u/kaykaliah

These are lentils at 6 days, the one was covered with a sock. They're only a little bit shorter, but very visibly less green. Taste is the same I think.

The second one is sunflower microgreens. Both soaked overnight. For the ones in the tray, I followed a bunch of rules like weight, keeping in the dark for a certain amount of time, using a prophylactic spray and conditioned water. The ones in the bucket I just chucked in some soil very densely (I had soaked way too many), watered every few days with the hose, and left it in a few hours of direct sun (so the height of the bucket shaded it when they were shorter.)

The tray are probably a third of the height and leaves are much smaller. The ones in the bucket are very tall, some leaves are much bigger, a bit crunchier, easily survived the high density, no mold (I have already eaten them and not gotten sick), the hulls came off much sooner and easier and they taste a bit less bitter.

I've also done chia seed microgreens with shaded light and no light until germination, and the ones left out might have even germinated a bit earlier. End result was the same, they were just as delicious as each other. I had a seperate at chia experiment where one had drainage and it didn't matter (no surprise since they're gelatinous.)

I'm going to keep doing experiments, let me know if y'all are interested to see the results, and even if you have any ideas I should try!

I got two of these agaves free from a lady thinning out her garden. I took off some bottom leaves, sawed off the bottom with a clean saw, and let it callus for 5 or so days in the shade. It wilted a ton, but I read that's to be expected during this phase. Then I put them in well draining dry soil in direct sun and its only gotten sadder and sadder. After a few weeks I thought maybe it was to dry so I did a deep watering as a hail Mary and it just got worse.

I did the exact same thing a few months ago with some roughed up agaves that I found lopped off and discarded in a vacant field by the side of the road- they didn't wilt during the callusing phase as much and the wilting that did occur went away.

I'm in Melbourne australia and these are all over the place.

I'm in the process of making sunflower microgreens. Im following a good timeline but also tailoring it to the progress, using grow trays, weights, covers, lights/lots of sunlight when its time, spraying morning and night with conditioned water and prophylactic spray, and theyre doung pretty good!

BUT

I had soaked way too many seeds, so I put some in a sprouting jar (dark then moved to light, rinsed morning and night) and they grew a bit faster than my microgreens. No sign of mold. They're currently dried and in an airtight jar, I've been eating them for the last few days and they're delicious. Picking a bit of my microgreens, they taste the same (like nutty carrots.)

ALSO and this one is frusturating- I still had WAY too many seeds so I put a few inches of soil in a large pot, piled the rest of the seeds on much more densely, covered with a thin layer of soil, watered it with the hose, and left in a spot that gets a lot of sun but is also quite shaded due to the seeds being well into a deep pot. Then I forgot about it for a few days. I saw some yellow bits, so I watered it quite heavily. Left it for a few days again and watered with the hose again.

These two sunflower sprouts are the same age and taste the same. But the pot ones are way taller, darker green, much more dense, and are already working on their first true leaves. Moreover, I see no sign of mold.

Are all these extra steps propaganda by Big Seed Tray and Big 15lb Brick?

If you can call them that- I'd say toddlers at least! Many twins and triplets. A few of them have left their mom, a few of them are almost there... but most of them will be suckling from their mothers for much much longer!

Sorry for the gross wording, but funny.

I think I'm doing pretty good but if anyone has any advice or wants to know what I did (nothing special) then lmk!

This is from an arrow garden that I put into soil about a month ago and it has exploded! I have looked up all the pruning and fertilizing requirements and built a support for it, but it's still a dramatic plant. Should I have separated this when they're small or is this, for the most part, one plant?

Also, I would like to keep this plant quite compact, as we live in an apartment. I have read about the minimum requirements, and this one's a bit bigger than that at 21cm... though i'm guessing that since this is probably multiple plants, it would be good to put it in a larger pot? (As in, either way, I know a larger pot would be better, but especially for this one?)

Why I didnt separate it- it's my husband's project, and he wanted to 'leave it and see what happens' which i'm all for because we're novices and just having fun with it. I didn't think about separating it when it was little, because although I've been pruning it and watering it, I wanted it to be his thing.

I individually wiped them off with a dry towel, then a damp towel, then misted them with vinegar and left them outside for a bit. They are currently in this room with the door open and the wind blowing.

They do smell better but the room still smells musty (not mildewy.) Will it dissipate if I leave them out or is there another step I should take? Should I do another vinegar spray but more thorough?

Unfortunately I'm unable to leave them in direct sun as I live in an apartment with a mostly shaded patio. Also I live in Melbourne and its rainy season.

Thanks in advance!

Melbourne Australia, so coming on fall.

1st photo is potted sweet basil:

-watered only when starting to wilt

-about 6 hours of direct sun (its been a sunny few weeks)

-now that they have an established started system, I've started to water them with nutrient rich fish tank water and plan on using bottled fertilizer soon. I have seen no difference in their health.

-all of the ones in the rectangle pots are from potted supermarket basil at least 2 months ago, separated and repotted using regular potting mix (I now know I should have used a perlite mix.) Some are in their own smaller pots and some are all in one big pot 2-3 inches apart. Almost all of them have successfully rooted. I've clipped most of the leggy tops and there has been a *slight* emergence of shoots off of the highest node, so I know something is at least happening, but they have barely grown in the last few months.

-The two bunchier ones at the bottom right, however, (they came quite root bound together and I didnt want to tear them apart too much) might have grown a bit more and seem to consistently be a deeper green than the others, though still not meeting my expectations.

-in the terracotta pot on the left is from seedlings planted probably 5 or so months ago. They grew very slowly have been this height for months. If it was just these, I would chalk it up to them being crowded, but the spaced out ones are having the same problem. Plus I have seen lots of resources that say basil can actually like being a bit crowded (the fact that the bunchier larger ones seem to be doing a bit better supports this idea.)

-I moved one of the slightly yellower looking ones under a 14hr aerogarden light (next to a bunch of thriving hydroponics) and if anything its gotten more yellow?!

-dont mind the twiggy one at the top left

2nd photo is hydroponic basil with cuttings:

-under a 12 hour grow light

-change water every week or less. Started with regular tap water, I have been using fish tank water. No difference in their health.

-the oldest one of them (at least 2 months) has massive healthy white roots, but no growth in the leaves. The others are doing well in their root growth, but have also stayed the same size for months with no newgrowth.

3rd photo is hydroponic basil with cuttings:

-under a 12 hour grow light

-started with regular tap water, I have been using fish tank water. No difference in their health.

-the oldest one of them (at least 2 months) has massive healthy white roots, but no growth in the leaves. The others are doing well in their root growth, but have also stayed the same size for months.

My current plan is to look at the ph and treat the water accordingly (also my next step for troubleshooting the inexplicable browning tips of some other dramatic plants I have.)

If anyone else has any other ideas... I want some expendable basil and I have like 30 plants but no expendable basil!