Botany Bunnies: Hydroponics Project Update

The grow lights interact oddly with
cellphone cameras.

After weeks of rigorous scientific analysis, our team of highly specialized lettuce experts has concluded that fresh-picked hydroponically grown lettuce is the most superior of lettuces*.  

The key is developing your hydroponics bay within a climate controlled habitat compartment, so neither your humans nor your lettuce ever has to traverse the -40°C with windchill January air. 

Using a mixture of powdered nutrient solution (instead of the usual liquid form which costs more) and the occasional batch of home-brewed compost tea (totally optional - just to get a little bit more microbial diversity in there), McFlufferton Inc. has been able to produce a continuous-harvest head of lettuce for well under $0.50 each!  (We have not yet attempted additional scientific endeavours to harvest our own lettuce seeds, that will likely be the next phase of our research.)

Harvesting technique is arguably important in reducing the probability of lettuce bolting.  You'll want to nip any central spires in the literal bud so the plants will keep trying to grow leaves instead of flowering. Additionally keeping your hydroponics from getting too warm reduces the likelihood of bolting (some of our human affiliates suggest tossing a few ice cubes into the water reservoir every day if your garden is kept at a warmer temperature).  While bunnies are perfectly happy eating lettuce flowers and the more bitter woody stems - humans seem to dislike them.

Stunt Bunny,
Botanologist

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* With only the technical exception of lettuce that you ate straight out of the hydroponic unit when the human's back was turned and you hopped on the bench which is normally outside the "fluffs reach" perimeter.