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Vermiculite

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is a mined material. In its natural state it resembles mica rock, but when quickly heated, it expands due to the generation of interlaminar steam.
Vermiculite is most frequently used in conjunction with perlite as the two complement each other well.

  • 80%    porosity  
  • 10%    air space
  • 60%    moisture

Please note: Our Vermiculite is Medium – grade ( size ) Vermiculite

SOLD ACCORDING TO VOLUME WHEN FILLED.

Vermiculite is a popular hydroponic media favoured for its affordability.

It is made from a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. The expansion process is called exfoliation which takes place in purpose built commercial furnaces.

Vermiculite is very lightweight and sterile.

It has excellent water retention and capillary action properties, which allows it to be fully hydrated simply by applying moisture from above or below.

When used in hydroponics, vermiculite is often mixed with perlite if the media becomes too water logged. This improves aeration and drainage.

In hotter climates vermiculite is often used by itself because of its higher water holding capacity. Vermiculite also tends to break down after a perod of time so is favoured for more short term crops such as lettuce.

Growers who use vermiculite usually have a system in place where they manually fill NFT growpots or cell trays with the media. A seed is then inserted into the top of the media and the pots and trays are placed into a propagation system like an Ebb and Flow table where they remain until the seedlings have emerged and are at a resonable size for transplanting into the main growing system.

The root system of the seedling holds the media together so individual root bound ‘plugs’ can be removed from the propagating cell trays and placed directly into the plant holes of an NFT gully if required.

If  NFT growpots are used, the media filled growpot is placed into the plant hole in the gully and the pot acts as additional support for the plant. The growpot also prevents light entering the gully which can promote algal growth

Terra Aquatica FinalPart

Terra Aquatica FinalPart 2022

Terra Aquatica FinalPart (Formerly GHE Ripen) is a complete late flowering nutrient/stimulant requiring no additional boosters. It increases flowering and production of active principles, and eliminates nutrient excess.

FinalPart acts in 3 ways:

  • It sends the plant a strong signal that it is coming to the end of its life; this prompts the plant to accelerate the ripening process.
  • It forces the plant to strengthen its defenses and thus increase essential oil and active principle production.
  • It delivers all the mineral salts the plants need in a form that is easy to assimilate: in case of a previous accumulation of nitrate or microelements, this helps metabolize residues, which improves taste.

As a “forcing solution”, Terra Aquatica FinalPart can be used in any circumstance where you need to control or enhance ripening, and at the end of every flowering/fruiting cycle of annual flowers and fruits to maximize yield and flavor intensity.

Outdoors, FinalPart enables you to quickly harvest a  crop before it is spoiled by cold and damp weather. Indoors, it helps you harmonize the end of the grow cycle by speeding up the ripening of the slowest plants or varieties. And in case of a severe infestation of fungi or insects, it can allow you to accelerate the natural cycle and recover something out of a crop that would otherwise be completely lost.

In hydroponics:

Replace old nutrient solution with pH adjusted water add up to 5ml/L of FinalPart to match or slightly exceed your previous EC (up to 2.6) and mix well. Run for 10 days, or as needed, then use FlashClean to finish or harvest your crop directly.

In soil:

Apply in pH adjusted water at up to 4ml/L to match or slightly exceed your previous EC (up to 2.0). Apply until leaf yellowing occurs and / or ripening is satisfactory. This can take from 10 to 20 days. Then use FlashClean to finish or harvest your crop directly.

Expert growers can use FinalPart to manipulate water stress to maximize active principal concentration, and minimize splitting in soft fruit culture: Target EC 2.6 ms in hydro and target EC 2.0 ms in soil.

COMPLETE USER GUIDE – HERE

FlashClean helps FinalPart work to its full potential. By rinsing residues of nitrogen and other salts out of your substrate, FinalPart can get to work more effectively mobilizing nitrates and improving taste in your final crop. When you’re done, instead of a 10 day flush with water after FinalPart, try 2 days with FlashClean – growers around the world have, because in commercial production, 8 days per harvest is a big bonus!

AirDome

AirDome

The AirDome is the perfect accessory to gardeners of all abilities. It has been designed to increase the amount of air around the root zone in plant pots.

Airdome inside pot
Airdome inside pot

 

If you are lucky enough to have power in your greenhouse or tunnel this little addition can increase yields by up to 130%. It is very simple to use once assembled, which will take less than 30 seconds. The AirDome is placed at the bottom of the pot, covered with compost and then connected to an air pump. Oxygen is then supplied directly to the plants’ root zone, improving crop development and ensuring maximum growth.

