by Erik Biksa
The Digital Sun:
Brighter Light for Better Results
There has been quite a ripple in the world of hydroponics
since the introduction of digital lighting systems, sometimes
referred to as electronic lighting systems, since their appearance
within the last decade or so.
As with many emerging new technologies, some of the
first generation units showed us lots of promise; and in some
instances they delivered on those promises, in others reliability
was an issue with a few wrinkles that needed to be ironed out.
54 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
In the past, unit wattages of 400 watts or less had proved to
be more reliable, as manufacturers and engineers had not yet
conquered the higher wattage outputs, especially given the
inconsistency of input voltages and the quality of electricity
available in different parts of the globe. Some of the earlier un-
shielded models also created RF (radio frequency) interference,
causing problems with communication signals such as radio,
wireless internet and cable.
 ``Digital units are using circuits and
micro-processors to regulate wattages
and electrical qualities, making them
“smarter” over mechanical technologies
such as core and coil ballasts.``

At present day, growers have some exciting options when

it comes to choosing lighting systems for their indoor
and greenhouse crops. Next generation digital ballasts
outperform their magnetic/core and coil predecessors, while
offering options and functions that are simply not available
using the older core and coil ballast technologies. The higher
wattages are typically very reliable now, and the holy grail of
1000 watt digital HID reliability is now here.
Gone are the days of loud buzzing and humming,
a situation with core and coil ballasts that becomes
compounded with multiple ballast installations, especially
overtime with ballast wear. Traditional ballasts, while
reliable, produce a lot of heat that can be problematic. The
heat produced is indicative of a less efficient process in
converting the power coming in to power that is suitable
for maintaining an arc in MH (metal halide) and HPS
(high pressure sodium) lighting. This means that you are
getting less light for every watt consumed, with more heat
and bigger power bills versus high quality next generation
digital/electronic HID lighting systems.
So where do these differences in efficiency originate
from when comparing digital ballasts versus core and coil
ballasts? Primarily it’s in the fact that the digital units are
using circuits and micro-processors to regulate wattages and
electrical qualities, making them “smarter” over mechanical
technologies such as core and coil ballasts.
Core and coil ballasts use metal wire windings (coil) over
a series of metal plates (core) to regulate or ballast the flow
of electrical current to the lamp. HID lamps require ballasts
because they have stricter requirements about the amount
of voltage it takes to strike and maintain an arc in the lamp
versus incandescent home lights. The arcing of the lamp
produces light because the ballast sends the right amount of
electricity through the arc tube, which excites and ignites
the blend of particles. Once ignited, the particles become a
gas that creates light for crops. If too little electricity is sent,
the bulb will not stay lit; if too much is sent it will burn the
bulb out or damage it beyond usability.
Most of the core and coil ballasts used for growing indoors
are Controlled Auto Wattage (CAW) transformers. They
allow for a +/- 15 per cent difference in the amount of
electricity coming in to keep a specified lamp lit while
keeping it supplied with the correct amount of power. If
there is too much variance in the output of the ballasts due
to fluctuations in the electricity available, the lamp will not
be able to stay lit or will “pulse.”
 The Digital Sun: Brighter Light for Better Results

Old generation versus next

generation - Don’t try this at home;
it will void your warranty. Here we
can see that there is a lot more
“smarts” inside an electronic ballast
versus its conventional predecessor.

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons electronic ballasts

produce stronger light that is more useful to plants is that they do
not pulse as much as lighting sources originating from magnetic
(core and coil) sources. Part of the reason is that core and coil
ballasts operate at lower frequencies, very much resembling line
voltage frequencies of 50 to 60 hertz. Hertz (Hz) is the measure
of how quickly a magnetic field is expanding and collapsing per
second. Remember that the nature of the electricity we use is
based on the principle of an expanding and collapsing magnetic
field, with the occurrence at a rate of many times per second, i.e.
in our 50 to 60 hertz line voltage frequencies.
This relatively lower frequency translates into the quality of
light being emitted by the lamp.To the plant, the light is actually
blinking 50 to 60 times per second, creating a strobe effect that is
not often visible to the human eye; however, plants seem to sense it.
Digital and electronic ballasts deliver their electrical lighting
loads at much higher frequencies, for example greater than
10,000 hertz. This means a more constant “on” of the lamp,
with reduced pulsing or strobing of the light. Plant growth
responds better to the lessened incidence of strobing created by
digital lighting systems. Not only do plants benefit, but so does
the grower as lamp life is increased, and the overall intensity
of the lamp output is also increased. Nikola Tesla, regarded by
many as one of the most brilliant electrical scientists/engineers
to have walked the earth, seemed to have gravitated towards
higher frequency electrical currents greater than the 10,000
hertz range as with digital ballasts versus the 50 to 60 hertz
range used with core and coil/magnetic ballasts.
Because digital ballasts are using smart technologies to help
generate optimal lighting frequencies rather than mechanical
ones as with core and coil, they offer some savings in the
amount of electricity consumed. However, they do an even
better job of converting the amount of electricity consumed
into optimal frequencies for maintaining an arc in the lamps
used for lighting. For example, no device is 100 per cent
efficient. Power Factor (PF) is a relative measurement of the
efficiency of electrical devices, basically stating how much
power is being lost and unavailable for “work” compared to the
amount of power being consumed.

