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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 23, 2020 16:30:19 GMT -5
Lots of flowers, and a few tiny tomatoes thanks to my pollination efforts. They're too small to get a picture of right now, but I'll be sure to post pictures once they get bigger. Added 2ml of nutes.  |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 26, 2020 13:20:39 GMT -5
Adding nutrients and water every day. Added 2ml of nutes today.  |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 28, 2020 20:49:20 GMT -5
I think every single flower I pollinated has started to produce a tomato.   |
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Jeff
AGA Sprout
Posts: 25
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Post by Jeff on Jun 28, 2020 21:43:52 GMT -5
Looking great! I'm curious - and learning - but I noticed you check a lot for PPM and then adjust nutes, and use different brands. Is there a logic / method you are following?
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 28, 2020 22:21:14 GMT -5
Looking great! I'm curious - and learning - but I noticed you check a lot for PPM and then adjust nutes, and use different brands. Is there a logic / method you are following? I don't bother with sticking to a brand or aiming for a specific NPK - I just try to keep it within an appropriate PPM range. I've also noticed that plants do better if I keep it within that range by doing more frequent, smaller, additions of nutrients. The best thing about monitoring the PPM is that I can get a feel for how much nutrients the plants are using, which is very helpful when I'm using my AeroGarden in a weird way. (like my Sprout that had a single Lavender plant in it - I only gave it nutrients twice over the two months that I grew it) As for what I used and why: 1. The AeroGarden nutrients for general nutrients. 2. CALiMAGic as a calcium and magnesium supplement (since I'm using reverse osmosis water which is as pure as you can get, so I don't have any of the trace minerals you'd normally find) 3. Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster since I've seen @cornne using it. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes, but when I tried it before in experimental Kratky setups it never hurt the plants, and pouring in a glass of light blue liquid makes it a lot more fun. I've also tried a few other supplements, but if you want to start mixing different nutrients and supplements then I'd highly recommend spending the $15 on a PPM meter so you don't overdose your plants. (at some point I want to try growing a Kratky plant and adding "5-Hour Energy" to see what happens) |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 28, 2020 22:24:35 GMT -5
To further clarify on why I decided to use the other two I mentioned:
I used the CALiMAGic at the beginning to establish a "baseline" by having those minerals in my water. I think I added 2ml later on but I'm not sure if I noted it here.
I add a very diluted form of Bloom Booster as soon as I see the first flower open up. I don't think it's meant for hydroponics so I am careful with it, but I think it's meant to be used on a regular schedule or something. Since hydroponic plants absorb nutrients faster and more easily, and since you don't have to worry about nutrients running off into the soil, I'm more stringent with it.
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Jeff
AGA Sprout
Posts: 25
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Post by Jeff on Jun 29, 2020 0:22:05 GMT -5
Thanks ERR0R1755! That is great info on the Nutes and your approach. It makes sense also since you are using the RO. I actually do have a PPM meter which I use to check on my Kitchen RO from time to time. I also only use RO in the AG. I'll use it to measure the PPM in the Aerogardens and see what recommendations are out there. Thanks |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 29, 2020 16:00:39 GMT -5
Added 4ml of nutes today.  |
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Post by akivalocal on Jul 1, 2020 22:38:26 GMT -5
Looking very lush!
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jul 4, 2020 11:23:51 GMT -5
Plenty of tomatoes to go around.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2020 11:41:34 GMT -5
What a difference from the previous June post! This looks like a great project.
I am interested in the final taste test especially!
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,265 
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Post by Shawn on Jul 4, 2020 12:33:28 GMT -5
WOW, these look really really good!
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Jeff
AGA Sprout
Posts: 25
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Post by Jeff on Jul 4, 2020 15:15:49 GMT -5
Looking great!
