Black net pots for hydroponics growing media on a wooden floor. Copyright (c) 2022 Erlyani999/Shutterstock. No use without permission.

Intro

The Kratky Method is a version of hydroponics that does not require a pump, an aerator, or any form of electricity. All you need is a container for the seeds and growing medium, a container to hold water and seeds, and a sunny location! You can even scale it down and use mason jars.

This method of gardening was developed in the 1990s by Dr. Bernard Kratky. Find a research article in the links above for more deton into how this method works. However, the best thing about the Kratky method of hydroponic growing is that once you set your plants up, you don’t have to do another thing until they’re ready to harvest. 

So, are you hooked yet? Let's discover how to get started so you can easily grow plants, whether to complement many of your environmental education lessons or simply to have a garden to harvest.

Materials Needed

You will need two specific materials, that are easily found and re-usable: net cups and a growing medium.

Pictured above is a style of net cups that will hold your growing medium and seeds. The roots will grow out from the net cups and reach the water below. The growing medium can be any of the following:

• coconut fiber (a sustainable, organic, biodegradable medium made from shredding the inner pith of coconut husks)
• rockwool (or stone wool, which is a porous material made of spun basalt rock fibers)
• lightweight expanded clay aggregate

I have attached this link, that outlines how to set up a Kratky Garden in great detail. Happy planting and have fun!