Products We Love: Root Pots

With all the fabric containers on the market (Root Pots, Smart Pots, Dirt Pots, EZ Roots, Root Pouch, etc.) it's hard to choose which to go with, or if you should go with a fabric container vs. plastic container at all. First, here is a list of pro's for fabric containers:

- Fabric containers allow more oxygen into your growing medium and your root system which means that the roots grow more vigorously and stronger than those in plastic containers (see following point). Aerobic organisms that metabolize nutrients for faster uptake depend on proper medium aeration also.

- All of the manufacturers of these types of containers advertise that they allow the plants' roots to "auto-prune," or "air prune," but a lot of people don't know what that really means. We know a plants' root system branches out in search of water and nutrients. In plastic containers, when the roots hit the walls they turn around and keep searching/growing. Eventually they circle and circle so much that they end up choking themselves which shortens the life of the plant (essentially becoming "root-bound.") With fabric containers, the roots find their way to the walls, then find the little spaces where oxygen is coming in and grow through them. Being exposed to the air and light causes the roots to dry out at the end. Normally that would sound bad, but it is actually a good thing. The plant senses the roots getting dry and grows more roots, making your root system even stronger.

- They are washable and reusable, so even though they cost more than plastic containers in the beginning, you will get many uses out of them! They don't crack or get crushed like plastic pots. Not only do they work out to be cheaper in the long run, they're better for the environment. Some companies (including Aurora Innovations, the manufacturers of the Root Pots) even make their containers out of 100% recycled materials, which is even better for the environment.

- They work as a filter, allowing use of most mediums in recirculating systems such as drip and ebb and flow without the risk of clogging your pumps. A lot of people want to use Coco in ebb and flow systems and fabric containers allow you to do that safely.

- There are so many more reasons, such as a better drainage, they can be planted directly into the ground (so you can start plants indoors to kickstart your outdoor season without the risk of transplant shock), they release heat from the root system to help prevent root rot (and insulate the medium better for use in colder climates), they are wider-based so they are sturdier than taller plastic containers, etc.

Ok, so now that you know why fabric...why Root Pots?

First of all, we love Aurora Innovations (Roots Organics and Soul Synthetics) as a company. They bring great, quality products to the market, plus they are good people in general who we love to support. As mentioned above the Root Pots are made from 100% recycled materials, plus they are degradable. If you start a long-life plant in them (say a tree or shrub) and plant it outdoors, the Root Pots begin to break down after about 3-5 years. They cost less than Smart Pots and come in a large variety of sizes. Our most popular sizes are the 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 gallon Root Pots, which we stock all of the time in both of our locations, but we can order any size you need. We've personally been using these for about 2 years now with coco and are more than happy with the results (the first run was a side-by-side with plastic containers and the Root Pots were the obvious winners). They definitely get The Grow Room's stamp of approval.

Small Business Saturday

Tomorrow is American Express' Small Business Saturday. By shopping at any small business that accepts American Express credit cards (including us!) and spending over $25.00, you will receive a $25.00 statement credit on your American Express bill. All you have to is register your credit card HERE and you're all set. A few very good reasons to shop small and locally:

1. Supporting Mom & Pop businesses over large corporations keeps more money in your local community. According to LocalFirst.com, $73 of every $100 spent at small, local businesses stays in your community, as opposed to only $43 of every $100 spent at non-locally owned businesses (corporations, chains, etc.).

2. Better customer service - small businesses, on average, tend to be more knowledgable about the products they are selling and have better relationships with their customers than large chains who aren't as discriminant with their hiring.

3. Small businesses make areas unique and more desirable to visit. When you're on vacation, do you go to the mall for shopping and to dinner at chain restaurants like Applebee's and TGIFriday's, or do you prefer to check out the local shops and get dinner at unique restaurants that you can't eat at just anywhere? If things were the same everywhere, with only chain options available, why would anyone travel? Unique, small businesses are what makes different places interesting and, well, different.

4. More new jobs are created by local businesses than large corporations, country-wide.

So shop local tomorrow, save some money and support small businesses.

Botanicare Samples

If you've ever wanted to try Botanicare products such as their Pure Blend Pro or CNS 17 line of base nutrients, or their popular Sweet additives, now is the time. Danny from Botanicare stopped by a couple of weeks ago and brought us lots of samples to give out, so come by and get yours. He also gave us an update on the Strapped product issues, the current batches are fine and we have quarts and gallons at both stores.

"Black Friday" deals (or until they're gone)

I know this isn't really the type of industry where Black Friday is a huge shopping day, but every year we get asked if we have any specials going on. Here are a few items we're having a sale on, not just for Black Friday but until they're gone:

Under Current 12XL - comes with quad-lids (4 plants per bucket) but if you'd like different lids we can order them - Normal Price - $1474.95 / Our Price - $1130.00

Hydrofarm 42" Parabolic Reflector - Normal Price - $109.95 / Our Price - $84.95

Sunlight Suppy Galaxy 1000W/600W/400W "Select-A-Watt" Electronic Ballast - Normal Price - $359.95 / Our Price - $275.00

Sunlight Suppy Vertizontal Reflector - Normal Price - $157.95 / Our Price - $110.00 (does not have a built-in socket, the price with the socket/lamp cord is $130.00, normally $186.90).

Olivia's Cloning Gel - 2 oz. and 4 oz. sizes - Normal Price - $14.95/$21.95 / Our Price - $10.95/$16.95

Canna - Terra Vega / Terra Flores 20L - Normal Price - $326 / Our Price - $240

Right now most of these items are in Nyack, but if you're a customer at our Queens store just give us a call and we'll bring them down there for you. We also accept phone/mail orders.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of our customers: This year (and every year) we are thankful for all of you. We hope you and your families have a very happy Thanksgiving.

We will be closed on Thanksgiving but we'll be open our normal hours on Friday and Saturday.

Products We Love: Bluelab pH and ppm pens

Since we first started carrying their products over ten years ago, we've known Bluelab to be the "Cadillac" of metering brands. They are top quality and easy to use so we recommend them whenever we can. Most serious growers know about their Truncheon, the EC/PPM/CF measuring stick that has a five year warranty and never needs calibration (and also conveniently doubles as a nutrient solution stirrer). A few years back they released the pH Truncheon, which, due to probe-issues, was quickly taken off of the market. Since then they've come out with their Combo Meter, a handheld meter that measures ppm/EC/CF, pH and water temperature (and the Guardian, a continuous-monitoring meter that measures the same things), but we've had SO MANY requests for them to make a stand-alone pH pen to use in conjunction with the Truncheon. We've also gotten requests for a stand-alone ppm pen by those growers who are either on a budget and don't want to buy a Truncheon or who are trying to get a more precise reading (the Truncheon measures in increments of 100 ppm).

About 3 months ago we received our first shipment of Bluelab's independent pH and ppm pens. So far the response has been excellent, absolutely no complaints from the people who have bought them and we personally like them a lot. We've had no returns yet which is a really good sign, especially since other brands' (cough-Oakton-cough) pH pens have been coming back more often than ever. Both pens feature (from the Bluelab website):

• Measures conductivity/pH (respectively) and temperature
• Selectable units for conductivity (on the ppm pen) and temperature (˚C & ˚F)
• Backlit LCD display
• Calibration optional (ppm pen)
• Successful calibration indicator
• Hold function
• Low battery warning
• Fully waterproof
• Auto off function
• Automatic temperature compensation

Also, last month at the Long Beach Maximum Yield trade show we caught up with Chris from Bluelab and just last week we had a visit from Cindy...some big Bluelab / The Grow Room news is on the horizon. Check back here some time in the middle of January for the announcement! We still have some Bluelab lanyards that we took back with us from the show (good for hanging your meters in your rooms or for wearing them while working so your hands are free...or just for your keys!) so if you want one just ask. They're free!

Bulb and Bottle Recycling

A service we've been offering to our customers over the past few years and one we don't think is taken advantage of enough is our bulb and bottle recycling program. The CFL and HID bulbs we use in this industry contain mercury, which is really harmful if it leaches into our ground water, or if it's burned by waste incineration and released into the environment. Recycling lamps allows the mercury to be captured and reused. Once a month we bring old bulbs to the local hazardous waste recycling facility. Most CFL bulbs are now able to be recycled at big-box stores like Lowes and Home Depot (but we also accept them). For more information on bulb recycling, or to find a recycling center near you, check out these links:

- LampRecycle.org - provides answers to most questions regarding lamp recycling

- earth911.com - good information on recycling in general, plus you can find out where to recycle almost anything

Besides bulbs, we also offer bottle recycling. Bring us your empty, clean nutrient bottles and we will recycle them for you.

CANNAtalk - Issue 14 2011

We just received in both stores the new issue of CANNAtalk, the magazine put out by Canna Nutrients (it is not primarily about their nutrients, it has great articles on the science behind growing and useful info on growing in general, as well as some more in depth advice in regard to the use of their products). I always get asked why plants in the flowering stage need red light as opposed to blue light, and there's an article written by Geary Coogler (BSc Horticulture) that goes into scientific detail as to why (in short, it triggers flower production, but read the article to see why, how and what else it does). There's also a good Grower's Tip as to when and why to change out your bulbs.

Botanicare's Strapped

After trying to reorder Botanicare's Strapped (their Black Strap Molasses) and being told they were back-ordered indefinitely, we received this email from Botanicare:

As of today we still have quarts in both Nyack and Queens that are stable and unaffected.

UPDATE: 11/29 - Our distributors have assessed that their current stock of Strapped is absolutely fine and we have quarts and gallons in stock in both locations.