Aeroponics trial #3

[Keen101]

Interesting lights! I particularly like the switchable option for blue-red shifting.

Today i planted some seeds for the Aft tomato in my hydro aero experiment chamber. Yes, Aft is literally what i've been calling them, though technically they are LA1996. The Aft tomato variety was one that did well in my garden (very rare), determinate which i also do not have very many of, but it also was one of the most productive tomatoes i had in 2017. It also has large tomatoes. So all things considered, this is one interesting variety that is worth growing again. Tomato taste was ok. They had purple spotches on them that made them sort of look diseased, but it was not disease, just genetics. Figured it might make a good hydro tomato variety.





EDIT: i just noticed on the TGRC LA1996 page that it is listed as "Mating System: Allogamous-SI". Does this mean LA1996 is self incompatible?

[Keen101]

Just posted an update over on OpenAg. So i'll copy my update here too. For those of you like me who may find themselves stuck in an apartment or want to breed tomatoes or something together during the winter you may be interested in this project. Currently it's all hydroponic, which i don't know if i like hydroponics for long term growing, but the basic idea is what is cool. https://forum.openag.media.mit.edu/t/300-food-computer

okay! Here is how my Aero/Hydro (i dont like the term fogponics so i don’t use it) seed germination system has progressed. It actually works quite well. The two pepper plants got huge rather quickly and I’ve already had to move them to a larger Deep Water Culture (if i get the terminology right). I’ve eaten peppers off of one already! The other is growing bell peppers now in the windowsill. Several of the indeterminate tomatoes had to be moved out as well. And eventually even the determinate tomato (LA1996) as my shelf was just a little too short for it too (not by much). I potted that one up.

Despite this working well as a germination tray i don’t really think i really like hydroponics for long term growing. I think Soil is the better way to go for me long term maybe. But i think i will keep this system for germinating tomato seedlings and such. I did eventually have terrible algae problems so i cleaned it out and covered it with reflective tape and that has fixed it. Left some small openings for water level diagnostics. Never had to add that internal fan as i just removed one of the two piezo ultrasonic misters and that reduced the heat enough to acceptable levels. The light, the airstone, and the mister all are still on an arduino timer that turns off at night. Sometimes i put a small battery powered fan on top to stiffen the stems of the seedlings to harden them off before planting. Don’t want them weak.

I currently have Solanum galapagense, Solanum cheesmaniae, S. lycopersicoides, S. sitiens, Domestic tomato ‘Anasazi’ (one of the ones that tastes good and does well in my climate), etc. seedlings currently growing and sprouting for the upcoming summer. I have more i will want/need to germinate.

[bigbubbacain]

I realize that I'm a little late responding to this, but there are other sources out there with some interesting variations on the ultrasonic fogger. Nutramist is one of them.

https://www.futuregarden.com
https://www.futuregarden.com/howto/n...aeroponic.html

[bigbubbacain]

Well, I've been playing around with aeroponics and ultrasonic foggers for about 13 years now and I finally have a system that works for germinating my seeds in record time. I must confess, it isn't homemade. I found the best of what I was looking for in another brand. After going through so many Rubbermaid tubs, I grew tired of replacing them when the plastic began to wear. I finally looked one day at a hydroponics store and found a Power Cloner 45 made by Botanicare. It was pricey, but I've been using it steadily since I bought it 8 years ago and it's already paid for itself. I've also fine-tuned my process by using Rapid Rooter peat plugs instead of net pots or starting the seeds on cheesecloth. They're a perfect fit for the 45 holes in the lid and any moisture/fog that seeps through is recovered by the clear dome that fits on the top of the cloner. Pics below show my tomato seedlings from a few years ago that germinated in 4 days and produced true leaves in 10. I also get cucumbers to germinate in 3 days and they're ready to transplant in 8. One of the photos shows Gardenia cuttings. Those began to produce root nodules in 5 days (last photo) and I was VERY surprised by this because I have rotten luck propagating woody stems of anything.