Spinach plants are great to grow hydroponically. Hydroponic spinach is more nutritious, takes up less space, and uses less water compared to conventionally grown spinach. You’ll also have a bountiful crop of fresh spinach all the time because it continuously regenerates.
Are you interested in growing hydroponic spinach? Keep reading to find out how!
Why grow spinach hydroponically?
There are plenty of reasons why to grow spinach hydroponically. Some of the main reasons include a larger harvest, less required space, fewer diseases, and fewer pest problems.
Hydroponic spinach plants are also incredibly nutritious. They don’t take up much space and you’ll have maximized yields.
Hydroponic spinach also uses up to 99% less water than traditionally grown spinach.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Spinach Hydroponically?
Spinach grows quickly no matter how it’s being grown. But it can grow even faster hydroponically.
Hydroponic spinach seedlings germinate in fewer than three weeks and plants are ready to be eaten within four to six weeks. If you enjoy baby spinach, it’ll be ready even sooner!
Varieties Of Spinach To Grow Hydroponically?
You can grow any variety of spinach hydroponically. Here are some popular varieties for optimal growth:
- Matador Viking Spinach
- America Spinach
- New Zealand Spinach
- Bloomsdale Spinach
- Noble Giant Spinach
All of these varieties are packed full of flavor and mature at different rates. For example, Bloomsdale takes just a little over a month to be ready for harvest!
How to Grow Hydroponic Spinach
Let’s go over the ins and outs of how to grow hydroponic spinach.
Best Hydroponic System For Spinach
The best hydroponic systems for spinach are the ebb and flow system and the NFT system.
Hydroponic Ebb & Flow Systems
Ebb and flow systems are also known as flood and drain systems. They’re very easy to use and are ideal for growing spinach. Ebb and flow is pretty budget-friendly and needs an intermediate skill level.
They’re one of the most popular systems among growers. While there is a learning curve, they eventually become one of the easiest systems out there.
Spinach is placed in a tray. Then the tray is periodically “flooded” with nutrient-rich solution pumped from a reservoir below. Lastly, gravity pulls the water back into the reservoir to use again.
This is typically done using a submerged pump and a timer.
Hydroponic NFT Systems
NFT systems vary in design, but they all use a shallow nutrient-rich solution pouring through tubes. The plant roots absorb the nutrients when the water passes through.
NFT is similar to ebb and flow because they both use pumps. The main difference is that NFT systems are constantly flowing.
NFT systems are primarily made up of the grow tray and the reservoir.
Net pots are in the grow tray holding the growing medium, although many gardeners opt not to use any medium in NFT systems because the roots already have everything they need. The net pots also contain the plants.
The plant roots grow into the channel with the foliage above it.
A pump delivers water to the trays and a drain pipe recycles the nutrient solution to be used again.
The grow trays are at an angle so the water flows down into the return pipe.
The thin film of nutrients flowing throughout the system adequately waters the plants but doesn’t soak the roots, and provides all the nutrients needed for your plants to thrive.
Should you pick Seeds vs Clones?
There are lots of ways you can start hydroponic spinach, but the easiest method is with rapid rooter plugs.
Rapid rooter plugs help your seeds germinate more quickly, ranging from a few days to a few weeks.
Sow a couple of hydroponic spinach seeds in each plug to boost your chances of a healthy seedling popping up.
The plugs need to stay between 45 degrees F and 7 degrees F until the seedlings pop up. Once the seedlings have grown a bit, pinch the heads of the excess seedlings in each cube and leave just the healthier plant.
An essential tip for starting spinach seeds is to cold-stratify them. Put them in the fridge for three weeks before planting them. This will ensure optimal growth.
If you want to have a steady supply of spinach, sow new seeds every few weeks.
Be careful not to transition your seeds into your hydroponic system until the roots grow past the germination medium. At this point, they should be about two to three inches tall.
Light for Hydroponic Spinach?
You need to be careful with how much light you provide to your hydroponic spinach. 12 hours of light per day is ideal. Blue light promotes leaf growth.
Direct sunlight is your best option for optimal growth and to provide the best conditions for spinach. If that’s not a possibility for you, HID, high-pressure sodium, or fluorescent lighting will also work.
Hydroponic Spinach Nutrient Requirements
The main nutrients that hydroponic spinach needs are magnesium and calcium. Excessive nitrogen can lead to leaf tip burn.
Begin with a weaker solution of nutrients during the germination process and slowly increase the nutrient strength over a few weeks until you reach full strength. Use a well-balanced nutrient solution.
Right before harvesting your spinach, lower the strength of your nutrients again to prevent the spinach from becoming bitter.
Optimal ph for Hydroponic Spinach
The optimal pH for hydroponic spinach plants is between 5.5 and 6.5.
Harvesting your hydroponic spinach
Unless you’re harvesting baby spinach leaves, the first step to harvesting spinach is ensuring it’s fully mature.
Seed packets typically give an estimate of how long it takes for that specific variety to reach maturity, but keep in mind that hydroponic spinach grows faster than traditionally grown spinach.
Harvest with a sanitized pair of scissors or shears. Cut the outer leaves first. These are the oldest and biggest leaves. The inner leaves will keep growing.
FAQs
How do you germinate spinach hydroponics?
To germinate spinach hydroponics, use new seeds because spinach seeds go bad after a year or two. Spinach can take one to three weeks to sprout.
Sow multiple seeds in each hole. This will guarantee at least one healthy seedling in each cube.
Cold stratify your seeds before germination. Put them in the fridge for three weeks before you sow them.
Keep the seeds moist. Low germination rates frequently occur when the seeds dry out during germination.
How much spinach do you get per plant?
You can get unlimited spinach per plant until it bolts. This is because spinach keeps growing its inner leaves after you cut the outer leaves.
Does spinach regrow after cutting
Yes! Spinach regrows after cutting and in fact, some people use this technique to grow multiple spinaches with only one plant.
Conclusion
Clearly, spinach is a great crop to get your hands on if you love growing in hydroponic environments. You’ll enjoy large, nutritious yields without too much effort. With a little know-how you can have your own home-grown spinach in no time!
Browse through the rest of our blog to learn how to grow a multitude of different crops.