6/28/13

E-mail Best Way to Improve Flowering in Plants?


Hey Doc,

  What is the best way to improve flowering in plants?

Well the first thing you want to consider is genetics.  You should look for (or try to breed for) plants that have the type of flowers you want.  You can only improve growing so much with the environment; the other 50% is genetics.  Red and yellow light tends to promote and enhance flowering in most plants.  This is why HPS and LED are so often used for flowering.  Also, you want to improve the amount of phosphorus you are giving your plants during flowering.  Nitrogen promotes vegetative growth so you want to limit how much you give plants.  HOWEVER, nitrogen is used to make DNA, and proteins in plants, so I do not recommend not giving your plants any nitrogen, just use a fertilizer that has a lower ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus and potassium.  You also want to keep temperatures and humidity at optimal levels for your plant from start to finish.  The less stress your plants have, the better they will grow.
 
Good Growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers
 

6/17/13

E-mail - Out Gassing and Grow Tents

What can you tell me about out gassing? I've read a lot of comments about outgassing killing off plants that were raised in the AgroMax tents that ya'll sell. can you explain/
Thanks,

On Sun, Jun 16, 2013 at 4:59 PM, <askthedoctor@htgsupply.com> wrote:
Hi,
  Just following up, can you give me more detail, or links to sites  that talk about this out gassing?  I have not heard of this.  I would be more than happy to help if you send me some more info. 

I saw a post online where I was researching info on Grow Tents. Several people had posted about their plants dying which they thought was caused by the material that the Grow Tents were made of. I even emailed one of the company's that they had named (HTGSupply.com) to ask what they could tell me about "offgassing". They said that they had only heard of one Company that had this problem and it was "HydroHut". They also mentioned that this was several years ago and since then from what they knew; HydroHut had changed their material for their tents and had no further problems. They also informed me that when they spoke with clients who had complained about their product "offgassing" they came to the conclusion that they were keeping the temperatures extremely high(100 +) in their tents, therefore causing their plants to turn yellow and die. They assured me that their tents are safe and that if used properly with the correct temperature and ventilation there would be no problems with whatever plants I would want to grow.
Thanks again,

 I usually E-mail Perry at Sales@HTGSupply.com with equipment questions.  He said about 6-7 years ago, one company, started offering grow tents very similar to ones HTGSupply.com had at the time.  These tents were white lined tents, not the silver that is now most common.  Apparently the white poly they used reacted to light, and would emit a toxic gas that apparently kills plants.  So, many people thought this meant that EVERY grow tent made did this, regardless of who made it.
Now HTGSupply.com has the Silver lined tents. This is literally a layer of aluminum over the poly backing.  They have tested the tents.  Basically they set the tent up, with a 1000w light in it and ran it 24/7 for a week of two.  They have not been able to get those tents to off-gas at all! 
Now HTGSupply.com does still get off gas complaints.  They send out at least 50 tents per week.  Per month though we get 1 maybe 2 people claiming the tent the got is out gassing because their plants are dead or dying.  When asked how hot is it in your tent, some people say "I don't know but pretty hot" , or "I do not have a thermostat in it but real hot", or, "I do not have any ventilation in my tent and the thermostat is reading over 100 degrees F”.  If you do not have a thermometer, you need to get one asap, growing in a small space or grow tent without a thermometer, or ventilation is not good growing.
So, it seems this is an old problem that comes up now and again, but HTGSupply.com does not sell the white lined grow tents, and has done testing on the tents they do use.
Thanks for your E-mails’ I hope this was informative,
Good Growing
Dr. E.R. Myers

6/7/13

Growing Indoors for Maximum Health

Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.  Fiber is cellulose (the cell wall that surrounds all plant cells).  It cannot be gotten from any animal products like meat, cheese or dairy. Fiber acts to clean out the colon which means less intestinal problems, and a lower risk of colon cancer.  Fiber from fruits and vegetables can lower blood cholesterol too.  I have seen people use powdered bran or other grainy substance to supplement their fiber intake.  Some forms of bran contain a substance that inhibits the uptake of iron in humans.  Vegetarians need to make sure they get enough iron, since it is readily found in meat, meat eaters do not often have to worry about iron intake.  Diets high in meat have been linked with gout, obesity, high cholesterol et cetera.   High iron intake in men has been linked with prostate cancer, so as with plants you do not want too much or too little of any nutrient.

Some plants that have high fiber are, beans and peas, carrots, potatoes, spinach, corn oats, wheat and fruit.
Spinach is very easy to grow indoors.  I have a friend who grows carrots for his children under an LED.  The kids like the carrots, especially since he grows them in a translucent container and the kids can watch the carrot tap root develop a little more each day.  Many varieties of bush beans could also be grown indoors.  potato's are another indoor option for someone looking for healthy foods to grow.
If anyone grows other crops indoors that are high in fiber, let me know and I will be happy to add the plants to the list above, it is not all inclusive by any means.

Good growing
Dr. E.R. Myers

6/3/13

E-mail - What To Do if Plants Partially Eaten

I got an E-mail from someone asking what to do: they had their plants eaten by something.  Since the plants were about an inch tall with 1-2 leaves left, I would say it is deer or more likely rabbits.  Deer tend to leave about a foot of most plants they eat.

The first thing you need to do is put a fence around the plants.  I have not known many people to have long term success with things like coyote pee or other sprays.  The problem is every time it rains they get diluted.  Feel free to try things like hot pepper spray from HTGSuply.com, but you will have to spray your plants every few days and after every rain.  If you have a few plants you can put stakes around all of them using chicken wire.  If you have an area that is less than 3-4 feet in diameter, I have found that deer will not jump into that. 
As for the plant, you want to baby the plants as much as possible, water them daily, and give them a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen.  I like Buddha grow myself. Nitrogen promotes plant growth.  Do not over do it!  Some people get the idea more is better, as I have stated previously, you want the best or optimal amount, too much nitrogen will lead to spindly weak plants that are susceptible to disease and will flower poorly or at all.

If your plants flower in mid-late summer, as soon as your plants start growing again, you will want to make sure the plants get phosphorus to promote flowering.  If you are growing a spring flowering plant, you might not get flowers until fall when the days shorten.  No matter what, you won’t get as large a yield as you would have if your plants had not been eaten, but you will get something for your troubles.

Good growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers