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French Marigold Bottle Garden with Kratky Comparison and Seed Saving

Grow log by ERR0R1755 · Original thread

11 visual updates15 photos27 replies
View recap
CropFrench marigold
VarietyFrench Marigold
MethodUrban Leaf bottle garden, Kratky hydroponics
EquipmentUrban Leaf bottle-garden pod, bottle cap and refill tubing, AeroGarden humidity dome, small Kratky container
Plants2
AudienceExperimental

What you can learnA strong side-by-side container experiment covering nutrient failure, stress flowering, repeated bloom, and a detailed seed-saving method.

Actions:1 Pruning1 Transplant1 Nutrients1 Harvest
Useful practices
  • thinning germinated seedlings
  • saving one seedling for a Kratky comparison
  • swirling water to draw exposed roots downward
  • correcting nutrient deficiency with AeroGarden solution
  • collecting and cleaning dried flower seed
Problems encountered
  • the bottle-garden pod appeared to be missing nutrients
  • purple foliage suggested phosphorus deficiency
  • roots were tangled above the water gap
  • the bottle plant flowered early under suspected stress

*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.

Day 71
UPDATE#11
Grower update

Update #11

E By ERR0R1755

I am happy with how these turned out and will definitely be replanting them. The seed saving process is simple - once the flowers have dried out on the plant and face downward by bending the stem with their weight, you can cut the flower at the stem. Then you just remove the petals, and the yellow center, by pulling them out - which leaves you with just the "base" of the flower, which can be carefully pulled apart to reveal the seeds.The seeds are black and have a white fuzz attached to them - do not remove that fuzz!
Conversation
E
ERR0R1755

Here's my self-survey:Plant Grown: French MarigoldGrow Method: Urban Leaf Bottle GardenTime to Germinate: 3 daysTime to First Flower: 35 days (since germination)Time to Last Flower: 56 days (since germination)Plant Spacing: 1 per bottleFinal Height: 7 inchesWould I grow these again? Yes!Lessons Learned: Dark glass does a great job at preventing algae growth.

S
Sher

Thank you for the seed saving photos, ERR0R1755. And also your self survey and tips.

Day 64
UPDATE#10
Grower update

Update #10

Actions taken

HarvestCollected seed from one dried marigold flower.

E By ERR0R1755

I've collected seeds from one of the flowers so far:
Conversation
S
Sher

Cool! What a nice benefit of growing them!

S
Shawn

One flower does give you a lot of seeds.

Day 57
UPDATE#9
Grower update

Update #9

E By ERR0R1755

This project is coming to an end, which means a new one will be starting soon.
Conversation
S
Shawn

Cant wait to see what you grow next

Day 50
UPDATE#8
Grower update

Update #8

E By ERR0R1755

The first flower is starting to die back (the one shaded in the middle here) which means that seeds are in my future!
Day 42
UPDATE#7
Grower update

Update #7

E By ERR0R1755

More flowers now!
Conversation
C
campingcorgis

Oh, my gosh!! They are soooo pretty. Just amazing!

M
maskedsonnet

Love those colors!!

S
Sher

Stunning colors

S
Shawn

Nice and bright. Something for me to consider to put in pots outside next year !

W
wmwelch

Those are really pretty colors.

Day 35
UPDATE#6
Grower update

Update #6

E By ERR0R1755

I really like this flower.
Conversation
C
campingcorgis

Wow! Me too!

S
Shawn

That is a beautiful flower

S
Sher

It's beautiful, ERR0R1755!

Day 29
UPDATE#5
Grower update

Update #5

E By ERR0R1755

The flower will be open soon! I'll try to grab a picture as soon as I see it open.The Kratky plant is also starting to form a flower.
Conversation
S
Sher

They are growing nicely. I planted a Kratky gerbera daisy. Hope it makes it, too.

Day 21
UPDATE#4
Grower update

Update #4

E By ERR0R1755

I think the bottle garden plant is flowering earlier than the Kratky plant because of stress.
Day 14
UPDATE#3
Grower update

Update #3

Actions taken

NutrientsTopped the bottle garden up with AeroGarden nutrient solution mixed at five millilitres per gallon.

E By ERR0R1755

I think it's safe to say that this part of the kit was missing the nutrients for some reason. I've topped the bottle up with nutrient solution (AG nutes at 5ml/gallon) but the kratky plant is looking great.
Day 7
UPDATE#2
Grower update

Update #2

E By ERR0R1755

So far this is going well, although the purple has me worried that the nutes aren't being released from this pod. The seedling that I moved to a Kratky setup (the second picture) looks better.
Conversation
S
Sher

That extreme purple probably indicates a phosphorus deficiency.

E
ERR0R1755

The way these are supposed to work is that the nutrients are inside of the pod itself, so (in theory) you don't need to add more nutrients later. I did end up adding more nutrients to my zinna, but this is unusual.I took a closer look and most of the roots were tangled and in the air gap above the water level, so I added a bit more water and swirled it around to pull those roots down. If I don't see a noticeable change for the better, then I'll add some AG nutes.

Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update

Update #1

Actions taken

PruningThinned three germinated marigold seedlings down to one in the bottle pod.
TransplantSaved and moved one extra seedling to a small Kratky setup.

E By ERR0R1755

Three of the seeds sprouted! I thinned it down to one seedling, and I moved/saved one of the seedlings for a small Kratky setup.
Enlarged photoClick outside the image to close