Month: October 2010

After discussing, David and I chose to let the first seeds remaining in place and to add addition seeds. We decided to do this in order to see if any of the new seeds, or old, begin to grow just as our lone seed we have. We are still unsure to why we only have had one successful plant so far. We noticed that the nutrients from our solution had settled to the bottom of our can and I suggested making a new mixture. We mixed enough for two gallons and the pH was neutral (7). I hope to monitor the pH and try to get it a little lower.

These are pictures of our system and the one growing plant:

When checking our hydroponic system today in class, I noticed that we still only had one seed growing. That one seed shows good progress, however, it is upsetting that the other three have yet to sprout and begin to grow. I am not sure if those seeds are taking longer, or if there is something I need to adjust or change in my system. Next class meeting I will need to discuss the issue with my partner and see if he has any ideas. The pH seems to be at an okay level and is not a concern at the moment. On the other hand, I may need to mix up a new batch of the nutrient solution to see if this helps the situation at all. If the three seeds do not begin to grow soon, I will have to replant three seeds to see if that makes a difference. I will not be too concerned at the moment, and give the seeds some more time to grow. I will also begin to take pictures and post them on the blog to display a picture time line of our hydroponic system. I hope to see improvements in the future, or we will have to reconsider how we set up our system and find solutions to our problems.

After checking up on our seeds, we realized our nutrient solution did not look right. When we checked the pH of our solution it was over 7 (darker blue). In order to lower of pH, to added pH Down to our solution. After working to get in lower, we ended with a pH close to 6.5. Besides our upset of too high of a pH, we noticed that after two days we had one of our plants sprout. Sadly, the other three did not show process like this one. We are hoping that since we lowered the pH the other plants will being to sprout.

David and I made the final touches to our hydroponic system we designed. We chose to design a water culture system which would use the air pump to supply air to the air stone which would then bubble the nutrients to the roots of the plant. After assembling our system to decide to grow baby mesclun lettuce. We put the system under the grow lights and hope to see results soon!