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From time to time, the aerator nozzle on the AeroGarden Sprout gets clogged. The most effective way to fix this is to take it out and clean it, but if you don’t have time for that, this is a quick and easy fix to get the air flowing again. All you need is a bendable dental gum brush.
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You can easily remove, or replace, hydroponic nutrients using a battery operated siphon. These are the type siphons normally used for filling kerosene heaters. This is especially useful for containers that are not easily moved.
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It’s important to pop apart the grow deck for recirculating models between gardens. This is because roots can get in the channels and block nutrient flow. It’s very easy to do, but not very intuitive if you’ve never done it before.
Here’s a video showing how to take apart the grow deck on an AeroGarden Bounty model.
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This is a process I use for adding smoke flavor and aroma to dried peppers. This works for both fresh and frozen peppers. I smoke them first, then add to the dehydrator.
Perforate the bottom of a disposable baking pan with a knife. Wash and de-stem peppers, cut in half, then place in baking pan.
Prepare the grill, setting the bottom and top vents to about a 3/16″ gap, lay a piece of aluminum foil (10 x 12 inch) on one end of the bottom grate. Poke a few holes in the aluminum foil with a knife.
Start a small amount of charcoal, about 10 12 briquettes (easier if you are using another grill for cooking, you can make more).
Place the hot coals on the aluminum foil, and dump a few handfuls of smoking wood on top.
Place the top grate on the grill, and set the baking pan of peppers on top, on the opposite side of the wood chips.
Cover and let smoke for at least 30 minutes.
Remove peppers and place in dehydrator trays.
Dry for 24 – 36 hours, or until peppers are ‘cracker dry’.
If you have peppers already dried, cracker dry, you can easily make pepper flakes. Just place them in a plastic bag and crush them. Watch my video below for a demonstration and tips on storage.
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Introduction
I have a pepper plant that had been growing in a 5 gallon bucket DWC, and I needed to move it to something bigger I chose the 27 gallon tote commander XXL for the upgrade container.
I inverted the lid to gain more set up. I set an unused 6″ net pot in the center of the lid and drew a line around it. I free-handed a second internal line about 2″ inside the first circle. This marks where to cut.
I drilled two pilot holes on opposite sides of the inner circle and used a jigsaw to cut this out. I could have (carefully) used a utility knife instead.
I drilled two 1/4″ holes for the airline tubing, evenly spaced on each end (long side) of the tote. This is for the airline tubing.
I spray painted the lid white and let dry.
I cut my airline to the length I needed and inserted each one through the two holes I drilled and attached the 18″ air curtain tubes underneath.
I added 15 gallons of water, then mixed in my nutrients. Following the recommended strength on the package. In my case, I measured 2 tsp/gallon of Flora-Nova Bloom.
I moved the plant from its 5-gallon home and set it in the 27-gallon tote. I drilled two sets of two holes on each side of the net pot and secured to the lid using zip ties.
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Overview
Dehydration is one of the best ways to preserve your pepper harvest. After a while though, exposure to air will lessen the shelf life of what you have worked so hard to save. I have found that vacuum sealing after drying preserves the peppers indefinitely.
What is needed
Foodsaver vacuum sealer with accessory port and hose/connector. The newer Foodsavers come with this attachment.
First, dry the peppers in the dehydrator. When you start the process of drying, go ahead and wash up the jars, rings and lids you’ll need. Even if using brand new jars, wash them anyway. Also use soap when washing the lids, this will help the seal perform better. Towel dry, then set out to air dry while the dehydrator is running.
Let the peppers dry until they are beyond cracker crisp. To test this, crush a piece between your fingers. It should crumble easily. Wear gloves if handing very hot peppers.
Let them cool, and place the dried pods in clean, dry jar. If you don’t care about keeping the pieces fully intact, you can press them down into the jar to fit more if needed.
Place a clean lid on top of the jar and push the jar sealer attachment over it. Make sure the sealer attachment is attached to the accessory hose, and it is attached to the Foodsaver. press the accessory button on the Foodsaver. The vacuum process will stop when the jar is sealed. you can then remove the jar-sealer attachment. The lid should be on tight. You can optionally screw on a jar ring, but it is not necessary.
Notes
I have read other reviews on the Jar-sealer attachment saying the wide mouth size works better. I have not tested the regular mouth to share any experience with them. Some of the other reviewers did mention that if you use the regular mouth and have trouble, you can add a second lid, this somehow helps. I’ve had zero issues using the wide mouth lids.
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If you’ve never used or set up a drip irrigation system before, it can seem intimidating. The best thing to do starting out is first to decide what you will be growing, how many plants, and where the system will reside. Then look at a drip irrigation kit that approximates your needs. Get a kit that has slightly more than what you need. You can buy under need, and supplement with additional parts too, but often it is cheaper to just buy a slightly larger kit.
I highly recommend Drip Depot. Not only do they have any and every kind of drip irrigation system you could need, but their staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, to answer any questions you might have. I am an affiliate of there’s, but also a customer. I would recommend them regardless.
You can run a drip system with our without a fertilizer injector. If you don’t use a fertilizer injector, some type of supplemental plant food is necessary, such as slow release Osmocote 14-14-14, or other amendments. A fertilizer injector has many benefits, including precise control over the rate of release, and ability to stop and start feeding easily. The downsides are added complexity and cost.
The basic components of a drip irrigation system are the following in order, from the faucet:
Timer (optional) – this is to turn the system on and off. I use the Claber Video 2-cycle water timer.
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I was able to successfully grow a 7-Pot Peach pepper in my AeroGarden Bounty. It has produced fruit, and they are super hot! In this article, I explore the pros and cons of growing super hot strains in the AeroGarden Bounty vs cheaper DIY methods.
AeroGarden Bounty
Pros:
Convenience and aesthetics – These look good for display anywhere in your home or office. Everything is built in, the lights, pump, timers, etc… It’s all self-contained in one system.
Great support – Aerogrow does a great job backing their products if there are ever any problems, and problems are generally few and far between.
Function – They work very well, especially for starting plants.
Plug and play – Does’t require any skill or knowledge to work. Just hook it up, add some nutrients and pods and it’s ready to go.
Cons:
High cost – For function only it’s much cheaper to build your own system.
Small grow space and light – The one-gallon reservoir, limited height, and light output limit the size plant you grow.
DIY System
Pros:
Cheaper – You get more for less, making it yourself. Especially if you upcycle used containers and parts.
Flexibility – You have total control over the size and type of system you make, including pumps, lights, reservoir, etc…
More potential for the same or less money.
Cons:
Can sprawl – Generally, unless designed to be, are not all in one solution, have many parts hooked together. This makes it harder to move the system around.
Less visually appealing – These, unless designed for aesthetics in mind, and not as pretty as AeroGardens.
Takes time, skills and knowledge to build – Most basic systems can be made by practically anyone, but some are more complex.
Cost comparison:
Aerogarden Bounty – https://amzn.to/2v6487S Cost, depending if it’s on sale ~ 250.00 – 380.00.
DIY solution to grow a plant 4+ times as big with lots more fruit production, including tent and everything – 350.00 – 400.00.
You could skip the tent and grow it out in the open, or fashion together a cheaper solution of reflective panels, save an additional 50-100 dollars. Being really frugal, you cut the entire cost in half, at least, still using high end grow lights.
Grow tent – https://amzn.to/2OxZmIx (Can go a little smaller and save, like a 48″ x 36″ or 48″ x 24″, but I wouldn’t compromise on height).
5-gal DWC kit – https://amzn.to/2AuJDqD (You can save if you part this out yourself, looking at 5 gal bucket, net pot bucket lid, growing medium, ie coco coir or clay peppers, aquarium pump, tubing, air stone. Check your local grow store if you have one)
Grow lights – This varies quite a bit, but I recommend HLG series lights. Cost a little more up front but will save in the long run. Something like this, the HLG 100 would do well https://amzn.to/2LMwAGA
You could also do a combination like I have of 2 x 300 watt (120 actual) with 2 x 150 watt(65 actual). But I am really just using lights I already had, not the most ideal. Eventually, I plan to move to the HLG lights or build my own. http://ledgardener.com has a lot of good info on that.
See my video below showing a comparison between the AeroGarden Bounty and a DIY solution I am running in my basement.
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Using a 27-gallon commander tote from Lowes, I set up a Kratky system with a float valve that will maintain the nutrient level after it has dropped. Maintaining a static nutrient level is ideal with Kratky type systems because overfilling will endanger the aeration roots. I learned about using float valves for this purpose from Matt Garver.
