If only all TH-cam videos were like this. No fluff, no flair, organized presentation, appropriately touched on every relevant topic, and provided additional resources and references.
I watched at least a dozen videos dancing around this topic before watching yours. Very simple, very clear. You have a great way of explaining things. Thank you!
hey ,if anyone else trying to find out aquaponics book try Aqua Recovery Tactics (aqua.RecoveryTactics.com ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my colleague got amazing results with it.
I am voting with the person below. After watching about 50 videos you are absolutely the best at no Blabalblablablablablabla before saying a few useful things. Your video was clear, got right to the point, full of great information. Keep up this great work.
As I start my journey into hydroponics I am cursing my high school guidance counselor for discouraging me to register for chemistry & physics. Fortunately I stumbled into a career that has been fruitful but I felt that I was missing something my whole life because I did not have the proper education in these areas. I couldn't tell you the purpose of nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium until I watched your video.... thank you for the education!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Im a beginner. Was truly spending time SEARCHING for anyone offering reliable information on exactly what you covered! Your explanations are easy for me to understand and I am very grateful!
Aarumamaadu, according to him in other video, iron edta is not recommended, much better is EDDHA or even DTPA. but i just started learning about and every tips count for me, i m from brazil
Hi ZipGrow. I'm really surprised to see you still at it. Had heard you sold up and moved on for big bucks. You earned the right to big bucks but glad to see you're still putting out content since you're perhaps the biggest contributor to this kind of hydroponic information necessary to successfully make it work. So nice one brother. Hope the lockdown hasn't adversely effected you all. Hope to see more of your videos sir. Kind regards from Ireland.
9:17 Actually if you combine an acid and a base they will create something called a buffer solution which will make changing the pH n either direction a lot more difficult. Especially if you use the corresponding base to the acid.
A beginners guide geared to commercial grow,,,it really doesnt matter what brand nutes you use learn the basics to feeding first,,,to be succesful in hydroponics you must first learn to feed properly,,ph is one of the most important things you need to manage,,a crop production guide or nutrient calander probly wont fit your grow,,to many variables,,it matters definately how much nutes you have,,when ph ing,,the most important thing is your ph swing,,this is directly affected by nutrient values,,use your tds meter an ph pen,,12 hours after feeding check your ph,,if it raises you didnt feed enough,,if it falls you fed to much,,learn this its BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION HYDRO BEGINNERS CAN GET
The majority of technical videos on hydroponics are poorly put together, full or errors, and missing critical information. Your video is thought out and each topic is explained in great detail. Excellent production. Look forward to other videos from you.
Thank you so much for this. Anyone can tell me how, but thank you for telling me why! I am on my second grow and followed a guide strictly. Now for my second I truly want to know why we use these nutrients and how to begin to identify when one is needed. Thank you again!!!
You talk about 16 plant nutrients, but our bodies need 90 nutrients, and 60 of them are minerals. I add liquid seaweed to my mix hoping to get them and I also throw some green sand into my reservoir in the hope that the mycorrhizae will release them for the plants and for us. City water in San Francisco is about pH 9.5. By the time I add the nutrients it is down to about 6.5. I use pH down or ascorbic acid or distilled vinegar to take it to 6. I got a cheap pH meter from Amazon and it seems to work. I have the Bluelab EC meter but I would suggest trying the cheap ones. I use a bloom mix for the flowers in my yard and I set that at pH 4.5 to hopefully compensate for the high pH of the city water I put on them.
tangobayus Azomite rock dust has 67 micro nutrients worm castings also great over looked organic medium that Full of All kinds of Good Stuff ! Use at 20% to 25% volume w/coco/peat ,perlite & Happy frog or equivalent
Can I mix a measured portion of ammonium nitrate with tomato formula to make a veggie mix for peas, and could i create a dry mix of the two or would it be uneven? i've heard some companies have processes to make the different ingredients uniform
You can:) and we would love to see! We have a Growers Facebook group that you are welcome to join and post to-facebook.com/groups/zipgrowers also if you are growing in ZipGrow systems we welcome customer images that we can share with our audience. You can email them to hello@zipgrow.com
Great video ! Thank you ! I have a question How important do you think is the origin of those Elements (1,2,3), can they be harmful for the consumer if acquired from the wrong source? What are the guidelines to access those elements. One more question, in your opinion how important/different it is to grow vertical farming in pvc tubes or tube that are made from natural material i.e. wooden ? Great job Thank you
Great video to learn and understand hydrophobic nutrition. I wanted to know if your PH is too high, how can you bring it down if you advise to stay with one of either PH up or PH down?
It's not that you can't use both pH up and pH down in your system just that the two work against each other and if your pH is behaving erratically its generally a sign that something else needs attention. Under properly balanced conditions your system should trend in only one direction. When you use both together they increase the buffering capacity of your water such that you will need more and more in order to change the pH, and it quickly gets into a vicious cycle. It might be easier to reset your reservoir with fresh water and monitor the pH closely from the start.
Good question Ricardo. Yes. Hydroponics nutrient formulas take into account the fact that you're starting with reverse osmosis water and therefore provide a balanced mix of micro- and macro-nutrients. The same holds true for aeroponics. Most soil fertilizer focuses on amending or supplementing what is already present in the soil and therefore doesn't include micronutrients.
so... if I just pour water from my aquarium water change into that bucked can it also feed the plants the same way as it did in this video with your nutrients?
