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Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
That set up is more or less what I'm doing just in a smaller scale. The pump is the easiest part to find since they don't have to be powerful since you're only getting the water up a foot or two. The heater may be a bit much unless you plan on using a decent size tank for nutrients so that isn't a must buy for now.

As for the nutrients, Advanced Nutrients is ok but as I've learned they're more expensive their competitors while doing essentially the same thing. I'm currently using this set which is less expensive than Iguana Juice. I probably won't buy their brand again simply because of cost.

I would go with General Hydroponics or Grotek if you can find it. Nothing wrong with AN's nutrients. They're just overpriced compared to the rest.

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MJP
Jun 17, 2007

Are you looking at me Senpai?

Grimey Drawer
I do have a pump sitting around from a cat fountain that's no longer in use. It looks like the one in the guide. Once I find a cheap source of that tubing I might just give it some altitude testing to see what's up.

Given basement temperatures I might start out with some other vegetable that's cold tolerant, just so I can keep temperature control out of the equation to see if this is something I want to get into.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Peppers and tomatoes will tolerate about down to 5 degrees Celsius so you could start with them. Most leafy greens are also cold tolerant.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Short update. Went down to check my ripening peppers and noticed they basically all went red.



I just noticed I left a green one on the plant. Probably let that one ripen as well while I wait for the next crop to grow.

Nblue
Mar 23, 2013
Good to know that the peppers can ripen off the vine. Did you just keep them in bags in the refrigerator?

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
They're currently in a large ziplock in the fridge crisper. They last a really good amount of time.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Finally had one of my peppers and was surprised. It tasted like a green pepper. Surprisingly sweet even for a bell pepper.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
And had one of the red peppers for supper today. I have apparently figured out one plant so far. Just a billion more to go.

Nblue
Mar 23, 2013

Stretch Marx posted:

It tasted like a green pepper.

This was my reaction when I had my first home grown pepper.
You think that after months of babying the plant it would taste exceptional or something, but it just tastes like a pepper. Which is a good thing.

I had my first real casualty yesterday.
My parsley plant has been going strong for 9 months now, but after my last nutrient change it had been acting funny and looking really sad.
Yesterday it looked extra sad, so I decided to poke around a bit and the whole stem thing was really soggy. I ended up giving it a small tug and the entire plant just came out.
I think I topped up the bucket a bit too high so the bottom of the plant got soggy and developed rot.


But it did its job, and now I have space for something else in the tent.
Luckily I just got some seeds from aliexpress for a carnivorous plant, so I will experiment with that.
Mostly because I want to do this with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGDymzZyWbY

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
lmbo Nice.

Speaking on seeds and new plants, I've been doing a bit of research and I think I'm going to try and grow vanilla and a black sapote aka the chocolate pudding tree. I think they might be interesting where they both like being warm and moist.

Stretch Marx fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Apr 27, 2016

Nblue
Mar 23, 2013
That chocolate pudding fruit looks really interesting never seen it before. Gonna be hard to keep in a small container, but if what I read on wikipedia is right you have 1-2 years before that becomes an issue.

Also it might be just the right time to start growing vanilla

Nblue fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Apr 26, 2016

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.

Nblue posted:

That chocolate pudding fruit looks really interesting never seen it before. Gonna be hard to keep in a small container, but if what I read on wikipedia is right you have 1-2 years before that becomes an issue.

Also it might be just the right time to start growing vanilla

Yeah I stumbled onto this amazon.ca store called Arvice Seeds that happened to be selling them along with a lot of other interesting plants.

I hope to put in an order for a few vanilla cuttings from Flora Exotica soon and get them setup for hydroponics.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Interesting development. I got offered an interview with a guy I spoke to last year about starting the farm. Apparently he started the business and is interested in possibly hiring me on. I'm keeping an open mind as the last time we talked he basically was all about specialty organic food which is complete horseshit and I don't know if a town as poor as Saint John would be willing to go to bat for that. I think my peppers would be a better course. But we'll see how it goes on Monday.

DreadLlama
Jul 15, 2005
Not just for breakfast anymore
I think you'll probably make more money on medical cannabis if you can jump through the legislative hoops.


