pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Dec 19, 2023 16:52:33 GMT -5
First rinse and refill on the Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes in the Harvest 360. I was able to carry the full bowl to the kitchen, the plant isn't heavy (yet), so I just dumped, rinsed, filled, got the nutrients in and set the grow deck back in place. There's a longish root, but I didn't feel like I should trim it, as the plant doesn't have a lot of roots yet. I'm using AG nutrients and the plant does NOT look happy! I used half the recommended to start the seedling (4ml), and have now gone to the 8ml that is recommended on the bottle for 6/7 pod models, and I used a 10ml syringe, not the stupid cap, so I know I'm measuring correctly. Our tap water is EC 0.0, so I have been adding 1.0ml of CaliMagic. If it doesn't look happy soon, I'm switching out to GH Flora series. The new nutrients are measuring PH 6.0 and EC 1.1. Here's a close-up:
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Dec 19, 2023 20:10:17 GMT -5
Update 12/19/23. Part I -- First tackled the jungle. I've been putting it off. This one is my first Aerogarden, and I planted all six pods. Dill never sprouted, and I moved curly parsley elsewhere. So that left Thai basil, Genovese basil, mint, and thyme. Before trimming -- After trimming -- And now I have this much basil. I love those nice big leaves for chiffonade. Then I thinned the tomatoes and jalapenos -- Before -- Tomatoes after -- Peppers after -- And that's all for Part I, Stand by for Part II.
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Dec 19, 2023 20:27:33 GMT -5
Update 12/19/23. Part II -- How damn and what not!! All three of my cilantros have sprouted. Three seeds per pod, and I gave each one a little hug as I planted it to crack the seed. But I did not dampen them in a wet paper towel. And my three tall peppers have all sprouted -- Poblano Anaheim Sweet banana -- That's him still under his dome hiding back behind the scallions. (Most people call them green onions, but really, they're scallions.) And here's baby Groot, the Fairy Tale Eggplant -- No borage yet, and I'm 0 for 6 on an AG heirloom lettuce set I planted 5 days ago.
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 19, 2023 20:56:15 GMT -5
Contact them. They will replace them. I'd get my own seeds, though.
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Dec 19, 2023 22:55:04 GMT -5
Contact them. They will replace them. I'd get my own seeds, though. Already have them. Some Merlot leaf and some nice red romaine. I just used these because (1) they came with the Harvest, so they were here, and the seeds weren't yet, and (2) they were free. Those AG replacements don't work any better than the originals. I got two replacements, and one of those didn't sprout either. I do not see myself ordering any more AG seed pods.
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Post by swimmom500 on Dec 20, 2023 7:52:03 GMT -5
Contact them. They will replace them. I'd get my own seeds, though. Already have them. Some Merlot leaf and some nice red romaine. I just used these because (1) they came with the Harvest, so they were here, and the seeds weren't yet, and (2) they were free. Those AG replacements don't work any better than the originals. I got two replacements, and one of those didn't sprout either. I do not see myself ordering any more AG seed pods. I feel the same way about the Aerogarden pods. Planted 3 heirloom cherry tomatoes and nothing. Planted 3 more and again nothing. Planted the last 3 and finally 1 sprouted. So I am 1 for 9.
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Post by scarfguy on Dec 20, 2023 9:57:04 GMT -5
I haven't used the AG seed pods and kits for a couple of years now. There are so many other high quality seeds on the market, you can do much better.
The only AG seeds I use are cascading petunias. If you haven't grown cascading petunias, treat yourself to some lovely flowers this winter.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 775
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Post by slw on Dec 20, 2023 11:18:50 GMT -5
I've had pretty good results with the AG seed pods. I've bought so many new gardens this year and they all came with pods, plus I have purchased some pods during the sales, so I have a pretty good stash of seed pods. I have had a few duds but that happens with regular seeds, too. Anyhow, since I've got 'em I will use 'em.
I'm going to have to do some maintenance on my pickling cucumber Bounty. The water float isn't working so I guess it's full of roots. It bugs me when the water level isn't displaying correctly.
I'm thrilled with the success of my broccolini plantings at this point but they have plenty of time to disappoint me!! The Fairy Tale eggplant is going gangbusters; absolutely loaded with little eggplants.
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tdse
AGA Sprout
Posts: 122
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Post by tdse on Dec 20, 2023 12:28:19 GMT -5
R&R TODAY!... actually with 11 bounties, it's R&R weekend!
I don't remember if I showed you folks this little powered siphon (senility is setting in) BUT:
Since my melon AGs are so low to the ground, a manual bulb siphon doesn't work very well. I went on a quest about 6 months ago to find a quality power siphon. Most of the little battery powered ones don't fit in the AG watering ports. I tried a couple of AC powered ones. They were too, too powerful and sucked the roots off of the plants!
My last attempt was this little teeny, tiny pump siphon for an aquarium. I thought surely this can't work very well. It's cheap, it can't last very long.
WELL, WELL, it works like a charm! not real fast but you can hang it up and let it siphon without supervision. It takes only about 8-10 minutes to empty a bounty. It's been running for 6 months or so without any issues. I highly recommend it:
Ok, so I purchased this a few weeks ago when you first recommended it, but hadn't broken it out of the box until today. Why did I wait? This thing is amazing. R&R'd 2 Bounty's in less than 15 min. I timed it at 4 min to completely drain a Bounty. Awesome! Now, for those who are mechanically challenged like myself (or for those who can use a chuckle at my expense). You do have to cut the hose. Probably crystal clear for most of you, but it wasn't at first for me. Would have been nice if they had included 2 separate pieces, or made that more clear in instructions. Also - if you have one, don't forget to disconnect your hydrovoir while emptying your garden. You can stop laughing now. Seriously though -- this is a great little gadget. If I had to buy one a month, it would be worth it. Thank you!