It helps with plants as I've always used my fish tank water for my house plants in soil. But depending on how many fish you have the amount of nutrients from their waste is often too low or iffy to grow plants hydroponically. I've only just started experimenting with hydroponics but had been dabbling in aquaponics. My in home fish tank water did not even come close to have enough nutrients. And fish waste has to kinda go though a process where it changes the waste. The fish water went into a tank with bio balls in it then it went into the plants then cycled back into the fish tank. I'm sure someone here could explain it better than I do but the bio balls change the fish waste into a more absorbable nutrient.
When you explained about mixing the dry fertilisers you said that part A should be mixed in 5 gallons of water and so also part B but you did not clarify whether part C should also be mixed in an additional quantity of 5 gallons or it is to be mixed in the same quantity of water as part A. So do we land up with a total of 10 litres or 15 litres.
First hydroponics nutrient video I have watched. Thank you. Very informative video. Every other video I watch will be judged against this. I doubt I'll find better.
Absolutely excellent video. Really informative. I live in Thailand where instructions on fertilezers etc are in Thai. We can however buy A and B dry mixes etc. Many thanks for this!
Really nice video 😊, thank you very much, can you please make one that covers the routine and best practices needed for hydroponic growers to follow, no video covers that, they present equipment fertilizers or explain concept, but no daily process verification and steps to follow
Thanks for the suggestion. We are adding more content every few weeks so please subscribe to our channel and we will keep your requests in mind. You can also look for content that may help on our blog zipgrow.com/zipblog/
What are your suggestions for water? Obviously distilled or RO water that are really close to pure are optimal, but what level of water quality is needed? I ask this, because I'm getting setup to grow some strawberries and some other produce inside, but plan to run something much larger outside in the summers. Is there anything specifics I should worry about in City water? I haven't tested my water yet.
Rubbish, simply use nitric acid PH down to convert the calcium carbonate in the source water into calcium nitrate. Reduce the quantity of chemical calcium nitrate to rebalance the total N and Ca in the working solution. The reason your Part B (calcium nitrate) is kept seperate is not because its not very soluble, (1.2kg will dissolve in a litre of water), its because in concentrated solutions it will react with sulphates and phosphates to form insoluble precipitates that are then unavailable to the plants. If you mix concentrated calcium nitrate and magnesium sulphate (epsom) solutions you`ll see it in action ;)
i don't know what carbonates are, but i stuck my TDS meter in some of my tap water and the reading was 150 - 160 ppm. do you think that's okay? i really don't want to have to buy distilled water. thanks! this is just for personal use in a miracle grow aerogarden and i'm not looking for absolute perfection. i want the plants to grow well and flower well and fruit well, but i'm not trying to feed a whole city.
Hello! Often with smaller hydroponic systems we recommend replacing the solution every 1-2 months because you will build up a higher ratio of Calcium and Magnesium that will artificially inflate your EC values. This is also a great opportunity to clean your reservoir and flush your lines. Thanks for watching!
thanks!a lot for the information.it is really helpful and covers almost every aspect of hydroponic nutrients specially for the beginners like me.one question though,how we top new nutrient solution to the old tank full of old nutrient solution?i mean,if i have already a nutrient tank half full of previous nutrient,should i just pour new nutrient solution in it to top it up or should i empty it up and then fill it with new nutrient solution?
+nircik singh, you can top off your solution either way but we recommend using an EC meter to mix nutrient to the right level. Of course, the balance of your solution can change over time as plants take up more of one nutrient than another, so you'll probably have to reset the system every couple months. Cleaning it out a couple times a year is good for sanitation as well, so you can do both at once.
Is it possible to test the ec of your runoff to tell when you should add fertilizers? At the start of my grow I didnt have a ph or ec meter, I do now and have flushed and balanced the ph and ec of the plants and the water/ferts. I dont want to start overadding anything again and the rule of thumb ive heard is once a week with ferts and just water the rest. However i am using coco so im doing calmag and azos with the water
If I mix my three food solutions following the label dosing level on a new tank of hydro water - then do I still need to check ec -or the hydro water should be put me at least initially within the correct pH range?
Whay do you do if you EC is high and your PH is fine? Do you jist let the plants absorb the nutrients that are in there and let the levels drop naturally?
Question: the nutrient concentrations are set for optimal (fastest?) plant development, meaning they may be higher than the plant would naturally be able to filter out (via osmotic pressure?), meaning those elements and minerals may be "pumped" at high concentrations into the plant and transferred into the consumer. For example lettuce, you eat 70% of the plant, so you get probably a overdose of those minerals if consumed on a daily basis? Is there a practice of measuring the dry mineral content from the same amount of plant matter from natural source and from hydroponic products? I guess that's the "trust the producer" stuff but do I trust them to not make their stuff too concentrated ?!
If i'm doing a more aerated spray in my hydroponic system, would the nutrient solution reach the plants if the nozzles has water droplets at 7 microns?
You need a droplet range of 5-80 microns. Dont use 10-24 brass patio misting nozzles they will clog within days. Run drain to waste using the correct nozzles and you wont have any clogging issues. You wont need to constantly check and adjust the PH/EC or ultimately dump the reservoir because the run-off doesnt return to alter the chemical makeup.
If I dissolve part B (Calc. Nitrate) first in warm/hot water until it's fully dissloved, could I then add the required amounts of part A and Mag. Sulfate in the same water to come to a concentrated mix of all the required nutrients, and then use that concentrate to mix with water to arrive at the desired PPM in the final solution.
+chandra0102 Nope, better mix and store them separately, especially if you're storing a concentrate. A bit of a pain but worth it to avoid precipitates!
