Dude you delivered! Kratky was what I asked if you could try more of to help me (and many others) and this was a perfect example. Going to try and find a wide shallow container like you mentioned to grow lettuce and spinach. Always a thumbs up on all of your videos man
I am getting started on hydroponics and have watched literally hundreds of videos, particularly on Kratky. This one is far and away the best. Subscribed, and sharing with my friends. Thanks for the ton of work you put into making this content, describing the science of the lighting, and overall also explaining what you would do differently. Great job!!
I decided that only basil was worth growing Hydroponically for me. I live in California - we can garden outside year- round, and it's much easier and more nutritious than growing Hydroponically.
At 8:00 I'm seeing dry nutrient in the bottoms of the reservoirs. If they are not completely mixed into solution when the pH is adjusted, the pH may drop as they slowly dissolve.
@@bengozzy408 pity the exact same comment and the exact same reply comes up all the bloody time in the comment section in lots of different genres, but funny that the names always changes. The person who automates these bots should cop a bloody hiding, but violence is bad 🤬🤬🤬 If only the "person" would read the response, cause that was gold 👍
Excellent time lapse footage. Some of the very first root/reservoir footage on TH-cam. pH should naturally increase slightly over time as food is consumed not go down. Most coco growers use specialty coco nutrient formulations or increase calcium and magnesium levels in their nutrient mix even on supposedly buffered coco, as even good coco will hold onto calcium especially. This may have affected/dropped your pH.
pH changes when the concentration of nutrient solutions changes. In your case I would guess that the concentration of the nutrient solution increased because of the plants drink the water, more nutrient for less water equals to a increase in the concentration. This change causes the pH to change too. Would you agree ?
The hidden treasure of this video is revealing the 60-40 coco-perlite as a supporting medium. Had never thought of this and it seems ideal. Thanks mate!
I don't grow anything yet hydroponically I just enjoy watching you and your direct way of sharing this information. I have purchased everything I need to do this and am just awaiting the upcoming food shortage to try... thanks for all your ideas. No bevies today? Love from Canada.
You have presented the most economical method of a hydroponic setup. I have very limited space. I bought two restaurant utility bus bins which are 7 inches deep and bought the Styrofoam sheets at my home improvement store (Lowes). Bought the cups and used Platonix Coco Coir to plant my seeds in the cup and set them in the nutrient prepared water so it covered about a third of the cup. As my plants developed a root system, I took out a little water so they would have the benefit of some exposure to oxygen as well as the water. I bought a Famurs TF1200 Grow Light and a TDS meter and I check the pH the old fashioned way with solution every other day. My plants are doing fabulous. In just three weeks I can harvest some of my lettuce. Thank you for your video.
@@elliotbc I use a cement mixer from Home Depot... holds about 17 gals (with net pots in a cover). I want to say it cost me 11-12 dollars. Black and very sturdy.
@@mossycroak6638 Foam also has two advantages: (1) you can have multiple foam tops for a tub each with different numbers of holes/spacing and (2) if you stop gardening you will still have your original top to use it for storage again.
Hey Hoocho, I was wondering if the insulation sheets you are using are food safe ?. I am thinking it is important to know if the insulation leaches chemicals into the plants or water.
Congratulations. I think, probably the pH drop because the activity of microorganisms in solution or the plant absorb more cation than anion. you can add some nitrate like Ca-nitrate or K-nitrate to balance 2:8 ammonium: nitrate ratio and/or buffered solution. Also you can use a peace of charcoal in solution. disinfection the solution and equipment by adding 0.5-1percent hydrogen peroxide may be helpful.
I just finished a gravity gutter system based on your build and am loving the coco perlite. Can't wait for it to be warm enough for me to my my plants out there from indoor dwc!
excellent video. to riduce the growth in height you can leave only one plant per cup, once you're sure they've germinated. if you leave 3 or 4 together they will compete for light and will tend to grow longer stems
can you please comment on the plastic tubs and poystyrene lids you are using? I am concerned about chemicals from the plastic tubs leeching into the water and therefore the plants. Should we not be using food safe products especially for the longer grows and larger vegetables? This comment applies specifically to the lettuce video however can also apply to all the materials you source for hydroponics.
possibly the ammonium in your nutrient solution that affect the ph. When ammonium evaporate, absorbed by the plants or converted into nitrate, it releases hydrogen ions and lower the ph of the solution.
Might be too late but I think the "lenthiness" is actually your lettuces bolting. The crops are going into flowering stage triggered by a long period of light cycle and/or temperature. If you think the light is too far and cause the lenghtiness, the seedling should be much longer.
A fantastic video! Especially love the time lapse. I'm changing to a whole foods, plant-based diet, and my goal is to eventually grow a large portion of my food, much of it indoors. So far I have an 8-bucket DWC hydro. system set up, several AeroGardens, and AG-type gardens, and I'm getting ready to start growing leafy greens in totes similar to those in this video, and I'm going to do a 4-bucket DWC system. With that, and what I can grow outside, I think I can easily grow most of my food. I even have a Meyer Lemon - Lime Bush that I'm going to grow in a container, since I'm in Zone 6.
