LED Grow Lights For Sale in New Zealand Blog.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INDOOR GROW OPERATIONS COMPARED

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 12:08:17 +0000

Normally people set up indoor grow operations because they live in an environment where you can’t grow plants year round, or because they’re trying to control the plant growth environment for some particular reason. Whatever your reasons for setting up an indoor grow operation you’ll want to take a close look at what your options are before you get started. If you’re just looking to grow one or two houseplants you may not need an elaborate set up, but if you’re looking to grow most of your family’s vegetables or you want to start a business to sell produce on the open market, things get a little more involved.

There are many different ways to set up an indoor grow operation, but not all of them are safe or desirable. If you take a quick search through the news I’m sure you’ll find more than one or two stories of grow operations that went wrong and it’s usually because they weren’t set up properly to begin with. We’re going to take a closer look at what your choices are for an indoor grow operation and which ones are the safest and most viable.

Can I Grow Plants in Any Room in My Home?
Unless you’re simply growing a couple of houseplants to add to the decor of your home it’s probably best to stay away from setting up anything too complex in a normal room of your home. There are many reasons for this, including the inability to optimize the lighting for your plants and the safety concerns that generally come along with using specialized lighting.

Plants need light sources that operate in the right part of the spectrum and are placed close enough to provide the amount of light they need for proper growth – this is hard to set up in a normal room in your home. Normally the ceilings are too high, so you can’t simply hang the light from your ceiling. This only leaves the option of using lamps, which unfortunately have a tendency to get knocked over and present significant safety risks due to fire. Even if you can secure the lighting so that it won’t be knocked over it still poses a safety risk because of the extreme heat that indoor grow lighting produces. Growing plants in a normal room in your home simply isn’t a good option. grow light led

How about an Existing Shed?
You might consider setting up a grow operation in the shed in your yard, but this also has some serious disadvantages. Sheds normally don’t offer a lot of natural light or ventilation options which are both essential to the plant growth process. Even if you can hook up some electricity in your shed you still have the problem of how to dissipate the heat and provide your plants with proper ventilation. Again, this is probably a method that you want to avoid if you’re serious about producing healthy plants that you can actually obtain crops from.

What’s a Grow Tent?
A very popular option for setting up your own grow operation is something called a grow tent. You can find a lot of these available online. The more expensive ones generally also include all the other equipment you need to get started. A grow tent is specifically designed for growing plants indoors so they have built-in framework for ventilation, cooling, and for setting up lighting. The great thing about grow tents is that they’re also quite portable, which means you can move your operation fairly simply if need be. This type of setup is generally ideal for someone with more modest indoor grow targets that don’t require permanent setups.

What’s an Indoor Greenhouse?
If you’re looking to establish a significant grow operation indoors there is really only one choice – an indoor greenhouse. These can either be set up in completely artificial surroundings away from natural light, or in glass-enclosed structures outside that also reap the benefits of natural light along with artificial light when necessary. Indoor greenhouses are designed to house extensive grow operations and they include mechanisms for setting up artificial lighting, ventilation, and cooling when necessary. If you’re setting one of these up keep in mind that they’re relatively permanent structures and they require a great deal of initial expense to set up.

Is One Way Better Than Another?
In my opinion there really are only two serious choices when it comes to indoor growing operations: a grow tent or a greenhouse. I wouldn’t necessarily say that either method is better as it really depends upon the size of your operation. If you’re setting up a small grow operation a grow tent is probably better, but if your intention is to establish yourself as a major indoor grower your best to go with a greenhouse. No serious indoor grow operation should ever be set up in a normal room of your house without some significant custom modifications.

Profitable Plants To Grow In Your Greenhouse

Sat, 09 Jul 2016 08:37:08 +0000

Here are some profitable plants to grow in your greenhouse Philodendron and Pothos.

It is truly hard to beat philodendron and pothos for planters or use as specimens. Philodendron cor datum is the one with the green heart-shaped leaves. Pothos' leaves are also heart-shaped but are marbleized. Southern growers can produce small plants in quantity for sale in markets, as well as florist shops, and at a price northern growers cannot hope to meet. But it may pay you to obtain stock and propagate your own small plants or grow them on and sell them as larger specimen plants.

Philodendron pertusum starts out with a complete heart-shaped leaf, and as the leaves mature they split into interesting designs. These plants are native to regions of torrential rains. Nature endows the leaves with these splits so the rain can pour through without injury to the leaf. The "adult" plants of this species are the ones we know as cut-leaf philodendron or Monstera deliciosa.

Because of the abundance of existing sources of supply, you would be wise to check carefully for potential business before you go heavily into production of pothos or philodendrons.

Pilea

Pilea is ideal for the 2-inch pot sales. Grown mainly for foliage, it ranges from fernlike Pilea microphylla (or P.muscosa), the artillery plant, through P. involucaira (friendship plant) with crinkled bronze leaves, to P. cadieri, the so-called aluminum plant.

Ordinary potting soil meets the requirements of these plants. They grow rapidly in 60 to 70 degrees if kept thoroughly watered, and take medium light.

Propagate pilea through cuttings or basal shoots. Cuttings taken in late January will make salable plants by May.

From one mature plant of P. involucatra in a 4-inch pot, I was able to obtain fifty cuttings. This being a great favorite at plant counters, I sold my plants to the retailer for 25 cents each; the retail price was fixed at 49 cents each.

