Kratky Hydroponics Under LEDs vs. Windowsill Deep Water Culture Under Sunlight

Here is a comparison of red leaf lettuce grown in a Kratky setup under LEDs vs. a windowsill deep water culture setup under sunlight.

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[imwlf]

Great results and well explained. Good work!

[projectdevelopment]

I think your sunlight version has got some other issues except for the light. Firstly those poor lettuces are kinda far down in their pot but more importantly the kratky system relies upon the water level going down so that the roots can get some oxygen. In your case it looks like the lettuce plants are sitting on the water’s surface and are never able to absorb some form of oxygen. That setup would only work with a DWC ;) Best regards and thanks for your video!

[realmupr]

Great video, thanks a lot for that.

I am interested in what ppfd level you have with your grow lights. Measured at the base of the plant.

[oldmcdonald]

If the windows are low e tinted like most newer ones, the plants won't likely get a full spectrum of light.

[karronlaneNOLA]

tks for the video. what are the specs on your led lights?

[Khaled.MAnwer]

Any type of LED I can use in my system?

[educaracas]

Basically windowsill setup doesn't suply root aeration.

[muffdriver]

Indoor light costs electricity. Mine is $10 extra electricity bill per month. But lettuce cost $3 at the supermarket. So I think natural sunlight wins here because it is free.

[embrj]

So you grew this on water alone? no fertilizers?

[markgutierrez]

Looks like you’re getting burning on the leaves under the LED lighting? Is this because the lights are too close to the plants?

[frostsmaker]

There is no way 16 hours of full light can't beat natural sunlight for plants.
Yes, 16 hours is clearly the winner. More exposure to light more time to grow.
Plants need to take a rest. 8 hours without light is enough. :)

[HudaTechTalk]

Great experiment! Please confirm it was LED shop lights, not LED grow lights. LED shop lights are much cheaper than LED grow lights and I am skeptical about shop lights for growing. If LED shop lights work well for growing leafy vegetables, will any type of LED light work well too? Thank you.

[hussamka]

Can you inform me which base fertilizer you are using? and what's the percentage formula of Water+ Fertilizer + Epsom salt. Thanks

[moksabisa]

Does it work when i use LED lamp not growth LED?

[tonye.]

How many hour should I expose my lettuces to the sun light and how many hours should they be in a dark? Great video btw 💯

[biolifeagri]

How much whatts of LED BULBS you have used? Thanks

[danielalmond]

Looks like the salad under led light got burnt. Looks like its been to close to light. That will stunt the growth big time.

[Sophie_]

The experiment wasn’t fair imo. In the kratky method, you have the light directly overhead. In the DWC-like system (proper DWC would have a pump aerating the solution) the seedlings would have been below the pot line to start, then because it relies on the window for indirect filtered light, it’s not really a sun vs kratky comparison. It’s just a led light vs window sill. You should have place the DWC system outside.
I have compared this myself, outside, the plants grow with much deeper Colors and faster.

[MrWhaatay]

I have had horrible luck under a grow light. The seeds will germinate grow to an inch and then stop growing.

[marambula]

Sadly no comparisons can be made because you grew the two groups of lettuce in entirely different styles of hydroponics. One was kratky and the other was.... waterboarding I guess? You suffocated the roots on the windowsill plants ==> Oxygenation of the roots is one of the most important concept in hydroponics so sadly the entire experiment has to be thrown out as spoiled. Lettuce looks tasty!