56 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

The Digital Sun: Brighter Light for Better Results
Light and compact - Looking down on the two units, we can see that the
digital ballast is much more compact. It’s also very light-weight compared to
conventional units. Installing and mounting are simplified.
Most core and coil ballasts have a PF rating of about 0.85,
meaning that 85 per cent of the electricity being consumed is
being translated into use for “work,” in this instance maintaining
the arc in the lamp. The 15 per cent that is lost emanates as heat,
which is a form of waste, helping to explain why core and coil
ballasts tend to run so hot.
High quality next generation digital ballasts have PF ratings
of 99 per cent and higher. This means that the majority of
58 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
electricity being consumed is being translated into usable
electricity for lamps, due to the smart processing of the
electricity by modern day circuits. Most growers who have
adopted the digital age of lighting and made the switch find
they are saving about five to 10 per cent on average in electrical
usage, and in some instances much higher. Although growers
get excited about less electrical draw, because it allows them to
safely run more ballasts on the same circuit and because of the
reduction in power costs, the real joy is in the increase in lumen
output from their lamps.
Some brands and wattages of lamps are better suited to
accepting the greater than 10,000 hertz frequencies delivered by
digital lighting. In most cases lamp output is actually increased
by around 10 per cent, which is quite significant. The amount
of light energy delivered to crops has a strong correlation to
the potential yield of indoor crops and the overall quality
of the harvest; provided other environmental conditions are
managed. Not only is the sheer intensity improved, but as stated
previously, so is the quality of light due to a reduction in the
incidence of strobing. Lamp manufacturers with their eyes on
the future have begun to develop lamps that are specifically
manufactured for use on the higher frequency operating digital
ballasts. This offers to increase the output potential of digitally
driven lighting systems even further.
The Digital Sun: Brighter Light for Better Results
Plug and play- Just plug into a quality, high
amperage timer, and your digital ballasts will run
either HPS or MH lamps from the same unit. The
lamps will run brighter, and the ballasts much
cooler, increasing grow room efficiency.
60 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
Besides the improvements of how
digital ballasts operate versus core and
coil types, there are some capabilities and
features you can find in next generation
digital lighting systems that you just
won’t find in common core and coil
systems used for growing crops under
artificial lighting.
First off, digital lighting systems don’t
create a huge spike in your electrical
draw on ignition. This spike can be
especially problematic when starting up
a number of ballasts at the same time.
Start-up is when you are most likely
to trip a breaker that would normally
be okay while the lamps are operating.
Digital ballasts do not create this spike,
as they gently and quickly drive lamps to
full brilliance, typically in less than one
minute. This helps to eliminate power
spikes, and allows growers to maximize
the number of ballasts they can safely run
on a given rated electrical circuit. These
softer starts help to extend the life of the
lamp, as well as helping to preserve the
quality of light being emitted by the arc
tube. Because digital ballasts are capable
of driving your lamps brighter, you may
still want to replace your lamps as often
as with core and coil types. In a sense,
you are replacing them due to how
brightly they burned, rather than how
inefficiently they were ignited.
The distance at which lamps can be
ignited, and still achieve their maximum
rated lumens, is also improved with high
quality digital lighting systems. Lamps,
including 600 watt models can be ignited
at distances of 65 feet or even greater.
Very few, if any, core and coil types have
been able to achieve this, especially when
using high quality horticultural lamps
such as the one featured in this article.
The fact that digital ballasts will ignite
either MH or HPS lamps is an excellent
advantage. While conversion and retro-
fit bulbs are available for allowing HPS
lamps to be used with MH core and
The Digital Sun: Brighter Light for Better Results

