Troubleshooting Kratky beans

[HelpfulPropagator]

Looking for some advice on troubleshooting beans growing with the Kratky method shown by Hoocho.



The left tub is about ~8 weeks, and the second box is ~4 weeks. Getting dried leaves starting from the base of the stem, that creep up. Growth seems a bit slower than expected. I recently moved the left grow light up as I thought maybe it was too close to the plants and burning them. Otherwise the roots look pretty decent (white, long, able to reach the water as well as get oxygen with the air roots).

pH is a touch below 7, and EC is ~400-500.

Have two square grow lights on a timer switched on from 07:00 to 17:00, with a small oscillating fan as well.

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

I have never grown beans in hydro, and only deepwater, not Kratky with anything. But imafan26 will soon chip in with a lot of info on that, I'm sure. Good luck!

[imafan26]

I think the main problem is that you don't have the right solution for the beans. Hydroponic systems are good for leaf crops, but fruit crops require a lot more nutrients. Also we found out with the static hydroponics in the garden that even when you do choose lettuce or other greens, some cultivars will do better than others.

When you do static hydroponics, you have to have the correct nutrient formulation for the crop. The nutrient solution for lettuce works for most other short term greens, but it doesn't work for tomatoes. Tomatoes would require a larger volume and you would have to use different solutions for different stages of growth. I did find articles that said beans could be grown hydroponically, but I not find anything about how the solution was made.

Se the link below.

https://gardenandhappy.com/kratky-method/
https://www.trees.com/gardening-and-lan ... ient-guide

[HelpfulPropagator]

Thanks you two! Really appreciate the fast responses. Hydroponics has been really fun, but the learning curve for troubleshooting has been tricky.

Good tip about static hydroponics. That would explain why my NFT setup with the same beans seems to still be hanging in there.
I didn't realise some cultivars wouldn't work... I'll have to go find something that would be more suitable for static hydroponics, like lettuce I'm guessing.

On a related note, would you typically sprout the seeds first and then transplant them into a hydroponic system? For both the Kratky and NFT setups, I have found that if I just put a seed in, it doesn't tend to sprout, instead it just gets mouldy and dies.

[imafan26]

Seeds are usually started in plugs and grown for about 2-3 weeks or about 2 inches tall and dropped into the net pots. You could use oasis cubes or hyroton for media on a nursery bench just like other starts. The garden where I volunteer uses potting soil in 72 cell plug trays and a 2 inch net pot. Mainly because it is cheaper. The set up we have is a 4x4 wood box with a waterproof liner about 4 inches deep. the cover is plywood that sits on a ledge of the box. 2 inch holes are drilled 4 inches apart. The reservoir holds 20 gallons of water. The only thing about using potting soil for media is that it does get a little messy as some of the potting soil does end up in the bottom of the tank. An aerator is optional and it actually improves growth and reduces problems with mosquitoes. We have grown lettuce and pak choy in on the tables.

[applestar]

I’m having a hard time picturing beans in hydroponics. And you said beans, but those look like peas?

Establishing exactly what you are growing is important. Water and nutrient as well as temperature and light requirements are all very different.

And within the same crop group, there are different subtypes, as well as varieties within the subtypes, that will affect how to grow, including how long to mature and begin flowering, ultimate height, longevity and length of harvest period, etc.

If you are new to this, it’s probably less complicated and more rewarding to learn the basics on faster to harvest and more one dimensional crops like leafy greens (differentiating between cooler temp greens like lettuce vs. warmer temp greens), and then advance to fruiting crops that require different care regimen as they grow into different phases.

Beans (not so much peas) are easy to grow in soil in the ground and even in large containers, but with hydroponics, you have to supply every facet of their needs….

[HelpfulPropagator]

Ah, you're absolutely right, I had a bad habit of referring to peas and beans interchangeably, but they are definitely peas.

I think you're right, I'm going to restart and try lettuce. I've put some seeds in the sprouter and will wait about a couple weeks before transferring them to the Kratky box.

It's challenging to figure out what's gone wrong, but very fun!

Are there any reference guides you can suggest to figure out the water, nutrient, temperature and light requirements of different plants?

[imafan26]

I have only used premade mixes. There are nutrient charts and pH, ec, etc, but you would need to look up nutrients for your particular crop. For most leafy crops that will mature in about 30 days, the lettuce mix works. There is one for tomatoes as well. Tomatoes require a larger reservoir and the solution will have to be changed. The formula will change depending on the stage of growth.

https://gardeningtips.in/hydroponic-nut ... t-solution