A Newbies Guide to Hydroponic Part 4: Big Plant Dangers

In the midst of helping plants through to maturity in a hydroponic garden, growers have to be on the lookout for some specific types of common problems that can quickly kill or devastate plants.

Here are some of those things that seasoned hydroponic gardeners will warn newcomers about.

Burning Plants

Grow lights that are too intense or too close to plants can cause some plants get burned. You may see evidence of singeing or burning on the tips of leaves or other areas of the plant.

This big problem has a relatively simple fix -- adjust the lighting. Some kind of modern hydroponics grow lights come with easily adjustable rack setups in order to prevent this kind of danger to crops.

Nutrient Burn

In other cases, plants may exhibit some of the same types of symptoms, but it may have nothing to do with light or heat.

The term ‘nutrient burn’ or ‘nute burn’ is something that experienced hydroponic gardeners know and fear. It's the idea that plants will suffer from an insufficiency of certain chemical elements, or an excess of others.

Levels of nitrogen and other elements can determine nutrient burn. With plants that have experienced nutrient burn, the tips of the leaves may turn yellow or the plants may simply fail to thrive.

Growers have to look at the specific chemical makeup of the nutrients they're using, as well as how well the plants can digest them from reservoir water.

Bacterial Infection

Another major fear of growers everywhere is bacterial infection. This is why experienced growers recommend carefully pruning plants, getting rid of dead material, porting in only clean and fresh water, and generally making sure that bacteria can’t grow in a hydroponics area.

Dangerous bacterial strains like pythium can quickly devastate a hydroponic crop. Growers may see this damage happening and be relatively powerless to do anything about it. A lot of what goes into fighting off bacterial infection consists of preventative measures such as good air and water handling and the other tips mentioned above.

These are some of the big things to look out for as you’re generally maintaining your hydroponic environment, keeping plants property irrigated and lit.