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Community Outreach
Programs
June 7th 2006
Unfortunately the letter we received below is a prime
example of under-funded schools and education taking the
loss. We were happy to help Dr. Daniel Enzinna and his
8th grade class.
Keep up the good
work and lets work together to help mainstream a
positive image towards hydroponics!
" Dear Sunlight Sheds:
As I am sure your aware, the funding of schools science
programs is less than desirable. My current funding is
less than two-dollars per student. With such a small
budget it makes is nearly impossible to allow students
to practice to view and demonstrate the simplest of
scientific laws. While the area in which I work is
beautiful for scenic vistas however fiscally, the
support for education is less than desirable. During the
past several years of my education career I have been
developing a curriculum that revolves around growing
vegetables hydroponically. During this time I have been
attempting, through my own financial backing, to create
a hydroponics system, to no avail. I have attempted
everything from the bucket method to using gutters, with
no luck. This brings me to the reason for my inquiry,
while I believe I am well versed with hydroponics, I
have not been able to effectively build an apparatus
which functionally can grow even the simplest culture of
basil. I am currently seeking a corporation willing to
donate a hydroponics set-up to my eighth-grade. While
the geographic location which I teach is rich in
farmland the students know very little about
hydroponics, juxtaposed with this, there are many
industrial farms so few students originate from a
farming family. In addition to the above-mentioned
calamites, very few students have spent time growing and
caring for another organism including plants. While
your investment is great, the reward you would reap from
helping my group of students would be far greater than
you could ever imagine. While I fully aware that all
facets of our economy are struggling I ask you to
consider the potential result of your investment and ask
that you please help. I am not particular; I am willing
to accept almost anything you are willing to donate. I
do ask that you forward me your decision either way, so
I am able to look for assistance in at other
organizations."
Mr. George D. Enzinna, LVT
8th Grade Science
Geneva Middle School
The year Sunlight Solutions/Sunlight Sheds hydroponics
sponsored the giant pumpkin growers competition in
Clarence, NY USA.
With every customer
that walks through our door we learn little bits of
information that help all of our store employees
become expert gardeners. This year we had a large
influx of expert pumpkin growers that were kind enough
to share some trade secrets that we will of course
pass down to you; the reader. It all started in early
spring when we found ourselves special ordering large
quantities of Cal-Mag, Liquefied Seaweed, and
Earthworm castings for a select few growers. Later we
found out these growers were tackling the King of all
Fruit; Atlantic Giants. For those of you that are not
aware pumpkins are officially considered a fruit
because it contains seeds, unlike vegetables.
To begin lets cover
the basics associated with growing 1,000+ lb.
pumpkins.
1.) Excellent Seeds:
Good genetics are a must, don't expect a 1000+ lb.
pumpkin off a 20lb. parent.
2.) Water: When
watering pumpkins of this size keep in mind you'll
often dump 200-400 gallons of water a day to keep them
growing properly
3.) Proper Nutrients:
Pumpkins are very finicky when it comes to nutrients.
Often if you add just a hair too much nutrients your
pumpkin will stop growing and you'll never get over
200 lbs. That is why expert growers use very weak
nutrients such as Liquefied Fish or Big Bloom (Foxfarm).
If you use concentrated granules your almost
guaranteed to stunt the growth of the oversized
giants. This is also why there hasn't been much
success with hydroponic pumpkins of extraordinary
size, since small changes in nutrient content have
huge effects on pumpkin growth. We are working on
perfecting a hydroponic based method of growing
Atlantic Giants, so keep your fingers crossed for us!
4.) A strong outer
shell: Often when pumpkins reach extraordinary size
their outer shells crack or even burst. To counter
this effect growers place towels soaked in Cal-mag or
Milk on the outside of the pumpkins. The pumpkins cell
walls actually absorb the calcium and magnesium
strengthening the cell walls and helping to prevent
bursting.
Now there are a lot of
other tips that I'm not going to go into, as this
article is meant to be kept relatively brief. For
more information on growing Atlantic Giants do a
google search, and if your looking for seeds check out
www.bigseeds.com.
The pictures associated
with this article came from our local "Great Pumpkin
Farm" event in Clarence, NY. Thousands of WNY
residents gather to watch the giant pumpkin weigh ins,
along with all sorts of carnival type attractions. As
a sponsor for this years event, we showed our support
with free samples and prize baskets for winners.
Girl Scouts Of America
The local
Niagara Wheatfield girl scouts in the pictures above
earned their botanist merit badges. We taught them how
to take pH and TDS measurements along with proper indoor
gardening care.
Technology Camp Of America
We are
currently running a community outreach program to
"Technology Camp Of America". This organization
consists of over 100 students ages 10-15 learning about
up and coming changes in technology. Sunlight
Sheds has donated several hydroponic related items to
assist with the education and awareness of the
importance of soil-less growing.
You can
preview some of the up and coming lesson plans we hope
to help implement to aid their comprehension of
hydroponics.
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