Resources
Fundamentals
Plants make up their own food, for this, they need raw materials and energy.
- They obtain energy from the sun or lights in case of indoors.
- As for raw materials, they are different sources:
- Air: They get carbon and oxygen
- Water: Hydrogen
- Roots: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P ), Potassium (K) and micronutrients (calcium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, boron, manganese, zinc, etc.)
Nutrients solutions will provide macronutrients (NPK) and micronutrients
- Usually they are labeled with three numbers that indicate the percentage of N, P and K. The rest of the solution is micro, water and other molecules…
- Plants require different amounts of macro and micronutrients depending on the stage of the plant (growing, blooming, ripening fruits, etc.)
- Young plants require and should be provided with lower nutrient concentrations than mature plants, to prevent plants from becoming too vegetative.
- Plants in early fruiting stages require increased levels of specific nutrients like nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), and potassium (K) because the developing fruits demand greater amounts of these nutrients.
- Mature fruiting plants require the highest levels of nutrients to promote plant growth and fruit development, as well as an appropriate balance of specific nutrients to ensure high fruit quality.