Hydroponics Daily

Dr. Russell Sharp closes out Hydroponics Daily’s 2025 run with a compact guide to the most toxic plants. He explains why “natural” or “plant‑derived” doesn’t mean safe and shares examples of species that can cause severe harm. The episode lists the top poisonous plants to watch for, such as hemlock, giant hogweed, deadly nightshade, Brugmansia, monk’s hood, yew, oleander, castor bean, water hemlock and foxglove, plus practical safety warnings for growers and gardeners. https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/fertiliser/liquid-gold-unique-complete-fertiliser/ Tony Knight — Colorado State University Richard Walter — Colorado State University James Pfister — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Bryan Stegelmeier — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Michael Ralphs — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Dale Gardner — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Kip Panter — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Benedict Green — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Kermit Price — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Clinton Stonecipher — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Kevin D. Welch — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Daniel Cook — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Scott Larsen — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Jennifer Colvin — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Tracy McCluskey — USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Lynn James — USDA-ARS Stephen B. Lee — USDA-ARS Derek Bailey — USDA-ARS Michael H. Smith — USDA-ARS Daniel R. Gardner — USDA-ARS Elizabeth A. Dauncey — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Nicola Bates — Veterinary Poisons Information Service Sally Bradberry — National Poisons Information Service Simon Thomas — National Poisons Information Service Allister Vale — National Poisons Information Service Michael J. Balick — New York Botanical Garden Lewis S. Nelson — Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Richard D. Shih — Weill Cornell Medicine Noah Whiteman — University of California, Berkeley Sonny Larsson — Uppsala University Sarah Lister — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Ahna Brutlag — Pet Poison Helpline Justine Lee — Pet Poison Helpline Tina Wismer — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Steven Hansen — Pet Poison Helpline Timothy J. Evans — University of Illinois Rebecca H. McClanahan — University of California, Davis Philippa A. Smith — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Eimear M. Nic Lughadha — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew William Milliken — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Edward P. Krenzelok — Pittsburgh Poison Center Robert S. Hoffman — NYU Grossman School of Medicine William Banner — Oklahoma Center for Poison & Drug Information Paul M. Wax — UT Southwestern Medical Center Henry A. Spiller — Kentucky Poison Control Center Mary Ann McGregor — Texas Poison Center Network Kurt A. Kleinschmidt — Texas Poison Center Network Donna L. Seger — Tennessee Poison Center Christine Murphy — National Capital Poison Center Gwen Wurm — Oregon Poison Center David Trinklein — University of Missouri Extension Karen Funkenbusch — University of Missouri Extension Ralph Whitesides — Utah State University Extension Corey Ransom — Utah State University Bret A. Scasta — University of Wyoming Keith Johnson — Purdue University Extension Debra Hagstrom — University of Illinois Extension Tom Dudek — University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Maryline Seigler — University of Florida Stephen L. Welsh — Brigham Young University Craig A. Schmutz — University of Saskatchewan David W. Hulbert — University of Queensland Caroline Veresoglou — Freie Universität Berlin Daniel J. Kliebenstein — University of California, Davis Mark A. D. Goodwin — University of Georgia James A. Duke — USDA Julia F. Morton — University of Miami Lawrence Kaplan — University of Massachusetts Boston Peter A. Cock — Australia (Plant Toxins Research) Robyn M. Gleadow — Monash University Ian E. Cock — RMIT University Philippa M. Forrester — University of Sydney Mary T. Fletcher — The University of Queensland Robert J. Petroski — University of Queensland John M. Coleman — CSIRO Ralph D. Tanner — CSIRO Andrew W. Poulsen — CSIRO John A. Sutherland — University of Adelaide Peter J. McGee — University of New England Bryan G. Fry — The University of Queensland Alan L. Hart — University of Oxford Mark W. Gurnell — University of Cambridge David J. Watson — University of Tasmania Ian D. Rae — Monash University John M. Jacobsen — Montana State University Wendy C. Weedon — University of Florida Karin L. Wieringa — Wageningen University & Research Rohan A. Davis — The University of Queensland Vicki A. L. Mellick — University of New South Wales Paul G. Jones — University of Reading Nigel J. C. Veitch — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Monica F. M. Gruber — University of Bristol Anne Osbourn — John Innes Centre Michael Heinrich — UCL School of Pharmacy Christine A. Smart — Cornell University  

Host Dr. Russell Sharp of Hydroponics Daily explains how hydroponic fertigation and his product Gold Leaf (Liquid Gold in the UK) can be used to biofortify edible crops with nutrients like iodine, selenium, iron, zinc and silicon. The episode covers practical benefits, higher micronutrient content, potential shelf-life and quality improvements, and serious cautions, especially selenium toxicity, stressing professional handling and precise dosing. Listeners learn why hydroponics makes targeted nutrient enrichment easier than soil, which crops have been shown to respond (lettuce, basil), and how biofortification might impact human nutrition and future dietary needs. https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/fertiliser/liquid-gold-unique-complete-fertiliser/ Howarth E. Bouis — International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) / HarvestPlus Amy Saltzman — HarvestPlus Wolfgang H. Pfeiffer — HarvestPlus / CGIAR J.V. Meenakshi — IFPRI Ekin Birol — IFPRI / HarvestPlus Edward A. Boy — HarvestPlus Dean A. Boy — HarvestPlus Daniel Asare-Marfo — IFPRI / HarvestPlus Erick Boy — HarvestPlus Jan W. Low — International Potato Center (CIP) Robert O.M. Mwanga — International Potato Center (CIP) Maria I. Andrade — International Potato Center (CIP) Hugo Campos — International Potato Center (CIP) Graham Thiele — International Potato Center (CIP) Marcin G. Wirth — ETH Zürich Ines Slamet-Loedin — International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) B.P. Mallikarjuna Swamy — International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Rainer Schulin — ETH Zürich Roslyn B. Gleadow — Monash University Christine H. Foyer — University of Birmingham Ismail Cakmak — Sabanci University Güzel Velu — CIMMYT Iván Ortiz-Monasterio — CIMMYT R.P. (Ravi) Singh — CIMMYT Velu Govindan — CIMMYT Yuri (Y.) Hao — CIMMYT Manish Roorkiwal — ICRISAT Rajeev K. Varshney — CSIRO / formerly ICRISAT Hari D. Upadhyaya — ICRISAT Rajeev Gupta — CSIRO Michael J. Welch — Cornell University Ross M. Welch — Cornell University Robin D. Graham — University of Adelaide Richard D. Thompson — ETH Zürich Philip J. White — The James Hutton Institute Martin R. Broadley — University of Nottingham Steven P. McGrath — Rothamsted Research Andy R. Smith — University of Cambridge Cathie Martin — John Innes Centre Lionel J. Dupont — INRAE Victor Raboy — USDA-ARS Paul M. Hasegawa — Purdue University Jian-Kang Zhu — Purdue University David E. Salt — University of Nottingham Nicolaus von Wirén — Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Ute Krämer — Ruhr University Bochum Hakan Wallin — Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) M.S. (Mike) Griffiths — University of York Elad Tako — Cornell University Julia F. Kotzé — University of Pretoria Richard P. Glahn — USDA-ARS Raymond P. Glahn — USDA-ARS James P. Li — University of Minnesota Tom L. Sleper — University of Missouri Dean DellaPenna — Michigan State University Robert A. McClung — Carnegie Mellon University Peter Beyer — University of Freiburg Ingo Potrykus — ETH Zürich Paola Carillo — University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” Roberto Papa — Marche Polytechnic University Cristóbal Uauy — John Innes Centre Nigel G. Halford — Rothamsted Research Peter R. Shewry — Rothamsted Research Alison J. Smith — University of Cambridge Catherine J. Dixon — University of Leeds Darren J. Plett — CSIRO Agriculture and Food Mark Tester — University of Adelaide Jana K. Scharfenberg — University of Hohenheim Ivan Baxter — Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Brian Larkins — University of Arizona Torbert Rocheford — Purdue University Regina A. Feil — University of Bonn Karl-Josef Dietz — Bielefeld University Hans-Peter Braun — Leibniz University Hannover Elizabeth A. Ainsworth — USDA-ARS / University of Illinois Donald R. Ort — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Krishna K. Niyogi — University of California, Berkeley Sabeeha S. Merchant — University of California, Berkeley Joanna Barłóg — Poznań University of Life Sciences Mariola K. Kozak — Warsaw University of Life Sciences Ramesh V. Sunkar — Oklahoma State University Amitava Roy — Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) K.V. Prasad — Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) K.C. Bansal — National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) Usha Kiran — NABI Ramesh Chand — Banaras Hindu University A.K. Singh — Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) A. Raman — Punjab Agricultural University B.S. Gill — Texas A&M University Ravi Singh — CIMMYT Mahmoud S. Hussein — University of Guelph Youbin Zheng — University of Guelph Rowan F. Sage — University of Toronto Bernard R. Glick — University of Waterloo Leon V. Kochian — Cornell University Jason P. Wallace — University of Georgia Maria C. Gelli — University of Florida Adam J. Boggs — University of California, Davis James V. Anderson — USDA-ARS Bruce Bugbee — Utah State University

Dr. Russell Sharp explains how to choose and use microbial biostimulants for hydroponics, focusing on production/expiry dates, manufacturer credibility, and the trade-offs between liquid and powder formulations. He recommends trusted suppliers (Legume Technology, Omex/Biomex, Symbiom, Koppert's Trianum P), suggests starting with Bacillus blends and Trichoderma, and advises using seaweed extracts, humic acids and mild fertilizers to feed, not kill, microbes. https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/fertiliser/liquid-gold-unique-complete-fertiliser/ Ben Lugtenberg — Leiden University Jos M. Raaijmakers — Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) Corné M. J. Pieterse — Utrecht University Paola Bonfante — University of Turin Ian R. Sanders — University of Lausanne Toby Kiers — Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Uta Paszkowski — University of Cambridge Marcel G. A. van der Heijden — Agroscope Jan Jansa — Agroscope Marc-André Selosse — Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) Francis Martin — INRAE (France) Jonathan D. Leake — University of Sheffield David J. Read — University of Sheffield Katie J. Field — University of Sheffield David Johnson — University of Aberdeen Mark Brundrett — University of Western Australia Sally E. Smith — University of Adelaide Suzanne Simard — University of British Columbia Nancy C. Johnson — Northern Arizona University Matthias C. Rillig — Freie Universität Berlin Katharine A. Horton — University of Canterbury Michael J. Ryan — University of Sydney Caroline P. P. N. “Caro” Veresoglou — Freie Universität Berlin Tim Daniell — The James Hutton Institute David E. Crowley — University of California, Riverside Egbert Schwartz — University of Arizona Sharon L. Doty — University of Washington Fitri A. Widiastuti — Bogor Agricultural University Bernard R. Glick — University of Waterloo Everlon C. Rigobelo — São Paulo State University (UNESP) Harsh P. Bais — University of Delaware Indranil Mukherjee — Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Dilfuza Egamberdieva — Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) Naveen K. Arora — Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Rainer Borriss — Humboldt University of Berlin Blanca B. Landa — Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (CSIC, Spain) Philippe Lemanceau — INRAE Christophe Prigent-Combaret — Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Sonia Compant — AIT Austrian Institute of Technology Kornelia Smalla — Julius Kühn-Institut Angela Sessitsch — AIT Austrian Institute of Technology Gustavo Santoyo — Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo Roberto Kolter — Harvard Medical School Jeffrey L. Dangl — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Paul Schulze-Lefert — Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Marcel Dicke — Wageningen University & Research Wietse de Boer — Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) Linda Thomashow — USDA-ARS (Pullman) David M. Weller — USDA-ARS (Pullman) Cheryl B. Anderton — Washington State University Gary E. Harman — Cornell University Matteo Lorito — University of Naples Federico II Sheridan L. Woo — University of Naples Federico II Christian P. Kubicek — TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) Irina S. Druzhinina — TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) Enrique Monte — University of Salamanca Charles M. Kenerley — Texas A&M University Sam E. Gryzenhout — University of the Free State László Kredics — University of Szeged Gábor Szakács — Budapest University of Technology and Economics B. A. Horwitz — Weizmann Institute of Science Alfredo Herrera-Estrella — LANGEBIO (CINVESTAV, Mexico) Alfredo Herrera-Estrella (Plant–microbe) — Irapuato Unit, CINVESTAV Antonietta “Tetta” Vinale — University of Naples Federico II Massimo Zaccardelli — CREA (Italy) Francesco S. “F.” Camera — University of Padua Antonio Di Pietro — University of Córdoba Fernando C. “F.” López-Bucio — Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo Pedro A. H. M. Bakker — Utrecht University Jasper F. van der Putten — Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) Giles E. D. Oldroyd — University of Cambridge Maria J. Harrison — Boyce Thompson Institute Jean-Michel Ané — University of Wisconsin–Madison Carla M. “C.” R. Carvalho — University of São Paulo Paola Angelini — University of Perugia Andrea Genre — University of Turin Guillaume Béguiristain — INRAE Marc-Henri Lebrun — INRAE José M. “J.” Alvarez — University of Granada Paola Grenni — Water Research Institute (CNR, Italy) Anissa Poleatewich — Mycorrhizal Applications (Plant Health Care) Martin Trépanier — Premier Tech Maya Dayan — DYNOMYCO Moran Topf — DYNOMYCO Inge Hanssen — DCM (Group De Ceuster) Rob Cannings — Plant Health Care Pam Marrone — Marrone Bio Innovations Mark A. Sadowsky — University of Minnesota James M. Tiedje — Michigan State University Jo Handelsman — University of Wisconsin–Madison Patrick A. H. M. Bakker — Utrecht University Brajesh K. Singh — Western Sydney University Umer Chaudhry — CSIRO Agriculture and Food Rana Munns — CSIRO Agriculture and Food Michael R. McNear Jr. — University of Delaware Louise E. Egerton-Warburton — California State University, San Bernardino Thomas R. Horton — SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Katharine A. “K.” Treseder — University of California, Irvine John D. Bever — University of Kansas Gregory P. Cheatham — University of Georgia

Dr. Russell Sharp explores research showing that squashes, pumpkins and other cucurbits can absorb persistent hydrophobic pollutants (PCBs, dioxin-like compounds, organochlorine pesticides and furans) because a specific plant protein binds these chemicals and transports them into the fruit. The episode covers the health and food-safety implications, the potential to breed low-accumulating varieties or use phytoremediation, and why growing these crops hydroponically is a safer alternative to avoid soil-borne, long-lasting pesticides. https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/fertiliser/liquid-gold-unique-complete-fertiliser/ Todd C. Wehner — North Carolina State University Warren Barham Henderson — North Carolina State University Sam Jenkins — North Carolina State University Chris Hernandez — University of New Hampshire A. F. Yeager — University of New Hampshire Elwyn Meader — University of New Hampshire J. Brent Loy — University of New Hampshire Cecilia E. McGregor — University of Georgia Pamela D. Roberts — University of Florida Rebecca Grumet — Michigan State University Zhangjun Fei — Boyce Thompson Institute Yiqun Weng — USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit (Madison, WI) Jim Myers — Oregon State University Chuck Bornt — Cornell Cooperative Extension Margaret Tuttle McGrath — Cornell University Michael Mazourek — Cornell University Jocelyn (Joss) Rose — Cornell University Neil Mattson — Cornell University Alan G. Taylor — Cornell University Elizabeth Maynard — Purdue University Rosie Lerner — Purdue University Katie Parker — University of Illinois Extension Bruce Bugbee — Utah State University Mark Brand — University of Connecticut Gerald Berkowitz — University of Connecticut Vance Whitaker — University of Florida Craig Schluttenhofer — Central State University Dan Putnam — University of California, Davis Brad Hanson — University of California, Davis Rebecca Sideman — University of New Hampshire Louise Russell — The James Hutton Institute David Simpson — NIAB EMR Howard Griffiths — University of Cambridge Tracy Lawson — University of