Easy Hydroponic Lettuce Using the Kratky Method and Soda Bottles
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- You can grow your own lettuce indoors with any food safe container you happen to have! In this video I'm growing the Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce variety in soda bottles using coconut coir as a medium.
Here are links to some of the items used in this video:
Grow Big Hydroponic Solution: amzn.to/3QCvKcd
Aerogarden Hydroponic Solution: amzn.to/3AfpjXc
Coconut Coir Bricks: amzn.to/3QoE67O
Soldering iron to poke holes in the plastic: amzn.to/3vXtKDA
Disclaimer: Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links and I receive a small commission with each sale at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for the support.
You have a nice deadpan sense of humor.
Thanks Ernest....not everyone appreciates it ;)
This is the best video I've found on the topic. You explained everything extremely clearly with no nonsense, from start to finish. I also like how you describe your mistakes, the reason behind them, and then the solution you found for them. Very well done. 👏👏👍👍
Pepsi vs coke joke. You’re awesome! You’ve taught me so much. Thank you!!!
Almost every question I have regarding hydroponic experiments, you have a video for. Brava!
I've been wanting to try hydroponics but I've found the "entry fee" to be out of my budget for a bit- but this looks perfect! I already have a brick of coconut coir and plenty of soda bottles and lettuce seeds! ♥️ Thanks!!
You can keep that entry fee down to almost nothing by repurposing your growing containers. Kratky is tailor-made for that and Tikki is one of the best teachers around. Don't let cost block your hydroponic fun. Good luck!
💐🎈
Look Idoo… you can get systems for $60 and under.
Again thanks🙏🌹🎉🎉
I learned horticulture from free library books and plastic trash from the streets of Philadelphia and used it to gain the skill i funded my twenties with.
I like this new low effort method i see now that im aging.
thank you., this is KIS (keep it simple). With so much good info .
היי...אהבתי את הכיתוב: "כשר לפסח" על הפקק של הבקבוקים...
I always like your videos. Great info in each of them. Thank you for doing this
Thanks Genevieve, I appreciate the comment!
I always enjoy your videos. That was great.
I appreciate that! Thanks Go To!
You are flat out a friggin genius!!!! I LOVE your videos. Love from a new fan🥰
Thanks For your video. I appreciate all your experiments & honest trial and error. It helps us all to learn what can happen either way! It makes me want to consider if I want to try other hydroponic methods to grow. Now I know through your experience that I will stick with the kratky net cups growing in jars. I enjoyed all your lettuce kratky methods and experiment videos the most though! 😊 I enjoy hearing the way you explain everything with your sweet sense of humour. Yours are the best!! 🥰
You are too kind Marnie, thank you for your beautiful comment!
Gonna try this with charcoal as a substrate. Thank you
Just another great idea on a great and detailed video.
Thanks Tikki for your patience and dedication.
lol I love your humor.
Thank you for sharing. I started some beans like this in cotton balls. Didn't work. So next, I started seeds in vermiculite and perlite. So far so good.
You make this look so easy. My hydroponic Journey was vey short. LOL! I'm going to try this. Thanks for sharing.
This video made me to subscribe your channel, great stuff , keep up the experimenting things...
Great video, I'm learning a lot from you. Thank you
Great video, thank you.
Glad you liked it!
So glad to see that you're still producing videos. Often with a video, I encounter dates going back years and I wonder what happened. Did the techniques shown not really work after all?
At any rate, I'm glad you're still active in the YT community.
I've done cucumbers via an ebb and flow, in a greenhouse with amazing success, but come Christmas, I'm going to set up a grow tent to raise vegetables using both Kratky and DWC. I'm excited about the prospect of producing winter vegetables.
Thanks again for your continued contribution to YT. In many ways, you have become my mentor.
Hi H.L., thanks for your kind words! It takes a lot of time to make a video, between filming, scripting and editing. I have a full time job and a full family life, so its tought to get out a video on a regular basis. And we just moved to a new house, so life is very busy. But yes....I'm still here! Good luck on continuing to grow and the success you find will breed more success. Don't be afraid to experiment! Best of luck to you!
Newbie with Kratky method, please show more details in the process like lights for indoor plants growing, water change frequency, nutrient solution (or if possible liquid nutrients DIY)
Thank you so much for sharing.
if you start the germination on coton balls the only thing to do is drop the coton ball with the seedlings into the top ,instead of using coconut coir ,checking that the root is growing towards the water .
