However, because not everyone can start out with soft and/or purified water, our expert team developed FloraMicro Hardwater, which reduces the problems associated with hard water and maintains proper nutrient balance. It is formulated to compensate for the elevated calcium levels in your base water. 

But where is the cut-off? When do you know you need Hardwater versus normal FloraMicro?

Here is the answer:

Use FloraMicro Hardwater when your starting water contains over 200 ppm or Calcium above 70 ppm.  Always test your starting water, especially if you know that it’s prone to being hard. Using FloraMicro Hardwater will help you avoid nutrient imbalance, which can lead to severe deficiencies or, more likely, toxically high levels of certain nutrients.

If your levels are only slightly high, try blending the normal and Hardwater FloraMicros together. If your water contains 30 to 50 ppm Calcium, you can mix the original FloraMicro with FloraMicro Hardwater to create a perfect Micro blend for your plants.

Share your experiences using FloraMicro Hardwater with us! Are there other tricks you use, when dealing with hard water? Leave a comment and let us know.

Increase the light: Some of us may have been relying on natural light these past few months, to save on energy. Well, that time is pretty much coming to a close. Not only are the days getting drastically shorter, the light is also less intense and effective. Inevitably, if we rely on natural light, we are moving our containers and/or hydroponic systems closer to windows or even outside. It’s time to shelter them once again, especially if you are growing cold-sensitive plants (like orchids, avocados and tomatoes). It’s time to turn the lights back on a regular schedule, to make up for the lack of natural light. Most plants benefit from at least 6 hours a day but tomatoes need more like 8-10.

Keep it toasty: Most plants prefer mild to warm temperatures year-round and will thrive better when those requirements are met. So, keep your house or growing space toasty this winter. Keep the thermostat at a minimum of 60° (most plants really prefer around 68° for best growth). The biggest problem is cold roots. If the water circulating is frigid, your plant roots can receive a shock and incur damage. You can put on a sweater to save on the heating bill but what’s your tomato supposed to do? Home improvements to increase energy efficiency always help, too. Move your systems away from drafty areas and keep an eye on things.

Watch your humidity: Winter is the driest time of the year, humidity-wise. The air becomes brittle and arid in most regions, causing chapped lips and dry skin. This problem is compounded by our indoor heating systems, whether it’s wood, gas, or electricity. They all dry out the air. Plants react to this about as poorly as people do. Growing hydroponically means that there is lots of water around but most of it (depending on the system) doesn’t do much for the air. You can add a humidifier to your growing space or home (this will benefit everyone: people, pets and plants) AND/OR get a spray bottle and mist the foliage of your plants once every few days. This is NOT a good idea if your plants are subject to mold, powdery mildew or other fungi, however. Leaves should be lightly misted, not soaked, to prevent mold growth.

One last tip: try something new this winter. The days are short and cold. Things get a little quiet. Why not try an experiment? Grow a plant you’ve never grown before! Attempt propagation! Try a new system or nutrient supplement to shake things up!

Are any of you trying a new experiment this winter? Leave a comment!

Do you have any other tips for adapting plants to the cold? Let us know below!

We’ve been talking lately about our new root-enhancing product, RapidStart®. RapidStart® delivers a powerful blend of natural plant extracts, amino acids, and nutrients to generate prolific root growth. It stimulates abundant root branching and development of fine root hairs that enhance nutrient uptake. We’ve seen what it can do for bell peppers and lettuce. Now, you can learn more about RapidStart® and watch a time-lapse video that really shows the difference it can make.

Behold our latest video! Jesse explains how the product works and shows you the spectacular footage that proves its effectiveness. Enjoy!

Today, Jesse walks us through how to properly mix our classic three-part Flora Series™ advanced nutrient system™. It’s the backbone of all hydroponic growing and serves as the starting place for just about any project. Flora Series™ is the most widely used hydroponic fertilizer for several reasons! It offers complete nutrition to all types of plants and enhances growth, flavor and yield! It’s pure and perfectly balanced, when used correctly. The series contains three parts: FloraBloom®, FloraMicro® and FloraGro®. Watch and learn as Jesse takes you through the process of mixing all three properly.

If you are just beginning to learn about hydroponics, this video will be very useful. If you are old hat at this, it couldn’t hurt to brush up on your skills and get a reminder of what it’s like to do it by the book. You never know; you might find a mixing tip that will increase your success rate! Watch and enjoy!

Coco fiber is a truly great growing medium, effective, and environmentally friendly. It can be used on its own or mixed with clay pellets, perlite or topsoil to grow amazing plants! It’s nicer to the earth than sphagnum moss and has better water and oxygen retention than most other media. Coco coir works well for hydroponics and also is a wonderful addition to most soil mixtures, especially for propagation!

However, it does come from the sea and the sea is salty! High salt content is dangerous for plants. It causes nutrient imbalance, dehydration and can lead to plant death. Most coco fiber contains at least a small amount of salt but some can contain a high, fatal quantity. Our compressed CocoTek® bricks and blocks are generally low-sodium. However, we still recommend rinsing it before use, just to be safe.

There are a few methods for rinsing coco fiber. When in a brick form, it is quite compact but when it’s soaked in water, will expand up to three to four times larger than the brick size. So, think big when you prepare for this project (or just do small amounts at a time).

Place the fiber in a bucket, plastic tub or other large container (bathtub? wheelbarrow?). Break it into chunks with your hands (some people prefer to wear gloves for this process). Cover it with water and let it sit. You can continue to stir it and break it apart or you can let it sit for a while and the water will absorb into the entire pieces, eventually making them easy to pull apart. We recommend adding a small amount of CALiMAGic to the soaking water to ensure proper calcium ratios when you put that coco to use. It tends to hold onto positively-charged nutrients, like calcium, so adding extra helps guarantee proper balance.

Once it is fully soaked, you can take out handfuls, squeezing out the water and placing them in another bucket or tub for later use. However, to really ensure that the salt is removed, we recommend running water actually through the fiber a couple of times. You can place it in a bucket with holes in the bottom or over a mesh screen or sieve and just let the water run over it for a while, occasionally turning and moving the fibers around. Keep breaking apart any remaining chunks, making sure that the water can penetrate every part.

Some people prefer to use hot water only. Others use distilled or pH balanced water. You can experiment and see what you prefer but the most important thing is to make sure it is well-rinsed before using it as a growing medium of any kind. Your plants will thank you with their bountiful growth.

Click here to see our line of CocoTek® growing media! 

We are very excited to announce the release of our brand-new product catalog! This is the most all-inclusive catalog we’ve ever produced!

It provides the most current information on our nutrients, supplements and even all of our systems. It’s great to flip through and see our entire line of products in one place. This easy reference guide can help you choose the right setup for your growing needs. We also provide information on successful gardening and advanced hydroponic techniques, to fill any knowledge gaps and help new growers get started.

We are happy to announce the latest addition to our catalog: New feed charts! We’ve included all of our new feed charts, to give you easy access to the information you need to grow successfully. Whether your system is re-circulating or drain-to-waste, your feed chart is there.

We also have a few new products available in this catalog! We have a brand new Ca+ Mg plant enhancement available called CALiMAGic. This low nitrogen, calcium magnesium supplement is specially formulated to prevent secondary nutrient deficiencies in fast-growing plants. Find more information about this innovative new supplement at our CALiMAGic blog here.

Be sure to check out the amazing new nutrient enhancement, RapidStart®! It delivers a powerful blend of natural plant extracts, amino acids, and nutrients to generate prolific root growth. It stimulates abundant root branching and development of fine root hairs that enhance nutrient uptake.

We are proud to announce the latest member to the FloraNectar™ family: FloraNectar™ Grape Expectations! The unique blend of ingredients helps your plants maintain optimal metabolism and growth while sweetening the aroma of your fruits and flowers. Stay tuned to this blog and the GH website for more details on all our new products!

