Hydroponics - Growing Kale Start to Harvest
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ส.ค. 2020
- This is a comprehensive video covering aspects of growing kale indoors with a non-circulating hydroponic method. This method was designed by Dr. Bernard Kratky, a professor at the University of Hawaii. The video covers what you need to know to get you started growing your own kale in a simple way indoors. For your reference, time markers for the different steps along the way are listed below. One thing not mentioned in the video that is helpful for the health of the plants, is to provide some air movement with a small fan nearby. The fan should provide a gentle breeze, but not strong wind.
I also have links to some supplies needed for growing in this manner. Note that I have no sales affiliation with any of the vendors in the links, so I would not benefit from purchases you make from these links. The links are provided for your convenience and information.
Time markers in this video:
00:56 Seeds
01:14 Rockwool cubes
01:44 Planting seeds in rockwool cubes
02:55 Keeping rockwool cubes moist
03:36 Germination
03:55 Shelving units for plants
04:13 Spacing of baby plants under lights
04:45 Transferring cubes into net pots
05:49 Separating baby plants from 1 cube into 2 cubes
08:48 When to plant in bins
09:42 Preparing bins or containers for your plants
12:00 Nutrient solution
12:44 Adjusting and testing pH of nutrient solution
15:15 Filling bins with solution
16:33 Monitoring solution level in bin (and refilling solution)
17:17 Placing bins on shelving unit (and about the setup)
19:13 Starting to harvest
20:59 Showing older, mature kale plants currently growing in my house
23:05 Happy planting!
Links for supplies are below. Note that these are not the only vendors that carry these items.
Seeds
www.johnnyseeds.com/featured/...
www.harrisseeds.com/collectio...
www.groworganic.com/
www.trueleafmarket.com
Lights
www.amazon.com/s?k=grow+light...
Rockwool cubes
www.amazon.com/s?k=rockwool+2...
Net Pots
www.amazon.com/inch-Pots-Heav...
Nutrients
www.amazon.com/slp/hydroponic...
Check out my full library of food and home related videos...
Dehydrating Foods... • Dehydrating Foods
Spices 101... • Spices 101
Nuts and Seeds 101... • Nuts and Seeds 101
Hydroponics and Sprouting... • Hydroponics and Sprouting
Vinegar 101... • Vinegar 101
Grains 101... • Grains 101
Legumes 101... • Legumes 101
Herbs 101... • Herbs 101
Fruit 101... • Fruit 101
Vegetables 101... • Vegetables 101
Money Saving Tips... • Money Saving Tips
Miscellaneous... • Miscellaneous
NutriBits... • NutriBits
Meatless... • Meatless
Gluten Free Baking... • Gluten Free Baking
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Wow I was watching your bakery videos years ago, now I picked up hydro and here u r again. I'm glad I find you well! Take care and thanks!!!
Hi MagnusE! I'm glad the videos have been helpful to you! AND to know that you've been watching my videos for quite a while is encouraging :) Do check out my channel, I have well over 1,000 videos up and running...a full library of information in hopes of helping people with their food endeavors... th-cam.com/users/JudiintheKitchen Thanks for watching and sharing :) Blessings to you and yours :)
Judi, great job of explaining the process especially to a newbie like me. Keep it up.
Thanks Junea! I'm glad the video was helpful to you!! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Very nicely explained Judi!
Thank you, Chandrika! I'm glad the video was helpful to you. Thanks for watching and commenting :)
I've watched a lot of hydroponic videos and this is one of the best! So very easy to understand. I'm glad I found your channel. It gives me confidence that I can do it too! Thank you! Subscribed and off to see more of your videos!
Hi Audrey! Thanks for watching, subscribing, and sharing!! I'm glad the video was helpful to you. YES...you too can grow kale and other greens too! I keep greens going year round :) Happy growing :)
@@JudiintheKitchen Thank you, Judy, for your encouragement! I'm trying to figure out what lights to use. Your plants are doing so well. Could I ask what kind of lights you use?
