Using Advanced Nutrients for Indoor Hydroponics

Using Advanced Nutrients for indoor hydroponics can be a great choice, as the company offers a variety of products designed to optimize plant growth in hydroponic systems. They specialize in providing nutrients that help plants thrive by offering all the essential elements they need for healthy growth.

Here’s a basic guide on how to use Advanced Nutrients for hydroponic systems:

1. Choose the Right Nutrient Line

Advanced Nutrients offers several product lines for different stages of growth:

• Grow, Micro, Bloom (GMB): This is their most popular base nutrient formula, perfect for all stages of plant growth. It provides the essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) as well as micro-nutrients needed for optimal growth.
• B-52: A plant growth enhancer designed to improve the overall health of your plants.
• Big Bud: Ideal for the flowering phase, it promotes larger and denser buds.
• Bud Igniter: Used to jumpstart the flowering phase by increasing the production of flowers.
• Overdrive: A bloom booster that helps maximize the final stages of flowering.
• Voodoo Juice: A root enhancer that promotes robust root growth.

2. Understand the Nutrient Schedule

Advanced Nutrients has a feeding schedule you can follow to ensure your plants get the right nutrients at the right time.

This schedule takes into account different stages of growth:

• Vegetative Stage: During this phase, plants need more nitrogen for leaf and stem growth.
• Flowering Stage: Plants require more phosphorus and potassium to support bud development.

Advanced Nutrients offers a detailed feeding chart specific to each product, which can guide you on how much to add during each stage. Keep in mind that hydroponic systems require regular monitoring of nutrient levels (EC/PPM) and pH, so adjusting the strength of your nutrient solution is important.

3. pH Control

One of the advantages of Advanced Nutrients is that their products often include pH perfect technology, which helps stabilize pH levels in the nutrient solution. Maintaining the right pH (usually between 5.5 and 6.5 for hydroponics) is crucial for nutrient uptake. With pH perfect technology, you’ll spend less time adjusting pH levels manually.

4. Monitoring and Adjustments

• PPM/EC: Regularly check the parts per million (PPM) or electrical conductivity (EC) of your nutrient solution to ensure it is in the optimal range. For general hydroponics, aim for a PPM around 600-800 for young plants, 1000-1400 for mature plants, and up to 1600 during flowering.
• pH Levels: If your hydroponic system doesn’t use pH perfect technology, you’ll need to monitor and adjust pH frequently. Ideal pH is between 5.5 and 6.5.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overfeeding: Too many nutrients can burn your plants, so always follow the recommended guidelines, especially during the early stages.
• Underfeeding: Not providing enough nutrients can result in slow or stunted growth. Ensure your plants are getting enough of each element.
• Improper pH: Even with pH perfect products, it’s still good practice to occasionally check your pH levels to ensure they’re within the ideal range for nutrient uptake.



6. Supplementing with Additives

Depending on your crop and growth stage, you might want to supplement your nutrient regimen with additional Advanced Nutrients additives:

• Cal-Mag: For calcium and magnesium supplementation.
• Fulvic Acid: Enhances nutrient uptake.
• Humic Acid: Supports soil and root health.
• Silica: Strengthens cell walls and provides support for plants during flowering.

7. Flush Before Harvest

If you’re nearing the end of the growth cycle and want to avoid nutrient build-up in your plants, it’s good practice to flush your system with clean water for about a week before harvesting. This will ensure your plants aren’t overly saturated with salts or nutrients that could affect taste or quality.

By following these guidelines and using the appropriate Advanced Nutrients products, you should be able to maximize your indoor hydroponic plant growth effectively. Always read the instructions provided by the manufacturer, as they offer a lot of specifics for each product.

If you're new to hydroponics or Advanced Nutrients, it's always a good idea to start with their basic feeding schedule and gradually experiment as you become more familiar with your system.

Give us a call anytime for a few tips and hints!