You can control this with your pH sensor and the pH up and down solutions. PH is a scale used to specify how acidic or basic your water solution is. This also applies to broccoli, cabbage (not lettuce) and hot peppers, which like to be towards the top end of that TDS range.įor more information on using the proper nutrient mix in your hydroponic system, read our Adding Nutrients and Adjusting pH in Your Hydroponic Garden post. For these plants to flower and produce fruit, you should focus on creating an TDS range of between 1,500 and 2,000. Spinach also likes higher TDS ranges, but tastes quite good at lower ranges as well.Ĭategory 2: Flowering Fruits and Vegetables – Flowering fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers prefer higher nutrient levels, which correlates to a higher TDS value. One of the exceptions to this rule is Pac-Choi, which prefers an TDS reading closer to 1,200-1,400. You should add nutrients until your TDS meter shows a reading of between 600-1000. For the sake of keeping this initial lesson short and sweet, I suggest you break plants up into two categories:Ĭategory 1: Leafy Greens and Herbs – These plants tend to desire lower amounts of nutrients in their hydroponic solution. It is a good measure of the amount of nutrients in your hydroponic solution. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids and is measured in parts per million (PPM). IGWorks provides you with it's superior Green Machine Nutrient solution to get you started.Īs you add nutrients to your hydroponic solution, you’ll want to use an TDS tester (included with all iHarvest purchases) to ensure your plants have the correct amount of nutrients. When growing with hydroponics, ensuring you have the right nutrient mix is essential to the growth and taste of your plants. The PAR rating measures only the visible light that plants use to grow, which is why serious growers prefer to use PAR vs Lux ratings. But, if you want to grow fruits like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, you should make sure that your grow lights have a PAR rating of 600 or greater, just like the iHarvest does. As a general rule, most reputable grow lights will grow leafy greens and herbs well. It’s a difficult balancing act, and for many of us the best solution is grow lights. Your indoor veggies will grow best with at least 6-8 hours of strong sunlight (but not so strong that they burn). Getting the lighting right can be one of the hardest parts about indoor gardening.
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