- 1). Choose your lettuce variety before you start based on your personal taste and space availability. Iceberg lettuce grows large, juicy heads while Romaine lettuce grows a looser, leafier variety. Other options include butterhead, crisphead and stem lettuces. All lettuce starts as seeds and will germinate easily in a hydroponic garden.
Get to know your hydroponic garden if it's new, using the instruction manual and any illustrated diagrams that came with the system. - 2). Fill your growing pots with a loose non-soil foundation like peat moss or fern matter. The non-soil foundation keeps the system neat and tidy while still offering a supportive structure for the lettuce. Plant your lettuce seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in the foundation, and give each seed a pot of its own to provide enough space for the vegetable.
- 3). Purchase nutrient solution at a hydroponic retailer or home and garden shop. This solution provides the vitamins and minerals hydroponic lettuce requires to grow, and will provide all the nutrition necessary. For lettuce, look for a 5-10-10 hydroponic solution, or one that has more phosphorous, magnesium and potassium. Mix this with pure water according to the directions and add it to your system as your water source.
- 4). Put the hydroponic lettuce in a spot where it will receive six to eight hours of bright natural or artificial light every day. Lettuce won't grow if it doesn't get the right amount of light, even in a hydroponic garden. Set the temperature control for 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for ideal lettuce growing, and set the watering timer for frequent waterings of 1/2 inch of water at a time, to produce large, juicy lettuce leaves.
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