Tag: grow hydroponic

How Often Should You Change Your Water Reservoir?

QUICK ANSWER : Every Seven Days

Longer Answer: When you are trying to decide when to change your nutrient reservoir in your hydroponic recirculation system, there are a few things to consider.  The size of your reservoir, the amount of nutrients remaining in the solution, ph, and how clean the water is. If your water looks gross, it probably is gross.  Gross water = Gross plants.  Gross deserves a capital G for that equation.

The bigger your reservoir the further you can go between res changes(Res change is short for water/nutrient reservoir change ).  Big reservoirs may be more forgiving then a small reservoir.  Small reservoirs may change by hundreds of ppm in a single day.  Hydroponic systems require close monitoring of nutrient levels to avoid burning plants.  If your reservoir loses water to evaporation make sure to top it off with plain water or a very low ppm solution.  Res changes mostly apply to recirculating systems.  Non-recirculating or “run to waste” hydroponic systems only require you to change the solution every two weeks.  The nutrient solution stays clean and the PH is maintained in a non-recirculating system.  The most important part of a good hydroponic system is a clean nutrient reservoir.

A clean nutrient reservoir loaded with Earth Juice Bloom and Azamax

Hydroponic Cloning Tips

If you have wilting clones there could be a number of issues with your hydroponic cloning method.  Make sure to have a thermometer to measure temperature and humidity accurately throughout the day.  You can find digital ones at a department stores or hydro shops that will tell you the current and high/low temps and humidity throughout the day.  The digital ones aren’t expensive in comparison to the knowledge you’ll have.  If you are using a metal halide or other high powered lighting system, the clones must be a few feet away so they receive minimal light.  If they get too much light they will try to work too hard with roots they don’t have.

If the temperature is getting to be in the 80’s F move the lights up more or add a circulation fan on a timer so the humidity stays high.  Having a fan on for an hour at a time 2 or 3 times a day will really help to move the hot air.  Try to use cool burning bulbs like fluorescent tubes so your temperature will stay down.  A high humidity of 90% or higher will help your fresh cuttings more than anything else.  Spray the walls of a clear container with water and put it over your cloning system.  You can also attach spray emitters to a small water pump to spray water automatically for the first few days to ensure success rate.  The humidity needs to be high so the leaves of the cutting can absorb water from the air because it does not have any roots to do that job yet.  It may need a small hole or two for air flow so the temperature stays low and the cuttings have access to as much oxygen as they need.

Use an aeroponic or deep water culture method with aerated water to keep the roots or stems in a 100% humidity environment until they are established for transplant.  You can find cloning systems at your local hydroponics store, online, or even build your own!  Hardware stores and hydroponic shops should have pretty much everything you need to build your own.

Hydroponic Systems as Scientifically Perfected Nature

Hydroponic systems are able to increase plant yield and in some cases plant quality because the plant’s growing conditions can be controlled closer to the plants optimum growing conditions. A few of the conditions that benefit from hydroponic systems are:

Roots – Roots can not only be seen in some hydro systems but they are able to grow in a high humidity conditions.

Water – The plants water needs are met more often and systematically than hand watering or outdoor growing with the rain and good ol hose!  Hand watering a large container garden can be very time consuming.  Attention to detail may be beneficial during watering because drowning the plants feeder roots with too much water at once could be harmful to the plant.  Hydroponic systems usually are characterized by automated waterings and feedings which could reduce the stress of constant human handling not to mention the convenience factor.  It’s not always convenient to water your whole garden by hand when your plants need it, humans have lives to fulfill and water as well!

Nutrient content – Nutrient content is one of the best features of hydroponic systems because of the precise control the grower can manipulate.  However, nutrient control is an art form that must be tailored to every hydroponic set up and plant selection.

The goal of hydroponic gardening is to increase yield and plant vitality.  Hydroponic growing can be very simple or very complicated, the beauty is in the versatility of hydroponics.  Look for more to come on how hydro can outgrow soil.