Question New to Hydroponics: seeking advice on nutrient testing frequencies, methods, and costs

[nikOOOx_25]

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new around here and to hydroponics in general. I'm currently part of a project developing a new technology for rapid micronutrient testing in agriculture, aiming to improve soil analysis and plant health monitoring. I'm particularly curious about how often those of you with hydroponic setups test for specific nutrients, like iron and manganese?

How often do you find yourselves testing for these nutrients in your hydroponic systems? What prompts you to choose this frequency? Are there specific plants in your setups that are particularly sensitive to iron and manganese levels?

Also, I'd be grateful to know more about the testing methods you're using, and if you don't mind sharing, what the costs typically look like. This information is incredibly valuable for our project, and your insights would help us immensely.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[daveb]

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new around here and to hydroponics in general. I'm currently part of a project developing a new technology for rapid micronutrient testing in agriculture, aiming to improve soil analysis and plant health monitoring. I'm particularly curious about how often those of you with hydroponic setups test for specific nutrients, like iron and manganese?

How often do you find yourselves testing for these nutrients in your hydroponic systems? What prompts you to choose this frequency? Are there specific plants in your setups that are particularly sensitive to iron and manganese levels?

Also, I'd be grateful to know more about the testing methods you're using, and if you don't mind sharing, what the costs typically look like. This information is incredibly valuable for our project, and your insights would help us immensely.

Thanks a lot in advance!

i test with a TDS meter it measure total dissolved solids in solution- the EC ( electrical conductivity ) it usually will drop stead same as water level drops so stays consistent it the concentration. as i top up nutrient i will check the EC before hand to see if high or low and just adjust the mix i add. There is a thread i also posted here that tells the PH and EC levels for various plants.
As for the trace minerals i really do not test for iron and manganese specifically they are present in the blend i use i do also use a small additional amount of DTPA chelated iron in my mix My mix i use contains 35 trace minerals in it if i seriously test for those it would only be on an extreme long term bed that had been in us for many months. because the actual cost of the nutrient blend is so low in a bed that has been running 3 months or longer i will pull down to remove any debris from micro bits of roots or plant matter empty reservoir and give inside a light wash down with hose and a soft scrub brush and refill with fresh nutrient mix. the drained nutrient gets reused as a diluted solution to water house plants.
my cost in nutrients without the dtpa chelated iron is $0.033 ( 3 1/3 cents ) per gallon of nutrient the chelated iron depends who i purchase through from who has it on hand when i need to order runs close worst cost brings my cost per gallon of nutrient solutions to $0.05 per gallon but the added iron really is not needed.
Your plants in hydroponics grow at fast enough rate they take up nutrients as needed. Because hydroponics is much faster growth due to fact it does not waste the nutrients to force root growth into heavy soil so more leaf and greens above and more fruit set in tomatoes peppers and many other fruit bearing vegetable plants there is np real hard set guide to say check weekly or check every 3 to 5 days, how often you check will all depend on plant growth itself and reservoir capacity. i could insert actual sensors into my reservoir to check for the EC PH and temperature readings

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Welcome to the forum @nikOOOx_25 !

I was going to tag @daveb , but it seems he found your post already. He's the one who knows the most about hydrophonics on here

 

[nikOOOx_25]

i test with a TDS meter it measure total dissolved solids in solution- the EC ( electrical conductivity ) it usually will drop stead same as water level drops so stays consistent it the concentration. as i top up nutrient i will check the EC before hand to see if high or low and just adjust the mix i add. There is a thread i also posted here that tells the PH and EC levels for various plants.
As for the trace minerals i really do not test for iron and manganese specifically they are present in the blend i use i do also use a small additional amount of DTPA chelated iron in my mix My mix i use contains 35 trace minerals in it if i seriously test for those it would only be on an extreme long term bed that had been in us for many months. because the actual cost of the nutrient blend is so low in a bed that has been running 3 months or longer i will pull down to remove any debris from micro bits of roots or plant matter empty reservoir and give inside a light wash down with hose and a soft scrub brush and refill with fresh nutrient mix. the drained nutrient gets reused as a diluted solution to water house plants.
my cost in nutrients without the dtpa chelated iron is $0.033 ( 3 1/3 cents ) per gallon of nutrient the chelated iron depends who i purchase through from who has it on hand when i need to order runs close worst cost brings my cost per gallon of nutrient solutions to $0.05 per gallon but the added iron really is not needed.
Your plants in hydroponics grow at fast enough rate they take up nutrients as needed. Because hydroponics is much faster growth due to fact it does not waste the nutrients to force root growth into heavy soil so more leaf and greens above and more fruit set in tomatoes peppers and many other fruit bearing vegetable plants there is np real hard set guide to say check weekly or check every 3 to 5 days, how often you check will all depend on plant growth itself and reservoir capacity. i could insert actual sensors into my reservoir to check for the EC PH and temperature readings

Thank you, this is so insightful.