HydroHarrys Newsletter August 2010

Greetings from Hydroharrys!

Hello!  There are a lot of exciting things going on in the world of HydroHarrys.  Last month we answered the question that all of you were asking and we now stock a whole bunch of great products by Advanced Nutrients.  At our Warren location we are in the process of building a grow room; it'll be done soon and we will be able to showcase hydroponic growing at its finest.  

And finally... HydroHarrys is very excited because we will have a booth at this year's Arts, Beats, and Eats in downtown Royal Oak.  If you want to talk, in depth, about hydroponics and indoor growing this is your chance to do it face to face with our knowledgeable staff.  Look for us on 5th Ave, East of Washington!  Oh, and there may be swag when you stop by...

Product Spotlight: HyperGrow Hydroponic Garden System

The HyperGrow Hydroponic Garden Kit is a complete kit that is perfect for newcomers to begin their indoor garden. It is a highly efficient system providing everything you need to grow indoors quickly and easily. The HyperGrow Hydroponic Garden Kit is a state of the art, true hydroponic system that can be used in your home, balcony or patio. Have fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers at your fingertips all year round! The kit includes the following:

• 2-Tier Potting System with one large water/nutrient reservoir and one small growing reservoir.
• Submersible pump, fountain nozzle/stem, and tubing.
• Grow Cubes (1/3 cu ft bag)
• Leca Stones (10 Liter bag)
• Nutrient Starter Pack (three 8oz bottles)
• Complete step-by-step illustrated instructions.

We have these set up at each store, stop by and check it out!

Ask HydroHarrys

Esteban Loiza from Detroit asks:  have been having a lot of trouble in my garden lately. All of the leaves on my plants are turning yellow, and I do not know what is causing it. I have heard from other growers that it could be a number of different problems. Could you help me diagnose my problem so I can get my indoor garden back to tip-top shape?

Esteban, there are many different problems that you could be running into. The most common, and easiest to diagnose, is light burn. If your lamp is too close to your plants, then the excess heat emitted from the lamp will burn the leaves of your plant on site. The easy way to check for this is to put your hand under the lamp at the highest point on any of your plants. If you can hold it there for 10 seconds without burning your hand, then your plants should be fine and free from light burn.

Another problem that you could be running into is a nutrient deficiancy. If you are running a nutrient system without a sufficient amouunt of Calcium and Magnesium, the two most important micro-nutrients, then you will get yellowing and wilting on your leaves. This is a very common occurence in gardens that are using reverse-osmosis filtered water, as this process takes out all micro-nutrients that are in the water. Luckily, these is an easy fix for this problem. Add in a Calcium Magnesium booster, such as CalMag Plus from Botanicare or CaMg+ from General Organics and your problem with yellowing should go away.

The last, and most uncommon, problem that you could be running into is nutrient burn. This happens when you give your plants too much of the nutrients that they need, and the nutrient salts begin to burn the leaves of your plant. This is a more difficult problem to diagnose. Some of the nutrient lines, (i.e. Foxfarm) are extremely strong out of the bottle and suggest you to use more than you probably will need in your garden. If you think that your plants are experiencing nutrient burn, cut your nutrient solution down 50% and see if your problem gets resolved.

Staff Highlight: Al

Say Hello to Al, one of two Master Gardeners on staff, he has over 15 years experience in hydroponic gardening.  Back in the 1990's, Al helped stock our very first shipment of hydroponic supplies, and since then he has been involved with everything regarding hydroponics at HydroHarrys.

From humble beginnings as a retail sales associate at Harry's Garden Center, Al now splits time between our Warren and Farmington Hills locations where his extensive knowledge of hydroponics is greatly appreciated by the staff and customers.

Al lives in Oakland County with his wife and three children.