Five important things to consider when doing foliar spraying
Foliar spraying is a true and tested way to increase yields and prevent issues in plant culture. Both soil and hydroponic growers have used foliar fertilizer applications to increase yields…
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Creating a robust pH/EC monitor for hydroponics using Atlas probes and an Arduino
A few months ago I talked about how you could build a simple sensor station for your hydroponic projects using an arduino (see here). However this small project used the…
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Comparing the conductivity of two different solutions
Conductivity is perhaps the most misunderstood and erroneously used measurement in hydroponic culture. This has a lot to do with conductivity also being called a “totally dissolved solid” (TDS) measurement…
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Controlling aphids in a hydroponic crop. Part 1.
Without a doubt aphids are one of the most common pests affecting crops worldwide. There are both root and leaf aphids, the former which generally live only around plant roots…
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Making your own DIY plant rooting gel
Cloning is a very common technique used by a large variety of plant growers. When growing plants from seeds there is an important unpredictability factor in what you might get…
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Building your own DIY high power LED lamp: Part One
It is no mystery that LED technology has evolved greatly during the past several years. We are now up to the point where anyone can buy LED lamps to replace…
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What is the ideal nutrient solution temperature in hydroponics?
One of the simplest variables that can make a substantial difference in crop yields in hydroponics is the temperature of the nutrient solution. Nutrient absorption by plants is mainly controlled…
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Are High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Lamps better than LEDs?
Growers who use artificial lighting usually prefer high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps to do the job. Not only do HPS lamps have a very high photon flux but compared to…
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Five dos and don’ts for automated pH control in hydroponics
The pH is one of the most important variables to control in hydroponic culture as it plays a key role in the availability of different ions and their absorption dynamics.…
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Using triacontanol to increase yields in hydroponics
Usually additives used in hydroponics need to be added in rather large quantities to obtain palpable results. Molecules like salicylic acid – which we have discussed before – need to be…
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