What I am pointing at is one of the remaining original leaves from growth outside. All of the original leaves were discolored and partially necrotic, likely a soil deficiency that we will have to fix next year. These pictures don't really do justice to how healthy the other leaves are looking.
Something else that is doing surprisingly well is my pineapple plant! I mentioned this very briefly in a previous post or two, but the story is I dropped the top of a store bought pineapple into my tomato system over the summer, and when I dismantled it this had fully established roots! So with my conclusion that my orange tree experiment was over (it never grew past a couple leaves), I dropped it in that bucket, and there it remains. I just did a full water change after noticing a lighter green color in the new growth (which there is surprisingly a lot of since being out in full light). Significant of a nutrient deficiency, which in this case was likely a result of old water throwing off the chemistry and causing nutrient lock-up. Unfortunately this picture isn't great, but the roots are awesome, and hang well to the bottom of the bucket, ~1 ft.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog over the past few days from the beginning to the current post. I love the many pictures, diagrams, and explanations! I am currently in the process of collecting bottles to replicate some of your systems, with a few parts tweaked.
ReplyDeleteI plan on repurposing an outdoor solar lamp or gadget of some sort to run any pumps I might use. Also, I will have to learn a lot about any fish tank equipment you mention, since I've never had fish...
One thought I did have was about light. I know your experiences have been with trying to get as much direct light as possible on your plants, but have you ever thought about diffusing light instead of reflecting it with foil? Thinking of greenhouses (and even photographers) they diffuse light as much as possible to reach every corner, fold, and leaf. It's actually more beneficial if you can diffuse light, because then every leaf is getting equal amounts of rays. I know grow lamps are popular for indoor winter growing, but many people have not taken advantage of adding diffusing material to help with that. I am going to try it with my system to see if it helps!
Thanks again for such a wonderful blog! I will be starting my own to also document my efforts (and other crazy things I do around the house).
Thanks! I'm glad that you have enjoyed it! That would be great if you could use one of those lamps to power the pumps, with the airlift it might be possible, aquarium air pumps are relatively low wattage so a minor solar cell may cover its needs.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking with the diffusing idea! I hadn't thought of that, my only reservation in terms of using a diffuser would be with electric lighting. While the sun is plenty powerful enough to cast enough light through a greenhouse's roof, with the lower powered lighting (like what I use) I would be a wary of how much light may be blocked by the opacity of the diffuser, but I can also see how a more uniform spreading of light allows for more global use of the plant's photosynthetic potential, rather than overloading acute parts of the leaf surfaces. I am definitely interested to see where that goes!
Can't wait to see your progress and tweaks, good luck with your build! And if you have any questions (about aquarium stuff, or anything) don't hesitate, I love chatting with readers. :)
Thanks! I have to put my building on hold because I am going out of town for two weeks at New Years, but mid January I will start. Hoping to locate pieces I need during that time, that way I can put it all together in one go.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I have enjoyed about your builds the most is the use of natural materials whenever possible, like tying them with string, etc. It's too bad you couldn't use something like a natural sponge to hold the plant up rather than net pots, but that would mess with flow and have issues of its own...
I look forward to seeing more of your projects! Be back in a few weeks with mine!