coil ballasts and MH lamps to be used with HPS core and coil
ballasts, the bulbs are pricey and tend to sacrifice some lumen
output for their cross-over capabilities. With digital ballasts, you
can use a wider variety of lamps on the same unit.
In fact, certain models of next generation digital ballasts can run
more than one type of lamp wattage from the same ballast, giving
it a wattage switching capability. For example one of the digital
ballasts featured in this article can switch from 400 watt HPS/
MH capabilities to 600 watt HPS/MH capabilities.
All the grower needs to do is turn the power off, switch the
lamps, flick the 400 watt/600 watt selector switch and then run a
different wattage lamp. This is perfect, because growers can supply
a vegetative photoperiod in a three foot by three foot area with
a 400 watt MH lamp. When triggering the plants into flowering
Lamp Socket Extension
Growers are finding or up seven days after initiating the 12/12 photoperiod for short
that by switching to a day plants, the 400 watt MH lamp can be replaced with a 600
high quality AC reflector
and replacing their watt HPS lamp. At the flick of a switch, optimal light levels and
conventional 1000 watt spectrums can be supplied for the flowering phase.
lighting systems with 600
watt digital units, they are This is very convenient and produces excellent results.
getting great results with The grower does not need to move the plants, or change
fewer heat problems and
smaller electrical bills. lighting systems from vegetative to flowering growth, making
A lamp socket extension growing in deep raised beds even easier! Because the grower
makes 1000 watt
reflectors suitable for 600 is switching lamps periodically, bulb life is extended, providing
watt lamps. yet another benefit.

62 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

The Digital Sun: Brighter Light for Better Results
As mentioned previously, digital ballasts
also run quieter and cooler. Some digital
ballasts encase the circuits with a resin,
and the heat generated by the unit is
passively vented. These types of units
run completely silent. Other innovative
digital ballasts use fan-cooling to keep
the ballasts’ temperatures even cooler.
Cooler circuits run more efficiently,
creating a greater potential for light
output. In some digital ballast units, the
ballast cooling fans are thermostatically
64 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
controlled, and also integrate fail safe
sensors and functions. For example if
the internal ballast temperature rises to
over 162°F, the cooling fans will speed
up, and the condition is indicated to the
grower with an LED flashing function
on the ballast. If temperatures exceed
194°F, the condition is also indicated to
the grower with a flashing LED display.
Either condition should not occur if
there is adequate ventilation for the
digital ballasts; the smart technology is
actually telling the grower they are doing
something wrong. Core and coil ballasts
will not do this, and always run much
hotter than digital ballasts operated in the
same type of environment.
There are many other advantages that
digital ballasts can offer besides power
savings, increased light output, improved
quality of light, cooler operation and
less noise. For example, most units are
extremely lightweight versus traditional
core and coil units, as well as being more
compact. Potentially, the grower can
house more ballasts in the same amount
of space with a much easier and less
weight to handle installation.
While core and coil ballasts are very
reliable, in fact you could use one as a
boat anchor, haul it up, dry and clean
it and fire it up again (don’t try this at
home), they cannot perform many of
the smart functions and operations that
digital and electronic ballast systems do
for horticultural lighting. Just as there is a
new breed of grower, there is also a new
breed of lighting technologies that help
to improve the growing process and give
better results. There is an optimal lighting
system for each individual application, so
take some time and do the research to
find the one that is right for you. MY
Read about the history of
core and coil ballasts on
www.maximumyield.com
BEGINNER'S
corner
Plants Have
Relative Problems Too
by Glory Lennon
A friend once asked me if it is true you shouldn’t plant tomato
and pepper plants in the same spot every year. “Of course,”
I told her. “They’re in the same family after all.” She merely
stared at me with a look that clearly said, “And that means what
exactly?” Let’s put it this way - would you want to be planted
next to your obnoxious cousin Larry every single summer? Bad
enough you have to see him during Thanksgiving but sitting
next to him every day? That’s how the tomato feels about the
pepper...sort of. That needs to be explained further.
The reason for not planting vegetables of the same family
in the same place year after year is to prevent the repeated
depletion of vital nutrients in the soil and to prevent the
increased possibility of diseases and pests likely to be attracted
to that family. Plants of the same family have very similar
requirements, you see. So if you constantly plant a tomato, or
one of its relations, in the same place year after year you’re just
asking for trouble.You’re more likely to deplete the soil of vital
nutrients and more likely to get a nasty bug or dreaded disease
to your garden. Nobody wants that.
This is where we come across crop rotation, a nifty little
activity that helps keep the soil productive, not depleted of
nutrients and hopefully, disease and pest free keeping everybody
healthy and happy.
Crop rotation obviously is not solely for maintaining fertile soil
but the lack of this activity was the reason for the dust bowl. Too
66 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
many farmers were trying to get all they could out of the soil
without giving it a rest in between crops or replenishing the soil.
Thankfully, we know better now. Legumes in particular have an
awesome ability in which they can take the nitrogen in the air
and fix it into the soil. This is called nitrogen-fixing and many
farmers now use nitrogen-fixers after a planting of nitrogen-
feeders, the greatest of which is corn. Corn is notoriously
known as a heavy feeder, as is cotton. That is why it makes sense
for cotton growers to rotate with peanuts, a nitrogen fixer. One
year a nitrogen fixer is planted and the next year, a nitrogen
feeder. Do you see the genius behind this? I hope so. It’s rather
important for proper soil management.
After a planting of heavy feeders, organic matter is a must
to replenish the soil or you’ll have worthless soil. To prevent
this you can till in shredded leaves, well-rotted manure, grass
clippings, compost or plant a cover crop or “green manure” as
it is sometimes called. Planting a cover crop of winter rye, red
clover, another nitrogen fixer, or even some hairy vetch then
tilling this into the soil provides enough nutrients for another
bountiful crop of vegetables, flowers or trees and shrubs. All
these cover crops when tilled back into the soil and left to
decompose will attract tons of micro-organisms and worms
that come and do their stuff aerating the soil, munching on the
green stuff and leaving behind wonderful castings, in themselves
full of nutrients. Cover crops are a Godsend to the farmer
and to the home gardener
providing nutrients to enrich
soil, keeping it productive,
humus rich, healthy and able to
keep going.
But back to the tomato-
pepper relation thing. In the
typical home garden crop
rotation might not be so
obvious nor a practical thing
to accomplish. If you have a
tiny little spot in which to
garden and you have a nasty
insect or plant disease lurking
anywhere near your place,
does it really matter if you
plant the peppers two feet to
the left of where it was the
previous year? I’m thinking
your plant will be found
eventually. Knowing this, all
you can do is try to keep your
plants un-stressed.
No, plants don’t take well to
yoga or meditation but keeping
them healthy goes a long way.
Keep your plants in appropriate By constantly sowing plants that
sunlight, well watered, with are related to one another, such as
ample air circulation between tomatoes and peppers, in the same
place year after year, you’re just
them, fed properly with plenty asking for trouble.
of compost and they should
do well. Also, make certain you are diligent about picking leaves
up which might carry fungal diseases and not placing them into
the compost pile. Anything diseased should get thrown into the
garbage where it won’t infect anything else. This is essential. The
less stressed your garden plants are, the more able they will be to
survive any attack. If you’re not certain about your soil just get
the compost out. It can fix tons of garden problems except for
your obnoxious cousin Larry stepping on your tomatoes. I can’t
help you there. Sorry. MY

