Hort Americas Corporate Blog

Using coir as a growing substrate

2012-02-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Provided by Shan Halamba
Edited by Mr. David Kuack

Coiris a natural, and renewable resource produced from mature coconut husks.Coir fiber is a coarse material obtained from the husk surrounding the coconut seed.

Coconutpalms (Cocos nucifera) yield coconuts, which are harvested in 45-daycycles. The husks are separated from the nuts, which are consumed as food. Thehusks are used to produce growing substrates. The husk fiber is spun into awide range of textured yarns. These yarns are used to produce a variety ofproducts including colorful woven floor coverings.

Sri Lankan coir

Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of coir in the world. The coir industry began in Sri Lanka in the1860s. Over the years, piles of coir gradually grew around coir mills and the countryfaced a major disposal problem. In the late 1970s, coir fiber products startedto be exported to many different countries. European customers realized thatthe coir from Sri Lanka had desirable horticultural properties.

RIOCOCO coir substrates

RIOCOCO coir substrate products originate from Kurunegalain the heart of Sri Lanka’s coconut triangle. Here the coconut palms flourishin the region’s rich soil and humid tropical climate.

RIOCOCO coir was introduced in 2004 after many years ofextensive testing, research and development combined with customer feedback. Carefullyselected raw materials are blended together to produce high quality coirsubstrates in different formats. RIOCOCO owns eight production facilities inSri Lanka. These operations have the capacity to produce 4 million greenhousegrow bags per year along with other growing medium products.

RIOCOCO coir characteristics

RIOCOCO coir is lightweight and can be compressed into avariety of shapes. It decomposes slowly due to its high lignin content. It is uniformand consistent because of the production process that uses various sievingsystems and mixes different particle grades.

RIOCOCO coir is widely available and doesn’t create anyenvironmental problems during the production process like other inorganicgrowing media. RIOCOCO is the first North American-based company to obtain theOMRI listing for coconut fiber.

RIOCOCO coir has excellent porosity and water holding capacity,which can be changed according to crop requirements by blending differentgrades of coir. It has ideal chemical characteristics for plant production. Itcan be reused for several crop cycles and can be easily disposed of without anyenvironmental concerns.

RIOCOCO is conducting research to develop the next generationof products that will be suitable for different and new growing techniques.Each product is tested under different greenhouse conditions in temperatecountries including the United States, Mexico and Japan.

Hydroponicproduction in coir

Currently, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell and chili peppers,egg plants and strawberries are grown hydroponically in custom blended RIOCOCO coirgrow bags. These production systems include low-tech and high-tech greenhousesand nursery container systems.

RIOCOCO products consist of different blends based on therequirements of specific crops and the duration of the crop cycle.

Every crop has a specific air fill porosity andwater-holding capacity. When the water-holding capacity of a growing medium istoo high, root diseases such as Pythium and Phytophthora can occur. A growingmedium with a water-holding capacity that is too low causes water stress andresults in poor plant development.

Another important characteristic of a growing medium is stability.Growing media consisting of smaller particles are decomposed faster by micro-organisms.Many of the coir substrates on the market contain smaller particles that willdecompose in the slab or pot after a couple of years in production.

Crops like bell peppers that have a long cropping periodrequire a more stable substrate such as a blend of coconut husk and coir. RIOCOCOhas developed a special mix for bell peppers that contains different particlesizes of husk chips and natural materials. This open mix has a higher water-holdingcapacity and air fill porosity.

Different mixes are also available for container-grown plants.A major consideration is the method of irrigation. For container plantsproduced with ebb-and-flood irrigation a more open substrate that holds enoughwater is needed.

Coir adjustments

RIOCOCO coir is washed and dried to remove excess sodium beforeit is blended and manufactured into slabs and blocks. These coir products arenot pre-buffered with calcium which enables growers to make this adjustmentdepending on the crops’ requirements.

Buffering coir prior to use is necessary and can be doneby applying additional calcium nitrate and less potassium nitrate to thenutrient solution when expanding the slabs and during the first two weeks of production.After this period standard nutrient formulations can be used.

The root activity in coir slabs is higher than in otherorganic and inorganic substrates resulting in a higher pH. This increase in pHcan lead to a poor uptake of iron.

For growers who normally apply Fe-EDTA, a part or evenall of the iron has to be applied as Fe-DTPA, Fe-EDDHA or Fe-EDDHMA. The reasonis the high pH has an impact on the stability of the iron chelate. Once the ironchelate is unstable, plants cannot take up the iron. Fe–EDTA is stable until agrowing medium of pH 6.7 while Fe–DTPA, Fe-EDDHA and Fe-EDDHMA are stable to agrowing medium pH of 10

The electrical conductivity (EC) or conductivity factor (CF)of RIOCOCCO coir is comparable to other substrates.

Watering coir

There are no differences in fertilization for plantsgrown in RIOCOCO coir products compared to other growing media apart from the nutrientadjustments previously mentioned. Since coir holds water much better than otherinorganic substrates, less water needs to be applied and it is readilyavailable to the plants.

In general, during the summer drain percentages of 20 to 30percent are obtained. During the winter less water has to be applied as coircan be easily over watered. A good method of controlling irrigation is to use aweight scale and work with a dry down of 10 percent for the coir slabs. In mostcases a drain percentage of 10 to 20 percent is obtained.

RIOCOCO coir products

RIOCOCO coir products include slabs, trays, bags andcontainers. The slabs can be produced at any length, width and height to matchany production system and crop. Special orders are possible such as layeredslabs in which layers of different grades of coir are placed on top of eachother. RIOCOCO can also make special blends for cropswith different water-holding capacities and for long term crops.

For long term crops animportant factor is the stability of the plastic wrapping around the slabs. Wrappingthat is not UV-stable can deteriorate causing the slabs to fall apart andallowing weeds to grow in the coir. Upon request RIOCOCO slabs can be wrapped inUV-resistant plastic that is guaranteed to last for at least a year.

Shan Halamba is chief executiveofficer, Ceyhinz Link International Inc., Irving, Texas; (214) 492-0803;www.riococo.com.

Growing mediaconsiderations

A growing medium should provide support for the plant rootsystem. The medium should also allow the roots to penetrate easily in search ofwater and nutrients. This means a medium should be able to provide ample porespace for oxygen and to hold water and nutrients.

The following are basic considerations when choosing a growingmedium:

* Availability

* Weight

* Uniformity and consistency

* Optimal physical properties, including porosity and water-holdingcapacity

* Optimal chemical properties, including mineral ionconcentration and pH

* Low decomposition

* Reusable and ease of disposal

* Cost

* Organic certification

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Growing Outside the Box: The Modern Concept of Vertical Farming for a Greener Society

2012-02-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

(as seen at Yahoo Finance.)

DALLAS, Jan 30^th 2012 — Problem: By 2050, 80% of the populationwill reside in urban centers and human population will increase by about 3 billion.Estimated amount of NEW land needed for food: about 25% more than the entirecountry of Brazil, however, 85% of suitable land for raising crops is alreadyin use (Source: NASA), making that needed expansion impossible.

Solution: Energy-reduction technology coupled with Controlled EnvironmentAgriculture (Greenhouse Grown Produce, Vertical Farming, Multilayer Production)and other highly innovative horticultural/agricultural practices.

ControlledEnvironment Agriculture provides farmers the ability to cultivate in greenhouses, warehouses, orskyscrapers, allowing themto think in cubic feet (not square),farm new spaces, increase crop density, decrease actual land space, and securelarger crops. Traditionalfarmscan then revert to a natural state, reducing energy costs needed to transportfoods to consumers, and significantly alleviate land issues.

The EPAtakes special notice of practices like that as they push for a majorsustainability initiative to avert the crisis of depleted land resources.

SustainabilityPrinciple: Our well-being depends (directly or indirectly) on our naturalenvironment. Maintaining conditions for humans and nature to exist inproductive harmony fulfills social/economic requirements for present AND futuregenerations so we will continue to have the water, materials, and resources tosurvive.

Sustainability has emerged as a result of significant concernsabout the unintended consequences of rapid population growth, economic changes,and consumption of our natural resources. The EPA controls pollution and levelsof environmental protection, drawing on scientific advances and promoting greenbusiness practices. Artificial lighting has become of specific interest for thesuccess of future farming initiatives.

HortAmericas (www.HortAmericas.com), is, quite literally, lighting and leading the way, workingwith powerhouses like Philips (www.Philips.com/horti) to innovate LEDs for Horticulture aroundthe world, reducing costs and energy consumption. The partnership with Philipsis only one example of their Mission: To link Global Manufacturers ofHorticultural Technologies with North American Farmers and Growers.

Commercialgrowers and horticultural researchers are now using products like the PhilipsGreenPower LEDs to solve many common-sense problems:

· Energy Savings in Growth Chambers

· Growing High Density Crops/Leafy Greens inWarehouses - Decreases heat and amount of land needed

· Greenhouse Vegetable Crops - Decreased heat,allows lights lower in the crop, increasing yield up to 20%

· Artificial Lighting of Ornamental Crops - Immediateenergy savings

· Vine Crops (Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers) -Yield improvement

· Flower, Strawberry Production - Increased flowering

PhilipsGreenPower LEDs are available in multiple styles, lengths, and color ranges fora variety of growing applications and needed work light.

HortAmericas and their partners provide solutions for farms of all sizes andcapacities, from urban growing community projects to Vertical Farming,hydroponics, and commercial horticulture, playing their role in making theworld a healthier, greener, more sustainable environment in a world dependenton innovation.

CONTACT:

ChrisHiggins

+1 469 532 2383

infohortamericas@gmail.com

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Making the Switch to Organic Fertilizers

2012-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

With increased interest in locally-grown crops, “natural”products, and sustainably-certified production programs, an increasing numberof growers are looking at the feasibility of organic production. One of thebiggest changes for traditional growers seeking to grow organically is thereplacement of conventional fertilizers.

Growers looking to replace conventional fertilizers havethe option of applying either animal-based products like fish emulsion, bonemeal and blood meal; plant-based products including alfalfa meal, seed oilextract and those derived from composts; and naturally occurring minerals suchas limestone and rock phosphate.

Slow release rate

Two of the major issues growers must consider whenswitching to organic fertilizers is their low nitrogen-phosphorus-potassiumanalysis and their slow release rate of these macronutrients. CornellUniversity assistant horticulture professor Neil Mattson said conventionalliquid fertilizers like 20-10-20 provide nutrients that are readily availableto the plant roots. He said unlike conventional fertilizers, organicfertilizers should be considered slow-release fertilizer sources since theirnutrients are released through decomposition and microbial activity.

“Plant-available nitrogen is what growers need to beconcerned with,” said Mattson. “It can be the limiting nutrient in organicfertilizers. The organic fertilizer will list the amount of ammonium and nitrate,these are the plant-available forms. The rest of the nitrogen may eventually beavailable to the plants, but a microbial population has to be established toconvert the organic-bound nitrogen into ammonium or nitrate nitrogen.

“If a grower is looking at the immediate nutrientavailability or “greening” potential of a fertilizer, he needs to think aboutwhat percentage of nitrogen is immediately available to the plants and how muchtime it will take for the remaining nitrogen to become available. The groweralso has to be concerned about how much of the fertilizer will be leached fromthe substrate.”

Mattson said growers applying organic fertilizers mustalso pay close attention to the growing substrate to ensure conditions existthat favor microbial activity that will hasten nutrient release from thefertilizers. Growers may want to consider incorporating into the substrate asource of microbial inoculum such as compost or some other commercial productsuch as RootMate or R.S.S.I. Other factors that can impact microbial activityinclude having a suitable food source in substrate, maintaining warm substratetemperatures above 60°F, avoiding a water-logged substrate, and keeping thesubstrate pH above 5.5.

Although most of Mattson’s studies with organic fertilizershave been done in either conventional or organic potting mixes, he said even ina hydroponic production system that a microbial population will becomeestablished and will convert organically-bound nutrients into forms that areavailable to the plants.

“The nitrogen may be bound in proteins and amino acids,”he said. “The proteins eventually are degraded into amino acids, which getdegraded to ammonium or nitrate which are available to the plants.”

Nutrientavailability

Mattson said in a hydroponic production system, if aplant needs a specific number of grams of nitrogen, it’s going to need thatamount whether it comes from a conventional fertilizer source or from anorganic source.

“A grower who previously used a conventional fertilizerand switches to an organic fertilizer may need to increase the amount offertilizer applied depending on how much of the nitrogen is readily available,and how quickly the microbial community can convert the remaining nitrogen toplant-available forms,” he said.

Mattson said that with organic fertilizers it can be moredifficult to control the proportion or ratio of the nutrients to meet theplants’ needs.

“With a conventional fertilizer the ratio is oftensomething like 4-1-4 for nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium,” he said. “Conventionalfertilizers that match up pretty well would be a 21-5-20 or 20-10-20. Thesefertilizers actually give the plants the nutrients they need in about the rightproportion that the plants absorb them. For organic fertilizers I have not beenable to find any that have those same proportions.”

Mattson said the organic fertilizers he has worked withtend to be high in phosphorus as compared to the nitrogen and relatively low inpotassium. However, he has yet to run into problems with deficiencies in theorganic fertilizer studies that he has done.

“Most of the studies I have done have been withrelatively short six-week crops,” he said. “This may have not been enough timefor the plants to experience deficiencies of potassium or show an excess ofphosphorus.”

Mattson advises growers producing longer term hydroponiccrops with organic fertilizers to regularly monitor soluble salts levels and toalso do tissue analysis.

“Nutrients like phosphorus that are supplied in excessare going to accumulate so that the nutrient level is going to keep buildingup,” he said. “Whereas nitrogen and potassium levels might be drawn downquickly so that there might not be much left for the plants. A grower producinga short term crop like lettuce or greens may not have to be as concerned withdeficiencies or excesses as a grower producing a longer term crop like tomatoesor cucumbers. However, if a lettuce grower recaptures the water from areservoir and uses it for multiple crop cycles, there is an increased chance thathe could run into these nutrient imbalances.”

Monitoringnutrient levels

Mattson said growers who are using organic fertilizersneed to do more testing in regards to pH, soluble salts and tissue analysis.

“Electrical conductivity measurements give the totalsoluble salts which will help ensure that total salt levels have not built upto dangerous levels that can burn the plants,” he said. “However, thesemeasurements don’t tell which particular nutrients built up to a high level.

“Growers who are producing a long term crop like tomatoesshould also be doing leaf tissue analysis. This test would help to determinewhich nutrients are becoming deficient or excessive. A leaf tissue testprovides guidelines as to what the nutrient levels should be for long termcrops like tomatoes to sustain vigorous plant growth.”

While a tissue test will provide growers with informationabout what nutrients have been deficient in the root zone over the past fewweeks, Mattson considers it to be more of a reactive test.

“A more proactive test would be for the grower to testthe nutrient solution periodically to see what is available to the plants,” hesaid. “For a new crop that a grower is not accustomed to producing, it is agood practice to run a tissue test every week or every two weeks. The growershould pay attention to the trends that occur with the nutrients over time. Thegrower can learn a lot from those trends. If the nitrogen level keeps goingdown from week to week, the grower may be under fertilizing the plants or thephosphorus level may keep building up from week to week indicating overfertilization.”

For more: NeilMattson, Cornell University, Department of Horticulture, (607) 255-0621; nsm47@cornell.edu.

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What's Hort Americas Working On?

2012-01-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hort Americas is starting 2012 off in a sprint!

Here is a preview of just a few of the items we are working on:

LEDs! As you all know Hort Americas has invested quite a bit into this new and innovative technologies. Expect new educational and promotional videos. On January 5th we shot the GreenPower LED Flowering Lamp Product video and next week will be creating an educational video on understanding the relationship be light and horticulture.
Oasis LC2 - A new substrate for hydroponic lettuce and herb growers.
Riococo Branded 80mm Ellepots for hydroponic tomato, cucumber and pepper growers.

As well as some of these other cool products and ideas......

Its going to be a good year!

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

LED Grow Light Video from Hort Americas

2012-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hort Americas is please to offer the first in a series of innovative educational videos geared toward commercial greenhouse growers and hydroponic vegetable growers in controlled environment agriculture facilities.

The first will be product videos that provide you (the viewer) the necessary facts and information you need to incorporate these tools at your growing facility.

The second will be educational only videos. These videos will focus on horticultural and hydroponic topics. Topics will range from managing the root zone to managing light. Please email us at infohortamericas@gmail.com if there are any specific topics you would like to see tackled.

Hort Americas LED Grow Lights _ Production Modules_Educational Product from C Higgins on Vimeo.

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Seed Germination Using LEDs

2011-12-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

By Johann Buckand David Kuack

Light along withwater, oxygen and temperature are the environmental factors that affect seedgermination. Light can stimulate or inhibit seed germination or have no affectat all. Some of the plants that require light for germination include:ageratum, begonia, browallia, coleus, geranium, impatiens, lettuce, nicotiana,petunia and snapdragon.

Many growers whoprovide supplemental light for seed germination have used fluorescent lampfixtures. These lamps are typically suspended 6 to 12 inches above the seedtrays. The lights are generally operated for 14 to 16 hours a day.

Some growers whooperate more elaborate production facilities have installed high intensitydischarge (HID) lamps. These lamps can be used to provide supplemental lightfor both germination and growing on a crop especially during dark weatherperiods and the shorter days of the year.

Consider LEDs

The lightemitting diode (LED) is gaining interest among growers and otherhorticultural-related companies, including breeders and plant propagators. LEDsare more like computer chips than light bulbs because they are solid-statesemiconductor devices.

LEDs are moreefficient than incandescent and fluorescent lamps and comparable to HID lamps.Unlike these traditional lamps, LEDs generally do not burn out. The lifeexpectancy of LEDs is based on the time (in hours) required for the lightoutput to drop below a percentage of the original maximum intensity underoptimal operating conditions.

Growers generallyreplace their lamps when the light output drops below 90 percent. Those whoinstall LEDs can expect a long operating lifetime of approximately 25,000 to 50,000hours. The LEDs’ long operational life reduces the costs associated withreplacement, disposal and labor. LEDs turn on and off instantly and do notrequire warm-up time like HID lamps. LEDs also emit little or no radiant heatenabling them to be placed closer to the plants. This allows growers to producemultilayer crops without having to be concerned about having to remove excessheat.

Improved light efficiency

Most plants uselight in the blue (450 nanometers) and red (660 nanometers) wavelengths ofphotosynthetically active radiation for photosynthesis. LEDs designed for usein horticultural applications emit light in the red or blue wavelengths. Insome cases far red light is needed by the plant and can be added to the overallLED light recipe.

Changing thelight recipe enables growers to manipulate the light quality to specificallymatch the plant species and stage of production. LEDs give growers the optionof changing the light quality to match what they are trying to accomplish witha crop, be it speed up growth to reduce crop time, hasten and/or increase flowering,improve plant quality, grow without daylight or increase plant production witha multilayer cropping system.

Multilayer production systems

Both hobbyistsand professional growers have expressed an interest in using LEDs during seedgermination. For professional growers, a multilayer production system can be acostly and time-consuming design and construction project. Because of theseissues, smaller growers believe that LED technology is unattainable. This isnot the case.

Many largegrowers start with LEDs by conducting small scale trials. These trials arecomparable to what hobbyists or smaller growers would need to satisfy theirentire crop.

An example is thePhilips GreenPower LED Production Module. It is designed to replace fluorescentlamp fixtures. The Production Modules are available in two lengths (4 and 5feet). The Production Modules provide either a combination of deep red and bluelight or deep red and white light. The white light is useful for colorrecognition of plants and is easier on the human eye. Most growers choose thedeep red and blue light Production Module because its price point is lower thanthe deep red and white light module.

For most purposes one Production Module can replace two fluorescent tube lamps. Forexample, growers commonly use a plant production footprint of 4 feet by 2 feet.These dimensions are common for most flower shipping carts used by U.S.growers.

Generallyspeaking, 150 to 200 micromoles of deep red and blue (or white) light from LEDsis adequate for seedling production based on an average photoperiod of 16hours. This seed germination cart design would require three or four 4-feetProduction Modules. At 35 watts per module and using an average of $0.10 perkilowatt-hour, one 4- by 2-feet cart shelf would cost $0.17 per day to light.The price range for the Production Module depending on the length installed isapproximately $150 to $200 per module. The useful lifeexpectancy for a Production Module is approximately 25,000 hours at 90% light intensity and 50,000 hours at 70%.

Real world experience

Kieft-Pro-SeedsHolland, a breeder of F₁ and open-pollinated annual and perennialflower seed in Venhuizen, the Netherlands, recently installed a Philips LEDsystem. The set up consists of more than 7,000 LED lights (15 percent blue and85 percent red). The LEDs are expected to last 10 times longer than a standardfluorescent light system. The return on investment for the LED system isexpected to be less than three years. Willem Koopman, seedoperations manager at Kieft, told FloraCultureInternational, that the company had been trialing the system for nearlyfour years.

“Now we can startto benefit from this fresh technology,” Koopman said. “This will include a 30percent cost savings on our energy bills and will increase the efficiency ofour testing services by providing a more consistent light to our youngseedlings.

“We use thespecial lighting in our germination testing chambers for our new and upcomingproducts before they go on sale so that we can reliably inform the growers ofhow many seeds will successfully turn into the premium product which we areknown for. Using this new system will also mean that the seedlings require lesswatering because they will not dry out as quickly.”

Dr. Johann Buckis technical services manager, Hort Americas, Euless, Texas,jbuck@hortamericas.com; www.hortamericas.com. David Kuack is a freelancetechnical writer in Fort Worth, Texas, dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hydroponic Lettuce Production in Phenolic Foam

2011-12-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

ByDavid Kuack and Vijay Rapaka

Inorganicgrowing substrate materials that have been used for hydroponic crop productioninclude rockwool, perlite, vermiculite, expanded clay and pea gravel. Phenolicfoam is a relatively new inorganic substrate that offers many desirableproduction properties.

Phenolic foamcubes

TheOasis Horticube Growing Medium is a sterile phenolic foam. Like rockwool,Horticubes have no cation exchange capacity, nobuffering capacity and no initial fertilizer charge.

Horticubes come in a variety of sizes, including: 1-inch Thin-Cut(276 cubes/sheet), 1-inch (162 cubes/sheet), 1¼-inch (104 cubes/sheet) and 1½-inch(50 cubes/sheet). All of the sheets measure 10- by 20-inches and fit intostandard 1020 trays. Each sheet is pre-scored on the bottom and top to allowfor easy separation of the cubes at transplant.

The 1-inch Thin-Cut Horticube was developed primarily forhydroponic lettuce production. This high density configuration accommodates 276seeds in a standard 1020 tray. Each cube is pre-punched with a dibble hole thatis uniform in depth and has center to center spacing. This allows for the useof automated seed sowing equipment. Horticubes work equally well with both nutrientfilm technique (NFT) and a raft (float) growing system.

Using the North Carolina State University porometer, the 1-inchThin-Cut Horticube has a water-holding capacity of 80 percent and air porosityof 20 percent. A comparable rockwool product, which has grooves at the bottomof the sheet, has a water-holding capacity of 60 percent and air porosity of 40percent.

Sowing the seed

Horticubes can be seeded dry and do not need to be watered priorto sowing the seed. Seed can be sown using a vacuum seeder or manually byplacing the seed in the dibble holes. The specially designed hole is tapered toensure the seed sets properly in each cube.

After the seed is sown irrigation can be done manually with a hoseand water breaker (i.e., wide fan nozzle) or automatically by passing theHorticube sheets through a watering tunnel. The sheets should be thoroughlysaturated.

Water-holdingcapacity

A single Horticube sheet holds about 4 liters (1 gallon) of water.However, it takes more than 4 liters of water to ensure total saturation of thefoam because of water channeling through the dibble holes and grooves on the Horticubesheet. To ensure thorough saturation about 10 liters (2.6 gallons) should beapplied so that the water pours through the bottom of the sheet. As rule ofthumb, water each sheet for 2 minutes at regular tap water pressure.

