Hydroponic Bok Choy Using the Kratky Method | An Experiment with Small Cups and Cotton Balls

[@angrybees8122]

I love watching your gardening experiments

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Angry Bees, I appreciate it!

[@marilynryan7822]

I get excited whenever I see you post! Thank you for taking the time to do this.Very well explained! Looking forward trying this.

[@TikkiOOO]

Thank you so much for your kind comment Marilyn!

[@jenniferwalters579]

Oh! Thank you for telling me that I can use master blend for tomatoes and the Foxfarm for leafy greens. I wondered!

[@saucebox11]

you can use masterblend for everything, I do.

[@MasterKenfucius]

Thank you for making this short and sweet!! Most people want to turn a video like this into a 20 minute ordeal.

[@ozricus]

Thanks for sharing. It's all about experimenting, seeing what works and what doesn't - we learn and go from there! Thanks again!

[@TikkiOOO]

Exactly! Life is one big experiment! Thanks for the comment ozricus!

[@gth042]

@@TikkiOOO Do you have an estimate of your experiment to "leave well enough alone" ratio? I'm sure in the beginning it was all experiment, but where's your happy balance? (if you don't mind the question... we can stick to gardening :) ) That cotton ball was creepy, btw.

[@julieth3699]

Thanks so much for sharing your videos! I’m learning a lot. Going to start growing lettuce via the Kratky method and your videos are so helpful.

[@desmondsharpe9623]

That’s Nice I made the mistake of putting six lettuce seed per cotton ball and they all germinated some are even growing roots through the ball haven’t put it through the mason jars yet

[@TikkiOOO]

Six seeds on one cotton ball 😱 And they all germinated, of course. Good luck Desmond and thanks for the comment!

[@vincentborel1226]

I love bok choi ! Have to try it ! Thank you 😊

[@TikkiOOO]

Hope you enjoy, thanks for the comment Vincent!

[@MD-rw6uh]

hello, thanks for your video.. May I ask?,, did you leave the seeds in the dark? thanks

[@karronlaneNOLA]

coolio experiement. thanks for sharing.

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelj8793]

I've also been experimenting quite a bit and I've found that using very small pieces of rockwool I'm having great success a 99 percent rate with pieces not much bigger than a match head some go into kratky and some into NFT channels all outdoors even in the Florida heat ps the zucchini fries were awesome Went well with my homemade cauliflower crust pizza with broccoli toppings Thanks again for all your epic content I'm hooked for life👍

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Michael J, I really appreciate your commen!

[@mandanadilamian3068]

Thanks for the film. How often did you change the hydroponic nutrition solution?

[@TikkiOOO]

For short grows like leafy greens I don't change out the solution, I just top it off with water if it needs, depending on the evaporation rate. Thanks for the question and comment Mandana!

[@hakajiru264]

I actually got a bunch of seeds to germinate by putting them directly on the clay pebbles in the net cups. Just need to be careful that they don't fall in the container. As someone else said, cotton gets seeds moldy, perhaps because it doesn't drain well.

[@DLong-wp8su]

Have you ever thought making the solution little stronger for the small container?

[@joharris8212]

Thank you!

[@TikkiOOO]

Thank you!

[@RohitSingh-sc4zo]

It works best with soda aluminium cans and 2 inch netcups. The netcups fit in snugly, there is ample space for the roots as well and no fear of algae so no covering required. Just give it a try once.

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Rohit, I guess that you saw off the top of the soda can? I think I might cut myself, any suggestions?

[@Metqa]

@@TikkiOOO I used my can opener to perfectly cut the tops out of the soda cans, but after about two dozen perfect cuts, I can't get my can opener to do it anymore. But I had perfect cans with no sharp edges, the folded rim on the top is safe and it holds net cups ( or pool noodles) perfectly and No Algea. I even tried it with the really tall cans . My friend dinks Arizona Tea, and those cans are huge but have the same size hole. Try your can opener and see if that works. if you cut it like most people do, the blade will go between the folded edge and the inner gap. if you put ithe can opener top down, it will cut a sharp edge , which you can still use but you have to be more careful and the metal is more flexible and less stable. Good Luck.

