How To Grow Hydroponic Parsley

Often used as a garnishment, parsley is a herb that enhances flavor and is rich in nutrients. It’s also easy to grow and thrives in hydroponic gardens.

If you’ve made it here I bet you’re looking to grow some parsley. Here’s a simple guide on how to grow your own hydroponic parsley at home!

Recommended Parsley Varieties for Hydroponics

There are 2 main types of parsley, curly leaf, and flat leaf, also called Italian.

Each type will grow well in a hydroponic garden, but I prefer flat-leaf varieties myself, as it has a more robust flavor and aroma. Curly leaf varieties can be used in dishes but, this variety is mainly used as a garnishment.

Getting Hydroponic Parsley Started

The first step to growing hydroponic parsley is figuring out what you’re going to start with.

Germinating seeds- Parsley is easy to start from seed and can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to germinate.

Though parsley seeds can germinate in temperatures in the 50’s, shoot for a temperature range of around 70 degrees for the best success. I prefer to germinate my seeds using rapid rooter plugs.

Cloning parsley- Cloning saves you money from having to buy seeds or plants. Parsley can be easily cloned for your hydroponic garden. Just cut a few leafy stems and place them in a cup of water with the bottom of their stems submerged.

For the best success with cloning plants, check out how to clone your plant hydroponically in only water.

Store-bought parsley in dirt– Buying a parsley plant from the store and transplanting them into your hydroponic system is an easy way to get your garden started. You can always buy a few plants and clone them to produce more.

*Tip-Even when out of season, you can often find parsley plants for sale in many grocery stores’ produce sections.

What Hydroponic Systems Works Best For Parsley?

Hydroponic parsley will grow in any hydroponic system, but some setups (or layouts) work better than others. I suggest using a hydroponic system that allows you to access all of your plants for easy pruning and harvesting, since you’re going to be doing that often.

You could let them grow without pruning or regular harvesting, but it will reduce the plant’s overall yield.

I typically prefer to grow my herbs using the NFT method, but also grow parsley in my ebb and flow table and small dwc tote systems.

What Is The Best Temperature For Hydroponic Parsley?

Parsley can grow well within a wide temperature range. Hydroponic parsley grows best in a temperature range of 60- 75 degrees with moderate humidity.

You can use a temperature controller to better regulate the temperature in your grow room.

Spacing Requirements For Hydroponic Parsley

Hydroponic parsley should be given about 7-8 inches of space between plants to provide plenty of room to spread out.

How Much Light Does Hydroponic Parsley Need?

Parsley doesn’t need intense light and can be grown under T5 fluorescent lighting. Since we only need parsley in its vegetative stage, the same bulbs can be used to grow parsley from start to finish.

If you plan on using your grow light for more than growing leafy greens and herbs, I would recommend getting an LED grow light.

Your hydroponic parsley should receive about 12 to 14 hours of light per day for productive growth.

Recommended pH Level For Hydroponic Parsley

The recommended pH level for hydroponic parsley is 6.0–6.5.

Hydroponic Parsley Nutrient Requirements

Parsley has simple nutrient requirements since we don’t need it to flower before harvest. To grow hydroponic parsley, you’ll want to use a hydroponic nutrient regimen high in nitrogen.

For growing my hydroponic parsley, I use Dyna Gro Foliage Pro. This one-part nutrient regimen is simple to use and produces plants with strong stems and heavy vegetation, which is just what you want when growing hydroponic parsley.

How Prune & Harvest Hydroponic Parsley

There’s no specific time you’ll have to wait before harvesting your hydroponic Parsley. Harvesting your parsley often will promote new growth and increase your overall yields.

When you’re ready to harvest your parsley cut the leafy stems at the base of the plant. The stems can actually provide more flavor than the leaves, so make sure to use them as well.

Conclusion

I hope you have found this article helpful! If you’ve grown hydroponic parsley let us know how it went in the comments! I’ve also put together a pretty nifty infographic to check out below.