Category: Week 37

Plants reported: 1186

Greenhouse Action:

Sidewalls:
Up at 10:50 on the 16th, down at 18:10

Up at 9:10 on the 17th, down at 12:30

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:
Pinks and Whites on bench 3 watered with Mg at 11:00 on the 17th

Floor watered at 9:15 on the 17th

Climate:

Weather : Sunny
Temperature Max: 27.48° at 10:46 on the 16th, 24.23° on the 17th
Temperature Min: 17.22° at 3:41 on the 16th, 18.11° on the 17th
Mean: 21.70°on the 16th, 20.90° on the 17th

Humidity Max: 65.3% at 00:01 on the 16th, 67.9% on the 17th
Humidity Min: 39.5% at 10:47 on the 16th, 44.9% on the 17th
Mean: 53.53% on the 16th, 58.46% on the 17th

Alternating the two types of fertilizer we use is key to help our crop grow to it’s full potential.
To make sure we have healthy root growth and bushy plants, it’s important to regularly switch from our Calcium Nitrate formula to our Magnesium one to keep the nutrients intake as optimal as possible, especially as the plants are growing and the minerals initially contained in the media are not available anymore.

Greenhouse Action:

Sidewalls:
Up at 9:15
Down at 15:00

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:
Red on bench 3 watered with Mg at 14:00

Floor watered at 9:20

Climate:

Weather : Sunny
Temperature Max: 31.61° at 15:51
Temperature Min: 17.41° at 5:13
Mean: 21.97°

Humidity Max: 66.1% at 00:01
Humidity Min: 36.3% at 15:55
Mean: 53.56%

Out of the 1200 plants the students have potted and maintained in the last month, a dozen have been lost, which equals to about 1% of the crop.
I am aware that one lost plant is a terrible fate that we would all rather avoid, and I also understand that we are still very far from the threshold of what is an acceptable and expected amount of loss on a production of that scale.

The students are showing a great amount of care for the plants, and it shows.

Greenhouse Action:

Sidewalls:
Up at 9:40
Down at 15:00

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:

Floor watered at 8:30 and 13:50

Climate:

Weather : Sunny
Temperature Max: 30.7° at 16:05
Temperature Min: 17.51° at 5:35
Mean: 21.61°

Humidity Max: 69.6% at 00:47
Humidity Min: 37.7% at 16:05
Mean: 55.51%

Cultural Activity

We are fighting back the invading pests by releasing our first wave of beneficial insects.

Our first wave of predatory defenders consists of:

Stratiolaelaps scimitus, a small mite that roams the top layer of the soil and will help control the fungus gnats population by eating it’s pupae.

Dalotia coriaria is a rove beetle, generalist predator that eats all kinds of small insects and their eggs.

Encarsia formosa, a predatory parasitoid wasp that helps control the whitefly population by attacking and using their prey as a host for her egg.

Greenhouse Action:

Sidewalls:
Up at 12:15

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:
Red on bench 2 watered with Mg at 12:15

Climate:

Weather : Overcast in the morning, Mixed in the afternoon
Temperature Max: 25.04° at 16:34
Temperature Min: 17.93° at 2:39
Mean: 20.74°

Humidity Max: 71.3% at 2:42
Humidity Min: 52.2% at 16:58
Mean: 64.10%

A small number of plants have been showing signs of leaf distortions. While there is no need for concern at this point, it interesting to note that these abnomalities can be caused by a variety of elements including insect damage, change in climate conditions or fertilization issues.
While we have seen a presence of whiteflies who can cause damage to the leaves, I suspect the cases of leaf distortion in our crop might be caused by a combination of increased light exposition after opening the shade curtains combined with periods of low humidity level in the greenhouse.

Greenhouse Action:

Sidewalls:
Down

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:
Pink and White on bench 3 watered with Mg
Red on bench 3 spot watered with Mg

Climate:

Weather : Overcast with periods of rain
Temperature Max: 24.05° at 16:17
Temperature Min: 18.24° at 16:53
Mean: 20.86

Humidity Max: 71.4% at 22:58
Humidity Min: 54.9% at 14:40
Mean: 64.74%

Different cultivars of the same species tend to adapt to their environment differently.
Christmas Joy Red, Pink and White are all cultivars we successively grew in our greenhouse environment in the past.
It is interesting to observe that at this stage, while all the plants are showing good signs of growth, the Whites and Pinks seem to be growing especially well, when looking at the plants height and the size of the leaves.

Mean Height : 17.56cm

Greenhouse Action:

Heating Sept Point : Increased from 17° to 18°

Sidewalls:
Down

Shade Curtains:
Opened at 100%

Irrigation:
Bench 2 spot watered with Mg
Floor watered 15:00

Climate:

Weather : Mixed
Temperature Max: 30.25° at 13:41
Temperature Min: 19.24° at 23:53
Mean: 22.73

Humidity Max: 72.6% at 6:07
Humidity Min: 43.3% at 13:41
Mean: 62.81%