| Like
humans and animals, plants have very specific nutritional and
environmental needs that must be met in order for the plant to
grow and develop. Both humans and plans must consume a balanced
diet and need protection from harsh environments. Plants all over
the world have adapted to specific environments. A tomato plant,
for instance, is a tropical plant and thrives in average daytime
temperature of 80 F and night time temperature of 60 F. When grown
in temperatures outside these parameters a tomato plant may survive,
but not thrive and, if the temperatures are too extreme, the tomato
plant will die.
Individual
species of plants have very specific nutritional needs that
must to be met. These needs may vary through-out the stages
of the plant's growth.
For
instance, a tomato plant needs more nitrogen during the vegetative
growth stages and less nitrogen during the fruiting stages.
As
a compromise to various needs and stages of growth, hydroponic
solutions can generally be modified to be suitable for the majority
of plants. For best results, it is a good idea to plant crops
with similar needs together so the compromise in minimal.
In
the soil, organic materials are broken down to release minerals
and nutrients. They can then be dissolved in water, taken up
by the roots and passed through the stem into the leaves. In
hydroponics we provide the minerals a plant needs in a water-soluble
form, ready to be taken up by the plant roots. We are therefore
able to provide a very exact diet for our plants in the most
usable form.
The
more precisely a plant's needs are met, the more vigorous its
growth will be. When you observe a lush, healthy plant, you
can be sure that most or all of it's environmental and nutritional
requirements are being met.
|