Living here in northern Wisconsin, and being a gardener, I wanted to break the barriers to gardening that our harsh winters create. This year, I am experimenting with hydroponics. Hydroponics, in its simplest form, is growing plants by supplying all necessary nutrients in the plants’ water supply rather than through the soil.
Plants need water, nutrients, light, air, and structural support for the roots. There are two types of hydroponic systems: active and passive. I have had a passive system when our Master Gardener Kids in the Garden program repurposed plastic bottles that had a “wicking” material to draw up the liquid nutrients for the roots to access by simply suspending the plants in the inverted bottle top and placing the container in a sunny window. That works well in Summer, but not at all in Winter. There is simply not enough natural light for the plant to grow, given our shorter winter daylight hours.
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The University of Minnesota Extension service has published Gardening with Native Grasses in Cold Climates online and is offering free access! What a great way to while away these long winter months! Here is a link that will take you directly to the first chapter Introduction to Grasses. Notice the Contents drop down on the left of the title banner, click on the word Contents to link to these chapters:
Happy reading! Post by Pam Davies, MGV
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