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Hydroponic Nutrients & pH
Hydroponic nutrients are a key factor in indoor gardening. A complete and balanced formula is an essential consideration in getting the most from your hydroponic system. In soil, it's hard to know how much or how little of the essential elements exist or if they are present at all. Since your plants will be growing in an inert medium that doesn't provide any nutrients, your hydroponic nutrient solution must contain not only nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but also include all the trace elements.
Nutrients ratios are commonly noted as N-P-K numbers representing different percentages of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium, the three main elements (but not the only ones) required for plant growth.
pH Monitoring
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline your hydroponic nutrient solution is. The pH scale goes from 0-14, with 0-7 being acid, 7.0 being neutral, and 7-14 alkaline. Most plants prefer the pH to be in the 5.5 to 7.5 range; beyond this, some nutrients become less available for your plants to absorb.
Most tap water is in the 7.0 to 8.0 range. Hydroponic nutrients are typically acidic and, when mixed in tap water, usually drop the solution into the proper range. Monitoring pH periodically is a good idea to help ensure optimum nutrient availability.
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