(Updates | Harvesting | Cleared)

Sharp-leaf spinach

Cleared two hydroponic bottles of sharp-leaf spinach plants because they were so deformed by the red spider mites’ attacks. Kept one bottle and one vermiculite one.

The picture shows a leaf scarred by the mites.

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Butterhead and local lettuces

Harvested since they got toppled from their hydroponics bottles by the wind and rain anyway.

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Piper sarmentosum

Pruned the piper sarmentosum heavily because it was top-heavy.

The leaves are almost as big as my palm. What HAVE I been feeding my plants with?!

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Lemon myrtle

I forgot about my surviving lemon myrtle plant for months, and it was only when it half-toppled from the rain and strong winds today that I took notice of it when I went to rearrange plants and clear dead ones.

It. Is. Huge.

Not as huge as my lemon eucalyptus (I don’t know why I’m comparing…) but still.

What have I been feeding them?!

(Updates | Hydroponics) Choy sum, sharp-leaf spinach, butterhead lettuce

Choy sum transferred from leca/vermiculite mix in net pots to pure hydroponics solution. I got tired of them flopping over. And oh, they got attacked by red spider mites. After which I tortured the mites by spraying COLD water on them.

From 26.03.09

From 26.03.09

From 26.03.09

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Sharp-leaf spinach are growing well, or as well as they can grow under the situation. Since I’d transferred only part of the batch started in an open container filled with vermiculite and hydroponics solution, the other half has (I suspect) been getting a lot of random water by my dad watering the plants. So I usually drain the excess liquid from the open container everyday, and top it up with hydro solution.

From 26.03.09

Seedlings in the open container.

From 26.03.09

Closer.

From 26.03.09

In one of the containers held up by a rooting cube.

From 26.03.09

From 26.03.09

From 26.03.09

Roots!

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The butterhead lettuce that was the first I’d transferred to pure hydroponics solution is growing really well. I’ve left the brand wrapping around the bottle, so that only a small portion near the mouth is exposed to sunlight. What is strange is that the bottle itself didn’t had algae growth on it, but the roots that were exposed at that portion are now green.

Strange.

But as long as the lettuce seems to be growing find and healthily, I see no undue reason to worry.

From 26.03.09

I don’t know how many leaves there are now…

From 26.03.09

From the top.

From 26.03.09

From the side.

(Hydroponics) Lettuce and spinach

One of the batches of spinach seedlings.

What are making me exceptionally pleased about hydroponics are these few things:
1. Fast growth rate – as compared with my spinach seedlings in the soil before I’d culled them, these hydro seedlings are much healthier. Their leaves do not yellow from nutrient deficiency, like the soil seedlings suffered from, somehow;

2. Slight compensation for lack of sunlight – since we just passed the equinox and the Tropic of Cancer has shifted upwards, bringing with it both rain due to the earth’s revolutions, and because of the winds carrying evaporated water from the sea, there has been a serious lack of sunlight. However, it seems that the roots being able to soak up nutrients directly has compensated a little bit for this, and no leaves are yellowing at all;

3. Saving space – have I mentioned how much I lack space?

(Update) Local lettuce, butterhead lettuce, kang kong, sharp-leafed spinach

The local lettuce seeds from Ban Lee Huat seem to like taking their time to sprout as compared with seeds like the butterhead lettuce from Oh Chin Huat. But eventually, they all germinated.

I left three in pure vermiculite to see how they grow; three more went to pure hydroponics solution.

One of the seedlings in pure vermiculite.

One of the seedlings held up by a rooting cube at the mouth of the bottle.

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Harvested the kang kong (water spinach) planted in the soil since they were growing so slowly. So I might as well eat them tender.

The root mass. It’s a bit gross. Lol.

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The sharp-leaf spinach in pure hydroponics solution are growing really well. Their roots have outgrown the rooting cube and are now happily soaking themselves in the solution.

Within less than a week, they have already grown third leaves, which the soil spinach took over two months to achieve.

The roots growing out from the rooting cube.

Oh wow. Some of them have four leaves already.

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Butterhead lettuce with ninth leaf.

Root growth after being transferred to pure hydroponics solution.

(Observation) Spinach

I know that peanut plants fold their leaves up at night.

I never knew spinach (seedlings) did that as well, until I was rearranging stuff and saw them.

So cute. XD

(Transferring) Sharp-leaf spinach

I’ve left half of the spinach seedlings in the vermiculite with hydro solution, and transferred about half to pure hydroponics solution, holding them in place with rooting sponges.

The bottles I’ve used for hydroponics. The top have been cut off and inverted.

The seedlings.

Once they grow, I’m going to take the cube away.

(Sprouting) Within three days

This is how my sharp-leaf spinach seedlings look like barely four days after sowing onto vermiculite moistened with hydroponics solution.

They’ve already surpassed the growth of the seedlings planted in soil.

(Space Clearing) Of the clearing and reshuffling of space | Plants

My planting space was getting really, really cluttered, what with countless experiments using hydroponics and soil methods for seeds, and propagating a lot of mints for sale, and-this-and-that.

So, I cleared more dead plants, rearranged A LOT of things, and yay, more space.

The kinds of “creativity” us apartment-dwellers with space constrains have to come up with is amazing.

From 18.02.09

From 18.02.09

From 18.02.09

From 18.02.09

From 18.02.09

SPACE!!!!

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From 18.02.09

The lemon eucalyptus was growing almost to the ceiling. I repotted and repositioned it to give more upward space for it to grow.

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From 18.02.09

Mints for J.; Lavender ‘Goodwin Creek’; Rosemary. And extra space on the next tier behind them.

From 18.02.09

Capsicum.

From 18.02.09

(Clockwise from top left) Propagated pineapple mint; sawtooth coriander; water rooting peppermint; thyme seedlings.

From 18.02.09

Two circular pots – rocket seedlings; lettuce; totem cherry tomato; mulberry.
Sharp-leafed spinach; lettuce; kangkong.

From 18.02.09

Hydroponics kangkong.

From 18.02.09

From 18.02.09

Choy sum seedlings in hydroponics. Empty pot is for lettuce seeds which didn’t germinate.

Vegetables update

From 27.01.09

Kangkong sprouts pretty easily. They have visibly strong roots.

From 27.01.09

Rocket seeds from Dawn sprouted, too. =) They look so cute. Their leaves are shaped as small little clovers, unlike other sprouts, with typical leaves.

From 27.01.09

Sharp-leafed spinach seedlings all popping up.

From 27.01.09

Lettuce seedlings.

From 27.01.09

Kangkong seedlings in soil growing strong.

From 27.01.09

Sawtooth corianders firming up.

From 27.01.09

Capsicums setting fruit after successful manual pollination by me.

Sprouts

My lettuce, sharp-leaf spinach, rocket and kangkong seeds have sprouted. W00t.