Click and Grow Experiment: Day 30, The End
I figure I'd end my experiment at day 30 since mold/algae in my area usually shows up 3-5 days after the domes come off. If anything changes after this that I think is drastic or important I'll create an "epilogue" post.
Here's how the small garden looks right now after one month:
The Roma Tomato is about an inch or an inch and a half away from hitting the lights. I'll start with the Bok Choy since there isn't much to report on that.
It looks like a giant green flower to me. You can see in the second picture that there is some fuzz there. Again, it's just roots coming up. The plant is very healthy and the leaves feel super firm. Not sure if I'll actually eat it though since I don't have anything to cook it in right now. I was originally planning on using this in a Hot Pot but getting groceries is much harder now for me. Either way, I had fun growing this guy!
The roots on this Roma is loooong! If I had tried moving it to a pot earlier in the process I don't think I would have one large enough. The plant seems healthy over all but since it's getting close to the lights some leaves are drying up. This plant will probably not make it but I do want to see how long it will last. No flowers yet. You can again see in the last photo that there are lighter parts in the soil. Still just the dried up bits. I did notice some white so I tried picking at it but nothing really came up. I think maybe it was just roots since there is a bunch around the pod.
Final Conclusion: This was the best solution for mold/algae that I have done! In the entire 30 days I only had to wipe up the soil once while the Bok Choy was young. Normally with the original cups, wicks, and pods I'm wiping off mold every 3 days. Huge improvement! I've already put in a request to make more full lids and AeroPods. Highly recommend this to anyone who is annoyed with this issue like I was.
If bugs are the problem then I think this could help solve that as well. The full lids would block all soil access except in the middle. By limited this you could probably control the egg laying bugs a bit better. With the AeroPods you don't have as much soil, meaning the plant will take over very quickly, so less space for eggs.
Late Edit: I chose 3D prints over net cups for a few reasons.
1) For me, this is a cheap option because the University Library offers this service for a discounted price to students and alumni. The full lid print also allows me to keep using the original cups, wicks, and pods from C&G. This is the only modification that has worked so well with the original unit and materials. The lid cost me less than $2 versus $30+ for net cups, soil, string wick, and whatever else (and shipping costs!). Tis true that the C&G pods are not cheap but I'm someone who only buys things on sale anyway :P
2) I have the option to do whatever color I want. This is important since many net cups seem to be made with a clear material. This, along with the really large slots around it, can cause algae in the tank if users are not being careful.
3) Another negative, for me, with net cups is that I would need to rely on another growing medium (or buy experimental pods). Most other substitutes (coconut coir, peat, perlite, etc.) have not worked well in my area. Especially in this unit. I can easily use those mediums in a normal pot though. Guess Click and Grow units can be picky.
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