How To Keep Your Kratky Hydroponic Plants Small And Bushy

[@adrianherbert9441]

Awesome video! Where did you get your containers from? They seem like the perfect size for a number of plants that I am growing and would like to grow.

[@FC2ESWS]

Did you find those containers? Looks like Folgers coffee lol

[@PeppersnGlowworms]

Heavily cutting down my pepper plants always feels quite harsh to me... But I never regreted it! They grow back nicely and you can have more plants in a small space.

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

Seriously! I feel so bad doing it but the end result is well worth it. This is the only time I do this, normally I just let them grow. But if you want a compact little plant, cut it up!

[@Nikanoru]

I like these tips. Wish I knew them when I started growing things this way. I had this Thai Basil plant that I ended up having to cut the roots almost completely off of multiple times before I figured out you can't fill it up that high. It always came back surprisingly well after that hard a root trim, but would always get rot again eventually. I ended up having to only fill a couple inches of the quart mason jar it was in. Letting them dry out completely is pretty risky though so I'd just change out the water when it got lower. What would be really nice is to have a two part system where the bottom part of the reservoir comes off and can be cleaned and refilled easily without having to pull the whole root system out from the top.

[@generalawareness101]

I tried peppers and tomatoes this year in potting mix to lose all but three tomatoes. I put them in a Kratky and 1 perished (no roots) while the other two thrived. They are growing each day so fast I can't believe it. First time doing hydroponics and after this year's dismal failure coupled with the resounding success I am having with not only those but others since that I am swearing off potting mix from now on. I can't wait until these plants are done to start peppers with them. I have a question about how many per container? I purchased a Walmart 18 gallon tote today and was wondering how many holes to drill into the lid?

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

Awesome! I seriously love growing hydro! That’s kind of a hard question to answer. You could put quite a few in there, but the more peppers you put into it the smaller the peppers will be. I’ve planted 8 plants in a solo cup before and had them all produce for me but they were tiny plants. You could do one giant plant, or up to probably 4-6 smaller plants! For some reason I always go toward quantity so if it was me I would do 4-6. At least 2… I would do at least 2 😂. Confusing answer.. I hope it helps haha

[@generalawareness101]

@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead Not confusing as it confirms what I was about to do for the 18 gallon tote...4. Thank you for the answer.

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

Perfect!

[@Smanya2110]

Do i have to add nutrients every time when i fill water ? In 32 oz jar

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

Yep! That’s how we do it!

[@Smanya2110]

Thank you for your quick response

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

You’re welcome!

[@WinterEC]

how do you keep aphids from infesting those plants in your grow tent? I've had problems with that for the past 3 winters and feel like giving up.

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

It’s definitely tough. I actually stopped overwintering plants after an aphid infestation indoors. Now before I get ready for a grow I DEEP CLEAN the whole room and I start the seeds there in the room and they never leave it. Once I get it cleaned I don’t even go inside my grow room unless I shower and change, or if I haven’t been outside that day yet. Aphids are tough, I’m sorry!

[@WinterEC]

@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead What do you deep clean your tent with? my issues may have started when I overwintered peppers (and tomatoes), but I left the tent "fallow" all spring/summer/fall and literally pressure-washed and neem-dipped the plants I over-wintered. Can aphids survive that kind of dry dormant period?

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

@WinterEC I’m pretty sure the eggs can, but I could be wrong! When I deep clean I use bleach water inside the tent and around the room. Either that or rubbing alcohol. Neem oil and soap definitely help too!

[@gandalfthewhite2373]

Just us a spray bottle of water and 1% of peppermint soap and spray the leaves, or just use water spray only, spray leaves a few different times and that really works well!

[@scooby8956]

cutting off the top is sufficient to encourage secondary shoot growth. No need to remove all the big leaves, in fact it would hinder growth

[@mskuttinupwhitney3540]

🥂

[@dubcindub15]

I try to avoid doing anything with the nutrient solution as much as possible for fear of messing up the balance. I'm gonna try the largest container I can find for a set-it-forget-it type grow this year, get the pH/PPM just right and let it fly. I can get the water cooler bottles that are US 5 Gallon and fit a small net pot perfectly so I'll paint one of them and give it a go. I'll tag you on Instagram to keep you updated🌶😀

[@WhitepepperFarmshomestead]

I’m trying to find some large food grade barrels so I can do some big ones too! Definitely let me know how yours goes!

[@youtubetruthlife4750]

@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead im using some 20 gallon food-bins that are PP plastic. I hope its safe to use?