Magic Bulb Blog

Move complete!

2011-07-21T20:04:00.000-04:00

Final post from the old Magic Bulb

2011-07-17T11:58:00.000-04:00

Ten years already?! Moving over to the bigger shop at 6221 Allisonville (just on the other side of Big Lots). Plenty of space, and we plan to use it. See you on the other side!

Coffee beans!

2011-07-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

Even after all the stress they've endured, nature comes through! Counting at least a dozen beans, many if not most healthy and good-sized.

The experiment continues!

there's yer trouble

2011-07-02T10:23:00.002-04:00

Natural predators sneak a trick past mealy bugs defenders

2011-06-30T12:09:00.002-04:00

ladybird beetle larvae trick ants by resembling mealybug adults

Therein lay the evolutionary problem confronting ladybird beetles, whose larvae were highly vulnerable to ant attack.

To avoid being killed as they poach the ant's scales, ladybird larvae evolved to produce two anti-ant defences: an impregnable woolly coat of wax filaments, and glands which produce defensive chemicals. Most of the ladybird family's 6,000 species are found in lineages with one or both of these defences.

it works ... almost!

2011-06-26T19:37:00.004-04:00

Tool installed

2011-06-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

Philo the second bloom

2011-05-18T16:54:00.000-04:00

This one developed beautifully, much more open than before.

Hot philos blooming!

2011-04-26T12:30:00.000-04:00

The first bloom is starting to open. No detectable odor. Palpable heat, and an IR thermometer reads it easily 10 deg F above ambient. And now I read online the bloom is poisonous! The coffees refuse to produce edible parts and now the philos laugh at them with flowers we cannot eat (but look like thin bananas). Ah, nature.

coffee update 1104.14

2011-04-14T22:09:00.000-04:00

The coffees enjoyed a few days out on the floor of the shop, awaiting refills of CO2 for their chamber. The gas delivered, back in they go, and boom - more flowers! Mealybugs still a pesky, difficult problem, though we had a little success with launching cryptolaemus destroyers.

philo phlower update

2011-04-14T22:05:00.000-04:00

Swelling in size, no detectable change in temperature. Reference tape added.

Phantastic Philodendron news!

2011-04-03T20:29:00.005-04:00

One of the philodendrons expresses its satisfaction with the recent transplant by sending out an inflorescence! Honestly did not expect to see this on any of them for another decade or so. It's not at all warm to the touch, once something starts "happening" the photo frequency will increase.

Gardening on ISS

2011-02-17T22:48:00.001-05:00

Coffee Update 1012.09

2010-12-09T12:27:00.004-05:00

My eyes may be tricking me, but I do believe I spy floral clusters starting along some of the sapling arms. There's a pronounced internodal shortening also. That's the good news. The bad news is they swallowed the tiny CO2 supply like it was nothing and we're back down below ambient.

Strawberry Yields Forever

2010-12-09T12:23:00.004-05:00

The strawberries in our hydro towers are in bloom. Almost there!

Soil testing for urban gardening

2010-11-06T09:38:00.003-04:00

It's just unacceptable to me that inexpensive soil testing kits aren't available. We've got pH and nutrient tests but nothing for toxins.

Not a big plant ...

2010-10-10T18:41:00.003-04:00

... rather a small tree! Coffees are looking good. CO2 monitor reports 175-225 ppm, have to boost that up a little.

Tea seeds

2010-08-14T19:57:00.003-04:00

Camellia Sinensis (tea) seeds, big as coffee beans! Packages says can take up to a year to germinate.

Coffee Room ready!

2010-08-05T21:24:00.003-04:00

Great work by everyone involved.

Vertical Gardening

2010-07-06T20:21:00.002-04:00

This is a neat idea. Don't know where to get one but it might be just as easy to make. Looks like a bunch of two gallon grow bags and some pegboard.

Hunting Whiteflies

2010-07-05T17:46:00.003-04:00

This little one has claimed the metal halide side of the store, choosing the cereus as his lookout point. He ducks underneath the long runners to hide.

NASA: Photosynthesis Experiment and System Testing and Operation (PESTO)

2010-06-18T13:34:00.001-04:00

Coffee update

2010-06-16T19:43:00.003-04:00

Been awhile! They're definitely taking on more of a tree structure. We need to work a little more air movement in there to strengthen 'em up for later.

