Big Push, Mixing Synthetics and Organics

The big push is on—we’re determined to reach our goal of 400 heads of lettuce per day! This spinach scare has increased the demand for our produce, so we are figuring different ways to achieve our goal.

Field based horticulture has its drawbacks and this spinach situation definitely proves that hydroponics is better. They still don’t know where the e-coli bacteria came from, but one possible source mentioned is animal droppings. By growing our lettuce in a secure greenhouse environment, that particular contamination is not a danger for us.

By following strict sanitary and hygienic procedures, we eliminate another possible source of infection, which is through humans. Our staff are required to wash their hands thoroughly before touching any tools or plants in the greenhouse, and we use Advanced Nutrients Wipe Out regularly to clean our rooms and utensils.

Soil horticulture is open to other infestations, such as root nematodes, which can be prevented and treated by using products such as Piranha. The beneficial fungi in this miracle powder colonize the root zone of plants and not only aid in the absorption of vital nutrients, but also help prevent many diseases.

We use Piranha as a foliar spray, to inoculate our lettuce against gray mold, mildew, Pythium, Rhizoctania solani, Fusarium, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and many other microbes that could devastate our bread and butter crop.

In order to boost our lettuce production, we are using Super Nutrients Super Bud Blaster in alternating cycles with Super Nutrients Ultimate Super Boost. These wonderful products are designed to work synergistically to produce maximum benefits in our lettuce crop.

The experts at Advanced Nutrients believe that if you augment your synthetic regimen with select organic nutrients or boosters, you’ve covered all your bases and have given your plants the best of both worlds. For this reason, we are adding 100% organic Iguana Juice Grow to our reservoir, as well as Colossal Bud Blast to our spray regimen.

Iguana Juice is a fish-based organic fertilizer and the owners of a nearby cucumber growing operation swear that it’s doubled the size of their harvest. Not only has the quantity of their cucumber crop increased tremendously, but the size of their cucumbers has as well, drawing praise from all of their customers.

“Who needs bigger harvests faster?” This is a tag line on the Advanced Nutrients website, which introduces their Overdrive. Although billed as a bloom enhancer, it has certainly increased the pace of the growth of our butterhead lettuce crop, filling our plants with renewed energy.

We’re also using Emerald Shaman, which uses the ancient Oriental technique of providing your plants with fermented nutrients and enzymes, in order to accelerate growth and enhance flavor. It’s full of bioactives that work their green magic on our butterhead crop.

To sweeten our harvests, we are using Carbo Load Liquid and Sweet Leaf in our reservoir aimed at the end of our Nutrient Pond that has the mature lettuce plants. These products give boosts of energy by providing much needed carbs, sugars, and microbes to push our plants to the finish line. Did I mention the enhanced flavor?

Finally, we’re using Grandma Enggy’s Seaweed Extract that helps our lettuce grow faster, resist diseases, and produce bigger harvests. We just started using this 100% organic fertilizer to augment our regular plant food regimen. It blends perfectly with other plant growth products.

We’ll keep you posted as to how our race against the clock is going. Gotta get that fresh lettuce on the plates of the spinach-starved multitudes!