For better or for worse I had to terminate the tomatoes today without getting any fruit. I think they were simply too crowded. One of them got a patch of white mold in the back, and because I couldn't see it it got quite large. The other plant has been dropping leaves, though more slowly, so I went ahead and terminated them both rather than risk it spreading. I don't like tomatoes- I planted a couple because they came with the Farms, so I'm actually kind of relieved to be rid of them.Now the cucumbers have around 33% more space, which should do them a world of good- things really were too crowded with both cucumbers and tomatoes in one bowl.On a brighter note, I found this bit of loveliness once the tomatoes were out of the way. It probably could have stayed on the vine a bit longer, but I was getting impatient to harvest my first cucumber. Sliced with a bit of salt and dill and it may be the creamiest cucumber I've ever had- well worth the effort in my book.
Yay, her first cucumber! And it was delicious, not bitter .As always your plants look great. I used my meter you recommended for the first time yesterday when I did a Rinse and Refill. I don’t really know what it’s supposed to say but I suppose I’ll get there. And I’m still trying to figure out how much food my cukes need.
Here's a chart with the recommended EC's listed: www.growthtechnology.com/growtorial/target-ec-ranges/The one I use does micro units so multiply by 1000 (or pretend that the decimal is after the first number). So for cucumbers, the chart says 1.6-2.4 which would read 1600-2400 on the meter. The ppm setting is just a conversion from EC, so its the same reading with different units. However, different meters use different conversion rates, so it's more complicated to work with PPM charts.Full strength AG nutes in the farm (24ml) is in the 700s. A little low, but the plants seem to be doing okay if I feed every week. Flora series was 1800 I think? I haven't checked in a while.You can test your tap water to see what that comes out to- probably 100 or less. Personally, I'm going to feed on the off week if the EC is 300 or less since that's not much more than tap water.I think the nice thing about all this is that you don't have to be anywhere near perfect, just good enough.
Thank you for explaining that and for the chart. I’m further along now. So, I’m not getting why if it’s supposed to be between 1600-2400, why is the 700 AG nute level ok? Does that have to do with the buffering (which I also don’t understand what that is)?
It has to do with the fact that I feed it that every week and the plant is doing fine. What's on the chart is an ideal range. Generally feeding less is okay, the plant just won't grow as large or as quickly. Feeding too much is where you can damage the plant.Buffering has to do with the ph. The AG nutes need less ph up/down than other types. I don't know much about how that actually works.
Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics as these plants shut down, but the cucumbers are now done. I got probably 8-10 good cucs off of each plant. I think I may be able to get more now that I've had some practice with growing cucumbers.
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My cukes are just starting and I hope my project is as successful as yours.
We are in full bloom/fruiting season at this point. I'm a little concerned as the cucumber plants are looking a little stressed and there are a LOT of flowers and baby cucumbers. I'm constantly picking up discarded flowers. The largest baby is about 3 inches right about now. The tomatoes also have quite a few green toms started, the largest being about an inch.
It's been a while since I posted an overall pic. Valiantly fighting to keep the cucumbers within the bounds of the Farm for the most part, and to defend the tomato plants. Today I had to trim a couple tendrils that had found their way onto the light cables.Feeding with the AG nutes every week and checking ph on both sides a couple times a week seems to have solved the issues so far. I would not want to do these in a Bounty- they go through 2-3 gallons of water a week, so the extra large bowls are very helpful.Here's what the roots look like (another reason the bigger grow bowls are helpful):
The right side is getting AG nutes every week. I did double check the EC first and it was down to .15, so just above plain water.The left side is getting GH Flora series. That's a much stronger solution, so that is staying at every two weeks. EC this morning was at .7, which is on the lower side, but still plenty. Full strength AG nutes sits right around there.
This is the one I picked up when the cucs started struggling:www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FPG89CE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1For most AG stuff, you shouldn't need it. That's the point of the AeroGarden nutes and feeding schedule. With the cucumbers, it's definitely been a useful tool alongside my ph meter in diagnosing why they are struggling. I certainly wouldn't alter the feeding schedule like I have without checking to make sure that the extra food isn't going to push the nutrient mix too high.
Doing my pollination rounds on the cucumbers this morning, and there are little tiny tomatoes forming!I haven't spotted any baby cucumbers yet, but it's hard to see right around the mass of the stems. There are a couple spots that look like they might be cucs-to-be.
Both the tomato and cucumber on the AG nutes side are looking a bit worse for wear these days. I just fed today, so we'll see if they perk up. If so, I'll increase my off-week feeding to 16ml. They got 24ml today + 4ml of Floragro for the extra magnesium.From what I've seen so far, cucumbers need a lot more care and feeding than my other plants.If these do fruit well, a seed trade might be in order- I can see if I can get the Tasty Jades to work and you can see if the Salad Slicers grow better for you.
