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The advantages of dry powder hydroponic nutrients

Many hobby growers believe that dry powder hydroponic nutrients are somehow ‘inferior’ to premixed liquid nutrients. Liquid hydroponic nutrients have come to dominate the non-professional market and their high cost certainly infers some kind of superiority. You may, therefore, be surprised to learn that liquid hydroponic nutrients - unless of the organic kind - are manufactured using the same raw mineral ingredients from which dry powder hydroponic nutrients are produced.

Dissolving your own soluble hydroponic nutrients in water, to make the equivalent of a premixed liquid nutrient, takes but a matter of minutes and is a very straight forward process. So, while there is undoubtedly some convenience in buying the minerals ready dissolved in liquid form, the small time saving comes with a hefty price tag that can be easily avoided.

The vast majority of commercial hydroponic growers - people whose livelihoods depend on achieving the best possible crop performance - use water soluble powder nutrients. Could they, perhaps, also be the best choice for you? Here we look at some of the benefits of soluble dry powder hydroponic nutrients and why you may wish to consider using them yourself.

Cost efficiency

By far the biggest benefit of using dry hydroponic fertilisers is their cost efficiency. A dry nutrient is typically much less expensive to purchase than a premixed liquid nutrient containing a similar blend of ingredients plus water. It follows that the cost per litre of feed solution for your hydroponic plants will be lower - much lower - when the solution is made from dry nutrients rather than a liquid product.

Nutrient concentration

Although concentrations vary between individual brands, all dry powder hydroponic plant nutrients are several times more concentrated than their liquid counterparts. The reason is simple; the predominant ingredient in a liquid nutrient product is water. A 1 kg / 1 litre bottle of liquid base hydroponic nutrient may, for instance, contain less than 25% of the active fertilisers found in a 1 kg pack of dry nutrients.

Usage economy

A little dry powder hydroponic fertiliser goes a long way, so a pack of dry nutrients can be expected to last much longer than an equivalent size pack of liquid nutrients. A grower with a substantial garden using, say, a 1 kg / 1 litre bottle of premixed liquid nutrients per month to prepare their plant feed solution, would find that a 1 kg pack of water soluble powder nutrients lasts for between 3 and 5 months.

Product integrity

Being targeted at hobby growers, liquid nutrients are often marketed with elaborate performance claims and cryptic formulations. In commercial hydroponic crop production - where dry powder nutrients have their origin - professional growers prefer less ambiguous assurance of a product’s integrity. You are, for example, more likely to find a nutrient profile analysis than marketing blurb on a pack of dry nutrients.

Handling and shipping

Liquid hydroponic nutrients have a far greater volume and weight than dry nutrients. This makes their handling and shipping much more expensive in comparison. While water soluble dry nutrients are relatively economical to transport, logistics can easily double the cost price of premixed liquids. Handling costs, which need to be recovered by the producer, are inevitably passed on to the customer.

Storage and shelf life

Dry powder hydroponic plant nutrients are easier to store than liquid products. Space requirements are minimal, since bulky liquid nutrient can be simply prepared as and when needed. Mineral fertlisers are also extremely stable when kept in their dry form. Whereas premixed liquid nutrients may start to deteriorate in a matter of weeks, the shelf life of properly stored dry nutrients is practically unlimited.

Are you tempted to try nutrients in their dry powdered form for your hydroponic garden? There are several products available on the UK market, including Hydrocrop HydroSol - a high quality complete and balanced nutrient offering exceptional value for money. You can read more about what to consider when comparing dry nutrients in our blog article Powder pondering - How to choose the best water soluble powder nutrients.

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