If you are looking for guidance regarding how to mix water in Bubbleponics, read here to find details about How to Nutrient Water Mixture For Bubbleponics.
Traditional farming plants obtain nutrients from the soil. But as we know, Bubbleponics is a soil-free, water-based farming system in which plants obtain nutrients from their water.
Hence, today we will learn how to mix water in a Bubbleponics system so we can grow plants according to our likeness with perfect results every time. We will learn about two methods to complete this task.
In method one, we can add water to a fully prepared nutrient supplement purchased from a Bubbleponics kit.
In method two, you can prepare your DIY Bubbleponics supplement mixture using primary nutrient components such as NPK in combinations with other vital minerals.
The procedure for preparing nutrient water and hop to mix is applicable for Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Aeroponics too.
How to Nutrient Water Mixture For Bubbleponics
There are two basic methods: one instant way and the second developing way
1. Instant procedure:
Here you require an Instant Nutrient mixture which comes with all the preparation methods, such as how much mixture you need to add in how much water.
Usually, the size of Bubbleponics accommodates 5 to 40 gallons of water in their reservoir or reservoir tank where the nutrient mixture is added as per recommended dose.
As Bubbleponics is the extended form of hydroponics, all its competitive market nutrients work well with your system.
2. Developing method:
It is a more organic and DIY approach that many small gardeners practice where they develop their own NPK liquid fertilizers from Organic substances.
Like they soak banana peels, egg shells, vegetable and fruit skins in water to leach out essential minerals from them. Then filter them and treat them like liquid fertilizers for their Bubbleponics.
No doubt this is a cheaper and environmentally friendly method, but with Bubbleponics, they don’t produce as good results as we will get from instant nutrients where experts develop formulas.
Some gardeners also integrate both for cost saving when running out of the nutrient mixture and for a week or so work with organic fertilizer spiked with artificial fertilizer mix to provide nutrients to their Bubbleponics.
3. Best prepared nutrient mixture available on the market:
Regarding budget, the powder ones are more economical and easy as they instantly mix in tap or storage water. You can easily measure them with weighing machines or spoons and add them to get the nutrient mixture.
New farmers are more inclined towards liquid ones as they are not growing commercially and can easily get instant results while using the liquid nutrient mixture by adding them to their Bubbleponics water.
Here is a recommended list of nutrient mixtures available on the market with their advantages and limitation
| General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set |
| Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro & Grow Pack |
| General Hydroponics Maxi grow, Maxi bloom powder pack |
| General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box |
| Fox Farm FX14050 Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer |
4. General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set:
This set comes with three variations where we have different NPK ratios to boost plant growth in each set. Flora Micro comes with N: P: K ratio of 5: 0: 1, Flora Grow comes with ratio N: P: K ratio of 2: 1: 6, and Flora Bloom comes with N: P: K ratio of 0: 5: 4.
From seed to plant, all the instructions regarding various phases are mentioned in this great solution, but it is costly for commercial farming.
5. Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro & Grow Pack
This is a trendy combination of liquid fertilizers. Three bottles are available in various specialized functions for our plant’s growth.
The solution is p.H balanced and helps plants from the vegetative stage to a fully established state.
They are also a bit pricey when commercial farming, thus preferable for home gardening only.
6. General Hydroponics Maxi grow, Maxi bloom powder pack
It is a powdered form of nutrient mix provided by General Hydroponics where maxi grows can be used for starting plants, and maxi bloom can later be incorporated into our nutrient-rich water to boost plant growth.
The only limitation these powder nutrients have is that they don’t dissolve completely in our nutrient water.
7. General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box
It is an organic-based liquid nutrient mix pack offered by General Hydroponics that consists of Premium Biological Plant Foods and Supplements as a solution for new home gardeners.
It is a trusted and easy-to-use product, but its smell might be problematic for many unfamiliar gardening users or allergic to foul odor.
8. Fox Farm FX14050 Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer
They have specially designed this range to produce the three best liquid nutrient solutions for plant growth in Bubbleponics.
They also work well with all three stages of plant growth compared to the most expensive among them.
For the latest stock and process, you can check Amazon websites and avail of their advantages for your Bubbleponics system.
