It has been a busy summer preparing for our apiary opening next spring. Add that to a record drought in Texas with over 90 days of 100+ temps and lets just say the outdoor greenhouses didn't see a lot of action.
The strawberries have rebounded nicely and are actually producing fruit again -that's right, fresh strawberries in December! The blackberries are putting on veg again slowly, blue and raspberries just didn't make it through the drought.
We are starting up the TreeHouse with three autopot systems and we are going to attempt to grow some Endovia trees from seed. They need to germinate in some cold temps so we think they will do well. We have wanted to use the autopots (thanks for the suggestion Zach) for a while now using coir as a medium and we are getting our chance. We may toss in a few other flowers to beautify the house a little. We expect the autopots this weekend so we will prove some video and updates next week.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Change Those R.O. Filters !
In the words of my daughter, "like OMG" !
Our Tall Blue pre-filter and Merlin Garden Pro have been doing a great job giving us water for our greenhouse and grow room. We have a system on each due to the physical locations. The grow room has been serviced for a little over a year now without a filter change so I thought it was time. I normally change the filters in the house every 6 months due to the heavy use.
Well, I think I will be going to a 6 month cycle on the grow room as well. When I pulled the filters out, set them in the sink, and poured the excess water out of the filter housing about two inches of "scale" material came out of the housing. The filters weighed about 10 lbs, some I am sure was water, I can only imagine how much was particulate mater taken out of our municipal water system.
Moral of the story - CHANGE THE FILTERS!
Our Tall Blue pre-filter and Merlin Garden Pro have been doing a great job giving us water for our greenhouse and grow room. We have a system on each due to the physical locations. The grow room has been serviced for a little over a year now without a filter change so I thought it was time. I normally change the filters in the house every 6 months due to the heavy use.
Well, I think I will be going to a 6 month cycle on the grow room as well. When I pulled the filters out, set them in the sink, and poured the excess water out of the filter housing about two inches of "scale" material came out of the housing. The filters weighed about 10 lbs, some I am sure was water, I can only imagine how much was particulate mater taken out of our municipal water system.
Moral of the story - CHANGE THE FILTERS!
New Tomato Grow - Grow 7
The configuration changes in our room are complete. The new Stealth Grow LED Veg and Bloom lights have replaced the HIDs and the Monster Ebb n Grow is now the home of a few tomato plants. We are a little behind on posting updates to our blog due to another project we have been working on here at the ranch.
We started Grow 7 about a month ago. Several new tomato plants were started from seed including some of the hybrids tried in a previous grow as well as a few new ones. We are really looking forward to the "ice" tomatoes which are basically white cherry tomatoes. We wanted to start a new grow with the new LED lights so we could assess the full impact on the plants from seed to fruit. The plants did incredible under the Stealth Grow Veg LED and now they are under the Ebb N Grow system (small pots)
We transplanted three of our 9 month old plants from the PowerGrower into the Monster Ebb n Grow system. We had issues with the PowerGrower and large tomato plants with root creep clogging up the plumbing. With the tomatoes all transplanted we are hopeful that the aggressive pruning we did (literally hacked them down to an 8 inch stalk to start new growth) will allow them to continue to produce. So far they are putting on new leaves and looking well.
We started Grow 7 about a month ago. Several new tomato plants were started from seed including some of the hybrids tried in a previous grow as well as a few new ones. We are really looking forward to the "ice" tomatoes which are basically white cherry tomatoes. We wanted to start a new grow with the new LED lights so we could assess the full impact on the plants from seed to fruit. The plants did incredible under the Stealth Grow Veg LED and now they are under the Ebb N Grow system (small pots)
We transplanted three of our 9 month old plants from the PowerGrower into the Monster Ebb n Grow system. We had issues with the PowerGrower and large tomato plants with root creep clogging up the plumbing. With the tomatoes all transplanted we are hopeful that the aggressive pruning we did (literally hacked them down to an 8 inch stalk to start new growth) will allow them to continue to produce. So far they are putting on new leaves and looking well.
Stealth Grow LEDs Added
We have completed our previously planned configuration changes in the grow room. We have finished the installation of our Stealth Grow Veg LED and Stealth Grow Bloom LED. These lights operate with much lower electrical requirements and heat output. As we recognize, they are still a little expensive to acquire but recommend that you do a "total cost of ownership" calculation. They pay for themselves in a very short time.
WOW, what a difference. After removing the 240 volt / 30 Amp service to the room and the HVAC system is running about half the time, the electric bill plummeted. The HID lights were putting out an enormous amount of heat, even with a venting system. When you have over eighty days of 105+ temps outside, the venting didn't help much. The HVAC was running constantly and not able to keep up to well.
The plants love the new lights as well. Although not as "intense" a light, there certainly seems to be more than enough lumen in the correct color spectrum to make the lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries happy.
We have also removed the PowerGrower and replaced it with one of the Monster Ebb n Grow systems from the Berry House (outdoor greenhouse). Although the PowerGrower served us well, we had challenges keeping roots from growing so large that they plugged up the water loop. The drip rings would also clog up from salt buildup from the nutrients. Yes, we know that constant maintenance could prevent both of these situations but constant maintenance makes this hobby less enjoyable.
We have built some new plant support structures as the Ultimate Plant Cage didn't fare so well against our tomato plants. The PVC DIY is has a very stable base and we can extend 4 support poles out of it for each plant (and install cross members if desired). We will show more of this as this tomato grow continues.
WOW, what a difference. After removing the 240 volt / 30 Amp service to the room and the HVAC system is running about half the time, the electric bill plummeted. The HID lights were putting out an enormous amount of heat, even with a venting system. When you have over eighty days of 105+ temps outside, the venting didn't help much. The HVAC was running constantly and not able to keep up to well.
The plants love the new lights as well. Although not as "intense" a light, there certainly seems to be more than enough lumen in the correct color spectrum to make the lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries happy.
We have also removed the PowerGrower and replaced it with one of the Monster Ebb n Grow systems from the Berry House (outdoor greenhouse). Although the PowerGrower served us well, we had challenges keeping roots from growing so large that they plugged up the water loop. The drip rings would also clog up from salt buildup from the nutrients. Yes, we know that constant maintenance could prevent both of these situations but constant maintenance makes this hobby less enjoyable.
We have built some new plant support structures as the Ultimate Plant Cage didn't fare so well against our tomato plants. The PVC DIY is has a very stable base and we can extend 4 support poles out of it for each plant (and install cross members if desired). We will show more of this as this tomato grow continues.
Berry House Configuration Changes
It has been a brutal summer with over eighty days of 105+ temperatures. Normally we get a week here or there in August, but nothing like this. Couple that with a severe drought, and the rest is history.
We learned a lot about operating a greenhouse in the summer. A comment was made in one of our posts about burying the water reservoirs. I absolutely recommend this - except where you have caliche (sand/water compacted like concrete) as we do. Nothing short of a jackhammer, or some dynamite, can penetrate. Hence, burying was not an option for us - only a chiller.
The heat stress on our berries was pretty intense. We also noticed some sagging in our grow trays. This occurred over time and most likely was a combination of weight from the Hydroton and the heat. We are rethinking medium for next summer.
The raspberries and blueberries were doing ok until the intense heat of summer. We did have a heat / drought tolerant blackberry that did great - right up to the point where we took drought to an extreme by losing a system controller. Those that survived that incident are doing well again.
As you can see we removed the mixing tank and two grow systems from the house. Our thought of having that many systems in one greenhouse was misguided. We are down to one Monster Ebb n Grow, and the three stands for the strawberries. We will continue with this plan for next summer with a few other re-engineering thoughts between now and the cool weather. Once winter hits we will do some additional changes and hopefully next year have a better result in the greenhouse.
We learned a lot about operating a greenhouse in the summer. A comment was made in one of our posts about burying the water reservoirs. I absolutely recommend this - except where you have caliche (sand/water compacted like concrete) as we do. Nothing short of a jackhammer, or some dynamite, can penetrate. Hence, burying was not an option for us - only a chiller.
The heat stress on our berries was pretty intense. We also noticed some sagging in our grow trays. This occurred over time and most likely was a combination of weight from the Hydroton and the heat. We are rethinking medium for next summer.
The raspberries and blueberries were doing ok until the intense heat of summer. We did have a heat / drought tolerant blackberry that did great - right up to the point where we took drought to an extreme by losing a system controller. Those that survived that incident are doing well again.
As you can see we removed the mixing tank and two grow systems from the house. Our thought of having that many systems in one greenhouse was misguided. We are down to one Monster Ebb n Grow, and the three stands for the strawberries. We will continue with this plan for next summer with a few other re-engineering thoughts between now and the cool weather. Once winter hits we will do some additional changes and hopefully next year have a better result in the greenhouse.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Auto Pots for Second Greenhouse
We have been watching the success our friends at the Urban Hydroponic Growers Union have been having with these grow pots. Our second outdoor greenhouse was planned for dwarf fruits trees and flowers. We think this type of grow system will be perfect for the flowers.
We are still determining a layout and mix of flowers/bulbs to plant in the fall for a beautiful spring bloom. We may also move one of the other Monster Ebb n Grow systems to the second greenhouse for the dwarf fruit trees. We think our layout was a bit to aggressive in the first greenhouse to really work all of the systems/plants we wanted.
We are still determining a layout and mix of flowers/bulbs to plant in the fall for a beautiful spring bloom. We may also move one of the other Monster Ebb n Grow systems to the second greenhouse for the dwarf fruit trees. We think our layout was a bit to aggressive in the first greenhouse to really work all of the systems/plants we wanted.
Design Changes Coming
The summer heat continues to kill us, and our grows. The heat from the HID lighting in the grow room, even when exhausted from a well insulated HVAC controlled room outside, is more than the A/C can handle.
One of our Monster Ebb n Gro systems had a failure on its controller units in the Berry House, that went un-noticed for a few days and we lost a few plants. We had it repaired and it is now back for re-installation.
Since we now have the opportunity we are going to make some changes:
1. Move one Monster Ebb n Gro to the indoor grow room and remove the PowerGrower. We have enjoyed using the PowerGrower but like the Ebb n Gro systems a little better.
2. Remove the HID lights in the indoor grow room and replace them with new Stealth Grow 600 Watt systems. One will have Veg based focus and the other bloom. Since we use the AeroFlo36 mainly for finishing off seedlings prior to transplanting into Ebb n Gro and PowerGrower, as well as a lettuce growing system the lights over these two systems will be great (we think)
One of our Monster Ebb n Gro systems had a failure on its controller units in the Berry House, that went un-noticed for a few days and we lost a few plants. We had it repaired and it is now back for re-installation.
Since we now have the opportunity we are going to make some changes:
1. Move one Monster Ebb n Gro to the indoor grow room and remove the PowerGrower. We have enjoyed using the PowerGrower but like the Ebb n Gro systems a little better.
2. Remove the HID lights in the indoor grow room and replace them with new Stealth Grow 600 Watt systems. One will have Veg based focus and the other bloom. Since we use the AeroFlo36 mainly for finishing off seedlings prior to transplanting into Ebb n Gro and PowerGrower, as well as a lettuce growing system the lights over these two systems will be great (we think)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Fried Berries
The weather has been terrible this year. Five inches of rain since January. It has been 104-109 degrees all week. No rain in sight. The strawberries are surviving just fine but the blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are struggling. We shaded the greenhouse a few months ago which helped with overhead sun but the western sun is torching the blackberries. In just the past week all the leaves dried up from such "magnified" sun coming in the front doors of the greenhouse. Root systems are fine on the plants so we will keep watering hoping for more canes to come up. The raspberries have started a few new shoots so we are hopeful the others will too.
New Lettuce Grow
We have run out of room again in all the big systems so we have chosen several different lettuces to grow in the AeroFlow36. We started seeds today for Vivian, Boston Bibb, and Cimmaron. We added a few of the long time favorites, Romain and Arugula so we could enjoy some great summer salads.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Chiller Activated
It is in the high 90's by noon and by five we hit 100 degrees here now. The past two days we had 103 with a "feels like" (according to my weather station here on the ranch) temp of 107.
Chiller was turned on and is now cycling the water reservoirs every 30 minutes. I am glad we invested the money in the RainBird controller, valves, and pump start relay back when we installed the greenhouse. This whole control system really makes water control a breeze - especially compared to what we go through in the indoor grow room.
We did complete water and nutrient changes in the greenhouse yesterday. We are still using the SNS mite control - seems to be the only one we have had any success with so far. Expensive, but it works better than others we have tried.
The blueberries are down to one plant. Hmmmm. The blackberries are looking really good. Best of the three "bush" berries. We have two raspberry plants we are trying to nurture back to health after a good infestation of mites. The strawberries are doing very well. Lost a few to crown rot but more than made up for those with all the runner plants we had growing off the other plants.
Chiller was turned on and is now cycling the water reservoirs every 30 minutes. I am glad we invested the money in the RainBird controller, valves, and pump start relay back when we installed the greenhouse. This whole control system really makes water control a breeze - especially compared to what we go through in the indoor grow room.
We did complete water and nutrient changes in the greenhouse yesterday. We are still using the SNS mite control - seems to be the only one we have had any success with so far. Expensive, but it works better than others we have tried.
The blueberries are down to one plant. Hmmmm. The blackberries are looking really good. Best of the three "bush" berries. We have two raspberry plants we are trying to nurture back to health after a good infestation of mites. The strawberries are doing very well. Lost a few to crown rot but more than made up for those with all the runner plants we had growing off the other plants.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Grow 6 Update
We planted several varieties of bush tomatoes about a month ago. They have since spent about 3 weeks in the AeroFlo36 to strengthen their roots and vegetation before placing them in the PowerGrower and Ebb n Gro systems. We have high hopes that "bush" tomato plants will produce the full size tomatoes that we all want. We switched to these hybrids out of necessity. We like to grow many different plants in the grow room and when plants get so large (like the normal tomato plants) it limits our ability to grow many things at once.
We have finally dialed in success on the Roma plants. Increasing the pH to 6.9 and decreasing the nutrient levels (between 1/2 and 3/4) we have eliminated all of the leaf curl, dry-out, and otherwise sickly looking aspects of this variety. We are now picking ripe luscious Roma tomatoes almost every day.
We have to get our lettuce production going again now that we have finished growing starter plants for our friends, got new bush tomatoes transplanted, and have no room left for anything in the PowerGrower or Ebb n Grow system. That leaves my favorite plants - lettuces and small herbs for the AeroFlow. MMMMMM. Summer Salads here we come.
We have finally dialed in success on the Roma plants. Increasing the pH to 6.9 and decreasing the nutrient levels (between 1/2 and 3/4) we have eliminated all of the leaf curl, dry-out, and otherwise sickly looking aspects of this variety. We are now picking ripe luscious Roma tomatoes almost every day.
We have to get our lettuce production going again now that we have finished growing starter plants for our friends, got new bush tomatoes transplanted, and have no room left for anything in the PowerGrower or Ebb n Grow system. That leaves my favorite plants - lettuces and small herbs for the AeroFlow. MMMMMM. Summer Salads here we come.
Where Has The Month Gone
I apologize to all of you that have sent me messages asking what is happening with the various plants we are growing. We have several projects going on here at the ranch that have caused me to limit my time on the blog. Sorry for that.
We have had mixed results in the greenhouse ("Berry-House"). Several of our plants have done extremely well, others, well lets just say there are a lot of hungry bugs outside. We began spraying with some organic solutions several weeks ago on Mondays to slow them down. It did, but not completely. We have also noticed that some of our plants seem to be getting a fungal disease or something. Such is life in outdoor gardening I guess. We keep studying though and are not giving up.
The strawberries that we have picked so far have been fabulous. We are getting major runners on the plants now. One reason we only planted 5 strawberries per tray - leave room for the runners! Good thing we did - as you can see they are filling up the trays nicely.
We have had mixed results in the greenhouse ("Berry-House"). Several of our plants have done extremely well, others, well lets just say there are a lot of hungry bugs outside. We began spraying with some organic solutions several weeks ago on Mondays to slow them down. It did, but not completely. We have also noticed that some of our plants seem to be getting a fungal disease or something. Such is life in outdoor gardening I guess. We keep studying though and are not giving up.
The strawberries that we have picked so far have been fabulous. We are getting major runners on the plants now. One reason we only planted 5 strawberries per tray - leave room for the runners! Good thing we did - as you can see they are filling up the trays nicely.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Greenhouse 2 Construction Finished
We fought the high winds yesterday to put the roof up on our second Rion Prestige Greenhouse. The doors were hung and roofing brace cables installed. The hard part comes next - a layout of plumbing and electrical support for the plants we will be putting inside. We are weighing our options of expanding the "Berry House" into this greenhouse, flowers, dwarf fruit trees, or a little of all the above. Tough choices.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Grow 6 Seedlings
We have had several of the new seeds sprout already. I gave them all a very diluted taste of what they will be drinking in the AeroFlo36 in about a week. Roma tomatoes look great in the grow room, getting more white eggplant too.
RION Sisters in Sight
We have been slow to get our second greenhouse under construction due to high winds every day for about the last 45 days. We had a break earlier this week which allowed us to get the foundation frame, base, and first set of windows installed. Today we are putting the second row of windows and and topping it with the roof. Basic construction will be done today!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Grow 6
Well it has been a while since we did another major grow in the indoor room. We were busy helping all of our friends getting ready for outdoor spring planting by starting their plants for them in our AeroFlo36 not to mention all the Rion Prestige Greenhouse activities which we call the Berry House. Hey, what are friends for right?
We love tomatoes but I have to tell you, growing them indoors with an eight foot ceiling is challenging - especially if you hang grow lights from the ceiling. We have traditionally grown only heirloom and organic seeds but I am trying a hybrid now out of necessity - height limitations.
We have three tomato plants, two indicate that they are bush tomatoes (Bush Steak Hybrid and Bush Early Girl) and we are also planting a Tumbler Hybrid but it is not a bush tomato (just trying it out).
In addition we have planted Romaine since we eat it so fast, organic cucumber (another climbing wonder), Zucchini (we have had great success with these), Jalapeno, Red and Yellow Sweet Peppers.
Another test is for the Ultimate Plant Cage (http://globalgardenfriends.com/the-ultimate-plant-cage/). We have a challenge with our peppers and tomatoes getting top heavy with the fruits and our Ebb n Gro system does not have nice insets for PVC pipe like the PowerGrower does to help support the plants. We have tried netting, but it didn't work as we thought it would to support the plants from the PowerGrower.
So with the new grow, a new product test and some new plant tests...stay tuned. We planted seeds today and will be back to you soon on the results
We love tomatoes but I have to tell you, growing them indoors with an eight foot ceiling is challenging - especially if you hang grow lights from the ceiling. We have traditionally grown only heirloom and organic seeds but I am trying a hybrid now out of necessity - height limitations.
We have three tomato plants, two indicate that they are bush tomatoes (Bush Steak Hybrid and Bush Early Girl) and we are also planting a Tumbler Hybrid but it is not a bush tomato (just trying it out).
In addition we have planted Romaine since we eat it so fast, organic cucumber (another climbing wonder), Zucchini (we have had great success with these), Jalapeno, Red and Yellow Sweet Peppers.
Another test is for the Ultimate Plant Cage (http://globalgardenfriends.com/the-ultimate-plant-cage/). We have a challenge with our peppers and tomatoes getting top heavy with the fruits and our Ebb n Gro system does not have nice insets for PVC pipe like the PowerGrower does to help support the plants. We have tried netting, but it didn't work as we thought it would to support the plants from the PowerGrower.
So with the new grow, a new product test and some new plant tests...stay tuned. We planted seeds today and will be back to you soon on the results
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Survived The Storm
We had quite a storm night before last with quarter sized hail, 65 mph horizontal winds, and an inch of rain in less than an hour. We needed the rain desperately but I would have rather had it come in a different format.
I thought the greenhouse and all of our work was toast for sure, and since it happened at 11:30pm I couldn't do a damage assessment until yesterday morning. Let me just say it could have been a lot worse.
We had one side window and 5 roof windows blow out of the greenhouse. After finding all of the parts and pieces on the ranch we began putting it back together. Three hours later we were buttoned up again as if nothing happened. All the plants survived, the control systems that got drenched with rain were all fine (thank goodness we used a waterproof control box) and even the pumps survived the multiple power outages/restorations.
I think the shade screen that we installed late last week helped keep all the roof windows from blowing out. Rion states that the greenhouse can survive 80mph winds. With 65 mph and only minimal disruption, we were pleased and continue to say this is one of the best greenhouse kits on the market
I thought the greenhouse and all of our work was toast for sure, and since it happened at 11:30pm I couldn't do a damage assessment until yesterday morning. Let me just say it could have been a lot worse.
We had one side window and 5 roof windows blow out of the greenhouse. After finding all of the parts and pieces on the ranch we began putting it back together. Three hours later we were buttoned up again as if nothing happened. All the plants survived, the control systems that got drenched with rain were all fine (thank goodness we used a waterproof control box) and even the pumps survived the multiple power outages/restorations.
I think the shade screen that we installed late last week helped keep all the roof windows from blowing out. Rion states that the greenhouse can survive 80mph winds. With 65 mph and only minimal disruption, we were pleased and continue to say this is one of the best greenhouse kits on the market
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Geeting Ready For A New Grow
As you can see we have cleaned up the grow room and have pruned all the plants that were crowding everything else in the room. We have a few remaining tomato plants in the AeroFlo36 that we are proving to a friend for his outdoor garden. The PowerGrower has been cleared for new plants as well
We have several varieties of bush tomatoes we are going to plant along with zucchini and more pepper plants. We may even add another cucumber plant.
We will be trying a new device in our grow room and will give you more details on it when it arrives. Hopefully it will help us with an irritating issue we have been having with potted plants.
We have several varieties of bush tomatoes we are going to plant along with zucchini and more pepper plants. We may even add another cucumber plant.
We will be trying a new device in our grow room and will give you more details on it when it arrives. Hopefully it will help us with an irritating issue we have been having with potted plants.
Berry House Nutrients
If you are interested in growing hydroponic blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries in a greenhouse there really isn't a whole lot of reference materials that I have found on commercial hydroponic nutrient applications. We took a "we'll try these" approach and so far so good:
Blackberries / Strawberries / Raspberries
Flora Micro / Flora Grow during vegitative state at 10ml/gallon
Flora Micro / Flora Bloom during transition and flowering state at 10ml/gallon
Diamond Nectar at 10ml/gallon
Liquid Karma at 10ml/gallon
Sweet (Berry) at 15ml/gallon
Cal-Mag at 8ml/gallon
Flora Kleen at 5ml/gallon
pH at 6.6-6.8
Blueberries - same as above except pH at 4.9-5.1
If you have other ideas or formulas that work, please let us know. We started the plants we received from Burpee at one half of these formulations just to get them started. We changed to full strength after three weeks.
Blackberries / Strawberries / Raspberries
Flora Micro / Flora Grow during vegitative state at 10ml/gallon
Flora Micro / Flora Bloom during transition and flowering state at 10ml/gallon
Diamond Nectar at 10ml/gallon
Liquid Karma at 10ml/gallon
Sweet (Berry) at 15ml/gallon
Cal-Mag at 8ml/gallon
Flora Kleen at 5ml/gallon
pH at 6.6-6.8
Blueberries - same as above except pH at 4.9-5.1
If you have other ideas or formulas that work, please let us know. We started the plants we received from Burpee at one half of these formulations just to get them started. We changed to full strength after three weeks.
Berries Growing Well in Rion Greenhouse
Our "Berry House" is doing very well. We have been in production for several weeks now and we are very happy with the results.
We installed the Rion Greenhouse shade this week to help cut down on the heat we were getting inside the house. The plants are getting plenty of water but needed a little shade. We also added a circulating fan to move the air a bit more across the plants now that they are flowering.
As you can see in the video, water heater insulation blankets were placed around the Monster Ebb n Gro nutrient barrels to cut down on heat absorption. We added a four inch air stone disk to each of the strawberry nutrient tanks as well.
We installed the Rion Greenhouse shade this week to help cut down on the heat we were getting inside the house. The plants are getting plenty of water but needed a little shade. We also added a circulating fan to move the air a bit more across the plants now that they are flowering.
As you can see in the video, water heater insulation blankets were placed around the Monster Ebb n Gro nutrient barrels to cut down on heat absorption. We added a four inch air stone disk to each of the strawberry nutrient tanks as well.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Clean Those Systems!
Our PowerGrower started having problems over the last week. Water was not leveling out in all of the PowerGrower units; water was not dripping from the rings as it should; and one of my pepper plants was starting to have issues.
Well, we just got so busy and we started manually taking water out of the reservoir and distributing it to the PowerGrower units until we could spend a day to really do a lot of work in the grow room. That day came yesterday. We had added FloraKleen to the system last week to help loosen the salts anticipating the cleanup was coming.
What we found:
1. Several plants (Zucchini mainly) had root masses that were so large
that they began to grow back up into the water connection lines
between the pots. The growth choked off the free flow of water
between the pots.
2. The air pump needed a serious cleaning as salt and dust particles
were clogging the normal flow of air to the lines. Several lines
were not functioning at all.
What we accomplished:
1. Since our zucchini plants were had already served us well and were
on their last legs, we removed them from the system. Our yellow
pepper plant was also struggling so we added it to the compost bin.
2. We removed all of the debris from the air pumps, changed several
lines, and ordered a rebuild kit in case the pump went south in the future.
3. We have the system running normally again - Lesson learned
- MAINTENANCE SHOULD NOT BE PUT OFF
Well, we just got so busy and we started manually taking water out of the reservoir and distributing it to the PowerGrower units until we could spend a day to really do a lot of work in the grow room. That day came yesterday. We had added FloraKleen to the system last week to help loosen the salts anticipating the cleanup was coming.
What we found:
1. Several plants (Zucchini mainly) had root masses that were so large
that they began to grow back up into the water connection lines
between the pots. The growth choked off the free flow of water
between the pots.
2. The air pump needed a serious cleaning as salt and dust particles
were clogging the normal flow of air to the lines. Several lines
were not functioning at all.
What we accomplished:
1. Since our zucchini plants were had already served us well and were
on their last legs, we removed them from the system. Our yellow
pepper plant was also struggling so we added it to the compost bin.
2. We removed all of the debris from the air pumps, changed several
lines, and ordered a rebuild kit in case the pump went south in the future.
3. We have the system running normally again - Lesson learned
- MAINTENANCE SHOULD NOT BE PUT OFF
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Greenhouse Growth
All of our strawberry plants continue veg production it seems almost daily. We noticed a huge spike in activity every day since planting and now is leveling off a little. Leaves are mainly getting larger on the plants while production of new leaves has slowed down.
The Blackberries took off like a rocket too. We have great veg production on every plant. WOW.
The Blueberries and Raspberries are a little slower out of the gate. We have one Blueberry plant with a few small leaves and tiny buds on a few others. The Raspberries are the slowest with just hints of buds on one plant.
The Blueberry reservoir is keeping us hopping. Trying to keep the pH at about 4.6 is taking a lot of acid additions. The ppm level of the water is going up with all of the acid additions.
We have wrapped the Monster Ebb n Gro nutrient tanks with water heater insulation blankets to help keep the temp down. The black barrels absorb that sunlight and on average were 5 degrees higher than the strawberry tanks. We anticipated this but in our excitement to get into production didn't get it done. It is now done. Temps are much better now.
We have not activated the chiller full time yet as temps have been reasonable. I anticipate another month or so before it is "on" 100% of the time.
The Blackberries took off like a rocket too. We have great veg production on every plant. WOW.
The Blueberries and Raspberries are a little slower out of the gate. We have one Blueberry plant with a few small leaves and tiny buds on a few others. The Raspberries are the slowest with just hints of buds on one plant.
The Blueberry reservoir is keeping us hopping. Trying to keep the pH at about 4.6 is taking a lot of acid additions. The ppm level of the water is going up with all of the acid additions.
We have wrapped the Monster Ebb n Gro nutrient tanks with water heater insulation blankets to help keep the temp down. The black barrels absorb that sunlight and on average were 5 degrees higher than the strawberry tanks. We anticipated this but in our excitement to get into production didn't get it done. It is now done. Temps are much better now.
We have not activated the chiller full time yet as temps have been reasonable. I anticipate another month or so before it is "on" 100% of the time.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries
The Rion Prestige "Berry House" is in production. We have 26 strawberry plants, 6 blueberry plants (3 varieties for better pollination), 5 raspberry and 5 blackberry plants.
When we planted the strawberries on Tuesday there were no leaves on any of the plants, just roots and sticks (old runners). We now have leaves (yes, plural) on every plant. We are very happy to see this. We are using a different nutrient manufacturer (General Hydroponics) than we used in the indoor grow room (Canna) to give something new a try. We still remain pleased with Canna too, a little expensive, but great results.
We know that the rasp, blue, and blackberries may outgrow the space we have them in now but with a second greenhouse under construction, we will have plenty of room to expand. There is very little to no information on growing these plants hydroponically so we are wandering in the dark. We are following basic berry growing principles of each of these types of berries so we will see how we do.
When we planted the strawberries on Tuesday there were no leaves on any of the plants, just roots and sticks (old runners). We now have leaves (yes, plural) on every plant. We are very happy to see this. We are using a different nutrient manufacturer (General Hydroponics) than we used in the indoor grow room (Canna) to give something new a try. We still remain pleased with Canna too, a little expensive, but great results.
We know that the rasp, blue, and blackberries may outgrow the space we have them in now but with a second greenhouse under construction, we will have plenty of room to expand. There is very little to no information on growing these plants hydroponically so we are wandering in the dark. We are following basic berry growing principles of each of these types of berries so we will see how we do.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Rion Greenhouse Officially In Production
It has been a little over a month (not every day), a lot of sweat equity and learning experiences. We are live in the house !
