I grow lettuce Kratky style for our farmers market. I always wondered if adding air stones would be beneficial, but we are off grid and don't have the spare power for it. Even though I am a huge fan of Kratky, I am surprised at the results. Thank you so much for running this experiment!
A suggestion that may interest you, you can purchase solar powered air pumps relatively cheaply. I too have concerns about electricity use, so thats what I use. I have done a comparison of kratky vs DWC growing napa cabbage outdoors, and the DWC method using solar powered air stones does actually produce a healthier plant for me that grows slightly faster and gets less pests, at least when it comes to cabbage. With kratky I get brown roots, with DWC I get a much denser and crystal white root system with no chance of algae growth. One solar powered air pump can oxygenate multiple buckets fairly well, in my experience one $20 solar air pump can do up to 4 buckets if your hoses are short enough.
@@MouldySponge how long is your cabbage growing? For me, the lettuce is harvested after 8 weeks in the kratky tanks., and the roots are always beautiful white. I'm wondering if something that stays in the system longer would have darker roots over time.
@trishapomeroy9251 my cabbage in dwc took 10 weeks, and kratky about 15 weeks, to achieve a full head of cabbage. If you're not having any issues with your lettuce, then hey do what works for you, just thought I'd suggest these solar air pumps because they really helped me.
Love it❤. I feel even luckier that my outdoor Kratky lettuce tubs do so well. Light, ventilation for free, minimal pest control with organic (spinosad) spray and ant control outside of the tubs. A sheet of typical corrugated white plastic panel give perfect light/rain protection. My only downside is the heads are not tight, but rather snakey likely due to ambient heat and humidity near the beach in Hawaii. But they taste great and have fantastic roots. My kratky cucumbers, though , steel the show. I’ve learned so much from Mr. Hoocho, thank you so much 💚
Hi Hoocho, new here, loving the channel. You’re correct about 3d printing being cheaper, I wanted a hydroponic tower but in the uk a decent one is around £800. I brought a secondhand p1p for £300 and some filament and designed my own. Currently printing it at the moment and I recon with the coast of the printer and filament it’s going to coast me around £400 for the tower and I’ll have a 3d printer out of it to make more stuff.
And you’ve got everything you need to print replacement parts or upgrades! Ordering replacement parts from the manufacturer can be a huge and expensive PITA
It's actually cheaper than your calculations, because you have to amortize the cost of that 3D printer into its entire lifetime and all of the things you print with it. Over the course of, let's say, 10 years, that 3D printer's cost goes pretty much to zero.
I'm, also in the UK and did the same (but I had already built my own printer). Started with a single tower - now I have 3 (each with their own reservoir and pump). So I can have different nutrients and PH levels in each one to suit different plants. The mistake I made was to use white PET-G and I have a bit of an algae problem. I'll likely just end up painting the parts black but in hindsight, should have used black filament from the outset.
@@deckingman maybe printing mine in white is a mistake, I have used esun solid white as I was worried about the heat with black. Maybe should have gone grey?
@@milkybaravengerThe glass transition temperature (where the plastic starts to soften) for PLA is 60 Deg C. You might just reach that on the rare hot days we get in the UK, if the parts were in full sun. But then the nutrient solution cascading down the tower should keep it cool, even under those conditions. Even so, I elected to PET-G which has a glass transition temperature of 85 Deg C. ABS would be better still but has a tendency to warp unless you have a heated chamber.
Further improvement, add a hole to the 3D print lid, so you can insert a support rod for veggies that require it. Can start off with a small hole. So if someone needs a larger one for a garden stake, they can take a large drill bit, and the small hole would be a good guide. Fantastic video as always.
The Kratky system can be far superior to Deep Water Culture (DWC) if you can master two key aspects: 1. **Fine-tune the nutrient EC to the specific plant you are growing.** Since the plant roots are soaking in the nutrient solution 24/7, "less is better." Start with an EC of 0.5 (250 ppm on the 500 scale) and evaluate the results at the end of harvest. Then adjust the nutrient solution to EC 0.6 for the next crop and evaluate it again at the end of harvest. Continue this process, increasing the nutrient solution by 0.1 EC for each successive crop. The end-of-harvest evaluation should include the physical appearance of the plant and the taste of the produce. 2. **Use large containers, as "more is better."** You want to avoid running out of nutrient solution before harvesting your crop. For crops like lettuce, use a 5-gallon container and limit your grow to one plant. Evaluate the plant at the end of harvest, noting how much nutrient solution was left in the container and the physical appearance of the roots. If you have more than half of the nutrient solution remaining at the end of harvest, you can increase the plant count by one for the next crop, with a maximum of two plants per container. Avoid topping off or adding nutrient solution during your grow, as this will cover the air roots that develop as the nutrient solution decreases, potentially drowning and killing your plant.
@@hodgeac When people don’t have years of experience growing with both Kratky and DWC, they tend to believe that DWC is far superior because it’s what is pushed in social media. How labor intensive and a pain it is to change out the DWC bucket’s nutrient solution every 2 weeks? Try changing the nutrient solution of 20 five gallon buckets every 2 week, that’s 100 gallons of nutrient solution. Have you tried running DWC outdoors or off grid? Have you experienced air pump failures? Have you experienced pH fluctuations and constantly had to adjust the pH. Have you experienced Pythium root rot because you didn’t sterilize your air stone and air tubing? The Kratky system has none of those shortcomings.
Yeah, you can refill Kratky systems to a degree. Dr. Kratky even has his diy float valves made from yogurt containers and foam that keep the solution at about 50%.
The episode I wanted. Thank you. Edited: I think DWC should be kept topped up, In very warm cultivations like mine the Kratky does not do well, The root rot occurs. Maybe there is not that of a different for leafy greens , but for bigger plants like Peppers the extra oxygen do a large benefit (found from my experiments). I don't think home growers need DWC but for commercial growers need it . I don't think this is a fair comparison. Please try to do a one more comparison with lower mistakes(don't forget to top up) and with few different plant types. :)
Yeah uh... if the nutrient mix is getting depleted that much, that's not deep water culture, that's an aerated kratky system. Deep water systems need the water level needs to be maintained consistently so that it never drops. By any amount. The roots need full submersion at all times. But yes, DWC is a more complicated setup. 100%. It's not really a good method for small-scale usage.
