Anyone do hydroponics?

[Wildsky]

I am in zone 5 and we are still two weeks or more from the last frost date. The temperature last night was in the mid thirties. The greenhouse holds some heat from the day, however, I do have a small heater set for forty five degrees. I began using the greenhouse on March first, and will probably use it until mid to late November. It certainly extends my growing season, and I really don't notice a big difference in our electric bill.

My tomato plants were frozen last night. I took a chance putting them out - our last frost date is May 11 and last night was very very cold!

I'm going to look into a greenhouse (cheap!) and see. I'm not sure where to put it, we have so many tree's around our house and property it was hard to find a spot to grow veggies. I would need it close enough that I could put a heater in it if needed.

Our growing season is only 130 days or something like that.

 

[jackb]

I am in zone 5 and we are still two weeks or more from the last frost date. The temperature last night was in the mid thirties. The greenhouse holds some heat from the day, however, I do have a small heater set for forty five degrees. I began using the greenhouse on March first, and will probably use it until mid to late November. It certainly extends my growing season, and I really don't notice a big difference in our electric bill.

My tomato plants were frozen last night. I took a chance putting them out - our last frost date is May 11 and last night was very very cold!

I'm going to look into a greenhouse (cheap!) and see. I'm not sure where to put it, we have so many tree's around our house and property it was hard to find a spot to grow veggies. I would need it close enough that I could put a heater in it if needed.

Our growing season is only 130 days or something like that.

Look at Harbor Freight Tools. You just missed their annual sale, I think. Our forecast is for 34 tonight and 31 tomorrow. In spite of that, I will be picking cucumbers very soon, at least within a week or so.

 

[Wildsky]

Look at Harbor Freight Tools. You just missed their annual sale, I think. Our forecast is for 34 tonight and 31 tomorrow. In spite of that, I will be picking cucumbers very soon, at least within a week or so.

Oh No I missed a sale! DARN IT ! I did look at their greenhouses earlier, they look really nice, well except the real small one for $300 (something) that looked a little too small.

I just sprouted a cucumber in the house. long way off picking anything

 

[jackb]

I just sprouted a cucumber in the house. long way off picking anything

That is too bad about the sale, as it usually only happens in early spring.
Here is a photo my baby cucumber taken a few days ago. It is now close to six inches in length. These are European forcing cucumbers and they are gigantic, growing to over a foot long. My wife and I will have to eat a lot of cucumbers, as they can not be pickled because the skin is too thin. Perhaps I could open a stand like a lemonade stand, but sell cucumbers instead. Good luck with the cucumbers and the garden.

 

[Wildsky]

Oooooooooo thats lovely!

I like to slice my cucumber, and soak it in a mix of vinegar, salt and curry powder - then I munch!

I bought some Lemon cucumber seeds to try.


Here is a question, can I get seeds to start faster using hydroponics and then plant them out in the yard?
I bought the lemon cucumbers and some Yellow Pear tomato, but I'd love to get them started faster and if thats possible with hydroponics then I'll wait for my system to get here.. or I'll start the old fashioned way.

 

[jackb]

Oooooooooo thats lovely!

I like to slice my cucumber, and soak it in a mix of vinegar, salt and curry powder - then I munch!

I bought some Lemon cucumber seeds to try.


Here is a question, can I get seeds to start faster using hydroponics and then plant them out in the yard?
I bought the lemon cucumbers and some Yellow Pear tomato, but I'd love to get them started faster and if thats possible with hydroponics then I'll wait for my system to get here.. or I'll start the old fashioned way.

That is a loaded question.. All of my seeds are started in coffee filters on a heat mat. When the radicle root appears I then put them in Oasis Horticubes or rockwool. I feed them dilute nutrients until they have roots coming from the cubes. At that point they are transplanted into one of my systems. Roots growing in a liquid environment will develop a different type of root with a lot of fine hairs on them, and they will have a hard time adjusting to being transplanted in soil. If you are going to plant in soil you should place the cube in a potting soil when the roots are just coming out of the cube. You should plan on getting a media to start seeds, in if your system does not come with it. Use either rockwool or Oasis Horticubes. Don't use Sure To Grow cubes. They just simply don't grow anything other than algae. You might consider a good book on hydroponics. I suggest How-To-Hydroponics by Keith Roberto. It will answer all of your questions and get you off to a good start.

Good luck and I am sure you will be an expert in no time at all.

 

[Wildsky]

Oooooooooo thats lovely!

I like to slice my cucumber, and soak it in a mix of vinegar, salt and curry powder - then I munch!

I bought some Lemon cucumber seeds to try.


Here is a question, can I get seeds to start faster using hydroponics and then plant them out in the yard?
I bought the lemon cucumbers and some Yellow Pear tomato, but I'd love to get them started faster and if thats possible with hydroponics then I'll wait for my system to get here.. or I'll start the old fashioned way.

That is a loaded question.. All of my seeds are started in coffee filters on a heat mat. When the radicle root appears I then put them in Oasis Horticubes or rockwool. I feed them dilute nutrients until they have roots coming from the cubes. At that point they are transplanted into one of my systems. Roots growing in a liquid environment will develop a different type of root with a lot of fine hairs on them, and they will have a hard time adjusting to being transplanted in soil. If you are going to plant in soil you should place the cube in a potting soil when the roots are just coming out of the cube. You should plan on getting a media to start seeds, in if your system does not come with it. Use either rockwool or Oasis Horticubes. Don't use Sure To Grow cubes. They just simply don't grow anything other than algae. You might consider a good book on hydroponics. I suggest How-To-Hydroponics by Keith Roberto. It will answer all of your questions and get you off to a good start.

Good luck and I am sure you will be an expert in no time at all.

I have rockwool coming in the mail as well. and those clay rock thingies (hydroton?)

Bummer on the faster starts, I wanted to get a couple of the pear tomato's going to catch up with the rest and then pop them in the garden... they take 75 days so its a LONG time to wait! I can't grow them out totally in the hydroponics thing as they're indeterminate.

 

[jackb]

Check online on how to precondition the rockwool. You have to bring the pH down before you use it. You can use white vinegar, or lemon juice. You might buy a pH test kit from a pet store. Generally the pH in a system should be about 6 to 6.5. That is important, as the nutrients will not be taken up if the pH is too far out of range. There are a lot of resources online re. hydroponic growing to help you get started.

 

[Wildsky]

Check online on how to precondition the rockwool. You have to bring the pH down before you use it. You can use white vinegar, or lemon juice. You might buy a pH test kit from a pet store. Generally the pH in a system should be about 6 to 6.5. That is important, as the nutrients will not be taken up if the pH is too far out of range. There are a lot of resources online re. hydroponic growing to help you get started.

I bought a small bottle of something or other to soak the rockwool, I have a few PH strips left (fish tank) but I couldn't find more at the store so I still need to get up on that.. I bought a soil meter thing, but it isn't digital, so leaves alot of guesses going on, and thats just for my beds outside, can't use it for liquids in the system. :/ I need to find something! The meters I've seen online are pricey! I'll have to stick with the paper strips.

 

[jackb]

Most pet stores that carry aquarium supplies have a pH test kit. It is a small bottle, a vial and a color chart. Fill the vial half full and put 3 drops of solution into the vial and compare the color to the chart. Instant pH... They cost is about five dollars, however, it will last a long time.