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Consumer
Guide to Hydroponics
and Soiless Gardening with Hydrogarden
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Dear Gardener,
Welcome to the world of hydroponics, the art of soiless gardening.
Hydroponics and Plant Grow Lights are the gardening tools for
the 21st Century. They make gardening a year round hobby and
literally mean you can grow any plant, any time, any where!
You will be amazed at the results you can achieve using the
unique range of HydroGarden hydroponic kits and our quality
Power Plant High Intensity Grow Lights. Increased yields, faster
growth rates and year round gardening are just a few of the
benefits from gardening this way (artificial lighting is not
essential to grow hydroponically).
The staff at HydroGarden have been using and searching out the
best products for the past 11 years, this website brings their
knowledge together to enable you to achieve maximum results
with minimum effort.
No digging, weeding or soil borne pests or diseases to ruin
your enjoyment of clean, easy and productive gardening.
With the continuing concerns about the level of pesticide and
herbicide residues remaining in bought produce, the only guaranteed
way to ensure healthy eating is to grow your own. With the self
watering and rapid growth rates achievable in soiless gardening,
this is now more possible.
After you have read our catalogue, we hope you will try this
safe, fun, educational and productive form of gardening.
Please ask your specialist Hydroponic retailer for any advice
relating to the products contained within this web site. Our
equipment is stocked by all leading hydroponic stores around
the country. Go to the retailer locator to find your nearest
specialist retailer.
Happy Gardening !! |
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All plants have the same basic needs of light, food (nutrients),
carbon dioxide (CO2), water, heat and fresh air. If any of these
are lacking the plant will have problems growing. Different
plants require these factors in differing ratios but they are
all needed whether the plant is in the soil or grown hydroponically.
With soiless gardening we can control and enhance all of a plant's
basic needs, we even have the advantage to ensure adequate Oxygen
is available to the roots.
SOIL GROWN
Small
plant - big root |
HYDROPONICALLY GROWN
Big plant - small root |
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Hydroponics, by its most simple definition, is the growing of
plants without soil.
The plants are supported in an inert media such as perlite,
vermiculite, clay pebbles, or rockwool and are fed a nutrient
solution. This means that the plants do not have to develop
a large root system in order to feed. Soil based plants divide
their energy evenly between growing upwards and growing downwards
(rooting).
A hydroponically grown plant expends a greater proportion of
its effort growing upwards because all the nutrients it requires
are readily available.
Having all nutrients available benefits the plants by promoting
quicker growth and, in the case of crop bearing plants, higher
yields. Further more, hydroponically grown plants are healthier
and more robust than their soil grown counterparts and when
home grown fruit and vegetables taste superior to those found
in supermarkets. Under the right conditions a hydroponically
grown plant will grow between 2 to 4 times more quickly than
in soil. For tomatoes commercial growers have realised yields
per hectare of up to 40 times that of soil grown plants.
Due to environmental concerns regarding the reduction of water
consumption and the worries over the indiscriminate use of nitrates
and other fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides in soil based
agriculture, the future of hydroponic methods of cultivation
is assured.
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| Hydroponics has existed for years |
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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon used hydroponics and the US Army
used the technique to feed soldiers during WW2 on the Pacific
Islands. Today soiless gardening is rapidly expanding throughout
the world and hydroponic installations can be found in all corners
of the globe from Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Spain, Holland,
Israel, Thailand and the UK.
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Commercial crop growers are turning to soiless cultivation
more and more. The speed of growth combined
with the control over the growing environment means
higher quality crops. Worry about soil borne
pests and diseases are reduced dramatically, and
weeding is a thing of the past. For commercial
growers rapid harvests and higher yields are great
reasons to grow this way.
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| HydroGarden makes Hydroponics
easy |
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The techniques used by commercial growers are now available
to the home gardener. All of our systems give you the advantages
of commercial style hydroponics in easy to use kits and nutrients.
All you need to add are seeds and water !!
