Kratky hydroponic high tunnel
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- Last spring I gave a tour of a new high tunnel we were in the process of outfitting with Kratky tanks and showed the assortment of crops we grow in there. One row in the center is a bato bucket setup for cucumbers. The tanks have lettuce, basil, boc choy, swiss chard, arugula, and water cress. You can purchase some of our lettuce on Ebay! www.ebay.com/i...
the fact that kratky is usable for small commercial scale is amazing
Small is relative. We make a full time income for a family of 4.
True. I think of multi-acre greenhouses when thinking of bigger-than-small scale. Well done and fair play to you!
Wow! Great and beautiful system. Thank you Ma’am for sharing.
Nice. Thank you. I'm growing in Florida, and the environment is very different from most of what I've seen in these videos. My long term objective is to build an aquaponic system, so on my way to that, I'm trying the Kratky method. What I've learned is that they need to be kept out of the rain (duh), and in Florida summer weather, shade cloth is a good thing.
Looks like a passive system...no pump no aeration pumps. Awesome. Thanks for sharing
Amazing idea !! nice plant!!thanks for sharing your great work!! Im your new subscriber now from Phillippines!!
Thanks and welcome
Awesome. Just found your channel. Your Pak choy is twice as big as mine. We have a group of gardeners who grow microgreens, hydroponics, Kratky, etc. Will introduce you and get a lot more people watching you, your set up is awesome. One cool guy is Peep Fassos, tell him MrDuzee sent you. You will meet a lot of cool characters and like minded people. I think we can learn a lot from each other.
you havnt said anything about your tanks or nutrients or hydroponics infact you are only braging about your set up vidio is a waste of time
Hello nice production I tried this once and it turned out great and I'm doing it again this winter
Great presentation. Well done. May I ask how deep your tanks are please? Not that I would ever do anything on that scale. You are very adventurous. I live in a drought area and watering plants with a hose is not allowed but as your system doesn’t waste water, I can’t see why I can’t try your Kratky system. Thanks and keep us up t9 date on how you are going. Good luck!
5.5" Standard 2x6 lumber.
That is one fine healthy roots your veggies have.
Beautifull
Amazing! How or where did you get a black styro sheet?
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
OK, what do I call you? I can’t pronounce the name of your channel. Your system looks amazing and I subbed you! The only thing I could suggest for your farm is that you change from rock wool to oasis. Rock wool doesn’t do quite as well for me. Plus it doesn’t biodegrade well. Oasis is made from a potato starch and I get about 99% Germination rate from it. I also compost it with whatever I throw in the compost from my system. Can’t wait to see more. I used to use the floating raft system until I found this trough system. The floating raft system is cheaper than the system I use since it uses very little electricity. But it seems my turnaround is faster on the plants with moving water. Take care and God bless. Chuck
Hi, We used oasis in the past and it did not work as well for us... It's cheaper too. Funny right? Our water is from a spring located on our property and pumped with solar power as well. In fact All the power on my farm is from solar panels so we use zero grid energy but could never run a NFT system affordably.
Bialecki Farms off grid sounds great. I run about 200 dollars worth of electricity from my greenhouses every month out there. I am on well water as well but I adjust my pH in the water from the time I start seeding until I harvest. I actuality think rock wool is cheaper than the oasis. I buy it by the pallet and it’s about 100 dollars less for the same # of 1” cubes.
I am hoping to get my well and some of my electrical draw supplied with solar in the next year or 2!
Chuck
Why is there a film inside the containers?
I just converted a soil tower over to a hydro tower..and chose Swiss Chard.in one of the levels and spinach in lower level.... fingers crossed
How did it turn Out?
@@small-timegarden They are going gang busters. The tower ended up being almost or more like an ebb n flow. I used a GreenStalk Tower to do this.
I have 2 of the tiers sitting on top of a 5 gallon bucket. There is a small submersible fountain pump in the bucket, bucket is filled with nutrient fluid. There is a 3/8" irrigation riser from the pump up through the center of the 2 tiers. at the top, I used one of the watering dishes that came with the tower ..and turned it into a very simple manifold. Adding little short pieces of 1/4" irrigation line from the manifold to each plant.
