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2012 strawberry towers for fair


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  #21  
Old 04-06-2012, 11:30 PM
Kerbouchard Kerbouchard is offline
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Wow guys, this is great info. I'm hoping to get a couple of small strawberry towers in this year, but haven't focused on it yet. Great plans GPS, and thanks for all the info fintucky.

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  #22  
Old 04-10-2012, 05:20 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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They are growing even though the hose has been frozen at least two mornings and it has rained almost everyday since the were put outside.
Having problems attaching photos from my I pad, any ideas?
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  #23  
Old 04-11-2012, 02:46 AM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Those berry plants will get really big in size in hydro fro leaf and root. If you end up pulling half them after they get started the roots will be enter tangled and you'll be leaving all that root matter enter twined with the still growing roots and can add to disease and or rot. Just a thought i had when i saw the picture. ! plant can easily cover 1 sq ft. they will fight each other to grow. I have agro towers and they only do 5 plants at a time around a much bigger circle and they fill up. But it looks cool. http://agrotower.com/
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  #24  
Old 04-11-2012, 04:27 AM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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I copied a design of a commercial set up. They were run to waste and I am going with recirculating. The system is only designed for one season and this perticular one just has to make it to August.
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  #25  
Old 04-11-2012, 06:03 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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fintuckyfarm
Although I agree with watercatwn6535nd, as I mentioned before that I was concerned about the spacing myself. But I totally understand where your coming from. I know you will take/adjust things as they come, and use the experience to make the next grow better in any way you can. It's not that strawberry plants cant be spaced close, but it definitely make plant maintenance much more difficult and time consuming. That's a learning curve, and we all experience/go through it every day. I know you will have a great display and look forward to seeing pictures of it.
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Last edited by GpsFrontier; 04-11-2012 at 06:10 AM.
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  #26  
Old 04-13-2012, 01:52 AM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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Here is the system that I copied if anyone is interested in building one. They encourage viewers to share the page, so I am...

http://www.backyard-gardening-fun.co...rry-tower.html
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  #27  
Old 04-14-2012, 02:48 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Hello fintuckyfarms,
Thanks for the link, it looks like they built a lot of those. I wish they would have posted pictures of the tubes when the plants were older. The last one they posted said after only 8 weeks, at 8 weeks their still not as big as they can get. I would have liked to see them at 4 months old. Just to give you an idea of how thick and bushy they can get when full grown, I posted a picture of commercial strawberry's growing in a horizontal system. Note how tall and bushy thick they are. I'm looking forward to seeing your system when the plants are growing berry's. If you can, I would also like to know how many pounds of berry's you get from it. In the research I've done/found, it shows that they got just under 2 pounds of strawberry's from each plant during the 4 month period. But that was also a soil farm doing the study. I haven't found any study's on commercial hydroponic strawberry farms. It sure looks like the commercial farm in the picture I posted will be getting more than 2 pounds per plant over a 4 month period. So it would be interesting to know what you wind up getting.
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  #28  
Old 04-14-2012, 06:04 AM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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Yep, plan on getting all that info. I changed out the nute tank today as it was going thru about 12 galls a day and that little tote was just not cutting it. I might have lost some at the bottom joint so we will see how fast I have to fill this one as I put it over the tank so it drains directly back into the nute tank. I still have to bury the barrel that will be the final nute tank. Mainly just posting this for a ref point later on. I plan on building the other 3 towers and the other 2 systems in the next two weeks so wish me luck...

My chickens have taken an interest in it so I hope by putting it over the nute tank they will not be able to reach it, otherwise I will have to fence it off.

You know me by now, I will post tons of picts
Tracy

Last edited by fintuckyfarms; 04-14-2012 at 06:14 AM.
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  #29  
Old 04-14-2012, 12:11 PM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Default Great picture

