Our “little gem” lettuce seeds are planted and our system is up and running!
We created our system to function on ebb and flow during germination and then we will change over to the nutrient film technique once the sprouts are large enough. The ebb and flow system consists of a lower reservoir to hold the water and nutrients, a drain and overflow pipe, a pump to fill up PVC pipe, and 3 cups to hold the rock wool and seedlings. Once the seeds germinate, we will change the incline of the PVC pipe and start the nutrient film technique.
To keep the plants healthy, we are using the liquid plant food; it contains almost all of the recommended values of nutrients for lettuce we researched. Our pH is a little high at this time, but we are carefully monitoring and slowly lowering it to a range of 5.5 to 5.8 to best suit the lettuce. The lighting is set on a timer, providing an “outdoors” timeframe for their light exposure with the fluroescent lamps.
Your systems looks really good. I think it is very unique that you created 2 systems in one and will be converting from the ebb and flow to the nutrient film technique, and I am interested to see how this change will affect the growth of your plants. Very cool.
I like the system description and the images. Can you give us a little more info about the lighting and nutrients? Tell us what kind of light you are using and how many hours it is on/off. Also, I suggest that you report the type of nutrients you are using and perhaps include a link to the ingredients. The system looks very professional…nice job!