Great video. One thing though, the alge won't inherently hurt the roots, but what it can do I starve them for nutrient. It can burn through the nutrient in the solution and can also get so thick in the solution that it will choke out the plant.
Wow, nice one!
As usual a great video, thank you. ¿Did you add more nutrient solution as the plant grew?
Great video!....I did the exact same experiment last winter..was fun!..only difference is I put hole in the cap and ran wicking rope through the hole and I use a 30 30 30 mix if coco coir perlite and vermiculite..basil lived it!..so did micro dwarf tomatoes 😀
Thanks for the comment Mike....there are so many ways to grow, its amazing!
@@TikkiOOO well you were my inspiration..I started in 2019 and really searched hard for easy to grasp information on hydroponic gardening inside..yours has always been my go to channel!
Thanks tikki o your the best
Thanks Theo, I appreciate it!
Thanks for videos.i like it
Another incredibly helpful and inspiring video. I’ve been using a soldering iron in my kitchen to burn drainage holes in plastic containers just as I’m seeing you do and I’m a little concerned about inhaling the plastic fumes. Do you have any thoughts about this?
Great loads of lettuce!!! I like to sprout the seeds inside a small clear plastic container, sprinkle with water, close the lid and put on top of the fridge. Just sprinkle again if they get dry, until they sprout. Check after every couple of days. Outside is too hot for lettuce...
yes....too hot outside for lettuce....and the wildlife likes to eat mine, so growing indoors is a win! Glad you are growing as well, enjoy!
@@TikkiOOO so far only okra, need to get ready for fall
Very good.
Mam, pls let me know about water changing.
Thanks
nice. thanks for the inspiration as always.
Thanks Karron, I appreciate the comment, as always!
hello there Tikki....I have been enjoying your vids about these different ways of using containers and different medium....I am now in a boat load of supplies an amazon is now a frequent visitor to my mailbox..lol...is there anyway for us to share photos of what we have done?..I think is would be so much fun and inspiring to see more progress of all our ideas and utilizing yours...thank you..from a loyal fan...
before the seedlings roots grow down enough to reach the water do you have to water from above at all? Or does the coir bring it up through for them from the bottom enough? cheers!
An idea: What if you kept the bottle cap (with some small holes) and you used one good sized cotton ball in the top instead of the coco coir? (a) cheaper, (b) keeps your water cleaner maybe.
Excellent. Thank you.
Thank YOU Sir!
@@TikkiOOO Your work is going to become more and more important given the world situation. Thank you so much posting your knowledge online.
You need to test the lettuce for caffeine !
Ha...you are right! Thanks for the comment Sinularia!
May I make a suggestion? If you use some cotton yarn or any cotton medium you can use it to wick the water up from the bottom water reservoir. It will go up the yarn and self-water for a long time and you do not have to water until the reservoir water runs out. You just have to run one or two long strings from the bottom of the bottle and up through the dirt.
You obviously don’t understand the basis of Kratky hydroponics.
in Kratky hydroponics the roots always touch the water. You do not need to refill unless there is no water left.
Thanks again and again🙏🙏
Keep working. Good luck. 👍
Thanks d.t.!
Great videos, love them, very educational! At what point did you switch from AeroGarden fertilizer to stronger fertilizer? Thx, CazM
I love your videos Tikki - you inspired me to begin my own hydroponic journey following your detailed instructions :) I noticed my cucumber plant leaves curling up a bit and the edge and slightly yellow, the leaf is also slightly dry and almost papery to the touch instead of like a leaf .. the new growths are normal but I am afraid they would suffer the same fate if I don't figure out what the problem is and fix it. could it be my PPFD on my grow light is too high and I need to move the light higher up? right now it is at 22" away from the cucumbers in a DWC / masterblend nutrient / pump / indoors - I have photos if you want to see :)
Does lettuce only last 3 months before having to fully harvest and replant?
How do you overcome the algae growth in clear containers?
How often do you change water? How does oxygen get to plant? And how much water do you put in bottle
Dose this method produces seeds to harvest if so can you do a video on it
Can you reuse the coconut coir soil replacement
Hi, can I add nutrients after the plants grow true leaves? Thank you!
