Episode-2620- James White on Hydroponics for Small Space Growing
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We start out with some very important information about CoVid-19 today and then discuss small scale hydroponics with our guest James White.
James White is an Electrical Engineer but has worked primarily in Technical Sales, a.k.a. Sales Engineering most of his adult life; primarily for Silicon Valley tech startups.
James caught or possibly inherited the gardening bug early from his Mother and Grandmother the first few years of his life in Okinawa. As a Navy Brat he moved around a lot, but always found a way to grow something, one way or another.
Now living in suburban So Cal on a little less than a 1/10th acre, James is trying to “hack” as much gardening space and production as possible in a limited space. Several years ago he tried hydroponics as an experiment and was impressed with the results. He has been a great help to my hydroponics work this year and I wanted to bring him on to discuss the subject.
Resources for today’s show…
- Follow Life With Jack on Instagram
- TSP Facebook Group
- Join the Members Brigade
- Join Our Forum
- Walking To Freedom
- TspAz.com
- Grow Stones James Mentioned
- EC Meter James Mentioned
- Great White Mycorrhizae
- All the Stuff I Personally Use for Hydro
- My Hydro Seed Starting System full Video Playlist
- My Indoor Hydro Farm Full Playlist
- WhiteHouse.gov Petition on CoVid Treatments
- My Write up For Today’s Item of the Day with Quercetin
- Wartime Farm Full Play List – Great for Watching with the Family Right Now
- Songs that Made a Difference – The Highway Men
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Jack, a sincere thank you for helping us prepare our mindsets these last 12 years for what may be coming
Excellent quotation for todays episode. Thanks
Add two zeros to your meter’s reading. That’s how mine have always been
Whoop.. commented too soon.. u guys got it!
Has anyone tried using Jiffy Peat Pellets in a kratky seed starting setup? I took a chance since they are much cheaper than rapid rooters (36 for $3 vs 50 for $17) and have had very poor germination after a week. I’ve planted various greens and have only had 2 out of 30 germinate (tatsoi and mizuna).
I have a feeling that the pellets too wet even with just the bottom of the cut touching the fluid. Any thoughts would be appreciated, even if the answer is buy the rapid rooters.
Hi Nick,
Jiffy pellets can perform poorly because they have two related problems…
1: They tend to be too wet, drowning your seeds
2: They tend to grow mold faster than seeds
Both problems can be somewhat mitigated by adding hydrogen peroxide to your water. Use food grade hydrogen peroxide if you can find it, the stuff available at drug stores contains stabilizing chemicals, some brands even use organophosphates.
Below is a link to a good article explaining the benefits of hydrogen peroxide and instructions on how to use it. Note you may need to double or triple the concentration to overcome the inherent problems in Jiffy pellets.
https://www.greenandvibrant.com/hydrogen-peroxide-hydroponics
Also note that Jiffy pellets are held together with plastic netting which can inhibit root growth, and doesn’t breakdown in soil. Best to remove the netting when you transplant.
Thank you very much for the reply. I had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Looks like it’s time to experiment.
Thanks again.
My apologies to Jack and the TSP audience for botching the podcast. You wouldn’t know it from this episode, but I talk/present/teach for a living. I would rightfully be canned for that performance because it was more confusing than clarifying. Worse yet, I’ve likely scared folks away from hydroponics when, in many ways, it is actually easier than traditional growing.
Please post any questions you have here and I’ll do my best to respond.
Thank You,
James White
PS, Jack, there’s something hinky between your website and my ISP (Cox Internet). I have been unable to access your site since yesterday. Right now I am VPN’d out to a 3rd party in order to connect.
James,
Do you have pictures of your hydroponic setups?
Thanks,
Jon
Jon,
Here’s a link to my pics from the 2018 season, not much has changed. Let me know if you have issues accessing the pics.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wlsV4Hvd2hW92a_EX435noXWp0XTAdI_
James, am using the Hydrofarm Hot House you recommended. If using the heating mat from seed, do you recommend discontinuing use of the mat after the seeds have germinated? Or where do you put your sensor once the cover is taken off?
Andreas,
Use the heating mat depends on the ambient temperature of your environment. The mat bumps up the temperature by 10-20deg. The optimum temp range for most seed germination is in the 60-85deg range. These temps also work well post germination. Lower temps = slower germination and growth. Anything above 90-95deg will not ideal for seeds, but maybe ok for seedlings. Just watch your humidity levels at with higher temps, as it encourages mold growth.
So anyway… Use the mat if it helps keep your seeds & seedlings in the ideal range, keep using the mat. If ambient temperatures start getting in that range naturally, then there’s no need for the mat.
Note that your lights will generate more heat than the mat, so it might be best not to run them at the same time.
Jon,
I can take pics or post links to stock pics already on the net. Anything in particular you’re looking for?
Didn’t get the email but I signed the petition and shared it on all my personal and business social media. Thanks for doing this!