Pictures My hydroponic kit arrived!

[Farlie]

Thot I'd mention that WalMart sells strawberry plants/roots 10 for $3. Much cheaper than Amazon.

 

[Fuzzy]

Well, that was bad timing... my mini plug strawberry plants arrived before the Aerogarden was even despatched! I think the bare rooted strawberries will be better for the Aerogarden.

Had no option but to plant them outside in hanging baskets. Which got me thinking, Rick... have you got any way to add a bracket outside a window so that you could have a hanging basket... of strawberries? A little outside growing? Or even a window sill could hold a small trough?

This is my Click and Grow garden tonight:

The lettuce is growing like crazy! The tomato looks pretty stocky. The pea is growing well too. The air plants share the light at night.

 

[rockoko]

Well, that was bad timing... my mini plug strawberry plants arrived before the Aerogarden was even despatched! I think the bare rooted strawberries will be better for the Aerogarden.

Had no option but to plant them outside in hanging baskets. Which got me thinking, Rick... have you got any way to add a bracket outside a window so that you could have a hanging basket... of strawberries? A little outside growing? Or even a window sill could hold a small trough?

This is my Click and Grow garden tonight:

The lettuce is growing like crazy! The tomato looks pretty stocky. The pea is growing well too. The air plants share the light at night.

Looking fantastic!

 

[saroj12]

Wow! They grow quickly don’t they?!

 

[Farlie]

Rick... have you got any way to add a bracket outside a window so that you could have a hanging basket... of strawberries? A little outside growing? Or even a window sill could hold a small trough?

I'm afraid that's already been tried here a couple of years ago by another tenant and the answer is no. I am not allowed to BUT, I'm on the waiting list to move across the street to a larger handicapped apartment with a balcony so a small outside garden will be possible in the near future.

 

[Fuzzy]

Wow! They grow quickly don’t they?!

They do, don't they, Saroj! I am fascinated by them every day!

 

[Fuzzy]

I'm afraid that's already been tried here a couple of years ago by another tenant and the answer is no. I am not allowed to BUT, I'm on the waiting list to move across the street to a larger handicapped apartment with a balcony so a small outside garden will be possible in the near future.

Ooooooh I have everything crossed for you, Rick! This is going to be so great!!!

 

[Lady Jane]

Beet greens grow well too. Lettuces are fun to grow as you get good results. I put some house plants next to aerogarden to catch the light.

 

[Fuzzy]

Beet greens grow well too. Lettuces are fun to grow as you get good results. I put some house plants next to aerogarden to catch the light.

Funnily enough I just started some beet greens (or beet reds!). The pak choy is also growing fast. My Aerogarden should arrive on Tuesday, although Amazon says tomorrow! Then I will be able to experiment with the bare rooted strawberries which are also on the way.

 

[Farlie]

I believe I'll order another AeroGarden in another month. I want to make salad and I should have my new teeth by then so I can finally chew again.

 

[Lady Jane]

Today is cleaning machine day with vinegar water and new plant food. Also a bit of pruning first leaves of seedlings.

 

[Farlie]

I just stumbled onto this little tidbit;
QUOTE:
"Also lettuce loves cold water so if it gets warm or hot, add ice cubes. Lastly, you should never harvest lettuce the day of or a couple days after feeding as it can taste bitter from the uptake of the nutes."

Oh BTW, are you guys checking your water ph levels???

 

[Lady Jane]

Since i use distilled water i feel no need to check ph. Good information on the feeding of lettuce. I pick a leaf or two nd feed it to my birds holding it in my hand. They like it that way.

So glad your aerogrden was finally delivered.

 

[Farlie]

Not mine yet, Lady Jane. Nother week or so.

 

[Fuzzy]

My Aerogarden arrived yesterday. And the bare rooted strawberries arrived today. Will show y'all a pic later. BUT I don't know how you would fit the strawberry roots into the tiny Aerogarden sponge. The sponges are much smaller than I expected. I know you can cut them down one side, but the strawberry roots would need drastic pruning to be able to squish them in (and maybe that is ok - I must look at the video again). Took some pics before deciding to plant the strawberries in an outdoor basket. Have ordered more mini plug plants since the roots are much smaller. I intend to wash the soil off and squeeze them into the sponges instead. The Aerogarden is much smaller than the Click and Grow, but with the Aerogarden the roots continue to grow in the reservoir of water. It will be interesting to compare growth. I did notice some organic strawberry seeds for sale on Amazon... which I am going to buy because I know I won't be able to buy plug plants over winter. I also read that if you haven't been given spacers for the Aerogarden (I haven't) then you can use foil to cover the holes.

 

[Fuzzy]

Plus today I pinched out the tomato tip and the pea. Felt so bad doing it!!

 

[MommyBird]

My Aerogarden arrived yesterday. And the bare rooted strawberries arrived today. Will show y'all a pic later. BUT I don't know how you would fit the strawberry roots into the tiny Aerogarden sponge. The sponges are much smaller than I expected. I know you can cut them down one side, but the strawberry roots would need drastic pruning to be able to squish them in (and maybe that is ok - I must look at the video again). Took some pics before deciding to plant the strawberries in an outdoor basket. Have ordered more mini plug plants since the roots are much smaller. I intend to wash the soil off and squeeze them into the sponges instead. The Aerogarden is much smaller than the Click and Grow, but with the Aerogarden the roots continue to grow in the reservoir of water. It will be interesting to compare growth. I did notice some organic strawberry seeds for sale on Amazon... which I am going to buy because I know I won't be able to buy plug plants over winter. I also read that if you haven't been given spacers for the Aerogarden (I haven't) then you can use foil to cover the holes.

exactly what I was thinking and why I was saying you needed a gro-bowl. They won't fit in the sponges.
The video Rick posted in post #69 doesn't address how the plants are put in but does say something about some stones used to stabilize the plants. Possibly they didn't use any gro-sponges and just stuck the plant in there, and kept the crown propped high with whatever was on hand.

 

[Farlie]

OK, guys. DON'T plant a plant with roots on it in those sponge thingys. Those are for seed plantings.
Watch this video;

And this one:

Strawberries are planted in the bare cups kept high with those stones.

 

[Fuzzy]

Ohhhhhhhhh! Great research, Rick! I have now downloaded the pics. This was the bare rooted strawberries lying next to the Aerogarden sponge. Yep, roots are way too big to fit in the sponge:

This is the Click and Grow compared to the Aerogarden. There is more space between the pods in the Click and Grow:

And this was after pruning my tomato and pea. Shared two lettuce leaves between the 4 birds this morning. They don't like lettuce! :

 

[Farlie]

Very nice, Fuzzy.