That is an amazing photo of strawberry production.
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  #30  
Old 04-16-2012, 03:13 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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watercatwn6535nd
It's a picture I found about two years ago, and it has been an inspiration to me as well. I even printed out the picture on photo paper, and have it on the wall in my room. I eventually found out where it came from. It's the picture on the cover of a book called "Hydroponic Strawberry Production" by Dr. Lynette Morgan. I have yet to buy the book, but I plan to as soon as I have the money to spare. I plan to, no "will" replicate it some day, even if not as large.
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  #31  
Old 04-26-2012, 07:29 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Hello fintuckyfarms,
It's been about two weeks now, any new pictures? How's the weather been up there?
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  #32  
Old 04-26-2012, 03:23 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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What water pump are you using? I wouldn't mind trying to set up something similar but would rather go with aeroponics. The pump I have now won't be able to pump water that high.
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  #33  
Old 04-26-2012, 06:56 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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GPSfrontier, thanks for asking. I have been sick and not really doing much of anything. Our weather here has been really weird. On the day we set a recorod high of 93 my son unplugged the pump. I am on graves and did not wake up till after 2pm. All the plants were wilting and I lost several and replanted about 25 of them. Several that were damaged are sending out new leaves, but they were shocked. Then about 12 days later several thunder stomes moved thru the area and the whole thing got blown over. I had to almost replant everything as the little plants were strewn in about a 5 foot blow zone from the fallen tower. We just had another storm pass thru this morning. One day its 60 and the next 90, like I said weird weather. I took some picts so you can see the damage. Some plants are definately recovering and some are doing well. You can really tell the new ones I just planted.

Any way, I am still fighting the good fight and I have been working on another side project. I plann to finish the rest of the systems for fair in May and plant by the end of may so the plants will still be growing at fair. I am still working with the gal at the hydro store, her plants are looking awesome but they are in a grow tent indoors. I wish I had a green house to better protect the little guys.


Stan, I was given a ECO1056 and it works great. It is almost too much for just one tower, but I plan on at least another one on this system if not two. I will post a pict of the max head chart.
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  #34  
Old 04-28-2012, 06:36 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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fintuckyfarms,
Sorry to hear about all the trouble, and I hope your feeling better soon. Wow, your whole system dumped over, then your pump disconnected. I know you will make it through though. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

P.S.
Stan, I tend to use fountain and/or pond pumps myself. Just check the max head height chart on the box for the GPH at the height you need, like fintuckyfarms mentions.
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  #35  
Old 04-28-2012, 09:18 AM
Stan Stan is offline
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I've checked out a few pumps but will wait until I build the tower first before i decide which 1 to get. Hopefully I'll have something set up by mid May. Will post pics when I'm finished.

fintuckyfarms, hope you feel better soon. I'm sure your strawberry tower will be a hit in August.
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  #36  
Old 04-28-2012, 01:06 PM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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I would only use the magnetic impeller pond pumps. Ebay has the price. What ever you need for head double that pump size to give your self better pressure. I use a 5500gph pump that lowes sells for 279 i think and ebay has it for 60 or so. I use the same pump for every thing that way i have a back up pump that drops right in if one ever fails and i have to say they have not and they run 24/7. plus the power draw is very little. i have 11.5 ft head and then i drop back down 1ft and use a 10ft long manifold 2" in diameter. I had a 1000gph i tried and it worked for 4 drip lines. now with 5500gph i could run any thing i want and as many as I could ever want and still have good pressure and volume. I'm loving that i can run hydro halos and i have to slow the water volume by at least half

Those stainless waterfall pumps that lowes and home depot sell last exactly 90 days on 24/7.

Last edited by watercatwn6535nd; 04-28-2012 at 01:08 PM.
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  #37  
Old 04-29-2012, 06:28 PM
Stan Stan is offline
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Quote:
I use a 5500gph pump that lowes sells for 279 i think and ebay has it for 60 or so.
If you can please PM me the info.
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  #38  
Old 05-08-2012, 11:51 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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I found the first flowers today

On a side note, I am missing 2 chickens in 3 days. They are no longer sleeping in the barn but in one of the evergreens on the other side of the property.
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  #39  
Old 05-09-2012, 05:49 PM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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i have little tomaters and cukes and strawberry flowers as well. love this time of year. Now i just need to get my peak vents in before it gets to hot. right now my fans run 24/7. if it wasn't hydro it would all be dead. I'll try and shoot some video tonight I keep for getting to bring my camera home with me from work.

I just read there was a root plant that tasted like scallops and oysters? any one know the name.
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  #40  
Old 05-10-2012, 08:37 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
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So half of the tower is doing great and the other half no so much. I will probably have to replant the south side of the tower but I will give it another week to see. Our weather has been crazy, just saw on face book that we have a freeze warning tonight after being in the 70's today. Crazy!! Yesterday was 65 and the day before 92. I just don't understand it; I really need a greenhouse.

On a side note, just got back from the doctor and guess who is allergic to the sun.. WTF! More specifically my body attacks itself when I get a sun burn so I am not going to garden outside this year except for the fair displays and and my inside window farms. I will have to figure out where I go from here on the hydroponics. Since I don't have a basement to garden in maybe I will kick out one of my boys and garden in their room

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