Getting the hydroponic nutrient formula right can be a tricky business. Similarly using the correct quantity of fertilizer for conventional gardening can be tricky to gauge. If you don’t use enough fertilizer then you will have weak plants that look anemic; however if you use too much then you can risk killing your plants.

When you are working out the correct hydroponic nutrient formula you need to add the fertilizers in the correct proportins. Another confusing aspect of the whole thing is how to mix in the fertilizers that come with your hydroponics kit.

Concentration is The Key

Combining the fertilizers that you have to the right concentration is an important step to making sure that you have healthy plants. Because fertilizers that are sold for use in hydroponic systems are concentrated it is important to get the hydroponic nutrient formula right.

• Begin with a concentration of 150 to 600 parts per million.
• After some time you can find a much more targetted concentration,for most plants you can use a hydroponic nutrient formula of around 300 to 400 parts per million.

Stages in Growth

There are various stages of development and growth for plants, it is reasonable that plants require different nutrients in different stages. There are different nutrients available that are specifically targetted toward the different phasess of the plants life cycle.

Two major types of targetted nutrient formulae are:

1. “Grow/Growth” formulae - These are designed to work best for plants that are in the vegetative stage of growth. Suitable for new plants from germination to the stage where they start to flower.
2. “Flower/Bloom” formulae - These are targetted at plants that are flowering, great to use during the initial flowering season and beyond. You should start using this sort of nutrient formula once your plants have reached this flowering stage.

The strength of the hydroponic nutrient formula must be tailored to the growth stage and health of the plant. If you have a weak plant that is being grown in low level lighting then you should use a weak hydroponic nutrient formula, not a strong one. A strong formula should be used for healthy thriving plants, even if common sense would tell you to do the opposite.

You might like to increase the strength of your formula once your plants reach a strong state of growth and health. Gradually increasing the strength is very important for the welfare of your plant, as a very rapid change in conditions can cause it problems. Perhaps a plan to change the strength over a two to six months should be implemented by increasing the strength on a weekly basis, until the desire target. Always make sure your plants are located in an environment of healthy levels of lighting and good ventilation.

Here is a basic introduction to hydroponics.

Hydroponic gardening can be split into two basic types. The two types of hydroponic gardening systems are solution culture and medium culture systems. As the names suggest, hydroponic gardening systems which use medium culture still utilize a medium where the plants roots can cling to. In solution culture, the plants are suspended over the nutrient solution.

Solution Cultures: The 3 Subtypes

The basic principle of hydroponic gardening is the same, where the plant is suspended and a nutrient solution provides for it. Hydroponic gardening in solution cultures come in three subtypes:

Medium Culture

Hydroponic gardening systems which use medium culture benefit from the plants having anchoring. The basic question to answer is what medium to use. There are variety of materials that can replace soil including some popular choices such as:

• Gravel
• Perlite
• Clay pellets
• Mineral or rock wool
• Brick shards

These media are easy to use in hydroponic gardening systems and provide roots with stability as well as providing the nutrient solution with something to cling to.

It’s actually very easy to create home hydroponic gardening systems. Hydroponic herb gardens as well as vegetable gardens are two of the most popular types of hydroponic gardening. Research into hydroponics has produce positive results regarding it’s efficacy for plant growth and health. The lack of soil has virtually eliminated plant sickness and in turn created a benefit for people in gardening and the consumer.

What is hydroponics?

Hydroponics a horticultural method for cultivation of plants. The important feature which sets hydroponic gardening apart from conventional methods is that plants do not use soil as a medium for growth. This a major advantage because the nowadays we are exposed to many pollutants which stay in the the air and soil around us for a very long time.

By not using soil as a medium for growth hydroponic gardening is an effective way to reduce the amount of pollutants our plants are exposed to.

The idea of hydroponics is a result of the motivation shown by research workers to find a way of reducing the affects of polluted plants on peoples heath. Those who already have ill health can benefit a lot from practicing hydroponic gardening instead of conventional gardening.

No More Soil

During the research in hydroponics, researchers found that plants simply use the nutrients and water within the soil for growth. In other words the soil is really just a store of nutrients which that plants use as food. This shows that plants don’t essentially have to be planted in soil as long as the plant can be supplied with nutrients some other way.

Hydroponics is the most effective method of providing nutrients to plants which is alternative to conventional planting in soil. Since plants, when planted in soil, absorb water through its roots along with the nutrients which are dissolved in it, we can simply provide the plant with water that has already had nutrients dissolved into it. The hydroponics also makes it easier for plants to absorb the water since it is in direct contact with a high “concentration” of water relative to absorbing it through soil.

Terrestrial plants, the ones that normally grow in soil, can still grow when they are uprooted so long as it still has access to the nutrients it needs. But it maybe a good idea to provide the plant with something for anchoring so that it can keep itself upright and grow into a good looking plant. Materials that don’t hold pollutants, such as gravel or synthetic meshes, can be used to plant the plant.

In hydroponics the most important factor is the obviously water based nutrient solution that is used to feed the plant. The plant should receive nutrients at a rate similar to its natural absorption, this is usually regulated by providing a solution with a nutrient concentration so that the plant receives the right amount of water and nutrients at the same time via doses throughout the day. Many plants can not survive if their roots are constantly submerged in water.

Advantages of Hydroponics

In addition to the reduction of pollutants there are other advantages of  hydroponic gardening. One such advantage is the clean environment in which the mess that soil causes is no more.

Another advantage of hydroponics and not using soil is the prevention of bacterium and viruses that reside in soil from infecting your plants and causing disease. Hydroponics can be implemented in places where plants would not be able to survive normally, for example rocky areas and deserts, so that these places can now become useful.

The amount of control over exactly what nutrients the plants receive coupled with the use of important methods such as greenhouses mean that hydroponics is one of the effective ways for optimal plant growth and health.