I have grown tomatoes and peppers successfully using Kratky method. I do not see any reason to use DWC, it just adds more complexity into the mix. I got about 1000 tomatoes and peppers from 6 containers. I forgot to use a fan, and that was the reason I have to start over. The production of fruits are great.
Im doing lettuce in a foam broccoli box it has four holes net cups have biodegradable nursery bag in them filled with coco coir and perlite and then topped up with anarchy nutrients
really not just dwc, but generally how to compare and market the results. I dont get people who have an agenda, when a fair comparison would actually be interesting.
@@o.suzuki8735 Thats because no has enough experience with both systems to do a comparison without having some kind of bias involved. Which this guy clearly does.
As always , thanks for the great vid! I live in an apt with limited indoor grow space. Kratky has been my go to for ease of setup and ease of maintenance. For much of what im growing a no refill set and forget Dr Kratky special hits the sweet spot of space and ease. I do have a few aeroclone/dwc boxes and those are great for longer growing projects but those need more care across the grow. I recently 3d printed the Hooc Vertical Light Saber Of Leafy Greens and am about ready to set it up, im curios to see how that fairs. Thanks again for the inspiration.
Modified Kratky seems the best of both worlds to me.. use a float valve system to maintain the water level at a low ish level leaving plenty of room for air roots. No maintenance hassles, set and forget and you can grow longer life stuff like chillies and tomatoes
That i agree sir , lower nutrient in the beginning as the seedlings does not need so much when they are young. As grow and forget occurs, evaporation take place, the nutrients get concentrated and is just nice for the adult veg.
im hoping u see this comment hoochoo! one test i did was running the air pumps 24 7 vs only having them pump on a couple times a day. the couple times a day is basicly what i call kratky+ becuase i got really good results doing this and it even saves energy :P
@garden_dork How, exactly, do you know that it costs 55 cents to run the pump all day vs only for a little while? Even assuming it's the exact same pump as the one Hoocho uses, where the above commenter lives has an impact on how much energy costs him. Besides, 55 cents is 55 cents. Plus, if they run enough devices where brown outs are a possibility, then having the pumps run only briefly helps with that.
I live in a relatively hot climate (middle of Brazil), the problem with heat it's more than only roots, which is the point of dwc, I don't know exactly what setup u used, but maybe adding extra ventilation and a light diffuser to inhibit some of the light from burning the plants would help, plants are very resilient if given close to what they need, I had tomatoes grown from 200ml that gave me fruits
The buckets are looking great mate, but you've got to upgrade to one of gathera's new netcups! Made for 34mm diameter holes, will solve all your algae issues!
I think the biggest issue people are going to take is that you setup and ran the kratky systems the way they are supposed to be run but didn’t run the DWC systems the way they are supposed to be run. It shouldn’t be called a comparison between the 2 methods and more so a test to see if a bubbler aids kratky production, which in this example it doesn’t. That being said I like the prints and that’s what I’m really here for. It would be cool if you could find a way for us to use the prints for even smaller beds. Like some kinda modular setup
@@kiwisoup1 Adding even more complexity to an already unnecessarily complex system. Did you even LOOK at the Kratky lettuce????? Why bother with all the other stuff?
@@tvideo1189 that’s not the point. The point is you can’t take a higher maintenance system, not put the maintenance in and then say “see it doesn’t work.” if you want to kratky lettuce then do it that way, but if you like tending to things then giving DWC an actually fair shot is worth considering. I would rather he does it right to present a fair comparison so people have an easier time deciding for themselves which they prefer
For me the simplicity of Kratky set and forget is why I grow Kratky as most of the time I am away somewhere. The only issue with Kratky is the plants you can't grow with it. Having said that since growing Kratky I haven't bought leafy greens for a long time. Glad you are flying along Hoocho after a few roads bumps 😊
Dude, this is not DWC. In a DWC system there is no air gap above the roots. The roots always fully submerged into water and receive all the necessary oxygen only from the bubbler. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_water_culture You built the Kratky system, only with bubbles.
I think since the water level dropped so much the deep water culture is no longer "deep". Think it would have done much better if you topped it off periodically, though I understand the purpose of the experiment was set and forget. Cannot forget about systems that require attention....deep water is one of those systems.
I will see you next time on Hoocho's, that my friend is a fact. I love you approach and that you are willing to revisit a topic with new methods. It really helps inform, us the audience, that there I no perfect solution and they different methods may work really well in different circumstances. The root development in this DWC is far different than what I have seen in my own, but it is just a reminder that our plants are as varied in temperament as our pets and sometimes, they just do the damnedest things despite us doing everything the same as prior efforts.
ive seen in another video that its possible to measue the light with a smartphone app, and it seemed to be relatively accurate. So thats probably a good alternative to buying a 300$ device if you just need to tend to a small setup
If you go to any effort to set up air pumps, its not to much to ask for an autofill float valve from a reservoir of nutrient solution to make the deep water culture system stay topped off with gravity alone. That would be a better comparison cause the dwc would stay dwc and not some hybrid dwc/kratky. This proves hybird dwc-kratky is bad.
BIG DOG!!!! IT'S TIME!!! THE VIDEO WE HAVE ALL WAITED FOR!!! I grow my chillies in dwc. I've always wanted to know the difference and if it's worth going to kratky
@@waiojitsu my peppers do extremely well in kratky, even with topping off. I have 8 thai chili peppers right now that just keep giving me loads of chilis
Given those results, my questions now would be how many days does it take to grow the head of lettuce, and how many litres of nutrient solution is required per head of lettuce? Personally, I would be inclined to use smaller containers with one head each, then stagger the start of each head of lettuce to create a perpetual source. Hoocho, I know you're growing on a much larger scale, but I'd love to see the instructions laid out for a "minimum viable product" for someone to grow with this method in the simplest possible way where the only goal is a fresh head of lettuce ready to harvest every day. And if you're staggering the start of each head of lettuce, I think a separate container for each one makes more sense. Or maybe netcups of different depths?
