by BrianBeckley
October 3 2011 07:11
Now that I’m all read up on hydroponics, I did some shopping. You know that look people give you when you go to a buffet and come back to the table with more than you can possibly eat, trying to modestly arrange your plates and bowls in front of you? Yeah, I’m that guy.
I also have a pension for flashiness. I remember my first car, a Hemi Cuda with a reputation for leaving the roads burning, cleverly disguised as a ’62 Impala with rust and torn upholstery. No one suspected a thing.
I wanted all the bright and shiny, and lots of it. Fortunately, Roger (the Worm’s Way Indiana store manager) talked me down to reality all while sharing my elevated enthusiasm. He looked at the reality of my experience (I read that book) and my growing space (small), and helped me come up with a realistic plan that I am very excited about. Rather than the carnivorous plants that tried to eat Tarzan, we’re going to try some basil and some lettuce. Because really, the first try needs to be about learning how plants grow and getting a feel for what works. I really needed some good advice right then.
Lesson one: Start small, learn from the experience, and then take on more.
Let’s look at the apparatus, shall we? I’m starting my seeds in a Sunleaves Float & Grow using starter plugs under a Sunleaves Nova. When the roots mature and I can see them extending from the starter plug I will be ready to move them to my nine-site Botanicare Aero Machine. Everything I need to start my plants off right. Where was Roger when I picked out my first car?
On to planting…