Grow lettuce in pop bottles
Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:24 am
This works.....although it might just put you in A&E!!!!!!!!!!!!
Firstly gather up a selection of 2 litre pop bottles and mesh bags used to hold garlic in. Cut the mesh into 2 inchish diameter discs, remove pop bottle tops and lash the mesh over the open end of the pop bottle. Just like Blue Peter!.
Now cut the pop bottle into 2 pieces about 4 inches from the top using stanley knife or/and scissors. The top section becomes your plant pot, the bottom section becomes your water reservoir.
Not all pop bottles are the same dimensions or design. You need to sort out which top sections fit into the bottom sections without falling in. You will have some pots that fall into the bottles. No worries there is still another chance for a visit to A&E. Take the ice cream containers you have saved because you thought they would come in handy and drill a hole in the top with a hole saw, I think mine is 68mm. The spare pop bottle top sections will fit upside down into a correctly sized hole.
Now just fill the tops with compost and put half a dozen lettuce seeds (you will thin to the best plant in a couple of weeks) and the bottoms with water and put stand the tops in the bases. The water level needs to be maintained to the level of the mesh and soon you will see the lettuce roots growing through the mesh into the water.
A picture paints a thousand words but I do not have the means to post any photos. Perhaps someone will oblige in due course, maybe even post a photo of an accident with the stanley knife!. You have been warned!.
I have been using lettuce for a couple of months and have 50 growing at the moment. I have been wondering whether to add some feed to the water but have not tried it yet. Perhaps if a few people are willing to give this a try the method could be refined. To me the major advantage is you can keep your containers in a place where slugs are unable to access.
Minesapint
Firstly gather up a selection of 2 litre pop bottles and mesh bags used to hold garlic in. Cut the mesh into 2 inchish diameter discs, remove pop bottle tops and lash the mesh over the open end of the pop bottle. Just like Blue Peter!.
Now cut the pop bottle into 2 pieces about 4 inches from the top using stanley knife or/and scissors. The top section becomes your plant pot, the bottom section becomes your water reservoir.
Not all pop bottles are the same dimensions or design. You need to sort out which top sections fit into the bottom sections without falling in. You will have some pots that fall into the bottles. No worries there is still another chance for a visit to A&E. Take the ice cream containers you have saved because you thought they would come in handy and drill a hole in the top with a hole saw, I think mine is 68mm. The spare pop bottle top sections will fit upside down into a correctly sized hole.
Now just fill the tops with compost and put half a dozen lettuce seeds (you will thin to the best plant in a couple of weeks) and the bottoms with water and put stand the tops in the bases. The water level needs to be maintained to the level of the mesh and soon you will see the lettuce roots growing through the mesh into the water.
A picture paints a thousand words but I do not have the means to post any photos. Perhaps someone will oblige in due course, maybe even post a photo of an accident with the stanley knife!. You have been warned!.
I have been using lettuce for a couple of months and have 50 growing at the moment. I have been wondering whether to add some feed to the water but have not tried it yet. Perhaps if a few people are willing to give this a try the method could be refined. To me the major advantage is you can keep your containers in a place where slugs are unable to access.
Minesapint