Maximum Yield Modern Growing | Vol. 21 Issue 01 2019

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HYDROPONIC Nutrient Management What Every Grower Should Know by Monica Mansfield When you choose to grow hydroponically, it becomes your responsibility to ensure your plants are receiving what they need to be healthy and productive. Follow Monica Mansfield’s tips and your plants will think Mother Nature is working her magic. One of the keys to a successful hydroponic garden is having a solid nutrient management plan. Plants grown hydroponically are much more sensitive to the nutrients you give them simply because they don’t have the soil to buffer any mistakes you may make. You are taking on nature’s role and are responsible for putting together the correct nutrients, in the right amounts, with the right pH, at the right time. You must also manage your water’s quality more strictly and be aware of any chemical incompatibilities that could hurt your plants. 40 Maximum Yield
“Too much nitrogen can cause extremely green leaves, excessive vegetative growth, and reduced fruiting.” Essential Nutrients First things first, you must understand the importance of the nutrients you are feeding your plants. They can be broken down into three categories: primary, secondary, and micronutrients. In hydroponics, instead of receiving these nutrients from the soil, plants get these nutrients from the nutrient solution they grow in. Primary nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are needed in large quantities for plants to thrive. The secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. They are needed in smaller quantities than the primary nutrients, but in much larger amounts than the micronutrients. Micronutrients include iron, molybdenum, boron, copper, manganese, sodium, zinc, nickel, chlorine, cobalt, aluminum, silicon, vanadium, and selenium. Plants also need carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, however, they receive these from the air and water. If a plant takes in too much or too little of these nutrients, they will suffer from deficiencies or toxicities. Plants will show signs to help you figure out what they need. For example, a nitrogen deficiency will cause yellowing of the older leaves and slowed growth. Too much nitrogen can cause extremely green leaves, excessive vegetative growth, and reduced fruiting. Understanding Ratios and Formulas When you go into a hydroponic shop, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the hundreds of fertilizers lining the shelves. There are many different formulas and ratios to choose from. There will be three numbers on the front of the fertilizer bottles. This is the NPK, which stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. These numbers represent the percentage of each nutrient in the bottle. A 7-9-5 fertilizer will have seven per cent nitrogen, nine per cent phosphorus, and five per cent potassium in that bottle. The back label will tell you the percentage of other nutrients in the fertilizer. These ratios will vary a little by brand, what kind of formula it is, and what stage of growth it is meant for. Fertilizers formulated for the growth stage of plant development will have more nitrogen, while the bloom stage formulas will have less nitrogen and more phosphorus. You will also see one-part, two-part, and three-part formulas. One-part formulas have one bottle for the growth stage and one bottle for the bloom stage of growth. While they contain all the nutrients needed, they likely have smaller amounts of calcium to keep the formula stable and will need to be supplemented. One-part formulas are ideal for beginners who don’t yet understand how to adjust recipes for their plant’s specific needs. Two-part formulas have an A and B formula for growth, and an A and B formula for bloom. By separating some of the chemicals, the manufacturer has created a more stable and complete formula that can be mixed at different rates throughout the growth cycle. Specifically, higher amounts of calcium and phosphorus can be included in the base nutrients by separating them instead of putting them together in one bottle. Three-part formulas include a separate grow, bloom, and micro formula that will be mixed together at different ratios throughout a plant’s life. This allows for much more flexibility so that the grower can tailor nutrient recipes to their plant’s specific needs and fix deficiencies more quickly. Maximum Yield 41
Page 1: EXPERT ADVICE ON HYDROPONIC NUTRIEN
Page 6: Electrolyzed Water Treatment System
Page 10 and 11: NFT, being a solution culture metho
Page 12: Contents First Feed 14 From the Edi
Page 15 and 16: with CMH 315 SE 600 LED 240-R DE 10
Page 17 and 18: THE MAKERS OF TERPINATOR PROUDLY PR
Page 19 and 20: all photos provided by dewey mister
Page 21 and 22: ® FLOWERMAX • The high yield fl
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Page 25 and 26: Study Finds Liverwort Weed Contains
Page 27 and 28: 5 7 6 8 5 | Reiziger Root Booster N
Page 29 and 30: BRINGING YOU THE BEST OF THE BEST!
Page 31 and 32: Guard Your Grow Protect Your Bottom
Page 33 and 34: Nutrient film technique (NFT) was t
Page 36: Reservoir size is also important an
Page 39: PRO-MIX® BX BIOFUNGICIDE + MYCORRH
Page 43 and 44: “Although you can simply follow t
Page 46: “The bottom line is controlling t
Page 49 and 50: Electronics The good news is semico
Page 51 and 52: HOW PYTHIUM FINDS ITS WAY INTO THE
Page 54 and 55: choosing the right lighting BALLAST
Page 56 and 57: “a digital ballast can be thought
Page 58: Ballasts for Fluorescent Bulbs Ball
Page 62 and 63: Protect Your Investment Monies expe
Page 64 and 65: enjoy it... FOR A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
Page 66 and 67: What did your founding partners do
Page 68 and 69: Maximum Yield is taking a stand.
Page 70 and 71: distribution LIST retail stores are
Page 72 and 73: JNJ Hydroponics 4774 Phelan Rd., St
Page 74 and 75: GrowGeneration - Pueblo W. 609 E. E
Page 76 and 77: Hydro Magic 120 N. Ross St. Unit 4
Page 78 and 79: Sunset Hydroponics & Home Brewing 8
Page 80 and 81: -----------------------------------
Page 82: ten FACTS ON ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM

Maximum Yield Modern Growing | Vol. 21 Issue 01 2019

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