Hydroponics gardening

Hydroponics gardening is a calm and effortless method of gardening compared to traditional gardening. Hydroponic plants grow in trays filled with water, which are concentrated with nutrient solution. This nutrient solution allows hydroponic plants to grow with precise nutrients they need resulting superior blossoms. Technology assists in the ecology to provide the appropriate nutrients needed for optimum plant growth. Indoor gardening with the help of hydroponics gardening supplies helps activate bigger and faster yields.

There are several basic hydroponics gardening supplies you will need to get started with for successful hydroponics gardening. The basic hydroponics gardening supplies are plastic storage containers, water pump and air pump, good quality flood and drain fittings, a timer, and a long plastic tube. The type of hydroponics gardening supplies you will need may change a bit based on the system you choose. But many use the basic hydroponics gardening supplies like reservoir, a pump and aerator, a medium for holding the crown of the hydroponic plants; this might include a net or a tray.

Reservoir is an essential piece of hydroponics equipment; it is basically a big basin that holds the water and nutrient solution in place. A pump is added to the reservoir to move the solution around to reach the hydroponic plants root system. An aerator is also part of hydroponics equipment that keeps the solution oxygenated, which helps the plants to thrive. The net or tray holds the crowns of hydroponic plants out of the solution at a perfect height so that the roots can reach the solution and take up water and nutrients they need. 

Hydroponic plants like pot-grown plants need sufficient light to grow. For indoor hydroponics gardening natural light may not be possible therefore you will need lighting supplies as part of your necessary hydroponic equipment. The specific type and number of lights you will need depends on the type of hydroponic plants you wish to grow and the stage of the growth cycle. Because it is artificial light you will need brighter light. You should keep in mind that to grow seedlings you will need light in the blue color spectrum in order to grow the adolescent hydroponic plants and red color spectrum for matured hydroponic plants to flower and fruit efficiently. You may need hydroponics gardening supplies such as light reflectors to increase the area of light coverage; digital ballasts to control electrical flow; and fans used to cool off hot-running lights.

The type of growing medium is also one of the important hydroponics gardening supplies. This takes the place of soil, and could include coconut coir or other natural medium. Some people choose to grow their own plant; yes this is possible! With the help of appropriate cloner as part of your hydroponics gardening supplies you can cultivate any plant you wish to grow. There are many hydroponic suppliers in the market who offer these hydroponics gardening supplies and help you select proper hydroponics equipment for your hydroponics garden!

Hydroponic - pH in your Hydroponic Nutrient Solution

For hydroponic growers, pH is everything. Because if your nutrient solutions are not at the right pH, it could mean the end of those hydroponics crops you raised with such care. While adjusting your pH is a simple affair, you have to be diligent about it. Actually, hydroponics growers might actually find it easier to check and adjust their pH, because they are dealing with liquid-based systems.

The most inexpensive and basic method of checking the pH of your hydroponic nutrient solution is by using a paper test strip. They contain a pH sensitive dye that changes colour when dipped into nutrient solution.

Then there are different types of digital meters that help you measure pH levels in your hydroponics system. They are accurate when calibrated properly but need good maintenance to keep them working. Some meters have glass bulb electrodes that must be kept wet at all times. pH meters used to measure your hydroponics nutrients systems need to be calibrated very frequently so that they don’t give you wrong readings. pH meters can be moody and break down with warning, so it is a good idea to keep an emergency backup meter so that your hydroponics nutrient solution and subsequently your plants don’t suffer.

Once you have obtained a pH reading, you can adjust the pH so that it is ideal for your hydroponic plants. The most popular chemicals used to adjust pH are phosphoric acid, which lowers the pH and potassium hydroxide, which raises it. However, if you are a smart hydroponics grower, you won’t stay in the dark and will use products meant for the intelligent and focused – like pH Perfect. 

Hydroponics Fertilizer - Indoor grow rooms

Hydroponics is the best way to keep growing all year long, without having to worry about seasons and the availability of water. Or the scorching heat and the biting cold. Does working dirty in the biting cold appeal to you? Well, it doesn’t, to most of us.

Which is why the smart grower is constantly in search of new techniques that change the way agriculture operates; one such method is hydroponics. When your growing is not based on soil and other natural conditions, it is easy to decide how you’d like to let your crops make the profits. You’re the boss – no other factors change the way you want to grow or what you expect from your hydroponic crop.

Growing indoors is a good way to grow your crops if you want to be able to grow throughout the year. Indoor grow rooms are simple to build. Select a small room or closet or a sectioned off area in your basement. The growing area must have a power source to connect hydroponics equipment to. The floor has to be hard and dry; that rules out all wooden flooring and carpeting. Mildew and mould from water leakage can ruin such surfaces.

Windows need to be sealed with black plastic. You could hang a curtain-like sheet of black plastic on your doors to block the light. Install a grow light system that can be physically raised or lowered. Make sure it is tethered by chains or cables so that it remains stable. Never use flammable materials in your grow room to prevent accidents and to avoid destroying your crops.

Small table fans that do not take up much power can be used for circulation. If you have a small grow room, even a single fan is enough. Place your grow tables beneath the grow lights. Work out a drainage system and recycle the excess water from the hydroponics system. Use pumps with timers so that your watering schedule does not go awry. If you irrigate your plants a timer will ensure even watering. Lighting systems could also use timers, since light needs to mimic the patterns of day and night. 

