Indoor Hydroponic Construction: Bay Area Contruction Information

When operating your own hydroponic grow room or greenhouse it essential that you understand various pathogens and how to prevent and treat them. What is a pathogen? A pathogen is an organism that can cause sickness. Fungi like: fusariums, pythium, verticillium, phytophtora, are ferocious invaders and can lead to total crop destruction. We have to understand that there is a large diversity of organisms that live on plants, in soil and water, in and on our food, and even on our skin. Some of these organisms are beneficial but the others are considered pathogens. These pathogens attack at the slightest sense of stress.

One destructive pathogen is pythium. Pythium is a root-parasite fungus that can multiply very fast under optimal conditions and will deprive the plant of food. This fungi will be present in almost any grow environment, no matter how clean it is. There are numerous ways for this fungi to reach your grow room so it is very important to keep it clean and track your quality of water that you are using. Pythium is considered a secondary infection because it takes advantage of plants that are already slightly damaged or stressed.

Detecting this pathogen in soil-based plants is a lot harder than that of hydroponic growers because of the access to the root system. If pythium has started to attack your plants, you will notice that the roots have started to turn from their normal white color to a light brown and eventually black. In a severe case, the lower portion of the stem will turn black and slimy. Fighting this pathogen can be quite simple if you have everything in your grow room dialed in.

There are some products that are sold to prevent the infestation of various pathogens including pythium. These products include but are not limited to, special silicate powders, beneficial bacteria or fungi. These products, either sold separately or in mixtures of various strains of both, are added to the nutrient solution. However, the main way to prevent this pathogen from taking over your plants is to keep your plants healthy. These basic rules are: good water quality, good ventilation, ideal temperature and humidity levels, optimal oxygenation of nutrient solution, general cleanliness, and a appropriate feeding program. It is very important to pay close attention to your plants to ensure that they are health and not susceptible to pathogen infestation.

Article by, Brett McCormick, co-founder of Good Green Builders. Good Green Builders is a hydroponic grow room/greenhouse builder in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information or a free consultation call today, (415) 246-8055.

Source: maximumyield.com

The following set of articles will explore the different ideals of organics and how they fit into the hydroponic industry. This is a very popular debate amongst many growers and produce consumers alike. There are very few organic certified hydroponic growers out there today and this is because of the difficulty in obtaining a certification for their hydroponically grown crops. Accepted organic fertilizer components are dependent on organisms in the soil to convert the organic material into a usable form for the plants. As many people know hydroponics is the growing of plants with a neutral media, where the nutrients are carried to the plants in water. The various materials, which are permitted for use under organic regulations, are not in pure enough form for use in hydroponic applications. With this in mind, it is important to remember why the word “organic” became such a buzzword in the ‘90s.

Consumers are becoming more conscience of what goes into their bodies. They don’t want to consume any produce that was treated with any sort of hazardous chemicals or poisons. Another reason for organics is the desire to create a food model that doesn’t harm the soil, water or ecosystems. There is an increasing public demand for produce that is cultivated with our planet in mind and that doesn’t harm our soil, water, or ecosystems. With hydroponics, less water is needed for cultivation and therefore, more food can be produced with less water. Hydroponic fertilizers are ultra pure and aren’t present in the cultivated fruits and vegetables. The result of providing the plants exactly what they need in the form of dissolved minerals in water, the plant is able to achieve higher growth rates, yields and even higher quality than organic methods. Since hydroponic technologies are more efficient than soil methods, more people can be fed with less area and ecological impact.

Article by, Brett McCormick, co-founder of Good Green Builders. Good Green Builders is hydroponics grow room/ Greenhouse builder in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information or a free consultation call today, (415) 246-8055.

Archive for Bay Area Contruction

Root Parasite Fungi: How to Control Pythium in Hydroponics

Are Hydroponics Organic Part I

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