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Field Trip with Doctor Dave

Sara Smith — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:48:00 GMT

Today we had an adorable group of kids from Muslim University of Islam Private School here in Atlanta. Doctor Dave gave them a great tour around the store and a detailed explanation of how hydroponics began and how it can be used to grow big, tasty plants!

There was a lot of smelling, touching and looking at all the basil, oranges, and bananas.

As you can tell, the kids had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the wonders of hydroponics.

Nutrient Antagonism & Deficiencies that Are Not Deficient!!!

Doctor Dave — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:55:00 GMT

Hello Readers,

After being asked the following question for the millionth time I decided it may be an issue that needed to be addressed.

Why if I am feeding my plant plenty of Magnesium does it show signs of Magnesium deficiency no matter what I do?

It is possible to feed an excess of most nutrients and still be deficient in one or more of them. This is because sometimes plants can suffer from “Nutrient Antagonism.” Nutrient Antagonism is when an excess of a particular element BLOCKS the absorption of another element that the plant needs. This can happen with elements of a similar size and charge (+ or -). Some of the most common antagonisms are:

Iron blocking Manganese (or the reverse)
Magnesium blocking Calcium (or the reverse)
Potassium blocking both Magnesium & Calcium

Another reason for a plant being deficient of an element that is being applied in the appropriate dosage is called “BINDING.” Binding is when elements mix together forming a compound that is insoluble (can not be absorbed by a plant’s roots.) This is seen when:

Concentrated acids or bases are mixed into nutrient solution and a cloud of precipitate forms (the precipitate or milky cloud formed is actually elements “binding” and becoming unavailable to the plants.)
Also when Iron is mixed in a solution heavy in Phosphates (HPO₄^-2) and a mineral called Strengite forms. This compound is completely insoluble and will make both the Phosphorous and the Iron unavailable to your plants.

A heavy flush with plain pH adjusted water followed by the application of a fresh balanced nutrient solution will usually solve both of these types of issues.

See the chart below for more common Antagonisms.

Nutrient in Excess	Induced Deficiency
NH4, K, Ca, Mg, Na	K
K and / or Ca	Mg
Cl	NO₃, SO₄
N	K
Ca	Mg
Mg	Ca
Ca	B
PO₄	Fe, Mn, Zn, or Cu
Fe	Mn
Mn	Fe
Mo	Cu

B = Boron

Ca = Calcium

Cu = Copper

Cl = Chlorine

Fe = Iron

K = Potassium

Mg = Magnesium

Mn = Manganese

Mo = Molybdenum

Zn = Zinc

NO₃= Nitrate

SO₄= Sulfate

PO₄= Phosphate

NH4 = Ammonium

The Atlantis Hydroponics Weekly NFL Pick Game

Sara Smith — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:48:00 GMT

The Atlantis Hydroponics Weekly NFL Pick Sheet

How it Works:

Atlantis Hydroponics Retail Locations will supply Pick ‘Em Sheets every Tuesday through Saturday (*** if you submit a sheet after Thursday and if there is a Thursday evening game, you will not be eligible for that game).

Every Tuesday morning, the winners will be posted In-Store and on the Atlantis Hydroponics Facebook page by Customer Rewards number and/or name.

The winner for the week receives a $50.00 gift certificate to be redeemed in-store for the purchase of product! To redeem your prize, simply track the winning Pick Sheet through the Atlantis Hydroponics Facebook page or see one of our sales team members during your next Atlantis visit.

Good luck!!

Atlantis Hydroponics Grand Opening Party

Sara Smith — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:39:00 GMT

30 Lbs. from 1 600 watt HPS Light!!!

Doctor Dave — Wed, 11 May 2011 09:10:00 GMT

Just to give you all a taste of what is possible try growing 30 lbs. in 16 weeks from seed under only 1 600 watt HPS light.
Not just theoretically possible but actually accomplished by Atlantis Hydroponics.

The Set-Up:

A 4’ x 4’ Viagrow Grow Tent
A 600 Watt HPS Hortilux Super HPS bulb
A General Hydroponics Euro Grower hydroponic system
Canna nutrients Aqua Fertilizers
8 plants of a variety known as BLACK KRIM…

From January 1^st 2011 when the seeds were planted until the last of the fruit was ripe and picked Atlantis Hydroponics’ own
Scott from Chattanooga TN grew the Black Krim tomatoes with ease using the Canna Aqua series of nutrients.
They tasted even better then they look!

Atlantis Hydroponics Grows NASA Space Station Tomatoes!!!