Bloom Boosters - Hydroponics Supplies

Bloom boosters are a very popular product among hydroponics growers. Almost 91.7% of hydroponics growers use bloom boosters every bloom cycle. Bloom boosters can benefit your plants in many ways. They could mean larger, heavier and denser flowers.

Bloom booster treated flowers give you more essential oils, aromatics, terpenoids, phenols and other potency factors. This significantly increases the harvest weight and market value of your crops.

Many bloom boosters do not meet the goals they came to achieve. Poorly absorbed forms of phosphorus and potassium are the most common culprits and are sadly the main ingredient in fault bloom boosters.

Worse still, bloom boosters often have incorrect ratios and varieties of potassium or phosphorus. Plants need more potassium and less phosphorus while they are blooming. Too much phosphorus can cause toxicity that is detrimental to flower production and damages overall plant health. Apart from damaging your crops, the crops will also taste harsh and might hurt your throat and lungs. 

What your plants actually need is the full range of bloom booster nutrients designed to enhance your blooms. Such bloom booster products would typically include amino acids, which are building blocks of proteins, terpenoids, phenols and alkaloids. This means you want to give 20 "L-form" amino acids to your plants, with especially important doses of L-tryptophan, L-Cysteine, L-Glutamate and L-Glycine.

Some amino acids are harder for plants to create or absorb though they need all 20 amino acids. But few bloom boosters contain amino acids, and almost all the ones that do contain inferior D-aminos that plants have a hard time utilizing because they are less water soluble.

Do remember that only L-form amino acids are the ideal forms for easy absorption and proven yield increase.

But we have a solution to your bloom booster problems. Try it! It’s called Big Bud!

Organic Hydroponics

Organic gardening is aimed at trying to sustain life at all levels within a plan system. It stems from the understanding that interactions between plants and plant organisms are a process of mutual symbiosis. And organic hydroponics is really the cream of the crop. You are combining two of the best systems ever – organic gardening and hydroponics. The biggest difference between ordinary hydroponics growers and conscientious organic hydroponics practitioners is what they feed their plants. While chemical hydroponics products only provide plants with the foods they crave, turning them into little spoilt kids, organic hydroponics benefits plant systems, thus going to their roots and beneficially modifying the ways they function.

In synthetic hydroponics, the wrong amount of nutrients in the solution, whether in deficient measures or in excess, could harm your crops irreparably and lay waste to a whole harvest cycle. On the other hand, organic hydroponics works gently, so even if you use the wrong proportion of nutrients, your mistakes won’t cause permanent damage. Growing plants using organic hydroponics methods is easier and healthier because a lot of hydroponics growing issues stem from problems with pH and ppm. 

With organic hydroponics, you remove the source of the problems, the chemical nutrients, and don’t have to worry about balancing pH. Thus you combine the best benefits of classical soil-growing techniques and hydroponics. It’s actually the closest one could get to growing traditional, fresh, pure crops, the way they were in the old days before chemical pesticides and fertilizers coated your soil and crops.

A good organic hydroponic mix is well balanced and takes care of all nutrient components like enzymes, plant hormones, humic and fulvic acids, trace minerals – basically, all the primary and secondary nutrients must be well-represented. Organic hydroponics brings to you the promise of hydroponics – fresh, juicy, tasty produce that is not soil-dependent with the ecologically sensitive organic decisions you will take – spurring natural growth by using natural and organic raw materials to start your organic hydroponics enterprise.

Hydroponics

If agriculture is your poison, then hydroponics is where you should be. With a little knowledge, hydroponics can be made profitable for enthusiasts at all levels. Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional grower then becomes immaterial. Hydroponics, for the uninitiated, is the technique of growing plants using soilless culture, most commonly, in water-based nutrient media. Hydroponics also makes use of artificial media like perlite, sand or mineral wool, for anchorage. If you have less space to grow, hydroponics is the medium for you, because one can grow more in confined spaces, also using less water to do so.

Hydroponics gardening only needs about 20% of the water that a regular soil-based grower would use to cultivate a similar area. A hydroponics system often means your plants are of better quality, produce big fruit, this increasing the quantity of your crop. Needless to say, what takes up less space and uses less water also positively impacts the environment.

Hydroponics allows one complete control over the crop and crop conditions. You can control the amount of nutrients your plant receives at growing stage down to the last bit. Apart from that, you can adjust the pH level of your root zone media and the flowering sites of your plants.

As the growing environment around your plant is controlled, pests are not a very big issue anymore. Your indoor grow rooms and greenhouses can easily be kept free of rodents and other ugly little creatures. Hydroponic fruits and flowers are big, juicy and tasty and can only positively impact you health. It is intact when it gets to you, untouched by harmful organisms that reduce its nutrition levels.

Hydroponics also lets you stay away from pesticides. The food you grow is thus safer to eat and non-poisonous. Once you work out a growing system, you can start reaping the fruits of your hydroponic harvest, also enjoying the lifestyle and benefits that accrue to the smart hydroponics grower. Just be careful and ensure your plants get the right nutrition, lights and air circulation. Mindboggling profit is sure to follow!

Medical Marijuana

A significant ruling by Oregon regulators in June gave, for the first time, official approval to medical marijuana hydroponics nutrients of a particular brand. Most US states have regulatory bodies that examine hydroponics supplements for their legitimacy and effectiveness. Michael Straumetis, co-founder of Advanced Nutrients, welcoming the government’s approval for an Advanced Nutrients medical marijuana nutrient formula, feels that this signifies a breakthrough for the medical marijuana community.

