You didn't listen to your mom when she told you to, "eat your microgreens." Well you probably should've listened. Most of us probably didn't know what microgreens were when we saw the little leaves on out plates. You just assumed it was for show. You were wrong my friend. Microgreens aren't just pretty to look at, they're a statement on where life is heading. Unassuming exuberance while packing a hefty punch. We've managed to compile a list of our favorites(for now). Broccoli Microgreens According to research conducted at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Broccoli microgreens contain up to 40 times the sulfurophane found in mature broccoli, by weight. They're fast, easy to grow and really pretty to look at! Benefits of Broccoli •Nutritious super-food •Easily digestible •Mild Flavor •Source of fiber, vitamins & minerals •Fast and easy to grow Purple Sango Radish Microgreens Purple sango radish is fast and easy to grow. Due to its fast growth, it can be harvested in as early as 5 days; assuming it has been exposed to light by day 3. You can flip the lid a day before exposing to light to strengthen the crop. Sango radish dons a spectacular shade of purple (with an occassional green) that adds crunch, radish flavor and amazingly colorful hightlights to any microgreen salad or full sized salad. Benefits of Purple Sango Radish •Nutritious super-food •Aids digestion •Source of fiber, vitamins & minerals •Spicy flavor •Fast and easy to grow Ruby Streaks Microgreens Ruby streaks mustard microgreens with their purple veining, add loft, spice and rosy elegance to any salad plate or stir-fry. Color is darkest when sown summer through fall. Mix with Golden Frill for a gorgeous display! The deeply serrated, attractive mustard looks as tempting as it tastes. The radiant, mulberry flushed green with cherry red veining leaves have a delicate texture and mild, sweet mustard flavor. Spirited, yet tender enough to liven up salads, and stout enough to stand on its own in steamed or stir-fried dishes. Benefits of Ruby Streaks •Super-food •Easy to grow​ •Spicy flavor •Ready to eat in just 14 days Arugula Microgreens Arugula microgreens germinate quickly and tolerate cold and hot temperatures well. This strain has a mix of "cut" and "strap" leaf shapes when grown as baby leaf. They perform well as a cut-and-come-again crop. Benefits of Arugula •Fast and easy to grow •Nutritious super-food •Easily digestible •Spicy flavor •Ready to eat in just 10 days Basil Microgreens Basil microgreens plants are strong producers of dark green, glossy leaves with a characteristic spoon shape, exceptionally tender texture and distinctive sweet flavor excellent in sauces and cooking. Benefits of Basil •Sweet flavor •Ready to eat in 21 days •Easily digestible Micro Italian Basil aids in making classic food pairings(or drinks if you're feeling it) swanky. The mild and sweet characteristics of Micro Italian Basil are ideal for incorporating into sweeter applications. Micro Italian Basil pairs well with blueberry, strawberry, apricot, pineapple, nectarine, peach, watermelon, vanilla, lemon verbena, coconut, honey, ginger, cinnamon, white chocolate, and even fruity cocktails like mojitos, gimlets or martinis. The list goes on! Like most microgreens, Micro Italian Basil is intended for raw preparations, specifically as a garnish, as the delicate leaves will wilt if exposed to prolonged heat. They should be refrigerated in a sealed container and added only at the very final stage of finishing a dish. These types of microgreens will definitely make your life so much better. Cheers to the sweeter things in life: health, happiness and prosperity to all. Here's a recipe of a Thai Basil Daiquiri: Ingredients • 3-5 Thai Basil microgreens • 4 ounces clean-tasting white rum (such as Flor de Caña) • 1 and 1/2 ounces lime juice • 1 and 1/4 ounces Simple Syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water) • Pinch of salt Method Put the Thai basil in a blender and add the rum. Make sure the leaves are covered in rum before you blend. Briefly blend the herbs and rum together. Add the lime juice and simple syrup and pulse the blender to mix everything together. Strain this mix through a fine strainer, then shake it with a generous amount of ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into two chilled coupe glasses, and enjoy. Yield 2 cocktails Courtesy of Dave Arnold at the James Beard Foundation If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Microgreens we love to grow" "Foolproof growing tips for microgreens" "How to use microgreens" #microgreens #arugula #broccoli #purplesangoradish #rubystreaks #microbasil #basildaiquiri #typesofmicrogreens

Do you know which Microgreens we love to grow? These are our favorite Microgreens but we’ll also be giving you some seeding procedures too! You won’t regret missing out on this! We promise. Pea Shoots Crunchy, juicy texture and the same yummy taste as fresh peas. Perfect for sandwiches and on pizza, rice, and soup dishes! Try your pea shoots at different times/stages while they’re growing – their flavor, texture and look is best when they’re about 3” tall. Here's the procedures on growing theses beautiful pea shoots yourself! These large seed varieties are grown using a different methods than the other microgreens, So we will cover them first. The same technique is used for peas, can be used for sunflowers and any other large seed variety (such as popcorn seeds). Pea seed should be soaked prior to planting for 8 - 12 hrs. (soak seeds when you leave your farm at the end of the day) Preparing the pea seed for planting: 10 oz of pea seeds