The right Hydroponic Nutrients

Nutrients are a very important part of the hydroponic growing process and we at Esoteric Hydroponics have sourced the best nutrients that are available on the market today. Generally speaking, there are grow nutrients and bloom nutrients.

Finding the Right Hydroponic Nutrients for Your Plants
By Richa Parera

Hydroponics is a great way to maintain your own indoor garden without having to worry about what type of soil to use for different plants, how to obtain it, how much space the garden will occupy, etc. In the hydroponic method of gardening, a plant is grown in a water solution or a specially designed growing medium like rockwool, peat moss, vermiculite, etc. The plant's roots remain submerged in the solution or growing medium and the rest of the plant is suspended above it.



Photo: hobbyhydro.com

Role of Hydroponic Nutrients

All plants need certain nutrients and plants grown in a hydroponic garden are no different. Generally, plants get their nutrients from soil. In hydroponics, this happens differently. Hydroponic nutrients are directly given to the plant. The primary constituents of most nutrient mixtures are phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium. Other components include vitamins, hormones, and inorganic materials like minerals.

Finding the Best Hydroponic Nutrients

Making your own hydroponic nutrients may seem like a cost-effective solution. However, you will need to go through a large phase of trial-and-error before you find the right mix of nutrients. In the meantime, your plants will suffer due to lack of nutrients. It is better to invest in a commercially prepared nutrient solution that undergoes years of research and testing, and is designed to cater to your plants' growth needs.

Available Hydroponic Nutrient Choices

Many companies manufacture hydroponic nutrients. The choice you make will depend on the growth phase of the plant, the type of growing medium, and the precise nutrients the plant requires. Here are some examples of hydroponic nutrients.

FloraNova has two main products: FloraNova Grow and FloraNova Bloom. Both these nutrient solutions are organic compounds, thus bringing a natural approach to hydroponic gardening. Both these solutions are suitable for all types of plants.

If you are looking to boost the vegetative capacity of your plants, then Earth Juice is for you. Earth Juice has a variety of hydroponic nutrient solutions to improve the growth of plants-right from seedlings to maturity. These products also boast the distinction of being approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute.

Budswel and Super Tea are two varieties of organic plant food. Budswel is a liquid concentrate that is high in phosphorous, which makes it ideal for increasing fruit production in cantaloupe, grape, and squash plants. It also serves as an excellent base for flowerbeds, most notably roses. Super Tea is a dry plant food with high nitrogen content. It can be used as a general fertilizer.

The Age Old range of products is specially formulated to fulfil your plants' every need. The Age Old Grow and Bloom solutions are organic fertilizers with a 2:1 ratio of nitrogen to phosphorous. Age Old's dry guano products are phosphorous-rich nutrients targeted specifically at fruit-bearing plants while the liquid kelp solution is a natural bio-stimulant.

Pure Blend manufactures nutrient solutions that enhance the effectiveness of hydroponic nutrient solutions. Pure Blend products are hydro-organic in nature and are available as a tea solution, which is easy to add to any hydroponic nutrient solution.

Successful hydroponics growing is the result of right use of hydroponic nutrients at proper time.

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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.




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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Hydroponic Nutrients

The greatest advantage of hydroponic growing is that it allow you to precisely control the growing environment surrounding your plants. This includes complete control of every nutrient available to the plant's roots. Soil growing does not permit this flexibility because soil can contain many minerals and salts. In an indoor hydroponic system, the growing medium does not contain any nutrients on its own, allowing the indoor gardening to control the exact amount of hydroponic nutrients received by the plant just by adjusting the concentration of the hydroponic nutrient solution.



Plants grown outdoors in soil obtain their nutrients from the decomposed matter of organic material. Here is a very non-scientific description of the process: All organic matter that falls to the ground is decomposed by fungi or digested by insects and animals until it provides a compost. This compost is then fed off of by microbes which expel the plant's essential nutrients as its waste products. Rain washes these elements deep into the soil, where they remain until absorbed by a plant's roots.

There are 3 primary hydroponic nutrients which are required by your plants for maximum yield. These are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). The concentration of each is usually listed on the nutrient solution's label. For example, a solution with 20-20-20 on the label contains 20% N, 20% P, and 20% K.

There are also several secondary hydroponic nutrients that are used by the plant at various times during its growth cycle, but are not as essential as the primary nutrients. Small amounts of these minerals are added to most hydroponic nutrient products to ensure that your plants receive the full spectrum of the elements they need. Some of these secondary hydroponic nutrients include Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Iron, Molybdenum, and Boron.

Indoor Gardening Guide

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