I love this! I am on this same journey as well :) However, I am literally just starting - researching how to start putting pieces together for a system. Best of luck in your journey, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for people! What do you think of your Aerogardens? I originally wanted the XL farm ones because they stack and I thought that was amazing. However, hubby talked me back down to earth to make our own system. But, I may still get one or two of those for herbs for the counter.
@@robynriggs2336 My personal experience is that the Aerogarden counter models, particularly the Bounty Basic, are very effective. It has the automated features, day counter, custom light cycles that make an indoor garden flourish. The Harvest is smaller and less informative. These counter top models are forgiving teachers of hydroponic basics. I have two Farm XLs. The XL model is 36" of grow height, and I actually find it to be too much height for what I realistically use. You can certainly grow a full sized tomato plant if you wish, but I grow dwarf varieties and they are abundant producers at 18" - 24". The Farm Plus model has 24" of grow height, which is the space I use most of the time. The XL is awkward in shape. If you place it on the floor, the display is at waist height but the grow deck is around your ankles, so you're lying flat on the floor to inspect your seedlings or add nutrients. If you place it on a counter, you get the grow deck to a reasonable height but you have to climb on a kitchen stool to read the LED display (and I'm 6' tall). You need a coffee table for a reasonable compromise.
Just a theory. The pH dropped because in the early stages the consumption ratio of water/nutrients is higher, causing the concentration of nutrients to increase. When the lettuce is mature they use more nutrients and the water/nutrient consumption ratio drops. That could explain why after you adjusted the pH, it doesn't change any more. Or not in any significant amount. Fantastic footage and music. Very psych. Adding a root cam was a great idea.
Hoochos, I have never seen a time-lapse of roots growing like that before. You have great content. Subbed. I'm currently building a kratky system, but I'm thinking of putting an air stone in with it, in the hopes it will speed up growth.
Love the root timelapse, great shot! I've been thinking of upgrading my kratky jars to something a little bigger and this seems perfect 😁 Did the ph drop coincide with the legginess at all? I wonder if the change in growth rate could have affected nutrient uptake and caused an imbalance?
I love this method. You can actually get a head of lettuce to grow using a gallon water jug. It's the same thing, you just cut the top off, put your nutrient solution in, and drop your net cup in with the seeds. I found out it worked when I didn't have the heart to throw away sprouts and I wanted to give them their best chance. The ones in the gallon water jugs actually survived longer than most of the others we had in larger systems. There are still some in our back yard that survived winter in California. ^.^ You should try it out. - oh, I did cover the jugs in black plastic to prevent algae.
@@barbaradumler6503 originally I used black plastic bought in bulk from a farm supply store, I think it was 2mm. Later, when the prices rose, I began using adhesive vinyl which saved on materials and was far easier to apply.
@@CaitlinJBall Thanks! I'm originally from San Diego, and then Los Angeles and now in Meridian, ID. Love having the seasons. I definitely will be trying this but it will be indoors.
I saw your video and I liked it very much, I made the structure similar to your idea and the water capacity is 240 lts with 30 plant net cup set up, but now I need your help to provide guides on nutrition details, how much TDS level required and what nutrition you added, please describe the nutrition solution name and total TDS Level and do we need to change the TDS Water level at a particular stage, plz help us, I'm new and startup entering in this field
Great simple set-up! I've done something similar using Corflute rather than XPS foam - it is thinner (3mm corflute is still strong enough, but 6mm is probably better) and waterproof too, so very reusable. Now I'm going to try using coco fibre & perlite in my netpots - but I'm a bit concerned about the fine coco fibre leaching out from the cup into the solution. Coco fibre is not really dirty the way actual dirt is, but still, best not to have it in the solution.
I live in northern NSW where it can get pretty hot. I’m considering using polystyrene for boxes to keep the nutrient solution temperature variations minimal. Do you have any comments on that idea? Are you still using cor flute?
@@geoffharrower2845 All I can say is, try it & see how it works. I don't have any real expertise or knowledge - but trying different things has taught me a lot more than I used to know! All I can say is, as with any insulation, it works well until it doesn't (i.e. heats up inside) - and then it keeps the heat in. So if you are somewhere where it gets cool at night, you would probably be ok. But if you get a real heatwave, you might need to use a bit of TLC and manage it more closely. (The same way you manage the temperature in your house - open up at night after a hot day.) I'm in SE Qld - it gets pretty hot here too. And no matter what you do (short of internal growing & temperature control) then lettuce is not going to grow well in summer. Instead, for salad, I started growing microgreens, with plants more tolerant of heat. Buckwheat, sunflower, broccoli, cabbage, peas have all worked well. plenty of others to try too, depending on your preference.
The decrease of the pH of the solution was probably caused by too much ammonium in the starting solution. There is an optimal range of ammonium/nitrate ratio. When plants take up cations they excrete hidrogen ions "in exchange" for them and similarly, they must excrete hydrogencarbonate anions in exchange for used up anions. The "sweet spot" is somewhere between 4-10 nitrate ions against every 1 ammonium ion. (It is not only for pH balance, there's more to it though.) The browning of the leaf tip seemed (to me) as the typical Ca-deficiency symptom in lettuce.