per 10x20 black tray To soak the pea, a plastic food grade container works well (5 gallon bucket with paint strainer bag). Fill the container with enough water to rise above the seeds 2”. The seeds will swell as they absorb water, and you’ll want to make sure they stay below the water line and must remain covered. Allow seeds to soak over night. They are now ready to be spread on the microgreens pad. Soaking The microgreens pad The special microgreens pads are made of untreated all natural loose weave plant based materials. The grow trays are 10"x20", so 1 microgreens pad are laid end to end in the tray. This makes them easier to handle at harvest time when they must be removed from the tray with the crops attached. The microgreens pads usually come in a pack of 10 - 10"x20" and don't need to be cut. If you lay the pad in the tray dry, they would not lay flat, and the seeds would go rolling off the high spots and end up crowding up in the low areas. The microgreens pad would also have a hard time becoming evenly damp to begin with. Before placing the pads in the tray PRE-SOAK THEM in a 5 gallon bucket of vegan boost water for a few hours before seeding. This helps them lay flat in channels, which makes planting a lot easier and helps gives your seeds a germination boost. Fill the bucket with RO water or tap water. Place one tsp of vegan boost in bucket (mix properly). Fold and place the pads in bucket. Soak for 1 hr to 24 hrs. They are now ready to be used. Place the soaked pad into the tray. Smooth out the pad until it is completely flat. Evenly shake the seeds in each tray, one tray at a time, using a gentle shaking motion with a cup. Evenly spread seeds on the microgreens pad using your hands. Place tray in darkness for 48 hrs to 72 hrs till seedlings sprouts up 2". Place tray in sunlight or artificial grow lights Microgreens - Red Rose Radish A classic winter radish that is best planted later in the season, and then harvested for winter storage. China Rose produces an attractive rose-colored exterior and delicious white flesh. As its name suggests, this radish hails from China, and was introduced to the occidental world by Jesuit monks in the 1950's. Place the soaked pad into the tray. Smooth out the pad until it is completely flat. Weigh out the appropriate amount of seed for each variety to be planted Red Rose Radish seeds per 10"x20" tray = 21 grams Evenly shake the seeds in each tray, one tray at a time, using a gentle shaking motion with a season shaker. Spray each tray, one at a time, spray generously (rule of thumb is to count out loud for each tray). Spray humidity dome for a few seconds. Cover 10"x20" tray with humidity dome. Place tray in darkness for 48 hrs to 72 hrs till seedlings sprouts up 1.5". Place tray in sunlight or artificial grow lights. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Foolproof growing tips for microgreens" "Rules for growing microgreens indoors" #microgreens #growingmicrogreens #peashoots #shoots #redroseradish #microradish #microgreenspad #growtrays #veganboost

Ever feel like growing microgreens  is a bit like being stuck in a blizzard? We promise that these foolproof tips will help you out a lot. Growing microgreens doesn't have to be brain science. It should be like strolling on a tropical island with no worry in the world. Easier said then done right? We sure wish that someone would've told us these tips when we were first attempting to harvest. Water Quality At the start of a microgreens crop, an hydroponic system is filled with water. Water is continually being lost from the system, mainly through the leaves of the microgreens crop by a process known as transpiration. The volume of water in the system is, however, maintained constant by the automatic replacement of the water that is lost. This is achieved by a float valve in the catchment tank, which allows water to flow into the microgreens system from an external source as required. This make up water will normally contain dissolved substances in it. The nature and quantity of the substances in solution in the water will differ with locality. If these substances are not removed from the water by the microgreens crop plants at a faster rate than they are being supplied in the make up water, then their concentration in the recirculating water in the microgreens system will increase, until a concentration of one ion will be reached at which growth is adversely affected, and eventually a toxic concentration will occur. The best water for growing microgreens is rainwater or water condensed from moisture laden air. Water from these two sources has virtually no dissolved substances in it. Consequently, there is no build up of excess ions coming into an hydroponic installation with the make up water. Filtration Very little filtration should be required in an microgreens hydroponic system. If the make up water does not contain solid particles in suspension, and if the method of supporting the young microgreens plants does not release solid particles into the recirculating solution, then filtration will not be necessary. The only precaution to take would be to site the inlet of circulation pump in the catchment tank, as far as possible from any solution returning from the microgreens hydroponic system to the tank, and also near the surface of the solution in the tank. the tank will act as a sedimentation tank and the solution recirculated by the pump will thus be drawn from the clear solution near the surface. Yet, if there is a problem with solid particles in suspension, a course filter should be fitted over the outlet end of the catchment pipe so that the