Check out kratkys scientific paper www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaii/downloads/A_Suspended_Pot_Non-circulating_Hydroponic_method.pdf It has all the info you need. 4L per head. So just make the buckets/pots 4L Should be done within a month.
@semosesam actually, you are better to grow your smaller crops like lettuce, in a wider multiple planting situation. They really do not care about sharing (as long as they have room for their leaves). It is a lot less work, particularly if you will need to top up during the grow. In my peak growing season, I generally only need to check on my plants once a week, I like the lazy gardening. That means larger containers, and not a lot of little containers, which is a stupid amount of work.
Hey Hoocho. Absolutely love your videos. I have a question/thought. If you were to do this with one of the float valve systems, would the DWC have a better result? Based on the root growth on them, the bubbles splashing water on the roots at the earlier stages, and progressively shifting away as the water level dropped seems to have stunted the growth.
There are a few ac/battery powered air pumps, when the ac/grid fails the battery pump takes over and will supply air during outage. Simple plug in air to a one way valve and tee it into current air system. Also one way valve the ac/grid pump to keep from leakage while batt pump is operating 😉
should do vid on the Photone app - or other PAR measuring apps for phones (and plain old lux meters) - they are good enough for most of us that only need to use a few times a year.
Hey Hoocho, I got my ec reader. Just wondering what reader would indicate a high nutrient in the water? So I I’ll know whether to add nutrient or water. Thanks so much for your help. Gonna buy some nutrient from your shop too!
i would say it would be best to also have a second test this with the deep water culture closer to the fan and the kratky away from the fan and see if it is the fan was a factor in the results
How are you, mate? Speaking of DWC. I wanted to ask you something. Seeing how you've probably tried and experimented with just about every hydro nutrient there is. I'm looking for a cal-mag supplement with a 0-0-0 NPK profile. Mainly one without nitrogen. Meaning Calcium Chloride instead of Calcium Nitrate, most likely. Are you aware of any good ones available in Oz? I've been looking and the only ones I see are all in US. Nothing here.
@@youtubetruthlife4750 It's not hard, you're just lazy. You add a float valve to a bucket and add a neighboring bucket to siphon. Just fixed your lazy I don't want to top off every day problem.
Yep, DWC adds complexity to the process. I have great harvest of tomatoes and peppers with Kratky method, so no need for me to go DWC unless i like to punish myself.
In Deep Water Culture (DWC) systems, supplementing oxygen using an air pump can help maintain a more stable pH. Here's how it works: Increased Oxygen Levels: Air pumps enhance oxygen availability in the nutrient solution, which promotes healthier root systems and encourages beneficial microbial activity. Microbial Balance: Healthy microbial populations can help stabilize pH levels by breaking down organic matter and preventing the buildup of harmful substances. Root Health: Oxygen-rich environments support root health, which can contribute to more efficient nutrient uptake, potentially leading to fewer fluctuations in pH. Nutrient Stability: When roots are healthy and nutrient uptake is optimized, the overall nutrient balance can remain stable, further aiding in pH stability. While an air pump can help, it's important to regularly monitor and adjust pH levels as needed, as other factors (like nutrient concentration and water temperature) also influence pH stability.
Surprising, but pleasing result - Kratky for the win! I am only a Kratky grower. After the learning curve, it is so easy. And if you live in an area with frequent power failures, it is essential. Now, I will add a new bit of information to your Kratky adventures. That is, low wide containers work better than tall deep ones. If you look at Bernie's (Dr Kratky's) videos, you will see he favours larger reservoirs, multi-plant beds, and also float valves. The reason why the low wide containers work better (even without float valves) is that the water level drops more slowly. This calculation I worked out, and my online friend Bill also proved by experimentation, I just provided the numbers to prove his observations. Short term crops should not need topping up, but longer crops do need it, and the caution there is not to replenish too high, leave at least 5cm below the bottom of the net cup so as not to drown the air roots (certain death in Kratky land). For warmer weather, always err for a weaker mix of nutrients, as the plants will uptake more water, leaving a stronger brew in the reservoir leading to nutrient burn. It's the ultimate 'less is more'. I generally set up my plants (even in very active growing season) to just monitor or top up once per week. I like the lazy gardening aspect. I see people do Kratky it in ridiculously small containers that need topping up daily, so if one likes creating work for themselves, follow that silly format. The only perennials that I have in Kratky are strawberries, and they do well, I do not even do anything for them over winter, just replenish the nutrients at Spring and let them get on with it. I was concerned about Winter, we have some hard frost, but they were fine with it. It may be different if you live in a snow area.
I wouldn't have guessed that result either. Lettuce is well known to perform very well with low oxygen content in the root zone, i wonder how much that factor played in the final result Also a 3d printer would have saved me a lot of time and money when i was seriously experimenting with hydroponic and water filtration a decade ago, and it's nice to see someone talking about ventilation, since plants need light, nutrients, water and... air!!! - everybody wants the best nutes, light or wtv but how many have really invested in ventilation
Love the information you've provided for the Kratky grow. I've grown indeterminate tomatoes with and without the Kratky method and then placed the plants in a bed in my garden to prepare my grow tent for a new set up. Those plants are now producing new blossoms and are growing great.
Hi Hoocho! You have inspired hubby and I and we now have a small nft (I think) and a kratky grow tower! I already have it started and growing. A week in. Did nutrients already when planted and adjusted ph. I am struggling with how to work out the nutrient I need to add to maintain feeding. How do I know how much to add each week when I top up water?
ideally use an EC Meter to monitor the nutrient solution. Just top up with full strength nutrient. And if the EC is getting high in the res just add water.
@@Hoocho oh awesome thanks so much! I have to get an ec reader, thought I had one but nope just a tds. What is a good ec reading, so I know what I should go off? 😁
Hey hoocho i know in past videos youve made mention of wanting to be able to ship your prodocus to the us in the meantime do you know where in the states we can get the nutrients you use i would love to get sone and try
14:50 Up until there was a difference because the DWC ran out of nutrient solution, they were the same. I think an air stone helps prevent root rot of which neither got because the temperatures were reasonable because these plants were grown inside.