Setting up a system is quick and easy and, once running, maintenance
consists of monitoring the nutrients and periodically adding
more nutrients and water. The system does the work ! You spend
the time literally enjoying the fruits of your labour.
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| Hydroponics can be done anywhere |
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Soiless gardening will be used by NASA to feed astronauts on
long space flights with fresh vegetables; even lettuces are
grown on submarines using these techniques.
Due to the different sizes of systems available and the unlimited
design that systems can be made into, you can grow in any location
where there is sufficient light. As the systems are self contained
and clean they can be used indoors during the winter, in a conservatory,
greenhouse, cellar, attic, garage or kitchen. Because there
is no messy soil and the systems are usually quite light in
weight, any indoor location is suitable. They can even be moved
outside in the summer.
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Add a Power Plant HID lighting unit and you can grow literally
all
year round. Easy, clean and productive, you can enjoy fresh
herbs and produce even when it is cold and raining outside.
By altering the time grow lights are on you can simulate winter
or summer day lengths, enabling the plants to fruit or flower
earlier or later in the season. You are in control.
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| The Benefits of Hydroponics |
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•
Year round gardening
• Conserves water.
• It is clean - indoor cultivation possible.
• Digging/weeding is eliminated.
• More plants per given area.
• Enhanced flavour of crops.
• Plants grow quicker with increased yield.
• Soil borne pests are eliminated.
• Reduced Pesticide use.
• Interesting and educational.
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Consumer Guide to
Hydroponic System Types
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In general we can divide soiless gardening into 2 types; passive
kits or systems, often called pot culture, where we generally
feed by hand. Secondly, active kits or systems, of differing
designs, where the nutrient feed is actively delivered to the
plant by some automatic means, usually using a pump.
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The cheapest and
simplest means to grow hydroponically.
IIdeal for beginners. Simply fill a suitable pot with
a soiless medium and fill a bottom tray (or AquaTray)
or saucer with nutrient solution by hand. The nutrient
will reach the plant using capillary action in the first
stages. |
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Also called Flood and Drain.
Plants grown in this method are often supported in pots, filled
with Hydroton clay pebbles, which are placed into a special
tray. The tray is regularly flooded to soak the Hydroton clay
with nutrient solution and then it is allowed to drain back
into a holding tank. This cycle is repeated several times a
day. When the nutrient drains away fresh air and oxygen are
drawn to the root zone of the plants. Highly efficient and easy
to manage method of soiless gardening. |
| NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) |
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Commonly known as NFT. The plants rest in a flat but sloping
tray or channel, often without support or using Rockwool cubes,
and the nutrient solution is simply recirculated around the
system with the roots bathed by a constant flow of nutrient
feed. The system is easy and quick to install and provides fast
growth rates.
As the system is usually run on a constant basis (during day
light hours) the management of NFT systems has to be more diligent
that other types of systems. Should the recirculating pump fail
the plants will die due to the lack of growing media to hold
water and food for them. However, if managed correctly, this
system (developed in the UK) will outperform all other system
types currently available. |
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An effective method that involves suspending the roots of the
plants being grown in a darkened sealed chamber, where they
are misted with a nutrient mix. Due to the high oxygen levels
in such a system rapid growth rates can be achieved. Similar
management issues to NFT. |
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A reservoir of nutrient feed is pumped via drippers to plants
usually supported in pots or more often in Rockwool cubes or
slabs. The AquaTray is used for this method also. The excess
nutrient may then be recirculated or allowed to drain away,
known as 'run to waste'. Use this excess nutrient to feed to
your soil based plants! It is possible using this method to
feed plants in individual pots giving maximum flexibility, coconut
coir and Hydroton clay are also popular mediums used in drip
irrigation. |
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All Active systems will need to be maintained. This can be done
by hand or automaticallyusing the HydroGeneral. There are 2
factors that need to be monitored. Firstly pH; the pH will need
to be maintained between 5.8 and 6.3, the optimum being 6.2.
(See page 8 of this section for an explanation of pH)
Secondly, the strength of the nutrient solution will need to
be monitored using a suitable hand held meter. Different plants
at differing stages of growth will need differing strengths
of nutrient. On a hot day additional water may need to be added
to the system due to the high transpiration rates of the plants. |
Consumer Guide to Nutrients
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As the plants are grown in an inert media the plant's nutrition
must be supplied from the nutrient mix. In fact a plant obtains
only 25% of what it needs through its roots, the other 75% comes
from the air in the form of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The nutrients
and water mix you use in soiless gardening are the sole source
for a number of mineral elements, it is important that you use
nutrients that are made for hydroponics and that the water is
good quality. Tap water is usually fine.
As a result nutrients are a key factor in soiless gardening.
A complete and balanced formula is needed to obtain the best
results from your system. In soil based gardening it is impossible
to know how little or how much of a particular mineral is available
to the plants. In hydroponics we must provide ALL the minerals
necessary for successful plant growth. We therefore use feeds
that contain all of the 14 essential minerals required. For
these reasons ordinary soil based garden plant foods are unsuitable
for use in hydroponic systems. However, hydroponic nutrients
are especially good for use on soil based plants due to the
complete feed they represent.
In general there are 2 types of nutrients available to the hydroponic
grower. A 'Grow' mix and a 'Bloom' mix. The 'Grow' is used for
young plants, plants in vegetative growth and for plants which
do not flower or produce blooms or fruit. The 'Bloom' is used
for flowering and fruiting when necessary.
Some nutrients are also supplied in a Hard Water and Soft Water
formulation. In the UK most of our water is termed as being
'hard' and as such contains high levels of bicarbonates. In
these circumstances it is better to use a hard water mix which
has less of the minerals that are already found in the 'hard'
water.
All of our Nutrient brands contain everything that a plant requires
in exactly the right ratios to obtain maximum results. All the
nutrients are mineral elements that are water soluble so as
to be readily available to the plants in the system.
Nutrient ratios are commonly noted as NPK ratios, each representing
the ratio of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K).
These are the three main minerals required for plant growth,
but are not the only ones ! |
| Types of Nutrients Available |
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We are pleased to offer you a complete range of nutrient formulations.
We have a range of single pack nutrients in which the complete
concentrate is contained within one bottle or pack. We stock
the more usual twin packs, where each 'grow' and 'bloom' concentrate
is supplied in an A and B pack separately.
For more control, we also stock a three part formulae where
the ratios are adjusted throughout the growing cycle. We do
not recommend three part nutrients for the novice grower. |
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We are pleased to point out our range of Organic Plant foods,
Earth Juice. Earth Juice is 100% organic and is ideally suited
to both hydroponic and soil growing. Earth Juice Catalyst is
especially useful as an organic additive to non-organic nutrients
as a means of introducing beneficial enzymes and bacteria. |
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Different plants need differing strengths of nutrient mixes
through the growth cycle, especially if fruiting or flowering
is to occur. To measure the strength of a solution a CF (Conductivity
Factor) or EC (Electrical Conductivity) meter is needed. CF
or EC is the measurement of how much dissolved nutrient is contained
within the solution. The higher the number the stronger the
nutrient solution is. In general, leafy vegetables like lettuces,
will need a weaker strength solution than a fruiting or flowering
plant, such as peppers, tomatoes or roses. See Helpful Information
on page 14 for some typical CF values needed to grow common
plants. |
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pH is a measure of how alkaline or acidic the nutrient solution
is. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 0 to 7 being acidic
and 7 to 14 being alkaline. pH 7 is neutral, being neither acid
or alkaline. The majority of plants prefer the pH between 5.5
and 7.5, beyond this range some nutrient elements will be unavailable
to the plants, the optimum pH being between 5.8 and 6.3.
Most tap waters are between pH 7 and 8. Monitoring the pH is
a good idea to ensure that the plants have the optimum nutrient
mix available to them.
