How to grow Fresh Hydroponic Lettuce

Lettuce is becoming one of the favorites for hydroponic newbies and is one of the most common plants grown amongst hydroponic growers. The reason for this being is that it can be grown in temperate and tropical climates. It is good for you and both the stems and leaves can be eaten.

Lettuce can easily be grown with hydroponics and below we have listed what you need to get started:

Step 1: Choose a high quality lettuce seed.

Step 2: Place a lettuce seed into a growing medium such as a Peat Pellet or a  Rockwool Starter Plug. Put the cubes in a dish of water for two weeks in a dark condition. In that time, the seeds should sprout into little seedlings. Be sure to always have the cubes in a dish of water. Keeping the cubes in a dark condition is essential for curbing algae growth.

Step 3: Germination will take about 7-14 days. Once the sprout appears, put the cubes into a Net Pot and transplant to a growing container or hydroponics growing systems such as NFT systems.

The best containers to use for hydroponic gardening are dark colored plastics.

Step 4: Plants in a hydroponic system need to be regularly supplied with a nutrient solution.

Choosing the right solution is essential for successful hydroponic growth

Step 5:  Wait 4 to 5 weeks to harvest the lettuce. Make sure you place your plants near the sun, but not in direct all-day sun and preferably somewhere that gets morning sun only. Direct all-day sunlight is not suitable for lettuce and leafy greens as too much heat will cause the plant to feel stressed. This will result in it starting to bolt (flowering) which will make the leaves taste bitter and change the texture of your produce.

Here are two short educational videos:

Do you have a better method for hydroponic lettuce? Then please feel free to comment, reply or share below: