How to Make DIY Hydroponic Nutrients For Your Plants

Hydroponics might sound complicated and expensive, but it doesn't have to be that way. You can easily grow many kinds of plants on a liquid solution containing hydroponic nutrients instead of growing them in soil. Whether you grow plants in water or in soil, they need the same nutrients. While soil will supply some of your plants' needs, when you grow hydroponically it's up to you to make sure the water contains all the essentials.

Essential Macronutrients for Plants

Plants require certain elements in relatively large quantities; these elements are known as macronutrients. The primary macronutrients are oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon (which come directly from the water and air), plus potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen.

Secondary macronutrients are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. If any of these is missing from your hydroponic formula your plants will show it with discolored leaves, drooping stems, stunted growth, or simply a failure to thrive.

Essential Micronutrients for Plants

Plants need some other elements in small amounts, known either as trace elements or micronutrients. Even though plants don't require much of each nutrient, if one is missing it can cause the plant to stop growing, to start losing leaves, to become discolored, or to fail to bloom.

The following eight elements are essential plant micronutrients: boron, iron, chlorine, molybdenum, zinc, cobalt, copper, and manganese. It is essential to make sure any formula you use to make a hydroponic solution provides all of these elements.

DIY Hydroponic Solution

While some sources may tell you that you should only use nutrients designed for hydroponic systems, it is actually quite possible to make your own formula from readily available components. By using normal fertilizer for hydroponics, you can make your own hydroponic garden food.

Purchase some standard water-soluble fertilizer, such as 20-20-20 or 24-8-16, from a nursery, garden supply store, or online retailer, and make sure the type you buy includes the micronutrients. Add two teaspoons of this fertilizer to each gallon of water you need and mix well.

Next, add one-half to one teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) per gallon. After thoroughly stirring the solution to incorporate the fertilizer with the water, it's ready to use.

Test the pH of Your Hydroponic Nutrients Solution 

It's a good idea to test the pH of the water you are using for your DIY hydroponic nutrients formula, since water that is too far outside the range of what your plants need can cause growth problems. When the pH is off-kilter, plant roots are unable to absorb nutrients even if a hydroponic solution contains sufficient nutrients.

Most plants do best with a slightly acidic pH level of between 5.5 and 6.0, although some plants can handle a pH as high as 7.5.

Use a pH test kit, available from most garden or hydroponic supply stores, to check the hydroponic solution pH. Use a pH adjusting kit, available with the test kit, to make needed changes. Test the water before mixing the formula for best results.