The most important way that TMV can be spread from plant to plant is on workers’ hands, clothing or on tools. This is called ‘mechanical’ transmission. When plants are handled, the tiny leaf hairs and some of the outer cells inevitably are damaged slightly and leak sap onto tools, hands, and clothing. If the sap contains TMV, it can be introduced into other plants when those come in contact with this sap. Sucking insects such as aphids do not spread TMV. Chewing insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars occasionally spread the virus but are usually not important in spread. Vegetative propagation perpetuates TMV and other virus diseases. Cuttings taken from an infected plant usually are infected even if no symptoms are immediately exhibited by the cutting. The virus particles are found in all parts of the plant except the few cells at the tips of the growing points. Infected stock plants should be discarded immediately.

TMV can also survive outside the plant in sap that has dried on tools and other surfaces. If a TMV plant is handled and then you open a door with that hand, you have now put TMV on the door handle. The next person to open the door can pick up the TMV and spread it to any plant that they touch.

Tobacco products, particularly those containing air-cured tobacco, may carry TMV. Flue-cured tobacco, used in making cigarettes, is heated repeatedly during its processing, thereby inactivating most if not all TMV. When tobacco products are handled or kept in pockets, hands and clothing can become contaminated with TMV and be a source of virus. TMV is NOT spread in the smoke of burning tobacco.

Symptoms vary with the species of plant infected and the environmental conditions. In some cases environmental conditions bring out symptoms while other conditions mask or hide symptoms. Symptoms associated with TMV infections:

stunting
mosaic pattern of light and dark green (or yellow and green) on the leaves
malformation of leaves or growing points
yellow streaking of leaves (especially monocots)
yellow spotting on leaves
distinct yellowing only of veins

Some of the above symptoms can also be caused by high temperature, insect feeding, growth regulators, herbicides, mineral deficiencies, and mineral excesses. TMV diseases cannot be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms alone.
Managing TMV

No chemicals cure a virus-infected plant.

Purchase virus-free plants.
Remove all weeds since these may harbor TMV.
Remove all crop debris from benches and the greenhouse structure.
Set aside plants with the above symptoms and obtain a diagnosis.
Discard infected plants.
Disinfest tools by placing them in disinfectant for at least 10 min. Rinse thoroughly with tap water. Disinfest door handles and other greenhouse structures that may have become contaminated by wiping thoroughly with one of these materials.
Propagate plants via seed rather than vegetatively.
Thoroughly wash hands after handling tobacco products or TMV-infected plants.
Do not keep tobacco products in the pockets of clothing worn into the greenhouse. Launder greenhouse work clothes regularly.

Article written by: Gary W. Moorman, Professor of Plant Pathology

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While all five methods will sound similar, each is slightly different. Each method incorporates growing in a nutrient solution without the use of soil. Each method will also be dependent on water, nutrients and high oxygen content for the roots. We will outline some of the pros and cons of each system to make your decision easier.

Ebb & Flow (aka Flood and Drain)

This is one of the most well known methods of hydroponics and in recent years, has become the most popular method among new hydroponics enthusiasts. This method uses a reservoir to hold your nutrient solution. Above the reservoir will be a tray or growing chamber that will hold nutrient solution during flooding. There will be a pump in the reservoir that will take the solution up to the tray or growing chamber. Here the solution will sit, until the media can absorb the appropriate amount of solution, then it will drain. Some companies make ready to go Ebb & Flow systems, like Botanicare or the Titan Flo-n-Gro. You can also choose to buy the pieces separately, to design a system of your choice.

Pros of Ebb & Flow

You can reuse your nutrient solution.
Requires very few parts to make up the system.
You can use a small pump to run the system.
This method doesn’t usually require a chiller.
It is easy to build.
It is easy to maintain.
The cost of building an Ebb and Flow System is low.
This method works well with organics.
Any type of grow media may be used.