You shouldnt need hot water for calcium nitrate, you can dissolve upto 1.2kg in 1 litre of 20 deg C water. If its hard to dissolve it may be a field grade calcium nitrate (typically granular) rather than a greenhouse grade (typically prilled). The latter will dissolve almost instantly in cold water.
Great video! I'm trying to grow a citrus plant (oranges), which nutrients ratio should I start? Would it be okay if i start with a higher N ratio, and then switch to a higher PK after its has a significant leafs growth?
Dennis Totman any condition your plant may be in either from receiving too many or too little nutrients should be simple to pinpoint to which nutrient your plant is needs more/less of
Dennis Totman every plant is gonna need the same nutrients really, some plants respond better to more, some respond better to less You gotta see how your plants react to the nutrients but start by using 1/4-1/2 of the manufacturers recommended settings
that you describe part A , part b and Part C solution. where can i get theses all three categorized dry solutions . did i ll get with alphabetical names or chemical names wise. please reply thanks. nice video
I can actually answer this, I happen to have a bottle of normal liquid fertilizer I have been using (need to upgrade to hydroponic fertalizer now) right next to me. It contains 87% water 7% Nitrogen, 1.3% Phosphorous, and 5% Potasium, and trace minerals adding up to less than 0.05% none of which are the ones mentioned in the video (almost half of which is Iron).
Oke! a very clear video. However I use my pond as a waterreservoir. The pond contains fish. Does somebody know the effects of adding fertilizers to the pond and the effect on fish?
It sounds like you are doing aquaponics. You may find this video on introduction to nutrients in aquaponics useful: th-cam.com/video/Lgtue6tbbhc/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=ZipGrow OR the full playlist here th-cam.com/play/PLAPahqrfGZZmUNzrQV0ZwKjUrmqq-Stqh.html
hi i need to ask you a question but first great video put everything plain and simple and my question is about something you said on the video about automatic fertilization what kind of machine or gadget do you recommend for cherry tomatoes on a hydroponic greenhouse second question what height do you recommend for a greenhouse if i am planting undetermined tomatoes on the tropic at sea level ? my greenhouse will be 6' walls 18' at the center of the greenhouse 24' wide by 120' long -
After adding nutrients in first phase how to determine the remaining nutrients level ? On basics of that we should mix next batch nutrients right ? We can measure of EC , But how to determine the each nutrients % in the remaining water. Please help.
Hey man, thanks a lot for your vdeos, it has been so hellpfull to watch them, i need to ask, how much water solution can i put to a 1000 lettuce plant?? n hydroponic system
Hi there, if you are growing hydroponic lettuce in pots/containers, it’s a general rule of thumb to irrigate 2% of the total liter capacity of the pot (per shot). For example, if a head of lettuce is growing in a 3.5L container, at 2% for a single shot, this would equate to 70mL of water being irrigated (0.02x3500mL = 70mL). Then you would need to calculate how many irrigation cycles you are going throughout the day and multiply that by 1000 plants. This will give you a good idea of how big your stock tank would need to be in order to feed your crop for a single day. However, there are different methods of calculating the total amount of irrigation feed depending on the system being used (NFT, Aquaponics, etc.).
There's probably a weak base in the water anyway, most water providers add a weak base to the water to keep it from dissolving metal ions out of the pipes.
Fantastic video! Thank you. Just getting into hydroponics and found this really informative. Can I get your thoughts on mixing the nutrients ... would it work if I mix the calcium nitrate in warm water first, let it cool down, then add the NPK + magnesium sulphate directly to the same bucket?
I purchased a A & B nutrient solution. The company suggests after mixing part A to water is to leave it sit from 4-5 hours before adding part B. No reason given. Is this necessary?
Question... i have changed the nutrients in the reservoir, after 8 hours the roots got stained brown i dont this its root rot can be?. should i do something about??? ph 5.8 ppm 800, basil krakty method 1 gallon reservoir. I left the same gap between the roots and level of water it had before water change.
This is the bollocks No serious this is class, good info man. I always appreciate the underlying knowledge that let's you problem solve and work out how to get what you specifcally want out of something Your the guy!!!
hi, how to produce hydroponic fertilizer for home growing. can i use asimple program like as maxigro for all of plants? from where i can find hydroponic formula
Really interesting video. I have 2 questions based on the information the you explained. 1. What happen if my desired EC ratio is 1.2 but by mistake I exceeded up to 1.5, how it is possible to put it back at 1.2? 2. You recommended to first measure EC and then pH. However, I have an scenario that might help you to understand my question. My EC is already set at 1.2 and now I will be regulating my pH from 7.3 to 6.5. The solutions that I will be using in order to regulate my pH wont affect at all my EC or I will need to measure my EC once again? Regards
Please advise what will happen if we make only one part solution? Will the precipitates seriously affect the nutrients? If we physically remove such salts can we use the nutrient solution?
Precipitates will definitely affect the nutrient ratios. You could strain out the precipitate salts, but it would be a huge pain to get them out and your nutrient ratio will not be right. While it may not be a big deal in terms of the plants doing well, it does mean that you don't know exactly what you're giving to your plants. And in the case that it does cause a deficiency in your plants it will take some research to correct. What salt precipitated out? How much came out? Now what and how much needs to be added? Alternatively, you could buy a one part formula that has everything needed and won't precipitate put of solution.
thanks for the video. i am watching from Zimbabwe and would like to know if there are good ways of using and monitoring organic soluble fertilizer in hydroponics. i would prefer to make my own, because there are no hydroponic fert here.
