• Hydroponic systems offer more control over water and nutrient application but can be confusing to set up if the user has not prepared with the appropriate information and equipment. 
• Begin by choosing a hydroponic system and nutrient package according to the plants being grown.
•  Fertilizer requirements will initially be low and increase as the plant grows in size and health, building towards flower production. 
• A high nitrogen vegetative formula is best used at low levels in the beginning and slowly increased until the plant is ready for flowering.  This also prepares the plant for the large inputs required for flower production. A balance of nitrate, ammoniacal, and urea is good for vegetation.
  • Nitrate is easily assimilated and is vital in many plant systems.
  • Ammonium is readily used in the production of stem and leaves and promotes chloroplast production. The presence of Urea helps maintain pH levels and the balance of the nitrate/ammonium ratio. Urea will remain, relatively, unchanged in hydroponic systems and nutrient packages with urea will work great in your soil garden outside where the microbes can break it down for plant use! Just water your soil garden with the change-out water from your hydroponic systems.
  • Magnesium is vital in the chlorophyll molecule and should be supplied abundantly during vegetation stages.
  • Calcium is part of cell walls and promotes strong stems. The Calcium:Magnesium ratio should be about 5:2 or 5:3 for easy assimilation by most plants.
• Ph levels can be maintained at the general level of 5.95-6.25 but they can be adjusted to get more out of your nutrients; based on the plants stage of growth.
• During seedling or cutting stage an acidic pH of 5.5-5.9 is ideal.  This is to make available the micronutrients that young plants love while limiting nitrogen to prevent burning.
• Increase to 5.7-6.0 for strong vegetative growth by making nitrogen, potassium, and sulphur more available.
• Flowering stage requires an large amount of phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, and calcium.  The best pH for this is 5.9-6.5 the idea is to supply the most calcium and potassium, while maintaining phosphorous and iron solubility.
  • Nitrate nitrogen is the most used during flowering because it is easily used by plant systems especially systems that convert starches into usable sugars. Also, the ammonium typically used in leaf production is no longer needed (this, of course, is different for plants that veg and flower at the same time; but cutting ammonium before harvest times may improve flavors)
  • Phosphorous is needed most during the initial bud set and seed formation. It is most effective to spike phosphorous levels during the first few weeks of flowering (starting a few days before flowering season is a good idea too). After bud set you can lower the phosphorous levels but still slightly higher than veg stages.
  • Potassium is very important in fruit/nut/seed size, shape, and color. Taste and sugar content is also highly dependant on potassium (and other minerals). Bringing down the level of other nutrients can allow for the grower to input high levels of potassium during the development and ripening of fruit/flowers.
  • Calcium is part of cell walls ensuring strong fruits that will not easily rot or turn brown. The Calcium:Magnesium ratio should be about 5:2 or 5:3 for easy assimilation by most plants. End-rot or misshapen fruit is usually caused by poor calcium or potassium fertilization.

1. System/plant interaction
1. Mother-plants do best in heavy aggregates such as cinder, peat, gravel, clay, or stake-supported in perlite or rice/coconut husk.
2. Nursery/landscape plants are best grown in NFT, deep-root-submersion, or aeroponics.  These systems are ideal because they lack aggregates that can injure roots during transport or that need to be removed for shipment. 
   1. When transplanting from a hydroponic system into a soil-landscaping situation you must take care to handle the plant as little as possible and avoid exposing roots to the environment until they go into the ground.  After transplanting water heavily and fertilize according to plant size and site.  A shade structure and misting will minimalize shock.
3. Cut flowers, vegetable crops, and specimen plants require lots of oxygen but also require much more nutrients than other plants. The best systems to supply both are recirculating bucket stations (Rainforest Kit), ebb-and-flow, aeroponics, and fog systems. Fast growing fruits/vegetables such as lettuce and zinnia can be grown in static systems without recirculation as their rapid water intake will pull adequate air, from the surrounding environment, into to root zone. But, as with all plants placing them in an aerated system can drastically increase growth.

Click links for pH Adjusters and Hydroponic Nutrients

note that the pH at 6.25 has the best balance of available micro and macro nutrients. But different plants like different nutrients to be available at different times. The best way to supply these is by adjusting pH.

Don't fall for the commercial chains hype. Most of the products that the chain stores and magazines push are medium grade horticultural materials purchased in bulk without any thought to origins or purity. Notice that many of their products print their ingredients in unreadable font. Is this because they are not proud of what goes into their products, or because they are not sure themselves? When you purchase a commercialized product you are buying just that... commercialization. The larger companies put most of their money into advertising, PR, and paying managers/CEO's. Very little of your purchase price goes into funding research and development or salary for competent scientists and reliable farmers.

At Hawaiian Horticulture all of our products are/have been used and tested by the owner of the company, James. Most of our products have been developed by University Scientists from all over the country. James has had the good fortune to work with the phD's that put decades of effort into developing ideal growing systems and nutrient packages. These packages are designed to be made with lab grade or high grade horticultural ingredients and the systems are made with horticultural or food-grade plastics.
Even with the cost of the higher-grade ingredients, compared to the chain-store brands, we can sell our products at a lower price because we do not have to pay advertising departments or Executives. Hawaiian Horticulture is always looking to improve it's products by staying in touch with the original developers of the formulas and by looking for newer systems. We are also constantly adding new crops and test sites for future products at our farm in Kalapana Hawaii. Our money goes into the improvement of farming practices, customer service, and developing new products.

for Nutrients and pH adjusters

Hawaiian Horticulture Rainforest Kit

Hawaiian Horticulture Ebb and Flow System

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© 2009 Hawaiian Horticulture