Botanicare® Grow Guide Grow

Botanicare® Grow Guide Grow

A quarterly publication for growers BOTANICARE® GROW GUIDE GROW PHOTOPERIODISM OUTSIDE DAY LENGTH AND PLANTS WATER WATER QUALITY’S ROLE IN A SUCCESSFUL GARDEN PREP YOUR PLANTS ACCLIMATIZE IN 7 DAYS VERMICOMPOST INCREASE YOUR SOIL’S FERTILITY USING WORMS PREP YOUR SOIL SOIL CONDITIONING 101 PHOTOPERIODISM VERNAL SUMMER AUTUMNAL WINTER EQUINOX SOLSTICE EQUINOX SOLSTICE is the physiological reaction of organisms 20 to the length of day or night. 60° N 18 16 EQUINOX: EQUAL DAY AND NIGHT 40° N There are two distinct dates called equinoxes, vernal 14 (spring) and autumnal (fall) that mark the point at 20° N which the day length is the same at the equator as 12 the Arctic Circle! The vernal equinox occurs around 0° N March 20th each year and the autumnal equinox 10 occurs around September 22nd. Gardeners growing crops that require a certain number of hours to 8 maintain vegetative growth or to trigger flowering (HOURS/DAY) PHOTOPERIOD and fruiting growth must know the length of day 6 to accurately plan their crops and harvests. The equinoxes are highly significant for gardeners 4 because they indicate the correct time to plant JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN photoperiod sensitive crops outdoors in the spring and fall for summer growth and fall harvest. As well as shifting to longer days in the spring and shorter N N days in the fall. 66.5º 40º 9 hrs 24 hrs DAY LENGTH 23.5º 10.5 hrs 66.5º The angle of the sun’s rays with respect to the tilt 15 hrs of the earth will determine the length of the day 0º 12 hrs 40º depending on the time of year and the hemisphere 13.5 hrs in which you live. In the northern hemisphere (above Sun’s rays 23.5º Sun’s rays 13.5 hrs 23.5º the equator), the longest day of the year is the called 12 hrs 40º 15 hrs the summer solstice and the shortest day of the year 0º is called the winter solstice. 10.5 hrs 24 hrs 66.5º 23.5º 9 hrs 40º 66.5º S S Brandon Jewell, Botanicare BOTANICARE.COM BOTANICARE GROW GUIDE- GROW OUTSIDE HOW TO ACCLIMATIZE (HARDEN OFF) 60° N ROOTED PLANT CUTTINGS IN 7 DAYSBy Brandon Jewell 40° N DAY REDUCE HUMIDITY 20° N 1 2 A) Humidity dome with vent: Open vent for 2 days then remove 0° N REDUCE HUMIDITY REDUCE HUMIDITY dome on 3rd day. B) Humidity dome with no vent: Remove dome for a couple hours per day, then remove dome on 3rd Day. C) No dome: Discontinue foliar sprays or misting to reduce moisture around the plant leaves. DAY 3 4 5 ADD NUTRIENTS ADD NUTRIENTS ADD NUTRIENTS ADD NUTRIENTS Begin watering using a half strength nutrient N N 1/2 STRENGTH 66.5º solution (500-700ppm) to introduce new 500-700ppm 40º 9 hrs 24 hrs plant roots to nutrients prior to transplanting 23.5º 10.5 hrs 66.5º to reduce transplant shock. 15 hrs 0º 12 hrs 40º 13.5 hrs Sun’s rays 23.5º Sun’s rays 13.5 hrs 23.5º DAY INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY 12 hrs 40º 15 hrs 0º Move the plants into an area of higher light intensity by moving 10.5 hrs 66.5º 24 hrs 6 7 the source light closer to the plants or by moving the plants from 23.5º 9 hrs INCREASE INCREASE the propagation area to the growing area being mindful of the 40º LIGHT LIGHT differences in intensity from the two environments. 66.5º INTENSITY INTENSITY S S Transplant! Plugs or bare rooted cuttings should now be acclimatized with a minimal amount of stress and are now ready for your preferred growing substrate and fertilization program. made of particles with a net positive charge, Soil Conditioning 101 causing important anionic (negatively-charged) Better growing through chemistry plant nutrients such a nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate to become fixed. Additionally, acidic At the beginning of every planting season many gardeners begin the ritual of soils may provide toxic amounts of metals such tilling up soil and preparing both new and old garden beds. Before hauling out the as aluminum, iron, and manganese. In order to old pickaxe and shovel, consider some simple, chemical properties of soil that prevent crippling nutrient deficiencies in most can be manipulated to increase its quality. Through the use of a few agricultural crops, the soil pH will need to be decreased if substances, a lifeless plot of dirt can be cultivated into a thriving garden without above 7 or increased if below 6. breaking the bank or your back. Increasing the pH (liming) of an acidic soil Connor Osgood, Botanicare is relatively straightforward. There are many inexpensive compounds available for this purpose. Such compounds include pure calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or agricultural limestone (the mineral in which calcium carbonate naturally occurs), magnesium-containing dolomitic limestone, wood ashes, and ground oyster shells. These substances neutralize hydronium ions, the concentration of which is exactly what pH measures, in the soil solution. Agricultural