Each tier has 6 pockets... I took 32 ounce water bottles, cut the tops off so they're about 8" tall.. I wrapped each bottle with black landscape fabric to keep out the light. A 3" net cup fits perfect in the top. Each bottle I burned about 8 small holes (for overflow/drainage) around it circumference and the holes are about 4" up from the bottom of the bottle for drainage. And this way.. there is almost a perfect amount of air gap space as per the Kratky Method.. The timer right now is set to run only 3 cycles per day 5 minutes each. Temps are below 70F. So.. this is sort of an ebb n flow.or .nft.. combo.. *The bottom line.. the Plants are loving it.*
I do have many static "kratky* units sitting right next to this as well and at this time.. I would say the active "circulation", may be out pacing the static plants. Not by much, but there is some difference. I dont have a super control set up..so just eyeballing it.
One of the reasons I did this.. was because after I got the GreenStalk.. and I had filled 3 of the tiers with potting soil.. I arrived at the conclusion that WOW..That's a crazy amount of potting soil, It's really, really heavy, and and at the top of my list was..there was a *lot of space wasted space* below the first tier.. cause you cant really grow anything in the center of the 4 tiers below the top one.. Super super waste of space. That is the case with almost all of the commercial vertical soil base towers!
In fact.. many of the hydro vertical units..are wasting a lot material..as they DO NOT HAVE TO BE THAT LARGE IN CIRCUMFERENCE. The proof and validation of that is with those 4" round PVC vertical towers that everyone has built. I can get as much produce growing in once of them as a TowerGarden Aero garden unit.. I dont need to pay $550 to do it rofl. So I built one to prove it. I teach classes on the topic so I figured I should have live proof.
Anyways.. I would encourage EVERYONE to do this, or try to do this!
Awesome! Thank you,, great job....
Is all of your water the same PH or do you have seperate containers with different PH for each crop type?
Very nice.
Awesome grow. Besides cool weather, what else you do to keep water cool cause where I am, it can get to 3 digits in summer. Thank you.
Hello, I like watching your video, just wondering what is the deep of the water system, thank you.
What do you use for the tops? Plastic or foam. Can you share the material and where someone can get it?
3 Questions: 1) Do your hydro tables have any circulation or air stone? 2) grey tote/tubs..are they a version of "dutch bucket" timer set up? 3(This vid was in 3/18..how did they do in the tote set up? I've done Dutch Buckets and loved them. But always up for trying other ways to accomplish things.
what is the material used to line the beds?
thank you!
What is the solution you use and mesure .thanks you
Have you noticed the little white roots that develops on watercress between the leaf and the stem? I recently started some in a kratky system and those little roots are everywhere. I suppose it’s just trying to root itself. But it seems like it will be hard to harvest to not harvest the little roots. Have you encountered this problem?
When you first start you video, you show a row of buckets, what is white and in the bucket? What are you planting your cucumbers in?
Is there any aeration in your raft beds?
Hi! Love your setup. I grow kratky as well but only in my house. I am an aspiring market gardener and would love to utilize this method when I get up and running. My question is for your greens and lettuces, what is your EC or PPM'S?
We do not test, we just supply the nutrient per label. We use chem gro from hydrogardens.
I'd like to see how you created the tanks
They are just made of plywood and 2x6 nailed together with a plastic liner.
There are sooo many video's on RUclips on how to create "Wood" planters with the Pond Liner.
You got a build video for your table tanks
We will do one after winter ends.
May I ask if you need to worry about water turning bad/smelly as it is still for at least 6-8 weeks+? Or it won't because the water has been sterile with H2O2 or something?
Hello great job on everything would like to the size of your tables and are they all individual thank you in advance for your info
The tanks are 32" x 48". I have found doubles are the easiest to construct.
Did you try the arugula in its own tank? They might not be able to compete with the roots of the bok choy. So they'd be lacking nutrients. I love your system btw. It's my dream. Keep making videos! You do great!!
Yes, several times. Arugula grows, just not well.
Great video. Smart set up too. What material did you use to line your tanks?. Did you wrap the styro foam sheets with ground cover?
No styrofoam just the cover. here is a video of the lid construction. ruclips.net/video/AfgcE3MjMRE/видео.html
Nice operation. I noticed you have leveling adjustment on your table legs. What did you use for that? Install them?
Thanks
They are just a large bolt, washers, and nut. I drilled a whole to fit.
When you say plant is '3 weeks old' for example, you mean time from putting it in the system, or time from planting the seed, or from when it sprouted before you put it in the system? I find the 3 week old bok choi amazing, but because it takes at least several days to sprout, if you are counting from planting date, it has to be older- maybe 5 weeks from planting the seed?????.
They would be in the tank 3 weeks and sprouted just one week prior. This video is from June 2017. The plants get 16+ hours of sun that time of year and temps are still mild. Bok choy can grow very fast.
Nice video n very important I want to start green house like this.I want to know how to control ph n ec.can u explain me.thank u so much good luck
I do not test for it. I just use the recipe as listed on the bag of fertilizer. We use Chem gro lettuce formula hydro-gardens.com/product/lettuce-formula-25lbs-bag-8-15-36/
Thanks madam
Can you please suggest how to control fungus if stagnant water we will get fungus?
You must keep the water cooler. Less than 60F or 15C. If you cannot. You must aerate to increase oxygen. Our climate is cool to cold.
Do you use an air pump at all? These plants look wonderful!
No we do not.
Hello madam can you please suggest how will you giving the airiation for plants
We do not provide aeration. We utilize the Kratky Method, invented by Dr Kratky. here is a link to his channel. ruclips.net/channel/UCjwBvl5MXuQMziQL2_pQCPA
This method does not use electricity for water and air pumps
I use solar panels to pump all the water on the farm, we do not have air pumps.
Love the setup! What do you use for nutrients?
Chem gro from hydro gardens
What fertilizers are you using and pls are you running your hydroponics on electricity or not?
We use solar power to pump water. The farm has 6 100 watt panels.
We use Hydro gro from Hydrogardens. hydro-gardens.com/
Hydroponic water mixture for 5 gallons how to do
How do you keep algae out of your system before the plant shade the hole?
It's not been an issue. I suppose because the tanks are well covered.
is that a styrofoam or heat resistance thing?
great setup...how do you manage mosquitoes ?
You can use screen under the tray's but it looks like they have the water tank fully covered ie the "rafts" don't float they seem to be "Suspended" this "Blocks" the water under the raft. They have the rafts covered with the crop covers. She also stated in a previous comment that they are in a cool to cold climate so I also assume they just have less mosquito's in general.
If mosquitoes do pose an issue, mosquito dunks (BT) are a safe and harmless way to keep them from multiplying.
You can use screens, It hasn't been an issue for us however.
What are the rafts made of? Styrofoam?
What you use for air ration
WOW - what type of hydro solution are you using? Thanks in advance!
Chem gro from Hydrogardens hydro-gardens.com/product-category/fertilizers/
how often do you change the nutrient solution out in the Kratky beds?
We don't. The plants about empty the tanks and use up the water. To replant we just top them up with water and add new nutrient.
@@bialeckifarms3254 One of the great things about the Kratky method! You are doing a fantastic job on your farm with this setup. Congratulations!
@@debcobern312 Thanks!
Think about using rafts rather than tops. With Kratky you spend a lot more energy growing roots than with deep (5-6") water. Use 2" netpots in 1-3/4" holes. The bottom part of the netpot will just touch the solution.
Hello again in a previous video you said you don’t empty your water from tanks you just top them off do you just add the same amount of nutrients and fill the rest with water or is there a different way u calculate the nutrients
We just add the same each time.
I am just learning about all this. What are you using for your tops to your tanks that you drill the holes in for the plants? Thanks
The tops are made with heavy duty row cover stretched over a wood frame. (Like a painting). We burn the holes with a tourch.
Thank you! It is a wonderful set up!
Awesome! Are they for sale, or personal consumption?
We are a market farm.
How do you cool the high tunnel?
One side rolls up and we have 3 large windows in the end walls. So we get lots of natural ventilation.
How many milliliters of nutrients are in the tank
5" or 127MM
Hi , thanks for sharing , what are the dimensions of your floats and beds ? Is everything you grow in 2 inch net pots ?
They beds do not float. The lids are held in place by the tank sides. The spacing is 8x8
@@bialeckifarms3254 Thank for the reply ! What do you think is the ideal thickness should be of the non- float lids lol?
@@patto61 Thin as practical. Mine are just 1/2" think. Well the fabric is very thin. The wood support is only 1/2"
@@bialeckifarms3254 Thanks very much for that , your farm looks fantastic , I'm hoping to build up something similar myself .
