life of lettuce in dwc question
 

Been picking outer leaves of my buttercrunch in DWC, for a while now.
I'm wondering, will my plants last indefinetly as long as I keep changing water+nutes, or will they eventually go to seed?
I have another batch almost ready to transplant into the DWC but hate to tear the exsisting ones out as long as they are still producing.

Hello newhydro16,
Eventually they will begin to seed as they get older, but you can pluck off the leaves until they do. However the younger leaves/plants are usually more tender and tasty, so you may want to harvest/rotate the whole plant anyway. That way your harvesting younger leaves/plants to eat, as well as have a continuous supply.

lettuce longevity in dwc
 

Thanks GPS. You da man.
How long though, would you say before they start to seed, and or the taste suffers?

Hello newhydro16,
As long as it tastes fine to you. Once the lettuce plants become mature, and/or start to elongate and begin to seed they tend to become bitter. But I have soaked the cut leaves in cold water for a while and that get's rid of a lot of the bitterness.

lettuce longevity in dwc
 

Thanks again.
The leaves are getting longer, seem to taste ok, wife really seems to enjoy them. I guess when my new ones are ready, Ill yank /eat the current ones. Id start another dwc tote, but Ive got quite a bit invested in this already, and room is an issue.

Sorry for posting here but I cant find how to post a new thread.
 

I've planted my lettuce four weeks ago and I dont know If they're bolting already. Ive attached some photos of the lettuce. Your replies will be much appreciated. Thanks.

lettuce longevity in dwc
 

They do look kind of long and sparse, but I'm very new to this and still learning. I'm sure you will get some answers here from GPS frontier or someone more knowledgeable then myself.

Thanks newhydro16. They're romaine lettuce btw.

Hello Mervin,
I don't know anything about your system and growing conditions but Mmy first thoughts are your plants may have stem rot. From the pictures the rockwool cubes look quite wet. My second thought is you may have inadequate lighting.

Thanks for your response gps. I think you have suspexted right. Now i can see some root rot on my romaine. Any suggestions on how to decrease the chances next time I plant? Are these romaine good as nothing already? Im using kratky method btw. The system is placed on our terrace but i think it has bad air circulation.

Brother GPS. Would you mind giving me your email address or any social media? I just want to learn things from you since you're a legend already 😁 Here's my email cojamervin@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!

Hello Mervin,
Legend? Thanks you flatter me. I'm just a guy that was where you are when I first started growing hydroponically (with lots of questions) many years ago too. I was a newbie when I joined this forum myself. Everybody starts somewhere. Over the years I learned by doing, and have done lots of research as well. I just stuck around the forum to help other people when I can.

I know many people like the Kratky method but I'm not a fan myself. I personally don't see any reason to eliminate the air pump from a water culture system unless you live in an area that doesn't have electricity. The air pump is to beneficial to just eliminate for no reason. Cost to run isn't an issue either, they cost next to nothing to run, even 24/7.

Besides adding an air pump my first suggestion is not to use the rockwool cubes. Rockwool cubes suck up water like a sponge, and that constant moisture around the stem causes stem rot. Saturated rockwool cubes can also suffocate the roots, thus lead to root rot. If your going to use rockwool cubes you have to control the moisture level very carefully. I prefer to use coco fiber myself. Coco fiber provides much better aeration to the roots and won't become water logged easily. Also to prevent pathogens make sure you use a good quality water source, and everything is cleaned and sanitized before use. Seedlings should also have high humidity, but have good air circulation as well. Air circulation is important in plant transpiration as well as preventing fungal diseases.

P.S.
I don't really use social media sites. You can e-mail me at the e-mail address on the "contact us" page of my website HomeHydroSystems.com I don't like posting e-mail addresses in an open forum because spammers collect them from forums. But the e-mail address is posted on the contact us page of my web site.

More on lettuce
 

I just thought my lettuce was the wrong type since I saw similar growth to that in the pictures. I know the youtube videos showed nice tight heads, and that is why I started doing this. I just ordered more rock wool cubes and now I'm hearing they cause root rot. If I start seeds in vermiculite and transfer healthy seedlings to rock wool, I have already doomed my plant?
I am taking the rock wool cubes and putting them in net cups and a tub with air stones. They continue to grow and produce long leaves, but not the nice tight heads. The stems don't look rotted, but seem weak at the top of the net pot. I have them in a small greenhouse with natural sunlight.
I just started bib lettuce because I read an article posted somewhere by University of Fla saying bib was the answer to less than perfect weather variations in Florida. My winter temps frequently are above 80 but they can also get to 30 for a night or two. Thus the greenhouse with a space heater on a thermostat.
I appreciate the comments here since I am new to hydroponics.

lettuce longevity in dwc
 

I'm new at this also, since end of December.
My lettuce has been doing great, but I don't get the tight heads like store bought either.
I cant help you with the rock wool question, I transferred my first seedlings from soil, and have new started in Rooter plugs.