By now, if you have not heard of the multinational agricultural biotech company Monsanto, you have either been living in a cell at Gitmo or have been in a coma since the late 1980′s. It is one of the largest corporations based in the United States with over 21,400 employees worldwide. Monsanto came from humble beginnings in 1901 in the “Show Me” state of Missouri. The company was founded by John Francis Queeny. Mr. Queeny had spent the bulk of his professional career in the pharmaceutical industry. The name Monsanto came from his father in-law, Mr. Emmanuel Mendes de Monsanto. Mr. Monsanto was a wealthy financier of a sugar company in Puerto Rico and based in St. Thomas V.I. (Danish West Indies at that time). The company’s first product was the now famous if not infamous, artificial sweetener Saccharin, which it sold to the Coca-Cola Company. I’m sorry, did I say Monsanto came from humble beginnings. Scratch that. They started big and bad and just got worse with age. Ok, fast forward some 44 years, when Monsanto began manufacturing a now-banned pesticide called DDT. Some of Monsanto’s other carcinogenic gems (and they have more gems than the crown of Henry VIII) are Agent Orange, Aspartame aka NutraSweet, BST aka bovine growth hormone and PCBs. Now, Monsanto didn’t limit itself to simply manufacturing chemicals in an ongoing effort to improve the lives of millions. They branched out into developing the first nuclear weapons. Oh yes, Monsanto operated The Dayton Project, and later Mound Laboratories for the Manhattan Project. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Monsanto makes the pavement.

Now let’s fast forward another 38 years to 1982. This was the year that Monsanto developed its first genetically modified plant cell. You may be wondering, why do they need to modify the genetics of a plant. Well silly, it’s so that plant can grow better in the presence of other Monsanto chemicals such as RoundUp. If you want your corn farm to be weed free, you need to use round up to kill the weeds. But if you spray round up on young corn plants, they die. So, you make “RoundUp Ready” corn. Doesn’t sound too insidious right? Enter, the Terminator Seed. The terminator seed produces plants that produce sterile seeds. Therefore, if a farmer wants to grow his crop again next season, he or she has to buy new seeds for that season. Did I mention that Monsanto was actually able to patent this seed technology. That means that if through natural pollen spreading via wind, your non-GMO crop gets pollinated by a neighbors GMO crop, you are now the proud owner of patented seed technology and must therefore abide by the patent laws of said GMO seed. If you try to resist the power of the dark side, you will be sued. Check out the documentary The World According to Monsanto which is a film by a French journalist named Marie-Monique Robin (see below). It has also been published in written form which has been translated to many languages. It is a real eye opener.

Well, I think I have said enough to peak your interest. Now it’s up to us to fight the good fight. Fight for your rights, fight for your mind, fight for your food. FOOD FIGHT!

For further reading, see:
Vanity Fair
National Geographic

Across the country many other similar organizations such as the Sonoma County Agricultural Preserve are working to preserve the family farm as well as the open space that promotes wildlife and plant habitats. Look for similar programs in your area and see how you can participate to help protect the family farm and establish open space for your family to enjoy for generations to come.

The view surrounding GH Sebastopol changes month by month as the once prominent apple orchards yield to the ever expanding vines of progress. Western Sonoma was once renowned for its Gravenstein apples. Today when people think of Sonoma County I am confident that the first thing that tickles the brain is the melody of flavorful grapes in their favorite wine. On our property here at GH we have about a dozen Gravenstein trees that we plan on keeping for the long run. We often take “apple walks” from mid summer to fall, up the hill to our favorite tree for fresh pickings. Around the neighborhood, tractors can be seen plowing down the orchards to make way for new vines as the crop of choice has changed. This changing of the guard got me thinking about this very specific variety of apple and how it became so popular and dominant in this area. The great botanist, horticulturist, and agricultural pioneer Luther Burbank once proclaimed “”It has often been said that if the Gravenstein could be had throughout the year, no other apple need be grown.”

If you want to know more about the Gravenstein, and what it has meant to this area of the country, below are a few links you may enjoy:

The Gravenstein Apple Fair
Gravenstein Apples Struggle to Survive in Sonoma County
US Presidia: Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple
Wikipedia: Gravenstien

A gentleman in Michigan provided us with these epic root photos for our RapidStart Roots Contest, and evidently this plant isn’t even his most epic:

This root system is from a clone clipped on October 16th, 2011. It measures over 37” when extended. Here they are looped to support the RapidStart. I wish the pictures were better but it is not easy dealing with roots three feet long. FYI- The plant is about 13” tall and thick like a hedge.

Truthfully I am not real impressed with these particular roots. I am in the process of transplanting my plants. I have been doing it over two days. I started with the biggest plants and this plant was the 17th in line. These may be some of the longest roots but others have almost two times the mass. I just happened to check my Facebook page and see the contest while taking a break.

I have a picture of me holding up a plant that is over 5’6” tall by the bottom of the roots. The roots were about three feet long overall. The plant was bigger in diameter than a 55 gallon drum. It probably weighed about twenty pounds in all. I used the GH FloraSeries Expert Aggressive Calculator to grow it. The roots were insane, the top 18” were 6” in diameter and hard like a rock, you could not stick a pencil through them. Every plant of six was like this. The plants were as healthy as they could be.

I have changed systems for a variety of reasons (none of which are because it did not work) so I may never get roots like that again. I invented the solution delivery system and it is considerably different than any other. I believe that my system, as it currently is, is the easiest and cheapest to build, cheapest to maintain, most nutrient efficient system in use and it produces the highest yield to time ratio, 14 weeks from clip to harvest.

Additionally my system has built in redundant safety systems that ensure no problems if the pump fails and prevents overflow. The problem with my ideal/original system is that the standard equipment is not suitable.

I am currently using the new FloraSeries expert feeding schedule and am very happy with the results. However, I do believe that my last yield will have been bigger and I used the Expert Aggressive Calculator. There are many variables though (one is the system change) so I plan to do a fully controlled experiment with the feeding schedule as the independent variable and yield as the dependent variable. I will start this experiment in about one month and will keep you posted.

Have you been using RapidStart?

Have we got a contest for you! Send us a photo of your epic roots and the RapidStart you’ve been using for a chance to win a Grand Prize package of a 1 Liter bottle of RapidStart and a brand new GH hoodie. 2nd Place will receive a 500ml bottle of RapidStart. 3rd Place will receive a 275ml bottle of RapidStart. All qualifying entrants will receive a 125ml bottle of RapidStart.

Here’s the deal:

In addition, to qualify for the Grand Prize:

“Follow” us on Twitter

or

“Like” us on Facebook

Entries must be received by December 6, 2011. A winner will be announced on December 7, 2011.

Winning photos will be determined by our General Hydroponics Product Specialists.

All submitted images may be used to promote RapidStart®. No personal information received will be used for spam or any other nefarious purpose.

As we all know, kids love to be outside and play in the dirt. They also glean valuable insight into the importance of caring for living things and cultivating healthy food. GH provided them with organic coconut pith fiber, Alaska Humus soil and General Organics fertilizer to help revive their old and depleted garden beds.

With the state of affairs these days and an ever decreasing budget for education, General Hydroponics is proud to support these types of projects that are grossly underfunded or simply not funded at all. It is our philosophy that the success of future generations relies on the education of our children. They are eager to learn and explore the world around them. Happy gardening kids!

Click on the photo below to go to our Facebook page!

Stay tuned for new videos as we continue to post them. Connect with us by subscribing and becoming our YouTube friend. Leave a comment on your favorite and let us know what other types of videos you would like to see from us! Find our GeneralHydroponicsUS YouTube channel HERE!

Check out the installation of our new Cogenra Hydrid Solar panels below. These babies now power up many of our facilities here at GH headquarters, saving energy and fuel.

I’d like to try growing a giant pumpkin next year, using General Organics humus and fertilizers. I think it would be easy to challenge some past pumpkin champions with a prize-winning GO pumpkin! Has anyone tried growing pumpkins hydroponically? It’s easy enough to do. You just need to have enough space for the long, trailing vines and the large, heavy fruit. Three years ago, Jesse grew this 485lb guy here at GH and entered into the Half Moon Bay Giant Pumpkin contest. It was grown with Flora Nova, Alice’s Garden, Floralicious Plus and SubCulture B. Check out the size of that baby!

 Some people are growing them vertically, with the pumpkins hanging in mid-air, as they grow. Check out these awesome photos!

 Photo from Discover Hydroponics

 Photo from Linneyville

If growing pumpkins isn’t your thing, you can still carve them every year! With the proper tools and motivation, you can get really creative with your designs. Many people use stencils to make it easier but you can free-hand some interesting shapes and faces as well. If you want something to aspire to, check out these amazing sculpted pumpkins! The artist, Ray Villafane, has truly perfected the art of pumpkin carving.

I hope that served as some inspiration for your Halloween weekend! Enjoy, dress up and be safe out there everyone! Happy Halloween from General Hydroponics!

We decided to support them in the best way we can (from the other coast): by donating some of the best of our GH & GO products to help improve their gardening success! We sent them coco fiber, to add to seedling mixtures, potting soils and all types of growing media. We sent them several General Organics fertilizers, to enrich and enliven the soil. We also donated Alaska Humus, which increases biological soil diversity, nutrient availability and overall stability.

We can’t wait to see how this awesome organization continues to flourish in the future!

Our friends in Michigan, Northern Lights Hydroponic and Garden Supply, had an awesome booth at the Arts, Beats and Eats festival this year! They were showing off all kinds of awesome plants and were giving away some choice GH and GO samples. Check out those fabulous GH banners on their booth!

Northern Lights is located in Madison Heights, MI. They carry a complete line of hydroponic, indoor, and outdoor gardening supplies, including many General Hydroponics and General Organics products! We are grateful to them and all our excellent retail stores for helping to spread the word about all our high-quality products.

