When to move rockwool seedlings to dutch buckets

[Stan]

gdgdad, if you have Dollar Stores close by stop in and buy a couple of these sun shields for cars.


When you open the package open them up fold them in half the (the long way) make a crease then cut them along the crease so end up having 2 long pieces. Each piece will fit perfectly wrapped around the 5 gallon buckets starting about 3 inches below the top lip it will cover a little more than 3/4 of the buckets preventing the inside from getting steaming hot from direct sun.

[gdgdad]

Stan, Great idea and yes I do have a dollar store near me (I go there frequently!). I actually though about buying aluminum foil to do the same thing, but yours’ is a much better method. Question on the Dutch buckets, when I first constructed them, I ran the system regularly to test for leaks and insure timer operation. As a result, it’s been sitting since the start of September with likely 2” of water in each bucket (I didn't expect to still be trying to get seedlings going). Today I hooked it directly to hose and ran water through it for about a ½ hour, pushing between 10 and 15 gallons through. Should I add a small amount of bleach to the “flush” to eliminate the possibility of any bacteria or mold in the bottom of the buckets(assuming chlorine eventually dissipates)? Maybe a few days before moving plants to Dutch buckets? They’ve been inside the garage so no direct sunlight exposure. Hoping I don’t have to completely empty the perlite out, clean buckets, and re-rinse perlite, but I will if it mold or bacteria is a possibility. Don’t want to have gone this far and screw it up…. Also, added a “status” pic as of today… Thanks,
gdgdad

[Stan]

Seedlings are looking good,

I have never used bleach but I've read many people do. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag in all my 5 gallon buckets. At the end of the growing season I rinse all out with fresh water and let it dry up on the ground in the strainer bag. When dry I pour the perlite out of the bags into an extra large trash can and leave it out for the winter then do everything all over again for the following spring.




Since you're down in a warm climate all year that wont work so you are probably better off using a little bit of bleach. I would check the perlite at the bottom of the container first to see if it needs cleaning.

[gdgdad]

Stan, had some kind of varmint get on the bucket, scatter the Hydroton all over the lid, knocked down the two tallest plants – breaking one. I’m pissed. Made a cage (see pics) and “propped up” the tallest plant with a wooden skewer. Tallest plant seems to be doing OK, just too weak to stay vertical on it’s own. One of the sprouts is starting “true leaves”. I’ve also started yet another seed(s) where the varmint broke my seedling (fresh rockwool cube soaked in 6.0 ph of course). Temps really cooling down, mid 80’s all week, upper 70’s all next week.

[Stan]

That sucks! That’s why I build the larger cloner as I can pick and choose the healthiest of each tomato plant variety to be moved to Dutch bucket.

I had squirrels decimate my giant heirloom tomatoes this year. I was only able to get 6 ripe tomatoes in the beginning then the squirrels started chowing down on any tomato that started to ripen. I must’ve thrown out at least 40+lbs of giant heirloom tomatoes. They didn’t touch the cherry tomatoes luckily for me. Next year I plan to set up low voltage wiring around the bottom so when they try to climb up they’ll get a small shock that will keep them away but won’t kill or injure them.

[gdgdad]

It’s October 28th. And here’s where the seedling are at (see pics). The tallest is just under 5” tall, but still no roots coming out of the rockwool cube- see pic #3. Three other seedlings are "barely" starting new leaves. Things cooled down significantly here (west central Florida) so I moved the aeroponic cloner into the garage. The garage is south facing so temp stays in the low 80’s range. Because the garage is typically shut from late afternoon until 9 or 10 in the morning, I’ve added back in the cfl lighting (via timer) from garage closure to midnight, and then on again at 6 am until garage is opened. Just started that today – any concerns? It just seems these seedlings are growing so slow….

[Stan]

Ok how cool is it actually getting? I’ve had a cloner outdoors in 55 degrees.

Roots should already be seen the pics of the leaves look like a pale green and not a darker healthier green. If this is true then you need the timer I posted earlier set it for 30 seconds on 15 minutes off running like that 24 hours a day with nutrient water that is ph checked.This will basically flush any water thats in the rockwool out and replacing it with fresh nutrient water. Whatever roots you have in the rockwool will suck up the nutrients more often making the plant healthier.

[gdgdad]

Thanks Stan, I broke down and ordered that timer off Amazon as we speak, should be here between 11/1 & 11/6. As far as temperature this morning, it could have been as low as 48 / 49, I’m not positive – but 50 to me is cold! On the nutrient, when I last “flushed” the bucket 10/17, the fresh water I put in was balanced PH at 6.0, and ¼ strength nutrient (Miracle Grow for tomatoes). The color is indeed NOT a rich dark green, and some leaves seem slightly wilted. Now….. I’ve not checked the PH since the flush, but I’ve not had to add water either. In a “static” system, do I need to still check PH periodically? In the mean time before my new timer comes, I can increase the spray cycles up to ten per day with my current timer, minimum 1 minute duration's. Every time I’ve checked, cubes were wet or saturated. Also, I currently have the aerator running only while the sprayers are, vs 7/24. As I said in the last post, I re-introduced the CFL lights when not in indirect sun light (except for nighttime) because the seedlings were always leaning / stretching toward indirect sunlight. I “rotate” the bucket daily to get them to lean the other way. The seedlings seem to be growing frustratingly slow – but I’m determined and hangin’ in there… all advice appreciated..