Question by George: hydroponic carrots, potatoes…..???
can potatoes, and carrots be grown with hydroponics?
because the fruit of the plant would be mirking in the nutrient fluid… does anyone know??

Best answers:

Answer by wheeza7geeza
I don’t know about potatoes, but I have seen carrots growing.When you think of it George, you only need the roots in the medium.If you suspended a bag with a potato plant in it and let the roots down in the medium it would ok.It actually makes me realise it could be a good way to grow them. But personally i like to grow things a little more exotic, potatos and carrots are cheap enough to buy.

by Salim Virji

Question by ٭ßα©© н∂ⁿ@ℓ٭зNe♥: What is the best type of legume seed to use in a science experiment?
we need to grow a certain type of legume in a hydroponic solution and we wanted to know which was the best type of seed to use. Thanx!

Best answers:

Answer by jeristhin
beans…

Answer by cometkatt
i would use the plain green pea= it grows fast and easy- they are reliable growers. thats why Mendel used them for his experiments! )

it really depends on the experiment/growing program you are doing. what you are trying to prove or improve.

just my thoughts

rj

Answer by kay
I’d prefer rice for hydroponic experiments… the roots can stand the low oxygen tension typical for static hydroponic experiments.

Most common legumes do poorly under those conditions — one of the Sesbania species is probably your best choice. Do you need nodulation for your experiment?

Question by cityquestioner: Does any group collect data about how many city buildings have greenhouses on their roofs ?
Would the county agricultural agent (USDA) likely have this information ? Could this information be found out through some sort of building permit report. Who would know what was being grown in these greenhouses ? and if any, many use hydroponic systems ? Have any schools, universities become known for this practice ? If glass is no longer used, what is the material of the usual covering, or panels ? Are any of these greenhouses that might exist, producing in a commercial circumstance ?

Best answers:

Answer by Dustoff
cityquestioner

If the ghouses are not of a commercial nature and/or the owner/operator not contacted the County Agent, the CA would very likely NOT know of their existance.

Possibly building permits would be issued if the installation was registered as a permanent attachment to the building. Nonpermanent structures do not require building permits.

What is being grown is no doubt known only by those who operate them or have other knowledge of their existance.

Very possibly hydorponic systems are used, however hydroponic systems are touchy to maintain and are not the system for all users or products.

I grew various vegetables on the Horticulture/Plant Sciences building at Arizona State University in a test program with my professor. I have never seen or am aware of rooftop ghouses at institutions. For this type of use, rooftop ghouses are not practicle. For a hobby — go for it.

Glass is still used and is a very efficient light transmitter, but costly. Mostly the use of glass is in the private sector, northern latitudes, in relation to high end estates because glass looks nice. Plastic double wall and triple wall panels are more economical, less maintenance, not as prone to damage, and do not require the beefed up supporting structure that glass requires. Plastic film is very popular among commercial growers due to its lower cost, but is much more fragile and prone to damage and must be replaced at intervals depending upon its grade and thickness.

As to roof installed, commercial ghouses a practice . . . I would think not due to simply accessability and the roof would need be designed for this type of hard wear, including service passages to the roof. Commercial ghouse operations must have tons of stuff produced to satisfy profitability. Accessability must be easy to insure profitabillity. On the ground ranges make this easy, elevation increases costs.

Question by “0-6 DEEGAN”: what are the best way to grow indoors without spiking your electricity bill?
my wife just decided that she wanted to start a mini nursery in our basement with the kids to grow cherry tomatoes cilantro and peppers. im know this fad wont last long but she pretty stuck with this. so its a hydroponic setup she saw on youtube. so what should i tell her what bulbs she should buy?

Best answers:

Answer by Ryan
get a t5ho lighting fixture designed for aquarium use and use 6700k spectrum light bulbs. these fixtures are low energy/high output and will do the job quite nicely. you’ll be looking at spending a few hundred dollars though. i’d check ebay for cheap or used fixtures. depending on the area you are planning to grow the plants, you will probably want at least a 4-bulb fixture.

Answer by Arlene N
Just use CFLs. Target sells a floor lamp that has 5 sockets on it, and they are on flexible arms so you can bend them down to point the light directly at the plants. It costs . Purchase one or two of these and get some 100 watt output CFLs (they only use 26 watts of power), some cool blue light, some warm red light, and some soft white ones. Mix them and it will give the plants a full spectrum of light while using 75% less power than regular bulbs. And a lot less power than high output bulbs. I have an indoor garden and was afraid to see what my electric bill would be and it was actually the lowest it’s been this year. They work great, the plants are thriving very well. Hopefully you will have a green thumb. Good luck.

by The Kozy Shack

Question by john m: Why are the lower leaves of my tomatoes dieing?
My hydroponic tomatoes are growing very fast, and are adding new leaves almost daily. but as the new leaves come in the old leaves are start to wilt ,and die at the tips. why are they doing this, and what will happen once the growing slows, will they lose all of there leaves.
They are growing indoors as a constant 82F throughout the day, and room temp at night.

Best answers:

Answer by Charlie
Not sure where you are John but your plants could have a fungus disease like fusarium wilt or some other fungal disease. It’s a common disease of tomatoes and there isn’t much you can do for it except to make sure you buy resistant varieties. If you know the variety you can check with a plant expert at your local college or contact your County Agent for assistance.