Solve your problems
- Low yields
- Nutrient deficiencies
- High nutrient costs
- Inconsistent results
Services
- Hourly consultation
- Nutrient solution design
- Growing setup optimization
- Custom crop monitoring automation
My Blog
Through my blog – a top 50 hydroponics blog according to feedspot – I share my insights, research and experience in hydroponic culture. I strive to make this blog a reliable source of high quality, practical information for both commercial hydroponic growers and hobbyists alike. These are some of the blog’s most popular posts:
Welcome to my site!
My name is Dr. Daniel Fernandez, and I have been a consultant in the hydroponic industry since 2009. I specialize in nutrient formulations, crop management, and automation, providing tailored solutions to optimize growers’ results. I hold a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, as well as a master’s and Ph.D. in nanoscience and nanotechnology. With over 15 years of experience in nutrient solution chemistry and crop management, I am dedicated to helping you elevate your crop production to the next level.
Our services
I provide different types of services to suite your particular needs.
I understand that not everyone needs the same type of assistance and I have therefore designed three specific type of services depending on your needs .
- An hourly consultation service where you can ask any questions and get answers to help you solve problems (250 USD/hour).
- A service for the formulation of a specific hydroponic nutrient recipe for your particular needs coupled with guidance in preparing this formulation.
- An on-going consultation service where you will have me available to answer questions and help guide you through your nutrient needs as your crop or hydroponic project progresses.
Hydrobuddy - Open source software for Nutrient Formulations
This site hosts HydroBuddy – a software I programmed – which is the most popularly used open source calculator for the formulation of hydroponic nutrient solutions and fertilizers. This software has been helping hobby and commercial growers prepare their own fertilizer formulations from 2011 with more than 10 thousands downloads in its lifetime. There are also many peer reviewed academic publications that have used hydrobuddy. Feel free to use or modify this software for your nutrient preparation needs. It’s free and OpenSource! Get the software here.
Latest blog posts
Calcium Thiosulfate as a Nitrate-Free Calcium Source in Soilless Culture
Growers often supply calcium (Ca) with calcium nitrate, but that introduces unwanted nitrogen (N). To achieve a 0% N finish in a hydroponic or soilless system (for instance to reduce residual nitrates or alter plant metabolism), an alternative Ca source is required. One option is calcium thiosulfate (CaS₂O₃), a clear, water-soluble liquid containing about 6% […]
A low cost DIY oil IPM for your crops
An emulsified vegetable oil spray can smother mites and soft-bodied insects and can suppress powdery mildew if you actually coat the target. Soybean oil has the strongest evidence. Corn oil works too, and blending the two offers some advantages. In the following article I tell you how to prepare such a spray as well as […]
Coco Coir vs Rockwool in Soilless Crops
Choosing the right substrate is critical in greenhouse hydroponics. Coconut coir (coco peat) has become a renewable alternative to rockwool, and recent studies show it can match or exceed rockwool in many crops. In cucumbers, switching to coir improved leaf area and marketable yield (1). In tomatoes, coir supported higher fruit yield and nutrient uptake […]
Recent advances in hydroponic cucumber cultivation: media, irrigation, nutrition and biostimulants
Cucumber has become a model crop for testing new soilless technologies, with greenhouses adopting alternative substrates, precision fertigation and biostimulants. Over the last decade a series of peer-reviewed studies have clarified what actually shifts growth and yield, and what is still more hype than practice. Substrate choices: coir, waste materials and microbiome effects The clearest […]