@@BlessedinKentucky Yes, Audrey...always feel free to ask away! My goal is to help others any way I can. My lights are standard, inexpensive LED lights that I bought off of Amazon. Here is a link to a type I purchased a while back... www.amazon.com/Roleadro-Spectrum-Seedings-Blooming-Hydroponic/dp/B07QRQQ7B4/ref=sr_1_33?crid=1JTY7WRKK4CRI&keywords=led+grow+lights+white+panel+buy+again+rohs&qid=1670630539&sprefix=led+grow+lights+white+panel+buy+again+rohs%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-33 I don't look for anything fancy. Just inexpensive, functional, low wattage and LED with full spectrum lighting. I believe "experts" have found that those that project white light (while being full spectrum) are somehow better than those that project pink lights (like my original lights). I can't say for sure that any type is better than the other, as long as they advertise they are full spectrum. They have all worked well for me. I opt for lights that hang from the rack/shelving above because they work best for me with my setup. At the same time, inexpensive is important to me. Not that I'm "cheap" but I just can't see investing a lot of money in such lights (especially since I use a lot of them in my (current) 3 shelving units. At the moment, I have 16 such lights running, so it can get really expensive if I opted for higher cost lights.
Shop around and find ones that will work best for you in your current situation, both budget-wise and set-up-wise. Full spectrum, LED is what counts the most. Why LED? Because they are cheaper to run. Since they are on all day, it can add up if they burn a lot of electricity. It would counteract the efforts of growing food yourself. I hope this helps!! Happy holidays to you and yours :)
@@JudiintheKitchen Thank you for this information, Judy. It helps immensely. I was beginning to think that white light, LED, and full spectrum would be the way to go. You confirmed that. I'm not sure of my set up yet. So, I'll have to decide that so I can see what light shape will work. I just today got my seeds from Etsy and got them set up to germinate. So, I'm excited! I'm starting with kale, broccoli and lettuce because that's what our bunny loves! (I figure my husband and I will also benefit from the fresh greens. LOL)
@@BlessedinKentucky Awesome, Audrey! Sounds like you're well on your way to growing :) Remember I'm here if you have other questions. If I can help, I will! Happy holidays :)
Wow! This is exactly what I was looking for! Subbed!!! And Thanks!
Awesome!! I'm glad the video was helpful to you :) Thanks for watching, subscribing and sharing :)
Thank you! Very informative video!!
Thanks for watching and commenting, Sherri! I'm glad the video was helpful to you :)
Fantastic video! You provide so much information for a newcomer to hydroponics. My son bought me an idoo hydroponics system, so I just started my freckled romaine lettuce. I realise it's a different system than you use, but I was able to glean a lot of information from your video. TY
Awesome, BC! I'm so glad the video was helpful to you! Best wishes to you with your growing. It's WELL worth the effort! Thanks for watching and sharing :)
thanks for this info
You're welcome, Mark! I hope it helps. Thanks for watching :)
Niceeeee shairing
Thanks Saima! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
I’ve watched a substantial amount of hydroponic tutorial videos and this is the one I continually refer to. Really excellent content. What are your thoughts on germinating kale seeds using the paper towel method and then transplanting to rock wool? Seems like you wouldn’t have to worry about separating two kale seedlings from the rock wool.