This comprehensive catalog is an invaluable resource to hydroponic stores, growers and businesses everywhere. Download your copy of the new General Hydroponics product catalog here (20 mb)!

The best nutrients for each system: 

When you are new to hydroponics, it’s best to keep it simple. Use the Flora Series™ (including FloraGrow®, FloraBloom® and FloraMicro®). Together, they offer complete nutrition and superior growth for just about any plant and work well with all of our systems. You can use the supplements (like the ones you find here) to get larger foliage, greater fruit production and better flavors and aromas to satisfy your individual growing goals. We call it the fine-tuning, while the Flora™ series is your basic motor that runs the whole operation. Almost all of our GH-made nutrient solutions are perfect for any of our hydroponic systems so explore them all and choose your favorite! However, I would like to mention one note about our General Organics™ line: they are ideal for growing media such as cocofiber or soil. However, they are not compatible with any of our hydroponic/recirculating systems because, when it comes to the flowing systems, cleanliness is paramount! The GO line promotes the growth of microbes; having that in the lines will gum things up fairly quickly. So, stay with the Flora™ series and you’ll be all set!

How to blend your nutrients (measuring and mixing):

The Flora™ Series is easy to mix whether you are comfortable with milliliter or teaspoon increments. Each of our recommendations are added at a per gallon ratio. When using the FloraSeries™, it is very important to first add the FloraMicro® to your water/reservoir. You can then add the FloraGrow® & then the FloraBloom®. This will ensure that the nutrients are properly mixed and will prevent lockout from taking place. The Flora™ Series is the industry standard to which all other hydroponic nutrients are compared.

How to check PPM (parts per million):

Once you get your system set up and get the right nutrients to go with it, you have to make sure you maintain the correct nutrient level for your plant. You can follow a feeding schedule and hope for the best but some plants take up nutrients at different speeds and plants need different levels at various stages in their life cycles.* The best way to calculate your system’s nutrient concentration level is with a PPM (parts per million) meter, a common scale for measuring nutrient strength. It tells you the mineral concentration of the water in your system.

There are a few different scales for measuring PPM but here at GH we use a .5 PPM scale (the second column in the chart to the left). It is the standard we use for all our measurements and recommendations. If you use a different meter, you can compare your reading to the chart to see its equivalent in other scales.

* Ideal PPM readings (on a .5 scale) for various stages in plant life:

• Seedling: 200-250 PPM
• Increasing growth: 800-1000 PPM
• Full bloom: 1200 PPM

How much to feed and when:

 Using our nutrients is really quite easy and the nutrient calculator makes it even easier! Just input the specifics of your set-up into the calculator and let our program customize your feeding schedule, including the use of supplements like FloraBlend and Floralicious Plus. It doesn’t matter if you use Flora Series or FloraNova. It doesn’t matter if you recirculate or run to waste. Just enter all the variables and get personalized data pertaining just to your garden.

EUROGROWER

Just about anyone can grow beautiful, healthy plants using hydroponic methods! We are here to help you get started and to guide you through every step along the way. This is the second in a series of blogs, focusing on helping beginners get started. Keep checking back for the latest installments and leave a comment if there is a topic you’d like to see us cover.

What kind of system is right for you? The way to begin answering this question is to ascertain what your needs are.  What do you want to grow? How much yield are you looking for? Where will you be growing? For example, if you want just a few tomato plants for your household, a smaller system like our best-selling WaterFarm®, is perfect: compact, easy to set up and get going. This is our low-maintenance system. You can learn more about this system here. PowerGrower® is another good beginner’s system. It has a hex shape, just right for one plant at a time. You can easily grow one 5 foot tomato plant in just one PowerGrower®.

