Hydroponic nutrients are the key to any successful growing adventure...Hydroponics (from the Greek words hydro water and ponos labor) is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, or mineral wool.
A key factor to growing successfully without soil is using quality hydroponic nutrients. Commercial garden fertilizers are not recommended because, in most cases, they do not contain all of the 13 elements necessary for healthy plant growth. This is because the growing media they are designed for (soil) provides a large portion of them. Nutrient (or fertilizer) is food for plants. Plants need a certain amount of food in order to grow properly. The primary nutrients in plant foods are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). In addition to nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium, plants require a lesser amount of secondary nutrients and trace quantities of other elements. Secondary nutrients are calcium, sulphur, and magnesium. Trace elements are small quantities of boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, iron, and manganese.
All purpose hydroponic nutrients with secondary elements like calcium, sulphur and magnesium and trace elements boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, iron, and manganese will get you through all stages of growth. But during different stages of life, you can adjust the different nutrient levels needed at different times to optimize growth. During vegetative growth the plants need lots of N (nitrogen). They also need a fair amount of P (phosphorus) and K (potassium), 20-10-10, or 30-15-15, or something similar, with trace elements should do it. During flowering the plants need more P (phosphorus) and more K (potassium) than they did during vegetative growth. They need some N (nitrogen) but not as much as they did during vegetative growth. They also need calcium.
Do not give your plants extra nutrients thinking it will make them grow faster. Too much will kill your plants. If you under fertilize, plants will take longer to grow but will not die. Follow the mixing instructions on your hydroponic nutrient package, if you aren't sure, use less rather than more. Whatever you do, make sure of two things...first, that you have a tremendous amount of fun growing hydroponically and second, that you consult a professional for all of your hydroponic nutrients needs. Happy growing!
This article was added on Monday 01 February, 2010.