If the seedlings are going to be irrigated/fertigated by overheadirrigation, place the Horticube sheets in solid bottom trays with drain holes. Neveruse a solid bottom tray without drain holes. If sub-irrigation is going to beused, place the Horticube sheets in trays that have solid sides and web bottoms.

Like rockwool, the Horticube sheets can be rewetted. Both of thesemedia should not be allowed to go completely dry between waterings.

Once the Horticubes are thoroughly saturated, the cubes shouldstay moist during the course of germination.

Lettuce seed sown in Horticubes does not have to be topdressedwith vermiculite. The seed also does not require a dark treatment for germination.The best germination usually occurs when the Horticube temperature is below70°F. The seed usually germinates in two to three days.

Wateringand fertilizing seedlings

Generally lettuce seedlings in Horticubes do not require mistingor watering during germination. However, on bright hot summer days consider abrief misting (5 seconds once a day) on Day 2 and Day 3. Apply clear tap waterwith no fertilizer.

Once the lettuce seed has germinated the mist frequency needs tobe adjusted. A typical misting program consists of starting from Day 4 to Day7, three times a day for 10 seconds. From Day 7 to finish, mist four times aday for 10 seconds. If the seedlings are going to be either hand-watered or ona sub-irrigation system, irrigate only once a day.

Start fertilizing the seedlings on Day 4. All of the differentnutrient formulations developed for lettuce production will work withHorticubes. Growers should customize their specific formulations depending onwater supply, lettuce cultivars, production system, climate and season. Thenutrient solution pH should range from 5.5 to 6. The recommended electricalconductivity during propagation is 1.0 mS/cm. The recommended electricalconductivity during production is 1.2 to 2.2 mS/cm.

Transplantingseedlings

Lettuce seedlings should be ready to transplant 10 to 14 daysafter sowing depending on seasonal climate conditions. During summer months ittakes about 10 days from sowing to transplant and during winter months it takesabout14 days. The criteria for transplant are development of two true leavesand root penetration through the bottom of the Horticubes.

At transplant the pre-scored sheets can be easily separated intoindividual cubes. The easiest way is to break the individual cubes from the topdown along the scoring.

Productionand harvest

Lettuce seedlings in Horticubes transplanted into a NFT or raftsystem perform equally well. During production the recommended electricalconductivity of the nutrient solution should be 1.2 to 2.2 mS/cm. With a NFTsystem the water flow rate should be 1 to 1.2 liters per minute. Analysis ofthe nutrient solution should be done on a regular basis in order to makeformulation adjustments.

Hydroponically-grown lettuce produced in Horticubes can be harvestedwith the root system intact. Leaving the root system intact can help to extendthe shelf life of the lettuce.

For more: Smithers-OasisNorth America; (800) 321-8286; www.oasisgrower.com or Hort Americas, LLC at +1 469 532 2383.

DavidKuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas, dkuack@gmail.com.Dr. Vijay Rapaka is Manager—Grower Research, Smithers-Oasis Co., Kent, Ohio, vrapaka@smithersoasis.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

New Horticultural Video Series in Development

2011-11-23T14:29:00.001-08:00

Hort Americas has been extremely busy leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. And lets just say its the good busy, the fun busy!

Last night we shot our first video which will ultimately become a series of educational and information videos geared towards the commercial horticulture and hydroponic industry. The first video will focus in on the Philips GreenPower LED Production Module and its possible application in the production of ornamental and hydroponic crops.


The New Videos will focus on LED Grow Lights and will star Ms. Abigail Herring!

Hort Americas is also and excited and proud to be working with many of the industry's top editors. We are dedicated and focused on helping to build the industry, which makes us thankful (since it is Thanksgiving) for the work of individuals like Annie White of Ball Publishing. See a sample of Annie's work here.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

New from the European Greenhouse Industry

2011-11-18T12:21:00.001-08:00

Hort Americas just returned from an excellent visit to The Netherlands and the 2011 HortiFair.

If you get a chance, make sure to visit our Facebook Page and check out our the Photos provided by Dr. Johann Buck and Mr Gerson van't Wout. (See alot of interesting photos on the Horticultural LED Grow Lights.)

Also, for those interested in Philips GreenPower LED Grow Lights...click here to see their new Newsletter.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

LED Horticultural Grow Lights Make Propagation Easier and Faster

2011-10-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Rootingcuttings in separate propagation room cuts a week off of production schedule

by Dave Kuack and Jean Marc Versolato

Minnesota in the winteris not the ideal place to try to propagate woody ornamental cuttings. Coldtemperatures and low light conditions make rooting cuttings a real challenge. Sowhen Jean-Marc Versolato at BaileyNurseries (www.baileynursery.com) in St. Paul, began reading about how European growers wereusing LED lights to root cuttings it piqued his interest.

Versolato,who is the company’s IPM manager for the greenhouses, worked with Philips HorticulturalLighting and Hort Americas to design a separate propagation room not in thegreenhouses to trial the LED lights.

“Ifelt that the LED lights were going to be the next improvement in growing,”Versolato said. “We started in February 2011 and ran a variety of crops underthe lights. We used three Cannon carts tied together side-by-side to form onelarge shelf that can hold up to 15 trays. The trial was conducted in a cornerof our germination room.”

Versolatosaid the germination room was the perfect location for the trial. Locatedinside a production building, the room provides a constant 70°F and is equippedwith fogging nozzles in the ceiling. The trial propagation area was partitionedwith black plastic to avoid light contamination from the room’s fluorescentlights.

Thecuttings only received red and blue light from Philips GreenPower LED production modules. The 5-foot modules, which matched the size of the carts, werelocated about 16 inches away from the cuttings.

Cuttingswere taken from a variety of plants in the greenhouses, including Spirea, Celastrus,Physocarpus and Hydrangea. The cuttings were sprayed with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to help initiate rooting. Thecuttings were stuck in 38-cell plastic trays (standard 11- x 21-inch)containing Preforma rooting plugs. The cart shelves held five flats of eachgenus for a total of 15 flats.

Thefogging nozzles filled the entire room with fog. There cuttings received no directwater misting or spraying.

“Byusing the fog we eliminated droplets from forming on the foliage, which greatlyreduced the chance for Botrytis and loss of cuttings,” Versolato said. “Gravitycaused the fog to descend on the cuttings and the fog kept the cuttings turgid.

“TheLED lights generate heat, but nothing like other lights available for growing.For this reason the Preforma plugs remained moist and we didn’t need to applyany additional water.”

Thecuttings rooted in three to four weeks. Versolato said in the greenhouses thecuttings root in four to five weeks and occasionally take longer for somespecies.

Photo of Crops on Cannon Carts in the FOG - Under Philips LED Grow Lights

Trialing othercrops

Afterthe initial propagation trial proved successful, Versolato was looking to tryadditional crops. During the summer the company purchased tissue-cultured lilacmicro-cuttings.

“Werooted three flats of micro-cuttings under the LED lights in three weeks,” Versolatosaid. “They required very little grower care whatsoever. The environment in thepropagation chamber was controlled by the LED lights and the fogging nozzles. Also,no fungicide spray applications were made.”

Versolatosaid winter cutting propagation in the greenhouse can be difficult to managebecause of low light levels, the temperature and the humidity. Based on thesuccessful results of the lilac trial, Versolato said the company plans to root25 percent of its French lilacs (Syringavulagris) cuttings in the propagation room.

“InJanuary and February we will begin to root the micro-cuttings lilacs in theroom,” he said. “We are probably going to root six to seven varieties, puttinga sample of each one of them under the LED lights to see how they perform.We’re going to do six carts with three shelves each. Each shelf holds fivetrays, for a total of 90 flats under the LED lights. This trial will be ourfirst multi-layer production attempt.”

Althoughpleased with the rooting results under LED lights that he has gotten so far,Versolato said he thinks there are other factors that are instrumental in thecuttings rooting faster.

“Thecuttings are being rooted in the Preforma plugs instead of greenhouse growingmedia,” he said. “The chamber also has very good temperature and humiditycontrol. All of these factors put together help to shave seven days off of therooting schedule.”

Expandingpropagation

Versolatosaid the propagation room will be used for hard to root crops. The room canhold 40-50 carts.

“Weare not going to be wasting space in the trial area for crops that are easy toroot in the greenhouses,” he said. “We are looking at a list of a dozenvarieties/species that we would root in the room knowing that they aredifficult to root in the greenhouses. Some of the plants that will be trialedinclude Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’ Tiger Eyes, Amelanchier and Betula.”

Forthe lilac trial, 15 flats of cuttings were lit by five modules of LED lights.

“Wewanted to be sure that we had enough light for all of the flats,” Versolatosaid. “For this coming year the lights are not going to be directly above theplants or mounted on the carts. We want to be able to move the carts in and outof the propagation room.”

Thelights will be mounted on a bracket shelving system and located about 16 inchesabove and to the side of the cuttings. Versolato said this will make switching andhandling carts a lot faster and easier.

The right recipe

Versolatosaid the red and blue LED lights come in different recipes depending on what agrower wants the plants to do, whether it’s develop roots, hasten flower initiationor speed up time to flower.

“Therecipe that we are using is generic and works with just about any plant we aretrying to propagate,” he said. “It would be too difficult to have a differentrecipe for every genus and species that we are growing.”

Versolatosaid Philips can provide growers with the information to tweak the lightwavelength recipe to increase or decrease the amount of red light or bluelight.

“ForDutch growers, who may be producing acres of Anthurium or another mono crop, itis easy for them to have a specific light recipe for that one crop,” he said. “Butin our situation where we have many different crops, it would take a lot tocome up with a different recipe for each one of them.”

Finished Crop on Cannon Carts (Multilayer Production) under LED Grow Lights

Finishing plants

Versolatois also planning to do another trial finishing plants in the greenhouse underLED lights.

“Philipshas different types of LED lights,” he said. “In addition to the light moduleswe used for propagation, Philips also has flowering light bulbs that can bescrewed into regular light fixtures. One helps to promote flowering.

Versolatois planning to do a small trial with the flowering LED lights to see if theyhelp with flower bud initiation on impatiens during early season cropproduction. He said the first impatiens crop is grown during the short darkdays of the year and the plants are very slow to develop buds.

Eventhough the first crop is currently grown under high intensity discharge lights,Versolato wants to see what impact the addition of LED lights will have on the plants.

“Wewant to try some LED bulbs mixed in with the HID to see if they help to improvebud count,” he said. “The crop would be put out in the greenhouses around Feb.23. The light level in the greenhouses in Minnesota during February is very low. We’replanning to trial about three benches with the LED lights.”

For more: BaileyNurseries Inc., www.baileynursery.com. Hort Americas,www.hortamericas.com. PhilipsHorticultural Lighting, www.philips.com/horti

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

2011-10-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Tim Blank and our friends at Future Growing, LLC have done it again! Check out this amazing project they did with the city of Chicago and the Ohare Airport.Completed in September, we wanted to wait till we had a chance to visit it. So check out the video and then the photos from our visit.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Urban Agriculture and Hydroponics

From Leafy Greens to Herbs to Veggies and Edible Flowers

Farming of the Future

Please email us with any additional questions on this project or other hydroponic projects around the world.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Kimitec Launches its North American Website

2011-10-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Its finally up and live! Kimitec.com is the perfect place to go to learn about the latest trials on this organic and non-organic line of fertilizers. From Amifort to Tundamix, the Kimitec Group (along with the support of American Clay Works in North America) continue to focus increased yield, plant health and vigor. Please follow this link to learn more about Kimitec Trials in hydroponics, commercial greenhouses and general agriculture.

Visit Hort Americas for additional technical information and to buy your Kimitec today.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hort Americas Teams up with Priva for Hydroponic Greenhouse Control Systems

2011-10-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas is proud to announce our relationship with PRIVA North America (http://www.priva.ca/en).

"Priva creates innovative solutions forclimate control and process management that make minimal use ofscarce natural resources, such as energy andwater." For commercial hydroponic vegetable growers, vertical farmers, urban agriculturalist and greenhouse growers this includes (but does not limit) tools and management strategies for greenhouse/warehouse climate, fertilization, water (incl irrigation), labor, harvest as well other process and processing issues.

Check out this video to learn more about the history of Priva and how they may help your controlled environment agriculture production facility, vertical farm or hydroponic greenhouse.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

BioWorks Promotion

2011-09-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Beginning October 1 through December 31, 2011 customers who buy one case of CEASE, get a 5lb bag of MILSTOP FREE! Simply click the promotional flyer link below and contact us today!

Bioworks Q4 Promotional Flyer

BIOWORKS:

For more than 18 years, BioWorks has been an industry leader in providing environmentally responsible, safe, and cost-effective solutions to the growing needs of the horticulture industry.
BioWorks’ pesticide products are EPA Registered (unless exempt), and most are OMRI-Listed for organic growing. As the sustainability movement and the demand for biocontrols continues, BioWorks will continue to provide tools and services to help growers achieve the highest level of insect and foliar disease control that are safe (both for the environment and for employees) and effective.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Horticoop online magazine BLAD (e-Leaf)

2011-09-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Horticoop B.V. has released the fourth issue of the magazine BLAD or e-Leaf in English. Check it out!

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Hort Americas is now Certified to Provide Philips LEDs

2011-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas recently finished its last round of training on Philips GreenPower Horticultural (Hydroponic) LED Product Portfolio.

This training not only included intense product training, but it also included training on LED applications for:

1.) Hydroponic Production of Greenhouse Vegetable Crops like Tomatoes, Peppers and Cucumbers
2.) Hydroponic Production of Greenhouse Leafy Green and Herb Crops
3.) Greenhouse Ornamentals
4.) Seed Production
5.) Tissue Culture
6.) Growth Chambers and Grow Rooms
7.) Needs of Research Facilities and Universities
8.) Multi-layer Production
9.) Vertical Farming
10.) Urban Agriculture in Controlled Environments

Next step will be UL certification for the complete line of Philips GreenPower LEDs which are currently being trialed and commercially used in a wide variety of growing facilities around the world.

PlantLab along with many other forward thinkers is working with LEDs.
Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Kimitec Organic Fertilizers, perfect for Hydroponically Grown Greenhouse Crops

2011-08-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Not alot of time for a post today, but wanted to put a teaser out there that we are looking at an organic fertilizer that should fit well with Hydroponically Grown Greenhouse Greens, Herbs and Veggies.

Email infohortamericas@gmail.com for details or check out our facebook page for images http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hort-Americas/133476796695370#!/pages/Hort-Americas/133476796695370

Hope everyone is having a good summer!

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Philips releases new press release on Multilayer Cultivation.

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

As we move forward with LEDs, the idea of plants per cubic foot, not per square foot, becomes more of a reality in the U.S. What does this mean for horticulture and agriculture?

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

LED lighting promising for better light distribution and light as a control

2011-07-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Translation:

LED lighting promising for better light distribution and light as a control

Most opportunities for LED lighting are in the preliminary application as a control light for better light distribution. This emerged from a meeting of the business platform light on July 7 at the Horticulture. The purpose of the meeting was the latest results from research, both in the floriculture and vegetable cultivation, to share and discuss.

The presentations and discussions with the 40 present researchers, consultants, suppliers and growers, showed that the replacement of SON-T by LED lighting is expected to have a few years away. This by the high costs and too little energy. And while the heat of a SON-T lamp added value, there is no need to replace it with LEDs. On the cost and energy efficiency of the lamp is however working hard by the suppliers.

But there are opportunities to control light and better light distribution over the crop with LEDs. Examples that were discussed were as LED control light in carnation to replace the bulb and LED in a more low-growing tulip. This requires a lot of interest from practice. The price of LED bulbs is still a bottleneck.

Led by as additional exposure with SON-T used between the crops, like tomatoes, is also an added value given. This additional production by the improved light utilization of the crop. The discussion showed that new research is to focus on the above opportunities, but one must closely reflect the practical results that also picked up more easily.

The meeting is with LTO Grow Service, Ministry EL & I Product Board for Horticulture and organized within the framework of the Platform of Light program Greenhouse as Energy Source and is a continuation of previous meetings. This is the innovation and action to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and greatly reduced dependence on fossil energy for the greenhouse in 2020.

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Lettuce Cultivation Using GreenPower LEDs

2011-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Urban farming using multilayer production continues to expand in Europe. What does this mean for urban farmers in the U.S.?

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Giant greenhouse in space

2011-06-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

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Update: Veranda O

2011-05-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Veranda O, a biopesticide, was labeled for commercial greenhouse use for food crops. Recently, there have been some updates to the label and the product's efficacy which we want to share with you.

Thielaviopsis (Black Root Rot) is now included as a pathogen controlled by Veranda O.

Thus, the top three pathogens controlled are:

Botrytis
Rhizoctonia
Thielaviopsis

NOTE: Downy mildew control is minimal to ineffective (Straight from OHP).

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Virtual Grower: A Decision Support Tool

2011-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Virtual Grower is a decision support tool for greenhouse growers. Users can build a greenhouse with a variety of materials for roofs and sidewalls, design the greenhouse style, schedule temperature set points throughout the year, and predict heating costs for over 230 sites within the US. Different heating and scheduling scenarios can be predicted with few inputs.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

More on vertical farming

2011-05-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

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LEDs and New Opportunities

2011-05-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

We at Hort Americas continue to be amazed at what opportunities LEDs may allow for. We know and understand that it is still early in product development, but we also believe it is the way of the future.

We continue to be excited about our relationship with Philips and the opportunity to sell and market their Green Power LEDs (including the Philips Green Power Research Module, Green Power Production Module and the Green Power Flowering Lamp.

Check out this video from 2008. Even back then researchers were starting to see the possibilities...and trust us, these concepts are already working in parts of the world today!

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Plantagon

2011-04-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

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CNN Article on Vertical Farming, Urban Agriculture and Hydroponics

2011-04-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

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Pesticide Cheat Sheet

2011-03-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

At Hort Americas we continue to add to our plant care product lineup. Therefore, we thought it would benefit our customers to have a reference chart or "cheat sheet". Please click, download, and/or print this chart for your use. Contact us with any questions or comments.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hort Americas is looking for Pest Management Products for Small Growers

2011-03-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hort Americas realizes that Urban Farms, Commercial Hydroponic Greenhouses and Vertical Farms come in a wide variety of sizes. But, we also realize that most greenhouses have very similar problems when it comes to managing insects and diseases.

Also, since this is a very technical subject we recommend that you contact us at infohortamericas@gmail.com to learn more about products like:

Veranda O, Floramite, Pylon, Attain TR, Pyganic, Evergreen, Pygnaic, RootShield, Actinovate, Actino-Iron.

Again, many of these products are labeled for use on Veggies, many are Organic, but many are not so carefully read the approved label. Hort Americas is also working with non-traditional pest management products like UV Light. Check out the video below.

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Using Ozone to Treat Biofilm, Algae, and Waterborne Pathogens

2011-02-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

Potential contamination of surface and ground water sources from greenhouse runoff poses a challenge to our industry. Tighter environmental restrictions, regulations, bruised reputations, and of course damage to our environment are all very real results of runoff. Growers recognize the importance of conserving water and reducing runoff. It has been estimated that on a per area basis greenhouse vegetable growers that recirculated their irrigation water used half the amount of water compared to non-recirculated operations. Ornamental operations that did not recirculate their irrigation water used eight times the amount of water compared to their recirculated counterparts. These estimates are both crop and geographically dependent. The values listed were the result of a study conducted in Canada. The inescapable fact remains that growers heavily rely on the use of fertilizers and water to produce high quality crops. Most growers would agree that if they can reuse their irrigation water and therefore maximize their fertilizer investment while also helping our environment the better it is for their company and everyone else. The challenge of recycling irrigation water is the increased risk of transmitting waterborne plant pathogens. Untreated recirculated water is a looming disaster. Furthermore, regardless of whether an operation recirculates its irrigation water they will experience biofilm if left untreated. Biofilm is just that, a thin film of biological material e.g. bacteria, algae, and other potentially harmful and destructive micro-organisms that form on and coat numerous surfaces and can clog emitters. It is common for growers to use chemical dosing to remove biofilm and pesticide applications to treat plants for diseases. There is another solution. Water treatment technologies make it easier and safer for growers to conserve water and protect their crops. One technology available to growers is ozone.

Ozone has been around a very long time, occurs naturally, and is a strong sanitizing agent. That smell in the air we so commonly encounter after a rainstorm: ozone. The word ozone stems from the Greek verb “ozein” meaning “to smell”. Ozone is made from oxygen. Elemental oxygen (O₂) exists as two atoms of oxygen. Ozone is the triatomic and unstable allotropic form of the gaseous oxygen. When the bonds of O₂ are broken either by UV rays from the sun or the energy from lightning, single oxygen atoms form. A portion of these split atoms recombine with O₂ molecules to form O₃. Ozone works to control algae and pathogens in irrigation water by oxidizing elements of cell walls before penetrating and oxidizing enzymes, proteins, DNA, RNA, and cell membranes. Ozone has a short residual time in irrigation water yet it is strong enough to remove biofilm. To produce ozone mechanically, oxygen from the air is converted by using an ozone generator. The ozone generator uses electrical energy to cause O₂ to break apart and reform as ozone. The resulting ozone is then dissolved in water. Ozone is often coupled with other technologies which increase its efficacy. Pre-filtration provides an aid to ozone by removing larger organic particle debris. The lower the organic load the more likely the ozone molecules will eliminate remaining algae and pathogens. The required dose of ozone for any sanitation system depends on the intended application. Destroying biofilm can be done with dissolved ozone residual levels of 0.2 parts per million for as little as 30 minutes. Algae can be controlled with dissolved ozone residual levels of 0.01 to 0.05 ppm. Ozone phytotoxicity can occur if residual levels of aqueous ozone exceed 1 ppm. Therefore, high levels should be avoided. Gaseous ozone levels as low as 0.075 ppm can reduce plant growth. Inline monitoring of ozone is possible. However, inline monitors are costly ($1,500 to $4,000) and require yearly maintenance cost of approximately $200. Inline monitors can always be added to a system. Most growers will elect to purchase a sample colorimetric kit. Ozone is an oxidizer, so it can also be measured using an oxidation-reduction potential meter. Growers need to recognize that installing an ozone system is a long-term investment. Ozone sanitation systems are capital intensive. However, the long term savings on labor and chemical dosing plus environmental friendliness make ozone sanitation an attractive alternative. One company that understands irrigation sanitation is Pure O Tech, Inc.

Pure O Tech’s BES-300 (Fig. 1), which stands for Biofilm Elimination System, supplies a concentration of ozone of up to 35 grams per hour and has an operating flow of up to 300 gpm. The provision of ozone via the BES-300 eliminates and maintains microbial growth that clogs irrigation lines and emitters all the while increasing oxygen levels in the root zone. The BES-300 offers drop-in installation, convenient service, and replacement parts. With the BES-300, operations will experience reduced labor and hazardous chemicals are eliminated. The result is cleaner irrigation tubing, increased production, and higher quality crops. The BES-300 uses variable ozone injection rate to match the irrigation flow. Pure O Tech’s design incorporates degassing and metering ozone in the irrigation lines. Pure O Tech’s knowledge of mixing ozone and water utilizing an ozone generator makes them unique and worth consideration. For more information on ozone sanitation and Pure O Tech products please contact customerservice@hortamericas.com or call (469) 532-2383.

Figure 1. Pure O Tech BES-300. Eliminates Biofilm from irrigation tubing.

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Dutch TV Spotlights LEDs from Philips

2011-02-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

LEDs are gaining more and more popularity in the Netherlands. From hydroponic production of tomatoes to young plant production to production of flowerin plants like kolanchoes.

