hey everyone, my tea is growing faster than ever it's been bout 6 1/2 months since I started growing this guy, and I can wait to see how big it will be on another 6 months! I have 20 more seeds I'm trying to germinate, and hopefully I will get a few. I am working on a peltier cooler for my closet, but I am also looking at greenhouses, so things should get pretty exciting in the near future.

anyway I will post pictures every week or so, so everyone who see's my blog can track the growth.

"Meanwhile"

(Click on the picture to see a bigger view)

My original tea plant is exploding with growth, I am liking these flora nova series nutrients!

The plant developed some brown spots, the the spots aren't dead, I think it may have been a deficiency in something, and it has since gotten what it needed, I don't see the spots on new leaves, so I am not worried about it.

My peltier cell showed up and it is awesome, it gets extremely cold with a good heatsink or on low wattage, the the seeds haven't arrived yet, they are probably in the mail box, I will check that early this morning.

pics + guide continued.

after you have everything dry, and clean, put a hose from the return nozzle to on of the holes in the bucket for drainage, and another tube from the pump, threw the other hole in the lid to the manifold, to your plants. plug in the pump to a timer, and add plants. you may have to tip your planter so the water flows down to the drainage nozzle, and you can take a paper clip, and bend it and cut it to hold your drip feed tube to a small cube of rockwool, because otherwise they are hard to keep in place, for larger rockwool cubes there are little stakes you can get that 1/4 in line will clip into, that do a good job of holding it. but basically after the preparation of everything the whole thing goes together really easily.


After you get your system together, mix your nutrients correctly for the size of your plant(s), and your ready to go, it will water itself however often you want it to with the use of a timer (mine waters every 2 hours for 15 minutes, but you can go as little as once or twice a day)

pics + guide.

ok guys, I will show you the steps I took to build a drip hydroponic system, a simple system like this will give you the benefits of hydroponics (because it is) and the simplicity so anyone can do it.

ok start off with a bunch of parts and supplies from the hydroponics store:
then add some stuff from home depot:
that dripper manifold and fitting along with a bucket. Then you spray paint the outside of the bucket, so light doesn't grow algae inside it:
BUT before you paint you need to prepare the bucket by drilling 2 holes in the lid for your exit, and return lines. as well as using an angle grinder to make a notch for air tubes and the power cord to your pump:

while your waiting for the paint to dry, drill the correct size for your exit nozzle (about 1 1/4 hole saw for almost any size, but make sure and take measurements) and then apply good silicone around the edges (the kind that will resist mold, fish tank sealant is probably the best, but I just use the expensive sink and tub type clear sealant):
(I know it looks bad, but when I drilled it, I was going too fast, and the plastic shredded around the bit. lol oops) after that dries, check for leaks, and then clean it, you wouldn't just lick that stuff after it dried would you? no, so make sure it's dry, doesn't smell, and clean it, you can clean it with alchohol or just liberally rinse to get the nasty chemical off of it.

I'm still waiting for it to dry... 24hrs...

New System!

I'm making another system for my closet, it's going to share the ligts and light cycle as my current set-up, but it's going to be another watering system, so I can try out different nutriients, or raise clones in one, and raise large plants in the other. I am also planning ANOTHER system after this one, execpt its going to be an ebb and flow system, and it may be outside in a greenhouse, but more on that later. for now, I ordered a peltier cell on ebay, which I am going to use to build an a/c unit for my closet, and I just ordered 20 more seeds, I am going to try to get at least a couple more plants going here.

No pictures of the new system, it's pretty late, I will get a bunch tomorrow, but it's basically the same thing I have running, except a lot smaller.

I should have this new one up and running with plants by sunday, because I have to wait for silicone to dry, paint to dry, stuff to cut/grind/drill, etc. but I will have pictures, a list of components, and even an assembly guide, or maybe a video.

july 12, 2007

Today I ordered some stuff, a peltier cell (thermoelectric heat pump device) (to make an air conditioner, refrigerator, or to keep something cold) which I hopefully can use in the closet so regulate the temperature. I also got 20 more seeds, I'm going to try to get another plant, because this one I have isn't looking too good. and If I can't get another plant going, I am going to buy a plant... but I really don't want to, because I want to be 100% responsible for my tea. If I get another plant, and get some clones going steady, I will be buying a greenhouse, because for what I will spend on a H.I.D. lamp, and electrical cost over time, it will be more efficient, and it will prbably grow BETTER under the sun.

I moved into another room, so I have a lot of extra space, I think I am going to build an ebb and flow system for my current plant, and use the drip system for new plants and clones, and once I get 15 to 20 good sized plants I will look into a greenhouse.

I wasn't thinking

I went ahead and tried to clone my tea plant, the clone never grew roots, I pulled it out the the small rockwool cube I have it in, and the bottom is closed up, and has turned into a root, but it hasn't actually protruded away from the plant for growth, it has been atleast 2 weeks since I cloned it, and it is still alive, but two of the leaves are burnt, because I wasn't thinking, and put it in the same hydro system as my larger tea plant, and the massive amount of nutrients burned it. However, I think it may live, but it's going to grow very slow at first.


My larger tea plant that I took the clone from stopped growing for about a week, I guess to heal itself, but now that I cut the top off of it for the clone, the larger plant can't just keep groing straight up like it was, so now at each node, there is another stem coming out, so it will now grow like a bush, which is good. I think there may be a deficiency in the nutrients, or a too alkaline ph, because some leaves has started to turn brown, and some have brown spots, I will change the nutrients either today or tomorrow, and add a little more phosphorus, I already added some to the current nutrients I am using, but I think I still may change it for good measure.

I added some new plants to the family, a mandarin orange tree, and a dracaena, they are in soil and just for show, they grow well indoors, and in low light, so if you have a space that doesn't feel right, try to liven things up with some plants.

Thanks to anyone reading this, and if you need any help with anything plant related, I can try to help you out. My email is j.sawicki110@gmail.com