From Canna: Win a Trip to Amsterdam

Visit the Canna website, read an article and watch some videos, then take a quiz on their Coco growing medium.  You can win a free trip to Amsterdam or other prizes like free nutrients, bags and bricks of Coco, Canna gear, etc.

NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT: CANNA COCO BRICKS

Canna Coco (the best-selling premium coco coir growing medium) is now available in a brick.  Same superior quality as their bags of Coco, only more compact and easy to transport.  Each 40 Liter package comes with 2 bags that contain one brick each.  Each brick expands when wet to 20 Liters (approximately 7.5 dry gallons) and can easily be broken in half for 10 Liter portions.  This product is the perfect solution for people who want the ease of transportation of a coco brick but without sacrificing the quality of their coco medium itself, plus it is very cost-effective.  Visit Canna's website for a more in-depth look. 

New Canna Product...

Canna has a new product coming out soon.  Stay tuned, we should have more information for you guys by the end of the month!  Also, check out this month's issue of Maximum Yield for a chance to win free Rhizotonic.

Products We Love: Canna's Terra Professional Plus

Canna's Terra Professional Plus is a great growing medium that is pH stable, has excellent drainage with no perlite added (only natural tree bark for aeration) and a starter nutrient charge so manual feeding isn't necessary for at least a few weeks.  It's mild enough for seedlings but strong enough that all plants will get off to a great start.

Calcium Deficiency: Signs, Causes and Cures

The most common nutrient deficiency that our customers face is a calcium deficiency.  When you encounter it for the first time, it can be scary.  You might freak out and think your plants are dying.  They're not, they're just showing you that they need something.  It is very easy to diagnose and fix, hopefully this helps.

Signs:

The first sign of a calcium deficiency is yellow spotting on the leaves.  If left untreated, the yellow spots will start to become brown in the center and will eventually spread over the entire affected leaves.  They will then start to dry out, shrivel up and die.

From issue 24 of CannaTalk Magazine

Causes:

- Unbalanced pH.

pH is one of the most important factors in gardening.  If the pH level of your growing medium or nutrient solution isn't in the proper range, typically from 5.5 to 6.5, certain nutrients can't be absorbed by the plant.  So even though you may be feeding your plants everything they need to grow well and perform, they might not actually be taking it in.  You can check your pH with a variety of tools.  For testing water: paper pH test strips, pH indicator solution (General Hydroponics makes an inexpensive test kit, and a complete control kit that comes with pH Up and pH Down to adjust your pH) or a digital pH pen.  For testing soil: A soil tester that is cone-shaped with a dial or a Bluelab digital soil pH meter (the inexpensive pH testers with the long metal probes are unfortunately not very accurate).  With container gardening, you can always test the water you're feeding your plants and then the run-off from the bottom of the containers and "ballpark" the difference (for example, if your water is reading 6.0 and your run-off is reading 7.0, you can safely assume your medium has a pH of around 8.0).

Cure:  In hydroponics, you can simply adjust the pH of your nutrient solution with pH Up (which is alkaline) or pH Down (which is acidic).  In soil it will take a little longer to stabilize the pH (it takes longer to fix any problem in soil than it does in hydroponics), but you would do it using the same principle as reading the run-off.  For example, if your soil has a pH reading of 4.0, you would want to water with a solution that measures 8.0 for a few waterings to bring it up to 6.0.

- Using nutrients that don't have a high enough dose of Calcium.

New York, especially the five boroughs, has some of the cleanest water in the country (minus the chlorine) which means that it doesn't have a very high nutrient/mineral content.  This is typically a good thing because when your water starts out with a low PPM/EC/TDS/CF (all of the units of measure that are used to measure the amount of "stuff" in your water), you have more room to feed your plants the nutrients that they actually want and need.  When your water starts out with more "stuff" in it, you are limited in how much you can add to it to feed your plants.  When starting with water with a very low PPM (Parts Per Million, which is the most common unit of measure in the US in our industry), you have to make sure that you're adding all of the essential micro and macro nutrients for plant growth, in the proper ratios for the specific stage of growth that your plants are in.  That sounds complicated, but most of the base nutrients you see have a pretty well-balanced blend of these elements.  That said, sometimes plants need more.

Cure:  Use a calcium supplement (usually a blend of calcium and magnesium) such as General Hydroponics' CALiMAGic, which contains 5% calcium, 1.5% magnesium, 1% nitrogen and .1% iron (all of the most commonly deficient nutrients in the vegetative stage), or Aptus' Massboost which contains 7% calcium, 5% nitrogen and 1% magnesium.  Within a week or 2 this should fix your calcium deficiency.  New growth should start looking green and healthy.  (If you'd like to speed up the recovery process, when your plants are in their vegetative stage you can foliar-feed the Massboost.  Just be sure to follow their recommendations for foliar-feeding and always spray when the lights are off, or at sundown if growing outdoors.)

- Under-feeding

Sometimes plants just want more food.  If your pH is on point and you're using a good nutrient that contains a higher percentage of calcium, look for signs of other deficiencies.  For a chart of what all of the major nutrient deficiencies look like, come in for a free copy of CannaTalk issue 24.  If you see signs of a calcium deficiency, but maybe it looks like a nitrogen deficiency too, and also kind of iron (or some other mix..) you might not be feeding them enough.