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do

about this guy.

MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009 67

 by Evan Folds
We live in a time on earth
that rewards short sightedness,
where human wishes
supersede the necessities of
the natural whole and we
unconsciously destroy the
very way of life that we are
attempting to foster. This is
not a knock, but an honest
and objective assessment of
our behavior. Most collective,
modern, human activities are
depructive, meaning the activity
may accomplish the goal that
has been tasked, but it ultimately
contributes to the erosion of the
human condition. Take driving
your car, it gets you from A to B,
but it pollutes the environment
that sustains us. Eating fast food
fills you up calorically, but it does
not nourish your body and is built
upon wastelands of cow pastures in

70 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

 “Seldom do we stop and think about
what we are actually doing with our
hydroponic systems in our spare
bedrooms and garages; we are playing
the role of Mother Nature.”

Rudolph Steiner
poor countries that were formerly virgin rainforests. Drought
conditions create limitations on how long we can water our
gardens in the backyard, yet California uses 70 per cent of
its available water for agriculture, with 70 per cent of that
being used to grow alfalfa for livestock. In short, if looked at
objectively, a lot of what we do does not make any sense.
A candid view of the history of humanity shows a constant
progression towards a more materialistic way of operating.
This can be seen in almost every facet of society, but is no
more apparent than in modern agriculture; we have been
assuming for almost 100 years that an artificial industrial
by-product is sufficient for replacing life forms in the soil,
the very life forms that have been responsible for regulating
the growing process in the soil for billions of years now. The
average person understands that it does not make sense to use
synthetic materials in a natural system, yet we do it every day
in the food that we grow and eat, as 95 per cent of the food
grown in the US is produced with artificial materials. The
result is empty food and illness.
Our ancestors used compost, compost teas, bat guanos
and other natural farming techniques to farm their land,
but the Industrial Revolution changed all of that, making
cheap chemical fertilizers readily available to farmers
everywhere. The hook is that they increase yields in the
initial years, but they suck the life force out of plants and
only provide a fraction of what they need, which creates
ecological degeneration over time. It was this observation of
degeneration that created the impetus for farmers to solicit
Rudolph Steiner to deliver the lectures that birthed the
biodynamic method of agriculture in the 1920s.
Then, with the formulation of plastics in the 1970s, along
comes hydroponics. Suddenly, we could cost effectively
separate plant growth from the natural systems that we have
relied upon since the dawn of humanity. Seldom do we
stop and think about what we are actually doing with our
hydroponic systems in our spare bedrooms and garages; we
are playing the role of Mother Nature. What a profound
responsibility, and it is this author’s view that we are not
playing very good mothers. Of course we are not consciously
neglecting our plants, so the question is, are we doing
everything we can to provide indoor plants with everything
they would expect from a natural environment? Put this way,
the answer is clearly no.

MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009 71

Subtle Energies in Grow Rooms: Playing Mother Nature
“Water strongly attracts orgone, giving rise to the
phenomenon of living water, which is fundamental to the life
process and to the earth’s weather patterns.”
The point is, we are doing it to ourselves. There are many
people in history who were capable of seeing right through
our misguided ways. People such as Steiner, Wilhelm Reich,
Viktor Schauberger, Nikola Tesla and many others were well
before their time. They cultivated the capacity to view the
shortfalls of our materialistic society for what they are, and in
so doing, intuited ways to work with nature that does justice to
her potential. Steiner predicted colony collapse disorder (CCD)
in bees over 80 years ago as documented in his lectures on the
subject; Reich worked with orgone energy and the idea of field
broadcasters to realign the artificial energies being proliferated
in the modern world. Schauberger predicted that water would
one day cost more than gasoline by merely intuiting our
disrespect for its energetic desires, as previously discussed. These
people generated their understanding through trial and practice
with an undiluted and penetrating focus into the mechanisms of
the natural world. What better arena to test some of the natural
principles and techniques put forth by these forgotten people
than an indoor grow room?
72 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
Through his investigations into the realms of biophysics,
Wilhelm Reich discovered and learned to work with orgone
energy. It is similar to the ideas of “life force” or “aether,” and
is considered fairly controversial, mostly because his work was
systematically burned and correspondingly classified by the FDA
after they banned the sale of his technologies across state lines
in the 1950s. Like Tesla and Schauberger before him, he died
under mysterious circumstances, passing away in his jail cell on a
misdemeanor technicality. Every kind of matter appears to attract
orgone, but at different rates of speed. Water strongly attracts
orgone, giving rise to the phenomenon of living water, which is
fundamental to the life process and to the earth’s weather patterns.
Reich’s orgone accumulators have proven to charge seeds and
increase garden plant growth, speed the healing of burns and cuts
and he even observed that many illnesses would symptomatically
yield to careful application of the orgone accumulator. While we
may have lost access to the original research, we can certainly
work with his ideas subjectively if we keep them top of mind.
Have you ever heard of anyone working to manipulate the
weather? There are conspiracies abound in this arena, from
Scalar technologies to Chem Trails, with much of it based on
sound science. Stephen Storch of Natural Science Organics
formulates biodynamic ‘storm preps’ that he has used during
hurricane events on Long Island, NY. Rudolph Steiner was very
careful not to rigidly define biodynamics; he looked at what he
was putting forward as the beginning of a process that people
could build upon. Storch collects the “langmuir foam” that is
produced by the deep upwelling of nutrient rich seawater after
a hurricane. He stored it as prescribed by Hugo Erbe in his
book New Biodynamic Preparations, stirred it for an hour with a
vortex brewer and applied it at the threat of the next hurricane.
After the storm, which wreaked much havoc, the treated site
actually gained a foot or so of sand, while the rest of the beach
was significantly eroded. Storch has repeated this result on
several different occasions.
 Subtle Energies in Grow Rooms: Playing Mother Nature

“Water strongly attracts orgone, giving rise to the

phenomenon of living water, which is fundamental to the life
process and to the earth’s weather patterns.”
Inspired by The Round Towers of Ireland chronicled by Phil
Callahan in his book Paramagnetism, Storch also constructs earth
pipes to work with and enhance the subtle energies on his
farm. Using PVC pipe to contain the paramagnetic material, he
buried a terra cotta urn filled with 30 gallons of paramagnetic
basalt and capped it off with another urn full of lime and
silicious rock. Many have witnessed the energy emanating from
the earth pipe. Make the connection that, not only are these
productive energies missing entirely from indoor grow rooms,
but we inundate plants with myriad artificial energies from
the electronic equipment used. Experimentation indoors with
atmospheric reorganizers is an untapped area of great potential
in the world of indoor gardening.
Sonic Bloom is another well established way of working
with the harmonies of nature indoors…literally. Sonic Bloom
was formulated by Dan Carlson and works by using specific
sound frequencies that benefit plant growth. His insights came
from considering the audible influences on plants in nature,
such as birds singing and bees buzzing. Carlson discovered
the frequencies almost 20 years ago, but it took 15 years of
painstaking development to create a nutrient to complete the
system. The problem was that a huge increase in absorption
tended to magnify any imbalances and elements could become