Doctor Dave — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:32:00 GMT

After playing around with hydroponics for almost 20 years, and growing everything on the planet I could get my hands on I came to an impasse... I ran out of stuff to grow! After some research I came across something truly out of this world! Designed for NASA with the help of the University of Florida & Utah State University the MICRO-TINA tomato was developedto be grown on the International Space Station. A true dwarf tomato plant with good flavor and a super fast finishing time. At only 8 to 10 inches tall these short mini bush style tomatoes require only minimal light and 69 days from seed to first harvest (WOW!!!) They are awesome to grow, and to eat.

Next Wait and see what Atlantis Hydroponics does with the NASA pepper plant the TRITON...

The Accidental Pythium Cure!!!

Doctor Dave — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:50:00 GMT

Mankind has often benefitted from chance mistakes made during scientific research. Among the multitude of accidental discoveries are: champagne, crazy-glue, post-it notes, LSD, and penicillin. Today I will share a story with you that may help your hydroponic garden…and you guessed it, it was a discovery made by accident.

In a research lab a lowly graduate student had the chore of mixing up stock nutrient solution. This meant individually adding chemical compounds to tanks of water to get the desired fertilizer mixture. This student accidentally put MgCl12 (Magnesium Chloride) into the mixture instead of MnCl12 (Manganese Chloride). Weeks went by and most of the hydroponics systems in the lab became infected with Pythium. Pythium is a very nasty water born pathogen that can destroy hydroponic plants in short order.

When the mistake was figured out the research lab determined that Mn (Manganese) had a disease suppressive property similar to that of Copper. It is recommended to double your Manganese application rate to suppress Pythium in a hydroponic system. This little accidental discovery may save countless crops…including yours.

My favorite product to add Manganese is Organo-ADD (Atlantis Hydroponics code 719710). It is completely organic and OMRI certified. It also has a complete array of micro nutrients to boot. Remember it is a lot easier to prevent Pythium than it is to get rid of it!

A Whale of a Difference; ORCA FILM!!!

Doctor Dave — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:03:00 GMT

Hello Everyone,

It has been a bit since I last blogged but I have been testing new products and will soon have a bunch of new information to share. As for today I would like to talk to you all about is a product called ORCA Film. It is a reflective wall covering that is so far superior to all of it’s predecessors that it is light years ahead! (No pun intended) As the adage says a picture is worth a thousand words…

The picture above is of 2 identical boxes side by side, each illuminated by a single 150 watt HPS bulb. When the light output is measured inside each box the Mylar box (on right) measured 1210 Foot-candles, the ORCA Film box (at left) measured 1900 Foot-candles!!! That is 57% more Foot-candles from simply changing the reflective wall covering!!!! It comes in 25’, 50’, and 100’ rolls (54" wide) & also has a sealing tape to join sections or cover staple holes. We pay so much for light for our plants it only makes sense to spend a few more dollars (it is a one time purchase as ORCA Film is 11 mills thick and totally washable) to get 57% more light!!! As an added benefit with ORCA Film more light is reflected and therefore it is not turned into heat. The above experiment resulted in a 3ºF temperature decrease in the Orca box (80ºF) compared to (83ºF) in the Mylar box.

Now because it reflects light across the full photosynthetic spectrum all photosynthetic pigments (such as chlorophyll) will be able to produce more energy and as such, your plants will grow that much faster.

Check back soon for more exciting new information and products.

A Beastly Army: Beneficial Insects for your Garden

Doctor Dave — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:54:00 GMT

Last blog I wrote about controlling harmful insects using pesticides and an Integrated Pest Management approach. A necessary part of any IPM program is the use of beneficial insects. Think of them as your own little army fighting for a pest free grow-room 24/7/365. Having released thousands, yes thousands of Hippodamia convergens (ladybugs) in my grow-room I will say I became more comfortable with insects crawling on me but 99% of the time they were on the job, on a search and destroy mission for any pest intruder attempting to sabotage my garden. There are lots of beneficial insects to choose from but you must match the pest to the predator, although many predators are not picky and will eat a variety of harmful insects. Using the chart below you can easily match the kind of insect problem you may be experiencing with the correct predatory insect.

Some interesting facts regarding these insects are:

You never should worry about your beneficial insects eating your plants as they will only feed on harmful insects
One Lady Bug may eat 5,000 aphids in 1 year
Green Lacewings will eat 200 aphids a week
Spider mite destroyers will eat 40 mites a day
Predatory Nematodes will kill over 250 different types of insects

The New Upside Down Tomato Gardens Are IN!

Sara — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:25:00 GMT

They have arrived! Recently featured in the New York Times , these fun planters take up little space and are easy to maintain. Check out the pots section for details.