Fertilizers are sold with numbers like 4.5-14-34 these are referred to as NPK.
The first Number refers to the Nitrogen concentration; the second number refers to Phosphorus and the last number the Potassium.
Plant Nutrients
Plant Nutrients
There are 16 basic elements that are considered essential for plant growth; these are divided into two parts, Macro Nutrients and Micro nutrients. Macro Nutrients are those elements that are required in large quantities and Micro Nutrients are those that are used in smaller quantities.
Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Sulfur are considered Macro nutrients.
Chlorine, Iron, Manganese, Boron, Zinc, Copper and Molybdenum are considered Micro nutrients.
The same Elements that are used in soil fertilizers are the same elements that are used in hydroponics except that for use in hydroponics the quality is higher and specifically formulated for maximum absorption by the plant. I like referring to fertilizers as nutrients since that is their main function.
There are so many nutrient brands on the market today that I have lost count, however they come in either liquid or solids forms and come in either two or three part combinations and are used in different ways.
These are the most basic of the Macro nutrients; Micro nutrients are usually sold separately and list all of the elements on the package.
Nutrients in large hydroponics houses are formulated for the specific plants that are being grown. However for the small guy that wants to grow a reasonable amount of different plants it is not necessary to formulate your nutrients for a specific crop.
For now you can simply follow the instructions on the package of the nutrient you decide to use and adjust your Ph. accordingly to your water following the recommendations in water quality section. Unless you are using a nutrient already formulated for hard water.