returning solution discharges into the tank through the filter. Root Death In an microgreens crop, the root system can be inspected readily. Consequently, if any roots should die. their demise is quickly seen and observed in all its tragedy. Roots are so basic. If too many roots should die, will not the whole microgreens plant die? In soil grown microgreens crop, the death of roots cannot be seen. The phenomenon of root death has been most extensively studied in tomatoes. Three english research workers at the Chestnut Experiment Station (Leonard, Head and Cooper) in the 50s, using glass sided inspection trenches dug besides rows of soil grown tomatoes, recorded the root growth visible through the glass. All three workers studied plants from December sowing dates, because at the time, most commercial tomato crops in southern England were not sown before December. They all reported a sudden and marked loss of roots in the month of May; from 50% to 90% of the roots visiblein the glass panel suddenly died and decomposed. The phenomenon was given the name of the 'May Check', because there was also a reduction in the growth rates of the tops of the plants. Without these tips you'd possible be stuck in These tips are foolproof. If you follow these basic guidelines you can't possibly go wrong. These are the essentials needed to grow microgreens.  Remember consistency is key! If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Rules for growing microgreens indoors" "How to use microgreens" #microgreens #growingmicrogreens #growingtips #hydroponicsystem

Next winter you'll most likely want to grow microgreens outdoors(kidding). Or you might already know how to grow but need a little help (or you just don't want to admit why your microgreens died); either way we will be giving you some rules to follow, while you walk on the road towards success. Equipment & System Needs The Heating System hoophouse is passive solar heated, which works fine for starting plants in earliest spring, but for growing a consistent crop of microgreens during cold and low solar months of winter, it needs to be supplemented. After research that was done, it was determined that heat mats were the most efficient direct heat option. There are several options to heat the water, electric, gas but also solar and bio gas. Water is essential for microgreens need to be constantly kept at ideal moisture levels so water must be accessible in the growing area. Watering equipment for our system remained pretty simple: long hoses that run the length of the tables with long neck spray nozzles that release a gentle shower. These happened to be the most flexible performers and provided good coverage. Ventilation by large fans is essential to prevent fungus in winter and keep microgreens cool in summer. They act to keep the growing area at even temperature and moisture levels, which the farmer can manage. They are essential to the success of the growing operation. Working towards developing a system for your clients based on climate, farm setup and prospective buyers To keep track of all the crop varieties in trials, you should develop a simple log to track all the pertinent information for each trial. Document the date of the seeding, the media used, tray size if used, quantity of trays, whether you applied heat or not, quantity of seed used per unit, harvest yield and harvest date. With solid note-taking, you will be better able to track the successes and failures and troubleshoot to minimize the latter, so we recommend this as a practice. Documentation was important not only in trialing seeds, media, and growing conditions, but during later steady commercial production as well. Keeping good notes, not just numbers on all the variables, was key to seeing what types of systems worked best in our setup. Growing Medium You'll have to decide what you want to use for soil. Whether it'd be Coir or potting soil. Yo'll have to decide which is best for you and figure out the ratio that best suits your growing needs. Be sure to always experiment in this stage. Mark from Vertical veg says, "using old compost will help because of the nitrogen that aids leafy vegetables." Harvesting You can experiment with microgreens to find the stage you like best – either when the first pair of leaves appear, or later, when a few leaves have grown. One exception is sunflower shoots. These need to be eaten before their second pair of leaves appear, as these are bitter. The easiest way to harvest most microgreens is with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors. Some microgreens – like pea shoots – may regrow, particularly if you chop them just above the lowest leaf. This blog post touches on basic guidelines to follow while you grow microgreens. There are many specifics that need to be followed on your journey. We hope you try to impress your peers with some the information you just read. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Facts about the microgreens grow system" "Supercharge your hydroponics setup" #growsystem #microgreensgrowsystem #microgreens #leafygreens #hydroponicsystem #growingmedium #harvesting #ventilation

