Getting the perfect hydroponic nutrient formula can be quite fiddly. Similarly using the correct quantity of fertilizer for normal gardening can be difficult to get right. If you don’t use enough fertilizer then you’ll have weak plants that look malnutritioned; but if you overuse the fertilizer then you can risk fatally sabotaging your plants.

When you are figuring out the right hydroponic nutrient formula you need to mix the fertilizers in the right ratio. Hydroponics kits include fertilizers, it can be quite confusing when it comes to combining them together.

 

The Correct Concentration

To mke sure that your plants grow and stay healty, it is very important to combine the fertilizers that you have to the right concentration. The fertilizers sold for use in a hydroponic system are concentrated, you will need to dilute and mix them correctly.

Starting with a concentration of 150 to 600 parts per million is a good idea. But it is normally possible to find a much more specific concentration range, the majority of plants will do well with a hydroponic nutrient formula of 300 to 400 parts per million.

 

Growing Stages

Plants go through different phases of development and growth, so it makes sense that plants need different nutrients during these different stages. There are different nutrients available that are specifically targetted toward the different phasess of the plants life cycle.

‘Grow’ formulae are typically targetted toward plants in the vegetative phase of growth in the plant’s life cycle. Another popular name for this type of formula is ‘growth’ formula. But once the plants you have start to flower you need to switch the kind of hydroponic nutrient formula that you use. Look for hydroponic nutrient formulas named ‘bloom’ or ‘flower’.

The strenth or concentration, of the hydroponic nutrient formula, you use will depend on the plant’s health and stage of growth. If you have a weak plant that is being grown in low level lighting then you should use a weak hydroponic nutrient formula, not a strong one. A strong formula should be used for healthy thriving plants, even if common sense would tell you to do the opposite.

If you are planning on changing the strength of formula you use, you need to make small changes and gradually tweak it towards your target strength. Too quick and you risk killing your plants. On a final note, you should ensure that your plants are placed in a well ventilated environment with suffcient levels of lighting to ensure healthy and effective growth.