Getting nutrients right is the difference between a successful grow and a limited production or

complete failure. On my first attempt at hydroponics, I

could get my plants to grow foliage, but fruit production
fell short. My tomatoes would not set fruit, plants began
to die, and I fluctuated between nutrient deficiencies and
toxicity.
I followed the general recommendations on the nutrient
instructions, but some plants have very specific needs.
Some plants can only tolerate low levels of nutrients,
while others are nutrient hogs. To make matters worse, I
had both types of plants in the same system. In error, I
figured a general grow solution would work for both. It
turns out, it worked for neither.
I had good lighting and a good working system, but the
wrong PH and poor nutrient balance. In order to have an
effective system, you must have the right nutrients at the right levels, and the proper PH levels.
Balance the nutrients, and then balance the PH.
This article will focus on balancing the nutrients. To learn about PH, see my article on Getting the
right PH.
For several months I scrapped my hydroponic system and stayed with soil. However, after seeing all
the success others were having on the internet, I set out to find out where I went wrong. I then
discovered conflicting information. Lots of conflicting information. An example of this was a forum
discussion where someone was having trouble with toxicity in their peppers. One person
recommended never going beyond 900 PPM (Parts Per Million) of nutrient for peppers. Another
forum stated that the minimum solution should be 1260 PPM.
Then people started talking about EC levels, TDS, CF and all these other acronyms. I had no idea
where to start in deciphering it all. If you are new to hydroponics, you may have had similar
questions. Rather than complicating the process with endless details, Im going to break it down in
the simplest terms. Anyone who wants to go deeper can find a plethora of information on the
internet.
Let me start by explaining that there are two main standards of measuring nutrient levels. There are
more than these standards, but only two that youll commonly come across. Before explaining these
standards, lets define the acronyms youll come across for clarity sake.
PPM Parts Per Million. For every million parts water, the PPM tells you how many parts of nonwater impurities are in the water. By impurity, I am referring to anything that isnt pure water. Pure
water does not conduct electricity. Its the dissolved salts in the water that conduct electricity.
TDS Total Dissolved Solids. This refers to the impurities in the water. Whatever is dissolved in
the water is a dissolved solid. That impurity could be anything from Chlorine to the nutrients you
are adding, to anything else the water has absorbed and carried into your reservoir.
EC Electrical Conductivity. All nutrient ions in the water carry an electrical charge. This is how

nutrient meters measure and estimate the PPM. EC is charted with a decimal point. Most EC meters
will measure between 0.2 and 3.6 EC.
CF Conductivity Factor. CF is the same as EC but without the decimal.
0.2 EC equals 2 CF.
1.8 EC equals 18 CF.
Just remove the decimal point from the EC and you have the CF rating.
Here is where one of the great areas of confusion arises. EC is primarily an American standard and
CF is a European standard. While it is easy to convert EC to CF and vice-versa, it isnt as easy to
convert the CF parts per million to the EC parts per million. For example, 2.0 EC is 1000 PPM. 2.0
EC equals 20 CF, but the European standard of PPM isnt 1000 PPM, but 1400 PPM.
Now you see where the confusion comes from. So when getting advice from a book, forum, or other
source, its important to know whether they are referring to CF or EC. In my earlier example, this is
why one person said to never go over 900 PPM and the other source said 1260. Both are right. One
was in EC and the other in CF.
Its confusing, I know. But just remember that all you need to do is convert EC to the American
standard of PPM and CF to the European. Here is an easy formula.
Multiply EC x 700 to get the PPM
Multiply CF x 500 to get the PPM
So when do you use CF, PPM, or EC? It all depends on how your meter displays results. You may
need to know this information if you are getting advice from a book, the web, or another resource.
Regardless of how the nutrient levels are presented for the plant you are growing, youll want to be
able to convert it into information you can use and measure.
Another thing to consider is that the only way to determine the PPM with 100% accuracy is by
chemical analysis. Unless you live in a science lab, that isnt going to be practical. The total
dissolved solids (TDS) in the water will be affected by anything that encounters your water. PPM
meters give a very good estimate of the total dissolved solids, but if you have hard water or are
recycling old water, the PPM accuracy will be affected.
If you live in an area that has hard water, measure the PPM before adding solution and factor that
number into your measurements.
Also, limit how long you use water in your hydroponic system. If your plants are just seedlings, you
can get away with reusing the water for a month or so. As they mature and begin absorbing more
nutrients, change the water every two weeks. During heavy fruiting, change the water weekly.
The PPM rating estimates how much nutrient is in the water, but not what nutrients are available.
Once the plants have been drawing from the solution, they will be taking up the nutrients needed for
each plant, and the nutrients left behind are the ones not needed or less needed. In this case, you can
have the recommended PPM but still starve your plants. Its impossible to tell what nutrients remain
and which are used, so changing water is essential.