Thank you, Michael, for watching and sharing such kind comments! I truly appreciate it! I'm glad the video was helpful to you! Regarding germinating the kale (or any other seed for that matter) using the paper towel method and transplanting it to rock wool...it's a great idea and potentially a bit tricky at the same time. I have done my share of paper towel germinating and transplanting, so I'm speaking from first-hand experience. For me, germinating seeds on paper towels has been successful and rewarding. It's easy to do and doesn't waste any seeds, so it's a win-win in that respect. Transplanting the seedlings into rock wool would be relatively easy, as long as the roots aren't too embedded in the paper towel. If they are and you run a risk of tearing off the root in the process of removing it from the paper towel, it's better to tear off that bit of paper towel and leave it attached to the root, rather than tearing the root in the process. The rock wool can be easily split with a knife, spread apart, and the seedling inserted, then close the rock wool cube. That's the easy part. The possibly tricky part has to do with the root that extends beyond the cube and gets trapped between the cube and the net pot. Be careful not to press the rock wool cube completely against the bottom of the net pot so you don't damage any exposed root. Then you'll need to be sure the solution is high enough so that the root is in the solution from the start. The root will grow and eventually find its way out of the bottom of the net pot and all should be fine from there. Any paper towel that is attached to the root may hinder the root's progress in finding its way outside of the net pot for a little while. As long as the roots are not broken or cramped along the way, the roots should eventually grow through the paper towel and the plant should do well and you will have not wasted any seeds. A GREAT thing to do! It's not that hard to do. You just have to be mindful to allow the roots room to grow and not be cramped in the early stages. I hope this helps! Best wishes to you in your hydroponic endeavors! I found it to be WELL worth the effort! Take care :)
Judi, this is a very informative video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I have a question. I have lots of hemp grow pad and I am using it instead of buying rockwool. I cut a 5"x5" hemp grow pad to 8 little pieces and put one seed on a little piece. My concern is whether hemp grow pad will get mold after it is soaked with a net pot in a grow bin for months when its kale is growing. What do you think?
Hi Pam! I have not used a hemp grow pad, so I can't speak from personal experience on this one. However, I just read that many people use them (very successfully) for growing microgreens. It certainly seems that if they work well for microgreens, then they should work well for growing plants to maturity. I can't say if the grow pad will develop algae in the long run. However, you could also cover it with rocks, hydroton, or something else to prevent algae once the plant gets growing and is large enough so it won't get damaged by whatever you use. This would certainly be something to consider! I may try this myself! Thanks for watching and sharing :)
I started decades ago on deep well hydroponics. I never tried Kale on it…. Curious if you tried an air stone in it? It makes sure the water stays oxygenated and healthy roots when the plant gets larger. Does kale not utilize oxygen in greater amounts? Im currently using a complex feed and drain hydroponic setup in air pots. Im going to start growing kale in a couple pots and was searching for pH and nutrient levels it likes. Stumbled across your video which you covered everything well. I learned from it, so great video. Just wondering about not using an air stone?
Hi Eric! Thanks for watching and sharing! I have not used an air stone, although they are excellent to use. For the sake of simplicity, I've just stuck with the Kratky method of hydroponics, which is non-circulating. Overall, using an air stone is probably a much better tactic, so I'm sure you're doing well with your growing. Yes, kale (and all plants for that matter) would probably be happier with an air stone :)
Btw, do you remove the rock wool after your kale is growing large enough? Or does rock wool stay with the kale for whole life cycle? If so, does rock wool get mold in the net pot of the grow bin?
Hi Pam! GREAT questions! The rock wool cube stays put the entire growing cycle. It can't be removed because roots become very entwined within the cube. Yes, the rock wool can get algae on it from the light. To avoid that, you can put a layer of something on top of the cube to block the light. Small stones or hydroton balls are often used, and they will work well to prevent algae from forming. The stones or hydrton balls can be reused if cleaned/sterilized after each use. The rock wool cubes cannot be reused, nor composted, unfortunately. Thank you for watching! I hope this helps :)
+Judi in the Kitchen,
does a kale BUNCH grow from the ONE see OR just a kale LEAVE grows from EACH seed?
Another question is - can you add another seed to the rock wool cube that IS NOT growing like the other one? Maybe when they get under light, ONE of them will sprout up.
