New Kickstarter Window Farm Seedlings..some growing, some dying
11:26 pm in Uncategorized by Jackie Endsley
I am wondering if anyone out there has tried growing the seedlings that the kickstarter community has for sale. We recently received out windowfarms and shortly after received the seedlings. The chives are growing really well. The watercress is doing alright, but the lettuce and basil are not looking so good and a few have already died in 3 short days. I am wondering if it a difference in watering. Does anyone know how often to water basil and lettuce? I have those two on the same pump and they are being watered for 15 minutes every hour except between the hours of 8pm and 11pm. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jackie
Hey Jackie,
I experienced a similar problem. My basil is doing okay, and the watercress is great, but chives & lettuce are a little limp. My theory is that the seedlings might have been damaged during shipping. I recently started my own seedlings from growplugs (spinach, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, strawberries) and those are doing so much better. I found these growplugs to be sturdier than the ones used by the kickstarter people:
http://www.hydroponics.net/i/111400
They allow for more rigid root systems to develop, I found.
Carlo
Lettuce and Basil love water.
I don’t have one of the new kits so I don’t know what instructions came or not.
Typically I wouldn’t start growing plants from seed in the windowfarm. I usually make sure they are established seedlings before they go into the farm.
Also make sure water isn’t hitting them directly. Small seedlings can get damaged that way.
I would also have basil and lettuce in the top pods of my window farm. Although, it sounds like most of what you are growing likes lots of water.
Maybe check them between 8 and 11 to see if they are getting dried out and that is the time they are not happy.
I had some tomato plants that started to wilt after 6 hours when I had a pump die.
Make sure that you followed the instructions for placing their roots properly under the flow of water: http://www.windowfarms.org/instructions/index.php?language=2§ion=8
Hi. I also got the plants from Kickstarter. My lettuce is a little sad – a bunch of the leaves died the first week. I have about 5-6 big leaves that are still growing well tho and new leaves coming out. My chives seem a little wilty, but are growing very tall at the same time. Basil is exploding – grew triple size in like a week. Watercress is doing pretty good too. I’m going to write a post and post some pics as a new farm user soon. I have had some issues with mold – have you? I cleaned everything out last week and thought I’d nipped it in the bud, but it’s back. The ph is a little basic today – I just added a bit of vinegar. But it seems the smaller leaves that die might be contributing to the mold – gotta figure out how to get in there and trim that dead stuff off.
Thanks for the comments and sorry for the late reply. Since I sent that post my plants have been doing great. The basil is huge, the lettuce abundant, the watercress is growing wildly and the chives are long and healthy. I find I have to refill my water levels often- every day to every other. My top basil plant was out of control so I moved it to the lowest position and now it just grows up alongside the other plants. We’ve been very happy with the constant supply of fresh lettuces and herbs. From the 16 plants in the starter kit, we have 14 survivors that are thriving. I replaced the two dead basil with basil I bought potted and simply uprooted it and out it in the pellets. At first it wasn’t happy, but now it seems to be doing fine.
Kim, I have had some issues with mold too- it’s mostly on my water pump and now getting inside the tube. I need to figure out how to clean that out.
I’m eager to start growing something new. Any suggestions? Anyone know where to buy from? Has anyone combined 2 pots to make room? My plants have gotten so big that I’m not sure I can.
I’m going to post some photos tomorrow. I’m loving my growing farm.