Hi Guy's
I only started babbling in the dark art of Kratky hydroponics last season and not at the beginning of the season either.
Learnt alot "most important" any time you top up the solution level observe the plant, if it wilts/ starts to keel over
the poor buggers drowning and you need to reduce the level real fast !! And they sem to recover extremely quickly however spend too long pondering what's going on 
and you got dead plant 
learnt that the hard way !
Second thing I learnt was if you transfer a plant into kratky too late in the season it has a detrimental effect example it stops flowering and fruiting as its roots have tons of new space and unlimited nutrients in the percentages the plant requires so they grow a load of new roots followed by new branches, leaves you get the idea it stalls productivity of flowers
Third thing I learnt if you transfer a plant early enough Wow !!
I found a Ring of fire cayenne in 5 litre kratky tub (obviously not 5 litres of fluid more like 2 to 3 litres) would almost produce as many chillies as two plants in 5 litre soil pot's and bigger plumper pod's 
interesting the plant itself grew to the same size as its soil bound kin.
Looking forward to 2024 I decided to grow my "Keeper" varieties in kratky but grow this year's trial varieties in 5 litre soil pot's to evaluate them.
I normally start my chillies in December/January due to our short season I use I basic home made light box with a reptile light from the pet shop to stop them going Leggy.
This season I started my seedlings on rockwool transferred to soil in the light box grew them on in soil as if I transferred them to kratky hydroponics too soon I would run out of room in my house and it's too early to get them out in the greenhouse.
I suspect next season 2025 I will be able to start my plants much later February ?
An interesting wee experiment I started last November was growing a Hungarian black chilli in micro kratky on the kitchen window ledge with no artificial light, I've observed unlike a seedling in soil on the window ledge it would have gone Leggy. Also the mini kratky plant seemed to be less affected by the cooler window ledge temperature
I have been harding off my soil seedlings by putting them out in the greenhouse when I came in from work each day 1pm to 4pm then bringing them in to the spare room at night .
Like last year I've left my cull plants out in the greenhouse for the couplof weeks with horticultural fleece at night temperatures recorded in the greenhouse at night have been 2 oC, 5 oC, 0.6 oC, 8 oC, 3 oC etc you get the idea the cull plants in 7cm pot's under the fleece seem fine.
Given the above I'm trying to find out how kratky plants would do in the greenhouse idea being the sooner I can get my kratky into their final kratky tubs the better but our cold short season is the constant thorn in my side !
I took a spare kratky Hurt berry from its jam jar and moved it to a 5 litre tub .......its now been outside in my greenhouse for over ten days fleeced at night at the temperatures described above so far so good which brings me back to my hypothesis that kratky hydroponics seem to make plants more resilient to temperature
My Hungarian black micro kratky winter experiment which has never had artificial light and seemed more resilient to cooler temperatures
My spare Hurt berry experiment outside in the greenhouse seems to be doing well despite very low temperatures at night (2 oC - 1.5 oC) day time temperatures "if" our sun makes an appearance can hit over 20 oC
Given how well this Hurt berry is doing I hope to get my "Keepers" plant's out ASAP.................
Last season I experimented with 7 capsicum pubescens varieties outside in pot's the Rocoto long from sea spring seeds proved to be the winner for me. This coming season I'm planning on growing a Rocoto long outdoors in a large kratky set up which should be interesting.
Anyone got any tips on keeping rain water out of outdoor kratky set ups ? I'm currently thinking heavy polythene and duct tape ??
Any thoughts view's input most welcome, every days a school day.
Stephen
I only started babbling in the dark art of Kratky hydroponics last season and not at the beginning of the season either.
Learnt alot "most important" any time you top up the solution level observe the plant, if it wilts/ starts to keel over
the poor buggers drowning and you need to reduce the level real fast !! And they sem to recover extremely quickly however spend too long pondering what's going on and you got dead plant learnt that the hard way !Second thing I learnt was if you transfer a plant into kratky too late in the season it has a detrimental effect example it stops flowering and fruiting as its roots have tons of new space and unlimited nutrients in the percentages the plant requires so they grow a load of new roots followed by new branches, leaves you get the idea it stalls productivity of flowers
Third thing I learnt if you transfer a plant early enough Wow !!
I found a Ring of fire cayenne in 5 litre kratky tub (obviously not 5 litres of fluid more like 2 to 3 litres) would almost produce as many chillies as two plants in 5 litre soil pot's and bigger plumper pod's interesting the plant itself grew to the same size as its soil bound kin.Looking forward to 2024 I decided to grow my "Keeper" varieties in kratky but grow this year's trial varieties in 5 litre soil pot's to evaluate them.
I normally start my chillies in December/January due to our short season I use I basic home made light box with a reptile light from the pet shop to stop them going Leggy.
This season I started my seedlings on rockwool transferred to soil in the light box grew them on in soil as if I transferred them to kratky hydroponics too soon I would run out of room in my house and it's too early to get them out in the greenhouse.
I suspect next season 2025 I will be able to start my plants much later February ?
An interesting wee experiment I started last November was growing a Hungarian black chilli in micro kratky on the kitchen window ledge with no artificial light, I've observed unlike a seedling in soil on the window ledge it would have gone Leggy. Also the mini kratky plant seemed to be less affected by the cooler window ledge temperature
I have been harding off my soil seedlings by putting them out in the greenhouse when I came in from work each day 1pm to 4pm then bringing them in to the spare room at night .
Like last year I've left my cull plants out in the greenhouse for the couplof weeks with horticultural fleece at night temperatures recorded in the greenhouse at night have been 2 oC, 5 oC, 0.6 oC, 8 oC, 3 oC etc you get the idea the cull plants in 7cm pot's under the fleece seem fine.
Given the above I'm trying to find out how kratky plants would do in the greenhouse idea being the sooner I can get my kratky into their final kratky tubs the better but our cold short season is the constant thorn in my side !
I took a spare kratky Hurt berry from its jam jar and moved it to a 5 litre tub .......its now been outside in my greenhouse for over ten days fleeced at night at the temperatures described above so far so good which brings me back to my hypothesis that kratky hydroponics seem to make plants more resilient to temperature
My Hungarian black micro kratky winter experiment which has never had artificial light and seemed more resilient to cooler temperatures
My spare Hurt berry experiment outside in the greenhouse seems to be doing well despite very low temperatures at night (2 oC - 1.5 oC) day time temperatures "if" our sun makes an appearance can hit over 20 oC
Given how well this Hurt berry is doing I hope to get my "Keepers" plant's out ASAP.................
Last season I experimented with 7 capsicum pubescens varieties outside in pot's the Rocoto long from sea spring seeds proved to be the winner for me. This coming season I'm planning on growing a Rocoto long outdoors in a large kratky set up which should be interesting.
Anyone got any tips on keeping rain water out of outdoor kratky set ups ? I'm currently thinking heavy polythene and duct tape ??
Any thoughts view's input most welcome, every days a school day.
Stephen