"THE BORG"

This is a Blog Post I was hoping I would never have to write about! After all the precautions taken ,we've been invaded by Spider Mites .Some call this terrible force of nature "The BORG". Which I believe is fitting! These nasty little critters are so small you can hardly see them with the naked eye! Once you see the first sign of infestation in your indoor garden it's time to act fast!!!!

Indoor hydroponic gardening is usually easier to control or prevent infestations, but it does happen to the best of us! Once you see one of these guys or there webbing you can bet you got trouble!

After you realize you have visitors it's time to show them the door!!!!! 

If you have webbing on your plants you know the situation is bad ,and will take several treatments to rid this "EVIL"!!!!!First off we will kill off every single mite we can see with one of  several different  products.

 There are approx. 1,200 different kinds of mites . Natures mite control is done by lady bugs,but if we don't have an army of lady bugs we'll have to use other methods.

 Mighty wash can be found mostly anywhere hydroponic supplies are sold. Be sure to use this product right before lights out to help protect from leaf burn!

SM-90 works very well ,and smells great. Mix 5-1 with water

and be sure when using these products that you apply on and under all your leafs. Repeat every 5-7 days to assure all mites are destroyed ,and none are hatching from eggs. When your convinced their gone treat again! Wash your grow room area with a bleach solution then repeat a week later.SM-90 added to your solution is good for your roots ,and good mite prevention. Don't forget to leave outdoor plants outdoors ,and keep your grow room clean!!!!

*IMPORTANT UPDATE*

Introducing "Smite" 

SPIDER MITE MITICIDE

Extremely effective and kills naturally on contact!

Smite contains oils produced by cold-pressed extraction of naturally grown Geranium,Peppermint, Cottonseed, and Rosemary. Under warm conditions ,Smite will naturally degrade in 5-7 days leaving minimal residue! Smite kills on contact by blocking the breathing holes, resulting in death by suffocation.It also causes reproductive disruption among female spider mites not initially contacted by the spray. This leads to infertility, eggs that don't hatch or mites that do not develop to an adult stage.Get yours HERE! 

Keeping it clean!!!

Well now that we have happy plants its time to make sure we keep them happy,and healthy! Some people change there solution in their hydroponic systems weekly. I've known growers that never changed or cleaned their systems during an entire grow, and still had moderate luck! When we grow herbs,vegetables,fruits or medication for ourselves I suggest that we would want to keep our hydroponic systems as clean as possible , and in great working condition! The great thing about indoor hydroponic gardening is you control the entire environment! A clean environment is a happy one!

We will start with the flood table first.A good washing with mild dish soap, and sanitize with bleach then rinse it well! Next we will remove the reservoir, and place it on a little dolly for easy handling .

The same washing and sanitizing methods that we used on the flood table are applied to the reservoir, and pump system.

After cleaning and sanitizing are complete we will begin to put it all back together.Are we having fun yet?!

Let everything air dry then refill your hydroponic systems reservoir with the proper mixture of "nutes" that you prefer to nourish your garden with, and be sure to check the pH level of the water you are using, and adjust it accordingly!

Then we put the pump system back in place, cover the reservoir, plug it back into the timer, and our automated hydroponic systems back "online".

That wasn't so bad now was it? We still have plenty of time to get started on our "to do" list!

Remember to keep it clean, and it will keep you healthy! "Take care of your stuff and your stuff will take care of you!" 

Growing Healthy Foods Grows Healthy Bodies!!!!!!!!

With Summertime coming to an end, I can't help but look back at all the good fruits and vegetables that were so readily available, as they were in season. The planting, growing ,and Harvesting will continue throughout the Year however using the new Grow tent set up available through hydro-garden.com.http://www.hydro-garden.com/grow-tents-s/1820.htm

These tents allow you to keep growing your favorite veggies and herbs all year around. Summer may be coming to an end but the summertime foods and activities don't have to end!!!!

We just hiked a lovely trail along "coon creek" at the Coast in Mantana De Oro State Park.

My favorite exercise though is Golf. Luckily residing on the Central Coast of California I can get plenty of rounds in every year!!!!! LOOK OUT hole in one! I'm coming for you!!!!!!

Just remember whatever sport or hobby you like to do is a benefit to your overall health and fitness! It seems like the more hobbies and activities we plan for our health takes up a lot of our time, but the rewards we get from our gardening and healthy eating/exercising is worth it.Eat well, Play hard, and enjoy all life has to offer!!!

"Fruits of our labor"

Now that we have some delicious salads, and other yummy veggies coming up nicely ,we can focus a little on the fruit around our garden. It looks like our guava tree is in bloom.

These pretty flowers will soon be replaced by some of the most delicious fruits 

I've ever tasted!

Then we have our apples, and oranges (and no, I don't compare them!)

Our mulberries are starting to turn darker. They will be cleaned, and frozen for later use.

Then we have our nectarine tree doing its thing, and the peaches are coming in huge this year.(Too bad the birds are getting the first taste!)

