personal-site/content/Hydroponics Log 2.md

Title: Grow Log, Home: Round 2 Date: 2022-07-29 Category: Notes Summary: Grow log for my home hydroponics setup, round 2. Wide: true

2022-03-05: Started germinating
2022-03-07: Just barely noticed germination
2022-03-08: Noticed all leaves except spinach again
2022-03-10: Transplanted into tote
2022-03-12: measured pH: 6.0
2022-03-20: thinned out weak plants
2022-03-25: lettuces have no roots below net pot. others have lots of roots in the water. some leaves have a weird film on them, some have white stuff.
2022-03-28: Three lettuces wool dry on top. No roots below net cup. Roots are growing a bit out the sides. Dropped wool to bottom of net cups, topped water up to 1 cm above bottom of net cup. This might harm the other plants? The lettuce roots grew through a lot of the clay balls but not enough to reach the water.

• I assumed the clay balls would wick up enough water that it wouldn't matter.
  2022-03-30: EC measured 1.1. trimmed oldest leaves, lettuce roots now good in water
  2022-04-01: pH measured 6.7. brown tips on lettuce.
  2022-04-06: Harvested first salad, arugula and cress taste horrible like paint thinner. Lettuce was good.
  2022-04-14: Terminated.

Germination

• index is top left in tray
• rinsed all equipment with water
• 1 L growth solution prepared - 1 L tap water - 1.3 mL plant food - 0.5 mL pH Down for 5.5 pH
• forgot to shake plant food
• 12 mineral wool cubes each soaked for 10 seconds
• three seeds of each, except five for arugula and cress in X pattern
• hole was opened with a broken toothpick
• seeds tamped down the hole with the toothpick
• remaining solution added to the bottom of the tray

Result

(columns left to right)

• iceberg lettuce LT541
• arugula MS483
• romaine lettuce LT470
• cress MS495
• butterhead lettuce LT458
• spinach SP705

Growth

• used 102 L HDX tough totes - sides bow out quite a bit, try duct taping
• 100 L growth solution prepared - 100 L tap water (estimated) - 117 mL plant food (needs more?) - 10 mL pH down to 6.0
• cut six holes into Foamular
• transplanted sprouts into net cups
• layer of clay balls under and around sides of starter plug
• filled tote pretty much to brim
• tote sides bowed out quite a bit. maybe it's 110-120 L full of water?

Layout:

(reading order)

• iceberg lettuce LT541
• romaine lettuce LT470
• butterhead lettuce LT458
• arugula MS483
• cress MS495
• arugula MS483