Re: Hydroponics Organically

**"* S* <m*@gmail.com>**

On Sun, May 18, 2008 at 3:03 AM, Kathryn Marsh <kmarsh@iol.ie> wrote:
There is quite a good article here Doreen

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1977-03-01/Organic-Hydroponics-A-Simple-Solution.aspx<http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1977-03-01/Organic->

Hi,

As the author of that long ago article, it's impossible not to chime in to
this discussion!  ;-)

First of all: Kathryn, you are quite correct about the term "organic." When
applied to hydroponics, it's certainly a misnomer. However, this work took
place long before U.S. farmers had hatched the idea of national
certification, so it was appropriate to the time. Now, of course, it doesn't
fall within the "legal" definition.

Secondly, I confess to a continuing interest in what I am going to
stubbornly refer to as "organic nutrient solutions." This interest comes
from doing so much of my growing in greenhouses where nothing is "natural."

Probably about 15 years ago, I got a SARE grant to do trials on bagged
pepper plants, comparing a synthetic nutrient system and two "organic" ones.
I did this because it's so easy to build soil-borne diseases in greenhouse
beds and I really prefer growing in containerized soil that I can compost at
the end of the season.

I do not remember the details of the trial at this point, but I do remember
what I learned from it. I had enough money to do tissue tests throughout,
too, which was one of the gifts of the grant.

I did not use the "blue stuff," which I dislike intensely. (Long a believer
in the "placebo" effect, I figured that my distaste for the blue stuff would
carry over into the plants and affect the results.) Instead, I used:

1. a solution called "Roots Plus" that Gardeners Supply was selling that was
MOSTLY composed of natural substances but included some N that was
synthetically derived,

2. a solution of the "organic" Roots that GS was also selling,

3. my own solution that was composed of worm-cast tea, compost tea, liquid
seaweed, & fish emulsion.

So this wasn't a trial of "good stuff" against "bad stuff," it was a trial
of "good stuff" against "pretty good stuff." I had four reps for each of the
three solutions, totaling 144 plants spread over 12 tables. I used a zones
automated drip system because anything else is crazy if you're a commercial
grower--which I was at the time.

In retrospect, I wish I'd used the blue stuff in place of Roots Plus. Oh
well...

At any rate, the peppers fertilized with the Roots Plus mixture had a
slightly--and I mean slightly--better nutrient balance than those being fed
with regular Roots or my solution, which were just about the same (!). The
yields from the Roots Plus plants were slightly higher, too, but yields
overall were REALLY good--good enough to warrant the bench space in a
commercial house.

So if you want to look at the trial as a horse race, the Roots Plus plants
won.

However, that is not at all how I saw it. What I saw was that I can get
fantastic yields and strong plant response from a homemade mixture of liquid
nutrients.

Doreen: this is not entirely applicable to your situation. For one thing,
your plants will have only "water roots" because they will be in a liquid
environment. I have never grown in pure liquid, so I am out of my element
when it comes to this kind of hydroponics.

I will mention, however, that I was asked to assess plant health at a BIG
bioshelter where basil was being grown in the left-over water from tilapia
culture. The basil looked miserable and I prescribed fish and seaweed as
supplements. The plants perked up and from then on, the nutrient solution
was supplemented with sea/fish.

As for your situation, Doreen: I will be really curious about what you come
up with and how you do it. I would caution you to test pH at least every
other day--it goes out quickly in traditional hydroponic systems. It may be
as a consequence of certain plants--I have seen this happen daily in
commercial hydroponic lettuce houses because the lettuce makes the solution
quite alkaline. I suspect that it can happen easily with any plants,
however, because an all-liquid system lacks the microorganisms that would
buffer the solution. I also believe that the trace element content will be
out of balance and probably low in certain nutrients as a consequence of the
plants having only water roots. However, this produce won't be the major
part of your diet, so it's no big deal.

If I were developing a nutrient solution for your system, I would work with
varying proportions of worm-cast tea, seaweed, and fish, adjusting according
to plant response. For example, for greens, I would probably start out with
a higher proportion of worm cast tea and for fruiting plants, more sea/fish.
All you can do--unless someone really knowledgeable writes in--is play with
the proportions until they "feel" right and the plants are robust and
growing at the right rate. Too fast and you can bet the N is too high, of
course. In a greenhouse, aphids are the first to alert you that N is high
but you may not get them under your sink. (I hope not!)

Right now, I am doing a lot with worm-cast tea and for my purposes, it seems
superior to most compost teas. I am growing in north central Florida, where
I do not need a greenhouse, although I DO need lots of season-extension
technologies at various times of the year. My "soil" is more sand than
anything else and plants must have supplemental nutrients on a regular
basis. I have been using worm casts in the planting furrows and holes and am
also watering with a worm-cast tea. It's quite good--you can see the plants
respond immediately. However, I think it might be a bit low in P, so the
sea/fish is still a necessity. I haven't done any tests because I am not
growing commercially these days.

I am hoping that you will keep us posted about your experiences with this
system. I, for one, will be very interested to learn what happens--both your
failures as well as your successes. Even though I don't imagine ever again
needing a greenhouse, I am still fascinated by everything that can possibly
apply to gh culture.

Miranda

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