Starting seeds in foam/woolrock for mini hydroponics system

[djayz]

Brief background: I have a green thumb and am pretty good with plants and sowing seeds. I've had a very high rate of success growing tomatoes, lettuce, etc. in soil and in bags of peat/coir. 

However, I've finally gotten around to trying my hand at hydroponics, but can't get a SINGLE seed to germinate! Obviously I'm doing something wrong. 

 

Firstly, I place the seeds in the foam square (still dry) and then place this in the hydroponic bucket with the water covering about 2/3 of the foam square. At this stage I haven't added any AB to the water as I was told I shouldn't add this until after the seeds germinate. The hydroponic buckets are outside in a bright spot, but not in direct sunlight.

 

I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Any tips for a hydroponic newbie?

 

Thanks in advance and happy gardening!  

[carlyai]

How many packets of seeds do you have?

Did you buy them all from the same place at the same time?

I'm not very knowledgeable, but maybe your seeds are off?

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[djayz]

1 minute ago, carlyai said:

How many packets of seeds do you have?

Did you buy them all from the same place at the same time?

I'm not very knowledgeable, but maybe your seeds are off?

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

I purchased most of the seeds from a supplier in the UK a few months back and I've planted some of those in a peat; coir; rice husk mix, with close to 100% germination success, and some in the foam/hydroponic system. So, I can safely rule out that there's a problem with the seeds.

Thanks nevertheless for the input.  Much appreciate it. 

[carlyai]

Why not transplant a germinating seed into the foam and see if it dies?

When I used the foam squares before, the seeds had germinate before I transplanted them.


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[Hereinthailand]

Seeds like to be moist not wet all the time, if anything try just a thin film of water under the cubes where they just wick up enough to keep the cube moist, more work watching them so they dont dry out but I think you will have more success.

[djayz]

5 hours ago, Hereinthailand said:

Seeds like to be moist not wet all the time, if anything try just a thin film of water under the cubes where they just wick up enough to keep the cube moist, more work watching them so they dont dry out but I think you will have more success.

Good idea! I think I'll try that approach next. I hadn't thought of it. Thanks. I'll get back in 2 or 3 weeks with a brief update on whether or not it worked. 

[djayz]

5 hours ago, carlyai said:

Why not transplant a germinating seed into the foam and see if it dies?

When I used the foam squares before, the seeds had germinate before I transplanted them.


Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

I've thought about doing that too, but I want to keep that as being my final option. It strikes me as being very time consuming and requiring nimble fingers - neither of which I have.Thanks for the tip. If all else fails, I'll have to take that approach. 

[rice555]

Hello All, there has been a thread on this somewhere's here on the FF and

also the aqua/hydro thread that Frapington started and covered on one of

his U-tube vids, ponic wars. He was using them in the tower system for herbs.

Bangsi DWC in BKK was the first to use foam cubes in LOS, everybody else

was using perlite or vermiculite or a mix of the two.

Bangsi use to seed the cube, wet them down and cover with place plastic film

for 3-5 days for them to sprout and then into the smaller net style pot with

a large bottom hole, there are pic's of the 3 styles of net pot/cups here in LOS

at that time.

rice555   

[Hereinthailand]

When you use a floating raft to start seeds you only have maybe 3 mm of foam in the water to wick the water up to the cube, same as using the thin film of water.

[djayz]

11 minutes ago, Hereinthailand said:

When you use a floating raft to start seeds you only have maybe 3 mm of foam in the water to wick the water up to the cube, same as using the thin film of water.

Ok. Thanks. Then I assume the seeds didn't germinate because the were submerged in too much water. 

 

[Hereinthailand]

If you are going to use foam cubes for starting plants I would suggest getting these and make floating rafts http://www.higreenshop.com/product/60/โฟมแผ่นปลูกผักไทย-50-รู

[WatUp]

I always use the foam flats. Put in a tray of water and also water the top for the 1st 3 days or so. Have always had good germination rates.

