Hydroponics Nutrient Solutions: A Guide for New Hydroponic Growers

Plants need fertilizer in order to live. In traditional gardening, they get nutrients from the soil and additives like manure, compost, and chemical fertilizer. With regards to hydroponic gardening and farming, plants are not grown in soil, so the nutrients plants need should be directly supplied through the hydroponic solution they're watered with. These nutrients are categorized into 2 groups: micronutrients and macronutrients. Macronutrients are nutrients that plants need in big amounts, including hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, carbon, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Micronutrients are required in smaller amounts, including zinc, copper, manganese, iron, molybdenum, chlorine, boron, and nickel.

When such essential elements aren't present, plants wouldn't be able to build molecules, undergo enzymatic reaction, and complete life cycle. For a hydroponic grower, this would mean that when the right hydroponic nutrients are not supplied, they won't be able to produce fruits or if they do, whatever they make will most likely be bad quality.

The pH level of hydroponic nutrient solution is another vital element to take into account. It has a huge impact on the amount of nutrition plants could get. It's very vital to regularly check the pH level, ideally every day regardless if you're very careful about measuring and mixing hydroponic nutrient solutions. Different plants have a bit different needs with regards to nutrient concentration and pH value. If you are planning to grow a wide variety of plants, see to it that you know the particular requirements for each type so you would be able to group them together based on what they need.

Also, a particular need of a plant change under different conditions, such as the season, weather, and temperature. This isn't a problem with an indoor hydroponic garden with controlled environment.

The nutrient solutions ought to be kept at a stable temperature. Room temperature, between 70 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. This is more of a concern for hydroponic systems run outdoors. During winter, get portable water heaters that go inside reservoir to keep the solution warm. In summer, keeping the water reservoir in a shaded spot and adding some cool water every now and then is often sufficient to maintain the ideal temperature.

You can purchase pre-made hydroponic nutrient solution, or you could formulate your own solution. Small-scale gardeners or farmers as well as hobbyists, buy pre-mixed powder or liquid concentrates that are mixed in plain water. Large-scale hydroponic growers generally mix their own solution to plants' specific needs, using bulk concentrates.

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