90 Day Hydroponic Grow Challenge!
Welcome to the 90-day challenge! I challenge you to plant lettuce every week for 90 days. During this time, you will iron out all the problems running a hydroponic system.
Getting started was a challenge and it took me a long time to get into the swing of it.
The real fun of growing your food starts once you can consistently and efficiently produce great yields from your hydroponic garden.
Follow me along as I show you how to build your basic and maybe first hydroponic system.
Why lettuce?
Lettuce is the best veggie to grow because it goes from seed to harvest in just a few weeks and it is easy to find and fix issues with the plant.
Which hydroponic system?
The best means of hydroponics for beginners is the Kratky Method. This passive method allows you to grow plants without any pipes, pumps, or air bubblers!
Normally a plant will drown if its entire root structure is submerged in the water because the necessary oxygen is absorbed through the roots. Kratky works by exposing some roots to air so the plant can get the oxygen it needs.
Check out my splendid hand-drawn image below.
These are the Minimum Tools necessary to start growing with hydroponics:
1.5″ Rockwool Starter Plugs, 2 Sheets of 49 Plugs (98 Plugs Total) + Twin Canaries Chart
2 inch Net Pots Cups Heavy Duty Round Wide Rim Design – Orchids Aquaponics Hydroponics Slotted Mesh (Cz Garden All Star – 50 Black)
General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set, 1 Quart (Pack of 3)
Seed Needs, Lettuce Lovers Seed Collection (8 Individual Packets) Non-GMO Seeds
I show you in the video below how to mix hydroponic nutrients.
You will cut 2-inch holes into container lids with a hole saw and rotary drill. If you do not have these tools you can also use a sharp utility knife or scissors, but it will not be as pretty or easy.
Containers should be at least half a gallon in size to prevent quick consumption of water. I use old plastic containers that hold protein or Metamucil powder. I also use 3-5-gallon buckets that I get from work. I even have a few sterilized kitty litter containers.
(Don’t judge my kitty litter containers they were cleaned and sterilized)
Now watch how I germinate a set of lettuce seeds.
First, we soak the Rockwool in water and place it a germinating tray. It can be an old Tupperware container, but I like to use sturdy 1020 trays.
Bootstrap Farmer 1020 Trays, Multicolor Extra Strength No Hole, 6 Pack, Seedling Tray for Growing Microgreens, Wheatgrass Seeds, Hydroponic Germination, Fodder System
Now you have 2 choices, indoor or outdoor growing. Don’t worry, you are not married to the choice and can always switch later or do both.
I will focus on indoor growing because it is more complicated than outdoor growing.
This is my indoor grow setup. I have changed this setup dozens of times and I plan on more modifications in the future. That is the advantage of this customizable shelf system.
You can get these shelves online for the same price I bought them in-store. I could have saved myself a trip.
I like these best because the legs attach to the outside of the rack instead of inside taking up valuable growing space.
Next, you need to get grow lights. These are the best I have found in the grow light industry for price and spectrum. You should only buy LED full spectrum grow lights. The sun gives a full spectrum and plants like getting that type of light.
Durolux DLED844W LED Grow Light – 4 Feet by 1 Foot – 160W (0.5 W LED x 320 Pcs) with White 5500K FullSun Spectrum and 20000 Lux Great for Seeding and Veg Growing, Over 50% Energy Saving
This light is for someone who has a little cash to spend on decent equipment but does not want to break the bank on one light.
They hang from chains on the shelf above it and is adjustable up or down as you please. Now here is some other stuff you will need.