9. Materials Required to Prepare Nutrient Water Mixture:
To prepare nutrient water mixture, we need the following things
| Reservoirs such as tubs, buckets, or large containers |
| Big ladle or Stick |
| Tap or filtered water free of dust |
| p.H meter and calibration solution |
| Epsom salt |
| Prepared nutrient mixture |
| Water level indicators |
How to add this nutrient water to our Bubbleponics?
First-time user Process
Once your water is prepared, if you are adding for the first time growing vegetables in your Bubbleponics, you need to set your Bubbleponics assembly first.
- First, you need to set air stones and pumps in your Bubbleponics reservoir as these air stones produce oxygen to make them more nutritious by adding oxygen.
- Then you will set your water pump, which will pump your nutrient-rich water from its reservoir to the main tank where Bubbleponics will take place.
- In a simpler setup, we directly add water to the reservoir, so pumps via feeding tubes let them reach our plant roots.
- Once the water pump is added, it is attached to the drip, which is further connected with feeding tubes to deliver our nutrient-rich water from the top of seedlings to their roots in the form of bubbles where oxygen and nutrients are present in water bubbles.
- Once one or two weeks are passed, you need to change the nutrient water daily, as explained in the following process.
Continuous Process
As we know that weekly or bi-weekly, we need to change Nutrient water and proceed with this step very carefully.
We must carefully remove our Bubbleponics lid where plants are present and remove all the water using a water transfer pump. If your budget is low or the system is small, drain precious water in a well-cleaned drain.
- Clean your reservoir, add freshly prepared nutrient water, and check its p.H to ensure it will not affect your plant growth.
- If the nutrient water level drops before a week due to changes, evaporation, or quick absorption, then only dilute your mixture with plain water.
Repeat this process weekly for best practice until your plant is fully grown from a seedling to the desired plant with fruits, vegetables, or flowers.
- Herbs can be cultivated quickly in Bubbleponics compared to other forms and require fewer water changes in their short growth cycles.
Factors to consider while mixing water in the Bubbleponics system
p.H of water:
The ideal p.H of water for Bubbleponics is 5.8 to 6.9, and we need to maintain within this range for different variety of plants. Many farmers choose distilled water as its p.H is around seven which does not harm their process.
If p.H is disturbed, we need to calibrate it again using the p.H meter and adding p.H calibrated buffer solutions to obtain desired p.H again.
Many farmers add Epsom salt to tap water to maintain their p.H and cut down extra expenses they must spend on maintaining p.H of their nutrient water.
Air Pumps
They play a vital role in nutrient solution mixing as sometimes nutrients settle in the reservoir and do not efficiently reach plant roots through feeding tubes. Air pumps produce bubbles to provide oxygen.
Thus air bubbles in the reservoir not only mix oxygen in nutrient water but also dissolve the settled nutrients in the water, improve nutrient water quality and let them reach the roots of our plants.
Choice of Nutrient mixture:
For commercial farming, powder nutrient mixtures are better as they are less expensive, while for new gardeners, detailed decryption of products and small consumption liquid ones are best.
Water:
Both distilled and tap water work fine with Bubbleponics. In the case of tap water, add Epsom salt to your prepared mixture in the ratio of one teaspoon of salt in one gallon of water.
We can even add it to distilled water as it is the basic component for plant growth.
FAQS of How to Mix Water in Bubbleponics
Q: For how much longer will the Bubbleponics system’s water nutrients remain effective?
Changing nutrient water from 5 days to 2 weeks is a good practice for best results.
Q: How To Mix Nutrient-Rich Solutions In Your Bubbleponics System?
We can individually prepare the solution by adding nutrient mix and essential additives and then directly add it to our system.
Q: Why Do We Need To Keep On Adding Water To The Bubbleponics System?
As plants absorb nutrients and water in Bubbleponics for their growth, we must add nutrient-rich water weekly and plain water daily to maintain nutrients and water for plant growth.
Q: How Long Can Plant Roots Survive Without Fresh Nutrient Water In Bubbleponics?
Plants can survive without fresh, nutrient-rich water for one to three weeks but for good growth, change it weekly.
Final thoughts:
Bubbleponics is one of the most sustainable farming methods, and if we want to achieve its optimal result every time, then we need to know how to mix water in Bubbleponics, which is exactly what we have explained in this guide.
My name is Olivia, and I live in the United States and love having plants in my garden. Lots of plants are there on my balcony, indoor and outdoor garden also. Here I am trying to share useful gardening tips, how to grow and care for various plants, etc.