Hi William, really great question. Organic fertilizers bring nutrients in organic forms, not inorganic forms, so they aren't soluble in the same sense. In fact, organic hydroponics behaves more like aquaponics in terms of nutrient cycling. You can measure EC still, but since only a portion of the nutrients in the solution are in salt form, the EC levels are going to show up much lower. Making your own organic fertilizer is tough, but some people have had success using worm tea or compost tea. The guys over at HortAmericas have some great organic fertilizers as well.
I have a 2 part system where I can run the hydroponic unit separate from the aquaculture unit. Can I mix used hydro water with water to the aquaculture, and if so what EC would be the maximum the fish can handle?
Im currently been growing super hot chillis Bhut jolokia and carolina reaper for 2 months using hydroponic kratky (and a airstone) And its growing well! 2 feet high bushy and dark green w Lots of small fruits and flowers. So fun :D But my problem now, is I have to adjust PH 2 times daily! keeps raising from ph 5.5 to 7.5 - 8 Do you have the same problem? Im using a 2 gallon bucket, 1 gallon water at 650 ppm. PH down solution is Phosphoric Acid, and my guess is that the plant itself are consuming the Phosphoric acid, which then raises the PH!? Do you know how or if I can solve this ? :)
hi, great question!!! I too am interested in the answer to your question. I am using Nitric acid for the same purposes. I was thinking to may be use sulphuric acid ,but again what about the water chemistry and residual Sulphur nutrient? my water contains 6meq of carbonates.
hi, great question!!! I too am interested in the answer to your question. I am using Nitric acid for the same purposes. I was thinking to may be use sulphuric acid ,but again what about the water chemistry and residual Sulphur nutrient? my water contains 6meq of carbonates.
oh wow, I was running airstone 24/7 Do you really think this was the cause? 1 chilli keept dropping flowers, but the other ghost pepper, ive got a few fresh ripe pods. stopped the project, cause the PH problem made it so much work to run
sctprog I changed water solution once a week. Simce the small bucket size, I had to top up like 2 times a week. But the PH problem might be from my nutrients? it was not a famous brand, just hydroponic solution I got from a local nursery
If only all TH-cam videos were like this. No fluff, no flair, organized presentation, appropriately touched on every relevant topic, and provided additional resources and references.
I watched at least a dozen videos dancing around this topic before watching yours. Very simple, very clear. You have a great way of explaining things. Thank you!
Glad we could help, Sla Cra.
I can across your video on Fast Track Grower - there are many useful videos there that should help you
I watched this video at least a dozen times
hey ,if anyone else trying to find out aquaponics book try Aqua Recovery Tactics (aqua.RecoveryTactics.com ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my colleague got amazing results with it.
I am voting with the person below. After watching about 50 videos you are absolutely the best at no Blabalblablablablablabla before saying a few useful things. Your video was clear, got right to the point, full of great information. Keep up this great work.
As I start my journey into hydroponics I am cursing my high school guidance counselor for discouraging me to register for chemistry & physics. Fortunately I stumbled into a career that has been fruitful but I felt that I was missing something my whole life because I did not have the proper education in these areas. I couldn't tell you the purpose of nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium until I watched your video.... thank you for the education!!
This is a really informative video for budding Hydroponic farmers! Simple, Brief and to the point! Thank you for putting up such content!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Im a beginner. Was truly spending time SEARCHING for anyone offering reliable information on exactly what you covered! Your explanations are easy for me to understand and I am very grateful!
Glad it was helpful! We have more free resource on our website if you are interested zipgrow.com/grow-guides/
How can i find the specific formulas for specific crops and can you please give more detail about micro solutions? Thanks.
*For 100 litter water*
Magnesium Sulfate - 50 grams
Potassium Nitrate - 50 grams
Monoammonium Phosphate - 18 grams
Calcium Nitrate - 70 grams
Manganese Chelate - 0.667 Gram
Boron Chelate - 0.35 Gram
Zinc Chelate - 0.25 Gram
Sodium Molybdate - 0.013 Gram
Copper Chelate - 0.143 Gram
Iron EDTA Fe(EDTA) 2.24 grams
Earumamaadu 👍 Source?🤔🤔🤔
Aarumamaadu, according to him in other video, iron edta is not recommended, much better is EDDHA or even DTPA. but i just started learning about and every tips count for me, i m from
brazil
Hi ZipGrow. I'm really surprised to see you still at it. Had heard you sold up and moved on for big bucks. You earned the right to big bucks but glad to see you're still putting out content since you're perhaps the biggest contributor to this kind of hydroponic information necessary to successfully make it work. So nice one brother. Hope the lockdown hasn't adversely effected you all. Hope to see more of your videos sir. Kind regards from Ireland.
9:17 Actually if you combine an acid and a base they will create something called a buffer solution which will make changing the pH n either direction a lot more difficult. Especially if you use the corresponding base to the acid.
What should we do instead
@@mac9733 Buffers aren't nessecerily a bad thing.
A beginners guide geared to commercial grow,,,it really doesnt matter what brand nutes you use learn the basics to feeding first,,,to be succesful in hydroponics you must first learn to feed properly,,ph is one of the most important things you need to manage,,a crop production guide or nutrient calander probly wont fit your grow,,to many variables,,it matters definately how much nutes you have,,when ph ing,,the most important thing is your ph swing,,this is directly affected by nutrient values,,use your tds meter an ph pen,,12 hours after feeding check your ph,,if it raises you didnt feed enough,,if it falls you fed to much,,learn this its BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION HYDRO BEGINNERS CAN GET
The majority of technical videos on hydroponics are poorly put together, full or errors, and missing critical information. Your video is thought out and each topic is explained in great detail. Excellent production. Look forward to other videos from you.
Hi, I am bigger in this field and trying to use my 2400 ft plot for hydroponic set up. i was going through your vedio was reallly useful. thank you,
This gave me so much clarity about hydroponic nutrients! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this. Anyone can tell me how, but thank you for telling me why! I am on my second grow and followed a guide strictly. Now for my second I truly want to know why we use these nutrients and how to begin to identify when one is needed. Thank you again!!!
Excellent breakdown on nutrient solutions and understanding what your meter readings are saying.
But d***, this is so incredibly informative. It felt like I was in a collegiate class. Very nice video. New subscriber here! 😃
FINALLY someone who can explain this topic who isn't stoned or simply parroting what all the other youtubers said in their sponsored videos.
You talk about 16 plant nutrients, but our bodies need 90 nutrients, and 60 of them are minerals. I add liquid seaweed to my mix hoping to get them and I also throw some green sand into my reservoir in the hope that the mycorrhizae will release them for the plants and for us.
City water in San Francisco is about pH 9.5. By the time I add the nutrients it is down to about 6.5. I use pH down or ascorbic acid or distilled vinegar to take it to 6. I got a cheap pH meter from Amazon and it seems to work. I have the Bluelab EC meter but I would suggest trying the cheap ones. I use a bloom mix for the flowers in my yard and I set that at pH 4.5 to hopefully compensate for the high pH of the city water I put on them.
tangobayus Azomite rock dust has 67 micro nutrients worm castings also great over looked organic medium that Full of All kinds of Good Stuff ! Use at 20% to 25% volume w/coco/peat ,perlite & Happy frog or equivalent
Fantastic explanation
And recap at the end is like a professional instructor 👍👍👌
Glad you liked it! Thank you😀🌱
Can I mix a measured portion of ammonium nitrate with tomato formula to make a veggie mix for peas, and could i create a dry mix of the two or would it be uneven? i've heard some companies have processes to make the different ingredients uniform
For mixing we would suggest you contact the manufacturer of the nutrients for those questions.
Wish we could post pics of our grows
You can:) and we would love to see! We have a Growers Facebook group that you are welcome to join and post to-facebook.com/groups/zipgrowers also if you are growing in ZipGrow systems we welcome customer images that we can share with our audience. You can email them to hello@zipgrow.com
Great video ! Thank you !
I have a question
How important do you think is the origin of those Elements (1,2,3), can they be harmful for the consumer if acquired from the wrong source? What are the guidelines to access those elements.
One more question, in your opinion how important/different it is to grow vertical farming in pvc tubes or tube that are made from natural material i.e. wooden ?
Great job
Thank you
Great video can I ask were is the best place to buy dry nutrients?
wow, now this is detailed af... great job!
Thanks! Happy to help😀🌱
Great video to learn and understand hydrophobic nutrition. I wanted to know if your PH is too high, how can you bring it down if you advise to stay with one of either PH up or PH down?
It's not that you can't use both pH up and pH down in your system just that the two work against each other and if your pH is behaving erratically its generally a sign that something else needs attention. Under properly balanced conditions your system should trend in only one direction.
When you use both together they increase the buffering capacity of your water such that you will need more and more in order to change the pH, and it quickly gets into a vicious cycle. It might be easier to reset your reservoir with fresh water and monitor the pH closely from the start.
are they the same to aeroponics?
Good question Ricardo. Yes. Hydroponics nutrient formulas take into account the fact that you're starting with reverse osmosis water and therefore provide a balanced mix of micro- and macro-nutrients. The same holds true for aeroponics. Most soil fertilizer focuses on amending or supplementing what is already present in the soil and therefore doesn't include micronutrients.
I want to grow mint hydroponically.What should be my nutrient mixing ratio?
please do reply
where to find the crop production list?
Hello
Can we use sewed water for Hydrophonic without use any firtilizer
Sewed water?
Wow so detailed and yet easy to understand ! Kudos
Very informative and well-done from the way the information was laid out to your speaking speed. Thank you.
so... if I just pour water from my aquarium water change into that bucked can it also feed the plants the same way as it did in this video with your nutrients?
Sofia Cortes I’d like to know that too....
It helps with plants as I've always used my fish tank water for my house plants in soil.
But depending on how many fish you have the amount of nutrients from their waste is often too low or iffy to grow plants hydroponically.
I've only just started experimenting with hydroponics but had been dabbling in aquaponics. My in home fish tank water did not even come close to have enough nutrients.
And fish waste has to kinda go though a process where it changes the waste.
The fish water went into a tank with bio balls in it then it went into the plants then cycled back into the fish tank.
I'm sure someone here could explain it better than I do but the bio balls change the fish waste into a more absorbable nutrient.
If you use soil instead of perlite, do you still need all these additives?
Perhaps they are only for water....
Bernhard you still need to water your soil with ph’d, nutrient enriched water
When you explained about mixing the dry fertilisers you said that part A should be mixed in 5 gallons of water and so also part B but you did not clarify whether part C should also be mixed in an additional quantity of 5 gallons or it is to be mixed in the same quantity of water as part A. So do we land up with a total of 10 litres or 15 litres.
First hydroponics nutrient video I have watched. Thank you. Very informative video. Every other video I watch will be judged against this. I doubt I'll find better.
