Southern Local Jr. High School students are growing more knowledgeable about soilless planting through a new hydroponics project.
Seventh-graders in Amanda Wrobleski's science class are cultivating butterhead lettuce in a newly acquired system in the classroom. Wrobleski funded the project with a $660 Best Practice Grant from the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, as well as some assistance from the school district. She said she chose the project because it can be completed year-round in a soilless system, unlike traditional planting which usually occurs outdoors. Her own personal interest in gardening sprouted the idea, and she jumped at the opportunity when it became available this fall.
"I wondered how to extend the growing season and decided on hydroponics," she explained. The equipment, which was provided by Crop King of Lodi, Ohio, arrived during the holiday break, and efforts to grow the seeds began in January.
The seeds were planted in rockwool cubes made from heated basalt rock and placed in the hydroponics system, which then feeds distilled water and liquid nutrients including hydroponic fertilizer and calcium nitrate. Students separated the rockwool and began growing the plants in rows. A total of 36 butterhead lettuce plants have taken root, and the pupils are keeping close tabs on the germination process. Wrobleski continued that it was a new and exciting way to learn.
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