Cons of Ebb & Flow

You may run into a height restriction with the plants because of the height of the reservoir and tray.
Salts and minerals can easily build up in the growing media due to bottom flooding in lieu of top flushing.
Mineral build up can cause a nutrient lockout, which can also cause a nutrient deficiency.
If you start with small plants, the flood height may not be able to reach the short roots in the grow media. You may need to top water or incorporate drip lines until the roots grow longer.

Deep Water Culture (aka DWC)

Deep Water Culture has grown in popularity in recent years. There are companies who have taken the traditional DWC system made it better than ever. One great brand on the market is Current Culture. CC has taken the traditional DWC method and added extra value. Ensuring a long lasting product, by using the best quality components. A DWC system is typically comprised of a main reservoir that hold the bulk of the nutrient solution, and an attached system of buckets through which the nutrient solution circulates. Each attached bucket will be topped with a new pot lid, through which plant roots will grow, and show contain an air stone to ensure proper root oxygenation.

Pros of DWC

Great for water loving, rapid growing plants.
Allows for large root mass.
Flexible plant site sizes.
Fewer plants with larger yield.
Reuses water.
Cost effective to build the DWC system.

Cons of DWC

A chiller will likely be needed.
Plants can be prone to root diseases with DWC system.
May foam up when using organics.
pH fluctuation/ monitoring required.
Root mass may grow so large, it will clog the irrigation lines.

Nutrient Film Technique (aka NFT)

This is a method that has probably been around longer than any other hydroponics methods. You will hear sales people at the grow stores, say it is the “Old School Method.” This method is also popular among commercial growers because of its versatility and aggressiveness. NFT consists of a long grow chamber such as PVC pipe or channel. At evenly spaced intervals along the pipe, there are holes containing either collars, baskets, or in some cases, grow media in which plants are held. The roots of the plant hang down in the hole and a shallow stream, or “film” of water is run across the root tips.

Pros of NFT

The cost of building a NFT system is low.
Constant water movement keeps water from going stagnant.
You can have a lot of plant sites.
You can use any grow media to hold the plant.
You can reuse the water.
Doesn’t have parts to clog.
Great with organics.
No timer to worry about breaking, because the water is always flowing.
Grow media is not required.

Cons of NFT

pH fluctuation/ monitoring required.
If the pump breaks, your plants will die quickly. This is because there is no media to hold water.
May need a chiller.
Plants with short roots will need to be top fed or drip line incorporated, until roots grow to bottom of PVC.

Aeroponics

This is probably the most advanced hydroponics method. A grower will typically by a pre-fabricated Aeroponic system. Botanicare and GH both make ready to go Aeroponic systems, which even a beginner can put together. Once the system is up and running, this system will need to be monitored frequently. This is not a system you will want to leave, while you go on vacation.

Pros of Aeroponics

High oxygen to water ratio.
Can have a lot of plant sites.
Reuses water.
Increased nutrient solution absorption.
Accelerated growth.

Cons of Aeroponics

Highest fluctuations of pH.
Roots need to be watered more often, for short periods of time. This means they can dry out very quickly if not watered enough.
May need a chiller.
Prone to root disease.
If the pump breaks, the plants will die quickly. This is usually because a clay pebble media is used and clogged the pump.
Sprayer clog easy, so isn’t good with organics.

Drip System

Drip systems are used widely in both indoor and outdoor applications. This is something almost any family member, gardener or not, would understand. Drip systems can be designed many different ways, depending on the builder. Usually you have a reservoir that holds your nutrient solution. From the reservoir the solution is run through a main water line from which there are smaller lines leading directly to the base of the plant sites. You can find already manufactured drip systems, but you can also easily build one as well.

Pros of Drip Systems

Can use any type of media.
Cost to build is low.
You can have constant feed of solution or a timed system.
You can choose to reuse the water or run to waste.
You are constantly flushing the solution from the top down, so you don’t have a lot of salt build up.
Since you can use large containers, you can grow long term with a drip system.

Cons of Drip Systems

Can clog easily, so may not be good with organics.
More time consuming at initial set-up.
Since you usually use more media than compared to other hydroponics methods, the absorption rate is slower.

As you can see there are many pros and cons to all hydroponics methods. When choosing a hydroponics method you need to consider all of the pros and cons for each. Do you want a low maintenance, reliable system or do you want a system that can out produce the best, but requires more hands on time and allows less room for error. I would recommend you visit your nearest Hydroponics or Grow Store Retailer to help you choose the right method.

There are fish here, for one thing, shivering through the winter, and a jerry-built system of tanks, heaters, pumps, pipes and gravel beds. The greenhouse vents run on a $20 pair of recycled windshield wiper motors, and a thermostat system sends Mr. Torcellini e-mail alerts when the temperature drops below 36 degrees. Some 500 gallons of water fill a pair of food-grade polyethylene drums that he scavenged from a light-industry park.

Mr. Torcellini’s greenhouse wouldn’t look out of place on a wayward space station where pioneers have gone to escape the cannibal gangs back on Earth. But then, in a literal sense, Mr. Torcellini, a 41-year-old I.T. director for an industrial manufacturer, has left earth — that is, dirt — behind.

What feeds his winter crop of lettuce is recirculating water from the 150-gallon fish tank and the waste generated by his 20 jumbo goldfish. Wastewater is what fertilizes the 27 strawberry plants from last summer, too. They occupy little cubbies in a seven-foot-tall PVC pipe. When the temperature begins to climb in the spring, he will plant the rest of the gravel containers with beans, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers — all the things many other gardeners grow outside.

In here, though, the yields are otherworldly. “We actually kept a tally of how many cherry tomatoes we grew,” Mr. Torcellini said of last summer’s crop. “And from one plant, it was 347.” A trio of cucumber plants threw off 175 cukes.

If that kind of bounty sounds hard to believe, Mr. Torcellini has a YouTube channel to demonstrate it. “There’s alternate ways of growing food,” he said. “I don’t want to push it down people’s throats, but if someone’s interested, I’d like to show them you can do this with cheap parts and a little bit of Yankee ingenuity.”

It’s all part of a home experiment he is conducting in a form of year-round, sustainable agriculture called aquaponics — a neologism that combines hydroponics (or water-based planting) and aquaculture (fish cultivation) — which has recently attracted a zealous following of kitchen gardeners, futurists, tinkerers and practical environmentalists.

And Australians — a lot of Australians.

In Australia, where gardeners have grappled with droughts for a decade, aquaponics is particularly appealing because it requires 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional growing methods. (The movement’s antipodean think tank is a Web site called Backyard Aquaponics, where readers can learn how, say, to turn a swimming pool into a fish pond.)

In the United States, aquaponics is in its fingerling stage, yet it seems to be increasing in popularity. Rebecca Nelson, 45, half of the company Nelson &Pade, publishes the Aquaponics Journal and sells aquaponics systems in Montello, Wis. While she refused to disclose exact sales figures, Ms. Nelson said that subscriptions have doubled every year for the last five years, and now number in the thousands. Having worked in the industry since 1997, leading workshops and consulting with academics, she estimates that there may be 800 to 1,200 aquaponics set-ups in American homes and yards and perhaps another 1,000 bubbling away in school science classrooms.

One of Ms. Nelson’s industry colleagues, Sylvia Bernstein, who helped develop a mass-market hydroponic product called the AeroGarden, recently turned her attention to aquaponics. She has started her own YouTube channel and a blog (aquaponicgardening.wordpress.com) and is teaching aquaponics at the Denver Botanic Gardens. She said she has done market research that suggests the technology may appeal to a half-dozen consumer types, including those seeking fresh winter herbs; gadget-happy gardeners; and high-income parents and their science-fair kids. But primarily, she envisions aquaponics as catnip for “the LOHAS market,” she said. “That means Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability — the green crowd.”

It’s worth mentioning that most of those categories would appear to describe the 47-year-old Ms. Bernstein. She built her first aquaponics system with her 15-year-old son on a concrete pad outside her remodeled 1970s-era Boulder, Colo., home. And she has since set up quarters in a 240-square-foot greenhouse. While she boasted about picking fresh basil the other day for a risotto, she has lately been preoccupied with exotic fish. Having tired of tilapia and trout, Ms. Bernstein is now introducing pacu, a thin, silvery import from South America that she called “a vegetarian piranha.”

Aquaponics is addictive, Ms. Bernstein believes, and it has a way of becoming a full-time pursuit. “If you spend some time on Backyard Aquaponics,” she said, “people start with this little 100-gallon backyard system. But it never stays that way. Next thing, they’ll say, the tilapia were really cool, but I want to grow trout.”

Interested in aquaponics, but not ready to make it a life calling? No problem. An Atlanta company called Earth Solutions now sells kits online, on Amazon.com and the Home Depot’s Web site. Called Farm in a Box, they range in price from $268 to $3,000, and come with pipes, pumps, frames and fittings. David Epstein, 50, the osteopath and entrepreneur who invented Farm in a Box, reports that the company has sold several hundred units since the product went on sale last March.

Dr. Dave, as he likes to be called, created Farm in a Box after studying a do-it-yourself manual written by Travis W. Hughey — a creative debt that bothers Mr. Hughey not a bit.

Mr. Hughey, 49, is not just another proselytizer for aquaponics but, in his words, an “agri-missionary” who hopes to help feed the developing world. His free step-by-step plans have been downloaded more than 15,000 times since he started his site, Faith and Sustainable Technologies (fastonline.org), in 2007.

Mr. Hughey credits researchers at North Carolina State University for building the prototype that started the modern aquaponics movement some 25 years ago. By comparison, he came to aquaponics with little more than an unfinished biology degree at Oral Roberts University and a background in yacht repair, a career that required him to be “a jack of all trades, and a master of every one of them.”

The low-tech, low-cost design for his “Barrel-Ponics Manual” can be built out of three 55-gallon barrels, a pump, a wooden frame and some off-the-shelf hardware. One barrel, which sits on the ground, holds the fish. A second — split in half and filled with gravel — holds the plants. The final barrel, a storage or flush tank, perches above the other two like a toilet tank. The effluent-rich water that flows from one receptacle to the next is the life of the system, flooding the plants with nutrients and then trickling back into the fish tank.

From these rudiments, all manner of aquaponics systems can be built. Mr. Hughey has nine of them going in a demonstration greenhouse outside the double-wide mobile home he shares with his wife and two daughters in Andrews, S.C. He has grown everything from radishes to a papaya tree in those barrels. Of course, his family could also eat the tilapia swimming around the 1,000-gallon in-ground plastic tank. But he’s saving them to use as brood stock.

Mr. Hughey figures that other aquanauts will need to buy fingerlings from somewhere. He’s starting to sell assembled Barrel-Ponics kits, too, for $495, plus shipping.

This winter, he has begun construction on a pair of 1,200-square-foot aquaponics greenhouses to raise produce for the local natural foods market. Each one will take 80 barrel halves, 9 tons of gravel and a 3,000-gallon tilapia tank. The power for the pumps and heaters will come from a “hand-built” biodiesel generator. Mr. Hughey already has the fuel sitting in the yard: 12,000 gallons of vegetable oil that passed its expiration date.

He isn’t exactly stocking up for the end times. But with the way the economy is going, he said, it might not be a bad idea to have a backup plan to feed his family and neighbors. “I’m trying to make this place as self-reliant as possible,” he said. “But ultimately, self-reliance isn’t possible unless it’s profitable.”

There is something about aquaponics that seems to inspire this quirky blend of entrepreneurialism, environmentalism and survivalism. Even a mainstream businesswoman like Ms. Bernstein points to the water shortages in farming areas like the Central Valley in California — “to say nothing of Africa,” she added.

Jack Rowland can imagine a day when aquaponics set-ups could be built into new apartment complexes and be fed by municipal waste and geothermal power. In the meantime, he has started his own 1,200-gallon tilapia hatchery in his family’s unfinished basement in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., about 10 miles south of Poughkeepsie. He houses the fish in black cattle troughs, which have proved to be sturdy and nontoxic. A stock tank heater keeps the water at a comfortable 75 degrees.

