Skip to main content

21/11 Bok Choi update

21 Nov, marks the 22 days after transfer of BC sprouts to the system.

Growing well with EC ars 1400.

Simple to maintain and seems to be pest free. Spacing them out also allows the lower leaves to get enough light to grow well with little yellowing and hence waste.

It's a no wonder that many hydroponics producers are into bok chois. Easy to grow and taste pretty sweet and crunchy.

My helper mentioned an interesting observation when I said that the BC are ready for harvest in 2 days. From someone who cooks regularly and with longer experience handling greens, she observed that sometimes the BC she purchased from the shop has a not-so-good smell to them. She suspect that this could be due to the freshness of the supply. And it's hard to tell from the packaging cause the green "look fresh"

This suggested the need/importance of having microfarm model, similar to that of energy microgrid, to ensure fresh produce is accessible to everyone. 

How this will form up is something to think about.


Comments

  1. Hi. What is the hydroponic nutrient you used on the bok choi? What is the ph level?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jeffrey,

      I am currently using SingCrop POWER-GRO Hydroponic Nutrients A&B. So far so good. I used Sprout Lab's as well. Both seem to work for me.
      For EC, I just kept it around 1400 - 1800.

      I did not bother about pH. After about a year, realized that pH level doesn't really matter in Singapore. I think our tap water is almost neutral (slightly acidic only) and is good enough for home hydroponics.

      Hope this helps!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3rd Jan Bok Choi dinner

3rd Jan and its Bok Choi harvest round 3! Managed to stir fry this plate for dinner. Taste is still pretty much the same. Did not detect any hint of bitterness and neither is it fibrous. Now, on to harvest round 4, and the last?

Batch 1 - 7 Mar - System Shutdown after 88 Days

Batch 1 Shutdown (88 days old) The system before Shutdown. Reason? The persistent "fungal" problem, shown below. No matter how often I trim off the outer leaves, the yellowing continues to propagate. As for the Lollas, browning along the leave stems are accelerating.  Red Oaks looks OK though. So it's likely the water is not healthy in some ways, though EC shows 1040. Didn't manage to measure pH.  8Mar update: A fellow UF member shared this site on leafy plant issues. Dengarden . Looks like Yellows.  About Yellows Yellows is a fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum con-glutinans, and triggers formation of large, dull yellowish green patches on the leaves of vegetables. The harmful microorganism survives in warm conditions, which means that you can prevent it by keeping your garden at lower temperatures. The disease can be spread by farm tools, so ensure you clean and disinfect your tools before using them in your ga...

18 Jan Bok Choi Harvest #4

And yes... after just 15 days, the BC are ready harvest again. Round 4! Sturdy green leaves. Rrally happy with the deep green look and feel of the BC. Harvested 2 large bowls from 12 plants from both tiers. There is very little wastage, just a small handful of yellowing leaves. And yes, into the wok they go for a big plate of BC stir fry with fish cakes, the family favourite. The before and after harvest look. And after... The bottom tier is showing good growth of White Crown Bok Choi. These are the slimmer and greener stem cousin of the BC. Growth is pretty fast too. Seeded on 31 Dec. EC kept to 1200. Looking forward a new batch of green for the LNY!