Hydroponic Nutrients

Our own nutrient solution range are a product of research from many sources into what plants need. It is formulated to mimic what the plants would look for in the soil and is varied to suit different crops. Salads and herbs have to produce the maximum amount of good quality leaves, but strawberries and tomatoes require to produce lots of flowers and to set good flavoured fruit, so they need a different nutrient mix. The Original Hydroponicum feed for hydroponic growing comes in sets: general purpose feed and tomato feed.  

More than 98% of any plant is made up of water and carbon which is obtained from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plants also seek out a small range of inorganic minerals which they absorb through their roots, such as phosphate and calcium, and trace elements such as copper and zinc in minute quantities. These are exactly what we supply to the plants. The plants find all they need in the solution and produce growth that is indistinguishable from a plant that was grown in soil.

In small systems, the nutrient solution is added to the water which is then added to the base of the plants by hand. In larger, re-circulating systems the tanks are connected directly to the mains water supply and are continuously topped up with water. Nutrients are added to these tanks as necessary and the strength of the feed is tested with a conductivity meter. If the reading is below the optimum level more feed is added to the tank until it is back in the optimum range. We do this every two days during the warmer summer months and less frequently in cooler times of year; this is enough to ensure that the plants have all they need. It only takes a couple of minutes to check and top up, so very little labour is required to maintain the systems. The pH, or acidity, is also important because it affects how nutrients become available to the plant. We test and adjust pH to suit the crop.