The effects of hydroponics nutrients on medical marijuana plants crops were unexplored terrain until recently. The Oregon ruling means that hydroponics nutrients will now be formally evaluated and tabs will be kept on the growth, quality and yield of medical marijuana.

It is important to start with good seeds while growing hydroponic marijuana; medical marijuana must be of the best quality possible. A hydroponics garden can be used to grow just about anything. But, one should remember that this requires daily maintenance and you have to arrange for caregivers if you are away for more than a day or two. Marijuana seedlings require about sixteen to eighteen hours of light daily. After they develop a root system and leaf growth commences, they enter the growth or vegetative phase. The need for light increases, and light sources must be active almost all day. This stage usually lasts a month or two.

Then comes the flowering stage. Light supply is cut down to about twelve hours per twenty four hour period. The flowering stage lasts between two to three months. It is during this phase that almost all the intoxicating constituents of the marijuana plant are produced.

The entire harvest cycle takes around four months. By using two separate growing areas for the first stages of life and then another for flowering, you can reduce the cycle to three months. After flowering ends, harvested marijuana plants are left to be air-dried.

Organic Hydroponic Gardening

When you know your food has been coated with poisonous pesticides and synthetic compounds, does that whet your appetite? The fruits of industrial production don’t grace our tables well – they send the environment into a state of chaos and hamper our health. What’s most important at this juncture is to be making informed decisions and moving to eco-friendly and organic foods. It only helps that awareness is high; this has also increased consumer demand in the west and the worldwide marketplace.

Organic food uses naturally occurring nutrients and non-synthetic substances; hence it is healthy besides being eco-friendly. Eating organically affects the environment positively, apart from being healthy for you. As a hydroponics grower, you can make pots of money by growing organic foods in hydroponics grow rooms and satisfying global demand with your massive hydroponics harvests.

If you are already an organic grower but haven’t heard of hydroponics, hydroponics is simply a method of growing plants without soil. Nutrients are then provided to plants through nutrient formulations specially developed after research. For anchorage, non-soil growing media, both natural and artificial, like perlite, clay pebbles, vermiculite, coir, etc, can be used. Once you’ve done your own hydroponics research, you can simply transplant your soil-grown plants to hydroponic grow rooms and grow them using organic hydroponics products. Transplantation is simple; just loosen up the soil around your plants, wash them with cold water and place them in your hydroponic grow rooms.

Hydroponics is necessary to deal with the rising demand for organic food; after all, how much can we achieve only by land agriculture? And hydroponics yields are also much superior! Growing hydroponically requires less land and water than usual land-based cultivation for a similar amount of yield. Your yields are better when you are not growing the plants in soil, because rodents and pests cannot get to them easily.

While professional growers grow organically in their hydroponic grow rooms, you can even begin with a small hydroponic garden growing organic food, if herbs and little vegetables catch your fancy. When you eat what you’ve grown, it’ll give you immense satisfaction. There’s the added advantage of knowing that what goes into your digestive system is safe. Getting the most of your eco-friendly hydroponics efforts guarantees both satiation and satisfaction!

Growing hydroponic tomatoes – Part One

Growing hydroponically means you can control most of external conditions influencing your crop. Primarily, the controlled environment lets you achieve maximum crop-yield, crop production in the absence of suitable soil and the ability to ignore ambient temperature and seasons. Water is used more efficiently and one can grow more than soil-based growers using the same land area.

Contrary to perceptions of undernourished hydroponic tomatoes that grow in less than favorable conditions without adequate light and with no flavor, hydroponic tomatoes taste as good as the next tomato. The hydroponic tomato is isolated from the soil and hence safe from soil-based pests, crop-diseases and salinity. The tomato is also a product with high economic value, so it makes sense to produce it using the best systems, i.e. hydroponics systems. Tomatoes are easy to grow whether you are using indoor or outdoor hydroponics gardening systems, but you have to take care of their specific nutritional and environmental needs. Here are some factors that could make or break your hydroponic tomatoes!

Tomatoes need a moderate temperature range to grow optimally. High temperatures are easier to handle, but not above 93 degrees F. The ideal range is 55 to 85 degrees F and frost or prolonged cold is a simply a no-no. Exposure to strong light for at least five hours a day is a must. Nutrients need to be easily absorbed and should be rich in nitrogen. Tomatoes totally respond to pollination. Unless you want to artificially pollinate your plants, you must make them available to natural pollinators, which means turning them over to insects and wind. But most greenhouses and indoor spaces obviously can’t use natural pollinators, so you have stick with the artificial way. Tomatoes suffer in the wind and in polluted air. Don’t overwater them, but make sure you give them adequate water. Too much or too little doesn’t work here.

One can grow hydroponic tomatoes from seedlings, transplants or seed. Seedlings or transplants are the easiest, but seed provides more customised solutions as there are more varieties of tomato available to you, that are not produced as commercial seedlings or transplants. Seed growing has another advantage; it’s less expensive as you can plant scores of seeds and select the best sprouts. And this will still cost less than buying a few dozen seedlings or transplants. Advanced Nutrients is a good place to look for hydroponics plant nutrient solutions that which are organic or synthetic; their products, like No Shock or Jump Start for example, aid plant growth in the crucial first few weeks after sowing.

