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Perhaps, the most essential part of a successful growing adventure is the use of hydroponic nutrients.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants with the employment of mineral nutrient solutions in exchange for soil; it comes from two Greek words: hydros meaning water and ponos meaning labor. But the notion of growing terrestrial plants in a mineral nutrient solution is only possible if there's an inert medium, such as perlite, mineral wool or gravel, present.

It is therefore essential to have quality hydroponic nutrients so you'll be successful in growing plants without soil. It is not always advisable to use commercial garden fertilizers because they do not usually contain the 13 elements needed for the plants to remain healthy. This can be explained by the fact that fertilizers assume that it'll be the soil that will provide a large portion of those nutrients.

Plants need nutrients (or fertilizer) for food. As with any living thing, plants require a certain dosage of food to have optimum growth. Among the primary nutrients for plants are nitrogen, phosphorus as well as potassium. Outside of these three, plants also need secondary nutrients and other trace elements - but in lesser amounts. Examples of secondary nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulfur. Trace elements include boron, molybdenum, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. To get you through all phases of growth, all-purpose hydroponic nutrients solution with secondary elements and trace elements (like the ones listed above) is needed.

But during different phases of plant life, you can adjust the different nutrient levels needed at different times for optimum growth. For instance, nitrogen is very much needed in the vegetative phase. Fair amounts of phosphorus as well as potassium (e.g. 20-10-10, 30-15-15) as well as trace elements would also be helpful. During flowering, the plants need more P (phosphorus) and more K (potassium) than they did during vegetative stage. Nitrogen is still needed - but not as much as during the vegetative phase. They also require calcium.

Thinking that plants shall grow faster by giving them extra nutrients is not a good option. Too much will kill your plants. If you under fertilize, plants will take longer to grow but they will not die. Follow the mixing instructions on your hydroponic nutrient package, if you are not sure, use less rather than more.

There should only be a couple of things that you must remember when using hydroponic nutrients: first, that you have fun while doing it and second, that you have employed professional assistance. Happy growing!