How’d you like to learn facts about an microgreens grow system built out of plastic and metal, it runs on a  couple of small water pumps and a timer. The microgreens grow system utilizing complete bio-hydroponic nutrients, plant based growing media, and virtually no pest control(10 day growth cycles eliminate most pest problems). The system is comprised of PVC grow ‘channels’ arranged on steel frame or ‘rack’. Each shelf is four or five channels wide by eight channels high. This vertical, stacked system makes the most efficient use of your indoor space, increasing your production capacity over traditional microgreens, growers using soil filled trays on benches. Microgreens are grown on a plant based mat  to hold the seeds in place and keep them from washing away before they germinate. Made of all natural untreated materials, the mat is placed inside the channel, acting as a root anchor for the plants while distributing the nutrient solution evenly to the plants and retaining the moisture between feeding cycles. The feeding is accomplished through a plumbing system of feed lines and pvc running from the nutrient tank up to each channel to the microgreens. Micro valves(4) are located at each channel so that flow can be adjusted and feeding can be adjusted at the front of each channel. The nutrient solution drains via gravity from the top feed end of the channel down to the bottom drain end of the channel, then is recirculated back to the nutrient tank, creating a closed system. This reduces waste and keeps the environment unadulterated from runoff. The nutrient tank is emptied 4 times a year for cleaning and remixing fresh nutrients. The nutrient levels are maintained by the grower between cleanings by adding water, nutrient and pH adjustment materials to the tank as needed. More details on this process are going to be discussed in later post. Traditional microgreens growers using soil filled trays harvest their crops by hand using scissors to manually cut a handful at a time. They then place the harvested greens into a tub, rinse away the excess dirt or other grow media (perlite or peat), and finally dry the microgreens. This method is incredibly laborious. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Supercharge your hydroponics setup" "How to use microgreens" #microgreens #growsystem #hydroponicsystem #microgreensgrowsystem

Searching for better ways to spice up your hydroponics setup? Well have we got a secret for you. If you want to add something more to your hydroponics setup this is it. A vortex brewer will supercharge your setup and add more to what you already have. If you want to know some more about the positives a vortex brewer read below. Why A Vortex Brewer? The vortex brewer is a potent method of growing beneficial microbes. When added to the garden, these microbes act in synergy with growing plants. At less than a 5 gallon volume, this is definitely not a commercial unit, but it makes the power of the vortex available to the home and hobby gardener. There are no water pumps used to accomplish the vortexial circulation in the Brewer; the movement of the water is accomplished entirely by the influx of air. High volumes of air are pumped into the up-pipe creating a vacuum behind them as the bubbles float upwards. This action naturally pulls water from within the drum downward and back up into the up-pipe. This means that no compost tea bags ever need to be used. I settled on this design because it is affordable, easy to build, disassemble and clean. The Vortex Brewer uses the natural stimulation of the vortex rather than simple stone aeration to stimulate biological activity. The Vortex Brewer create living, organic compost tea, but it acts as an extractor, it will potentize fertilizer recipes, allow for perpetual brewing, and can stir Bio Energetic concoctions for anything from stimulating soil regeneration. WHAT ARE COMPOST TEAS? Compost teas, often shortened to just “tea,” are part of a new approach to plant nutrition and soil inoculation, where, rather than letting the microbial community develop by chance, growers deliberately inject preferred microbes and nutrients into their grow medium. As the name suggests, compost teas start with compost, which is an excellent source of nutrition for plants. However, the nutrition in compost is typically locked away inside large, complex organic molecules. Microbes inside compost break down the complex molecules into simpler molecules that plants can easily absorb. Compost teas take plant nutrition a step further by nurturing microbial growth, improving the effectiveness of traditional compost. When compost teas are “brewed,” microbes are cultured in warm water with plenty of air: ideal conditions for growth and propagation. These microbes form symbioses with the plants, making them more vigorous, healthy, and resilient to stress, resulting in bigger, better yields. The Benefits Of Compost Tea Better plant growth in the form of better tasting vegetables, bigger blossoms and greener leaves. A boost of beneficial organisms that enhance the immune system of plants. Plenty of nutrients for the plants that are easily absorbed straight through the plant roots. Encourages the growth of root systems to help your plant pull nutrients from farther down. Provides an all-natural alternative to harsh chemical composts that cause harm to native plants, insects, wildlife, and even humans. A vortex brewer is an essential part of growing because it gives you a boost. Sometimes we need a little boost to help us grow better. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Beginners guide to plant nutrition" "Understanding water pH in hydroponics" #vortexbrewer #vortex #brewer #hydroponics #compostteas

