By: Charlene Rennick

The debate continues for dedicated heirloom seed saving hobbyists and serious collectors with private or public seed vaults: is there a definitive point in time at which a seed can be identified as an heirloom?

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By: Charlene Rennick

The success secret of preserving a seed is making sure that the climate and growth cycle experienced during the maturation of the seed is reproduced during the storage of the seed. To do this, the geographical origin of the parent plant must be determined ahead of time.   

Co-ordinate the Indigenous Climate with the Storage Environment

If the seed is from a tropical fruit grown closer to the equator, the storage area should be dry but warm.  This kind of seed will not survive a dormant period or freezing to preserve it because it does not have that kind of temperature or growing cycle in its natural environment.  Conversely, if the seed has been produced by a parent plant from a northern climate, it will lend itself to drying and freezing as a storage method because it is used to a shorter growth cycle followed by a colder, dry, dormant period.

Seeds are merely the casing for plant DNA which breaks down over time, even in ideal storage conditions.  Occasional sowing is necessary to keep the seeds fresh, the DNA viable, and the plant updated to the ever-changing environmental variables it will experience when it is eventually planted in the ground.

Recalcitrant and Orthodox Seed Storage

For the purpose of storage, there are two different kinds of seeds: orthodox and recalcitrant.  Orthodox seeds can remain inactive for years in a cool, dry storage condition while recalcitrant seeds can be damaged by drying and freezing procedures; they don’t store well at all.  Mango, avocado, cocoa, rubber tree, litchi are some examples of seeds that do not withstand freezing and drying. 

Large-scale and Home Hobby Seed Saving

Ideally, orthodox seeds should be allowed to dry.  For home hobby use, this is most successful in a well-ventilated, cool environment followed by wrapping in newsprint (unprinted) or a plain paper bag.  Moisture and mildew are destructive to seeds.  Once they are dried, they can be frozen in their paper inside an air-tight container or within a sealed jar.  If you are using them the spring following the drying season, paper bags should suffice to protect them. If the seed storage is a large operation, seeds are dried to a moisture content of less than 6% and stored in freezers at minus 18 degrees Celsius. (wikipedia). 

By: Charlene Rennick

Seed saving is the practice of propagating new plants from the previous generation using its seeds.  Traditionally, this is the method used by agriculturalists to reproduce crops in the field from one year to the next.  Recently, seed saving has declined as a means of cultivation due to the prominence of cloning and hybridizing plants.

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If you are new to hydroponic gardening, basil is a very easy and
rewarding herb to grow. I have grown it with great success in both
our little Aerogarden as well as our ebb and flow system. It just
seems to proliferate.

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By: Charlene Rennick

Heirloom plants are named as such because they can literally be passed down from one family member to the next generation in the form of seeds.  The seeds are saved at harvest time, allowed to dry over the winter and re-sown in the spring earth.  Heirloom seeds are unique because they are not the result of commercial engineering or cloning; they are created by a natural process of random pollination. 

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I recently went to a local hydroponics store to purchase some
nutrient for my garden. While I was there, I noticed a bottle with
what looked like calcium on the bottom amongst the various nutrient
solutions. I talked to the owner about it and he mentioned that
some of his concentrated nutrient feeds come as two parts and that
they cannot be mixed directly with each other while in concentrated
form. If the concentrates are mixed directly, the nutrients
precipitate out as a solid.

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By: Charlene Rennick

Green roofs are gaining new ground in higher places.  In some areas, over 2 million square feet of gardens have been anchored onto the top of city buildings.  Many of these living green roof tops can be found in Europe, Asia and Canada. 

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Recently, we decided to give hydroton (expanded clay pellets) a try
in our ebb and flow system. So far I have been quite happy with
this grow medium. It is easy to work with and our plants have been
growing well.

Hydroton pebbles:

1. Eco-friendly; the pebbles are made from clay, a resource that is
   both plentiful and renewable.
2. Reusable; As long as you clean them thoroughly, hydroton pebbles
   can be reused. Sterilizing with bleach (1 part bleach, 9 parts
   water) and then a through rinsing is the usual recommendation.
3. pH Neutral; Hydroton is almost completely inert and will not
   release any minerals into your solution that could affect pH levels.
4. Drain freely leaving roots well oxygenated.
5. Have a smooth round surface that won't cut delicate roots.
6. Do not compact which helps to ensure good root aeration.

Hydroton clay pebbles are sometimes combined with other grow media
in hydroponics systems, such as rockwool or coconut coir.

Building your own gardening system can be an interesting and satisfying project resulting in a versatile, inexpensive garden where plants flourish.

For do-it-yourself types, EasiestGarden.com sells hydroponic garden plans for the home gardener who wants to grow lettuce, strawberries, flowers, herbs and other small plants. We recently had a look at the plans for building your own vertical hydroponic system. The final product is a four tube vertical garden that is quite attractive and functional. If you are looking at wall (vertical) gardening, these plans are excellent as they can be scaled to your own requirements.

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By: Charlene Rennick

Although the jury is still out on whether or not LED bulbs are a confirmed improvement over regular hydroponic grow lights, currently the LED bulbs have several distinct and known advantages. 

In the absence of side by side testing against Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs, some benefits of substituting LED bulbs can be appreciated in a hydroponic garden. 

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