Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Jan 14, 2021 17:07:15 GMT -5
greenpea, in addition to raising the lights, I would also suggest resetting your pump timer to run less often. Running constantly raises the water temperature and can lead to root rot. I do 5 minutes on, 25 minutes off, and my lettuce thrives.
Shawn's suggestion of an insulated deck cover is an excellent one.
A peltier cooler will make a big difference, but there might be a much simpler fix.
Keep us posted.
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jtuno
AGA Sprout
Posts: 1
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Post by jtuno on Jan 19, 2021 12:25:18 GMT -5
I had the same problem my first go at lettuce. I found cal-mag helped, absolutely need a fan blowing on it and certain varieties are crisper than others.
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Post by greenpea on Jan 19, 2021 15:54:01 GMT -5
I made the Peltier cooling systems this weekend and got them fully up and running last night. My husband and I are well versed in electronics so it was actually a pretty straight forward and fun project to do together. Here is a photo of my lettuce today at the time I started using the cooler (the black thing in the left rear is where the hoses for the cooling system are):  I planted the deer tongue before the rest but I'm not sure exactly when. I planted the Winter Density, Big Boston, Rouge d' Hiver, and Little Gem 9 days ago. I planted the Salad Bowl Green and the Red Velvet 5 days ago. The ones I left the cover on for the picture haven't even sprouted yet. I'm pretty positive that the extremely warm water temperature was causing the stunted growth. When I put the temp probe for the cooling system in the water yesterday evening it read 80 F and the water felt cooler to the touch than it does during the day. So I'm pretty sure the water was 80 F and higher for very long periods of time every day. I'm kind of surprised anything was growing. I'll post a picture of the progress intermittently to show if the cooling system is helping at all. |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Jan 19, 2021 18:17:53 GMT -5
If my husband and I had that kind of knowledge, life would be so much easier. |
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Post by greenpea on Jan 29, 2021 12:14:27 GMT -5
10 days after adding cooling system: I have my cooling system set to 20.5 - 21.5 Celsius which is 68.9 - 70.7 Fahrenheit. The cooling system isn't keeping up with that cooling demand, but it is keeping it below 75 Fahrenheit which is still significantly better than the 80+ Fahrenheit it was at. The cooling system is struggling either because I only used 2 Peltier devices, or because I'm not cooling the hot side enough. I'm going to try a larger, more shallow water reservoir for cooling the hot side to see if that helps. If it does, I may consider investing in a small radiator made for PC water cooling. I made an insulated cover for the grow deck a week ago to see if that would help keep the temperature down. I covered a sheet of bubble wrap in reflective duct tape and cut holes in it for the pods. So far I haven't noticed a difference but I'm leaving in place because it may be keeping the temperature down for longer in the morning that it would be without it. When I made the insulated cover, I forgot to plug the reservoir power back in so it went DAYS without any water running over the pods. Oops. It may have slowed the growth but it didn't kill any of them. Now for the progress photo: Keep in mind, I started the cooling system on 1/19.  I terminated some of the pods that weren't growing since the last picture. I added start dates of the pods in this picture to help determine the grow rate. I ate a little leaf of the Salad Bowl and of the Winter Density and they're more firm than the last batch, but I also didn't grow those varieties in the last batch. That's all for now! I'll post more further down the line. |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Jan 29, 2021 14:06:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the update, greenpea. Interesting to follow how it is working out.
I would have expected the insulating cover to make more of a difference. And I'm sorry your system didn't cool the water as much as you hoped.
Still, it apparently is an improvement.
Without the pump running, you were growing Kratky (passive hydroponics) style. The extra oxygen in the moving water does boost growth.
Looking forward to your next update.
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Post by kbc on Jan 15, 2022 21:21:18 GMT -5
I am glad you are getting to the bottom of why your lettuce was "wimpy". I grow Romaine and the Heirlooms you mention in a Bounty Basic and it has flourished. I use a fan on it for several hours a day and the room is 68 degrees. And I follow the Aerogarden directions exactly. I use a mix of filtered and tap water. The lettuce has a lot of "body" and a bit of crunch when eaten. It is delicious.
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