You’re on a Valentine's date, order a heart shaped pizza with veggies because your date enjoys the occasional basil or arugula on their pizza. Let’s say you order and expect the normal piece of grown parsley fusing with the cheese…You realize this is not the case while you receive the pizza. You find tiny leaves fusing with the succulent melting cheese. You take your first bite: Heaven. It not only taste good but microgreens look extremely cute. This is your entrance to the world of microgreens! After this you become inspired to grow and use them in more of your everyday foods that you prepare at home. Microgreens will do that to you. Impress you more than your date. Product Uses Tasty little morsels that they are, microgreens are quite versatile, and can be used in a number of ways. Put them on sandwiches, in salads, on tacos, pizza, soups, anywhere you’d put lettuce or sprouts or cooked them in stir fry. Use them as an eye-catching garnish or ingredient on virtually any dish, meat and fish included. They are generally intended to be used fresh and raw. They make an excellent salad main ingredient, too....just toss with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and perhaps a little tomato. Voila! A taste sensation that will have you coming back for more! Microgreens on Sandwiches Many people are unsure on how to use microgreens. Sandwiches can be fat and heavy. Microgreens pack a punch of light flavor and freshness, weighing out earthier flavor's and providing added nutritional value. Using microgreens in sandwiches can also provide a blessing through an added crunch of texture. Switch up the variety of microgreens depending on the ingredients of the sandwich to take your sandwich to the next level. Microgreens in Salads Microgreens salads are both tasty and nutritious. Because different microgreens varieties hold such different flavor profiles, they can be combined to build salads with a light and spicy flavor, or hit the taste buds with a punch of sweet or mild, it's up to you. Microgreens can also be a fantastic addition to a typical leafy greens salad. Add a punch of flavor and nutrition to your salads with a spicy microgreens like red ruby streak mustard. Microgreens in Nutritional Shakes Having a clam shell of microgreens that you can grab and use in nutritional shakes every morning or throughout the day can help you live a happier lifestyle, if that's what you are pursuing. Some microgreens varieties have proven to pack up to 40 times the nutritional value versus mature plants. Other Uses For Microgreens Microgreens are often used in Wraps, Sushi, Stir fry's, Soups, Tacos and in meat dishes. Microgreens are versatile and flavorful and can compliment in any dish. And yes, they make powerful and delicious garnishes, but they are more than just garnishes. You should always stay curious and adventurous while cooking or growing microgreens. Remember microgreens are a lifestyle – a fruitful journey. Microgreens Recipe Author: Malibu Kitchen Recipe type: Breakfast Cuisine: Gluten-free, Detox, Vegetarian Serves: 2 Ingredients 2 slices multi-grain or gluten free bread, toasted 1 ripe organic avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced 1/4 lemon, cut into wedges Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup Asian micro mix or other microgreens 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted Instructions Divide avocado slices evenly and place on top of toast slices. Using a butter knife, carefully smash avocado slices. Squeeze lemon slices over avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with microgreens, drizzle with sesame oil, then complete with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Nutrition Information Serving size:2 Calories:253 Fat:16 g Protein:4 g Cholesterol:0 If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "How to grow microgreens from seed" "Quick guide on grow lights" #microgreens #usingmicrogreens #leafygreens #urbanagriculture

The reason for releasing the beginners guide to plant nutrition is to help you from making wrong decisions in your indoor grow room. Visualize... by the end of this blog, you will be able to understand plant nutrition. Introduction Plants are able to take in essential plant nutrients through leaves, a fact known for years. Foliar fertilization has been used for years mainly with high valve crops such as vegetables and fruits. Early uses of foliar fertilization were mainly used to balance micronutrient deficiencies such as iron deficiency with blueberries, or to boost the appearance and shelf life of foliage plants and cut flowers. Foliar applications of nutrients can balance nutrient deficiencies caused by diseases, insect damage and help plant recover from other stress conditions. Both quantity and quality of yield can be increased by foliar application of deficient nutrients regardless of cause. Nutrient Mobility and Foliar Fertilization Foliar fertilization is especially important for nutrients that are poorly mobile in the plant. A endless supply of these nutrients is needed to provide that plant has sufficient nutrition for acceptable growth and yield. If the supply of these nutrients from the water or growing media is unable to keep up with demand, then new growth will suffer from nutrient deficiency. The application for moderately mobile or very mobile nutrients is also important when the crop cannot take and deliver adequate nutrients to the growing points of the plant, but mobile nutrients have the benefit of being able to taken for older plant tissue and translocated to the new growing points. Foliar application of mobile nutrients will help prevent the depletion by older tissue by these mobile nutrients. One frustration in using foliar sprays to supply nutrients to plants is that intake and translocation of the applied element may not be rapid enough for growing crop yields if foliar application is the major source of a nutrient. This problem is greater for macronutrients. Foliar application of plant nutrients continues to gain increasing