Gorgeous Aquaponics Setup

2010-06-08T12:28:00.001-04:00

WANT

Bat Flower

2010-06-07T15:34:00.002-04:00

I'm not going near it. You go near it.

Aquaponics at GrowingPower.org

2010-06-05T14:26:00.001-04:00

Good work!

Babies!

2010-05-23T18:29:00.002-04:00

Ootheca 1 launched about 11:00AM today. I missed the start but the hatchlings were still clustered like they do right after release. By the end of day they were all over the store.

Leaf shape analysis

2010-05-10T16:54:00.001-04:00

Leaf structure effected by a few simple variables - this sounds like L-structures. Haven't read the paper yet.

Mantis Mothers Day?

2010-05-09T15:33:00.003-04:00

Ootheca received and deployed. God willing soon babies hatch!

Soft Spring Rain

2010-04-25T23:18:00.003-04:00

Good opportunity for our flora to enjoy a pleasant rinse outside!

Artificial Leaf

2010-04-21T11:10:00.001-04:00

Developing an artificial leaf - fascinating stuff

Manga Farming

2010-04-13T16:59:00.001-04:00

Not sure what it's good for but why not?

Coffees post-transplant

2010-04-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

10 Apr 10

Coffees pre-transplant

2010-04-10T20:12:00.004-04:00

28 Mar 10

Farming ... IN SPACE!

2010-04-09T14:55:00.001-04:00

Seen at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.

Indoor growing ... in space!

2010-03-12T13:30:00.002-05:00

From about 45 seconds in, excellent footage of the LADA equipment aboard ISS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NWnU1CQNMU&feature=player_embedded

Aisle be seeing you

2010-03-11T11:06:00.003-05:00

in all the familiar places ... not! Shuffling Bulb innards to gain more shelf space and give prime lighting conditions for the coffees.

Coffee looking good!

2010-03-09T15:02:00.003-05:00

Spring is coming and they're gonna be so happy to see real sunshine. Thinking about moving the lightrail and arranging them into a line under the 1000W, sorted by height. We could keep a constant canopy height that way. Might be time to put their roots into larger containers also.

Biggest of the philodendrons got transplanted recently. I don't like the color of that rootball at all.

Coffee Update 14 Feb 10

2010-02-15T22:53:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, coffee!

Botanical updates

2010-02-01T18:52:00.006-05:00

The coffees are all fine except for the second runt. It's never going to catch up and may be used for cuttings.

Help! The cilantro is trying to take over!

The amaryllis almost looks too well:

The bromeliad bloom slowly expires:

Coffee Update(s)

2010-01-04T16:48:00.002-05:00

0912.27:

1001.03:

FWIW mealy bugs are attacking several of the plants. It's become part of the morning start-up ritual to inspect them closely.

Plant updates

2010-01-04T16:43:00.003-05:00

The flowers have begun to appear on the bromeliad:

The Bird of Paradise survived the operation! Both "wings" have sent up a new shoot:

Finally, cleaning for inventory uncovered an old (>3yrs?) amaryllis bulb kit. What the heck? It was potted and placed in the window. And boom, it started! This should be fun to follow, and a beautiful bloom:

Coffee update

2009-12-22T22:45:00.002-05:00

Botanical updates

2009-12-06T21:59:00.003-05:00

The bromeliad is soon to bloom - little yellow flowers on the red spike.

Can you see which coffee plant suffered the least root damage?

Get Your Feet Dirty

2009-11-23T23:06:00.002-05:00

And for reference, one of the philodendrons now sits in fresh dirt. Maybe that will send up a new shoot! In any case it's hard to find a drain saucer large enough for a twenty-gallon nursery pot. So far we're using towels.

And a few of the coffees

2009-11-23T23:03:00.003-05:00

Bromeliad Updates

2009-11-23T22:50:00.005-05:00

Getting behind in my pictures. Here's a few recent snaps. I thought my camera put a datestamp on the photos but guess not, sorry.

Symphony of Science

2009-11-02T20:46:00.000-05:00

"We Are All Connected" - do it

Bromeliad begins blooming

2009-10-19T12:19:00.003-04:00

One of the Vrieseas is sending up a bloom.

Did you know they grow into large bushes?

