3R Lighting/tutorial: Flood and Drain Hydroponics 3

3R Lighting: Tutorial--Flood and Drain Hydroponics Page 3

Flood and Drain Hydroponics

Q: How do you mix up a hydroponic nutrient solution?
A: Buy the bottle and follow the directions.

Q: You know, you aren't shining the brightest light on this.
A: You seem to want things simple. We are here to serve.

OK, don't complain if this is too much information too fast.

Here's the biggest divergence: there are two kinds of plants, greening and blooming.
Greening plants are grown for their green leaves, like lettuce, arrugala, mint, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, thyme, cabbage, spinach, and that sort of plant.
Blooming plants also have an early vegetative stage very similar to the greening plants but also have a blooming, fruiting stage. These are plants like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, canteloupes, and that sort.
The nutrients that the plants will use during each stage are different.
The blooming plants also have a kind of middle stage which is a transition from vegetative to blooming.

As a general rule, during the vegetative stage, the plants lean higher into Nitrogen to build the leaves, while the plant is building fruit, it leans higher into the Potassium. During all growth stages--stages of change--Phosphorus is used. After the fruit is established, sugars which are manufactured in the leaves are transported and stored in the fruit. One of the factors which influences the quality of the fruit is that the fruit skin does not have stomates. The transpiration which brings the nutrients to the top of the plant has to go through the leaves. The nutrients and sugars are transported from the leaves to the fruit--not from the roots to the fruit. While the fruit ripens, more sugars are stored in the fruit. Adding guano to the nutrient mix or soil is usually thought of as a shortcut to enriching the flavor of fruit.

Q: So this is why there is often two kinds of nutrient bottles, a Bloom an a Grow?
A: Yes, there are also nutrient types where you use the same bottles, but vary the proportions of those same nutrients to fit the stage of growth. General Hydroponics Nutrients are by far and away the most used hydroponic nutrients worldwide, there are three bottles and you vary the proportions. The three bottles consist of a Green Liquid called FloraGrow, a Brown liquid called FloraMicro, and a Pink Liquid called FloraBloom. The basic rule of thumb is to use three teaspoons per gallon of Grow, two teaspoons per gallon of Micro, and one teaspoon per gallon of Bloom during the Vegetative Stage then three teaspoons per gallon of Bloom, two teaspoons per gallon of Micro, and one teaspoon per gallon of Grow per gallon during fruiting. This is kind of a general rule of thumb, and people vary this formulation and vary the mixture somewhat. In our experience, mixing up nutrient solutions is a lot like making chili--no two people ever do it the same.
Earth Juice is the Organic Hydroponic Nutrient and has a total of five bottles available. Besides being organic, the five bottles allow for a lot of customization of the nutrient solution. Besides the Grow and Bloom, there is a Catalyst, a MicroBlast of micronutrients, and a Meta-K which is a high Potassium source. All of these can be used as soil supplements. You have to go with what you like and what works for you.
Some people talk to their plants and say it is good for them. We can tell you that if you listen to your plants they will tell you everything they need.

Q: Well...OK...Your plants talk to... you . Do you hear these voices any other times?
A: Ok, I reckon it's better to say you can learn to read your plants using the troublechart on one of the next pages. You can click this button to see it right away.

The Next page shows how to set up a low cost and simple Starter System for growing plants Hydroponically with Flood and Drain.

The BigFoot Page shows a factory premade Flood and Drain System.