@@patto61 Wish you the best of luck!
What material is the black plate where the baskets with the lettuces are placed
It is heavy duty row cover. We made a video.. ruclips.net/video/AfgcE3MjMRE/видео.html
how much distance between planting holes ?
They are 8 x 8
Nice setup, and your system looks great! Are you using plywood covered by landscape fabric for your tank tops?
They are built like a painting or window screen. Stapled and stretched tight.
Hello there, Bialecki, I am just wondering if you do an airstone of this method, thank you.
We do not have aeration in the tanks.
@@bialeckifarms3254 Thank you, God bless
What brand of nutrients do you use? I’m trying to do this for our household. Thank you
We use chem-gro from hydrogardens. Google it.
What nutrients formula you are using??
We use Chem-gro from Hydrogardens. hydro-gardens.com/product-category/fertilizers/chemgro/
how do you control the pests like aphids, white flies, mites? do you aerate the roots too?
We use ORMI listed pesticides if needed. Tho we don't have a huge issue. No we do not aerate.
We use the organic certified pesticides, Pyganic and Azagaurd. No aeration is needed in a Kratky system.
does this needs water pump?
No pump needed. We use the Dr. Kratky method.
What are those black boards that you use for planting boards?
They appear to be White foam insulation board with reflective back (1" thick), covered with Black landscape cloth. The first row had the plain insul board, and they may have covered for algae prevention and a cleaner look ( because that's what I do:)
Can you give table dimensions? Depth of the nutrient solution also
Normally I see the plant cups sitting in white styrofoam boards, yours is black, is this styrofoam or wood covered in plastic? Thanks for the video.
It is knit row cover stretched over a wood frame.
It also seems these are Suspended rafts not "Floating" rafts.
I use the Kratky system as invented by Dr Kratky. So Yes, the pots are suspended.
Great Video! Can you share how you made the frames and materials used? I tried 1x2 with landscape fabric and they ended up warping mid season. Thanks!!!
Here is a video we made of the lids.
ruclips.net/video/AfgcE3MjMRE/видео.html
It could be that the wood was so thick? On ours wood is 1 1/2" x 1/2" I get the best 2x4 lumber I can find in the pile and rip it into these strips then nail them together.
What do you add to the water?
Man maid fertilizers
Hello nice jope but l answer this sestem need air pump
We do not need an air pump, but our high temps are low. Never above 24c
What about ph??
I never worry about it. Tho, my water is close to neutral.
How to do Fertilizer ??
Add the fertilizer per the directions on the bag.
Why don't you guys use air pumps ,the plants would be bigger
Pumps are not needed for the Kratky system. The plants do very well.
Well I am just saying compare the two ,the air pump y are getting fast growth and a big plant
@@joelack2976 I grow tens of thousands of plants this way each year. It works very well.
How to grow watercress?
Same as lettuce. Use the same nutrient. Good luck. :)
whats the spacing on those lettuce?
8" x 8"
Thanks!!
hi i am from nepal i want lear hydroponics system shall get job your farm for few month
A fantastic offer, we however do not have accommodations for such requests.
What nutrient area using?
Hydro-Gardens Chem gro
Bialecki Farms thanks for info .
What are the correct NPK levels used?
Chem-gro from hydrogardens
I use it per label instructions.
is your kratky system aeraeted?
No it is not.
that mean the water is stagnant for a month maam??
@@keemzero4151 If you mean the water is in the tank for a month to 6 weeks then yes,
@@keemzero4151 I'm thinking your unfamiliar with the suspended pot method. You should google the university studies from B A Kratky.
i mean do you have pipes connected to your platform to deliver water and nutrients? or did you put the water on day upto cropping period?
Dddd
How deep your reservior tank?
depends on the crop.
You need to understand the Kratky Method. for example "1" head of lettuce uses about 1 gallon of solution if you have "12" heads or "16" heads of lettuce per bed you would need "12-16" Gallon's of water so the "Depth" would be w/e is required for you to hold 12-16 Gallon's of water. As the solution get's absorbed the root's grow downwards and they also produce a "Finer" root near the base of the plant to grow in the Humid Air space under the raft above to water to absorb the oxygen.