Thursday, May 13, 2010

Nutrients and Water Source Supplies

The Required Ingredients for Healthy Indoor Hydroponics 
Author: Candice Pardue



Hydroponically grown plants need a food and water source. Just like in a "soil" garden, an irrigation system of some sort should be developed to get the appropriate nutrient-rich water and plain tap (or distilled) water to
the plants.  This can be done using several different methods, including spraying by hand, the drip method,
sprinklers and mist.  The amount of water applied can be adjusted as needed using any of these methods, depending on the size and type of plants you're growing.

pH Control and Its Importance

The pH control in hydroponics is much easier than with soil gardens.  What is pH?  It's the hydrogen-hydroxyl ion
content level of a solution, in technical terms.  If a solution contains more hydrogen, which is a positive ion, than hydroxyl, which is negative, then it is considered an acid.  When this scenario is reversed, the solution is called an alkaline (or base).  Pure water is considered neutral because it has the correct balance of each.  Water that is less than pure can be imbalanced, which might cause the plant to be unable to absorb some of its essential elements that it requires for good health.

Keeping the pH balance at an even level, and also monitoring to see how it affects the plants will ensure healthy growth in hydroponics.

CO2 Control

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) provides up to seventy-five percent of the plant's nutrition.  Therefore, controlling the CO2 in your growing area is very important.  To keep the CO2 level well-balanced, there are analysis kits available, CO2 injectors or CO2 generators, which run off natural gas or liquid propane tanks.



source : hydroponic

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