Hello, First of all, Thank you for Purchasing our Hydroponics kit. Before starting you need to know some information about Hydroponics. Hydroponics is totally different from Traditional Farming, it requires more effort than regular farming. If you already know about Hydroponics then it good to start, otherwise call us and get some basic knowledge before starting. you can also check out our videos on Youtube.
Some important Points before start working on System.
You need to check some indicators Daily otherwise this can affect your plant growth.
TDS Level – TDS Level represents the presence of nutrients or Strength of Nutrients available in the System. Every Plant Has a different TDS required to check it before putting Nutrient in System. TDS Chart Available here.
PH Level – PH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 – 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water. ideal PH for Plant is 5.5 to 6.5.
Water Replace – Water is most important in the Hydroponics System. it should be clean and change after a specific interval. check out the Video on Water Replacement in Hydroponics. In Summer Replace water in 8-12 Days and in Winter 10-15 Days. Check the water Condition regularly.
Water Temperature – In all systems, hydroponic water temperature is critical. The ideal water temperature for hydroponics is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 26 C.)
Environmental Conditions – Before Planting any plant in the system check the required conditions according to Plant – Like Lettuce need a cool environment and Tomato can grow in medium heat.
Steps to Start Growing Organic Food with Hydroponics Kit.
Seed Germination
Inside the Bucket, you will get Grow Cubes. These cubes are used in seed germination.
First, wet your grow cubes using water. This is simply a matter of placing them on a plate or in a container and applying running water directly from the tap over the entire surface ensuring every cube is saturated top and sides. You must then drain off the excess water to ensure there is no pooling in the plate or container. Place seeds directly into the predrilled holes. Put 1-2 Seeds in 1 Hole. For example, lettuce only requires 1-2 seeds but a bunch of herbs will need a few.
Now place your grow cubes in a position such as on a window sill that receives about 1-4 hours of direct sunlight a day. Morning or afternoon sun doesn’t matter. If you place them outside try to protect them from the extremes such as rain, frost, and excess temperature variations.
You may cover your seedlings but also be wary of the type of cover you use. An enclosed plastic clear top container may cause excess heat and sweat so ensure there are adequate breather holes and a net may damage your very young seedlings if allowed to sit directly on them. As I said, a sunny window inside may be the best position for you.
If your seedling stems become leggy (very long and thin) this is a sure sign they need more sun.
It is fine to use just water for the initial wet down but I recommend using nutrients straight from your nutrient tank for every watering after this. Every seed has the ability to produce its first 2 seed leaves without any added nutrient but will require a feed after this to continue its growth. When you do water, ensure any excess sitting in the plate or container is drained off.
Continue this process until your seedling is mature enough to put into your NetPots. Be careful not to damage the roots and stems when separating your grow cubes prior to placing them in the Netpots.
Transfer of Seedlings
After your Seedlings are enough mature to Transfer Check Steps.
- If you are using Grow Cubes then you can directly place them in the net cups.
- After Place in Net cups or Directly or NFT Channel increase the Nutrient Strength. (200 PPM)
What if you bought Seedlings from Nursery or Germinate in Cocopeat or any other medium.
- Remove the Growing medium from the roots like Cocopeat or any other medium
- Because seeds are germinated in the other medium it needs to be clean.
Cleaning Process of Roots and Plants
- Remove the Growing medium and clean the roots with Water
- Take 1 Liter RO water and add 2 ml Hydroperoxide in it.
- Now Clean the Plant with Hydroperoxide Solution gently without damaging the Roots.
- Now your Plant is ready to Transplant in Net Cups
Important Points
Nutrient strength must be low (150-300 TDS), so that plant can adopt the change.
PH Level must be maintained according to Plant requirements.
System Cleaning
Whenever you bought any system in your home, first clean it with RO water. after that make solution of Hydroperoxide Solution. (Take 1 Liter RO water and add 2 ml Hydroperoxide in it.) Wash the system with Hydroperoxide solution.
Hydroperoxide solution help in cleaning bacteria, infection, or any other disease.
Water Level in System
Fill the Water according to the given measurements
Nutrients
Nutrients are the most important part of any hydroponics system. our Nutrients come in 6 Bottles.
Bottle No.1 – Micronutrients
Bottle No.2 – Potassium Sulfate
Bottle No.3 – Monopotassium Phosphate
Bottle No.4 – Potassium Nitrate
Bottle No.5 – Magnesium Sulfate
Bottle No.6 – Calcium Nitrate
All these nutrients dissolve in water and form a complete Pack for Plant.
Process of Nutrients Mixing
- Add 100 ml RO water or Distilled water in Each Bottle.
- Now you have 6 Bottle with 600 ml Nutrient Concentrate.
- Take 1 Liter bottle and filled with RO water.
- Add 1 ml Nutrient Concentrate from each bottle in 1 Liter RO water.
- All 6 Nutrients form Hydroponics Concentrate for Tank.
TDS and PH
Now time to add Nutrients to the Tank. TDS helps in the measure the strength of nutrients. Fill the Hydroponics System with RO water and measure the TDS. it should be no more than 100 PPM, otherwise, it is not suitable for plants.
Now add some solution from the 1 Liter Hydroponics Concentrate Bottle. Once you reach your desired TDS value stop adding.
Let’s Take Example
You want to make 500 TDS Solution for Plant
- First measure the System Volume or How much water come in Tank (Take it 5 Liter)
- Fill your System with 4 Liter RO water and measure the TDS. (100 TDS come in meter)
- You want to make 500 TDS Solution and 100 TDS water already have as we checked above.
- Add both the Number 500+100=600, Now you need to make 600 TDS Solution.
- Starting adding Hydroponics Concentrate from 1 Liter Bottle till you achieve your Required levels.
System Setup
Setting up the system is very easy. First, you need to decide where you want to place your NFT Channel outdoor or indoor. Once you decide then fill water inside the Channel. you need to fill half the NFT channel so that the Net cup bottom touch the water.
Add Nutrients according to the plant requirement.