[@goodgoat3096]

I actually went in the opposite direction and purchased a set of six 1/2 gallon mason jars. The idea was to compare growth of lettuce and other greens against that of the growth in quart jars. The larger jars have the same sized opening/lids as the wide mouthed quart jars so 3" net cups can be used for all. Still procrastinating

[@TikkiOOO]

I will be interested to hear about your results, stop procrastinating.......please....thanks for the comment Good Goat!

[@paulineflanagan8530]

Enjoy seeing your experiments! I am also looking for an alterative to rockwool! One question I have is how things like the cotton balls or the paper towel wicking you used in your video "germinating seeds on clay" will hold up over time on things like those Tiny Tims you had planted - I'm just about to use your method to try and grow shallots in a little kratky :)

[@TikkiOOO]

Hello Pauline, thanks for the comment! The plants grow their roots through the cotton balls and eventually take over with nothing much left to find of the cotton balls, especially with long growing plants like Tiny Tim tomatoes. I hope that answers your question!

[@paulineflanagan8530]

Thank you @Tikki O. ! I will give it a go with the cotton balls. The paper towel wicking seems to be working great. My roots are still too shallow to reach down, but looking forward to see how it all works out. Thanks again for your inventive solutions!

[@samljer]

ive used cotton, but a q-tip head, then you can drop the whole thing into clay pebbles.

[@DocKingliveshere]

Sorry. First comment sounded kinda snarky. Not what I meant at all. Was surprised at the use of Jars. I'm just starting with hydroponics and have my bok choi just growing out of the 3" grow baskets in a container full of the grow solution. Which seems to be working. Thinking of turning my daylight basement into a garden this next winter! Thanks for the video!

[@TikkiOOO]

I'm glad to hear you are having success, thanks for the comment!

[@thisismyname7284]

Just FYI, I tried cotton, cotton pads, loofah, and just leaving the seeds in water to germinate. Everything got moldy and killed my plants. They were covered in foil and had zero light access. However, as soon as they were exposed to light, the algae killed my little baby plants by the next day. Glad you were able to work with cotton. I wasn’t able to.

[@TikkiOOO]

Interesting...I wonder if humidity plays a role. Thanks for the feedback and comment!

[@gth042]

I think Tikki uses reverse-osmosis filtered water as her base for things (possibly even deionized). As someone with atrocious water can tell you, it matters. It matters in the plant/nutrient chemistry, it matters in the cleaning rinse of tools, it just matters. If you can sterilize a container and the tools, repeating your experiment with actual RO water might be worth the couple bucks as a test of your process. I've seen a few people with good processes get discouraged from the hobby (thinking it's them) when it's actually the water. ...Most people don't REALLY want to know what's in their water -- especially if it's from a well.... If it's under $1500, it ain't a real water test ;)

[@gth042]

@@thisismyname7284 Hmm, I wonder if it's possible to wash the seeds. A quick toot with some bathroom cleaner and a rinse? Experimentation sounds in order. Best of luck, and have fun!! :)

[@Metqa]

@@gth042 Have you considered using hydrogen peroxide spray to keep the seeds moist until germination? Usually, when I soak seeds in H202:H20 1:1 I get better germination and less ick . especially with bean and pea seeds. then I keep spritzing them as they germinate because they DO respire and though they need moisture, they also need free oxygen and the peroxide give them that while keeping them moist. After their leaves come out, I alternate tween plain water spray and peroxide till they seem able to stand up and grow on their own. I usually get faster germination and fewer bacteria grossness this way.( I say usually cuz parsley and cilantro seeds just hate me.) Also, a secret i figured out. I bought a bunch of seeds from a sprouting company. I figured since they were sold for sprouting, theyd be more likely to have a high germination rate. People would be pretty disappointed if their sprouts didn't all/mostly grow. Every bok choi seed I planted from this sprouting seed company has ... SPROUTED and grown beautifully into full grown plants. It feels sick when I purchase a pack of seeds for $5 get a quarter of a gram of seeds and then they don't even germinate. I may not get as much variety, but at least I'll get quantity and quality by buying seeds meant for sprouting. Cheers and good luck.

[@gth042]

@@Metqa I've used hydrogen peroxide as a soil treatment for bugs, but never on seeds. An interesting idea. Thanks!

[@GtJrGrowsItAlaska]

Great experiment.

[@TikkiOOO]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@ThanhBui-fi6xg]

I’m a believer in cotton balls 😁

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Thanh!

[@LorettaPowell]

They are very good in soup too, throw them in just a minute before serving.

[@jessicachao360]

What do you use the master blend solution for?

[@TheSunRiseKid]

Great videos! I just SUBSCRIBED!🙂🌱

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks TheSunRiseKid, I appreciate it!

[@Marjan67]

Great vid,as always 👌 👏 👍

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks 👍

[@chakritw]

They'll stay happy...until I eat them. 😅

[@thatcanadianguy3327]

I just watched your video on Tomatoes where you used small Folgers Containers, I got a good laugh as I intend to do the same thing with plastic coffee containers. My father and his friend drink Folgers like there is no tomorrow and they buy the big containers so I have gathered up about 20 of them so far. I did have a question for you though, in your opinion what would be the fastest plants to grow for salads, I really want to grow fresh veggies for the family, My mom makes Jams and I feel like I need to step up my game to compete lol

[@TikkiOOO]

Hello That Canadian Guy, thanks for the question! Lettuce is very quick growing, you can also grow microgreens and sprouts, those grow the quickest! And I believe Folgers is the best! No...they don't sponsor me, but I love their coffee!

[@50kArchipelagos]

You never mentioned light. Indirect? (I'm buying some seeds and a grow light for these if needed). Thank you!

[@TikkiOOO]

Sorry Terry, they were under my grow lights most of the time, towards the end I moved them to a sunny window since I needed the space, but then I ate them.....thanks for the comment and good luck to you!

[@50kArchipelagos]

@@TikkiOOO Hehe!

[@luotuoshangdui]

@@TikkiOOO Hi, can you tell me the light condition during the germination, i.e. before transplanting?

[@maggygraham2218]

Perhaps the roots don't have enough air. Perhaps if you double-cupped it, it would create more aeration. I've seen that done, where the top cup had holes in it, and was set over the bottom cup that just had a few pebbles. The person lifted up the top cup every day to give it more air.

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Maggy, I've seen that as well, I see another experiment on the horizon! Thanks for the comment!

[@chrisz.9974]

I planted some basil in cotton balls. But the basil doesn’t seem to be growing. I don’t see any roots. The plants are only like a 1/4 inch tall. The basil that I started after the cotton ball ones art much bigger than the rockwool ones. Not sure what’s happening!

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks Chris for the comment....are you saying the rockwool basil is doing better? I find that the cotton works just as well as the rockwool, but maybe there is something else at play here, I'm not sure, could be temperature, humidity, lighting?

[@chrisz.9974]

@@TikkiOOO yes the cotton ball ones are much smaller. The weird part is they’re both located in the same place. I’m thinking maybe the cotton is too “compressed” and isn’t allowing the roots to expand.

[@Metqa]

@@chrisz.9974 sometimes they just stay stunted for a while. i've got a basil sprout that is a month old and looks like a new sprout. It is only in water and one of my grow lights broke so I figured it's just biding it's time till I give it some nutrients and real sunlight. I thought it would stretch reaching for light, but it's like "Nope, I'm just gonna stay small" the other basils , by comparison are growing so tall they are bumping the light fixture. I guess seeds are individuals just like people.

[@dvdgalutube]

What was the temperature when you were spouting the seeds? Thanks! ☺️

[@TikkiOOO]

Around 70 degrees F, but once they went under the grow lights then they were probably closer to 75 F. thanks for the question!

[@theuglykwan]

Those look like they turned out to be tatsoi more than bok choy unless the stalks ended up fattening up.

[@TikkiOOO]

No, they never fattened up, but they were still tasty. Thanks for the comment theuglykwan!

[@ericrichard5941]

Those are tatsoi I grew these same bok choy seeds from this brand and they grew into tatsoi

[@johnmirbach2338]

😎👍👌🖖✌🤓

[@TikkiOOO]

Thanks john!

[@anncannon7962]

💖 𝕡𝐫ｏ𝕄ｏ𝔰𝓶