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4 Common Microgreen Problems: How to Effectively Troubleshoot Them
This article will provide you with 4 ways to troubleshoot common microgreen problems so you can make the necessary changes in order to optimize your plant’s growth
Growing microgreens is typically a simple and efficient process; however, issues can arise while growing these tiny leafy vegetables. This article will provide you with 4 ways to troubleshoot common microgreen problems so you can make the necessary changes in order to optimize your plant’s growth.
What to do if your seeds aren’t germinating
If your microgreen seeds aren’t germinating, then take a look at the following factors to see if any of these may be the reason as to why your seeds aren’t germinating:
Seed Viability
- Check the seed’s informational packet information and you will be able to find the lot date, the ideal temperature for germination, and the average percentage of germination. If your seed has a germination rate below 80%, then it may be better to choose a different seed or seed source.
Seed Moisture
- During the germination phase, you’ll want to make sure your seed is watered, but not overwatered or underwatered. Underwatering your seed can cause microgreen problems and is more detrimental than overwatering. Keep your soil moist during the early stages of germination to optimize growth. Seed Temperature - Make sure that the temperature is not too hot or cold because it can lead to microgreen problems such as poor germination. Refer to your seed packet to check the seed’s ideal temperature and make sure to keep the temperature around that number to encourage growth.
What to do if your seeds are growing unevenly and sparsely
If your microgreens are growing unevenly, then you may need to be more methodical in your process. Make sure that you are sowing your seeds evenly throughout the soil. Check to see if the soil is good quality and research to see if it’s a match for your specific seed. Is your tray in a place where half of the tray is getting sunlight and the other half isn’t? This can lead to uneven growth and you may want to rotate your tray to ensure each side is getting equal amounts of shade and sunlight.
What to do if your greens start to rot
If your greens start to rot, you may be overwatering them. When a seed is getting too much water and not enough sunlight, it can lead to rot. If you’re having extremely sunny weather, water your seed once in the morning and once in the evening. If a cold front has moved in, then water your crop once.
Another factor that could be causing your microgreen rot problem is the water quality. Municipal water can contain chlorine which your plants won’t like. Using filtered water is a better solution for watering microgreens. Common microgreens prefer water with a pH level of 6.5. When you keep an eye on your water’s pH levels, your microgreens will be healthier and produce stronger, increased yields.
What to do if your greens are getting tall and weedy
If your greens are getting tall and weedy, then it’s most likely because they’re not getting enough light. Tall, weedy greens tend to grow taller in order to reach for as much light as possible because they’re not getting enough. Make sure to get your greens grow lights if you live in an area where natural sunlight isn’t enough for your greens.
These common microgreen problems are easy to fix as long as you know what to pay attention to. Our job at the Nick Greens Grow Team is to educate our followers on how to grow microgreens from home. Subscribe to our new microgreen class, YouTube, and blog to stay up to date with the latest microgreen information. Feel free to join our microgreen Facebook group to connect and learn from others about growing microgreens.
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The Basis, A Homogeneous Climate, Is Already There" Artechno Doing New Cultivation Tests In VF Chamber
Previously, the Artechno industrial hall was mainly the place to build complete water management systems for the greenhouse or harvesting lines and turnkey systems for vertical farms and deep-float systems
"Together with another colleague, I am adding green thumbs to the team that is full of technicians here", Rick van Schie laughs. As the son of a tomato grower and next year's fourth-year horticulture student, he started cultivation research in the industrial hall of Artechno in De Lier. In a AVF+ Junior climate chamber Rick researches irrigation strategies for four different substrates and the effect that far-red light has on the stretching in lettuce.
Previously, the Artechno industrial hall was mainly the place to build complete water management systems for the greenhouse or harvesting lines and turnkey systems for vertical farms and deep-float systems. “The cultivation space with deep-float facility provided insight into growth and also important key figures for the business case. By testing and growing ourselves, we can now also better serve our customers in the vertical farm industry and provide them with better data and growth recipes.”
Rick started growing in the climate chamber in mid-June. "It is often wise for a grower to first do tests in a small chamber and to collect as much information as possible about lighting, climate and irrigation before scaling up to a larger system. That is why we also offer our chambers for rent to growers."
Cameras and LED
The AVF + Junior with which Rick is currently doing tests is equipped with Philips GEN3 LED luminaires, whereby both the spectrum and the light intensity are adjustable. The chamber is also equipped with special hyper-spectral cameras (and sensors), making it possible to monitor the crop and climate without having to enter the chamber.
Homogeneous climate
Anyone who would enter the chamber will notice, according to Rick, that the climate is remarkably homogeneous. "Or actually you do not notice that much and that is positive. To demonstrate that there really is air circulation, I have hung up an A4 sheet, but you do not notice it."
Art, general director: "The aim was to realize a delta T difference of less than 1 degree Celsius difference in a 10-layer climate chamber of about 8 meters high, and we succeeded."