G'day Hoocho. Love the channel mate. I know this was a while ago but wanted to run something past ya. I used to be into planted aquariums in a big way and something we used to do was to introduce co2 into the tank to boost plant growth. I started with a basic yeast co2 generator (Google is ya friend) and a venturi nozzle on a small powerhead pump before I started getting into co2 cylinders etc. Anyhow.. This is proven to work. I see people now setting up co2 generators in their grow tents. I also know that plants absorb air through their roots and take co2 that way. This got me thinking, if you set up a co2 generator put the outlet into the root zone of the kratky system you may get better results. Anyway.. Let me know what you think. Cheers Bushie
Amazing! The time lapse (with the music) really makes the video. Excellent work and really shows the novice how to get started. Would love to hear more about timing with lights vs. sunlight, etc. in future videos. Thanks!
I love your videos and just bought 2 hydroponic systems but would like to use this for lettuce too. Can I use the same nutrient solution as you use for your hydroponics the Hydroponic -nutrient from Manutec?? Does that work in the Kranky?
Well this is just a theory, but perhaps when the plants deplete a certain nutrient faster than another nutrient, it lowers the pH. That is, nutrients have an effect on pH. Or if there is something that lowers the pH that the plants don't consume, and then there is a nutrient that increases the pH that the plant does consume.
This video is brilliant and very well done. As per le drop of pH that could be caused by the plant readjusting the pH of the solution. Also if the solution is not replenished it could be that the selective absorption of negative ions leaves an excess of positive charge in the solution. Did you check the EC together with the pH? The anoxyc environnent in the tub could have produced reactions resulting in the pH to lower. Happy to discuss all the possibilities to check which of these hypotheses was your case.
Im from South Africa and I can't seen to find the fertilizer you're using. Which 2 do you mix to get 30 grams per 25 liters or do you just use 15 grams per 25 liters of water?
Make sure they’re food safe. I Googled SA Hydro stores, you’ve got plenty to choose from. In Oz we use Auto Pot or Professor nutrients, great veggie nutrients at an affordable price.
Thank You. Saved me a bunch of experimenting. MHP Gardner got me trying this years ago. His rafts were thicker and smaller and thus floated. The extra thickness of the foam provided a bit of air space for the roots. I use thin reflective silver "Solar Blankets" around the plants to reflect even more side lighting. Saving seeds probably is where the real cash savings are! Great Job. HIT LIKE!
Cheers mate The pH issue could be because the Kraky system isn't airated so small roots die and rot in the nutrient solution. Just a thought. I would add a air stone and pump.
I think the ph dropped due to the concentration of some substance, the water got less so the concentration of a substance got higher and tgat changed your ph, awesome work 💪
What happens when you aerate the water as they grow? You can eliminate the 1/r^2 issue by using a fresnel lens to convert the light from point source divergent to parallel rays (works for bright compact output, less great for like a quantum board). You could have the light 10 feet away or 3 feet away and the leaves would receive the same ppfd. Leggy grow can be due to too much red and far red.
Oh geeze, i'm an Aussie native now living in Canada...as much as I love your show... faaaar out..... trying to find anything similar to what you have back home is short of running after ones tail. One would think living in 'Nth America' would have an amazing product selection... i'm sure they do, I just have to find what their equivalent is LOL... how thick is the rigid extruded insulated panel (that's what they call it here + 10 other different names!!)? As much as Canada is meant to be a part of the Commonwealth, they choose to use inches and feet in hardware stores (ugh) - American owned or influenced (double ugh)... is the thickness 2" or something else...aka 5cm??
Hi mate Thanks for your video and sharing this beautiful experience with everyone. Just a question? Can we grow poppy flower ( poppy seeds) with this technique? I look forward to hearing from you
Thanks for your videos. I've been watching for a while and am going to attempt this Kratky lettuce system for my first project. Can I use Manutec Hydroponic Nutrient (powder from Bunnings) or Hy-Gen Hydro Growth Formula (liquid)? Many thanks.
Nice video. For the pH issue it may be caused by not enough CO2 exchange in the room. Open windows for fresh air in and out helps keep the pH up. Maybe air tube maker that is used for fish tanks can help? Maybe this thought may help fine tune things more controlled. Out side would be fine. If it does it out side too then maybe make the foam smaller for air to exchange inside the toat. Hope that may be an idea that would work.
How can anyone take advice from some LAZY GROWER THAT THERE REZ IS COMPLETELY FULL OF GREEN SLIME ?? The Buckets are done completely the long a hard way!
Hey there Hoocho! I just started my first Kratky lettuce. My question is, how wet is the coco perlite supposed to be? The bottom is submerged like in your video, but after two days, the top of the medium is bone dry. Is this normal?
I used coco and it flushes all through my system in my hydroponics, so I lost all the seeds etc too. Did I buy the wrong the coco? I live in Australia.
