Kratky Method Chinese cabbage

New Experiment!

More fun with Hydroponics

The Kratky method of hydroponic growing is 

a non circulating system. Developed by B.A. Kratky at the University of Hawaii, the system is basically just a container filled with a nutrient solution. There is no moving water, no air stones, no hassles. I had a few left over and empty coffee containers so, I thought I'd try to use them.

The next step was to cut a hole in the top to put the net cups in. I didn't have net cups, so I used some Christmas cups that my Parents had kicking around and graciously donated in the name of edible science. Next, cut the cups down to size.

I had to drill a bunch of holes in the cup so that water could reach the roots of the plants. The holes had to be small enough so that the pebbles I was using as a grow medium,

didn't fall through the holes.

Not pretty, but it'll do.

Finally I had to remove all the dirt from the root system of each plant, tuck it into the cup and then back fill with the pebbles. Last, I set each Chinese Cabbage filled cup into the solution filled canisters.

The true genius of this system (or non system) is that you do nothing else at all until harvest. The roots of the plant will grow down to reach the water and smaller roots form in the air cavity between plant and water that absorb oxygen.

Pretty cool eh? Now if I did everything correctly I should

have 4 awesome cabbage plants. Apparently its something like a Napa cabbage. Maybe I can try to make my own kimchi or do some yummy stir fry!