{"id":220,"date":"2021-05-13T06:07:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T06:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/2021\/05\/13\/full-fast-and-flavoursome-new-crops-in-autopot\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T13:26:07","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T13:26:07","slug":"full-fast-and-flavoursome-new-crops-in-autopot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/2021\/05\/13\/full-fast-and-flavoursome-new-crops-in-autopot\/","title":{"rendered":"Full, Fast, And Flavoursome – New Crops In AutoPot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Above all at AutoPot it\u2019s about the plants, not least because the grow room is on the top floor<\/a>. Our R& D modules may have the penthouse but there\u2019s little in the way of luxuriating for them. Same goes for our test grower and MD, Jason Ralph-Smith, who\u2019s been pushing AutoPot capabilities to the limit over the last few months. That product isn\u2019t going out into the world unless proven teak-tough and ready to rumble with just about any plants you can throw at it (or preferably pot in it, as per our considered guidance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time we\u2019re talking figs, we\u2019re talking aubergines, we\u2019re talking herbs, we\u2019re talking ginger. Not merely the exercise of growing these plants, but of testing them in a wild range of substrates and under varied feed regimes. If you\u2019ve found us here there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019re interested in exploring the incredible variety of plant life which can be cultivated in a watering system. Join us on a wordy walk, a talky tour, an outspoken odyssey around our test grows to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: Climbing up on herby hill – Left-Right; watercress, parsley, sweet Thai basil and English basil<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The fig is a fascinating plant to try. Our Brown Turkey bypasses the ghastly but unbelievably nature-affirming process of wasp pollination<\/a> – a symbiotic process that has been an estimated 60 million years in the making<\/a>. The plant is spreading far and wide and is already abundant with figs. These inverted flowers can, astoundingly, be grafted on from other fig plants – with members of The Fig Society reportedly having achieved up to 11 different figs on the one plant.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: A fig of beauty is a joy forever, our Brown Turkey in a 25 L \/ 6.6 gal 1Pot XL module<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We\u2019ve got our fig plant tucked up in Biobizz soil and coco<\/a> with a top dressing of Seramis<\/a> which is working the oracle at keeping fungus gnats at bay. The 1Pot XL<\/a> in whose 25 L \/ 6.6 gal pot the fig sits is really the best off-the-peg module we offer for small\/medium sized trees. For similar or larger sized plants you could equally break out into a garden tray with 35 L \/ 9gal<\/a> or 139 L \/ 37 gal fabric FlexiPot<\/a> and an easy2GO Kit<\/a> to cover the watering and feeding. A note here on our relative unfamiliarity with the plant. Without experience of figs it could be tricky, or at least hard work, to anticipate the necessary feeding regime. The AQUAvalve5<\/a> in this, and every AutoPot module tray, gives responsibility for feeding to the plant itself – meaning there\u2019s no need to second-guess requirements and no need for pumps or timers. The plant simply draws what it needs when it needs it. You just bear that in mind as we get on with the tour!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: STOP PRESS! Our redoubtable aubergines Anow re-potted in a 4Pot XL System
– parasitic wasps proividing pest control<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The rampant growing power of AutoPot is equally evident with our aubergines, which continually bush out and require constant trimming from Jason. Two Thai varieties, an English, and a White Knight from Medwyn\u2019s of Anglesey<\/a> have been producing like crazy in a 4Pot System<\/a>. Whilst the 4Pot keeps on top of water and feed Jason requires little helpers to keep the plants pest-free. More insect gore here in the shape of parasitic wasps<\/a> to counter aphid infestations. Yep, it\u2019s everybody\u2019s favourite means of reproduction; injecting eggs in other species and allowing the larvae to hatch from within and cut their way out, still aphids suck so what are you going to do? On a more tasteful note – lemongrass.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: A verdant volley from our lemongrass in 1Pot XL<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Propagated from seed at the turn of the year, our lemongrass plant is now around 2 metres in diameter, lemon-dieu! Looking for all the world like a Goblin King\u2019s hairpiece, this bad boy is in a 15 L \/ 3.9 gal 1Pot module<\/a>, suppin\u2019 on Dutchpro A & B for Soil<\/a> from a 25 L FlexiTank<\/a>. EC is about 1.9, pH 5.8 and it ain\u2019t stopping but for the barber. In his recent video posts on the lemongrass Jason actually seems a little unsure of the plant towards the end. He starts insinuating he might trim it but then it\u2019s as though the pant gives him vibes, he may well back off – that\u2019s plant control guys. There\u2019s a million ways to grow flavoursome, high-yielding ingredients in AutoPot and crops needn\u2019t be as physically dominant as our lemongrass. If you prefer to keep things trimmed, aromatic, short, and curly then walk this way.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: This saw-toothed devil is black mint in easy2grow<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

easy2grow<\/a> is the ideal home for such tasties as the black mint, watercress, parsley, marjoram, Thai sweet, and English basil that we\u2019re currently pumping out in the grow room. Not only are herbs handy and incredibly productive crops in AutoPot, they\u2019re also proving highly efficient in reused substrates. The simple addition of beneficial bacteria<\/a> to a medium that had previously sustained two cucumber crops has been enough to stimulate some incredible growth. Nothing so robust though that it\u2019s trying to outmuscle the pots. That\u2019d be the ginger.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: Is that ginger in your 1Pot XL or are you
just pleased to see me? Check out the bulge!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear our ginger stems are never going to bust out of the 25 L \/ 6.6 gal XL modules<\/a> in which they\u2019re housed – but they don\u2019t seem to have got the memo and it\u2019s amusing to watch them try. Buckling against the upper reaches of the pot, they\u2019ve little more than a month to go before harvest time now after a six month run – a perfect match for the module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord knows why they\u2019re trying to escape given the luxurious Biobizz Perlite<\/a> and GrowZorb Grind<\/a> substrates in which our two plants are ensconced. Not to mention the fine dining on offer courtesy of Dutchpro feed – diamond shoes too tight for you ginger?! Truth be told they\u2019re worth it, these are really beautiful plants that produce something that just makes you feel better about the whole world – bloody love ginger! That which grows – it\u2019s marvellous! We hope you\u2019ve enjoyed the tour and are as excited and delighted as we are by the new possibilities we\u2019ve explored – see you again soon. Follow ongoing developments, chip in, and even win prizes in our Insta<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> Grow Room posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Above all at AutoPot it\u2019s about the plants, not least because the grow room is on the top floor. Our R& D modules may have the penthouse but there\u2019s little in the way of luxuriating for them. Same goes for our test grower and MD, Jason Ralph-Smith, who\u2019s been pushing AutoPot capabilities to the limit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,45],"tags":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/New_Crops_In_AutoPot_Main.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":796,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions\/796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autopot.co.uk\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}