Nutrients

[Stephen Eugene Robinson]

I know Aquaponics is supposed to supply all the nutrients needed by the plants, but what is the operating experience out there?  I have also heard that Iron, Magnesium, extra Potassium are also useful.  I have added this to the system and believe I have seen positive results, but don't want to overdo it?  My main problem has been with tomato plants loosing old leaves too soon.

 

[TCLynx]

What do your water tests say?

[Stephen Eugene Robinson]

My water tests are limited to Nitrite, nitrate, Ammonia, pH.  Can you point me in the direction of other test kits?

 
TCLynx said:

What do your water tests say?

[TCLynx]

So what do the

Ammonia

Nitrite

Nitrate

and

PH

say?

If you go to a pond supply place you can probably find some other test kits for other things but I wouldn't know what levels of the other things you are aiming for.  Most people just learn what the signs of some of the deficiencies look like in the plants and then pay attention to the plants.

[RupertofOZ]

Please report your pH... trace element deficincies in aquaponics are always related to pH.... or people treating their tanks as a chemical laboratory...

[Stephen Eugene Robinson]

Just did a pH test.  7.0

[Stephen Eugene Robinson]

Ammonia 0.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 200, ph 7

TCLynx said:

So what do the

Ammonia

Nitrite

Nitrate

and

PH

say?

If you go to a pond supply place you can probably find some other test kits for other things but I wouldn't know what levels of the other things you are aiming for.  Most people just learn what the signs of some of the deficiencies look like in the plants and then pay attention to the plants.

[RupertofOZ]

As you posted in another thread that your pH is sometimes 6.3, and you buffer back... I suspect that your problems aren't related to trace element deficiency... although a Potassium boost will help flower/fruit/seed set...

I think your plant growth problems are actually more related to your lighting...

Plants require blue light, and nitrogen... for early vegetative growth... but red/violet light, and trace elements ... for flower/fruit/seed stages of growth...

[Stephen Eugene Robinson]

I ran MH for several months before switching to HPS.

[TCLynx]

Just time for a bit more of that other P ingredient.  Patience, now that you have added the potassium and some other things and have changed the lighting.  Do you have an oscillating fan in the room?  That can also help with pollination and keeping other problems at bay (but then again, I'm not growing indoors so it is just hearsay on my part.)