One potential explanation for my cuke plant is that the seeds I have are old. But what makes me think they’re still ok is that the problems with old seeds are usually apparent from germination, and I haven’t had any issues getting the plants going. Maybe different nutes would work better in this case.Either way, I’m really excited to see what happens with yours.
Day 28
UPDATE#8
Grower update
Update #8
🔧Actions taken
🧪NutrientsAdded an extra 8 ml of AeroGarden nutrients to the right side.
I'm glad I removed the big leaves while I had a chance- it is now a fight to keep them from overtaking the tomatoes and each other.I did the same experiment with the cukes as the lettuce- right is AG nutes, left is Flora series. The left one is taking advantage of the light on the right half, so I'm not sure that it is a fair test. The left one is blooming like crazy, and the right one has a few blooms on it as well. However, the tomato plants seem to be about the same, which is why I think the extra light may be a contributing factor.I've been watching the nutrient level as well as the ph to see what happens there. The first week after feeding I need to adjust a couple times, but the second week only required a small tweak. The AG nutrient mix seems to be on the low side ppm-wise. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I did give that side an extra 8 mL of nutrient mix on the off week so they had something to eat this week.
I expect the AG nutes are much better in terms of being pH buffered, since they're designed to be no-fuss to the extreme. But, I've had such spectacular results with the Flora Series (plus CaliMagic) that I'm willing to put up with the hassle, albeit with very frequent dump+refills. I was dumping everything on a one week schedule, but I just can't keep up with that pace and have any free time left over on the weekends, so I'm back onto a 2 week D&R schedule. Basically, if it tells me I need to add nutes, I dump and refill.
I'm going to dump and refill every 2 weeks as well. The other week is just a checkup on ph and ec.The ph in both dropped like a rock that first week. The AG nutrients might have done a little better, but not enough to matter- they both ended up needing 2x2ml ph up the first week, and one more ml this week.
I can't do all the other nutes, gets too confusing for me LOL. I stick to AG nutes and my Mr. Mucha Stash for peppers. But for those that can use all these other things I think it is great.
Day 22
UPDATE#7
Grower update
Update #7
🔧Actions taken
✂️PruningRemoved several large leaves to expose younger growth and flowers.
The cucumbers are staying pretty bunched up, which is nice, but all the new growth was just sitting under those big stinking leaves and they were getting in my way. So.... I got brave and removed a couple of them over the past week. Right one is looking a little naked at the moment but left plant seems happy enough so I"m hoping Righty will perk up in a day or two now that light is hitting the newer leaves.Lo and behold, when I took a leaf off today to discover blossoms! Hopefully, the pruning won't hurt the plant so much that these just die off.Toms also have small blossoms, but those are AG varieties, so much less interesting.
I do remove my biggest, lowest leaves to allow light into the undergrowth. Not saying it’s right, because I’m still having trouble with my cuke, but those leaves are a nuisance, lol.
The left cucumber definitely has a magnesium deficiency. Tomorrow is dump, refill and feed, so I'll add some Floragro to try and correct it.The ph definitely drops quite a bit as the cucumbers eat. Now that they are pretty much out of nutrients the ph has stabilized. I think these are going to be feed once a week and dump and refill biweekly. Now that I have my new EC meter, I can watch and see how fast they finish off their nutes.
Hmph. I'd been wondering whether magnesium additives are appropriate with cukes.Now I know. Thanks.How can you tell it has a magnesium deficiency? Brown thumb asking.
This is the article I'm gathering my information from: www.maximumyield.com/why-are-my-leaves-turning-yellow/2/1182Has a lot of info on figuring out specifically what is wrong based on what part of the plant is turning yellow. I added a bit of floragro to the left one, and that big leaf in front does have some color back, and they've really grown since I started correcting the ph every few days.Still super new to this, so I'm completely relying on my Google-foo here.
A few more leaves have made it out from the protective canopy- there are several more underneath.There is some yellowing along the edges and a few spots on the older leaves. They both have large root masses and plenty of space for more so I don't think that is it. You can see the hose in the back of the right bowl for the air stone I added to that bowl. If the roots aren't getting enough oxygen that side should recover.However, I think I may have spotted the issue. The water on the right is at about 3 weeks now, left is only a week. Next weekend I'll empty and refill both to get them back on track. However, the ph in both was around 4.0- waaaaay too low. I know it's not my water, and the toms are AG standards, so something about how the cucumbers grow has to be messing with the ph. At that low a decent amount of nutrients would be unavailable to them. Its only been a week for the left bowl, so had I lett it go along the normal AG schedule without checking, that would mean the plants would be starving for three weeks until I changed the water.I'm going to be keeping a close watch on the ph and see if it starts dropping again. It may be that cucs are just one of those crops that need a ph adjustment once or twice a week.
This, btw, is why I try to dump & refill at every 2 week feeding interval.Just finished dumping and refilling my 13 gal EcoGrower, albeit with the aid of two submersible pumps (one to drain, one to fill).The rest of this weekend's chores to be done with an AG jug, a siphon and a bucket.
