Growing Peppers and Tomatoes by a Suspended Pot, Non Circulating Kratky Hydroponic Method
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- This video discusses growing peppers and tomatoes by a suspended pot, non-circulating hydroponic method (commonly referred to as the Kratky Method) which does not require electrical power and pumps.
Here are some relevant articles;
Non-circulating hydroponic methods for growing tomatoes.
www.ctahr.hawa...
Observations on a Non-circulating hydroponic system for tomato production.
www.ctahr.hawa...
A suspended pot, non-circulating hydroponic method.
www.ctahr.hawa...
An honor to finally find you Dr. Kratky! Hope to see a lot more outstanding and priceless videos from you.
By the way, thanks to Jeb Gardener and Matt Garver for their videos to know and reach Dr. Kratky.
Yoooo duuuuuude!!! I combined your method with a wicking bucket method to keep my indies lit boieee!!! You the OG Professor son. Everyone bow to the real real here!!!!!!!
Years later,,,
Great video with great info for starters.
Thx 😊❤️
You'll discover the wisdom of the float valve if you try adding the nutrient solution my hand. Growing tomato plants really suck down the solution. You'll be adding it daily, then twice daily...just use the float valve. Really enjoy these videos from the person who developed the process.
I'm very happy that i found you Dr. Kratky. I didn't know you have a youtube channel! Your approach to hydroponics is amazing and really helpful!
And I'm also very happy that you found my channel!
Great to bring back the old ways that so many people seem to forget. In 1960's my great grandmother and Grandmother grew stuff in a similar way just not as fancy set up. Many old timers had various plants growing in containers half way in some nutrient water of some type. I think most of them lived through the great depression and general method dates back to at least 1920's probably much older than that even. Great Grandmother and Grandmother grew normal gardens, but also grew over winter indoors, some stuff in pots of dirt and other stuff in just solution.
Dr Krathy thanks for the great video. Most interesting. I will try to make your self watering system. Would make things a lot easier.
I would just like to say thank you for your work. Thanks to you and a few others I am growing loads of peppers using your method, producing lots of peppers and having loads of fun. Thanks
LOVE your videos Dr. Kratky!
2 questions:
1.) What is the duration of time from entrance of net cups into solution tanks to crop yield?
2.) Can I grow indoors in the winter WITHOUT a grow light - for example - near a window?
Thank you so much for all of your scientific and educational videos! You are a pioneer and amazing farmer!
Thank you. Time to maturity depends on crop variety, weather conditions and daylength, growing conditions, etc. Seed catalogs often provide more specific information for a particular variety and location. Transplanting larger seedlings will reduce the time from transplanting until harvest. I think you should have a grow light for growing in the house -especially in winter, but you might get by in the summer if the window is properly situated.
Beautiful peppers! Great video, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Khang. With your creative mind, I'm expecting that you will make some valuable improvements to these growing methods!
Khang Starr you are the reason that I got into hydroponics I've been at it for two years now and his video is brilliant!!!
Thanks Dr Kratky! Your video inspires me to ditch the soil and go Kratky! Thanks and Shout out to Jeb Gardener for pointing us to Dr Kratky.
Don't give up on the soil yet! In the near future, I plan to release a video showing how to sub-irrigate beans in growing medium with a simple float valve.
This video. I'm going to refer to it from the gardening site my wife and I run.
G’Day Dr Kratky, I’m from hot n humid Mackay, Queensland. I’m excited to have found you through Jebs channel. 👋 I’ve previously always been growing in soil, in large containers and beds, I love vegetable gardening, but this limited me to only growing in the dry season as all my tomatoes got fungal issues in the humid heat and heavy rain. My stressed egg plants attracted spider mites and I always gave up at the end of spring, if I couldn’t grow my beloved tomatoes. So my gardening was basically limited from April 25 Autumn thru November 17 late spring, our dry season locally. I’m going to try doing some cherry tomatoes this wet season (summer) with your method, but placing my tomatoes under hard cover where they hopefully won’t get as stressed from being frequently rained on. I’m looking forward to home grown salad ingredients this summer. Now to find lettuce that doesn’t bolt in the heat. 🥴😂. Aloha n thank you for being. 😂❤️
Thank you for sharing and good luck on your upcoming crops. By the way, I spent a 6 month sabbatical leave at UQ-Gatton back in 2000.
