tagged w/ hydroponics
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Add 6 more pots to your ebb and grow system. Each 6 pot add-on includes all the necessary hardware and tubing. Growing media not included. Picture of a complete bucket system, this does not include a controller unit or reservoir..
http://www.coasthydroponics.com/p/130/924.htmlAdd 6 more pots to your ebb and grow system. Each 6 pot add-on includes all the... more
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"Rethinking Industrialism: The Plant" profiles a vertical farming project built in a repurposed factory in the historic meatpacking district of Chicago. Conceived by John Edel, The Plant aims to be the first fully functioning and self sustaining multi-floor urban farm. John is creating a realistic and scalable process that can be reused in other urban environments around the world. Built around a closed loop model, The Plant's main focuses are zero waste, sustainability, addressing food deserts, and creating employment opportunities.
by Matt Litwiller and Collin Davis
Music sourced from the APM production library"Rethinking Industrialism: The Plant" profiles a vertical farming project... more
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Yorkshire cops have apologised after swooping on a suspected Bradford cannabis "hothouse", only to find a couple of pampered guinea pigs languishing by an electric heater.
Six officers in three vehicles descended on Pam Hardcastle's house after a police chopper's dope-busting camera picked up a suspicious infrared hotspot.
Yorkshire's finest also dispatched a plod to request that the 42-year-old primary school learning mentor return pronto from work. She told the Yorkshire Post: "The officer said they wanted me to go home. He said my garage lit up when the police helicopter was out and they believed I could be growing cannabis."
Back at the scene, meanwhile, Hardcastle's mum explained to the anti-drug SWAT team her daughter "had guinea pigs in the garage and would have a heater in there to keep them warm".
The coppers, however, pressed on with the operation, and having gained entry to the facility, "took one look at the guinea pigs, then left".
Hardcastle concluded: "My neighbours told me police were everywhere. Everybody was asking what I had done wrong. It is embarrassing."
West Yorkshire Police Inspector Darren Brown offered: "I would like to apologise for the distress this may have caused. However, I would point out that these tactics are essential in tackling drugs across the district."
He reassured: "I can also reassure the occupants that their details will not be kept on police records and I will be personally visiting them to discuss any concerns they may have."
The guinea pigs - named Simon and Kenny, the Sun helpfully notes - are apparently none the worse for their ordeal.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/12/guinea_pig_farm/Yorkshire cops have apologised after swooping on a suspected Bradford cannabis... more
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Appropriately named Lost in Paris, the 130 sq m building in Paris, not only houses a family of four, but hosts living walls which surround the building.Appropriately named Lost in Paris, the 130 sq m building in Paris, not only houses a... more
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Downtown Cleveland gets taken over by a mall, which gets taken over by a farm.
Shopping malls haven’t shown any sign of slowing down in their rampant development since the first one opened near Kansas City, Mo., in 1922. The economy, on the other hand, has shown woeful signs of slowing down to the extent that many retail centers are closing their doors due to the traumatic hit consumer confidence has taken in recent years.
Such was almost the case with the Galleria at Erieview in Cleveland, Ohio but it took the bright idea of Vicky Poole, their marketing and events director to do more than just drop the cost of rent.
I started, again, reevaluating the space and when this idea came for urban growing and I got, again, more involved in the local food movement, I realized that there was no reason why we couldn’t implement growing and still be a business center and an events center. We could still remain a community and yet benefit from the plants and the local food.
Vicky says the businesses will take time to come back, just as the plants will take time to grow. For now, the visibility and good feeling the greenhouse gives to the community is a solid foundation for a sustainable future.
For the full interview with Vicky Poole, click here.
Photo by T-FIZ.Downtown Cleveland gets taken over by a mall, which gets taken over by a farm.... more
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First of all I want to thank Nettle for posting about aquaponics:
"This Emerging Food Source May Get Banned from Organic (and it's not GMOs)"
http://current.com/items/92089405_this-emerging-food-source-may-get-banned-from-organic-and-its-not-gmos.htm
It inspired me to write this:
I believe in the word Organic as a synonym of natural, that encompasses all the biological activity within Nature. Every time we exclude some factors from it, manipulation begins. The more we manipulate the less close we are to what Nature intended.
Some plants are made to be born in water and some are made to originate from the SOIL. In both instances it's natural.
If inversion takes place then we are taking away what Nature has calculated for millions and millions of years.
Hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics (the latter might be better) were created on one big premise:
Soil is just a growing medium, it can be substituted.
WRONG!
Soil is magical, it welcomes millions and millions of micro organisms, bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes etc that produce LIFE; Nutrients and antibiotic substances are created and transmitted to the plant and us. Phytochemicals are being discovered every day, more than 30,000 are present in tomatoes for example and that's what we know.
We only have a vague idea of what really happens in the soil.
