Bizon Guides
Every calculator in the toolshop is useful. But they don't contain the why. These guides are the other half: where the number comes from, what things means, and all the fun behind the complexities of plant science and my calculators' necessary disclaimers.
Saved on this device. A free account keeps your reading list on every device you sign in to, and the toolshop with it.
The nutrient wheel every grow forum reposts, with a source behind each line. Tap a nutrient to see what it blocks, what it helps, and which lines are folklore.
More guides
A peach that never got its winter cold leafs out late and sets little fruit. How chill is counted, why warm afternoons matter, and how to match a variety to your winters.
6 min read GardenBefore blaming a pest, check the pattern. Which plants are hit, where, and how fast tells you whether the cause is living or not.
6 min read NutritionLeaves take in only a small share of what is sprayed on them. Where foliar sprays help, why calcium depends on VPD, and how to mix a spray that won't burn.
6 min read ClimatePlants and insects run on heat, not the calendar. How to count degree days, which base to use, and how to time a pre-emergent, a pest or a planting with them.
6 min read LawnMost lawns need about an inch a week in summer, rain included. How to tell when the lawn needs water, how long your sprinklers take to put down an inch, and how to keep it from running off.
7 min read GardenA handful of native plant genera host most moth and butterfly species, and their caterpillars feed birds. Which plants to start with, how nativars compare, and when to plant.
6 min read GardenYour last frost date is a coin toss, not a deadline. How to read it, count back the weeks for each crop, and know when the soil is warm enough to sow.
9 min read LawnTo follow a label rate, first measure how much water your sprayer puts down. The backpack and boom methods extension services teach, the nozzle check, and the tank math.
7 min read ClimateRelative humidity says how full the air is. VPD says how hard it pulls water out of a leaf. How to read it, what to aim for, and what happens at lights-off.
10 min read NutritionThe same bucket reads 1,000, 1,280 or 1,400 ppm depending on the meter. Which scale a meter uses, how to convert, and what temperature does to a reading.
7 min read LawnLawn rates are given in pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. What the bag says, how much to spread, when, and how to check the spreader.
6 min read Growing MediaTwo soils at pH 5.5 can need very different lime rates. Why, how to read the strength numbers on the bag, and how to spread it.
8 min read TreesMost young trees that die were planted too deep, watered wrong, or both. Where the root flare belongs, how wide to dig, and how to water through establishment.
7 min read LightPPFD is the light landing on a leaf this second. DLI is the total for the day. How the two connect, what targets to aim for, and what the colors in a grow light do.
6 min read IrrigationAn irrigation water report is a shorter page than a soil test, and just as easy to misread. Here is what each line means, and two places where a lab's choice of units changes the answer.
14 min read Growing MediaA lab report is one page and about thirty numbers. Order the right test, pull a sample that means something, and read every line it hands back.
15 min read Growing MediaSME, PourThru, and 1:2 dilution give three different numbers for the same pot. Which one you ran decides how to read every other line.
11 min read LawnHalf the seed people buy never touches soil. When to spread it, how much, and how to water it until it comes up.
6 min readSoil amendments, lime, irrigation water, light, EC and pH, and more.