As you can see from the chart, some materials are less available
t0 the plant when the pH is out of this optimum range. |
Consumer Guide to Growing Media
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In any soiless gardening system that uses a media its purpose
is solely to anchor the roots and hold moisture/nutrients for
the plant. The media itself is inert and contains no plant nutrients.
Made of various inert materials it will not decompose, nor harbour
any soil borne pests or diseases.
The plant's complete nutritional needs are met by the special
nutrient mixes that you add to the individual system.
We offer a range of growing media that have been selected due
to their high quality and superior capacity for holding nutrient
solutions, while still retaining a good balance of oxygen and
moisture. |
| TYPICAL HYDROPONIC MEDIA ARE: |
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Hydroton is our special kiln fired clay based aggregate that
is super heated and formed into small 'marbles' usually between
4mm to 16mm in diameter. The inner core structure is porous
and will absorb and release nutrient and water to the plants
as required. Hydroton will not compact, this ensures excellent
aeration for the root zone. Hydroton is completely reusable
and will last indefinitely, making it real value.
Hydroton is an excellent medium for pot culture, to mix with
Canna Coir and for use in Ebb & Flow systems. It is especially
popular with Orchid growers. Hydroton will readily accept transplanted
seedling started in Rockwool or any other traditional planting
mix. |
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Coconut Coir is rapidly becoming the media of choice for both
soiless gardeners and soil based gardeners who are concerned
about the depletion of rare peat bogs in the world. Coco Coir
is a waste material from coconut production and is 100% renewable.
Canna Coco Coir is the market leader in Hydroponic Coir media,
this is due to the high quality and pretreatment necessary for
coir to be used in soiless gardening.
Canna Coco Coir has been pretreated or washed to eliminate the
high level of salts often found in the raw material. Other Coconut
Coir's on the market are often unsuitable for soiless gardening
due to these high salt contents. |
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Made from molten basalt rock spun into a candy floss like fibre,
VacRoc Rockwool is a popular medium used by hobby gardeners
and
commercial growers alike.
The material is available in small starter cubes for propagating
seeds or cuttings, through to large slabs in which plants will
happily grow for months and months. |
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Other media that are often used in hydroponics include Sand,
Gravel, Vermiculite and Perlite. In fact any media that is inert
and pH neutral can be used, but other issues such as compaction
and air to water ratios are very important to consider. |
Consumer Guide to Grow Lights
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Light is the most important environmental factor to consider
whether growing in soil outside, or hydroponically inside, or
in a greenhouse.
Depending upon where you live and where you want to garden the
sun will not always be there for you. With a Power Plant Grow
Light you can literally grow any plant, anywhere and anytime
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| Grow Lights - How do they
work ? |
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Based on proven horticultural technology each Power Plant unit
consists of three individual items. A reflector, which protects
the lamp and directs the light to where we want it; the ballast
box, that contains the components necessary to ignite the lamp
and to regulate the current when the lamp is running; and finally
the lamp itself. |
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Depending upon the location of your hydroponic system and whether
there is any natural day light available, you will most often
start off with a High Pressure Sodium lamp. This is the type
used by commercial growers to 'supplement' natural light and
to extend the 'day length' that a plant is subjected to. Ask
your specialist retailer for advice. Metal Halide lamps give
off a 'blue' light which is more suitable for young plants and
vegetative growth. High Pressure Sodiums put out light which
is more 'red' and can be compared to the light of an autumn
sunset. The addition of High Pressure Sodium lamps enhances
flowering in many crops and are the preferred option if natural
day light is also available. |
Power Plant Horticultural
Lighting -
Easy to install and cheap to run |
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Installing a Power Plant Grow Light is easy and quick. All units
are supplied prewired and are ready to install. Simply hang
your chosen reflector, install the desired lamp and plug the
reflector into the ballast unit. Then plug the ballast into
a 240v power supply via a contactor and switch on. All Power
Plant reflectors, due to their lightweight, can be hung from
a simple ceiling hook. Our units are surprisingly cheap to run,
a 400w unit on for 12 hours per day will cost just over £2.00
per week. |
| Power Plant Horticultural
Lighting - Quality, Value and Safety |
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Our specially designed horizontal reflectors direct all the
light down to your plants, this ensures a broad intense spread
of light. All of our Power Plant Ballasts feature Mercedes Benz
capacitors, a timed ignitor and a choke manufactured in the
UK by Venture Horticultural Lighting.
All steel components are made from zinc coated steel which is
then electro-coated finished to ensure crop after crop use.
All units are individually tested before leaving the production
line.
We are proud to offer a limited 3 year warranty on our choke
and ignitor components. All products are CE marked. |
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We offer a complete range of products including 250w, 400w,
600w and 1000w.
 
This chart is for guidance only. HydroGarden
accept no responsibility for the success or otherwise of these
combinations. Discuss your plans with your specialist retailer
before you start growing to ensure you have the best system
for your needs. |
Helpful Information
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BALLAST
-The electrical components comprising of an ignitor, choke and
capacitors housed in a box which are necessary to light and
run the high intensity discharge lamp.
MEDIUM/MEDIA - The inert material
which replaces soil in soiless gardening.
MACRONUTRIENTS - The primary
mineral elements that plants need: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus
(P) and Potassium (K). The ratio of these elements are shown
on nutrient concentrate labels.
MICRONUTRIENTS -The secondary
or trace elements that plants also require. Only specialist
Hydroponic concentrates provide these.
CF/EC -The measure of nutrient
strenght. A measure of the amount of electricity passed through
a solution, the higher the CF/EC the stronger the solution.
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| pH and Nutrient availability |
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The scale from 0 to 14 which shows the acid to alkaline balance
of a growing medium or nutrient solution. If the pH is not in
an optimum range mineral deficiencies will occur. |
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The range of light energy emitted from any light source, from
ultraviolet to infra red. The wavelength is measured in nanometers
(nm).
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| Recommended
easy to grow hydroponic crops and typical target CF for nutrient
strength and pH |
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Fruit & Vegetables:
Asparagus
Banana
Broccoli
Cabbage
Celery
Common Bean
Courgettes
Cucumbers
Leek |
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CF14/18
CF18/22
CF28/35
CF25/30
CF18/24
CF20/40
CF18/24
CF17/25
CF14/18 |
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pH6.0/6.8
pH5.5/6.5
pH6.0/6.8
pH6.5/7.0
pH6.5
pH6.0
pH6.0
pH5.5
pH6.5/7.0 |
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Herbs:
Basil
Parsley
Sage |
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CF10/16
CF8/18
CF10/16 |
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pH5.5/6.0
pH5.5/6.0
pH5.5/6.5 |
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Fruit
& Vegetables:
Lettuce
Marrow
Okra
Pak-Choi
Peppers
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
Tomatoes |
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CF8/12
CF18/24
CF20/24
CF15/20
CF18/22
CF16/20
CF18/23
CF18/22
CF20/50 |
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pH 6.0/7.0
pH6.0
pH6.5
pH7.0
pH6.0/6.5
pH5.5/6.0
pH6.0/7.0
pH6.0
pH 6.0/6.5 |
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Flowers:
African
Violet
Carnation
Ficus
Rose |
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CF12/15
CF20/35
CF16/24
CF15/25 |
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pH6.0/7.0
pH6.0
pH5.5/6.0
pH5.5/6.0 |
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| HydroGarden
Product Guarantee |
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All HydroGarden products come with a full one year guarantee
against defects, or faulty workmanship or materials. Some products
have longer warranties, this will be noted on the packaging.
Power Plant Ballast choke and ignitor components have a limited
3 year warranty. Contact your local retailer. |
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Remember water and electricity do not mix. Always use a rcd
with pumps and any other electrical items likely to come into
contact with water.
Carbon Dioxide is an asphysixiant, always ensure that CO2 levels
are not too high when working in the growing area.
Some of the products such as pH up and down are hazardous if
swallowed.
Always follow safety information and store out of reach of children. |
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