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. 

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.

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.

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.