In this week’s edition of Hydro 101 we are going to discuss the proper way to dry and cure your finished harvest. I will also touch on best the time to harvest and enjoy the final finished product.  It's really important to take the proper steps in the curing and drying process to ensure you get a high quality product.

I’ve been in the grow business for years, and one of the questions I’m often asked is about nutrients – organic or synthetic, which is better? I think it comes down to preference, and also what medium you are using, so I usually tell my customers to do their research to decide which nutrients best suit their needs and their particular set-up or system. But I’m going to go more in depth into my thoughts on synthetic nutrients versus organic nutrients today.

Q:

The power company has been promoting smart meters where I live, and there is talk of converting the grid here to a “smart grid.”  According to the power company, this is going to benefit me, but they are rather vague about how exactly.  Doing some research, I see these things are hugely controversial - there is reportedly even a moratorium on them in California.
I don’t want one, what can I do?

In the previous issue of Rosebud, we talked about powerful methods to make this your best year ever for getting the heaviest and most valuable harvests from your garden. Let’s take a moment to summarize those harvest-boosting techniques before we go on to this month’s set of powerful strategies that will give you more rewards from your grow room:

Hydroponic systems have really evolved over the last several decades. Mediums like rockwool and coco coir have replaced sand and gravel; food grade polyethylene and polypropylene plastics have replaced PVC (polyvinyl chloride); and poor quality fertilizers have been replaced by pharmaceutical grade, easy-to-use nutrients and organic teas.

Q:

I have been growing for a while and have started to research ways to improve my garden. I know there are lots of different light sources to choose from, but what I want to know more about is spectrum. It seems that even if I want to stick with HID or whether I switch to LED or even Plasma, I have some choices to make regarding spectrum. I love the way my plants look and grow in veg under my high output fluorescent lighting which is full spectrum. What about full spectrum lighting for the bloom phase? Everyone says you’ve got to use HPS (orange light) or don’t expect much. What do you think?

Welcome to another week of Hydro 101, where indoor growing newbie’s can get a handle on the art of growing that we love so much. Something all beginner growers need to get a handle on is transplanting. If you’re growing in soil, which is the best medium for rookies to cut their teeth, you’re going to need to move your plants from one container to the next as they get bigger. You want to give your crop the chance to thrive, and avoid having them get rootbound.

I heard you were at Rosebud Magazine now. Glad to see it. I have been reading your column for a long time and have enjoyed learning more from your “Hydroponics Secrets” videos. Where I live, in Vancouver, B.C., the water seems to be of good quality for drinking; it’s around 30 PPM coming out of the tap. There is a lot of talk these days about using RO-treated water in hydroponics. I grow in soil and with hydroponic systems. Can I use tap water, or do I have to use RO-purified water to get good yields and avoid problems?