AeroGarden Farm 04, Right Tray, Day 28. The Basil at position R01 is doing very well. The other Basil, Chives, Dill, Parsley, and Thyme plants are much smaller. The Oregano and Rosemary plants did not sprout. At the last update (Day 14) the bowl was drained and refilled with 8 L rainwater and 16 mL plant food. The new pH (5.89) TDS (525 ppm). At day 28 pH (4.11) TDS (467 ppm) so added 2 mL buffer and 8 mL of Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. The new pH (6.26) and TDS (650 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 04 Right Tray at 28 days. R01-R03 Basil; R04 Genovese Basil; R05 Chives; R06 Dill; R07 Dill; R08-R09 Parsley; R10 Oregno; R11 Rosemary; R12 Thyme. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (67.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (29.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun, not as cold. Overall a net deficit of 38.3 kWh. I’ve run out of credits for the excess electric energy produced this summer, so will be paying an electric bill this month.
The strawberry plants in the Hydroponic Tubs appear to be doing better than the ones in the AeroGarden Farm (compare with yesterday’s post). In addition to adding more plant food based on the TDS, I am also titrating the addition of buffer to adjust the pH. I will watch the plants carefully, and my dilute with more water to bring the TDS between 500-800 ppm.
Hydroponic Tub 01 (Left) Day 45 and Tub 02 (Right) Day 28. Tub 01 has six strawberry plant runners from the outside Grow Towers. Tub 02 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plugs (ISONS). Tub 01 (pH 5.28, 807 ppm); Tube 02 (pH 6.93, 477 ppm). The plants in Tub 02 are getting bigger. During the last two weeks added rain water a couple of times. Not sure if this is due to evaporation or respiration. Tub 01 added 1.0 mL buffer, 5 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1), and 5 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Tub 02 added 10 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1), and 10 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Post addition Tub 01 (pH 6.20, TDS 1080 ppm); Tub 01 (pH 6.24, 1010 ppm).
Hydroponic Tub 01 (Left) Day 45 Tub 02 (Right) Day 28. L01-L06 Strawberry Runners from outside Grow Towers; R01-R06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plugs (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 03 (Left) and Tub 04 (Right) Day 02. Both Tubs have Sweet Charlie Strawberry plants with washed roots (ISONS). Tub 03 (pH 4.34, 649 ppm); Tube 04 (pH 4.39, 703 ppm). The plants in both tubs are getting bigger. During the last two weeks added rain water a couple of times. Not sure if this is due to evaporation or respiration. Tub 03 added 2.0 mL buffer, 5 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1), and 5 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Tub 04 added 2.0 mL buffer, 5 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1), and 5 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Post addition Tub 03 (pH 6.34, TDS 887 ppm); Tub 04 (pH 6.38, 951 ppm).
Hydroponic Tub 03 (Left) Day 28 Tub 04 (Right) Day 28. L01-L06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry free roots (ISONS) ; R01-R06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry free roots (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 500, 35 mm, f/8, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 05 (Left) Day 45 and Tub 06 (Right) Day 28. Tub 05 has six strawberry plant runners from the outside Grow Towers. Tub 06 Chandler Strawberry Plugs (ISONS). Tub 05 (pH 6.06, 1208 ppm); Tube 06 (pH 5.07, 781 ppm). The plants in Tub 06 are getting bigger. During the last two weeks added rain water a couple of times. Not sure if this is due to evaporation or respiration. Tub 05 no additions. Tub 06 added 1.0 mL buffer, 5 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1), and 5 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Post addition Tub 05 (pH 5.86, TDS 1220 ppm); Tub 06 (pH 6.18, 1041 ppm).
Hydroponic Tub 05 (Left) Tub 06 (Right) Day 28. L01-L06 Strawberry Runners from outside Grow Towers; R01-R06 Chandler Strawberry Plugs (ISONS) . Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 07 (Left) Day 14 and Tub 08 (Right) Day 14. Tub 05 has six strawberry plant runners from the outside Grow Towers. Tub 06 Chandler Strawberry Plugs (ISONS). Tub 07 (pH 4.34, 1191 ppm); Tube 08 (pH 4.02, 1240 ppm). The plants in both tubs are getting bigger. During the last two weeks added rain water a couple of times. Not sure if this is due to evaporation or respiration. Tub 07 added 2.0 mL buffer. Tub 08 added 2.0 mL buffer. Post addition Tub 07 (pH 6.20, TDS 1194 ppm); Tub 08 (pH 5.40, 1220 ppm).
Hydroponic Tub 07 (Left) Tub 08 (Right) Day 28. L01-L06 Chandler Strawberry free roots (ISONS) ; R01-R06 Chandler Strawberry free roots (ISONS) . Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (66.3 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (33.19 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny most of the day. Overall a net deficit of 33.1 kWh.
AeroGarden Farm 05, Left Tray, Day 28. Chandler Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). Even though I replaced the buffer solution two weeks ago, the plants seem worse and/or have died. The roots are brown with very few if any new white roots. I checked the pH (4.54) and TDS (520 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 05 Left Tray at day 28. R01-R12 Chandler Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 05, Right Tray, Day 28. Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). Even though I replaced the buffer solution two weeks ago, the plants seem worse and/or have died. The roots are brown with very few if any new white roots. I checked the pH (4.19) and TDS (553 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 05 Right Tray at day 28. R01-R12 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 500, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 07, Left Tray, Day 28. Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). Even though I replaced the buffer solution two weeks ago, some plants seem worse and/or have died, although some have new white roots. I checked the pH (5.07) and TDS (714 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 07 Left Tray at day 28. R01-R12 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 07, Right Tray, Day 28. Chandler Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). Even though I replaced the buffer solution two weeks ago, some plants seem worse and/or have died, although many have new white roots. I checked the pH (5.09) and TDS (720 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 07 Right Tray at day 28. R01-R12 Chandler Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
I ended up culling the dead plants in all of the above gardens. Those that had new white roots were all moved to Farm 07 Left Tray and Farm 07 Right Tray. The dead leaves were trimmed. The hydroponic bath solution was replaced with 8.0 L rain water plus 15 mL Root Farm Base (4-0-1) and 15 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). Farm 07 Left pH (6.5) TDS (750); Farm 07 Right pH (6.27) TDS (726). Will check back in one and two weeks to see if these plants continue to grow.
AeroGarden Farm 05, Left Tray. Cleaned and filled with 8.0 L rain water with 16 mL of MiracleGro/AeroGarden plant food (4-3-6); pH (6.45) TDS (424 ppm). The tray was then planted with L01-L03 Cucumber (Burpee); L04-L06 Kale (Burpee); L07-L09 Broccoli Raab (Burpee); L10-L12 Bunching Onions (Botanical Interests).
AeroGarden Farm 05, Right Tray. Cleaned and filled with 8.0 L rain water with 16 mL of MiracleGro/AeroGarden plant food (4-3-6); pH (6.45) TDS (432 ppm). The tray was then planted with R01-R03 Zucchini (Botanical Interest); R04-R06 Swiss Chard (Botanical Interest); R07-R09 Broccoli Raab (Burpee); R10-R12 Bunching Onions (Burpee).
Daily Electric Energy Used (71.6 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (14.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy all day plus rain. Overall a net deficit of 57.5 kWh.
Beginning with this set of AeroGarden Hydroponic Farms, rather just adding the “recommended” amount of plant food every other week I am going to make the additions based on the target pH (5.5 to 6.5) and TDS (500-800 ppm).
Farm 08 Left (Day 14). Positions F08L01 – F08L12 Bok Choi (AeroGarden). Two of the Bok Choy plants are growing robustly. The others have all sprouted, but are developing more slowly. I measured the pH (5.65) and TDS (373 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.44) and TDS (575 ppm).
Farm 08 Left (14 days). Positions F08L01 – F08L12 Bok Choi (AeroGarden). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 500, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 08 Right (Day 14). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). F08R01, F08R02 Dianthus; F08R03, F08R05 Purple Snapdragon; F08R04, F08R06, F08R07, F08R08 Snapdragon; F0809, F08R12 Durango Marigold; F08R11, F08R11 Calendula. Everything but one of the Snapdragon plants have sprouted. The Calendula and Durango Marigold plants are doing the best. I measured the pH (5.30) and TDS (445 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food and 100 uL of Buffer. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.35) and TDS (675 ppm).