Tilapia will tolerate crowding and will feast on your table scraps. (“They’re the ultimate garbage disposal unit,” Mr. Rowland said.) But, being tropical by nature, they die in the cold.

One of the pools is called the Dinner Tank. It is here that Mr. Rowland condemns his tilapia to a five-day fast before they make their way to the frying pan or the broiler. Tilapia, he said, do not deserve their bad reputation among cooks as the white bread of the waterways — mealy, pale and bland — but “you have to purge them or they taste gamey.”

“Most of the tilapia sold here was harvested months ago in China,” he said. “It’s like eating a fresh tomato versus what you buy in the grocery store.”

This summer, he hopes to transfer his operation from a spot next to the washer and dryer to a 50-foot-long hoop greenhouse. But he’s going about the project carefully. This attention to detail will most likely comfort Mr. Rowland’s neighbors: in his day job, Mr. Rowland, 57, is an outage planner for the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Though Mr. Rowland spends perhaps an hour a night in the basement, looking for floaters and new spawn, he knows that no system is fail-safe. Pumps break, heaters go haywire. The art of aquaponics is one of trial and error.

“My mentor in the tilapia world told me I really wouldn’t be a master of tilapia until I killed at least a million fish,” he said. “I’m not there yet.”

But what about more prized plants and fruits? What if you only want to give your plants the best ingredients? Most important, what if you were interested in pushing your plants to the max and achieving explosive growth? Serious gardeners have long realized how
important pure water is to the success of their important crops. After all, water is the root of hydroponics and, therefore, the most important component to a healthy garden. Water acts like a carrier and bathes your root zone with nutrients, additives, and promoters.
I f y o u l o o k a t t h e t o p n u t r i e n t manufacturer’s feed charts, you will notice a common theme. They all require using 0 ppm (parts per million) water as a starting base for the nutrient solution. Without this ultra-pure base, it is much more difficult to dial in the ppms of your formula while making sure you have the proper amounts of each component vital to healthy growth. When the feed chart says bring the nutrient solution to 1200 ppm and you are starting with water that is at 500 ppm, what do you do? It is hard to even guess what that 500 ppm is composed of; nonetheless, try and adjust for it in the nutrient formula you are trying to perfect. The first step is to determine how bad your water is and what type of system would be most beneficial to your garden. Free water reports are available from your municipality or water company, though water quality fluctuates greatly throughout an area and over the seasons. Test kits can be ordered online and are quick and affordable. Some hydroponics shops do water testing and there are many labs that can do an analysis. A key indicator of water quality for plants is total hardness as expressed in ppm of calcium and magnesium or in grains per gallon (gpg). With too much hardness, the nutrient formula can be thrown out of balance and deficiencies and lockouts can quickly become a major problem. Any water source over 50 ppm of hardness should be purified. This translates to 3 gpg and is considered soft water, which few people have straight from the tap.

Organic gardeners using compost teas or bio-extraction solutions should use purified water. Anyone gardening with living micro-organisms such as beneficial bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, mycorrizae, and trichoderma, must have chlorine and contaminant-free water in order for those helpful microbes to survive and flourish. Unfortunately, it’s rare someone’s water source is perfect for his or her prized plants. Letting city water sit out overnight may get rid of some free chlorine, but it doesn’t affect the chloramines or other contaminants. Water from well or spring sources is often too high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and iron. This water may be fine to drink, but for hydroponics it may be too heavy with these minerals and may contribute to nutrient lockup. Gardeners that start using pure water never go back to untreated water. There are still plenty of people that haul five-gallon jugs of water to their garden. They will go to these lengths to pamper their plants and make sure they only get the
best. If you do the math, a water purification system from a hydroponics shop pays for itself quickly with the money and energy saved hauling water. There are several customized filtration systems on the market available for gardening and hydroponics.
The following table shows the most common contaminants in your water, their sources, and what harmful effects they can have on plants. After looking it
over and realizing how many things can do damage to your crop, you may want to grab yourself, and your plants, a nice glass of pure water!

-Article from Max Yield January/February 2013 Edition

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