Latest Hydroponics News

Introducing the Plantascraper. 

Sweden is planning giant greenhouses that will make cities self-sufficient in food. This really is an exciting prospect.

We at 3CH have long believed that growing your own is the only way you can future-proof your supplies. We don't sell anything quite as huge as the Plantascraper, but if you are interested in vertical growing take a look at the Cage Vertical System, currently on display at 3CH Canterbury. Or if smaller scale growing suits your space better, we have many Grow Tent set-ups available at unbeatable prices, such as the Budget GCT80 Complete Starter Kit, for only £340. 

3CH has systems to suit every space and every budget. 3CH - leading the way in finding hydroponics solutions. 

Growing In Summer Part 6 - Airflow

The Most Important Factor while growing indoors = AIRFLOW!!!!

It is vital to ensure there is adequate air exchange in your grow room. If you keep the air moving, with fresh air joining the warm air, you can avoid both heat build-up and dropping temperatures.

It is essential to remove hot air from your grow room. This is where an extractor fan comes in, such as the Systemair RVK or the NEW Wolfnado dual speed fans.

You should always position the extractor fan at the top of grow room, as heat rises. While you are getting rid of the hot air, you need to pump cooler, CO2-rich air into the room. This is achieved using a less powerful Wolfnado or HVK fan to bring in the fresh, cooler air.

The more lights you have in your grow room, the more powerful fan you will need. So if you decide to increase your total wattage of lights, remember to increase your fan extraction. If you are growing in a tent, the hot air that has been extracted needs to be removed from the room where the tent is situated.

One way of controlling your temperature is by using a fan speed controller. We stock the Evolution fan speed controller and the SMS Twin Fan Controller, both of which balance the intake and out-take fans and incorporate a thermostatic device which monitors the temperature.

You can find more information on Ventilation by visiting our Information page.

The sun has come out at last, and that’s great news for all of us. Unfortunately, the hot weather has a downside…pests!

Here’s a quick look at which little critters you might have to deal with, and ways you can deal with them.

Today's Critter.....Spider Mites

Identification
Oh, yes – we all hate spider mites. Here’s what they look like. They look like tiny spiders. Although known as Red Spider Mite, they can be brown or light brown in colour.

They thrive in hot, dry conditions, such as green houses. They feed of the sap of plants. This will cause the leaves to turn yellow. Early signs will be small dots on the plants. Here is a helpful youtube link showing how to spot spider mites.

When spider mites have established themselves on plants, they multiply at incredible speed. They will weave webs on the plant and this will enable them to travel from leaf to leaf until they completely cover the plant.
 

 Spidermite Damage

How to deal with spider mite?

We recommend Plant Vitality Plus if you detect a spider mite invasion of your plants. As a preventative measure, Neem Repel is an effective pest and disease repeller.
 

Growing Hydroponically in the Summer Months part 3

Indoor Grow Lights

As previously mentioned, your grow lights generate a lot of heat themselves, and will not make the situation any easier to cope with. To combat this, many growers change their light cycle so their lights come on in the evening and run throughout the night. This helps because the outside temperature is lower at night, and the intake fan will be pulling in cooler air. Another bonus is that the extreme heat of midday is avoided.

Another option many choose is to lower the wattage of their lights. Obviously, this results in lower yields, but so will an over-heated environment.

If you are using a number of grow lights, cutting the number of lights you have in your grow room may be the only thing that will make it the heat manageable.

There is also the option of using air-cooled lighting systems incorporating the superior ICARUS reflector, Aerowing reflector or the Cool-shade. Coolshades are incredibly fragile and we no longer stock them. We can order in long ones for the vertical systems. We stopped stocking the aerowing due to it being an inferior product now compared to the Icarus. For our 600w and 1000w customers we have started to stock the Kingsize Icarus reflector which is ideal for larger spaces.

Air Cooled hydroponic lights help remove the heat produced by the light bulb. Air cooled lighting is great for lovers of the 600w and 1000w Lighting systems who used to have to combat burnt plants and heat issues. It is also great for customers who may be struggling with space because you can hang the reflector closer to the plant due to them having a sealed glass casing and a fan which is positioned to extract the air around your lamp through the reflector.