Farm 08 Right (14 days). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). F08R01, F08R02 Dianthus; F08R03, F08R05 Purple Snapdragon; F08R04, F08R06, F08R07, F08R08 Snapdragon; F0809, F08R12 Durango Marigold; F08R11, F08R11 Calandula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 09 Left (Day 14.). Positions F09L01 – F09L06 Broccoli (Botanical Interests); Positions F09L07 – F09L12 Cauliflower (Botanical Interests). All but one of the Broccoli plants sprouted and 2 were growing robustly. All of the Cauliflower plants sprouted and 2 were growing robustly. I measured the pH (5.65) and TDS (423 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.60) and TDS (650 ppm).
Farm 09 Left (14 days). Positions F09L01 – F09L06 Broccoli (Botanical Interests); Positions F09L07 – F09L12 Cauliflower (Botanical Interests). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 09 Right (Day 14). Positions F09R01 – F09R03, F09R05 Swiss Chard (Botanical Interest); F09R07-F09R10, F09R12 Kale (Botanical Interest) F09R04, F09R06, F09R11 Cilantro. Note, originally planted six Swiss Chard and six Kale. Four of the Swiss Chard and five of the Kale are growing well. The two Swiss Chard, and one Kale that didn’t sprout were replaced with sprouted Cilantro from a different Farm. I measured the pH (5.07) and TDS (337 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food and 200 uL of Buffer. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.20) and TDS (520 ppm).
Farm 09 Right (14 days). Positions F09R01 – F09R03, F09R05 Swiss Chard (Botanical Interest); F09R07-F09R10, F09R12 Kale (Botanical Interest) F09R04, F09R06, F09R11 Cilantro. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 10 Left (Day 14). Positions F10L01 – F10L06 Hatch NM Pepper (Trader Joe); F10L07 – F10L09 Small Red Hot Pepper (Zella Farm); F10L10 – F10L12 Szechuan Pepper (Zella Farm). One Hatch NM pepper and three Szechuan peppers that sprouted were moved to a different Farm, and replaced with new seed pods. I measured the pH (5.40) and TDS (509 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food.. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.33) and TDS (720 ppm).
Farm 10 Left (14 days). Positions F10L01 – F10L06 Hatch NM Pepper (Trader Joe); F10L07 – F10L09 Small Red Hot Pepper (Zella Farm); F10L10 – F10L12 Szechuan Pepper (Zella Farm) Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 10 Right (Day 14). Positions F10R01 Cinnamon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R02 Dark Opal Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R03 Genovese Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R04 Holy (Tulsi) Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R05 Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R06 Lemon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R07 Sweet Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R08 Thai Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R09-F10R12 Arugula (Botanical Interest). All but the Sweet Basil sprouted. Three of the Arugula plants are growing robustly. I measured the pH (5.79) and TDS (407 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.74) and TDS (620 ppm).
Farm 10 Right (14 days). Positions F10R01 Cinnamon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R02 Dark Opal Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R03 Genovese Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R04 Holy (Tulsi) Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R05 Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R06 Lemon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R07 Sweet Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R08 Thai Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R09-F10R12 Arugula (Botanical Interest). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (80.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (33.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The sun was out, but much colder outside. Overall a net deficit of 46.8 kWh. Geothermal HVAC was on to heat the house (9.9 kWh). Monthly server backups also adding to the always on usage.
The sun was out in the morning as I went for my daily walkabout with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter. Backlit fall leaves, Praying Mantis egg sacks, late season wildflowers, and the Burma water gourd vine, with small gourds.
Backlit Autumn Japanese Maple Leaves. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens + 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/2.8, 1/450 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Backlit Autumn Japanese Maple Leaves. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens + 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Grass. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens + 1.4x teleconverter (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (60.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (26.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sun out in the morning, but then cloudy. At this time of the year the sun is lower, and the Sycamore tree leaves shadow the solar panels in the afternoon. Overall a net deficit of 33.9 kWh.