Since your experiment with krakty tomatoes i really dont see the point with DWC and airpumps. I much prefered the dutch bucket system which i now use and wicking raingutter grow, both only leaving a single reservoir to be check and topped, and just using a krakty for simplicity and not having to setup, waste power and money with airpumps
Asked this before but no answer, has anyone measured the oestrogen mimicking chemical levels leaching out of the plastic containers into the produce? Even food grade has some, but these are cheap non food grade. There are many chemicals of concern, but especially BPF?
@@robertcatanzaro2982 does your potting mix come in plastic bags? What are your pots made of? Recycled plastic? These are virgin plastic food safe containers in this video.
I found this out by accident with lettuce. I had just started experimenting with DWC and had been lightly harvesting as needed with decent results. Well lets just say one of my stubborn boys(cat) got into my grow room while I was at work and decided that my lettuce was a good place to take a nap, crushing all my plants in the container. I was discouraged about it so I just unplugged the air pump and let it sit until I would get a chance to clean in out and start over. Fast forward a week due to work and I was surprised to discover that the lettuce had come back into, and on top of that was doing better than it had been initially! So I left it in its current Kratky state and flourished. Haven't even thought about DWC with lettuce since.
It is hard to beat a "set it up, then harvest the lettuce" ease of the Kratky method. Why in the world would you bother with air pumps, air stones, tubing, running electricity, etc. when you can just plop the lettuce in the Kratky pots and that's it. I don't get it. Where is the value in the pump method????
Dude this guy is growing a few heads of lettuce under a very expensive light blasting it with probably hundreds of dollars of Australian priced electricity and measuring his pH with an electric pH meter worth hundreds of dollars in a system that is 3d printed with even more expensive electricity. I'm pretty sure you can run a dwc system with less electricity than this and get way better results.
Blueberries are perennials, perennials are a bit trickier to deal with (although I do my strawberries in kratky). But blueberries are more of a small bush, vs strawberries, small plant.
This is interesting. I just got into hydroponics last year by printing my own tower. It worked very well so I printed two more towers. But this year, lettuce that grew well last year have really struggled, and just like yours, the roots are really under developed, brown, and not at all healthy. The only major difference is that I added an air pump. I use a flood and drain method because energy is so expensive here in the UK and it would cost too much to have the pumps run continuously. That is to say, the nutrient pumps start every 15 minutes and run for 5 seconds per degree C of ambient temperature (so the warmer the ambient, the longer the pumps run). When the nutrient pumps stop, the air pump starts and pumps air into the nutrient solution via an air stone for 2 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes in every 15). So I'm just wondering if something is going on with pumping air into the nutrient solution. Is it causing some sort of chemical reaction? Does it affect PH? The fact that you saw problems using DWC with an air pump, and I'm seeing the same issues using flood and drain towers with an air pump, is a bit too much of a coincidence.
It's just called non-circulating hydroponics. Bernard Kratky did not invent non-circulating hydroponics. Non-circulating hydroponics was being done centuries before Bernard Kratky was even born.
I grow lettuce Kratky style for our farmers market. I always wondered if adding air stones would be beneficial, but we are off grid and don't have the spare power for it. Even though I am a huge fan of Kratky, I am surprised at the results. Thank you so much for running this experiment!
google "Solar air pump" there are a bunch of solar air pumps for under $30.
A suggestion that may interest you, you can purchase solar powered air pumps relatively cheaply. I too have concerns about electricity use, so thats what I use. I have done a comparison of kratky vs DWC growing napa cabbage outdoors, and the DWC method using solar powered air stones does actually produce a healthier plant for me that grows slightly faster and gets less pests, at least when it comes to cabbage. With kratky I get brown roots, with DWC I get a much denser and crystal white root system with no chance of algae growth. One solar powered air pump can oxygenate multiple buckets fairly well, in my experience one $20 solar air pump can do up to 4 buckets if your hoses are short enough.
@@MouldySponge how long is your cabbage growing? For me, the lettuce is harvested after 8 weeks in the kratky tanks., and the roots are always beautiful white. I'm wondering if something that stays in the system longer would have darker roots over time.
@trishapomeroy9251 my cabbage in dwc took 10 weeks, and kratky about 15 weeks, to achieve a full head of cabbage. If you're not having any issues with your lettuce, then hey do what works for you, just thought I'd suggest these solar air pumps because they really helped me.
@@MouldySponge that's a significant time difference! WOW! Thanks for the info
Love it❤. I feel even luckier that my outdoor Kratky lettuce tubs do so well. Light, ventilation for free, minimal pest control with organic (spinosad) spray and ant control outside of the tubs. A sheet of typical corrugated white plastic panel give perfect light/rain protection. My only downside is the heads are not tight, but rather snakey likely due to ambient heat and humidity near the beach in Hawaii. But they taste great and have fantastic roots. My kratky cucumbers, though , steel the show. I’ve learned so much from Mr. Hoocho, thank you so much 💚
Thanks for doing this, basil grows really well in a Kratky system...
So does cannabis actually
Hi Hoocho, new here, loving the channel. You’re correct about 3d printing being cheaper, I wanted a hydroponic tower but in the uk a decent one is around £800. I brought a secondhand p1p for £300 and some filament and designed my own. Currently printing it at the moment and I recon with the coast of the printer and filament it’s going to coast me around £400 for the tower and I’ll have a 3d printer out of it to make more stuff.
And you’ve got everything you need to print replacement parts or upgrades! Ordering replacement parts from the manufacturer can be a huge and expensive PITA
It's actually cheaper than your calculations, because you have to amortize the cost of that 3D printer into its entire lifetime and all of the things you print with it. Over the course of, let's say, 10 years, that 3D printer's cost goes pretty much to zero.