Nblue posted:

I think I topped up the bucket a bit too high so the bottom of the plant got soggy and developed rot.
I suggest that you put some bright orange tape on your buckets so you know where the water level ought to be.

Nblue
Mar 23, 2013
I should probably do that, but I think my bucket is too dark for that to work.

What happened was that I was too smart for my own good and decided to fill the reservoir up more than normal so the short roots of my lettuce could reach it.
From now on ill stick to topfeeding the babies every now and then.

isndl
May 2, 2012
I WON A CONTEST IN TG AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS CUSTOM TITLE
I'm looking at starting up an indoor vegetable farming project, and I'm wondering if anyone was familiar with aeroponics? It's similar to hydroponics in that it's focused around growing the plants without a soil substrate, but uses a misting system instead of reservoir to deliver water and nutrients.

Stretch Marx, I think your stack system for your pepper plants might even be a crude form of aeroponics - it doesn't have the full benefits of misting, like increased nutrient absorption, but the improved oxygen access might help explain the crazy root growth.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Now that you mention it, my next design for my rig is essentially going to be aeroponic. I plan on getting a wide pvc pipe and have all my plants face outwards with their roots hanging on the inside. I'm then going to cap it off and have a sprinkler mounted on the cap with the pump being at the bottom. I'll have the tube run up the inside of the pipe and set the whole thing in a resevoir. This way the roots can grow as long as they feel.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Had my interview and I'm almost in charge of the production floor of Gray Jay Greens. Just have to get the paperwork for government purposes and I start in a week or so. Got a decent selection of greens. Told him I'd be fine with research and development as well.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Got the job. I'll be starting on monday at Gray Jay Green watching the plants grow. So I'm super pumped for that. Second crop of peppers are coming along.

Finally get some income and buy my vanilla orchids.

SpannerX
Apr 26, 2010

I had a beer with Stephen Harper once and now I like him.

Fun Shoe
Just finished reading your thread, and good to hear about your new job! Good luck!

Nblue
Mar 23, 2013
Thats awesome Stretch! Congrats on the job!

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
I've been reading this thread and finally caught up. Congrats on your new job!

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Thanks everyone. It's going to be a lot of responsibility as I'll effectively be running the production floor. But I probably won't get an opportunity like this again so I'm gunna try and run with it.

Trying not to stress myself out.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
First day done. Today also happened to be harvest day so I spent all of it cutting plants and getting them to the cold room. There's something cathartic about hanging mats of micro greens on meat hooks and then running through them with an electric carving knife.

Here are a couple quick pictures I took between seedling murdering and harassing lettuce.

Here are the (mostly) micro green racks. They're a bit unwieldy for me since they're like 12 feet long and the top shelf is close to 7 feet.



Here are the leafy green racks.



Need to get an anti-fatigue mat.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
In non-professional news, the peppers are coming along again. I'm hoping they'll be good to pick either late this week or next. I really need to buy more nutrients though. Pay day can't come sooner.

B33rChiller
Aug 18, 2011




Is there a general gardening and/or houseplant thread on SA, or is this as close as we get? Just getting into the growing season on the West coast now, and figured I'd post some photos / engage in some general discussion.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.

B33rChiller posted:

Is there a general gardening and/or houseplant thread on SA, or is this as close as we get? Just getting into the growing season on the West coast now, and figured I'd post some photos / engage in some general discussion.

There's the general plant and gardening thread or the veggie and herb thread which might be more what you're looking for. Not that I have any problem with general chat.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
So I haven't done one of these in awhile as the farm has been busting my rear end. I love it though. I really enjoy seeing everything grow and get sent out. I had a slow day today so I thought I'd take some pictures.

This is the seeding area. Everything sits on a seed heating mat and chills here for about a week.



This is the propagation channels. Most things spend less than a week here.



This is the nursery rack. Again things generally stay here for a week.



The arugula rack.



The Hilton rack. The Hilton here is our biggest consumer and they are insatiable.



This is the basil rack. There are a couple of lettuce rails in here because we need to resupply that. There are two types of basil here, regular and dark opal. These get sold as whole live plants.



First lettuce rack. We had a huge harvest last week which is why these are all new plants. Generally the get pretty big.



