Monday, February 13, 2012

February 13, 2012 journal


The above photo
is being posted to illustrate why I believe Autopots overwater plants indoors, and why I advocate the use of a moisture meter and shut off valve when using them indoors.

As can be seen in the photo, the reservoir is completely dry, as the valve to the nutrient tank has been turned off for over a week. Still, the moisture level in the media is 9.0 on a scale of 10. If the valve had not been turned off, the reservoir would have refilled a week ago, making the media very soggy indeed.

The CEO of Autopots UK sent me a PDF showing Autopots being used successfully to grow cucumbers. That said, the example was a greenhouse in Barbados, where conditions are very much different than the conditions, indoors, in a tent, in upstate New York.

Following his advice for the best EC for cucumbers, I lowered the EC on the cucumbers I am growing in the ebb and flow system to 1.4. The result is that I can now see signs of nitrogen deficiency.

I guess the moral of this post is: Using trial and error, determine what works best for you, and YOUR growing conditions.






No comments: