activity is
that most beneficial bacteria are aerobic.
Aerobic organisms use oxygen during
activity. In the root zone where oxygen
levels are at a premium, does this type of
stimulation make sense or could it lead
to anaerobic conditions? Not to suggest
the abandonment of a carbohydrate
supplement, simply be aware that this
reaction can have a negative effect on
plant roots and cause a proliferation of
pathenogenic microbes stimulated by
the lack of oxygen. Sometimes a little is
better than a lot. To benefit microbes,
consider insoluble humates or substances
like Biochar as more persistent sources of
carbon.
Carbohydrates can help plants but
“carbs” come in many forms. Once again,
testing is the easiest way to determine if
there is a desirable benefit—such as an
increase in yield.
Can one type of beneficial
be too aggressive and will it
crowd out other species?
Isn’t it all about variety?
In a natural system,
biodiversity is
the essence of
life. The soil food
web is sometimes
presented in a
simple chart—
an effective
learning tool but
an over simplification. The reality is we
understand a fraction of the activity that
occurs in soil and have identified only a
small portion of the organisms that thrive
there. In an indoor garden, no matter how
talented the grower, it would be sheer
arrogance to suggest he has the definitive
answer to balancing a complex system of
beneficial microbes.
Our approach is more hit and miss.
Many microbes will not have the required
soil conditions to thrive and will die
out quickly, whereas some might like
the conditions and dominate the root
zone. You can only hope that the ones
that dominate are beneficial. Be sure to
understand the effect of your chosen
microbes and apply them frequently to
ensure some viable colony exists in your
medium. Remember that bacteria can
colonize more quickly than most types
of beneficial fungi so it’s easier to find
benefits from bacteria in short-cycled
annual crops. In nature most established
ecosystems are usually fungal dominated,
however these systems have evolved and
been left to mature for exceptionally long
periods of time.
When it comes to biology
in your indoor garden,
mineral-based nutrients
can cause issues.
 Can mycorrhizae thrive
in a water system? Do I need
endo- and ecto- varieties?
We are only just
beginning to
understand this
350 million year-old
relationship. What
we do understand
does question the
benefit of adding
a product like this in the absence of soil
or media to colonize. The main functions
that we understand about mycorrhizae
at this point are the absorption of
hygroscopic water which would be
unavailable to plants in the absence of
their fungal partners, and the exceptional
ability of these fungi to acid-mine various
minerals that are hard for the plants to
access, which includes phosphorus and
several micronutrients.
Look at a water system in regards to
these two main benefits. The constant
supply of water over the roots seems to
contradict the necessity of these fungi
accessing water that plant roots just can’t
find. Most gardeners are supplying soluble
mineral salts and chelated micronutrients
to their water systems so the fungi are
rendered ineffective for this purpose
as well. In fact if soluble phosphorus is
applied at more than 25 ppm in solution,
the colonization of the mycelium network
is inhibited. If you were to be gardening
in a soilless media with organic nutrients,
then the mycorrhizae would surely be
more beneficial with the introduction of
hard-to-access water within the medium
and also organic nutrients that needed
to be broken down—rock phosphate, for
example.
It is possible mycorrhizae could create a
biofilm around the rhizosphere in a water-
based system and that they could provide
benefits outside of the two major points
we understand. Remember we have a very
limited knowledge of the scope of this
relationship. More research is required to
get a better understanding and you can
always experiment in your own garden.
Now, that is cutting-edge!
052
A quality compost tea blend is an excellent biological
inoculant and, in some cases, could be effective as a foliar
spray for disease prevention.
Endo- and ecto-mycorrhizae varieties
as they relate to the indoor garden has
always been a difficult concept for me. I
enjoy learning and for all of the science I
have reviewed I still can’t understand why
someone would add ecto-mycorrhizal
fungi into a water system growing annual
plants. I pursued the issue with several
experts who reaffirmed my thinking
on the subject. Unless you are growing
conifers or some deciduous trees you
really have absolutely no use for ecto-
fungi varieties in your indoor garden.
You get way more colony forming units
per gram with ecto than you do endo,
but at least the lower number of endo are
actually doing something for your plants.
Most blends that have both are designed
for nursery growers so they can just use
one product for all of the plants that
respond to endo- and ecto-mycorrhizae.
This is an important feature for a time and
cost sensitive diverse nursery operation;
however, remember the concept of
biofilms and the limited understanding
we have of these organisms. Perhaps there
is a positive relationship to adding ecto-
varieties unrelated to the observed and
validated associations. I can never stress
enough that if you observe a difference
in your garden from the addition of a
component try and find a reason, and keep
using that product!
What are the benchmarks
for a good quality compost
tea and what are the scope
and limits of its use?
There are several
professional
organizations that
provide standards
and testing for
microbial diversity
in compost tea. If
you are serious
about this beneficial organic option be
sure to get your solution tested so you
can be sure it truly is beneficial. There
is clearly no way to visually assess a
compost tea and if it is untested you
will have no idea what is going into
your soil. A quality compost tea blend
is an excellent biological inoculant
and in some cases could be effective as
a foliar spray for disease prevention.
Note: it is far easier to amplify bacterial
populations in a short-cycled compost
tea brewer, but you can still charge your
medium with many other soil dwelling
organisms when applying your brew.
 You Can’t Afford to
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In Deep:
Expert
Q&A on
Microbes,
Compost
& Organic
Nutrients
Dr. Carole Ann Rollins
quizzes Dr. Elaine Ingham
on harnessing the power
of microbes, compost
and organic nutrients.
If you really want to learn about
organic growing, why not pick
the brains of world-renowned
experts — if you get the chance!
Turns out, you’re in luck!
Recently we were fortunate
enough to be able to eavesdrop
on some highly enlightening
Q&A sessions between two PhD
wielding friends of ours, Drs.
Carole Ann Rollins and Elaine
Ingham.
The insights revealed will blow
your mind and can be put to good
use in your garden today!
Make sure you check this out!
056
CAROLE: Can you explain in simple
terms how a plant goes about obtaining
the different nutrients it requires from
the soil in a regular outdoor setting?
ELAINE: In different parts of a growing
Plant - Microbe Interaction
cycle a plant needs different nutrients,
It’s all about teamwork! Plant roots exude
so the plant sends out food to certain
carbohydrates for microbes to feed on.
microbes that it “knows” (a process of
In return, microbes break down organic
selection that has happened over the
materials into plant accessible nutrients.
course of millennia) will result in the
nutrients it needs being made available at
that particular time of its growing cycle.
A plant feeds the organisms it needs,
changing pH by altering fungal or bacterial
foods to grow bacteria or fungi, thus
producing the pH it needs to have more or
less of this or that nutrient solubilized by
bacteria or fungi. The increased bacteria
and fungal populations then attract
protozoa, nematodes, microarthropods
and/or earthworms to eat those bacteria
and fungi. So, the right nutrients, in
the right amounts are released in the
right place, i.e., right around the roots.
A plant is in control of its own nutrient
requirements, and it knows, way better
than people do, what it needs.
CAROLE: Okay, let’s say a plant needs
more nitrate, which requires alkaline
conditions to be made. What will the
plant do in order to get more nitrate
around its roots?
ELAINE: The plant puts out the exudates
(sugars) that will encourage the bacteria
that produce alkaline byproducts in order
to make sure the pH shifts to alkaline. The
plant then feeds the particular foods to
stimulate the nitrifying bacteria, which
make the enzymes take the hydrogen ions
from the ammonium molecule, so nitrate
is made in a two-step process.
CAROLE: So you’re saying that the
microbiology around roots actually
relies on food from the plant?
ELAINE: Pretty much all organisms
around roots rely on the plant for food in
one way or another. Additional foods that
Compost Process
help supplement what a plant directly
provides is contained in general organic In nature, nothing is wasted! Organic matter
matter. (leaves, flowers, fruits, stems) decays back
into the soil and enriches it with nutrients for
CAROLE: Why do we apply compost or the next generation. Life goes on...
compost tea then?
ELAINE: To supply the organisms that are
missing from your soil or plant surfaces,
and to add additional foods so those
organisms have something to eat when a
plant isn’t specifically feeding them

CAROLE: So is it a good idea to feed

the organisms in a compost before you
spread the compost or make it into
compost tea?
ELAINE: You would want to feed a
compost so the balance you need between
the organisms is right. Part of the trick is
to look at what is currently in your soil,
and then make sure that the compost and/
or tea contains the missing organisms.
The compost doesn’t need to supply all
the organisms. It just needs to supply
the missing ones. Diversity in compost is
probably more important than getting the
balance in the compost adjusted perfectly
for your plants. The fine adjustments
of balance will happen in your soil. Just
make sure the plants you are growing are
the ones you want, and not plants that
grow because the nutrient concentrations
are all out of whack, and set for weed
growth, and not crop growth.
A plant will fine-tune balance of species,
or function, if it has the organisms that
do the various things it needs. Thus,
diversity is a really important thing
for growers to focus on and maintain,
along with keeping a soil habitat aerobic.
It is easier to increase the organisms
missing in your soil by adding compost
than to try to add the specific foods or
mineral nutrients to the soil and hope
they get to where you need them to be
to help your plant. REMEMBER: Organic
matter is plant material that has partly
decomposed. All nutrients except carbon
are therefore concentrated as compared
to the original plant material, as long as
the process remained aerobic. Properly
made compost should therefore contain
all the nutrients a plant needs, in higher
concentrations than the plant actually
needs. The limitation in most soils is the
lack of organisms to do the work of cycling
nutrients from plant not-available forms
to plant available forms.

“Part of the trick is to look at

what is currently in your soil,
and then make sure that the
compost and/or tea contains
the missing organisms.”

CAROLE: Is it the case that soils growing
plants that are diseased, or that show
signs of lack of nutrition, just need a
boost with the balance of organisms?
Would it be safe to say that organic
fertilizer is not needed in soils if you’re
applying good quality compost before
planting?
ELAINE: You should add any organism
group to the soil that is lacking in
diversity or balance, or is below the
minimum thresholds to produce adequate
yields. How many bacterial or fungal
species, or foods, or protozoa, or beneficial
nematodes are needed? First, assess
these groups in your soil to determine
what is lacking. (For more information
on identifying beneficial microbiology
see Urban Garden Magazine Issue 6, pp.
62–65.) Check the balance of bacteria and
fungi in the soil, and then in the compost.
Enhance your compost by adding the
microbe groups that are currently too
low in biomass, activity or diversity. Then
apply that compost, and check, about two
weeks after application, that the life in the
soil is changing in a beneficial direction.
Compost is classified by some people as
an organic fertilizer. But possibly we need
to use that term fertilizer with a degree of
care. To many people, the term fertilizer
implies inorganic, salt forms of nutrients.
To others, fertilizer means anything that
benefits plant growth. The question being
asked might actually be whether any
other form of amendment is needed if the
compost being used is good compost and
provides the nutrients and biology the
soil needs. The answer would be, no other
amendment would be needed, other than
the plant residues that will grow.
But, if a compost is lacking something,
then other amendments would be needed.
Those other materials, like microbial
inoculants, humic acids, kelp, green sand,
etc. might be needed if the compost isn’t
really up to par.
CAROLE: So if we add food to a compost
to get more organisms growing, what
exactly is compost?
ELAINE: Compost is a mix of plant
materials, the more kinds the better
because then more of the foods needed
to grow a huge diversity of microbes
will be present, and the organisms that
decompose that plant material. Where
058
do the organisms come from in compost?
They were on the surfaces of the plant
material the pile was made from, so again,
the more types of plant materials added,
the greater the diversity of organisms in
the pile.
CAROLE: Would you class kelp as an
organic fertilizer?
ELAINE: Kelp is plant material from the
sea, that has been dried and ground up.
Kelp has not been through the composting
process so it cannot be labeled compost
in any way, but it contains many plant
nutrients—whatever was in the kelp
as it was growing. Thus it is an organic
fertilizer as long as we do not limit the
definition of fertilizer to inorganic salt
forms.
CAROLE: How do we make the nutrients
in kelp available to the plant?
ELAINE: Bacteria and fungi would
need to grow on the plant material (i.e.,
decomposition must occur), the bacteria
and fungi have to be eaten by protozoa,
nematodes and microarthropods in
order to release the nutrients in a plant
usable form. That’s what is going on in a
composting process. Kelp is plant material
used because it contains high levels of
certain nutrients.
CAROLE: Do bacteria or fungi convert or
release any nutrients directly without
being eaten by protozoa or nematodes?
ELAINE: Care must be taken with the
word, “release.” What is really meant?
Release would require that the organism
take up the nutrients into the biomass of
the organism, and then process to release
those nutrients in a different form.
When enzymes alter substances outside
the body of the microbe, real uptake is
not performed, and thus release is not
involved.
Consider Carbon to Nitrogen ratios
(C:N). Bacteria (C:N around 5:1) have to
concentrate N because they consume, or
eat things that have a wider C:N, say on
average around 30:1. Bacteria therefore
cannot release any N, they have to hold
onto all of it, or they would die from too
low N levels. Presumably, to the best
of our knowledge, the same is true for
P, K, S, Ca, etc. Bacteria have to hold all
other nutrients except of C, because all
their food resources are too high in C, or
too low in other nutrients. Given that
bacterial enzymes are much, much better
than fungal enzymes for competing for
the simple, easy-to-use substrates or
foods, fungi get stuck having to make
do with the wider C:N ratio foods, like
wood, sawdust, corn cobs, standing dead
grass material. That means they too do
not release any nutrient on their own,
they must concentrate it. Fungal foods
generally have a C:N of 100:1 or higher,
while a fungal biomass has 20:1. there’s
no release from fungi or bacteria on their
own. They are retainers, holders and
“sequesterers” of nutrients.
CAROLE: Do fungi release any Nitrogen?
ELAINE: No, fungi are retainers of
nutrients, even carbon, because they leave
carbon behind in their hyphae, rather like
railroad tracks, which the fungi can re-use
if they need. This is unlike bacteria, which
release copious amounts of carbon as
CO2. Bacteria are the real problem when
we look at elevated carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. Humans have enhanced so
many bacterial decomposition processes,
to the detriment of fungal decomposition,
that the imbalances are even being seen in
the atmosphere of the planet.
CAROLE: Humic acid is a good fungal
food, does it therefore have a C:N of
100:1?
ELAINE: Some humic acid products have
a C:N around 30:1, mainly because of the
perception that the only way to grow
plants is to add the inorganic forms of N
the plant needs. As soon as people realize
this is only necessary if the nutrient-
cycling life in the soil has been destroyed—
by tillage, toxic chemicals, a lack of adding
foods for the microbes back into the soil—
then people will get off the kick of adding
inorganic salts to everything. Humic acid
should have C:N ratios more in the 60:1,
or 150:1 to 200:1 ratio, because humics are
made of long, long, long chains of carbon,
with long side chains of mostly carbon,
many ring structures, and unusual bonds.
Humics are highly condensed, with many,
many branches and complex binding
within the molecule.
CAROLE: What about sea kelp?
ELAINE: The first flush of kelp growth
after a dormant period has a high
concentration of N, around a C:N of 10:1.
As that first flush is diluted by photosynthesis which
proceeds rapidly, the GREEN plant material has a C:N of
30:1. Kelp, if harvested green has a C:N around 30:1 like any
other plant. If harvested after it becomes dormant, then the
“standing dead” material, which easily breaks off and washes
up on shore, will have a C:N upwards of 150 to 200.

CAROLE: What happens if the kelps dries? Will the plant

material lose any nutrient content?
ELAINE: If the drying process is rapid, within a few hours to
days, and stays aerobic through that whole process (no loss of
nutrients by volatilization), it should not lose any nutrients
except water... Distinguish drying from burning to make
charcoal, for example, which is a totally different process.

About the Authors

Dr. Elaine Ingham

Dr. Elaine Ingham is President of Soil Foodweb Inc, an
international laboratory system that assesses the balance
of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and mycorrhizal
fungi in all materials. The major emphasis of her work is to
return health to soil, so that natural nutrient cycling and
disease suppression mechanisms are present, allowing
desired plants to grow without requiring use of pesticides
or inorganic fertilizers.

Contact Info: Sustainable Studies

Institute, 1750 S.W. 3rd St., Suite C,
Corvallis, OR 97330, 541-752-5066
Website Address:
www.sustainablestudies.org
Email Address:
info@sustainablestudies.org

Dr. Carole Ann Rollins

Dr. Carole Ann Rollins is co-owner with her husband of
Nature Technologies International LLC located in Novato,
California, which produces organic alternatives to toxic pes-
ticides and synthetic fertilizers: Nature’s Solution brand of
compost tea, ancient humate, sea kelp, mycorrhizae, worm
castings, compost tea brewers, solution ingredients, and
books. She has co-authored and compiled several books,
manuals, posters and articles with Dr. Elaine Ingham.

Contact Info: Nature’s Solution, P.O.

Box 1519. Novato, CA 94948, 415-
898-5895
Website Address:
www.nature-technologies.com
Email Address:
naturetech@earthlink.net

THE WORLD OF
WORMS
Let’s hear it for worms! They not only help to increase the amount of
air and water that gets into the soil, but they also play a key part in
breaking down organic matter into forms that plants can use as food.
And even if that weren’t enough, they
also leave behind castings (worm poop)
that rank as one of the most highly
prized fertilizers on the planet. Ask any
seasoned organic grower (indoors or
outdoors) and they’ll tell you that worm
castings are where it’s all at. But why are
they so special and what are the metrics
of quality?
We decided it was about time we
learnt more about worms and the rich,
wholesome, soil enriching castings they
produce so we brought in seasoned
vermiculture expert, Larry Martin, to
bring us up to speed on Mother Nature’s
soil workers.
There are over 7,000 species of worms,
but only two species, the Redworms
(Eisenia fetida) and the European
Nightcrawler (Eisenia hortensis) are
widely used in vermiculture—farming
worms and harvesting their castings and
vermicomposting - using worms to create
060
Redworm Habitats
The redworm’s native habitat is on open
grassland, especially where there is plenty
of animal manure for them to feed on. You
will find these worms in great numbers on
farmlands, particularly around animal
pens and manure piles. The anaerobic
bacteria in their manure is what gives
it that distinctively unpleasant smell!
The worms consume and aerate the
manure, thus reducing the odor. They
are top feeders that are found in the top
6-8 inches of the soil. Farmers that use
pesticides will have very few worms and
a very smelly farm.
Euro Habitats
The Euros native habitat is the forested
areas of Hungary, but they are now found
in other areas of Europe and the USA.
In Europe, due to their forest dwelling
attributes, they are also known as the
‘leaf worm’, consuming the leaf litter and
animal waste on the floor of the forests.
They burrow much deeper than redworms
and can be found up to three feet beneath
the soil surface.
These two earthworms have a lot in
common and can be raised together for
home use in vermicomposting bins (more
on that later). It’s preferable to raise them
separately if the excess worms will be
sold.
compost out of organic waste.
The Euros are a larger and tougher
If you want to breed your own worms
worm, which makes them a great worm
and create your own worm castings the
for fishing as well as for vermicomposting
first thing you need to do is look at your
and gardening. The redworms breed
chosen species of worm’s native habitat to
quickly and produce more offspring
get a good idea how they might function in
than Euros but, pound for pound, Euros
a worm growing operation. Redworms and
consume more organic matter than
Euros are from the same genus and share a
redworms.
lot of the same traits, but they are actually
different species.
“A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish
that hath fed of that worm.” - William Shakespeare
Worm Species
Reds: Common names for the Eisenia fetida
are redworms, red wigglers, manure worm and
composting worm.
Euros: Common names for Eisenia hortensis
include Euros, European Nightcrawler, ENC,
Dendros and Big Reds.
How Worms Work Vermicompost and through the worm.
Worm Castings (aka ‘worm humus,’
Worm Castings - Know The ‘worm manure’ and ‘vermicasts’) are
Earthworms have no teeth, but daily Difference! literally worm poop that has been
they consume their own weight in
maturity. separated from vermicompost by passing
decomposing organic matter and micro-
The vermicomposting process greatly it through a 1/8th inch screen. All of
organisms, from which they derive their
reduces the volume of material in the the organic matter that has not passed
nutrients. The crop and gizzards help
finished product. For example, 20 cubic through the worm is removed, leaving
breakdown their food, and astonishingly,
yards of compost or compostable organic just worm castings.
worms have five hearts to pump blood
matter processed through the worm A really good Vermicompost will
throughout their body. Worms breathe
would reduce the volume to between 10 contain 40 to 60% pure worm castings,
through their skin and must live in a
and two cubic yards of a much denser but many products out there contain
moist environment. As organic matter
finished product – Vermicompost, not significantly less. Much like thermal
passes through a worm’s intestines, it
pure worm castings. So what actually is compost, vermicompost is a highly
becomes inoculated with many more
the difference between vermicompost and variable product. Some manufacturers
micro-organisms.
worm castings? add pure worm castings to cured
A worm ‘cast’ is produced after a worm
Vermicompost is the end product of compost, this is slightly different and
feeds. This worm poop is rich in nutrients
adding worms to decaying plant debris to is called a blend. The advantage of a
and beneficial soil bacteria. On the way
speed up the process of breaking down the blend is that you know the percentage
through the worm’s body, the calciferous
organic matter (compost). After removing of both the castings and the compost
gland coats each tiny casting with
the worms from the process, what remains that is being purchased. As with any
different thicknesses of calcium that are
is the vermicompost. Vermicompost will product, it’s always advisable to do some
readily available for the plants to uptake.
have typically not been screened and not research before buying vermicompost to
It is the multiple layers of calcium that
all of the organic material will have passed ensure you are purchasing a good quality,
make worm castings a sustainable slow
effective product.
release fertilizer. This encapsulates
all the plant nutrients and micro-
organisms with the correct amount of “Both species are true hermaphrodites. The smooth band or “Clitellum”
moisture that will keep the nutrients and near the head end of the worm is formed at maturity. On the underside of
microorganisms viable for up to three the Clitellum there are two pores that release the sperm on one side and
years when stored properly.
Both species are true hermaphrodites.
two pores that release ovum.”
The smooth band or “Clitellum” near
the head end of the worm is formed
at maturity. On the underside of the
Clitellum there are two pores that release
the sperm on one side and two pores
that release ovum. They mate head to
head so both can share the sperm and
ovum. They also secrete albumin (a water
soluble protein) to feed the developing
baby worms within the cocoon, and
mucous to make the protective cover
around the cocoon. The cocoons can stay
dormant and remain viable for a year or
more and will not hatch until the right
moisture, temperature and the proper
microorganisms are present. Given
optimal conditions, a cocoon will hatch
in a couple of weeks and produce one to
four small pinkish baby worms about ¼
inch long. Given the right conditions, it
takes them three to four months to reach

Right Diagram: ‘How Worms Work’

General Earthworm Anatomy

Doing it Yourself with
Vermicomposters
Also known as a ‘worm bin’ or ‘wormery’,
a vermicomposter is a vessel in which
vermicompost and worm castings are
produced. There are many types of
contraptions in which worms can live
and produce valuable plant amendments;
they range from huge worm bins used in
commercial production, to small plastic
boxes you can use at home.
Worm Bin Tips
A simple worm bin can be purchased
online or you can easily use your DIY
skills, purchase a similar bin or tote from
a DIY store and make your own. If there
is a strong chemical smell coming out of
the bin you will need to let it air out for
several days or fill it with water and place
in the sun for a couple of days. The pliable
plastic bins contain chemicals that leach
out and may slowly kill the worms! Any of
the food grade plastics will not cause any
harm. It’s a good idea to drill 12-15 ¼ inch
holes in the bottom to allow air flow.
The multiple stacked vermicompost
bins look quite glitzy, but they can have
a high failure rate if Redworms are used
because they often drown in the reservoir
at the bottom of the unit. Also, worms
have minds of their own and it is usually
hard to ‘train’ the worms to migrate to the
Simple Worm Bin
“If there is a strong
chemical smell coming
out of the bin you will need
to let it air out for several
days or fill it with water
and place in the sun for
a couple of days. The
pliable plastic bins contain
chemicals that leach out
and may slowly kill the
worms!”
062
Stacked Worm Bin
upper tray.
A larger ground vermicomposting bin
can be made from 2x12 lumber or cinder
blocks. For a bin that would deal with a
family of four, simply make a raised bed
that is 2 feet wide by 3 feet long with
weed block placed on the bottom—this
will help to keep the moles from dining
on your worms. In-ground worm bins
should be located in partial shade to avoid
temperature extremes.
In any worm bin, a combination of the
Redworms and Euros work very well
together. The Redworms are surface
feeders and the Euros feed both surface
and subsurface. The main difference
between the two species is that the
Redworm still has an aquatic gene that
attracts them to the water. If the mix
of materials becomes too wet in the
vermicomposter, they will preferentially
stay in the water and die in less than 24
hours. Other than checking the moisture
content, you can tell if the mix is too wet - Ground Worm Bin
dead worm odor is really, really nasty.
Some worm bins have a reservoir and
tap in the bottom to catch and pour the
“worm tea”. A lot of this liquid is from
the fresh fruits and veggies that are 90%
water. Some of the directions sold with
the bin encourage the use of excess water
to make ‘worm tea.’ which at that point is
actually ‘garbage tea!’ Tea is best made
from the finished vermicompost or worm
castings, which when applied will not
burn the plants.
 Right:
Introducing 20LB
composting worms.
Bedding
The first step is filling your worm bin
half way with ‘bedding’ - brown (carbon)
coarse organic matter to trap oxygen
below the surface. The best bedding is
made with stuff taken from your own
compost heap. Bedding materials such as
shredded paper and/or cardboard that is
commonly used will pack too tight and cut
off the oxygen needed to sustain healthy
worm populations. However both may be
used in moderation in combination with
the following materials: Pine shavings
from rabbit cages or horse stalls, chopped
woody plant stems from the garden and
shredded dead small branches.
After adding your bedding to the worm
bin, water well to make sure that there are
no dry spots.
Tip: Do not use any cedar shavings or pine
straw in bedding mixes as they are high in
harmful resins.
So What do Worms Like to Eat?
Use a mix of green veggie waste from the
kitchen or garden, plus fruits, grass, etc.
for your nitrogen source. Do not overload
it with any one item. It is ok to use citrus
“Remember, what is grown in our
earth can be recycled through our
earthworms and returned to Mother
Nature. Be aware that feedstock
used from municipal composting
operations may contain heavy
metals, pesticides, herbicides and
sometime sewer sludge.“
A Quick and Easy Worm Tea –
Place two cups of
vermicompost in a recycled
milk jug(s), fill with water
and shake well several
times during the day.
Alternatively you can pour the clear liquid through cotton or cheese cloth filter into a spray bottle, this solution can then be used as foliar spray which will give
the plants a boost of nutrients, and populate the foliage with beneficial bacteria to help protect against pests and disease.
064
waste, but don’t go to a juicer and put
a ton of it in at a time. Do not use meat,
cheese or other milk products, these take
too long to break down and will encourage
animals to dig up your worm beds. The
wastes should be chopped up so it will
break down quicker.
The quality of the vermicompost
can be improved with the addition of a
tablespoonful of a quality rock dust once
a month. Microbial inoculants are also a
great additive to increase the microbial
population and rapidly break down the
organic matter, as well as to help convert
the rock dust to usable minerals for plant
uptake.
Remember, what is grown in our
earth can be recycled through our
earthworms and returned to Mother
Nature. Be aware that feedstock used
from municipal composting operations
may contain heavy metals, pesticides,
herbicides and sometime sewer sludge.
Leaves and twigs picked up by the city
curbside programs often have traces of
antifreeze, oil and other contaminates
from the roads. The worms do a great
job reducing contaminates, but do not
complete eliminate them. If you put
garbage into your vermicomposting you
will get garbage out of the back end of
those worms!
The next day it is ready
to use. When using this
tea for recovering stressed
plants, shake the tea well
before watering.
Buying worms – Buyers Beware!
Try to find someone locally that is
vermicomposting and purchase worms
from them. If that doesn’t work try the
Internet but do some checks to make sure
that this person has been in business for
more than a week.
Worms are usually purchased by the
pound. Sounds simple enough, but there
are some different opinions in what
constitutes a pound of worms. Some
will include the weight of the bedding
in the pound of worms. But a pound of
worms should be just that – one pound
of worms. This should exclude the ¾ to 1
pound of bedding that is mixed with the 1
pound worms to keep them alive while in
transit. The rule of thumb is to purchase
½ to 1 pound of worms per sq. ft. of your
vermicomposting bin.
Next, put the worms to work. A mixture
of the worms and their bedding is a great
way of inoculating the garden, planter
box or other growing containers. The
partially vermicomposted bedding will
give the plants a shot in the arm. The
worms will start to work aerating the soil
and converting the organic matter to the
nutrients NPK, Calcium, Iron, etc., plus
microorganisms need for a healthy soil
food web.
When applying to
healthy plants simply
watered with the clearer
tea leaving the debris
in the jug.
 Tips & General info: Consumer Quality Control Test:
Beneficial Biology: A good quality vermi- 1. Use empty 20oz. drink bottles. First, check to see what, if anything, is floating on
compost will have a minimum of the fol- the surface. This is a good way to check if there are
lowing microbes; Aerobic & Facultative 2. Place 3oz. worm castings in each any weed seeds and how much unconsumed junk is
Bacteria, Yeast, Actinomycetes, Pseudo- labeled test bottle. floating.
monads & Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria. Do
not dry out the vermicompost. 30 to 40% 3. Fill each bottle about ¾ full with water. Next, check out the sediment layers. If the
moisture content is necessary to maintain manufacturer has used sand as filler, it will be the
the micro-life of the product. Do not freeze
4. Shake vigorously for two to three minutes. first to settle out at the bottom. What is the color
as it will kill most all of the microbes and
of the layers? The darker the color the more pure
storing above 100 degrees will also have a
5. Let it set for 25 or 30 minutes. castings will be in the product.
deleterious effect.
Nutrients: Calcium, Magnesium, Nitro-
gen, Phosphate, Potassium, Manganese,
Boron, Iron & Zinc. Hopefully it will be
very low in the heavy metals and free of “Life is hard. Then you die.
E. coli and Salmonella. Some really great
quality vermicompost contain less heavy
Then they throw dirt in your
metals than in some municipal drinking face. Then the worms eat
water systems! you. Be grateful it happens in
Application Rates: For good quality that order.” - David Gerrold
Vermicompost, use 15-25% as a soil
amendment for growing veggies and up to
30-40% for plants with a higher nutrients
demand such as fast growing annuals,
trees and shrubs. For large outdoor plots
When purchasing vermicompost, make sure that the bag is not air tight. Invariably the
use two tons per acre or 80LB per 1000 ft2.
vermicompost will have some worms and egg cocoons, that will hatch. They require a lot
If using high quality worm castings, use
of oxygen as do the micro-organisms. Without some air flow they will die and really smell
50% of the above recommendations.
bad. Pure worm castings have a shelf life or around two years, after this the micro-life
Teas: Generally speaking aerobic teas
will begin to diminish.
made using a quality vermicompost are
When buying worm castings for the first time, ask the retailer if you can open up the
often superior to that of aerobic tea made
bag. There should be a pleasant earthy odor and a nice uniform texture, much like coffee
with only thermal compost. However, teas
grounds. The color of the castings should be should be light to dark black.
made with only vermicompost will more
often than not be dominated by bacteria
Words: Larry Martin
and low on fungi. The best approach for a
diverse range of soil food web organisms
is to use both types of compost as a
microbe source.
Purchasing Tips:

EVEREST’s TOP TIPS

WATERING: Top Tip

Always ensure you get some runoff
when watering your plants. No runoff
means water may not be reaching all
parts of the pot. This picture shows a
poor cucumber plant that’S not been
watered enough on each watering.
Note the roots have not grown at the
bottom of the pot.

066
UGM_Fundamentals-Worms.indd 8 09/02/11 4:34 PM
 Stop the Rot!
How to fight Mildew + Botrytis
with Natural Foliar Sprays
It’s enough to bring a grown man to
tears. Spotting powdery mildew on
your leaves during veg, or finding
botrytis (flower rot) while you’re
harvesting can be a real heart
stopper. But once you’ve had a
battle with botrytis or a mêlée with
mildew (and hopefully come out on
top) you invariably develop into a
better, more confident, grower.
Savvy growers, instead of reaching for
the chemicals, look to a cue from Mother
Nature in their search for effective
biological products that can prevent and
treat certain fungal diseases. The most
notable are a specific group of naturally
occurring bacteria that can be used to
prevent and control fungal infections.
These bacteria are called Bacillus subtilis
and Bacillus pumilis.
So what are these strange Latin names POWDERY MILDEW ON SQUASH LEAF
and, most importantly, how can we use Squash leaves are particularly susceptible to
these bacteria to help us grow healthier, powdery mildew fungal infections. With severe
happier, and more productive plants? infections leaf discoloration and necrosis occurs.
We asked Emily Walter from Agraquest,
a provider of biological and low-chemical
pest management solutions, to give us the So What Exactly Is Powdery Mildew? What about Botrytis?
lowdown on our friendly neighborhood
fungal disease controllers. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that The dreaded botrytis or ‘gray mold’ is a
causes patches of white to gray powder on fungal disease that infects many annual
leaves, stems, fruits or flowers of infected and perennial plants. There are several
Fungal diseases are a common issue plants. These patches can grow to cover species of the fungus botrytis which can
among gardeners. And some of the more the entire surface on both sides of leaves. cause significant plant damage; the most
common diseases that gardeners struggle Different strains of fungi cause the disease common is Botrytis cinerea. Botrytis
to control are powdery mildew and on different plants, but they are all similar infections are favored by cool and humid
botrytis. Mildew can cause significant in appearance. On some types of plants, conditions, and are most common during
damage on some plants. It’s a common, but the mildew will cause leaves to yellow and rainy spring and summer weather when
rarely fatal disease which affects many prematurely drop, or can cause stunted temperatures hover around 60°F (15°C).
different types of plants. Most gardeners or deformed plant growth, and eventual Gray mold can take hold and spread
resort to removing infected plants, but plant decline. Mildew thrives in cool, rapidly if your indoor garden sustains
often, the best strategy combines control damp conditions with poor air circulation. long periods of high relative humidity,
and treatment. Indoor and greenhouse growers listen up! or outdoors when rainy, drizzly weather

068
 ICON

Scanning Electron
Micrograph (SEM) showing
a healthy fungal spore
on the surface of a leaf. Growers should be extra
Image credit - AgraQuestInc vigilant as crops approach
BEFORE
maturity and post-harvest.

AFTER
SEM showing a destroyed fungal spore after foliar
application of the beneficial bacteria Bacillus subtilis
strain QST713. The Bacillus bacteria are the small rod
shaped organisms around the top of the picture.
Image credit - AgraQuest Incmagna aliqua.

BOTRYTIS LEAVES
Overlapping leaves and no air movement can create wet patches on
leaves – the perfect environment for botrytis spore to germinate on this
hydroponically grown sage plant.