Once you know your tomatoes, you can start practising specialised techniques that will make your seed-grown crops a success. Like pre-germination, for instance. Here, you place seeds on a dampened paper towel in a covered container and keep this container in a warm and dark place. Peat pots or rockwool cubes can also be used to pre-germinate seeds. Your seeds should sprout within 5-7 days. If they are on a paper towel, replant them into peat pots, rockwool cubes/slabs, soil or other media. This should be done only after the seeds have sprouted to show a white “rootlet” that’s about half an inch long. Growers who intend to grow their seedlings in soil usually use an early root zone mixture which is lighter and more aerated than regular root zone media. This allows young plants to navigate the media with their delicate, beginning root systems.

Hydroponics

hydroponics is a form of soilless culture where plants are grown in nutrient solutions, with or without the use of an artificial medium. Hydroponics is highly productive; it is a method that conserves water and land. It is also safe for the environment. Hydroponics is high tech, but requires only basic agricultural skills to begin with. It is important to regulate air and root temperatures, among other factors like light, water, plant nutrition and extreme climates. For this reason, hydroponics systems must often operate in temperature-controlled environments like greenhouses. It is very important to pay proper attention to the greenhouse conditions else hydroponics will stop being cost-effective for you.

In liquid hydroponics systems, there is no supporting medium for the plant roots. This is also known as solution culture; the three main types of solution culture are solution culture, continuous flow solution culture and aeroponics.

In the former, plants are grown in containers of hydroponic nutrient solution. They are typically home-level applications where hydroponics systems function in glass jars, plastic buckets, tubs and tanks. The solution is sometimes gently aerated but can also be unaerated, in which case the solution level is low enough so that some part of the roots get access to regular oxygen supply. The nutrient solution is changed as per a predetermined schedule, mostly once a week.

The continuous flow solution culture is orchestrated differently, with the hydroponic nutrient solution flowing past the roots. A popular version of this culture is the nutrient film technique; here, a very shallow stream of water containing all the dissolved nutrients needed for plant growth is circulated past the roots of plants. The hydroponic nutrient solution travels in the lower half of the roots, which forms a watertight root mat, while the upper sections of the roots are exposed to air and get a good supply of oxygen.

Aggregate hydroponics systems, however, have a solid natural or artificial medium of support. Hydroponics systems can also be open – where the nutrient solution is delivered to the plant roots and not reused, or closed, where the surplus solution can be recovered, replenished and recycled.

Every crop has very specific requirements and like in another other method of agriculture, hydroponics must pay attention to the unique needs of each crop. Hydroponics systems are rapidly evolving today and yields are increasing manifold, touching heights we had never envisaged. Hydroponics is possible in places where natural agriculture isn’t, including deserts and space stations. People living in densely-populated places can grow their own fresh vegetables in rooftop gardens or windows using hydroponics. Hydroponically grown plants also grow faster and are relatively free of soil-borne diseases.

Hydroponic Media

Often, people assume hydroponics means growing plants in water, but in reality, hydroponics is a term used to refer to plant production without soil, using water and a wide range of organic and inorganic materials. Which medium you use depends on your hydroponics gardening needs. There is no soil in your hydroponics system, but your plants will still require anchoring and there are a wide range of inert materials that can be used to support plant roots. They are called ‘growing media’.

Perlite, rockwool, clay pellets, coir (from the husk of the coconut), vermiculite, sand and gravel are some common growing media. The ideal hydroponic medium provides plants with adequate support, is moisture absorbent and allows good air circulation. It should also preferably be pH neutral.

Perlite is a volcanic rock that is a fusion of granite, obsidian, pumice and basalt, obtained at very high temperatures. The final product formed by heating at high temperatures is lightweight; they are expanded glass pebbles. Perlite can be used to decrease soil density. It holds more air and less water than vermiculite. It can be used loose of in plastic sleeves that have been immersed in water.

Vermiculite is also a superheated medium that has expanded into light pebbles. It holds more water than perlite. The natural wicking properties of vermiculite mean that water and nutrients can be easily drawn from it in a passive hydroponic system. But if its good capacity for water retention hampers air circulation, you can lower vermiculite’s water retention properties by mixing it with another medium.

Rockwool is the commonest medium known to hydroponics. It is cheap, inert and simple to use. It works in both free drainage and re-circulating hydroponics systems. It is made from molten rock that is spun into thin clusters of fibre. Hence it is conducive to capillary movement but not degraded by microbiological activity. It is a high density medium, and that improves the dispersal of nutrients and moisture, suffusing the medium with fast-growing roots to increase nutrient absorption and create the best conditions for plant production. One can sterilize and reuse rockwool, but most growers only use it once.

Other common hydroponic media are coir and gravel. Coir is a completely natural growing medium used in hydroponics. Made from the outer husk of the coconut, it is full of trichoderma bacteria that protect roots and stimulate root growth. It is easy to use because it has a perfect air-to-water ratio that prevents overwatering. It has a high cation exchange rate, so unused minerals are stored by it and released to the plant as needed. Gravel comes in different shapes and sizes, but it is washed before use. Water is circulated using electric pumps through the medium. It is inexpensive and clean to maintain. It doesn’t cause water-logging. But it is heavy and the gravel hydroponics system requires a regular supply of water to prevent plant roots from drying out.

Growing hydroponics

Growing hydroponics will be great fun and adventure for you. Hydroponics requires an environment that is balanced which gives longevity to the plant life and a new spirit for growth. Hydroponic cultivation takes you to totally new method of cultivation that includes water in place of soil. There are several advantages for Growing hydroponics and you can grow them indoors or outdoors depending on the availability of the space provided to them.

Growing hydroponics has various benefits and people have seen that with time. Hydro is a very good method of cultivation and it can give you better yield from a very small set up. You don’t need very giant set ups but the small area for cultivation has to be made suitable for the growth of hydroponics.

All what plants need is a good amount of nutrition for the appropriate growth and healthy yield. These nutrients can be provided to them in various ways. Nutrient solutions can be prepared using the advanced nutrients available in the market place. A little research as to what nutrients the plants need at what point of growth and what are the nutrients desired by the flowers, leaves and the roots can give you a greater insight while choosing your nutrients for the type of plant you are planning to cultivate.

Several cultivation methods can be used and various technologies can be deployed for growing plants hydroponically. These methods may be ebb and flow method, wick method, drip system and many others. The nutrient solution can be made best use of depending on the method of cultivation and you investment will never go in vain. You can vary the method a little for cultivation of hydroponics within your home. Hydroponic plants can be grown in jars or buckets and even smaller reservoirs. Certain other pebbles and wool pads can be used to support the growth.

Growing hydroponics  becomes very easy if you learn the art of root cloning. If the roots are well the plant will have better growth and you can expect better yield from the system. Grow lights can be used for the proper lightning of the surroundings as when hydroponic plants are cultivated indoors providing them with appropriate light becomes a good challenge to face.

pH level of the nutrient solution has to be well maintained and you can check the ph from time to time with ph strips. You can maintain you solution to be neutral when the ph level is either acidic or basic.  pH stabilizers provide a great support for ph level maintenance.

How can you miss out proper air for Growing hydroponics? You need to make sure that your grow room is airy and there is no foggy environment for insects to thrive. Installations of fans and air conditioning will be a new thrilling experience for you cultivating hydroponics at home.

Hydroponics - Hydroponics Vegetable Gardening

Hydroponic vegetable gardening is becoming not just the obvious choice for anyone but also working out as a side hobby for people who have interest in gardening. Hydroponic vegetable gardens helps you grow your choice of crops and plants and also healthy plants to look at and also how much you want? which type of crops or plants to grow. Hydroponicssimply means growing plants with the aid of mineral nutrients solution and not the soil. In Hydroponic vegetable gardens the Plants roots are grown in inert grow medium like gravel, water, sand or even air etc. in soil medium. So, lets learn some of the most hydroponic gardening secrets to make your own garden with quality crops and plants without any much efforts. The roots of the vegetables grow largely to search for food and water. All the hydroponically grown plants can grow up taller and don't involve an extensive root system because their nutrients are readily available to the root system wherein it’s not the case in soil medium in which the root extend itself much to get its basic nutrients requirements from the soil. Hydroponic gardening is a more proficient way of growing vegetables than soil-based plants. Plants can grow drastically and effectively together even if they are grown close to each other in hydroponic vegetable gardens. Unlike in traditional agriculture system, the where the plants need more gap because the soil create bigger roots for the plants.

In hydroponic vegetable gardening water acts as the reservoir or medium for the mineral nutrients for the plants to absorb it. But researches state that only soil is not vital for the plant growth. The mineral nutrients need to dissolve in water, so that the plants can absorb it. If the fundamental mineral nutrients are provided to the vegetables through water in an artificial form, the plant then doesn’t require soil for its growth. Therefore, hydroponic gardens are coming into picture for its very effective and useful cultivation technique that has brought about a great revolution in agricultural sector.

When you are planning to make hydroponic vegetable gardens, Pick from the a variety of types of containers available in the market, the type of hydroponic gardening supplies you will be using for your hydroponic gardens. When gardening hydroponics vegetable there is no specific nutrient solutions are taken into account for the growth of the plants. Once the plant starts growing and start using the nutrients, composition may happen to change. Rockwool is known to be one of the most commonly used mediums for Hydroponics vegetable growing. It helps the plant growth in every stage. You can grow crops to the advanced level in a very small area, allowing the crop turnaround time. Hydroponic Gardening facilitates you with a whole new method of growing crops with a healthy and rich way. There will be larger no of plants and crops grown by the help of hydroponics vegetable gardens than with traditional way of growing crops. Also, the quality that you will get with the output grown by the help of hydroponics you won’t get with old agricultural techniques. In Hydroponics, the plants root are inundated in the water solution which is again a mixture or organic nutrients in a proper container or tray which have holes in it to put the plants in it. The roots are open and submerged in the water to get its required nutrients from it. Hence, Hydroponic vegetable gardening are making a very fast market than the traditional way of agricultural methods.