I definitely added some ph up to get it up over 5.5. If it drops again I'll start doing a dump and refill every two weeks for these as well. It might still need an off week adjustment if it really did drop that much in a week.I broke down and bought a PPM meter as well so I can tell how fast they are going through nutes.
With the extra grow space, the cucumber plants now have their own separate rooms. The two root clusters had grown together, so I definitely did some damage pulling them apart. I did salvage a large (and I do mean large) chunk of roots for each one, so they might be set back a bit, but I'm thinking they'll survive.
I do think they will be ok. I think the only kind of root you have to worry about is one of those thick tap roots. Don’t cut that. I think most other is ok.
Post-feeding explosion. I'm going to try to seperate the lettuces, but I think the cuc's might have too much of a root system to transplant safely.With my (tiny) hands for scale:
Yah! They do get big leaves FAST!! Last spring when I was using the seed starter for veggies to be planted outside, the cucumbers quickly dwarfed and smothered all the adjacent pepper seedlings. (But those holes are super close together)
I think I need to adjust my planning for the farms-6 small-medium plants4 large plants1-2 extra large plantsThink the two cucs might be okay if they were the only thing in there. two with the toms is definitely too much.
Cukes grow leaves so huge you could make a tent out of them.I'm trying a variety called little leaf. I'll believe that when I see it. Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk
Mary, you made a good observation that the holes were close together. I just do not understand. AG created a farm to grow more however the footprint is the same as two bounties next to each other, But they put more holes in. Why not expand the unit to keep the holes spaced out
Exactly my issue with it.And while they'd never do it, I think what'd be perfect is making the holes big enough to accommodate a standard 2" net pot, but I assume that's why they make 3D printers.Just feels like a bit of a task to replicate that grow deck. Printers only print; they don't duplicate, so I have to spend some serious time with calipers, rulers and CAD programs if I really want to try that, and it's so big that there are very few consumer grade printers that could actually print it in the requisite two pieces, so I'd probably have to send it out to get professionally printed.
Although, one place where the Farm Plus is superior to a pair of Bounties is that the reservoirs are about twice as big.I've had two Basil plants create a solid root mass shaped like the inside of the Bounty's reservoir, so I assume that with the Farm Plus, you'll have the capacity for a much larger root brick.
I measured when they first came in. The spacing on the Farm is the same as the Bounty. I think they got more in by squaring off the deck. Fortunately, with spacers, we can adjust. I'm not surprised they don't support net cups. Like many products sold this way, they likely are dependant on having us buy seed pods to make a profit. Supporting net cups would be a big blow to their profitability. Any ingenuity on our part to avoid this isn't that much different from buying 3rd party printer ink.
serri, I purchase the Park Seeds 60 Cell Sponge You get 120 of them for a lot cheaper then AG sponges. I recycle the cages that I can and do a lot of custom seeds.
I have a CamelCamelCamel price watch on the Park sponges as well as the Aerogarden ones. I did pick up several packs of the Aerogarden sponges when they were $5. My GrowGrips also fit in the Aerogarden baskets, so if I can find a way to sprout in those I'm good basically forever because they can be sanitized and reused. If nothing else, the GrowGrips are great for cloning if I can get the hang of that. So far I've only cloned Basil successfully.
Correct. You have to sprout elsewhere or use clones. That is the downside to most reusable grow mediums- I also have coco grow and clay pebbles and they both suffer from the same challenge.I've sprouted in dirt and transplanted, and it worked alright with the GrowGrips. I might try wet sand or small pebbles and see how that goes- the key is to transplant without damaging the roots, and it's hard to get all the dirt off without killing the seedling.
I’ll bet. Waiting to see how mine does with a significantly smaller basin. Serri im so glad to be able to watch your cuke experiment and learn from it.
I'm curious myself since they aren't officially a hydroponic variety. I'm hoping the fact that they are meant for containers means they will be small enough to fit in the farm plus. I already had the seeds laying around, so worst case I've wasted some time and nutes.The lettuces I have in my DIY setup are doing okay- they are suffering more from my newbie mistakes than being unhappy with the hydroponics I think.
Just because they are containers does not mean they can or should be grown in the AG. You must remember going custom there are factors to consider, i height, spread, etc. I wish you luck with them and hope they will be successful.
I've tried two varieties of cukes in Aerogardens, both with a measured degree of success. One of the issues that apparently, cukes don't like such a wet environment and that they often grow faster than their roots can keep up with. Therefore, you tend to see huge leaves spring forth from nothing, but as soon as the blossoms appear, you see a lot of leaves turn yellow and die as the roots try to catch up.And naturally, once the cukes start growing, they absorb a ton of water.
I have no idea what will happen- it seemed like an interesting experiment. I'm not a big fan of tomatoes or peppers, so I'm willing to go through a lot of trial and error to find things I can grow other than lettuce and strawberries.I will say, for the two leaves they have now, they have a pretty substantial root system- almost as big as the lettuce plants I have that are much older.