Timing irrigations with moisture sensors in hydroponics
After discussing the different types of off-the-shelf sensors for measuring moisture in hydroponics (1,2,3), we are now going to explore the practical use of these sensors to time irrigations within…
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Tensiometers (irrometers) the best way to time irrigations in hydroponics
I have recently written blog posts about the measurements of water content in media in hydroponics. The first one was about the problems with resistive moisture sensors in hydroponics and…
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The Chirp Sensor: A plug-and-play solution to moisture monitoring in hydroponics
If you want high yields in hydroponics, then you need to monitor moisture quite closely. Watering plants when they need it – and not on a timer – is critical…
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How to identify resistive moisture sensors and why to never use them in hydroponics
The measuring of media moisture, also known as water-content, is critical to successfully irrigating crops in hydroponics. Badly timed irrigations cause lots of the problems faced by novice and even…
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Five tips to succeed when doing Kratky hydroponics
Passive hydroponic growing has become very popular during the past 10 years as it has a very low starting cost and uses no electricity. However, growing without active nutrient circulation,…
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Practical use of ion selective electrodes in hydroponics
The achievement of adequate ion concentrations in nutrient solutions, media and plant tissue is key to success in hydroponics. It is therefore important to measure them, so that proper values…
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Inner leaf tipburn in hydroponic lettuce
The most common problem I get contacted for by hydroponic lettuce growers is the appearance of inner leaf tipburn within their plants. During the past 10 years I have consulted…
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The effect of Seaweed/Kelp extracts in plants
Few bio-stimulants are more popularly used than seaweed/kelp extracts. These are used by many growers to increase plant quality and yields, in particular, extracts from the Ascophyllum nodosum species are…
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Characterizing hydroponic stock nutrient solutions
I’ve written several articles in the past about how to characterize concentrated hydroponic nutrient solutions using simple yet highly accurate small scale methods. I have now released a video showing…
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Why are different hydroponic formulations required for different situations?
Hydroponic growers tend to have very different experiences with nutrient solutions. It is not uncommon to find a grower who “swears” by product A and another who says product A…
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