The Importance of Advanced Nutrients

Hydroponics is the exciting practice of growing plants without the use of soil – this goes without saying then that nutrients that should’ve been provided by soil must come from another source, like the water solution. Indeed, the type of advanced nutrients solution that is being provided to hydroponic plants would largely affect their yield, health, and growth.

There are around seventeen different elements found naturally in soil that plants require for healthy growth, and most basic solutions formulated for hydroponics will provide these elements (you can also mix your own, if you know what you are doing). The need to use formula made especially for hydroponics should not be underestimated as regular fertilizers typically lack some of the elements required by the plants.

There are also advanced nutrients available-special formulations and/or additives that elicit specific behaviors or growth in the plants. Making the best nutrient mixture is indeed complex – what with all the factors that have to be considered such as the kind of plant, nutrient blend that is most appropriate to a particular plant, the desired result. True enough, there’s an endless list of combination of elements and quantities. Essentially, this is chemistry; and if you took chemistry in high school, you probably recognize that the correct blend of chemicals can be beneficial, while the wrong blend can be catastrophic. Thankfully, there are a lot of products available where the homework has been done for you; but you still need to be aware of your plants and their needs, and read labels to ensure you’re giving them the right thing-particularly when it comes to advanced nutrients and additives.

It’s safe to conclude then that while basic nutrient solutions promote the needed health of plants, it’s the advanced nutrients that give the extra push on some areas. Some blends deal with keeping the right pH balance in the water, which is very important in hydroponics. Others are about increasing the yield of harvest, encouraging thicker foliage, affecting the blooming stage and promoting accelerated growth. However, it is not as simple as placing an additive in your gas tank, or applying the right formula to get the desired result.

Plants espouse the adage, “you are what you eat” too; so what you feed them shall ultimately affect their health. Just as taking a certain medicine, it may treat some symptoms but the fact that side effects could be felt is also there. In the same way, plants would feel some unwanted effects in some areas by the mere “taking” of a booster. Thus, it is truly important for you to know about the different nutrients that affect plant growth, this way, you have a clearer idea of their results.

Thankfully, many hydroponic developers want you to have the “correct” result from their advanced nutrients, so they will put important information on the label. It’s therefore very important to read the label before buying a certain product. Among the many pieces of information found in the label are the benefits of and the nutrients that make up the solution. If the product does not have enough information on the label, do not trust it.

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