New Portable Rubbermaid Stock Tank system about to be born

great08

7341 wrote:

Hi,
anymore updates on the lettuce?

Mine aren't taking off for some reason (I think it's a heat problem).And I think the black seeded simpson take longer to grow than closed head types :dontknow:

.I've never grown this type before.

So far my lettuce has been doing amazing. We have harvested from it several times.

My Bibb lettuce has been growing a great deal slower than my Black Seeded Simpson. Looks good but a lot slower. I may not grow it in there again just because space is limited.

The baby lettuce experiment I had going on down in the bottom of the system was an abysmal failure. I spiked the water with nutrients though and didn't know what I was doing. So that may have been the cause. I loaded it with kelp powder and chelated iron.... and may have brought it up to toxic levels. Their roots looked like they were having to adapt to the new environment as well... so that my have just been what the issue was.

I started some Grand Rapids lettuce seedlings. They are now approximately 3x the size of some of the Black seeded Simpson seedlings that are around 3 or 4 times the age. They are in peat pellets though... so that may be giving them a boost.

I only have 3 Grand Rapids going though sadly. So I plan to do one more experiment for the Winter... start a peat pellet flat. 1/2 Grand Rapids and 1/2 Black Seeded Simpson. They are both Heirlooms.

I have managed to dial in the lights up top. I raised them to around 6" off of the plants... and put a small fan on the floor pointed up in their directions. The fan is on the same timer. Now... no more tip burn.

Speaking of tip burn... the Grand Rapids seed packet says that they are resistant to tip burn. So I shall see.

The Flavor of the lettuce has been nothing less than perfect. The leaves are fluffy but crunchy.

Temps have been a consistent 55F to 63F or so for the entire time for the most part. Occasionally dipping above or below that point for short spurts.

Sorry I quit posting suddenly. Been dealing with a ski trip... and using my spare time to get a cloning station built... and plant out about 15 fruit trees/bushes. I have about half in the ground now... but they are starting to wake up. So they may get ruined... time will tell. lol

Let me know if you have any more questions.

7341

Thanks

The tip burn could be down to Calcium or humidity too.

great08

7341 wrote:

Thanks

The tip burn could be down to Calcium or humidity too.

OK. I will have to learn how to read that. The humidity has been usually hovering around 60 to 70%. IDK what the dew point has been though... or if that is part of the equation. lol

I do use crushed limestone to raise the PH. There is usually crumbles/fine gravels of it down on the bottom of the main tank. I introduce it there since the fish seem to enjoy picking at it... and keep it free of solids so that it can dissolve. My PH does not swing... but I have not tested for hardness in forever though.

7341

Look up guttation/root pressure.But after reading your 2nd from last post -

great08 wrote:

The baby lettuce experiment I had going on down in the bottom of the system was an abysmal failure. I spiked the water with nutrients though and didn't know what I was doing. So that may have been the cause. I loaded it with kelp powder and chelated iron.... and may have brought it up to toxic levels. Their roots looked like they were having to adapt to the new environment as well... so that my have just been what the issue was.

it could also be toxicity problems (tip burn).

great08

Update 28Feb2020:

I have officially planted out my next batch of seedlings for testing. I decided to take picks along the path in order to assist my memory long term and to possibly help folks out who watch the thread.

Anyways, I soaked some small Jiffy peat pellets in aquaponics water 2 days ago and then started 2 rows each of Grand Rapids, Salad Bowl, and Black Seeded Simpson salad types. To be honest the SB seeds expired 2 years ago and BSS seeds expired last year. However, they have mainly lived in the fridge since purchase.

Not a single seed was buried the recommended 1/8" from the seed packet. They were just pressed into the top of the peat to make good contact with the surface.

House is being kept @ around 67F.

Light set to 1/2 brightness and 12" above the greenhouse tray covers.

Night/then day 01 were spent in the dark with all but with about an hour's worth of good bright full-spectrum light at the end of day 01.

Today was spent entirely in the dark but with light for this past 1 hour... and they will get another 4 hours of light before the timer shuts the light off.

The seedlings will start getting much more light time as soon as I see the first sets of leaves emerge. I hear that IR light spectrum is required for many seeds for germination. It is just helpful with some others.

Surprisingly… the GR lettuce seeds have already began to explode roots down into the peat!

Asitis

Thanks for the update. I enjoy how thoroughly you detail the process.

great08

Asitis wrote:

Thanks for the update. I enjoy how thoroughly you detail the process.

Your welcome!

Honestly it is mostly to help myself long term. My memory is incredibly horrible and doing detailed tests is about the only way I am able to improve my skills. Or is at least the main way I do.

For instance... this was the first time I just tamped the seeds down to the surface like it were grass seed. Seems to have worked and is WAY easier with the small salad seed.

great08

Update 02 March:

The strawberries are starting to come on. I spotted at least 6 that are in different stages of turning red and MANY more on the way. Lots of new blossoms as well. However, APHIDS everywhere. I am likely going to take these guys out in a while and make a full second bed of lettuce.

Seedlings are coming along nicely. At least one seed germinated in each peat pellet. Better than I was hoping for since the seeds were 2yrs expired on the middle two rows.

I now replenished my old seed with new ones. That Salad Bowl lettuce packet was finished off anyways.

Noticed that my water was getting Crystal clear about a week ago. One of the auto feeders quit working long enough for a spider web to be built onto it. Just got the new one in the mail today. Got to keep the nitrates and other nutrients up for them strawberries and lettuce.

Pics....

Asitis

Looks great. Aphids are gonna be a bugger to trat indoors.

7341

Those strawberries look nice!.Air mail me one strawberry please :lol:

great08

Asitis wrote:

Looks great. Aphids are gonna be a bugger to trat indoors.

Thanks! I am pretty sure that the Strawberries are gonna have to go under all of the fruit trees I am planting pretty soon. Funny thing is that ONLY the strawberries have aphids as far as I can tell. Everything else is clear.

great08

7341 wrote:

Those strawberries look nice!.Air mail me one strawberry please :lol:

They smell great too. As they fully ripen I can actually smell them as I walk past the beds. Taste pretty darn decent as well.

great08

Update: 11 Days since the last...

Alright. Several days ago I thinned the plants... watered them for the first time (rain water this time)… and they exploded. Lookin good!

I have a very busy weekend planned. However, I wish I could clean out the other bed and throw 4 rows of these guys in there... and replace the other row of dark green lettuce in the first bed. I will get to it when I get to it I suppose.

I need to up pot the cucumbers and tomatoes as well. The green globe artichoke seeds are finally showing up and just starting to put on some true leaves. I do hope to have some big beautiful artichoke plants going around the front of the house in the future. Perhaps with some dwarf fig trees (Violette De Bordeaux) behind them and some other small things around in a nice bed.

I have been putting A LOT of trees into the ground... and got some chickens (4 chicks) I have to deal with now.

Anyways... first pic is from a few days ago... and the last one is from today.

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Asitis

You have been busy. The plan for the artichoke bed sound great, i can see it now. I use to breifly work spray the non-ediable weedy artichoke thistle, alway thought they were too beautiful to do so. Thanks for the update.

great08

Asitis wrote:

You have been busy. The plan for the artichoke bed sound great, i can see it now. I use to breifly work spray the non-ediable weedy artichoke thistle, alway thought they were too beautiful to do so. Thanks for the update.

They are some neat looking plants.

The edible type looks a little neater even still. I don't expect mine to be big/beautiful. However, it sure would be cool if they were. Look how massive they can get!

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