Hydroponics Indoor Horticulture  
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Hydroponics - Indoor Horticulture

Hydroponics - Indoor Horticulture represents an educational, in-depth, up-to-date, indoor horticultural growers guide that covers all principles of indoor Hydroponics Indoor Horticulture by Jeffrey Winterborne hydroponic horticulture and gardening. This book contains 110,000 words, with over 300 diagrams, pictures, illustrations, graphs, tables, 3 dimensional CAD renderings, and is printed in full colour.

Hydroponics - Indoor Horticulture examines, explores, dissects and presents a fully comprehensive step by step growers guide, relating to all and every aspect of indoor hydroponic horticulture, with complete chapters on plant biology, propagation, hydroponic systems, nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide enrichment, pH, biological pest control, fungi/disease, cuttings/clones, pruning/training, breeding, harvesting, equipment, grow rooms, a full history of hydroponics, and more.

This book goes further than any indoor growers guide has gone before, presented in full colour with 3 dimensional CAD renderings. Hydroponics - Indoor Horticulture quite simply outclasses any other book on the subject... In terms of literal content, quantity, quality and presentation, no other indoor horticulture growers guide can compete, let alone compare.



(Below follows a one page sample taken from the book)

Example of a Cross Section of a Leaf
Example of a Cross Section of a Leaf

Leaves

Leaves are the manufacturers of plant sugars. They utilise the light to combine water, nutrient and carbon dioxide to produce sugars which are then sent down the stem to feed the rootball. Aweak link in any of these areas – light, water, nutrient, or CO2 can prohibit the plant from producing as it should.

The undersides of the leaves have tiny little breathing holes called stomata. The stomata absorb the CO2 in the atmosphere. They are the breathing apparatus of the plant. Approximately 30,000 of these holes can cover 1 cm2 of the underside of the leaf. They are located on the underside to prevent dust, dirt, pollutants and spores from blocking them. In recent experiments, these stomata have been shown to swell and contract when subjecting them to differing levels of CO2.

The leaves cause water and nutrient to be drawn up from the roots via the stem to the leaves. Excellent leaf development makes it possible to suck up lots of nutrients, water and air which in turn creates lots of excess sugar to be sent down to the root system. These leaves are constantly pushing out energy to the plant and the roots and when optimised, the leaves create so much starch that they begin to store the excess in the tissues of the leaf. During the night cycle this stored energy is diverted down to the roots. The healthier the leaves left on the plant, the better this process is, the healthier the leaf system is, the more energy it will create for further storage within the plant. The more stored energy, the greater the yield potential of the plant.

As with the stems, the leaves can be a good indicator as to the past, present and potential condition of the plant. The leaves reflect the health and happiness of the plant, however, leaves are unable to repair themselves, so damage done in the past is always visible. For example, if browning at the end tip of leaves and curling of the leaves outer edge can be seen, this is a good indicator that the plant has been over fertilised. The leaves tell you something is up so you back off on the amount of nutrient you are giving them until you are happy that you are no longer over feeding them. The new growth will look fine and indeed is the indicator of how well the plant currently is. The over fertilised leaves will lose the outer edge curl, however, they will always have signs of tip burn.

This is also the case with pest problems and disease. Even if the problem has been resolved, the aftermath of the situation is forever left as evidence on the plant. However, as new leaf systems grow, the old ones end up lower down the plant, and the new become the dominant system. So to recap, if new leaves and growth are without problems, the general health of the plant is well.

The leaves at the bottom of the plant are mainly used

  

to feed the root system and the leaves at the top of the plant are mainly used to feed the new shoots, fruit or flowering sites. The leaves in the middle of the plant feed the plant’s needs either way depending on the condition of the plant and what cycle the plant is in.

The more leaves that are able to collect light, the bigger the root system will become and the more stored energy will be left in the plant. This store of energy gives the plant the best chance of producing greater yields, therefore, do not strip any leaves from the plant. In recent years, techniques have been published such as the 24 hour light cycle and the stripping of leaves, especially the larger ones, which apparently then allowed for greater fruit or flower formations. This, like the 24 hour light regime is a total myth and should be disregarded as utter nonsense!

However, leaves are subject to entropy like any natural thing, so when the leaves have matured and turn yellow and are ready to die then these yellowing leaves may be removed. It is good practice to remove the older dying leaves in one fell swoop. Every time you subject a plant to a cut, it goes into shock for a few days and the plant will not do any growing during this period. So if you cut one leaf a day over the course of a week, it will not grow at all over this period of time.

Illustrated overleaf: the cuticle is a waxy layer that covers the epidermis of some leaves which reduces water loss. The upper and lower epidermis is the surface layer of a leaf that protects the inner parts of the leaf. The palisade layer is a layer of spongy cells loosely arranged between the palisade layer and the lower epidermis of the leaf. The chloroplast dislikes structures in cells that contain chlorophyll. The nucleus is the part of the cell that contains material that controls and activates the cell. The vacuole holds water. The air space holds air and CO2 between cells.

Never remove dark healthy leaves as these leaves are in full swing production for the plant’s needs. Removing these leaves will curb the available potential of the plant resulting in under yielding crops.

The majority of leaf development is created during what is known as the vegetative cycle of the plant’s growth. This cycle is normally related to the photoperiod of 18-20 hours lights on and 6-4 hours lights off. It is possible to sustain a plant predominantly in a vegetative state by subjecting the plant to this photoperiod. A mother plant for example would be kept perpetually on this cycle in order to never allow it to fruit or flower so that clones can be made at any time the gardener wishes. When you reduce the photoperiod down to 12 hours lights on and 12 hours lights off, the plant is tricked into flowering, however, for at least 2 weeks after the switch to 12/12, the plants would still be in vegetative growth.

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