Science in Hydroponics

Peptide biostimulants have gained significant attention in horticulture and hydroponics, with claims ranging from modest growth improvements to dramatic yield boosts. In this post, I want to examine what the peer-reviewed science actually tells us about these products. The evidence shows that peptide-based biostimulants can deliver measurable benefits under specific conditio...

Water moves from nutrient solution into plant roots through a process that growers rarely examine at the molecular level. Yet the rate of this movement depends heavily on aquaporins, protein channels embedded in root cell membranes that open and close in response to conditions in the root zone. Research shows that aquaporins can contribute to more than 50% of total root wate...

Your EC meter is telling you only part of the story. Two nutrient solutions reading identical EC values can produce dramatically different plant growth outcomes in controlled studies. The reason lies in a fundamental measurement limitation: electrical conductivity reports total dissolved ions without distinguishing nutrient species from growth-limiting salts...

Foliar feeding occupies a paradoxical space in hydroponic cultivation. Growers routinely spray nutrients on leaves expecting rapid correction, yet the science reveals a much narrower window of utility. The plant cuticle evolved as a barrier to prevent water loss, and this same barrier severely restricts nutrient entry. The answer is neither “foliar feeding is useless” nor “s...

If you have been exploring ways to improve crop performance in your hydroponic system, you have likely encountered the term “bio-stimulants.” The market is flooded with products making bold claims, but separating marketing hype from reproducible science can be challenging. In this post I am going to focus exclusively on pure chemical compounds that have demo...