I see a lot of people have grown veggies hydroponically online and I love the idea! I've been trying to get this to work for months now and each and every attempt has failed. I'm very frustrated and hoping you can help point out what I'm doing wrong.
In snort, I've tried growing kale in 4 different attempts (each attempt slightly different as I've been trying to isolate the cause it fails) and it's failed every time and I don't know why.. I'm hoping someone here might know exactly what the problem was.
My basic deep water culture hydro setup:
I have (2) 2 gallon food safe (type2 HDPE) old protein containers that I've washed out many times to make sure they were clean, I then fill then with tap water and
nutrient solution. I also have drilled a 2in hole in their respective lids so as to make room for my netcups. I placed the containers by a window inside my house (I keep the plants inside) that gets some light but not a lot so I also have a 60W clf bulb running for 14 hours a day giving them light as well (the bulb listed below). This bulb is roughly 2 inches or so from the leaves and my girlfriend was thinking the lamp might have burned them but its only warm not hot at their distance, so I don't think this is likely the case (please correct me if I'm wrong). I also put aluminum foil around the containers to keep light from entering the containers so as to try to prevent algae from growing. My goal was to grow via the Kratky method (which in theory should be pretty simple) so I'd basically set them in the solution and let them grow in the same solution for the growing cycle (or until they run out of water but with 2 gallons each, they should have plenty). In theory it should be very little maintenance.
I am able to germinate the
seeds in the rockwool just fine but when I transfer them to their new containers they seem to do well for the first week or so and then by the end of the second week they start wilting and I can't figure out why. I've changed nutrient strength, made sure I was precise with the nutrient dosing (I use a measuring syringe to get the amt exact) changed nutrient solutions brands, checked and changed the PH, experimented with starting water levels in relation to the bottom of the netcup and I also even added a bubbler with an airstone to one of my containers and they still die after 2 weeks!
Do any of you know what I'm missing? Why this is happening?
I so want this to work.. this is driving me nuts.
What I've tried in more detail:
Test1: Reading online and watching youtube I filled the first test batch with an NPK ratio of
N18 P19 K38
Test2: Changed the NPK ratios to what were suggested on the side of the "General Hydroponics Flora Series" bottles, specifically for "lower levels of:
N16 P8 K24
Added using a syringe to measure
nutrients for more precision.
One cup had its water level just touching the bottom of the netcup, the other one had a small gap.
Test3: I thought it might be the lack of air, so I added an air stone to one of my containers and ran it 24/7. Initially it grew faster then the other container but it also died after 2 weeks. I was thinking it might be PH and tested it with a
pH meter I just bought and found one of the containers had a PH of 5.8 which is just below the desired band PH of Kale that I've read (the range being 6-7.5).
Test4: First I changed the nutrients to "Pure Blend Progro 3-2-4". As such I added 2 TSB per container (the instructions said one TSB per gallon online and the bottle said 2 per gallon, I went with the 1gal/1TSB). I also thought the problem might have been PH as I've read that kale prefer a PH of 7.5-6. As such I got a
ph meter and made sure the starting PH was within the band. After mixing everything I added some PH down to make it so one container started with a PH of 6.5 and the other with 6.9 (this one has the air stone).
Well it just finished being 2 weeks and my plants are dying again.
*pic of my current setup including plants shown below*
The Kale I'm using:
300 Seeds, Kale "Vates Blue Scotch Curled" (Brassica oleracea) Seeds By Seed Needs
Source:
Amazon.com : 300 Seeds, Kale "Vates Blue Scotch Curled" (Brassica oleracea) Seeds By Seed Needs : Vegetable Plants : Patio, Lawn & Garden
The light source I'm using:
Hydroponic Full Spectrum
cfl Grow Light Bulb 60 Watt Bulb 5500K H60
Source:
Amazon.com: Hydroponic Full Spectrum CFL Grow Light Bulb 60 Watt Bulb 5500K H60: Home Improvement
Original nutrient solution I was using (for tests 1-3):
General Hydroponics Flora Series QT - FloraGro, FloraBloom, and FloraMicro, 32 oz each
Source:
Amazon.com : General Hydroponics Flora Series QT - FloraGro, FloraBloom, and FloraMicro, 32 oz each : Hydroponic Fertilizers : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Nutrients for test 4:
1 qt. - Pure Blend Pro Grow - Vegetative Stimulator - Hydroponic Nutrient Solution - 3-1.5-4 NPK Ratio - Botanicare 718475
Source:
Amazon.com : 1 qt. - Pure Blend Pro Grow - Vegetative Stimulator - Hydroponic Nutrient Solution - 3-1.5-4 NPK Ratio - Botanicare 718475 : Fertilizers : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Air
pump:
Hydrofarm Air Pump 2 Outlets 3W 7.8L/min
Source:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Air stone:
Hydrofarm AS4RD 4-Inch Active Aqua Round Air Stone
Source:
Amazon.com : Hydrofarm AS4RD 4-Inch Active Aqua Round Air Stone : Patio, Lawn & Garden
PS- I'm sorry some of my pics are blurry. My phone camera has trouble focusing on small objects sadly. I worked on getting a clearer picture for a bit but had no luck. If it's really important let me know and I'll see if I can borrow my gf's camera for a nice clear pic of each plant.