:-(

So it looks like we have plenty of work to be done in the near future. Cleaning, freezing, canning, making jams,etc.,but it's worth it for all the nutritious, and delicious treasures that we get from our gardens. Don't forget to exercise daily, and try to eat healthy, you may surprise yourself at how much better you feel!

Garden nutrients and Natures gym!

So now that we're well into June we have been getting some delicious greens, and cherry tomatoes. Our garden has already provided extra healthy nutrients, and we've only began. Here is some of our heirloom lettuce.

Looks like we have a pretty good bunch of tomatoes not to far behind.

The strawberries have been doing a lot better since we added our bird proof screening over the garden bed! Finally get to eat the berries instead of feeding the birds! "Sorry Birds!!!"

Yummy!!!! We sure could use more berries and fruits in our gardens! Remember we should be getting at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day! It is so much easier to go out to the garden ,or to the grow room , and pick your daily needed fruits and vegetables, instead of having to go to the market.

Once again ,powered up by nutritious foods and a little added vitamin supplementation via Advocare Spark we tackle another hill top overlooking the town of Atascadero!

We hiked along the Blue Oak Trail, and when we got near the top I was thinking "who needs a gym membership?" The energy from a little exercise ,and a healthy diet has helped me do so much more than I ever was able to do! After the hill we decided to walk along the ocean. This is at Shell beach!

Remember to eat your veggies!!!!!! It's not too late to get growing your own nutrient rich foods at home whether it be an outside garden or indoor hydroponic gardening.For complete grow room packages find everything you need at  www.hydro-garden.com

Getting Fit and Healthy!

Now that we have a healthy assortment of lettuce, greens, tomatoes, and other goodies growing in our gardens it's time to turn our focus on exercise! OOOooooohhhhh!!!!! I Know ! No one wants to hear that. Lately we have been increasing our daily exercise levels with work-outs, weight training, walking, golfing, and hiking! It helps overall health, and feeling better, when you mix great home grown fruits, and veggies with increased levels of  activities. Here are some pics from our last hike through the San Luis Obispo County hills around Avila beach.

This was the start of our afternoon journey. The trails at Johnson's Ranch. A little over three miles of trail through the hills. It was nice, but not quite as challenging as we wanted.(Especially after we had our Advocare Spark, and we were ready to climb a hill!)

So then it was on to Bob Jones trails then up through Sycamore Springs to the top of Avila Ridge!

 What a beautiful view! You can see the Pacific coast line of Pismo and Grover beach, and the Oceano dunes on your left, and San Luis Bay pier, and Avila beach on the right!

You can also see Avila golf resort where we have played a little golf, and caught a couple good live music shows. It is great weather for growing healthy foods here on the Central Coast, but also equally great weather for getting out, and exercising or just staying active.If you need more energy, and focus, and would like more info on the Advocare products listed in this blog see more at the following link...


www.advocare.com/130241667

READY,SET,..........GROW!!!!!!

Looks like we are off to a good start this year. We have our lettuce coming in nicely.

Of course we need our spinach to go with it!

We are also growing several different kinds of tomatoes. The little cherry tomatoes come back every year on their own , but we did plant some other varieties also.

For other healthy dishes we have green beans coming up fast, and if anything like last year we should get a "truck load"

Our strawberries survived the winter and have already produced a few berries. (only the birds got to them first!) That's why we are starting to bring some of our growing Indoors.

The snails and other insects have snacked on the parsnips but we still managed to save a few!

The asparagus has been coming in pretty good so far, but like always it's just not enough.These guys are very delicious and healthy, but they grow to slow for my taste.

We have a rosemary bush that is pretty hardy but still young so we also started some parsley and basil. I am still considering a spice garden when I can find the extra time.

So as you can see the outdoor garden has sprung into action , and is taking off in good shape.Our inside plants are doing well also, minus the bug problem ,but just like before we just don't have the room inside for the scale of operation we want. So we will just see what lies ahead for our yummy little community in the coming weeks.

Start of the season

Well the soil has been prepared. The rain (although not much) has come,and gone. Now we move our attention to sowing our seeds. We have already got lettuce,and spinach growing,and tomato plants (some volunteer plants that come up when they want) and others from the garden center.It looks like a good start to some delicious salads. On the other hand our indoor plants are loving the extra light from the 18 hour light cycle they get,and are quite happy to be inside away from the snails, and other pests.We also started a tray full of heirloom lettuce to be grown as "micro greens". This is a fun little project that doesn't cost much, and rewards you with nutrient packed delicious little greens for salads,soups, and sandwiches. We have much more to plant, and this year we hope to place our crops in better locations to ensure our plants are getting the sunlight they need, and not end up with plants fighting for space in the grow boxes.

Making Your own Nutrient Solution for Hydroponic Gardening

I came across this article while surfing for a better way to feed my plants. The cost of nutrients for Hydroponic Gardening is through the roof! I think this year i'm going to try to mix my own nutes! This article has some good ideas. https://mycotopia.net/topic/22338-mix-your-own-nutes-from-chemical-salts/https://mycotopia.net/topic/22338-mix-your-own-nutes-from-chemical-salts/

The Oxygen Pot Advantage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl6hlK3PbaI This would sure help increase your total indoor crop size!