What plant nutrients work best for hydrponics

Hydroponic Gardening
What Plant nutrients workbest for Hydroponics by Susan Slobac

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Hydroponics is a method of indoor gardening that does not use soil as a growing medium for the plants. Plants can be grown in a water solution, or in other growing mediums such as rockwool or coir. This is an ideal method of growing plants where soil may be less than ideal for gardening, as well as places where there is no land available to garden, such as in urban areas in cities.

All plants need three components in order to grow and thrive: water, light and food. Without any one of these, the plants will die. Food is vitally important to the plant, in order for it to grow and eventually reach maturity, where it will reproduce by flowering or fruiting. In terms of hydroponics gardening, food is a specialized component because of the soil-less growing factor.

How do hydroponic plants eat?

Plants grown hydroponically are fed using a hydroponic nutrient solution. In many hydroponic indoor gardening systems, the plant's roots are grown in water. The crown of the plant is suspended by many and various means above the water, allowing the roots to float in the fluid.

In some systems, the water in which the plant roots rest is aerated using a small pump, and this allows the nutrient to be pushed all around the plant roots, where the roots can then make contact with the plant nutrients and take them in. Plant nutrients for hydroponics can also be taken up by the plant through the use of a wick. This wick-based system requires no pump.

Not all hydroponic systems are water based, however. You can also grow your plants in some form of media, which could include peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, coir, rockwool, and others. The medium helps to keep the crown of the plant out of the water, yet it keeps the plant roots in contact with the hydroponic nutrients.

All plants, whether growing indoors or not, need several types of nutrients. The main plant nutrients for hydroponics are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need macronutrients in greater amounts than micronutrients, but nevertheless all are needed in order for any plant to thrive.

In a traditional garden setting, your plants would be receiving nutrients from the soil, but without soil, plants are helpless without the gardener providing them with plant nutrients for hydroponics.

If you are growing food crops and wish to garden organically, not to worry: plant nutrients for hydroponics come in the form of organic gardening supplies suitable for fruits, leafy vegetables, melons, berries, grapes and many other types of food plants suited to hydroponic gardening.



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Learn about plant nutrients for hydroponics as Susan Slobac describes the specialty requirements of indoor gardening with hydroponics. click here for more info

Hydroponic Gardening

Tips on Making your Own Hydroponics System

Tips on Making your Own Hydroponics System

- by Paul Lavakis

© Paul Lavakis - All Rights reserved

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If you’re going to build a hydroponics system, it’s best to begin with a container to use as a reservoir. For homemade systems, it’s best to use a fish tank

or a similar object. Once you find a suitable reservoir, you must paint it black. The black pain will make your reservoir light proof, because if light

enters the reservoir it will promote the growth of algae. It is also a good idea to score a line on your reservoir once it is painted( use a knife, and

scratch off paint in a straight line from top to bottom), which allows you to monitor the amount of water in your reservoir. Some people may not have to

score their reservoir if they use a floater (Styrofoam), which indicates the amount of water in the reservoir by sinking. However, the line will give a view

of the nutrient solution level.

Styrofoam should be used in your homemade reservoir. Before installing the Styrofoam into your reservoir, you should use a tape measure to measure the

reservoir, from inside of the reservoir from one end to the other. Once your reservoir is measured, cut the Styrofoam 1/4" smaller than the size of the

reservoir. The Styrofoam should fit nicely into your reservoir, and have enough room to adjust to changing water levels. Making your own hydroponics system

also requires you use net pots, and you should cut holes in the Styrofoam for the placing of the net pots. A hole should also be cut into one end of the

Styrofoam to allow for the airline to run into the reservoir.



When creating your own hydroponics system, it is also important to consider how many plants you want to grow. The amount of plants grown should depend on the

size of the garden you build and the types of crops grown. Plants should also be space appropriately so each plant receives a generous amount of light. It’s

also important to choose a strong pump for your hydroponics system. A strong pump should be able to provide enough oxygen to sustain plants. It’s best to

employ the help of a professional when choosing a pump from a hydroponics supply store. Giving the professionals information about the size of your reservoir

should make it easier for them to make a recommendation.



After installing a pump attach an airline to the pump and attaching an air stone to the other end of the line. It’s important to make sure your airline is

long enough to travel from the pump into the bottom of the reservoir. If the airline is not this long, then it should float in the middle so oxygen bubbles

can get to the roots. The line should also be the right size of the pump you choose, and most pumps come with the right size airline. It’s advisable to use a

one-gallon bottle to fill your reservoir, which allows you to figure the capacity of your reservoir.

Lighting is very important if you’re building a hydroponics system indoors. If the system is inside, you’ll have to provide artificial lighting for your

plants to thrive. The size of the garden will determine how many light fixtures and how many watts will be needed to provide proper light. It’s a good idea

to visit a lighting store, where you will be able to receive more information on lights to use for your system. When plants are in growth phase, they will

need high intensity discharge lamps. When plants are in bloom, high-pressure sodium lights increase yields and will grow denser and heavier flowers. Using

fluorescent lighting is also an option, but fluorescent lights don’t offer the same amount of lumens as the others. Fluorescent lights are better suited for

starters and seedlings and for growers with ventilation problems. Fluorescent also burns cooler than other lights, which allows you to place your plant

closer to the light source without damaging them


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Paul Lavakis has been an avid gardener
and since discoverring Hydroponics
has been a experimenting and evaluating
the best ways to grow almost any fruit
or veetable without soil
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