Comparing Hydroponic Nutrients - The Best of the Best

When you go to select your hydroponic nutrients, how do you know that you're getting the best stuff? How do you evaluate how good these things are for your plants?

We've heard lots of growers ask questions about the nutrients that they're considering, or those that they have bought. Here are some ways to evaluate nutrients for your hydroponic plants.

Proper NPK Levels and Other Chemical Elements

First and foremost, any kind of plant nutrients have to be balanced correctly. That's why we say that hydroponics involves quite a bit of chemistry.

There are all kinds of naturally occurring vitamins and elements in natural soils that need to be brought over into hydroponic nutrients. You could put these into main categories -- major and minor nutrients. One way to do this is to talk about NPK levels -- levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These ‘big three’ are often prominent on fertilizer and nutrient labels for both hydroponic and soil-based growing. Plants really need them to thrive. Then there are other elements such as calcium, magnesium, zinc and others that may go into nutrients and smaller amounts. All of these have to be properly represented in nutrient solutions.

Natural Nutrients

It's also important to avoid nutrients with some kinds of potentially harmful or hazardous substances. Some nutrient makers include steroids or hormones in nutrients and that can be dangerous to plants. It's better to go with a natural solution that would boost plants through the inherent power that nature provided to them.

Water-Solubility

In hydroponics, it's also important for nutrients to be water-soluble. Why? Because otherwise, these things can gunk up a reservoir over time. Growers often look at total dissolved solids in the reservoir as an issue, which is why 100% water-soluble nutrients are ideal.

Vegetative and Flowering Phases

Plants will have different needs in both vegetative and flowering phases, which is why many nutrients offer a two-stage solution. These dual nutrient packages create a more precise application for every step of plant growth. They help hydroponic growers to fine-tune their feeding strategies and get more out of plants.

These are some of the basics in choosing the right nutrients for a hydroponic project. For more, take a look at what today's manufacturers and retailers offer to get the best chances of vibrant growth in your home or commercial hydroponics gardening space. Take a look at all of the gear and equipment that can help you outfit your garden for great harvests, one plant cycle after another.