Love it.
Thanks Tone One!
Hi, when do you add nutrients to the water? Do I let seeds germinate in water or nutrients please?
in terms of old seeds i think it depends on a few factors: one being they should stay dry...remember Art Combs found those watermelon seeds in a cave not only where they old but could've been a thousand years old but he grew melons from those he found.
Tikkie did you pour your mix (liquid fertilizer) over the coca Coir or you just planted the seed in the coir bare ???
I’m wondering if the electricity cost is more than you buy a head if lettuce from supermarket
Looking for your feedback. I started 3 Romaine lettuce 🥬 plants from cuttings each about a week apart. They were all in Masterblend mix and doing great. Their growth seemed to stop at about 6”. One just turned yellow and is dying overnight. I keep the level of nutrients about 1/2” up the end of the stem. The stems or cutting cores are shriveling up. They are inside in a window. They aren’t Heat stressed. Any ideas? Thank you sooo much.
Hi Dave, thanks for the question! Its really hard to know, it could be the quality of the water. Or you might be giving them too much nutrients, try experimenting with less nutrients and see what happens. The only way to know is to experiment....also try filtered water rather than tap water. Otherwise....I don't know. It could be the mother plant is compromised in the way it was grown, perhaps try a different source of Romaine. I'm guessing of course....let me know if you figure it out, and good luck!
Hi
Thats great video
I want to ask if you are adding water to the bottles from time to time or no
Also for (geminating) period do you keep light on
And using different type of light is it affecting the growth of the planet
Thank you very much
Can I use soil instead of coir
How was your YomTov
I did this with Poland springs bottles and dollar tree soil. No nutrients in the water. They have sprouted, but I don’t know what to do next 🤷🏻♀️
Love your vids.. I do this with gallon jugs, medicine pill bottles as cups, perlite for medium, and foil to block light..real cheap set up..black seeded Simpson works best. 1 tsp Epsom and 1 tsp WM. brand miracle grow for solution.
Thanks D W for the tips! I agree with the black seeded Simpson ....easiest to grow. Thanks again!
But how the seeds growing without watering them
Hi Tikki, did you need to refill the soda bottles with water and nutrients at any point or did it last the whole experiment? Great video!
It lasted the whole 60 days. That doesn't mean it will for everyone, it depends on how dry or humid your environment is. In a very dry environment the water might evaporate more quickly. But for my experiment, the soda bottles held enough water for an entire grow cycle for lettuce. Thanks for the question and comment Scott!
I'll bet if you have a 3 literally bottle ( those exist!) You'd never have to refill all season
@@TikkiOOO , how many hours grow light💡, on, for lettuce plant🌱🙏🙏???
@@02121978able I have mine on for 16 hours and off for 8 hours, hope that helps!
What were your ph levels ?
Hey, since your seeds were old, wouldn't it be cool to let a couple plants go to seed and collect fresh new seeds to grow next time? Thanks for the video!
yes...you are right! Too late, I ate it all.....thanks for the comment!
It looks like all the watering is from below. In other words, no misting from above at all, correct? Thank you for the lesson!
Yes, correct. Thanks for the comment and question, now go ahead and plant some seeds!
Will you do a medical cannabis Kratky grow please?
Hi . How far should I put grow light from my lettuce ?
Lower wattage LEDs of around 200 watts should sit between 12-20 inches from the top of the plant. Higher wattage LEDs of 1000 watts and above should sit between 36-46 inches from the top of the plant. I hope that helps, thanks for the question!
@@TikkiOOO thanks I have led grow light 36w ?
I pulled a string thru the bottle cap and let it dangle to the bottom of the bottle to wick up the water when the water level is below the bottle cap. This way the plant will not wither if I forget to fill up the water to the bottle cap level.
Great idea, thanks James. With the Kratky hydroponic setup the water level starts out high enough to keep the coconut coir wet, and then as the water level drops the plants roots should grow down to reach the water level. A string through the bottle cap would be extra insurance, nothing wrong with that! Thanks for the comment!
Can someone please discuss the discarding of the solution properly???
An empty glue gun works well too if you don’t have a soldering iron
I'm told Coke is more lucrative 😂
A Gutten Video
Again and sag again💐🌹 thank you🌹🙏,
🎉🎉