This journal is a place where I show off my gardening practices. I love growing stuff, it doesn't even matter what to some degree. Growing cannabis is fun and rewarding but it can get a little repetitive. I have some raised beds outside totalling a little over 100 square feet. I filled them with equal parts compost, peat and vermiculite. The verm helps with water retention in raised beds, they almost drain too well. They also produce more vegetables than the 2 of us can consume, same as cannabis.
I live in Minnesota with a very short growing season and success depends on a solid seedling game. Winter is long here and grocery store produce gets uglier and uglier as the season progresses. I have grown a few tubs of lettuce on a styrofoam float in the past, it's easy but still pretty hands on. Growing lettuce outside is also easy, but constant work making new plants and the produce is Invariably dirty. I saw these vivosun units for sale last week for really cheap and decided I had to have them. I have a spare 4x4 tent and light, the whole 9 yards actually, so here's what I'm doing.
Pumps feed the top tubes and it overflows through the system and drains back into the res, leaving about an inch of water in each tube. I plan to run the pumps for 5 minutes every 2 hours to start. The system came with cute little pumps and timers. We shall see how long they last. First system test revealed no leaks and it was all easy to level. They are designed as wall units but I think my V shape maximizes light exposure for all sites and it looks rad! Yoyo hangers and a couple of zip ties, easy peasy. I forgot how clean a hydro tent can look.
Stupid me did not start any lettuce seed when I ordered the system, but I was out of plugs. Once I get some stuff sprouted, I'll dose the tank and fire it up. And I need to make a lid for my res which came from a Botanicare flood and drain system I used to use. Don't need algae in there. I'm interested to see if that's a problem with light inside the tubes. I probably won't use every single site at first. Excited to see where this goes. 5 tents full of weed was getting old.
I live in Minnesota with a very short growing season and success depends on a solid seedling game. Winter is long here and grocery store produce gets uglier and uglier as the season progresses. I have grown a few tubs of lettuce on a styrofoam float in the past, it's easy but still pretty hands on. Growing lettuce outside is also easy, but constant work making new plants and the produce is Invariably dirty. I saw these vivosun units for sale last week for really cheap and decided I had to have them. I have a spare 4x4 tent and light, the whole 9 yards actually, so here's what I'm doing.
Pumps feed the top tubes and it overflows through the system and drains back into the res, leaving about an inch of water in each tube. I plan to run the pumps for 5 minutes every 2 hours to start. The system came with cute little pumps and timers. We shall see how long they last. First system test revealed no leaks and it was all easy to level. They are designed as wall units but I think my V shape maximizes light exposure for all sites and it looks rad! Yoyo hangers and a couple of zip ties, easy peasy. I forgot how clean a hydro tent can look.
Stupid me did not start any lettuce seed when I ordered the system, but I was out of plugs. Once I get some stuff sprouted, I'll dose the tank and fire it up. And I need to make a lid for my res which came from a Botanicare flood and drain system I used to use. Don't need algae in there. I'm interested to see if that's a problem with light inside the tubes. I probably won't use every single site at first. Excited to see where this goes. 5 tents full of weed was getting old.
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