Growing Hydroponic Lettuce

« « Flower Gardening Tips: Keys to Success | Is Low-flow Irrigation Really Beneficial? » »

Sunday, November 8th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Hydroponics, which literally means, “working water,” is the growth of plants without soil. The grower provides through water instead all of the nutrients they would normally get from the soil. Hydroponics can easily be used by the home gardener as well as used on a mass production scale. A good place to start is hydroponic lettuce growing if you are new to hydroponics. The plants are easy to work with for novice farmers and they are also forgiving.

You will need to prepare for starting your hydroponics garden two weeks in advance of actually planting the lettuce. The first thing you do is gather your equipment. You will need a 5-gallon container with a lid. Dark, plastic containers work best, because the darkness helps keep algae from growing. You can cover a clear plastic container with dark plastic film or use aluminum foil if that is all you can find. You will need a growing medium also. Oasis root cubes work well for hydroponic lettuce. Root cubes are easy to handle becasue they are a pre-formed growth medium. They should be designed for propagation and ahve a neutral ph. Lettuce seedlings will also be needed of course. In a dish of water place the seedlings that have been inserted into the growth cubes and this should be done two weeks prior to planting.

While your seedlings are in water, you can prepare the lid of your container for planting. On the lids trace the outlines of plastic planting cones. Four to six should fit, evenly spaced on a 5 gallon lids; just try to not get too close to the edge. You can insert the cones into the holes once you cut the circles you have traced with the plastic planting cones.

Now you can create your water nutrient solution. This is the most crucial step in hydroponic growing; remember you must supply via water all the nutrients plants would normally get through the soil. You can find many pre-mixed hydroponics solutions out there to use as the base for your solution. For a 5-gallon drum, take 2 teaspoons of the pre-mixed hydroponic fertilizer (8-15-36 works well), 2 teaspoons of calcium nitrate, and 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). One ingredient at a time should be dissolved in a cup of water and then pour it in the drum. Once you have added your nutrients, fill the drum to near the top with water.

After your seedlings have been sitting in water for two weeks, they are ready to add to the planters. With duct tape secure the lid on the drum first. Inside the plastic planting cones, which should already be in the holes you made in your drum lid, place the root cubes with the seedling in it. Equal amounts of direct and indirect sunlight works best as hydroponic lettuce needs plenty of sunlight.

You will need to keep an eye on the plants for any insects or worms. If you do see insects, you should remove them by hand. Pesticides are not recommended for growth projects on such a small scale as this even though they are used in hydroponic gardening. You must keep an eye on the water in the drum to be sure that the water level is not getting too low and that the plants are actually taking water.

Within 4 to 5 weeks, you should have fully grown lettuce plants, ready to pick. To pick all you have to do is simply remove the leaves. Though some kinds of hydroponic growth mediums can be recycled, root cubes should not be used more than once.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.