November 2, 2024

VIDEO: Germinating Seeds on Cotton Balls: an alternative to rockwool for hydroponic growing (Kratky too)


Side by side experiment to see how well lettuce seeds germinate on cotton balls compared with rockwool. It looks like the cotton balls are a great alternative, cheaper too!

25 thoughts on “VIDEO: Germinating Seeds on Cotton Balls: an alternative to rockwool for hydroponic growing (Kratky too)

  1. Happy to be the first here. I have to say, I love your videos because you have a really scientific approach and get to the point quickly. Thanks

  2. Thank you for this info! Would I plant the seedling in the plastic net pots with the cotton ball for hydroponics or should I remove it from cotton ball first?

  3. Exciting!! I was looking for an alternative to loofah. Some seeds are too small for loofah. Thank you for your inquisitive and experimental endeavors into hydroponics. I greatly benefit from your work.

  4. Dear Tikky, thank you very much for providing the scientific results of this experiment. It's now good to know that we are free to choose whichever we want.

  5. Thank you for great video! I'm looking forward to an update since I have lots of cotton balls! I also have lots of wet floral foam and I was wondering if you could use them as seed starter and also in this kratky system?

  6. Love your shows. Thanks I have a question it’s not related to radishes I don’t know if I can actually show you the pictures but I have lettuce growing in a hydroponic system but they don’t seem to be doing as well as yours in a mason jar. Is there a way to send you a picture you can tell me if it’s too small? Again I love you shows I wish I could figure out how to watch your shows from number one on on YouTube

  7. You should have added your paper towel method as another comparison. 😛 One reason hydro growers don't like cotton is because it can come apart and plug up the pumps, which isn't a problem with kratky, the other is it isn't completely void of nutrients and can provide food for other organisms which probably isn't an issue with lettuce.

  8. I always wondered about this method but never tried it due to cotton being organic and that could be a breeding ground for molds or bacteria! Thanks for sharing this! I will try it and see how my results come out! One could even add a squirt of peroxide to the soaking water for them to absorb and help keep things from becoming stagnant!

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