Essex Erik H. Murchie — University of Nottingham Malcolm Hawkesford — Rothamsted Research Yiguo Hong — University of Worcester Owen Atkin — Australian National University Susanne von Caemmerer — Australian National University Graham Farquhar — Australian National University Rana Munns — CSIRO Robert D. Furbank — CSIRO Noel Cogan — Agriculture Victoria Research German Spangenberg — Agriculture Victoria Research Simone Rochfort — Agriculture Victoria Research Mathew A. Gilliham — University of Adelaide Peter Langridge — University of Adelaide Ute Roessner — University of Melbourne Mark Lefsrud — McGill University Adam Dale — University of Guelph Rowan F. Sage — University of Toronto Andrew Jamieson — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Kentville) Hugh Daubeny — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Summerland) Kim Lewers — USDA-ARS James Luby — University of Minnesota John R. Clark — University of Arkansas Patrick Conner — University of Georgia David Suchoff — North Carolina State University Jason Griffin — Kansas State University Zelalem Mersha — Virginia State University

Dr. Russell Sharp reviews Hydroponics Daily in 2025, highlighting the top podcast episodes, surprising listener interests (pH, nutrient lockup, microgreens), event highlights, product plans, and both wins and challenges from the year. He also covers industry news, unusual stories like illegal grows, predictions for 2026, and plans to shift the podcast format while continuing to support growers and new products. https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/fertiliser/liquid-gold-unique-complete-fertiliser/ Larry Smart — Cornell University Virginia Moore — Cornell University Christine Smart — Cornell University Alan Taylor — Cornell University (Jocelyn) Joss Rose — Cornell University Glenn Philippe — Cornell University Neil Mattson — Cornell University Nick Kaczmar — Cornell University Lynn Sosnoskie — Cornell University Yu Jiang — Cornell University Chang Chen — Cornell University Alireza (Ali) Abbaspourrad — Cornell University Bruno Xavier — Cornell University Roger Morse — Cornell University Olga Padilla-Zakour — Cornell University Gerald Berkowitz — University of Connecticut Mark Brand — University of Connecticut Bruce Bugbee — Utah State University Jose Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho — Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carla Garzon — Delaware Valley University Youbin Zheng — University of Guelph Marco Todesco — University of British Columbia Dan Putnam — University of California, Davis Robert B. Hutmacher — University of California, Davis Charlie Brummer — University of California, Davis Daniel Pap — University of California, Davis Brad Hanson — University of California, Davis Sara Light — University of California, Davis Maya Hotz — University of California, Davis Kadie Britt — University of California, Riverside Mahboubeh Dehnavi — University of California, Davis Nicole Gauthier — University of Kentucky Bob Pearce — University of Kentucky Raul Villanueva — University of Kentucky Whitney Cranshaw — Colorado State University Ismail Dweikat — University of Nebraska–Lincoln Timothy Coolong — University of Georgia David Suchoff — North Carolina State University Jason Griffin — Kansas State University Mitchell Dale Richmond — University of Tennessee Zelalem Mersha — Virginia State University Shilpi Chawla — Virginia State University Elizabeth Geyer — Virginia State University Ramesh Dhakal — Virginia State University Shuxin Ren — Virginia State University Rufus Akinrinlola — University of Tennessee Zachariah Hansen — University of Tennessee Alyssa Collins — Penn State Extension Raul Cabrera — Rutgers University Tom Gianfagna — Rutgers University John McLaughlin — Rutgers University Jim Simon — Rutgers University Andrew Wyenandt — Rutgers University Noel Cogan — Agriculture Victoria Research Aaron Elkins — Agriculture Victoria Research German Spangenberg — Agriculture Victoria Research Simone Rochfort — Agriculture Victoria Research Ashley Isbel — Agriculture Victoria Research Vilnis Ezernieks — Agriculture Victoria Research Antony (Tony) Bacic — La Trobe University Mathew G. Lewsey — La Trobe University Peter Duggan — CSIRO Stuart Gordon — CSIRO Andrew Fuller — Bridge Farm Bioscience Ray Marriott — Bridge Farm Bioscience Craig Schluttenhofer — Central State University Mark Lefsrud — McGill University Nitin Mantri — RMIT University