I'm, also in the UK and did the same (but I had already built my own printer). Started with a single tower - now I have 3 (each with their own reservoir and pump). So I can have different nutrients and PH levels in each one to suit different plants. The mistake I made was to use white PET-G and I have a bit of an algae problem. I'll likely just end up painting the parts black but in hindsight, should have used black filament from the outset.
@@deckingman maybe printing mine in white is a mistake, I have used esun solid white as I was worried about the heat with black. Maybe should have gone grey?
@@milkybaravengerThe glass transition temperature (where the plastic starts to soften) for PLA is 60 Deg C. You might just reach that on the rare hot days we get in the UK, if the parts were in full sun. But then the nutrient solution cascading down the tower should keep it cool, even under those conditions. Even so, I elected to PET-G which has a glass transition temperature of 85 Deg C. ABS would be better still but has a tendency to warp unless you have a heated chamber.
Further improvement, add a hole to the 3D print lid, so you can insert a support rod for veggies that require it. Can start off with a small hole. So if someone needs a larger one for a garden stake, they can take a large drill bit, and the small hole would be a good guide.
Fantastic video as always.
Always keep your air pump above the water line. No additional parts needed. And ya, you need to top up DWC.
It's not really deep water culture if the water level drops...
It depends what air pump and air line you're using. But if you have a working check valve, it doesn't really matter.
The Kratky system can be far superior to Deep Water Culture (DWC) if you can master two key aspects:
1. **Fine-tune the nutrient EC to the specific plant you are growing.** Since the plant roots are soaking in the nutrient solution 24/7, "less is better." Start with an EC of 0.5 (250 ppm on the 500 scale) and evaluate the results at the end of harvest. Then adjust the nutrient solution to EC 0.6 for the next crop and evaluate it again at the end of harvest. Continue this process, increasing the nutrient solution by 0.1 EC for each successive crop. The end-of-harvest evaluation should include the physical appearance of the plant and the taste of the produce.
2. **Use large containers, as "more is better."** You want to avoid running out of nutrient solution before harvesting your crop. For crops like lettuce, use a 5-gallon container and limit your grow to one plant. Evaluate the plant at the end of harvest, noting how much nutrient solution was left in the container and the physical appearance of the roots. If you have more than half of the nutrient solution remaining at the end of harvest, you can increase the plant count by one for the next crop, with a maximum of two plants per container. Avoid topping off or adding nutrient solution during your grow, as this will cover the air roots that develop as the nutrient solution decreases, potentially drowning and killing your plant.
Great explanation! Thank you! I love growing with the kratky method and your detailed tips are very helpful.
No chance. DWC is effectively Kratky with a constantly oxygenated nutrient. The two "key aspects" you mention are both applicable to DWC as well.
@@hodgeac When people don’t have years of experience growing with both Kratky and DWC, they tend to believe that DWC is far superior because it’s what is pushed in social media.
How labor intensive and a pain it is to change out the DWC bucket’s nutrient solution every 2 weeks? Try changing the nutrient solution of 20 five gallon buckets every 2 week, that’s 100 gallons of nutrient solution. Have you tried running DWC outdoors or off grid?
Have you experienced air pump failures?
Have you experienced pH fluctuations and constantly had to adjust the pH.
Have you experienced Pythium root rot because you didn’t sterilize your air stone and air tubing?
The Kratky system has none of those shortcomings.
kratky is great and you can refill, i do it all the time, just make sure you dont fill it too high. Some plants are more forgiving then others.
Yeah, you can refill Kratky systems to a degree. Dr. Kratky even has his diy float valves made from yogurt containers and foam that keep the solution at about 50%.
The episode I wanted. Thank you.
Edited: I think DWC should be kept topped up, In very warm cultivations like mine the Kratky does not do well, The root rot occurs. Maybe there is not that of a different for leafy greens , but for bigger plants like Peppers the extra oxygen do a large benefit (found from my experiments). I don't think home growers need DWC but for commercial growers need it .
I don't think this is a fair comparison. Please try to do a one more comparison with lower mistakes(don't forget to top up) and with few different plant types. :)
Kratky was developed in warm humid Hawaii. It can work in these conditions. I use it in Florida.
My lettuce is in DWC. I keep my water level the same through the entire grow.
Yeah uh... if the nutrient mix is getting depleted that much, that's not deep water culture, that's an aerated kratky system. Deep water systems need the water level needs to be maintained consistently so that it never drops. By any amount. The roots need full submersion at all times.
But yes, DWC is a more complicated setup. 100%. It's not really a good method for small-scale usage.
I have grown tomatoes and peppers successfully using Kratky method. I do not see any reason to use DWC, it just adds more complexity into the mix. I got about 1000 tomatoes and peppers from 6 containers. I forgot to use a fan, and that was the reason I have to start over. The production of fruits are great.
That's because you have people like this whom have zero experience with DWC, or RDWC making videos.
Isn't it kind of important to keep the water level in a DWC system? At about 80%...
Thanks for inspiring me to design and 3d print my own net cups. I never realised bunnings buckets were so cheap!
Im doing lettuce in a foam broccoli box it has four holes net cups have biodegradable nursery bag in them filled with coco coir and perlite and then topped up with anarchy nutrients
DWC should be kept topped up. I'm not sure how he keeps misunderstanding DWC.
really not just dwc, but generally how to compare and market the results. I dont get people who have an agenda, when a fair comparison would actually be interesting.
@@o.suzuki8735 Thats because no has enough experience with both systems to do a comparison without having some kind of bias involved. Which this guy clearly does.
Amazing results and great testing. The 3d printed lids are among my favorites of your designs. Will be trying them out soon!
What a weird world! Less than 24 hours from Hooch posting the video I am sitting here with a couple new Kratky buckets with lettuce in them.
God speed little fellas!
I’m loving the first person camera angles.
As always , thanks for the great vid! I live in an apt with limited indoor grow space. Kratky has been my go to for ease of setup and ease of maintenance. For much of what im growing a no refill set and forget Dr Kratky special hits the sweet spot of space and ease. I do have a few aeroclone/dwc boxes and those are great for longer growing projects but those need more care across the grow.
I recently 3d printed the Hooc Vertical Light Saber Of Leafy Greens and am about ready to set it up, im curios to see how that fairs.
