By Adam Parsons

Some growers enter the world of hydro from a soil-based background, whereas others jump right in with no experience at all. No matter where you start from, growing hydroponically can quickly become confusing. That's why we chose to interview Mitchell Gorgichuk. As the creator of Visionary Hydroponics Inc, he knows a thing or two about growing thriving plants using this technique. During his time as a grower and inventor, Mitchell has figured out reliable ways to achieve superior yields and improve water efficiency. Leverage his knowledge and experience to get a head start.

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1. How did you start out, and what made you decide to grow hydroponically? (1:03)

When I found out it was going to be legal to grow cannabis in Canada, I immediately ordered books, read them, and applied the information to where I lived and what worked for me growing in a basement with four plants. I needed it to be clean, I needed it to be discreet. That’s how I decided on hydroponics and deep water culture. From there, that’s when I started growing tomatoes, vegetables, cucumbers, leafy greens—everything I could in preparation for legalization.

2. Can you tell us a little bit of the story behind hydroponics? (2:40)

Around 15 or 20 years ago, it used to be more important than it is now to be discreet in some parts of the world—so, not carrying soil and stuff in and out of a house. Of all the hydroponic methods, deep water culture stood out to me. I struggle with underwatering my plants, because I tend to forget about them, so I think that’s really appealing to anyone who wants to cut down their daily to-do list.

3. Is it true that hydroponically grown plants develop much faster than in soil? (6:54)

Absolutely. When you hit the really key requirements there are in hydroponics, your plants will have everything they need. You are there to maintain parameters; to control the environment. There are really only three things that you're after; you're controlling the strength of your nutrients—your parts per million—you're controlling your pH, and you're controlling your temperature. People report anywhere from 30 to 40% faster growth in deep water culture, because plants are not ever waiting to be watered; they're always watered.

4. How important is the growing medium we use? (9:18)

The different media you're looking at are soil—that’s the bulk of growers—and then you have coco, an inert medium, which would be considered hydroponics. The most common medium in deep water culture is Hydroton expanded clay pellets. But you can use anything suitable you’d like. When you're talking about the way Hydroton is used, it's really to support the plant. You could use gravel, you could use sand, you could use nothing! You really don't need a medium unless you're using it to accomplish something.

"The plant has everything it needs, especially if we know how to balance the solution nicely, and it's not very hard. In fact, it's very easy."

5. How can we prevent pests from invading our growing operation? (11:46)

One thing to consider is that with hydroponics, you simply have fewer pests. Because you don't have an organic medium—you don't have soil, you don't have all these things that literally bring bugs with them—you’re automatically avoiding a large share of pests if you’re using Hydroton or Rockwool. The second thing is—I'm always sure to keep my grow clean, cleaning the floor and not having any dead leaves. That's good garden practice; it means you don't leave stuff decaying around for bugs to come looking for. And then, of course, having a good routine, whether you have pests or not.

6. How can we figure out which hydroponic system works best for us? (14:56)

Just go straight to deep water culture. That's what's going to work best. It just takes away the vulnerable periods because the roots are always in there; they're always in the solution. The plant has everything it needs, especially if we know how to balance the solution nicely, and it's not very hard. In fact, it's very easy. If it has everything it needs, there's no risk of it drying out; there's no risk of an emitter plugging; there's no risk of a pressurised pump breaking over a line and flooding your house; there's no risk of a timer not going off...

HGetting Ready To Grow Hydroponically With Mitchell

7. Can you describe to us how you train your plants to make them bigger? (20:01)

When we're talking about power—let's say we're talking about 300 watts—if those 300 watts are not hitting the canopy and going directly into the plant, that's not really a very effective way of growing. Whether I grow from a clone or seed, I will do a mainline split once the plant develops three, four, five nodes—it depends on how the plant looks according to its genetics. And then, just as the buds are developing, while there are still symmetrical nodes coming out, I will do a topping, but just on the tiniest, smallest spot.

8. Do you recall your budget when you first started using DWC so we can compare it to a soil grow? (25:07)

I would say you could now get into deep water culture for under $100. Go get a hydro bucket, a net pot, some medium, a small air pump with an air stone and an airline. Once you purchase your grow equipment, it really lasts a long time if you take care of it.

9. What do we need to maintain an optimal growing environment? (28:28)

The optimal growing environment consists of two main areas. You have to control your temperature, your parts per million, and your pH—that's your root control zone. And then you also have to control your surrounding environment; your exhaust fans, timers—I mean, those things are extremely valuable.

10. Are there some strains that work better in an indoor hydroponic system? (31:23)

I couldn't speak to specific strains, but I do know that indicas and certain hybrids that take on a shorter, smaller shape are more ideal. Indoors, you're limited by height, light, heat, and all these things. You have to remember that your plant is going to double or triple in size.

HGetting Ready To Grow Hydroponically With Mitchell

11. Do you have any experience growing autoflowering plants using hydroponics? (33:10)

Yes, I'm practising now with autoflowers. I really love them because they help people just grow. They allow people who don't have all the availability of cloning to achieve a harvest. It's just like a tomato, right? You just take your seed, you plant it, and you know you're going to get tomatoes. That's how autoflowers are. You don't have to do anything special, except give it the right environment. I have been playing with autoflowers for this reason, because I just see that they're so wonderful. They're awesome for new growers.

12. How can we manage reservoir temp without a water cooler? (37:30)

If you want to grow in deep water culture, you have to have a recirculating system to control your water temperature. You can have an external reservoir, which would work like this; you'd have your four plants in your tent, then the external reservoir, which is another tote, connected to them, and then that allows you to manage your reservoir solution. But you have pumps moving all that fluid around through tubes and coming and going. And by volume, you're using more, and so you have to use a water chiller.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: