Grow Tent Update

[Sher]

I planted the little tower with lettuce. I am looking forward to seeing how it looks in a couple of weeks.

The bok choy has been heavily harvested and is bounding back.

Due to the lights, the lettuce looks yellow in the picture. It is actually a thriving green color.  And the bok choy is also a beautiful green that doesn't show in the picture.

The humidifier was off so the humidity dropped. It should be back in the 40's or 50's soon.

[Sher]

Lettuce tower and Mr Stacky thriving...

-- EXCEPT bugs on a bok choy! I may have brought a cole crop pest in when I harvested kale from the deck.

I removed the obviously affected leaves, then soaked them all in neem oil and will repeat three times to kill any hatching eggs and larvae.

That should take care of the bugs. It worked on my house plants when I first got them.

[ERR0R1755]

Argh, hope you can get rid of them. I had something munching on my soybean plant but it turned out to be just one caterpillar, and I was going to prune the branch it was eating anyway.

[fldave]

Bugs suck. Are you spraying all of the plants in the Mr. Stacky or just the Bok Choy? Do you soak the rooting medium too or just spray the leaves & trunk?  Good luck nipping this in the bud.

[Sher]

I am spraying the lower trays of the Mr. Stacky since the bugs appear to be confined to one bok choy plant, and am also soaking the coco coir.

I plan to spray the upper plants with a hydrogen peroxide mixture and spray all the coco coir too to kill any eggs or larvae.

If I see the first symptom of bugs on any plant besides that one, then everything in the tent will get drenched with neem oil.

I have decided when I replant the Mr. Stacky to use all inorganic media -- hydroton in 3" net cups surrounded by perlite -- and automate the whole system instead of hand watering.

That should be less hospitable to pests. Also I can add peroxide to the water once a week to control any pathogens.

[Sher]

I have seen no more evidence of bugs, but just to be safe, I resprayed the bok choy, then sprayed every plant in my house.

I hope the neem oil odor doesn't linger too long!

[Sher]

I got rid of all the bugs!

Yesterday I harvested bags of greens from the Mr. Stacky. It is unbelievably productive.

We couldn't keep up with the lettuce just harvesting the outside leaves, as we are not heavy salad eaters. I gave 4 heads to a neighbor, but was still getting more than we could use. So I just harvested 2 full heads for us this week.

I will continue to harvest outside leaves of the older plants until the seedlings I planted are big enough to transplant into the tower. Then will finish off the older plants as soon as the new ones start producing. This is the first time I have been able to keep a constant rotation of lettuce going.

I chopped the whole top off the little Kratky tomato. It's a Chibikko, and they can get huge. I figure that by keeping it in a small container and pruning it frequently, it will continue to fit in the tent.

I love my grow tent. But I think the Aerogardens are more fun!

[clumsythumbs]

Glad you were able to get rid of the bugs! All of this looks amazing. I am envious of this set-up-- so clean, tidy, and organized! 

[Shawn]

Happy to hear the bugs are gone!~

[Sher]

Three days after trimming, the plants are exploding with new growth!

And see what I mean about not being able to keep up with the lettuce?

[clumsythumbs]

It all looks so great!! Yes, once lettuce gets going (and if you have a lot of plants of them), it can be hard to keep up! 

[Sher]

I have 3 Kratky tomatoes in the center of the tent. The first two are the extra Veranda Reds that were in the Bounty.

The one in the rear that is fruiting is the Chibikko.

[Sher]

These chard seed starts will be going into the grow tent tomorrow.

I didn't realize how much grow space I was wasting by planting just one chard plant per pocket. But I saw a Mr Stacky video on how to maximize grow space by planting 3 or 4 per per hole.

I think 4 would be way too many, so I will probably plant 2 or 3 in each. In hindsight, I wish I had planted the seeds in coco coir. But I'll divide the rockwool cubes and bury them in the coco coir in the Mr Stacky.

I will pull up the larger plants so they don't compete with the seedlings for nutrients. And we will have those plants with dinner tomorrow.

[Sher]

I planted the little chard starts in the top layer of the Mr Stacky and in one empty pocket on the tier beneath it.

Looking forward to lots more chard!

[Sher]

I harvested all the romaine and replanted in the rain tower. I didn't plant as much this time. I may add more later.

We just finished up the lettuce from the big bags I harvested from the last batch. So it looks like the timing worked out pretty well.

I had to put a cap over the fountain because, in spite of the running water, it was growing a lot of algae.

[airscapes]

Those Mr Stacky planters look interesting!

[Sher]

Feb 5, 2021 14:28:29 GMT -5 airscapes said:

Those Mr Stacky planters look interesting!

I use them indoors with a coco coir/perlite mix. I grew flowers on the deck in a potting soil/perlite mix last year.

They are very versatile space savers.

you have got some of everything growing there, sher!  A mini outdoor garden , but inside! I love the variety. and...I have that very same humidifier ..I love it. I admire the chard..mine is rather spindly both in the jars and in the Tall Machine. They definitely love potting soil mix over water. I plant only 1 or 2 seeds, but I find that they multiply. Spindly or not I do like the taste. I must update a photo one of these days.

[Sher]

Thank you, @cornne. That was my dream. A mini outdoor garden indoors!

All my AG or Kratky chard has been spindly, but I still have a Bounty planted in it, too. I love it either way.

The chard I had planted in the tent earlier got big, but didn't spread because it was confined in AG pods. It will be fun to see if it spreads this time.

Yes, I would love to see your chard in jars!