Hydroponic Nutrients

Here is a simple guide to help you understand basic management of hydroponic nutrients.

To get started, lets cover the basic needs of plants:

• Light
• Water
• Air
• Minerals (Nutrients)
  
• Proper temperature
• Proper pH
  

Light
Plants need light, but hydroponic nutrients do not. Hydroponic nutrients are best kept in cool dark places for storage and use. Use dark colored U.V. resistant plastic for nutrient reservoirs to inhibit the growth of algae in your hydroponic system. Algae will not directly harm your plants, but it will use minerals from your nutrient solution that your plants need and cause your nutrient pH to drift.
Water
Start with good water. Do not use softened water or chlorinated water to mix your nutrients.
Rain water is best with an EC (electrical conductivity) of about 10. RO (reverse osmosis) filtered water is next best with an EC of about 15-60, depending on the quality of the RO unit and the initial water quality. If you are not sure about your water, have it tested.
Air
Plants need air for both their leaves and roots. Adequate ventilation of growing area and aeration of hydroponic nutrients in solution will help you to grow healthy and happy plants.
DO (dissolved oxygen) levels in hydroponic nutrients can be monitored with a DO meter available at pond supply stores. Try to keep dissolved oxygen levels at or preferably above 6ppm. The best way to aerate nutrient solutions is to use aquarium stones and air pumps, or by circulating nutrients or causing nutrient solutions to fall or flow.
Minerals and Nutrients
Always use hydroponic nutrients and not fertilizers that are for soil growing. General Hydroponics are a supplier of high quality hydroponic nutrients. If you are hoping to mix your own hydroponic nutrient, look for "solution grade" or "agricultural grade".
Proper Temperature
The optimum temp. is different for each type of plant. Hydroponic nutrients can be heated or chilled to maintain optimum growing conditions for each specific crop. A general target for temperature is 60-65 deg F. For hydroponic lettuce or living lettuce crops, any nutrient temp. below 58 degrees F will significantly impede growth, resulting in tough and chewy lettuce. Any nutrient temp above 75 deg F will cause growth to occur too rapidly, resulting in bitter tasting lettuce.
pH
The pH of your nutrient is of utmost importance in hydroponics. If your nutrients pH drifts from the optimum range, certain nutrients will become unavailable to your plants. The best pH for each type of plant varies, but a good range for most hydroponic plants is from 5.8-6.2.

Keep good records of these variables and it will help you to fine tune your hydroponic nutrients to make the best of your hydroponic system. Weather you grow for food fun or commercially for profit, getting the maximum yield possible is always a good thing. In order to get the highest yield possible from your crops, you need to learn and practice techniques for good management of hydroponic nutrients. Remember to take good notes and keep things clean!

God Bless and Happy Growing!

Hydroponic System Basics

Hydroponic systems can get pretty fancy, especially when aeroponics are incorporated. To get started growing hydroponic vegetables or any hydroponic plants, a simple system will suffice. There are lots of do it yourself hydroponic guides out there, but if you want to be creative and try your own design, here are a few basic requirements you will need to plan to incorporate into your hydroponic system:

• Plants need light to perform photosynthesis, hydroponic nutrient reservoirs are better off without light. Dark materials and thermal insulation are good for making nutrient tanks. They can also be partially or completely buried to help control nutrient temp.
• Optimum nutrient temperature varies for each variety of plant or vegetable, but in general hydroponics nutrient solutions should be kept between 60 deg. and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Aquarium heaters and commercial chillers are the best ways to control nutrient Temp.
• The best hydroponic systems have a design that provides plants with a well oxygenated or aerated nutrient solution that is at the right temperature for the crop of choice. As the temp. of the nutrient soln. increases, its oxygen holding capacity decreases. DO, O2, or dissolved oxygen meters are not necessary, but they can be a valuable tool for the hydroponic grower.
• Hydroponic systems must provide the roots of plants and vegetables with oxygen. There are some simple ways to aerate hydroponic nutrient solutions, but aquarium air stones and air pumps are the easiest.
• Simple timers and small magnetic drive pumps can be used to circulate hydroponic nutrient solutions. Magnetic drive pumps are the best pumps to use for hydroponics because they are efficient and do not allow harmful oil based lubricants to come into contact with and contaminate your growing system.
• Growing mediums must be compatible with the type of hydroponic system that they are used in. Coco-coir is great when mixed 50/50 with lecca or hydroton in auto pot systems, but may clog pumps in circulating systems such as NFT, ebb and flow or flood and drain, and deep water culture or lettuce raft systems. Sure to grow and rapid rooter plugs are great for circulating hydroponic systems and can be used with lecca or hydroton in net pots to support the growth of larger plants and vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes as they mature.

Keep your design simple. When it comes to hydroponic growing systems, the less complicated the safer the plants and vegetables will be. When systems fail to give plants what they need plants are likely to suffer or if the roots are allowed to dry out the plants will likely die. For healthy and happy hydroponic plants plants monitor pH regularly. Keeping a pH of 5.8 -6.2 will keep most plants and vegetables happy, but check for plant specific pH requirements.
Remember to treat growing with your new hydroponic system as an expiriment. Keep written reccords of your growing trials to fine tune your system making it as productive as possible. Make adjustments to your system as needed and don't forget to have fun!

God Bless and Happy Hydroponic Growing!