Grow Tips
Organic Hydroponics Nutrients vs Synthetics
Sep
There is a question that many growers both beginner and experienced find themselves asking and it is ‘should I use Organic Nutrients or Synthetic Nutrients?
Which are better? A heated discussion
There have been countless arguments about which nutrients are better for your plants and crops within your grow room and space. The truth is that it depends on what you prefer and your growing style. Different nutrients suit different needs and styles such as Soil based growing and Hydroponic based growing.
Organic Nutrients are all natural while Synthetic Nutrients are created by us unnaturally. Both organic and synthetic nutrients have their advantages and disadvantages which are explored more in-depth below.
Organic growing = organic nutrients
Using only natural means to grow is organic gardening. This means no synthetic nutrients or chemicals. Using only nature to grow your plants is healthier and provides a cleaner harvest because there is no amount of chemicals left on the crops after a harvest. Another benefit to all natural and organic gardening is that it is friendlier and healthier for the environment and planet. Some would also say that the results of an organic harvest have a better taste than the crops produced through synthetic means.
Arguments made against organic crop growing mainly revolve around money and yields. Growers and gardeners that are not experienced in organic growing methods usually see larger yields when using synthetic nutrients and chemicals. Some synthetic growers also suggest that it costs less for the chemicals they purchase compared to going all natural.
Synthetics make it easier? Is it true?
Using synthetic nutrients, pesticides and fertilizers on your growing crops does make the job a little easier and more often than not the synthetic pesticides are more effective in removing pests. As stated above, it takes a skilled and experienced natural grower to maintain yields at the same level or higher than the ones produced using synthetic nutrients, beginner and average levelled growers will get more from their gardens using man made synthetic nutrients.
How experienced are you?
If you are a grower that doesn’t have a large amount of time to spend on the growing hobby, synthetic nutrients will benefit you more in comparison with organic nutrients. With less time to spend on your growing hobby, using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers could allow for a pest free garden without spending too much time on the problems. If your crops are not as healthy as you would like them to be, using synthetic fertilizer should get results you hope for fairly fast.
Do synthetics affect the taste?
Most problems when it comes to using synthetic products to grow crops arrive after the harvest. A very common issue synthetic growers have is the taste of the fruit and veg produced compared to those grown naturally. Another problem generally spoken about the synthetic growing methods is ingesting small amounts of the synthetic chemicals and nutrients. If the fruits and vegetables harvested after using synthesised nutrients, pesticides and fertilizers to grow them are not carefully cleaned, you do ingest the unhealthy chemicals.
These are only a few of the issues and advantages that come from both organic and synthetic nutrients but it covers the basics. If you are a very keen grower looking to spend a lot of time on your gardens, try doing it all naturally, in the end it is worth it. If you are eager to start or continue growing crops but may not have a lot of time to invest in it, using synthetic products could help speed up the process.