We got the cracked manifold replaced and continued our water test. We had a minor setback on two of manual control wires. Rain Bird wires controlling the same valves were fine, manual switch wires had an open circuit. Had to replace the wires, and we were back in business.
The Merlin Pro R.O. system has been working hard and produced all the R.O. water we needed to fill the production tanks today. We added nutrients, tested pH, EC, and Temp. We were ready to plant.
We got 26 strawberry plants in the ebb and flow (flood and drain) trays, and 6 blueberry plants (3 varieties) planted in one Monster Ebb and Gro system.
Tomorrow, Raspberry and Blackberry plants go in. We will then video the production house for you to see.
We got the cracked manifold replaced and continued our water test. We had a minor setback on two of manual control wires. Rain Bird wires controlling the same valves were fine, manual switch wires had an open circuit. Had to replace the wires, and we were back in business.
The Merlin Pro R.O. system has been working hard and produced all the R.O. water we needed to fill the production tanks today. We added nutrients, tested pH, EC, and Temp. We were ready to plant.
We got 26 strawberry plants in the ebb and flow (flood and drain) trays, and 6 blueberry plants (3 varieties) planted in one Monster Ebb and Gro system.
Tomorrow, Raspberry and Blackberry plants go in. We will then video the production house for you to see.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Testing Setback
We had to delay our water test yesterday due to a problem with shipping of parts we expected to arrive. One of our plumbing manifold (connects solenoid valves to plumbing lines) connections cracked due to a heavy hand during tightening a fitting (my bad). Replacing the manifold is about a 5 minute job, getting one here, about a 3 day job apparently when a particular overnight shipper falls asleep at the switch.
Well the parts are now here but we have to delay testing until Monday due to ranch activities that will pull us away from the effort for a few days. Our initial start of the testing was positive but the "fix" we attempted on the cracked manifold fitting didn't work and the leak was getting to severe to continue. We assume that all will go well with the tests.
The gutters were installed and the all hydroton is now washed. Plants arrived and are in the walk-in-cooler awaiting planting next week. We will bring you final videos of us up in operation next week.
Well the parts are now here but we have to delay testing until Monday due to ranch activities that will pull us away from the effort for a few days. Our initial start of the testing was positive but the "fix" we attempted on the cracked manifold fitting didn't work and the leak was getting to severe to continue. We assume that all will go well with the tests.
The gutters were installed and the all hydroton is now washed. Plants arrived and are in the walk-in-cooler awaiting planting next week. We will bring you final videos of us up in operation next week.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Inches away from the finish line
We made it through the day washing hydroton, finishing the Monster Ebb and Gro system connections, plumbed in the nutrient mixing tank, moved the stacked ebb and flow tables in place and connected the pumps/drain/overflow, and we even ran a little test on the system pump. What a great day.
What is left?
1. Install the greenhouse gutters
2. Complete water test through all grow systems
3. Chiller test
4. Plant !
What is left?
1. Install the greenhouse gutters
2. Complete water test through all grow systems
3. Chiller test
4. Plant !
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rion greenhouse just about completed
We have our first greenhouse almost ready for production. We have our chiller installed, water tanks and grow systems plumbed and ready to go. The misting system is installed and tested. We still need to connect the grow pots to the Monster Ebb n Gro systems.
The Rain Bird sprinkler controller has been programmed and passed all system checks on valves and wiring. All wiring in the main control panel has been tested. We still have a lot of hydroton to wash and need to move in our ebb and flow (flood and drain) tables.
The only "test" left is.....water. We will be doing the complete water test in the systems Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will be a good day.
The Rain Bird sprinkler controller has been programmed and passed all system checks on valves and wiring. All wiring in the main control panel has been tested. We still have a lot of hydroton to wash and need to move in our ebb and flow (flood and drain) tables.
The only "test" left is.....water. We will be doing the complete water test in the systems Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will be a good day.
Monster Ebb n Gro
We installed the plumbing lines to the Monster Ebb n Gro system as well as the construction on the flood and drain (Ebb and Flow) tables yesterday. Two more things from the punch list are done!
Today, program the Rain Bird system, connect the R.O. system to the main water storage tank, and install the gutters on the greenhouse.
Today, program the Rain Bird system, connect the R.O. system to the main water storage tank, and install the gutters on the greenhouse.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Chiller and Main Water Storage Installed
We installed the 1 1/2 HP chiller and 300 gallon main water storage tank today. All electrical connections are now finished. We have finished plumbing on the chiller, Main tank, and three ebb and flow tables.
We reduced the size of the tables from 3x6 ft to 2x4 ft, and decided to double stack the ebb and flow tables. We get more growing space in a smaller footprint. We have plenty of height to ensure ample sunlight to the grow tables and the plants are low height (strawberries). The 75 gallon water tank serving each 2 stack table will still be more than sufficient. A few "field engineering" changes to the tables which we had not built yet, and an order for a few more trays and fitting, and done.
We still have a punch list of items to complete:
1. Plumb 3 Monster Ebb n Gro systems into the system
2. Install greenhouse gutter system
3. Build Ebb and Flow Tables for growing trays
4. Program Rain Bird and grow system timers
5. System Test
6. Wash Hydroton
7. Plant !
We reduced the size of the tables from 3x6 ft to 2x4 ft, and decided to double stack the ebb and flow tables. We get more growing space in a smaller footprint. We have plenty of height to ensure ample sunlight to the grow tables and the plants are low height (strawberries). The 75 gallon water tank serving each 2 stack table will still be more than sufficient. A few "field engineering" changes to the tables which we had not built yet, and an order for a few more trays and fitting, and done.
We still have a punch list of items to complete:
1. Plumb 3 Monster Ebb n Gro systems into the system
2. Install greenhouse gutter system
3. Build Ebb and Flow Tables for growing trays
4. Program Rain Bird and grow system timers
5. System Test
6. Wash Hydroton
7. Plant !
Thursday, March 3, 2011
We Have Power and Plumbing
We turned on the electricity in the greenhouse today. First switch I flipped was for the exhaust fans. It has been getting pretty warm working inside there these past few days. We still have to do complete systems tests on all of the circuitry, solenoid valves, Rain Bird, System Pump, etc.
We started our grow system plumbing today as we finished all of the electrical distribution within the house (sans Chiller which arrived late today). We have three Ebb and Flow tanks plumbed for the strawberry grow tables, and tomorrow we will finish the three Monster Ebb n Gro systems for the berry bushes (rasp, black, blue).
We are in the final days on the critical path as I got an Email from Burpee today indicating that our plants will be here on Tuesday next week...still so much to do between now and then. I think we will make it though.
We started our grow system plumbing today as we finished all of the electrical distribution within the house (sans Chiller which arrived late today). We have three Ebb and Flow tanks plumbed for the strawberry grow tables, and tomorrow we will finish the three Monster Ebb n Gro systems for the berry bushes (rasp, black, blue).
We are in the final days on the critical path as I got an Email from Burpee today indicating that our plants will be here on Tuesday next week...still so much to do between now and then. I think we will make it though.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Greenhouse # 2 Ordered
We have ordered the second greenhouse ! We have finished the foundation already as it made sense to do it while building the foundation for the "berry house". We are contemplating dwarf fruits and flowers (roses mainly) for the second house but no final decisions yet.
