1 Introduction

Hydroponics has come a long way in the last few years, It is no longer a mystery or secret technique. It is a simple reliable way of growing plants. easier and more consistent, by far than growing in soil. All you need to do is master a few basic principles on a step by step basis....

At Growroom UK we have a wide range of Hydroponics kits and growing supplies and the options are unlimited. If you are a beginner at Hydroponics growing we strongly recommend that you concentrate first on growing plants as we describe bellow. Later, when you have mastered the basics, you can upgrade and automate your system.

The nutrient solution is the basis of all hydroponics, it is the most important thing for you to come to grips with and ot is the key to your success. We ate discussing this first because you will need a nutrient solution, whatever you are growing and whatever system you plan to use.

The nutrient solution is, simply, the liquid that you water the plants with. It must contain all the mineral elements needed for plant growth and they must be in the correct proportions. Nothing can be left out, even micronutrients such as molybdenum which should be in your solution in a concentration of less than one part per million. Fortunately, these days, there are a number of good nutrients on the market and it is simply a matter of choosing the product that best suits your particular needs.

When making nutrient solution you should follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter. Our most popular nutrients are a three part solution made by General Hydroponics. It is important to add the Micro Flora first and let it mix for 10 minutes or so before adding the Flora gro and flora bloom in any order afterwards. This will guarantee that the nutrients won't lock each other out. This should be done with twin packs too for the same reasons. If you have made up the nutrient solution to the directions and you want it stronger. Make up a bucket of nutrient solution making sure that the same ratios i.e.: 10ml gro, 20ml micro, 30ml bloom. Add the stronger bucket of nutrients to your original solution until you reach the nutrient reading you want. For seedlings and cuttings the CF reading should be 8CF-12CF, for vegetative stage the reading should be 14CF-16CF and for the flowering or fruiting stage should read 18CF-22CF. I must stress how important a meter is for hydroponics without it you are guessing and defeating the whole object of this accurate way of growing.

A good nutrient solution should contain a full profile of trace elements, usually known as micronutrients in Hydroponics. The essential micronutrients are Iron, Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Boron and Molybdenum. Some solutions may contain other less common elements such as Nickel but those are the key ones and no true nutrient solution would be without them.

The best solutions will supply most of their trace elements in the form of Chelates which is the usual choice of professional growers. A chalet (pronounced Key-late) is a form of the element in which the molecule is locked up in a kind of organic jacket which ensures its stability within the solution. Once the molecule has been taken up by the plant, it immediately becomes available to the biological process. This is particularly important in Hydroponics because the pH of the nutrient can fluctuate quite a lot and ordinary trace elements will easily precipitate and become unavailable of the pH is not to their liking. even of it is only for a short time. This is particularly important with the key trace element Iron which is highly unstable in its non-chelated form. Chelates are many times more expensive than the simpler forms of the element. This is a very good indicator of the quality of any nutrient solution of it contains fully chelated micronutrients. Boron and Molybdenum are not usually chelated as they are vary stable in other forms.