The beauty of this setup is it allows you to use a smaller container and finish growing your plant to harvest without worry of overfilling or running out. You can attach any size reservoir, such as a 5-gallon bucket, a 40-gallon trash can or larger.
It is important to periodically flush the growing container and refill with fresh nutrients. This practice eliminates any excess salts that may have built up, causing pH shifts, leading to nutrient lockout. The easy way to do this is to install a shut-off valve between the growing container and reservoir. When ready to flush, simply turn off the flow from the reservoir. and empty the container. You can lower the float and empty back out through that line, or install a separate drain line. Or have someone hold the plants up and turn the container over.
Another benefit of this system is having the option to change the nutrients easily by changing the reservoir. For instance, moving from a grow formula to a bloom formula.
** This system needs to be partially sheltered if outside, like under a porch cover, awning, etc…. Something that will keep rain out. Additional steps would be necessary to waterproof this for full outdoor exposure. It is possible to do, but not covered in this guide.
Parts needed
27-gallon tote – Look for the black tote with yellow lid in Lowes or Home Depot
Lid covering – Spray paint for plastic, or aluminum foil. This will block light, preventing algae from growing in the container.
Steps
Reservoir setup
Drill a 5/8″ hole in the bottom of the reservoir container, clean the hole with a sharp knife.
Push a 1/2″ top hat grommet through the hole from the outside.
Push one end of a 1/2″ inch barbed connector into the hole of the top hat grommet from the outside.
Push a piece of 1/2″ vinyl tubing onto the exposed end of the barbed connector.
Growing container setup
Float valve installation
Drill a 3/4″ hole (if using the recommended float valve, check the size first) about 1.5 – 2 inches from the bottom and side of one of the corners. Clean this up with the knife.
Unscrew the locking nut on the float valve and push the threaded part all the way through the container wall from the inside, keeping the rubber washer on the inside touching the container wall. Screw on the locking nut from the outside and tighten with a wrench.
Adjust the float valve arm to the depth you want to maintain and tighten to lock the position in place.
Screw on the 1/2″ barbed adapter to the float valve, from the outside.
Attached 1/2″ vinyl tubing to the barbed connector.
Connect the reservoir and tote together using a shutoff valve with 1/2″ barbed connectors.
Optionally install a separate drain line using the same instructions for the reservoir setup, adding a plug or shutoff valve to the end.
Lid
If possible, invert the lid. Some of these style totes allow this, and others don’t. Just turn it upside down and test it. If you can invert it, this will give you a little more headroom. For dual setup, lay two 6-inch net pots upside down and position them evenly, mark the lid with a sharpie.
Turn the net pot lids right side up and place in the circles, as centered as possible, draw around the base with a sharpie. The hole cut needs to be a little larger than the smallest circles. Draw about a half inch around that circle and this is where you need to cut, as a starting point.
Use a sharp utility knife, and carefully cut around, make sure not to cut yourself. Test fit the net pots and adjust the hole size if necessary.
Once the holes are cut, spray the lid with white or black paint, ideally black, then covered over with white. Or you can just cover with aluminum foil.
Nutrients
Add the water. For the reservoir, fill up as much as you want. For the tote, fill mostly with water. Then put the lid and net pots in place, and finish filling until the water comes up about 1/2 to 1 inch up the bottom of the net pots.
Mix in the nutrients to the required strength. For Dyna-Gro and Flora Nova series, about 1 tsp/gallon is good. Adjust to around 700 ppm. In the video below, I am using Flora Nova Grow.
Stir really well, check the nutrient strength and pH. If necessary, make adjustments.
Plants
This guide assumes you have small plants already established with roots at least 4+ inches long.
With the lid and net pots installed, hold the plant in the net pot area with the roots spread and touching the bottom of the net pot.
Fill in around the plant with supporting media, such as clay pebbles or coco chunks.
For a couple weeks or so, check the net pots to make sure the nutrient level is still touching the bottom of the net pots until new roots are established and start growing out of the bottom.
Ongoing care
The nutrient solution will draw down as the plants and roots grow. Once it gets down to where float valve starts letting in the reservoir solution, this is a good time to flush out the growing container. Turn off the flow from reservoir, empty and flush out the solution in the tote. Turn the reservoir back on and let new solution flow back in. This should be repeated every few weeks after.