Water Systems Complete
We have installed the Tall Blue pre-filter and Merlin Garden Pro R.O. systems. Final hookup to the main water supply will occur today. We have also started moving the grow systems into the greenhouse so we can finalize our electrical and plumbing distribution.
Tasks to complete include:
Electrical distribution to grow systems
Plumbing distribution to grow systems
Exhaust fan connections
Chiller installation
Main system pump installation
Main 300 gallon water tank installation
Grow system final placement/connection
Misting system installation
System test
Tasks to complete include:
Electrical distribution to grow systems
Plumbing distribution to grow systems
Exhaust fan connections
Chiller installation
Main system pump installation
Main 300 gallon water tank installation
Grow system final placement/connection
Misting system installation
System test
Monday, February 28, 2011
Solenoid Valve Wiring Complete
It was quite an effort to get all the wiring completed. It is now all connected to the Rain Bird controller as well as the manual switches on the control panel. We will have a main throw switch that will only send electricity to either the Rain Bird or the Manual control switches to avoid any electrical overloads to the valves.
The control box has a 24v transformer in it similar to the Rain Bird. Each of the valves are 24v AC so a transformer is necessary in the box to convert the 120v AC. So you ask the question...why not just use the Rain Bird to manually control the valves? Rain Bird only allows 1 valve to operate at a time. We need two valves (an input and return) to operate at the same time. We get around this in the "automatic mode" on the Rain Bird by running a main program that opens the input valve and a "drip" program that is allowed to run at the same time to open the return valves.
The control box has a 24v transformer in it similar to the Rain Bird. Each of the valves are 24v AC so a transformer is necessary in the box to convert the 120v AC. So you ask the question...why not just use the Rain Bird to manually control the valves? Rain Bird only allows 1 valve to operate at a time. We need two valves (an input and return) to operate at the same time. We get around this in the "automatic mode" on the Rain Bird by running a main program that opens the input valve and a "drip" program that is allowed to run at the same time to open the return valves.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Greenhouse Review
We have talked and talked, now you get to see it live. We have some internal plumbing, electrical and other miscellaneous work to do and then we will begin grow system installations. We are looking forward to finishing this house so we can get construction underway on the second house before the summer Texas heat hits.
We will be growing blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries hydroponically in this greenhouse. Since we have a wild animal population from Africa, Asia, and North America here on the ranch that would devour these plants in a day, the greenhouse is the only option. Many of these plants need to "winter over" between growing seasons so a protected outdoor environment such as this seemed ideal.
We will be growing blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries hydroponically in this greenhouse. Since we have a wild animal population from Africa, Asia, and North America here on the ranch that would devour these plants in a day, the greenhouse is the only option. Many of these plants need to "winter over" between growing seasons so a protected outdoor environment such as this seemed ideal.
Grow Room Update
We are busting at the seams here in the grow room. The eggplants are taking over with elephant ear sized leaves, we have harvested several zucchini, cucumbers, yellow peppers, and of course fresh romaine lettuce each day.
Our Roma tomatoes are doing much better now that we have raised the pH level to about 6.5 on average and reduced our nutrient levels to the minimum recommendations of Canna.
Our Roma tomatoes are doing much better now that we have raised the pH level to about 6.5 on average and reduced our nutrient levels to the minimum recommendations of Canna.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Greenhouse Construction Update
We had a busy day yesterday accomplishing the following:
Second greenhouse foundation finished
Workbench in first greenhouse installed
Electrical service panel installed
Control box (for solenoid valves, pump, chiller, lights, etc) switches, transformers installed
What we have left to complete:
Plumbing and electrical distribution within greenhouse
Install grow systems (3 Monster Ebb n Gro, 3 Ebb and Flow tables)
Install pump, chiller, and Rain Bird solenoid controller
Install misting system
Install greenhouse gutter system
Second greenhouse foundation finished
Workbench in first greenhouse installed
Electrical service panel installed
Control box (for solenoid valves, pump, chiller, lights, etc) switches, transformers installed
What we have left to complete:
Plumbing and electrical distribution within greenhouse
Install grow systems (3 Monster Ebb n Gro, 3 Ebb and Flow tables)
Install pump, chiller, and Rain Bird solenoid controller
Install misting system
Install greenhouse gutter system
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Second Foundation Almost Finished
We have laid all the cinder block for the second greenhouse foundation. Start back-filling it tomorrow. Busy week with all the greenhouse work. We have not ordered the second house yet though as we want to get all the systems and berry plants going in the first greenhouse before it gets too late.
We are thinking dwarf fruit trees and flowers (roses) in the second greenhouse but have not settled on final plantings as of today.
We are thinking dwarf fruit trees and flowers (roses) in the second greenhouse but have not settled on final plantings as of today.
Plumbing and Electrical
We are still working with the maze of pipe, solenoid valves, control wire and the "space ship" of control boxes for the greenhouse. Can't wait to show it to you.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
We have zucchini
Picked our first zucchini this morning. Just couldn't stand it any longer. This baby is huge! About 12 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. We have many more on the way. The White Eggplants are flowering nicely and we anticipate seeing some eggplant soon. Picking Roma Tomatoes here and there.
Greenhouse Plumbing
We have a unique challenge here with hot (100 degrees plus F) weather in the summer. Not unusual for our "cold' tap water to be 85. We are using a 1 1/2 HP chiller to recirculate the nutrient water from each of our 6 grow systems in the greenhouse every four hours.
3 of the tanks are 75 gallons, 3 are 55 gallons. We are using a Rain Bird sprinkler controller to turn valves on and off automatically. Input valves are controlled as "normal" stations on the controller on one program; the "return" valves are controlled in a simultaneous program running as a "drip" program. May be hard to understand but sprinkler controllers are programmed to only have one valve open at a time to avoid water pressure issues. The controller does allow a "drip" cycle to run simultaneously with a main cycle, in essence, allowing multiple valves to be opened at one time. We are using a pump start relay connected to the controller that will "turn on" the pump upon activation of a valve. This is a normal feature of the Rain Bird that is connected to well water versus normal city water fed by pressure. This whole set-up may be a new and unique application for the Rain Bird in a hydroponic greenhouse.
We will also have "manual" on/off switches for each valve to allow for nutrient mixing and system flushes which will allow us to open and close each solenoid manually. We don't anticipate running the chiller all year round so the Rain Bird controller is in use for 4-6 months a year - the main growing season for our "Berry House"
3 of the tanks are 75 gallons, 3 are 55 gallons. We are using a Rain Bird sprinkler controller to turn valves on and off automatically. Input valves are controlled as "normal" stations on the controller on one program; the "return" valves are controlled in a simultaneous program running as a "drip" program. May be hard to understand but sprinkler controllers are programmed to only have one valve open at a time to avoid water pressure issues. The controller does allow a "drip" cycle to run simultaneously with a main cycle, in essence, allowing multiple valves to be opened at one time. We are using a pump start relay connected to the controller that will "turn on" the pump upon activation of a valve. This is a normal feature of the Rain Bird that is connected to well water versus normal city water fed by pressure. This whole set-up may be a new and unique application for the Rain Bird in a hydroponic greenhouse.
We will also have "manual" on/off switches for each valve to allow for nutrient mixing and system flushes which will allow us to open and close each solenoid manually. We don't anticipate running the chiller all year round so the Rain Bird controller is in use for 4-6 months a year - the main growing season for our "Berry House"
Monday, February 21, 2011
Greenhouse Plumbing and Electrical Service Rough In Done
We sure are glad that a machine called a "Ditch Witch" exists. I have used the beast several times, and once again it came in handy. We completed the hook-ups for the electrical service (60 amps) and the water main to the greenhouse over the weekend.
We started the cabinetry that will house all of the solenoid valves, pump relays, solenoid timer (a Rain Bird sprinkler controller), pump, and chemical storage today. We also began the foundation for the second greenhouse - yes, second greenhouse. The one we had looked so good, we decided to have a sibling. Don't know what we will grow in it yet but my addiction to hydroponics is bordering a trip to rehab.
We started the cabinetry that will house all of the solenoid valves, pump relays, solenoid timer (a Rain Bird sprinkler controller), pump, and chemical storage today. We also began the foundation for the second greenhouse - yes, second greenhouse. The one we had looked so good, we decided to have a sibling. Don't know what we will grow in it yet but my addiction to hydroponics is bordering a trip to rehab.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Greenhouse Finishes Nearing Completion
Wow, there is a lot of weather stripping on windows in a greenhouse. We spent the majority of yesterday working on that task, and after that, the ventilation fans go in. Then we are done (no, really done) with construction of the greenhouse.
We have received all of our grow systems, water tanks, electronic controls, etc and will begin fitting them into the greenhouse next.
Pictures coming soon but we work dawn to dusk without much thought in that time to snap some photos but we will when we finish. We didn't do progress photos as there are a lot of those on the net for Rion Greenhouses if you are interested. The company does produce one of the best products on the market and we are very satisfied with how it has all come together so far.
We have received all of our grow systems, water tanks, electronic controls, etc and will begin fitting them into the greenhouse next.
Pictures coming soon but we work dawn to dusk without much thought in that time to snap some photos but we will when we finish. We didn't do progress photos as there are a lot of those on the net for Rion Greenhouses if you are interested. The company does produce one of the best products on the market and we are very satisfied with how it has all come together so far.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Greenhouse 1 Construction - DONE !
We have 95% of the greenhouse finished. Little things like weather stripping windows, getting the louver and roof vent auto-openers/closers installed remain. After that, the fun stuff begins - getting the electrical, plumbing, and grow systems installed.
We had a busy day today. Once the foundation was finished the actual greenhouse construction only took about a day and a half. A few friends helped raise the roof, the only part that took about 6 people to do. The roof is built as a unit and then lifted onto the greenhouse frame. The roof is not heavy, just long and awkward. Just like they said in the video. Everything else went together perfectly. Thanks Rion for producing such a great product!
We had a busy day today. Once the foundation was finished the actual greenhouse construction only took about a day and a half. A few friends helped raise the roof, the only part that took about 6 people to do. The roof is built as a unit and then lifted onto the greenhouse frame. The roof is not heavy, just long and awkward. Just like they said in the video. Everything else went together perfectly. Thanks Rion for producing such a great product!
Greenhouse Foundation Complete
We have been busy this past week. The greenhouse kit arrived; we have laid a pad for the foundation; completed a cinder block foundation; completed the first phase of construction (the roof) and will begin assembly of the main portion of the greenhouse today.
The Monster Ebb n Gro systems, Merlin Garden Pro R.O. system, Tall Blue Pre-Filter and assorted electrical and plumbing equipment is all here.
We have placed the orders for the Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry, and Blueberry plants that will have a very nice home in this greenhouse.
The pad was laid in such a way that a second greenhouse could be added easily and will be once we finish the first one.
The Monster Ebb n Gro systems, Merlin Garden Pro R.O. system, Tall Blue Pre-Filter and assorted electrical and plumbing equipment is all here.
We have placed the orders for the Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry, and Blueberry plants that will have a very nice home in this greenhouse.
The pad was laid in such a way that a second greenhouse could be added easily and will be once we finish the first one.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Greenhouse and Equipment Selection
Now that we have made the choice to move outside, here is the "plan"
Greenhouse: Rion Prestige, 8' 6'' x 24 ' (see http://www.riongreenhousekit.com/rionprestige.php). We have included two louvered venting fans (hot in Texas), the automatic roof vent and side louver openers as well as a shade screen.
Water Management: 300 gallon main water tank supplied by a Merlin Garden Pro 750 GPD R.O. system with automatic shutoff kit and Tall Blue Chlorine pre-filter. For water mixing and reservoirs for the Ebb and Flow grow tables we are using 75 gallon stack-able units. The water tanks are from Global Industrial (see http://www.globalindustrial.com). We chose the tanks due to their size, shapes, and industrial quality for outdoor use.
Growing Systems: We chose 3 Monster Ebb n Gro units to plant our Red Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, dwarf Meyers Lemon and Fig trees. These units have 5 gallon planter capacities and support up to 12 planters per system. We will start with 6 on each as the default configuration or 5, 5, and 8 depending on plant purchases / nutrient requirements.
Ebb and Flow Tables: We chose Botanicare 3'x6'x7" trays for the strawberries. They will be supplied nutrients from 3 different 75 gallon nutrient storage tanks by 900 gph Bluestone pumps.
Nutrients: Although we have had great success with the Canna product line, we are going to give the General Hydroponics product line a go in the greenhouse. They are slightly less expensive - especially on the blooming stage supplements. Canna Boost is WAY expensive.
Foundation for Greenhouse: we will construct a standard cinder block foundation to secure the greenhouse, raise it about 8-10 inches, and provide for a nice floor with proper drainage. We will use 3/4 inch stone aggregate as a base and a crushed fill material that will be compacted.
Pictures / Video updates to come !
Greenhouse: Rion Prestige, 8' 6'' x 24 ' (see http://www.riongreenhousekit.com/rionprestige.php). We have included two louvered venting fans (hot in Texas), the automatic roof vent and side louver openers as well as a shade screen.
Water Management: 300 gallon main water tank supplied by a Merlin Garden Pro 750 GPD R.O. system with automatic shutoff kit and Tall Blue Chlorine pre-filter. For water mixing and reservoirs for the Ebb and Flow grow tables we are using 75 gallon stack-able units. The water tanks are from Global Industrial (see http://www.globalindustrial.com). We chose the tanks due to their size, shapes, and industrial quality for outdoor use.
Growing Systems: We chose 3 Monster Ebb n Gro units to plant our Red Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, dwarf Meyers Lemon and Fig trees. These units have 5 gallon planter capacities and support up to 12 planters per system. We will start with 6 on each as the default configuration or 5, 5, and 8 depending on plant purchases / nutrient requirements.
Ebb and Flow Tables: We chose Botanicare 3'x6'x7" trays for the strawberries. They will be supplied nutrients from 3 different 75 gallon nutrient storage tanks by 900 gph Bluestone pumps.
Nutrients: Although we have had great success with the Canna product line, we are going to give the General Hydroponics product line a go in the greenhouse. They are slightly less expensive - especially on the blooming stage supplements. Canna Boost is WAY expensive.
Foundation for Greenhouse: we will construct a standard cinder block foundation to secure the greenhouse, raise it about 8-10 inches, and provide for a nice floor with proper drainage. We will use 3/4 inch stone aggregate as a base and a crushed fill material that will be compacted.
Pictures / Video updates to come !
We're Expanding - OUTSIDE
Well the time has come. We are out of space indoors and there are several more plants we want to experiment with hydroponically. Strawberries, Red Raspberries, Blackberries, Meyers Lemons, and Figs (dwarf) are on the top of our list.
Raspberries and Blackberries have a dormancy requirement and although we could uproot them and put them in our walk-in game cooler on the ranch, it wasn't practical for us. The Meyers Lemons can be put in the house during brutally cold times (like this past week - 11 degrees in Central Texas !), the figs we are still sorting out.
We have looked at greenhouses and have decided it was best to install one due to all the animals we have here that would decimate any of these plants we attempt to grow hydroponically outdoors.