Cure:  Try and increase the amount of food you're giving them, but be very careful.  Adding too much, too soon, can cause over-fertilization and burn your plants.  This is when a PPM meter comes in handy.  You can know exactly how much you're feeding your plants and make notes of what they want, and when they want it.  We usually recommend increasing your nutrients by only 100-150 PPM at a time.

- Nutrient Antagonism

Sometimes when it looks like you a have a deficiency of one nutrient, it's really because you have an excess of another.  This is known as "nutrient antagonism."  An over-abundance of potassium and/or salt is a very common cause of calcium deficiency when using coco coir as a growing medium.  Coco has a lot of naturally occurring potassium and sodium (sodium due to the sea water that is present where the coco is originally grown) which is an antagonist of calcium.

Cure:  When growing in a coco coir medium, be sure to use a high quality brand!  Canna Coco has already been treated and buffered to correct any nutrient/salt excesses beforehand so it isn't an issue, but a lot of other brands have not been treated the same way.  This is why many people have negative results when using sub-par brands of coco coir.  Just add a good quality calcium supplement to your nutrient regimen and the problem should correct itself.  If you're growing in a soil or soilless medium, such as Pro-Mix or Rockwool, just give the plants a good flush (see our article on Flushing) and the next time few times you feed, add in a dose of a calcium supplement.

From Aptus' Education Manual

Win Free CANNABOOST! Our best-selling nutrient additive.

Canna is currently holding a giveaway for CANNABOOST, our best-selling nutrient additive.  A highly recommended addition to any nutrient regimen - you don't need to stop using anything you're currently using, CANNABOOST is completely compatible. Also great for use with any growing medium or system, it is the most versatile fruiting/flowering stimulant on the market.  Your plant health, fruit/flower production and overall crop quality will improve just by adding this into your current recipe. If you've always wanted to try it but didn't want to make the commitment, now's your chance.  Go to the Canna website and answer a few question and you could win a 0.25 liter, 1 liter or 5 liter bottle of CANNABOOST!

Intro to Canna's COCO Line - Special Offer

Canna's COCO growing medium and nutrient line is one of the most popular choices of our customers due to its ease of use, high quality and great results.  A lot of people are hesitant to try it, though, because coco is still a fairly new medium.  It's not soil, but it's not going to be used in a hydroponic recirculating system, so what is it?  Coco is basically the fibers from a coconut husk.  These fibers act as capillaries, or sponges, and absorb and store the water/nutrients you give them so your plants can take them as needed.  Salt from nutrients don't build up quickly like they do in soil, so flushing is rarely necessary.  You still put the coco in containers and top feed like you would with soil, but the growth of your plants is rapid like it is in hydroponics.  We always say, quality of soil, speed of hydroponics - Coco is the perfect "in-between" medium.  It's also not like soil where you use it once and you have to throw it away and buy more, you can reuse Coco up to three times.  

  

Not all Coco is created equal!  Canna Coco is the best of the best when it comes to the quality of the actual coco medium.  It is harvested from a private area, and it is the only RHP certified UN-STEAMED Coco substrate.  What that means is that it is 100% natural and comes with all of the naturally occurring species of beneficial fungi, specifically a species of trichoderma, an aggressive fungi that protects your roots from harmful bacteria and pathogens that can cause root rot.  You will not find that species in any other product because they cannot be exported when separated from their natural living environment.  All other RHP certified mediums steam their product which kills all of the beneficial microbes. 

Canna has done extensive research and they have designed a line of nutrients to work specifically with their Coco medium.  The base nutrient is a 2-part formula, Coco A and Coco B, that is used in both the vegetative and flowering stages of growth (there aren't separate "Grow" and "Bloom" formulas).  Their 4-additive system is simple and easy to use, and provides all of the specific ingredients for different stages of growth.  It is a complete line that provides high yields and superior quality.

If you haven't yet, now is the time to try Coco.  All you have to do is grow a couple of plants using their line and you will see the difference.  We're offering an introductory package with everything you need to complete a full plant cycle (and still have plenty left over) including:

(2) 1 Gallon Premium Containers
(2) 5 Gallon Nursery Containers
(1) Bag of Canna Coco
1 Liter of Canna Coco A
1 Liter of Canna Coco B
1 Liter of Cannazym
1 Liter of Rhizotonic
1 Liter of PK 13/14
1 Liter of Cannaboost
Canna Coco Info Guide and Feeding Chart

Normal Retail Price: $303.67 / SPECIAL INTRO PRICE: $250.00 

Canna's TERRA line of nutrients

With the outdoor gardening season officially here in the northeast, most people are turning to soil as their growing medium.  With so many options for fertilizing, it can get confusing.  Some people choose to build their fertilizer into their medium (with guanos, "meals"- bone/blood/fish/kelp/alfalfa etc., earthworm castings, compost, or a time release fertilizer).  Other people choose to stick with a liquid nutrient that they mix into their waterings.  For that option, Canna has designed their Terra line of nutrients specifically for use with soil.  Terra is a one-part base nutrient (you use Terra Vega in the vegetative stage, Terra Flores in the flowering stage).  Whether you use it as a stand-alone nutrient or in conjunction with Canna's additives (check out their Grow Guide to make your custom feeding chart), it is excellent for use with all soils.  If you're looking for an organic option, try their Bio Canna line (made with no animal ingredients whatsoever).

