Nutrient Ingredient for different vegetables?

[Irving Steel]

Hi All--hope all is well.

 

I am wondering about the correct nutrient ingredient for the plants. The nutrient ingredient may not be the best for some vegetables such as tomato, eggplant… Could and how do we add other minerals like potassium, phosphorus? And what is the effect to fish and system performance? Is there any experience or information regarding this? Is there research showing the exact nutrients needed for different plants? I've done some research and can't find anything. 

 

Thanks for your help/suggestions/links as always! 

 

Clean, affordable food for all. 

[RupertofOZ]

With a good quality fish feed.. correct pH range... and occassional supplementation with Maxicrop...

Your system plants should have 99.9% of their needs provided... Calcium and Potassium are important elements in plant growth.. that may require some additional boost...

Managing pH buffering by alternating between Calcium, and Potassium buffers should cater for the majority of growth stages...

 

Certainly all plants during flowering/fruiting/seeding stages benefit from a Potassium boost... you can even bury a banana, or other Potassium rich plants.. directly into the grow bed...

 

The most likely trace element deficincy... due to pH... is likely to be Iron... which can be addressed by the addition of Chelated Iron... or Maxicrop+Iron...

 

Phosphorus should never be a problem in AP... as it's the most prevelant element in fish wastes... and frankly IMO... the importance is Phosphorus is grossly overstated... and more a hangover of our "phosphate" fertiliser addiction...

There is a definite... and complex.. inter-relationship.. and interaction between Calcium, Potassium.. and Phosphorus.... and too much of any one.. may bind one, or both of the others...

 

Hence the suggestion to alternate pH buffers...

[Irving Steel]

Thanks for the insights...

For large-scale commercial application planting some banans in might be difficult? :-) Also, need to think of ways to keep it automated as much as possible.

If other ideas or suggestions always welcome. Many thanks again. 

[RupertofOZ]

Nah.. eat the banana... just plant the skins... or old bananas...

Yes commercially is different... but alternating pH buffers take care of Calium and Potassium requirements...

If you want a complete.. and consistant nutrient profile.. then you're going to have to regularly analyse your water.. and mineralise and dose externally.... and hydroponic solutions exist to pretty much do that..

[Jon Parr]

Irving, I use potassium chloride, $15 for 50 lbs available at every hardware store for water softening. 

[Irving Steel]

Thanks Jon.