(extension cord, humidity sensor, pH tester, electricity monitor, fan)
Durolux DLED844W LED Grow Light – 4 Feet by 1 Foot – 160W (0.5 W LED x 320 Pcs) with White 5500K FullSun Spectrum and 20000 Lux Great for Seeding and Veg Growing, Over 50% Energy Saving
Durolux DLED844W LED Grow Light – 4 Feet by 1 Foot – 160W (0.5 W LED x 320 Pcs) with White 5500K FullSun Spectrum and 20000 Lux Great for Seeding and Veg Growing, Over 50% Energy Saving
Poniie PN2000 Plug-in Kilowatt Electricity Usage Monitor Electrical Power Consumption Watt Meter Tester w/ Extension Cord
VIVOSUN pH and TDS Meter Combo, 0.05ph High Accuracy Pen Type pH Meter +/- 2% Readout Accuracy 3-in-1 TDS EC Temperature Meter
Comfort Zone CZ6C 6-Inch 2-Speed Clip-On Fans (White, 2 Pack)
Kasa Smart Plug by TP-Link,Smart Home WiFi Outlet works with Alexa, Echo&Google Home, No Hub Required, Remote Control, 12 Amp, UL Certified, 2-Pack (HS103P2)
A fan is necessary to keep fungus, mold, and mildew down and help to prevent calcium deficiency or tip burn.
Timers are essential because you need to be able to turn on and off your grow lights. These smart timers connect are great because they can be programmed on your phone and turn on and off automatically.
That’s everything you need to know to get started! It’s up to you to get started by planting at least 1 lettuce plant every week for 90 days and document results.
Tips to help you succeed:
1. Labeling is important
a. Make sure you label seed date because you will know if a plant is doing well or not by how long its been growing.
b. Label nutrient creation date because it only has a 2-3 week usable period fore it becomes overrun with plant harming bacteria.
c. labeling helps with experimenting. if you want to try different mixes of nutrients or how you use your grow light, you need to label and document everything. its fun to find the best way to get the biggest lettuce plant, in the shortest amount of time, with the least complications
2. Cleanliness is Vital
a. Its a fact, the more steps to take to ensure cleanliness is preserved, the fewer complications you will have overall. Because you
b. containers and net pots should be cleaned and sanitized after every use. This includes after every changeout of nutrients.
c. hydrogen peroxide and bleach are your friends. I prefer food grade 34% hydrogen peroxide to bleach because you can add it to your nutrients to extend water changeout. I do not need to make a bleach and water mix every few days to clean my stuff, I can just spray a couple of mists into the container then add the water.
However, make sure you wear rubber gloves when handling or you will get temporary chemical burns.
3. Pest prevention is essential
a. There is always a timer that is counting down to when bacteria and other pests overrun your system. The hydroponic method eliminates many natural predators and environments that would control many of the pests that could ruin your plants. Without them, pests thrive uncontrollably if you let them.
b. Use an inorganic growing medium like Rockwool to prevent fungus gnats.
c. Change out hydroponic nutrients once every 2-3 weeks at most. Before refilling with fresh nutrients, make sure you sterilize the container.
d. Never bring an outside plant into your indoor grow area without isolating it first for at least a week to monitor the plant for pests or diseases.
e. Never bring clothes that have been in an outside gardening environment directly into your grow area because you can bring pests in with you.
f. Aphids and Whiteflies are hard to get rid of but must be introduced to your grow area manually. The easiest way to bring them in is to bring an outdoor plant inside. You will need to use a pesticide to get rid of them if they do infest your system.
4. How to Adjust your grow light
a. Watch for calcium deficiency or “leaf tip burn.” This is the best sign that your grow lights are too close or on too long.
b. Plants grow towards the grow light so you may need to adjust the setting of the light during the growth of the plant.
c. Adjusting the height is equivalent to adjusting how long the lights are on. Therefore, timers are essential. I rarely adjust the height of my lights because it is an inefficient use of my limited space.
5. Mistakes will happen, a lot
a. On your first grow you may have a good or bad yield. Either way, keep planting and tweaking your hydroponic system until you can consistently and repeatedly grow the lettuce plant to maturity.
b. Ask lots of questions. I am always available to answer any questions you have. Just leave a comment below or visit my YouTube channel to see if I have covered the topic.
c. Know that you can learn something new every day. Never stop trying to learn new things about hydroponics. I learn things all the tie to make my growing experience better.
