Microscopic Harvests

March 1st Update.

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:52:52 -0500

So, as you can see, a lot has changed since I last updated.

Note: This picture has been taken the day that I administered nutrient baths to all plants that are + 2 weeks old. Expect growth.

Let’s start with the format:

I’ve split up the projects, mainly because I needed more room:

Tobacco is still in it’s original planter.

And has expanded to another small cup to better grow the strong seedlings that I handpicked for their traits much like cruel, cruel fate and Darwinism.

Peppers have been removed from their greenhouse, and have been split up.

With two “Hots” and two “Hybrids” replanted into larger cups to allow higher yields.

Garlic Chives have been cut down to two pots, because I got rather fed up with how the pellets were growing them. They’re shoddily growing, and I’m using them more as a test case than anything.

Regrettably, the Mesclun didn’t really make it, the seed dispersion was really tight, and the entire pots grew together quickly, choking most out.

Here are the two survivors:

Then there’s a couple additions to the cabinet.

Garlic:

Tomatoes:

On the subject of lighting.

When I expanded my grow cabinet up, I found that my original idea wasn’t going to cut it, so I took out the old bar light, and replaced it with two porcelain sockets.
(And did all the wiring/installing at 3 AM when I had two hours of sleep in a total of 56. [Read: I should probably be dead.]) Plus I re-routed all the wiring, and made it make more sense on the way to the toggle switch.

On a side note, if anyone knows where to get a bulb that looks like the one on the left, let me know please. I’ll love you forever, I can’t find a replacement no matter how hard I look.

Future additions are planned:

Currently working on a Hydroponic “Ebb & Flow” system to be put out on my balcony.

Still working through getting a plot to plant in through my parents seeing as I’m moving out there soon.

Temporary Vinyl cabinet covering to reflect light better than the brown walls I have now. (A solution until I can get my hands on some non-bubble mylar sheeting.)

Alright Guys.

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:32:51 -0500

I’m sorry about the wait, but tonight I’ll be updating my journal.

A lot has happened!

Teaser:

(Picture is from yesterday, but I was too distracted by Dead Space 2 to post. I’m sorry… You can all beat me later.)

Sorry guys, no log tonight, I've got too much paperwork to spend thirty minutes making the posts.

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:12:04 -0500

Grow: Mesclun Day: Three Description:Amazing growth, I really...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:24:36 -0500

Grow: Mesclun

Day: Three

Description:
Amazing growth, I really can’t believe the speed of it, I don’t know if it’s the nature of the plant, or the potting soil. But if it’s the potting soil, I’ll be stocking up on this stuff.

Actions:
Watered and checked the moisture of the soil. Did a quick test of sprout integrity by pulling a few.

Notes:
Still worried about them possible taking over the cabinet, I’m going to be giving one of the trays away to reduce the chances of this happening. Don’t really know how much to thin these out as they’re a bit… Different. Researching currently.

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: Seven Description:Amazing growth...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:24:35 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Seven

Description:
Amazing growth here too, my only worry is in cell 2:2 there’s a sprout with no cotyledons, don’t know, but I’ll be pulling the sprout if it doesn’t flourish soon.

Actions:
Watered with a regular water/carbon mix.

Notes:
Very happy with the growth of the unit so far.

Grow: Chives, Garlic.Day: Three Description:Peat still holding,...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:24:33 -0500

Grow: Chives, Garlic.

Day: Three

Description:
Peat still holding, but has a strong earthy smell to it now.

Actions:
Watered and misted the hood.

Notes:
Nothing has sprouted, and the peat is extremely tight packed. I really don’t think that anything will come from the tray, I’ll be scrapping it soon and putting in the Jiffy starting soil and trying a replant.

Grow: Tobacco, HavanaDay: One Description:No sprouts right now,...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:24:32 -0500

Grow: Tobacco, Havana

Day: One

Description:
No sprouts right now, but these seeds are stated to take a long time to sprout, so I’m not too worried about it.

Actions:
Misted with a regular water/carbon mix.

Notes:
Can’t wait to see these things sprout, although I need to create a hydroponics unit outside for them, and I have to wait until it gets warmer out to put them out on the porch, but damn if I’m not chomping at the bit.

New Grow: Tobacco, "Havana"

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:04:52 -0500

Tobacco?

This idiot’s growing Tobacco?

He must be some redneck.

About a week ago, I ordered a full growing kit that included tobacco seeds from the wonderful SurfMonkeyCoconut on Ebay.

