hydroponic update

Update on the bucket plant.

It's been nine days since I took the first pic of the hydroponic tomato plant and it looks like we got some growth going on.

This unit is so self contained I don't have to do anything outside of look at it once a day.  Even the water is at acceptable levels.  Root growth is impressive but not excessive, which tells me the nutrient solution is perfect for this plant.  The growth has doubled since I set this up and I'm already developing blossoms.  Compared to the tomato plants I see in neighborhood gardens, this one has them beat by a few weeks.  Granted, it's been a chilly May and garden soil isn't as warm as it should be but this bucket has been outside with an ambient water temperature equivalent to the garden soil where other plants are growing at a somewhat slower pace.  I guess they're doing fine but not phenomenal, and phenomenal is what I expect from my vegetative, earth-bound friends.

The same rate of growth holds true for the PVC hydroponic system.  I've already replaced one third of the plants that were growing out of control with seedlings that quickly adapted to the new environment.  I guess plants like a lot of water.  Go figure.

All this positive reinforcement is getting me to think of building something a little bigger, maybe sixteen feet of PVC with 2" cups for the plants.  Everything else will be the same as the first PVC system.  With a little engineering I can make it fit in a 2' by 4' space that can hold 30 plants or more.

I spent enough on this for one day.  It's time to make some rum.