Hydroponic Spinach Growing Method and Growth Cycle: How Long Until You Can Eat It?
Do you know what hydroponic growing of spinach is like? How long is the growing time? Let's take a look together! Spinach usually takes 8 to 10 weeks before the leaves are large enough to harvest. Spinach is a crop that keeps on giving. Once the leaves are large enough to
Do you know what hydroponic growing of spinach is like? How long is the growing time? Let's take a look together!
Spinach usually takes 8 to 10 weeks before the leaves are large enough to harvest. Spinach is a crop that keeps on giving. Once the leaves are large enough to harvest, pick the large outer leaves, leaving at least 3 new leaves on the plant. You should be able to pick multiple leaves from the same plant within 2 to 3 weeks, up to 6 or 7 leaves over several months, without replanting.
Step 1: Equipment needed: coconut coir, seedlings, propagation pots, hydroponic system
Step 2: Prepare the seedlings; carefully remove the seedlings from the seedling tray without damaging the roots. Sometimes there is more than one seedling per compartment, especially if you have grown your own seedlings. If this is the case, separate the seedlings while making sure all seedlings have roots attached.
Step 3: Clean the root structure; clean the roots by shaking off excess dirt or soaking them in water. Because they are very small, there is no need to separate them, as they grow well in numbers.
Step 4: Protect and wrap the roots; I like to wrap the roots with coconut coir because it is natural, absorbs moisture, and provides good support for the seedlings if wrapped firmly enough. Coconut coir also prevents sunlight from damaging the roots, since their role is to absorb nutrients for the green photosynthetic parts of the plant.
Step 5: Wrap the pot; once the roots are wrapped, plant the seedlings in the propagation pots, making sure it is a snug fit. This provides support.
Step 6: Plant and place the seedlings; place the wrapped pots into your hydroponic system, making sure the pots are immersed in the nutrient solution at least 1 to 2 cm. The capillary action of the coconut coir will make the nutrient solution available to the roots. Remember to place the seedlings some distance apart so they can grow and reduce competition for sunlight.
Step 7: Happy growing; at this point, we no longer need to pay too much attention to it and can let it grow on its own.