Plectranthus

From Australia and Africa comes plectranthus, the spur plant. This rapid grower, a relative of coleus, is a real find for the 2-inch pot. There are a number of species, but only the one named Plectranthus Oertendahli is obtainable in America. This plant has hairy, silver-veined green leaves and red petioles; sprays of dainty mauve flowers decorate it most of the year. In my collection is an unidentified one having smooth, waxy green leaves that on warm humid days give off a fragrance like rose talcum powder. I hope some day to have sufficient time to propagate this unusual plant and distribute it. I think it deserves a place among the green trailers used in the indoor garden.

Plectranthus sets its own seeds. Sow these little spheres in any light soil mixture. Seed sown in January produces flowering plants by July, and you can prick them out of the flats and plant directly into 2-inch pots of porous soil. To insure a superior floral display your plectranthus plants should be fed dilute fertilizer at 10-day intervals after they have been potted for 6 weeks.

Prayer Plant

Of interesting foliage and growth habit is Maranta kerchoveana, the prayer plant. The leaves of soft green are blotched with dark brown. At night maranta folds its leaves upward as if in supplication-thus giving rise to the common name.

Grow this one in ? peatmoss, ? loam. Give it plenty of drainage and a warm greenhouse. Propagation is by plant division.

Rivina Humilus

Among the prettier of the rapid-growing house plants is white-flowered, red-fruited Rivina humilus, the rouge berry plant. Successive plantings of seeds or cuttings will give you plants with flowers and fruit for easy sale through the year. It is an especially good seller for fall and winter holidays. Seeds germinate in about 10 days, and the plants will flower and fruit 4 months after seed sowing-in 2 to 3 months from cuttings. A warm house of 70 degrees is to their liking; they grow in sun or slight shade. Symmetry can be produced by pinching out tips on older plants. Pot directly from the flat to 2-inch pots, a valuable time-saver.

Royal Poinciana

Although not strictly classed as a pot plant, the royal poinciana tree (Delonix regia or Poinciana regia) is so easily grown from seed into a ferny little shrub that it is a splendid subject for the dish garden. It will stay small enough for indoor use for some time.

Seeds resemble large beans. Plant them in any good soil; they pop up in a week or less. Their chief requirement is water; if you forget this, the leaves will fall all over the place. These plants have the intriguing habit of folding their leaves toward evening.

Ruellia

Pretty leaves, pretty flowers, and easy to grow that's Ruellia macrantha. With olive green leaves daintily marked in white and rosy-purple petunia-like blooms, it is a real eye-catcher. Propagate through cuttings inserted into light soil or other rooting media. Three or 4 months bring you plants ready for 2-inch pots. Flowers last several days; and ruellia becomes more beautiful if given monthly feedings of liquid fertilizer. Temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees, moderate light, and ordinary soil are the growth requirements.

Samevieria

Called sword plant or snake plant, this tough individual remains high on the popularity list with people who dislike the fuss and bother of caring for flowering plants. Sansevieria is also invaluable for poorly-lighted indoor areas. It grows in virtually any soil, in temperatures from 60 to 80 degrees. Improved forms of the old-fashioned snake plant are numerous. This, however, is another case of a plant in plentiful supply; so check your market first. One gardener made a considerable profit by selling these plants to residents of housing projects.

Many of these folks have indoor planters and, while they like to see something growing in them, they cannot afford the more expensive green plants. For such planters a combination of sansevieria, anthericum (spider plant), and Chinese evergreen is hard to equal. All these plants can be offered at a price these householders-mainly young people can afford to pay. Sansevieria propagates easily from 2-inch cuttings of the swordlike leaves.

Propagate both philodendron and pothos by tip cuttings or leaf-bud cuttings. They root rapidly in any soil in temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees, and grow best in somewhat shady areas.Terminal cuttings taken in February will produce 2-inch potted plants in about 3 months.

Use Your Growing Tent as an Enclosed Greenhouse

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 03:14:37 +0000

If you run a commercial retail greenhouse, you will understand that there is a need for a full-time supply of seedling plants. These little seedlings will grow into mature plants to sell for retail prices; in the warmer months, you need to be sure you have many seedlings growing. This way they can replace plants that you have sold, to keep your nursery well-stocked.

When you use a growing tent, it's easy to give your seeds precisely what they will need for the optimal germination rate. People who garden at home also can benefit from smaller grow tents, to start their own seeds. Indoor grow tents are very convenient and easy to use, plus they give you a perfect solution for starting seeds. Use fresh seed with a good germination rate and the proper seed starting mix. The seeds will then need water, light and heat to germinate, depending on what types of plants you will be growing.

Indoor grow closets can be thought of as simply small areas where you are able to control the climate for your seeds to have their best chance to germinate and mature. Better quality tents will have a reflective and sturdy interior, which will eliminate your needing extra reflectors normally used along with grow lights. Grow tents also usually have dark or black material on the outside, to hold in heat. Using dark materials will increase the level of heat in the tent, with zero cost for energy.

You'll use your grow closet for a long time, so ensure that the materials used in its construction are durable. The frame which shapes the tent should be of strong steel, and the zippers should be heavy duty zippers, since you will use them daily.

Growing tent come in a variety of sizes, and the right one for you depends on what you'll be using it for, and how much space you have in which to place it. Your budget will also play a role in your selection of a growing tent. Small tents are fine for fewer seed containers, and larger tents work well for large plants and growth systems you may set up inside the frame. Regardless of the size of tent you choose, you'll be more successful with your seeds starting and growing to maturity.