Raspberries and Blackberries have a dormancy requirement and although we could uproot them and put them in our walk-in game cooler on the ranch, it wasn't practical for us. The Meyers Lemons can be put in the house during brutally cold times (like this past week - 11 degrees in Central Texas !), the figs we are still sorting out.
We have looked at greenhouses and have decided it was best to install one due to all the animals we have here that would decimate any of these plants we attempt to grow hydroponically outdoors.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Zucchini Transplanted
The zucchini plants we placed in the AeroFlo36 have 4-6 big leaves on each plant and a nice healthy root base so we planted two in each of the PowerGrower and Ebb n Gro systems. pH balanced R.O. water was used to "top off" each of the grow systems.
The zucchini was planted in the systems using Hydroton as a base medium. We have come to really like this "days gone by" product in lieu of the newer ones based upon our grow room experiments. We have placed a Hortinet (basically a plastic 4x4 net) over the cucumber and Roma plants on the Ebb n Gro system as they are getting larger and require constant support.
The zucchini was planted in the systems using Hydroton as a base medium. We have come to really like this "days gone by" product in lieu of the newer ones based upon our grow room experiments. We have placed a Hortinet (basically a plastic 4x4 net) over the cucumber and Roma plants on the Ebb n Gro system as they are getting larger and require constant support.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Grow Room Video Update
We posted some photos of the peppers, eggplant, and zucchini today but also wanted to give you the broad view of the grow room.
We are ready to fill out our PowerGrower and the remaining two spots on our Ebb and Gro system with the Jalapeno peppers and Zucchini we just transferred to the AeroFlo36 system.
Changed the water and refreshed the nutrients on both PowerGrower and Ebb n Gro systems today. Taking out the Cherry Tomato plants was bittersweet but we had eaten so many that I felt it was time to move on. We did clone the plants and also started another from seed so it won't be long before we have more.
We are ready to fill out our PowerGrower and the remaining two spots on our Ebb and Gro system with the Jalapeno peppers and Zucchini we just transferred to the AeroFlo36 system.
Changed the water and refreshed the nutrients on both PowerGrower and Ebb n Gro systems today. Taking out the Cherry Tomato plants was bittersweet but we had eaten so many that I felt it was time to move on. We did clone the plants and also started another from seed so it won't be long before we have more.
Holy Eggplants Batman
There is another white eggplant in this picture (about 11 o'clock) that is equally as large.
We eat eggplant a lot in Italian recipes we make and are looking forward to seeing how this white variety does. The fruits are round like softballs on steroids versus the elongated pear shaped purple variety.
These plants are in our Ebb and Gro system which we recently expanded due to its success in our grow room.
Grow Room Cleanup
We took out the cherry tomato plants and one Italian Parsley plant today so we could clean the PowerGrower system and make room for the Grow 5 zucchini and jalapeno pepper plants that we transplanted to the AeroFlo36 today. We now have 5 openings in the PowerGrower and 2 openings in the Ebb and Gro systems.
The nutrients were refreshed in both the Ebb n Gro and PowerGrower systems to support more flowering and fruiting. The Canna products continue to perform very well for us as you can see by our video and photo updates.
The fennel, mint, leeks, and a cherry tomato plant were transferred from the AeroFlo36 system to the Ebb n Gro system to support their size and expansive growth.
The nutrients were refreshed in both the Ebb n Gro and PowerGrower systems to support more flowering and fruiting. The Canna products continue to perform very well for us as you can see by our video and photo updates.
The fennel, mint, leeks, and a cherry tomato plant were transferred from the AeroFlo36 system to the Ebb n Gro system to support their size and expansive growth.
Peppers Everywhere
These peppers have another month or two (we think) to turn their final colors of red, yellow, and orange as they ripen on the vine. I am looking forward to some sausage and peppers already !
The water and nutrients were changed today
Cucumber Blast Off
We have about 15 flowers on this plant already and the urge to clone it is killing me but I think I will wait until it gets to the point of producing fruits.
The water and nutrients in the Ebb and Gro system was changed today from an early flowering stage supplement to support an intermediate stage flowering / beginning stage fruiting nutrient base as the Roma tomato plant has also put on a lot of flowers and now has a few budding tomatoes. The peppers in this system have also produced a lot of small bell peppers so the Canna Boost nutrient and PK 13/14 were added.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Grow 5 Planted
We have seeded Grow 5 with 4 Jalapeno, 4 Zucchini, and of course more Romaine Lettuce. Germination should occur over 7-10 days and we will bring you more info then. We continue to harvest the Romaine we plant almost every day. We start several new seeds every few days as the germination rate is quick, and once in the AeroFlo36, we get full heads in about 7 days.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Spinach is not working
The two spinach seedlings just didn't make it. We pulled them out of the rail this weekend. Any ideas on germination (we have about 20% success), and seedling care would be greatly appreciated. We are using the same method of germination as all of our other seeds. We follow seed packet instructions, and even have used two different seed companies. Hmmmmm.....
Grow 5 planning
We are documenting "Grows" with new plants we have not germinated or taken to maturity in the grow room. We do sub-grows (like Grow 4a, 4b, etc) each week that are mainly romaine lettuce almost weekly. It is taking about 2 1/2 weeks to go from seed to table with our Romaine so I thought documenting each would be a bit tedious and boring for you.
Grow 5 will have 2 new heirloom plants, jalapeno peppers and zucchini, and of course we will put some lettuce and other fast consumables in the grow. We have the Rockwool cubes soaking now and they will be ready tomorrow. Since we have not grown these plants before, they will start from seed.
Grow 5 will have 2 new heirloom plants, jalapeno peppers and zucchini, and of course we will put some lettuce and other fast consumables in the grow. We have the Rockwool cubes soaking now and they will be ready tomorrow. Since we have not grown these plants before, they will start from seed.
Clones Potted and in the Rail
We potted up six of the clones - some Cherry and Roma tomatoes - and placed them in the AeroFlo36 today. Each of the clone cuttings had about 12 inches of root mass that had to be curled up in the net cup. I thought about putting them directly into the PowerGrower or Ebb n Gro system, but thought it better to get some more veg and stronger stem base on them first. We'll see how they do and report.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Cha Cha Cha Changes......
Many changes to the grow room occurred in the last two weeks. Thought I would wait and post all at the same time. With the EZ Clone, we needed more light above the unit. We installed a new 4 bulb T5 to replace the single bulb unit; installed an expansion kit of 5 pots onto the Ebb n Gro system to handle some of our larger root based plants; installed another LED, this time a 540 Watt "Mother Ship" from SuperNova; lastly a dehumidifier was added to remove excess humidity in the room. Doing so allowed us to turn the CO2 back on and wow what a difference.
General water changes continue with new nutrient mixes every two and a half weeks with plain water top-offs in between. We check pH and balance as necessary every few days. The CANNA nutrients are working so well for us we just can't imagine others would be better. We are following CANNA recommended doses of base (Aqua Flores or Agua Veg) and additional nutrients (Cannazyme, Rhizotonic, Boost, and PK13/14) according to plant growth stage.
Wish I had doubled the size of the room now !
General water changes continue with new nutrient mixes every two and a half weeks with plain water top-offs in between. We check pH and balance as necessary every few days. The CANNA nutrients are working so well for us we just can't imagine others would be better. We are following CANNA recommended doses of base (Aqua Flores or Agua Veg) and additional nutrients (Cannazyme, Rhizotonic, Boost, and PK13/14) according to plant growth stage.
Wish I had doubled the size of the room now !
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