Awesome video, this is essentially how the 'botanium' system works, seeds are started in miniature clay pebbles, and a pump goes off every few hours to keep them moist. I've grown bok choi, lettuce, and peppers in the original kickstarter botanium model. I've done the same thing as this video with kratky and just clay pebbles inspired by the botanium. I will say the mini pebbles work best but are hard to come by, I've only seen them offered by botanium, I'm sure you could essentially do the same thing growing in pure perlite.
Love your videos, you are concise and thorough! What size seed cups did you use for the gallon milk jugs and how did you get them to fit? P.S., use an eye dropper to moisten your paper towel instead of a sprayer.
Anyone trying this, do not waste your time folding the paper towel. It does not stay folded as you can see in the video, and when folded it becomes too thick to fit through the net cup and just shreds into pieces.
I just set up a micro green experiment yesterday using a very similar set up. I got dollar tree deli cups with lids. I put my leca in the bottom, added fert to my water and then cut a paper towel to fit the shape of the container. Spread the seed and then sprayed them. I put the lid back on and set it in my window. I’m excited to see how this works. I found your video today, after I did this. So I’m doubly excited to see the progress knowing someone else did it successfully ❤❤
The paper towel idea was brilliant. Also thanks for taking the time and sharing your results. I often wondered whether the translucent light made a difference. Love the channel and the content
You are really a good teacher. You and Urban Gardening. Its rare to see this kind of RU-vid content creators thats directly to the point and use simple and less words. Very effective instructions with real experience demonstration. I hope you wont get tired of your efforts. Thank you
Brand new to hydroponics and stumbled upon your channel. Love the explanations, straight and to the point. My only question is... is there harm in not thinning out the smaller plants and letting them coexist in the same net cup?
I'd like to know as well. I have some that I didn't thin and they are growing, but they're really crowded and I'm thinking it would make them more susceptible to disease and more difficult to harvest. Just a guess though. I know even in the gardening books I've read the seedlings get thinned, so there must be a reason.
I know this is an old post but I wanted to answer anyway. Yes, what happens is competition for the nutrients in the water, space for the roots to grow, and especially as they grow they will compete for light. If you train them to grow sideways so they aren't competing for light and you change the water often then they could both grow together.
That's brilliant! 😃 So much cheaper and eco-friendlier than a fresh piece of rockwool for each new plant. Been searching for alternatives for a while. Can't wait to try that!
Or pool noodles. Lol gardening is mostly simplicity.. but big companies and capitalism will tell u that u need the growmaster 9000.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣and there goes the Gardner down to homedepot just to return it.. cuz it don't usually work better then simple 🤷
I remember when they said u couldn't grow Marijuana in miracle grow. Lmao just 20 years later find out that Scott's owns all the fertilizer companies. Ur basically growing in miracle grow no matter what u buy. Look it up. They were tryin to monopolize the soil game .. I think they did.
Wow. This is perfect. I’m glad I found your channel while web surfing about hydroton. It’s nice to find a method without rockwool. Just don’t like the idea of the fibers, the throwing away and buy more, and the energy cost. It takes a lot of fossil fuel most of the time to melt rock like that. A method where the only thing thrown away is a paper towel is great. I wonder if it could be more sustainable, but whatever makes thar bed is getting tangled in roots, so a brown recycled paper towel seem best.
I'm super new to Kratky and I like your videos the best of many I've watched. Nicely paced, informative, to the point. Thank you! Do you know if the Masterblend nutrient solution might be harmful to dogs? I unfortunately don't know anything about chemicals /fertilizer. I would have more space if i wasn't worried my two dogs might get into any containers I put on the floor
Thank you Tannimaus1 and thank you for your kind comment! Unfortunately I don't know if Masterblend is harmful to dogs, but I wouldn't leave any chemicals or fertilizers near pets or small children. Maybe get a large container like a bin/tote or large bucket with a good cover and secure it that way so they don't get into it. That way you can leave it on the floor, but its in a closed container that is difficult for pets/kids to get into. Good luck with your growing journey!
I really like your vids Tikki, your explanations are very easy to understand & I like the experiential nature of your explanations. Your channel along with Hoocho are my goto channels for all things hydroponics. Thank you so much.
I tried this with 2 types of spinach and 2 types of lettuce and it was a complete failure. Once lettuce germinated in a couple days, grew to about an inch, then just fell over and died. The paper towel also started turning black so don't know what that is. The two spinach seeds have been sitting for 16 days and have not germinated. The other lettuce germinated a few weeks ago but doesn't seem to be growing. Used the exact same fertilizer, 32 oz mason jars covered in foil and a grow light.
This is a great idea. Thank you. Just not sure about using paper towels because don't know what chemicals they use in processing. I'm thinking unbleached muslin for cooking might be a good substitute.
I didn't realize the smaller cherry tomatoes are Tiny Tim variety (thank you for saying so!) and now I have three giant ten foot cherry tomato vines in my sliding door window lol :D The bed method works great. I have experimented with TP & paper towel. I was using jute twine for a wick, but simpler just to cut up strips of paper towel like you have I suspect. I also wondered why I hadn't seen anyone try it until I found your video. I don't know if the paper will ever cause issues with mold or anything? I'm many weeks in and it has been fine so far. I like this because I don't want to spend money on expensive rockwool, I have bad luck germinating in soil (prefer to leave the soil outside), and it's a pain to clean the roots. Have you experimented with growing anything like garlic or carrots in clay pebbles? I'm going to try and see what happens.
Great job - I dig your videos, and always struggle with Rockwool. I've had great success starting in Dirt/Coco Coir, and transferring into my system which is a real pain...I absolutely dig this, and can't wait to give it a run! Thank you for sharing!
All I gotta say is wow. I have a love hate relationship with rockwool. I feel stupid after watching this, this is outstanding idea and I must try. Thanks so much for sharing.👍
This is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to avoid touching seedlings during transfer. Your nutrient solution is full strength from start, correct? Do you put grow lights over seedling once germinated or sooner?
Hi there! I tried this method and really like it! The only problem I had is that the paper towel strips disintegrated when I tried this. Is there a specific type of paper towel that you used, maybe it's stronger than what I was using? I'm also wondering if there's something more re-usable, like a cloth that wicks well? Thanks!
I just paid $20 for 194 cubes of rockwool. Not happy about that. Now I'm really not happy as it just came in and then I see your video. Sigh. But I do think that I could use the paper towel trick to wrap a bit around 1/4 cube of rockwool with seeds in it, good way to wick. I wonder if it will mold later on? For other wicking purposes, I have been using rayon yarn. I tried cotton yarn & it got moldy, as did cotton material for a wick, but after several weeks I see no mold on the rayon yarn. Use the number of strands that make sense... for a seed plug, one strand. for a tiny 4" pot I used 2 strands (both going into the same hole in the bottom. A big normal flower plant pot (1/2 gallon?) I put in 2 wicks into 2 separate bottom holes, of 4 strand of rayon yarn in each. I don't knot them, just use the loose strands twisted a bit.
Its really so amazing simple ideas for biggners ., i my self going to apply yrs and see Confident it working well ., trusting your clear simplicity thk u
are there any ways to prevent algae from growing? i tried this method last year and what happened is that algae grew in the white paper towel. also the lettuce roots had difficulty in tearing through the paper towels. I don't know what happened. i didn't even fold the towels. is this also due to the fact that I've used a master blend tomato formula? i ordered it accidentally instead of the formula for lettuce. sorry I'm a newbie in hydroponics and since that incident i haven't tried it again.
Great video. I have been propagating from seed in separate media (50/50 perlite and vermiculite mix, which is reusable) and then transferring to net cups when the seedling is slightly bigger...mainly because I didn't like the idea of rockwool from a sustainability perspective. This idea of yours is really good though and I think there are probably a few ways to achieve the same end using scrap fabric instead of the paper towel (I never buy paper towel, we use cloth that can be either washed or rags that can be thrown away if the mess is really yukky). I'm going to give it a try, thankyou for your great video :)
Using sponges for germination when I started in hydroponics. Huge failure rate due I think to very wet sponges. Trying again on a paper towel fitted through two slots (one each end of the lid) with the ends of the towel dropping into water in the container below the lid. Towel folded three times lengthways and it seems to soak up the water without being oversaturated like the sponges. Have sown lettuce, cucumbers and sweet peppers onto the top of the paper towel and covered only the cucumber seeds with a single piece of towel. Covered the whole lot with an inverted container (same as the one used as the base. Covered over with a tea towel to exclude some light and waiting with baited breath for germination. Possibly need to cut the paper towel around each seedling for transfer to netpots in the main growing container, but experimenting. Yours does sound good but will it cope with larger seeds such as cucumber etc? Good luck all.
can I start a seedling in coco coir tabletts and transplant them to a hydroponic setup with clay pebbles? Planting the seedling in it's coco hull in the middle of the pot, with clay pebbles around it?
That was excellent. Can I ask about the lights? Do you use them so that you can grow indoors all year round? I'm very new to this subject of hydroponics
Also a newb to this growing method and gardening in general. Thank you for this video and the illustrated processes. This has been immensely helpful Tikki! Thank you again!!!!
Growing made simple. Would of liked more info on your watering, how often you changed or topped up. I'm following similar method, but with a bubbler. Yes your paper towel method, like it. Thank you.
Thanks Sean, I like simple...my watering is different depending on the container size. The large 3-5 gallon totes I top off or change out once a month or so, depending on the water level. The water levels don't decrease as much in the beginning, and then much more as the plant grows more, and even more when it starts to flower and bear fruit. Cucumbers seem to drink more than tomatoes, and tomatoes more than lettuce. Also when the environment is humid the water doesn't evaporate as quickly as in a dry environment....so many variables, so I go by feel and by looking. Mostly I leave the lettuce alone and its fine. The tomatoes I tend to about once a month, flushing out most of the water and giving it new hydroponic water with nutrients. Hope that helps. Mostly look at your plants and see if they look good or are stressed out. Thanks for the question!
Hi, im a beginner in hydroponics here in india. Learning so much from you, thanks. I watched your video where you used paper towel instead of rockwool and was wondering ,can i use like cotton for its bed ? Im sure i can make some kinda wick out of it. What do you think ?
Did you have the seeds under lights fir the germanation process and do you have to use nutrince to germante them i thoght they had enuff stored to germante
What a clever idea! I have some peppers germinating in a paper towel right now, and I think I'll try to transfer them into a setup like this instead. Thanks for sharing!
I tried the paper towel in baggie method to germinate seeds, its what got me thinking about using a paper towel....its good for more than just wiping up spills! Thanks for your comment Vidar, and good luck!
What a neat idea! Please keep us advised going forward! I can’t wait to start my tiny Tim’s this way! I’m sure the towel will have no I’ll effects on roots or growth! Certainly less than rockwool! Again thanks for this tip! You are a real inspiration
Would you mind sharing particulars about the environment (temp, light, etc. on the countertop/to/wire shelving with mylar? More lighting option suggestions?
I'm using a plastic coffee container...and put three holes in the cover. Using your rolled up paper towel idea and applied a plastic rap for humidity...it works...!! very well actually.
i found a black drawstring bag on Amazon that easily slips over bottom of wide mouth mason jar and has a neat draw string on top. I think they were a dozen for just over $1 each and so much easier than dealing with foil. (10/30/22). Haven't tried them yet but soon will use your clay pebble idea and let you know.
I've watched several of your videos and they're great!!! So time for me to comment. Things that I really liked: 1. I liked that you experimented and tried something new with the paper towel and shared your results. 2. Recording over time is great so we can see the outcome. 3. You did a double experiment with the tin foil and again shared the results - GREAT!! 4. If you're not sure about why something happens, you let us know. I will certainly be watching more of your videos. Question/Comment: 1. I had the same question as you as to why not use something to prevent seeds from falling down. I thought about using a mix with smaller clay pebbles, crushed clay pebbles or perlite (thinking it would float to the top and create a surface for the seeds). Your solution is much more elegant. 2. I haven't used clay pebbles before but after watching your video, I ordered a bag. I'm just curious if the pebble wick up water without the paper towel. It seems like with just the rocks the the seeds would not get adequate moisture. THANKS!!!!!!!!
Did you paint the gallon milk jugs for the tiny Tim plants black? Will you need to transplant them again before they produce tomatoes? Thanks for your great videos!
I tried this method and had some success and a few failures. Out of 12, I got 5 where the paper towel started to get algae and 2 that got black mold. Yet my water in the tank is clear (no algae). Is there something I can do to avoid that because that's 40% success. I had to remove the affected paper towels and replace with the traditional method.
Was looking for an alternative to the rock wool- and using the clay pebbles or Perilite. THIS answered that need. And I have Paper towels always around.!!! Thank you!!!
I have been trying this but instead of paper towels, I am using cotton balls. I have great germination success and the roots of the seedlings grow but the seedlings don't seem to grow their first set of true leaves. They seem to be stuck but look extremely vibrant and like I said, the roots are growing. Any thoughts?
i used a small cotton rope as a wick (quart inch thick). i put it down thru my netcup holes on one side, up around the rockwool cube, over the cube, then back down the other side and back down into the water. this keeps the cubes wet till the plants can reach the water with their own roots. i bought like 200 feet of the rope for 20 bucks. i tried yarns but it didnt wick as well.
More I see your videos, more I wonder how you think of such simple solutions to big problems - rockwool is costly, not biodegradable, does not look nice and making holes and cutting it takes time. This is one simple solution to a big headache. Your exploratory and experimental approach to problems is impressive and coming up with innovative ideas 💡 every time is surprising. Tissue paper wicks and clay pebbles from tomorrow
You can even skip the hydroton if you slice up a foam pool noodle from the dollar store. For a $1.25 you can make dozens of foam disks that squeeze right into to the top of your hydro tubs. They're cheaper and they block the light better. You may have to trim out a small wedge to make it fit your system.
Excellent video. Thanks so much. Im brand new to gardening and hydroponic. I never even heard of growing herbs and veggies in water, no soil before 1-2 yrs ago when my daughter told me a little about it. So of course curious me has to give it a try. My first 10 pod idoo kit arrivved and im about to set it up. Your well explained video is going to be a great help. Again ty so much.
Someone already said this genius and it truly is. I have some little seedlings already started on cotton balls but i have a terrible time getting those little roots thru the bottom of the net cup. So I will nestle my rooted seedlings on a little paper towel nest as you show and hope the roots will follow the wet paper down into the nutrient solution. Thank you again for your brilliant ideas. =Deb
Thank you for this video, do you just leave the paper towel hanging for the life of the plant or do you eventually cut it off at the bottom of the net cup?
