New Strawberry Clones

Today I attached some of the runners from the hydro strawberries to rapid rooters in cups filled with grow stones. Once the roots reach the liquid we will sever the umbilicals. All of the excess runners (and one flower bud!!!) were trimmed in order to encourage more foliage growth after nutrient burn forced us to remove quite a few leaves with burned tips. The effect of the high nutrient levels can be seen in the under-curling of many of the bigger leaves.

The plant at the top of the image with light green leaves is our spare spaghetti squash that, despite serious nutrient burn, is still out growing the one with its own bucket. We should toss it since we don't have room for any more vining plants, but we can't help wanting to see if it will keep going. It may end up with a bucket of its own as well.

A close up of the clones pinned to rapid rooters using extra bobby pins I had laying around.

We should also note that we almost lost an air pump today. After nutrient solution leaked back into our air pumps and onto the floor a few times, we purchased back flow stop valves, but added them a few hours too late. One of them stopped working but Chris opened it up, found where the circuit had been broken due to corrosion and fixed it!! For now, this resurrected pump will serve as a back up and the strawberry and tomato totes will be run off the same pump.

Spaghetti Squash.

This squash took off. It might be from its ability to take in high nutrient levels. We will add this to a 5 gal bucket soon. The root system is looking great.  

Blueberries, zucchini, and squash

Harvested daisies with AquaFarm.

Blueberry plants freshly placed in soilless sphagnum peat and pine mix for acidity with added holly tone for nutrients. Left: pink lemonade. Right: jersey. Both are fed recycled water via drip system.

Now leafless mulberry after it got frost bitten during transit. If the buds put out new leaves it will get transplanted into a soilless mix as well.

Strawberries sharing a bucket with spare zucchini and squash due to a 100% germination rate.

Whole hydro setup.

Tomatoes and newly potted spaghetti squash (left) and zucchini (right).

Strawberry and blueberry totes.

Close up of pink lemonade blueberry sprouting its new leaves.

Close up of the first blooms on the hydroponic yellow pear tomatoes.

Hydro & Soilless Plants

2-3 foot (1 month old) Yellow pear cherry Tomatoes in deep water culture hydroponics. First blooms about to open. Soon tomatoes cages will be required.

Dwarf clementine and leafless Meyer lemon in soilless gritty mix with drip irrigation on a timer. I am hoping that the lemon with put out new leaves soon now that its in a warmer place with more reliable light, water, and nutrient supplies.

One of zucchini and spaghetti squash starters nearly ready for hydro. They will be trained up a trellis against the wall to save space. Watermelon seeds are coming and will be done in the same manner.

A sucker from the lemon that we are trying to root. It should be a palmello.

Strawberries, pink lemonade blueberry plant, and frost bitten mulberry tree under intense grow light (camera trying to compensate). Blueberry and mulberry will go into soilless setups this weekend after a trip to the local hydro store.

Close up of the pink lemonade blueberry plant with its new green leaves emerging!