How To Feed Hydroponic Plants in 3 Easy Ways!
Let me guess, you probably landed here after seeing tutorials after tutorials on how to feed hydroponic plants. Or better yet, you’ve already started feeding your hydroponic plants but seeing little to no results.
And when you’ve invested so much of your time and money to this, seeing no progress can be quite frustrating. I know this because I’ve been doing hydroponics for years. I kid you not. I’ve tried and tested almost all kinds of methods of feeding hydroponic plants.
The truth is, all hydroponic nutrients work the same. They all provide the fundamental nutrients for plant growth like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). So, when you notice that the growth of your plants is stunted, perhaps it’s time you learn the proper ways of feeding them.
The good news is there’s not just one method on how to feed hydroponic plants. In fact, there are three easy ways you can go about it!
Luckily for you, I’ve curated the ultimate guide on how to feed hydroponic plants. Whether you want to use dry, liquid, or organic fertilizer, I’ve got your back. So, what are you waiting for? Keep on reading!
Table of Contents
Method 1:
How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Liquid Hydroponic Nutrients
Ask hydroponic growers how they feed their plants, and the majority will give you this answer. Feeding hydroponic plants with liquid nutrients is simply the norm. It’s so easy to perform— perfect for beginners!
Take me for example, I’ve been using liquid nutrients to feed my hydroponic plants for years. In fact, I don’t see myself switching anytime soon!
Overview
You might stumble upon several feeding tutorials featuring one-part, two-part, or three-part liquid nutrients. But, I find that three-part liquid nutrients deliver the best results. Hence, that’s what I’m going to teach you in this article.
In case you’re wondering, using three-part nutrients allows you to spoon-feed your plants according to what they need. For instance, if your plant’s leaves are turning yellow and a bit smaller, then they might be lacking nitrogen. With a three-part solution, you can easily fix that by adding a bit of Nitrogen or Grow Formula. Cool, right?
Things you’ll need:
Water
You’ll need the purest water you can find. I suggest RO (reverse osmosis) or soft water with a ppm of lower than 200. But if that’s not available, then tap water will do.
If you use tap water, though, make sure you check the TDS and pH later on. Or better yet, invest in a good water softening filter. That’s what I did and I never regret one bit of it!
Three-part liquid hydroponic solution
You’ll never go wrong with using General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Flora Micro, Flora Bloom Solutions. This is the set that I use for years.
But if you have extremely hard water at home, then switch the standard Flora Micro to Flora Micro Hardwater.
Measuring spoon
You’ll need a teaspoon/ tablespoon to measure the solution. To get an accurate measurement, I suggest getting a standard set like this one!
Apera Multi-Parameter Tester pH/EC/TDS
This one’s pretty handy as it can measure pH, EC, and TDS. In case you’re wondering, pH refers to how acidic or basic the mixture is. On the other hand, EC refers to the salt content of your mixture. Meanwhile, TDS or ppm refers to how soft your water is.
pH Adjuster (optional for soft water users)
This is a must-have for growers who are using hard water. Oftentimes, you might see a pH flunctuation in your mixture when using hard water.
Steps on How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Liquid Hydroponic Nutrients:
1. Gather all the materials you need. Done? Good! Pour two tablespoons or six teaspoons of Flora Micro into your bucket.
Note that this particular measurement is for general vegetative growth. In every gallon of mixture you make, you have to add one teaspoon of each solution. Since I’m making six gallons of the mixture, I used two tablespoons or six teaspoons.
2. Then, add two gallons of water.
Since I’m using a water-softening filter, I just switch on my faucet and fill up about 1/3 of the bucket.
But if you have hard water at home, then make sure you test the TDS. If it reads lower than 200, then you’re ready to go!
3. After you add water to the bucket, rinse your measuring spoon by stirring it over the mixture.
Make sure the spoon has no Flora Micro solution left. Because if there is, it will cancel out the next nutrient you’re going to add.
4. Next, add two tablespoons or six teaspoons of Flora Grow solution.
Then, repeat the process. Add about two gallons of water and stir.
5. Lastly, add two tablespoons or six teaspoons of Flora Bloom solution.
Then, add about two gallons of water and stir. When that’s all done, you can pop that mixture unto your nutrient reservoir.
6. But wait, there’s more!
For growers using hard water, make sure you test the pH of your finished mixture. If it reads between 5.5 and 6.5, then your plants are safe.
If you get lower or higher than that range, then you better use a pH adjuster. In case you’re wondering, having the right pH level allows your plants to fully absorb the nutrients from your solution.
Method 2:
How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Dry Hydroponic Nutrients
It’s not all the time you can come across hydroponic growers who feed their plants with dry nutrients. But, I hope this doesn’t stop you from trying this method.
There are a lot of advantages to using dry nutrients. For one, it’s more concentrated than its liquid counterparts. You’ll also love that it’s more cost-effective. Moreover, you can easily buy it in bulk because of its weight and size — making it perfect for large-scale hydroponics!
Overview
Unlike in the first method where I used a three-part solution, this only requires one dry nutrient. See? It’s not as tedious as you think it is. It’s just like mixing milk powder into a glass of water for your kids. The only difference is you’re doing it for your plants.
Are you interested in trying this out? Then go ahead and gather all the things you’ll need.
Things you’ll need:
Water
With this method, any type of water will do. But make sure you know what type you’re using.
- Soft water – 10-50 ppm
- Hard water -100-200 ppm
- Very hard water – over 200 ppm
Dry Nutrient
I suggest getting Veg+Bloom Nutrient Base. You can choose among these four variants:
- RO/Soft – for soft water
- Tap/Hard – for hard water
- Dirty – for peat moss-based mediums
- HD- for rockwool and other inert mediums
Measuring Spoon with Digital Weighing Scale
You’ll need a measuring spoon for the nutrient base.
