TERMINATED: Italian Dandelion (reboot)

[pfunnyjoy]

Seeds: Baker Creek Italian Dandelion
Planted: 4:30 PM
Aerogarden: 2009 6 Elite+ (airstone model)
Location: North 40, office
Water: tap, filtered, Big Berkey
Grow Medium: 2009 AG Grow Anything sponges
Preferred PH: 5.5-6.0
Preferred EC: 2.0-2.4

Nutrients: AG (2 capfuls per gallon)
Nutrient mix PH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 1.00 (AG nutrients must be pretty darn weak!)

CONCLUSION: Liked the greens, but the seed germination was tricky and the garden was not the best success, though the plants did last a good long time. Only one plant was really prolific, with the other survivor moderately so. I'll grow these again, but may try the paper towel method for germination.

THE END

Apparently Italian Dandelion is not actually a dandelion, but a chicory. Even so, it sounds like a nutritious and pretty green.

This garden was previously a mix of Italian and Japanese dandelion, but I have moved the two Japanese dandelions to their own garden (on 12-5-2023) after discovering that the preferred PH and nutrients were different between the two species!

Currently in the garden are the original two pitiful Italian dandelion seedlings, and two (germinated in a Ziploc baggie), that were added to the garden after the restart with AG nutrients. I'm going to get more pre-soaked and germinated and add them, possibly replacing the two burnt seedlings.

Having done the rinse and refill to switch nutrients a couple days ago, the garden, without watering, has risen to PH 6.5. Grrrrrr! 

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-06: Day 3
So far, PH is holding at 6.5.


2023-12-07: Day 4
PH at 7.0, so I added 1.0ml of PH Down.

Germination was apparent on most of the chicory seeds in the Ziploc baggie, these have been moved to sponges and planted. The burnt seedlings have been replaced.

Two sprouts showing green and just above the covers, now we wait for the other four!

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-09: Day 6

All six pods have sprouts showing!

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-15: Day 12
Add nutrient light has come on. PH is 6.0. EC is 1.1.

The taller sprouts seem to have a bit of nutrient burn or other problem. I guess I can try using a little less in the way of AG nutrients. I don’t know what else to do, other than carry on, see if the seedlings can get going and thrive.

2023-12-17: Day 14
Rinse and refill day. Removed the worst nutrient burned leaves. I’ve cut the AG nutrients to 7ml, instead of 2 capfuls (8ml). It’s also possible the issue is with the amount of cal mag, but our water is EC 0.0 and supposedly soft, so the plants probably need some.

AG nutrients: 7.0ml per gallon
CALiMAGic: 2.0 ml per gallon
PH Down: 0.5 ml

EC of the mix seemed a bit too high at 1.1, so I filled the garden with nutrient water, but about a half inch short of the fill line, then added PH adjusted water from my watering jug. Hopefully the plants will like this better. Playing it by ear.

PH 6.0
EC 0.9

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-21: Day 19
The seedlings are growing, but not looking good. Lots of nutrient burnt or curled leaves. I've had it, I'm switching to GH Flora series and seeing if that helps. The switch to AG nutrients has done nothing wonderful. In case the room was too warm, I shut the vent off a couple days ago. 



Early rinse and refill.

Nutrients: GH Flora series
1.0ml CALiMAGic
2.5ml Flora Micro
2.5ml Flora Grow
2.5ml Flora Bloom
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

pH: 6.0
EC: 0.8

The most damaged looking leaves have been snipped off. Wait and see what happens mode.

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-01-02: 1 month
One plant is doing quite well. I’ve harvested it twice, getting 4-5 leaves each time. The other seedlings are struggling. One died. All badly damaged leaves trimmed again.

Today is rinse and refill day, and I’m keeping the nutrients even lighter in hopes that the remaining seedlings will grow. It may hinder the more progressed plant, but that might not be all bad if the others can catch up a little.

I discovered that the TPU pod cover on the more developed plant was warping rather badly and popping off the pod, potentially letting light in. This may be a detriment to this style of cover for plants that get thick at the base. At least the slit makes them easy to remove. I’ll see if putting it in warm water for a bit helps reshape it. Meanwhile, I grabbed some foil and made a little “skirt” for the plant.

