Apr 23rd, 2009
Get the Right Food for Your Hydroponic Plants
If you want to grow the best plants possible in your hydroponic garden, you need to start with the right nutrients. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are three of the most important hydroponic nutrients. But there are at least a dozen others. Magnesium, iron, calcium and several others are also essential for the healthy growth of hydroponic plants.
During normal growth, your plants go through a predictable cycle. Hydroponic nutrients work to help your plants develop faster and better in each stage of their growth. This requires the use of different hydroponic nutrients at different stages if you wish to maximize your crop.
It’s possible to make up your own special blend of hydroponic nutrients. For hydroponic gardeners with a lot of experience, this can work well. But if you’re a beginner at hydroponics, you should consider using a special nutrients kit.
There are numerous brands of pre-mixed nutrient solutions that will give your plants the food they need to thrive. A lot of testing and research has gone into the development of these commercially available nutrients. They’re designed to cater to your plants’ growth needs.
In hydroponic gardening, the right dosage is essential. Your plants will need varying amounts of nutrients during different phases of their growth. It’s important to maintain a proper balance of nutrients in the solution you feed your plants.
When plants are grown in a hydroponic environment, they are highly responsive to any changes in the availability of nutrients. Administering overly high dosages of some nutrients can be toxic. Your plants might die off, or simply not grow to their full potential. They’re not capable of self regulating like plants in soil-based gardens can. That’s because the roots are surrounded by water, and there’s nowhere for them to eliminate the unwanted nutrients.
When using nutrient solutions, you’ll need to monitor the pH level of the water regularly. Maintain it as close to neutral as you can. As your plants absorb the hydroponic nutrients, they increase the alkalinity of the water. You can neutralize it by adding a bit of sulfuric acid. Sodium hydroxide will restore water that’s too acidic to a neutral pH level. A pH testing kit is essential in order to correctly monitor the levels.
Other critical considerations are temperature and the condition of the water. When feeding nutrient solutions to your plants, make sure it’s at room temperature. The water should be maintained at room temperature as well. This enables the plants to more easily take in the nutrients they need.
