I had to let the cucumber go today. It was just a plant. But I felt sad. And I thought then, of people of a different mettle. So, I perceive today and salute the strength & fortitude of relatives who allow doctors to pull the plug out of the life support systems of brain-dead loved ones; or that of the brave ranger who takes it upon himself to shoot his horse in the head to put the animal out of its misery; or that of a particular soldier I heard of, who was willing to live with the burden of taking the life of his friend who had fallen and got hopelessly stuck in a crevasse in a glacier at upwards of 18000 feet, rather than allowing him to die a cold, slow and sure death, all by himself. My loss then, can't even be termed trivial.
Nevertheless, the plant was dying and I couldn't revive it. That's the long and short of it. Here's how it looked just before I took the decision and Shankar & I took out the slotted pot out of the tank.
It's roots were lovely...like the tresses of a fairy tumbling all over her face.
The faithful constant then, is change. It was time to spill out the old nutrient solution...
thus...
There, done and dusted.
And then, to clean up the clay pellets and the netted pot itself. Washed and left to dry.
A new cucmuber seed has been put for germination. Part of the RO water required to almost fill the 300 litre tank has been purchased. The balance shall be procured on Monday. And then the moment the freshly germinated sapling shows signs of true leaves, in goes the grow plug and the Kratky system starts all over again. With just a little change... I am now familiar with aphid-attacks and what their consequences can be. Needless to say, I'm better informed and better prepared.
Meanwhile, beans have been. And they look lovely.
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