Raising the PPM to make up for nutrient deficiencies will not work. Having too much of any one
nutrient will create toxicity. You need a solution balanced for what you are growing. Let me give an
example.

The picture to the left is a squash plant showing signs of toxicity. Notice the deformity in the leaves.
After replacing the water with a fresh solution, the same plant now shows healthy new growth. The
more productive the plant becomes, the more important it is to change the solution regularly.
Below is a chart that gives suggested levels for each type of vegetable in EC, CF, and PPM. You can
download this in PDF format by clicking here.
Plant

EC

PPM x 500

CF

PPM x 700

Asparagus
Basil
Beans
Beets
Blueberry
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chives
Corn (Sweet)
Cress
Cucumber
Eggplant
Endive
Garlic
Lettuce Loose Leaf
Lettuce Iceberg
Melons
Mint
Mustard
Okra
Onion
Parsley
Parsnips

1.4 1.8
1.0 1.4
1.8 2.5
1.4 2.2
1.8 2.0
1.4 2.4
1.4 2.4
1.4 2.2
1.4 2.4
1.5 2.4
1.2 2.2
1.6 2.4
1.2 2.4
1.6 2.4
1.8 2.2
0.8 1.5
1.4 1.8
0.3 0.8
0.6 1.4
1.0 2.2
1.0 1.4
1.2 2.4
2.0 2.4
1.8 2.2
0.8 1.8
1.8 2.4

700 900
500- 700
900 1250
700- 1100
900 1000
700 1200
700 1200
700 1100
700 1200
750 1200
600 1100
800 1200
600 1200
800 1200
900 1100
400 750
700 900
150 400
300 700
500 1100
500 700
600 1200
100 1200
900 1100
400 900
900 1200

14 18
10 14
18 25
14 22
18 20
14 24
14 24
14 22
14 24
15 24
12 22
16 24
12 24
16 24
18 22
8 15
14 18
38
6 14
10 22
10 14
12 24
20 24
18 22
8 18
18 24

980 1260
700 980
1260 1750
980 1540
1260 1400
980 1680
980 1680
980 1540
980 1680
1050 1680
840 1540
1120 1680
840 1680
1120 1680
1260 1540
560 1050
980 1260
210 560
420 980
700 1540
700 980
840 1680
1400 1680
1260 1540
560 1260
1260 1680

Peas
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radish
Sage
Spinach
Squash
Strawberry
Thyme
Tomato
Turnip
Watercress

1.4 1.8
1.8 2.8
1.4 2.4
1.2 2.2
1.0 1.6
1.8 3.5
1.8 2.4
1.8 2.5
1.2 1.6
1.8 2.8
1.8 2.4
0.4 1.8

700 900
900 1400
700 1200
600 1100
500 800
900 1750
900 1200
900 1250
600 800
900 1400
900 1200
200 900

14 18
22 28
14 24
12 22
10 16
18 35
18 24
18 25
12 16
22 28
18 24
4 18

980 1260
1260 1960
980 1680
840 1540
700 1120
1260 2450
1260 1680
1260 1750
840 1120
1260 1960
1260 1680
280 1260