Jalapeno Hot Pepper plants were grown in the 10L Kratky hydroponics system. Seeds were started in Root Riot Organic Starter Cubes in heated germinators and the seedlings were transplanted to the 10L buckets after approximately 2 weeks.

The plants grew very well and started to flower at around 8 weeks from seed start. A vibrating toothbrush 'paddle' (i.e. the part without the actual toothbrush head) was used to pollinate the flowers as they emerged on a daily basis. The plants also had to be supported with makeshift supports (a wooden spoon & string) as they grew tall and heavily-laden with fruit which developed approximately 10 weeks from seed start.

At approximately day 85 (12 weeks), the media in the buckets almost completely ran out. Since the first hot peppers were almost ready to be picked, and with many more on the way, we decided to keep the plants going as long as possible by adding approximately 400ml of 1:250 pH 6.5 Aqua Vega media to the buckets daily. Normally with Kratky hydroponics, covering the exposed roots with media is not recommended as it is thought that the roots that sit above the water line provide oxygen to the plant root cells, however, the small volume of media that was added on a each evening did not appear to adversely affect the plants in any way.

Overall, the plants grew extremely well, with a couple of caveats: