Two different growing facilities are never exactly the same. Fine tuning nutrient solutions, irrigation cycles and environmental conditions is therefore fundamental to achieve the best possible outcomes under different growing conditions. This naturally requires experimentation, which is not trivial to carry out. Today I am going to talk about five important things you need to…
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Why you should optimize your nutrient solution for your particular setup
In hydroponics, most plant nourishment is delivered through the use of a nutrient solution. This solution is prepared from raw fertilizer inputs by the grower - or a fertilizer company - and should contain adequate mineral ratios to maximize plant growth. However, although basic solutions can successfully grow crops under a wide variety of conditions,…
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Five common reason why you’re losing yields
Mistakes in hydroponic culture are not uncommon among both amateur and seasoned growers. Since there is considerable distances between a successful crop and an optimal crop, growers can go a long time without noticing mistakes that are likely to be heavily detrimental to their actual crop yields. Today I am going to share with you…
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Potassium concentration and yields in flowering plants
From the different nutrients that are needed by plants we have known for more than 4 decades that potassium is of critical importance to flowering/fruiting plants. Potassium is one of the most highly limited nutrients in soil due to its high mobility and great increases in yields have been achieved with both potassium fertilization in…
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Five reasons why a dedicated hydroponic testing room is a great idea
Most commercial hydroponic setups completely lack testing environments. The most common reason for this is that commercial crops are meant to produce revenue and a testing environment means dedicating space, time and money into something that might not be as productive as the rest of the production facility. Furthermore a testing room implies that you…
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Humic acids in hydroponics: What is their effect?
Plants and microorganisms affect the substrates in which they grow in many ways. If you start growing plants in an inert substrate - with nutrient applications of course - you will notice that the substrate's chemical composition will start to change with time and it will start to get enriched in carbon containing substances. As…
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Phosphorous toxicity and concentration in higher plants
If you search the web for symptoms of nutrient toxicities you will often find clear pictures and descriptions for most elements. Feed a plant too much nitrogen and it will grow leggy and weak, with dark leaves and long stems, feed it too much boron and you will see yellowing and tissue necrosis. However you…
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What is the effect of amino acids in hydroponics?
It is very common for hydroponic nutrient manufacturers to add amino acids to their products. They often mention significant benefits that range from strengthening plants to greatly increasing yields or product quality but they rarely mention any peer reviewed evidence studying these effects. Today we are going to look at the use of amino acid applications…
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Instrument Precision : Its Importance in the Preparation of Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions
One of the most overlooked aspects when preparing hydroponic nutrient solutions is the actual precision of the instruments used to measure the salt or liquid reagent additions. People who are not familiarized with the preparation of solutions usually underestimate the importance of this aspect of solution making - both concentrated and final - which is…
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Understanding Reagent Purity and Its Importance in Hydroponics
When making hydroponic nutrient solutions one of the most important concepts we need to understand is "reagent purity" and how this affects the overall quality and composition of our hydroponic nutrient solutions. People who have not been academically trained in science usually do not have a very good understanding of this concept and its implications…
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