2009-10-06T19:12:00.003-04:00

I sure didn't until I saw Kona coffee plants being harvested on the Travel Channel.

Guess we're going to have to make a little room!

Transplanted into larger containers and placed under the 1000W for the winter.

Look up in the sky!

2009-09-06T15:57:00.003-04:00

Have you ever noticed that the famous Superman theme by John Williams matches the also famous (spoken) words from the 1950's TV show?

dat da da da dah
(look up in the sky)
da da da
(it's a bird)
dat da da da dah
(it's a plane)
da da da!
(Superman!)

No reason at all, just a slow afternoon at the store.

Coffee? Coffee!

2009-08-31T15:43:00.007-04:00

I apologize for taking so long to update the blog, I lost the cord to d/l images from my camera. Once I ordered another I found the first one promptly. Go figure.

Anyway here's the new project at the Bulb, Kona coffee! I received nine plants all tucked together in a single container that was undersized, leaving several plants distorted and two as runts. Performing what magic I could the individual plants were liberated and each given a new home.

Immediately after rootball division:

Three weeks later:

One of the runts perished but the remaining eight look like they're gonna make it. Yay! Now all that's left to do is wait three years for my first cup.

"Now all we need is a deck of cards." - Cpl Hicks, "Aliens"

Starting Life Anew

2009-08-31T15:34:00.003-04:00

The Bird of Paradise was finally chopped leaving two side shoots intact. (The plan to divide them failed once it became clear the containing netcup was too intertwined with the rootball to extricate.) So far it's doing OK but it remains under observation for a few weeks.

Bird of Paradise finally blooms!

2009-07-06T11:18:00.002-04:00

Well I'll be. Only took five years! Turns out it's produced a bloom before but I didn't recognize the structure at the time. It took three days of careful peeling to expose the bloom but by then it was sorta mushy and didn't last long.

Time to chop this monster into three smaller plants and keep a sharper eye out.

Good Seed

2009-03-21T14:26:00.004-04:00

Red bell peppers. Took over a week to germinate but after that almost all seeds sprouted.

Transplanted to hydro a few days later.

"A man must be anvil or hammer ..."

2009-03-17T13:06:00.003-04:00

... but a pepper can be banana or jalapeno. Guess only a bite will tell!

Sattie and Thulsa take a field trip

2009-02-26T22:38:00.002-05:00

One of these dogs is smart, and sits under the warm lights.

The other one, well ... she ain't right.

We fail, we learn

2009-02-01T12:55:00.004-05:00

The Cherokee Purple heirloom experiment was a failure. The plants grew explosively, requiring eight to be cut to four, later four cut to two. They provided a wonderful nesting place for untold generations of whiteflies, and for an entire trash bag full of leafage produced exactly one substandard fruit. And it isn't even purple!

Standard store policy: The services of those plants not performing to management expectations will no longer be required.

"That's a peach, hon"

2008-12-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

Actually it's a bright yellow bell pepper, but probably tastes just as sweet!

Tomatos Live!

2008-12-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

Webcams on Controlled Environment Growing Chambers (including Antarctica)

Space Beer?

2008-12-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

Step 1: Germinate barley aboard ISS.
Step 2: Return barley descendent seeds to Earth
Step 3: Plant descendent seeds
Step 4: Harvest and brew

Pictures of the not-for-sale beer HERE

Unchained Malody

2008-11-24T15:24:00.003-05:00

The summer stretched unexpectedly into early November, and I opted to release the last mantis Malody into the same foliage that I'd earlier released the males.

Here's hoping nature takes over and next year my yard is blessed with many mantids!

Bread tastes better than dust

2008-10-03T11:50:00.002-04:00

Caught the chipmunk that's been darting about the shop the last two days. It was hungry, scared, covered with dust and geranium petals, so I gave it a piece of bread from my sandwich and released it in the grass behind the store.

In other good news, lo and behold the last mantis turned out to be a beautiful medium-sized female! Jeremy named her "Malody." She enjoyed a big fat black cricket yesterday and now seems to be scoping for an egg-site. Umm, too bad I already released the males but a little parthenogenesis never hurt anyone.

Mantis Drinking

2008-09-09T12:02:00.002-04:00

Oops! Almost stepped on this adult this morning, while it was scoping out the door. Back up to three big browns - this one and another are fully cooked while the "flag-sitter" still has one molting left to go.