Plant breeders often
select specimens that
show resistance to common
fungal diseases. This has
lead to many different
varieties of fruits, flowers
and vegetables that have an
ever increasing resistance to
fungal diseases.
continues over several days. Botrytis
can affect leaves, stems, crowns, flowers,
flower buds, seeds, seedlings, bulbs and
just about any other part of a plant with
the exception of the roots.
Steps Towards Prevention
Good cultural practices can help prevent
and control the spread of fungal issues.
The first and most important step toward
prevention is to select healthy plants in
the first place; these will be more likely to
resist fungal attacks.
If you have no choice but to use susceptible
types of plants outdoors, make sure they
are in full sun and will receive a minimum
of six hours of sun each day. Isn’t UV
radiation great? Indoors, however
tempting as it may be, never overcrowd
your plants! Allow plenty of fresh air
to circulate around your plants, this
will discourage disease. When growing
indoors, it’s absolutely crucial to focus on
maintaining adequate ventilation.
Carefully remove infected fruits, flowers
or mildew covered leaves. It is best not to
do any removal of diseased plants
 If you encounter a heavily infected
leaf, fruit, or flower and are worried
about spreading spores around your
garden, carefully cover the moldy
item with a plastic bag before
attempting removal. This way,
spores end up in the bag rather
than all over your garden!
when they are wet with dew or rain
since this could spread fungal spores
during conditions which favor infections.
Likewise, avoid overhead watering or
misting plants especially if fungal disease
has been troublesome in the past.
Always throw away infected plant
debris instead of placing it on the compost
pile. Spores can overwinter on diseased
plant material. New spores can be carried
by the wind, so destroying the infected
plant parts are essential to help stop the
spread of plant disease pathogens.
In an effort to keep fungal diseases
at bay, it’s good general practice to keep
your indoor garden as clean and tidy as
possible. Avoid leaving yellowing or dead
leaves hanging from plants, and never
keep piles old leaves and trash bags in or
near you indoor garden.
Fungal Control Options
There are many chemical controls on the
market but they do have some drawbacks.
Some controls have temperature and
timing restrictions impacting applications
or harvest of your crops. Some diseases
become resistant to certain chemicals
over time as well. If you are using
IPM (Integrated Pest Management) in
the garden, you will want to preserve
beneficial insects, which can be impacted
by some chemical controls. Additionally,
not all chemical fungicide treatments
are acceptable for consumable plants.
Some chemicals can only be used when
the plant is dormant or cannot be used
when the plant is close to harvest time.
Carefully read fungicide labels to discover
which is right for your particular need.
070
Beneficial Bacteria - PRACTICAL TIPS:
Bacillus as a Fungicide
Another way to control plant diseases is
to use products based on beneficial
bacterial, specifically Bacillis subtilis or
Bacillis pumilis. Both of these bacteria are
common found in soil and have been used
in horticulture and agriculture for many
years. 1. When Do I Use It?
Bacillus subtilis are naturally-occurring Most Bacillus subtilis or pumilus products
soil borne bacteria, first characterized can be sprayed as a preventative measure
in 1835. Over the years varying strains or be used as a curative control. They can
of B. subtilis have been widely used for be applied early on in the plant’s lifecycle
industrial processes (like detergents on established cuttings or seedlings, and
or waste water treatments). Bacillus as late as the day of harvest on mature
plants. Most growers freak out at the
subtilis strains produce extremely photo
mere idea of spraying mature flowers
– and temperature – stable bacterial
or ripe fruit, but these natural Bacillus
spores, making them ideal for gardening products are safe for human consumption
applications. B. subtilis is also Generally and actively kill fungal growth.
Regarded As Safe (GRAS) by the EPA.
Some strains of Bacillus subtilis are
active ingredients in highly effective,
broad-spectrum contact fungicides and
bactericides. The Bacillus subtilis in these
products produce lipopeptides, which
are anti-fungal metabolites and anti-
bacterial compounds. These lipopeptide
compounds that Bacillus subtilis produce
2. Spray timing
kill fungal spores and they are highly When using outdoors, it’s best to spray
stable, resistant to elevated temperature in early morning or late afternoon when
and pH extremes. light intensity is not too strong. Sunlight
Lipopeptides are small peptide rings contains a natural broad spectrum
with a lipid (fat) attached. One end of microbe inhibitor, Ultra Violet light. If
the lipopeptide is negatively charged, the applied during strong sunlight, the UV
other is “greasy”. A fungal cell membrane may prevent some Bacillus products from
can be compared to a sandwich - with working effectively.
When spraying indoors, it’s also good
hydrophilic (water-loving) surface
practice to spray in low light. This may
and a lipophilic (fat-loving) core. The
mean raising your grow lights up high
lipopeptides insert into those fungal cell before spraying, or spray just before the
membranes and create small holes in a lights come on or go off.
 Practical Tips:
3. Spraying the plants
The best fungal control is achieved
when the plants are thoroughly wet,
and run-off spray is dripping from the
leaves. It’s a good idea to use a wetting
agent for increased coverage.
Avoid adding other foliar additives or
nutrients as this may interact negatively
with the beneficial bacteria. Spray the
underside and top side of the leaves as
well as any exposed stems. Sprays can
be repeated every 3-4 days if plants are
fungal spore. As, they puncture the
membrane, cell contents leak out and the
fungus is killed.
Some B. subtilis products rely on
prolonged wet periods on the leaf surface
for the bacteria to become active, produce
lipopeptides and then out-compete the
fungal spores for leaf surface area. This is
not the case with all products – the specific
Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 is unique
in that it does not require time to activate,
since the bacteria have already done their
job producing the lipopeptide metabolites
during production. Information about the
active ingredient and how it works should
be found on the container label of the
product you decide to use.
Some Bacillus subtilis
strains also illicit plant health
and growth promotion in
treated plants. When applied,
Problem-Solver-Icons_pete_2.pdf
preventative disease control program or
at the very first sign of disease. Beneficial
bacteria can be used in conjunction with
other gardening products. Bacillus subtilis
and Bacillus pumilis can be applied every
seven days up to the day of harvest if
needed. Beneficial bacteria can be applied
more often if needed such as every four
days during heavy disease pressure.
When applying either type of bacteria as
a foliar spray one should spay the leaves,
shoots and new growth until the plant is
dripping wet. Run-off spray will not affect
beneficial soil fungi like mycorrhiza. When
a gardener is planning to use beneficial
bacteria or an organic gardening product
to prevent or control fungal and bacterial
diseases they should scout the garden
often to look for any signs of disease.
Strains of these beneficial bacterial can
also be found in some compost teas since
it can promote plant health and growth
promotion.
1 11-02-09 1:31 PM

Got a story about botrytis or mildew that

heavily infected, or every 7-10 days as a these strains can trigger the
preventative. you’d like to share? Email us at rant@
plant’s internal defenses and urbangardenmagazine.com or go on our
physiological responses. website and post it there for all to see.

The effect is systemic -

4.What products contain Bacillus
subtilis or pumilus for foliar
fungal disease control?
Most good quality compost teas will
contain some Bacillus subtilis and
pumilus strains, so regular spraying can
help with disease prevention.
For a more targeted fungal control, the
patented Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713
can be found in the commercial product
‘Serenade.’
Other Bacillus subtilis strains are used
for root disease control, these include
strains GB 03 found in the microbial
inoculant ‘Companion’ and strain MBI
600 found pre-mixed into the substrate
‘Pro Mix MX with BioFungicide’.
responses are triggered
throughout the plant even
when a small area is treated. Indoor growers should
keep their oscillating
fans on 24/7
Products based on Bacillus pumilis
strains are useful for gardeners for similar
reasons. While products based on B.
subtilis destroy fungal cell membranes,
products based on B. pumilis instead
focus on fungal cell walls. The compounds
produced by B. pumilis compete with
fungal diseases for amino sugars needed
to build cell walls, effectively making it
impossible for fungal cells to build and
grow. B. pumilis does not control bacterial
diseases. Instead, it is strongest against
rust and mildews. B. pumilis is typically
used by a gardener when targeting a
specific type of fungal infection that is
better controlled by this specific bacteria
over the more broad spectrum approach
of B. subtilis. Also, B. pumilis strains, like
those of B. subtilis, have been shown to
trigger plants’ natural defenses.
Both of these beneficial bacteria are
best used when applied to plants in a

072
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 A Plant’s
Best Friend?
Trichoderma In Hydroponic Systems
By Dr Lynette Morgan

074
What is Trichoderma?
Trichoderma is a naturally occurring
genus of soil fungi that has been known
to possess bio-control qualities against
a number of plant pathogens since the
1920s. While there are a number of plant-
associated microbes, both fungi and
bacteria, which are strongly beneficial to
plants, none has been more intensively
studied than Trichoderma. Stable and
effective preparations of Trichoderma
have also been formulated into a range of
bio-control or “effective microorganism”
products readily available on the market
for both large-scale commercial producers
and smaller home gardeners. Although
Trichoderma is naturally endemic to
soil and decomposing organic matter,
it is well proven to have significant
beneficial effects in soilless systems
and formulations have been developed
specifically for hydroponic use. While
How does Trichoderma operate?
Trichoderma can be highly effective as
both a pathogen control agent and growth
Many species of Trichoderma, if given optimal conditions, establish stable and long-
promotant, it is a living organism and,
lasting colonizations of root surfaces and even penetrate into the epidermis (outer layer
as such, requires specific conditions for
of root tissue) and a few cells below this level (1). This intimate relationship between
establishment and long term use within a
Trichoderma and the host root cells is what induces localized and systemic resistance
hydroponic system.
responses to pathogen attack. Along with root penetration, Trichoderma produces a
range of antibiotic substances, can strongly compete with other micro-organisms for
food, and produce enzymes that can degrade cellulose and chitin. Trichoderma also has
the ability to dissolve the cell wall membranes of pathogenic fungi.
Initially Trichoderma species were only thought to have suppressive effects on a
small number of plant root pathogens, however as research into the methods of this
suppressive effect were studied, it was found that Trichoderma had other beneficial
properties on plant growth and development. These growth enhancement effects
went further than just suppression of pathogen in the root zone allowing a return to
normal healthy growth. It has been found that the species Trichoderma spp. increase
the uptake and concentration of a variety of nutrients (copper, phosphorus, iron,
manganese and sodium) in the roots in hydroponic culture (3). This increased uptake
suggests Trichoderma creates an improvement in plant active-uptake mechanisms as
well as having been shown to increase root development in numerous plant species.
The beneficial effects of Trichoderma on plant growth overall has been indicated to be
from a combination of reducing damage, even non-visible damage, from plant pathogens,
deactivation of toxic compounds in the root zone, increases in nutrient uptake, efficiency
Wondering what the numbers in brackets are all of nitrogen use and solubilization of nutrients in soil and organic matter. It is possible
about? Check out this article’s references online Trichoderma species release certain molecular elicitors of plant growth promotion in a
at www.urbangardenmagazine.com similar way that growth promotion by certain bacteria is known to occur, however this is
still an area of ongoing research and such compounds are as yet unidentified (1).
 Trichoderma & Disease Control
Trichoderma is not just one species of fun-
gi – the genus Trichoderma contains many
species and strains, of which some are spe-
cific to certain pathogenic fungi such as
Pythium and Rhizoctonia. For example, T.
virens has been found to be specific to cer-
tain fungal diseases of field grown cotton,
while T. asperellum has been found to pro-
tect cucumber leaves from Pseudomonas
syringae when only applied to the root
system demonstrating that some Tricho-
derma strains have systemic abilities. Of
all the Trichoderma species, T. harzianum,
of which there are several strains, is the
most widely commercialised and has been
found in scientific studies to be effective
against a range of fungal plant pathogens,
including Botrytis, Colletotrichum, Green-
mottle mosaic virus, Alternaria solani,
Pythium sp., Phy-
tophthora capsici,
Rhizoctonia, Fusar-
ium, and Sclerotinia
(4)
One of the most
effective methods
of pathogenic fun-
gal control exhibit-
ed by Trichoderma
is `mycoparasit-
ism’. In this process
the Trichoderma
first detect other
target fungi species
and grow towards
them, once contact
is made, the Tricho-
derma attach and
Picure Caption here...
coil around the fun-
gus, then produce Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
several fungitoxic adipiscing elit. Fusce varius consectetur mauris
cell-wall degrading ut eleifend.
enzymes and prob-
ably also certain antibiotic compounds.
These two activities results in dissolution
of the fungal cell walls and parasitism of
the target fungus. (1)
Another highly effective mechanism of
control by Trichoderma is the ability of
certain strains to induce phytoalexin de-
fence compounds in plants and seedlings.
Phytoalexins are the plant’s own natural
defense system for fighting off attack by
pathogens and although induced resis-
tance systems in plants are complex, they
are often highly effective strategies for
076
“Of all the Trichoderma species, T. harzianum, of which there
are several strains, is the most widely commercialised and has
been found in scientific studies to be effective against a range
of fungal plant pathogens...”
disease control. The exact nature of resistance system triggering molecules from the
Trichoderma response are unknown. However it has been proven that applying certain
Trichoderma strains to the root zone of hydroponically grown plants has given control
of certain leaf pathogens (i.e. systemic control) and it is this inducement of the plant’s
natural defense system by Trichoderma that is likely to be responsible for this effect.
Therefore Trichoderma has two important modes to action – direct suppression of the
pathogen with production of antibiotic substances and enzymes and strongly stimu-
lating the plant’s own natural defense mechanism.
Why Do Growers Love Trichoderma So Much?
Apart from pathogen suppression and growth promotant activi-
ties, Trichoderma has been selected for widespread use in horti-
culture for a number of other reasons. The spores of Trichoderma
can be easily formulated into long shelf life products that, upon
reactivation, rapidly colonize the growing media under suitable
conditions. Trichoderma is a strong competitor in the root zone
and generally has a good chance of establishment even when
there are pre-existing healthy populations of other microbial spe-
cies. Trichoderma has also proven to be compatible with a number
of other bio control agents, including beneficial fungi in a number
of different studies, so that mixtures of effective microbes can be
safely applied. Trichoderma spp. In general have also been found
to be highly resistant to a variety of toxins including chemical fun-
gicides, heavy metals and antibiotics produced by other microbes
(1) . While Trichoderma is commonly applied to the root zone or
nutrient solution, certain strains have also been applied to fruit,
flowers and foliage to control certain plant pathogens and even
used to prevent post harvest rot disease. One study found that ap-
plication of Trichoderma spp. on greenhouse strawberries could
control post harvest rotting, while several Trichoderma spp. have
been used to protect fruit such as banana, apple, mango and to-
mato during post harvest storage (4). There is evidence to suggest
Trichoderma assists plant growth and development under stress-
ful conditions and the growth promotant potential of Trichoderma appears to be stron-
ger in crops growing under less than ideal conditions.
How To Get Trichoderma Established In Hydroponics
Trichoderma is best used as a preventative and since it may take time for complete
colonization of growing substrates, inoculation should be carried out as early in the crop’s
life as possible. A warm, moist growing media, thoroughly inoculated with Trichoderma
will rapidly be colonized, and some additional inoculate can then be added directly
under the root system of the young transplant. Soaking the root system of transplants
or cuttings with Trichoderma inoculate can also be helpful to ensure high levels of the
microbial product are applied in the right position. While Trichoderma should take hold
rapidly and colonise the entire growing media, over time the population may decline
 Trichoderma Q&A
Q. What do Trichoderma use as a food source?
A. Trichoderma release
two main types of
enzymes in their quest
for sustenance – these
are different types of
cellulases and chitinases.
Cellulase enzymes break
down cellulose which is
a component of plant
cells, organic matter and
crop residues. Chitinase
breaks down Chitin which
is a structural component
of fungal cell walls (and
insect exoskeletons). It is
thought that Trichoderma
switches the production of
these two main enzymes
on and off depending on
what its main sourceof
food is at the current
time. In composts, bark,
Q. Will Trichoderma survive in the absence of other fungi
to feed from and if so what do they feed on particularly in
a hydroponic environment?
A. Trichoderma not only
feed on other fungi,
but also on cellulose
from various sources
of organic matter. We
sometimes assume that
hydroponic systems are
completely `clean’, and
non-organic and not
capable of supporting
a diversity of microbial
life, but this is rarely the
case. Even systems such
as rockwool which start
out as completely sterile,
rapidly develop some
forms of microbial life as
the warmth, moisture,
nutrients and organic
matter produced by the
plant’s root system provide
a good environment
for microbes. In fact, in
hydroponics where there is
typically year around heat,
plentiful moisture, oxygen
and rapid plant growth,
078
coconut fiber and other
`organic’ type substrates
there is initially plenty
of cellulose to feed on,
later on in the crop cycle,
plant residues, exudates,
dead roots and other
organic material are
also available for the
Trichoderma to digest.
Other fungi (certain
species of Trichoderma
are specific for certain
fungi, while others have
a wider range of prey)
are a easily digested food
source through activation
of chitinase enzymes
and the Trichoderma will
actually coil around the
host fungi and penetrate
the cell walls fairly rapidly.
microbial growth can be
quite plentiful provided
the grower is not doing
something incompatible
such as applying harsh
chemical sterilants such
as chlorine or hydrogen
peroxide to the plants
root zone or nutrient
solution. Even in solution
culture microbial life in
the nutrient develops
– hopefully the `good’
microbes out compete
any pathogens and a well
oxygenation solution helps
with that process. In these
cases the food source,
if not other fungi, will be
organic matter provided
by either the substrate or
the plant’s root system
which produce exudates,
old root cells which are
sloughed off as the root
system expands and other
debris.
and fresh inoculation throughout the growing cycle are
recommended. Since many pathogens such as Pythium
which causes `damping off’ in seedlings are more preva-
lent during the sensitive propagation phase, inoculation
of seed germination media with Trichoderma is particu-
larly important. Trichoderma has also been shown to in-
crease the germination percentage of tomato seeds sown
in soilless growing media when Pythium pathogens were
present (5) . Cuttings or clones also benefit from Tricho-
derma application as a preventive for stem rot pathogens
and to ensure the new root system is fully colonized and
protected by Trichoderma before potting on or introduc-
ing to a new hydroponic system. Since Trichoderma is a
living organism, commercially available inoculant prod-
ucts tend to have a limited shelf life, so it is advisable to
always check the expiry date and follow usage and stor-
age instructions provided with the product.
Which Substrates Are Best For Trichoderma
Establishment?
Hydroponic systems are generally not sterile environments, however
they do tend to contain lower levels and less diversity of micro-organ-
isms compared to soil. Before planting out, sterile growing media, clean
and disinfected equipment and a treated water supply provides a clean
slate for microbial establishment. For this reason it is considered easier
to establish beneficial microbes in hydroponic systems with a new sub-
strate as little competition exists from micro-organism already present,
unlike the situation in soil (6). If the system is using synthetic growing
media such as rockwool, rather than composted bark, coco fiber or simi-
lar substrates, then initially the system is a relatively poor environment
for microbial life to take hold and microbe numbers and population di-
versity have been found to be very low. However once the plants are
growing, exudates from the roots and sloughed off root material begin
to provide organic substances for micro-organisms to grow and popula-
tion numbers build over time. A substantial part of the food source used
by micro-flora is derived from plant roots, resulting in high numbers of
micro-organisms on the surface of plant roots consuming organic com-
pounds such as carbohydrates, mucilage and dead cell material which
accumulates over time.
While Trichoderma has been shown to establish and proliferate on
a range of soilless substrates, there is some evidence that colonization
may be greater on certain growing mediums. When coconut fiber (Coir)
and rockwool were compared after inoculation with T. harzianum it
was found that colonization was greater in the coco fiber, with spread
through the rockwool substrate being less dense. It was also found that
colonization of Trichoderma was highest at the site of inoculation sug-
gesting that the initial introduction of Trichoderma into a growing me-
dium should be at multiple sites or well mixed through the substrate
before planting (7) .
“While Trichoderma has been shown to
establish and proliferate on a range of
soilless substrates, there is some evidence
that colonization may be greater on
certain growing mediums.”
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 Trichoderma Q&A
Q. What do Trichoderma get from root invasion?

A. Trichoderma penetrate symbiotic relationship’

into the cells of the root
system – once this occurs,
it triggers a response
in the plant host which
effectively `walls off’ the
Trichoderma and prevents
it getting any further into
the living root tissue. In
triggering this response,
the plant’s natural system
of defence is activated and
a systemic resistance is
induced. This relationship
between Trichoderma and
plant roots is termed an
`opportunistic avirulent
Q. How do Trichoderma attack and control pathogens?
meaning even though
the Trichoderma has
gained entry to the plant
tissue, it does not cause
any disease or damage.
Symbiotic means both
parties benefit, the plant
gets protection and the
Trichoderma gets a good
place to live and also
some plant derived
sucrose which is an
important resource
provided to the
Trichoderma cells in this Pythium infected roots (right) compared to healthy
association (22). roots (left) from an NFT hydroponic system.
Trichoderma has proven effective against Pythium in
numerous studies.