If you speak Dutch you will really like the below video and growing flowering crops under LEDs in a multlayering style (vertical farming) and if you do not we think you should watch anyway and call us for help in translating. Enjoy.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Veranda O is now available

2011-02-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Veranda™O

High humidity and cool, cloudy conditions are highly conducive to many plant pathogens that cause plant diseases. Having the necessary tools to combat these diseases is very important for any successful integrated pest management program. Hort Americas is pleased to announce another weapon in its arsenal against potentially devastating plant pathogens: Introducing Veranda™O from OHP, Inc. Recently, vegetables (including cucurbits and others), strawberries and more, were added to the Veranda O label. Plant pathogens controlled are botrytis, rhizoctonia, and other problem pathogens such as alternaria, and powdery mildew. The mode of action works by inhibiting chitin synthase during cell wall development. Veranda O should be used in rotation with other fungicides as part of an overall integrated pest management program.

Veranda O is classified as a “biopesticide”, has no cross-resistance to other fungicides, and is soft on beneficial insects. The product is a water dispersible granule formulation containing 1.81 ounces of active ingredient polyoxin D per pound. The active ingredient polyonxin D, is a natural antibiotic and fermentation product of a soil bacterium. With a 4-hour REI, Veranda O has a 0 day preharvest interval except grapes which have a 7 day preharvest interval. Veranda O should be used at 4 to 8 ounces per 100 gallons of water.

For more information contact customerservice@hortamericas.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com.

Pesticide Signal Words

2011-02-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

At Hort Americas we receive questions on numerous topics. Recently we had someone ask us to explain pesticide signal words (Caution vs. Warning vs. Danger). Please click on the above title to access the Signal Word Fact Sheet offered by the National Pesticide Information Center (http://npic.orst.edu/index.html).

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NFT Lettuce Production (Hydroponics) using MGS from HortiPlan

2011-02-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this excellent video of Hydroponic Lettuce Production.

This system is called MGS and is from a European company (and vendor partner of Hort Americas) call HortiPlan.

Please contact Hort Americas directly if you have any questions at infohortamericas@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Horticulture Lighting Basics

2011-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Introduction: Of all the environmental variables in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), light is quite possibly the least controlled and most confusing. Yet, light is such an important factor. Aside from temperature, light is arguably the most important environmental factor which affects plant growth. Light is what drives photosynthesis (the conversion of light energy to chemical energy), photomorphogenesis (the light-driven plant development processes), and photoperiodism (plant recognition of daylength). So what is light? What we so commonly refer to as light is really a small segment of radiation within the overall electromagnetic spectrum (Fig. 1). Electromagnetic radiation is measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter, 1 x 10^-9 meters, or 0.000000001 meters). One human hair is approximately 50,000 nm in diameter. There are three basic types of “light”: radiometric, photometric, and quantum.

Radiometric is based on radiant energy or Joules (J) and the passage of that energy is a Joule per second (J·s^-1). One J·s^-1 is equal to one Watt (W). The rate at which surfaces intercept energy is expressed at W·m². Radiometric measurements are inappropriate for plant growth as they often measure light below and above that which plants use. However, that is not to state that they are useless. These units are very important when dealing with the energy balance of a plant or greenhouse system.

Photometric measurement is based on how the human eye perceives light. In the U.S., the footcandle (fc) is the preferred photometric unit. Elsewhere in the world the most common photometric measurement unit is the lux (lumens·m^-2). However, growers need to understand the limitations of photometric units. Again, photometric units are based on how the human eye perceives light, which at a maximum is approximately 560 nm (or green light) and a waveband that is not correlated with plant photosynthesis. Photometric measurements can be used to determine maximum light in a greenhouse and to determine light transmission (%) outside versus inside. Furthermore, photometric units are instantaneous and do not accurately represent the amount of light that a plant has received over a 24-hr period.

Quantum measurements are based on the number of photons (light particles) within a defined waveband (400 nm to 700 nm). This defined waveband is known as photosynthetically active radiation or PAR. Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) quantifies (in micromoles, µmol) the number of photons of light used for photosynthesis falling on a square meter per second (µmol·m^-2·s^-1, see Fig. 2). So, PAR is the range, PPFD is the measurement. However, most people simply refer to the measurement as PAR. A µmol is 1x10^-6 (or one millionth) mole. One mole is Avogadro’s number, 6.02x10²³ particles. If marbles were placed end to end over the surface of the Earth, one mole of marbles would represent a layer of marbles 50 miles deep! Unlike radiometric and photometric measurements, quantum measurements are directly correlated to photosynthesis and plant production. Furthermore, quantum measurements can be both instantaneous and accumulated (daily). This is great because plants are really light counters. You can think of a plant’s leaves as nature’s solar panels. Therefore, it is better to know how much light is received by a plant over a 24-hr period versus taking an instantaneous measurement. However, if you must take an instantaneous measurement to get an understanding of your maximum available light it is recommended to do so between 1100 to 1300 hr. If you wanted to quickly measure rainfall over a 24-hr period you could set a rain gauge outside for 5 or 10 minutes and calculate the estimated rainfall. Of course you are presuming that the volume of water falling in the gauge is uniform. Is it? How about light? Does the sun simply turn on and off and project a uniform amount of light over the course of a 24-hr period? Of course not, so why not measure light constantly over a 24-hr period? The cost of light measurement equipment may be one reason not to do so. However, there are companies which offer affordable light measurement technology. Light measurements can provide valuable information. The accumulated light a plant receives is correlated to plant quality and yield. Are you familiar with Daily Light Integral (DLI)? DLI is the light intensity and duration of PAR received each day and is expressed as mol·m^-2·d^-1 or mol·d^-1.

DLI is directly correlated to plant growth, development, yield, and overall quality. Attributes of ornamental crops grown under optimal DLI are smaller and thicker leaves, shorter internodes, higher root mass, higher branching and flowers. This should not be surprising. Higher DLI is a common reason why plants finished in late spring generally are of higher quality than those produced earlier in the production season. This is not to diminish the impact of temperature, which is another discussion. Low DLI can be an indication that the greenhouse glazing needs to be cleaned or replaced; shade cloth needs to be removed or stowed; hanging basket density is too high; and/or supplemental lighting is needed. The average target DLI for propagation of cuttings is 4 to 5 mol·d^-1. For bedding plants, containerized crops, and perennials the optimal DLI should be between 10 to 12 mol·d^-1. For food crops, a good rule of thumb is >12 mol·d^-1. For greenhouse tomatoes, it has been shown that for every 1% increase in light there was a subsequent 1% increase in yield. For lettuce, 17 mol·d^-1 is optimal. So what is your DLI? Your first step in DLI measurement can be to familiarize yourself with estimated outside DLI. Dr. Jim Faust at Clemson University has developed DLI maps by month across the United States (Fig. 3). However, keep in mind that average transmission loss in any given greenhouse can range from 40% to 70%. Therefore, the next step is to begin measuring DLI. While several companies offer light measurement tools for instantaneous light measurement (more photometric than quantum), only a few offer tools that will measure and calculate DLI. Nevertheless, these tools are quite affordable. A grower can begin measuring DLI for as little as $200. More sophisticated sensors and data loggers range from $500 to $1,000 and up.

Summary: Visible radiation, i.e. light, is one of the least controlled and often most confusing environmental growth factors. Radiometric measurement refers to radiant energy and is practical when measuring the energy balance of a system. Photometric measurement is based on how the human eye perceives light. Photometric measurement is useful when determining maximum light levels and light transmission loss within a greenhouse. Quantum measurement is well-suited for plant growth because it relates to light used for several plant-driven processes including photosynthesis. Quantum measurements can be both instantaneous and accumulated. DLI provides and accurate measurement of PAR over the course of a 24-hr period. Plants grown under optimal DLI are generally of higher quality than plants grown under low DLI. Increasing DLI can be achieved by adding supplemental lighting. Please contact me at jbuck@hortmericas.com with additional comments or questions. Keep growing and make it a great day!

Figure 1. The electromagnetic spectrum. The visible spectrum encompasses approximately 380 nm to 780 nm. Photosynthetically active radiation or PAR is 400 nm to 700 nm.

Figure 2. Image depicting photons of light falling on one square meter.

Figure 3. Map of outdoor DLI by month throughout the United States.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com.

A Look at Ozone in Hydroponics Applications

2011-01-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Light Emitting Diodes

2011-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Introduction: The Light Emitting Diode, commonly referred to as the LED, is probably something you have heard or read about by now. LEDs can be found in everything from automobile head lights and tail lights, traffic lights, handheld flashlights and so on. LEDs are even being tested as a wireless LAN alternative. Simply put, LEDs are showing up everywhere. An LED is more like that of a computer chip than a light “bulb”. That’s because it is a solid-state semiconductor device. In 2008, LEDs occupied 7% of global lighting market share. In 2010, 20% of the global lighting market share was with LEDs. By 2020, LEDs are estimated to occupy 75% of global lighting. Although LEDs may seem to be a relatively new light source they were actually invented in the 1920’s. However, a visible light (380 nm to 780 nm, Fig. 1) version was not developed until the early 1960’s. That first visible light version was red in color and additional wavelengths (green, yellow, and orange) were developed through the 1970’s. In 1993, the first blue LED was developed. With the addition of a phosphor coating to the blue LED, the white LED was created. The color of light emitted by any LED is determined by the type of semiconductor material and the impurities used to form the LED. Although safe, caution should be used when using UV-B and UV-C LEDs. At sufficient levels UV-B and UV-C wavelengths can be dangerous to the human eye and skin. Additionally, some LEDs are bright enough to cause eye damage and should not be looked at directly. LEDs offer many positive characteristics over traditional lighting sources.

Advantages/Challenges: The two most commonly discussed advantages to using LEDs are efficiency and lifetime. LEDs are more efficient (output divided input) than incandescent and fluorescent lamps and are essentially equivalent to high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. White LEDS are less efficient because the phosphor coating must interact with the base color (usually blue) to create white light. There exists potential for significant cost savings of LEDs over other current horticultural lamps. Unlike traditional lamps, LEDS generally do not “burn out”. The metric used is the LED’s “lifetime” which is the time (in hours) required for the light output to drop below a percentage of the original maximum intensity under optimal operating conditions. Generally speaking, growers will replace their lamps when the light output drops below 90%. Therefore, a grower can expect a lifetime of approximately 25,000 hours at 90%. The long operational life of LEDs nearly eliminates the procurement and disposal costs for replacement bulbs. Associated labor cost would also decrease. LEDs emit little or no radiant heat. However, there is a loss of heat from the diode junction. The thermal output can be significant when LEDs are used in high-densities. LEDs also offer the advantage of turning on instantly and do not require warm-up time. They also turn off instantly. One subtle, yet important, advantage to LEDs is that they do not contain hazardous materials unlike fluorescent lamps which contain mercury and require special disposal. LEDs also do not produce damaging ultraviolet wavelengths, (unless using UV LEDs), as do HID lamps if the protective envelop breaks. Due to their size, LEDs offer flexibility in fixture design. The primary difficulty which has prevented mass LED installations for greenhouse lighting has been cost. Although the initial cost may be higher than other supplemental light sources, the ROI is much shorter due to energy efficiency and life span. Secondly, the cost of LEDs is constantly decreasing and companies like Philips Lighting and others are offering affordable LED technology. The primary technical obstacle to using LEDs for horticulture lighting is the low light output of some current LEDs wavebands of interest to horticulturists. Although an LED replacement to today’s HID lamp does not exist, sources estimate that one will be available in 3 to 5 years. Nevertheless, LED modules of desirable wavebands exist and are currently being used for multilayer production and intracanopy lighting (Fig. 2 and 3, respectively). Other LED lamps being produced have a standard E27 fitting, which allows for direct replacement in existing installations. No additional modifications are required (Fig. 4).

Horticulture Applications: The ability to control spectral quality is of interest for crop production and is not easily achieved with broad-spectrum light sources. LEDs produce narrow-spectrum wavelengths they have been manufactured in highly plant-absorbed colors. Spectra can be customized and even modified to match the crop needs and control the photoperiod or growth cycle. Therefore, LEDs require a systematic approach which is dependent on the crop being grown and the goals of the grower. Since growers are using highly plant-absorbed colors, LEDs should produce much less wasted light and energy versus using non-productive wavelengths. Recall that LEDs emit very little if any radiant heat which allows them to be operated close to the canopy. This also increases the light intercepted by the plant further improving the use efficiency. The capability of using LEDs closer to the plant canopy provides options such as multilayer production of many crops including tissue culture. Multilayer production using other light sources is possible. However, more shelves per unit volume are possible with LEDs. For example, one grower decreased their light energy consumption by more than 50% and increased their multilayer production by 33% without additional production volume simply by switching to LEDs.

Summary: LEDs possess several characteristics that make them an attractive greenhouse supplemental light source. Control over the spectral composition is possible with LEDs. They provide high light output with low radiant heat. Their small size offers flexibility in design and placement. Last, but not least, they are exceptionally long lasting and are more energy efficient than other supplemental light sources. The outlook for solid-state lighting technology is bright (pun intended). LEDs are a prime candidate for use in controlled environment agriculture. They are another tool available to extend production seasons, increase yield, and improve quality. One final mention is the light output unit of measurement. You will not report in footcandles with LEDs. Their output is reported in micromoles per square meter second (µmol·m^-2·s^-1). We will cover horticultural lighting basics in an upcoming newsletter article, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you have additional questions regarding LED lighting please contact Hort Americas, LLC. We appreciate your interest and look forward to working with you soon. Make it a Great Day!

Figure 1. The Electro Magnetic Spectrum. Visible light is considered to be between 380 nm to 780 nm.

Figure 2. Image of LED modules being used in multilayer production. Photo courtesy of Philips Lighting (www.philips.com/horti).

Figure 3. Interlighting module being used in high-wire greenhouse tomato production. Photo courtesy of Philips Lighting (www.philips.com/horti).

Figure 4. . Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp. Photo courtesy of Philips Lighting (www.philips.com/horti).

Floricultura now in the USA.

2011-01-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hort Americas would like to welcome Floricultura (Growers of Premium Quality Orchids) to the USA.

Below is a great video (even though it is in Dutch) from Hortifair 2009.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hort Americas is Mentioned In CNN Money article on Urban Agriculture

2010-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hort Americas is proud to share this link from CNNMoney.com. The link takes you to an Article on Urban Agriculture (Farming) and the impact it can have on our future. It includes mentions of innovative companies like: Eco Spirit, TerraSphere Systems, Big Box Farms, Gotham Greens and Cityscape Farms and innovators such as Dickson Depommier.

Please read more about the article here:

Urban Farming 2.0: No Soil, No Sun

If there are any questions please email us at infohortamericas@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Great Article and Video on Vertical Farming

2010-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hydroponics, Vertical Farming, Urban Agriculture and Controlled Environment Agriculture are all very hot terms. Watch this video and follow the below link to find out what is driving the market.

http://www.economist.com/node/17647627?story_id=17647627&fsrc=rss

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Sanitation Station

2010-12-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

The best way to control pest in hydroponics is thru good sanitation practices.

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Cool things from Berg and Philips

2010-11-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

For this post only video.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Visit to the Netherlands, Belgium and Florida

2010-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

What a trip! We just returned from an amazing tript to Europe and Florida. The trip includes visits to production facilities (orcids, tomatoes, potting soils), research facilities (hydroponic strawberries) and tradeshows (PMA and Hortifair.) It was busy!

Check out some of the photos:

Advanced Orchid Production

Hydroponic Strawberry Production and Research

Orchid Bark Options

New Benonomic

Orchid Accessories

Floricultura!

Ontario Greenhouse Growers Association

If you would like to learn more about our trip or any of the photos that you see here please simply let us know. (Anyone can email us a infohortamericas@gmail.com.)

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Visit us at HortiFair 2010 and PMA

2010-10-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Urban Agriculture - A New State of Mind

2010-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas is continually interested in watching the urban agriculture movement. (Especially as it relates to areas like Detroit, Michigan.)

The below video shows how small farms can bring "life" back to communities.

The next step for these farmers will be to create more opportunities (good paying jobs, growth/education for young people, and community development.)
At this point in time, in order to create a stable environment for all it will be important to create a year round of produce using technology to out smart the Michigan winters and technology to out compete cheap supply from other warmer climates.

It is truly exciting to watch disciplines like controlled environment agriculture, hydroponics, aeroponics, etc. be used as potential tools in an endeavor as important as rebuilding a city, a community and what will become a generation.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Bioworks and Philips have new products for Hydroponics and Horticulture

2010-09-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Biowork's Nemashield a great option for Hydroponic Greenhouse Vegetable Growers looking at controling soil-borne insects.

Details: NemaShield®

Insect Control

Beneficial Nematodes – Soil Drench

Biological Control for Fungus Gnats and Western Flower Thrips

Safe and easy to apply

Exempt from EPA regulations; no re-entry interval

Compatible with many pesticides

Fast, overnight delivery as needed

The Philips Research Module LED is now available in the United States. According to the Utreccht University, the Research Module "obtained very positive results from the test we performed with the GreenPower LED modules. We can grow our model plant Arabidopsis quickly and easily." (Dr. Sjef Smeekens and Dr. Marcel Proveniers)

Utrect University conducted scientific tests in a climate cabinet equiped with GreenPower LED modules. The modules are specially deisgned to deliver a uniform light distribution at a distance of 50 cm specifally in a climate cabinet.

Make sure to contact us with any comments or questions.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Greenhouse Production to Continue Increasing in Mexico

2010-08-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Read this Exectuive Summary from the USDA

Executive Summary: During the week of April 13, 2010, FAS/Mexico visited protected agricultural facilities in the states of Jalisco and Sinaloa. Production under these houses has transformed Mexican agriculture and continues to adapt unique technologies depending on weather conditions and economic factors. Protected agricultural production uses installations of low to medium technology and ranges from hard plastic to anti-aphid netting (depending on the definition of greenhouse or shade house). A few use hydroponic systems, but most use drip irrigation without heating systems or CO2. Half of the area devoted to protected agriculture uses shade houses since this type of technology can adapt to the weather more efficiently. Most of the growers agreed that due to the latitude of Mexico and warmer climates in producing areas, shade houses adapt better (especially considering shade houses are typically cheaper). According to producers, weather conditions dictate what kind of technology is needed to guarantee optimal conditions of growth and quality production while following food safety production regulations and therefore, more producers are moving to shade houses. Whether through greenhouses or shade houses, production under protected agriculture continues to grow rapidly. The percentage of area planted using protected agriculture has increased nearly 40 percent over the past three years. The United States is the primary market for products grown under protected agriculture, but growers continue to export larger quantities each year to other markets.

Please email us at infohortamericas@gmail.com for additional information.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

An opposing view on Vertical Farming

2010-08-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas believes that both sides should be heard and looked at when it comes to Hydroponics, Vertical Farming, Urban Agriculture and CEA.

And while we at Hort Americas may believe firmly in new "farming" opportunities, we completely understand the Macro view and their potential limitations.

Please take a minute to read this post from Graham Land at Greenfudge.org and the article by George Monbiot, before you make up your own mind.

In Monday’s Guardian George Monbiot slams the concept of ‘vertical farming’ in a piece, entitled ‘Greens living in ivory towers now want to farm them too’.

His main beef is that a Columbia University parasitologist named Dickson Despommier has been getting a lot of support in the green media for his idea to create skyscraper farms in densely populated urban areas like New York City, which might be a brilliant idea, but it’s a fanciful one as well.

This immediately reminded me of stories about an underground indoor rice farm in Tokyo’s financial district, which turned out to be an expensive publicity experiment.

Monbiot sees vertical farming as a distraction. Water and farmland shortages along with a growing world population bring agriculture and food towards the forefront of environmental issues. Scary stuff in terms of crop failures and resultant starvation for the poor have-nots, but the haves in places like Manhattan are interested in expensive high tech luxury solutions like skyscraper farming?

Despite the impracticality and massive expense the environmental media has been all over it. In a Time magazine article, there is a partial admission of the fault:

"[…] Despommier concedes that it would cost hundreds of millions to build a full-scale skyscraper farm. That’s the main drawback: construction and energy costs would probably make vertically raised food more costly than traditional crops. At least for now."

Honestly, vertical farming sounds like a cool university project for a designer or architect, but the extent to which it is taken by Despommier seems far from realistic.

I prefer the other kind of urban farming that is happening in Detroit. People move out, abandon houses and land, the remaining folks utilize that land to grow food, which they eat and sell. Brilliant, efficient and not reliant on some expensive high-tech structure in an exorbitantly priced neighborhood. Maybe I’m just completely ignorant, but besides roof gardens, urban gardens or small plots, farming in Manhattan just doesn’t make much sense.

Read about that in this BBC News article:

Urban farming takes root in Detroit

We should be as efficient as we can, but that means behavior suited to the immediate surroundings, not forcing a square peg into a round hole. How about practical solutions like wasting less energy by importing less food? How about growing crops primarily for human consumption rather than wasteful, intensive livestock farming?

Still, if vertical farming happens to work, then fine, knock yourself out.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hydroponics, Aquaponics and Urban Argriculture Offers Opportunity to Re-Invent Small Industry

2010-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas recently saw this video from a news station in Tampa Bay, Florida.

However there are times that major turmoil and obstacles can create new and unique opportunities.

Watch this video to see how aquaponics and hydroponics may be an option for those looking for new ventures.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Future Growings Tower Garden - Rooftop Garden Deluxe

2010-08-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Soon to be available at Hort Americas!

Rooftop farming with the Tower Garden is perfect for anyone interested in Hydroponics, Vertical Farming and Urban Agriculture.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hort Americas currently looking for NEW TEAM Members

2010-08-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hort Americas is looking to expand its team. If you are interested in working in sales in Mexico or working inside sales support in the DFW area, please email us your resume at infohortamericas@gmail.com

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

LED Research Modules Now Available

2010-08-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

The below information was provided by Philips directly.

Research

“We require reliable products that can be used flexibly for various tests with different starting points. The GreenPower LED module is clear and reliable in its specifications and gives us a great deal of freedom when working with it.”

Dr Wim van IeperenWageningen University and Research Centre

In research it is about discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of plant science. The Philips GreenPower LED module enables you to study the influence of light on the growth and development of plants in conditioned environments. Light level and color spectrum are tunable and test results will not be impacted by heat radiation. Read more about Philips GreenPower LED module.

Tissue culture and storage

“ In our company we saw lots of opportunities for LEDs. By carrying out tests with the GreenPower LED string, we found solutions for both tissue culture and plant storage. As well as saving energy, LEDs help us to improve plant quality, mainly thanks to better heat control.”

Sjoukje Heimovaara, Royal van Zanten

In tissue culture it is about fast, uniform and reproducible production of high quality starting plant material often using low GrowthLight levels. The flexible GreenPower LED string is specially designed for tissue culture, storage and transport. It enables a uniform light distribution across the shelf, ensuring that every crop receives the same level and quality of light. Read more about Philips GreenPower LED string.

Young plants

“Over the past year we have achieved very good results with GreenPower LED modules, using a combination of red and blue light. The next step will be to optimize the yield and quality of our Anthurium production, while taking into account the overall cultivation recipe.” Martin van Noort, Rijnplant Breeding

When producing young plants, high uniformity, strong year-round quality and on-time delivery to the customer are of key importance. With GreenPower LED module it is now possible to tune the light intensity and light color to meet the specific needs at every stage of a crop’s growth. Its specially developed optics and optimized thermal design ensure a uniform light distribution while radiating very little heat toward the plants.

Production/ assimilation

For lighting in greenhouses high GrowthLight levels are required. In the next few years HID lighting continues to be the most efficient solution for growers.

For assimilation in greenhouses too, Philips continues to invest in R&D and field tests to develop horticultural lighting solutions that will create value for growers worldwide. For example, it is currently conducting a major field test – together with a leading tomato grower– with a hybrid of HID and LED lighting. In this way it is seeking to combine the best of both worlds: the GrowthLight power of HID with the flexibility of LEDs.

