Complete Collection of Hydroponic Plant Nutrient Solution Formulas, Sharing the Latest Common Ratios

Hydroponic plants have many advantages compared with soil-cultivated plants. Hydroponic plants are of good quality. Since the nutrient solution for flowers is formulated according to the growth needs of the flowers, the flowers cultivated are large and numerous, with strong fragrance, bright colors, and a long flowering period. Hydroponic plants save nutrients, water, and labor. You only need to regularly supplement the nutrient solution for the plants, and the operation is simple, saving labor and time. They are clean, free of weeds, and have few pests and diseases. Today the editor mainly introduces two common hydroponic plant nutrient solution formulas for everyone.

Nutrient Solution Preparation for Hydroponic Plants

1. Substrate preparation

The main function of a soilless cultivation substrate is to fix the flowers and plants in the container. At present, the commonly used soilless cultivation substrates in China are:

① Sand particles with a diameter of less than 3 mm.

② Natural gravel, pumice, volcanic rock, etc. with a diameter greater than 3 mm.

③ Vermiculite, a mica-type mineral with good buffering capacity that does not sink in water.

④ Perlite. Using it mixed with mudstone and sand gives better results.

⑤ Peat with good air permeability and strong water-holding capacity can be used alone as a substrate or mixed with cinders, etc. In addition, cinders, bricks, charcoal, asbestos, sawdust, fern roots, bark, etc. can all be used as substrates. Substrates should be washed and disinfected before use.

2. Nutrient solution preparation

The various elements and their amounts used to prepare nutrient solutions for soilless cultivation flowers should be determined according to the flower variety being cultivated, its different growth stages, and different regions.

Hoagland Nutrient Solution Formula

At present, there are many soilless cultivation nutrient solution formulas in the world. Most works on soilless cultivation collect many formulas. For example, Hewitt (1966) collected about 160 formulas. Some formulas have proven to be relatively good after decades of use, such as the Hoagland formula. This is also the most original one. Many places say this was discovered by Hoagland himself in 1935, but that is not the case. It was published in 1933 after he and his research partners conducted a large number of comparative experiments. This is the most original classic formula that is still in use today.

1. Nutrient solution formula: calcium nitrate 945mg/L, potassium nitrate 607mg/L, ammonium phosphate 115mg/L, magnesium sulfate 493mg/L, iron salt solution 2.5ml/L, trace elements 5ml/L, pH=6.0.

2. Modified Hoagland formula: calcium nitrate tetrahydrate 945mg/L, potassium nitrate 506mg/L, ammonium nitrate 80mg/L, monopotassium phosphate 136mg/L, magnesium sulfate 493mg/L, iron salt solution 2.5ml, trace element solution 5ml, pH=6.0.

3. Iron salt solution: ferrous sulfate heptahydrate 2.78g, disodium edetate 3.73g, distilled water 500ml, pH=5.5.

4. Trace element solution: potassium iodide 0.83mg/l, boric acid: 6.2mg/L, manganese sulfate: 22.3mg/L, zinc sulfate: 8.6mg/L, sodium molybdate: 0.25mg/L, copper sulfate: 0.025mg/L, cobalt chloride: 0.025mg/L.

5. Precautions

① If used as a compound fertilizer, it can be prepared with natural water, omitting the trace element solution. If used as a soilless cultivation nutrient solution, it needs to be prepared with artificial soft water, such as distilled water, and the trace element solution must be added.

② The above nutrient solution is often prepared at 10 times or 20 times concentration, and diluted when used. Note that the pH should be adjusted before use (different plants have different pH requirements, so it can be adjusted appropriately). In soilless cultivation, for crops to maintain normal growth and development, they must contain 13 essential elements, and they must all be in a state that plants can absorb, namely an ionized state. In addition, the ratio between ions must also be appropriate. Only when the nutrient solution has the above conditions is it possible for crops to develop well and achieve high yields. There are now hundreds of nutrient solution formulas published in the world, among which Hoagland solution is the most famous and is widely used by nutrient solution experimenters and growers in various countries.