Week 1: Tower Garden plant growth

My seedlings seem to have adjusted well after 1 week in the Tower Garden and I can now officially call them "plants".  I haven't noticed any signs of transplant shock and there is noticeable growth daily.  I've checked the pH every other day (lowered it twice- trying to keep at 6.0) and set the pump timer for 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off.  The water level has barely dropped and I try and rotate the Tower and Base 1/4 turn each direction daily to equalize the amount of direct sun.  I suspect this will not be necessary once the plants grow a bit more.  Below is a photo I took yesterday...quite impressive isn't it?

 

~~Week 1 Tower Garden~~

Tower Garden Started!

My Tower Garden build was incredibly easy- took about 20 minutes.  Just follow the simple instructions and you can't go wrong.  As you can see in the photo below, seedlings have been "planted" and we're up and running.  Below the photo, I have some pointers to supplement the information in the instructions.  Enjoy!

 

Here are some tips I'd like to share so far:

1. Certain seedlings need to be transferred to the Tower Garden sooner than others and not necessarily based on seedling height (above rockwool cube).  One example is cucumber.  It tends to root vigorously before leaf formation.  I believe I waited too long to plant in tower and the seedlings are suffering as a result.  Check the root formation out the bottom of your seedling rockwool cubes periodically.  If there is good root structure, the seedlings are ready for the tower.

2. When first building the tower make sure to tighten top wing nuts on rods just enough to keep tower sections close and wait a couple of days to allow plastic to creep and settle a little bit.  I recommend using large stainless washers (do not obstruct shower holes) under the top wing nuts to distribute the load better and tighten a little more to ensure the tower is stable.

3. To adjust pump flow in tower fill basin 1/2 full with water only first then turn pump on.  This will allow you to turn the dial on the submerged pump before you add the tonic and adjust the pH.  Make sure flow is just enough to keep top shower shelf (under Tower Garden cap) filled with about 1/4" solution.

4. Consider which plants enjoy one another and those that tend to not get along.  There is a lot of research- some speculative so be discerning.  We know that tomato and basil plants get along very well so grow them close to each other.  Some say that cucumber and tomato plants don't get along so train them in opposite directions if possible.

 

Seedlings after 2 weeks...

Lettuce on right came up in 1 week, tomatoes on top left, squash & cucumbers in middle, basil bottom left.  I'm very impressed with the fact all seeds seem to be germinating.  So far the system is working!  I make sure to keep water in the tray daily and haven't added any Growing Tonic yet.  I also give the seedling tray about 4 hours direct sunlight daily now.  Notice the lettuce cubes broken apart for aeration.  I plan to get Tower Garden started in a week or so...stay tuned for next post!