I’d advise growing cubes, coco mix - try the easy plugs, available in all sizes. Visit your local Hydro store I bet they’ll give you the best advise and the good ones will recommend Hoocho too 😁
Love your videos 🎉 very helpful. I wonder if your drop in pH was due to lettuce using higher ratios of some nutrients within your standard fertiliser mix ... reduction in calcium causing slightly more acidic? 🤔
You could buy a PAR meter if you are really concerned with light levels under your grow lights. I think lettuce only needs 300, but high light level plants (most fruiting, marijuana) need 800 or so. Not sure.
Where does one get extruded foam board that is in long sheets? I am looking at getting some bus bins that are about 32L and about 24inches long and 16inches wide. Nice video by the way!
Hey there, which lights, distance, light intensity did you use? I am also growing indoor lettuce at the moment. Do they bold only by to much or less light?
@@tangobayus thats what we have, the 4k light strips. Can you tell us how high up your lights were to start out with ? And did you just try and keep a certain distance away from the height of the plants as they grew? Thank you
I like the video.... but every time anyone talks about Kratky, they should mention that adding an air stone making it DWC is an enhancement that will generally improve plant mass and harvest mass. Kratky is great and all, but it is easy to improve upon it by just adding an aquarium pump. Obviously Kratky allows a lower tech solution where power isn't available, or there are other considerations making air pumps undesirable, but it is so easy to make it better... It is a small change, and would only take 10 seconds to explain as an enhancement (and you could bait the video saying "watch the whole video for enhancements and final thoughts").
Just had a question on water levels. I have never tried this before. If I get my lettuce from a local nursery already started and go into the clay balls. Where do I keep my water levels at. When put my tiny lettuce plants in do I fill the buckets up all the way? I will be growing these outside.
Where can one find extruded foam boards? I am in the US. Could I find them in a hardware store? I want to plan a raft sytem for lettuce and need to find an affordable source and especially need the specs for the planning stage. Thank you Really appreciate the videos ✌🏼
When measuring solutions temperature can have a big affect on pH. So if your water was colder/warmer when mixed and originally tested then that could be it.
Could a clear container be used on top like a greenhouse for outdoor areas that may have rodents pass through. Or just better to make an enclosed area. I seen that with Rubbermaid.
The part watching the roots grow was super cool and I did not expect that. I was like, why is he cutting a hole in the- ohhhhhhh coooool.
You have to premix the nutes with water and wait before testing. The ph changes as the nutes dissolve further over time.
How long, like 24hrs?
@@DatFabricNo, anthony means to stir longer..nutrients need to be totally dissolved before testing ph and ec.
You put so much effort into this video. Thank you! I loved seeing the roots grow from the inside. The camera set up was genius 👍🏻
Wow loved the time lapse and the root part was such a surprise. So cool love how creative you are!
Thanks Kristen!
@@Hoocho 磷钾肥配比不对
Dude you delivered! Kratky was what I asked if you could try more of to help me (and many others) and this was a perfect example. Going to try and find a wide shallow container like you mentioned to grow lettuce and spinach. Always a thumbs up on all of your videos man
I am getting started on hydroponics and have watched literally hundreds of videos, particularly on Kratky. This one is far and away the best. Subscribed, and sharing with my friends. Thanks for the ton of work you put into making this content, describing the science of the lighting, and overall also explaining what you would do differently. Great job!!
Thankyou for the appreciation!
Look up mhp gardener
@@jerrydunlap6515 thanks for the suggestion
How did it turn out?
I decided that only basil was worth growing Hydroponically for me. I live in California - we can garden outside year- round, and it's much easier and more nutritious than growing Hydroponically.
At 8:00 I'm seeing dry nutrient in the bottoms of the reservoirs. If they are not completely mixed into solution when the pH is adjusted, the pH may drop as they slowly dissolve.
I don't give a damn, but I'm not just anyone...
I'm that guy on your girlfriend's IG, and she's loving every minute of it, patna!
@@bengozzy408 LMAO!! 🤣 sounds like something I'd say
@@bengozzy408 pity the exact same comment and the exact same reply comes up all the bloody time in the comment section in lots of different genres, but funny that the names always changes. The person who automates these bots should cop a bloody hiding, but violence is bad 🤬🤬🤬
If only the "person" would read the response, cause that was gold 👍
Excellent time lapse footage. Some of the very first root/reservoir footage on TH-cam. pH should naturally increase slightly over time as food is consumed not go down. Most coco growers use specialty coco nutrient formulations or increase calcium and magnesium levels in their nutrient mix even on supposedly buffered coco, as even good coco will hold onto calcium especially. This may have affected/dropped your pH.
pH changes when the concentration of nutrient solutions changes. In your case I would guess that the concentration of the nutrient solution increased because of the plants drink the water, more nutrient for less water equals to a increase in the concentration. This change causes the pH to change too. Would you agree ?
I have experienced this, especially when it's dry out vs humid.
You're killing it Hoocho!!! Love it! Keep on Growin' brother!
Cheer Mike mate! I appreciate it.
The hidden treasure of this video is revealing the 60-40 coco-perlite as a supporting medium. Had never thought of this and it seems ideal. Thanks mate!
