Products We Love: Active Eye Growroom Lenses

The yellow/red color spectrum that fruiting and flowering plants need for optimal fruit/flower production is great for them, but not-so-great for our eyes.  High pressure sodium lamps create UV which can degrade our vision over time.  They also change the way the plants look to us, which makes it difficult to detect problems and deficiencies.  Hydrofarm's Active Eye Growroom Lenses are an inexpensive way to avoid all of that.  They block out the UV rays from your HPS lights and make your plants appear as they should.  They retail for $19.95, which is lower than most of the other HPS-light-correcting glasses on the market.  Keep a pair in your grow room and protect your eyes while working.

Looking through them at our peppers growing under an HPS light.

New and updated EZ-Clone 128

The EZ-Clone 128 site cloning machine has been updated.  Check out the flyer below for a look at the new design and a list of the new features.  These are in stock in both of our locations.

Come take part in our raffle!

As part of our 20th Anniversary week, we're holding a raffle.  We're giving away:

- 1 1000W Double-Ending Lighting System (1 Sunlight Supply AC/DE 8" Reflector, 1 Galaxy DE Select-A-Watt Ballast, 1 Ushio 1000W DE Lamp)

- 1 6"x16" Can-Lite Carbon Filter, 1 6" Max Pro Series 3-Speed Fan combination

- 2 $250 store gift certificates

You can earn 1 ticket for every $50 you spend, or tickets are available for purchase for $1/each.  Proceeds from the raffle will go toward the NYC Parks Department Green Thumb Youth Leadership Council program (for more information, visit their website).  The drawing will be held at our anniversary party in Nyack on Saturday, January 9th.  

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS! JANUARY 4TH-9TH

We are excited to announce that this January we are celebrating 20 years in business.  As a thank you to all of our loyal customers, we are making January 4th - 9th customer appreciation week.  It's been 20 years, so everything will be discounted by 20% that entire week.  There will also be other specials, blowouts, tons of free samples, giveaways and chances to earn/purchase raffle tickets to win prizes (ex: a double-ended lighting system, gift certificates, a gift basket full of grower-necessities, etc.).  On Saturday the 9th, we will end the week with food and drinks, more giveaways and the raffle drawing in Nyack.  We hope to see you!

Open Sesame, Beastie Bloomz and Cha Ching - New 15 lb. Size

Foxfarm's three popular solubles now come in a larger 15 lb. size.  MSRP is $164.95 which works out to be $11.00/lb, for a huge savings.  

Still Fighting the Heat?

This summer has been pretty hot and it's not over yet.  If you're still struggling to get your temperatures under control, think about installing a mini split air conditioner.  The DIY units from Ideal Air come with their lines pre-charged with refrigerant, so installation can be done by you, without the need to hire a professional HVAC technician.  The compressor is installed outside or in a VERY well-ventilated space/garage, while the head is mounted to a wall inside of your room.  These particular units are available in 12,000, 24,000 or 36,000 BTU models.

Our 2015 Seed Picks

The outdoor gardening season is upon us in the northeast, and if you've been looking forward to it since last year, you've probably already started the bulk of your seeds by now.  For plants like peppers and tomatoes, you're at that almost-too-late point to start from seed, but if you're determined enough do not wait any longer.  You still have plenty of time for your fall and winter greens/vegetables, and we've got some great picks for this year.  The only seeds we sell are from High Mowing Organic Seeds - they're 100% organic and now Non-GMO Project Verified.  They are the first seed company in the United States to be recognized by that organization, look for the label:

We carry a variety of their seeds, but here are our favorites for 2015:

Sylvetta Wild Arugula - One of the spiciest and most flavorful of all of the arugula varieties (in our opinion), a great salad or micro green.  Plants grow slowly, stay compact and are very resistant to temperature extremes (slow to bolt and make for a great fall/winter crop).

Golden Nugget Tomato - These plants produce a LOT of tomatoes, starting pretty early on in the season.  1-inch, juicy fruit, resistant to cracking.

Rosie Basil - We love the unique dark purple color of this basil, plus it is very aromatic with strong stems and uniform germination.  Great as a micro green, too.

Bangles Mini Bell Pepper Blend - A pretty mix of different shades of mini bell peppers (fruit develop to about 1.5" wide).  Each plant has a different color of pepper that ripens to red, gold or chocolate. 

Chioggia Guardsmark Beet - An improved strain of the traditional heirloom Italian Chioggia beet, these have better uniformity and are bolt-tolerant.  Plus the "bullseye" markings just look cool.  

Toma Verde Tomatillo - It is very hard to find organic tomatillos, so why not grow your own?  Tart when picked early, fruit get sweeter as they ripen.  Make your own salsa verde.

Tadorna Leek - A great fall/winter crop, but they need a long season (110 days to maturity).  You want to get these going and in the ground ASAP, that way you can start harvesting them in the fall.  We like the Tadorna strain due to their strong disease resistance.  

Pirat Lettuce - This heirloom lettuce variety is one of our absolute favorites.  Not only does it have great flavor, coloring and texture, it can handle almost anything.  Heat tolerant, resistant to downy mildew, tip burn, white mold and bacterial head rot.  Perfect for an outdoor garden but works just as well indoors.  

Very Important Tips For Double Ended Lamp Installation

Double ended lights are by far the most productive plant lighting technology on the market right now and people are having great results with them.  The double ended lamps are definitely unique, though, and not what we're accustomed to seeing or using.  The first time setting up a double ended lighting system can be a bit confusing when you've only used the conventional mogul-base bulbs in the past.  Here are a few tips to avoid having a potential problem:

This is a double ended lamp.  It doesn't have a threaded base that screws into a normal mogul socket.  It has two braided wires coming off of either side of it.  These lamps are made of quartz so you NEED TO WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING.  Unlike normal High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs, you cannot touch the glass on these bulbs with bare hands.  If you get moisture or oil from your fingers on quartz glass, when the bulb heats up it can heat up the oil and cause the bulb to break.

This is how the double ended lamps sit in their sockets.  The "flat" ends must sit flat inside of the bracket (not straight up and down at a 90 degree angle).  The metal wires NEED TO BE STRAIGHT.  They bend very easily so if you notice they are bent or curved, bend them back into place so they are straight.  They must sit inside of the two pieces of metal (see diagram) and make full contact with the two pieces of metal.  In this diagram, the wires are bent slightly and VERY CLOSE to NOT making full contact.  If full contact is not made, arcing will occur.  When an electrical current arcs, heat is built up and you can burn or melt your fixture or, even worse, START A FIRE.  After making sure that the wires are in place, slide the socket FULLY forward until it can't slide anymore.  

This is what can happen if your lamp is improperly installed.  In this case, the wires did not make full contact with the metal and the socket was not slid 100% forward to hold the bulb in place.  The electrical current arced, burnt up the lamp and melted the socket.  This is the best case scenario, it could have been much worse.  

This is an installation diagram that comes with the AC/DE Reflectors from Sunlight Supply.  

This is the most important piece of advice: take an extra minute to make sure your lamp is properly installed.

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. 

In-Store: Banana Tree

If you've been to our Nyack location any time over the past fourteen years, you've probably seen our Dwarf Cavendish banana tree.  It's growing in the front of the shop in a General Hydroponics MegaFarm that we converted a few years ago to a water-force recirculating system (instead of the standard air-force drip system).  We've gotten bananas a few times in the past but it's always been very sporadic due to our fluctuating climate in the store.  Back in June it started to flower again and today we started to harvest.  We have local, New York-grown bananas!  Hydroponics and indoor gardening make ANYTHING possible.

In bloom.

2 1/2 hands left to harvest.

First four bananas harvested.

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.

Botanicare's Hydroguard is Back

Botanicare's Hydroguard is now back, replacing its previous replacement AquaShield.   Now being formulated with a different species of bacteria, Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens (as opposed to the previous and more commonly used Bacillus Subtilis), it is even more concentrated and effective at improving root health and root mass.  Plus the shelf-life has increased to 2 years, instead of the 1 year shelf life of AquaShield.  A great weapon against root rot.

FoxFarm Nutrients and Additives: New Lower Price!

All FoxFarm brand nutrients and additives have gone down in price by about 9%.

It's Getting to be That Time of the Year Again...

Indoor growers, it's getting hot outside.  Read this article we wrote last year for some helpful tips to have a successful indoor summer season:

http://thegrowroom.blogspot.com/2013/06/indoor-gardening-in-summer.html

Video: Cleaning Your Cloning Machine

As an update to our previous post on the importance of properly cleaning your cloning machine, EZ-Clone has posted this video to walk you through it, step by step.  The same rules apply to all aeroponic and deep water hydroponic systems to avoid fungal/bacterial growth that can severely impact your plants.  Suggestion: Watch it on mute (sorry EZ-Clone)! 

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!

With Cloning, Cleanliness = Success

(photo courtesy of EZ-Clone's blog)

When cloning hydroponically, cleaning your cloning machine is probably the most important key to success.  We always recommend a THOROUGH cleaning immediately after transplanting your clones out of your EZ-Clone machine.  Don't put it off and let it sit around for a few days (or longer).  The longer it sits with stagnant water and decomposing plant matter in it, the more bacteria/fungi/pathogens have a chance to grow and the harder it will be to disinfect later.  EZ-Clone wrote an entry about this on their blog, giving their advice on how to clean and maintain a productive cloning machine.  Check it out here.

Clonex Rooting GEL - Now approved for all crops!

We've just received a very important update on our best selling cloning gel, Clonex.  It is now registered with the EPA and is approved for use on all crops, INCLUDING food crops!  So to everyone who saw the warning on the bottle, "This product is not intended for use on food crop sites" and was worried, now you don't have to be.  Along with the registration, the name of the product will change from "Clonex Rooting Compound" to "Clonex Rooting Gel."  Don't worry, there will be no change what-so-ever to the actual product itself.

Aptus Plant Tech

Aptus is a Dutch company that specializes in high end, highly concentrated additives that push your plants to their maximum potential, without sacrificing quality.  Since they only make additives, their products are compatible with any line of nutrients.  Call or come in to find out more about their products and how to incorporate them into your current nutrient regimen.  

Come to the Nyack store on Tuesday, November 19th, 11:00am-12:00pm, for Aptus' "Grower Education Class," speak to their reps directly and receive free product!

8 Bridge St.

Nyack, NY 10960

(845) 348-8811