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girl90048
AGA Sprout
Gardening Novice
Posts: 65
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Post by girl90048 on Jul 4, 2020 21:19:39 GMT -5
Where did you get those black plugs for the areas you don't have a pod in? |
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girl90048
AGA Sprout
Gardening Novice
Posts: 65
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Post by girl90048 on Jul 4, 2020 21:21:39 GMT -5
I think every single flower I pollinated has started to produce a tomato. I have a lot of little buds on my tomato plant but only one bloomed and turned to fruit. The rest never opened up. Do you think I should be adding more nutrients? I've been adding nutrients every two weeks. |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jul 4, 2020 22:03:15 GMT -5
Where did you get those black plugs for the areas you don't have a pod in? I got the AeroGarden Plant Spacer Kit from eBay. I used to cut and tape aluminum foil, but I got fed up with doing that and spent the $12 to buy proper covers. I have a lot of little buds on my tomato plant but only one bloomed and turned to fruit. The rest never opened up. Do you think I should be adding more nutrients? I've been adding nutrients every two weeks. What type of tomato do you have? If you have a determinate tomato (like this one), it will set all of its flowers around the same time. If you have an indeterminate tomato, then the flowers will open up over a longer period and you don't have anything to worry about. The advantage/disadvantage of determinate tomatoes is that they don't continue to produce tomatoes - they do it once, then die off. It's nice if you want to grow another plant there, but if you want to keep a tomato plant alive for a long time and continue to harvest tomatoes, then you would want an indeterminate variety. (alternatively, do you have a PPM meter? You can use that to check the amount of nutrients in the tank and adjust accordingly. If you want suggestions for a cheap one, I use this one from VIVOSUN) |
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girl90048
AGA Sprout
Gardening Novice
Posts: 65
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Post by girl90048 on Jul 5, 2020 20:09:24 GMT -5
What type of tomato do you have? If you have a determinate tomato (like this one), it will set all of its flowers around the same time. If you have an indeterminate tomato, then the flowers will open up over a longer period and you don't have anything to worry about. I bought the AG Red Heirloom Cherry Tomato seed pot kit. Don't know if it's determinate or indeterminate. If it's indeterminate, I guess the one tomato I have will be all I'm going to get. :-( |
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girl90048
AGA Sprout
Gardening Novice
Posts: 65
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Post by girl90048 on Jul 5, 2020 20:11:18 GMT -5
(alternatively, do you have a PPM meter? You can use that to check the amount of nutrients in the tank and adjust accordingly. If you want suggestions for a cheap one, I use this one from VIVOSUN) I don't have a PPM meter. Thank you for suggesting. What level nutrients does my tank need to be at? The documents that came with my AG unit never mentioned anything about maintaining a nutrient level. |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jul 5, 2020 20:51:07 GMT -5
I bought the AG Red Heirloom Cherry Tomato seed pot kit. Don't know if it's determinate or indeterminate. If it's indeterminate, I guess the one tomato I have will be all I'm going to get. :-( Looking at other threads, it looks like they're determinate and will continue to produce tomatoes. So don't worry  I don't have a PPM meter. Thank you for suggesting. What level nutrients does my tank need to be at? The documents that came with my AG unit never mentioned anything about maintaining a nutrient level. The official AeroGarden method is just to add nutrients every two weeks, so the nutrient level goes up and down all the time. If you don't have a PPM meter then don't try to maintain a nutrient level, since chances are you'll overdose the plants. I've done that before. For flowering/fruiting tomatoes, the PPM should be somewhere between 1400-3500. This is the chart I use, and there are other links on the side for herbs or flowers. What type of water are you using? If you're using soft or hard water from a well, for example, then that can cause issues with the nutrients not dissolving. If you notice a brown cloud or sediment at the bottom of your AeroGarden tank, then you probably have the same issue I had in that regard :c |
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girl90048
AGA Sprout
Gardening Novice
Posts: 65
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Post by girl90048 on Jul 5, 2020 22:37:49 GMT -5
What type of water are you using? If you're using soft or hard water from a well, for example, then that can cause issues with the nutrients not dissolving. If you notice a brown cloud or sediment at the bottom of your AeroGarden tank, then you probably have the same issue I had in that regard :c I'm using filtered tap water. I don't ph balance the water but can do it if it helps. I noticed some brown sediment at the bottom when I first started my garden but not so much anymore. How did you fix your problem? |
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