Red Russian Kale Harvest

Today we harvested the Red Russian Kale we've been growing in the Nyack store.  It was grown in an ebb & flow hydroponic system using Canna's Aqua Pebbles and Aqua nutrients.

The stems!

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: When using Canna's Aqua line of nutrients, do not aerate your reservoir.  The nutrients are pH buffered and the added oxygen disrupts the buffering capabilities.  Removing the air stones will help stabilize your pH.

Zucchini Grown in a Gro Momma Bucket

We've been doing a lot of growing in the shops lately.  One of my favorite vegetables is zucchini, and it happens to grow very well in hydroponics.  We've always grown it in ebb and flow systems, but we decided to give some Striata d'Italia a try in the Gro Momma deep water culture buckets, under a 4 foot, 4 bulb T5 fluorescent fixture, using Canna's Aqua line of nutrients.  We knew that the DWC system would work great because of all the oxygen it delivers directly to the roots, but even we're impressed w/ the root system, speed of growth and overall production!  Here are our results so far:

2 Days Old (w/ some heirloom black tomatoes we germinated at the same time)

6 Days Old (healthy white roots thanks to some Azos!)

2.5 Weeks

5 Weeks

Roots at 6 Weeks (there's an air stone in there somewhere...)

At 6 Weeks - Multiple Flowers & 5 Zucchini

Hot Pepper Update

Just a quick update on the progress of our hot peppers in Nyack.  We started these from seed back in August and they're coming along nicely (we forgot how slow peppers grow, definitely not the best crop choice for impatient growers...but, like with all gardening, patience is key).  They're currently under a Sun Blaze 48 T5 fluorescent fixture in a 3'x3' Ebb and Flow tray and we're feeding them with Canna's Aqua Vega, Cannazym and some of Strata's SOS.  The ones in the front row (and some are scattered around the back rows) are Chinese 5 Color, the one with broad leaves behind them on the left is a Chocolate Habanero and the skinny, bushy plants are the Black Knight Chili peppers.  Notice the tight internodal spacing on the chilis?  That's because we're using a T5 light for the vegetative stage...tight internodes means more flowering sights, which means more peppers!  We just saw the first signs of budding on some of the Chinese 5 Color's last week so we'll be switching over to a High Pressure Sodium light and the Aqua Flores base nutrient soon.  We'll keep you posted!

Canna Aqua Pebbles - Replacement for Hydroton

Hydroton, the popular expanded clay growing medium, has been discontinued.  The company that manufactured it has closed their clay mine in Germany due to issues with the quality of the medium.  Many companies are quickly trying to fill the void with subpar products.  After trying out a few different brands in order to find the best substitute, we've decided that our replacement for Hydroton is Canna's AQUA PEBBLES.  This medium comes pre-washed with far less dust than the previous product and the current competitor's products, so the first step of rinsing is virtually eliminated.  The shape and size of the clay allows for the same great aeration that we're used to.  We've already done our own series of tests and we are very happy that the quality of Aqua Pebbles stands up to the same excellent quality of all Canna products and work great with their Aqua line of nutrients.

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.

Discover the Secrets of CannaBoost

The question we get asked the most in our store is , "What is your best nutrient?" Admittedly, it is a very loaded question because nowadays there are so many products on the market and there are so many factors to keep in mind when deciding on a nutrient, like what growing medium you're using and what type of nutrient distribution system you have.

However when people ask what our favorite additives are, that is a lot easier of a question to answer. There are a few products on the market that, regardless of medium, system, plant type, etc., will show you proven results time and time again. One of our favorites (and our best-selling) is CannaBoost, a bloom-boosting additive made by Canna.

CannaBoost is one of those products where you get immediate gratification. You SEE the results, and quickly! When we first started selling Canna products, it was a hard sell. It is a little pricier (at $110/1L, $511/5L) compared to additives from the more mainstream nutrient companies, but you absolutely get what you pay for. The first customer I had try it came back one week after first adding it to his reservoir to buy a 5-Liter bottle (after previously questioning the price of the 1-Liter size). In the span of that week he had seen his crop practically triple in size. Another customer added it to his nutrient regimen beginning the 5th week of bloom through the end of his cycle and had a 20% increase in yield over a system that he didn't add it to.

The results from day-one were undeniable, but the real question was, "What is this stuff!?" The NPK rating is 0-1-1, so it's not a high-phosphorous, high-potassium product. The ingredients listed on the label are Monopotassium Phosphate and Sugar Cane Vinasse, which wouldn't typically create the type of dramatic increase in yield that most people see when using this product. So how does it work?

Canna just released a new section of their website to address just that question: Discover the Secrets of CannaBoost

Read the product information, watch the video that will be released on September 15th and enter to win free products on September 29th.