[jvs]

23 hours ago, Hereinthailand said:

Seeds like to be moist not wet all the time, if anything try just a thin film of water under the cubes where they just wick up enough to keep the cube moist, more work watching them so they dont dry out but I think you will have more success.

Yes,too much water and you are drowning the seeds.Also do not put the seeds in too deep.

It takes a bit of trial and error but you will get the hang of it.

[opalred]

over the years have found 80% seed you buy are no good here

to germinate try a little bag potting mix then mix with fine sand

cheers

[rice555]

17 minutes ago, opalred said:

over the years have found 80% seed you buy are no good here

to germinate try a little bag potting mix then mix with fine sand

cheers

This is hydro, you don't want dirt, sand and other matter

clogging pumps or lines, the OP does quite well growing

in soil, but trying his hand in hydroponics.

rice555 

[rice555]

8 hours ago, Hereinthailand said:

If you are going to use foam cubes for starting plants I would suggest getting these and make floating rafts http://www.higreenshop.com/product/60/โฟมแผ่นปลูกผักไทย-50-รู

The raft in your link is a nursery, usually with cubes, you start in trays, then you put the cube

in pots after they sprout. Then  you put into close spacing nursery NTF/DWC boards/channels,

then after the plants are larger, you move to larger spacing boards/channel for the final grow

out.

Soon after a spouted cube roots are long enough to wick nutrients, then to the nursery, till

then, you can just use water, misting/spraying.

rice555

[rice555]

Hello All, here's the pics of what was/is available for growing greens  in DWC or NTF.

Remember some of the smaller cup/pots can fall through the board/channel.

rice555 

[Hereinthailand]

Sorry but your wrong on using styrofoam rafts with foam cubes as your media for starting seeds, done by many growers especially large nft systems. Using a large container the rafts are moved down and replaced by new starters as the others are removed from the rafts and placed in the nft system  giving you continuous non-stop growth in your system. check out some large dutch indoor nft farms sometime.

[opalred]

this year has been a shocker for snails

as so as they pop up the snail will eat them off during the night 

[rice555]

17 hours ago, Hereinthailand said:

Sorry but your wrong on using styrofoam rafts with foam cubes as your media for starting seeds, done by many growers especially large nft systems. Using a large container the rafts are moved down and replaced by new starters as the others are removed from the rafts and placed in the nft system  giving you continuous non-stop growth in your system. check out some large dutch indoor nft farms sometime.

Yes, I may be wrong, it won't be the first time. I may have missed if the OP was doing DWC

or NFT?? From the 2 places that I've seen here in LOS that are suppliers/growers, Accent

and Bangsai, one uses DWC and the other uses NTF, The both start there seed in trays and then

move to nurseries boards/channels. Just like your close spaced board/raft.

I think that the OP is not on the scale of a large Dutch automated hydro production farm.

rice555

 

[djayz]

10 hours ago, rice555 said:

Yes, I may be wrong, it won't be the first time. I may have missed if the OP was doing DWC

or NFT?? From the 2 places that I've seen here in LOS that are suppliers/growers, Accent

and Bangsai, one uses DWC and the other uses NTF, The both start there seed in trays and then

move to nurseries boards/channels. Just like your close spaced board/raft.

I think that the OP is not on the scale of a large Dutch automated hydro production farm.

rice555

 

Thank you rice, you're quite right. I'm far from that scale right now. 

As initially stated, I'm experimenting. Trying to figure out EC, nutrients, temperature, light, foam dept, etc.  

Some good feed back here so far. 

I do have a green thumb, but in the more traditionall way.

In the mean time I sincerely believe that hydro/aquaponics is the way of the future, hence my interest in this. 

Thanks to everybody who has contributed. 

It's all much appreciated. 

[rice555]

Bangsai use to be the only one doing cubes, Accent also is using them and not

sure about ACK and Fresh Gardens? Much easier than perlite/vermiculite and

cuts on the pump/line clogging. I've tried germinating seed a few years back,

but I don't do green/lettuce. Hopefully will start after the move to the farm.

The question of when the plants first need nutrients and at what EC is what I'm

not sure about, toms and the other vegs I grow don't need 1/2 strength nutes

till after the 2nd set of true leaves form.

Here's some pix from Accents and Bangsai's www's

Are you doing the Korat show?

rice555 

The long table is at Accent, flood and drain, their germination table, moist, not wet.

[djayz]

4 hours ago, rice555 said:

Bangsai use to be the only one doing cubes, Accent also is using them and not

sure about ACK and Fresh Gardens? Much easier than perlite/vermiculite and

cuts on the pump/line clogging. I've tried germinating seed a few years back,

but I don't do green/lettuce. Hopefully will start after the move to the farm.

The question of when the plants first need nutrients and at what EC is what I'm

not sure about, toms and the other vegs I grow don't need 1/2 strength nutes

till after the 2nd set of true leaves form.

Here's some pix from Accents and Bangsai's www's

Are you doing the Korat show?

rice555 

The long table is at Accent, flood and drain, their germination table, moist, not wet.

Yes, I'm def. going to the Korat show. I just happened to read your post on the other thread. I might bump into you there. 

If I can successfully start growing seeds in foam cubes, I plan on getting an 18 m long flood and drain table similar to the ones in your photos. 

[rice555]

Hello All, Assent does have ebb and flow tables pans/tables, Bangsai has the

boxes that you see in the top pic's with the cubes and also a lid, also in their Cat.

ACK has a black tray about 8 x 11" and the Chia Tai store in China Town has the

black 10-20 trays that are common in the US in most all garden centers.

Or your local plastic kitchen supply shop/Lotus.

rice555

[djayz]

Hi all! A brief update - I started growing seeds in the foam squares with more success this time (only slightly more success, albeit).

Now my next question. How do I calculate how much A+B solution I should add to each liter of water?

I did a quick search on google, but the answers were either too complex or not relevant. 

Thanks in advance for any tips. 

[carlyai]

Keep posting with pics, but sorry can't help with your question.

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[jvs]

16 hours ago, djayz said:

Hi all! A brief update - I started growing seeds in the foam squares with more success this time (only slightly more success, albeit).

Now my next question. How do I calculate how much A+B solution I should add to each liter of water?

I did a quick search on google, but the answers were either too complex or not relevant. 

Thanks in advance for any tips. 

We use a six liter water bottle and a 60cc small bottle(it was bought at the mom and pop shop with some red liquid in it,some kind of herb).

One 60 cc bottle of A and one 60cc botlle of B,put this in the six liter bottle and fill up with water and youre good to go.We have been using this mixture for years already.This would only work of course if yours and ours chemicals are of the same strenght..

[green thumb]

I have started a small hydro NTF system. Will still be working out a A+B solution yet. Have seeds started with some success to. Some have not greminated maybe due to light? But the seeds germinate fine in earth. Others have germinated but are having a hard time rising out of the foam. As suggested this might be cause the seed were set to deep.  Water is not to deep as well. 

[djayz]

28 minutes ago, green thumb said:

I have started a small hydro NTF system. Will still be working out a A+B solution yet. Have seeds started with some success to. Some have not greminated maybe due to light? But the seeds germinate fine in earth. Others have germinated but are having a hard time rising out of the foam. As suggested this might be cause the seed were set to deep.  Water is not to deep as well. 

I've had the same problem with my seeds - some germinate, most don't. I hadn't thought about the light factor - I'll keep the next tray of seeds in the shade/darkness and see if that helps any. 

Thanks! 

[jvs]

6 hours ago, djayz said:

I've had the same problem with my seeds - some germinate, most don't. I hadn't thought about the light factor - I'll keep the next tray of seeds in the shade/darkness and see if that helps any. 

Thanks! 

Yes keeping the seeds out of the sun does help,how deep you plant the seeds is a major factor in germinating .