A whole kale plant will grow from ONE seed in ONE net pot. That whole plant will grow lots of leaves if you allow the plant to grow and harvest from the outer growth, allowing the inner leaves to grow and mature. If you watched the whole video, you should have been able to see that, as I harvested from the plants. Usually, it's customary to plant two seeds in one net pot/rock wool cube so you can assure germination. However, if they both come up, it's not wise to allow both plants to stay in the one cube. They will not grow properly as they'll be crowded and will die. So, either one plant needs to be cut and destroyed, or they needed to be divided and the extra plant transplanted elsewhere. I show how to do that in the video. Most people do not reuse the rock wool cubes. However, of neither seed germinates, you might be able to reuse the cube again. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching :)
@@JudiintheKitchen I sure did Judi. VERY large. Seem that your 22in shelves would not be enough space after seeing your kale growing upwards!! Thanks for responding! I just got a sprouting jar and just started my FIRST batch of a 5-part salad sprouts. I will see how they turn out. Just soaked them for about 8 hrs over night and did the first rinse this afternoon. THANKS for all your video's!!!
@@tallnubian You're welcome! I'm glad the videos are helpful to you. And YES...the kale can quickly outgrow the shelving units. I eventually turned to growing them in individual gallon jugs and not on the shelving unit...on a separate table by a sunny window, but also with supplemental lighting. With that, there was enough room for the kale to do its own thing. Happy growing!
its that borecole kale? 2 month you can harvest it? i plant it using kradky method i hope i can harvest it by the way im from philippines
Hi Raymond in the Philippines!! Thanks for watching and letting me know where you're at in the world! That was curly kale. At this point, I can't say exactly the type of kale beyond that. You can harvest it when the outer leaves are medium to large in size. As long as you leave the inner leaves to grow, the plant will continue to grow for a very long time. You should be able to start harvesting in about a couple months or so. Best wishes to you in your growing endeavors! Take care :)
Would my garage be to cold to grow greens? West Tennessee. Winter temps range from 30-50 this time of year.
Hi Lisa! Thanks for watching and asking. That sounds a bit cool to me. But it may also depend on exactly which greens you're planning to grow. For instance, kale is hardier than lettuce and may tolerate colder temps. I can't guarantee anything. I would try just a couple plants to test it out and see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I hope this helps!
@@JudiintheKitchen you’re the best. Thanks
@@lisarussom5935 You're welcome, Lisa! Let me know if you run into any snags. I'll be happy to help if I can. Best wishes to you and yours :)
After three and a half weeks my kale sprouts are 3 leaf, 2 inch. Haven’t drank much and are getting 10 hours of grow light from 1 and a half feet above, the roots are many and long. maybe more light? More nutrients?
Hi Yitzchak! Thanks for watching and asking! It's hard for me to say exactly what may be slowing the growth of your kale, but we can look at a few things. First, different varieties of kale can grow at different rates. Check your packet of seeds to see what info you can get regarding growth rate. Time to harvest may give you a clue. Sometimes they are slow to get started, then pick up their rate of growth after a few weeks or so.
Also, check the pH of your nutrient solution. If the pH is off, plants can't take up nutrients appropriately and that can hinder growth. Kale needs a pH from 5.5 to 6.5. I always strive to have a pH close to 6.0 so there is some "wiggle" room in the pH of my solution.
Also, the nutrient solution can make a big difference too. They should have nutrients designed for vegetative (green leafy) growth, not blooming. Check the strength of the nutrient solution based on how you mixed it up vs the package directions to be sure you mixed it up correctly. I would not add more nutrients if you followed the directions on the package. Too strong of a solution could also create issues.
Also, what type of water did you use? That sounds like an odd question, but the quality of the water CAN make a difference. You want water without chlorine added to it. If your tap water has chlorine in it (and most do), you should have a filter on your faucet that removes chlorine. If you have hard water and a whole-house water softener that adds salt to your water, the salt will kill your plants. I'm currently in that situation, so I cannot use my tap water for growing any plants whatsoever. I have a reverse osmosis unit, so I am forced to use that water when preparing solutions. HOWEVER, when using distilled or reverse osmosis water, you must first add a calcium/magnesium blend to the water before adding any nutrient solution. Once those are mixed, you then test the pH and adjust accordingly.
