Grow Log, Home: Round 3

Grow log for my home hydroponics setup, round 3.

Fri 29 July 2022

2022-04-14: Planted strawberry starters.
2022-04-21: Observed fresh white roots shooting out horizontally.
2022-04-23: Cut flower buds off BCDEF.
2022-04-24: Measured EC at 1.2 and pH at 6.8. Added 20 mL of pH down.
2022-04-25: Measured pH at 6.2.
2022-04-28: Cut a bud off of E.
2022-05-01: Cut buds off BCDF.
- too many buds, no longer tracking
2022-05-05: Noticed some young leaves are brownish. Turned grow lights down to 50%.
2022-05-22: Noticed sticky leaves and white flecks. There's tons of aphids.
2022-05-24: Sprayed all plants liberally with aphid spray and rinsed off after.
2022-05-27: Noticed aphids are still alive. Ordered more spray.
2022-06-01: Dunked plants in aphid spray, rinsed off with water.
2022-06-04: Dunked plants in aphid spray again, dunked in freshwater, transferred plants back. Measured pH at 4.0. Added more water to bring it up to 5.6. EC at 0.8
2022-06-19: Swapped nutes for General Hydroponics. (2nd preparation below)
2022-06-20: Noticed some sort of powdery mildew at base of leaves on a couple plants. Rinsed all with water and removed dead leaves.
2022-06-??: Started hand-pollinating with a q-tip. Breaks cotton up.
2022-07-05: Measured pH at 4.4, EC at 2.1. Added 5 gal water to bring it up to pH 5.5, EC at 1.4. Tons of flowers, pollinated with small brush.
2022-07-19: Measured ph at 3.8, EC at 1.8. Added 5 gal water. Measure later.
2022-07-20: Ate first strawberry. It was delicious.
2022-07-23: Way too much mould, aphids, and dead leaves. Terminated.

Preparation

boiled clay balls to sterilize
rinsed dirt off 6 strawberry starters
- three normal
- two pulled thick roots out and broke away rest
- one washed with Method hand soap
90 L-ish growth solution prepared
- up to bottom of net cups
- 100 ml plant food to 1.2 EC from 0.3 EC tap water
- 20 ml pH down to 6.0 pH from 6.5 pH with food
holes cut in net cups, roots thread through
remaining space filled with clay balls
tote lid covered with aluminum foil
air stone added to one side
16 hours of light

2nd Preparation

drained tote with 5 gal buckets, washed out with water
transferred 20 gal with 4 x 5 gal bucket trips
measured plain water EC at 0.2
added 132 mL Bloom, 94 mL Micro, 94 mL Gro
measured 1.7 EC, 6.5 pH
- difference of 1.5 EC
added 15 mL pH down to 6.2 pH
** stole 5 gal for Protospace