Mart Hale

How do I deal with sick seedlings...

I grow extra with multiple plantings...       planting at different times, so I have backup plants for when the plants I made don't make it for whatever reason.

I also have improved the soil the seeds go into by making my own compost mix.

One of the reasons I stack food on the shelf is that there are gonna be years the food just does not work out for you, and being ready for that I find a wise move.

https://www.skool.com/the-survival-gardener/sun-protect-label


I just came up with this idea.    More effort to read the label, but    it is protected from the sun so it will not fade like standard labels.

This is an okra that I grew in only clay pebbles with the wicking rope in a solo cup.       I have found when i do this the root becomes most integrated with the rope,   I simply leave the rope with the plant and put it in the aquaponics like this.     Method does take more rope, but not having soil is a bonus, I can retrieve the rope later.

One of the issues I had with the Root maker setup is I could not keep the right amount of water to to plant, as the soil would wash away.        Now that I have added the wicking rope, I am getting excellent root development and the plants look great.    As can be seen below because of the air pruning there are several roots coming in multiple directions with this pot.     This is a winner for me.

Using wood and stainless steel to get the job done....  

Speed up your re-crunching...

The grow bags combined with the wicking solo cups has worked out well for me.       More cabbage and broccoli coming.

These are the plants I have transfered to the aquaponic setup after I cleaned the beds,    they are doing remarkably well.

These are cabbage I started in the wicking rope setup and moved to soil with a weak bit of fertilizer, they are now forming heads

May Lotito wrote:The bean sprout looks paler than other plants shown above. Do you think inoculating the clay balls with nitrogen fixing bacteria would help?

The plant has received zero nutrients and is in 90 deg sun, so when I move it to wick up nutrients it should thrive.    

After I start the germinated seeds in this cup, I move them outside to get used to the wind / the sun.     I have tried growing in direct sun which works in the spring, but as we head toward summer the plants take it hard..        But once the nutrients hit these toddlers they take off and look like the other plants.

You are right it needs nutrients.        I might instead of using just water give it a weak dose of fertilizer to help it along.         But I believe once it hits the hydroponic fertilizer it will do far better.