We just finished performing a water change, and we've made an unexpected discovery...  When I looked at the pump-return on our large eggplant, I didn't see much flow.  However, I did see a large mass of roots.  I thought that the roots might have overgrown the drain.  This has been known to happen, so we watch out for it.  Here's a photo of the big guy:

We decided to take a look under the hood, at the root system beneath.  We released the latches on the top bucket, then lifted the lid (and whole eggplant with it).  Take a look what we found:

The odd-looking shape is perfectly understandable.  The roots grew until the filled the entire bucket.  Next, they started to form a root-mass on the bottom of the bucket.  Finally, they discovered the drain into the reservoir (the tube-shape on the bottom).  The roots literally grew "down the drain".  I've never seen roots that are so uniformly white and healthy.  I'm really starting to love House and Garden (Van de Zwaan).  Their stuff is really spectacular.

Secondly this week, I'd like to answer an ongoing question from several of our readers.  Frequently, I'm asked about aeroponic sprayers and nutrient clogging.  I'm amazed that people ask so much, as I've never had a problem.  I frequently use products from Botanicare, General Hydroponics, House and Garden, Technaflora, DNF, and Grotek. None of them has ever given me a problem at all.

I just changed out the aeroponics sprayers in my the CO2Boost Experiment, which gave me a unique oppotunity to show you the sprayers.  These sprayers were photographed about two minutes after them left service.  They had been spraying an 1800 PPM mixture for 29 days, under 24 hour spray.

The sprayers only show very slight and superficial nutrient. None of the "working" surfaces had any buildup at all.  I'm genuniely not sure why other people are having the clogging problems, but none are happening here.

The new strawberries have been moved into the new outdoor aeroponic system.  In the process, I've learned some things:

• I was a fool to use regular white caulk to assemble the outdoor aeroponic unit.  It didn't hold up well against the constant water, and made a mess.  I have resealed it entirely with aquarium sealant, and have learned my lesson.
• The smaller PU550 is performing even better than expected.  The larger (1/2" hard PVC) feed line allows to use the smaller PU550 rather than the larger PU850.
• Bending down to service an in-ground reservoir is just as uncomfortable as you'd imagine. 

The strawberries seemed to have something bacterial going (they were purchased as rootstock, so I don't know their origins).  At the moment, the outdoor aeroponic unit is running with clear water and hydrogen peroxide (35%, at a 1/3 tsp / gallon mixture).  I'll probably add the nutrients tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, they should acclimate to the new environment.

Here's a photo of the strawberries in their new home:

Here is a closer view on the plant on the closest end:

Also, the ongoing CO2Boost Experiment is showing interesting results.  The supplemented plant is clearly pulling ahead.  It's larger and fuller.  Take a look for the ongoing results.

I've finally managed to obtain some of the 180 degree aeroponic sprayers as well.  I'll do a formal write-up, just as soon as I have time.  Sadly, my real life inflicts imposition on my hobbies.

The eggplant in the Mark 1 single-site unit is really quite happy.  I'm very pleased with the House & Garden nutrients that we're feeding it.  Normally, I'd show a photo here.  Sadly, I now realize that I didn't take one.  Shame on me.

Sorry that this week's post is so short.  For a bit of insight into our life, we're in the early stages of moving.  We'll be listing our home for sale later this week, which means that we're in a mad packing / painting frenzy.  Hopefully, we will return to some level of normalcy in the next ten days or so. 

First and foremost, we have some unfinished business to attend to this week...

We need to announce the winner of the Fix My Stuff, Win A Prize contest. This contest was inspired by the Do-It-Yourself aeroponics plans that I published a few months back.  I wanted to encourage participation by the group to improve the plans for all of us.  The contest's winner is Red Icculus.  Red made several very practical suggestions for subtle improvements to the desigh:

• Red recommended that the sprayers be replaced with 180° units, rather than the 360° sprayers that I used in the original.
• Red also recommended that the system be sealed with weatherstripping.  After some experimentation, I settled on 1/4" wide self-adhesive rubber weatherstripping.  It works wonderfully.

As the proud winner of the contest, Red will receive a random assortment of Hydroponics Tuesday swag.

Ok.  On to the regularly scheduled blog post.

Firstly, we start with a retraction this week... Last week, I mentioned that we would be receiving some new LED-based lights to test.  After speaking with the manufacturer, they expressed that they need more time for research, development, and refinement.  We will probably get to test them at some point, but for the moment, we are delayed. 

The arrival of the Fort Laramie strawberries has caused me to get my act together regarding outdoor aeroponics.  I've been thinking and planning for a long time, but this last weekend, I made the all-important transition to actually making it happen.

Fair Warning:  This is entirely experimental. I haven't published plans yet, and for good reason.  This is completely untested and unproven.  Here's what we've put together, and the basics of how it all works:

We purchased PVC fence post material from our local Lowes.  Fair warning:  Home Depot doesn't carry the right stuff.  We used the larger size PVC, rather than the smaller stuff (that fits overtop a 4x4).  This stuff is commonly called the 6" PVC, even though the measurement isn't really more than about 5 1/2".  Before I bore you with more details, here's the first photo:

We drilled the PVC section several times for all the plant sites.  Important tip... When you're making your own "small plant" aeroponic units, you should use the Botanicare net pots, not the General Hydroponics ones.  There is a huge difference.  For more details, look here.  We used a drill press, but you could do it with a regular drill just as well.  When using the Botanicare pots, a 2 3/4" hole saw does a really nice job.  Take my word for it on this one... Buy the right tool.  Don't try to muddle your way through without one.  It's totally worth it, as the pots form a very tight seal in the holes.

The photo below gives a better view of the feed and return system.

The first site in the system is used for the feed.  I took a 1/2" "bulkhead" fitting, mounted it inside a Botanicare "filler" plug, and made a really nice modular hookup.  Although I cannot find a good photo of one at the moment, Botanicare makes wonderful plastic "plugs" that fit the 2 3/4" holes perfectly.  The bulkhead fitting is mounted into the plug, and you have a watertight 1/2" passthrough.  I bought the bulkhead fitting through Grainger, but you can easily get them at a decent aquarium shop.  The bulkhead fitting pictured isn't exact, but it's close enough.

Here's why the larger PVC is important... It's just large enough to mount a plastic sink drain (purchased at Home Depot) as your water return.  All that white PVC that you see is just standard plumbing, bought at the local Home Depot.  It leads back to the reservoir.

A closer look at the hookup:

The black vinyl tubing that you see on the left is the pressurized feed line.  The white PVC fitting is just an elbow with a hose-barb on it.  The feed line is connected to a long piece of 1/2" hard PVC pipe which runs underneath all the pots in the large tube.  Sprayers are positioned every 7" (the holes are drilled 7" on-center), so that a sprayer is directly between each pair of pots.  This design makes disassembly fairly easy (as the plug / bulkhead can be popped up and unscrewed).  The feed is positioned directly above the drain, so that all our "water" is run to one end of the unit.

The reservoir is mostly buried in the ground.  We buried it in an attempt to stabilize the water temperature, and hopefully to get some free cooling in the coming summer months.  To save space, the whole unit is supported by ladder-brackets on the side of our smaller shed.  This keeps it off the ground, and at a convenient height for berry-eating.  Although the entire unit looks level, it's actually offset by about 1/2" from end-to-end.  This causes the water to fall towards the return drain naturally.

The whole system is powered by an ActiveAqua PU550 pump.  As I've stated many times before, I love ActiveAqua pumps.  They are strong, reliable, and inexpensive.  At full retail price, this pump is $32.  The pump is immersed in the reservoir.  I use a 1/2" ID hose for the feed.  It's more than enough.

In theory, this should be our last cold week of the year.  If this holds true, I'll migrate the strawberries into the new outdoor aeroponic unit sometime next weekend.  I hope it works, as this design would be pretty easy to duplicate.  Although I haven't done a writeup yet, I estimate the cost to build this unit at about $100.  If I remember correctly, I spend about $25 on the big PVC, $30 for the pump, $10 for the reservoir, and about $30 on plumbing.

That's it for this week's DIY installment.  I'll post updates as I make new discoveries.

If you haven't been watching the CO2Boost Study, it's an interesting read.  The CO2 supplemented plant is really starting to get a lead on the control plant. 

Last item of business for this week, a quick photo of our rapidly-expanding Black Beauty Eggplant (in it's own private aeroponic unit):

The Fort Laramie strawberries continue to surprise me.  This week, they managed to do it twice.  Firstly, I'm proud to report that they have started flowering.  Secondly, I'm even more proud to say that they have already managed to self-pollinate.  Strawberries are already on the way.  It's remarkable.  They are just freshly out of dormancy, and they're already hard at work.  Take a look at the blooms on this fellow (the bottom one has already shed it's leaves and started a strawberry):

The plant pictured above is the largest and strongest of the batch.  However, this doesn't mean that the rest of the group aren't doing very well also.  Here's a quick photo of the rest of the MegaGarden:

I really can't wait to get the strawberries going outdoors.  At this point, I'm thinking that we may try it in about two weeks.  It it gets too cold, we can always bring them back indoors for a bit.

Also, our eggplant seems quite happy.  It's much larger than last week.  It seems to be taking well to the House & Garden nutrients that we've been feeding it.  Strangely, House & Garden recommends a relatively low PPM.  Regardless, I cannot argue with results.

We've steadily posting updates to the CO2Boost Side-By-Side Study, each and every morning.  It's just starting to get interesting.  If I had to choose, I'd say that the supplemented plant is starting to gain a lead.  It's slightly taller, but it's leaves are much fuller.  Perhaps the results will be more pronounced in the next week.  Here is a side-by-side from the last photo session (all study photos are taken on Sundays):

Lastly, we have a bit more exciting news...  I've been contacted by an LED manufacturer in China.  They have developed a new type of LED-based hydroponic lighting.  Thus far, they haven't made any claims about their product.  Rather, they asked me if I would be willing to perform a test.  I'm always willing to test new hydroponics gear.

I'd be overjoyed if their LED lights work well.  I'd love nothing more than a way to grow plants without such huge energy usage (at the moment, I've got (3) 400W systems and (1) 125W system running.  That's a lot of power.

Theoretically, LED's are the plant lighting of the future.  However, thus far no viable LED-based lights have been available.  Lots have been on the market, just none have worked very well.  I'm hoping that these fellows can break the streak. I'll post further updates when possible.

First up this week is a followup on our Fort Laramie strawberries...

I'm downright amazed at how well they're doing.  It's really quite remarkable.  They were sad-looking little things last week; now they're real strawberries.  Every one of them has green leaves, and they all appear healthy.  It's wonderful.  Their root systems are apparently much healthier than I had originally thought. Here's a photo of one of the little fellows:

I'll be the first to admit that I was disappointed by the poor customer service at Henry Fields, but the plants are of excellent quality.  I really never expected them to wake up from dormancy so quickly.  It's not too late, you can still score some of these for spring planting.  In theory, we'll be moving a bunch of ours ourside in an outdoor aeroponic experiment.

Also, we've done some major rearranging in the growing room this week.  Our monster Bambino eggplant has departed our company, and we have some new action growing.  Removing the Bambino was much more difficult than it sounds.  It had an incredibly large root system.  The root mass was at least 14" in diameter.  It had roots throughout most of the TurboGarden.  In fact, it took me almost 20 minutes of "demolition" just to remove it from the TurboGarden.  I didn't even attempt to salvage the 5" net pot that held it.  It wasn't worth the effort.  It took a long time to clean up the TurboGarden.  It's sitting empty for the moment, waiting for the next project.

The removal of the Bambino eggplant left us lots of room.  That's a good thing, as we needed some.  We've set up the original DIY aeroponic system under the 400W HPS light system.  We've placed a Black Beauty eggplant that we're been growing into the individual system.  It's on it's way to becoming a big plant.

Additionally, Jessawick's orchid is now in full bloom.  It has 10 individual blooms, and it looks amazing.  It really took well to life in the ebb & flow system.  It's had a very favorable response to Technaflora nutrients. Here's a photo that we just took of it during bloom:

Lastly, we have a big announcement this week...

As you may have seen, we've been building a lot of new toys lately.  It's time to announce the purpose.  We've doing a side-by-side growth study using a CO2Boost carbon dioxide generator.  We're going to be running this study for approximately 3-4 months, with daily statistics and weekly photos.  We hope to show an objective difference in plant growth between our supplemented plant and our control plant.  We'll be using Black Beauty eggplants.

Here's a photo of the twin aeroponic systems, with the plastic barrier in place:

Although it's not easy to see in the photo, there is a two-layer plastic divider between the two systems.  The system on the left is supplemented with carbon dioxide from the CO2Boost bucket.  The system on the right is used as a control.  Both reservoirs are carefully monitored to be as equal as possible.

More details are available in the article itself.  It contains all the background and methodology used in the process. 

The complete article is available during construction.  Fair warning: It's being edited daily as the study progresses.