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.