Well, I know you're probably sick of hearing about my newest propagation setup, but I just had to give you an update on it. The old light was ripped out, and a couple of 8 ft. long t8 fixtures replaced it. In the picture below, you can see that four bulbs are burning, and that they are different colors, too.
The reason for the different bulbs, is so that the seedlings will be subjected to multiple colors from the spectrum. It's got to do with reds and blues mostly, which can't be seen by the naked eye. These bulbs are 4100k and 6500k, for reference....
Photo below - here's the funny part.....I took 2 brand new light fixtures, and cut them in half with a reciprocating saw. Yeah.....I had to, because they wouldn't fit into the enclosed space. However, once the 2 halves were inside the space, they were put back together with some sheet metal strips and metal screws. Kinda crazy, but works just as good. That's pretty messed up. Maybe i'll add some duct tape too! Ha! It was either do this, or remove a wall stud from the shed....
Photo below - here's a shot of my temperature trending chart with 12 hours of data on it. The numbers along the bottom are a little bit misleading, but each small line represents 30 minutes. So, with that said, there are 24 increments within a 12 hour period....Maybe that makes sense. I'm also only keeping up with a temperature range of between 30 and 80 degrees ( 1 decimal place is implied ), to get the best resolution possible. I'll have to clear the information each evening by pressing the "clear" button on the screen, which will start the trending over again. No biggie....Once the propagation cycle gets started, you'll be able to see some definitive fluctuations between the four temperature measurements.
Now for other things going on around here.....Remember my scrap lumber pile? Well, it's gotten pretty small since making the 2 coldframes a while back. Knowing me, though - it will likely never get any smaller than this, because i'm sure there will be leftovers from future projects. The huge flowerbed for my wife should yield some scrap from the landscaping timbers being used ( which will be used to extend the earthtainer area ), and the new wall for my parent's carport should produce some too. Since I tackle at least 1 large construction project every 3 months, there's always something new for the pile. Sheesh....
Photo below - I also cleaned the only remaining earthtainer from last year's use. Here's the way it looked the weekend before - as the top 2" of soil was frozen solid. I propped it up with the fill pipe, then scooped out as much as I could with my hands. It was much warmer this weekend, allowing me to get the rest. Jude loves it when I perform this task, because I toss any unwanted roots, sticks, etc. into the air - that's just something else to catch for her...
Lastly, all of the mix for the earthtainers will be used again this year after amending with perlite - to increase drainage and lower the perched water table. It'll also be heated to about 150-160 degrees in an iron pot, which is just a precaution to eliminate any diseases that might be present. I'd certainly hate for my tomatoes to get hit with a soil-borne disease of some kind, that would be a bummer! Although I haven't found a pot yet, one will show up eventually.
Take care, and happy gardening!
EG
5 comments:
Oh go for the tape, EG. You need duct tape to finish off every project. It's in the rule books.
That was pretty clever to cut apart and then restore the light fixture to get it to fit up into the defined space you had. I probably would have just declared defeat and moved on - but that works really well! Problem solved.
I agree with Ribbit, I think the tape would be a great addition :-) Looks like things are really getting under way. Can't get enough of that touch screen, it's so cool.
Forgot to mention on your last post that a few seasons ago I grew Aunt Ruby's German Green tomato and it was quite good. Kind of strange though to have a tomato that is green but not crunchy. It was a good addition with other tomatoes and on sandwiches, low acid and mellow taste.
ribbit - well, the duct tape would be kinda tacky, I guess.
kitsapFG - thanks, it was just an idea that came to mind.
Dan - the touchscreen is pretty fun to play with, but kinda difficult to learn how to program.
Oh, yes. Duct tape is a must--and super glue for that matter. Those are the most used items in my "junk box."
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