widespread acceptance. The mobility of nutrients generally is classified into three categories of mobility: very mobile, moderately mobile and poor or slightly mobile. Nitrogen (N) Nitrogen is a very mobile element within the plant, and foliar sprays using urea, nitrate salt and ammonium have been used to supplement the nitrogen levels in plants. Urea Urea is the most effective form of foliar nitrogen followed next by ammonium ion and then by nitrate ion. Urea is easiest to traverse the cutin layer to enter the plant, and is considered the most suitable form of N for foliar application because of its non polarity, rapid intake, low phytotoxicity and high solubility. Ammonium Ammonium application effectively boosts growth and yield for many crops through foliar application. Like urea, the plant assimilates most of the ammonium within 48 hours after application. Ammonium, once inside the plant cell has a similar effect on plant nitrogen, as does urea. Nitrate Nitrate, through adsorbed by the plant effectively, is less effective as a foliar source of nitrogen than urea or ammonium because it must first be convert into ammonium through nitrate reduction. Phosphorus (P) Phosphorus is a very mobile element within a plant and its application through foliar application is an effective means of supplying phosphorus. Phosphorus foliar application can increase the concentration of phosphorus in the foliage and is more effective method of delivering phosphorus to the plant via water. Potassium (K) Potassium is a very mobile element, and applications as foliar sprays utilize potassium polyphosphate, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, potassium thiosulfate, or potassium hydroxide. Many of these sources have low salt index, are highly soluble, and can provide potassium to plants in situations where a deficiency of this element will reduce yield or is needed for foliar plants going to market. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post: "Understanding water pH in hydroponics" "How to grow microgreens from seed" #hydroponicnutrients #plantnutrition #beginnersguide #NPK #nitrogen #phosphorus #potassium

It’s a hot summer afternoon and you decide to water your plants because they’re wilted. You ask yourself a question, why do they keep dying? pH measures acidity or alkalinity which you must understand in order to grow a healthy plant. If you were gardening on a hot day maybe your water supply isn’t great. That’s another story. Introduction Why is pH important? If the pH of a solution is not within the correct range the plant will not have the ability to absorb some of the essential elements required for proper plant growth. All plants have a particular pH range, which will produce healthy growth, and this level will vary from plant to plant, but most plants prefer a slightly acidic growing environment (5.8 to 6.2). Most plants can survive in an environment with pH values between 5.0 and 7.0. Plants grown in acidic environments can experience a variety of symptoms, including aluminium (Al), hydrogen (H), and/or manganese (Mn) toxicity, as well as nutrient deficiencies of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Conversely, in alkaline environments molybdenum (Mo) and macronutrients (except for phosphorus) availability increases, but phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) levels are reduced, and may adversely affect plant growth. From the chart you can see that each element can become more and less available to the plants as pH changes.  If the pH of your solution is out of the desired range, one or more of the essential elements will become unavailable to the plant, causing nutrient deficiencies, which will result in slow growth rates, and poor yields. pH Control Chemical reactions can be inhibited or promoted by the concentration of hydrogen ions in a mixture. We can measure this on a pH scale. Industrial acidic substances are 2.0 pH - lemon, 5.0 pH - coffee, 7.0 pH - milk, 9 pH - baking soda, and 12+ pH - lye. Almost anything that contains hydrogen ions or lack of them can therefore produce a pH. As your plant grows through its life cycle, it adsorbs minerals from the water and deposit waste materials of its own. The removal of nutrients and addition of waste material can cause water pH  levels to fluctuate, so in order to allow for normal course of chemical reactions to take place we need to maintain a desirable pH level. If we don't, we can experience nutrient lockout. Water pH Water also has a pH so remember to check your water source. For example: Your medium is 6.0 pH but you want it to be 6.2. You mix a+1 pH and then add it hoping for a 6+1=7. However you forgot that the water you diluted with wasn’t pH measured so you don’t know if you achieved 7 or not until you measure it. Measure your water and your medium to figure out exactly what pH you need. Here’s an example: Water is 5 and medium pH is 4. You would need +2 to make it 7. Then you need +3 for the medium to make it 7. What actually  happens with pH-up and down is somewhat like this but the way you adjust it, by adding a little pH and testing and repeating the procedure, keeping in mind what your water’s pH is. You can always use the pH-up and -down buffering solutions to find pH stability. pH- Getting back to neutral from acidic If your soil’s pH in too acidic you will want to bring it back to a neutral 7. You can do this using lime( alkaline calcium oxide), a brittle white caustic solid obtained by heating limestone. You can find lime in containers at your grow shop and add it to your soil the next time you decide to water your plant. Growers know by