Hydroponic Nutrients

Due to the fact that we are not growing plants in soil, our plants need to get their nutrients some other way.

Adding hydroponic nutrients to the water supply allows your plants to absorb everything it needs via it’s root system, and also allows you to adjust what nutrients you feed to your plants at different times of its growth cycle.

The goal should be to get the correct level of each element required by your plants, to benefit and gain optimal growth potential in the fastest possible time.

What Nutrients are Required?

There are around 20 mineral elements that are necessary or beneficial for optimum plant growth.

Some of these are supplied by air and water, (Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen), so your first job should be to make sure your lighting, ventilation and water quality is right, before adding any other nutrients, no amount of fertilizers or chemicals is going to help your plants if these factors are not right.

<<Find out more on testing equipment in General Hydroponics Equipment.>>

Other elements need to be supplied to the plants in varying amounts.

Plants need Sulphur, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Potassium and Calcium, all in large amounts and these are called Macro-nutrients.

Micro nutrients are the elements required in trace amounts and include, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Boron, Nickel, Chloride and Sodium.

Some plant types will benefit from trace amounts of silica and Cobalt, although excess amounts can be detrimental also.

Best Hydroponic Nutrients.

Unless your a budding Scientist and have access to accurate scales for both large amounts, and for micro-nutrient amounts as well, then you are probably much better of with premix formula.

<<Check out the Best Hydroponic Nutrients Here!>>

Pre-mix formulas usually come in a 2 part solution (Part A, Part B), due to the fact that some of the elements will react with each other before you want them to.

The levels of certain elements will change as the plant grows and having a 2 part system allows you to adjust the mix,as your plants requirements change.

Nutrient Management

Getting the nutrient mix right takes regular testing.

Regular checks of your ventilation, light and water quality are probably the most important elements to get right.

The PH levels should be regularly tested and adjusted as well as the strength of your nutrient solution.

Don’t make drastic changes to the levels of anything, try to make it gradual wherever possible.

<<Find Information on PH and other Testers Here>>

Only buy nutrients that are specifically for Hydroponics, other fertilizers will not have the correct levels of nutrients and will lead to the death of your plants.

Regularly change the solution in your reservoirs and clean them thoroughly.