Voodoo juice: Elixir for your hydroponic plants and roots

 Plants synthesize their food from water and carbon dioxide with the aid of sunlight. Besides water and carbon dioxide that are the building blocks of plant food, plants also require other minerals like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus in large quantities as well as some trace elements like boron, cobalt, etc. While trace elements are available in soil in ionic forms or in your hydroponic nutrient formulas, nitrogen which is one of the most abundant elements in the atmosphere is available in the form of N2 which plants cannot absorb. Plants can absorb only nitrates (NO3-) ions. Here’s where Voodoo Juice, a beneficial bacteria root booster from Advanced Nutrients, comes to your rescue. Voodoo juice is a proprietary blend of 8 super-strains of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), that convert the nitrogen into an absorbable form. PGPR colonize plant roots and promote plant growth by increasing nutrient availability and reducing damages by insects and harmful microbes. Advanced Nutrients has conducted extensive, multi-phase scientific research to develop super strains of PGPR that will work best for the plants you grow and ensure that they do not suffer from lack of nitrogen.

When plants suffer from nitrogen deficiency they cannot synthesize nucleic acids, DNA, amino acids and also chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis. If your plants are suffering from nitrogen deficiency, their growth will be poor and they will look sick. Leaves will lose their green colour and appear pale or yellow. Lower leaves may start yellowing first as nitrogen is made available to newer leaves to prevent the plant from dying. Flowering and fruiting will be delayed. This will directly smash the yields from your hydroponic gardens.

Just like you need protein (source of nitrogen/amino acids) after workouts and throughout the day to have a healthy body structure, so do plants require them for healthy growth. To protect your plants from nitrogen deficiency, use Voodoo Juice in your plant root zone in the early growth phase, early flowering phase, during cloning and transplanting and when growing from seedlings.

Voodoo Juice contains Paenibacillus, nitrogen fixing bacteria super strain that converts N2 into ammoniacal nitrogen. The other super strains in Voodoo Juice are of the Bacillus species. They convert ammoniacal nitrogen into nitrates (NO3- ions) that can be absorbed by the plants for their growth. Not only do the super strains in Voodoo juice provide absorbable nitrogen to your plants but also auxins and cytokinins that regulate plant growth and development. The super strains in Voodoo juice also promote the germination and growth of beneficial fungi for your plants. 

The better functioning root zone environment created by the use of Voodoo Juice will ensure that your plants develop to their maximum potential, your plant roots are branched, dense and have a lot of mass which will ensure maximum nutrient intake and thus lead to complete unlocking of the genetic potential of your plants. 

Advanced Nutrients is the only hydroponic nutrient company that breeds its own beneficial microbes with the help of PhD scientists – the best in their field. To ensure that Voodoo Juice has a long shelf life and the super strains of bacteria do not replicate before they come in contact with your plant roots, they are put in hibernation by an ‘antagonist’ compound. Almost as if they are sleeping before they start working vigorously at your plant roots to maximise your plant’s growth potential.

The microbes remain dormant or in a sleepy state till you mix them in your nutrient reservoir. Once diluted, the bacteria in Voodoo Juice are released and start working right away wrapping themselves around your plant roots, maximising natural plant growth hormones and increasing root size and function so that more nutrients can be absorbed leading to dramatic, delightful growth, flowering and fruiting. In short, the best profits possible from your gardens.

Voodoo Juice can be used in hydroponic gardens as well as in soil. Voodoo Juice can be used by all growers – hobbyists, experts or grand masters. Great growth and potent, amazing yields are assured. Voodoo Juice will work the magic that you’ve always wanted in your gardens. Grow the best with Voodoo juice from Advanced Nutrients!

Iguana Juice: Eliminate all organic growing problems

Many growers find organic gardening exciting in the beginning, until they start facing problems with their organic fertilizers. Situations like these are bound to happen as many of the known organic fertilizers do not deliver promised results. Organic growers have a hard time in mixing and applying them. They often complain about the pale leaves of plants in their gardens, even after using the best fertilizers available on the market. Moreover, they are often frustrated with the fungus gnats that breed in sludge, and spread over plants. And, of course, organic gardening is often associated with a bad smell.

Advanced Nutrients’ Iguana Juice is one reliable solution for the problems an organic gardener may face. Iguana Juice Grow and Iguana Juice Bloom are one-part organic liquid fertilizers that are 100% organic in nature. They have been made using only premium quality nutrients. They are surely going to give you relief from the bad smell associated with organic fertilizers as the ingredients in the product are deodorized and disinfected well. The company has a perfect process in place to make it the most efficient product on the market. For instance, the guano is washed thoroughly, so you’ll get purified guano extracts that leave no room for bad odors.

Advanced Nutrients has highly developed manufacturing processes for its products that help the ingredients of the products retain their maximum nutritional value. To put it more aptly, the extensive system magnifies the nutritional values of the ingredients by removing contaminants. Also, you can expect your plants to get the best kelp nutrition from Iguana Juice. In addition, Advanced Nutrients uses different blends of volcanic ash from different parts of the world to provide the most nutritious micronutrients possible in the product.

You should be aware that the liquid fertilizer formula is quadruple filtered using a heated pressurized system, which helps it to mix well in any hydroponic gardening system without clogging it. You can stop worrying about any growing medium you’re using either, as Iguana Juice is made to suit all hydroponic, drip irrigation, aeroponic, NFT, ebb and flow, and continuous liquid feed growing systems. We recommend Iguana Juice to all growers who seriously wish to have healthy root systems and bigger yields.

It is simple to use the one-part liquid fertilizer formula you can trust to get maximum yields. Most of the organic nutrients available in the marketplace use too much nitrogen that causes tip burn. Iguana Juice Grow has the sufficient ratio of softer Nitrogen that will help you get maximum growth for your plants. The organic ingredients in Iguana Juice are full of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, micronutrients and growth enhancing extracts that will help your plants perform in the best way they can. The liquid formulation will definitely improve the transfer of nutrients from the root zones to plants. Try Iguana Juice without worrying about it. You’re not going to lose anything by giving it a try as all Advanced Nutrients products come with a total money-back guarantee, and concern for our valued customers!

