ASK The Experts
I have a flood and drain hydroponic system. I have tried growing many types of
plants, but the best performers in the system were lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.
As I only have a small greenhouse and wish to share the produce with my family, I
want to grow the most productive plants. Can you suggest the best seeds for me to
purchase for lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes? I live in northern Florida. Thank you!
– H. James Schroeer
The best varieties for a small, hydroponic greenhouse in your
climate are hybrid types of tomato and cucumber plants, and
heat-tolerant lettuce cultivars. Hybrid seeds will give you significantly higher yields and multiple disease-resistant properties. They perform well under hydroponic growing conditions
where they receive ideal levels of nutrients. Lettuce is essentially a cool-season crop and can struggle in warm growing
conditions, so selecting more heat-tolerant or bolt-resistant
types is recommended to help prevent problems such as
upward stretching, or the development of tip burn under
high temperatures. The following would be my seed recommendations for a hydroponic system in Florida:
Tomatoes
Beefsteak: Trust F1 and Geronimo F1. These are both grown
commercially in greenhouses and are ideal for hydroponics.
The fruit is large, so fruit trusses may need some support due
to their weight. These varieties also have multiple disease-resistant properties. Hybrid tomato plants need plenty of potassium
when the fruit is developing, so I recommend using a highquality fruiting or bloom nutrient formulation at this stage.
Cherry: Flavorita F1 or Sakura F1. Both are red cherry tomatoes with a good, sweet flavor and multiple disease-resistant
properties. They are less prone to splitting or cracking than
other cherry types.
Cucumbers
There is quite a wide range of cucumber types that
can be grown hydroponically. Here are some of my
top recommendations:
Long, seedless Dutch type: Tyria F1. Fruit are 14-in. long,
great-tasting, thin-skinned and non-bitter. They also have
some resistance to powdery mildew, which is a huge advantage when it comes to cucumbers.
American slicer type: Corinto F1. Fruit are 7-8-in. long,
have good disease resistance and are highly productive
in hydroponics.
Mini cocktail type: Iznik F1. Harvested when just 2-3-in.
long, and also called snack cucumbers, these cucumber
seeds are a good variety for hydroponics as they produce a
lot of thin-skinned fruits.
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Maximum Yield USA | January 2015
Lettuce
It pays to try growing a wide range of lettuce types, depending
on your personal preferences, of course. However, the following types are proven performers in hydroponic systems:
Green butter lettuce: Rex. Pelleted Rex seeds are the best in
terms of handling and germination. This lettuce is ideal for
Florida’s climate. It is slow to bolt and very reliable. It also
tolerates downy mildew.
Green frilled type: Muir. It is a medium-sized, light green,
open and slow-growing variety. Muir is fairly heat tolerant and
has a good flavor.
Salanova: For a mix of different lettuces and a surefire way to
impress friends and family, the latest hydroponic lettuce trend
is the Salanova lettuce types that produce compact heads of
leaves that are all totally uniform in size and shape. I recommend the Salanova Home Garden Mix pelleted seed mix,
which will produce a range of colored Salanova types. This
seed is a little more expensive than other lettuce types since
it is a reasonably new development, but it is well worth the
investment, particularly with the deep red types.
All of these seed varieties are available online from Johnny
seeds (johnnyseeds.com) in different-sized packs. Good luck
with your hydroponic greenhouse this season!
Kind regards,
Dr. Lynette Morgan
Suntec International Hydroponic Consultants
Dr. Lynette Morgan
Dr. Lynette Morgan holds a B. Hort.
Tech. degree and a PhD in hydroponic
greenhouse production from Massey
University, New Zealand. Lynette is
a partner with Suntec International
Hydroponic Consultants and has authored
several hydroponic technical books. Visit
suntec.co.nz for more information.