After that, treat your young spinach plants to ¼ strength hydroponic nutrients for two weeks. Once you’ve transplanted your seedlings, avoid fertilizing them for a week. Spinach can be grown using various hydroponic systems, though a deep water culture system or nutrient film technique is usually preferred. I personally grow spinach using an ebb & flow system and have had great success. Time to germinate: 6-10 days | Special requirements: 32-60☏ | Difficulty: Medium Growing Tips for Hydroponic Spinach The plugs will wick water up to the seed. Add only enough water to soak the bottom of the plugs. To bottom water rockwool starter plugs, simply add water to the tray the plugs are in. This method helps reduce mold growth and keeps the seed healthier. If you use plastic wrap, place something in the seed tray that helps the plastic wrap “dome” around the tray, so it’s not in direct contact with seed starter plugs.īottom watering refers to adding water to the seed tray instead of directly on top of seed plugs. Note: If you don’t have a humidity dome, you can use plastic wrap. They’re especially useful because they work for both hydroponic and soil-based planting. My starter plugs of choice are called Rapid Rooter. When the spinach seedlings are about 2 inches tall, they’re ready to be transplanted into your hydroponic system.Īs soon as the seed begins to sprout before it has time to develop much of a root system I place the seed in a starter plug soaked in. If you didn’t soak the seeds, you’d be waiting 10+ days for germination. Pre-soaked seeds should germinate and begin to sprout within 5 days. Blue light will enhance chlorophyll production and facilitate leafy growth, which is great for spinach. Fluorescent lighting works great for this. Try to give your seeds about 12 hours of light daily. It makes it easy to control moisture, it’s also easy to see when your seeds have germinated, and the damp paper towel keeps the seeds cool. One of the easiest methods is paper towel germination. Spinach is a cool-weather crop so avoid heating pads when germinating spinach seeds.įor a hydroponic garden, it’s preferable to germinate the seeds without soil. Spinach seed germination happens best between 32 and 65☏. Like all seeds, spinach germination takes place in three stages: soaking up moisture, developing new cells inside the seed, and finally, the visible emergence of the sprout. Note: Before germinating, soak spinach seeds in water for 4-8 hours to accelerate the germination process. Your first step to growing spinach hydroponically is to get the spinach seeds to germinate. EC Range (Nutrient Strength): 1.8 – 2.3.Optimal Nutrient Mix: Any well-balanced mix for lettuce.Best Grow Medium: Rockwool or coconut coir.Here’s what you need to know to grow spinach hydroponically. With so many fine qualities-not to mention all that tastiness-it’s no wonder spinach is high on the list of those who have turned to hydroponic gardening so they can have a ready supply of fresh, high-quality veggies ready for harvesting. You’ll also find it to be a good source of vitamin B2, magnesium, and manganese. This leafy green is pumped full of iron, vitamins K, A, C, and folate. Spinach has long been credited with increasing vitality, restoring energy, and supporting healthy blood-and rightfully so. While you may not gain instant strength like Popeye the sailor man, it’s hard to discount the healthy benefits of fresh leafy, green spinach.
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