Carboload

Are you one of those growers whose plants are stalling in their bloom phase? Well, plants depend on carbohydrates to produce energy, just like human beings. Right from being a seed to turning into big buds, plants need a lot of energy. They end up using a lot of energy mainly after their growth phase. Scientists would say that your plants are “carb depleted”.

Many growers would keep adding nutrients to avoid the trouble. But that makes the problem worse as plants need more energy to process those nutrients, and they would end up getting more carb depleted. This would make the leaves turn brown and curl up.

Advanced Nutrients has created Carboload to give your plants the organic carbohydrates they need at the right time. It contains the right mix of simple and complex carbohydrates. It is designed to give them the energy they need to grow bigger and more tasty buds.

Carboload is important for you for many reasons. It contains only 100% organic carbohydrates. So, if you wouldn't like to spoil your plants with synthetics, it is the right choice for you. Secondly, the complex carbohydrates meet your plants’ long-term energy needs.

Carboload gives you efficient roots. It helps plants to absorb carbohydrates easily, and protects them from stress, drought, diseases and oxygen-deprivation. Also, the sugars in Carboload will help your plants taste sweeter, and make them more aromatic.

This great product will also help you maximize the root zones by feeding them root-enhancing microbes. These microbes enhance root size and function. This will help your plants take in water and nutrients more efficiently. You are sure to get stronger plants and awesome yields.

Carboload is made to suit your growing needs. Carboload Powder will suit you, if your watering solutions are applied and mixed. For drip emitters and bigger hydro reservoirs, Carboload Liquid is the perfect option.

Carboload is guaranteed to give you massive and juicy yields, or you’ll get your money back.

If there’s no soil in hydroponics, what holds your plant’s roots?

Ok fellas, it’s wonderful to think of plants growing without soil. Seems like a breakthrough in food sufficiency for the world, especially when land (at least vast acres of cultivable land) is not required for cultivation. Amazing. Now coming back to hydroponics, if plants don’t require soil, is it true that all plants can grow in plain water only? No. That’s just partially true.

Hydroponics has two main classifications – solution culture Hydroponics and medium culture hydroponics. Some plants grow well enough in a ‘solution’ culture. Others require a media for root anchorage. Stumped about what kind of media that you can use in your hydroponic system? A lot of questions may arise, what exactly is sterile media, how is it to be used, many more questions and anxieties.

We here at Advanced Nutrients are thorough professionals in the field of hydroponics and in this post we are glad to inform you about the various root zone media that can be employed to grow plants hydroponically.

Diahydro

Diahydro is a popular growing media for Hydroponics Systems. A sedimentary rock, Diahydro contains fossilized diatom shells (diatom is one of the most common types of phytoplankton). The diatoms (phytoplankton algae) are impregnated with silica thereby making Diahydro extremely rich in silica as well. The silica from Diahydro helps plants to grow strong and develop durable and strong cell walls.

One of the few pitfalls is that transplanting gets difficult with Diahydro as a root zone media.

Expanded Clay Pellets

Explanded clay pellet, also known as ‘grow rocks’ are a great growing medium. Created by baking clay in a kiln, the inside of these grow rocks / clay pellets has numerous miniscule air pockets making it an extremely light weight medium. This unique property of expanded clay pellets even makes some of them float as they cannot break the surface tension of water.

This media works very well for the ebb & flow system or other hydroponic systems that need frequent watering cycles. Word of caution: Clay pellets are poor water retainers. Make sure you water your plants often to avoid a dry-out. Also, clay pellets are often mixed with other growing media so that the oxygen retention is better.

Clay pellets are an expensive but reusable hydroponic medium. Once you harvest your crop, you can clean your clay pellets of old roots, sterilize them again and your clay pellets are ready for use again! But take care that you don’t reuse them too often as some of the old roots may penetrate inside the clay pellets and hinder with future crop cycles.

Rock wool

Rockwool is one of the most widely used Hydroponics medium. An inert growing media, rockwool works well for free drainage as well as recirculation hydroponics systems. Rock wool is manufactured by molten rock being spun into candyfloss like fibers. The fibrous rockwool is not degraded by microbial activity and is accessible to capillary action as well. The super dense medium improves wicking, nutrient and moisture dispersion and thereby entices roots of your hydroponic garden plants into more areas of the medium. This results in premium plant production and great profits!

Coir

Known by many names, coir, coco peat or simply coco is nothing but leftovers after the fibers have been ripped off the bolster (outermost shell) of the coconut. Coir is a great medium for hydroponic flower plants. And its 100% natural.

Perlite

Perlite is a mined material – a kind of volcanic rock superheated to form light weight, glass-like pebbles. Perlite has qualities similar to that of vermiculite, but it does hold a lot more air than water. Perlite is basically a fused mass of obsidian, pumice, basalt and granite. It has great ‘wicking’ action. Hence, if you need a wick-type Hydroponics Systems then perlite is the right medium to use. It’s also an economical option. There’s just one drawback to perlite. It does not retain much water. So a dry out is a possibility if you don’t water at right times.

