Hydroponic Lettuce Production III

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Introduction:
The previous article “Hydroponic Culture of
Lettuce II” described the narrow channel NFT
system for growing lettuce. This article
describes the raft or floating system, which is
especially suited for warmer climates.

B. Raft, Raceway or Floating System:

Raft culture is a water culture system that uses
large beds contains large volumes of nutrient
solution. Styrofoam “boards” or “rafts” float on
top of the solution supporting the plants. The
raceways may be constructed in a number of
ways. Firstly, the floor must be leveled or for
shorter beds may be sloped 1 to 2 percent. If
not using a concrete floor, fill with about 3 to 4
inches of sand, moisten lightly and pack with a
heavy roller or packer machine. This would be
the final grade so be sure no pockets or
depressions are present. The floor must be
level across the beds, but can be slightly sloped Photo 1
along the length of the beds.

Beds can be constructed of lumber sides and

lined with 20-mil vinyl. The sides can be 2” x
10” pressure treated wood. Paint it with marine
paint to further preserve the wood. Styrofoam
sheets come as 4 ft. by 8 ft., so make the beds
so that they have at least ½ – inch extra width
to permit the liner and the boards to fit. If you
want to insulate the side, use 1-inch thick
Styrofoam, but allow for this thickness in the
bed design. Then, you would make the bed
width 8 ft.–2 ½ inches. The vinyl liner must be
welded with a special heat welder for such use.
In this way, leaks will be prevented. Vinyl
cement is not suitable as joints cannot be
sealed properly. In a greenhouse that is 30 ft.
wide make the beds oriented perpendicular to
the gutters of the greenhouse. You will need a
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4 ft. wide aisle on one side and a 2-ft. wide one
on the other side of the greenhouse under the
gutters. Allow 1-ft. aisles between beds.
Therefore, the beds would measure 8 ft. x 24 ft.
oriented across the width of the greenhouse.

On one end of the beds locate the inlet header

and pipes and on the other the drain return
line to the cistern. With these smaller beds,
circulation through the beds should permit up
to 3 to 4 exchanges of solution per day. The
solution is aerated as it falls back into the
cistern from the return line. A course screen
filter on the return end will collect any
particulate matter before the solution falls into
the cistern. As the solution is pumped back to
the beds it must pass through a UV sterilizer
and/or filtration of 50 microns followed by one
of 5 microns to remove fungal spores,
particularly the zoospores of Pythium. Photo 2

In a larger commercial range of greenhouses,

after leveling the floor, pour concrete (photo 1).
Molded plastic beds 24 inches (60 cm) wide by
8 inches (20 cm) deep in 10-ft. (3-meter)
sections are glued together in situ to obtain the
needed length (photo 2).

A 3-inch diameter return line to the nutrient

cistern is located in a trench at the end of the
beds together with 2-inch diameter waste line
(photo 3). A drainpipe from the bottom of each
bed joins into the return line nearest the beds.
A second drainpipe from the bed attaches to
the waste line. Ball valves installed on the
drainpipes allow the sterilization water, a 10%
bleach solution, to drain into the waste line
during cleaning of the beds between crops.
The waste solution drains to a septic field.

Beds in production have their return pipes

opening into the main return line re-cycling the
solution back to the cistern. An overflow pipe
into the return regulates the solution level.
With this design the beds may be cleaned with

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a push broom and bleach solution (photo 4).
Precaution is necessary to not brush
neighboring plants with the bleach solution or
allow fumes to accumulate in the greenhouse.
Keep the greenhouse well ventilated during the
sterilization process. Rinse the beds with raw
water after sterilizing.

After sterilizing the beds are filled with water

and the nutrient solution is made up (photo 5).
If the nutrient solution is prepared for each
bed separately after cleaning, the overall
solution will stay in balance better than if water
is added to the tank and solution adjusted. The
nutrient tank is only about 1000 gallons (3800
liters) in volume, while each bed contains 900
gallons (3600 liters). Beds should not exceed
100 ft. (30 m.) in length as oxygen deficit can
occur.
Photo 3
In a greenhouse of one-acre (0.4 hectare) with
dimensions of 110 ft. (33.5 m) by 400 ft. (122
m), the 2-ft. wide beds are laid out in sections
of 10 beds with a 24-inch (60-cm) aisle between
sections to allow access. About 85% of the
greenhouse floor area may be utilized with the
raft system. An acre of greenhouses could
produce about 112,000 head of lettuce per
crop.

A pump in the cistern circulates the nutrient

solution through a ultra-violet (UV) sterilizer,
ozone sterilizer and hot-water sterilizer as was
described for the NFT system. In this operation
only a UV sterilizer was used (photo 6).
Alternatively, since the most serious disease is
Pythium fungus, a series of filters (50 and 5
microns) downstream from the pump can
protect against this disease organism. The UV
sterilizer is more effective on bacteria than on
any fungal resting spores. An ozone sterilizer Photo 4
oxidizes the chelated forms of iron, zinc and
manganese, so with such a system check these
levels of micronutrients and add them as
necessary downstream from the sterilizer. You
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can also use the sulfate forms of zinc and
manganese, but not iron, as it does not stay in
solution.

The solution is aerated in the cistern with an air

pump and air stones. In hot climates a
refrigeration chiller unit partially submerged in
the tank may cool the nutrient solution as
shown in photo 7 of the Hydroponic Farm at
Cuisinart Golf Resort & Spa. A water chiller
unit of one horsepower is capable of cooling
1000 gallons of solution below 75 F (24 C),
which delays bolting of the lettuce and slows
the growth of Pythium. In fact, we have found
here in the tropics where daytime
temperatures exceed 95 F (35 C), it is
advantageous to chill the nutrient solution to
65 F (18 C) or slightly less to decrease bolting
and Pythium.
Photo 5
Experimental research work by Thompson, H.
C. et al. (1998) substantiates reports that root
temperatures influence lettuce growth in raft
culture. They demonstrated the importance of
optimizing root and air temperatures in lettuce
production. By using 24 C (75 F) root
temperature in hydroponic water culture
systems of lettuce the crop growth was
maximized under elevated temperatures. This
led to the conclusion that lettuce production
could be grown in warmer geographic areas. Photo 6

The pH and EC of the nutrient solution are

monitored and the solution adjusted by use of
an injector system with stock solutions from
tanks.

The nutrient solution is pumped to the

opposite end of the beds via a 2-inch diameter
PVC pipe inlet header with a 1-inch diameter

Photo 7

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inlet pipe to each bed (photo 8). A plastic ball
valve regulates the flow rate to about 3 liters
per minute that exchanges the solution in all
the beds every 24 hours. The solution flows
through the beds and out the return pipe at
the tank end to the main return line to the
cistern.

The “rafts” are of a high density “Roofmate”

Styrofoam commonly used in the construction
of houses. One-inch thick boards for this
raceway system are cut to measure 6 inches
(15 cm) wide by 2 ft. (60 cm) long to fit into the
beds. Four holes 7/8 inch (22 mm) in diameter
are cut 3 inches (7.5 cm) from each end and at
6-inch (15-cm) centers along the centerline of
the board. The holes must be of exact diameter
to permit the rockwool or Oasis cubes to fit
tightly so they will not fall through the boards.
The rafts support the plants and insulate the Photo 8
underlying solution.

The rafts (boards) are cleaned with a hose and

then soaked in a 10% bleach solution for about
an hour in a vat. They are air dried to remove
any residual chlorine before re-using them.

Three to four wire hooks attached to a nylon

string are secured to the same number of
boards along the bed length, one every 25 ft.
(7.5 m) (photo 9). The hooks attached to the
string are used to pull the entire bed of rafts
toward the harvesting end of the bed. A small Photo 9
boat winch that is secured at the end of the
bed in a piece of metal pipe is used to wind in
the string pulling the rafts as harvesting
proceeds (photo 10). The rafts float freely if the
return level pipe is closed to allow the solution
level to rise about 1/2 inch. Normally, the
solution level is maintained about 1-inch below
the rim of the beds. During transplanting 3 to 4
rafts at a time are placed at the harvesting end
of the full bed. Seedlings are placed in them
before pushing them downstream and adding
more rafts.
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The lettuce is seeded in rockwool or Oasis
cubes of 1” x 1” x 1 ½” dimensions as described
earlier for the NFT system. After 14 to 18 days
the seedlings are transplanted by simply
pushing their cubes into the boards sufficiently
so that they extend about 1/8-inch (3 mm)
below the bottom of the boards into the
solution underneath. This is important as the
cubes must initially touch the solution below or
they will dry out and the plants will die.

Lettuce can be harvested at night or early

morning when temperatures are cooler and
plants are fully turgid. They are packaged in
plastic bags and put into cardboard cases of 24
per case. The plants are removed by hand and
roots trimmed to a stub of about 1 inch (2 – 3
cm), with the growing cube left attached, which
is speculated to give longer shelf life. However,
Photo 10
leaving on the roots and growing cube can
present other problems if the plants are
packaged in plastic bags. The moisture of the
cube causes decay of the lower leaves of the
lettuce. In addition, there is some risk of the
cubes breaking apart and making the lettuce
unclean. If not washed well before
consumption, there is a possibility of getting
pieces of the cube in your salad. In my opinion,
the cubes can be kept on the plants during
harvesting if they are marketed in rigid clam
shell containers, otherwise, cut the plants at
the crown when harvesting and keep no roots
or cubes on the finished product.

Small raft culture systems may be made as

ponds or beds. For example, use wood or
concrete blocks or bricks to make the sides
after leveling the floor as was described earlier.
These ponds or beds need to be a multiple of 4
feet in dimensions so that the 4-ft. wide boards
will fit into them. They can be lined with a 10-
mil black polyethylene. As was seen in Peru,
the ponds can be very simple without any
pumps or circulation if they are small enough.
Aeration can be done manually by beating the
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solution periodically with a wisk (photo 11).
Hobbyists can build small ponds on the
concrete floor of your basement in your house.
Simply, frame the ponds with 2” x 8” boards.
Put brackets in the corners to strengthen the
joints so the frame will support the outward
pressure of the solution. Place a 10-mil black
polyethylene liner in it. Be sure that no rough
edges are present that could puncture the
liner. To aerate the solution use a small fish
aquarium pump with an air stone. Make the
pond a multiple of 4 ft. such as, 4 ft. x 4 ft., 4 ft.
x 8 ft., 8 ft. x 8 ft., etc. Each board will measure
4 ft. x 4 ft. and contain 64 head of lettuce.

This type of ponds, but somewhat larger than

for hobby purposes were constructed at
Cuisinart Golf Resort & Spa Hydroponic
Farm. One pond measures approximately 32
Photo 11
ft. x 20 ft. and the other 20 ft. x 16 ft. (photo
12). The larger pond contains 4600 gallons and
the smaller one 2300 gallons of solution. The
sides are constructed of concrete blocks and
the bottom is concrete. The solution depth is
10 inches and the sides of the ponds are 12
inches. This allows for the 1-inch thick boards
plus some freeboard space. Boards of 4 ft. x 4
ft. fit into the pond. The lettuce is ready to
harvest in 26 days after transplanting or 44
days from seeding (photo 13).

The main advantage of the raft culture system Photo 12

over the NFT gutter system is that in hot
climates the large volume of solution in the
beds stabilizes the solution temperature. With
the addition of a chiller in the nutrient tank the
solution temperature can be maintained at 75
F (24 C) or lower to prevent bolting.

The main disadvantages are the higher capital

costs, higher maintenance, and greater use of
fertilizers due to the large volume of nutrient
solution in the system.

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 Photo 13

REFERENCES:
Marlow, D.H. 1993. Greenhouse crops in North America: A practical guide to stonewool
culture. Grodania A/S, Milton, ON, Canada.

Portree, J. 1996. Greenhouse vegetable production guide for commercial growers.

Province of British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food.

Resh, H.M. 2013. Hydroponic Food Production, 7th edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL,
U.S.A.

Thompson, H. C., Langhans, R.W., Both, Arend-Jan, and L.D. Albright. 1998. Shoot and
root temperature effects on lettuce growth in a floating hydroponic system. J. Amer. Hort.
Sci. 123 (3): 361-364.

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