A. Many Trichoderma direct control. Another

species are specific for
certain pathogens and
will predate these if they
are present in the same
location – this is through
a number of different
processes. The main
method of attack is for
the Trichoderma to coil
around the pathogenic
fungi, release enzymes
to break down the cells
and consume its prey. It
is thought Trichoderma
also release a number of
antibiotic compounds for
Q. Why does Trichoderma give greater growth potential to
plants growing under stressful conditions?
method of pathogen
control is through inducing
systemic resistance in the
host plant, Trichoderma
does this by invading the
plant’s root system to the
depth of a few cells, which
triggers the plant
to launch its natural
defence mechanism to
wall off the Trichoderma,
in doing so the systemic
resistance spreads through
the entire plant so that
foliar and fruit diseases may
be controlled as well.
Oxygen & Temperature
Trichoderma, like many microbial species has tempera-
ture optimums for rapid colonization and activity, for
most of the commonly applied species this is 77-86 F (25-
30o C) (8). If conditions are too cold, the rate of multiplica-
tion of the Trichoderma will slow and even cease, if too
warm, then die back may occur or the Trichoderma may
become out competed, leaving the way open for other
forms of microbial species to take hold.
Another important consideration is oxygen in the
root zone – Trichoderma and other microbial species re-
quire oxygen for healthy functioning and unfortunately
oxygen starvation is a common cause of root disease
outbreaks in many hydroponic systems. Over watering
with either too frequent application of nutrient solution,
stagnation and deep ponding in NFT systems, heavy wa-
ter logged growing media with poor drainage all lead to
a lack of oxygen in the root zone which suffocates both

A. Largely because there is
more potential for growth
improvement under
less than ideal growing
conditions than with plants
already at maximum
biomass production – the
effect is thought to be
a combination of both
suppression of
pathogens, many of
which are opportunistic
and will attack stressed
plants, and by possible
production of certain
elicitors of plant growth
which are as
yet unidentified.
“If conditions are too cold, the rate of multiplication
of the Trichoderma will slow and even cease, if too
warm, then die back may occur or the Trichoderma
may become out competed, leaving the way open
for other forms of microbial species to take hold.”
root systems and Trichoderma. If the root system then becomes dam-
aged due to over watering and a lack of oxygen, this combined with the
die back of Trichoderma and other beneficial microbes create the ideal
situation for opportunist root pathogens such as Pythium to take hold.
High levels of oxygenation in the hydroponic root system are rela-
tively easy to maintain with selection of the correct type of growing
media for the conditions (coarser and freer draining when it’s cooler

080
 Introducing a Revolution in Creating Living Compost Tea
The Vortex Brewer
“It is unlike any compost tea brewing system on the market!”
RDEN
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e land and sea.
use of subtle forces found
BD500-508) to increase
situation. Inspired by the
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tool kit for any garden
eaning it reinforces the
NIC is formulated with
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d. Use in every growing
be healed.
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d promote plant growth
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Life Force for Every Plant
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118.3 ML = 4 OZ = 8 TBSP
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our powerful, proprietary compost tea
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6 weeks of growth: Jalapeno on Left is control, jalapeno on Right
got 1 cup per gallon of compost tea from the Vortex Brewer The root system on the right was fed with the Vortex Brewer!
GARDEN TONic
DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
• LifeSoil/Soilless
force
1 tspn
media: Use as an amendment @ ¼ -
(1-5ml) perfor
gallon every plant
• Give plants everything they need and want
Hydroponics: Use as an amendment @ ¼ -
1 tspn (1-5ml)/gallon
• A total
Compost sea1-3mineral
Tea: Use solution
tspn (5-15ml) per 5 gallons
Best if used with Vortex Brewer system,
of water.
• Contains ALL earth bound elements (90+)
see www.VortexBrewer.com
Foliar: Use 1-4 tspn (5-20ml) per gallon 1-2x’s per week
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Use as a seed soak and for watering at 4 tspn BD500-508
(20ml)/gallon
• UseFarmers:
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Volume = 1tspn = 5ml = 0.33tbsp = 0.17oz
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Distributed by tea setups are identical. Left bucket got 1 tbsp
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Foam is an indication of biological activity You can see it with your eyes!
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BD THUNDER BD THUNDER is a uniquely formulated humus offering born on a certified
organic farm using only the finest ingredients. BD THUNDER is a genuine
biodynamic creation. Developed by Rudolph Steiner in the 1920’s as the first
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used the word biodynamic, but few have actually experienced it…until now. You’ve never
• Real food for your soil or growing media
used anything like this in your garden before, guaranteed!
INGREDIENTS
Biodynamically prepared humus. Derived from: cow manure, kelp, rock dusts, biodynamic
Total Nitrogen (N)................0.38% preparations BD500-508 (fermentations of: cow manure, silica,
• Microsoil – Get the benefits of soil in hydro!
<0.01% Water Soluble Nitrogen yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion, valerian,
0.38% water insoluble Nitrogen horsetail). Ingredients are sprayed with various living solutions
from the Vortex Brewer. BD THUNDER is screened by hand and
Available Phosphate (P2)5).........0.19% crafted in small batches. It is not sterilized, meaning it comes from
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DIRECTIONS FOR USE
• Produces the healthiest roots, leaves, flowers,
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Top Dressing / Root Drench: Use 1 tbsp/gallon, stir vigorously clockwise & counterclockwise,
water into roots, repeat weekly.
Soil (Soilless - Hydroponic) mix: Use @ 1-20% by volume when preparing soil or growing media, add more as
needed in all stages of growth.
and fruit you’ve ever seen!
Compost Inoculant: Use 1 cup once per month in compost pile for higher quality compost.
Compost Tea: Use with TONIC and the VORTEX BREWER for maximum results. Use 1-2 tbsp per 5
gallons of water as a biological inoculant; see www.VortexBrewer.com.
Transplanting: Sprinkle compost over the entire surface of hole before planting.
Left picture shows side-by-side against “compost” competitor.
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In cooperation, peace, & light…so the earth may be healed











































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6005 Oleander Dr., Wilmington, NC 28403
growing media. BD THUNDER used at 1 tbsp per gallon in both.
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GENESiS GENESIS COMPOUND
BACKGROUND
cOMPOUND
Genesis Compound is born on a certified organic
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is rooted in the utilization of subtle forces found in specific plants & herbs. The
BD ‘preps’, numbered BD500-508, help regulate and enhance the life and process
within soil & compost, and in the interrelationship of plant life to its near and distant
environment…so the earth may be healed.
INGREDIENTS
Biodynamically prepared humus Derived from: cow manure, kelp, rock dusts, biodynamic
Total Nitrogen (N).............0.41% preparations BD500-508 (fermentations of: cow manure,
0.03% Water Soluble Nitrogen silica, yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark,
0.38% water insoluble Nitrogen dandelion, valerian, horsetail). Ingredients are incubated
in whiskey barrels planted in the earth for up to a year,
Available Phosphate (P2)5)..0.23% thus utilizing the digestive factors of the earths telluric
• The finest compost tea inoculant on the planet
Soluble Potash (K2O)...........0.04% forces as it breathes IN & OUT throughout the seasons.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE
Genesis Compound can be used by itself in hydroponics or soil, as a field spray, or with any
• Genuine Biodynamic compost
custom or commercial brewing system on the market. When utilizing Genesis Compound as a
compost tea inoculant we recommend the mineral catalyst TONIC and the Vortex Brewer system
to maximize energetic and biological potentization & productivity.
Compost tea: Use 1 tbsp per 5 gallons of good water; for larger systems use 1 cup per 100 gallons.
• Handcrafted using only the finest ingredients
Propagation: Sprinkle or water into plugs or starts ASAP.
Pre-mix: Utilize at least 1 cup per 2 cuft (1 tsp per gal), mix evenly or water into growing media.
Soil / Hydroponics: Use 1-3 tspn for every 5 gallons of solution, stir clockwise &
counterclockwise for up to 20 minutes and apply as a soil/media drench.
• Use for compost tea, stand alone in hydroponics
Field / Garden Spray: Find a proper bucket and use 1/3rd cup in 3-5 gallons of
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and soil, or field spray
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Side-by-side: pepper on Left is control, pepper on Right was
Use t
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 Trichoderma Q&A
Q. How can Trichoderma products be reactivated and are
there any compounds that can be used to help feed or
promote Trichoderma.
A. Generally the
manufacturer’s
instructions should always
be carefully followed
when reactivating the
spores contained in a
commercial Trichoderma
product as there are
a number of different
preparations and additives
or `carrier agents’ used.
Some are granules or
powers designed to be
incorporated directly into
growing media, some as a
liquid drench. Trichoderma
prefers warmth,
moisture and oxygen for
reactivation, once that
occurs a readily available
food source is also helpful
for rapid development.
There has been some
evidence that using a
growing medium such as
Q. Are there upper limits of nutrient solution
concentration that Trichoderma can tolerate? Will they
survive in high EC solutions and/or do better in low EC
solutions?
A. The range of EC typically
used in hydroponics, is
actually quite narrow
compared to the salinity
levels in some soils and the
rise in osmotic potential
that occurs as soil dries
out, so Trichoderma is
unlikely to be affected
by hydroponic EC levels.
Trichoderma `eat’ organic
matter cellulose and
chitin from fungi cells, so
unless for some reason
the EC is affecting these
sources of food, it should
082
composted bark fines,
coconut fiber or small
volumes of compost/
vermicast additions gives
faster establishment as
it provides a cellulose
food source for the
Trichoderma in the early
stages when the plant
root system is still small.
However, with hydroponics
it’s essential to not
overload the nutrient
solution and system with
large volumes of organic
matter or additives –
in doing so the rapid
explosion in many forms of
microbial life can rob
all oxygen from the
root zone creating a
situation where roots are
suffocated and pathogens
flourish under anaerobic
conditions.
have no real influence
on the Trichoderma
itself. Trichoderma is
known to survive and
thrive in a diverse range
of environments in the
presence of toxins,
heavy metals and
certain chemicals, so EC
is unlikely to have any
significant effects. Even
EC levels high enough
to stunt and damage
plant growth should
have no influence on
Trichoderma.
and growth slower is always advisable to help prevent
over watering). Careful control over nutrient application
to allow thorough drainage between irrigations which
helps draw fresh air through the substrate and replenish
oxygen and a nutrient which as some opportunity to re-
oxygenate in recirculating systems.
“While Trichoderma has proven to be effective for
pathogen control in a wide range of applications,
results can sometimes be variable when dealing with
biological control systems.”
Studies have found
application of Trichoderma
to greenhouse strawberries
controlled post harvest
rotting.
Trichoderma Variability & Limitations
While Trichoderma has proven to be effective for pathogen control in a
wide range of applications, results can sometimes be variable when deal-
ing with biological control systems. Control is dependant on the Tricho-
derma being applied at the correct time (i.e. before levels of pathogens
have built to high levels), under the correct conditions of moisture and
temperature and of an effective species and strain. Poor control by bio
control agents is also attributed inadequate distribution in the root zone,
growing media and location – Trichoderma introduced at a different lo-
cation to where the pathogen is residing. Initial introductions of Tricho-
derma can be beneficial if applied directly to or under the root system of
new transplants as it is likely that any pathogens, such as Pythium, will
be introduced to a clean system via infected seedlings. Another limitation
is that Trichoderma is more specific to fungal pathogen control and may
have limited applications for bio control of pathogenic bacteria (4) , some
of which can cause serious disease outbreaks.
While Trichoderma is a popular fungal bio control agent, there are also
a number of bacterial `effective microbe (EM)’ species (bacteria in the
genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Streptomyces) which can also be in-
troduced to the root zone of plants. Often, for unknown reasons, Trich-
oderma may not persist in the root zone long term, thus protection can
decline as the crop develops. Re-application of Trichoderma products on a
regular basis is always recommended to ensure population levels don’t die
out resulting in a lack of pathogen protection in the root zone.
 The continuous improvement of color

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Trichoderma Q&A
Q. Does coir naturally contain Trichoderma, even after the
coir treatment process?
A. This depends largely on
the processes used in the
different brands of coir.
Some coir is heat treated
to kill seeds, insects and
pathogen spores, and in
this case any naturally
occurring Trichoderma will
also have been destroyed.
Some coir products and
other growing mixes
on the market are
deliberately inoculated
with Trichoderma before
sale. Coir is typically retted
and then composted
during its manufacture as
a plant growth medium,
so during this process it’s
likely that Trichoderma
colonise the fibres and
break down some of
the cellulose, however
that would depend on a
number of factors such
as the location, if the
coir piles are covered
or in contact with the
soil, the populations of
other microbes in the
surrounding environment
and other factors. Many
studies have found
naturally occurring
Trichoderma (and other
beneficial fungi species
as well) in a range of
coir substrates and it
has also been found in
some studies that these
microbes had disease
suppressive qualities (21).
Trichoderma Compatibility With Other Beneficial
Fungi Species
Trichoderma are not the only fungi with beneficial effects on plant
growth and disease suppression. While there are a vast number of fun-
gal species which may have benefits for crop production, only a small
number have been identified and studied. Of these the arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi, Gliocladium virens, non pathogenic F. oxysporum,
Paecilomyces lilacinus, Penicillium chrysogenum, and a number of oth-
ers have been identified in studies as having an antagonistic effect on
pathogenic fungi. In many of these studies it has been discovered that
combinations of synergistic fungi species often have a greater effect on
disease control than when used singly (9).
Trichoderma Compatibility With Mycorrhizal Fungi
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) fungi are another wide spread, naturally
occurring soil micro-organism which forms a beneficial relationship
with the roots of many plant species. Just as with Trichoderma species,
enhanced growth and disease suppression has been well documented
with the use of mycorrhizal fungi inoculated in the root zone of crop-
ping plants (15) . Given that Trichoderma is such a strong predator and
competitor with other species of fungi in the root zone, there has been
concern in the past that negative interactions between Trichoderma and
mycorrhizal inoculants could occur, thus making one or both
fungi inactive and therefore incompatible. While numerous
scientific studies have been carried out to determine if Trich-
oderma verses mycorrhizal antagonism does exist when
both are introduced to the root zone of certain plant species,
conflicting results have been reported.
The problem identifying if this sort of interaction does oc-
cur is that in biological systems there are multiple factors af-
fecting the result. Not only are there many species of Tricho-
derma with different characteristics and abilities to predate
other fungi, but mycorrhizal fungi also contain a number of
species including Glomus claroideum, Glomus mosseae, Glo-
mus intraradices and Glomus geosporum. Furthermore the
conditions in which the fungi are introduced, the crop species
tested, growing media, presence of other microbial life and a
host of other factors affect the result of fungal interactions.
While one study (Green et al, 1999) found that the Mycor-
rhizal fungi G. intraradices had an adverse effect on Tricho-
derma harzianum, yet another study (Martinez-Medina et
al, 2009) reported that combined inoculation with these two
species provided better disease control results and a general
synergistic effect than other Mycorrhizal species tested.
Many other studies have found a synergist effect when
Trichoderma was used in combination with certain species of
Mycorrhizal fungi. It has been reported that dual inoculation
of peat substrate with a mixture of four species of Mycorrhi-
zal fungi and Trichoderma harzianum showed a significant
effect on the growth and flowering of cyclamen plants (12),
while another study found that more plant biomass was
produced in a peat-perlite mixture when the mycorrhizal
fungus Glomus mosseae was combined with Trichoderma
aureoviridae (13) . Other researchers have also reported that
various microbial inoculants such as Trichoderma and oth-
ers showed no negative effects on Mycorrhizal establishment
(14), while others have reported that combinations of Mycor-
rhizal fungi species with Trichoderma harzianum and other
beneficial fungi have a synergistic effect and give greater in-
creases in growth and disease resistance when combined (15,
16, 17) . It has been suggested that the differing results report-
ing the influence of Mycorrhizal fungi on other micro organ-
isms is probably not only due to the combination and species
of Mycorrhizal fungi evaluated but also the conditions such
as nutrient availability when the studies were carried out (20) .
The bulk of the scientific evidence suggests however that
the species of Trichoderma and Mycorrhiza commonly used
as inoculants in soil and hydroponics are compatible and po-
tentially synergistic when used in combination. Trichoderma
and Mycorrhiza carry out different but potentially very
beneficial roles in the root zone of plants, involving not only
protection from many pathogens, but also nutritional and
growth benefits.
 Breeding Microbes
with Compost Tea:
Unveiling the
Microscopic Secrets
of Connoisseur
Organic Growers
C
ommercial grape growers
in Sonoma and Napa pay
big bucks for beneficial
biology consultants to
come to their vineyards.
And for good reason—the right blend
of microbiology in their soils can
significantly increase the market
value of their wine by promoting
more sophisticated flavors and
bouquets in their grapes. When it
comes to actually selling the end
product, it can be the difference
between producing a bottle that sells
for, say, ten bucks and one that sets
you back fifty or more. Just think
what an understanding of beneficial
biology could do for the fruit and
veggies in your garden?
So what exactly is this beneficial
biology? How do we ‘capture it’
and put it to work in our gardens?
It turns out that the answer’s been
right beneath our noses all this
time. Literally! Microbes form an
integral component of all living
systems. In fact, if microbes didn’t
exist then you wouldn’t be worrying
“We know more about the movement of celestial bodies
than we do about the soil underfoot.”
Leonardo da Vinci
086
Organic waste decomposing at a composting facility in Sacramento, California
about them, because you wouldn’t
be around either! While you ponder
that fact, consider one more. There
are more microbial cells in and on
a human (or at least one not taking
antibiotics) than there are human
cells in your body!
We’re going to find out how to
breed microbes (it’s easy!) and
deploy them in our gardens. To
this end we’ve pulled in beneficial
biology expert, Evan Folds from
Progress Earth, to give us a practical
introduction to brewing your own
compost tea–and using it to grow
the most delicious, chi-filled
produce imaginable! Salivating?
Then you’d best read on!
Give it up for microorganisms! They
perform relatively Herculean acts for
their size. Microbes are responsible for
aiding limitless plant processes, including
helping plants feed and protecting
them from disease. They even help
to create the very soil that serves to
support the entirety of life on Earth.
Meanwhile, many of us have become
conditioned by modern marketing
to foster a disdain and disrespect
for microbial creatures (think hand
sanitizers and antibiotics). Healthy soil is
alive with microbes. They form incredibly
important mutualistic relationships with
the plants we depend on for food. They
break down organic matter (which is
inaccessible to plants) into a form that
plants can use. Think of them as little
‘compost conversion’ factories. Now start
to imagine the potential for increasing
the life force in your garden by learning
how to breed these microbes at home!
We’re talking about something called
‘actively aerated compost tea’ or AACT
for short. It’s ‘life juice’ for your plants—a
brown soup that’s full of beneficial
microbiology, the essential components
of any organic growing situation.
Our current understanding of how to best take
advantage of compost tea when growing plants
can be called ‘rule of thumb,’ at best. We know
a lot about microbes, but relatively little about
what they do or how to use them while growing
plants.

Microbes can react and Bubbling air through compost tea is essential
in creating a healthy, earthy-smelling brew
adapt…by design. Did
you hear about the ‘new’
proteobacteria discovered by
scientists in the wake of the
recent oil spill? Look it up.
BP must have been stoked!

Compost Tea and Soil Food Web

Brewing compost tea is easy and can be
done in many different ways. You take some
compost and other humus sources as an
input for microorganisms and grow them to
extremely high concentrations in an aerated
water solution comprised of food sources
and catalysts. The result? The soil food web
unleashed in all its glory! Microbes and plants
are natural teammates, so compost tea is
simply the best way to replenish and enhance
this wonderful relationship.
However, our current understanding of
how to best take advantage of compost tea
when growing plants can be called ‘rule of
thumb,’ at best. We know a lot about microbes,
but relatively little about what they do or
how to use them while growing plants.
There are potentially billions of
microorganisms and thousands of feet
of fungal hyphae in a mere teaspoon of
quality compost. The fact is, microbes are so
abundant, so pervasive in everything we do,
that it’s no issue to promote astronomical
numbers when discussing and marketing
them in compost, or compost tea products.
Adding compost tea to rain water Watering compost into a raised bed
It’s easy to get bamboozled with all the
The number hype surrounding compost and compost
tea. Consider this: microbes are so small
of microbes that up to 500,000 bacteria can fit in the
present in a period at the end of this sentence. When
it comes to brewing your own microbes,
biological sample high numbers are the easy part, but
is nowhere near the number of microbes present in a
biological sample is nowhere near as
as important important as the diversity and strength
as the diversity of those organisms. Total numbers can be
relevant when evaluating the balance of
and strength biological products or whether a humus
of those product is stable, but it does not address
the most important aspect of all—how
organisms.
well the product works in a real-life
growing scenario.
 Biological Diversity
and Microbe Strength
Many biological products
available at your local
grow store are created
by microbes raised by
humans in a laboratory.
This biosynthetic approach
is necessary for the cost
effective distribution of
certain microbes and has
its merits, especially with
mycorrhizae fungi, which
cannot express their
abilities without a plant
and are not benefitted by
brewing in compost teas.
However, many believe that
a biosynthetic approach
cannot represent the
full potential of an intact
biological network. There’s
no synergy amongst the
different microbes as they
didn’t grow up together.
Remember, microbes aren’t
robots, they’re unique,
dynamic, living, breathing
life forms with varying
abilities, even within a given
species.
A key concept to grasp
is that no living organism
operates autonomously.
In other words, there is
a symbiosis, or “give and
take,” found in the natural
world that we humans take
for granted, and therefore
restrict. Think you grow
your plants? Sorry but it’s
far more likely that you
merely get in the way and
mess with the magic! All
microbes operate by way
of teammates. They play
off of each other, with one
teammate unlocking the
ability of the next. The big
088
Making & Using Actively Aerated Compost Tea
So, you want to brew your own compost tea. Where do you start?
The answer is humus! Microorganisms are found dormant in quality
man cannot dunk without humus sources like compost or worm castings, but can be awakened
the assistance from the and stimulated to grow under the right conditions. There are several
point guard. When 52 different methods for creating compost tea (AACT). It’s simply a
different organisms (ones matter of adding your humus source to water and using air pumps
that were individually grown to increase the amount of air in the water solution in order to grow
by a human in a Petri dish) microbes. The final part of the jigsaw is to add some sort of food and
are brought together as an catalysts for the microbes to grow, such as molasses, kelp, rock dust,
fish, humate, sea minerals, etc.
end product intended for
Brewing your own AACT is similar to running an aquarium. You
use in a gardening situation,
aerate water for fish the same way you do for microbes, or for roots
the optimal result is surely
in a deep-water-culture hydroponics system.
compromised.Remaining
with our basketball analogy
for a moment longer, the 1. Bucket
team’s overall ability is 2. High Output Air-pump
hindered if all the players
3. Tubing
are not on the court and,
even if they’re all present, 4. Porous Bag
what happens if the coach 5. Compost
puts the players in the 6. Gang Valve
wrong positions? (Adjustable T-Piece)
Sure, microbes don’t
play basketball (as far as
we know) so you may be
forgiven for thinking that
it’s not feasible to identify
ability in microbes. But
first, check out some Bt
products. Bt is a bacterium
called Bacillus thuringiensis. 6
It’s commonly used in
gardening because it’s
gentle with plants, but very
capable of parasitizing the
larval stage of common The porous bag allows microbes to escape
pest insects. The Bt and enter the solution while keeping the tea
organisms geared towards free from debris.
fighting larvae such as
caterpillars are called the
kurstaki strain and the Bt DIY Compost Tea Shopping List
aimed at fighting mosquito
You can purchase ready-to-go brewers if you want to make your life nice
larvae in water is named
and easy. Alternatively you can make one yourself. To brew compost tea,
the israelensis strain.
you’ll need a pump, some air tubing, a gang valve, and bubblers.
These organisms are of the
same species and illustrate One high powered air pump Porous bag for the compost,
differing abilities depending Several feet of air line tubing like a nylon stocking
on the application. OR
One or two tee-pieces or
gang valves
Something to strain the final tea,
Two or four air stones like an old pillowcase or tea towel.
 Some foods sources such as bat guano The food source utilized when brew-
create more of it, but a good fish oil (or ing compost tea can determine the
the active ingredient in comfrey called microbe grown. This idea follows the
allantoin) will keep things in motion and concept of succession. An acre of land
keep the foam down if need be. Foam is left fallow will begin to regenerate
generally not a concern, using annual plants
especially when using (weeds), and then
suggested recipes from progress into more
reputable compost tea perennial species
companies. A sugar source (grass, vegetables)
When brewing AACT like molasses until it culminates
keep in mind that the into a forest (peren-
higher the water tem-
fed to a balanced nial hardwoods).
perature the greater the stable compost Over the course of
biological growth, but this natural process,
the lower the dissolved
inoculant will fungi become gradu-
oxygen. It’s a matter of encourage more ally more dominant
physics that the warm- than bacteria. This is
bacterial growth,
er the water tempera- not black and white,
ture, the less oxygen whereas kelp or but is evident in the
can be dissolved. It is fish fed to the fungal dominance of
also true that the colder old growth forests.
the water temperature same inoculant will So what does this
the slower the biologi- encourage more knowledge mean?
cal growth. Dissolved Well, you can use Deliberate overuse of bat guano
oxygen levels above 6 fungal growth. it to brew compost
parts per million (ppm) teas that make more
will provide sufficient sense to what you tail), which encourages the growth of
biological growth, and are growing. For beneficial nematodes. To be clear, mo-
levels around 8 ppm are instance, a sugar lasses does not discourage fungi from
attainable at room tem- source like molasses growing, it simply encourages bac-
perature. An accepted approach among fed to a balanced stable compost in- teria more. Similarly, using a fungal
compost tea enthusiasts is to brew AACT oculant will encourage more bacterial dominant tea on an annual plant will
at a similar temperature to where it’s be- growth, whereas kelp or fish fed to the not harm it in any way; it’s a better/
ing used, for example; if your root zone same inoculant will encourage more best scenario. There is so much more
temperature is 68°F (20°C), brew the AACT fungal growth. The same is true for to be discovered as da Vinci reminds
around this temperature. other inputs, like Equisetum (horse- us—we know more about the stars.

F:B = Fungal : Bacteria ratio

Source: Biologic Systems
090
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Using AACT

Microbes given a proper environment based hydroponic situation growing

can grow to extraordinarily high jalapenos.
concentrations. The book Secrets of Again, it’s a better/best scenario;
the Soil states that a single microbe you’re better off using compost tea and
reaching maturity and dividing mitigating the potential harshness of
within less than half an hour can, in your mineral-based nutrients than
the course of a single day, grow into worrying about the microbes dying.
300 million more, and in another day It is always advisable to check nutrient
to more than the number of human concentrations with a meter before
beings that have ever using a tea on sensitive
lived. Further, according or special plants, but by
to the book Microcosmos, keeping inputs at or near
Compost
bacteria, in four days recommended amounts
of unlimited growth, tea there should be no fear
could outnumber all the of burning. “Burning”
protons and even all the
can be used a plant is actually a
quarks estimated to exist in unlimited water stress based on
within the universe. This total ion concentration.
reality allows growers
ways and Having too many ions
to use as little as five really cannot around a root system
gallons on an entire sucks water out of
acre of land, roughly be used the plant via osmosis,

No compost tea added to reservoir

Compost tea added weekly to mineral-based solution
equivalent to about a one incorrectly causing the plant to
cup per gallon dilution. respond by sending its
Compost tea can be unless you are available water into the
used in unlimited ways overwatering middle of the leaf and
and really cannot be leaving the edge to burn.
used incorrectly unless your plants. Because compost tea
you are overwatering is created at relatively
your plants. Some low concentrations (600-
growers choose to use 800 ppm) burning is a
compost tea on every non-issue when used at
watering, but weekly applications recommended levels.
or on reservoir changes would be As if to underline the previous point,
sufficient. It is even possible to compost tea can be used with seedlings
experience benefits from compost and cuttings with great success.
tea with just one application. The sooner and more microbes used
After all, you’re dealing with living the better, even in hydroponics.
organisms that can populate and Use a gallon of compost tea to 20-50
reproduce by themselves if given gallons of water in hydro reservoirs;
proper conditions. some growers even use compost tea
It is a common supposition that concentrate as their primary reservoir
synthetic products (i.e. mineral based solutions. Consider using organic
nutrients) kill microbes. While this is and organic-based nutrients as food
certainly true on some level, using sources for biological inoculants. It is
compost tea with synthetic nutrient not necessary to feed microbes after
regiments can produce good results. you have implemented them into a
The image inset illustrates the use garden, but it can certainly have a
of a leading compost tea brew used positive influence. After all, natural
at one cup per gallon on weekly farming is about feeding microbes, not
reservoir changes in a mineral- the plant.

092

Compost Tea as a
Foliar Application
It is possible to use compost tea as a
foliar spray. Some growers spray their
plants every day, but once a week will
do the trick for measureable results.
When using compost tea you are
harnessing a synergy of living microbes
for general benefit, however, this is
one of the occasions when a targeted
biological product can be effective.
Many times the microbes used in
human designed microbial products
are found naturally in compost, but
not in high enough concentrations
to make them applicable once pests
or disease have struck. In the end, a
pest or disease is simply a biological
imbalance of some sort, so when one
trophic level gets out of whack a higher
concentration of a certain microbe can
work effectively.
The active ingredient in many
biological fungicides is the
bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which
is found naturally in compost. This
concentrated organism will work
better on a disease outbreak, but if
used consistently, compost tea can
work preventatively to allow the
disease to express itself in the first
place. The more consistent you are in
delivering microbes to the leaves and
root zone of your plants, the more
benefits you will receive.
Compost tea can even help control
pests if used consistently, many
bacteria found in compost seek
protein, which is what comprises
the exoskeleton of many target pest
species. As with any new endeavor
in the garden, isolate a test plot and
experiment before implementing it
into the entire growing situation.
There is no real precedent for using
Actively Aerated Microbial Extracts
(AAME) in compost tea brews,
but it’s certainly a good idea for
experimentation. Some grow stores
set up multiple compost tea units
for grow/bloom or bacterial/fungal
purposes. It’s widely anticipated that
we will start seeing them for pest and
disease control too in the near future.
AACT Brewers
There are varied compost tea units
available on the market, everything from
a five gallon bucket to large commercial
units. For the most part, the unit you
choose will be based on volume size and
convenience, not biological performance.
There is a healthy debate regarding the
importance of the size of the air bubble
produced by air diffusers and another on
whether they need to be used at all. It is
certainly true that the smaller the bubble
the more surface area exposed to the
solution. However, it is unclear whether
this really makes a difference based
on maximum dissolved oxygen levels
considering water holds a finite amount
of oxygen relative to its temperature.
Filter bags to hold compost are also a
point of difference between respective
models. They are used strictly for
convenience so that the compost tea
brew does not clog up sprayers after
creation. This can save time, but must be
balanced with what is not extracted from
the physical compost when brewing. As
mentioned above, microbes hold on really
tight. A quality humus is colloidal and
most inputs used are soluble, so a filter
bag is not absolutely necessary. You can
always filter it after you are done brewing.
It is vital to use quality water when
brewing compost tea, and in your garden
in general. If you are unsure of your water
source, use a filter. There are quality
reverse osmosis (RO) filters and de-
chlorinators on the market for reasonable
prices. Most nutrient solutions are not
designed to account for what comes
through the tap, so if possible start from
zero ppm. Remember, chlorine kills
microbes and it’s added to just about
every public water supply in some form
for this very reason. Bubbling your water
will remove chlorine in a couple of hours,
but not chloramines, its more persistent
cousins—also used in many municipal
water supplies. At the very least, let your
water sit out for 24 hours before using it
to brew tea. Ideally, invest in a reverse
osmosis water purification system.
Composts, Inoculants
and Food Sources for
Compost Tea
When brewing compost tea, starting with
a quality microbial product is essential.
This is a major problem with people who
compost in their back yards. Organic mat-
ter doesn’t melt; it’s biologically digested.
It’s not advisable to use manure to make
compost tea because manure is not yet
plant food. This is why black cow “com-
post” at the hardware store costs $1 a bag.
It’s aged manure. It’s mulch, not plant
food. Remember, trees in a forest don’t eat
leaves; they eat what the microbes make
of them.
Some growers use worm casings as the
sole basis for their compost teas. While
this is certainly a viable option to brew
tea, worms are predominately a bacte-
rial organism, and do not contain some
of the trophic levels of beneficial organ-
isms, such as fungi, nematodes, protozoa,
ciliates, etc. that provide vital benefits
to plants and gardens. Worms sequester
bacteria in their gut in order to work their
magic, like termites use fungi to digest the
wood they eat. To brew a better tea, con-
sider using worm castings along with a
balanced humus product.
The more consistent
you are in delivering
microbes to the leaves
and root zone of your
plants, the more benefits
you will receive
Food sources for compost tea include molasses, kelp, fish,
bat guano, and generally anything that was once alive
that is soluble enough to be put into solution, even fruit
pulp. It is important to note that recipes and preferences
vary widely, for instance, some may recommend up to 16
tablespoons of molasses per 5 gallons of water, others only
1 tablespoon. Be sure to experiment based on these general
recommendations, but below are a couple of simple recipes.
Use the formulating company’s recommendations
for humus and catalyst per gallon, then for a bacterial
dominant tea, use 4-6 tablespoons of molasses and 2-4
tablespoons of kelp to five gallons of aerated water.
Reverse the ratio for a more fungal dominant tea.

Three Simple AACT Recipes

All for 5 gallon (19L) brewers

Bacterial Dominant Tea

1.5 pounds (700g) bacterial compost or vermicompost
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) liquid black strap molasses
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons
of liquid kelp
3-4 teaspoons (15-20ml) fish emulsion

Equal Ratio - Fungi : Bacteria Tea

1.5 pounds (700g) 1:1 fungi to bacteria compost
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) humic acids
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons
of liquid kelp
3-4 teaspoons (15-20ml) fish hydrolysate

Fungal Dominant Tea

2 pounds (900g) fungal compost
3-4 tablespoons (50ml) humic acids
2 teaspoons (10ml) yucca extract
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons
of liquid kelp
4-5 teaspoons (20-25ml) fish hydrolysate

Recipes from ‘The Compost Tea Brewing Manual’,

5th Edition by Dr Elaine Ingham.

Fish-based natural fertilizers are generally obtained in one

of two forms, condensed fish solubles known as emulsions,
or enzymatic digested fish known as hydrolysates. Fish
hydrolysate is cold processed (minced, enzymatically
digested and liquefied) to preserve proteins for quick
turnover by microbes into nutrients for plants. Emulsions
are created using extreme heat, and while they may be
easier to work with because they are further refined, the
processing removes valuable ingredients and denaturing
nutrients. While both fertilizer forms can benefit a compost
tea, hydrolysates retain the natural oils from the fish that
are a very potent fungal food.
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Demand the Best

Accept No Imitations
 Make sure to ask your retailer about the components of the
compost tea being brewed, including the biological source
and whether mineral catalysts are being used.
Mineral Catalysts
One thing that is not discussed enough in
the compost tea community is the use of
mineral catalysts. Catalysts, as we know,
change the speed of a reaction. It’s impor-
tant to understand that microbes work
indirectly via chemical decomposition. In
other words, bacteria don’t chew on a ba-
nana peel in a compost pile, they offer up
an enzyme (biological catalyst) that works
to chemically break it down. Enzymes are
specialty proteins that work like keys to
a lock for important biochemical reac-
tions within living organisms, plants and
people included. All enzymes incorporate
a single molecule of a trace mineral—such
as manganese, copper, iron or zinc—with-
out which an enzyme cannot function. We
all know the benefits of adding enzymes
to our gardening systems, but not many
growers know that you get free enzymes
from microbes.
Microbes help plants eat and, in return,
plants feed microbes. In fact, over half of
the energy derived through photosyn-
thesis by plants is fed to the soil as exu-
dates. Think of an exudate as a meal for
microbes. Plants actually know what they
need, they just can’t tell us. This means
that plants have the ability to attract spe-
Sample on left brewed with greater
level of elements than sample on right
096
Brew Times
cific trophic levels (imagine the balance of The most commonly heard figure for brew
the big fish and the little fish in the ocean) times is 12-24 hours. If pressed for why, a
of microbes by preparing food from its common answer is because bacteria are
surrounding environment that attracts most active in these stages. While bacteria
those capable of generating what is de- are beneficial to plants, so are many
ficient in the plant. This biological/plant other microorganisms. Take protozoa for
network, or intelligence, if you will, can- example. It is well known that compost
not be established overnight, but it can tea brewed for over 24 hours begins to
be tapped into if we are aware of it. This develop protozoa and ciliate dominance.
is especially true when growing indoors in (The brew “matures.”) Protozoa are
artificial environments. extremely efficient nitrogen (N) cyclers,
It’s important to provide everything for so why would a grower looking for more
plants so they can be allowed to eat what nitrogen not brew their tea longer to
they desire, but it’s even more important populate more protozoa dominance?
to allow microbes a complete tool kit. Not Further, they are also the shredders in
doing so is like hiring someone to build the soil; they eat bacteria and fungi like
a house and only providing them half a shark eats fish in the ocean. Humus
the tools. The pictures inset illustrates a is actually the guts of microbes. They
side-by-side test conducted with a broad- have digested available organic matter
spectrum mineral product. The tea sample to create stable dormant humus (plant
on the left was brewed in the presence of food). The guts of microbes are actually
many more elements than the tea sample fertilizer bags. Why wouldn’t we want
on the right. Note the enhanced foaming protozoa in there creating nature’s plant
and darker color after only four hours. food shredding up bacteria?
Other catalysts to consider are rock There is no “right” way to brew compost
dusts, yucca extract, or any broad-spec- tea, only better and best. Before long we
trum natural mineral. Remember, these will have developed biological feeding
materials are not “food” for microbes; they schedules that direct growers on how long
help microbes eat their food. to brew their compost teas given humus,
foods, and catalysts to accomplish the
microbe spectrum that makes sense for
the plant and stage of growth, like we do
mineral products. If one wants bacteria
Buying AACT to use as a foliar, use molasses and brew
for 12 hours. For a higher fungal : bacteria
Your grow store might be one of the many ratio for hardwoods, brew 24 hours using
who offer up their own in-store brew from fish hydrolosate and humates. Feed hay
units operated inside the store. If you has shown promise in increasing protozoa
choose to purchase compost tea from a counts, so brewers can use it and brew
gardening store, be sure to use it as soon for 48 hours to sequester more for their
as possible. We have seen evidence of gardens. The possibilities are endless.
beneficial life for up to three days under
a microscope with some systems, but it
is always advisable to use it the day you get it from the shop. Make sure to ask your
retailer about the components of the compost tea being brewed, including the biological
source and whether mineral catalysts are being used. If they have a microscope set up,
even better. Make a habit of reconciling the microbes you see under the scope before
you take it home with the results you are getting in your garden.
Some models found in stores involve refrigerating brews and coordinating pickups
on certain days, while others encourage running the units perpetually by adding food
source, catalysts, and microbes each day based on the amount of water added to the unit.
Nutrition as it is today does not
supply the strength necessary for
manifesting the spirit in physical
life.

A bridge can no longer be built

from thinking to will and action.

Food plants no longer contain the

forces people need for this.

So long as one feeds on food from

unhealthy soil, the spirit will lack
the stamina to free itself from the
prison of the body.

Rudolf Steiner
Creator of Biodynamics
(1861-1925)

Some growers are experimenting with

aerating their microbes for a period of time
before adding food sources. The idea is that
some microbes wake up faster than others, so
brewing without food lets all of them get their
feet on the ground, so to speak. Makes sense,
but much more research needs to be conducted.
The new frontier in natural gardening will
develop around these ideas. One thing is for
sure, we’ve got a lot of work to do. But, hey, it
could be worse, we could be sitting in a cubicle.
If we approach the biological situation of
our soils and hydro systems humbly, we will
be in a far greater position to benefit. We can
get more out of our plants than we have come
to expect. Growing plants is about much more
than feeding a plant directly, it’s about taking
stock of their total environment, including
the biological (microbial) and energetic
(biodynamic) aspects of the growing situation.
Rather than listen to ourselves, let’s listen to
our plants for a change.

If you’ve never used compost tea with your

plants, you’re not maximizing the genetic
potential of your garden. Consider this your
clarion call. Stop by your local garden store
and get started today.

WORDS: Evan Folds


Root Aphid
Root Aphid factoids:
Aphids and root aphids are related to the commercial grape vine pest Phylloxera. During the late 19th century a
‘Phylloxera plague’ destroyed an estimated two thirds of European vineyards!
Root aphids in the genus
Pemphigus (pictured)
secrete a white waxy
material as a protective
measure against predator
attack and desiccation.
When colonies are spotted
in a root zone, this white
substance is often
mistaken for saprophytic
or mycorrhizal fungal
growth.
‘ A lettuce root aphid Pemphigus bursarius
feeding on Salix roots.’
098
Root aphids can vary
in color depending on
species and life stage.
They can be pale yellow,
green, red or black.
Some adult root aphids
can develop wings and
fly. At this stage they are
often black in color and
can easily be mistaken
for Sciarid flies aka
fungus gnats.
Root aphids feed
by sucking the sap
from roots, which in
extreme cases can
cause the plant to wilt.
Problems often start with
unhealthy colored foliage
and strange nutrient
deficiency symptoms, the
most common symptom
being interveinal chlorosis
of the mid to lower leaves.
“The root aphid
feeding process
can make the
roots more
vulnerable to
fungal and viral
diseases.”
Chemical control can
be achieved with products
containing Imidacloprid –
Affected roots a neonicotinoid systemic
frequently split and start insecticide manufactured
to decay as a result by Bayer. Due to its
of root aphid feeding. systemic characteristics
Decaying roots can often and ‘moderately
attract fungus gnats to toxic’ classification,
the party, which also feed Imidacloprid should
on roots. The root aphid be limited for use on
feeding process can also ornamental plants or on
make the roots more consumable plants during
vulnerable to fungal and late propagation or the
viral diseases. early vegetative growth
stages.
Microbiological
control is a more natural
approach and can
be achieved with the
entomopathogenic fungi
Beauveria bassianan,
found in the commercial
product ‘BotaniGuard.’
This fungus parasitizes
and kills the root aphids.
Other moderately
successful control
measures include
submerging the root
zone or pot in a solution
containing insecticidal
soap for 30 minutes to 2
hours. Anecdotal reports
suggest growers have
had some success using
neem products containing
azadirachtin when applied
as a root drench, and with
commercially available
predatory nematodes - but
less is known about which
species of nematode are
most effective against root
aphids.
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 Las Vegas’ Hangover
Graham Foster compares the Las Vegas from
The Hangover with his first visit to Sin City.

Walking through the lobby of my central-

Strip hotel, The Imperial Palace (a mock
pagoda with a lazy Far-East theme), I’m
surrounded by paraphernalia from the
film The Hangover: t-shirts with the life-
sized image of a baby in a baby-carrier
(including sunglasses); the bearded Zach
Galifianakis plastered on posters and
t-shirts that declare the practice of card-
counting to be “frowned upon;” Bradley
Cooper dolls with over-sized plastic heads
that juggle violently when flicked; various
key rings, playing cards and other gift-
that it shows “average” guys who clearly a casino floor will reveal grey and
shop-junk. In short, Vegas has adopted a
have no problem affording the excesses unhealthy people basically undergoing
film that mocks its own excesses to help
that Vegas offers: drinking, gambling and the gradual transition from existence
its self-created myth soar even higher.
eating (hotel rooms are really cheap for a to deceased while pumping dollar coins
The gamblers, of course, love it. Armies of
reason!). On The Strip, it can cost up to $8 into machines (it’s not quarters anymore),
men wearing the baby-in-carrier t-shirt
for a regular brand of domestic beer (one or tossing dice at the craps table. An
roam the streets; snatches of overheard
bottle, not counting the tip); the gaming after-dinner stroll down The Strip will
conversations contain film quotes and
tables are designed to be as seductive be constantly interrupted by men and
let’s-pretend role-playing (honestly, you’ll
as possible, and food is very expensive women, fluorescent-clad in t-shirts
hear the term “wolfpack” every second
(even recognized fast food brands, which declaring “GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS: Straight
minute).
seem to incorporate some kind of Vegas to your hotel room,” shoving leaflets
So why has Vegas jumped on The
surcharge in their standard prices). Phil, advertising these services into your
Hangover, using it as a kind of freelance
Alan et al., far from being average, must be hands. An interesting side note: far from
piece of marketing for the town’s wild
extremely well off to survive their night being embarrassed about these low-level
side? Well, people being wild and reveling
of a booze-filled, all-out, spending spree on street pimps, Vegas has adopted them as
in excess spend money, and money is the
The Strip. a cultural feature. Replicas of this twisted
real reason why there’s a city in the middle
The glitz and glamour are laid on so fluorescent mural in the form of “GIRLS
of the Nevada desert. People influenced
thick in Vegas for a very good reason: to GIRLS GIRLS” shirts are on sale in myriad
by The Hangover (the surprise hit of
hide the very evident squalor that the hotel gift shops, although the specific
2009, grossing $201,642,000 worldwide—
town subsists on. A quick walk around target market remains vague.
according to IMDb), will be drawn to
Vegas to experience what the characters
of the film quite clearly suffered, and “Vegas has adopted a film that mocks its own excesses
they’ll bring their wallets with them.
Another reason Vegas may have jumped to help its self-created myth soar even higher.”
on this film and its commercial appeal is

100
 “Another reason Vegas may have jumped on this film and its
commercial appeal is that it shows “average” guys who clearly
have no problem affording the excesses that Vegas offers:
drinking, gambling and eating.”

My point in detailing this horror is that
The Hangover largely ignores it, preferring
to focus on the glossiness of Caesar’s
Palace and other Strip locations (which,
of course, is probably a wise directorial
decision as the film is an enjoyable, light
comedy). It’s another reason why Vegas
loves the film, and has taken it to it to its
rhinestone-studded breasts—the fictional
Vegas of the film is much more attractive
than the real town, a town that has based
its internal economy on human weakness.
In The Hangover, the hotel room is
a tremendous suite with flat-screen
televisions, white sofas and the space to
swing a tiger (rather than the cheap box-
like offering you’ll probably get); the hotel
pool and terrace are glamorous—actually
somewhere you would want to eat
breakfast (rather than the morning refuge
for extremely large people revealing yards
of dimpled and sun-greased flesh), and the
gaming tables are surrounded by young
and good-looking people (rather than old
ladies with hair set by gallons of spray,
and old men dwarfed by their Stetsons).
In short, the film constructs a myth that
shrouds real-world Vegas in exactly the
same way as Vegas casinos shadow their
neighbors, each having been constructed
higher and brighter than the last. The
casinos are hyper-real monuments to
the myth of Vegas: a scale model of
the Eiffel Tower, a Manhattan skyline
(complete with yellow cab rollercoaster),
an indoor Venetian canal with simulated
sky and opera-singing gondoliers, and
a glass pyramid stocked to the gills
with Egyptian reproductions. The awe-
inspiring construction of these casinos
almost distracts you from the “nearly-
dead” spending hours literally tied to the
machines (gambling cards on a string used
instead of cash), and the shit-splattered
public toilets in the bowels of even the
most upscale casinos (don’t ask).

Favorite Vegas Casino Tricks:

NO WINDOWS OR CLOCKS DRINKS TOILETS AIR AMBIENCE

Everyone knows about this
one, and it’s perhaps the
most obvious. I even asked
a waiter in a casino what
time it was and he informed
me that he was not allowed
to tell. Being isolated from
the temporal signifiers of
the day’s passage is very
effectively disarming and
it makes Vegas a timeless
bubble, especially when
your attention is diverted by
the various games.
If you are sitting at a
gaming table with a stack
of chips in front of you, the
casinos are more likely to
wave the astronomical cost
of the beer/wine/spirits.
There are no bouncers to
throw you out when you’ve
had enough …
The toilets are usually
located at the very deepest
part of the casino so you
have to walk through all of
the temptations on offer
in order to answer nature’s
call.
This fact combined with
the discombobulating
architecture means it’s
very easy to get trapped in
a casino.
The casinos are known to
pump pure oxygen into the
air supply in order to keep
the gamblers awake and
playing.
Apparently this also helps
with speedy inebriation
when used in combination
with the free drinks.
The designs and colors of
the carpets are used both
to confuse the eye (so it’s
easier to forget where the
exit is) and to mesmerize.
The colors are used to make
the gamesters feel they
are in a safe environment.
The lights are also mellow
instead of harsh neon, and
there is Muzak playing at a
low level in order to lull the
gamblers.
 Most importantly, The Hangover
paints Las Vegas as the ultimate place to
party, the place where sins are rewarded
(drunken excesses free you from a
failing personal life; gambling results
in massive winnings, etc.). The problem
with Vegas’ self-promoted reputation as
the party capital of the world is that fun
can never go hand-in-hand with naked
and cynical commercialism. Scantily-
clad waitresses wander the casino floors
offering gamblers the chance to order
a drink, not because they want to help
someone have a happy and fun time, but
because they want to keep that person’s
natural willpower and self-awareness at
an all-time low. It’s tantamount to a sleazy
guy feeding a girl alcohol to increase his
chances of receiving a clumsy, back-seat
blowjob before the night is through. It’s
a widely reported fact that the casinos
have no clocks, or overt exit signs on the
gaming floor. Yet it’s not until you walk
around inside that it becomes startlingly
clear that the buildings are designed to
disorientate: curved walls, no landmarks,
uniform decoration, lots of noise and
mellow lighting are about as far from
natural as you can get. The Hangover
doesn’t so much as mention any of these
dirty tricks, which makes it easy for the
casinos to market the film (although, one
suspects that they would have used The
Hangover as a marketing tool even if it
had said that Vegas slot machines were
constructed out of the bones of small
children).
All of this hype increases the chances of
Las Vegas being a huge disappointment—
the equivalent of a Christmas morning
with an empty stocking. Throughout its
relatively short history, films like The
Hangover have been ignoring the seedier
side of Sin City and concentrating on
the neon, the extravagant pleasures
and Vegas’ self-propagated myth. Films
such as Swingers (1996), Ocean’s Eleven
(1960/2001), Viva Las Vegas (1964), What
Happens in Vegas (2008) and even
Showgirls (1995) all help Vegas perpetuate
the myth of glamour and the fiction of
“The Party” and this is how the majority
of the world’s population is conditioned
to view the city. But then what can you
expect from Hollywood, another entity
that has created its own myth in order to
better sell itself to the public.
102
Walking around Vegas That away from The That “genuine” French
and experiencing it Strip, on Fremont Street, cuisine (steak-frites) in the
without cinematic Las Vegas gets really Paris-themed casino is far
rose-colored glasses weird: terrible magic shows from genuine, right down to
makes disappointment (obvious plants in the the overly cheerful waiter.
the only rational audience as volunteers, The Las Vegans really don’t
reaction. fake arms very visible etc.); do “studied ennui” even to
a terrible Alice Cooper enhance a simulation.
In my own let-down state, impersonator who also does
this is what I have learned a terrible Ozzy Ozbourne; That the depths of
about Las Vegas: dancing girls everywhere Western civilization have
(on podiums in the street been reached, not in the
That “Europe” is used as a for example); a small rampant greed of the
general signifier of “classy,” person dressed as Mr. T. and casinos, but with the creation
but the intended target is grinding against a clearly of M&M World—a four-storey
missed by a mile. inebriated regular-size girl; shop that only stocks M&M-
dogs wearing leather chaps, inspired products.
That everybody who works and the list goes on . . .
in Las Vegas makes money, That The Strip looks small
either legally or otherwise. That the Venetian Casino on a map, but will dissolve
(with indoor canal and shoe leather like nothing else.
That all casinos have Italian shopping street) will
the cigarettes-and- reduce a group of Italian That most nations/
carpet-cleaner scent of old tourists to wild hysterics in ethnicities have been given
institutional waiting rooms. the central piazza. the L.V. treatment. Germany,
however, seems to have
That even the shows That Las Vegas seems been ignored. Oh, for a plastic
that seem skewed towards to be the refuge of the Neuschwanstein Castle!
a younger crowd are extremely large, unhealthy
desperately inappropriate, and greasy-looking person, And that Las Vegas’ down-
especially the pirate one who sits at slot, and bar- and-out population suggests
that recasts the pirates as mounted poker machines that the city has an efficient
shirtless dancers who have for more straight hours than way of breaking people. The
to fight a ship full of strippers a workaholic would sit at his constructed glamour cannot
... Okay, “sirens” (sample office desk. disguise the desperate people
dialogue line: “All the salty panhandling on the raised
seamen who sail into my cove That the Bellagio walkways, scrubbing for
will drown in inhospitable fountain is genuinely (and cigarette butts and generally
waters”). surprisingly) breathtaking. roaming around in a daze.
“Try not to build up your hopes before you arrive, and for
heaven’s sake don’t construct your itinerary by copying the
events depicted in myriad Hollywood films...”
So the advice of your weary correspondent after an assignment to compare
the real Vegas and the Hangover Vegas is: Try not to build up your hopes
before you arrive, and for heaven’s sake don’t construct your itinerary by
copying the events depicted in myriad Hollywood films (especially all the
card-counting stuff. It’s not just ‘frowned upon’; you will get your thumbs
broken by rent-a-thugs and be left to bleed among the other broken people
on the sidewalk).
Words: Graham Foster
 Vide-oh-no!
The most
controversial
music videos
of all time!
Ever since the 1981 launch of
MTV heralded the age of 24-
hour music television, bands
and artists have recognized
what a potent marketing tool
the music video is.
With the medium firmly in the
mainstream, musicians and directors
use promo clips to make themselves
more appealing to fans by seizing the
opportunity to present themselves in
their own chosen artistic light. However,
for some, the music video has been an
invitation to explore the boundaries of
taste and decency— whether for artistic
statement, political intent, shock value or
for a good old-fashioned cynical attempt
to get column inches.
Sex, debauchery, violence and religious
imagery are the most common ways
directors have created controversy, which
has led to many videos being banned from
TV, cut, or in the most extreme cases,
campaigned against.
Like movies, there’s nothing quite like
music videos to get the more puritanical
among us up in arms.
Chris Hidden investigates some of the
most controversial clips out there.
Grammy Award-winner Kanye
West holds the record for
the longest music video at
a whopping 40 minutes for
his single, ‘Runaway’. It beats
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts, the
former title-holder by just 29
seconds.
104
M.I.A. Born Free Erykah Badu Window Seat
This short film from the London-born, Sri
Lankan-raised, politically active electro-
Essentially a striptease set to the soulful
sounds of the song; the video features
dance artist features the rounding up of a singer Badu walking the streets of her
gaggle of ginger-haired youth by a platoon
of particularly shady—and identifiably
hometown Dallas, shedding items of
clothing as she goes. Filmed completely
American—armed forces. The carrot- guerrilla style and in just one take, the
topped kids are shipped out to a desert bystanders she passes, clearly shocked
in the back of a bus, before being forced at what they are seeing, are all real. As
to disembark. The youngest of their the final layer of clothing is whipped off
number is shot through the head before just as she is walking past Dealey Plaza,
several others are forced to run through the infamous spot of JFK’s assassination,
a live minefield. As various severed limbs Badu’s head whips back violently as she
and appendages fly through the air, too takes a shot to the back of the head. She
several more kids are beaten to death collapses apparently dead in the street. A
by the psychopathic troopers. The video spoken word passage closes out the video
caused outrage on its release and was urging the viewer to be individual and to
initially pulled from YouTube. A graphic not be afraid to be liberated. Badu escaped
and shocking video, no doubt, but the police attention regarding the video
political allegory at work here is clearly shoot, but was subsequently warned
highlighting the obscenity of genocide. the combination of indecent exposure
and the presence of children could have
landed her a maximum fine of $4,000 and
up to one year in prison. As it was, it just
generated a great deal of free PR. Bonus!
t.A.T.u All the Things She Said
This 2002 clip from Russian ‘lesbian’ pop duo t.A.T.u featured its two members, Lena
Katina and Yulia Volkova, dressed as Catholic schoolgirls in short skirts and revealing
tops. The pair dance suggestively together in the rain and snow behind a chain fence
before sharing a steamy kiss. The suggestive nature of the video, the overt lesbian
connotations and the seemingly young ages of the girls caused widespread outrage. Well-
known bastions of the UK’s morals, Richard and Judy, campaigned to have the video
banned claiming it pandered to paedophiles. They failed and t.A.T.u’s response was to
incorporate the uniforms and steamy clinch into their live performances of the song. In
your face Richard and Judy!
BIGGER IS BETTER
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 The Prodigy
Smack My Bitch Up
Recently voted the most controversial
song of all time in a survey conducted
by PRS for Music, the Jonas Akerlund-
directed video to this seminal Prodigy
track—taken from their ‘97 album The
Fat of the Land—wasn’t short of a
shock or two either. A veritable feast of
controversial imagery, the video follows
a chaotic night on the tiles filmed from
the first-person perspective of the
main protagonist. Its 4 mins, 33 secs are
full to brim with sex, violence, alcohol
abuse and other nocturnal debauchery.
The classic twist comes at the end of
the clip when the main character is
revealed to be a woman. The video
received major criticism particularly
from feminist groups who believed
it to be misogynistic. The video was
widely banned from daytime TV and
went on to be named as MTV’s most
controversial video ever. The Prodigy
went on to become one of the UK’s most
successful dance acts; never strangers to
a controversial moment or two.
Madonna Like a Prayer
Probably the most famous video on this
list, the heavy use of religious iconography
in “Like a Prayer” —including Madonna
showing signs of stigmata and dancing by
several burning crosses—created a great
deal of controversy when it was released
in 1989. In the clip, Madonna witnesses the
murder of a woman by three white men
but sees a black man wrongly arrested for
the crime. She flees to a church to pray
106
Justice Stress
The second video on this list directed by members of the public and the police. In
Romain Gavras—the other being M.I.A.’s the climax to the video, the gang steal a
“Born Free”— is the clip for “Stress” by car, which they set on fire and then, in a
acclaimed French dance act, Justice, final clever twist that breaks the fourth
which received widespread criticism both wall, turn their violent attention on
for its extreme violence and for what the camera filming their rampage, and
some perceived as racist undertones. In by extension on us, the audience. The
the clip a marauding gang of youths of band strongly denied any accusations of
African descent run riot on the streets racism— actually, the video was felt by
of Paris. The gang, all dressed in jackets many as being a critique of the French
adorned with Justice’s cross logo, commit media’s portrayal of socially deprived
numerous acts of vandalism and mount a youths from Paris’ outskirts.
series of unprovoked attacks on innocent
Nine Inch Nails Closer
No strangers to courting controversy,
Nine Inch Nails knocked it out of the
park with this ‘94 clip for the song “Closer”
from their seminal album The Downward
Spiral. Taking place in a hellish laboratory,
the video features imagery pertaining to
religion, sexuality and politics and also
contains images of animal cruelty.
Classic scenes involve a naked woman
wearing a crucifix mask, a monkey tied
to a cross, a pig’s head spinning on a machine and singer Trent Reznor wearing an S &
M mask whilst swinging in shackles. The imagery, inspired by the macabre art of Joel-
Peter Witkin and the 1986 short film Street of Crocodiles, shocked and appalled viewers
on the video’s debut but has since been widely recognized as being one of the greatest
music videos ever; in fact it has been added to the permanent collection of the Museum
of Modern Art in New York.
to a statue of Saint Martin de Porres, he comes to life, crying, and shares a tender kiss
with the singer. This mixture of the sacred with the profane outraged the Vatican and
had many other people assuming director Mary Lambert was depicting a black version
of Christ, which only added fuel to the fire of religious outrage. Even more publicity
was created after Pepsi, seeking to distance themselves from the controversy, pulled
a TV commercial featuring Madonna singing the same song for which they had paid
her $5m. Throughout her career the singer has utilized music videos to further cement
her popularity but has often been criticized for their transgressive nature. 300m record
sales later and officially recognized as the world’s top-selling female recording artist of
all time, you could say she probably knows what she’s doing!
 Britney Spears Baby One More Time
On the surface of it and when compared
to some of the other videos on this list, the
1998 video for Britney Spears’ debut single
is not amongst the most shocking, nor
did it create the greatest of controversies
when released. What it did do was help
thrust the then unknown teenager into
superstardom by the sheer power of its
iconic and highly sexualized imagery.
Portrayed as a Catholic schoolgirl,
resplendent in pigtails and the most
revealing of school uniforms, Spears
is seen, midriff on full display, dancing
through the corridors and hallways of
her high school. That the video found its
way onto extreme rotation on daytime
TV is either a sign of more liberal times or
that the video out is actually a subversive
work of genius. We know which we’d
prefer to believe.

Nas
Hate Me Now
No surprize to see a hip hop video make this list given the
genre’s propensity for courting controversy. This 1999 clip
featured New York gangster rapper, Nas, wearing a crown
of thorns and dragging a cross on which he is subsequently
crucified. The controversy created as a result of a black man
portraying Jesus was oddly enough matched by the most
unlikely of sources: the song’s guest vocalist Sean ‘Puff
Pearl Jam
Daddy’ Combs. Featured in an earlier version of the video
Jeremy
being crucified alongside Nas, Puff Daddy had requested the
Pretty much the reason Seattle grungers,
scenes be pulled after suffering an attack of guilt as a result
Pearl Jam, stopped making music
of his religious beliefs. The request was granted but somehow
videos for well over ten years was the
the original cut made its way to several TV stations that
controversy surrounding this clip of
subsequently broadcast it. Outraged, Puff Daddy allegedly
arguably the band’s most recognisable
retaliated by attacking Nas’ manager, presumably after
song. The uproar rumbled on for several
misplacing those religious values of his. A disclaimer was
years after its release. Inspired by 16
added to the start of the video saying it in no way depicted
year-old Texan, Jeremy Wade Delle, who
or portrayed the life or death of Jesus Christ. We think that
committed suicide by shooting himself in
much is pretty obvious.
front of his class at school, the song and
video tell the story of a young man bullied
at school, ignored by his parents and
generally disillusioned with life. At the
end of the video he is seen putting a gun
to his mouth before pulling the trigger—
his blood-spattered classmates are shown
next, frozen in horror. To get the clip
Aphex Twin
played on TV, the gun scene was cut; a
Come To Daddy / Windowlicker move, which led to many people wrongly
Okay, technically two different music videos for two separate songs but stick a pin in assuming that the video’s climax depicted
the video output of seminal electronica musician Aphex Twin, aka Richard D James, the boy killing his classmates. After the
and you’re going to come up with something shocking. Both directed by acclaimed video was blamed for a school shooting in
video maker, Chris Cunningham, these videos blend disturbing imagery with macabre 1996 and, after the Columbine shootings
and nightmarish elements. A classic scene in “Come To Daddy” finds a grotesque demon in 1999, the video was rarely seen again on
screaming in the face of an old woman, and in “Windowlicker”—a ten minute parody TV; a fact that continues to this day.
of contemporary hip hop videos—beautiful bikini clad women appear with twisted
versions of the real face of Richard D James. That particular video also features 127
uses of profanity including 44 uses of the ‘F’ word. Rarely seen on TV, and thankfully
largely unknown by those who would most likely be outraged, Aphex Twin’s videos
consistently shock, yet always retain major artistic merit.

108
 Limited Edition
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 INTRODUCING THE TESTER
Our Technical Editor, Gareth Hopcroft, puts this premium pH meter through its paces over a three-month test period, using it regularly,
several times a day, in a real-world growing situation. Here are his results and feedback.

PRODUCT TEST:
The Bluelab pH Meter
At 200 bucks a pop Bluelab’s pH meter is two to
three times the cost of many handheld models. PROBE
So is it worth the extra investment? The product comes complete with a pH probe. It attaches easily to the
unit via a screw down BNC fitting. It has proven to be extremely robust
UNIT and very reliable. The connection between the probe and the cable is
Although the display component is not waterproof, so I don’t worry about plunging the probe deep into my res.
waterproof, I can’t see why it needs to be. The probe has a six-month guarantee, which is quite generous; most
After all, the idea is that you don’t put it near of the other pH meters I know of only offer three months. The unit itself
any water or nutrient solution. Instead you has a five year guarantee. Another nice touch is the laminated probe
position it for convenience—i.e. where it’s easy maintenance card that details cleaning and storage instructions.
for you to read. The long probe cable—6.5ft
(2m)—spares your back the stress and strain
of reaching into reservoirs with handheld units
and trying to take a reading at the same time.
The measurement resolution is 0.1 pH, which
is fine for my uses. However, I have used other
pH meters which provide readings of 0.01
pH – I know this isn’t necessary, but it appeals WETTING CAP
to the geek in me. The unit only has three A small cap attaches to the
buttons, so it’s suitable for all levels of grower. probe to keep it moist between
readings. In my experience,
allowing a pH probe to dry out
when not in use is one of the
main causes of inaccurate
readings and premature probe
failure. The cap design is good.
Instead of the usual slide-off
soft cap, Bluelab have opted
for rigid plastic with a screw
top. The probe slides through
a rubber grommet on the cap
and into the tube that contains
the storage solution. When the
cap is screwed down it’s firmly
attached to the probe, if you
try to pull it off when screwed
down it does allow some
movement but the vacuum
created inside the cap pulls the
probe back in.

110
 ABOUT BLUELAB
Bluelab manufacture some of the industry’s best hand-held meters and control equipment for measuring & controlling parameters
such as nutrient pH, conductivity and temperature.
More info: www.getbluelab.com

TEST RESULTS
COMPLETE UNIT COST Ease of use 9/10
$200 Reliability 9/10
Accuracy 9/10
REPLACEMENT PROBE COST
Maintenance 9/10
$75
Information provided 10/10
OPERATING TEMPERATURE RANGE Value for money 8/10
32-113°F (0-45°C) Overall 90%

TECH SPECS
RESOLUTION: 0.1 pH
ACCURACY: +- 0.1 pH 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
RANGE: 0 –14 pH pH RANGE

AAA BATTERIES CALIBRATION SUCKER PAD

Few things suck more when mixing up your
nutrients than discovering your pH meter’s
batteries have died. Most of my previous meters
have used watch batteries. Sure, they are fairly
easy to find in many stores but they are very
rarely found when hunting around the house in
an emergency. Bluelab’s meter uses two AAA
batteries so I can easily plunder a temporary
replacement from the TV remote control or the
computer mouse. The unit also indicates when
battery levels are low.
“Bluelab’s meter uses two AAA
batteries so I can easily plunder a
temporary replacement...”
The unit features auto-calibration, so you just
put the probe in the buffer solution and hit the
calibrate button! It’s that easy! For accuracy
and peace of mind the meter has three points of
calibration at pH 4, 7 and 10. Because I’m only
taking readings between 5 and 7 I’ve only been
using pH 4 and 7 buffer solution for calibration.
If I wanted accuracy between 7 and 10 I would
use the respective buffers. Bluelab recommends
calibrating after every 30 readings. I have used
it many more times between checks and the
probe has only ever been out by 0.1 over the past
three months. Only time will tell if more regular
calibration will be necessary but so far so good.
I’ll keep you posted online at
www.urbangardenmagazine.com
The sucker pad is a great feature. The ability to
stick the probe to the reservoir makes it much
easier to stir in pH correction solutions than when
using handheld meters as I have both my hands
free!
AUTO OFF
After 4 minutes the unit automatically switches
off. I have found this slightly annoying sometimes
when measuring many different solutions but
perhaps I will appreciate this feature in the long
run as it does save battery life.
“The meter’s probe has proven
to be extremely robust and very
reliable.”

CONCLUSION
Bluelab’s pH meter may not win any sexy design awards but it’s all about functionality over form. I don’t mind that this unit costs more either. In fact, using this
pH meter had been somewhat of a revelation for me. In my many years as a grower I have gone through so many handheld pH meters, I dread to think about the
total cost of all those cheap meters that ended up giving up the ghost after three months. You certainly get what you pay for, and I’m left in no doubt that it’s
worth the extra dollars.
 INCOMING:
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WHAT IS IT?
The NFT Gro-Tank brings home the benefits and techniques of commercial hydroponics to hobby
growers. A long-standing favorite among European indoor gardeners, it’s super simple to use
and massively productive. Designed by Nutriculture, a pioneer of the European hydroponics
industry since 1976, these systems are now finally available in North America!

HOW DOES A NUTRICULTURE

NFT GRO-TANK WORK?
A Nutriculture NFT Gro-Tank is comprised of a low level tank, a
top tray, a top plate, and a pump with delivery system attached.
The nutrient solution is contained in the tank. The plants sit on the
tray, which is set at a very slight incline, above the tank. Nutrient
solution is pumped onto the tray to create a shallow, slow moving
film that constantly flows through the roots of the plants. Whatever
the plants don’t use is drained back into the tank, ready to be passed
over the roots again.

Plants are started in a small amount of growing medium, usually a 3

or 4 inch rockwool cube and are placed onto the tray when fully root
bound. The only growing medium used is the medium that the plants
Post-harvest inspection: A dense network of
are started in: NFT is a “bare rooted” technique. roots forms on the spreader mat.

112
 A thin layer of capillary matting called
Grow Store Testimonial “spreader mat” is first placed over the tray.
This helps to spread the flow of the nutrient
A consistently popular choice for both solution evenly over the entire surface of
novice and expert growers. the tray when plants are young. The tray is
Justin Henry, Chief Hydroponicist, Growell, UK
covered with the top plate to prevent light
from entering the root zone and the roots
develop, very rapidly, into a large mat that
completely fills the tray. The larger the root
mass, the greater the uptake of water and
Cucumber plant in
rockwool block ready nutrient and, ultimately, the greater the
to be transplanted into yield. More roots = more fruits!
an NFT Gro-Tank.
Note that the block is The pump is left on 24/7, so there are no
literally bursting with tricky irrigation cycles to work out. The
roots! Transplants roots always have access to water, nutrients,
need to be at this stage and a huge dose of oxygen. Whatever the
before being inserted plants do not use simply flows away; they
into an NFT system.
are never over-fed or under-fed.

KEY BENEFITS OF A NUTRICULTURE

NFT GRO-TANK
GRO-TANK RANGE
Faster growth rate and bigger yields
Up to four times the yield of conventional soil growing.

Simple
No complicated delivery systems; no feeding schedules
to calculate; very little maintenance involved.

Quicker harvests
Get more crops per year.

Water efficient The Gro-Tank range is comprised of five different

No waste run-off in re-circulating hydroponics systems. size units suitable for 1 to 16 plants.

No chance of over- or under-watering System GT205 / GT424 / GT604

Plants take as much or as little as they need. GT901 / GT100

WANNA PLAY?
Clean and minimum waste produced
No heavy bags of medium to carry around: a major
benefit for indoor cultivation.
To see grow diary images, a full run down
No soil-borne pests of sizes and some very entertaining
Reduced chance of disease and reduced use of system assembly videos, visit:
pesticides. www.nutriculture.com
Developed by real growers Interested in stocking
Realistic plant spacings, easy-access tanks, irrigation
tubing suitable for high mineral content solution and
Nutriculture hydroponic
sizes based on common grow room dimensions. systems?
Manufactured in the UK Contact Agrarian Distribution Group:
Complete control over quality components. Tel: 1-888-213-8016
info@agrariandistributiongroup.com
 INCOMING:
NATURE’S SOLUTION COMPOST TEA
LIVE BENEFICIAL BIOLOGY IN A BAG!

WHAT IS IT?
Compost tea helps plants uptake nutrients by introducing
a diverse range of beneficial biology into the root zone.
Nature’s Solution Compost Tea comes in a breathable
(patented) bag so there’s no need to brew your own and
rush it to your reservoir. Amazingly, it will last for one
year as an active and live compost tea.

HOW’S IT MADE?
Nature’s Solution Compost Tea contains worm castings
and compost with several nutrients. Several large bins
are prepared months ahead of time with the perfect
blend of raw materials for culturing and increasing the
amount of diversity in the base material.

HOW DOES IT STAY ALIVE FOR NO BREWING.

COMES READY TO
UP TO
ONE YEAR SHELF
SO LONG? USE! LIFE
GOOD FOR
Compost tea needs oxygen in order to stay alive. The ORGANICS AND
breathable bag technology was discovered in 2004 and HYDROPONICS
tested for over a year. But it took a further five years
to find a manufacturer who could produce a durable
breathable bag that did not break in transit.

The Breathable Bag

HOW TO USE?
Apply once a week for best results. You can use it as a soil
drench or in reservoirs throughout the growth cycle. In
addition you can also apply tea as a foliar spray up until
early flowering.
The breathable bag has two layers. The first
layer has tiny holes that are smaller than a water
molecule, so air can come in, but the water
cannot come out. The second layer has larger
holes in it and is made of stronger material to
give the bag stability and enable a fitment and
cap to be attached.

114
 Tech support: 415-898-5895
KEY BENEFITS FOR
GROWERS More info:
http://www.nature-technologies.com
Use only what you need, when you need it and http://www.gardeningwithnature.net
Stays active and alive for a year
pH is Not Lowered Contact: Dr. Carole Ann Rollins t. 415-898-
No refrigeration required 5895
No chemicals added
No brewing Interested retailers call: 707-225-5762
Ready-to-use with soil or hydroponics Or email: info@nature-technologies.com
2 Quarts Makes 2-1/2 Gallons
Fax: 707-940-0444
1 Gallon Makes 5 Gallons
Wholesalers:
2 Quarts for every 25 Gallons in Reservoirs
Dilute 4:1 for Foliar Spray or Soil Drench Hydrofarm
R & M Supply
HOW MUCH DOES IT Excel Garden Products
L & L Nursery Supply
COST? Arett Sales
2 quarts - $17.95 - $24.95 Sparetime Distributors
1 gallon - $34.95 - $39.95

Without Biology With Biology

 tuned for growing
tm

F E AT U R I N G 1:1 WASTE RATIO

OVER 2000 GALLONS PER DAY

W W W. G R O W O N I X . C O M

built in the U.S.A GrowoniX, Los Angeles, CA

GROW GEAR
Are you looking to give your garden the edge?
Then check out our definitive guide to new
and interesting products compiled from
retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers
across the USA and Canada.

2
1

1 GROWONIX 3 MICROCLONE RACK TRAY

GrowoniX is proud to announce their new 200+ GPD High Flow Cold Water Membranes. Increasing your FROM PURE FOOD GARDENING
flow rate by over 30%, these membranes work with as little as 20 PSI of incoming water pressure. Specially The Microclone Rack Tray fits into the standard
developed to help growers combat the flow-inhibiting effects of cold water during the wintery season, these chrome and steel racks chosen by clone growers
membranes allow the GX150 to flow an unprecedented 200+ gallons per day and the GX300 over 400+ for its efficient use of space and light. Many retail
gallons per day. Finally, an RO that flows all year round. Visit www.growonix.com for more information. stores, plant shops, web postings, and magazine
articles reveal how popular racks are for cloning.

