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Show 10 Farm and Garden Guide, April, 1983 'MORGAN 1C GARDENING One step beyond organic By NOEL OSMENT Copley News Service No one expects Bill Skaifes fanning methods to solve the food problems of the world, but thats the idea one gets as he shows visitors around his tiny truck farm behind a motel in Mission Valley, Calif. It is one of 10 such small farms set up within the last two years by Skaife, who has developed a system akin to but T different from hydroponic farming, that makes it possible to grow abundant crops in small spaces. A Skaife farm works this way: Heated, fertilized water is pumped into the boxes filled with a mixture of Canadian peat and pearlite, chosen by Skaife for its porous character. Once the mixture is moistened, the water can be turned off for the rest of the day, saving lots of money in water costs. Three-inc- h perforated pipes are embedded vertically in the peat. Into these are set the rigid plastic stockings mesh cylinders filled with the same growing mixture. It is in these that the seedlings or seeds are planted. The peat inside the stocking stays moistened by capillary action, while the holes in the pipe keep a constant source of air running around the stocking. This way, Skaife said, the plant roots can be moist at all times, drawing the nutrients they need, without rotting. Skaife likes to refer to the method as a transistorized root system because all of the functions of a regular, spreading root system can be confined to a small area. And, in the early stages of growth, the plants are portable. The seedlings are started in a separate planting box. As the plant grows, instead of being transplanted, the stocking containing the plant is picked up and popped into a waiting pipe. Holding up an empty stocking, he refers to it as a horticultural carburetor, because it mixes the air, water and medium to make the plants grow, as a carburetor in an engine mixes fuel with air. Skaife has worked up his own lexicon over the last eight years as he has developed his growing system, and his elaborate brochure is full of terms like (roots growing mysterious, a mix of calcium, but we hydrate and nitrosol will never use a chemical spray. Just the one standard mix is teepees environment); for the plastic greenhouse used, which is the beauty of the and FogTastic system, he said, coming up coverings system for the humidifying, with another one of his terms cafeteria feeding. vaporizing and fumigating The roots pick the nutrients equipment. And, he explains, his system they need from the fertilizer. is morganic gardening. The person tending the garden Its a little more than doesnt have to know a thing organic. I cant call it organic about soils or fertilizers. I gardening because we do use a dont even know how to run a chemical fertilizer nothing Ph meter, he said. stocking into the airspace between the stocking and pipe and then out into the mixture in the box, which he calls the leap-froggi- from the Be careful with home improvements By CLYDE SMITH Copley News Service There has been a surge in the home improvement business, triggered by the high cost of new housing. However, there are pitfalls rebates and Although they may sound discounts. tempting, you usually end up special paying for these deals, one way or another. Also be alert and beware of the sales pitch. Do involved in home im- not be deceived by the story provement. For example, it that unless you buy today, the may shock some to learn that price will double. many owners will lose their Shop around. Compare homes as a result of trickery prices. Read the contract and unfair home improvement before you sign it, make sure it sales schemes. states your agreement How do you recognize such correctly, and do not sign if the nefarious goings-on- ? contract is blank or all the Watch out for promises of terms are not filled in. high-pressu- re Protect yourself against liens. Often a contractor will take a lien on your home as security for payment, which means that if you dont make the payments you agreed to make, your home may be sold at a foreclosure sale. This information may be buried somewhere in the contract and the language is often difficult to understand. This is why an owner should read the contract carefully before signing, and consult with an attorney if there is any confusion about the legalese. All your landscaping needs 0 Stepping m Round, Moon, ttOlieS Square, Hexagon 0 Splash Block Patio Block Cement Tree Rings Lawn Edge Block 08 f Motor Mix Tools Building Concrete i LONG TRACTORS GIVE MORE HlPHRS. 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