Hydroponics Experiment

[snooker1]

My new venture this year is hydroponics. I am trying to see how much I can grow in a very small footprint. It can grow 27 plants at a time. It is an aerospring (wife has been asking to get one for a while). We are starting out with strawberries, lettuce, squash, herbs, and cucumber.

I am keeping my garden just looking to expand my overall yield.

 

[jdgator]

Keep us posted with updates!

 

[Jim Boyd]

Yes
updates please!

 

[westcobbdog]

Nice

 

[treemanjohn]

I've grown hydro for a ton of years. It's incredibly productive. I'll gladly help if you have any questions

 

[snooker1]

I've grown hydro for a ton of years. It's incredibly productive. I'll gladly help if you have any questions

How do you start your seeds?

 

[treemanjohn]

How do you start your seeds?

I like rapid rooters or coconut coir pellets. I just start them in trays with a heat mat if needed. Then transfer them to soil less media. You can also just buy live plants and wash away all the dirt. It works very well. Once a plant produces well then you clone them

 

[ssramage]

Looks good! I'm testing a few vertical gardens this year as well. I bought a few Greenstalk planters that I should be able to set up this week. Got the kids some strawberries and going to plant a bunch of other stuff to see what does well. These use soil, not hydroponics, but have a pretty neat gravity watering system.

 

[snooker1]

Looks good! I'm testing a few vertical gardens this year as well. I bought a few Greenstalk planters that I should be able to set up this week. Got the kids some strawberries and going to plant a bunch of other stuff to see what does well. These use soil, not hydroponics, but have a pretty neat gravity watering system.

View attachment 1144391

I am looking at these also. If my strawberry seeds take off I will be getting some of them.

 

[snooker1]

Something I have tried have worked other didn't. Got strawberries, cucumber, squash, lettuce, zucchini, cantaloupe, all growing in it currently.

 

[snooker1]

I transplanted this squash 7 days ago, there was barely any roots coming out of my rockwool cube. Now they are about 7 inches long. All the plants in this thing are growing like crazy. Lettuce started as seeds 7 days ago has sprouted and is about an inch high.

 

[snooker1]

So 2 months in and I have learned a few things I did wrong and a few things that worked out well. My cucumber over ran the cantaloupe and choked them out. The strawberries I had planted at the top were taken out by the birds. But the lettuce is producing great along with the cucumber and squash. I do believe by next year I will have a much better yield.