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Yellow leaves in Kratky vs soil

drownies!

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Jul 17, 2025
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My cousin and I have a bunch of peppers in a 4x4 tent using Kratky and a few in soil. The hydro ones are yellowing bad while the soil ones look okay. Could it be too much water or bad humidity balance?
 
My cousin and I have a bunch of peppers in a 4x4 tent using Kratky and a few in soil. The hydro ones are yellowing bad while the soil ones look okay. Could it be too much water or bad humidity balance?
Hmm, if the Kratky peppers are yellowing but the soil ones are fine, its most likely a nutrient issue or the water level's too high, roots might not be getting enough air. Make sure there's a good air gap and that you're using the right nutrient mix. Humidity could play just a small role, but it's probably more about oxygen and nutrients.
 
One solution is to consider adding minerals, nutrients, and organics, for example humic acid, compost, kelp, epsom salt, molasses, potassium, phosphate.
Through the growing phase, sometimes lthe older lower leaves turn yellow. Analyze color of veins, and any other "offs", such as evidence of bad insects. Discard old yellow leaves near the bottom, away from the garden.
Peppers love what makes them thrive: sunshine, ventilation, water (not too much), organic ferlilizers, wasps (for bad insects), and bumblebees.
Hope this helps.
 
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Thanks for all the info! Definitely gives me a few angles to try. We've got a decent root gap but I'm going to doublecheck how deep the solution is sitting and refresh our nutrients. Might throw in some kelp or epsom salt to see if it helps. Do you guys track pH or EC daily with Kratky or only adjust when things start looking off?
 
Quick update for everyone. We lowered the water level for more air and did a full nutrient refresh a little over a week ago. The newest leaves are coming in much greener now. Focusing on hydro variables was very clarifying, and we'll keep the soil tip in mind for our other plants. We're still curious if most people actively monitor pH and EC or just let it ride with Kratky.
 
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