For a whopping $5 (And the guy even shipped it across the country for free.) I got:

500 ct. Havana Seeds
1 Instruction booklet
20 Big pots
10 Starter pots
20 Marker sticks

You can’t beat that with a stick folks.
If you’re interested in growing tobacco, take a look at starting with one of his kits:

SurfMonkeyCoconut on Ebay

And check out his instructional videos here:

SurfMonkeyCoconut on YouTube

So, kudos given, onto the plant!

These seeds are TINY.

I’m using the Jiffy potting soil again for this one, because of the success I’ve had with the Mesclun in it.

But this time, I got smart, and instead of trying to mix the soil and water together in the pots, I decided to put it in a bag and mix them that way, to make less of a mess.

It was a pain, but I got the soil nice and moist, and packed it into the starter tray.

Once that was done, I took a piece of paper and poured some of the extremely small seeds out onto it.

Then I just dipped my finger in a little water, and pressed into the seeds to pick them up and gently rest them on the soil.

A quick closeup of how I laid the seeds. (Yes, I know the camera sucks, I’m working on procuring a new, better one.)

Then it was time for a quick wrap in foil.

And procuring and filling a tray with water to act as a moisturizer.

And voila. We’re done!

Grow: Chives, Garlic.Day: Two Description:Peat seems to be...

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:25:42 -0500

Grow: Chives, Garlic.

Day: Two

Description:
Peat seems to be holding moisture still.

Actions:
Watered and misted the hood.

Notes:
I saw online that these peat pellets don’t work so great, and can suffocate the seedlings. I am going to continue with them, but I don’t expect these to grow, and I’ll replace them with a new batch in a week if they haven’t sprouted.

Grow: Mesclun Day: Two Description:Sprouts...

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:24:28 -0500

Grow: Mesclun

Day: Two

Description:
Sprouts container-wide!

Actions:
Watered and checked the moisture of the soil.

Notes:
Wow! I decided on a whim last night to put a hood on both of these (I’m using another two of the same pots as hoods.) and magically, sprouts overnight, this is amazing progress for just one day, although, now, I’m worried about them taking over the entire grow room as they progress.

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: Six Description:Sprouts are...

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:21:32 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Six

Description:
Sprouts are pushing up through the unit! The little green thing in cell 1:1 is actually a full sprout. I don’t know if it’s a runt, or what’s going on, but it’s certainly interesting. Testa fell off of 1:2 and the sprout’s first set of leaves popped out!

Actions:
Watered with a regular water/carbon mix.

Notes:
I wasn’t cracked, it wasn’t the water uncovering the seeds, it was their sprouts pushing up with the testa still on the tip of the sprout.

Grow: Chives, Garlic.Day: One Description:Peat is holding...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:53:00 -0500

Grow: Chives, Garlic.

Day: One

Description:
Peat is holding moisture well, but the hood is crummy at holding in moisture, and these require consistent re-hydration.

Actions:
Watered and misted the hood.

Notes:
Nothing much to add, other than the tray is kinda crummy.

Grow: Mesclun Day: One Description:Nothing really happening,...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:47:00 -0500

Grow: Mesclun

Day: One

Description:
Nothing really happening, awaiting sprouting.

Actions:
Watered and did a quick moisture check.

Notes:
Although I bitched about the soil not mixing properly, this soil really holds moisture well, it was still damp when temperatures had risen in the cabinet a good five degrees. I’m quite happy with it.

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: Five Description:Really hardy...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:41:30 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Five

Description:
Really hardy sprout in cell 1:2, however, that greyish thing on the tip is the seed is the testa (The seed coat (or testa) develops from the tissue, the integument, originally surrounding the ovule.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed]) and if it doesn’t come off in another two days on it’s own, I’ll have to remove it with a set of forceps.
Cell 2:2 has a budding spout in it, and it looks promising!
Cells 1:1 and 3:3 have sprouts just starting to poke out of the dirt, hopefully, we will see good growth.

Actions:
Watered with a regular water/carbon mix. Inspected cell 2:2 to determine that the oddity was the testa on top of the sprout.

Notes:
I may be cracked, but I swear the seeds are becoming uncovered every time I water, maybe I planted them at incorrect depths, or maybe I’m watering too harshly. I will adjust my procedures, and see what I can do to eliminate this.

New Grow: Mesclun

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:20:59 -0500

Wait.

What?

He’s growing that drug now? That damn dirty hippy…

Actually.

