Algae: Hydroponic growers' enemies
When we well observed algae accumulation in almost every hydroponic farm when we visit.
How did this algal growth begin on your and my hydroponic farms? Let us discuss it.
Microscopically small algae spores are transported through the air into your and my hydroponic gardens. The contamination levels can be reduced, but it's hard to prevent algae spores from reaching your system.
Due to algae's plant-like nature, your hydroponic system may be the ideal environment for them. Algae need warm temperatures, nutrients, water, and light to grow. Algae begin to grow when light penetrates hydroponically rich water, and once they do, they spread and reproduce quite quickly.
For the following reasons, algae are a concern in crop production:
A little amount of algae growth is not harming your hydroponic system or farm. When algae abundantly growing, it can become a problem.
1. Plants are affected by algae's competition and yield loss as a result. Algae accumulation in nutrient solution tanks in hydroponics reduces lettuce fresh weight by 30% or more.
2. Algae serves as food for shore flies and fungus gnats. Both insects can serve as vectors of Pythium species from plant to plant.
3. Algae can deprive your plants of oxygen. Algae will steal the oxygen from the plant's root system, affecting respiration, and causing your plants to weaken.
4. Algae can clog your system when it is in large quantities. Clogged pipes can cause overflow, and a pump blockage can cause them to stop working.
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5. sometimes pH of the entire hydroponic system is fluctuated due to algae also affecting yield and nutrient uptake.
Let's get to work on controlling and preventing algae in hydroponics (this is my opinion, or it really works).
1.????Avoid direct light on the surface of the nutrient solution.
2.????Vigorous aeration or manual disturbance will reduce algae accumulation
3.????Clean the systems' surface areas during the growing cycles and after harvesting.
4.????Every 14 to 21 days, change the nutrient solutions.
5.????Algaecide should be applied to the water supply of your system at some time interval
6.????Avoid placing your water tanks in direct sunlight and choose nontransparent tanks.
Farm Manager at Maharashtra Institute of Technology Aurangabad
1 年And don't expose nutrient water to direct sunlight
Farm Manager at Maharashtra Institute of Technology Aurangabad
1 年Try to keep your pH between 5.5 - 6
Avoid the light is the best way to deal with algae.
Seed Technologist/Control Environment Agriculture/ Hydroponic Farming/ Indoor Vertical Farming/ Organic Farming/ Protected Farming/ Soil Less Farming/ Open Field Farming
1 年Please can add some pore points : Algae grows with same photosynthetic mechanism as of plants so if we avoid direct sunlight or artificial light so it'll also breake its cycle and can minimize the growth. Also as if its in high concentrationit'll make pH of water more acidic.