For saving space and soil, this method also has several
other benefits, including no soil-borne diseases, no
weeds to pull and no soil to till, run-of-the-mill side
benefits of soil-less gardening.

Basic nutrients for Hydroponics

There are twenty mineral elements considered necessary or beneficial for plant growth. The beneficial elements may only be essential for some plants. So, understanding about nutrients.

Hydroponics Nutrient and Feeding Tips
By Moses Wright

Basic nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous are fundamental to the biochemical processes for a plant when it is making its food. To ensure maximum health, you can consider adding other nutrients such as magnesium or iron.


Hydroponic Nutrients

Nitrogen is an important part of growing leaves. The air is about 79% nitrogen, but plants will still need a supplement of it to grow. The molecule of N2 in the air is not very stable and plants can't break apart the compound to find the single atom. Phosphorous affects the growth of roots. Potassium, on the other hand, helps to fight diseases since it is a big part of enzyme formation.
There are other elements that are very important to the life and health of your hydroponic plant. Calcium is necessary to help build the cell walls and also will help to deliver ions to various parts of the plant. Chlorine is a part of chlorophyll and is a very big part of photosynthesis. Iron, meanwhile, is a big factor of the hemoglobin molecule and is formed by plants and animals to help transport oxygen for cellular respiration.

You can find pre-made solutions that will give your plants the nutrients they need. Just like with anything, the right dosage is essential. You can find young plants that will need a specific dosage, while flowering plants will require a completely different amount.

Maintaining a steady water temperature is crucial as it affects how the plant obtains its nutrients. You can find a range of solutions, but they should all be fed at room temperature level. The hydroponic plants themselves should also be in water that is room temperature for best results.

Dry plants need nutrients and nitrogen burning is possible. You can find the aeroponics, which is when one branch is grown in air and can suffer the problem of nitrogen burning.

If you get your water from the tap, leave the water overnight to allow chlorine to evaporate. Mineral water is preferable to distilled water as it contains calcium and other positive nutrients.
Make sure the soil is at a neutral pH level if you want to see positive results in your plant. You can keep your plants neutral to keep the water alkaline. You can add a little bit of sulfuric acid to make sure that the water is very neutral for your plants. If you have very acidic water, you can make it more neutral pH with sodium hydroxide.

Of course, you can also find testing kits that will help you accurately measure the pH of the water for your hydroponic water. Your hydroponic plants will be more sensitive to nutrient levels and can't self-regulate themselves like soil-based plants so you will need to keep an eye on your plants.

Moses Wright enjoys working in his garden. He started this site to help fellow gardening enthusiast with more hydroponics nutrient feeding tips and hydroponic gardening systems.

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