2017 ASHS Annual Conference

In this study three cultivars of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala ‘Dwarf Blue Curled’, ‘Nero Toscana’, and ‘Red Winter’) were grown using a Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system in one of three fertilizer solutions (1,000 ppm, 2,000 ppm, and 3,000 ppm) to determine which solution provides the best overall initial growth in a greenhouse environment. The fertilizer formulation was a 50:50 mix of Jack’s Professional LX All Purpose 21-5-20 and Jack’s Professional LX 15-0-14 Dark Weather Plus Magnesium. Six plants of each cultivar of kale were randomized within each gutter of each fertilizer treatment and grown for 4 weeks. At harvest, the number of leaves and leaf area of each plant was recorded. Dry weight of leaves, stems, and roots for each plant were also recorded after being dried for 48 hours at 50C in a forced-air oven. A two-way ANOVA comparing the cultivars of kale and the fertilizer solutions showed no interactions between them. Additionally, a one-way ANOVA for each kale cultivar showed that increasing levels of fertilizer had no effect on any of the examined variables.