Thanks again for the inspiration.
Modified Kratky seems the best of both worlds to me.. use a float valve system to maintain the water level at a low ish level leaving plenty of room for air roots. No maintenance hassles, set and forget and you can grow longer life stuff like chillies and tomatoes
That i agree sir , lower nutrient in the beginning as the seedlings does not need so much when they are young. As grow and forget occurs, evaporation take place, the nutrients get concentrated and is just nice for the adult veg.
In my experience, Kratky demands 60-80% of the EC Level you would apply on a DWC system. Regardless of the plant you grow.
Really?!! So dilute even more?!! Am I understanding what you are saying correctly?
@@trishapomeroy9251 yes! 1000-1300 EC value. First 2-3 weeks only 700 and in the 4th week up to 1100
@@trishapomeroy9251 YES
im hoping u see this comment hoochoo! one test i did was running the air pumps 24 7 vs only having them pump on a couple times a day. the couple times a day is basicly what i call kratky+ becuase i got really good results doing this and it even saves energy :P
Yeah you saved a total of 55cents
@garden_dork How, exactly, do you know that it costs 55 cents to run the pump all day vs only for a little while? Even assuming it's the exact same pump as the one Hoocho uses, where the above commenter lives has an impact on how much energy costs him. Besides, 55 cents is 55 cents. Plus, if they run enough devices where brown outs are a possibility, then having the pumps run only briefly helps with that.
@@mrmosey-kp3cu an air pump does no use a lot of power, complaining how much energy it produces is cheap
isn't DWC better for warmer climates. My Kratky strawberries and watermelons all flopped due to the heat.
I live in a relatively hot climate (middle of Brazil), the problem with heat it's more than only roots, which is the point of dwc, I don't know exactly what setup u used, but maybe adding extra ventilation and a light diffuser to inhibit some of the light from burning the plants would help, plants are very resilient if given close to what they need, I had tomatoes grown from 200ml that gave me fruits
The buckets are looking great mate, but you've got to upgrade to one of gathera's new netcups! Made for 34mm diameter holes, will solve all your algae issues!
I think the biggest issue people are going to take is that you setup and ran the kratky systems the way they are supposed to be run but didn’t run the DWC systems the way they are supposed to be run. It shouldn’t be called a comparison between the 2 methods and more so a test to see if a bubbler aids kratky production, which in this example it doesn’t. That being said I like the prints and that’s what I’m really here for. It would be cool if you could find a way for us to use the prints for even smaller beds. Like some kinda modular setup
Yep. Hoocho you pretty much want to keep the DWC regularly topped up at the same level. Some kind of automatic top up system would have worked well.
@@kiwisoup1 Adding even more complexity to an already unnecessarily complex system. Did you even LOOK at the Kratky lettuce????? Why bother with all the other stuff?
If u like to print in smaller 3d printers, u could snap the models and glue them together after
@@tvideo1189 that’s not the point. The point is you can’t take a higher maintenance system, not put the maintenance in and then say “see it doesn’t work.” if you want to kratky lettuce then do it that way, but if you like tending to things then giving DWC an actually fair shot is worth considering. I would rather he does it right to present a fair comparison so people have an easier time deciding for themselves which they prefer
For me the simplicity of Kratky set and forget is why I grow Kratky as most of the time I am away somewhere. The only issue with Kratky is the plants you can't grow with it. Having said that since growing Kratky I haven't bought leafy greens for a long time. Glad you are flying along Hoocho after a few roads bumps 😊
Dude, this is not DWC. In a DWC system there is no air gap above the roots. The roots always fully submerged into water and receive all the necessary oxygen only from the bubbler.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_water_culture
You built the Kratky system, only with bubbles.
I love this channel but was thinking the same thing.
I think since the water level dropped so much the deep water culture is no longer "deep". Think it would have done much better if you topped it off periodically, though I understand the purpose of the experiment was set and forget. Cannot forget about systems that require attention....deep water is one of those systems.
I will see you next time on Hoocho's, that my friend is a fact. I love you approach and that you are willing to revisit a topic with new methods. It really helps inform, us the audience, that there I no perfect solution and they different methods may work really well in different circumstances. The root development in this DWC is far different than what I have seen in my own, but it is just a reminder that our plants are as varied in temperament as our pets and sometimes, they just do the damnedest things despite us doing everything the same as prior efforts.
@hoocho When scaling, try using the measuring tool in bambu studio to double check the size before printing :)
Thankyou for this
ive seen in another video that its possible to measue the light with a smartphone app, and it seemed to be relatively accurate. So thats probably a good alternative to buying a 300$ device if you just need to tend to a small setup
I'm getting .7 ec with masterblend tomato formula and tap water. Seems too low but it's working so far. Sets are a few weeks from harvest.
If you go to any effort to set up air pumps, its not to much to ask for an autofill float valve from a reservoir of nutrient solution to make the deep water culture system stay topped off with gravity alone. That would be a better comparison cause the dwc would stay dwc and not some hybrid dwc/kratky. This proves hybird dwc-kratky is bad.
First time I've seen a video where kratky came out on top, which is great, because I love the set and forget
BIG DOG!!!! IT'S TIME!!! THE VIDEO WE HAVE ALL WAITED FOR!!! I grow my chillies in dwc. I've always wanted to know the difference and if it's worth going to kratky
Give it a go, I’d highly recommend RGGS with coco, my peppers are thriving in it 😂 made some hot sauce yesterday.
Might have to make a hot sauce ep
If you have to refill nutrient and water into the system, you are safer with DWC. For salads and some herbs, definitely Kratky!
Jaaa@@Hoocho
@@Hoocho yes please!
@@waiojitsu my peppers do extremely well in kratky, even with topping off. I have 8 thai chili peppers right now that just keep giving me loads of chilis
Given those results, my questions now would be how many days does it take to grow the head of lettuce, and how many litres of nutrient solution is required per head of lettuce? Personally, I would be inclined to use smaller containers with one head each, then stagger the start of each head of lettuce to create a perpetual source. Hoocho, I know you're growing on a much larger scale, but I'd love to see the instructions laid out for a "minimum viable product" for someone to grow with this method in the simplest possible way where the only goal is a fresh head of lettuce ready to harvest every day. And if you're staggering the start of each head of lettuce, I think a separate container for each one makes more sense. Or maybe netcups of different depths?
