hi All,
I;ve been attempting to grow cuccumers in my basement using a passive hydropic system. I can get the plants to the ponit of producing cucs but the mature leaves start to spot (yellow then dried out) then the spots take over and the leaf dies. I've brought my water solution for testing, all was well. The room is lit by a 400 spread spectrum light 18 on 6 off. room tempurature goes from about 84 deg down to 70 when lights are out.
Any ideas?
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hydro-gardener
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Francis Barnswallow
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I'm intersted to whats causing this as well. My cucs would produce and then the leaves would turn yellow, dry up, and then the whole plant would soon die.
I heard something that some kind of disease will do this to the cucs, and a way to find out would be to cut a branch and see if the stem is "gooey".
I heard something that some kind of disease will do this to the cucs, and a way to find out would be to cut a branch and see if the stem is "gooey".
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hydro-gardener
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I brought a leaf in to a hydro expert. They could not come up with an explanation. She looked at the leaf under a microsope for desease and found nothing. She felt it would my solution being to acidic or alkalinic (if that's a word) and found nothing worng. Also she tested for high salt content which occurs when the plant leaves behind unused nutrient, and again found the PPM to be normal to low.
I've always used Optimum grow two part nutrients. So I switch to (don't laugh) miracle grow for fun (same result) also tried straight up water for a short period (same effect). The only thing I havent tried is emptying the pail once a week. The plants are all in seperate pails, so what's the odds?
Also all the water I use if municiple which I let sit for 24 hour to evaporate some (or all) of the chlorine.
Hope someone out there can help us!
I've always used Optimum grow two part nutrients. So I switch to (don't laugh) miracle grow for fun (same result) also tried straight up water for a short period (same effect). The only thing I havent tried is emptying the pail once a week. The plants are all in seperate pails, so what's the odds?
Also all the water I use if municiple which I let sit for 24 hour to evaporate some (or all) of the chlorine.
Hope someone out there can help us!
Never tried cuc's indoors, but watching them grow outdoors I can't imagine trying to contain them indoors. Hat's off to ya on that project.
Few things I have learned over the years though. When plants start setting fruit they become heavy eaters of nutes. They will take nutrients from the water first and if those needs aren't met they will pull from other parts of the plants, ie leaves, to meet those needs.
Chlorine will evaporate from standing but chloramine wont. Depends on what your municipality uses to clean their water.
Generally speaking fruit producing plants like light and lots of it. A 400 watt system will cover a 2 x 2 area with 100 watts per square foot. Thats the top end of light requirements. You could stretch the coverage to maybe 3 X 3 but any larger area I don't think would work too well.
You mentioned plants being in pails. I'm guessing 5 gl max here. Depends on size of plants but they will pull the nutrients out of that size container really quick. I'd go with changing the solution every week if it were me.
Hope this ramble helps you out.
hydroguy
Few things I have learned over the years though. When plants start setting fruit they become heavy eaters of nutes. They will take nutrients from the water first and if those needs aren't met they will pull from other parts of the plants, ie leaves, to meet those needs.
Chlorine will evaporate from standing but chloramine wont. Depends on what your municipality uses to clean their water.
Generally speaking fruit producing plants like light and lots of it. A 400 watt system will cover a 2 x 2 area with 100 watts per square foot. Thats the top end of light requirements. You could stretch the coverage to maybe 3 X 3 but any larger area I don't think would work too well.
You mentioned plants being in pails. I'm guessing 5 gl max here. Depends on size of plants but they will pull the nutrients out of that size container really quick. I'd go with changing the solution every week if it were me.
Hope this ramble helps you out.
hydroguy