You Are in Charge of Hydroponic-nutrition to Give Your Plants the Food they Need.

All plants need nutrients and hydroponic-nutrition will supply them with the elements needed for vital biochemical processes. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are the top three generally listed, but there are more than a dozen others. Magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca) and several more perform essential roles in the life of hydroponic plants, as in soil-based gardens.

Nitrogen is used by growing leaves,but because the air is about 79% nitrogen, plants need it in the form of a supplement. The N2 molecule in air is very stable and plants don't break it apart to use single nitrogen atoms. Phosphorus is essential to root growth. Potassium aids in disease resistance owing to its role in enzyme formation.

Remember; nitrogen is for shoots. Phosphate is for roots. Potash is for fruits.

The other elements perform a variety of functions. Calcium, for example, is a large component of cell walls and also helps deliver ions to various parts of the plant. Chlorine (Cl) is a component of chlorophyll, an important participant in photosynthesis. Iron is essential to the hemoglobin molecule, which is formed by plants as well as animals, where it helps transport oxygen needed for cellular respiration.

Pre-made solutions are the easiest to work with to supply all the needed elements. As with any compound, dosage is important.

Water and temperature conditions are important factors, as well, when feeding your plants. Any solution should be fed at room temperature, which should also be the temperature of any water used in hydroponic gardens.

Dry plants should not be fed nutrients. Nitrogen burning is possible. That's rarely a problem with a hydroponics system, but one 'branch' known as aeroponics, where the plants are grown in air, can suffer that problem.

Allowing any water to stand overnight will help evaporate any excess chlorine from home water sources. Mineralized water is preferable to distilled since it will contain calcium and other useful elements.

Regulate the pH to keep it as near neutral as possible. As plants take up nutrients they'll tend to make the water alkaline. Add tiny small amounts of sulfuric acid to move it back to neutral. Sodium hydroxide will also help shift excessively acidic water back to a neutral pH. Testing kits are available to accurately measure the pH of your hydroponic water.

Can a hydroponic plant nutrient be classified as organic? You can go back to the chemical definition of the word, organic to mean a substance that contains carbon. By this definition, many "chemical" nutrient formulas would be considered organic. These include the chelated trace elements as well as urea, which contains carbon in the form (NH2)CO2. It is also possible to define a hydroponic nutrient solution as organic by drawing on the definition many people use that organic is "natural".

The simple definitions of organic in this web site, pertains to living a healthy lifestyle, as in:

* Involving the use of fertilizers or pesticides, in your garden or farm. * Products that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin. * Organic vegetables; organic farming as in raised without the use of drugs, hormones, or synthetic chemicals.

So our concern is that no potentially toxic or hazardous materials are to be used on our garden or crops, to control bugs, weeds and diseases. What matters is that the products we use are in a form that is non-harmful and that can be used by plants. If so, they are beneficial whether natural or man made.

Many people are confused by the word "organic" as it means different things to different people. It’s up to you to decide what no pesticides or herbicides means in relation to your garden. As you will most likely, not, be selling any of you produce to anyone else, it shouldn’t concern anyone else.

Organic fertilizers are very different (in most cases) than either the hydroponic or soil garden fertilizer, both in composition and how they deliver the nutrients to the plants.

The hydroponic and regular garden fertilizers supply the plants with the elements they need "ready-to-use". When you set-up your organic hydroponics system make sure to find a supplier of organic products who knows the organic business, in your local area or through the internet. You will be in control of how your plants get their nutrients, in what form, and how much.

Organic fertilizers rely on the action of bacteria and microbes to break down the material into it's basic elements so the plants can use it

The important point is that it is not the elements that are different in organic and hydroponic growing, it is how these elements are obtained and delivered to the plant

What is important to the gardener, is that only "organic" fertilizers and natural controls are used. They must: be made by nature, not by man.

The micro-nutrients that are required for healthy plant growth are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. These nutrients are essential elements that plants need in very small amounts. Without these trace elements plants can become "sick" and develop all sorts of problems,

These micro- nutrients must have been purified and processed so that they are water soluble and in a form that can be used by plants. For example, in the refining process, the mineral salts are usually also purified to remove heavy metal contaminants and toxic substances that could harm plants or people.

These minerals are provided to plants in the organic garden as they are released from organic matter by the action of microbes, worms and bacteria, but must be made available to the plants in a hydroponic set-up.

Hydroponic fertilizers usually contain fewer impurities than garden fertilizers so that they are more stable and more water soluble. The same minerals are needed in either hydroponic or organic growing.

Hydroponically grown plants are also more sensitive to nutrient levels and less able to self-regulate than those in soil-based gardens. The hydroponic gardener will need to exercise more care to keep plants healthy.

The interpretation of what is and what is not organic becomes a mute point at this stage as organic chemistry focuses on the carbon and carbon containing compounds, typically associated with life. Rather than try to mix your own nutrient solutions, the inexperienced organic hydroponics gardener might be better served by obtaining solutions from a reliable source.

Your water source may already have some of the essential plant nutrients and trace elements. Water testing kits will help to ensure you have the right compounds and pH, which should be close to neutral. Your nutrient solution should be changed regularly. Be prepared to change the solution about every two weeks.

It is also vital to keep the water at the right temperature. Most plants don't grow well in continual cold. As the temperature of the water and the air affects how much and at what rate plants take up nutrients.

You will need a thermometer to measure the temperature, especially if you are growing tomatoes! You will have to monitor the temperature and make adjustments in both hot and cold climates, and you may have to use some form of artificial heat if necessary.

There are products available to the organic hydroponics gardener that are of animal and vegetable origin. I have a local supplier where I can get organic hydroponic nutrients that are rooting enhancers, foliar sprays and dry nutrients. All of which are organic. Some with strange sounding names and even stranger contents

Iguana Juice Grow

If you want an all-organic one part liquid grow formula, try Dr. Hornby's Iguana Juice Grow, which has been field tested and proven to give exceptional growth during the vegetative cycle. Iguana Juice is a blend of organic compounds and encourages strong, dense branching, a large healthy root system, fast growth, and short internode length that prepares the plant for a spectacular flowering cycle. The product contains fish base ingredients from the super clean ice cold waters of the far North Pacific Ocean, plus over 70 minerals, krill extract, yucca extract, earthworm castings, seabird guano, and bat guano, and alfalfa.

Sweet - Organic Carbohydrate Synthesizer

The unique composition of this product makes it beneficial during all phased of plant growth: During the vegetative phase application of Sweet prevents plants from going leggy and soft stemmed in the presence of high nitrogen concentrates; At the onset, and throughout flowering, Sweet ensures a seamless and stress free transition from the vegetative to the flowering stage even though nitrogen levels are artificially low. Sweet is effective in soil container gardens and soil-less hydroponic gardens, and is used in conjunction with preferred plant food.

BioBizz Root Juice

Made from a balance of premium humic acid with seaweed especially formulated to promote vigorous root development, organically. The product can be used on soil, soil-less hydroponics, along with regular nutrition during stages of intensive root development. It was originally developed to accelerate the root growth of transplants in soil. However, eco-friendly and organic sources of Root Juice have now become popular with North American deep water culture hydroponics, and rock wool growers because of the explosive roots associated with this product.

Diamond Nectar TM Liquid Premium Organic Humic Acid

Despite the low level of nutrients found in natural soil-based environments, plant growth nevertheless occurs because the smallest humic acids channel available nutrients directly into nearby vegetation. By accelerating nutrient absorption at the root boundary zone where minerals enter the plant, small particle sized humic acids optimize nutrient uptake in fast growing vegetation. Diamond Nectar applies the magic of the smallest available humic acids to nutrient rich hydroponic environments by grabbing these nutrient minerals and transporting them into plant roots for faster growth and higher yields. Diamond Nectar supercharges your nutrients in order to optimize the health of your plants and the quality of your crops.

MaxiGro TM Dry Concentrated Nutrient

MaxiGro TM is an extremely potent, stand-alone, water-soluble, dry concentrate nutrient mix, which is complete in primary, secondary, and micro nutrients, pH buffered MaxiGro and MaxiBloom will provide superior results when used with a wide variety of crops in both hydroponic and soil-based environments. It can be used to encourage growth of seedlings and cuttings, and to stimulate rapid growth through the "vegetative" growth stage.

These are just a few of the many organic products that are available to the home and hobby gardener; easy to get, easy to use, and they come with easy to understand advice and information.

The reality is, that wherever you live you will be able to find the organic nutrient products that your plants will need to supply NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and needed trace elements. But look for those with the right percentage for growing in a hydroponic setting. Things seem to happen faster in hydroponics than in more traditional garden.

When dissolved in the proper proportions with a good quality water, a hydroponic nutrient solution can provide all of the mineral elements needed for plant growth without soil

The formulation, the balance and the quality of the ingredients, the reliability of the manufacturer and distributor and the advice you will need will make a difference. The right pre-mixed solutions are the easiest to work with as they contain the proper amounts of all the essential micro-nutrients that your plants will need.

Once you have your plants and the materials to support and care for them, hydroponic gardening is just a little bit of research away.

Organic Hydroponic Nutrients warning: Do not add any hydroponic organic nutrients or additives to water culture nutrient solutions.