DWC raft lettuce grow

[wordwiz]

I wanted to try this after seeing pictures of a few systems that looked enticing, not to mention inexpensive to build and relatively easy to maintain.

Found a cheap source for Styrofoam (a Drywall company), had a 24x30" box and some 4-mill plastic to line it with. I also have several shop lights, a good size air pump and lots of soaker hose, plus a few left-over horticubes, net pots, lava rocks, nutrients and seeds. Basically, it was only going to cost to run the 4 40-watt bulbs.

Mixed up some nuits (Garden-Tone dissolved in water) and adjusted the tub of water to about 800 ppm and the pH to 6.0.

As I am apt to do, I screwed up by trying to use some Fish Emulsion to boost the N level. Resulted in a lot of foam and slimy gunk on the roots. Emptied the water, washed off the roots and restarted. The plants were slow to respond at first but maybe a week ago showed signs of survival. I checked them this morning and they are 4x the size they were a week ago.

Next - to learn how to grow enough tomatoes to go with the lettuce! Then tackle cucumbers. And, can one grow carrots hydroponically?

Mike

 

[Burning Colon]

i threw in some soiled grown cherry tomatoes into my dwc and they exploded in growth(cherry tomato almost 2ft high). i have never thought of carrots, kind of reverse pyschology. i am willing to try once i get a cell free!

 

[Tonly]

Pics please!

I bet you could grow carrots or other root crops in a flood and drain type set up. You'd probably need to use a really lightweight and loose growing media.