Second lettuce rack. An extra couple of basil rails here as well.



More basil. These plants get cut and bagged for bulk restaurant purchases. I love the smell of basil.





Microgreens of various sorts. We power cleaned the microgreens rig to kill off the algae bloom. These particular rails are under quarantine. Once they get harvested we'll sterilize these channels as well.





These microgreens sprouted late last week and should be good to go by either Thursday or next Tuesday.



These were planted over the weekend. Since they're still mostly seeds they don't need the light just yet.



Finally, I brought my cacti to work. They're doing fairly well now that the cats aren't harassing them.






So yeah. A ton of work. It's just me and the boss but we've managed to get things under control and the rotation is mostly fixed at this point. Sales are almost non-stop and we're having trouble maintaining stock at some points. We're hoping the government will give us the funding to properly expand to meet the current demand. I'm really hoping it does since it'll guarantee me my job.

Stretch Marx fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Jun 14, 2016

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Mini update

Transplanted the cacti from the rockwool to oasis cubes. Hoping they have more room to grow down. Seem to be doing well so far.



Finally got around to retrying chilies. This is more work centered as I want to see which are most viable. Currently I'm going to try cheyenne, tabasco, habaneros, and twilights. I've read that tabasco and the twilights are prolific so let's see if that's true.



Not much else has happened lately, except for the constant slaughtering of lettuce and arugula.

Barry Bluejorts
Jun 30, 2013

Now please touch your finger to the tip of your nose.
Pillbug
Just wanted to pop in and say that this thread is wonderful. I'm about to start an outdoor stack-only deal. Anyone have recommendations for things to put outside in Texas this time of year?

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Sorry everyone for the lack of updates. The last bit has been rough as the farm shut down for relocation though now funding might be up in the air. Also I got a few infections from my medications so I haven't been to driven to do much. In the meantime during the lay off I borrowed some equipment from work and continued my chilies. Unfortunately my cacti didn't make it and the Tabasco never sprouted (bad seeds) but the other chilies are doing fine. I'll take some pictures of the Twilights later but for now here are my cayennes. Most of the bigger pods are about 4 inches long so they should start ripening soon.






Polymetric posted:

Just wanted to pop in and say that this thread is wonderful. I'm about to start an outdoor stack-only deal. Anyone have recommendations for things to put outside in Texas this time of year?

It mostly depends on how cold it possible gets outside during this time of year. As long as it doesn't frost (which I doubt Texas does) you can pretty much grow whatever you feel. From my experiences doing this peppers are pretty hardy. I've read people growing things like grapes and berries if you can give it enough light. From working on the farm I can tell you that basil takes to this very well. We routinely had huge basil leaves after topping them and we only cycled out the plants because they literally got too big for the grow spaces. Most leafy greens will be fine and are super easy.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Some pictures of the twilights. It's unfortunately hard to take a picture of them inside the greenhouse mostly because of house next door reflecting light into the room.

Full bloom. There are 4 twilights in total.


The beginnings of a pepper. As you can see it's already starting to turn purple.


Just for perspective. The twilights actually all grew fairly tall so I think I'll cut them down a bit after harvest. The ones in the front with the broad leaves are the habeneros.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Just decided to take a picture of the twilights in the sun. I can't wait for the pods to start turning fire colours.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
With October comes frost so I've moved all my plants indoors back to the down stairs bathroom. A bit of a more professional setup this time. Twilights have a ton of peppers so I'm pretty pumped.



Sjs00
Jun 29, 2013

Yeah Baby Yeah !
Holy shittt! Good job!

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.

Sjs00 posted:

Holy shittt! Good job!

Thank you. :) I hope my blunders through this inspire more people to try it on their own.

So update time. Haven't had much to do while I wait for things to ripen.

A quick look at the habaneros under the grow light. Jebus



I had to spread out my cayennes as the habaneros and twilights started blocking the grow light. Plus it let them grow up and around instead.







My twilights are starting to ripen and they're still blooming. I think these probably never stop. I can't wait to see the whole thing in reds and oranges.



Now that my habaneros have proper lighting they have demonstrated that they are not to be trifled with. They've started putting out blooms and I may have to prune them back lest they destroy us all.



