Growing Hydroponic Tomatoes Indoors Using the Kratky Method 

You are the only start to finish, intellectual, sincere, honest kratky video maker I've found. You have no idea how much you are helping not only my family, but eventually our community. I'm starting small grows of everything prior to larger productions for any issues I run into. However, I am very confident that my issues will be minimized because of your awesomeness.

I have two remaining Kratky tomato plants, the others have been transplanted into soil as it is April and they are ready to "harden" as long as temperatures won't go below freezing, one is over 6 feet tall. Her problem is fairly simple, she allows her plants to grow too many leaves. Pruning with the Kratky method is very important. Yes you CAN easily transplant to soil, however, you can also just keep the tomato plants growing kratky in hydroponic solution BUT you need to think about the GOAL. If you don't prune, especially bottom leaves, you have a plant that is always thirsty and also becomes droopy very fast. The goal is FRUIT. Kratky Method is a science almost but intuitive, keeping branching leaves too a minimum so the plant doesn't waste its energy. The rest of the plants energy goes towards fruiting (tomatoes). The Kratky plant has roots that seek nutrients (hydroponic solution) and roots that seek oxygen ('oxygen roots") and should not be drowned by the solution through overfilling.

If I ever had teachers who talk like Tikki, I would never fall asleep, learn a lot

This is the best video on growing tomatoes indoors that I have seen. Sometimes people don't update what happens at the end of the experiment but you showed everything from start to finish. Well done.

If you ever damage roots in thinning them, you can dip the root area in honey and put them in soil or hydro. They will use the honey to encourage roots galore. Hope this helps anyone else who may have damaged a few roots when moving them around. Also, after you have the third set of leaves appear, you can snip the lowest (baby) leaves off the plant and insert the plants 2nd leaf set to top of grow cube or soil. Gluck growers

OMG. You single handedly convinced me to switch to hydro. Thats it. Im done with soil.

Best RU-vid instructional video I have seen in a long time.

The world needs more honest sharing of clear, concise, and thorough information. Well done.

Well done. I just started playing with outdoor Kratky tomato. Plant is growing great in a 20 litre bucket. Thanks Tikki.

This video is a jewel! Congratulations! I am from Caracas, Venezuela. I am trying growing plants indoor for the first time. It is a complete new affair for me. Your video plus your unique and crystal clear way to show and explain everything is already a how-to-do-it impossible to miss! Thanks a lot to share all of your experience. It is so useful and also very encouraging for people like me: beginners with no experience on the field! Thanks so much! Stay well and healthy! God Bless You and yoyr family! By the way: your plants and the beautiful tomatos show all the care and love you just felt doing the whole process! It shows in the video!!!! Thanks again!

Absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the level of detail in this video. I'm growing chili peppers Kratky and after seeing others grow tomatoes and finding your video, I am going to try this this fall.

Thanks for doing start to finish. I feel with a lot of youtubers that I get bait and switched into following an entire series that leaves off the end, or you only find out in the comments that it was a failure. With yours, the whole thing is there, including lessons learned!

This is awesome and you are so good at explaining this step by step! I so long for real food and not the junk from the supermarkets especially in the winter! Also your birds outside are a pleasure to see and they look as happy as your plants! Thanks so much

This is a fantastic video! Thank you so much for putting this together, must've been a lot of work and patience.

Of all the videos I have watched about hydroponics, you are a blessing to all of us beginners! Thank you!

Thank you for these videos. They are so well done. I am planning on growing lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes and feel confident doing so after watching your videos! 🤗

My family and I loved this video. Informative, creative, and clearly presented.

Great video! New to all of this, I learned so much! I kept wondering why people were putting foil around bases - and you finally explained it beautifully to deter algae growth etc. Thank you!

So so informative and explained very well. It’s hard to believe that you get fruit in an small jar! Great job and thank you so much.

Great video I love that you shared the mistake of needing a bigger container. We can learn more from that and see what happens in the video ❤️

I really love your videos! I like how you let us see mistakes too and how you do experiments. I’m relatively new to gardening and this is day 1 of hydroponics and I’ve not only learned how to do stuff but also that failures and mistakes aren’t the end of the world ( I’m so hard on myself). I’m a teacher and I love how clearly you explain things. Thank you!

Tikki's videos on home gardening in hydro are simply THE BEST videos you'll find anywhere! I am so impressed by her incredible knowledge and excellent communication skills! Thank you, Tikki, for your amazing presentations. Now I can't wait to try this.

I love your attitude of continual improvement. It’s a lost art in our times. I was always told when you first start anything it will be hard. If you work at things you’ll improve. You clearly learned from any misstep and moved to correct it.

Your videos are really inspiring for a beginner like me. You are a fearless researcher and very honest.

Great video! Love the narration and information. I live in Las Vegas and our tomatoes have suffered in the recent years. Can’t wait to try this. Thank you for all the info!

Isn’t it fun, omg I love garden experiments so much. Great video.

I have used your video for my cherry tomato (and pepper) experiments. LOL I started the cherry tomatoes in the mason jars but after watching your video, I moved one to a large container that used to contain cheese puffs from Costco. Thanks for a very informative and educational video.

I’m glad I found this vid!! It’s so helpful and you did an amazing job explaining and showing progress!! I look forward to seeing more❤️

It's so nice that you showed and explained each stage of the growing process. Really shows it from start to finish. Thank you for sharing

Tikki, thank you! This is one of the best instructional videos I have ever seen. Brava!!! I am now a fan and a subscriber! Cheers.

I just found Tikki and this is literally the best video I've ever seen on Hydroponic tomato growing!! Only a few minutes in and I was clicking both the like button and the subscribe button! Thank you Tikki, I feel like you are "one of us" and I appreciate that you shared your mistakes so we can all learn. I have no doubt you have helped so many with this video!! It was pieced together so well and the narration was fantastic! :)

I really liked your video and your narration reminded me of a well written and interesting book that held my attention.

I’m starting my own tomorrow - thanks for the tips !

Excellent presentation,there are thousands out there that do very poorly. Just the info you need ,well done!

I love your video for the fact that you get to the point quickly and move on!! Thank you for great info and for not wasting my time. :)

This is my first year experimenting with hydroponics. I've already gotten kale to grow in a 27 gallon tote and 3D printed 2 hydroponic towers and want to make sure I can get cherry tomatoes for my salads. Great video. I learned a lot.

5:33 All you need to do to keep the light out at the top of the jar ... is to put a Rubber Band around the top... leave the very top open where the plants are. Thank you for sharing this great video.

This video really made wanna try out Kratky method. I am already shopping for basics :D Thanks, greetings from Czech republic!

Thanks for this amazing video. So thorough and I appreciate your experimental rigor! It really helps out when I have a shorter growing season without artificial light.

I can't even tell you how excited I am to have discovered this video and your channel. I know, I'm such a nerd, but it gave me hope that maybe I can try this. Thank you!!

LOL, "I can't help myself!" Love it.

Walmart and many stores sell gallon size jars of pickles, they work great for kratky and you get pickles!

Tikki, I'm watching all of these again, as a review. I got many of the supplies I needed from Amazon, and they arrived today! I AM SO EXCITED! With your guidance, I may even have a shot at growing something successfully. 😁

You are much better at describing all possible mistakes and help. Thanks a mil and well done! Am going to try..

Great job mam. Thank you so much for doing this. I know it takes time to edit and produce a good video and I think you did a great job.

Always love watching your videos! I am doing my first Kratky method peppers and tomatoes. My issue maybe the height. I bought a very good growing light, They are deep vibrant green because of it, like the ones in your aerogarden.

I just binge watched 5 of your videos. I’ve already started tomatoes outside Kratky plus air stones. I can’t wait to start Lettuce from the bottoms of stalks. I was told by the owner of our local hydroponic store some grocery stores are getting wise to us and cutting the bottoms off! I hope he is wrong. I love ❤️ your style and the information you provide us. I look forward to growing vegetables inside this winter in order to save money and have fresh vegetables available. Blessings to you and your family. Stay cool.

Your videos are long, but NO complain.. They are educational. Two thumbs up for giving your time in making your point. They are easy to follow for someone like me who is just a begginer in hydroponics. Love from the Philippines!

You made it look easy. Great job!

best and so detail explanations, love your video :)

Great job. I am currently growing 3 kinds of tomatoes in home depot buckets with an air stone in each. They are doing great.

I have watched this video several times, and I learn more each time. I had bad luck with Kratky last winter because I used full spectrum white lights with a 4000 Kelvin temperature. Not nearly enough blue. But the plants in my Aerogarden thrived. ( I have only northeast and northwest windows shaded by trees.) I just bought my third Aerogarden 45 watt LED grow light because my plants love the first two. I have tomatoes and a pepper in my Aerogarden (9 pod) and bok choy, lettuce and tatsoi under the grow lights. I have a miniature eggplant ready to go under lights as soon as I can find a gallon container! Thank you so much for the step by step instructions and showing us constant progress updates of your projects.

Terrific video, thanks for sharing it!!!

Dollar store sells large plastic pots for 1$ ... your video was really helpful! Am going to give it a try ! Thanks

I am new to this method of indoor growing. Looking forward to this fun, interesting way of providing vetegatables from my indoor growing experience.

Great video! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think I may dig out my hydroponics gear and try some tomatoes as well! I really appreciate the beginning to end result you provided.

Thank you. I've never ever commented on someone's video but I had to tell you that you did a great job. Very informative;)

I love how detailed you documented your experience with this home project! Im so curious about how the aerogarden plants remain small but still put out a nice crop while the others get to grow so tall

THIS IS A GREAT VIDEO. THANK YOU. YOU ARE SO INFORMATIVE. I JUST STARTED A NEW AEROGARDEN. I TRANSPLANTED MY OTHER CHERRY TOMATOES TO LARGER JARS, BUT THEY WERE GETTING TO TALL FOR MY GROW LIGHTS AND I DID NOT KNOW WHETHER TO GET SOMETHING TOBRACE THEM WITH OR CUT THEM. NOW I AM STARTING OVER.

Your channel is addicting because it is so helpful and full of info. Thank you for the variety of tomato videos. That way we can watch several and then choose what works best for us.

Great video...very informative. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Nice. I took a cutting from an indeterminate cherry tomato variety and grew it Kratky style... but it keeps growing and growing, and I keep cutting it back. So now I'm growing a heirloom dwarf determinate variety called Tiny Tim (they only grow to 12-18"). I''m using the black home depot 5-gallon buckets, my plants are flowering and they are only down about an inch in nutrient after 5-weeks. THANKS for the electric toothbrush idea, I had an old battery powered one that I'm going to use.

this is one of the most informative and simple to understand video that I have ever watched, keep going the record and share with us,

You did better than I did my first time with Kratky. I'll bet you are a pro now. Cheers.

New sub I liked your video. I have grown tomatoes using the Kratky method. I like to use 5 gallon buckets. They do pretty good. I really hate to kill seedlings so I like to find them a new home too. I was really glad to see you end up saving those seedlings :) Thanks for sharing :) Happy gardening!

This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing 😊 I just setup my new Aerogarden yesterday and also purchased some supplies to start the Kratky method. I'm not sure what I'll grow yet but tomatoes are at the top of my list. What kind of grow lights do you use? Thanks again from 🇨🇦

Hey Tikki, great video! I started indoor gardening with hydroponics about 6 months ago. I ran across your channel looking for ideas on how to do soilless micro greens. I have had great success with lettuce and started my first tomatoes. I look forward for your future videos. I find them very interesting and informative.

Thank you. You're success and minor failure inspire me to do hydrophonic farming.

God bless the people who invented the kratky and the self watering planters and hydroponics.

I really learned a lot from this video, keep up the good work. - Cheers from Sweden

Love the way you teach about your tomatoes. You are a great teacher.

Thank you , this is the best video of planting using this method.

Thanks for sharing this, a lot of great information there.

Very informative video, thanks!

I am super new to hydroponics. Your videos are great. I can follow it. Thank you so much from San Jose CA

Such an educational video. I appreciate the way you present information (concise, well-spoken). It's easy to understand/follow and the filming is quality. I also enjoyed your subtle wit. :) Thank you!

Great video!! Thank you so much!

Awesome video! I made the same mistake with kratky tomatoes. I grew Tiny Tim’s in a pint jar and I got some tomatoes but it would have been more productive if it had more room for the roots

very good video. To the point with very well documented progress the tomatoes plant made at key intervals. Thank you

Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video. . I just started the Kratky hydroponics and your video has great information.

Thank you for sharing! It is so helpful to see the progress of these tomato plants - it’s definitely helped me decide to transfer my Aerogarden Rosy Finch tomato seedlings to mason jars early one.. They are now at 21 days old and already at 3” tall. But the roots are getting quite long already (hence large mason jar will be needed soon). What I was wondering - have you done root trimming on your Rosy Finch plants? I’m debating whether I should do this later on or not. Would be of great help. Thank you. And again, thank you for sharing all of your Kratky adventures!

Many years ago, for my daughter's science experiment we grew buttercrunch lettuce using the Kratky method. I had the privilege of speaking to Bernard Kratky and purchasing the fertilizer from him. We used styrofoam fish crates. We cut 6 round holes on the lid of the crate. I took 6 styrofoam coffee cups and made vertical slits on the sides and poked holes on the bottom. The buttercrunch seed was planted in potting soil, about 1/4" deep. The styrofoam cups were suspended into water with hydroponic growing solution. Seedings appeared within one week. Beautiful long, white roots protruded from the slits and holes in the cups. The roots from the 6 cups "held hands." Within 6 weeks, the buttercrunch lettuce was about 12" wide at the top. The lettuce was large, like kale. The beauty of this non-circulating system is that it is simple and you don't have to worry about mosquitoes. We keep the crates outside along our house eaves so rainwater would not affect the water PH balance. We did not have to refill the water and there was no problem with algae build up.

I absolutely love that video everything about it was wonderful you did a great job very thorough just a pleasure to watch from beginning to end thank you so much and I too learned something along the way

You are so Fun!!! and that video was tremendously helpful. Have a wonderful day and spring and summer. thanks for sharing such great information.

Glad someone feels the same way I do when thinning plants lol

Did you notice a difference with the nutrient solution you used? The master vs. the other?

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Your video is well executed and a good follow up video would be greatly appreciated too if you have the time. Subject matter could be sharing all of your improvements that you learned from the first video. 4 to 5 months growing little tomatoes makes me think that there is a definite debilitating feature going on. Thanks again

Love that Kratky method! Thanks for the informative video, looks like my Kratky lettuce plants are gonna get some new neighbours!

will you kindly teach me how you change the fertilizer solution when the plant reaches to mature for flowering..

Love the video.

I enjoy your videos and your personality. I can listen over and over. Very informative and thank you!

excellent video. Last year we tried the Kratky method with a 55 gallon drum, previously used for fish fertilizer (wow, did it stink!) to grow cukes. Good results, but it had too much sun. This year we have moved the drum to an area that will get partial sun. We are also (using unused rain barrels) planning to grow tomatoes and something else (to be determined). We will take advantage of your advise in this video. By the way, love your accent. Even after living in New England for many years I still revert to my former Brooklyn life, especially when I say COUGH EE. Thanks again, Ira

I might have missed it, but did you notice a difference between the grow big and masterblend? You got me started in kratky 1 year ago. I can't tell you how thankful I am. I am also trying micro dwarf tomatoes this winter.

You should use 5 gal. buckets for tomatoes and cucumbers. For anyone seeing this that lives in Barren county Ky. check with MSR (Midstate recyclers. They also have one in TN somewhere. They give them away for free and they are food grade they come from the hospital. Also check with your locale hospital or nursing home. Lawrence

Great job, fun and informative to watch. Thank you 😊

Very impressive. Thank you for doing this video, it was also really informative.

TIKKI O. I LIKE TOMATOES, BUT THEY DON'T LIKE ME. (ARTHRITIS) SOME ADVICE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER: 1. USE GALLON WATER JUGS TO HOLD YOUR TOMATO PLANTS. ADD 2 INCHES OF ROCKS AT BOTTOM. THIS WILL HELP TO STABILIZE YOUR LARGE TOMATO PLANT LATER ON! 2. Enlarge hole to fit a holder of your choice, medium works fine. 3. Fill net holder with your yellow Rock Wool and wet with your solution. 4. Poke two holes in damp Rock Wool with pencil point and plant 2 seeds only. 5. Fill your gallon jug with solution mix. Fit holder with seeded Rock Wool into jug. 6. Make sure solution reaches holder only until roots are 1 inch long into solution, one week. 7. Keep solution fresh and to within 1" from the bottom of your holders, for airing roots. 8. Once both seeds germinate, let grow for 2-3". Cut one and eat it! Its roots will decay ok. 9. Spray paint your jugs various colors, season colors maybe? An opaque spray works fine. 10. When you spray jugs, stick a 1" wide strip of masking tape from top to bottom, in order to view the roots at all times. Keep it taped down, or remove it, and face it away from light. 11. Stabilize your jugs with TWO stakes, one on each side, taped as you show your jars. 12. TAPE STAKES onto sides of jug with duct tape before inserting seeded cup holder. This way, you won't accidentally mess up your seedlings that will exist within a week! 13. We screw cup hooks on two sides of the stakes, to use for tying up heavy laden branches with hemp twine. Use treated wood stakes, brass cup hooks, hemp twine, it will all last longer! 14. USE DETERMINATE SEEDS AND PLANTS, as their growth has a genetic built in stop for flowering, so they can only grow so big. IN-DETERMINATE SEEDS AND PLANTS continue growing until frost or disease kills them, so long as food and support are available. I had one 9 feet tall, and it had over 500 cherry tomatoes on it. But it was planted in compost rich soil, outside, with carpet over soil to keep moisture even. Carpet placed upside down, 4" circle cut out, seedling put into great moist soil in sunny spot. Grows like crazy. Hard to control so many branches and so much fruit, and so much processing at night, oivay!

1. Make sure you get the bluish green "grow big" like she shows, not the darker green one. The green one is for soil. 2. Clear glass will grow algae.

One nice thing about Kratky, you can easily move the plant to a larger container, and in the case of your fabulous tomatoes, you could move to a 3 pound plastic coffee can or even a 3 gallon bucket. Just cut a hole in the lid to make a nest for your net pot.

Your videos are very entertaining! You document your experiments very well. Thanks for the info. You've saved me a lot of experimentation time!