74 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

locked up as a result. So the sound and the balanced nutrient
are inseparable. Sonic Bloom has been chronicled in the book
Secrets of the Soil and is available for experimentation from
industry distributors.
Water is certainly very curious and entirely misunderstood.
The materialistic abuse and industrialization of water is one
of the most egregious activities in the modern world. Water
is more than wet! Viktor Schauberger, known as the Water
Wizard, provided insights into our collective disrespect of water
and has inspired many ways of working with its subtle nature,
including the vortex brewer, egg-shaped containers for drinking
water, stir wands and much more. We can use these insights to
enhance our gardens by constructing new types of hydroponic
systems, vortexially rifled tubing or reservoirs that encourage
the movement of water through their shape. The possibilities are
literally endless once we have refocused our attention.
“Flowforms work by encouraging water to take a vortexial
flow, similar to the flow of blood through the heart, working to
enliven water to its true potential.”

MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009 75

Subtle Energies in Grow Rooms; Playing Mother Nature
“Biodynamics champions the use of subtle energies to affect
plant growth, which is accomplished in many ways.”
One of the more accepted forms of working with the subtle
energies of water are flowforms. Flowforms were invented by
John Wilkes in the early 1970s after close observation of the
forms created by water and piercing insight into the geometrical
impetus of nature. Flowforms work by encouraging water to
take a vortexial flow, similar to the flow of blood through the
heart, working to enliven water to its true potential. In his book
Flowforms, Wilkes chronicles evidence that water allowed access
to a flowform, as compared to water flowing directly down
an incline, encourages flowering in terrestrial plants. This is
attributed to the replication of the activity and form taken by
water on level land when water is allowed to take its desired
form. When a river meanders as the land flattens out it produces a
forceful and deliberate vortexial flow that serves to carry nutrients
and properly distribute oxygen, but more importantly, creates the
vulnerability in water that allows it to adequately support living
organisms and the communication of subtle energies.
The ultimate harmonizer of natural energies is biodynamic
farming. Biodynamics champions the use of subtle energies
to affect plant growth, which is accomplished in many ways.
These ways include the use of deliberately potentized plant
76 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
herbs using the form of a vortex to imprint these subtle
energies into water in homeopathic dilutions or paying
attention to celestial cycles in order to align planting or
harvesting schedules with natural rhythms. These are all very
real ways of enhancing plant growth, although they cannot be
measured in any way deemed reliable by modern materialistic
science. The means developed to measure the influence of
these formative forces, such as Kirlian photography or the
chromatography method devised by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and
Lily Kolisko, are deemed too subjective for modern science.
However, we must remember that nature is a fluid and chaotic
system, with the analytical approach we have chosen to define
our scientific methods representing only half the story.
Hopefully some seeds of experimentation have been planted.
If we open our minds to the forces that work to regulate natural
systems, our plants and our people will be much better off for it.
MY
Additional reading: www.naturalscienceorganics.com
For additional articles by Evan Folds
visit www.maximumyield.com
GREEN THUMB
gardening
How to Make a

Hydroponic
Bog Garden
by Chris White

A bog garden uses the same techniques employed in aquaculture. It is best to

use bacteria that are attached to bio-media to clean the highly oxygenated water
passing through the alfagrog media. Alfagrog media works well because it has a
high surface area and good void capacity. The added bonus to this system is that
by placing a gravel bed over the top of the media, it produces an ideal
environment for growing those difficult to propagate
plants - the moisture loving ones that fail
at the first sign of drought.

78 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June

 The bog garden quickly begins to take shape as the aeration system and lining are added to the hole. At this stage, it is important to provide a
cushion material before adding the alfagrog. The alfagrog is a highly porous, ceramic filter media which will play host to bacteria helping keep
the water clean.