All this is possible thanks to the air treatment units that were developed by Artechno itself. "You want to exclude as many variables as possible in your research, so a homogeneous climate is essential."
Study 1: irrigation strategies
The first study examines the effect of different irrigation strategies on four different substrates (stone wool, foam plug, glue plug, and soil mix with 10% wood fiber). This should become the basis for other studies with various types of lettuce, Rick says.
Study 2: far-red light
The second research is conducted into the addition of far-red light. Lighting is applied with 180 micromoles for a total of 18 hours and in the last hour, far-red light is added with 10%. There is also a control group (DRB LB) without the addition of far-red light.
"The purpose of the addition of far-red light is to achieve more stretching in the leaves so that the plant makes better use of the growing surface after transplanting. This could possibly also influence the bringing forward of the growth curve."
Germination
Rick is very satisfied with the results of the sowing tests in comparison to the tests carried out in the previous two years. "96-98% germination on the various substrates is a good result, but maybe this might be surpassed by an upcoming germination chamber."
Low input, high output
The results of the tests are assessed, among other things, by measurements of fresh and dry weight, growth percentage, quality, and kilo/m2. "From these results, certain trend lines are emerging, from which the crop growth rate can be calculated. This trend line also gives us insight into the smarter use of the LED light (grams of fresh weight per mole). The ultimate aim is to be consistent with the lowest possible input to achieve the highest output (kilo/m2/year)."
Rick knows that kg/m2/year is an important factor for customers to determine the profitability of their business case. "The results of our tests are used for this, among other things. The results and experiences with certain products we always provide feedback to our suppliers and customers, so that they remain up-to-date."
Soft fruit
Meanwhile, Rick and Artechno see that, in addition to demand for research for herbs and leafy crops, there is also an increasing demand for soft fruit. "This includes, for example, growing strawberries indoors and testing with the rooting phase in, for example, the propagation of blueberry plants.
We also want to be proactive in this, so we will certainly carry out tests ourselves. For ourselves, but also for growers or suppliers to whom we rent the chambers. In addition, I can mentor them and, in consultation, help to draw up a good research plan, always with a lot of literature as a foundation, so that you are not wasting time doing research that has already been done."
For more information:
Artechno
www.artechno.nl
info@artechno.nl
Rick van Schie
rick@artechno.nl
Publication date: Fri 24 Jul 2020
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First Indoor Basil Harvested In Delphy Improvement Center
Meulendijks has been working on the development of practical cultivation knowledge for Vertical Farms. Growth factors such as climate, light and irrigation can easily be varied in the test chambers.
The first batch of indoor-grown basil was harvested at the Delphy Improvement Centre. Since May, Lisanne Meulendijks has been working on the development of practical cultivation knowledge for Vertical Farms. Growth factors such as climate, light and irrigation can easily be varied in the test chambers.
Because of this flexibility, experiments can be conducted to see how cultivation in a Vertical Farm can be optimized. The focus is on analyzing the plant’s growth process. In a Vertical Farm, the plant influences its own growing environment relatively strongly which creates a microclimate around the crop that deviates from the controlled climate in the chamber.
Lisanne in the climate chamber
Cultivation factors
The degree of exchange between these climates depends on the design of the Vertical Farm. In order to fully utilize the potential of a Vertical Farm, optimization of the growth recipes should be based on this principle, because it is ultimately the microclimate that controls the growth of the plant.
By approaching the research from this angle and looking at the effect of the different cultivation factors on the plant, it is possible to formulate growing advice that is specific for different Vertical Farming facilities.
Light intensity
The first experiment looked at the effect of increasing light intensity on the growth of basil, in combination with testing different types of substrate. By using sensors on and around the plant, the growth was closely monitored and could be linked to the microclimate between the crop and the macro climate in the cell. This led to interesting and tasty first results, says Lisanne.
Investigating business questions
The graph shows the relation between increasing light intensity and annual production: the more light, the steeper the curve, the faster the plants growth. The fact that the plant grows faster with more light is of course nothing new.
What makes these results interesting is that each growth curve can be expressed in a formula and the error margin around the curves is small, Lisanne explains. This is because the growing conditions within a Vertical Farm are completely under control. Cultivation practices can then be optimized using the formulas behind these kind of curves.
It becomes possible to formulate answers to questions such as: “How does an investment in extra light affect my yield? How many days after germination is best to harvest to maximize my yield?”
These are important business aspects for production. "Through our application-oriented research, we develop knowledge that responds to these kinds of practical questions."
Fresh weight of the basil plotted as a function of light intensity and days after germination.
This experiment is part of the Fieldlab Vertical Farming South Holland project. This project has in part been made possible by the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union and a contribution from the Province of South Holland.
For more information:
Delphy
www.delphy.nl
Publication date: Wed 15 Jul 2020