Apera Multi-Parameter Tester pH/EC/TDS
With this method, you need to determine whether you have soft or hard water at home. And the best way to do this is to use this multi-parameter tester.
As for the pH, no need for adjusting as long as you’re using the right Veg+Bloom variant.
Steps on How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Dry Hydroponic Nutrients:
1. Gather everything you need. Done? Good! Add about a gallon of water into your bucket.
Make sure you’ve checked the ppm of your water. If it reads lower than 200, then you’ve got soft water. If it’s higher than that, then it’s hard water.
Also, start with only a gallon of water so that it would be easier to dissolve the powder later.
2. Grab your measuring spoon and weigh 24 grams of dry nutrient powder.
Make sure the weighing scale reads not more than 24 grams. Note that this measurement is for general vegetative growth. In every gallon of water, you need to dissolve 4 grams of dry nutrient powder. Since I’m making six gallons of mixture, I had to use 24 grams.
3. Next, pour the 24 grams of dry nutrient into the bucket. Stir until it dissolves.
When that’s done, fill up the bucket with about five gallons of water. No need to use a pH adjuster if you’re using the right variant of Veg+Bloom nutrient.
Cheers! You can finally pop that mixture unto your nutrient reservoir!
Method 3: How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Worm Compost Tea
Yes, you read that right. If you’re the kind of grower who loves everything organic, then you’re going to enjoy this!
Overview
I’ll be teaching you how to brew compost tea with worm castings, or more commonly known by our kids as “worm poop.” Oh boy, do they finally get that one right!
In case you’re wondering, these are the wastes of earthworms. They’re pretty famous among growers as they contain the fundamental nutrients needed by plants. I’m referring to phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, iron, potassium, and concentrated nitrates.
Now, you might be wondering about my experience with this. I find that using compost tea posits a few disadvantages for my plant health. For one, plants were prone to a lot of fungus and bacteria because it contains live culture. Moreover, I find that it has not enough nutrients hence, I switched over to chemical hydroponic solutions.
But again, this is not to discourage you from trying it out. Come to think of it. Some growers have come to love this method because it has worked for them. You’ll never know —- you might love it, too!
Things you’ll need:
Water
You’ll need the purest water you can find. But if that’s not available, then tap water will do. Just make sure you let the tap water sit for not more than 24 hours. This will help chlorine and fluoride to dissipate.
Mask and Gloves
It’s better to be safe than sorry! Worm castings may contain a lot of bacteria that may infect small scrapes and cuts. So, always wear gloves. Not to mention, it smells a bit nasty, too! Hence, keep your mask ready.
Measuring Spoon with Digital Weighing Scale
You’ll need a measuring spoon for the compost tea.
Ready- made Compost Tea with Worm Castings
I suggest you buy ready-made compost tea with worm castings than to make your own. In case you’re wondering, it takes about 2-3 months just to harvest a few inches of worm castings.
So, if I were you, I’d purchase a high-quality compost tea from Boogie Brew. It also comes with a burlap sack. Such a steal!
Steps on How to Feed Hydroponic Plants with Worm Compost Tea
1. Gather all the things you need! Done? Good! Fill up the bucket with water.
Make sure you’re using soft water. If not, let the tap water sit for not more than 24 hours.
2. Then, grab your measuring spoon and weigh about 600 grams of compost tea.
3. Secure the 600 grams of compost tea to the burlap sack.
Then, place it in the water. Make sure you tie the strings to the bucket handle to hold it in place.
4. Then, assemble your air pump, turn it on, and place it in the bucket.
Make sure that the water bubbles up. This is essential to making the perfect brew of compost tea.
Theoretically speaking, what aeration does is that it quickly produces larger populations of good microorganisms and prevents the bad ones.
5. Aerate the mixture for 5 to 12 hours.
Cheers! You’re finally done with your compost tea. You can try feeding your plants with this through foliar feeding.
Like all types of nutrients, if you do decide to pop this unto your reservoir, make sure you dilute it with water.
Frequently Asked Questions on
How to Feed Hydroponic Plants
Let’s be honest. To ensure our plants grow healthy, it’s not enough that we know how to feed them. Oftentimes, we need to delve into other aspects such as feeding schedules.
Q1. What do you feed hydroponic plants?
Based on my article, you can feed your plants with chemical hydroponic nutrients in liquid or dry forms. You can also feed them with organic fertilizers like compost tea!
Hence, it all boils down to your preference.
I find that using chemical hydroponic nutrients works best. They’re easy to prepare and to use. You can easily customize the nutrients according to what your plant needs, just like what I had shown you in the first method. With organic fertilizer, though, even if it’s proven effective for other growers, it’s more tedious to prepare. Moreover, you can’t use it for too long as it is a strong vector for fungus and bacteria, which may harm your plants.
Q2. How often do you feed hydroponic plants?
No questions asked. You have to follow the feeding schedules suggested by your hydroponic nutrients’ manufacturer. The only time you can change your schedule is when you notice adverse effects like wilting.
Generally speaking, you can start by feeding each plant with about 5ml of hydroponic nutrients. Then, progress to 10 ml for the second week onwards.
If you decide to purchase the hydroponic nutrients I featured here, then you can check out their feeding schedules here:
Conclusion
I learned through the years that when you properly feed your plants, they grow up healthy and happy. That is one of the major keys to succeed in hydroponics gardening! And you know what else? Growing medium! Good thing, I have made a review on the best hydroponic growing mediums you can try!
So, which method’s your favorite? Mine’s definitely feeding with chemical hydroponic nutrients. How about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the comments section!
You can check out other blogs at Rudd’s Home Farming to learn more tips and tricks in hydroponics gardening.