POWERGROWER

Do you want to grow many plants at once to, for example, donate veggies to your local food bank? Then try a complete system, made up of multiple modules. The WaterFarm® comes in an 8 pack, for multiple plants, but the best multi-unit system for beginners is the EuroGrower®. The EuroGrower® provides users with a simple, yet elegant approach to home hydroponics, especially if you want to grow several different crops at once. You can successfully grow big, healthy plants with the EuroGrower® because it is easier to manage and control. It has a simple, re-circulating system and tops feeds with just one reservoir.

You may also want to try the MegaFarm®, if you want to grow larger plants, like fruit

AEROFLO2 30

 trees (mmm, fresh avocados) or four smaller plants, all in one container. If energy conservation and sustainability are your main priorities, the EcoGrower® is the hydroponic system for you. It’s reliable and simple to use. We will have solar-powered EcoGrowers® available soon, as well, so stay tuned! If you are looking for high growth rates, look no further than the AeroFlo2 or the RainForest. These high-production systems offer legendary growth rates and very high yields, much higher than some of our other systems, which means that they also sometimes need a little extra attention. The AeroFlo2® is a turbo system that will crank out amazing plants for those who are keen to sustain them. The Rainforest® is especially great for cloning and plant propagation. It has a vortex sprayer that mists the underside of roots for constant water circulation, without harming tender young roots. Seedlings can be started in the Rainforest and later moved to other systems, like the WaterFarm®. Most beginners prefer to just buy seedlings but propagation can be fun to explore too! Once you have pinpointed your hydroponic needs and goals, you can choose the system that is right for you!

RAINFOREST 66

If you want to see some of our systems firsthand, before you decide which one is right for you, you can see them at the Gen Hydro booth at the Max Yield Indoor Gardening Expo next weekend and talk to our expert staff about each one. You can also see some of them at our retail partners. Click here to locate a store near you!

Stay tuned to this blog for more in-depth analysis of each our hydroponic systems as we continue to update our series called “Sizing up the Systems” (Part one and Part two are already posted).

We eat all sorts of plant parts so not every vegetable needs pollinating. Leaf and root crops (lettuce, kale, beets, etc) do not need to be pollinated because we eat them before they get to the flower stage of their life cycle. However, there are plants that we eat (like tomatoes, lemons and almonds) that need to be pollinated in order to produce the fruit or seed that we want to eat.

Quick botany lesson:

Male squash flower

Bees (and other pollinators) travel from flower to flower, drinking nectar and spreading pollen. Pollen is the male component of a flower (flower sperm, if you will). When it’s transferred to another flower, it goes into the pistil (female flower part) and fertilizes to make fruit. This process can’t be done without the aid of a pollinator. There are some plants, however, that have both male and female parts and can self-pollinate but you can still give them a little help.

Since there (presumably) aren’t swarms of bees flying around your hydroponic system, you might want to lend a hand to a few of your edible crops. It’s pretty simple. Here’s how to do it:

• Leaf and root crops (like spinach, carrots, onions and garlic): don’t worry about it! They don’t need to be pollinated. Just crunch them and enjoy.

• Self-pollinators (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans and peas): They can generally take care of things themselves but you can help: jog the pollen loose by gently (very gently) shaking the plants, tapping the flowers or try this method:

• Cross-pollinators (squash, cucumbers, melons and most fruit): These plants need to trade pollen in order to produce fruit. The squash, cukes and melons have separate male and female flowers. The male flower will have pollen-laden stamens and the female flower will usually have what looks like a tiny fruit bulging at the base. These guys need the most help and must be pollinated to produce fruit. The how-to:

1. Wait until both male and female flowers are in full bloom, petals open.

2. Get a watercolor paintbrush or a Q-tip. Brush it against the male flower (you should see yellow or orange pollen on the brush or Q-tip).

3. Brush it against the pistil on the female flower (the pistil is tall and gooey and right in the middle. You can’t miss it.)

Female squash flower

That’s it! You’ve done it! You should see fruit begin to form in the next few days. Keep repeating the process with subsequent flowers and you should have lots of fruit in no time.