Gardening here in San Diego County and around the country is more than just a weekend seasonal hobby. Homeowners are devoted to making their yards beautiful year round and they are increasingly looking for ways to maximize their efforts. Most importantly, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is becoming less attractive to those who garden. They seek alternative ways to grow their plants, trees, and lawns without the use of toxic chemicals. They are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of these products. Yard runoff goes indirectly to the sea and/or the underground water supply and these folks know it. Chemicals pollute. Thus, people are becoming more ‘green’ minded. Hence an increasing demand for organic products. Worm castings and ‘worm tea’ are two of those products.
Worm castings are nature’s miracle fertilizer. They are the product of specialized worms eating and digesting an organic source such as manure compost. The end product is worm castings, or more simply put, worm manure. These ‘castings’ are rich in multiple nutrients and provide plants with a variety of elements found in nature that they need to grow. They are also an effective soil enhancer. And most importantly, they are all- natural and toxic chemical free.http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=B000Y9U5BQ%26tag=firstfreedomd-21%26lcode=xm2%26cID=2025%26ccmID=165953%26location=/o/ASIN/B000Y9U5BQ%253FSubscriptionId=1N9AHEAQ2F6SVD97BE02
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In order to see first hand how this process works and how castings develop from a compost pile to market I visited Legacy Ranch for a first hand look. Legacy Ranch is secluded in the mountains of Campo, California about 50 miles east of San Diego owned and operated by long time rancher and horse aficionado, Lonnie Sole. Lonnie is a ‘cowboy’ in the old fashioned sense and looks every bit like one. Lean and wiry, Lonnie is a no nonsense guy when it comes to ranching. He loves the solitude and beauty of country living. He is at home listening to the coyotes and other wild creatures that roam his ranch by night and attending his horses and Texas long horned cattle by day. Doesn’t really like city life at all. Now in his 60′s, he still rides horses regularly and his horses know him by sight.

More than four years ago, Lonnie got the idea of producing worm castings for local commercial sale. I believe he did so out of curiosity, somewhat from the challenge, but mostly due to his growing concern over the use of polluting chemicals and their effect on the increasingly fragile soil and limited fresh water supply of our good earth. “My worm castings and ‘tea’ are nature’s miracle for growing beautiful flowers, plants, shrubs, trees, and lawns safely without toxic chemicals. Plants love it; insects hate it” says Lonnie.

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It has not been an easy journey. He started from scratch and has built his operation into a major endeavor. He now estimates he has millions of worms ‘working’ for him. It is an intensely interesting operation and one full of details and watchful care. Worms can be finicky little creatures. The wrong temperature in the beds, inappropriate food, or any little annoyance can send them scurrying away. And you don’t want to see your investment leaving home. Constant attention is required to feeding, moisture content of the compost, and the well being of the worms themselves.

Presently, Lonnie and his workers have three old converted chicken barns that house his worms and the castings. He has installed sprinkler systems and various pieces of equipment to minimize labor. However, worms require an intense amount of attention. There are lots of hand tools around, too.

He begins by laying out windrows of moistened composted horse manure. Each is about four to six feet wide and the length of the barn, about 200 feet or so. To this he adds his specialized worms, India Blue. They begin work immediately eating and digesting their favorite food. More compost is added to the top of the row as required and as the worms consume what they had initially been fed working their way from the bottom to the top of the windrow. Within four to six weeks they have converted a row of compost to rich and valuable worm castings. It is now harvest time.

Harvesting castings is done largely by hand. A new windrow of composted horse manure is laid down adjacent to the first. Feeding and watering of the initial windrow is terminated. The worms, seeking food and water, migrate from the first windrow to the new one rather rapidly. What is left in the first windrow is the sought after results of the worms ‘work’: rich and beneficial worm castings along with the eggs left behind to hatch later and replenish the stock.http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=B000774QXI%26tag=firstfreedomd-21%26lcode=xm2%26cID=2025%26ccmID=165953%26location=/o/ASIN/B000774QXI%253FSubscriptionId=1N9AHEAQ2F6SVD97BE02
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Once the castings are harvested, they are moved to the processing barn where they must be screened. This process removes the clumps that may contain eggs and any uneaten hay or the like from the castings. The final product is a dark, rich, brown, granulated, soil like material. That is the sought after nutrient rich plant food. It has no obvious odor except that of the forest floor or a rich humus soil.

Worm castings may be bagged for direct sale or mixed with a compost to use as planting medium. They are an excellent fertilizer and soil enhancer and are 100 % organic. They are becoming increasingly more popular in the organic gardening movement.

Last year Lonnie began a process of brewing a ‘tea’ with his castings. This is a liquid form of dry castings using natural spring water and other organic ingredients. He brews this concoction for about twenty-four hours in special tanks. He has developed a unique product and it is presently on the market under his own label “Nature’s Big Bud Liquid Worm Castings, Premium 100% Organic Liquid Plant Food “. He also sells to other independent distributors, farmers, and plant growers. His product is high in microbial content attributed, according to Lonnie, to his use of pure, high quality worm castings, natural spring water and other organic ingredients he is reluctant to discuss. Trade secret. But I know that natural yucca extract is one of them. His ‘worm tea’ is becoming a widely sought after gardening product.

His use of natural unfiltered mountain spring water makes his product unique. He may be the only brewer doing so. This water, coming straight from a natural spring on the property, is pure and full of natural minerals unlike city water. It contains neither chemicals nor additives. That may be one key to his product.

Lonnie swears by his ‘tea’ and he is not alone. A brief surf on the Internet and one can view hundreds of sites pertaining to worm castings and worm ‘tea’. These informative and interesting sites all have one thing in common to the gardening buff: they are gleeful in their endorsement of worm castings and ‘worm tea’. Testing has shown these unique organic and natural products to be highly beneficial. Many noted soil experts are further studying the phenomena, but most agree that there is merit in the claims even though they don’t necessarily know exactly why. Worming castings and ‘worm tea’ work! And work well!

Recently, hydroponics enthusiast have been touting the use of liquid worm castings in their type of gardening as an alternative to chemicals.

Lonnie is currently working on a new product which will be composed of castings, composted horse manure, and dry yucca extract. He hopes to market it soon and initial tests have shown it to be an excellent planting medium. Also, he touts natural yucca extract as good for the soil and plants and will soon begin marketing that as well.

I spent many hours with Lonnie discussing his love of his worm farming efforts. Several things were evident. Lonnie knows worms. He loves producing a product that is going to help people garden more efficiently and in a manner friendly to the environment. He is not an environmental fanatic, but he knows that chemical free gardening is pre-ferable and somewhat inevitable. He loves even more the fact that he is producing a product that will be environmentally friendly.

Lonnie loves the land and by all accounts, the land loves Lonnie. His worms are promoting a healthy, chemical free environment and that comforts him.

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(Written by Dennis Copson, Oceanside, CA. Contact him at denniscopson@cox.net. More information about Nature’s Big Bud Liquid Worm Castings is available on their website, www.naturesbigbud.com.)

About the Author
Dennis Copson is a retired USMC Major who served twenty years in that service. He is now the Director of Sales and Marketing for Nature’s Big Bud Worm Castings,Inc. He is an avid gardener and a proponent of organic solutions to gardening problems vice chemicals.

Get Growing With hydroponics Gardening by Wyatt Pottoe

How does your garden grow? With fresh air, sunshine and rich, black soil? Not if you’re one of the countless gardeners who are now enjoying the benefits of hydroponics gardening.
Known as the cultivation of plants in water, hydroponics gardening has boomed in popularity. This is partly due to the scarcity of fertile farmland and shrinking supplies of fresh water.

