January 18, 2012 journal

The two ebb and flow systems above are just about ready to harvest, so it is time to think about what varieties to plant next.

The top photo shows Red Salad Bowl lettuce and the bottom photo is Two Star lettuce. In my opinion the Two Star looks remarkably like Lettony lettuce. Both of these varieties are good candidates for hydroponic growing, as there was absolutely no sign of tip burn in either system.

Yesterday I contacted the AutoPot, or Easy 2 Grow, folks regarding my problems with cucumbers, and their CEO was kind enough to respond with several suggestions regarding growing cucumbers with their system. He wrote that, as one person suggested, using a pad under the pot was not necessary. The crux of his advice was to allow the plants to grow larger and develop a decent root system before placing them into the AutoPots, and, to allow them to be well established before turning on the liquid; perhaps as long as three or four weeks.

My one remaining plant, the one with the two small cucumbers, is looking slightly better. It may be my imagination, but it appears to be growing again, however, one way or another its days are numbered.