The knowledge of these tests will help us all to develop meaningful light solutions for greenhouse applications.

We will for sure keep you updated about this project.

For more information on LED lights currently available contact Hort Americas directly.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

LED Lighting from Philips

2010-07-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

As we said at the beggining of the month, Hort Americas is very excited about the new LED technology soon to release in the North American Horticulture, Hydroponic and Urban Agriculture Markets.

Advancements in technology such as this are sure to change the opportunities for vertical farming!

See the a quote from Philips.

"Solid-state LED lighting is known to offer a number of benefits to industrial horticulture, including increased yields, enabling earlier flowering, speeding up root growth and enabling more economical use of space. LED lighting is also highly energy-efficient, helping industrial horticultural producers to lower their electricity consumption, especially during the highly energy-dependent autumn and winter period....Multi-layer production is a highly attractive technique, as it can maximize available space or even cut down on the space required. By testing various growth light recipes in combination with different substrates, fertilizer and watering growers will be able to investigate how to optimize conditions when changing over to multi-layer production. This will include research into how crops respond to the different light levels and colors LED lamps are capable of producing. Light testing will work in combination with variable aspects of substrates, such as in air content, structure, watering and fertilization.

“With the opening of this test center, we can apply ‘real-time’ application of LED growth lighting and substrates together for the first time,” said Udo van Slooten, responsible for LED application in horticulture within Philips Lighting. “LED lighting has already been proven to offer many benefits to the horticultural industry, but through this unique collaboration between Philips and BVB Substrates, we will be able to learn much more with the direct involvement of growers themselves.”"

Hort Americas will soon be posting informational PDF's on LED lighting at our Website. Please check in to download.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Philips to Introduce LED Technology at OFA Short Course

2010-07-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

In recent years there has been quite a bit of hype regarding LED technology and it eventual impact on artificial lighting in the horticulture industry.

And in most cases, that is all that it was...hydpe!

We, at Hort Americas, believe that this may finally be changing. In 2010 and 2011 we anticipate there will be studies, data and products released from different sources that will start to make LED's viable for different segement within the horticultural industry.

During this same time, Philips will be introducing their approach to LED's in the North American horticulture industry at this years OFA Short Course.

Here is a sneak preview:

LED's future in horticulture is going to be knowledge and optimal lighting "recipes."

With a light recipe as a starting point, every crop will be approached differntly and will be optimized using all variables in the greenhouse such irriagation, nutrition and environmnental manipulation (CO2, temperature, humidity, etc.)

Currently these recipes are either under development or have been developed for the following areas:

Research
Storage and Transport
Tissue Culture
Propagation
Multilayer Production (Vertical Farming)
Greenhouse Interlighting

Philips has spent many hours working on:

Gerberas, Chyrsanthemums, Kalanchoes, Greenhouse Grown Strawberries and Greenhouse Grown Tomatoes

The results from test in these areas and on the selected crops are showing:

Faster Growth
Better Quality
Higher Yield
Decreased Temperature Issues, (as well as enegy savings depending on application.)

It is important to know that Philips has a vast amount of knowledge in regards to horticultural lighting (this includes traditional lighting methods as well.) They are currently working together with growers, breeders and other qualified partners to provide the optimum lighting solutions (measured by improved performance and ultimately lower cost.)

Contact Hort Americas to learn more about Philips and their current offering.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Village Farms information Video

2010-06-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

At Hort Americas we do not normally promote our customers businesses, but there are times when our customers do some things we think others should see.

Village Farms created a promotional video that does a good job of show casing and explaning greenhouse vegetable production at a very high level. (I feel I must say, we are not in anyway trying to imply that they do it better than any of our other customers...they just produced a very nice video to promote their style.)

Enjoy!

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Bato's Full Orchid Accessory Offering

2010-05-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

In February of this year (2010) Bato Plastics BV "took over a substantial part" of the JOBU Plastics BV assortment.

This allows for both Bato and Jobu to focus on their specialties.

Check out some of the products now offered by Bato.

Orchid Lock

Orchid Peg

Label Lock

Label Holder

Twister

Bato is still offering all of the products you have come to know and trust.

Dutch Buckets

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Greenhouse Sanitation key for Commercial Growers

2010-05-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

As any good greenhouse production consultant, greenhouse extension agent or land grant university will tell you . . . efficient, thorough and effective Greenhouse Sanitation Programs is necessary in order reduce your exposure to insects, disease, bacteria, viruses and possibly viroids. A well thought out program will also improve your fruit and flower quality while at the same time reduce your need for pesticides, excess labor and un-needed worries.

Items to focus on:

1) The previous crop may be still harbouring active sporulating infections
such as but not limited to powdery mildew. There may also be strains of disease that
have become resistant to the fungicides that may have been used on
the crop over the season.
2) The use of knives spreads viral infections such as green mottle
mosaic virus. It is imperative to adopt a regular disinfection procedure
to break the cycle of infection.
3) Harvest trays should be regularly cleaned and disinfected. They are
a constant source of disease transmission and should be cared for.
4) Clothing and footware – nursery staff will generally be aware of the
need to wear clean clothing in the greenhouse but is there a policy
in respect of visitors to the nursery?
5) Hands – Mycosphaerella is often spread by unclean hands.
Ensuring that staff practice regular personal hygiene is essential.
6) Polythene and rockwool materials (and/or other substrates and containers) will be covered in spores at the
end of the season. The use of a disinfectant and steam sterilisation will
deal with these infection sources.
7) Irrigation tubing and drips. Buying new irrigation equipment every
year is not a viable option but regular disinfection of the system is.

And ...

♦ Post-harvest: pre-crop pull out – Once the final harvest has been
taken from the crop and before the vegetation is removed from the
glasshouse, the use of a disinfectant removes possible resistant
strains of pathogens that may have built up during the growing cycle.
Greenhouse disinfectants at the labeled rates over the senescing vegetation so that
when pull-out occurs the spread of fungal spores is minimized.
♦ Intercropping situations - Disinfectants can be used in backpack sprayers
sprayer for spot treatment to clean down these areas.
♦ Irrigation lines – Used labeled products and leave for 1 hour
before flushing the system with clean water.
♦ Resistance - Is not a problem with Greenhouse Disinfectants owing to their unique and
rapid activity. And therefore are key element in an anti-resistance
strategy.
♦ Biological systems - Most fit as key parts of IPM strategy.

Contact Hort Americas if you would like to continue learning more about Greenhouse Disinfectants!

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Focus on Water

2010-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

As recently stated in our website, Hort Americas is focused on helping growers conserve one of their most precious commodities...WATER.

A hot and popular topic with the media (see this months National Geographic), politicians (see Rueters) and with business men (see T. Boone Pickens), water is already heavily debated and will more than likely play a major role in how our industry grows in the years to come.

Since we feel "water" is such an important topic we are going to spend the next few posts focusing in on commonly overlooked or misunderstood areas of irrigation.

The first topic is going to be hydraulic control valves.

Two factors that are important to the irrigation needs for growers are:

1.) Accurate water pressure to promote uniform vegetation growth.
2.) Protection from high pressure spikes (which protect sensitive system components such as irrigation lines, drip lines, equipment, etc. from damage.)

Valves are important part of any irrigation system because, if used and maintained properly, they precisely control the flow of water.

While it could be said that each irrigation system is unique, it is obvious that well built systems have a few things in common.

Quality Components

Plan for Conservation (Reclaiming and Recycling)

Strong Maintenance Program

Room for Expansion

It is important to select hydraulic control valves that consistently deliver fast, accurate pressure regulation for your greenhouse irrigation system.

Ooval available from Hort Americas and provided exclusively in the US and Canada through Amiad Filtration Systems are the fastest responding, most accurate valves in their class. Ooval, in operation since 2003, was started by three founders with over 70 years of experience in drip and greenhouse irrigation in the highly arid Middle Eastern climate of Israel to bring innovative, high-added value valves to the global irrigation marketplace.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

The Future of Growing with Tim Blank

2010-03-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

www.futuregrowing.comLast week Hort Americas had the pleasure of visiting with a visionary from with-in the commercial Hydroponic Industry.

Tim Blank of Future Growing

Tim Blank of Future Growing, LLC (formerly working with Hydroponics for Disney's Epcot theme park in Orlando) is committed to further developing Vertical Farming and Urban Agriculture. His primary driver is to provide as many people as possible with access to healthy and locally grown food options. If you are seriously interested in learning more about Vertical Farming and Urban Agriculture, we recommend you visit Tim's website at www.futuregrowing.com. And, if you are interested in purchasing hydroponic towers for your backyard please send Doug Pennington and email at dpennington@hortamericas.com.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Hort America's starting to offer product videos online

2010-02-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

Check out new videos from Hort Americas

Pellikaan Hooks

Pellikaan Hooks

Pellikaan Hooks

Weterings Crop Removal Systems

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

Used Horticultural Equipment

2010-01-28T07:50:00.001-08:00

With the current global economic conditions, it has become evident that many commercial greenhouses have become very cautious with their investments.

Due to this there has been a lot of interest in used horticultural equipment. Hort Americas is working with many different groups to provide as many options as possible.

If you are interested in finding used equipment please contact Hort Americas for additional information.

(Hort Americas will also post products on www.horticulturalweb.net, this is a classified service.)

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com

A Busy January 2010!

2010-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

As is normal, January has been a very busy and productive month. January has also brought a great deal of changes to the Hort Americas product portfolio.

TPIE 2010

First was our visit to the Tropical Plant Industry Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In this video from TPIE 2009 you can see what the show is all about:

We will be adding new video and photos from this years TPIE just as soon as editing is completed. (We would like to say that the Sun-Fire Nursery and Suntory did an amazing job with the Hospitality Suite and the Hot Air Ballons.)

Bringing bicycles back!

Since many of our customers and clients are deeply rooted with Dutch Ancenstory, we thought it only wise to make bicycles available in our product offering.

So, let us introduce you to the world Yuba. The Yuba bike gives anyone in the greenhouse the ability to easily transport tools, equipment (up to 200lbs), plants, lunch and much much more! Call today to learn more about this very versatile cargo bike.

Finally, Hort Americas is proud to offer the complete line of John Deere Water, Amiad Filtration and GSI Ag.

Visit our corporate website at http://www.hortamericas.com to learn more about all these great products.

Can Farming Save a City?

2010-01-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Fortune Magazine post an interesting question?

Can Farming save Detroit?

What do you think? We think Agriculture will go thru many changes as it continues to cope with changing expectations regarding: Sustainability, Climate, Natural Resources and Population.

But, we are not sure that it will save cities...unless that is that the expectations within those cities are greatly different than what they are today.

Please let us know what you think.

Below is what was posted at CNN on Dec 29, 2009.

By David Whitford, editor at largeDecember 29, 2009: 11:37 AM ET

DETROIT (Fortune) -- John Hantz is a wealthy money manager who lives in an older enclave of Detroit where all the houses are grand and not all of them are falling apart. Once a star stockbroker at American Express, he left 13 years ago to found his own firm. Today Hantz Financial Services has 20 offices in Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia, more than 500 employees, and $1.3 billion in assets under management.

Twice divorced, Hantz, 48, lives alone in clubby, paneled splendor, surrounded by early-American landscapes on the walls, an autograph collection that veers from Detroit icons such as Ty Cobb and Henry Ford to Baron von Richthofen and Mussolini, and a set of Ayn Rand first editions.

With a net worth of more than $100 million, he's one of the richest men left in Detroit -- one of the very few in his demographic who stayed put when others were fleeing to Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills. Not long ago, while commuting, he stumbled on a big idea that might help save his dying city.

Every weekday Hantz pulls his Volvo SUV out of the gated driveway of his compound and drives half an hour to his office in Southfield, a northern suburb on the far side of Eight Mile Road. His route takes him through a desolate, postindustrial cityscape -- the kind of scene that is shockingly common in Detroit.

