Kratky method of growing

[Bofig]

If anyone likes to grow veggies the Kratky method is super easy to do indoors and I run them right along with my fig cuttings. Currently my basement is too cool for reliable rooting so the greens are the focus for the space reserved for fig cuttings come February. Here’s a quick video I made at 3-4 weeks along, the price is super cheap and everything is reusable. This way you can have fast cheap and easy healthy food all winter since your lights are on already lol

 

[TorontoJoe]

If anyone likes to grow veggies the Kratky method is super easy to do indoors and I run them right along with my fig cuttings. Currently my basement is too cool for reliable rooting so the greens are the focus for the space reserved for fig cuttings come February. Here’s a quick video I made at 3-4 weeks along, the price is super cheap and everything is reusable. This way you can have fast cheap and easy healthy food all winter since your lights are on already lol

I still grow most of my lettuce year round in a small corner of my basement. I'd recommend it to anyone who can spare a 2x1 meter space and willing to put in a little time setting it up. My NFT setup has paid for itself many times over with loads of fresh greens, every day of the year.

 

[Bofig]

I still grow most of my lettuce year round in a small corner of my basement. I'd recommend it to anyone who can spare a 2x1 meter space and willing to put in a little time setting it up. My NFT setup has paid for itself many times over with loads of fresh greens, every day of the year.

Glad I’m not the only one growing salads indoors if you ever get a chance you should share some photos of your set up

 

[TorontoJoe]

@Bofig

It's a simple, 3-tier NFT system that you can get on Amazon. It does take some customization to get it productive. The addition of lights... especially for top tier.... then a reservoir and the right pump.... Reflective panels around it DIY from space blankets. Always a big air stone in the water.

To mount the lights I just zip tied them to 1/2" rigid insulation. Less chance of mold and light weight. I also spray glued the space blankets to it.

What I do now that I have it honed... I succession plant... the bottom is the nursery... this is where the tiny seedlings go.... as they grow them move on up to the second floor where the mature and gain size... when they're strong enough, and the Penthouse is getting rough and depleted..... they move up to the top floor... It took a while but now that I have my timing down... our family has not had to buy lettuce for years.

I have a decent EC Meter for nutrient levels. I recently put in a float switch to fill the tank so it's very low maintenance. Maybe once a month I spent 20 minutes to clean up the tank and once a year (while the outdoor garden is in harvest) I pull it apart and scrub down the tubes.

The greens I do are leafy, cut and come again. most head types would be too much of a space investment. Grand Rapids lettuce is a favourite here. Huge, cripsy leaves that grow inside 40 days .

If you have a bit more space, you can do really nice curly heads of something like this Tango



Also, that bottle of wine was full when I saw it last...



It was a PITA to initially get it all dialed in but now it's just something that I don't even notice....

 

[Schoenie]

IMPRESSIVE!
And yes... towards the end of the video I DID notice that fig cutting, @Bofig !
Yours is very much "industrial" @TorontoJoe ! Very impressive too!

 

[Spectrum]

Using the Kratky method gives a great understanding of plant roots in action. It's amazing how much root mass can exist, and how long roots will grow for nutrients when necessary.

 

[superdave336]

I’ve tinkered with it in the past but gave up because i didn’t have a good location. I might revisit it again though. Outdoors is hard because rain kept getting into my containers and diluting my solution. The greenhouse gets so hot everything cooks in summer.

 

[DianaNE]

@Bofig Do you start seedlings in a seed starting mix then transfer to the root collars? I love pak choy and so do the garden slugs! Growing indoors would keep the pest pressure down. What kind of light do you use to grow indoors?

 

[Bofig]

@Bofig Do you start seedlings in a seed starting mix then transfer to the root collars? I love pak choy and so do the garden slugs! Growing indoors would keep the pest pressure down. What kind of light do you use to grow indoors?

I have don’t both, right now I’m growing half in jars and half in 5 inch pots. By far the jars are the best experience due to minimal maintenance but they grow almost identical overall. I’ve started some in the jar with a sponge but I’m not pleased with the results although they do grow fine. Direct seeded they seem to tip over where the collar keeps it sitting perfect. I have tx-84 barrina lights on for 15 and 9 off