Initially, they added water to the tank manually which gave a false EC reading. With the inaccurate reading, they were adding too much fertilizer. When they attached a float valve to give a better reading, they could reduce the fertilizer. They seeded their first basil plants in mid-October in about 600 plugs. Everything didn't go perfectly at first, of course.
Timing is everything.
When the plants sprouted, they sat in the dark for about a week. Then they didn't receive enough water. But plants are tough, and the majority made it through. On November 29, the hydroponic system was finished and off and running. The Millers transplanted the basil seedlings into the perlite.