If you're wondering about the substrate with the green and white that is algae (green) and salts (white). Sometimes when I shift the tray to check the water the tubes come lose and spray water everywhere. Anywhere light and water mix you get algae and after the water evaporates it leaves behind the mineral salts from the fertilizer. So don't worry that isn't mold.

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.
Nothing too amazing happening. Thought I'd share a picture of the twilights going red.

Neon Noodle
Nov 11, 2016

there's nothing wrong here in montana
Is there a good hydroponics 101 type guide? I want to grow basil, parsley, arugula and possibly peppers. I live in New England so I'm guessing I'm going to need lights. Space is somewhat at a premium so I'd want something pretty compact, but whatever setup it is would preferably go against a wall in a room that gets a decent amount of light during the day. We keep the temperature in the house around 65 degrees, is that too cold?

HALP GROW THE FOODS PLS

Stretch Marx
Apr 29, 2008

I'm ok with this.

Neon Noodle posted:

Is there a good hydroponics 101 type guide? I want to grow basil, parsley, arugula and possibly peppers. I live in New England so I'm guessing I'm going to need lights. Space is somewhat at a premium so I'd want something pretty compact, but whatever setup it is would preferably go against a wall in a room that gets a decent amount of light during the day. We keep the temperature in the house around 65 degrees, is that too cold?

HALP GROW THE FOODS PLS

To be honest the majority of information I've found related to hydroponics comes from marijuana grow op site forums. All hydroponics really comes down to is a bit of understanding of how light works, how to keep water plant friendly, and how to plumb. Once setup and the water is balanced correctly it's mostly set and forget.

I got bored so I mspainted a couple designs you could mull on.

The first is the eb/flow rail wall planter.



This the more basic design but also takes up more space. Basically you'll mount troughs or pipes on your wall in a zigzag pattern so the water you pump up from your tank can flow slowly down past the roots of all your plants. For a medium you can use something like hydroton or perlite in a trough so the water flows along the bottom. If you're using pipes, drill holes in the pipe for however wide you want to space your plants, then you can start your plants in grow cubes and just pop them in the holes. When they're ready you can just yank them and replace as need be.

The second is a tower stack like my first rig.



This is more difficult to setup right but is more compact than the wall mount. Basically you take a wide pvc pipe and cut holes large enough for a meshed cup can sit it. You can plant in whatever medium you want. You hooked the pump to the top of the tower and let it drip or spray down the inside of the pipe and over the plants roots. If you're crafty you can take the tube poke holes in it, capping the end, and letting spray like an aeroponics set. Then you just set the whole thing on top of the tank so it gravity feeds.

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Neon Noodle
Nov 11, 2016

there's nothing wrong here in montana

Stretch Marx posted:

To be honest the majority of information I've found related to hydroponics comes from marijuana grow op site forums. All hydroponics really comes down to is a bit of understanding of how light works, how to keep water plant friendly, and how to plumb. Once setup and the water is balanced correctly it's mostly set and forget.

I got bored so I mspainted a couple designs you could mull on.

The first is the eb/flow rail wall planter.



This the more basic design but also takes up more space. Basically you'll mount troughs or pipes on your wall in a zigzag pattern so the water you pump up from your tank can flow slowly down past the roots of all your plants. For a medium you can use something like hydroton or perlite in a trough so the water flows along the bottom. If you're using pipes, drill holes in the pipe for however wide you want to space your plants, then you can start your plants in grow cubes and just pop them in the holes. When they're ready you can just yank them and replace as need be.

The second is a tower stack like my first rig.



This is more difficult to setup right but is more compact than the wall mount. Basically you take a wide pvc pipe and cut holes large enough for a meshed cup can sit it. You can plant in whatever medium you want. You hooked the pump to the top of the tower and let it drip or spray down the inside of the pipe and over the plants roots. If you're crafty you can take the tube poke holes in it, capping the end, and letting spray like an aeroponics set. Then you just set the whole thing on top of the tank so it gravity feeds.

Wow, this is amazing! Thank you for these sketches. I'll have to look them over more closely when I can focus on the basics of how to set up babby's first hydro.

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