limestone is perhaps the most practical of these liming agents due to cost, but some of the others may provide additional nutrients. Acidifying alkaline desert soils is notably more difficult due to the time required for acidifying Initial Soil Assessment slowly with distilled water until it is fully saturated materials to break down and take effect. Elemental Preparing soil to grow healthy, productive plants with as little excess water as possible. Then insert sulfur is a direct way of lowering soil pH, but is not rocket science, but does require some the probe or test strip into the soil paste. requires 4-6 weeks to break down with the help planning and forethought. It is imperative that Modification of Soil pH of ubiquitous soil bacteria. When elemental sulfur your soil’s chemical qualities are assessed before Since some of the most common problems tend is incorporated into the soil, it is first present in cultivation. An inexpensive soil test can provide an to be pH-related nutrient deficiencies, the initial the reduced form, but over time it oxidizes after accurate representation of the soil. A composite pH testing can reveal the changes that must be exposure to oxygen and water, and releases sample should be collected by combining several made. Soils which are more basic (higher pH), are hydronium ions into the soil solution. Ammonium smaller samples from the area, and sent to a + composed of layers of clay which possess a net (NH4 ) fertilizers will also oxidize to release acid local agricultural lab to have it tested for basic negative charge, meaning that cationic (positively- after soil application, providing much-needed parameters such as NPK concentration, calcium, charged) plant nutrients such as calcium, nitrogen to the soil. It should be understood that micronutrient concentration, and pH. The pH of the magnesium, and iron will adsorb to their surfaces gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO4) or any sulfate soil can be tested at home using a digital pH meter and potentially become fixed, or unavailable to fertilizers do not decrease soil pH as many or chemical pH-indicating test paper. Simply plants. Conversely, acidic (lower pH) soils are gardeners assume. The sulfate anion is already gather a completely dry soil sample and hydrate it BOTANICARE.COM BOTANICARE GROW GUIDE- GROW OUTSIDE present in an oxidized form, and will not release and structure of clay soils. After dissolving in fact, Phosphorus is so immobile that plant roots hydronium to the soil solution. While not usually the soil solution, the calcium sulfate present in cannot utilize it unless it is located extremely the primary reason for its incorporation into soil, gypsum ionizes and the calcium cation begins to close to the root surface. Phosphorus fertilizer organic matter can also be used to decrease pH. compete with sodium cations for adsorption to should not be applied until after plants have Addition of organic matter to the soil produces clay surfaces. In the process of flocculation, the begun to grow, and should be applied in thick CO2 in pore spaces, which subsequently creates attraction between calcium and the negatively- bands right near the root zone. Unfortunately, carbonic acid in the soil solution. charged clay surface is much more energetically many natural phosphorus fertilizers like bone Soil’s Physical Properties favored than that of sodium, and the sodium ions meal or rock phosphate are unsuitable for use in Unfortunately, altering a soil’s physical properties are displaced. To obtain the greatest benefit, apply high-pH soils, as they form incredibly insoluble is not as practical as changing its chemical the gypsum and dig it into the first few inches of compounds. Instead, synthetic ammonium- properties such as nutrient concentration or the soil. The soil should then be heavily irrigated. phosphate fertilizers or animal manures are pH. However, some simple steps can be taken Soil Fertility recommended. Animal manure can be surprisingly to change the most important of these physical Nutrient concentration in soil (or lack thereof) high in Phosphorus and if it is being used to meet parameters such as porosity, water-holding is often the most limiting factor in terms of a plant’s nitrogen demand, chances are it will capacity, and aggregation, or the way in which clay plant growth besides water availability. Of the provide an appreciable amount of Phosphorus if particles are distributed. essential plant nutrients, nitrogen is the most applied near the root zone. Regardless of initial soil type it is always critical and often most deficient. Nitrogen is With the exception of potassium, in heavily beneficial to add organic matter such as compost, extremely soluble and leaches away from soil leached soils, nitrogen and Phosphorus are crop residue, or organic material to introduce quite easily.

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