“Mesclun (French pronunciation: [mɛsˈklɛ̃]) is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves which originated inProvence, France. The traditional mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions, but in modern iterations may include an undetermined mix of fresh and available lettuces, spinach, arugula (rocket, or roquette), Swiss chard (God’s Breath), mustard greens (Dijon’s Child), endive, dandelion, frisée, mizuna,mâche, radicchio (Italian Spinach), sorrel, and/or other leafy vegetables.

The name comes from Provençal (Southern France)—mescla, “to mix”—and literally means “mixture”.

In Hawaii, similar greens are grown in the region of Waimanalo on the windward side of Oahu. Because of their origin, a similar salad mix called “Nalo Greens” is popular in Hawaiian cuisine.”
(Thank you Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesclun All links are click-throughs)

Zesty. Just like your grandmother. Yeah. We hooked up. With our canes. I’m actually House. Now the tickets are diamonds…

So, I was looking for some pots to make into net pots for a hydroponic system that I’m creating from scratch and I found these:

I don’t know if I can make them work for net pots, but I picked a few up anyway, because they were cheap and they’re a good size. I poked some holes in the bottom of them, and lined the bottom with tissue paper before filling them with soil.

I also picked up a bag of this stuff.

(Now, I know it must seem like I’m nothing but a Jiffy Ad, but I swear, I’ve been finding this stuff on the racks, and it’s cheap, and appears to be quality stuff. But there are a few caveats, see below.)

I opened the bag, and gotta say, the soil smelled great, it smelled like it was really good, composted soil.

But. I ran into some issues.

This stuff doesn’t like water, I mean, it really doesn’t. It doesn’t mix almost at all with it, and the water just sort of rolls off, and it took a lot of coercing to get it to sink in, which led to frustration, soil getting everywhere, and a lot of unsavory words.

I literally just sprinkled half of the seed packet in each cup of soil and turned to soil over a couple times. I don’t think I can screw up lettuce that bad.

And done!

New Grow: Garlic Chives

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:50:00 -0500

And by organic, they mean it was picked straight from cow dung and placed in this beautiful, recycled packaging.

Right.

Anyway.

Trying out a new starting medium, the Jiffy starter greenhouse.

Yerp Derp.

Lid’s off, and you can actually see that it’s peat moss, pressed, contained in a very thin netting. (The netting is the white “Fuzz” around the edges, it doesn’t look it, but it goes all the way around.)

I was skeptical at first that it would work correctly, but I followed the directions and poured the water in and waited.

I let them sit for a while, and when I came back, they had puffed up perfectly, with minimal peat getting loose. I drained them off and read the next step: Peel the netting back and plant seeds.

What… The… Hell…?

Well. It worked, and I put around 5-10 seeds in each plug, I’ll be thinning them out as they grow, or not, if they end up being as small as the package shows.

Annnnd. Done.

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: Four Description:Sprout in...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:27:00 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Four

Description:
Sprout in positions 1:1 1:2 and 2:3!

Actions:
Watered with a regular water/carbon mix.
Notes:
Awesome to see sprouts, although, I noticed the spray-watering was exposing the seeds to air, re-covered them again.

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: ThreeDescription:Still no...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:20:00 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Three

Description:
Still no sprouts, still within parameters.
Peat was moist to the touch.

Actions:
Resprayed each pot with distilled water with a 1:100 growth formula/water mix.

Notes:
Stiiiiiiill waiting. This is a long process eh?

(February 11th, 2011)

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: TwoDescription:Still no sprouts,...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:17:00 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: Two

Description:
Still no sprouts, still within parameters.
Peat was moist to the touch.

Actions:
Nothing.
(I feel like complete shit tonight, and nothing seems to be wrong with the cabinet.)

Notes:
Still waiting on progress, tired as a dog.

(February 10th, 2011)

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.Day: OneDescription:No sprouts yet, as...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:11:00 -0500

Grow: Peppers, Three kind.

Day: One

Description:
No sprouts yet, as expected.
Peat was moist to the touch, but seemed a tad dry.

Actions:
Watered with two pulls of distilled water with carbon additives.
Sprayed hood to foster moist environment.
Turned on the fans to circulate air better, and to remove some of the moisture inside the cabinet as I’m a little uneasy about the mix of humidity and electricity.

Notes:
I’m hoping that I can keep those lights on when they’re sprouting and not stress them too badly, but it’s better than the alternative of letting them sit out in a 60F environment with a 10F-15F draft at points.

Overall, happy. But waiting on progress.

(February 9th, 2011)