At first I was going to simply reply in a thread I found the issue with but it seems there are many threads that contain the same theory with regards to nutrients and water readings.
Salt based nutrients which are common in hydro feeds are solutions that are classified as water soluble.
I think we can all agree on this statement.
Now comes the debatable point.
Alot of threads contain questions about EC/PPM readings in reservoirs and what to do when they see a difference in EC/PPM and water reductions in the system.
I'd like to attempt to debunk a common misconception or happy listen to more wiser people but I think I might be right in this case, lets see....
Many answers seem to indicate that plants drink water and leave nutrients behind hence the growers EC/PPM readings look higher.
I don't think this is the case.
The question that needs to be asked is this, is a root system in hydro really capable of "pulling" water soluble nutrients out of the water without consuming any water?
I think this is where the misconception lies and possibly a misunderstanding of how a root system works.
The nutrients are available in the water and the roots absord only water, yes if you want to get clever they also absorb oxygen and convert that to CO2 but that isn't the point here so we won't go further into that
If there are too few or too many nutrients the plant will show signs of either case but it has no way to regulate what nutrients it receives through water consumption infact the only thing it would regulate is how much water it consumed.
Why is there a difference in EC/PPM? I honesty don't have the full answer myself (I never claimed I did)
But I think it has more to do with both PH and water temps then it has to do with a magical root system. Sorry for the sarcasm.
I don't want to be a smarty pants but can anyone point me somewhere to a university paper or other credible source where someone shows water soluble nutrients can be "pulled" without consuming water.
I'd like to think plants are smart but I don't think a root system is that smart.
I'm yet to explain the completely fluctations that I see myself but I think this question is important and I'd like to hear more about it.
What do you think? Can a plants root system pull water soluble nutrients without consuming water?
Salt based nutrients which are common in hydro feeds are solutions that are classified as water soluble.
I think we can all agree on this statement.
Now comes the debatable point.
Alot of threads contain questions about EC/PPM readings in reservoirs and what to do when they see a difference in EC/PPM and water reductions in the system.
I'd like to attempt to debunk a common misconception or happy listen to more wiser people but I think I might be right in this case, lets see....
Many answers seem to indicate that plants drink water and leave nutrients behind hence the growers EC/PPM readings look higher.
I don't think this is the case.
The question that needs to be asked is this, is a root system in hydro really capable of "pulling" water soluble nutrients out of the water without consuming any water?
I think this is where the misconception lies and possibly a misunderstanding of how a root system works.
The nutrients are available in the water and the roots absord only water, yes if you want to get clever they also absorb oxygen and convert that to CO2 but that isn't the point here so we won't go further into that
If there are too few or too many nutrients the plant will show signs of either case but it has no way to regulate what nutrients it receives through water consumption infact the only thing it would regulate is how much water it consumed.
Why is there a difference in EC/PPM? I honesty don't have the full answer myself (I never claimed I did)
But I think it has more to do with both PH and water temps then it has to do with a magical root system. Sorry for the sarcasm.
I don't want to be a smarty pants but can anyone point me somewhere to a university paper or other credible source where someone shows water soluble nutrients can be "pulled" without consuming water.
I'd like to think plants are smart but I don't think a root system is that smart.
I'm yet to explain the completely fluctations that I see myself but I think this question is important and I'd like to hear more about it.
What do you think? Can a plants root system pull water soluble nutrients without consuming water?