Composing Home-Made Hydroponic Fertilizer
One of the main advantages of hydroponic cultivation is that no expensive fertilizers are needed as is the case in most of soil-borne plants. A simple home-made hydroponic fertilizer does a good job in keeping the hydroponic plants healthy. There are three essential nutrients that should be present in a home-made hydroponic fertilizer used for hydroponic plants: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
A good fertilizer used for hydroponic plants must contain all the important micro-nutrients that are usually not included in fertilizers used for soil-borne plants. This is because soil-borne plants are supposed to obtain these nutrients from soil while hydroponic plants are grown in water and solutions of essential nutrients.
Essential Nutrients For Your Plants
Besides the three major nutrients, called macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus), a good home-made hydroponic fertilizer will also contain sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Several important micronutrients including manganese, copper, boron, cobalt, iron, zinc, and molybdenum are also required for healthy growth of most hydroponic plants.
Each of these nutrients performs an important function. Nitrogen, for example, is central to building plant cells; phosphorus makes possible photosynthesis and the efficient use of light energy by the plant’s photosynthetic cells; potassium helps in the manufacture of carbohydrates for the plant’s functioning and growth, and so on.
Converting Commercial Products
Since commercially available fertilizers are commonly meant for soil-borne plants, they lack many important micronutrients. A hydroponic cultivator can, however, easily convert a commercial fertilizer into a home-made hydroponic fertilizer by adding the essential micronutrients contained in chemical substances of daily household use.
For most hydroponic plants, which develop roots, the cultivator can add one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt to 400 ppm Maxsea 3-20-20 (1 level teaspoon per gallon of tap water) in order to make a good home-made hydroponic fertilizer. It can be fed to the plant for ten days after it develops its first roots.
After the first ten days since the appearance of roots, 600 ppm Maxsea 16-16-16 (equal to one rounded teaspoon) should be used as a hydroponic fertilizer with one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt added to each gallon. When the plant enters its flowering stage, a rounded half teaspoon Maxsea 3-20-20 should be mixed with a rounded, half teaspoon of Maxsea 16-16-16 in each gallon of water and one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt should be added to each gallon. In the last two weeks before harvesting, the hydroponic plants should be fed with plain water.
One of the main advantages of hydroponic cultivation is that no expensive fertilizers are needed as is the case in most of soil-borne plants. A simple home-made hydroponic fertilizer does a good job in keeping the hydroponic plants healthy. There are three essential nutrients that should be present in a home-made hydroponic fertilizer used for hydroponic plants: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
A good fertilizer used for hydroponic plants must contain all the important micro-nutrients that are usually not included in fertilizers used for soil-borne plants. This is because soil-borne plants are supposed to obtain these nutrients from soil while hydroponic plants are grown in water and solutions of essential nutrients.
Essential Nutrients For Your Plants
Besides the three major nutrients, called macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus), a good home-made hydroponic fertilizer will also contain sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Several important micronutrients including manganese, copper, boron, cobalt, iron, zinc, and molybdenum are also required for healthy growth of most hydroponic plants.
Each of these nutrients performs an important function. Nitrogen, for example, is central to building plant cells; phosphorus makes possible photosynthesis and the efficient use of light energy by the plant’s photosynthetic cells; potassium helps in the manufacture of carbohydrates for the plant’s functioning and growth, and so on.
Converting Commercial Products
Since commercially available fertilizers are commonly meant for soil-borne plants, they lack many important micronutrients. A hydroponic cultivator can, however, easily convert a commercial fertilizer into a home-made hydroponic fertilizer by adding the essential micronutrients contained in chemical substances of daily household use.
For most hydroponic plants, which develop roots, the cultivator can add one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt to 400 ppm Maxsea 3-20-20 (1 level teaspoon per gallon of tap water) in order to make a good home-made hydroponic fertilizer. It can be fed to the plant for ten days after it develops its first roots.
After the first ten days since the appearance of roots, 600 ppm Maxsea 16-16-16 (equal to one rounded teaspoon) should be used as a hydroponic fertilizer with one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt added to each gallon. When the plant enters its flowering stage, a rounded half teaspoon Maxsea 3-20-20 should be mixed with a rounded, half teaspoon of Maxsea 16-16-16 in each gallon of water and one quarter of a teaspoon of Epsom salt should be added to each gallon. In the last two weeks before harvesting, the hydroponic plants should be fed with plain water.
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