There’s nothing new about hydroponics gardening. This method of growing has been abound for thousands of years, and can be traced to the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This ancient wonder of the world was created with a form of hydroponics. Since those ancient times, researchers have proven that a number of different aggregates or media could be used in place of black earth to support plant growth. Hydroponics gardening is just one of many alternatives to traditional soil growing.

Benefits of Growing with Hydroponics

Many people enjoy the space-saving benefits of hydroponics gardening. Apartment dwellers and homeowners alike can grow fresh vegetables and plants in the smallest of spaces, even on compact patios and balconies. Many commercial greenhouses have also adapted hydroponics gardening because of similar space-saving benefits.

It’s been suggested that, when properly grown, hydroponics plants may be healthier and more vigorous than their soil-bound counterparts. Without soil, nutrients are more readily absorbed by the plant. Hydroponically-grown plants mature more quickly and yield their harvest of flower and vegetable crops earlier.

The convenience of hydroponics gardening has been enhanced by using a timer to automate the entire system. With such a system in place, the home gardener invests less time in maintaining the overall plant growth requirements. Automation enables the hydroponics grower to enjoy more flexibility, such as being away for longer periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants.

Raising Healthy Plants

Plants have universal requirements, whether grown in soil or water. They all need air, water, light and nutrients. When plants are grown in traditional gardens, they absorb these essential nutrients and water from the soil. However, nutrient uptake can be a little slower, because soil can actually impede the roots’ abilities to access what they need.

Without soil, hydroponics gardening is cleaner and easier. That’s one of the simple joys of this type of gardening. There is always water and nutrients available, so your plants will never become stressed. You can build a hydroponics system outdoors to provide natural air and sunlight, or assemble it inside with artificial lighting and air circulation. Either way, your plants will enjoy optimum health.

For artificial sunlight, many hydroponics gardeners use metal halide lamps and sodium vapor lamps in conjunction with incandescent light bulbs. Fluorescent or specially designed grow lights may also be used.

Plants, like all living things, need oxygen to stay alive. The healthy, white roots of a plant are responsible for delivering all of the nutrients for the plant. When the roots die, it is impossible for the plant to survive. Even when all of the other growth requirements are in place, those elements will be useless if the plants are not able to access nutrients through the roots. Therefore, your hydroponics system requires adequate aeration by way of an air circulation supply. This technique will mix air throughout the nutrient solution, allowing the plants to draw out the carbon dioxide necessary for natural photosynthesis.

A sterile medium is the final requirement for a successful hydroponics garden. You’ll find a selection of media available on the market, from simple gravel to special formulations. Because there is no soil, there are no weeds. This is a true joy for any hydroponics gardener. Further, there are no soil-borne pests to worry about, so diseases caused by pests are minimized, if not entirely eliminated.

If you’re short on time, short on space or simply don’t like getting your hands dirty, discover the many joys of hydroponics gardening.

About the Author
Wyatt Pottoe is a columnist for several popular Internet sites, on family fun and home garden topics.

Lighting in hydroponic gardening by Diana

Lighting plays an essential role in hydroponics gardening. Adequate indoor lighting is essential for plants to produce food and to survive. Lighting is the first thing that is taken into consideration when starting an indoor garden. The amount of light that is naturally available or that can be supplied by artificial means, determines which plants are ideal for an indoor garden.

The amount of light entering any part of the house would vary from one location to another. The surroundings of the house such as trees, roof over hangings affect the amount of light entering through a window. A light meter that provides measures of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) should be used to calculate the amount of light falling through the window. Plants require 400 and 700 nanometers of PAR for photosynthesis and chlorophyll production.

Artificial lights for plants can be provided by using a variety of sources. These include incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps, HID lamps, and plant growth lights. These bulbs are ideal for plants that have limited natural light.

Incandescent and halogen light bulbs are known to produce more of red spectrum light as compared with other sources. These bulbs should be placed about one foot over the plant. This is not a grow light but is ideal for plants with low light requirements. A normal incandescent bulb is considered to be inefficient in terms of energy consumed and the amount of light generated.

