Thanksgiving Schedule

Here is our schedule for the upcoming week of Thanksgiving:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (11/25-11/27) - OPEN

Thursday & Friday (11/28 & 11/29) - CLOSED

Saturday (11/30) - OPEN

As we say every year, we are thankful for all of you!  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

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

November Sales & Specials

Here are our specials for the month of November:

ALL ADVANCED NUTRIENTS - 15% OFF

HORTILUX 1000W HPS BULBS - $75.00 (MSRP: $129.95)

12" & 14" CAN-LITE CARBON FILTERS - 20% OFF

12" - $276.80 (MSRP: $346.00)

14" - $309.60 (MSRP: $387.00)

SUNLIGHT SUPPLY LIGHTING SYSTEM

1000W SWITCHABLE BALLAST, 1000W HPS BULB AND REFLECTOR

$195.00 (MSRP: $239.95)

NANOLUX 1000W DIMMABLE ELECTRONIC BALLASTS - $280.00 (MSRP: $339.95)

The summer reflector sale was successful so we're bringing it back!

NEARLY 50% OFF!

HYDROFARM DAYSTAR REFLECTORS

DAYSTAR w/ Socket Assembly and cord set - $83.00 

(MSRP: $159.90)

DAYSTAR 6" AIR-COOLED - $88.00 (MSRP: $169.95)

HYDROFARM RADIANT REFLECTORS

RADIANT - $83.00 

(MSRP: $159.95)

RADIANT 6" AIR-COOLED - $98.00 (MSRP: $189.95)

RADIANT 8" AIR-COOLED - $98.00 (MSRP: $189.95)

Prices valid at both locations.

We also take phone orders and ship.

Growing Garlic Indoors (and Out) in Containers

Garlic is one of the most commonly used ingredients in the kitchen, and it's really easy to grow at home in containers.

Like with all crops, it's important to grow garlic that is ideal for your climate.  There are 2 main types of garlic, hardneck and softneck.  For indoor gardening you will want to grow softneck garlic, because it is able to grow well in milder climates (indoors) and typically matures faster.  Softneck garlic is commonly what you find at the grocery store.  Hardneck garlic is a lot more flavorful, grows a hard woody stem which later develops scapes, and grows better in northern climates where the tempertaure gets below freezing in the winter.  Hardneck garlic will not grow well indoors.

We're growing a softneck variety, California Early White (Artichoke garlic), which we picked up when we were in Gilroy, CA (the garlic capital of the world, AKA: Heaven), and a hardneck variety, German White (Porcelain garlic) that we got from a farm in Sullivan County, NY.  The California Early White will stay indoors all winter, while we'll put the German White outdoors over the winter so it can get a freeze.

What you need:

- Soil with good drainage, preferably with a decent nutrient charge so you don't have to do as much work by adding your own nutrients from the start.  We like Roots Organics' Original Potting Soil.  If you prefer to add your own nutrients/fertilizer, Canna's Terra Professional Plus works well.

- Containers.  Garlic is a bulb so most of the growing is done below the surface of the soil.  You want a container that's at least 12" deep and wide enough to space the seeds 4" away from each other and the sides of your containers.  For 7-8 bulbs, we recommend 7 Gallon Root Pots from Aurora Innovations.  We like the root pots because they have a good width & depth and allow for the roots and bulbs to get air (garlic can be prone to fungus if the soil is too wet and the bulbs/roots can't breathe).

- Garlic Seed.  You can purchase seed garlic from a seed company (we like High Mowing Seeds, they're organic and we sell their fruit and vegetable seeds) or you can purchase garlic from any market or farm.  The garlic you use for cooking is the same garlic you can grow.

- Saucers (optional) - You can use plastic saucers to catch the run-off from when you water your garlic.

- Light.  If you're growing indoors we recommend using a T5 fluorescent fixture.  They don't use much energy and you can put them almost anywhere.  We're using the bottom shelf of a shelving unit to grow our garlic.

- Nutrients/Fertilizer.  Garlic needs to be fertilized.  Even if you start with a pre-charged soil, you will still need to amend with a general purpose fertilizer later on.  For organic gardening while using Roots Organics soil, after about a month we prefer to top dress the soil with some earthworm castings or Super Bat Super Tea (garlic doesn't need much phosphorus or potassium at all, just a moderate amount of nitrogen).  If you prefer liquid fertilizer, Bio Vega from Canna Nutrients works great, too (and it contains no chemicals or animal byproducts).

- Mulch or hay (when growing hardneck garlic outdoors).

Fill containers about 3/4 of the way with soil.

Take your garlic, break off the cloves, DO NOT PEEL.  Plant the cloves with the pointy side upward (root side downward), leaving about four inches between each clove and the sides of the pot.  This will allow enough room for each head of garlic to develop.

Cover cloves with about 1-2 inches of soil, water them (gently, making sure not to disturb the spacing of the garlic), and place them under your grow light.  Make sure to keep your soil moist - not soaked because garic can rot/not produce under very wet conditions.  For hardneck garlic, you may want to get some mulch/hay and cover the top of the container to protect from the cold over the winter. 

With softneck garlic, in a week or two you will begin to see green sprouts coming out of the soil (hardneck garlic tends to sprout a little later, then goes dormant over the winter and new shoots usually start coming up towards the end of the winter/beginning of spring).  Some people like to grow garlic just to cut and eat these shoots (you can use them the same way you would chives) but for the growth of the actual garlic you should leave them alone.  They process light and bring nutrients to the garlic bulbs.

When fertilizing with a dry fertilizer, top dress your soil with your earthworm castings or guano every 3-4 weeks.  Water like usual.  When using Bio Vega, mix the liquid fertilizer into your water once a week and water like usual.

With softneck garlic, in about 7-10 months the leaves will turn yellow and brown and dry out.  When this begins to happen, stop watering.  You want to give them about two weeks to dry out, and then it's time to harvest!  Pull up garlic, brush off soil and allow to dry.  Once dry, softneck garlic can store for 6-10 months (when kept in a cool, dark, dry place). 

Hardneck garlic is a little different.  They produce scapes, which are string-bean-looking things that come out of the center of the plant and curl.  Most people cut these off, because it distributes energy back down to the garlic bulb and tends to produce larger bulbs.  Usually garlic is ready to harvest 2-3 weeks after cutting the scapes (like with softneck garlic, the leaves will start to die).  After harvesting, curing and drying your hardneck garlic, you will need to use it within 2-4 months since it does not have the long shelf life that softneck garlic does.

*UPDATE*

Here is our garlic 8 months later.

SALE: HORTILUX 1000W HPS LAMPS

Now through 12/31/13, Hortilux 1000W HPS Lamps - $75.00 (MSRP: $129.95)

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