What ya gonna do, squish me?

2008-08-26T13:59:00.003-04:00

Rats. Lost track of the little green one, found the third big brown one, and just this morning watched the tail end of the green one go into the gullet of one the big browns. "Insect politics" in action. That sucks.

And Then There Were Three ...

2008-08-19T14:33:00.003-04:00

Two larger browns and one smaller green. Not sure but I think that's two M and one F respectively.

Miracle Gro not honest in advertising?

2008-08-19T14:32:00.001-04:00

Doesn't shock me, though I think the issue is marketing and not malevolence.

Green and pretty

2008-08-06T09:56:00.001-04:00

A young lady joins the elder brood!

2008-08-02T13:54:00.002-04:00

I removed the largest mantid, a male, from the store and released him into my yard. Good hunting!

Mantis on the Flag

2008-08-02T13:46:00.002-04:00

Shedding an old suit!

2008-07-18T16:04:00.004-04:00

Ahhhh that must feel better! The first of the three large survivors has molted into (I think) it's next to next to last stage. There are also two smaller ones all happily feasting on the ladybugs and leaving each other alone. With segment count of 8 this looks like a boy bug, while I'm almost sure one of the smaller is a female. I may catch this big guy and release him to my yard to leave the smaller mantids alone.

2008-07-09T12:32:00.001-04:00

One thousand ladybugs deployed, though they shipped a week late. I can't find but one of the larger mantids this morning and fear they may have fought each other.

Tastes so good!

2008-06-27T14:32:00.002-04:00

Well if you're a bug at least. As for food for humans, the first pepper crop harvested in the store yielded a good dozen tasty bells. The next crop (two different pepper types) has germinated and placed in side by side hydro setups. Also started some strawberry seeds but those can be finicky starts.

“Plants have a secret social life.”

2008-06-24T14:03:00.001-04:00

Amazing, considering some gardeners don't! ;)

Victory! in the War on Flies

2008-06-20T16:31:00.004-04:00

There are about half a dozen of the babies surviving, all about an inch long. That young I've seen them snap at flies before but usually some frantic buzzing shakes the victim loose from baby's grip. But ha! Not today.

What would you do with a boulder-sized meal? Baby took over an hour to eat the legs and wings first, then started in from the back end and made it almost all through the head before dropping it. Glutted, baby now sits fat and contented.

Nice job baby mantis!

The Wonders of Nature

2008-05-25T12:13:00.003-04:00

Hurray! Not one, not two, but all three ootheca hatched on Friday morning. Two had begun before I could get photos but the third was a lesson! The babies crawl out as tiny worms with a black end (the eyes), dangling from a thread to the egg. They then reform like a circus act into a writhing ball the same size as the egg - like the foamy shell had been magically shifted up and away. Then the molting begins and they scurry away. (I hope to post more pictures later.)

Plants are our Friends ,,, I think

2008-05-06T10:00:00.003-04:00

This brings back memories. I understand they made a new version in the 90's, gotta track that down (like an ambulatory, man-eating plant!).

Ootheca deployed!

2008-05-03T12:26:00.002-04:00

Yea! At last. Three fresh eggs hung out after last year's reproductive failure.

Now I must go around and baby-proof the store. Cobwebs bad.

Plants as important in Space as on Earth

2008-04-22T12:29:00.002-04:00

Nice article, with a good picture of Lada:

That's Love

2008-04-07T09:46:00.002-04:00

A Bird of Paradise leaf stalk snapped yesterday trying to reach better light.

Robots and water cannons used in our War on Turnips

2008-03-15T13:18:00.004-04:00

It must have been alarming at the time but jeepers ... wonder who gets the bill:

Turnip causes bomb scare at law office

Checking on the grow room

2008-02-27T16:34:00.003-05:00

Commander Peggy Whitson examines the LADA plant laboratory aboard the International Space Station.

Better six years late than never

2008-01-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

The store finally got a much needed electrical overhaul this week. The wiring panel was an out-of-code nightmare but it's now been professionally redone.

Sad to say - well maybe not so sad - but I chopped the rose bush and winter tomatoes to make room for the electrician. (Whiteflies say, what?) It looks odd to see the "growing wall" of the store emptier than it's been since we opened.

