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Post by serri588 on Dec 15, 2017 8:17:21 GMT -5
Since berry bushes aren't available until spring and I have enough Ultra's coming to cover them, I decided to use my other two Bounties for other veggies. I think both of these will do fine in a regular Aerogarden setup, but I'm going to try them this way first. Peas: Genus 2: Pisum Species: sativum Variety: Little SnapPea Crunch Days to Maturity: 58 Fruit Color: Green Habit: Compact Plant Height: 2 ft 4 in - 2 ft 8 in (instructions say they stay a bit smaller in containers. Broccolini: Genus: Brassica Species: oleracea Variety: Aspabroc Hybrid Item Form: (P) Pkt of 20 seeds Days to Maturity: 60 Fruit Color: Green Habit: Upright Plant Height: 20 in - 24 in Plant Width: 8 in The biggest problem is starting seeds in the medium. You supposedly can just throw the seeds right in, but I'm a bit worried about them being washed away. In my DIY setup, I'd use peat pellets, but that won't work with the Aerogarden pump. My solution was to wrap the seeds in a damp paper towel inside a net cup:  That should give them something stable to hang on to so they don't get washed away when the pump runs. And now they are safely snuggled into the bowls:  Later today or tomorrow I'll add the water and set up the pump and lights. there's plenty of moisture in the medium for a few days, so no rush. |
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Post by drbanks on Dec 15, 2017 8:21:06 GMT -5
Now you're making me want to get a grow bowl!  |
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Post by serri588 on Dec 15, 2017 8:21:32 GMT -5
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MaryL
AGA Farmer
Posts: 3,532 
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Post by MaryL on Dec 15, 2017 10:09:36 GMT -5
Now you're making me want to get a grow bowl!  Me too. Serri you’ll have to school some of us with these. I’ve never used one before. I had thought it was only for strawberries, but I can imagine its utility for some other kinds of edibles. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 10:47:16 GMT -5
I would like to hear from those who use the chips as well as the clay balls in an open setting.
Did you find that being open and damp, it was conducive to gnats which got in somehow?
I have always been skeptical about the open damp grow media, not only in the AG Bowl, but in other machines as well.
Any past experiences out there?
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Post by drbanks on Dec 15, 2017 12:06:12 GMT -5
I've got a bunch of general hydroponics systems that I'm using clay balls in and yes, gnats.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267
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Post by Shawn on Dec 15, 2017 12:09:19 GMT -5
gnats? I hate those little buggers. I have a recipe for what we call Gnat Juice. They fly into it and float to the bottom never to fly around gain.
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Post by serri588 on Dec 15, 2017 13:29:55 GMT -5
I took a bunch of pictures while I was assembling these to create a how-to guide. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to put together.
The things Aerogrow has supposedly tried are strawberries (of course), bonsai, orchids and dwarf fruit trees. If you are researching online what kind of plants to do in them, it's an Ebb and Flow system.
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Post by serri588 on Dec 15, 2017 13:35:37 GMT -5
I had gnats for awhile, but none right now. They specifically showed up a few days after I brought home some bananas, so I'm going to avoid those and see if they stay away.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 16:17:10 GMT -5
with bananas they were most likely fruit flies rather than gnats
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Post by serri588 on Dec 15, 2017 16:24:37 GMT -5
Fair point, and I don't really know how to tell the difference. It may have been a coincidence- they only seemed interested in the plants, not the fruit.
Soapy honey water worked on them just fine regardless.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267
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Post by Shawn on Dec 15, 2017 16:29:37 GMT -5
You can also use water, sugar some cider vinegar and dishsoap.
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Post by serri588 on Dec 22, 2017 20:57:36 GMT -5
The peas are up! I peeked at the broccolini and loosened the paper towel and it is sprouting, just not up quite yet. So far the paper towel idea has been a success but I think next time I will wrap it more loosely. I'm guessing those stubborn little plants could force their way through it, but why make them do the work. Water is set to run once every two days- experimenting with the strawberries this seems to be the ideal setting to keep them nice and moist without soaking the grow medium too much.  |
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Post by drbanks on Dec 22, 2017 22:40:11 GMT -5
About how deep is the bowl?
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Post by serri588 on Dec 23, 2017 8:55:35 GMT -5
3"ish according to a quick measure. They come with a new, shorter outlet for the pump so that it will fit.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267
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Post by Shawn on Dec 23, 2017 9:08:57 GMT -5
Following
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Post by serri588 on Jan 2, 2018 20:06:12 GMT -5
The broccolinni seems to have gone to mush in the paper towel. I may have watered it too much, but I'm going to take a break before I try again. I will probably stick them in the farm in regular AG sponges next time to see if that works better. However, the peas are coming along just fine. The clay pebbles don't hold as much water as the coco grow, so the pump runs every eight hours instead of daily.  |
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Post by drbanks on Jan 2, 2018 20:31:53 GMT -5
For reference: is that a 2" pot I see or smaller? Just trying to get a sense of the scale here.
I am SO interested in this project!
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Post by serri588 on Jan 2, 2018 20:35:10 GMT -5
They are 2" net pots. I used that and a bit of paper towel to hold the seeds in place until the sprouted. The pebbles do move around a bit when the pump runs.
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Post by serri588 on Jan 13, 2018 14:17:08 GMT -5
I always think "I don't need to take another picture, they haven't grown much." And then I come on here and look at the last picture. Proves me wrong every time. I just raised the light and added the trellis today, so they haven't had any time to grab onto it yet.  |
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