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Post by lynnee on Dec 20, 2023 15:14:06 GMT -5
pfunnyjoy, your Heirloom Red tomato seedling looks okay to me. You were right not to trim the long root. That is the main feeder root and is best left alone, though it shouldn't kill your plant if you cut it back. I try to keep that root when I'm transplanting seedlings to soil.
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Post by lynnee on Dec 20, 2023 15:15:00 GMT -5
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Dec 20, 2023 17:04:09 GMT -5
pfunnyjoy , your Heirloom Red tomato seedling looks okay to me. You were right not to trim the long root. That is the main feeder root and is best left alone, though it shouldn't kill your plant if you cut it back. I try to keep that root when I'm transplanting seedlings to soil. I hope so. I was really concerned about the one true leaf that was starting to look dry and curled at the end. Anyway, it doesn't look worse today, which is something. I never trimmed roots for any of my old gardens, including the Classic 7. It's a completely new thing to me, but I've seen many folks say you need to with the new Aerogardens. I won't complain if I don't have to do it. I really want my AG black thumb to go away for a while! So far, the only thing that's been completely successful is the upstairs Tatsoi. Though I think the Bounty lettuce might have been, if I hadn't planted all 9 pods. It's due for an R&R, but I may terminate it and start fresh. It's too difficult to harvest from, and doesn't look at all nice. I did, just this morning, get another table cleared off downstairs, so I have room to set up the Bounty Elites! First I need to put a surge suppressor on that outlet.
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Dec 20, 2023 17:08:07 GMT -5
Does it have to hang from something to use it? Mostly curious, because I really like the manual siphon I bought for the task.
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Post by scarfguy on Dec 20, 2023 17:17:37 GMT -5
Does it have to hang from something to use it? Mostly curious, because I really like the manual siphon I bought for the task.
No, you can just hold it. It's very light weight and emptying a bounty doesn't take very long. You can also just lay it down on the deck as long as you watch that it doesn't vibrate off.
I like to just hang it from the bounty trellis.
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
|
Post by pfunnyjoy on Dec 20, 2023 17:32:16 GMT -5
Does it have to hang from something to use it? Mostly curious, because I really like the manual siphon I bought for the task.
No, you can just hold it. It's very light weight and emptying a bounty doesn't take very long. You can also just lay it down on the deck as long as you watch that it doesn't vibrate off.
I like to just hang it from the bounty trellis.
Good to know. I added it to my Garden wishlist on Amazon, although at present, I don't really need another siphon.
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Post by lynnee on Dec 20, 2023 17:40:35 GMT -5
Does it have to hang from something to use it? Mostly curious, because I really like the manual siphon I bought for the task. You can just hold it, because it's so fast, or you can lay it on a chair, countertop, or anything else nearby. I use a piece of soft coated wire for trellising plants to make a hook that I can drop over an AG bungee cord or trellis to hold it. It's very lightweight. Mainly you need a power pack to operate it.
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Dec 20, 2023 18:21:06 GMT -5
I have actually had one of those pumps in my Amazon cart for a couple of weeks. But I also have an AG siphon I haven't even used yet. What to do? What to do? In other news -- What do you do when life hands you too much basil from your Aerogarden? You make lemonade. Basil Lemonade. Put a few basil leaves in a shaker, add the juice of 1 or 2 lemons (depends on how big they are), and a shot or two of simple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it), and muddle it up good. Add some ice and shake to chill, then strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Top it off with carbonated water, and garnish with a basil sprig. Mmmm, good. Basil and lemon play nicely together. (Note to self: If I add a shot of gin, would it be a Basil Collins? A quick check of the internet reveals that I am not the first to think of that, and that many folks even include cucumber. I'll let you know.)
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tdse
AGA Sprout
Posts: 122
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Post by tdse on Dec 20, 2023 19:12:38 GMT -5
I have actually had one of those pumps in my Amazon cart for a couple of weeks. But I also have an AG siphon I haven't even used yet. What to do? What to do? In other news -- What do you do when life hands you too much basil from your Aerogarden? You make lemonade. Basil Lemonade. Put a few basil leaves in a shaker, add the juice of 1 or 2 lemons (depends on how big they are), and a shot or two of simple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it), and muddle it up good. Add some ice and shake to chill, then strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Top it off with carbonated water, and garnish with a basil sprig. Mmmm, good. Basil and lemon play nicely together. (Note to self: If I add a shot of gin, would it be a Basil Collins? A quick check of the internet reveals that I am not the first to think of that, and that many folks even include cucumber. I'll let you know.) Sounds delicious! I make a mean cucumber-infused gin that I bet would be wonderful with that lemonade. I am suddenly thirsty.
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Post by lynnee on Dec 20, 2023 19:32:11 GMT -5
I have actually had one of those pumps in my Amazon cart for a couple of weeks. But I also have an AG siphon I haven't even used yet. What to do? What to do? Go with the battery-operated pump. It extracts far more water than the manual AG pump, is easier on your hands, is much faster, and is easier to use. If you have more than one or two AGs, you will get very tired of using a manual pump. Just do NOT buy the siphon with the D-cell battery in the handle. It is expensive, and invariably quits without warning (1-3 months). There is a design flaw that pulls water into the battery compartment no matter how careful you are.
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mike
The Pepper King
Posts: 3,661
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Post by mike on Dec 20, 2023 20:03:41 GMT -5
I agree on the battery pump. I have a manual bulb type, as well. That is if the batteries die, and I don't have spares. But the battery-operated units drain a garden quickly. But I have the D-cell model and mine works well. I do remove the batteries between uses to prevent battery leakage damaging the pump.
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