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Step 26Update 7 - Is it natural?
I had a question in the comments which I thought was important enough that I should make a step just for it.
The question was: (from arirang777)
"People usually complain about using fertilizer because it is not "natural" or organic, etc. but here we are feeding the plants with pure chemicals diluted in water. I am having this crazy idea of veggies on stereroids. Can we still call it "natural"?"
Natural & Organic are misleading terms.
Plants only take in basic nutrients, such as nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium etc.
Have a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition
If you have ever done a science class, you will notice they are all basic elements from the periodic table.
There is no such thing as inorganic nitrogen, it either is nitrogen, or it isn't!
When you feed dirt plants things such as manure, they can't eat it. They rely on tiny micro-organisms to break it down to the base forms they need.
All we are doing here is skipping the manure & micro-organisms and giving them what they need directly.
The reasons the plants grow so well, is not because we are drugging them, but because we are giving them a massive buffet of all the foods they want!
I'll add a picture from the side of the box later, showing the composition of the nutrient mix, and how each part is simple an element from the periodic table.
The question was: (from arirang777)
"People usually complain about using fertilizer because it is not "natural" or organic, etc. but here we are feeding the plants with pure chemicals diluted in water. I am having this crazy idea of veggies on stereroids. Can we still call it "natural"?"
Natural & Organic are misleading terms.
Plants only take in basic nutrients, such as nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium etc.
Have a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition
If you have ever done a science class, you will notice they are all basic elements from the periodic table.
There is no such thing as inorganic nitrogen, it either is nitrogen, or it isn't!
When you feed dirt plants things such as manure, they can't eat it. They rely on tiny micro-organisms to break it down to the base forms they need.
All we are doing here is skipping the manure & micro-organisms and giving them what they need directly.
The reasons the plants grow so well, is not because we are drugging them, but because we are giving them a massive buffet of all the foods they want!
I'll add a picture from the side of the box later, showing the composition of the nutrient mix, and how each part is simple an element from the periodic table.
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i'm reallt new in to growing plants and got some very basic questions:
1. how long it takes to grow the celery? and the strawberries?
2. is because it grows on water the plants grow stronger and bigger?
3. when the celery is fully grown, i need to take it out and plant a new one intead, right? or you just take few leafs every time and let it regrow?
thanks!
It was quite a while ago now that I did this, so I don't quite remember how long it all took.
1. The celery was pretty quick, the strawberries didn't go as well as I had hoped though
2. The reason they grow stronger is that they have a lot more food to eat.
Plants need a few basic elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and a few other minor elements.
In dirt the plant roots have to dig far, and even then they only get a small amount of what they could use, so they grow slowly.
In hydroponics the water is full of nutrients, so the plants take up as much as they can and grow fast.
3. I cut stalks off the celery and just left the plant to regrow, but if you want it all at once, then you could cut it down and plant a new seedling.
Either way works!
I'm considering doing a new garden sometime soon, I want to try and get the strawberries to grow better then they did in this setup.
I can't wait to get started. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful work.
BTW, why aren't you using Gatorade? It's got electrolytes! Isn't that what plants crave? Sorry, I had to reference a joke from the movie "Idiocracy".
Other readers, please don't use Gatorade as plant nutrient. That was a joke!
I never got around to seeing Idiocracy, is it worth a look?
There is also the option of buying commercial fertilizers labled as acceptable for organic use. Just make sure they are water soluble so that they will work efficiently in your hydroponic system.
FYI: I am not a strict organic grower. However if there is any aspect of home gardening where everyone should be concerned about chemicals used on food crops it is in the use of pesticides. It's not that I won't use them but as often as possible I chose to make them a second or third choice pest control measure.
Also for those who want a decent store bought nutrient at a much lower cost than you can normally get, try www.urbanfarm.com. They sell a 2-part nutrient which is a total of 2 gallons for $30. I am using it and I have to say I am majorly impressed.