basics 2

The main ingredients for growing a plant successfully are

Light - Either use Sunlight or Artificial light (Agricultural lighting) or a mix of the two. to access more information sheets click here

Air - All plants breathe Carbon Dioxide and would run out of air in a small room in a few minutes. At that point, their growth slows and then stops after several hours. This depends on the plant and the size of room. When growing in the outdoors, this is easy. If using a greenhouse, or a indoor growroom, this will require you ensure air exchange - old air removed and fresh air drawn in.

Water Availability - Plants are mostly water, like ourselves. WE can go and drink when thirsty. If a plant is thirsty, we must ensure it is able to feed. Over watering will drown the roots and eventually kill the plant. Therefore we must have a root zone that is moist, with oxygen around the roots and moisture for when it is thirsty. Moist means not wet and not dry.... A squeezed out wet sponge for an example is moist, not dry and not wet. This should be used as a quide on when plants roots generally work at their best

Nutrient Availability - Nutrients are the minerals plants receive from damp soil. If it is strong, the plants slow or burn. If it is too weak, the plants pale, and become stretched between branches. If the nutrients are not available, deficiencies can develop. pH is the measure of acidity in the nutrients. Most nutrient packs will mix to the correct pH in normal town tap water. Check with a hydroponic store for advice - the pH of good nutrients in our town, the Gold Coast Australia usually sits between 6 and 7 and does not generally need adjustment if changed regularly. Click here for more info on this

Temperature - If temperatures fall below 15 degrees celcius, many nutrient elements become less available to the plants and the nutrients or the root zone need to be heated. If temperatures exceed 30 degrees for long periods, the plants require high levels of water and ventilation to keep it from undergoing stress. In both cases speaking to an advisor will help you make the right decisions about the best solution.

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