Not only that but you are taking away the beautiful and useful function that earthworms provide to the plants along with all other helpful insects; The air, the water, the diversity, the unsteady temperature, the sunlight and the soil all interact with each other creating a SYNERGY that is irreplicable by man and becomes SACRED.
Many successful farms adopt practices that go beyond the organic realm and have shown that their model can feed the world in a sustainable and ecological manner.
No need for this artificial shortcut.
It only keeps us away from an environmental agriculture, from fighting food monopoly, corporate domination, the conventional/chemical and oil industry which only serve POWER.
A power that controls us and will manipulate information so we believe that solutions don't exist and our dependence on them continues.
Image from www.freefoto.com
by Ian Britton
http://www.freefoto.com/preview/?ffid=07-55-22
Join the Organic Revolution:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/First of all I want to thank Nettle for posting about aquaponics:
"This Emerging... more
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Converting a Hydroponics system to Commercial Aquaponics is all in a days work for Murray Hallam an aquaponics systems builder and educator. This large scale greenhouse (30m x 20m) that Murray Hallam is currently converting in South East Queenslandm Australia is based on the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) that is well known to hydroponics growers. Nutrient rich water is run through a series of channels to feed the sensitive plants.
But the problem as some growers have explained is that nutrient rich water running through a NFT system can heat up excessively and some plants like lettuce have difficulty growing with their roots submerged in hot water.
How to solve this problem has been a conundrum for many farmers.
Murray’s solution is based on the floating raft system of growing plants, also known as DWC or Deep Water Culture. Large sheets of polystyrene are pre drilled with small holes that float thousands of plant seedlings. The large water volume offers a stable temperature range to sensitive plant seedlings. Rather than use commercial nutrients, the whole system is powered by fish poop. Bacteria convert fish waste to Nitrates that the plants consume. Water is recirculated continually within a closed loop solution. No water is ever wasted.
Rather than convert this system to DWC (Deep Water Culture) as its known in Aquaponics circles, Murray has opted for a hybrid blend of both techniques until the new business earns enough income to make the switch permanently to DWC.
In this edited video clip taken from his new DVD coming out next year, Murray
Hallam explains the business side of making a living from growing fish and plants together.
Most beginners make the mistake of thinking the money is in the growing of the fish, but as Murray explains, your bread and butter income is growing the plants for profit. Growing fish to harvest can take upwards of one to two years depending on species.
But plants can be grown out from four to eight weeks. Murray estimates that a system such as this 5,000 hole NFT system is capable of harvesting well over 1,000 plants per week, giving a sole grower or a retired couple a good gross income of around $1500 per week for a few hours work per day.
But this calculation is based on a good location to a source market like a moderate sized city.
The owner of this system when asked said that he is mainly interested in growing niche market plants that he has already identified. When pressed as to which plant he might grow, he identified watercress as a possible plant.
A lot of conventional Hydroponics growers are taking a careful look at converting their systems to Aquaponics not only because of the inherent benefit of growing fish and vegetables together but also the fact that water – a precious commodity in Australia is at a premium and re-using water and only topping up as needed is a big plus to minimising water loss and maximising profits.
Murray Hallam’s DVD “Aquaponics Secrets” will be available from his website www.aquaponics.net.au and other aquaponics and permaculture outlets. This DVD takes you into uncharted waters and builds upon the extensive knowledge base that he has shared in his previous title “Aquaponics Made Easy” which was a big hit around Australia and overseas.Converting a Hydroponics system to Commercial Aquaponics is all in a days work for... more
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Nevada Burning Man Festival Sees Giant Aerial Marijuana Bud Banner That
Protests Hydroponics Hijacking
Hydroponics Company Flies Marijuana Bud Banner at Nevada Burning Man Festival
SEATTLE, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On the day that the Man burns at the
legendary Nevada Burning Man event this year in the Black Rock Desert,
partiers will see a giant marijuana bud banner flying overhead.
The huge banner, which has already flown over Seattle Hempfest and San
Francisco, features a glistening marijuana flower, along with lettering that
asks the question "Want Big, Sugary Buds?"
The controversial banner is the brainchild of Michael "Big Mike" Straumietis,
co-founder of international hydroponics nutrients manufacturer Advanced
Nutrients.
"We fly this banner to protest the hydroponic hijacking of our industry by a
cadre of good old boys who ration information, goods and services to
orchestrate a takeover of hydroponics commerce that hurts growers, retailers
and vendors," says Straumietis.
Ever since he went public with his protests, Straumietis has drawn widespread
applause for his documented claim that five hydroponics companies (Hydrofarm,
Sunlight Supply, General Hydroponics, Botanicare and Technaflora) have used
waste and abuse to interfere with the free flow of hydroponics information,
goods and services.
Straumietis notes that Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars per
year on hydroponic equipment and supplies and the majority of those materials
grow medical marijuana.
"I hear serious complaints about the good old boys hydroponics hijacking,"
Straumietis says. "From sick and dying medical marijuana patients discouraged
from growing their own medicine because the good old boys ration and deny
access to hydroponics information. From hydroponics retailers sick of the good
old boys interfering with the open market. From hydroponics inventors and
manufacturers indignant about the good old boys blockading access to the
hydroponics marketplace."
Unlike the Burning Man Project, in which tens of thousands of people show up
to co-create a desert democracy community every year, the good old boys'
hydroponics hijacking runs the hydroponics industry like a medieval kingdom,
Straumietis charges.
"These powerful hydroponics companies and distributors act like brutal
dictators," Straumietis says. "Medical marijuana is legal in 13 states, but
the good old boys refuse to test or design their products for marijuana, which
limits the effectiveness of marijuana medicine. They won't let customers,
hydroponics stores or hydroponics magazines discuss marijuana. They deny
information and access to growers, companies and vendors."Nevada Burning Man Festival Sees Giant Aerial Marijuana Bud Banner That
Protests... more
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Can you turn pollution into food? That's what Aquaranch in Flanagan, Illinois is doing with their innovative aquaponics farm. OrganicNation.tv visits the high-tech facility which uses fish waste as fertilizer for organic herbs and vegetables.
Myles Harston of AquaRanch Industries has been working with aquaponics 1992. At his innovative facility, he grows tilapia and a wide variety of certified organic vegetables including lettuce, kale, chard, herbs, tomatoes, and hot peppers. Myles is hoping to become certified for organic fish production as soon as that standard, currently under development, is finalized by the USDA.
Because all inputs can be measured throughout the lifespan of the tilapia, Myles can guarantee a product free from heavy metals like Mercury (which wild-caught fish are often exposed to in our oceans and lakes) and free from hormonal manipulation. Many people are not aware that farm-raised fish often undergoes a sex change to the gender which grows the fastest. For example, in tilapia, the males grow faster so conventional producers change all the females to male. At Aquaranch, Myles spawns the fish himself to ensure that his process is all-natural.
While touring the facility, it occurred to me that Aquaponics could be a great solution for urban land-locked environments in need of safe, fresh food. Myles mentioned that this process could be done in old warehouses with rainwater collected on the rooftops!
For more videos visit: http://www.OrganicNation.tv
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/OrganicNationCan you turn pollution into food? That's what Aquaranch in Flanagan, Illinois is... more
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California may be the center of the marijuana trade and the controversies over its legalization. But Florida has surpassed it in one important category: the Sunshine State is now the country's leader in indoor marijuana cultivation. It is a potent distinction because most of the marijuana grown this way is cultured hydroponically — that is, mostly without soil and with a carefully calibrated cocktail of chemicals and lighting — to create some of the highest level of highs on the market.California may be the center of the marijuana trade and the controversies over its... more
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Wait, you live in a cramped urban cell apartment with maybe a sliver of silver roof to escape to that’s cris-crossed with cable wires and littered with pigeon shit guano but you still want to be a farmer?
Now, even YOU don’t have an excuse NOT to garden!
Inventor, good friend, and gin drinker, Adam Phillips, presented me with this city person’s ultimate solution to being lazy, having a garden when you don’t have a yard, and doing it yourself with stuff you can find in the garbage.
Step by step instructions start… NOW!Wait, you live in a cramped urban cell apartment with maybe a sliver of silver roof to... more
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A Man With A Plan
Inventor Gerald Garrison's World Food Plan.
His strategic plan is to create thousands (if not millions) of huge indoor gardens to serve communities with fresh, nutritional produce. These highly efficient, local food production factories are capable of growing food indoors using his state-of-the-art and sustainable technologies. Most importantly, these food production centers can generate crops 365 days a year, regardless of how harsh the outdoor environment becomes.
The idea is to take an environmentally controlled room – well insulated from the outside world – and grow food under his digital light delivery systems. The energy required to power the factories will come from wind and solar power generation sites.
Some cynics scoff that taking food production indoors is tantamount to admitting defeat. “Have we really screwed up the climate so much that we have to grow plants indoors now?”, is the most common question. And the idea of using solar and wind power to generate artificial sunlight is a difficult concept for many people to accept. However a growing number of people, especially within the indoor gardening industry, are starting to switch on to his ideas.A Man With A Plan
Inventor Gerald Garrison's World Food Plan.
His strategic... more
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Want fresh garden herbs year round?
Grow your own fresh garden herbs from your windowsill with Prepara's Power Plant.
Through a hydroponics system the Power Plant grows seeds with no dirt, no bugs and no worms. Just add seeds and water and watch your indoor garden grow through hydroponics!
Learn how you can grow cucumbers, beans, basil and other fresh garden herbs indoors in this Expert Real Estate Tips segment.Want fresh garden herbs year round?
Grow your own fresh garden herbs from your... more
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