Fluorescent bulbs are a cost effective solution offering four times the light of an incandescent bulb per unit of electricity. Though there are a number of fluorescent bulbs available to the general public only few of them are applicable to aiding plant growth. These are plant growth, industrial, daylight, full spectrum (which imitates natural light), actinic, tri-phosphor, special purpose and High Output / Very High Output bulbs. The ideal size of bulb for plant growth is the T12 four foot length tube. However, T5 length bulbs meet all the lighting requirements of indoor plants and therefore, are most popular. These bulbs fit the gap between cost and quality.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs are another solution for illuminating an indoor garden. These bulbs are very large and draw a large amount of energy. These bulbs require an additional fan to cool down due to the large amount of heat that they produce. These lights are ideal for flowering plants as the light source mimics sunlight. These lights require a ballast box to regulate the amount of electricity going to the light. For vegetative growth, metal halide (MH) lamps provide the maximum energy to indoor plants. For fruiting and flowering, high-pressure sodium (HPS) is the best choice. Mixed model lamps are available to meet this demand, which allow one to switch between MH and HPS features.

Know more about lighting in hydroponic gardening and different types of lighting products visit www.hydroasis.com.

hydroponics gardening is great for anyone who wants to do some gardening but may not have the space or a lot of experience.
Hydroponics gardens are different from regular gardens in that there isn’t any soil involved, which makes them great for indoors. The word begins with hydro for a reason! Hydroponics isn’t anything new, either, as it’s been around since as early as 600 BC. The other wonderful thing about hydroponics gardens is that they can be grown anywhere. For example, NASA uses indoor hydroponics for growing produce during lengthy missions. Lettuce is also being grown on U.S. submarines.
To get started with hydroponics gardening, you will need to germinate seeds just as you would for any other type of garden. Then you choose a growing medium. The medium can be anything from composted bark to peat moss to sand to nutrient-enriched water. You can also purchase kits that have everything you need to get your hydroponics garden started–and growing. For the beginner, this is probably the best way to go, as you can get everything you need along with expert advice.
The benefits of gardens grown using the hydroponics method are many. They allow you to grow your produce organically, without harmful pesticides or fertilizers. And since water is re-circulated in a specialized system, you also conserve water. This is great news for people who live in drought-stricken areas or in places where water is scarce.
Hydroponics gardens are also very low-maintenance. Because the produce is grown in water, you don’t have to do any digging. Even better, with these gardens, there’s no weeding involved either. Plants grow faster, too. Thirty to forty days from seed to fruit or flower is average. This is 30-50% quicker than plants grown in soil.
Too, hydroponics gardening makes it possible to grow produce year-round. That means you can enjoy fresh vegetables and fruit anytime of the year without paying outrageous prices for them. Plus, since there’s really no telling just how fresh the produce is in your local market, you’ll never have to guess about freshness and purity again. You’ll know because you grew it yourself under circumstances you control.
This is an important advantage that hydroponics gardens have over traditional gardens. When you grow plants in soil, even under the best of circumstances, you don’t know for certain that your plants are truly getting the nutrients vital for them to grow. In gardens grown hydroponically, you know your plants are getting the very best nutrition right at their root system. This not only ensures the highest quality possible, but it also takes the guesswork out of your gardening. That way, you can relax and enjoy your gardening efforts while feeling secure.
Hydroponics gardening is becoming more popular with novice and expert gardeners alike. As people become more aware and concerned about the environment, this trend is sure to continue. So whether you’re looking for a hobby or a new environment-friendly way to garden, hydroponics gardening is certainly worth experimenting with–just be warned that once you begin, you’ll never want to stop. The fruits of your labor will be too good to give up!
About the Author
Growing with hydroponics has been a long-time hobby of mine. It is the way of the future for us to feed a healthy diet to the whole world. Start with your own family Indoor Hydroponics Growing Garden and see what tasty veggies and herbs you can produce and harvest.