I don't grow anything yet hydroponically I just enjoy watching you and your direct way of sharing this information. I have purchased everything I need to do this and am just awaiting the upcoming food shortage to try... thanks for all your ideas. No bevies today? Love from Canada.
You have presented the most economical method of a hydroponic setup. I have very limited space. I bought two restaurant utility bus bins which are 7 inches deep and bought the Styrofoam sheets at my home improvement store (Lowes). Bought the cups and used Platonix Coco Coir to plant my seeds in the cup and set them in the nutrient prepared water so it covered about a third of the cup. As my plants developed a root system, I took out a little water so they would have the benefit of some exposure to oxygen as well as the water. I bought a Famurs TF1200 Grow Light and a TDS meter and I check the pH the old fashioned way with solution every other day. My plants are doing fabulous. In just three weeks I can harvest some of my lettuce. Thank you for your video.
I've been looking around for container ideas. A bus bin is a great idea! Thank you!
@@elliotbc I use a cement mixer from Home Depot... holds about 17 gals (with net pots in a cover). I want to say it cost me 11-12 dollars. Black and very sturdy.
Can't we use the lid that comes with the container? Does it have to be an extruded foam?
Yes you could. Foam is a good option if you don't have a lid.
@@mossycroak6638 Foam also has two advantages: (1) you can have multiple foam tops for a tub each with different numbers of holes/spacing and (2) if you stop gardening you will still have your original top to use it for storage again.
Use original lid with a few net pots and clay pebbles bro
I like the extruded foam tops. Lots of times the plastic lids can be tricky to hole out without cracking,
How are you starting seeds in hydroton? With rapid rooter pods or just putting a seed in the rocks?
Thank you again for my continuing education in hydroponics. Excellent tutorial video.
Well done Hoocho! Your teaching and video production is superb!
I'd suggest a split screen showing root and leaf growth simultaneously.
nah mate, that would just look like my screen's wearing a thong
Hey Hoocho, I was wondering if the insulation sheets you are using are food safe ?. I am thinking it is important to know if the insulation leaches chemicals into the plants or water.
I use the same foam. If anything comes out, it's still a lot safer than anything you buy at the store.
Congratulations. I think, probably the pH drop because the activity of microorganisms in solution or the plant absorb more cation than anion. you can add some nitrate like Ca-nitrate or K-nitrate to balance 2:8 ammonium: nitrate ratio and/or buffered solution. Also you can use a peace of charcoal in solution. disinfection the solution and equipment by adding 0.5-1percent hydrogen peroxide may be helpful.
What is it you're doing at about 9:50 or so, when the water starts draining out? It looks like you drill a new hole and attach some sort of device?
I just finished a gravity gutter system based on your build and am loving the coco perlite. Can't wait for it to be warm enough for me to my my plants out there from indoor dwc!
excellent video. to riduce the growth in height you can leave only one plant per cup, once you're sure they've germinated. if you leave 3 or 4 together they will compete for light and will tend to grow longer stems
can you please comment on the plastic tubs and poystyrene lids you are using? I am concerned about chemicals from the plastic tubs leeching into the water and therefore the plants. Should we not be using food safe products especially for the longer grows and larger vegetables? This comment applies specifically to the lettuce video however can also apply to all the materials you source for hydroponics.
If your wife sees you cutting that foam board on top of that wooden table, you’re dead brother! I know I would be!! 😬😅
possibly the ammonium in your nutrient solution that affect the ph. When ammonium evaporate, absorbed by the plants or converted into nitrate, it releases hydrogen ions and lower the ph of the solution.
Nice Video! Im a hydroponic youtuber from germany .
Wow! Time lapse of the roots is amazing footage! Great video.
You could've cleaned those tubs before setting them up 😵other than that great video!
This is awesome! How much sunlight was that lettuce getting? I'm going to go for it
Might be too late but I think the "lenthiness" is actually your lettuces bolting. The crops are going into flowering stage triggered by a long period of light cycle and/or temperature.
If you think the light is too far and cause the lenghtiness, the seedling should be much longer.
A fantastic video! Especially love the time lapse.
I'm changing to a whole foods, plant-based diet, and my goal is to eventually grow a large portion of my food, much of it indoors. So far I have an 8-bucket DWC hydro. system set up, several AeroGardens, and AG-type gardens, and I'm getting ready to start growing leafy greens in totes similar to those in this video, and I'm going to do a 4-bucket DWC system. With that, and what I can grow outside, I think I can easily grow most of my food. I even have a Meyer Lemon - Lime Bush that I'm going to grow in a container, since I'm in Zone 6.
I love this! I am on this same journey as well :) However, I am literally just starting - researching how to start putting pieces together for a system. Best of luck in your journey, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for people! What do you think of your Aerogardens? I originally wanted the XL farm ones because they stack and I thought that was amazing. However, hubby talked me back down to earth to make our own system. But, I may still get one or two of those for herbs for the counter.
@@robynriggs2336
My personal experience is that the Aerogarden counter models, particularly the Bounty Basic, are very effective. It has the automated features, day counter, custom light cycles that make an indoor garden flourish. The Harvest is smaller and less informative. These counter top models are forgiving teachers of hydroponic basics.