It is very easy to use. The AirDome is placed at the bottom of the pot, covered with the substrate of choice and then connected to an air pump.

To maximise the effectiveness of the AirDome use a fluffy mix  such as a mixture of 50% good Coco Peat and 50% Perlite.

Provide the plants with additional oxygen to boost growth significantly and increase yields.

To increase levels  of oxygen for smaller plant at times when the medium seems to stay wet.

With all growing conditions  being correct the Air Dome has been proven to increase yields by up to 130%

The AirDome should only be switched on during the daylight periods. Always ensure that warm air is blown in and around the root zone. Temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees are ideal. Temperature below and above 5 degrees and 30 degrees will potentially damage the roots.

Raise your air pump higher than the AirDome(s) to prevent water from siphoning back when the pump is off or use a non-return valve.

Use a timer to turn the pump on and off when the air temperature is warm and before it gets too cool.

Many AirDomes can be linked together using 5mm connections, or for larger AirDome setups, use 12mm pipe as the supply line, reducing the pipe at each AirDome point with the AutoPot 12mm to5mm Cross Connectors.

Air Dome Instructions(PDF)

Airdome Information Video Autopot

AutoPot Brochure

Replacement Blue Bubble Pipe consists of 4 x 5.2cm Strips which will replace inside Blue Bubble Pipe for 1 AirDome

Rockwool Growing Medium

Rockwool Growing Medium

Rockwool Growing Medium can hold large quantities of water and air that aid root growth and nutrient uptake in hydroponics; the fibrous nature also provides a good mechanical structure to hold the plant stable. It is used primarily for drip hydroponic systems.

Rockwool is made by melting a combination of rock and sand and then spinning the mixture to make fibers which are formed into different shapes and sizes.

Rockwool  has a pH of roughly 7.8. Please see ‘Preparation’ further down…

 

Rockwool-Diagram

As can been in the diagram above, rooted Rockwool Plugs can be placed into Rockwool Cubes and the rooted cubes can then be placed on top of Rockwool Slabs. The roots will then grow into the slab over time.

Dimensions:

Square Rockwool Plugs: (36 mm x 36 mm (Top) x 40 mm (H)) – sold individually.

77-Plug Tray: (Tray Dimensions: 53 cm x 31 cm x 3 cm) filled with 77 x Plugs.

Rockwool Cubes:
Smaller sized cubes that can be placed on top of a Rockwool slab: 100 mm x 100mm x 65 mm (H).
Larger, higher cubes (A.K.A. Hugo Blocks): 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm

Rockwool Slab: 100 cm x 20 cm x 7.5 cm.

Rockwool Slab NARROW : 100 cm x 15 cm x 7.5 cm.

 

Disclaimer: Brand of horticultural rockwool may differ from time to time, depending on availability.

Rockwool Growing Medium Preparation

Items you will need:

Rockwool Cubes have a pH of roughly 7.8. This is pretty alkaline, yet our plants prefer to grow in a slightly more acidic environment (between 5.5 – 6.5). In order to prepare our Rockwell cubes for the seeds, we need to soak them in some pH adjusted water, that way they have everything the seeds need to germinate and sprout; water and a slightly acidic environment.

Hydrate And Stabilize The Rockwool Cubes

Get a bowl or some other container that is big enough to fill with water and have room left for your Rockwool cubes.

Fill the container/bowl with water from your tap.

Using either a pH test kit or a pH meter, determine the pH of the water. Water comes out pretty alkaline, usually around 7.4, so you will need to acidify it a little bit to bring that pH down to the desired level. Aim for as close to a pH of 5.5-6 as you can get.

To accomplish this, use pH down. Add to the water in small increments (a drop), and test the water to see where the pH is. Continue doing this until you have a pH of 5.5-6.

Important: Do not let the pH of the water go below 5.  A pH this low will damage the fibers of the Rockwool Cube

Now that we have the pH adjusted water, it’s time to stabilize and hydrate the Rockwool cubes in it. Insert the Rockwool Cubes into your container and let them soak for roughly 1 hour. Once the hour is up, the cubes will be big and fat with water.

DO NOT SQUEEZE THEM TO DRAIN ANY WATER

Rockwool Cubes are designed to maintain the correct water to air ratio and squeezing them may damage their structure.

Using Slabs

The slabs are wrapped and sealed in plastic. Most people will start their plants in Rockwool cubes and then transplant them to the slab. To transplant a Rockwool cube to the slab, simply cut an X that is the same size as the cube, in the plastic on top of the slab. You then lift the plastic tabs and set the cube on top of the slab. You may want to pin the cube temporarily with a plastic spike until the roots grow down into the slab.