Ootheca in the house!

2008-01-18T11:52:00.001-05:00

A friend was kind enough to donate three ootheca. One was deployed and two others kept in the fridge.

What we need now are three dozen hungry babies. That'll take care of the whiteflies!

Delphastus depleted

2007-12-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

Rats. Snow day yesterday, had to hunt for even a solitary Delphastus this morning. Rose is covered with whitefly goo.

They must have some purpose in Creation, but I really hate whiteflies about now.

Not so bad

2007-12-12T10:40:00.001-05:00

I just watched an ant dragging a dead ladybug back to wherever ants go, having a struggle with something many times his size twisting his head back and forth. So...in the end...he can eat dead ladybug. My day's not so bad.

Oh no, Delphastus can fly!

2007-12-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

On the hibiscus it's been easy to spot a few Delphasti (?) with little trouble so I retain hope they may yet work against our mutual enemy, the accursed whitefly. But this morning during inspection one of the little black beetles took to flight! Not that there isn't plenty of other food available but I'm more worried about the predator side of the Magic Bulb-osystem.

I'd probably need to dump a thousand or so to hope for a colony to setup, like ladybugs. Or confine them to an aquarium type bug-making machine. Where do you go to get those?

Go get 'em!

2007-12-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

Alright, I've about given up on the simple methods of eradicating whitefly. Bugdeath sprays, water blasting, even a week outside in freezing temperatures hasn't removed the problem.

New bio-weapon? Delphastus pusillus, a small black beetle ravenous for whitefly eggs, deployed this morning and now stirring to life. Most of the colony will be placed on the hibiscus, while a few will go to the rose and tomatos. Go get 'em fellas!

NASA: "Optimization of Root Zone Substrates"

2007-11-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

I looked up ORZS from the cargo manifest for STS122. It seems another HYDRO IN SPACE! experiment is going up.

LED's shall light the way?

2007-11-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

LED grow lights offer several advantages over conventional lighting. Here are some interesting links on the subject:

http://www.greenpinelane.com/default.aspx

http://www.plasmaled.com/

Bromeliads in a tea kettle

2007-10-02T11:32:00.000-04:00

Hooray! Another of the Vriesea bromeliads is sending up a shoot. That makes two of the three. I put that planter in the store window a few weeks ago after the last bloom died off. Maybe it has something to do with changing light levels?

NASA hosts Lunar Growth Chamber challenge

2007-09-05T12:51:00.000-04:00

Maybe these kids will someday grow up to use their design!

"I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day." - McCoy

2007-08-25T12:52:00.000-04:00

I made the decision in our war against whiteflies to "firestop" some plants by clipping back large amounts. Removed was perhaps half the rosebush and maybe 3/4's of the hibiscus - and both couldn't be happier! Sometimes pruning is not only necessary, but advantageous.

What Remains Unsaid

2007-07-04T13:24:00.001-04:00

The good news is, the new network card was loose in its socket. No more crashes, happy computer.

Year of Pestilence

2007-07-02T09:55:00.000-04:00

The groundsmen were mowing around the bank while I sat in the drive thru lane. Lo and behold my car was soon covered in whiteflies. Some part of the food chain isn't doing its job!

For that matter, I haven't seen a juvey mantid in weeks. This bodes not well.

We Bug Blasted the hibiscus yesterday but it's still sporting a few this morning. These are desperate times and call for desperate measures.

And if only the computer would stop crashing!

A Weighty Problem

2007-07-01T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Bird of Paradise has broken through the plastic lid on the Planter of Ease, leaving us with a big problem of finding a suitable (load bearing) container.

Spectral Signatures of Photosynthesis

2007-06-27T11:14:00.000-04:00

Fascinating work - to identify extraterrestrial plant growth by the photons they absorb.

And Ootheca 3 ... launch!

2007-05-29T09:57:00.001-04:00

That's all folks. The one under the light hatched almost a week before the two more shaded eggs. Those two hatched within a day of each other.

Ootheca 2 ... launch!

2007-05-28T10:06:00.000-04:00

The babies are falling about a foot (one of ours, not one of theirs) onto the slope of the bromeliad leaves below. They love bromeliad cover and some have already staked out territory.

Babies babies everywhere!

2007-05-25T14:48:00.000-04:00