Let’s Have Some Bad Hydroponics Fun!

Hydroponics? You’re growing drugs!?

No. I’m attempting to grow lettuce. This is going “okay” so far. Let’s have a little look.

Two Buckets. Two Seeds. Four Lights. Some Chopping Boards..?

Okay, this is a little weird, but they’re what I had to hand and are strong, sturdy, and, most importantly, FREE!

This is the basic layout for me, two buckets, a bad chopping board set up to hold up the four lights.
Two black buckets under a makeshift tent of old chopping boards being shone on by four lights. The bucket lids have holes in them with rock wool and seeds in baskets.
Two buckets in a makeshift tent of old chopping boards, this time the lights are clearly visible.

Oh, neat! How are you doing this..?

I’m using the Kratky Method, which people who read this thing might remember from The Start many Moons ago.

Basically, you stick water, nutrients in a bucket, make the roots kinda touch the water, but also have some of the roots above the water line so they can still get air without having to use an aeration system.

As for the how:

  • Got buckets.
  • Cut hole in lid of bucket number 1.
  • Realise the hole is too big.
  • Get a lid from something else to use as a washer and cut the right size hole in that.
  • Stick the washer to the bucket lid.
  • Cut the right size hole in bucket 2’s lid.
  • Put little baskets into the bucket lid holes.
  • Add rockwool to the baskets.
  • Put the nutrient mix into the bucket, and dissolve with a small amount of boiling water.
  • Fill the bucket up with cool water.
  • Add lids, baskets, and rockwool, seal the lids.
  • Make a list of what you did.
  • Add the seeds.
  • Realise you need to hang lights somewhere.
  • Find some old chopping boards you thought you had thrown out.
  • Set up a weird little tent thing and fix the lights to the ceiling of it.
  • Turn on the lights for 12 hours or so a day. (Turn on when wake up, turn off when go to bed.)

Now we’re on the wait for 6-7 weeks part. Week 2 started today!

So, that means it’s been going for about a week..?

Yes! There’s the first update!

A black bucket with a hole in the lid. In the hole in the lid is a basket with rock wool in it, and from that rock wool pokes out a tiny green sprout.
A black bucket with a hole in the lid, there is a clear plastic disk around the hole. In the hole in the lid is a basket with rock wool in it, and from that rock wool pokes out a tiny green sprout.

Tiny Sprouts Are Sprouting!

Just a few weeks to go before I can have cool, fresh lettuce to go rotten in my fridge. Wait….

Thanks for reading, everyone.

HQM