SIMON
says
Hey,
I was wondering if organics, such as guanos, can be used for
hydroponics, and is guano enough for a full schedule for the veg
and bloom stages?
The awkward partnership of organics and hydroponics intersects
once again! There is a lot of debate
about using organics in hydroponics. While it is feasible in theory, it
is very difficult to make it function
in the real world. In the successes
I have seen myself, they are generally based on compost-amended
soilless mixes; if they are water
systems, the crops are low nutrient
requiring plants such as lettuce and
some herbs. Most of the problems associated with organics and
hydroponics are related to the level
of soluble nutrients. Nitrogen and
calcium availability would be two
of the biggest problems.
Organic products, unless digested
through enzymatic action, fermentation or chemical extraction are
generally only partially soluble, if
at all. Powdered guanos would be
mostly insoluble, although they
could be suspended in solution if
agitated. However, just because
something is suspended doesn’t
mean that plants will be able to
access it.
In most cases the best way to
digest organic material is through
microbial action. In hydroponics
systems there would be very low
levels of microbial action and it’s
unlikely that you could get enough
activity to break down the guanos
into usable forms.
20
Maximum Yield USA | August 2011
There are a range of guanos available in the market. Most are from
bats and birds and they all have
various nutritional ranges due to
the variety of food sources consumed by the animals. Guanos can
be a great way to get a high power
organic option into your garden
and nutritionally you are right that
guanos could be a very strong nutrient foundation.
Outdoors, in true soils, where
guanos can break down over a
season in the presence of vast
amounts and diversity of microbes,
it’s possible they could provide a
stand alone nutrient for your garden. Indoors, guanos will require
a bit more preparation in order to
give the results you want.
If you are keen to use guanos,
the best idea would be to choose
a soilless mix with a high level of
biological activity. Add as many
microbes as possible with inputs
like worm castings, weekly doses of
an aerated compost tea and microbial stimulants like kelp and humic
acid. Mix the guanos into your
potting mix prior to planting and
let the microbes feed themselves
and in turn your medium and
plants. The organic material would
break down over a few months
and provide a natural slow release
nutrient supply for your plants. To
fill the gaps and ensure the best
crop possible I would consider
having a fermented liquid organic
ready, just in case the release curve
doesn’t keep up with your plants.
Keep thinking organically and as
always I recommend experimenting; every situation is different and
you won’t know unless you try. MY
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