My dad recently got this old hydroponics tower and decided to use it to grow some food plants. Strawberries, rasberries, and blueberries mainly. However it seems like most of them have died and some are looking worse for wear.
I'm wondering if they're getting too much water. I know some plants can be over-watered and considering the water is constantly cycling and drenching all the roots, I could see that being a possibility. We live in a very humid climate too, and it's been raining a lot recently, so that could be a contributing factor.
A few of them apparently also have the wrong pods, which is what my dad thinks is causing it, but I'm unsure what difference that makes.
Can anyone tell from the pics and the context given why our plants are dying?
I'll try to answer any questions to the best of my ability, but questions about specific location will be ignored. I live in the southeastern US, that's all I'm providing location-wise.
by Present_Excuse9957
17 Comments
It’s probably a homemade unit and made of PVC instead of uPVC, the pvc will leach plastic elements into the soil, then into the plants and into you.
The uPVC is unplasticized and won’t do that,
they could be dying because it’s made of the wrong material
We need more information..
1.pH of the water,
2. EC
3. Nutrients that are being used along with any supplements.
They’re definitely waterlogged. Soil retains water. The purpose of hydroponics is to skip the soil for retaining water, and give the plants just straight nutrient water. That includes oxygen.
If you plant them in soil and then constantly water that soil, you’re preventing the roots from getting oxygen. The plants are drowning. Probably dying from root rot (if you open them up, do you see brown slimy roots?)
Roots need oxygen. I know it feels counterintuitive since they are typically in soil, but soil has a lot of air pockets. It’s why we don’t want to water plants too often.
Get clay pebbles (LECA) or coco coir. There are lots of different mediums you can use, but the key is one that drains well. It will keep the air getting to the roots while also letting the plant soak up the nutrients in the water.
What nutrients are you using? Be sure you’re not over fertilizing, although your plants look more drowned than burned so I think you are probably fine.
If you want to use plants from a nursery, you need to take them out of the pots, remove the soil, rinse the roots thoroughly (do not break the thickest and biggest root, the tap root. Smaller roots are ok, but try to preserve as much as you can. Never remove more than 1/3 of the total root mass at once or your plant will struggle).
If the baskets have enough holes, you could try just the plants, bare roots until you get clay pebbles. The clay pebbles prevent too much water loss and also stop too much light from getting into the reservoir (which will lead to algae).
You’re gonna want to do a little more research into hydroponics.
Those are not made to be used with soil. The cups need to be filled with clay pebbles or hydroponics pod grow sponges. And the water needs minerals.
If you just watering from from hose that also explains why they dieing. The growth medium has no/little nutrition for growth.
Raspberries and blueberries aren’t strong hydroponic contenders to begin with, that style of system doesn’t really have the room for adequate root growth for either. Iirc blue berries also need ammoniacal nitrogen sources and not just nitrate. All of these also have acidic preferences so your pH is likely off as well as the more obvious uses of soil, and waterlogged media
Aside from the issue of using dirt in a hydroponic tower, it’s pretty dirty. Given how dirty the outside looks, it’s probably even worse on the inside – that system needs to be pulled apart and thoroughly cleaned.
Start out by starting with a full disassembly and cleaning with bleach!
Kill everything. Empty it out. Bleach and clean everything.
Go get some 1$ cheap pool noodles. Cut them into little donuts. Use those as slips to slide your plants in. The dirt is killing your plants. Those towers require the roots to hang and get misted.
It’s being over-watered, yes, but it’s because it’s too close to the wall. There’s very little air flow, so the plants can’t transpire. Bernoulli’s Principle. Move it a few feet away from the wall.
I’m not sure it’s getting all that much light, either. Strawberries (and any fruit-bearing plant) are full-sun plants. The only way the house doesn’t block a large portion of the sunlight is if your yard is south-facing AND devoid of anything that blocks sunlight.
ADDED BONUS: move it away from the wall, and the plastic will start “cleaning itself.”
First off, clean that thing HARD. Then pick a crop that is easy to grow in hydro to get started, lettuce, basil, kale, etc. The crops you picked 1. Don’t do great in hydro, 2. Take a very long time until fruit
Get rid of the dirt
Keep an eye on water tempt, ph n ppm
First start with cleaning it
Warm water? No air flow?, you’ll get pythium in a heartbeat in a tube like that if you don’t have airflow.
I don’t even know where to start.🙈
Maybe you should educate yourself a little. Not gonna get fast answers here. Anyway my to cents.
This method of yours grows algae and nothing more.
Water temp? (under 21°c so the roots can breathe)
Soil/medium? (rockwool or beblets to prevent rotting)
N-P-K Profile? (google it!)
And million other little things but what do you know, growing your own salad is “not set and forget” kind of thing. It’s hard work.(at first) Makes you appreciate people who make their living out of it.
On the bright side. It’s a wonderfull hobby and rabbithole is deep so you really can lose yourself in to this. Gardening is not for hasteningminds it’s kind of like sailbouting. Journey will make you more ready😉
Using dirt is for starters.
1. Clogs the pump
2. If using nutrients, just changed it with said dirt/coco coir
Use clay pellets, rock wool or any hydro friendly median.
Ph is a must
EC (Electrical conductivity) helps in the long run.
(I have no idea what I’m doing 🤷♂️)
But let me tell you, it could go from 0 to 100, back to 0 with hydroponics.
PS. I will think of more things
It troubles me how much mold thre is in the outside. Have you inspected inside? water status and roots.