Fill the reservoir or tank with fresh water, cold is best as it contains more oxygen, warm water destroys the oxygen in water so if you need to add hot do it
sparingly, you are aiming for a water temperature of around 60 degrees but as a guide tepid cold is ok but not freezing cold as it will shock your plants on
circulation.
By this time you will have already decided which brand of nutrient you will use, some nutrients come as a single formula some are in A and B form. Add the
nutrients before adding any enzymes or other additives.
If you are using A and B it is important that you do not mix them together in their undiluted form, add the A part to the water first then mix thoroughly and then
add the B part and mix again. Rule of thumb here is don’t put too much in at once, it’s easier to slowly build up the levels than to put too much in and have to
drain the whole thing and start again, checking as you go by dipping your truncheon/meter in the water.
Nutrients are measured using a CF truncheon or meter (readily available at all good hydro retailers), the level you need to set the solution at will depend on the
plants you are growing and the stage you are at within the grow cycle, many plants like different strength foods so it’s difficult to generalise this part of the
process. You will most likely need to change from Veg to Bloom during the grow cycle but again it depends on what plant you are growing, the principle for mixing
is still the same.
Adding Enzymes
Once you have added the nutrients whether in single pack or A and B you will need to look at adding some enzymes, unlike soil growing you have the control
over which enzymes you use and how often. Enzymes are important to hydroponics as it puts all the micro-biological chemicals that plants need into the
solution. Check with your hydro supplier to see which enzymes suit the plant you are growing best. My personal preference is Atazyme which is a highly
concentrated liquid form of natural enzymes.
Follow the instructions on the back of the bottle with regards to dosage, usually about half a ml per litre in the reservoir, adding a small amount of luke warm
water to the enzymes will help the solution break down the enzymes and make them more readily available to the plants quicker.
Checking the PH level
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com