Update
Submitted by Chellflower on Sat, 03/15/2008 - 13:18
Hi ya'll,
Sorry I haven't posted here in over a week, been volunteering at school for Texas Public school's week, Book Fair, etc...but now Sring Break's finally here...(not sure how much of a 'break' it'll be for us parents, but I'm glad to have both kids home all week for a change).
We lost our Cypress Vine Seedlings and one Desert Willow- I believe from root rot. They were in Reservoir #1. I think some of this may be from having to use ground clay instead of the pellets. Got another baby 'shroom too. I had mixed a new batch of nutrient solution (after seedlings reach about ten days old, its time to change to 50/50 mix of 16-16-16 and 3-20-20). Because of the Cypress Vines delimna, I drained the old solution Thursday, but I'm waiting a couple of days to give the roots a break & let the growing medium dry out a bit before I restock the reservoir with fresh nutrient mixture. The seedlings seem to be enjoying it....
Here's our current seedling population:
Reservoir #1
1 Desert Willow
1 Queen Anne's Lace Vine
3 Butterfly Weed
Reservoir #2
5- Nightblooming Jasmine ( a couple of these are new since last post)
5 Blackberry Lillies
1 Kiwi (new)
1 Siberian Iris
1 Giant Sequoia/California Redwood (my 'new' pride & joy!)
Still no Olive, Tree Fern or King Palm yet, but they can have a long germination. I'll give them more time....but..
i heard of a place here in Tyler that may carry the lava chips or pelleted clay-I'm going to check & if I can get it, I'll use it in the next batch of grow pots.It would be nice to compare it with the ground clay progress. Cross your fingers!
Within the next month I'm going to aclimate the seedlings from the reservoir for transplanting, and to make room for starting more seeds. I'm not sure how well most of the plants would actually 'grow' in the hydro yet, (don't have enough space to give it a try) and I've got too many varieties I want to sprout- it does seem to work pretty well for sprouting.
I'm hoping to find a small used greenhouse this year (there's one at my son's school that they haven't used in years =wood/corugated fiberglass, I'm hoping I can get it), then I could put the hydro in it and set up more reservoirs! I would really like to try growing Plumeria in Hydro from seeds!!!
I'm hoping to get photos and post the Hydro article this week.
Ya'll have a great day!!!
Chell
Thanks for updating us
Thanks for updating us on your experiment, Chell... and thanks, also, for your input Susan... I am observing, and taking notes!
~ Connie ~ Zone 5 ~ MN
Chell, given the fact that
Chell, given the fact that plumeria root systems are so shallow, and they like to dry out, I just kind of figured that growing them hydroponically wouldn't work so well. What kind of growing medium are you using in your hydro system anyway? I always understood hydro growing to mean that no growing medium was used, but that seeds were placed in a cuplike contraption with a spongey thing in it to hold the seeds while they germinate. Once the seeds have germinated, the spongy thing acts as a kind of support for the stem. In some cases, you may need to use some bendable plastic coated wire as a support for the plant.
I am starting some plumie seeds in those jiffy pellets in little plastic greenhouses. I fill them with water, but I cut slits in the top of the clear plastic because otherwise the seeds and soil will rot. I don't have a heat mat, so I've appropriated our pancake griddle and turned that into a heat mat. At the moment, I'm trying to germinate some Adenium seeds that way, along with esperanza and plumeria seeds. I used the pancake griddle for other adenium seeds with great success. If you have enough plumie seeds and you've got a heat mat, I'd be tempted to try an experiment and see which method is more successful -- the hydroponic one or trying to start them on a heat mat. I'll lelt you know if this method with the griddle works for me.
Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator
SKBeal's Snazzy Tra
Susan,The Assistant Administrator, the Texas Yankee and the Texas Rangerette.
Susan, From what I've
Susan,
From what I've studied, all hydro systems use some form of 'organic'growing medium - just not soil. Most sites I researched recommended these types: lava chips, pelleted clay, vermiculite, coconut fiber......pretty much anything (sterile) that won't compact and can allow air flow as well as moisture-this is where I think I went wrong using 'ground' clay- I don't think it drains...
(I probably should have used vermiculite alone, or mixed with perlite). The ground clay I think may compact a little when moist -my mix is only 1part clay to 3 parts vermiculite, but I think the clay is holding too much moisture as well, causing legginess and root rot. Lesson learned- I hope.
It seems a sponge would stay too wet too - I would even stay away from the coconut fibers -peat moss would prob'ly be better for an inexpensive medium as it has to be soaked to stay moist, but I don't think it would be sterile. Monday I'm checking on a place here that I heard has lava chips and pelleted clay-I may get both if they're not too expensive, and try one in each reservoir.
I 'm planning to transplant this first run of seedlings and restock the system with new stuff for a 2nd test run with different medium(s) to give us a better idea of what works best.
I still feel we've had a very good success rate, considering I started the experiment as a hydro-idiot. We've only lost a couple of seedlings -much better rate than with the heat mat in the greenhouse (the heat mat doesn't distribute heat 'evenly' and dries out some seedlings while others stay very moist). Of those seeds that haven't sprouted, almost all are probably those with long germination times, so I think we can pat ourselves on the back and say 'good job' on this first run...I think we've worked our way up to hydro- semi-pro. LOL
As always, thanks for the feedback!
***Hollar if there's a specific plant you'd like to see sprouted via hydro - if I have the seeds, I'll give it a shot
Chellflower ~ zone 8I’m ‘ Loopy ‘ most of the time, but it shows off my ‘ well-rounded’ personality
Chell, I'm so sorry to hear
As for growing plumeria seeds in water, I'd be reluctant to try that. From everything I have ever read about them, I get the impression that for one thing, they have very shallow root systems, and secondly, they don't like to be over watered. Wouldn't growing them in water do exactly the opposite of what they like? It might work to start seeds that way, but as for growing them that way, I would think they'd be over watered. Moreover, most things that I've seen grown hydroponically have had very long root systems so they'd naturally be more inclined to be water loving types of plants. It seems to me that the hydroponic method will work best with things that need large quantities of water, or that are prone to diseases born by soil or insects that breed in the soil....
Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator
SKBeal's Snazzy Tra
Susan,The Assistant Administrator, the Texas Yankee and the Texas Rangerette.
Susan, You, know, you're
Susan,
You, know, you're prob'ly right about not being able to 'grow' plumies in Hydro -I guess it would depend on the type of grow medium used and the depth of the pot ( maybe just allowing humidity instead of actual water along the root line?) I've read that they do like to dry out between waterings.
As for starting seed, I saw (in a forum?) somewhere that someone had a bunch of seedlings/cuttings they'd started by hydro and the germination was faster and had a good success rate. They had posted a photo -the cuttings had rooted nicely too. I'll definitely try seeds in hydro, but If I try growing it will only be with one or two plants (if I have enough to spare it), and will depend on what grow medium I can find . I think the lava chips may be a good choice-they're good for orchid, which also get prone to root rot...
If I can get enough seeds sprouted I'd love to try growing a couple -after all, it is an experiment ! As far as cuttings, I'd probably try rooting and then transplant.
Chellflower ~ zone 8
I’m ‘ Loopy ‘ most of the time, but it shows off my ‘ well-rounded’ personality