Nutrients (per gallon):
1.0ml CALiMAGic
2.0ml Flora Micro
2.0ml Flora Gro
2.0ml Flora Bloom
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide
1.0ml pH Down

pH: 6.0
EC: 0.7



Where there's green there's hope!

[lynnee]

pfunnyjoy, the plant that is doing well is probably hogging the nutrients. The weaklings might do better if you moved them, or the large plant, to another garden.

[pfunnyjoy]

Jan 3, 2024 12:28:06 GMT -5 lynnee said:

pfunnyjoy , the plant that is doing well is probably hogging the nutrients. The weaklings might do better if you moved them, or the large plant, to another garden.

It's possible. But I don't yet have room for another garden cleared. I'm to let it ride, if it's only the one plant, then it can go wild. Which it seems inclined to! I can see what looks like quite a gnarly bunch of roots under it! So I'm not sure it would be easy to move.

As for the seedlings, they may be damaged enough that they wouldn't thrive anywhere. This garden just has to be a learning garden, hopefully next time, I'll have a whole garden full thriving.

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-01-09
Rinse and refill. The one plant has taken the nutrients down to 0.6 EC. No idea if the other seedlings will make it or not. I’ve cut damaged leaves off them again. The single happy plant is producing nicely, so I want to keep it fed. Trying MaxiGro again.

I've been harvesting the successful plant every 2-3 days and adding the greens to my green juice. Although not a true dandelion, it is growing like a weed!

Nutrients (per gallon):
1.0ml CALiMAGic
3.0g GH MaxiGro
3.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide
1.4ml pH Down

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 1.0

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-01-25
Rinse and refill. Trying to up the nutrition, but not burn the smaller plants, which are starting to grow again, though not enough yet to be productive. Definitely need to do some harvesting on the large plant!

Nutrients (per gallon):
1.2ml CALiMAGic
3.4g GH MaxiGro
4.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 1.2

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-02-13
Rinse and refill. The large plant continues to do well. The plant in the right rear corner has grown, but it is spindly and with a lot of brown spotting. The leaves are more stem than anything green.

The plant to the left of the successful plant has some actual leaves now. I think the two plants at the left rear and middle rear are a total loss and have removed them. They were still alive, but not growing and hardly had any roots.

The spindly plant has a long tap root, and I wondered if it was languishing because of being on the shallow end of the reservoir bowl. I moved it inward, but in the process, it kind of flopped over a bit. The same happened to the small left plant when I removed the pod cover. I replaced both pod covers with foil. Hopefully they’ll perk up.

I need to do some harvesting later.

Nutrients (per gallon):
1.6ml GH CALiMAGic
4.0g GH MaxiGro
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 1.4

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-03-01
Rinse and refill, a couple days late. The two front plants are still giving leaves, got a NICE harvest just a couple days ago from them! The spindly plant in the back has not improved. It’s growing leaves, slowly, but all are very thin.

Nutrients (per gallon):
2.0ml CALiMAGic
5.7g GH MaxiGro
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 1.7

[lynnee]

Maybe you should just remove the spindly plant? Sometimes a plant just doesn't thrive.

Maybe the proximity to the light post is the problem? I avoid the hole in front of the light post on my Bounties, because plants never seem to do well in that spot.

[pfunnyjoy]

I haven't noticed any issues in the past about growing near the light post, but yeah, if the plant doesn't do better, I might pull it.

However, it looks like it might be rallying after the rinse and refill. I've got two normal looking leaves on it today! There's another young green leaf, remains to be seen if it will be spindly or not.

[pfunnyjoy]

Oops! I was wrong about the spindly plant. What I thought were non-spindly leaves were ones that had leaned over from the high yield plant. Which needs harvesting again. That's fine, as I was going to make some green juice tomorrow.

So I may end up pulling the spindly one. the leaves are better than they were, but still more stem than anything else.

[pfunnyjoy]

And a picture to update. I am actually seeing a couple better leaves on the plant in back, but the main plant is the productive one.