boydeste Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 If they don't run again once the sun comes back out then they are faulty, surely? I guess for the price, to expect some form of storage was too much to ask. I also thought the flotation idea to be a good one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, tommy dee said: they are total crap to be honest. the main issue is when you plug them in they work, when the sun goes off, ie hand in front, they go off, then dont come back on again unless you unplug and plug in again. you get what you pay for but they are total pants. sorry. his floating idea is an excellent one BTW, but the units are shite. anyone wants them I have 4 with no use for them Are all four of them behaving the same way? Edited to add: The solar panel came with protective plastic over the panel. Did you peel it off? Mine works fine when there's bright sunshine overhead. Early morning, late afternoon, or when the sun is obscured by a cloud they go into what I call ejaculation mode. They'll be a spurt of water, then nothing for five or so seconds, then another spurt. Once the bright sunlight returns the pump once again sends up a consistent fountain of water. No unplugging and plugging required. I suspect what's happening is the solar panel is charging a capacitor that when it reaches a threshold voltage sends power to the pump. In bright sunlight the capacitor is always above the threshold voltage, but in less than optimum sunlight it goes into a charge/discharge cycle. I did have a look for a solar powered pump that incorporates a battery, but couldn't find anything. I then thought of sacrificing one my solar powered lights with a battery to power the pump. Luckily it occurred to me before I tore apart the light that it wouldn't work. The light works since the battery can accumulate a charge during the day and power the light at night. But the same system wouldn't have enough juice to power both the pump and charge the battery. Edited November 18, 2020 by forcebwithu 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Some random pics. Dwarf satsuma winter orange tree dwarf Bush lemon tree...only about 18” tall, but already fruiting Next 2 pics - asian pear tree, but specially grafted 4 different varieties onto one single tree & self-pollenating so only one tree needed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 ...initially, I was going to buy a self-pollenating macadamia tree, but after reading how much of a hassle it is to break open and roast the nuts perfectly , decided the no nonsense asian pear tree was an easier way to go. Btw, check out my gigantic enormous potatoes I grew this year!!! ie...like “6 for 1 buck” lol 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 On 11/18/2020 at 12:01 AM, Gary said: I call the tomatoes from the local market, rubber ball tomatoes, no flavor or juice. You could bounce them off the wall. I had a Florida friend bring me seeds that were supposedly developed for a hot weather climate. Most came up and looked great. They fruited and then withered up and died. I planted them in full sun, partial sun and shade. Same results. I used clay soil, sandy soil and sterilized soil from the nursery. I gave up. The cherry tomatoes from the market taste great. maybe try : Also, if night temps are over 85, the fruit won’t taste good. If you grow your tomatoes in hydroponic or in containers you can control the temp @ night by bringing containers inside - a/c room set at 65 - 75 is ideal. Also, tomatoes in large containers are ideal as they like the space. Most vegetables should not be overwatered, but with tomatoes...better to overwater than underwater. Tomatoes don’t do well at over 95 degrees. Either plant in garden that has afternoon shade or better yet containers that you can bring in when temps hit +90 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 Cabbage - anybody grow cabbage? Does it attract bugs easily? Do you cover your cabbage with netting and if so, do you use one with smaller holes or large holes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 27 minutes ago, Sea-Hawks said: Cabbage - anybody grow cabbage? Does it attract bugs easily? Do you cover your cabbage with netting and if so, do you use one with smaller holes or large holes? 8 Organic Ways to Get Rid of Cabbage Worms & Cabbage Moths https://homesteadandchill.com/get-rid-of-cabbage-worms/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skalliwag Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 4 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said: Cabbage - anybody grow cabbage? Does it attract bugs easily? Do you cover your cabbage with netting and if so, do you use one with smaller holes or large holes? I’ve got red and green planted here. Slugs are killer,just spread some pellets around seems to do the trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Lettuce - Anybody growing lettuce here in Thailand? Are you growing it in direct sun or partly shaded area and how is it dealing with the bugs? I am thinking about trying to grow mine later this year in either a floating hydrophobic system or a flowing water (NFT) system. I’ve noticed more and more thai growers are using some sort of constant “ebb and flow” watering system when they set-up their commercial lettuce growing system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 On 12/21/2020 at 7:08 AM, Skalliwag said: I’ve got red and green planted here. Slugs are killer,just spread some pellets around seems to do the trick. ...I decided to grow my cabbage in buckets this year. Bought some paint strainer bags, will fill-up the buckets with perlite instead of bug attracting potting soil. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 End of January - “early season planting” Catnip walla walla Sweet Yellow Onion red leaf lettuce cabbage 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 ...well, I can’t wait any longer, will need to move the seedlings into its final home - Kratky Hydrophobics. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 ...looks like will be home (not in Thailand) till after the growing season so fully started this years garden. 1. First planting - Cabbage, broccoli & cauliflower. 2. Second planting - butter lettuce & red leaf lettuce. 3. Third planting- peas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 On 3/31/2019 at 9:05 PM, code_slayer_bkk said: Flowers ... I am getting pretty good ... I have tried many times to grow tomatoes here ... no luck ... plus, why waste my time when vegetables are cheap as chips here ... A couple ... Great pictures!!! ...as always 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set Potatoes are coming in nicely Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall Cabbages are already forming it’s head Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillearly Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, Sea-Hawks said: Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set Potatoes are coming in nicely Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall Cabbages are already forming it’s head Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 First rose this past week, second on it's way...lots more to come. I receive very little light on my garden area; challenging to grow healthy roses. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Stillearly said: Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? the buckets are filled with soil - LESS perlite. It helps keep bugs away and diseases. The bottom 1/2 of the buckets has fertilizer water, so don’t have to worry about watering regularly and won’t have to worry about ie pots drying out. For the cabbage and most leafy type veggies, using soil less growing medium helps drastically with the bug eating problem. It also is easy to cover the top of the bucket with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag to keep bugs from landing onto the tops of the leaves. I plan to buy a house up in Chiang Mai or Udon Thani. Once I start my garden there, I’ll probable use mostly the perlite + bucket method. It’ll be easy to keep bugs and rodents away from my veggies and the perlite helps keep the roots cool in the hot heat/weather of thailand. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 3 hours ago, Stillearly said: Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? with the peas, it was easy to attach an upside down circular tomato cage. Since peas need some sort of trellis, the cage fits perfectly onto a 5 gallon bucket. I also have a kitchen garbage on the bottom that i attach to the cage...it is high enough to keep the rabbits from nipping away at my pea stems 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 2 hours ago, lazarus said: First rose this past week, second on it's way...lots more to come. I receive very little light on my garden area; challenging to grow healthy roses. looks great!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy dee Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 4 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said: Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set Potatoes are coming in nicely Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall Cabbages are already forming it’s head Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so i see you grow a lot in buckets, is that to avoid aphids? I only ask as we finally discovered our enemy, the aphid and have been spraying with success. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 21 hours ago, tommy dee said: i see you grow a lot in buckets, is that to avoid aphids? I only ask as we finally discovered our enemy, the aphid and have been spraying with success. thanks (with aphids, I usually hose them off & use neem oil spray every 2 weeks at a minimum) ...I wanted to test out the bucket method this year on the cabbage & peas. Most of my re-transplanting /seedlings will be moved into the ice coolers for hydroponic system - same as last year. I’ll grow lettuce & basil in my thailand condo and would favor the bucket method vs the cooler method. If I had a stand alone house - I would 100% use the bucket method. The problem in Thailand is hot temperatures & bugs. The non use of a soil less medium helps with the bug situation. Now, the problem with the cooler method in thailand, is that by mid day, the water inside the cooler is higher than 80 degrees and begins to actually get warmer than the realized temperature outside. The bucket method with perlite stays colder than the cooler method and also soil that’s been baking in the sun all day. The bottom half of the bucket is filled with water. As the water wicks the perlite above & also evaporates above, unlike a trapped cooler, the water + perlite stays much cooler, which is what plants like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 ...took a break from the garden this weekend to redo the deck. One of the many projects on my list this summer. I had hid a bunch of gold coins under my deck but squirrels/raccoons bit through the plastic casing and ran off with my gold coins. Luckily, I found 1 of the 10 missing coins. Unfortunately, couldn’t find the other 9. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillearly Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 Strawberries coming along 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Garden is doing great. Already harvesting the Peas. I planted over #100 pea plants so harvesting a bowl of them every other day. I just started harvesting my cabbage. I made a chicken salad & cole slaw to take to a bbq outing last weekend. My first set of cherry tomatoes & Tiny Tim Tomatoes are about ready to harvest. The rest of my larger tomatoes - big boys, beef steak & even the San Marizeno & Roma Tomatoes are a couple weeks away. The zucchini is doing great, but i chose to pinch off all of the initial flower buds in order to let the plant continue to grow nice & big. My peppers are now setting its first buds/flowers. Replanted my beans, egg plant, pumpkins 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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