Everything You Need to Know About Hydroponics Nutrients
Hydroponics is an excellent way to grow plants without the presence of soil. In this technique, plants get their required nutrients from water solvents. The roots of the plants either come in direct contact with the hydroponics nutrient-rich solvent or through a supportive medium, based on the layout of the farming.
The key advantages of this farming, compared to the traditional agricultural methods that utilize soil are:
- Precision: The plant gets just the right amount of water that it needs, and this reduces wastage of water to a greater extent. In fact, certain researchers have concluded that hydroponics is able to save about 90% of the water that is usually required in general farming practices.
- Space Efficient: The space taken up by plants in water culture is quite less, where you are able to have about four more plants, in the same space where you would have a single plant. With this, you are able to grow a large volume of plants in small containers without having to worry about space.
- Double Speed: The growth rate of such plants is relatively faster and lets thanks to hydroponic nutrients for the same. Due to this, plants receive just the right proportion of the nutrients that they need and are able to grow each day.
While analyzing the benefits of hydroponics, you must have realized that the essence of this farming lies in the nutrient-rich solvent that aids in the growth of the plant. But, what exactly is this solvent, and how you can prepare them?
How to Prepare Hydronics Nutrients Solution?
Though there are several pre-mixed hydroponic nutrients available, yet there are certain steps that can be taken to amplify the growth of the plant. When you work on preparing your solution, then you have something that is designed according to the water that you use and even as per the needs of the plants that you are farming.
The first step is to know what nutrients are already present in the water. Though soft water can be used to add almost any type of nutrient, however the same cannot be assured in the case of hard water. In such cases, you have to consider using reverse osmosis to remove any heavy metals present in them.
Magnesium and calcium, both are common minerals seen in tap water, though they are an essential forms of hydroponic nutrients, however, they are required in limited amounts. Being aware of the percentage of these minerals will help you realize whether you have to remove or add them.
Second, focus on the macronutrients like magnesium sulfate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and monopotassium sulfate. Each nutrient is known to serve a different purpose in the life cycle of a plant, such as:
- Magnesium and potassium act as basic forms of catalysts that help in the creation of sugars and starch.
- Calcium helps in the building up of the cell wall and is essential for the growth of the cells.
- Phosphorous is meant for photosynthesis and the overall development of the plant and
- Sulfur & nitrogen play an integral role in supplying amino and proteins to the plants.
At last, choose the right list of nutrients and then proceed towards preparing the hydroponic nutrients solution. While you mix the nutrients in the water, make sure that the solvent has a neutral pH level equivalent to 7, so that the nutrients mix up well and the plants are able to take them without any complications.
A good practice is to store the mixed nutrients in a container so that you can use them according to the needs of the plants.
