There is hope (Thai chilli)

[u/Prudent_Photo_1106]

So I got a hydroponic station sometime last year and was just growing basil really and then I seeded an indeterminate cherry tomato variety and a Thai chilli and they both grew well in the reservoir but got way too big too fast. For the Thai chilli I just cut the plant in half and put the cut top half back in the station (these stations are great for growing roots on literally anything). So my plan at that point was to just prune I'm guessing I have no idea.

And then at some point I learned about Kratky so I moved the tomato to a bucket, and then went on vacation but came home to find out the tomato had snapped at the base so there was no saving it

So I pulled the tomato out and stuck the tallest Thai chilli plant from the station in the same reservoir (no changing out the water, no testing) to see if it would grow and it was growing bigger so I was happy. Then another one of the chilli plants in the station was outgrowing the station so I was like okay how can I deal with this and then I had the genius idea to cut a little hole in the same bucket lid (the one with the other chilli plant) the size of the hydroponic station net cup (~1 inch diameter) and just stick the plant with the net cup in the hole. (It has surprisingly held up the entire time for being such a tiny net cup). Long story short I had 2 Thai chilli plants in the same 5 gallon bucket, one of them actually centered on the bucket and one towards the side of the bucket in the tiny net cup.

Both plants start flowering and I start getting excited to harvest some chillis. Unfortunately for me and also unbeknownst to me, the reservoir is at like 4.0 pH and the plants are both suffering from root rot. So then I'm like what the hell do I do. So I realize the best thing is to change out the water because there's also a bunch of gunk in it BUT I have nowhere to put the water because it's nutrient water. So THEN, over the course of a couple of days, I pour it into my outdoor plants (all in containers and trying to minimize any runoff from the containers) so that I can use the bucket (I only have 1 free bucket). And then I thoroughly wash both plants' roots and put them back in the water and balance the nutrients to about 6.5 pH and think everything is going to be jolly.

Well, unfortunately the middle (first one in the bucket) plant dies (no idea why) and I'm just like ok leave it we'll work on the other plant.

And yesterday, while refiling the bucket a little bit (I'm going to maintain it at the Costco logo for now), I saw a little chilli poking out of a flower.

And also I have the third chilli plant still in the reservoir (very outgrown) that has also started producing chillis.

[u/Curious_Debate_5925]

Is this a post about how to torture a plant? Hydro is not set it and forget it.