August 2020 - 20

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
Fertilizing
Leafy Greens
SPECIALTY
The first article in a three-part series focuses on producing healthy
leafy green crops using appropriate fertilizer concentrations.
BY CHRISTOPHER J. CURREY, JEAN O. YOST AND RACHEL M. SPORER
L
eafy greens are some of the most popular crops to grow
hydroponically. They are popular with consumers, have a quick crop
time, and don't require specialized structures like trellises or a high
gutter height. Specialty greens including arugula (Eruca sativa), kale
(Brassica oleracea), pac choi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) and Swiss
chard (Beta vulgaris) are commonly grown in water-culture hydroponic
systems such as nutrient-film technique (NFT) or deep-flow technique
(DFT), which use recirculating nutrient solutions.
In order to produce healthy seedlings for transplanting and
maximize yields during finishing, appropriate fertilizer concentrations
should be used. With no solid research to refer to for species-specific
20 AUGUST 2020 GPNMAG.COM
recommendations for seedling propagation and finishing, we conducted a
series of experiments to answer these questions.
THE EXPERIMENTS
In the first experiment, arugula, 'Starbor' kale, 'Win-Win' pac choi
and 'Fordhook Giant' Swiss chard were sown in 162-cell phenolic foam
propagation sheets with a top groove (Oasis HortiCubes XL; SmithersOasis)
placed in 1,020 flats with drainage holes. Immediately after
seeding and every day throughout the experiment, flats were irrigated with
25, 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 mg·L-1
nitrogen from a complete, balanced,
water-soluble fertilizer (Jack's Hydro FeED 16N-4P-17K; J.R. Peters) every

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August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2020

August 2020 - 1
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