trial and error how much lime they need to use to push acidic soil back to a pH level of 7. Not all limes work well so be sure to get the gardening lime. pH- bringing back to neutral from alkaline If the pH of your soil is too alkaline then you can bring it back to a neutral 7 by adding small amounts of any of the following. Moreover, most growers find a pH-down product more functional. Liquid humic acid Cottonseed meal Lemon peels Coffee Grounds High-acidity fertilizer These are acidic. Always introduce small amounts of the substance, checking the pH level the next day and readjusting as necessary. Make sure to protect your eyes and skin; you will need to wash them if you come in contact with the pH buffers. Other pH problems pH is important because low or high pH levels can cause nutrient lockout. pH irregularities can also cause growth stunting, leaf spots and wilting. Always check the pH level of your soil before treating a nutrient problem. pH is an essential part of growing that you must understand to have harmony with your plants. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post about nutrients: "How to mix nutrients in a hydroponic system" "Growing with A tank and B tank" #pH #hydroponics #pHdown #hydroponicsystem #acidic #neutral #alkaline #waterpH

The next time your stuck on a growing question, open up our blog post, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a master grower. Introduction To find out the difference among clay, sand and silts, humus, and loam soils; look broader into types. Three basic particles: sand, silt or clay compose all soils. Vast size variations among these particles affect the properties of your indoor garden. Coarse and largest, sand particles are clearly seen and felt in your hand. Smaller silt particles have smooth, flour-like texture. smallest of all, clay particles can be seen through a microscope. The amounts of these different particles determine whether your soil type is primarily clay, sand or loam. Clay Clay is stiff, fine grained earth consisting of hydrated aluminosilicates that become flexible when water is added. Clay is commonly mixed with other soil types to create a medium suitable for lettuce. Top 10 plants that love to grow in clay: Broccoli - Brussels Sprouts - Cabbage (red & green) - Cabbage (Napa & Savoy) Cauliflower - Kale - Bean - Pea - Potato - Radish Humus Humus is the organic constituent of soil, formed by the decomposition of plant materials, and can be bought in bags at local gardening stores. Most of these products claim to be free of bugs and other living matter, but sometimes this is not 100% true. Don't be surprised if you find a worm or green fly in the package. Humus is also sometimes known as compost, but compost is the final mixture of manure, loam soil, and some other media, with added organic matter. Humus is that added organic matter. Humus mixing is a step towards a more natural soil when mixed with clay, and sand and silts. Sand and silts Sand soils can be pure sand or a mixture of sand soil. The problem with sandy soil is that it drains water and minerals out too fast. It is a very dry soil and is not suitable for the lettuce grower's needs on its own. Silt soils are nearly the same as sand soils, expect they have a consistency more like clay and darker in colors. Silts hold nutrients well but do not hold water very well. Like sands, they are prone to quick drainage. Like we said, sands and silts are rarly used on their own to grow lettuce and mostly mixed with other types. Its important to know about them and how they are used. Loam Loam tends to be mix of all of the above. The composition of the mix should be stated on the bag. In fact, in most cases, normal soil purchased in shops has humus, sand, silt, and clay already mixed in. When you buy a bag of soil it is nearly always going to be a loam. Loam is a very fertile soil and for control over the ratios you can even mix your own loam soils. Loam is soil that contains: less than 52% sand 28-50% silt 7-27% clay If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post about grow media: "How to choose the right grow media for microgreens" "Understanding coco coir as a grow medium" What would you like to see in a future post? Let us know in comments.... #soil #clay #humus #sandandsilt #loam #indoorfarming #growingtips

Do you remember seeing coconuts in movies, where people sip out of them as they casually lay there taking the sun. Well, we have some news for you. Coconuts can also be used in growing microgreens. Introduction Coconut coir usually comes in blocks. Adding temperate filter water to the blocks causes it to expand to produce a very refined growing medium for microgreens, that you can mix with your soil. It keeps the pH value from diving too low; Coir is also great for soil structure. What Is Coconut Coir? In the past, when coconuts were harvested for their delicious meat and juice, the coconut husk was considered a waste product. All of the material from the husk to the inner shell of the coconut was a discard product until people realized it had many applications in gardening and home products. Everything in between the shell and the outer coating of the coconut seed is considered coco coir. There are two types of fibers that make up coir — brown and white. Brown coir comes from mature, ripe coconuts and is a lot stronger, but less flexible. White fibers come from pre-ripe coconuts and are far more flexible, but much less strong. Most of the coconut coir used for hydroponics is brown coir, as it’s processed even more after initial harvesting. How Is Coconut Coir Made? Before Coconut Coir is used it has through go through an extensive process before it is used. First, they remove the coir from the coconuts. How is this done? This is done by soaking the husks in water to loosen and soften them. This is either done in tidal waters or freshwater. If done in tidal waters, the coconut coir will take up a large amount of salt. This then prompts the manufacturer to flush out at a later stage. Then, they’re removed from the water bath and dried for over a year. After the drying process, which is quite extensive, the coir is organized into bales. The bales are then chopped and processed into various formats, from chips, to “croutons”, to classic ground coconut coir. Using Coconut Coir In Hydroponic Gardening Coconut Coir makes transitioning from soil gardening to hydroponic gardening very easy as it handles just like regular potting soil. You can easily begin practicing a modified form hydroponic gardening with regular flower pots and grow lights. When searching be sure to choose the right type of coir for your purpose. You will find a variety of products packaged for garden, ornamental and hydroponic use. Coconut coir prepared for hydroponic gardening has the sodium and potassium removed to provide a completely nutrient-neutral medium. This gives you complete control over the nutrient uptake of your plants. Extra special care is needed when preparing coir for use in hydroponics. While the ornamental variety is quite inexpensive, it is unsuitable for hydroponic and food production use because it might contain higher salt levels. For hydroponic use, brown coir, the more processed fiber is preferable. It is more of an innate material that acts primarily as a support medium and presents less risk of introducing unwanted organisms to a hydroponic garden. In the production process, salt is often introduced during the soaking phase. Some producers use fresh water and others use tidal waters. The salt must be rinsed out very thoroughly to produce a product appropriate for hydroponic usage. The best quality of hydroponic grade coir, comes with a low salt content; however, never take any chances. Always flush the product with low EC nutrient solution in advance of using it in your hydroponic setup. Rinse until the solution washes through clear (rather than brown or tan). Once you have clear water running through the product, test this water for both EC and pH before using the product. Amend and adjust as needed when supplying your setup with water. If you made it to this point, you'd like some of these more recent posts. "How to grow microgreens from seed" "How to grow popcorn shoots without grow lights" "How to grow micro basil in six easy steps" #cococoir #urbangrower #growmedium #cocomedium #cococoirmedium #quickguidetocococoir #usingcococoir #cocobliss #ultracoir #cannacoco

Want to grow your own microgreens at home? Here are 12 procedures that are sure to help. Introductions What are microgreens, exactly? Many people think they are sprouts, but it's a different product. Others think they are baby lettuce, but that's because they haven't tried microgreens. So what are microgreens and what makes them distinctive from sprouts and baby lettuce? Microgreens are tiny seedling plants of many varieties of vegetables, herbs, lettuces, greens, and flowers, grown 7-21 days from start. These tiny young plants have flavors that range from very mild to totally intense, and people are often surprised by heavenly flavor that they can add to any dish. Specific varieties that can be grown as microgreens are large, and include mustard varieties like ruby streaks, mizuna and tatsoi, herbs like parsley and fennel, vegetables like radish, carrot and celery, even flowers like nasturtiums and marigolds. Growing Methods Microgreens are grown on a pad made from 100% sustainable plant fibers to hold the seeds in place and keep them from rolling around before they sprout. If you lay the pad in the 10x20 tray dry, they would not lay flat, and the seeds would go rolling off the high spots and end up crowding up the low spots. The pads would also have a hard time becoming evenly moist to begin with. Before placing the pads in the tray PRE-SOAK THEM in a bucket of vegan boost water. This helps them lay flat in trays, which makes planting a lot easier and helps give the seeds a germination boost. Plan to put the pads in a couple hours before you plant. Planting and Growing Procedures 1. Pre-soak microgreens pad in vegan boost water 2. Weigh out the correct amount of seeds to be planted 3. Place seeds into a season shaker 4. Place the wet pads into the tray 5. Smooth out the pad until completely flat 6. Evenly shake the seeds in each tray, one tray at a time, using a gentle shaking motion 7. Spray each tray, one at a time, spray generously. 8. Spray humidity dome and place dome on the trays 9. Place the trays in a dark area for a couple of days 10. Day 3 take off the humidity dome and place the tray under a grow light 11. Look for the first set of "true leaves" as a sign of readiness. 12. Grab scissors and cut the microgreens just above the pad line Product Uses Microgreens are quite versatile, and can be used in a numbers of ways. Put them on tacos, pizza, soups, in salads, on sandwiches, anywhere you'd put baby greens or lettuce or cook them in stir fry. Use them as an amazing garnish or ingredient on any dish. They can also be eaten as a salad and added to sushi and wraps. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these posts about growing: "Microgreens - It starts with a seed" "How to grow micro basil in six easy steps" #microgreens #growingmicrogreens #growingtips #nickgreensgrowteam