I'm trying to grow lettuce in a PVC hydroponic system.
Started as seedlings, three per pod. Trimmed two of the three when they got to three leaves.
Using distilled water, flushing every 30 minutes for 30 minutes.
About a month in, started adding hydroponic food to the water, and I keep the PH balance at about 5.5.
The root of the lettuce is really spindly/thin. Now that the leaves are growing, I'm sure eventually they'll just pull the base of the lettuce right out and fall off from the weight.
Any idea why this happened? First stab at something like this...
Images attached.
New to hydroponic gardens
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Is this a flow by system since it is on a rail. What to you mean you just started adding hydroponic food to the water.
You should set up your reservoir fist with the solution recommended for lettuce.
https://whyfarmit.com/hydroponic-lettuce-nutrients/
You may have to make adjustments for your water source.
You would pump your reservoir nutrient solution to the grow bed and return to the reservoir. You would still have to do the ec monitoring. Our tanks for lettuce are 4 x 4 x 4 and hold approx 20 liters on a static table. It only has to be set up once. It is a set it and forget it (Kratky static hydroponic table) The solution in the reservoir will be enough to grow lettuce from 2 inch seedlings to final harvest approx 3-4 weeks later. If you are using a rail system you could do that wilth a flow by system.
You should set up your reservoir fist with the solution recommended for lettuce.
https://whyfarmit.com/hydroponic-lettuce-nutrients/
You may have to make adjustments for your water source.
You would pump your reservoir nutrient solution to the grow bed and return to the reservoir. You would still have to do the ec monitoring. Our tanks for lettuce are 4 x 4 x 4 and hold approx 20 liters on a static table. It only has to be set up once. It is a set it and forget it (Kratky static hydroponic table) The solution in the reservoir will be enough to grow lettuce from 2 inch seedlings to final harvest approx 3-4 weeks later. If you are using a rail system you could do that wilth a flow by system.
First off, thanks for the reply! I thought I would get an email notification of replies, but I did not. So I did not notice the reply until just now.
Reading your response, I'm clearly not skilled enough! I've just been poking at it with some online googling/information. I'm not sure what a "flow by system" is, nor am I sure what you mean by "ec". Do you have any recommendations on study material? Or are you willing to explain?
In any event, here's what I have:
1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089MB845V/
2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09V5BMJYM/
3. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFQ254XY/
4. A water bubbler/pump to oxygenate the water
5. A heater to keep the water at around 68 degrees
6. A timer that cycles the oxygenator and the water circulation pump every 30 minutes
I'm learning, a lot... I appreciate the help!
Reading your response, I'm clearly not skilled enough! I've just been poking at it with some online googling/information. I'm not sure what a "flow by system" is, nor am I sure what you mean by "ec". Do you have any recommendations on study material? Or are you willing to explain?
In any event, here's what I have:
1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089MB845V/
2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09V5BMJYM/
3. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFQ254XY/
4. A water bubbler/pump to oxygenate the water
5. A heater to keep the water at around 68 degrees
6. A timer that cycles the oxygenator and the water circulation pump every 30 minutes
I'm learning, a lot... I appreciate the help!
I am used to rail systems being flow by. Which means you have a constant stream of hydroponic solution going by the roots and recirculated through the reservoir. Something like how a fountain works.
Ebb and flow systems: intermittently flood and drain. Usually it is more like a 15-20 minute cycle not a 30 minute cycle, but I guess that is possible if the roots don't dry out too much. I have only have experience with biofilters that use hydroton or cinder for media, not just the plugs.
DWC: Deep water culture. Growing on floating rafts with aerator or pump to circulate the water.
Kratky is a static hydroponic system which is basically like a floating raft set up without a pump.An aerator is optional. The raft sits in the reservoir and the plant cups are on a styrofoam sheet that covers the reservoir. Sometimes the raft floats, but it can sit on a shelf. That way there will be more air roots formed as the water evaporates. The sheet is usually a double layer, holes are cut to accommodate the 2 or 3 inch net cups, and is thick enough so that only 1/4 inch of the bottom of the net cup is actually in contact with the hydroponic solution. If you grow lettuce, you use the masterblend formula for lettuce and mix it into your reservoir. Ours holds 20 liters the box is 4x4 with a water proof liner. and about 4 inches deep. The epsom salt, Calcium nitrate, and masterblend 8-15-36 in measured amounts set for the size of the reservoir and added one at a time to the tank. If they are blended first, they don't dissolve properly. You use the EC (electrical conductivity meter) to test the solution. In a Kratky system for hydroponic lettuce, it is a basically set it and forget it system. Once it is set up and if it is balanced. There isn't much to do until harvest. The water level will drop, more air roots will form, and there is enough nutrients in the tank to supply the lettuce all it needs until it is harvested about 3-4 weeks later. In a single reservoir, plants are not mixed. If you have different kinds of plants that grow at different rates, some plants will ultimately suffer.
Wick system: I never used that. The closest thing to a wick system is a SIP or wicking bed.
A good 5 gallon hydroponic nutrient formula for lettuce is 2 teaspoons of 8-15-36 Hydroponic nutrients with 2 teaspoons of Calcium nitrate and 1 teaspoon of Magnesium sulfate. Lettuce requires fast growth for best results, and it grows very well with 8-15-36 Hydroponic fertilizer with the pH adjusted to 6.4 for seedlings and 6.0 for mature plants. The optimum pH for lettuce is between 5.5-5.8 and EC 1.5-2.0 mS. You may have to adjust your formula depending on your water quality.
If the systems is used to grow the same thing, like lettuce over and over, and you take the time to weigh the components and fill the reservoir properly then sometimes people do get lazy and skip the conductivity test. Most of the time it works out, but if you make a mistake, everything dies.
We grow the lettuce seeds in 72 cell plug trays until they are two inches tall roughly from germination until they are about 2 weeks old. We use potting soil, and they are grown on a bench like other seedlings until they go into the net pots. This makes the reservoir dirtier because we don't wash the soil off the roots first, it would be a problem if there was a pump, but without the pump or if you use an aerator, it just means you have to clean out the reservoir well when it is bleached at the end to get out the sediment. The meter does require some maintenance so if you get one, make sure you read that part.
There are different kinds of EC meters with a wide price range.
https://gardengearshop.com/best-ec-mete ... droponics/
https://www.thespruce.com/beginners-gui ... cs-1939215
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWgDqBryR30
Ebb and flow systems: intermittently flood and drain. Usually it is more like a 15-20 minute cycle not a 30 minute cycle, but I guess that is possible if the roots don't dry out too much. I have only have experience with biofilters that use hydroton or cinder for media, not just the plugs.
DWC: Deep water culture. Growing on floating rafts with aerator or pump to circulate the water.
Kratky is a static hydroponic system which is basically like a floating raft set up without a pump.An aerator is optional. The raft sits in the reservoir and the plant cups are on a styrofoam sheet that covers the reservoir. Sometimes the raft floats, but it can sit on a shelf. That way there will be more air roots formed as the water evaporates. The sheet is usually a double layer, holes are cut to accommodate the 2 or 3 inch net cups, and is thick enough so that only 1/4 inch of the bottom of the net cup is actually in contact with the hydroponic solution. If you grow lettuce, you use the masterblend formula for lettuce and mix it into your reservoir. Ours holds 20 liters the box is 4x4 with a water proof liner. and about 4 inches deep. The epsom salt, Calcium nitrate, and masterblend 8-15-36 in measured amounts set for the size of the reservoir and added one at a time to the tank. If they are blended first, they don't dissolve properly. You use the EC (electrical conductivity meter) to test the solution. In a Kratky system for hydroponic lettuce, it is a basically set it and forget it system. Once it is set up and if it is balanced. There isn't much to do until harvest. The water level will drop, more air roots will form, and there is enough nutrients in the tank to supply the lettuce all it needs until it is harvested about 3-4 weeks later. In a single reservoir, plants are not mixed. If you have different kinds of plants that grow at different rates, some plants will ultimately suffer.
Wick system: I never used that. The closest thing to a wick system is a SIP or wicking bed.
A good 5 gallon hydroponic nutrient formula for lettuce is 2 teaspoons of 8-15-36 Hydroponic nutrients with 2 teaspoons of Calcium nitrate and 1 teaspoon of Magnesium sulfate. Lettuce requires fast growth for best results, and it grows very well with 8-15-36 Hydroponic fertilizer with the pH adjusted to 6.4 for seedlings and 6.0 for mature plants. The optimum pH for lettuce is between 5.5-5.8 and EC 1.5-2.0 mS. You may have to adjust your formula depending on your water quality.
If the systems is used to grow the same thing, like lettuce over and over, and you take the time to weigh the components and fill the reservoir properly then sometimes people do get lazy and skip the conductivity test. Most of the time it works out, but if you make a mistake, everything dies.
We grow the lettuce seeds in 72 cell plug trays until they are two inches tall roughly from germination until they are about 2 weeks old. We use potting soil, and they are grown on a bench like other seedlings until they go into the net pots. This makes the reservoir dirtier because we don't wash the soil off the roots first, it would be a problem if there was a pump, but without the pump or if you use an aerator, it just means you have to clean out the reservoir well when it is bleached at the end to get out the sediment. The meter does require some maintenance so if you get one, make sure you read that part.
There are different kinds of EC meters with a wide price range.
https://gardengearshop.com/best-ec-mete ... droponics/
https://www.thespruce.com/beginners-gui ... cs-1939215
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWgDqBryR30