Nh Home Staging

The hydroponic nutrients that your plants require depend on a number of different factors. These include the types of plants you are growing, the hydroponic medium you have chosen (such as coco coir, perlite, vermiculite or wood chips), the condition of the plant and the quality of available water.

Plants require three broad groups of nutrient elements:

Primary plant nutrient elements<

These are elements found in the highest concentrations in plants, which rely on their presence for their structure and metabolic/physiologic functions. These are potassium, calcium, nitrogen and sulphate.
• Potassium is involved in sugar and carbohydrate production.
• Calcium ensures efficient cell division and cell wall formation.
• Nitrogen is vital because it is a structural component of all proteins and also chlorophyll.
• Sulphates are responsible for converting inorganic nitrogen into protein.
Because the primary nutrients are vital to plant health, they are found in nutrient packs from specialist firms that sell hydroponic supplies.

Secondary plant nutrient elements

These nutrients are phosphorous and magnesium.
• Phosphorous is important in photosynthesis and when they occur in the correct amounts they ensure quality yields from plants.
• Magnesium works in conjunction with phosphorous, acting as a carrier. It is also an activator and component of several enzymes.

Trace elements
These elements are found in minute quantities in plants. They would poison the plants if they were present in great quantities, but without them the plants would be stunted and would eventually die. Plants depend on their presence for proper growth and development. The vital trace elements are
• iron
• manganese
• zinc
• copper
• boron
• molybdenum

Because of the important of these trace elements, they are also available in various forms from manufacturers of hydroponic supplies.

In hydroponics, while most nutrients are administered via the water supply, it is also possible to feed plants by means of foliar spraying as plants are able to absorb nutrients via their foliage.