Where can I get the crop production guide from
So how should we mix them to get a small plant to flower?
This is so incredible...innovative minds matters these days
How long do you wait to add the food for the plants
Absolutely excellent video. Really informative. I live in Thailand where instructions on fertilezers etc are in Thai. We can however buy A and B dry mixes etc. Many thanks for this!
Really happy to come across your channel! Lots of information for beginners! Just amazing!
Do you still add magnesium if your npk already contains magnesium?
Really nice video 😊, thank you very much, can you please make one that covers the routine and best practices needed for hydroponic growers to follow, no video covers that, they present equipment fertilizers or explain concept, but no daily process verification and steps to follow
Thanks for the suggestion. We are adding more content every few weeks so please subscribe to our channel and we will keep your requests in mind. You can also look for content that may help on our blog zipgrow.com/zipblog/
Like the video, very useful. But using all these products, are your plants still organic ?
Maxime Biver I am wondering this as well.....
Maxime Biver no
Pls can i use agric lime as a source of calcium solution
Curious is the same fertilizers made for hydroponics the same ones people would be using for aeroponic systems ?
It is fascinating how complex this is, yet in nature… plants just grow.
What are your suggestions for water? Obviously distilled or RO water that are really close to pure are optimal, but what level of water quality is needed? I ask this, because I'm getting setup to grow some strawberries and some other produce inside, but plan to run something much larger outside in the summers. Is there anything specifics I should worry about in City water? I haven't tested my water yet.
The most common problem people run into with source water is carbonates. If they're at 250 ppm or up, you should use an RO filter.
Rubbish, simply use nitric acid PH down to convert the calcium carbonate in the source water into calcium nitrate.
Reduce the quantity of chemical calcium nitrate to rebalance the total N and Ca in the working solution.
The reason your Part B (calcium nitrate) is kept seperate is not because its not very soluble, (1.2kg will dissolve in a litre of water), its because in concentrated solutions it will react with sulphates and phosphates to form insoluble precipitates that are then unavailable to the plants. If you mix concentrated calcium nitrate and magnesium sulphate (epsom) solutions you`ll see it in action ;)
i don't know what carbonates are, but i stuck my TDS meter in some of my tap water and the reading was 150 - 160 ppm. do you think that's okay? i really don't want to have to buy distilled water. thanks! this is just for personal use in a miracle grow aerogarden and i'm not looking for absolute perfection. i want the plants to grow well and flower well and fruit well, but i'm not trying to feed a whole city.
Ok
What was the name of company that supplies strawberry mix, please?
Thanks you have make it very simple for me to understand. Well done
wong stanley hobby
Nitrogen (growth and reproduction) phosphorus(membrane) patasium( root growth) calcium (cell walls) magnesium sulfur
potassium*
This is extremely thorough. Great stuff
Glad it was useful! Hope you'll subscribe for more videos like this in the future.
Great vid!!!! The best I've found so far!!! Thanks a lot for sharing!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it Jose!
Great vido,thanks. About a nutrient mix in a nft system ... how many times is to be used before throwing it away?
Hello! Often with smaller hydroponic systems we recommend replacing the solution every 1-2 months because you will build up a higher ratio of Calcium and Magnesium that will artificially inflate your EC values. This is also a great opportunity to clean your reservoir and flush your lines.
Thanks for watching!
thanks!a lot for the information.it is really helpful and covers almost every aspect of hydroponic nutrients specially for the beginners like me.one question though,how we top new nutrient solution to the old tank full of old nutrient solution?i mean,if i have already a nutrient tank half full of previous nutrient,should i just pour new nutrient solution in it to top it up or should i empty it up and then fill it with new nutrient solution?
+nircik singh, you can top off your solution either way but we recommend using an EC meter to mix nutrient to the right level. Of course, the balance of your solution can change over time as plants take up more of one nutrient than another, so you'll probably have to reset the system every couple months. Cleaning it out a couple times a year is good for sanitation as well, so you can do both at once.
Bright Agrotech
thanks for the reply:)
Is it possible to test the ec of your runoff to tell when you should add fertilizers? At the start of my grow I didnt have a ph or ec meter, I do now and have flushed and balanced the ph and ec of the plants and the water/ferts. I dont want to start overadding anything again and the rule of thumb ive heard is once a week with ferts and just water the rest. However i am using coco so im doing calmag and azos with the water
Pacifically at 6:06
Can you please send me the link to the "Recomended Crop List" that you talk about to figure out what nutriont mix is best for each crop?
If I mix my three food solutions following the label dosing level on a new tank of hydro water - then do I still need to check ec -or the hydro water should be put me at least initially within the correct pH range?
very interesting. thumbs up!
Glad you enjoyed it!
yes, interesting but useless images as well.
Whay do you do if you EC is high and your PH is fine? Do you jist let the plants absorb the nutrients that are in there and let the levels drop naturally?
Excellent content and presentation.
Question: the nutrient concentrations are set for optimal (fastest?) plant development, meaning they may be higher than the plant would naturally be able to filter out (via osmotic pressure?), meaning those elements and minerals may be "pumped" at high concentrations into the plant and transferred into the consumer. For example lettuce, you eat 70% of the plant, so you get probably a overdose of those minerals if consumed on a daily basis? Is there a practice of measuring the dry mineral content from the same amount of plant matter from natural source and from hydroponic products? I guess that's the "trust the producer" stuff but do I trust them to not make their stuff too concentrated ?!
If i'm doing a more aerated spray in my hydroponic system, would the nutrient solution reach the plants if the nozzles has water droplets at 7 microns?
Hi Jonathan - Depends on the set up. In our experience, aeroponic nozzles have a tendency to clog.
You need a droplet range of 5-80 microns. Dont use 10-24 brass patio misting nozzles they will clog within days. Run drain to waste using the correct nozzles and you wont have any clogging issues. You wont need to constantly check and adjust the PH/EC or ultimately dump the reservoir because the run-off doesnt return to alter the chemical makeup.
If I dissolve part B (Calc. Nitrate) first in warm/hot water until it's fully dissloved, could I then add the required amounts of part A and Mag. Sulfate in the same water to come to a concentrated mix of all the required nutrients, and then use that concentrate to mix with water to arrive at the desired PPM in the final solution.
+chandra0102 Nope, better mix and store them separately, especially if you're storing a concentrate. A bit of a pain but worth it to avoid precipitates!
Thanks for your reply, greatly appreciate it.
You shouldnt need hot water for calcium nitrate, you can dissolve upto 1.2kg in 1 litre of 20 deg C water. If its hard to dissolve it may be a field grade calcium nitrate (typically granular) rather than a greenhouse grade (typically prilled). The latter will dissolve almost instantly in cold water.
Great video! I'm trying to grow a citrus plant (oranges), which nutrients ratio should I start? Would it be okay if i start with a higher N ratio, and then switch to a higher PK after its has a significant leafs growth?
For the PH up and down is there organic and none toxic versions available? I'm trying to be all organic and none toxic chemicals
Will it make my cultivation inorganic?
These are chemicals from non-natural source.
Different plants have different nutrient needs at different times, do you have a book or chart that shows the differing needs for each specific plant?
Dennis Totman any condition your plant may be in either from receiving too many or too little nutrients should be simple to pinpoint to which nutrient your plant is needs more/less of
Dennis Totman every plant is gonna need the same nutrients really, some plants respond better to more, some respond better to less
You gotta see how your plants react to the nutrients but start by using 1/4-1/2 of the manufacturers recommended settings
that you describe part A , part b and Part C solution. where can i get theses all three categorized dry solutions . did i ll get with alphabetical names or chemical names wise. please reply thanks. nice video
Do you have a veganic nutrient you could suggest? either dry or liquid. Thanks!
What's the correct cm water for indoor hydroponic, water temperature? how long does it needs to be feed underwater and draining and repumped?
Can we use expiry multivitamin tablet as fertilizer
Can you make a video about controlling nutrient temperature?
Do you use more of these nutrients in hydroponics than you would in "normal" farming?
I can actually answer this, I happen to have a bottle of normal liquid fertilizer I have been using (need to upgrade to hydroponic fertalizer now) right next to me. It contains 87% water 7% Nitrogen, 1.3% Phosphorous, and 5% Potasium, and trace minerals adding up to less than 0.05% none of which are the ones mentioned in the video (almost half of which is Iron).
Omg thank you for this video. Very informative and it explained everything incredibly clear and concise. Thank you so much.
Oke! a very clear video. However I use my pond as a waterreservoir. The pond contains fish. Does somebody know the effects of adding fertilizers to the pond and the effect on fish?
It sounds like you are doing aquaponics. You may find this video on introduction to nutrients in aquaponics useful: th-cam.com/video/Lgtue6tbbhc/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=ZipGrow OR the full playlist here th-cam.com/play/PLAPahqrfGZZmUNzrQV0ZwKjUrmqq-Stqh.html
hi i need to ask you a question but first great video put everything plain and simple and my question is about something you said on the video about automatic fertilization what kind of machine or gadget do you recommend for cherry tomatoes on a hydroponic greenhouse second question what height do you recommend for a greenhouse if i am planting undetermined tomatoes on the tropic at sea level ? my greenhouse will be 6' walls 18' at the center of the greenhouse 24' wide by 120' long -
Do all Chem gro dry mix solutions come in three parts?
Yes!
After adding nutrients in first phase how to determine the remaining nutrients level ? On basics of that we should mix next batch nutrients right ? We can measure of EC , But how to determine the each nutrients % in the remaining water. Please help.
Akash, the easiest way if you know the EC is to just top off with water or add nutrients until you reach the correct EC range.
Really good info 💯
I just want to know what nutrients go with what plant. Home gardening Kratky Method. Help!!!
Hey man, thanks a lot for your vdeos, it has been so hellpfull to watch them, i need to ask, how much water solution can i put to a 1000 lettuce plant?? n hydroponic system
Hi there, if you are growing hydroponic lettuce in pots/containers, it’s a general rule of thumb to irrigate 2% of the total liter capacity of the pot (per shot).
For example, if a head of lettuce is growing in a 3.5L container, at 2% for a single shot, this would equate to 70mL of water being irrigated (0.02x3500mL = 70mL). Then you would need to calculate how many irrigation cycles you are going throughout the day and multiply that by 1000 plants. This will give you a good idea of how big your stock tank would need to be in order to feed your crop for a single day.
However, there are different methods of calculating the total amount of irrigation feed depending on the system being used (NFT, Aquaponics, etc.).
good job
i loved the explanation
9:19 what about creating a buffered solution by using a weak acid or base, thats probably the best idea
There's probably a weak base in the water anyway, most water providers add a weak base to the water to keep it from dissolving metal ions out of the pipes.
Fantastic video! Thank you. Just getting into hydroponics and found this really informative. Can I get your thoughts on mixing the nutrients ... would it work if I mix the calcium nitrate in warm water first, let it cool down, then add the NPK + magnesium sulphate directly to the same bucket?
I purchased a A & B nutrient solution. The company suggests after mixing part A to water is to leave it sit from 4-5 hours before adding part B. No reason given. Is this necessary?
Question... i have changed the nutrients in the reservoir, after 8 hours the roots got stained brown i dont this its root rot can be?. should i do something about??? ph 5.8 ppm 800, basil krakty method 1 gallon reservoir. I left the same gap between the roots and level of water it had before water change.
If there are a lot of tannins or humic acid in the new nutrient solution, it can stain the roots - otherwise brown means there was a root die-back.
I heard that a optimum value is EC 1600 to 2000 and pH +- 6 is this ok ?
This is the bollocks
No serious this is class, good info man. I always appreciate the underlying knowledge that let's you problem solve and work out how to get what you specifcally want out of something
Your the guy!!!
Thanks for your comment.
hi, how to produce hydroponic fertilizer for home growing. can i use asimple program like as maxigro for all of plants? from where i can find hydroponic formula
most people say 5.7-6.3 is the optimal range, but from the looks of the chart at 7:35 it seems 7.0-7.5 would be best. I'm afraid to try it.
Tallcansintheair don’t try to guess what you think the optimum range is.. just stick with what works
Really interesting video. I have 2 questions based on the information the you explained.
1. What happen if my desired EC ratio is 1.2 but by mistake I exceeded up to 1.5, how it is possible to put it back at 1.2?
2. You recommended to first measure EC and then pH. However, I have an scenario that might help you to understand my question.
My EC is already set at 1.2 and now I will be regulating my pH from 7.3 to 6.5. The solutions that I will be using in order to regulate my pH wont affect at all my EC or I will need to measure my EC once again?
Regards
1. Add water to bring down EC.
2. pH balance should not affect EC too much but you could always recheck to be sure.
Please advise what will happen if we make only one part solution?
Will the precipitates seriously affect the nutrients?
If we physically remove such salts can we use the nutrient solution?
Precipitates will definitely affect the nutrient ratios. You could strain out the precipitate salts, but it would be a huge pain to get them out and your nutrient ratio will not be right. While it may not be a big deal in terms of the plants doing well, it does mean that you don't know exactly what you're giving to your plants. And in the case that it does cause a deficiency in your plants it will take some research to correct. What salt precipitated out? How much came out? Now what and how much needs to be added?
Alternatively, you could buy a one part formula that has everything needed and won't precipitate put of solution.
thanks for the video. i am watching from Zimbabwe and would like to know if there are good ways of using and monitoring organic soluble fertilizer in hydroponics.
i would prefer to make my own, because there are no hydroponic fert here.
Hi William, really great question. Organic fertilizers bring nutrients in organic forms, not inorganic forms, so they aren't soluble in the same sense. In fact, organic hydroponics behaves more like aquaponics in terms of nutrient cycling. You can measure EC still, but since only a portion of the nutrients in the solution are in salt form, the EC levels are going to show up much lower. Making your own organic fertilizer is tough, but some people have had success using worm tea or compost tea. The guys over at HortAmericas have some great organic fertilizers as well.
thank you i will
check that
Bright Agrotech ....organic ecological weed , we should only smoke the best.....
Study Korean natural farming! Fermented plant extracts work awesome and are easy to make. All u need is brown sugar.
william madudike try South Africa. The agricultural practices are pretty modern and should be able to find mineral fertiliser for hydroponics
I have a 2 part system where I can run the hydroponic unit separate from the aquaculture unit. Can I mix used hydro water with water to the aquaculture, and if so what EC would be the maximum the fish can handle?
Im currently been growing super hot chillis Bhut jolokia and carolina reaper for 2 months using hydroponic kratky (and a airstone) And its growing well! 2 feet high bushy and dark green w Lots of small fruits and flowers. So fun :D
But my problem now, is I have to adjust PH 2 times daily! keeps raising from ph 5.5 to 7.5 - 8 Do you have the same problem? Im using a 2 gallon bucket, 1 gallon water at 650 ppm. PH down solution is Phosphoric Acid, and my guess is that the plant itself are consuming the Phosphoric acid, which then raises the PH!? Do you know how or if I can solve this ? :)
hi, great question!!! I too am interested in the answer to your question. I am using Nitric acid for the same purposes. I was thinking to may be use sulphuric acid ,but again what about the water chemistry and residual Sulphur nutrient? my water contains 6meq of carbonates.
hi, great question!!! I too am interested in the answer to your question. I am using Nitric acid for the same purposes. I was thinking to may be use sulphuric acid ,but again what about the water chemistry and residual Sulphur nutrient? my water contains 6meq of carbonates.
oh wow, I was running airstone 24/7 Do you really think this was the cause? 1 chilli keept dropping flowers, but the other ghost pepper, ive got a few fresh ripe pods. stopped the project, cause the PH problem made it so much work to run
How long has it been since you've completely changed the nutrient solution?
sctprog I changed water solution once a week. Simce the small bucket size, I had to top up like 2 times a week. But the PH problem might be from my nutrients? it was not a famous brand, just hydroponic solution I got from a local nursery
hi there, can you help me out here? i have tried to grow lettuce three times and every time it comes out bitter.
razad nagir lower ec, use only water for one week before you pick it
Hey, I'm just getting into Soil Less farming. Can you use the same techniques of hydroponics for AeroPonics?
Me too...where you from?