Project Submitted By: John McCandless
Hydroponics, Aquaponics, or Aeroponics Project: Hydroponics
Type of System: Deep Water Culture (DWC) with two buckets
Getting Started
Getting started was a no-brainer for me. Given the limited amount of space I had in my apartment, I wanted something that was small, easy, and affordable. So, I decided on an all-in-one deep water culture (DWC) system. One that was already set up (especially one where I didn’t have to drill any holes) and one that I could simply unpack and begin.
Step 1: I bought a hydroponic bucket kit on Amazon (my other buckets already had something growing in them) and cleared some space in the kitchen next to one of the windows.
Step 2: I ran over to the local garden store and bought some butterhead lettuce seeds (went with the summer bibb variety since my apartment is pretty hot).
Step 3: I started my seeds in a germination tray (put the tray on the window sill) and transferred them into the buckets once they had about three true leaves.
Step 4: Once transferred, I added in some nutrients (followed the directions on the bottle for the amount).
Step 5: I did some general maintenance here and there — such as periodically changing the water and adding in nutrients — and watched them grow.
Materials Used
- Lawnful 2 Hydroponic Buckets Kit (includes pump, germination tray, grow sponges, net pots, etc.)
- LED Grow Light with Timer
- General Hydroponics Flora Series
Butterhead Lettuce Growing Conditions
The conditions I was supposed to have: According to the Ponics Life Hydroponics Hobby Center and the hydroponics lettuce growing guide, I was supposed to keep temperatures between 60ish and 72ish with the pH between 5.5 and 6.5. I was also supposed to give the lettuce about 12 hours of light each day.
The conditions I actually kept: Due to some constraints on my end, I really didn’t do too much to keep the plants within their optimal range. Unfortunately, the apartment I live in doesn’t have air conditioning so I couldn’t adjust the temperature, and out of pure curiosity, I refrained from checking/adjusting the pH. Additionally, there were a few times where I left the light off for the day by accident or pushed the wrong button on the timer.
Main Challenges: There were several challenges that I came across as I started to grow the lettuce. For one, at my wife’s request, I had to eventually move the buckets and lights from the kitchen to under my office desk (which turned out to be a lot of fun). Secondly, I had a lot of trouble with the seedlings. Some were a little too “leggy” as they tried to seek out the light from the window and then some had trouble anchoring themselves into the grow sponges that came with the bucket kit. Lastly, as already mentioned above, I just didn’t have time to monitor the plants and make corrections to the growing conditions (but I think they turned out great regardless).
How long it took to grow: Honestly, I don’t know the exact time, but if I had to guess, it took about 8 weeks from seed to harvest. As stated above, my main issue was with the seedlings. I think they would have grown/matured a little faster if they had properly anchored themselves.
Harvesting My Butterhead Lettuce
When it was time to harvest, I had two options — harvest the whole head of lettuce or cut-and-come-again — at the end of the day, I decided to harvest the whole head. BLUF, it was more satisfying and I wanted to grow something else afterward.
As you can see above, the lettuce came out pretty good. It had some cream-colored roots, a nice green color, and the taste was pretty consistent with something you’d find at the store.
The End Product
The end product was a big ole salad for two! We took the leaves, added them to some homemade dressing, and added in chicken, croutons, carrots, corn, and some other diced vegetables.
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