Check out kratkys scientific paper
www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaii/downloads/A_Suspended_Pot_Non-circulating_Hydroponic_method.pdf
It has all the info you need.
4L per head.
So just make the buckets/pots 4L
Should be done within a month.
@semosesam actually, you are better to grow your smaller crops like lettuce, in a wider multiple planting situation. They really do not care about sharing (as long as they have room for their leaves). It is a lot less work, particularly if you will need to top up during the grow. In my peak growing season, I generally only need to check on my plants once a week, I like the lazy gardening. That means larger containers, and not a lot of little containers, which is a stupid amount of work.
Hey Hoocho. Absolutely love your videos. I have a question/thought. If you were to do this with one of the float valve systems, would the DWC have a better result? Based on the root growth on them, the bubbles splashing water on the roots at the earlier stages, and progressively shifting away as the water level dropped seems to have stunted the growth.
Yes 100%
Any parameters that shift will hamper the grow. Maintaining a consistent E.C, PH, Water level and water temperature are critical for success.
There are a few ac/battery powered air pumps, when the ac/grid fails the battery pump takes over and will supply air during outage. Simple plug in air to a one way valve and tee it into current air system. Also one way valve the ac/grid pump to keep from leakage while batt pump is operating 😉
If you guys are SOOO worried about the power. You can hook it up to a solar panel and never have to worry about it.
Thanks for the information learned from your experiment. Much appreciated.
Is the plastic that you use food safe given the microplastics can leach into the water and be taken up by the plants?
Great video! How many days did take until maturity?
Loving all your content. Wonderful and helpful
should do vid on the Photone app - or other PAR measuring apps for phones (and plain old lux meters) - they are good enough for most of us that only need to use a few times a year.
Hey Hoocho,
I got my ec reader. Just wondering what reader would indicate a high nutrient in the water?
So I I’ll know whether to add nutrient or water. Thanks so much for your help. Gonna buy some nutrient from your shop too!
i would say it would be best to also have a second test this with the deep water culture closer to the fan and the kratky away from the fan and see if it is the fan was a factor in the results
Amazing video, cant believe the huge diference
What filament do you use? Nice video!
I assume PLA, but if you have high temperatures outside ABS might be a better alternative.
What were the ambient condition in your lab during this test (temp. humidity atmospheric pressure etc...)?
How are you, mate? Speaking of DWC. I wanted to ask you something. Seeing how you've probably tried and experimented with just about every hydro nutrient there is. I'm looking for a cal-mag supplement with a 0-0-0 NPK profile. Mainly one without nitrogen. Meaning Calcium Chloride instead of Calcium Nitrate, most likely. Are you aware of any good ones available in Oz? I've been looking and the only ones I see are all in US. Nothing here.
dwc needs to be toped up daily or its not dwc
Why do it easy when you can do it hard? 🙃
@@youtubetruthlife4750 It's not hard, you're just lazy.
You add a float valve to a bucket and add a neighboring bucket to siphon. Just fixed your lazy I don't want to top off every day problem.
I missed it, how many days total was the grow? Water temperature?
One major drawback of DWC is with the bubbler constantly pumping oxygen into the nutrient, PH will keep rising.
Thank you so much for this info!!! I have a hard enough time keeping my ph down using kratky. I can't imagine having to fight it worse.
Yep, DWC adds complexity to the process. I have great harvest of tomatoes and peppers with Kratky method, so no need for me to go DWC unless i like to punish myself.
@@youtubetruthlife4750 LOL YES! I'm glad you are having great success too.
In Deep Water Culture (DWC) systems, supplementing oxygen using an air pump can help maintain a more stable pH. Here's how it works:
Increased Oxygen Levels: Air pumps enhance oxygen availability in the nutrient solution, which promotes healthier root systems and encourages beneficial microbial activity.
Microbial Balance: Healthy microbial populations can help stabilize pH levels by breaking down organic matter and preventing the buildup of harmful substances.
Root Health: Oxygen-rich environments support root health, which can contribute to more efficient nutrient uptake, potentially leading to fewer fluctuations in pH.
Nutrient Stability: When roots are healthy and nutrient uptake is optimized, the overall nutrient balance can remain stable, further aiding in pH stability.
While an air pump can help, it's important to regularly monitor and adjust pH levels as needed, as other factors (like nutrient concentration and water temperature) also influence pH stability.
Hoocho! I love you mate, but did you really just 3D print bucket lids? FTIJPI?
Just a heads-up, you spelled "comparing" wrong in the thumbnail.
Thankyou!
@@Hoocho No probs. Awesome video btw!
Surprising, but pleasing result - Kratky for the win! I am only a Kratky grower. After the learning curve, it is so easy. And if you live in an area with frequent power failures, it is essential.
Now, I will add a new bit of information to your Kratky adventures. That is, low wide containers work better than tall deep ones. If you look at Bernie's (Dr Kratky's) videos, you will see he favours larger reservoirs, multi-plant beds, and also float valves. The reason why the low wide containers work better (even without float valves) is that the water level drops more slowly. This calculation I worked out, and my online friend Bill also proved by experimentation, I just provided the numbers to prove his observations. Short term crops should not need topping up, but longer crops do need it, and the caution there is not to replenish too high, leave at least 5cm below the bottom of the net cup so as not to drown the air roots (certain death in Kratky land).
For warmer weather, always err for a weaker mix of nutrients, as the plants will uptake more water, leaving a stronger brew in the reservoir leading to nutrient burn. It's the ultimate 'less is more'.
I generally set up my plants (even in very active growing season) to just monitor or top up once per week. I like the lazy gardening aspect. I see people do Kratky it in ridiculously small containers that need topping up daily, so if one likes creating work for themselves, follow that silly format.
