My DD doesn't stay dark... sometimes it's mostly white with pinkish stripes, depending on weather I think. I put mine between Black Cherry and Black Magic with Fabulous on the other corner. After 3-4 different Double Delights that didn't perform after 2nd year, I ordered one on fortuniana rootstock a couple years ago. So far, so good.

You can submit your samples of your spent fertilizer solution to a lab if you want to after you get into a routine, and tweak the formula with individual additions, but that is almost definitely not worth the effort with the formula you are currently using because it is specifically designed for lettuce use already and what you just need to do is make sure your water is good and fix the way you mix up the solution. Each week per 160 plants you need to run through like less than a lb. of powder for the three components. Multiply that by 5 weeks, just call it well under 5 bucks a week, that's $25 ,max in nutes per 160 plants, or 16 cents a plant plus the pH down. Check your own numbers more exactly but you might find it even less. If there is a solution problem out of whack it is usually preferible to just change the whole thing and reset everything back to normal in a situation like yours where the non-nutrients in the source water keep accumulating and the plants will appreciate a change as well. But to save some good cash consider a nursery and mature separate section when you outgrow the current pump capacity. Then in the nursery (after transplant from seedlings if you are doing it like that), the first like 10-12 days at 2/3 strength ought to be overall better for the plants and your wallet, and if you could cycle, and in the mature section maybe weekly, keeping in mind that a lettuce bulks up about half of its final weight in the last week or so. You're already making some nutrient additions sometimes when you top off which is an efficient use of the blend the general idea o get everything out of the nutes you can before tossing them. Just guide yourself by the idea that each lettuce sucks up around 5 grams of fertilizer to maturity and if you do it right you will toss out in changes less than another 5 g on all the solution that got spent in its life per head. BTW, I thought I never would grow lettuce and you just got me hooked ;). But fisrt to finish the strawberry NFT, my plugs arrive in 5 days oh crap, see y'all in a week unless I have a problem and then please help (shameless plea now that the pressure is on) This post was edited by PupillaCharites on Sat, Sep 14, 13 at 3:25

Have you moved in yet? The whole kitchen will look different when you have your own stuff in there. In the photo, all we are seeing is the different elements, not the finished product. My guess is that it looks off to you because it was not what you were expecting. For what it's worth, I think it looks great! The backsplash is gorgeous and the colors blend well together. Sometimes it takes a little time to get used to new things.

Go to HD or Lowes and buy gray screening and re-roll them. Its really not that hard to do. Some smaller hardware stores will do it for you. The screening you have now is held within the frame by a flexible strip of vinyl or foam called a 'spline'. The spline is a tight fit within a groove around the perimeter of the aluminum frame, and this is how the screening is secured. Find the end of the spline, lift it with a small screwdriver tip, then pull it all out of the frame with your fingers before removing the old screen. Next, lay down a new piece of over-sized screen on top of the frame so thereÂs several inches of excess on all sides. Securing this screen is easy when you know what to do and have an inexpensive specialty tool called a 'spline roller' to help. You'll find them at hardware stores. All models have one wheel on each end. Use the plain wheel to push the screen down into the frame slot, followed by the grooved wheel to push the spline in afterwards. With a bit of practice you'll learn how to 'steer' the screen one way or the other to maintain tension as you push the spline into position. Use a sharp utility knife to trim away excess mesh and youÂre done.