Along the way he passes vacant buildings, abandoned homes, and a whole lot of empty land. In some stretches he sees more pheasants than people. "Every year I tell myself it's going to get better," says Hantz, bright-eyed, with smooth cheeks and a little boy's carefully combed haircut, "and every year it doesn't."

Then one day about a year and a half ago, Hantz had a revelation. "We need scarcity," he thought to himself as he drove past block after unoccupied block. "We can't create opportunities, but we can create scarcity." And that, he says one afternoon in his living room between puffs on an expensive cigar, "is how I got onto this idea of the farm."

Yes, a farm. A large-scale, for-profit agricultural enterprise, wholly contained within the city limits of Detroit. Hantz thinks farming could do his city a lot of good: restore big chunks of tax-delinquent, resource-draining urban blight to pastoral productivity; provide decent jobs with benefits; supply local markets and restaurants with fresh produce; attract tourists from all over the world; and -- most important of all -- stimulate development around the edges as the local land market tilts from stultifying abundance to something more like scarcity and investors move in. Hantz is willing to commit $30 million to the project. He'll start with a pilot program this spring involving up to 50 acres on Detroit's east side. "Out of the gates," he says, "it'll be the largest urban farm in the world."

This is possibly not as crazy as it sounds. Granted, the notion of devoting valuable city land to agriculture would be unfathomable in New York, London, or Tokyo. But Detroit is a special case. The city that was once the fourth largest in the country and served as a symbol of America's industrial might has lately assumed a new role: North American poster child for the global phenomenon of shrinking postindustrial cities.

Nearly 2 million people used to live in Detroit. Fewer than 900,000 remain. Even if, unlikely as it seems, the auto industry were to rebound dramatically and the U.S. economy were to come roaring back tomorrow, no one -- not even the proudest civic boosters -- imagines that the worst is over. "Detroit will probably be a city of 700,000 people when it's all said and done," says Doug Rothwell, CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. "The big challenge is, What do you do with a population of 700,000 in a geography that can accommodate three times that much?"

But still there's the problem of what to do with the city's enormous amount of abandoned land, conservatively estimated at 40 square miles in a sprawling metropolis whose 139-square-mile footprint is easily bigger than San Francisco, Boston, and Manhattan combined. If you let it revert to nature, you abandon all hope of productive use. If you turn it over to parks and recreation, you add costs to an overburdened city government that can't afford to teach its children, police its streets, or maintain the infrastructure it already has.

Faced with those facts, a growing number of policymakers and urban planners have begun to endorse farming as a solution. Former HUD secretary Henry Cisneros, now chairman of CityView, a private equity firm that invests in urban development, is familiar with Detroit's land problem. He says he's in favor of "other uses that engage human beings in their maintenance, such as urban agriculture." After studying the city's options at the request of civic leaders, the American Institute of Architects came to this conclusion in a recent report: "Detroit is particularly well suited to become a pioneer in urban agriculture at a commercial scale."

In that sense, Detroit might actually be ahead of the curve. When Alex Krieger, chairman of the department of urban planning and design at Harvard, imagines what the settled world might look like half a century from now, he sees "a checkerboard pattern" with "more densely urbanized areas, and areas preserved for various purposes such as farming.

The notion of a walled city, a contained city -- that's an 18th-century idea." And where will the new ideas for the 21st century emerge? From older, decaying cities, Krieger believes, such as New Orleans, St. Louis, Cleveland, Newark, and especially Detroit -- cities that have become, at least in part, "kind of empty containers."

This is a lot to hang on Hantz. Most of what he knows about agriculture he's picked up over the past 18 months from the experts he's consulting at Michigan State and the Kellogg Foundation. Then there's the fact that many of his fellow citizens are openly rooting against him. Since word leaked of his scheme last spring, he has been criticized by community activists, who call the plan a land grab. Opponents have also raised questions about the run-ins he's had with regulators at Hantz Financial.

But Detroit is nothing if not desperate for new ideas, and Hantz has had no trouble getting his heard. "It all sounds very exciting," says the DEGC's Jackson, whose agency is working on assembling a package of incentives for Hantz, including free city land. "We hope it works."

Detroit's civic history is notable for repeated failed attempts to revitalize its core. Over the past three decades leaders have embraced a series of downtown redevelopment plans that promised to save the city.

The massive Renaissance Center office and retail complex, built in the 1970s, mostly served to suck tenants out of other downtown buildings. (Today 48 of those buildings stand empty.) Three new casinos (one already bankrupt) and two new sports arenas (one for the NFL's dreadful Lions, the other for MLB's Tigers) have restored, on some nights, a little spark to downtown Detroit but have inspired little in the way of peripheral development. Downtown is still eerily underpopulated, the tax base is still crumbling, and people are still leaving. The jobless rate in the city is 27%.

Nothing yet tried in Detroit even begins to address the fundamental issue of emptiness -- empty factories, empty office buildings, empty houses, and above all, empty lots. Rampant arson, culminating in the annual frenzy of Devil's Night, is partly to blame. But there has also been a lot of officially sanctioned demolition in Detroit. As white residents fled to the suburbs over the decades, houses in the decaying neighborhoods they left behind were often bulldozed.

Abandonment is an infrastructure problem, when you consider the cost of maintaining far-flung roads and sewer systems; it's a city services problem, when you think about the inefficiencies of collecting trash and fighting crime in sparsely populated neighborhoods; and it's a real estate problem. Houses in Detroit are selling for an average of $15,000.

That sounds like a buying opportunity, and in fact Detroit looks pretty good right now to a young artist or entrepreneur who can't afford anyplace else -- but not yet to an investor. The smart money sees no point in buying as long as fresh inventory keeps flooding the market. "In the target sites we have," says Hantz, "we [reevaluate] every two weeks."

As Hantz began thinking about ways to absorb some of that inventory, what he imagined, he says, was a glacier: one broad, continuous swath of farmland, growing acre by acre, year by year, until it had overrun enough territory to raise the scarcity alarm and impel other investors to act. Rick Foster, an executive at the Kellogg Foundation whom Hantz sought out for advice, nudged him gently in a different direction.

"I think you should make pods," Foster said, meaning not one farm but many. Hantz was taken right away with the concept of creating several pods -- or lakes, as he came to think of them -- each as large as 300 acres, and each surrounded by its own valuable frontage. "What if we had seven lakes in the city?" he wondered. "Would people develop around those lakes?"

To increase the odds that they will, Hantz plans on making his farms both visually stunning and technologically cutting edge. Where there are row crops, Hantz says, they'll be neatly organized, planted in "dead-straight lines -- they may even be in a design." But the plan isn't to make Detroit look like Iowa. "Don't think a farm with tractors," says Hantz. "That's old."

In fact, Hantz's operation will bear little resemblance to a traditional farm. Mike Score, who recently left Michigan State's agricultural extension program to join Hantz Farms as president, has written a business plan that calls for the deployment of the latest in farm technology, from compost-heated greenhouses to hydroponic (water only, no soil) and aeroponic (air only) growing systems designed to maximize productivity in cramped settings.

He's really excited about apples. Hantz Farms will use a trellised system that's compact, highly efficient, and tourist-friendly. It won't be like apple picking in Massachusetts, and that's the point. Score wants visitors to Hantz Farms to see that agriculture is not just something that takes place in the countryside. They will be able to "walk down the row pushing a baby stroller," he promises.

Crop selection will depend on the soil conditions of the plots that Hantz acquires. Experts insist that most of the land is not irretrievably toxic. The majority of the lots now vacant in Detroit were residential, not industrial; the biggest problem is how compacted the soil is. For the most part the farms will focus on high-margin edibles: peaches, berries, plums, nectarines, and exotic greens. Score says that the first crops are likely to be lettuce and heirloom tomatoes.

Hantz says he's willing to put up the entire $30 million investment himself -- all cash, no debt -- and immediately begin hiring locally for full-time positions. But he wants two things first from Jackson at the DEGC: free tax-delinquent land, which he'll combine with his own purchases, he says (he's aiming for an average cost of $3,000 per acre, in line with rural farmland in southern Michigan), and a zoning adjustment that would create a new, lower tax rate for agriculture. There's no deal yet, but neither request strikes Jackson as unattainable. "If we have reasonable due diligence," he says, "I think we'll give it a shot."

Detroit mayor Dave Bing is watching closely. The Pistons Hall of Fame guard turned entrepreneur has had what his spokesman describes as "productive discussions" with Hantz. In a statement to Fortune, Bing says he's "encouraged by the proposals to bring commercial farming back to Detroit. As we look to diversify our economy, commercial farming has some real potential for job growth and rebuilding our tax base."

Hantz, for his part, says he's got three or four locations all picked out ("one of them will pop") and is confident he'll have seeds in the ground "in some sort of demonstration capacity" this spring. "Some things you've got to see in order to believe," he says, waving his cigar. "This is a thing you've got to believe in order to see."

Many have a hard time making that leap. When news of Hantz's ambitious plan broke in the Detroit papers last spring, few people even knew who he was. A little digging turned up a less-than-spotless record at Hantz Financial Services. The firm has paid fines totaling more than $1 million in the past five years, including $675,000 in 2005, without admitting or denying guilt, "for fraud and misrepresentations relating to undisclosed revenue-sharing arrangements, as well as other violations," according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. (Hantz responds, "If we find something that isn't in compliance, we take immediate steps to correct the problem.")

Hantz Farms' first hire, VP Matt Allen, did have an established reputation in Detroit, but it wasn't a good one. Two years ago, while he was press secretary for former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Allen pleaded guilty to domestic violence and obstructing police after his wife called 911. He was sentenced to a year's probation. Hantz says he has known Allen for many years and values his deep knowledge of the city. "He has earned a second chance, and I'm willing to give it to him," he says.

Some of Hantz's biggest skeptics, ironically, are the same people who've been working to transform Detroit into a laboratory for urban farming for years, albeit on a much smaller scale. The nonprofit Detroit Agriculture Network counts nearly 900 urban gardens within the city limits. That's a twofold increase in two years, and it places Detroit at the forefront of a vibrant national movement to grow more food locally and lessen the nation's dependence on Big Ag.

None of those gardens is very big (average size: 0.25 acre), and they don't generate a lot of cash (most don't even try), but otherwise they're great: as antidotes to urban blight; sources of healthy, affordable food in a city that, incredibly, has no chain supermarkets; providers of meaningful, if generally unpaid, work to the chronically unemployed; and beacons around which disintegrating communities can begin to regather themselves.

That actually sounds a lot like what Hantz envisions his farms to be in the for-profit arena. But he doesn't have many fans among the community gardeners, who feel that Hantz is using his money and connections to capitalize on their pioneering work. "I'm concerned about the corporate takeover of the urban agriculture movement in Detroit," says Malik Yakini, a charter school principal and founder of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, which operates D-Town Farm on Detroit's west side. "At this point the key players with him seem to be all white men in a city that's at least 82% black."

Hantz, meanwhile, has no patience for what he calls "fear-based" criticism. He has a hard time concealing his contempt for the nonprofit sector generally. ("Someone must pay taxes," he sniffs.) He also flatly rejects the idea that he's orchestrating some kind of underhanded land grab. In fact, Hantz says that he welcomes others who might want to start their own farms in the city. "Viability and sustainability to me are all that matters," he says.

And yet Hantz is fully aware of the potentially historic scope of what he is proposing. After all, he's talking about accumulating hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of acres inside a major American city. And it's clear that he views Hantz Farms as his legacy. Already he's told his 21-year-old daughter, Lauren, his only heir, that if she wants to own the land one day, she has to promise him she'll never sell it. "This is like buying a penthouse in New York in 1940," Hantz says. "No one should be able to afford to do this ever again."

That might seem like an overly optimistic view of Detroit's future. But allow Hantz to dream a little. Twenty years from now, when people come to the city and have a drink at the bar at the top of the Renaissance Center, what will they see? Maybe that's not the right vantage point. Maybe they'll actually be on the farm, picking apples, looking up at the RenCen. "That's the beauty of being down and out," says Hantz. "You can actually open your mind to ideas that you would never otherwise embrace." At this point, Detroit doesn't have much left to lose.

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2009-12-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

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