TRICKS FOR GROWING WITH HYDROPONICS IN SUMMER OR THE HEAT
Maintaining control of your hydroponic system during the summer can be a problem. Temperatures rise, humidity drops, and nutrients evaporate! But fear not, there are some simple ways to keep your plants healthy and get high yields.
Let’s see together some tips for growing with hydroponics in the summer.
1.Cool the nutrient solution
The temperature of the nutrient solution should be around an optimal value of 15 ° C – 23 ° C. At this temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and overall growth are high.
A nutrient solution cooler is a quick and easy way to make sure you stay within this temperature range. It is much more challenging to grow in the summer without it.
2.Increase oxygenation
As the temperature of the nutrient solution increases, dissolved oxygen decreases. With less oxygen, nutrient absorption slows down, and plants become vulnerable to root diseases.
When your nutrient solution is warm and exposed to light, algae can quickly take hold. Once you have algae, your oxygen level drops further. If the solution temperature exceeds 21 ° C, add extra oxygen with more air stones or better performing air pumps.
3. Top-up and change the solution often
Plants drink more in high temperatures and summer. As plants drink more water, they often leave nutrients behind, making the nutrient solution stronger. If you are not careful, you can overload the plants and, in extreme cases, burn the plants.
4.Use the right additives
Among the fertilizers, some come to our aid during the hottest periods and with low humidity. For example, Vitalink Chill is a biological stimulator developed to help plants not only cope but also thrive in warm conditions.
5.Check that the lights are not heating the solution
All black tanks and Oxypots absorb heat. Any solution in them will be quickly heated by your grow lights. To avoid this, cover your tank or Oxypots with a reflective film (white or silver side facing up). The latter will reflect the light and heat emitted by the lamp.
6.Change the lighting layout
Your lighting systems are the largest source of heat in the hydroponics home kit. To control the temperature, focus on the lights. If you don’t already, turn on the lights at night when it’s colder. Also can be turned off in summer.
7.Increase air movement
Just make sure your fan is powerful enough to extract enough air within your grow area. Some growers switch to a larger fan in the summer, then switch again in the winter.
Remember that your grow room can only be as fresh as the outside air you suck in. In some cases, it may be necessary to install an air conditioning system as the only solution.
8.Add Co2
If you are growing indoors in a controlled indoor environment, add more CO2 to help the plants cope better with the heat. Photosynthesis is where plants use light + CO2 + water to create energy.
Conclusion
At first, people found the idea of soilless cultivation creepy, as it has little to do with the idea of gardening and the use of an artificial, liquid nutrient solution struck me as kind of weird. With these tips and professional implementation of the system, the roots are better supplied with water and oxygen, helping in better farming results.