The only perennials that I have in Kratky are strawberries, and they do well, I do not even do anything for them over winter, just replenish the nutrients at Spring and let them get on with it. I was concerned about Winter, we have some hard frost, but they were fine with it. It may be different if you live in a snow area.
Do you have a nutrient blend you created or one you would recommend?
I wouldn't have guessed that result either. Lettuce is well known to perform very well with low oxygen content in the root zone, i wonder how much that factor played in the final result
Also a 3d printer would have saved me a lot of time and money when i was seriously experimenting with hydroponic and water filtration a decade ago, and it's nice to see someone talking about ventilation, since plants need light, nutrients, water and... air!!! - everybody wants the best nutes, light or wtv but how many have really invested in ventilation
Love the information you've provided for the Kratky grow. I've grown indeterminate tomatoes with and without the Kratky method and then placed the plants in a bed in my garden to prepare my grow tent for a new set up. Those plants are now producing new blossoms and are growing great.
Hi Hoocho!
You have inspired hubby and I and we now have a small nft (I think) and a kratky grow tower!
I already have it started and growing. A week in. Did nutrients already when planted and adjusted ph.
I am struggling with how to work out the nutrient I need to add to maintain feeding. How do I know how much to add each week when I top up water?
ideally use an EC Meter to monitor the nutrient solution.
Just top up with full strength nutrient. And if the EC is getting high in the res just add water.
@@Hoocho oh awesome thanks so much! I have to get an ec reader, thought I had one but nope just a tds.
What is a good ec reading, so I know what I should go off? 😁
Hey hoocho i know in past videos youve made mention of wanting to be able to ship your prodocus to the us in the meantime do you know where in the states we can get the nutrients you use i would love to get sone and try
The dwc bubbler may have also warped your pH.
Supplemental Oxygen keeps PH more stable
Do you have any organic hydroponic fertiliser trial?
14:50 Up until there was a difference because the DWC ran out of nutrient solution, they were the same. I think an air stone helps prevent root rot of which neither got because the temperatures were reasonable because these plants were grown inside.
Agree. If the DWC water were to be kept topped up, it most likely would have come out on top.
Since your experiment with krakty tomatoes i really dont see the point with DWC and airpumps. I much prefered the dutch bucket system which i now use and wicking raingutter grow, both only leaving a single reservoir to be check and topped, and just using a krakty for simplicity and not having to setup, waste power and money with airpumps
Asked this before but no answer, has anyone measured the oestrogen mimicking chemical levels leaching out of the plastic containers into the produce? Even food grade has some, but these are cheap non food grade. There are many chemicals of concern, but especially BPF?
@@robertcatanzaro2982 does your potting mix come in plastic bags?
What are your pots made of?
Recycled plastic?
These are virgin plastic food safe containers in this video.
Plants need fan so there stems and branches thicken & strengthen up !!!!
He is too cheap for that, would rather make systems out of old rain gutters
I found this out by accident with lettuce. I had just started experimenting with DWC and had been lightly harvesting as needed with decent results. Well lets just say one of my stubborn boys(cat) got into my grow room while I was at work and decided that my lettuce was a good place to take a nap, crushing all my plants in the container. I was discouraged about it so I just unplugged the air pump and let it sit until I would get a chance to clean in out and start over. Fast forward a week due to work and I was surprised to discover that the lettuce had come back into, and on top of that was doing better than it had been initially! So I left it in its current Kratky state and flourished. Haven't even thought about DWC with lettuce since.
Nice 1 Mr Hoocho. Excellent results on the least hassle Kranky system
He did the DWC wrong. Shame.
It is hard to beat a "set it up, then harvest the lettuce" ease of the Kratky method. Why in the world would you bother with air pumps, air stones, tubing, running electricity, etc. when you can just plop the lettuce in the Kratky pots and that's it. I don't get it. Where is the value in the pump method????
Dude this guy is growing a few heads of lettuce under a very expensive light blasting it with probably hundreds of dollars of Australian priced electricity and measuring his pH with an electric pH meter worth hundreds of dollars in a system that is 3d printed with even more expensive electricity. I'm pretty sure you can run a dwc system with less electricity than this and get way better results.
@@MouldySponge Perhaps so, you just haven't given a reason to do that. Kratky beat it, so why flog a dead horse.
Really great video again! I like your openness, and creativity, keep goin'!!
love it!
why not supply a mold instead, that way can use liquid plastic, to create them faster. send me the 3d print file, and will convert to a A + B mold
I mean.. that's not a DWC system as you did it. you have to top it off....
Exactly! What's the bet his E.C, PH and water temperature was not properly managed!
you should do hydroponic blueberries
Blueberries are perennials, perennials are a bit trickier to deal with (although I do my strawberries in kratky). But blueberries are more of a small bush, vs strawberries, small plant.
I mean you can but housing a space for blue berries vs keeping in a pot outside is a lot cheaper
This is interesting. I just got into hydroponics last year by printing my own tower. It worked very well so I printed two more towers. But this year, lettuce that grew well last year have really struggled, and just like yours, the roots are really under developed, brown, and not at all healthy. The only major difference is that I added an air pump. I use a flood and drain method because energy is so expensive here in the UK and it would cost too much to have the pumps run continuously. That is to say, the nutrient pumps start every 15 minutes and run for 5 seconds per degree C of ambient temperature (so the warmer the ambient, the longer the pumps run). When the nutrient pumps stop, the air pump starts and pumps air into the nutrient solution via an air stone for 2 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes in every 15). So I'm just wondering if something is going on with pumping air into the nutrient solution. Is it causing some sort of chemical reaction? Does it affect PH? The fact that you saw problems using DWC with an air pump, and I'm seeing the same issues using flood and drain towers with an air pump, is a bit too much of a coincidence.
Not scientific unless you keep the water levels consistent throughout the experiment
Practicallicly NFT🤟BEST SYSTEM
🤔👍👍
DWC will always be superior, stop wasting your time doing anything else scrub
It's just called non-circulating hydroponics. Bernard Kratky did not invent non-circulating hydroponics. Non-circulating hydroponics was being done centuries before Bernard Kratky was even born.