STEPS
1. Dig a hole. The bog garden starts life as a square hole with 11. Add gravel. Once filled with gravel the water level is
a level base and square sides. raised so that at least an inch of the gravel is under water to
2. Line the bottom. Once the base is leveled out, it is time provide the plants with moisture.
to line the bottom of the bog garden with a cushion to stop 12. Get ready to aerate. The section of the tank that will
stones rising up and making holes in the liner. receive the water from the Bio-tank needs to be aerated. A
3. Level the bottom with sand. Add sharp sand coating to small compressor provides this aeration via a rubber aerator.
level the bottom completely. The dissolved oxygen level needs to be as high as possible if
4. Cushion the bog. The lining cushion is laid out in sheets the bacteria in the Alfagrog are going to survive.
and comes right up the side of the bog garden. It has to 13. Put in some plants. Once finished the final touch is to
protect the liner. This is the same liner as would be used in a add plants. All of the plants should be moisture loving.
garden pond. 14. Enjoy the bog garden. The water from the Bog Garden
5. Line the bog. The liner is laid out and pushed all the way is used to feed ponds and to water the lawns. MY
to the side of the hole.
6. Add second cushion. Once the liner is in place, it too is
lined with cushion in order to protect it from the alfagrog
that we will be putting on the top. The solid oak sleepers are
The completed bog garden is ready for
put in the tank to separate off the aeration pond and the final the addition of plants and to enjoy.
settlement pond from the actual bog garden itself.
7. Allow the water to flow out. Realize that since the oak
sleepers are the green untreated oak, small holes routed in
the bottom will allow the water to flow through and into the
bog garden from the aeration chamber.
8. Add the alfagrog. Having completed the basic design, fill
the actual bog garden part with alfagrog. This is a ceramic
filter media used in Koi fish ponds to filter the water. It
contains a huge amount of surface area in which our bacteria
will live and clean up the water.
9. Add water. Completely filled, the center section of the
hydroponic bog garden starts filling it with water and adding
the rest of the sleepers around the outside of the system. This
size of tank takes around 211 cubic feet of water to fill it to a
level just above the alfagrog. Filling it with water allows it to TIPS
Hostas, hardy herbaceous perennials grown primarily for their
level the Alfagrog and ensure that when gravel is added to it beautiful foliage, are extremely popular.
that it is all immersed in water. Alfagrog is made of a highly porous material that contains many
10. Support the center section. Full of water and Alfagrog thousands of tiny pockets in which bacteria can thrive making it an
ideal material for biological filters.
and awaiting the gravel to fill the middle. The cross section
wood is to stop the center section moving when the gravel This was a research and development project by Biotank Ltd,
a supply company.
is added.

MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009 79

 KinderGardening
The hydroponic and year-round gardening
by Lee McCall industries tend to overlook the beginner.
With a vast array of highly technical and
scientific products and ideas, eager pupils may
be intimidated and overwhelmed, resulting in
a loss of appeal. With little to no experience
and lacking the necessary growing equipment,
beginners require assisted focus in order to
apply accurate analysis and implementation.
In my own personal experience I have found
the greatest challenge to be convincing the
beginner that he or she is proficient enough to
run their own productive garden regardless of
their experience.This article serves to help that
beginner by guiding them through a simplified
list of steps needed to start an indoor garden.

80 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

Lighting Applications
After an area has been designated, square footage will
determine lighting applications and which styles are best
suited for the operation. Refer to Lumens are for Humans
(September 2008), which discusses the pros and cons of
different lighting options, and which are beneficial for every
style, situation and crop. I recommend T-5 fluorescent lighting
apparatuses to jump start seeds and clone stock. These provide
exceptional production for the beginning stages of life up
to pre-flowering without an excess in heat emission. After
establishment, unless the crop of choice is sensitive to high
light situations, most hobby and commercial crop varietals
will prefer upgrading to high-intensity discharge (HID)
environments for their flowering/fruiting phase. Plan ahead, as
perpetual production requires a minimum of two gardening
areas to maintain consistent, progressive stages of growth.

Ventilation
After the lights are addressed, adequate ventilation to and
from the garden is a priority for success and environmental
control. As certain plants develop differently than others
depending on their native environment, pay special attention
to crop demographics. Match the environment inside as closely
as possible to the ideal properties outside that are likely to be
endured for a particular crop. Correct installation of intake and
exhaust equipment mandates heat extortion, humidity control,
pollens and odor removal. For an in-depth reference, follow
up with Homeostasis in the Garden (November 2008), an editorial
that covers many angles of correct atmospheric operation and
control. Carbon dioxide enrichment is not necessary but will
enhance overall performance and end-results. I recommend
waiting to utilize it until after a few crops have cycled through
the room; this makes it easier to distinguish variables and
influencing factors along the way. In ideal situations, intake and
exhaust ports should cease airflow by up to an hour or more
while carbon dioxide enrichment is active. It is common for
temperatures to climb if lights are not cooled correctly, making
it difficult to deliver proper fortification. The idea behind
this addition is to supply a fortified atmosphere unachievable
in the native environment. Correct use of carbon dioxide
could increase growth rates, overall yield and environmental
tolerance in plants.

MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009 81

KinderGardening

Cultivation Method
Method of cultivation is obviously achievable in more ways
than one; I have found that many people have their own
particular approach to replicate a successful technique or style
of gardening. Good results are reached and defined in multiple
forms and fashions; however, I recommend soil cultivation for
people experimenting with their first grow. High quality soil
amendments and pH buffers offer plantlets healthy, stress free
initial starts without the requirements of additional hydroponic
pumps, timers, pH adjusters and electrical devices. Choose a
soil dense in rich organic materials with proportionate drainage
control to deter over-watering. Balanced N-P-K, all-purpose
dry nutrition formulations that include a surplus of calcium,
make excellent fortification aids to help alleviate deficiencies
over extended durations of time. Always begin plants in smaller
containers progressing to larger ones before root masses are
pot-bound; this encourages steady metabolism and growth
characteristics lessening chances of over-watering. Those who
wish to initiate their first grow with hydroponics need to focus
on pH stability, nutrient concentrations and oxygen density
more than anything. Stability in the rhizosphere is essential for
proper growth commencement in hydroponics. If consistency
is maintained through water temperature, pH value and total
dissolved solids (TDS), most seedlings and clones will adjust

82 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009

 KinderGardening
nicely to their
oxygen rich
environment.
Hydroponic
trial and error is necessary
to determine which species
or varietals are sensitive to higher
or lower pH and nutrient values.
Different style systems will also
impact growth characteristics
in particular situations.
Aeroponics, nutrient film technique
(NFT), ebb and flow (flood and drain),
drip and deep water culture systems all
yield unique properties. As it becomes
more concentrated with influencing
variables, I primarily advise soil
cultivation initially to train and develop
your personal gardening style. The
Aeroponic Versus Organic Soil five-part
series covers a scrupulous side-by-side
comparison of organic soil to aeroponics
over a five month development. This
sequence contains explicit information
in regards to nutrient assimilation.
Familiarize yourself with terms
indigenous to the hydroponic industry
to enable easier correlation between
troubleshooting question and answer.
Nutrition
Selecting the correct nutrition plan for
your plants is the most daunting of all
the areas for researching and preparing
a garden. The availability of options to
choose from is so vast, it is important
to have the aptitude to differentiate
one product from another. Avoiding
the redundancy products portray is
imperative to efficient shopping and
plant health. As mentioned, dry organic
fertilizer blends, consisting of balanced
major nutrient compounds, operate as
safety buffers for soil and most soilless
blends to manage adequate health and
vigor. Under the influence of combining
different nutritional elements, the ability
to enhance multiple stages of production
is possible. In soil gardening, as long as
the supplied water source has a steady
and neutral pH value after the addition
of fertilizers, no adjustment should be
84 MAXIMUM YIELD USA - June 2009
necessary in high
quality potting mix.
Assessing hydroponic
nutrition is fairly simple
as well, even to the person
with little to no experience.
With concepts similar to
that of hobby fresh and
saltwater aquarium propagation,
preparation of hydroponic
nutrients can be a steady, swift
process after a few attempts. To avoid
the costly expense of digital meters
that measure hydroponic solutions,
utilize manual pH test kits cheaper in
comparative costs, and half-strength
the suggested dilution ratio to avoid
nutrient burn. Water quality is imperative
at this point; ensure the source is safe
for consumption and clear of harmful
contaminants before use.
This synopsis of basic rules should
assist the curious and first-time grower
with better insight to understand
some of the major concepts and
requirements of indoor cultivation. As
your avid interest is applied, utilize this
information according to your desires
and goals. Understanding the needs to
create day to day production is only
attainable through trial and error of
the garden. Acknowledge that different
crops all have fluctuating factors
and needs throughout growth. Have
patience, record important variables and
keep it simple! MY
References:
McCall, Lee. “Lumens are for
Humans.” Maximum Yield,
September, 2008.
McCall, Lee. “Homeostasis in
the Garden.” Maximum Yield,
November, 2008.
McCall, Lee. “Aeroponic Technology
Versus Premium Organic Soil
Cultivation.” Maximum Yield,
December, 2008-April 2009.
For additional articles by
Lee McCall visit www.
maximumyield.com