Honestly, it was I was thinking about kratky metod , to have level after the roots are taking all nutrient solution, so we make a hole , for leveling with a pompe and tubing, in the not bottom of tank , a little more up . So it s working perfectly 👌 I see . Good job , and tank you .
Wow , so glad i found this site of Hawaii .. real innovative way of future Agriculture will def.changed .. Great Experiment for public around the world l. Thank you again
Thank you for posting this video. You have done an excellent job of describing and showing the process that you use in your personal greenhouse! I like how you have built this simple system for growing all kinds of crops without electricity for pumps or aeration. I am using both your float valve system, and also your fill-and-forget system from the university cucumber grow in a 32 gallon trash can. Both methods work wonderfully, and I am most appreciative of your knowledge sharing. Thanks!
Thanks Matt. And I am appreciative that you have tried these methods and confirmed that they work in another environment!
I love your voice and delivery
Thank you!
thank you Dr. Kratky! will try it this winter. Can you please advise papers to read to learn more about oxygen intake with this method, as water level seems to stay on the same level. I understand mesh is essential to stimulate air root growth. thank you
You might read the reference article by Dr. Imai in the 1988 article. It is believed that roots are able to take up oxygen from the moist air between the cover and the nutrient solution. Roots in this zone are more fluffy and branched than immersed roots.
dakineapproaches thank you very much.that's exactly what I was looking for. Cheers/Aloha
I think there is some capillary action on the surface of the roots as well. Sometimes the rock wool on top remains moist even though the water level has decreased significantly.
Yes, I believe that is true. We have observed something similar to that.
If I understand well he lets the level diminish and when it is low and the roots have been formed he supplies additional water and nutrient to keep level. Am I right?
Thank you for the extremely valuable information. There is soo much potential for these systems.
Another great video... thanks for sharing and leading the charge!
You mentioned the nutrient strength method could be improved, however I think the buffer of old solution in each growing tray helps average things out. After mixing in the replacement nutrient in the supply reservoir, I think the reading above 2.0 isn't an issue. The stronger solution would be diluted once it trickled down to each growing tray, as the solution in each tray is probably closer to the initial 0.95 you measured?
The only way to be hyper-accurate would be to either completely purge & refill, or close the loop by recirculating... and both methods add complexity. I like the simple solutions. :-)
Thanks again!
Thank you for your help mister Kratky
Man!
That seems like a lot of work. I'm thinking keeping a close (daily) eye on the solution level makes more sense.
That will work!
Very informative, thank you
Wow really informational video wish I could attend some of your classes
I'm retired now, but I plan to make more youtube videos.
+dakineapproaches yay
I am an absolute beginner and use GHE Floraserie. The mix of nutriment is different for the growing time and the blooming and fruit one. How are you managing these two different moments? Also I read that the plants use more water than nutrients, this means that the concentration of the nutrient should grow in the container. Thank you for your advice
I am not familiar with those fertilizers. When reaching a new stage, just start adding the higher strength nutrient solution as specified (don't empty the tank - just keep growing .) Nutrient uptake is a complicated subject. Some nutrients are taken up faster than water, some slower and some the same depending on many factors including plant stage and temperature. Just make sure that the EC levels don't exceed 3.0mS and you should be ok.
thank you.
Dr kratky .found this very useful for me as a start-up.am from india and am planning to grow cherry tomatoes in an acre if land under grren shed net house.am pleased with using the same method as you said above.please let me know if the yield is going to be affected during summer as our temprtrs outside the greenhouse may vary from 40 to 45 degrees.thank you
Thanks for sharing such a informative knowledge. Do you grow outside on a pllet covered with polythene or a green house.
I was wondering. In the first part of the video you were concerned about the mosquitoes, you continually drop the reservoir and allowed the plants to take up the nutrient solution, but I did not see roots extending into the nutrient solution. By the way, can the roots penetrate the screen? Should you not wait to see root growth into the solution before the the solution level is allowed to drop? And how far below the pot would that final level be?
Yes, roots can penetrate through the screen. The final nutrient solution level should be in the neighborhood of 2-4 inches below the net pot and there should be at least 2 inches of nutrient solution in the tank.
Amazing video Dr.Kratky! I was wondering while using an float valve system, the nutrient level in the container will remain constant. But, what about the pH level and TDS level inside the container? Will it remain constant? Also, will this method require replacing the nutrient solution from the container from time to time?
Looking forward for many such inspirational videos. Thank you!
Actually, the nutrient levels, pH and TDS levels are all dynamic and that's ok as long as they don't become too high or low. There is a reasonably wide 'safe' range. No, I don't change the solution until the end of the crop, but I invite you to run a trial to test this out under your conditions.
hi Dr... I love your videos... do you have a video explaining how many gallons of water needed for the 500ml stock A and stock B?
No. In this case, the tank held about 28-30 gallons. I probably should produce a youtube on this. EC readings are also affected by temperature so one can't just make a blanket statement to add x ml per gallon to raise EC by a specified amount.
I have a question that I hope you can answer: Can a plant grow indefinitely like this? Or will it eventually stop producing and/or die? I've been learning all I can about this method to try and grow food for my family. The plants would be indoors, so growing indefinitely would be ideal. If not, then oh well. It's unavoidable :)
In most cases, insects and/or plant diseases and nutrient inbalances will cause deterioration of the plants and yield loss, so it is prudent to terminate the plants. I am not aware of plants that grow indefinitely.
Thank you :)
If you use more natural fertilizers rather than chemicals the answer is yes. I use Neem Gold as a foliar fertilizer, growing the roots only in water. Or you can use Bio-Thrive-Bio Bloom in bucket. Our Kratky garden has been growing for three years now - tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc - all over-wintering quite well. We experience very little pest or disease problems growing this way. We do cut them back each winter and then they start to regenerate immediately.
What if I wanted to grow my tomatoes in a container without the float valve or the steady nutrient solution? I have been wanting to grow tomatoes by using the Kratky Method. Would it be possible to grow them in just one container until harvest. I know tomatoes drink a lot of water so would a 60 gallon tank be sufficient enough for the tomato plants entire life?
Yes, a 60-gallon container should be adequate for the entire life of the plant. Generally speaking, depending upon the climate, it takes 3 to 5 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of tomatoes being grown this way.
What is the optimal water level to have float set at? Is it the 2" above base of container?
I accidentally mixed the Masterblend *5X too strong!!*
My tomatoes and cucumbers sat in the mixture for over two weeks, and never looked stressed. Obviously I fixed it when I realized my mistake, but it makes me wonder how important the amounts are.
I've also been told that mixing in a specific order is important..... Masterblend first, followed by Epson salts & then Calcium ....but I question that as well.
Years ago we grew tomatoes in greenhouse soil at an EC of 8.0 and yields dropped by half. I suspect your EC was 8 to 10 and that would likely reduce yields if they remained at this EC, and you might eventually see some visual symptoms especially during hot weather. It is good to question conventional wisdom. It should be ok to add the 3 components in any order as long as the solution volume is large and the solution is well mixed after adding each component.
Hey Dr. Kratky - for those little spaghetti tubes, are you using any fittings at all or are you relying on the mechanical properties of the tubing itself to seal the hole in the container? If so, that's marvelous!
Just make the hole about 1/32 to 1/64" smaller than the tubing and cut the tubing on an angle and pull it through the hole with no glue or fittings. In some cases, you may need a pliers to pull the tubing through the hole.
@@growkratky5558 Thanks for your advice!
@@growkratky5558 I just transferred tomato clones a 5 gallon bucket system connected via 3/8" tubing to a trunk line, then to a 5 gallon bucket sump, fed by a 50 gal water barrel. Everything except for the float valve is connected in the manner you described - I think you saved me a $50 in fittings! Thanks again.
I really want to try all this but so many wires and containers and equipments and chemicals freaks me out. 😶
Don't let it overwhelmed you, there are more simple ways to start growing the Kratky way
hydroponic humor. ha ha. root angioplasty. love it!
So the tomato plant has enough stability because it's trellised and because of the roots in the screen?
Mine always seem too heavy and flop over, so... Am I right in my assumption of stability?
Tall tomato plants need to be trellised, but there are short bush varieties that don't require support.
I had great success but weather changed and changed again so my first attempt did not come out
May I ask about the nutrition solution tank. If I have only 1 gallon Nutrition solution tank how much stock solution A and B will I incorporate ? I have plans to start in 1 experiment plant on my porch . Not a farmer really 👨👩👧
Considering the discussion at about the 9 minute mark in the video, to achieve an EC of 1.0 mS, add 10 ml of Stock A and 10 ml of Stock B to 1 gallon of growing solution. It won't be exact, but close enough. By the way, 10 ml is about 2 teaspoons or a bit more than 1/3 of an ounce. A 2.0 mS solution would require twice as much.
Are you concerned that as the tomatoes uptake and transpire water that the nutrient solution will become more concentrated? Then instead of adding pure water you are adding more nutrient solution which will make it more concentrated. I am new to this, I am not criticizing. Some videos suggest adding either 1/2 to 1 times the original volume in pure water. Once that volume has been reached they completely drain out the existing solution and replace it with new nutrient solution. Also is this kinda of like a DWC method because you don't allow the water level to drop? You still maintain it at the bottom of the net pot? Do you feel that aeration would make it better?
One needs to be concerned not to add too high an EC nutrient solution during hot, drying weather or else the nutrient solution could become too concentrated. But if one adds the proper strength nutrient solution for the growing stage and conditions, then nutrient concentration shouldn't occur. We don't drain the solution. Aeration would likely increase the yield, but we are trying to keep things simple and still obtain pretty good yields.
Hello thanks for all! My question is how do you deal with hot summer temperatures outside? Is it making a problem, what are the max plants can handle as tomatoes for instance?
Tomatoes generally do not perform well at temperatures above 95F. Shading with Aluminet shade screen might provide some relief as it is reflective.
@@growkratky5558 Thanks ! sorry but my notification didn't work.
How many tomatoes do you recommend placing in those concrete mixing boxes, six seems to be a lot !
I'm also using 6 gallons buckets, same question, how many plant do you recommend?
@@TomPalissade Trellised tomatoes typically need about 4 sq ft per plant including tank and aisle space. They would probably be a lot happier with only 4 plants per concrete mixing container. If 6 plants are used, then include a space of at least 2 ft. between containers in the rows.
time stamp 4:40 mentions " now the solution is lowered and will remain there for the rest of the crop???
The float valve will maintain that level for the remaining time that the crop is grown.
@@growkratky5558 i suppose the level must be verified as to the roots being able to access the level?
I am currently attempting to grow using your method on a much larger scale. My containers are 300 gallons when completely full. Based off these calculations it would take roughly 5.5 liters of fertalizer per container. These numbers seem so large, but then again the amount of water is significantly increased. Is there anything else that I should consider when increasing to significantly larger growing tanks? I was gifted 30 of these 300 gallon food grade containers, and many 55 gallon food grade drums.
Thank you,
J.Ashley
I don't have much experience with very deep containers for tomatoes and peppers so am not sure of the effects of a very deep moist air space. However, our experience with cucumbers in 55 gal barrels showed they could draw nutrients and water until the barrels were nearly empty.
Good morning Dr. Kratky, I wanted to ask how often should you change the nutrient solution your growing from totes/buckets that do not incorporate a float valve.
I usually just add nutrient solution and don't completely change solutions.
@@growkratky5558 Thank very much Dr. Kratky.
Dr. Kratky, the nutrient concentrations you show here and in some of your other videos are 200x greater than directed per the chem grow instructions. Did you mean 1 lb per one hundred gallons of chem grow? Thanks!
Alternatively, did you mean tsp instead of lbs per gal of solution? That is what it says on the chem grow website. Thanks!
Sorry this wasn't too clear. Note that 550 ml of Stock Solutions A and B are added to a trash container holding 28 gal (106 liters) of growing solution. This is a 193 x dilution of these stock solutions.
@@growkratky5558 Ah, makes sense, thanks for the clarification, Dr. Kratky.
Great videos!
I might be tried but why are you removing the boards under the sump to drop the level in the tank?
Is removing the boards required?
Thank you!
Removing the boards below the sump lowers the solution level and that increases the moist air space for the roots. This should improve growth.
@@growkratky5558 ahhh the light clicked on in my head...water will seek to level it's self between both...yup I was tired. Thank you and thank you for all the work you did in this method.
I first heard of it from MHPgardener and downloaded your paper on it that was on line.
Awesome! just a quick Q: Is it just me or is your nutrient solution very low in nitrogen? If so, why? If not, where does the nitrogen come from? Is it solution B?
Solution B contains calcium nitrate which has 15.5% nitrogen.
Why they do much better than store bought?
can i use insulation foam instead of polystyrene?
Great video, I have seen people who like the masterblend 4-18-38 for lettus and tomato, is it simmilar or better then what you use? Also if I can not get either brand locally what can I get to make my own 4-4-18-38 blend or what you recomended?
Yes, it is similar and is very good hydroponic fertilizer. If you can't locate either brand locally, you could try contacting both companies and see what they suggest. I wouldn't recommend formulating your own fertilizer unless you are fairly knowledgeable about fertilizers. Another option is to check with a local hydroponic supply store because other hydroponic fertilizers should work with this system.
Did I read that right ? 1 pound per gallon nutreints?
Is it best to use an EC, TDS or PPM meter?
in my opinion it's EC. Because EC indicates the solubility of nutrients.. Hope it helps although it's 2 years ago and you probably had the answer already
a large pond/swamp is across the street from me. do I need to be concerned about mosquito growth in my bins, or can I use the dunk tablets in the water?
thanks
Yes you need to be concerned about mosquitoes. Some years ago, we placed dunks in lettuce beds and the growth was inhibited. We didn't try them with other crops.
Is there an easier way to do this for those of us with limited space? I live in a condo so cement blocks won't work for me.
I guess you could grow in buckets or something similar and either have a float valve in each container to maintain liquid level or have an exterior float valve-sump system and route the nutrient solution to individual containers or you could just add solutions manually, but have a liquid level indicator to guide addition of solutions.
Ok, that would work. Thank you very much for answering so quickly.
Mark Gailmor, you can use kratky method without any of these extra things. Just put your solution in a container then your plant. That’s all you need. Search for other videos for more details.
I have been growing a variety of plants via kratky but none using a suspended pot method.
@@growkratky5558 Thank you very much for the informative video.
If growing in a 5-gal container, can I wait until the nutrient level goes low, say 1 gal left, and then add the solution manually? Will this hurt the plants? Thanks.
what level u maintains always in tank?
Greetings from Ghana in West Africa. Are there any opportunities for short practical training of trainers from Africa. I'm dreaming of setting up an advanced hydroponics training centre in Ghana. Can you assist with training
My apologies, but I am retired and do not have the facilities to do this.
@@growkratky5558 very grateful for your feedback. Thank you
You could use mosquito dunks in your tanks instead of the screens, to kill mosquito larvae.
Strangely enough, we found that mosquito dunks reduced lettuce yields. However, we did not try them with other crops.
I did but it has been hijacked
does this method works in outdoor environment under the hot sun?
All of our experiments have been conducted in greenhouses and rainshelters, but the system should work outdoors if there is no rainfall.
i like you man
Aloha
✌️Everyone, don’t bother watch this video. Hydroponic kratky method is supposed to be super easy, not all these complicated things. If you need better advice, check out other videos.
but he is Dr. Kratky himself. he made the kratky method.
That super easy method is for small leafy crops like lettuce which take around 1gal of nutrient solution from seedling to harvest. No topup.
this comment was in very bad taste, particularly when the inventor of this method, Dr. Kratky, himself was taking pain to share his knowledge . It's an old comment , but still I am compelled to point this out.