I have grown plants in a potted soil and failed miserably. The Leca system you seem to be using looks perfect to grow healthy plants in a small space. Can you talk more about all the Leca based pots you have and how a newbie can get into it?
Sorry to bother you but can i ask some basic questions? Google and reddit are not really helping me. Can this support the full life of plants, or do they need to be moved to soil eventually? Second, do i need to add some kind of plant food into the water? And lastly, do i need to change the water regularly? Im looking into indoor gardening options, namely for herbs right now like cilantro or basil. Im having so much trouble keeping them away from molding
These trays are for growing microgreens/sprouts, which are harvested and eaten within a couple weeks of starting the seeds. When growing microgreens/sprouts, plant food is not required since the seed contains all the nutrients needed until seedlings develop their first set of true leaves and by that time you would be harvesting these. I think the instructions for these tray say to change the water every few days. I typically just top it off if it gets low since it's such a short term grower. If you've been having issues with mold in your growing medium you may need to increase the airflow. However, I've noticed that certain types of soil, like organic mixes, are naturally prone to molding with all the organic matter. Some people have success with sprinkling cinnamon on the surface of their growing medium for mold prevention. Hasn't really worked for me in the past but increasing the airflow with a fan has helped a lot.
You can also get that kind of stainless steel mesh in different mesh sizes for those plants with larger roots and you can determine beforehand whether or not the seeds will fall through by measuring them with a ruler or calipers since the mesh size can be converted to millimeters.
you can get pre-cut rounds of stainless steel mesh screen in packs of 25 on McMaster-Carr in a bunch of mesh sizes and diameters for about $7-$20 plus shipping.
When I started making indoor gardening content I was living in a studio apartment so there's always room for something! Microgreens are a good one to start with because you can get by with just using window light. Just have to rotate the trays daily because the sprouts will curve towards the light source
Do you use the leca for everything you transplant? I have a click and grow and am looking to start transplanting so things like the tomato and peppers grow better
I do use LECA for the majority of my indoor plants. Click & Grow pods transfer really well to both soil and LECA. The tomatoes and peppers can get so much bigger after you transfer them so I like to get plants started in there and will transfer certain ones out
You need a different system. Mine doesn't have an issue with really small seeds or big seeds. Of course a mason jar with a ring and some screen works just as well. ;)
They were! I think my seeds are a little too old now because I recently tried growing them again and the germination rate was terrible. Currently on the hunt for some new popcorn seeds to try
Similar to how I did it in this video with the mint cuttings. Just remove most of the leaves and put it in some water to root. You can also trim the stem if it seems a little long
I try to grow all of my indoor food plants using the mason jar kratky method or in a pot full of LECA. Everything I've tried seems to do pretty well in it but I always grow from seed and transfer the plants while they're young so they have an easier transition. I've personally experienced better plant health when growing this way instead of in soil but I've seen a lot of people not like LECA. The biggest issues I have with it is my apartment is too humid from growing so many plants like that so I have to run a dehumidifier daily. I also recently discovered mold mites are a thing and hydroponics/leca is a perfect environment for them to thrive so I'm trying to figure out some cleaning routines to minimize them.
@@gardeningindoors thank you for sharing all your knowledge and what you're learning. I live in Colorado and it's very dry here so that might help with some of the issues. But it does seem like things grow slower than I notice it takes other people. It's all an experiment!
I've found that once you have the lighting figured out you can pretty much grow anything you have the space for. I try to stick to plants that stay under 2.5ft unless it can climb up one of my trellis setups. I like to grow greens, herbs, peppers, small tomatoes, mini eggplant, bush beans, peas, and I'm currently testing a miniature cucumber plant that I'm excited to share because it seems perfect for indoor growing!
Did you grow the dwarf cherry tomatoes from seeds? I would love to see the process from seed to harvest with links to the pots and supplies you use. Love your process ❤
They were grown from seed but started in a Gardyn 3.0 hydroponic system. They're pretty vague with the names so I'm not sure on the exact type of tomatoes they are. They just call them "mini tomatoes." If I had to guess, I would say they could be Red Robin or Tiny Tim tomatoes. This video shows the regular process I use for growing indoor tomatoes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8bBf5-mxgUE.html Here are some lists in my Amazon Storefront with pots/supplies I use: Planters: www.amazon.com/shop/gardeningindoors/list/OL6IOCGABPDL?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_YMNR6CFJ53N6Y03GWXKT LECA Supplies: www.amazon.com/shop/gardeningindoors/list/1ERCEK8EZA85Y?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_FPKDC287DC154NK1ZS2V Cages/Trellises: www.amazon.com/shop/gardeningindoors/list/2TTA1DITR8HST?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_254RWGGTSTMHSMEVANQ1
I have one of those glasses for growing microgreens and it is not the first one. It just does not work, when they start to become jellyish from the water they are put in, the spare water does not run out anymore, because the holes are shut by the seeds. Then it rots and starts to stink...
I understand but exposed edges is risky as you said. Id recommend finding a steel mesh strainer that fits your container. (The small ones are sometimes in tjmaxx or you can lookup chai strainers steel. ) ❤
I find paper towel always works fine but _you have to remove it_ once things get big enough to keep themselves on the right side of the tray. That being said, this is a great hack and I think I’ll try it in my dehydrator too
Oh heavens! I haven’t even watched anything other than this, and am sooo hopeful!! You may be just what I’ve been needing all day!!!! I just haven’t been able to wrap my head around growing indoors - example: I don’t want a 15ft tomato plant in the basement all winter lol. I want to keep them to a manageable size. So I’ve been hyperfixated on how to keep size manageable but also fruitful. Fingers crossed that I go watch more and it’s exactly what I need. 🙏
Hopefully you'll find some helpful tips throughout my content 😊 I experiment with a lot of different types of plants but usually stick to things that stay under 2.5ft tall. There are small varieties of tomatoes that are perfect for indoor growing. I've done Red Robin, Tiny Tim and Orange Hat so far
I did! This is the diy video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Gt1rSvnTMd0.html But I recently upgraded the lighting to this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6pi6gBNPtws.html I got the trellis in-store at Menards but everything else is from Amazon. It should all be in my storefront
Much faster! I only use the dehydrator if I have a lot to dry at once. Otherwise I have a small 2 tier drying rack I throw flower petals and herb cuttings in as needed. It's been taking 2 weeks for them to dry that way but I'm usually not in a rush
I love using the amber jars with overhead lighting because I can still see the water level. Jar covers work great too though! I use them for my vertical setup