I have two Farm XLs. The XL model is 36" of grow height, and I actually find it to be too much height for what I realistically use. You can certainly grow a full sized tomato plant if you wish, but I grow dwarf varieties and they are abundant producers at 18" - 24". The Farm Plus model has 24" of grow height, which is the space I use most of the time.
The XL is awkward in shape. If you place it on the floor, the display is at waist height but the grow deck is around your ankles, so you're lying flat on the floor to inspect your seedlings or add nutrients. If you place it on a counter, you get the grow deck to a reasonable height but you have to climb on a kitchen stool to read the LED display (and I'm 6' tall). You need a coffee table for a reasonable compromise.
Just a theory. The pH dropped because in the early stages the consumption ratio of water/nutrients is higher, causing the concentration of nutrients to increase. When the lettuce is mature they use more nutrients and the water/nutrient consumption ratio drops. That could explain why after you adjusted the pH, it doesn't change any more. Or not in any significant amount.
Fantastic footage and music. Very psych. Adding a root cam was a great idea.
Why use extruded foam instead of the plastic bin tops ?
I love your economical approach and its inventiveness
Thanks for your videos
This looks amazing!
Question: Is extrudent foam a safe medium? Does it leach chemicals?
I came for the Hydro tutorial, stayed for the King Gizzard !
Amazing! You did an awesome job with both the grow setup and the video. Thank you.
Great Video. Thank you. Very Very interesting
More blue light in your LED's can prevent the stretching too.
very cool , simple method , fantastic video.
This was SUCH a helpful video - thank you!
How thick is your foam, and what size cups did you use?
2inch net cups, 1.5 inch foam
@@Hoocho do we know for sure that this foam doesn't leach anything nasty? Are there didn't types of extruded foam?...
Hoochos, I have never seen a time-lapse of roots growing like that before. You have great content. Subbed. I'm currently building a kratky system, but I'm thinking of putting an air stone in with it, in the hopes it will speed up growth.
Plants are adjusting the pH of the solution with their roots.
Love the root timelapse, great shot! I've been thinking of upgrading my kratky jars to something a little bigger and this seems perfect 😁
Did the ph drop coincide with the legginess at all? I wonder if the change in growth rate could have affected nutrient uptake and caused an imbalance?
how long before a seed became an edible lettuce?
What an awesome sound track.... For the growth... I like the guy that choose that....♥️♥️♥️♥️
Amazing time lapse and that back track King Gizzard…?!??? Love it !
I love this method. You can actually get a head of lettuce to grow using a gallon water jug. It's the same thing, you just cut the top off, put your nutrient solution in, and drop your net cup in with the seeds. I found out it worked when I didn't have the heart to throw away sprouts and I wanted to give them their best chance. The ones in the gallon water jugs actually survived longer than most of the others we had in larger systems. There are still some in our back yard that survived winter in California. ^.^ You should try it out. - oh, I did cover the jugs in black plastic to prevent algae.
Did you glue the black plastic to the jug or just wrap it around. I was thinking of using the black trash bags. Thanks in advance.
@@barbaradumler6503 originally I used black plastic bought in bulk from a farm supply store, I think it was 2mm. Later, when the prices rose, I began using adhesive vinyl which saved on materials and was far easier to apply.
@@CaitlinJBall Thanks! I'm originally from San Diego, and then Los Angeles and now in Meridian, ID. Love having the seasons. I definitely will be trying this but it will be indoors.
I did not know about the oxygen roots, thanks so much.
I saw your video and I liked it very much, I made the structure similar to your idea and the water capacity is 240 lts with 30 plant net cup set up, but now I need your help to provide guides on nutrition details, how much TDS level required and what nutrition you added, please describe the nutrition solution name and total TDS Level and do we need to change the TDS Water level at a particular stage, plz help us, I'm new and startup entering in this field
Great simple set-up!
I've done something similar using Corflute rather than XPS foam - it is thinner (3mm corflute is still strong enough, but 6mm is probably better) and waterproof too, so very reusable.
Now I'm going to try using coco fibre & perlite in my netpots - but I'm a bit concerned about the fine coco fibre leaching out from the cup into the solution. Coco fibre is not really dirty the way actual dirt is, but still, best not to have it in the solution.
I live in northern NSW where it can get pretty hot. I’m considering using polystyrene for boxes to keep the nutrient solution temperature variations minimal. Do you have any comments on that idea? Are you still using cor flute?
@@geoffharrower2845 All I can say is, try it & see how it works. I don't have any real expertise or knowledge - but trying different things has taught me a lot more than I used to know!
All I can say is, as with any insulation, it works well until it doesn't (i.e. heats up inside) - and then it keeps the heat in. So if you are somewhere where it gets cool at night, you would probably be ok. But if you get a real heatwave, you might need to use a bit of TLC and manage it more closely. (The same way you manage the temperature in your house - open up at night after a hot day.)
I'm in SE Qld - it gets pretty hot here too. And no matter what you do (short of internal growing & temperature control) then lettuce is not going to grow well in summer.
Instead, for salad, I started growing microgreens, with plants more tolerant of heat. Buckwheat, sunflower, broccoli, cabbage, peas have all worked well. plenty of others to try too, depending on your preference.
The decrease of the pH of the solution was probably caused by too much ammonium in the starting solution. There is an optimal range of ammonium/nitrate ratio. When plants take up cations they excrete hidrogen ions "in exchange" for them and similarly, they must excrete hydrogencarbonate anions in exchange for used up anions. The "sweet spot" is somewhere between 4-10 nitrate ions against every 1 ammonium ion. (It is not only for pH balance, there's more to it though.)
The browning of the leaf tip seemed (to me) as the typical Ca-deficiency symptom in lettuce.
Hello, nice video appreciate it, can you share the receip you using for nutrient. Thanks for the cool and informative video.
G'day Hoocho. Love the channel mate.
I know this was a while ago but wanted to run something past ya.
I used to be into planted aquariums in a big way and something we used to do was to introduce co2 into the tank to boost plant growth. I started with a basic yeast co2 generator (Google is ya friend) and a venturi nozzle on a small powerhead pump before I started getting into co2 cylinders etc. Anyhow.. This is proven to work.
I see people now setting up co2 generators in their grow tents.
I also know that plants absorb air through their roots and take co2 that way.
This got me thinking, if you set up a co2 generator put the outlet into the root zone of the kratky system you may get better results.
Anyway.. Let me know what you think.
Cheers Bushie
Amazing! The time lapse (with the music) really makes the video. Excellent work and really shows the novice how to get started. Would love to hear more about timing with lights vs. sunlight, etc. in future videos. Thanks!
I love your videos and just bought 2 hydroponic systems but would like to use this for lettuce too. Can I use the same nutrient solution as you use for your hydroponics the Hydroponic -nutrient from Manutec?? Does that work in the Kranky?
A trick for hole saws on foam... Reverse your drill to get a cleaner cut.
Well this is just a theory, but perhaps when the plants deplete a certain nutrient faster than another nutrient, it lowers the pH. That is, nutrients have an effect on pH. Or if there is something that lowers the pH that the plants don't consume, and then there is a nutrient that increases the pH that the plant does consume.
Have to agree Amazing to capture in real time via camera Awesome TY!
Woh dude! All the sudden the time-lapse music and stuff.....totally awesome!!!!! Lessgooooooo!!!!
This video is brilliant and very well done. As per le drop of pH that could be caused by the plant readjusting the pH of the solution. Also if the solution is not replenished it could be that the selective absorption of negative ions leaves an excess of positive charge in the solution. Did you check the EC together with the pH? The anoxyc environnent in the tub could have produced reactions resulting in the pH to lower. Happy to discuss all the possibilities to check which of these hypotheses was your case.
Im from South Africa and I can't seen to find the fertilizer you're using. Which 2 do you mix to get 30 grams per 25 liters or do you just use 15 grams per 25 liters of water?
Make sure they’re food safe. I Googled SA Hydro stores, you’ve got plenty to choose from. In Oz we use Auto Pot or Professor nutrients, great veggie nutrients at an affordable price.
Thank You. Saved me a bunch of experimenting. MHP Gardner got me trying this years ago. His rafts were thicker and smaller and thus floated. The extra thickness of the foam provided a bit of air space for the roots. I use thin reflective silver "Solar Blankets" around the plants to reflect even more side lighting. Saving seeds probably is where the real cash savings are! Great Job. HIT LIKE!
I have a t5 florescent light as well as a full spectrum one. Which would work best for lettice, chives, basil and green peppers in this setup?
good superbe avez vous deja fait des fraises en hydroponie ,toute vos videos sont sympa.merci
Cheers mate
The pH issue could be because the Kraky system isn't airated so small roots die and rot in the nutrient solution. Just a thought.
I would add a air stone and pump.
Dude you are freaking awesome. I love time lapse videos to prove your point. I just subbed
Great video, even better music!! Haha. I'll watch that timelapse again for sure!
I think the ph dropped due to the concentration of some substance, the water got less so the concentration of a substance got higher and tgat changed your ph, awesome work 💪
What happens when you aerate the water as they grow? You can eliminate the 1/r^2 issue by using a fresnel lens to convert the light from point source divergent to parallel rays (works for bright compact output, less great for like a quantum board). You could have the light 10 feet away or 3 feet away and the leaves would receive the same ppfd. Leggy grow can be due to too much red and far red.
Awesome that most of this gear you can get from Bunnings. So many videos have good ideas but with stuff you cant buy locally.
Oh geeze, i'm an Aussie native now living in Canada...as much as I love your show... faaaar out..... trying to find anything similar to what you have back home is short of running after ones tail. One would think living in 'Nth America' would have an amazing product selection... i'm sure they do, I just have to find what their equivalent is LOL... how thick is the rigid extruded insulated panel (that's what they call it here + 10 other different names!!)? As much as Canada is meant to be a part of the Commonwealth, they choose to use inches and feet in hardware stores (ugh) - American owned or influenced (double ugh)... is the thickness 2" or something else...aka 5cm??
