Nutrients essential for Aquaponic plants For proper growth, plants in an aquaponic system need 16 vital nutrients.

These are split into two categories: macronutrients, needed in fairly large amounts, and micronutrients, needed in smaller amounts. Hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) are supplied by water (H2O) and Carbon (C) is available from carbon dioxide gas (CO2), in the greenhouse environment. The rest of the nutrients must be taken up from the aquaponic water source. Let s consider spinach, and it s nutrition facts: a serving of fresh spinach may provide 20% of the daily requirement for iron, provided that iron was available for uptake while growing. Other macronutrients are nitrogen (N), potassium (K),calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg),phosphorus (P) and sulfur

(S). The micronutrients are chlorine (Cl), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn),boron (B), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo). These nutrients must be properly balanced for the best plant growth. Excessive concentrations of one nutrient can reduce the uptake of others. The development of a healthy plant is also dependent on the availability of organic compounds surrounding the root structure. Organic compounds, created by microbial decomposition of organic matter, include vitamins, enzymes, and organic acids. These compounds are directly absorbed and used by plants thereby stimulating growth, enhancing yields, increasing vitamin and mineral content, and even improve fruit flavor! Another benefit of organic compounds is the ability to

obstruct microbes or microorganisms that cause plant disease. Some organic acids form complexes with Fe, Mn and Zn, which increase the availability of these micronutrients to plants. Providing a high level of Dissolved Oxygen in the aquaponic water is absolutely necessary for best plant growth, especially with high organic content in the water. Aquaponic plants draw large amounts of oxygen from the surrounding water. If DO is low, this reduces absorption of water, decreases uptake of nutrients, and causes root loss. The result is stunted plant development. Growth and uptake are greatest when dissolved oxygen is at maximum levels. Overall, by providing the proper nutrients, you will grow beautiful, healthy plants that are as good for you as they look!