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.