Growing Hydroponic Lettuce
It has been almost 9 months since I last used the greenhouse for growing some lettuce. I started the seeds inside under lights and decided to try growing them using the Kratky Method in an unheated greenhouse during the day and a small heater on low at night when it gets around freezing.
I carefully rinsed the dirt off the roots of the lettuce before placing them into the middle of the pool noodle. Using the small slice that I cut off helps to hold the plant in place while it floats in the water.
The picture below was taken as soon as I placed them into the floating tub filled with rainwater. I have also added a Hydroponic Nutrient Mix to the water to ensure a nice crop. The plants are wilted at this point but will perk up in a couple of days as you will see in the progression of photos I have taken for you to see.
In total, I did three tubs of mixed lettuce at this point. I intend to start some Pak Choi seeds this week to get them ready to grow using this method too. They actually really do well compared to my experience growing them directly into the raised bed. I prefer the Kratky method for the early growing season for growing cold-loving plants.
As you can see some of the varieties have already begun to perk up a bit. I was very happy to see that they made it through the night as the temperature of the water was only 45° F. I expected them to struggle a little bit with the change in growth medium and the fact that they came from a 70° F room under lights. I am glad that my tough-love experiment did not kill them off.
This photo shows the same floating tray on day 2 and day 4. I thought the comparison would be nice to see side by side. The lettuce is already responding nicely to the nutrient rainwater and the cooler temperatures, which they prefer.
Day 5 has arrived and all is well with the lettuce floats. They are growing nicely and they have greened up a lot since being brought out into the natural light. It won't be long now when I will start removing the largest leaves to enjoy in a salad. There is nothing like growing your own food knowing that it is fresh and dense with nutritional value.
That's all for today's post which I hope you enjoyed. I will do my best to keep this year's growing season up to date.
Until next time, this is Sunscape
Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day