The prop trays line up neatly in rows of as many

2 ZERO TOLERANCE NOW AVAILABLE IN PINT-SIZE CONCENTRATE
as four per shelf and such rack systems have
Zero Tolerance Pesticide is now available as a concentrate in a convenient pint-size bottle. This eco-friendly five or six shelves for prop trays and low profile
choice means that controlling infestation just became more economical. Plus fewer plastic containers lighting. Fluorescent fixtures , especially T-5s,
head towards landfills. The herbal pesticide safely eliminates spider mites and other pests. Gardeners like it fit naturally in the plant shelves. Clone growers
because it fully evaporates, leaving no sticky residue so it is safe to use up to 5 days before harvest. Made of put their propagation trays under the lights like a
essential plant oils, it even smells good! baker cooling trays of cookies. Until now, growers
watered and drained trays by hand.
Look for Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance products. They are:
The Microclone Rack Tray is 45” by 25 ½” to fit all
common rack units and is no taller than the prop
Safe to use up to 5 days Environmentally safe,
trays it is designed to hold. The Rack Tray has a flat
before harvest biodegradable,
bottom and thin raised ridges for plenty of drainage
100% vegan
and easy cleaning, important for healthy clones.
Approved for edible plants
Family and pet friendly
Distributors wanted in all countries.
Made with pure food grade
ingredients and essential oils
Microclone Rack Trays are available from your
favorite retailer. Pure Food Gardening has a new
Visit www.z-tolerance.com for more information about how to develop your Zero Tolerance policy for pests. location at 830-H Bransten Rd., San Carlos, CA
Now available through Tradewinds Wholesale Garden Supplies, Sacramento, CA. Tradewinds offer a complete 94070-3339. 650-596-9700
range of indoor and outdoor gardening products and accessories. For more about Tradewinds Wholesale
Garden Supplies, visit tradewindsgarden.com or call (888) 557-8896. www.planttc.com
 GROW GEAR We’d love to hear from any of you who care to share your experiences with any products we mention –
whether positive or negative. Get in touch by emailing us at: rant@urbangardenmagazine.com

4
NEW
FROM SUNLIGHT
SUPPLY

5
NEW
FROM SUNLIGHT
SUPPLY

4 TITAN CONTROLS® FLO-N-GRO™ 5 “THAT STUFF” PLANT WASHES 6 QUANTUM HORTICULTURE

Sunlight Supply,® Inc. is proud to announce the
release of the Flo-N-Gro™ growing system from
Titan Controls®. This innovative hydroponic
system includes a 55 gallon reservoir, twelve x 4
gallon grow sites and twelve x 3 gallon 360° mesh
aeration inserts that promote lateral root growth
and oxygen exchange for your plants.
This complete system also includes the Titan
Controls® Oceanus 1 Flo-N-Gro Controller, two x
Maxi-Jet 1000 pumps and all the necessary ¾”
tubing and fittings to build your system. Simply add
your favorite growing media and start growing.
Visit www.titancontrols.net for more information.
Sunlight Supply,® Inc. is pleased to announce the RELEASES NEW 400W MODEL
arrival of “That Stuff” Mighty Wash, PM Wash and Built on the same platform as their bulletproof
Power Wash! Many years of research have lead 1000w and 600w, Quantum is proud to introduce
to the creation of these amazing plant cleaning the NEW 400w model.
products. These ready to use washes may be
used throughout your plants’ entire growing and Runs both HPS and MH bulbs, 120/240v (includes
flowering cycle, up to and including the day of both cords), and comes equipped with a two-
harvest. “That Stuff” is truly “the cleanest solution position dimmer capable of 100% and 75%
to your problems.” Use Power Wash as your final operation. Big things do come in small packages!
spray to remove residue left behind from other
plant sprays.
Available NOW at Sunlight Supply,® Inc.
Visit www.sunlightsupply.com now for more
information.

7 SUN BLAZE® T5 VERY HIGH OUTPUT (VHO) FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURES

Sunlight Supply®, Inc. announces the release of the new Sun Blaze T5 Very High Output (VHO) Fluorescent Lighting
Fixtures. These 4 foot fixtures come in 4 lamp and 8 lamp configurations. Each fixture includes wire hangers,
twelve foot power cords, on/off switches and can be installed for vertical or horizontal operation. The 8 lamp model
can run 4 or 8 lamps at one time. FREE pre-installed Spectralux 6500° K VHO Lamps are included. VHO lamps
offer 7,200 lumens - 95 watts each.

Visit www.sunlightsupply.com for more information.

118
GROW GEAR
SAFE TO USE
8

Up to 5 Days Before Harvest

9
Non-toxic. Safe for family and pets.

8 FLORADUO BY GENERAL HYDROPONICS HERBAL PESTICIDE

Flora Duo is an easy to use two-part fertilizer. With only two bottles, it is
possible to obtain a large range of different nutrient blends to meet the HERBAL FUNGICIDE
needs of all plants through every phase, from seedling through harvest. kill/repel spider mites kill/repel powdery mildew
The ratios of primary, secondary and micronutrients adjust as you blend
in different amounts of A and B, thus tailoring your nutrient mixes to meet
your plants needs. FloraDuo can be used for all plants in prepared soil
mixes, coco blends and garden soils.
THE POWER OF
Flora Duo A can be used alone as a growth booster for garden plants, foliar
feeding and hydroponic reservoir top-up for the Grow phase by adding
CONCENTRATE!
1 - 3 tsp of A per gallon of water. Flora Duo B can be used alone as a bloom
booster for garden plants, foliar feeding and hydroponic reservoir top-up
Economic
for the Bloom phase by adding 1 - 3 tsp of B per gallon of water. Green
www.genhydro.com
Convenient
Herbal Pesticide Concentrate
New! Pint Size ( = 2.5 gallons)
9 RAPIDSTART® ROOTING ENHANCER BY Quart Size ( = 5 gallons)
GENERAL HYDROPONICS
Rapidstart enhances your growing experience by delivering a powerful
blend of premium plant extracts, amino acids, and nutrients generating
explosive root growth. Rapidstart stimulates prolific root branching and www.Z-TOLERANCE.com
development of fine root hairs that increase nutrient uptake and grow
healthier, whiter roots. Use during the entire growing cycle in all types
of growing media, including coco. Rapidstart, strong finish; bigger is
always better!

www.genhydro.com
GROW GEAR We’d love to hear from any of you who care to share your experiences with any products we mention –
whether positive or negative. Get in touch by emailing us at: rant@urbangardenmagazine.com

12

10
NEW
11 FROM
HYDROFARM

10 GRODAN® GRO-SMART TRAY 11 MEASURING CUPS 12 30ML NUTRIENT HAND PUMP

Your Grodan Starter plugs, Mini-Blocks™ and
Gro-Blocks™ have finally found a home. This
durable Dutch tray has double-sided features.
Use the 78-cell side to perfectly fit 1.5” A-OK Starter
plugs or round Macroplugs. Use the mesh side for
sheets of A-OKs, Mini-Blocks, or Gro-Blocks. The tray
fits in a standard 10x20 flat and keeps the Grodan
elevated from the bottom of the flat. Easily sanitized
as any hard-plastic product; even dishwasher safe!
www.grodan.com
Hydrofarm’s measuring cups have reinforced handles
that allow you to easily measure powder, dust, liquid,
seed or pellets for your home, lawn or garden. They are
sturdy, food grade plastic and virtually non-breakable.
These measuring cups are perfect for grasping to dig
deep into bags of fertilizer or other growing media and
have an angled spout for mess-free pouring.
Hydrofarm’s measuring cups feature US and metric
markings and are available in 250, 500, 1000, 2000
and 3000 milliliters.
Tired of spillages when trying to measure
out small amounts of liquid nutrient with
cumbersome spoons?
With Hydrofarm’s new 30ml nutrient hand pump,
dosing nutrients is easy and spill-free!
Hydrofarm’s nutrient hand pump screws on to
the lid of 1 gallon and 2.5 gallon nutrient
containers and one full pump delivers 30 ml of
nutrients.
GROW GEAR
ORGANIC LABORATORIES
Organic Laboratories is one of the country’s leading producers and marketers of earth
friendly pesticides and fertilizers. Visit www.organiclabs.com for more information.
13
14
16
13 TOMATO MAKER
Tomato Maker is a revolutionary fertilizer and
soil conditioner that produces a robust crop of
firm, tasty tomatoes. A natural-based product,
it provides comprehensive (major and micro)
nutrition including Calcium, Magnesium and
Iron. Tomato Maker has shown to correct plant
nutritional deficiencies and prevent Blossom End
Rot, a common tomato problem. Can be used on
most other fruits and vegetables too!
15 ORGANOCIDE
Organocide is an OMRI listed, nature-safe
insecticide and fungicide for organic production.
Derived from a unique blend of soybean extract
and sesame and fish oils, Organocide is heavier
and more effective than other oils, but safer to the
plant. It will not cause plant burn even when used
on hot sunny days!
We’d love to hear from any of you who care to share your experiences with any products we mention –
whether positive or negative. Get in touch by emailing us at: rant@urbangardenmagazine.com
15
14 EXEL LG
Exel LG (Lawn & Garden) is a broad spectrum
systemic fungicide for turf, fruit trees, ornamentals
and flowers. An earth-friendly product, Exel LG
is an environmentally responsible alternative to
traditional chemical fungicides. A systemic product,
it has a foliar or root application that will work its
way throughout the entire plant to prevent disease
and attack existing disease above and below
ground.
16 MYCOSTIM
MycoStim is a natural-based biological soil and
root inoculant with beneficial root colonizing fungi
adaptable to a wide range of soils and environmental
conditions. These fungi increase the root’s ability
to take up nutrients and water resulting in a more
vigorous and stress resistant plant - especially when
establishing a new plant to the landscape.
17
17 XTRASUN II REFLECTOR NOW
WITH BUILT-IN SOCKET
The new and improved Xtrasun II Aluminum Wing
Reflector now comes pre-wired with a socket, so
it’s ready to plug in and go! This reflector is solidly
built, compatible with all Hydrofarm or Xtrasun
ballasts, and priced to fit any budget. This series
has a low profile design but is bright and offers a
broad spread of light.
The Xtrasun units are made with European high-
performance specular aluminum for maximum
light reflection, and carry a 5-year warranty on
reflective materials.
To find a Hydrofarm Authorized Retailer near you
visit www.hydrofarm.com
 Via Facebook
I love your magazine and the thought provoking political rants add to it! Disregard those who stay with their head in a hole and keep up the good work to
educate on sustainability and the future of our livelihood!
Janet Jacobs

Rant! Your Letters Letters, Emails, Web, Facebook, Twitter and

Via urbangardenmagazine.com
JB on Expert Eye: Carbohydrates
and Amino Acid Products
This is a great article and lends some
insight to HOW things work in the real
world. My opinion is that a simple Actively
Aerated Compost Tea can replace all of
the OTC amino acid/carb products in any
given line of nutrients.
Twatter. What a lot of thought there is to think
about these days! Here’s a selection of the
cerebral offal you flung in our general direction…
BigD on Super Feeding: Do Mycorr- Tim
hizae Have a Role in Hydroponics? Shableys on
I have to say, research aside…and
We The Sheeple
personal experience behind me. Fungal
Persuasion
inoculation definitely has a place in
in the form of
hydroponics! I have seen huge increases in
insulting people
root mass, as well as overall health of root
and calling them
development post inoculation.
“sheeple” is pretty
unconvincing.

Frank Feiller on Aquaponics Bryson on How to Spot the Early Signs

Explained – Part 2
Your articles cover the basics concisely
and are easy to follow. Would like to
see a continuation of this series to
include possible nutrient deficiencies
to supplement the nitrates and aquatic
poop nutrients. Thanks for the articles.
Everest – We are now working with
Sylvia Bernstein, aquapoinc expert, on
a series of aquaponic articles published
monthly on our website! Visit www.
urbangardenmagazine.com for your
regular dose of all things aquaponic!
This Issue’s
of Over-Fertilization
I read this article right in time. It allowed
Josh on
me to spot the damage before it got too bad!
Human Farming:
Thank you Urban Garden. You have been
The Story of Our Enslavement
the most resourceful gardening magazine I
Great article! Keep em coming I love
have found to this day. Thank you!
that you guys are taking on some really
great concepts especially something
as thought provoking as a truly free
David Epstein on My Quest for society.
Bioponics
We’re also doing bioponics. This is really
the way to farm sustainably. Our method
Brian on Human Farming:
at Bioponica is to convert all waste into
The Story of Our Enslavement
a leachate fertilizer through anaerobic
I really wish that that space in the
biodigestion, including human urine, hair
magazine had been used for an article
grasses, paper, worm teas and all plant
that had been relevant to growing.
matter. It’s really astounding how easy it is
to create food from trash, even so much as
While entertaining, the article is

Gold Prize Winner to isolate and specifically enhance nitrogen,

bull$4JT. What cave does this guy live
in? He doesn’t have a job or any need for
phosphorus and potassium. There’s really
Ex-Marine Goes no reason to buy petro chemical fertilizers
money? I happen to think life is pretty
damn awesome. But maybe I am a slave
Nuts For Hydro! when waste does it all.
master?

I did 30 months in the sandbox (Iraq). And I learned that Presidents lie. Upon my return to state side I hooked up with a friend of
mine that was into hydro. I checked out his set up, a deep water culture using 5 gal. buckets. I wanted to start growing too. I had so
many questions for the dudes at my local hydro store. Eventually they pointed to your magazine. They even hooked me up with some
spare back issues. I read each 2-3 times! I decided to build my own flood and drain system. I went down to the dollar store, due to
hardly no money in my wallet from government pay scale, purchased 12 x 4gal. buckets, got some lids fabricated to fit a 6” mesh pot,
and some fittings and black flexi hose from my hydro store plus a large bag of hydroton. Water pumps, air pumps, and hey presto I
have a 12 bucket ebb and flow system. I even ended up rigging my pump that fills the service bucket to the over limit switch using a
relay to shut off the water level with a timer. All in all I spent 250 bucks! Now I am growing tomatoes like you would never believe. This
system works all by itself, I just have to monitor the pH and nutrient concentration as always. I could use one of those meters that
monitor temp. pH and TDS. When’s your next show because I would like to meet your staff, and just share my heart with you guys!
David

Everest: Thanks so much for your heart warming letter David. Your DIY hydro system sounds the business! Would love to see some
pics of it in action. Especially now you’re the lucky winner of a Bluelab Guardian Meter and pH Cleaning and Calibration kit! Good luck
with your new hobby – so glad we were able to help!

122
 Via Facebook
I have caught the “revolution” bug...thanks for putting together
such a thoughtful magazine...truly an inspiration!...and a
motivator. Sanda Nead

This Issue’s
Silver Prize Winner
Via Email
(rant@urbangardenmagazine.com)

Hello Everest,
Well as I sit here contemplating a new year I realized
how much I am looking forward to GROW 2011. I was
also personally touched by the article WE THE SHEEPLE
by Bruce-Ray Riggs. Add 2009 and 2010 onto the levy
from the state, I also owe the federal people for the
same years and after reading the article it made me
feel somewhat free. I love my life, I love my dogs, and I
love your magazine so I just take it easy and live one day
at a time because I only have one life to be truly free.
Thanks Everest. Lifelong subscriber, David M. Roberts
Everest: You rock David! Thanks so much for sharing the
love. We have plenty coming your way! In the form of a
Bluelab truncheon, pH meter and conductivity cleaning
kit – all yours! Woohoo!

This Issue’s
Bronze Prize Winner
Battle of the Mites
I read your magazine faithfully and thought I would
share the tale of my initial grows with you. With high
hopes, I set up my first indoor grow area, and obtained
cuttings from a friend. Then, disaster struck in the form
of spider mites. I tried everything I could imagine to
destroy them, to no avail. I finally harvested my toms,
sterilized the room, and started again. Problem was
- my clones for the second grow came from the first,
infested plants!
After reading everything I could find, I decided to try
Neem Oil. As soon as the clones were transplanted into
small pots, I began to spray faithfully, a teaspoon of
Neem Oil and a quarter teaspoon of Dawn dish soap to a
liter of water. After a couple of weeks, I moved them into
the sterilized room. Incredible results! No sign of mites,
and the plants are healthy and shiny! I took clones from
these once they were of suitable size, and this third
grow, which was never infested, has caught up to the
second in size and maturity. The information from your
magazine proved a lifesaver for these little plants. Keep
up the good work! Phil

Everest: Thanks for your letter Phil. Relieved to hear

you got on top of your mite problem! A Bluelab Combo
Meter, Soil pH Probe and pH Cleaning and Calibration
Kit now have your name on them!
Win Stuff!
Okay you highly molestable,
syrupy globules of joyspunk,
it’s over to you! On the
offerings table this time are
a pair of 1000W Quantum
Dimmable E-Ballasts! These
orange cuboids of joy are perfect
for powering your garden!

Check out all these highly

arousing features!
Runs at 100%, 75% or 50% power
Strikes both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium Bulbs
Accepts 120v or 240v (both cords included)
Allows 50 Hertz to 60 Hertz
Runs super cool
Lightweight, shiny and ORANGE!
GENSET & FLIPBOX READY

+alsoThereceive
winner will
an extremely
covetable Quantum
Media Station!
That’s right – it looks just like a ballast but you can plug
your iPod or iPhone in and it will rock out tunes in your
garden! These babies are so limited edition it’s untrue –
your buddies will be oh-so green with envy!

Winning Is So Easy!
When you post a comment on our website or
Facebook page, or if you write us a letter or
send an email, you stand a chance of winning an
amazing prize!

If we judge your communication to be the best we

have received (perhaps a really useful grow tip, a
funny joke, photo or story) then you will win free
grow stuff! Competition open to readers living in
the U.S. and Canada only.

Entry via:
Posting a comment on Urban Garden’s
Facebook Group.

Posting a comment on Urban Garden’s website:

www.urbangardenmagazine.com

Emailing us at:
rant@urbangardenmagazine.com

Or sending us a letter to: Urban Garden, PO Box

88097, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6A 4A4
 SHARE PRIDE OF MILLIONS OF OTHER USER-PROVERS

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 UGM Support Starving Artist:

Rocket01
English artist, Rocket01, started painting
graffiti in 1994. “I was no vandal,” he
insists, “I used to find old places to paint,
places of decay and neglect...”

“ These places provided shelter from the British weather

and often provided smooth walls on which to paint as well
as peace and quiet. Working like this allowed me to take my
time and work over a few days, giving me more freedom to
paint what I liked. My work didn’t need to be pretty to please
the public, nor did it have to be rushed.”
After leaving school Rocket01 studied a degree in fine art.
His tutors didn’t care for his graffiti art and tried to push
him in other direction. “It was good in some ways but not
in others. Either way I never forgot my graffiti roots and it
continued to influence me throughout my time at college.
After my degree I worked freelance, mainly teaching graffiti
art to young people in schools and youth clubs. This work
really helped to keep me going and afforded me the time
to develop as an artist without having to worry about how I
was going to pay the bills.”

Today Rocket01 continues to paint, but he is now more

focused on travelling and getting his work exhibited further
afield. He spends a lot of time in his studio painting canvas
work and selling it through his website. Rocket01 also
enjoys commission work on canvas and interior murals.
“I mostly enjoy painting things from nature. I like to
portray an organic feel to the things i paint. Science
technology and plants also feature strongly in my work. I try
to help people imagine a world where we are one organism,
where technology and nature are combined sustainably to
benefit everybody.”

WIN! We have one signed print to give away!

Send us a photo of where you want to hang
it and, if we deem it a good fit, you’ll be the
winner!
www.rocket01.co.uk

128