In horticulture, a growing medium is the environment in which plant roots grow.
Active or inert, fertilized or neutral, growing substrates range from traditional potting soil mixes to horticultural media widely used in hydroponics, such as expanded clay balls, coconut fiber, rockwool, sphagnum moss, perlite, vermiculite, etc
For indoor cultivation to be a success in terms of productivity and quality, it's vital to select a substrate in line with the grower's needs, and above all to understand the intrinsic properties of the growing medium adopted. Nutritional inputs must take into account not only the level of fertilization of the chosen substrate, but also its drainage capacity, water retention capacity and nutrient content.
Therefore, Indoor Discount has selected the best brands in Europe, specialized in the design of high quality growing substrates, such as Platinium, Biobizz, Plagron, Gold Label, Atami, CannabioCanna, BioNova, Or Brun, ..
Indoor Discount lists all the most popular quality substrates in its category: Pots & Substrates.
What is a hydroponic substrate?
In fact, expanded clay balls, coconut fiber, rockwool, sphagnum moss, perlite, vermiculite, etc. remain the most popular growing substrates for hydroponics, each with their own advantages and safety precautions.
Given their nature sterile, hydroponic substrates require regular and progressive nutrient inputs. For fully optimized monitoring of nutrients and their uptake by roots, EC testers and pH testers, available in the Measuring & Dosage section, are essential for successful cultivation on any hydroponic substrate.
Mineral substrates can be recycled, in some cases from one crop to another, and are easy to use. They also offer undeniable practical benefits. Last but not least, in addition to convincing productivity, crops grown on hydroponic substrates benefit from a real vivacity, clearly visible compared to traditional substrates.
In fact, plants evolve more rapidly in a hydroponic substrate, during the vegetative phase.
Choosing the right substrate
The choice of substrate depends on the expectations of the modern grower, and his or her level of experience and knowledge of indoor horticulture.
Initially, hydroponic substrates are all inert, sterile and, in particular, nutrient-free growing media which, by default, require regular and progressive nutritional monitoring. From this point onwards, the acquisition of a well-maintained, monthly-calibrated EC and pH tester enables practical, rapid and productivity-saving monitoring of the nutrition administered.
Also referred to as mineral substrates, all hydroponic substrates deliver higher productivity than more traditional growing media, such as crops grown on complete potting mixes.
Secondly, crops grown on complete potting mixes and/or coconut fibre guarantee tastier harvests, with deeper taste aspects. This superior quality is achieved thanks to mycorrhizae(Monster X from Platinium Nutrients) and various trichodermas(Invasion T from Platinium Nutrients), beneficial bacteria found in organic substrates.
In the same way, watering cycles and fertilizer & stimulator applications should be considered and modified in relation to the fertilization (or lack thereof) of the substrate used, but also according to its water and nutrient retention capacity.
With Indoor Discountgrow at discount prices!
