The nutrient content of water soluble hydroponic fertilizers is not always clearly indicated on packaging. It is fine that fertilizer companies take control out of our hands by formulating nutrient solutions for us, but there are times that we want to take control ourselves. That usually happens when things are not working out and yields [...]
Tomato fertigation is a complex subject in hydroponics. It is climate sensitive and everybody has an opinion of what works. The point is, tomatoes are sensitive to water stress (too little water) and to water logging (over watering). They are not as sensitive as peppers or cucumbers. Water stress or water logging will reduce plant [...]
Fertigation of peppers is sometimes more of an art than science since plant requirements change as the weather/climate change. Learn how to read your plants and identify good and bad stress symptoms. Peppers are sensitive to water stress (to little water) and to water logging (over watering). Any of these two conditions will reduce plant [...]
The word ‘chelate’ is derived from the Greek word meaning ‘claw’. Many of the micro elements such as Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn are difficult for the plant to absorb and in some cases, deficiency symptoms may occur if these micro-elements are not made available to the plant in chelated form. A chelate is a [...]
Great care should be taken when working with chemicals. It is important to adhere to the following guidelines, which can be applied to all types of chemicals: Always keep the same type of chemical together. Always close the containers properly. Never leave any container open so that the gasses can escape. Place a brick or [...]
Most automated systems installed in closed hydroponic systems use injectors rather than proportioners. A simplified diagram of where to install such a system is provided below. Many advanced injectors such as the Priva® and Volmatic® systems use much more complex configurations. Most of the systems use two pH probes and two EC probes in case [...]
To make a nutrient stock solution, you need a minimum of two tanks. Nutrient Stock solutions cannot be made in one tank. The reason is that above a certain concentration, calcium reacts with sulphates and phosphates to form insoluble calcium sulphate ([latex]\ce{CaSO4}[/latex]) and calcium phosphate ([latex]\ce{Ca3(PO4)2}[/latex]). The two nutrient tanks will be called Tank A and [...]
Fertilizer solubility is one of the key elements in making hydroponic nutrient stock solutions. If you know the fertilizer solubility, you can make optimum stock solutions for any size nutrient tank. Making stock solutions is extremely simple. All you have to do is to calculate the amount of fertilizers required to make a normal 1:1 [...]
Micro nutrients are just as important as macro nutrients. Many growers fail to have their water analysed for all elements, and in some area one might have enough of a micro element in the water. By adding more with fertilizers, toxicity levels may be reached which can reduce yields significantly. The following example will use [...]
