Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Wanted to see what you guys thought, I have been eating out of my system for the last couple months and it has been great, one thing that has been bothering me though is how weak the stems of the plants are and the leaves seem almost sticky. The two kinds of plants I have noticed this in are my lettuce and my green onions, the lettuce keeps falling over and the leaves will rip when I cut them to take them out if they touch each other they seem very thin. My green onions keep growing up about 4-5 inches and then fall over, they haven't been too successful so far.

What I am wondering is if the lack of any wind since this is indoors is causing the weak stems and if maybe I should spray the leaves with water every couple days to help with them being almost sticky (they are not actually sticky, not sure how to explain it, they are almost like velcro to each other). I have thought about putting a box fan up to blow towards my plants and have it turn on and off at random times to simulate some wind.

I also thought that maybe I have some kind of nutrient deficiency that is causing the issue, I will see about getting some pictures to post later if that would help.

Any idea's?

Hi Mark!

My guess would be more light and a light breeze from a small fan would help. I grew lettuce under a light and they were similar to what you describe, they were very tender. Some breeze (I'm thinking one of those tiny clip-on fans) would probably help them toughen up a bit.

A small fan is definitely a good idea for indoor systems (they do it in hydroponics too.) If you don't have a timer for the fan, perhaps an oscillating fan would be better.

Potassium might be lacking. Adding some Maxi Crop to the system would probably be a good idea as it can help with root development and stronger stems.

Finally, is there really enough light for these plants. Often spindly plants is a sign that they are reaching for light. I grow lettuce indoors under lights and it is a fine line between having the light close enough and scorching the tops of the top leaves.

I too have experienced the sticky leaf thing, not sure what to tell you on that one.

Thanks for the replies, it sounds like most of my suspicions were correct. I had not thought of an oscillating fan so thanks for that suggestion.

As for the lighting, it is good, but it could be better, I just put up a new rack that my florescent lights will hang from so I will be able to double the amount of light coming in. Also I just bought some sodium lights off from a guy who was using them for questionable uses and got caught by his parents, am going to be adding those in for the tomatoes I am starting.

Am trying to find a place to buy maxicrop around here, might just have to buy it online.

Mark, it may also be more than just the amount of light your plants are receiving... it most probably has as much, or more to do with the "colour" of the light they're receiving...

Perhaps you need to incorporate some "colour" LEDS or bulbs into your lighting array...

Re: the sodium lamp.... watch your temperatures.... those things can burn hot... great for those "other" plants at certain stages of the growth, as the plants form a resin as a protective response.... but not to good for other more delicate vegetables, especially lettuce... as TCL points out...

The Maxicrop is best as it has lots of trace nutrients but I've had to resort to using some murate of potash -potassium chloride- (got it at Ace Hardware) very small amount is all that is needed since it is stronger stuff. Or maybe you could burry a pealed banana into your grow bed to hold you till you can get some maxicrop.

I am now testing out some green sand as a potassium/iron supplement for my system. Will see what the cucumbers think of it.

For the florescent lights, I bought the ones specifically for plant growing that are supposed to have the correct color.

Never heard of putting a peeled banana in will have to give that a run.

Bury the banana well as we don't want you to have a fruit fly infestation in the basement.

Differing plants may require different colour wavelengths... and at particular stages of growth... broadly either leaf growth or seed/fruit/flower growth...

The all-in-one flourescents are a bit of a "bet each way" approach...

Trace elements, particularly Potassium, Iron ... are also critical at certain stages of growth like seed/fruit/flowering stages... whereas leaf and stem growth are more nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and iron dependant...

I'd consider the application of some "chelated" iron as well....

I just wanted to post a quick update to this thread in case anyone else wanted to know the end result.

The oscillating fan did the trick, if you have an indoor system, a fan is not optional I have found, within a week of putting it in my plants looked so much better, way stronger, and even the leaves on my lettuce and such felt more natural.

I do not have it running all the time, I put it on a timer that turns it on for 5 minutes about twice an hour, save electric, and don't have to listen to the fan all the time.

Also in relation to the lighting, I have been doing a test with fluorescent grow lights and just plain "daylight" fluorescent bulbs, from my testing so far (about 3 months) I can't tell much of a difference either with plant growth or flowering/fruiting, actually it seems like the "daylight" bulbs are doing a bit better (I think because they are double the lumens/bulb). Since the daylight bulbs are about 3 times cheaper I was very happy to find this.