Any #hydroponics people out there? My coriander is disappointingly leggy. Does anyone else have this problem? Do I need more light? More nutrient? Bury the seed deeper? After a little while the fallen ones die off and the healthy ones become straight (4 week old coriander) #GardeningAU
Hydroponic basil started. Bought a $3.25 basil bouquet at Trader Joe's, and split out the plants... probably a dozen usable plants if you are careful, and you can also clone them from clippings... depending on how much pesto you need #basil#hydroponics#gardening#food
My hydroponics system had a great start this year, the salad is almost ready. I also built a second horizontal one. The salad is only for testing, I'm going to plant vegetables there. #hydroponics#gardening
#hydroponics update: I’ve now got 11 pak choi 🥬 in my #Kratky method setup but it’s been super slow, my suspicion has been that my garage is too cold so I’m now running an experiment, one box is not insulated or heated, the other has a cheap 10W aquarium heater set to 18C and also badly done insulation - let’s see how this goes (also knew all those cheap hygrometers would come in handy!)
It turns out my #hydroponics pump does not disassemble and so it is nigh on impossible to get roots out of it. Which is annoying because I hear it is a common problem! Any tips for removing roots from a tiny pump? I have dried them out so I could try breaking them up and knocking them out. I have also tried cursing. Also various small implements
I reset my right hydroponics cubes. It had parsley and dill in each of them. However, the leaves were a little yellow and not appetising 😭 only coriander and basil seem to do well. So I’ll stick with those and have a rolling supply. #hydroponics
If you want to grow hydroponics indoors but you have pets that might destroy the plants, you can place the plants and grow lights behind a cabinet door.
Get one with plastic or glass doors for a more aesthetic look that lets you see the plants. Or! Get a wooden or plastic cabinet with doors that are fully opaque.
Remember the grow lights are inside the cabinet, the plants will grow just fine!
@tinker how much has your setup cost you so far if you don't mind disclosing? :o I have space in my kitchen but I don't know if it'd reallt be worth it compared tk goinf to the grocery store over however long the machine would last.
@mauve
There's a psychological benefit too. Something about the tending and watching a plant grow. Then enhancing your dishes with it, even in insignificant amounts. It just feels good.
I haven't tried what @tinker is doing and have very little space in my boat but it's interesting. I tend to go for easy wins but am not growing any food right now. I'll get back to it though.
Ok, ordered some spinach seeds, swiss chard, and pak choy. That, with my arugula, kale, gold rush, and tennisball (butterhead) lettuce makes seven leafy green crops.
I need to sort out letting one of each go to seed and then sorting out how to harvest those seeds.
@tinker Pak choy, arugula and kale are all brassicas, so they'll cross with each other to produce who knows what. Best to save seeds from one variety at a time, and rotate to a different one each year.
People who are serious about saving seeds recommend a minimum number of a variety be left for seed. You can find info on that online.
Like... my (self-diagnosed) ADHD and perfectionism means that I try to wait for the perfect time to plant to meet the local grow cycle!!!
But then I forget.
So I wait another year and try again.
Just to forget again.
I really LOVE indoor #hydroponics and automated / passive gardening.
When I remember to do it, I set it up. And then I forget about it. And then it grows on its own. And if I remember again, I can get some more things set up to grow again.
My indoor environment is consistent and stable. It doesn't really change. So that means the perfect time to plant is right now... or maybe after I take a nap. Or probably tomorrow now that I'm distracted. But it gets done!
Anyhow. I'm loving this.
I spent a lot of my earlier life trying to change and improve myself. And that was good. Now that I'm older and more set in my ways, I try and change the environment and space around me to suit my needs as they are.
Finally found it again! Declassified CIA document talking about Soviet experiments where they stuck three people in an isolation chamber and had them live on hydroponically grown vegetables, grown under alternating 14-day light and 14-day periods of dark, to simulate the moon. #moon#experiment#hydroponics#gardening#space
Ok, now that I'm actually doing it, I can learn more about the Kratky method of hydroponics.
It's a system that doesn't use any electricity or pumps (air or water) for the hydroponic system (note: you'll still use electricity for LED grow lights... none if you use the sun).
I've found a great resource that breaks it down really well. Including details on growing fruiting plants (which take a lot more water and may necessitate the use of a passive float valve to maintain water from a separate reservoir).
Ok, had to make some emergency travel, so just now finally getting to move the seedlings over into the bin.
Note that there is some chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves) and some necrosis (leaves outright dying) - that's because I haven't given them any nutrients yet. Just been giving them water.
The bin has nutrients in it, so hopefully they can heal up. Moving forward, I (obviously) will need to move them over sooner... or just plant directly into the bins (I think I can do that with my set up...). And/or I can add some nutrients to the water just after the seeds start to sprout.
Rockwool with seedlings are being held in the holes by pool noodles.
Note: I left for a week and haven't done anything to them. The wall socket timer does 12 hours a day. The lights turn on and off by themselves. The greens drink the water as they need.
The arugula (over on the left side) has weaker stems. I need to set up a small fan to blow on the plants a bit. I'm told that will strengthen their stems as they grow.
Can't be bothered documenting things recently but looking at plants growing is always good. Nice to be able to harvest enough leaves for a salad almost every day.
There are news about sewing and weaving but another time, I guess. #hydroponics#kratky#kratkymethod
@sjpiper145 Thanks! It is really quite easy if you germinate them separately in something that would fit the bottles (I put growing medium into my 3d printed inserts first, and then germinate there, and later put the inserts into the bottles).
Meanwhile #Kratky#hydroponics happened. I use the most DIY system possible: bottles, 3d printed inserts that allow refilling, and where I didn't use inserts, there are pieces of disposable straw.
Growing on South side open balcony in 30+C is quite different from grow lights inside they use in the videos. Those plants drink a lot, and some liquid evaporates, so I need to refill a lot and designed and printed a tiny funnel to fit the straw (not pictured). #3dPrinting
@axwax Thanks :) This is PETG but temps didn't cross my mind to be honest. They might deform some but they are held by a bottle and the medium and the plant, so not much space to go. They aren't supposed to melt and fall into the bottle with existing temps.
I used PETG because I'm comfortable with it and because it's more mouldable, so it's easier for press fit.
In the depths of winter, my herb garden is mostly dormant. So I treated myself to a small hydronics kit with a grow light to grow some soft herbs like basil and coriander 🌿Bonus, more light in my kitchen. Now I wait. #Hydroponics#Winter
