In our time of emerging technology in Hydroponics, it is easy to get overwhelmed.   I talk to a lot of people that are constantly searching for “IT”.  Call this a friendly reminder to not get caught up in all the hype.  All you really need is a plant, and an ability to care.

This is a gifted Pelargonium with a beginning height of 6 inches transplanted 1 month ago into a GH CocoTek 8” Basket filled with a Blend of GH Mixed Brick Coco Coir and Ancient Forest, our new Alaskan Humus Product.  It has been fed some of the General Organics (BioThrive Grow, CaMg+, BioRoot, BioWeed) and Floralicious Plus.  I like to top-dress it with Ancient Forest every two weeks.  It lives on my kitchen countertop under a mounted ‘under-cabinet’ fluorescent fixture, on for about 15 hours a day.  Note how many of the bigger leaves are curving in from the sides, in an attempt to procure more light.  This Simple Drain to Waste System provides an easy way to hydroponically grow your favorite houseplants

I’m reporting live from beautiful Hawaii, where I can’t take a single step down the street without seeing the most amazing blooming trees. This is called an Orchid Tree. They bloom from September through November, so I consider myself lucky to have been here during the season.

For more information, click here to read a Forest Service Fact Sheet about the Orchid Tree.

Here is some insight on the chemistry of ginger from Wikipedia:

The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger is caused by a mixture of zingerone, shogaols and gingerols, volatile oils that compose one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties.Ginger oil has been shown to prevent skin cancer in mice and a study at the University of Michigan demonstrated that gingerols can kill ovarian cancer cells.
Ginger contains up to three percent of a fragrant essential oil whose main constituents are sesquiterpenoids, with (-)-zingiberene as the main component. Smaller amounts of other sesquiterpenoids (β-sesquiphellandrene, bisabolene and farnesene) and a small monoterpenoid fraction (β-phelladrene, cineol, and citral) have also been identified.
The pungent taste of ginger is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoid-derived compounds, particularly gingerols and shogaols, which form from gingerols when ginger is dried or cooked. Zingerone is also produced from gingerols during this process; this compound is less pungent and has a spicy-sweet aroma. Ginger is also a minor chemical irritant, and because of this was used as a horse suppository by pre-World War I mounted regiments for feaguing.
Ginger has a sialagogue action, stimulating the production of saliva, which makes swallowing easier.

Here in Hawaii, the ginger plant is used as common landscaping! I’ve been seeing it everywhere, and as of yet, resisted the urge to dig it up and check out its roots… Wonder how this would grow in Hydro? I’ve had some sprout in the fridge, and then planted it, but overwatering did it in before it ever really thrived. Have you got some in your garden, or ever grown it before? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! (I’m talking to you Ragnar! I know you are far from the tropics, but you seem to have at least grow everything once!!!)

PS. Massive bonus points for anyone who can name the song that the title of this post was taken from…..BTW- Google counts as cheating

The photo below shows the buds, and while they are blurry, the leaf of the orchid is in focus. What’s interesting to me about the ground orchids, is that they have a fibrous leaf, that has long ridges in it. The shape of the leaf is close to the cymbidium orchid, but the texture is totally different than the classic fleshy orchid plants. This must have something to do with the plants tolerance for moisture and buried roots, right?

For more orchids on the GH blog, check out these posts:

Mounting an orchid in CocoTek

The Pacific Orchid Expo, with tons of photos of exotic orchids

Orchid Care Tips

I’ll post more amazing pictures of the flora and fauna of the tropics soon! Aloha!

Here’s an ancient looking Datura I spotted in Berkeley yesterday. MASSIVE!

I took this shot on August 11:

They have exploded in the last month. Amazing.

Here is the blossom from a sedum in the GH Farm Lab.

Two honey bees, coated in pollen. 

Look at the trichomes on the bud of this squash blossom. They are the tiny hairs that protect the plant from extremes in temperature.