Epic growing music
Thanks. It’ll be nice if you can share where to source the materials? In other videos too.
For example, slotted cups, etc. thanks.
I agree. I'd like to try this set up but I have no idea where to find any of these things except for the bins/foam lol
Hi mate
Thanks for your video and sharing this beautiful experience with everyone.
Just a question? Can we grow poppy flower ( poppy seeds) with this technique?
I look forward to hearing from you
Thanks for your videos. I've been watching for a while and am going to attempt this Kratky lettuce system for my first project. Can I use Manutec Hydroponic Nutrient (powder from Bunnings) or Hy-Gen Hydro Growth Formula (liquid)? Many thanks.
major ph change could be attributed to BUFFERING OR LACK OF BUFFERING
Nice video. For the pH issue it may be caused by not enough CO2 exchange in the room. Open windows for fresh air in and out helps keep the pH up. Maybe air tube maker that is used for fish tanks can help? Maybe this thought may help fine tune things more controlled. Out side would be fine. If it does it out side too then maybe make the foam smaller for air to exchange inside the toat. Hope that may be an idea that would work.
Air tube might fix it, but then it wouldn't be Kratky anymore, but DWC.
hi great video how long to grow like this also is it the same for other lettuce like iceberg .where do you buy the foam from.
How can anyone take advice from some LAZY GROWER THAT THERE REZ IS COMPLETELY FULL OF GREEN SLIME ?? The Buckets are done completely the long a hard way!
Hey there Hoocho! I just started my first Kratky lettuce. My question is, how wet is the coco perlite supposed to be? The bottom is submerged like in your video, but after two days, the top of the medium is bone dry. Is this normal?
I used coco and it flushes all through my system in my hydroponics, so I lost all the seeds etc too. Did I buy the wrong the coco? I live in Australia.
I’d advise growing cubes, coco mix - try the easy plugs, available in all sizes. Visit your local Hydro store I bet they’ll give you the best advise and the good ones will recommend Hoocho too 😁
Love your videos 🎉 very helpful. I wonder if your drop in pH was due to lettuce using higher ratios of some nutrients within your standard fertiliser mix ... reduction in calcium causing slightly more acidic? 🤔
You could buy a PAR meter if you are really concerned with light levels under your grow lights. I think lettuce only needs 300, but high light level plants (most fruiting, marijuana) need 800 or so. Not sure.
Where does one get extruded foam board that is in long sheets? I am looking at getting some bus bins that are about 32L and about 24inches long and 16inches wide. Nice video by the way!
Hey there, which lights, distance, light intensity did you use? I am also growing indoor lettuce at the moment. Do they bold only by to much or less light?
I have a romaine plant that is 4 months old. Has not bolted. I use 4K or higher shop lights.
@@tangobayus thats what we have, the 4k light strips. Can you tell us how high up your lights were to start out with ? And did you just try and keep a certain distance away from the height of the plants as they grew? Thank you
@@mssavedin92 They are so cool you can keep them 3" or so from the top of the plant and adjust as they grow.
@@tangobayus perfect! Thankyou . Did you start yours 3 inches above the starts?
Hello, please check the type of solutions with quantity thanks
I like the video.... but every time anyone talks about Kratky, they should mention that adding an air stone making it DWC is an enhancement that will generally improve plant mass and harvest mass. Kratky is great and all, but it is easy to improve upon it by just adding an aquarium pump. Obviously Kratky allows a lower tech solution where power isn't available, or there are other considerations making air pumps undesirable, but it is so easy to make it better... It is a small change, and would only take 10 seconds to explain as an enhancement (and you could bait the video saying "watch the whole video for enhancements and final thoughts").
Use a aquarium bubblers in water to emit oxygen it might keep the ph in balance 👍
Just had a question on water levels. I have never tried this before. If I get my lettuce from a local nursery already started and go into the clay balls. Where do I keep my water levels at. When put my tiny lettuce plants in do I fill the buckets up all the way? I will be growing these outside.
Doesn't the rafter method prevent air from being around the upper roots?
Where can one find extruded foam boards? I am in the US. Could I find them in a hardware store? I want to plan a raft sytem for lettuce and need to find an affordable source and especially need the specs for the planning stage.
Thank you
Really appreciate the videos
✌🏼
Should the plastic and material be a food grade or BPA free? I’m so concern with just random plastics to use for veggies I consume or shouldn’t I?!
Dude, roots extrude H to the media... use MES buffers to solve this issue with the pH
Hi sir, Saw your video and your research is awesome.want to know something more about your research. Kindly reply back to us….
You have done fantastic work teaching some of us who are just looking into doing hydroponics. Thank you so much for this educative material.
Can you provide a link for those containers. Also can you suggestions on durable containers besides 5 gallon buckets?
A year later… But the pH drop was caused by EC being too high in the solution or your coco mix.
When measuring solutions temperature can have a big affect on pH. So if your water was colder/warmer when mixed and originally tested then that could be it.
Love your cat !!
Could a clear container be used on top like a greenhouse for outdoor areas that may have rodents pass through. Or just better to make an enclosed area. I seen that with Rubbermaid.