The dates have been announced for the 2010 Indoor Gardening Expos. Start making plans now to visit us in Montreal- June 5th and 6th and San Francisco- July 24th and 25th. These industry trade show events are the best place to learn about new products and recent innovations. And after hours, they are some of the most epic parties of the year.

I am beyond thrilled to introduce General Hydroponics Europe our readers. The GrowGH blog will be expanding our coverage to include posts from the team there, to keep you updated on our international brethren. Our blog will spotlight their dynamic team, including, Noucetta, William and Frederic, and their efforts in hydro.

GHE has long been working to bring the quality and results of GH to their unique market. GHE not only distributes our formulas, but has created some of their own products, available only through them, that serve the specific needs and trends of growers there. Beyond that, they maintain an exotic greenhouse, and support numerous events and causes that are uniquely GHE.

In 1995, we created GHE in the South of France to better serve the European, African and Middle Eastern markets. At that time General Hydroponics was not well known outside of the English speaking countries. In only a few years GHE built a dominant position in European and global markets, primarily thanks to the quality of our products and to our commitment to common goals: sustainability, quality, innovation, simplicity and value. We printed out labels in numerous languages, built a website in numerous languages (www.eurohydro.com) and registered our products according to the regulations in each market.

With time due to the difference in markets and suppliers on both continents, the two lines, GH and GHE, diverged slightly due to specific needs in regional markets; except for Flora Series, the original nutrient that built our reputation and remains the global leader in sales and product recognition. In Europe as in California, we continue our research to show the diversity of plants you can grow with our technologies. We have developed a line of ‘organic’ nutrients and supplements that work well for hydroponic growers. You can visit our greenhouse online at youtube (enter ‘eurohydro’), or if you are traveling in our area, contact us to arrange a visit us here.

Noucetta Kehdi, William Texier, and Lawrence Brooke

These living walls are beyond amazing. Green Fortune is a company that designs and installs living walls, clearly for the high end client. Architects and designers take note: the benefits of installations like this are cleaner air, more beautiful light, and ultimately enhanced moods.

PS, check out their fun little hydro system, the Stream Garden. It’s obviously not designed for high yields or aggressive growing, but it looks good on a desk!

Via Hydroponics Aquaponics News Digest

Here’s a living wall that I found in SF, and for more reading, check out this previous post from the GH blog.

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

GH Blog: Where did the inspiration for opening a grow shop come from?

Green Earth: I’ve worked within different areas of the industry for 10 years. I got my start with a manufacturer/wholesaler in 1999 and later got into retail where I managed a shop for 5 years. When the opportunity came up, my partner and I bought the store and Green Earth Garden Supplies was born.

GH Blog: What sorts of growing products do you specialize in?

Green Earth: My partner and I have a combination of 25 years of indoor gardening knowledge. We consider this to be our main specialty. We sell everything to meet our customers’ indoor gardening needs.

GH Blog: Do your customers mostly grow in soil or hydro systems?

Green Earth: We have 80% soil customers and 20% hydro customers.

GH Blog: What is your favorite product?

Green Earth: Flora Blend for sure. Also love the Flora Nectar, awesome stuff guys.

GH Blog: In your geographical area, what are the most pressing environmental concerns? Is it heat? Pests? Humidity? And tell us what product you recommend to customers that come to your store trying to combat the problem?

Green Earth: All of the above problems exist so we have to be able to trouble shoot all of these concerns frequently. I can proudly say between Daren, Liana and myself, that anyone who comes in to our store will leave with the right knowledge and products that will allow them to overcome all of their environmental challenges.

GH Blog: Can you give us a growing tip?

Green Earth: Always keep your garden clean. Get your climate in check. Having a “bang on” room or green house is a major key to success. Don’t cheap out or cut corners.

Get in touch with Green Earth Garden Supplies by phoning 604-532-7106

When we were contacted, the immediate response was to appreciate the sacrifice of the Armed Forces. Our second response was to call and work out the details of their exact needs. We shipped them a WaterFarm 8- Pack with a Controller and the Upgrade Kit. And all the FloraSeries and Floralicious Plus they could need. GH has always reached out to communities, sending PowerGrowers for rooftop school gardens, sponsoring festivals, and providing funding for PBS Natural Heroes. We could not be more proud and more hopeful for this project, and hope that hydro in Afghanistan is a complete success.

From J’s email:

 

I have this snake “Weltto” in my greenhouse, he(?) has been there for 3 years now, and loves to spend time on hydroponic systems! The funny thing is that this guy really recognizes the quality!

He takes sunbath only on GHE hydroponic systems!!

This one is amazing. I love the classic hydro setup! And the greenhouse with the trays on rail tracks, too cool! 

This one shows the affects of PK and NPK, compared to 0. I wish these posters had been in my classrooms as a kid!

Click here to see the eurohydro channel and subscribe to their videos.

GHE stands for General Hydroponics Europe. Did you know that we have a large, successful branch of the company that operates out of France? GHE serves to bring the same quality and innovation to the gardeners outside of the American continent. They produce and sell many of the same products that we release. Their markets include all of Europe, as well as Russia, and parts of the Middle East and Africa.

Here is a blip from their website: “In our greenhouse in the south of France, we study the potential of several high cash crops, that will give the grower an alternative to traditional crops, and will allow him to step out of the vicious circle of subsidies. We especially study the field of medicinal plants, where there exists a constant demand of quality stock, and where it is urgent today to stop the gathering of many endangered species, as is the case, for instance, of Arnica montana. Our research is aimed on selecting the right species, optimising their harvest and increasing their content in active principles.”

Can you believe the size of the trunks growing out of those buckets? Just further proof that hydro saves space. Check out the rest of their photo galleries and learn more about our sister company at eurohydro.com.