In this post, we’ll go through the most common rookie mistakes when growing on hydro 🌱
1️⃣ Not Calibrating Your pH Meter
If you’re running a cheap pH pen, calibrate it every auto cycle or at least once every 3 months
2️⃣ No Backup Air Pump
The air pump that comes with most hydro kits often gets weak or dies out completely. Always keep a spare pump ready — if your roots go 2+ hours without oxygen, root rot will kick in almost for sure 🧟♂️. Once that happens, your “girls” are toast
3️⃣ Bad Spot
If you’re in a place where the power goes out often — forget hydro. No power means no air, no bubbles, and your roots will suffocate fast
4️⃣ Growing in Summer Without AC
If your room’s hot, your grow box/tent is even hotter. Ideal rez (nutrient solution) temp is 20–24°C 🌡️. Go above that — roots get stressed. Go much higher — and you’ll get root rot guaranteed!
5️⃣ Cheap on Nutrients 🧃
Water by itself is empty — your plant needs nutes in the right amounts. So you’ll need the full nutrient line and some additives. Personally, I stick with GHE (Terra Aquatica), but you can use whatever brand works for you
6️⃣ Weak Air Pump 🫧
For example, the stock Aquapot pump usually pushes around 90 L/h, which is fine for veg, but weak for pre-flower or bloom
Get a strong adjustable PUMP so you can crank it up during bloom Rule of thumb: 100–150Gph
7️⃣ Too Much Water 🌊
Keep your water level so there’s about 2 cm between the surface and the bottom of the net pot.
That small gap lets the roots breathe while still wicking up moisture
8️⃣ Wrong Type of Nutrients ⚠️
Organic nutes? ❌ Forget it — they’ll clog your lines and cause funk in your rez Organomineral nutes — some work, mostly stims only Best choice: pure mineral nutes 💪 — clean, stable, and predictable
9️⃣ Unwashed Clay Pebbles 🪨
Always prep your hydroton before use — if you don’t, your pH will swing like crazy and stress your roots 😬 I’ll drop a full guide on how to prep it properly in another post
🔟 Light on the Roots ☠️
NEVER, under any circumstances, let light hit your roots! ☀️🚫
Light = algae = rot = dead plant. Simple as that