Kratky Hydroponics DIY: Make an attractive hydroponic system in 10 minutes!

Kratky System

Kratky Hydroponics DIY: Mason Jar Kratky

Hands down, the most simple hydroponic system to build! Kratky Hydroponics DIY: There are deviations and additions, but we will show you the easiest ones first and go from there.

 

As mentioned in our Kratky method basic article, the Kratky method uses passive hydroponics irrigation. That means it does not require a pump, an air pump, or any electricity to work.

 

Need more info? Take a step back and learn more about the system or check out some other Kratky Method designs before you jump in to start your build.

 

 

Materials

Kratky Hydroponics DIY Reservoirs
Kratky Hydroponics DIY Reservoirs, GrowWithoutSoil.com
  • Tap Water
  • Plant
    • Fresh Plant cutting (if you are cloning a plant)
    • Seedling
    • Seeds in a net pot and starter plug (we will show you this option later)

 

Tools

 

Instructions

This example is a slight deviation of the original Kratky system that adds Hydroculture (clay pebbles) and Water Culture (air pump and air stone) components to the system for additional functionality.

 

Most people think these are a Kratky system, but the Kratky system is just a plant trimming or seedling placed directly in a jar of water,,,that’s it. This hybrid method is better for starting plants directly into the system from seed.

 

The net pot and clay pellets allow for more plant stem and root stability and allow water to be wicked up to water the baby roots until they are long enough to reach the nutrient water.

Reservoir

  • Clean and Place the selected reservoir
  • Discard lids
  • Fill the reservoir with approximately 2/3 tap water
Mason-jar-with-water
Mason-jar-with-water, GrowWithoiutSoil.com

Place 

  • Place your clone cutting, seedling directly into the mason jar without a lid, net cup, or medium. Walla!
Mason-jar-with-Mint
Mason-jar-with-Mint, GrowWithoutSoil.com
 
 

Kratky/Hydroculture Options

Want to grow bigger plants? There are even more reservoir options! The size of the reservoir will depend on your growing location and the size of the plants you selected to grow. You can make almost any Kratky Method system a Hydroculture System.

 

Most people think they are Kratky system anyway, so we will cover it here. What makes it a Hydroculture system you ask? Hydroculture uses a medium to hold the plant roots and support the stem. You can either fill the entire container with medium or save some money and buy and fill a net cup instead. Wait, what? Most

 

system designs stem from either The Kratky Method or Water Culture Design. Still, confusing?  Check this out.

 

Kratky Method ( just a plant in water) ->  Hydroculture ( a plant in medium, in a net pot, in water) ->  Deep Water Culture (add aeration to  either Kratky or Hydroculture systems water reservoir)

 

 

 

Kratky-options
Kratky Options, GrowWithoutSoil.com

 

Got it? So now it’s just about the size of the reservoir container; the bigger the container the bigger the system and all the components that go with it. Follow the same instructions with these containers to make a larger or hybrid system.

 

Reservoir Options

 

Component Options

Don’t have a good location near natural sunlight? Add a plant light with a timer to gain full control over your plant’s lighting conditions. Add aeration to make your Kratky system a Water Culture system that will provide more oxygen to the roots and really watch your plant grow!

 

If you use one of the net cup options it is important that you buy the correct size net cup so the top of the cup rim fits either in the mason jar lid or directly on the top of the jar without falling in.

 

Aeration

  • Place air pump
  • Attach air pump hose to the air pump
  • Attach hose inline check valve ( this is necessary to prevent reservoir water from backflowing into the air pump)
  • Attach a small air stone and place it into your reservoir ( you may need to punch or drill a small hole if your reservoir has a lid or net pot)

 

Lighting

  • Follow manufactures lighting installation instructions to install a small full-spectrum LED light (Learn more about the LED lighting type you will need and how far to place it from the plants)

 

 

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Bobby

Bobby

HI! I'm Bobby, an entrepreneur, inventor, green builder and urban farmer. I've been a custom home builder since a kid and an avid gardener. The critters, bugs and climate outside our new home forced me to check out some new ideas in gardening. I found out about Hydroponics and have spent years learning the best techniques to build the best, most efficient, home hydroponics systems. I built one of the first ever, small scale, mobile hydroponic systems. Would you like to know how I did it?