Edible Schoolyard is a wonderful project that first began in our neighborhood (in Berkeley, CA) teaching kids how to grow their own food. It has since grown enormously and many school gardens (and garden-based curriculum) can be found all over the country! Kids are learning to garden at a younger age; they are learning what it means to eat healthy and how to grow their own food!

We love to support innovative programs like this because it helps our awesome community to grow and strengthen. We feel we have a responsibility to educate and prepare the coming generation. As we all know so well, being able to grow your own food is not only a fun hobby. It can be a vital life skill!

So, we decided to offer our support to one particular Edible Schoolyard that is teaching kids how to grow food right in the middle of the in the biggest city in the country: New York City. We donated Coco fiber, Alaska Humus and General Organics fertilizers to Edible Schoolyard NYC.  With those GH ingredients added to their soil, those kids will be able to grow bigger, healthier, more nutritious crops! Gardening success is at their fingertips, with a little extra help from their friends at General Hydroponics. Keep up the good work, little gardeners!

Stay tuned to the GH blog for an update from Edible Schoolyard. We’ll see how our products helped their garden!

The retail stores that carry General Hydroponics products are really the backbone of our community. They provide a way for us to get all our amazing products to you, the gardeners! They offer education, instruction and even the occasional party! We are grateful for the continued support of all our retail locations.

Today, we want to highlight New York City Hydroponics, located right in the heart of the Big Apple. City Hydroponic operates two fully supplied hydroponics stores that carry all the equipment you need to grow your own fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs in all the different types of NYC indoor gardens. They opened their first store, Bronx Hydroponics and Garden Supply, in 2009 and recently opened a new location: Brooklyn Hydroponics and Garden Supply. They are a community-oriented business, serving the gardeners and urban growers of their neighborhoods. They carry lights, systems, nutrients and everything else you could possibly need.

Education is a huge part of their vision. So, not only do they provide all the products you need for your growing operations but they teach classes for both novice and experienced growers. Free monthly workshops are presented by their experienced staff and the occasional distinguished guest, including our very own East Coast representative, Randall. He taught a class in June and plans to teach more workshops there in the near future. 

Lorraine, from Bronx Hydro, sent us some great photos from one of their recent classes. Check out their great space!

Long Beach Convention Center

Long Beach, California

General Hydroponics will be exhibiting at the 2nd Annual Maximum Yield Long Beach Indoor Gardening Expo on October 22nd and 23rd. They’ve got exhibitors from all around the world to showcase the latest indoor gardening innovations and products!

We’ll be there with several booths filled with all your favorite products including our General Organics series and several NEW products. Come by with your questions and ideas and let’s talk! Our experienced staff will be on hand to chat about all types of gardening topics, including both hydroponics and soil questions.

 Take the opportunity to meet, network and learn from industry experts. Discover new techniques, participate in information sessions, view live demonstrations and see firsthand the uniquely diversified products that will delight you and help your garden thrive.

The show’s hours have been extended on Saturday the 22nd- 10am-6pm- to give you guys more time to interact and do business with exhibitors. The expo is open on Sunday, October 23rd from Noon-5pm, with no registration required: only 10 bucks to get in!

Whether you’ve just started gardening or are an aficionado, there will be something for everyone at this year’s expo. We look forward to meeting you all at the show!

Find out more information at the Maximum Yield website.

Fifth Season Gardening Co. operates beautiful garden centers throughout North Carolina and Virginia.  Since 2000, the Fifth Season family has been providing quality indoor and outdoor gardening products.  Each store has its own unique flair – if you are in the area, check them out! We sent them some samples of the General Organics line and FloraDuo, to try out on some crops in the store. They decided to grow green leaf lettuce under 360W LED lights, in Rockwool.

The FloraDuo® gave this lettuce all the essential macro and micro nutrients that it needed, including specific ingredients to help resist pathogens and insects. It is a 2-part formula, FloraDuo A and FloraDuo B, designed for all growing methods: including hydroponics, soil, and coco blends.

Diamond Black™ is derived from 100% pure Leonardite, a naturally occurring form of carbon drawn from prehistoric peat bogs. These organic compounds improve nutrient absorption, stimulate microbial activity, promote soil structure and increase nutrient retention. Together, these two products got this lettuce really going! Check out all the photos to see all the stages of growth!

NOTE: Please use caution when using GO DiamondBlack™ (and any other organic-based nutrient) in irrigated systems.

   Seedlings during the first week of growth, in the Rockwool (LED lights off)

     One week of growth, with the LED Lights on.

    After 2 weeks of growth, they are really taking off!

               4 weeks of growth: Look at that! It’s ready to begin harvesting.

Looks like the GH FloraDuo® and the GO DiamondBlack™ did the job! By providing the foundation of quality nutrition with the Duo and adding the enhancement of the DiamondBlack, that lettuce is packed with vital nutrition. Let us know how those salads taste!