If your kale has plenty of roots and they are long, it sounds like the plants may be fine, just a little slow to get started. That may be totally normal based on the variety of kale you're growing. If you've looked at everything I pointed out and everything checks out fine, then just be a little more patient. I'd be surprised if they don't grow well...it just takes time. If you want a faster leafy green to harvest, loose leaf lettuce is usually ready in 4 weeks. I hope this helps! Keep in touch and let me know how they're doing. If you run into more issues, I'll try to help if I can. Best wishes to you and yours :)
@@JudiintheKitchen Thank you very much, your response was helpful. I do use reverse osmosis water. Just one thing the time of the lighting and distance are OK?
@@yitzchakbennett8860 I have some kale growing at the moment and just measured the distance from my lights to the tray/bottom of the plants. There is 13" which is less than what you have. It's possible the lighting distance is a bit much for such young plants. However, moving either the plants or the lights is easier said than done (unless your plants are in small containers and can be propped up temporarily). With that being said, if the plants were suffering from too little light, they would be "leggy" (growing tall and thin in an effort to reach for the light). It doesn't sound like that's happening. Also, the lights being at such a distance will be an advantage as the plants grow larger. With mine being only 13" apart, a couple of my plants are hitting the lights, which is yet another problem in itself. So, I can't say for sure that the distance is a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to prop up the plants to being closer to the light temporarily. As they grow, lower the plants to give them more room.
Ten hours of light should be fine. I've routinely kept my lights going roughly 12 hours a day. However, sometimes more, sometimes less. Really, I try to monitor what is happening outside and when possible, I mimic the hours of the sun. Yes, it varies from winter to summer, so my lights are usually on a little longer than the sun is up in the winter time, and perhaps a little less than the sun is up in the summer time. So, I really don't think the 10 hours of light is causing you any problem. The general rule of thumb for kale is 6 to 10 hours of light a day. Take care :)
Do you ever have any problems with fruit flies, fungus gnats any other kind of bug problems? I would love to try this. It gets too hot here in Arkansas. Alway fighting off worms and all kind of bad bugs.
Hi Muggy! That's a great question. I have not had problems with insects with my indoor hydroponics like I have with indoor plants growing in soil. No fungus gnats. If you have fruit flies in the house from something like bananas, there is a possibility they will be attracted to the hydroponic plants at least to check them out. However, since there's no fermenting fruit associated with them (usually), they may hang out a bit around the plants, but they won't stay there because there's nothing to feed them. You could always set a vinegar trap for the fruit flies (see my video th-cam.com/video/KdsTFultWPU/w-d-xo.html) if needed. Since you live in such a warm climate, the one big thing to be aware of is temperature. When growing lettuce, kale, or other leafy greens, know that they grow best in cooler temps. If the house is above 75F, it will be too warm for them and they will bolt (go to seed, becoming too bitter to eat). I found that my leafy greens (mostly kale and lettuce) grew best around 69 to 70F. So, you'll need to decide first if your house is kept cool enough to bother with them. If so, then go for it! At least give it a try if you can and you'll see for yourself if it's worth it to you. Thanks for watching and asking :)
You mention that you feed your kale 1.5 gallons of solution a week. Doesn't the size of the container matter? If a 3 gallon container, wouldn't you start off with a 3 gallon solution?
Hi Madlyn! Yes, of course...you start off with a full container, no matter what size it is. I was referring to the fact that once the kale is grown, to maintain it took about 1.5 gallons of solution a week. If you have a 1 gallon container, you would need to add solution more than once a week to keep up with it. If you have a 3-gallon container, topping it off once a week should be enough. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for watching and asking :)
@@JudiintheKitchen thank you
@@madlynbarileau1114 You're welcome :)