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is similar to perlite in the way it is manufactured. Mineral superheated to form expanded light pebbles. Although, vermiculite holds more water as compared to perlite but gives the same wicking action benefit of perlite. Often, a mixture of perlite and vermiculite is used to get the best of both the worlds.

Sand

Sand is the cheapest and most easily available hydroponic medium. However, it needs to be sterilized between uses to cheap and easily available. However, it is heavy, does not hold water very well, and it must be sterilized between uses.

Gravel

Gravel – small pieces of stones, similar to the ones that you use in aquariums and fish bowls. It needs to be washed and sterilized before use though. This medium is cheap, you can clean it easily, does not lead to waterlogging and drains excellently. But it’s also very heavy. If you will not provide the system enough water, your plants will dry out.

Brick shards

Brick shards are very similar to gravel as far as their properties are concerned. They just have a few disadvantaged. They may have ph altering effects and require a lot more cleaning before you decide to reuse brick shards in your hydroponic system.

Wood fiber

Wood fiber is a great and efficient organic medium for your Hydroponics Systems. It is 100% natural and retains its structure for a really long period.

HYDROPONICS - The basics

For all of you who are novices in the field of hydroponics or don’t know what it is, we have a simple explanation for you all. hydroponics is nothing but growing plants without soil. Sounds strange? Well, growing plants in water is not a new technique. Many of us do it in our homes - growing a money plant or other ornamental plants in tap water without soil. But how about growing fruits, vegetables, cereals, blooms and the likes in a similar fashion – without soil at all? Sounds impossible?

Advanced Nutrients is glad to introduce you to the miraculous methods of growing vegetables hydroponically – without soil! Let’s start with the basics. What does a plant need to grow? It just needs some water, nutrients and sunlight. Does it ‘eat’ soil? No! It derives nutrients from soil and uses it for anchorage. So if you were to replace soil by any other sterile media for anchorage, provide nutrients that the plant needs and arrange a suitable light source of sunlight, your hydroponic system is ready. Sounds simple? Simple it is, but since you are controlling the plant’s growth entirely, you need to be sure that you don’t assume that Mother Nature will feed your plants when you are lazy. You have to monitor your plants health and development regularly.

Wondering what benefit do you derive in a hydroponic system vis-à-vis a soil based garden? Huge yields, quality produce and fantabulous profit margins! Definitely worth all the effort you’ll invest in creating a stable hydroponic system.

Soil that acts as an anchor and Nutrient source has certain drawbacks as well. It exerts pressure against the roots and hence the root growth and root spread is hindered. Many root and foliage damaging pests and rodents dwell in soil. Using sterile media that supports and stabilizes the plant’s roots and at the same time allows a free flow of water and dissolved nutrients to the root system, you can provide that much needed anchorage for your plant and eradicate the pests and rodents associated with soil.

There are different types of sterile media that can be used for growing plants in a hydroponics system. Some hydroponic plants may not require ‘anchorage’ at all. We here at Advanced Nutrients will inform you about them in another post!

Dissolved Solids in Water (TDS)

The dissolved solids in water can cause problems in your garden. Pure water is often not available for hydroponic growers. Usual salt imbalances can be kept in check with a PH correction program. But there’s a limit.

Already existing salts and other solids can combine with elements in the nutrient solution and create havoc in your garden. Water containing more than 50 parts per million (ppm) of calcium and magnesium can create serious problems. Other common elements that may be present in hard water include various carbonates, sulphur, sodium, iron and boron.

You must make a thorough scientific analysis of the water you will be using and if the results are not very good install a reverse osmosis filter system, de-ionisation system or use pure water without any added minerals.

It is critical that the nutrient solution not exceed the plant's tolerance for dissolved salts. That tolerance can vary for every crop. Unless you know the specific tolerance of a given crop, it is best to use a nutrient between 800 and 1,200 ppm. When in doubt, remember – Less is More.

Not all salts give equal ‘conductivity’ and may be misread as ‘weak’ or ‘strong’ though they may not be so. Be aware that a nutrient may be stronger than what it appears to be. Always pay attention to manufacturer’s recommendations for mixing nutrients and measure the resultant ppm (though the actual ppm may vary due to nature of the salt).

Weather has an impact on the intake of nutrients and transpiration of water by plants. In hot, dry regions the ppm may rise and the opposite holds true in cool, humid environments. At the same time, a fast growing crop can take in a huge quantity of nutrients. In such case, if your reservoir is small, you’d better change the solution frequently to avoid slow, spindly growth and plants that look sick. Some plants that are light feeders will intake nutrients slowly.

Different types of plants have differing nutrient needs. All plants may need similar nutrients. But the ratios in which they are required can differ greatly for various plants. The growth stage of the plant impacts its nutrient requirement greatly. During rapid vegetative growth and structure building, a plant needs a lot more nitrogen. But when it is flowering or developing fruits, requirements of phosphorous and magnesium may peak. That’s what gives hydroponic growers an edge over soil growers –ability to manipulate nutrient concentrations for enhanced growth.

Nutrient formulations that have the same NPK combination throughout the plant’s growth cycle do not do justice to your plant’s needs. Some nutrient formulas may be developed for a particular plant only eg: tomato, orchid, etc. It is best to use a multi-stage nutrient that allows you to adjust the total ppm and NPK ratios according to the requirement of the plant to gain full advantage and maximum profits from your hydroponic garden.