EC stands for electrical conductivity, and it’s the measurement of the amount of dissolved minerals in your nutrient solution. EC is measured in millisiemens per centimeter (mS/cm).
In short, EC tells you how much fertilizer is available to plants at any given time. The higher your EC reading, the more fertilizer is present in the water supply—and thus—the less likely that plants will suffer from deficiencies, but too much can create fertilizer “burns” due to over-fertilization.
The Difference Between EC and TDS?
In hydroponic gardening, EC (electrical conductivity) is the most important measure of water quality. TDS (total dissolved solids) is also known as total dissolved salts and measures how many salts are contained in the water. You will usually see both measurements on your nutrient solution packaging or when you test your nutrient solution with an EC tester or TDS meter.
The difference between these two readings is that TDS only measures salts while EC also takes into consideration minerals and other compounds that affect the conductivity of your hydroponic system’s nutrient solution (e.g., calcium). This can be helpful when you are trying to understand why one plant may be doing well while another may not be thriving as much even though they seem to have similar environmental conditions like light intensity, temperature, pH level etcetera.
Why is EC important?
- The EC of the nutrient solution influences the growth and development of the plant.
- EC gives you an idea of the quantity of available nutrients.
- The optimal EC is plant specific, and depends on environmental conditions * In general, higher EC hinders nutrient uptake by increasing the osmotic pressure of the nutrient solution and this may create a waste nutrients,
- Lower EC may severely affect plant health and yield as not enough nutrients are available when needed by the growing plant.
How to Measure EC Levels in Your Hydroponic System
You can measure EC with an EC meter or a conductivity meter. If you have a digital pH reading kit, it mayalso have an option to check the EC of your water.
You can calibrate your meter by placing it in a solution with known values of EC and measuring the current readings. Then use a calculator or chart that shows how much more solution is needed before attaining the desired value.
The most common method to use these meters is to place them into your reservoir or hydroponic system as close as possible to where they’re getting tested (usually at the bottom). Once you’ve done this, take note of how many seconds pass before seeing a stable reading on screen; this is called “lag time”. The longer lag time means more accurate readings since plants aren’t constantly changing their conditions based off one another like they would be if they were growing together in soil instead of being separated into individual pots (for example). You’ll need at least one measurement per day, but best measure a few times a day as this will indicate your plants nutrient uptake or other changes you should be aware of.
How to Interpret EC Readings
To interpret the results: high levels mean too much mineral salt in solution while low levels mean too little mineral salt which could cause nutrient deficiencies if left untreated over time.”
Remember always to check the EC of the water used before adding anything,as this is to be subtracted from the final EC to know exactly what the current EC is.
EC can be measured using an EC meter or by using a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter. A TDS meter includes both conductivity and total dissolved solids measurements within one instrument but it is not as accurate as an EC only meter.
The Impact of EC on Plant Yield
As you can see, EC is a very important factor in determining how your plants grow. However, it’s important to remember that different plants have different EC preferences. For example, most plants do best at an EC between 0.5 and 1.5 mS/cm,above base EC level (this is considered ideal), but some prefer lower or higher levels of EC.
What to Do if the EC Levels Are Too High or Too Low
If your nutrient solution’s EC levels are too high, this can be caused by under watering or over watering. If you notice that your plants seem to be wilting or drooping despite regular waterings, then this may indicate that the EC level is too low.
If the EC level is too low,or if the PH is out of whack {in another blog} it could lead to nutrient lockout – meaning that nutrients aren’t being absorbed by the root system properly due to a lack of mineral ions (elements) in your water solution. A high-EC hydroponic grow may also result in root burn and leaf burn if not corrected quickly enough.
A good rule of thumb for determining whether your plant’s roots are saturated with water is if they feel heavy when lifted out of their container,while healthy roots should be white in colour.
Benefits of Using EC Measurements in Hydroponics
EC measurements in hydroponics help you to maintain healthy plants and increase yields. They also reduce waste, improve efficiency and help to identify problems early on. The most significant benefit of using EC measurements is the ability to identify nutrient deficiencies or other issues with your system before they cause damage. This allows you to fine-tune your hydroponic system for optimal performance!
EC Probe Calibration
The EC probe is the most important part of your hydroponic system and, without it, you won’t be able to monitor the nutrient levels in your reservoir. You need to make sure that the readings from the EC probe are accurate so that you know what’s going on with your plants at any given moment.
To ensure that this happens, you need to calibrate it correctly before using it for the first time. There are two main ways of doing this: manual calibration and automatic calibration (or auto-calibration). The former involves manually adjusting resistance values until they meet a certain range on an accuracy meter; while the latter relies on a circuit board or controller within the sensor itself which corrects for any errors automatically based upon results from previous calibrations. Either way, once calibrated properly then all subsequent measurements should give reliable results over time until there is another calibration performed again!
The Recommended EC Starting Point
- Use Reverse Osmosis (RO) water to start with. The EC level of RO water is zero or close to zero, so you can use it as your starting point.
- Measure the EC level of your reverse osmosis water using a TDS meter, which will be displayed in PPM (parts per million).
- Convert the displayed PPM values into EBC values using this conversion:
1 point = 1 ppm / 20 points = 1 PPM.
Why a Low EC Start Point is Important
A low EC will give your plants the nutrients they need, without the risk of overfeeding. That’s why it’s so important to find the right balance of nutrients. Too little and your plants can starve, but too much and you risk overfeeding them. But especially as the weather heats up ,a lower starting point is very important. If you’re unsure about how much nutrient solution to use, try starting with a low EC (electrical conductivity) value and then gradually increasing it until the desired results are achieved.
Using the Right Amount of Water and Nutrients is the Key to a Successful Hydroponic Garden
A low EC will give your plants the nutrients they need, without the risk of overfeeding.That’s why it’s so important to find the right balance of nutrients. Too little and your plants can starve, but too much and you risk overfeeding them.But especially as the weather heats up ,a lower starting point is very important. If you’re unsure about how much nutrient solution to use, try starting with a low EC (electrical conductivity) value and then gradually increasing it until the desired results are achieved.
Growee Makes Sure that your Hydroponics System Always Has a Consistent EC Level
If you’ve been growing hydroponically for a while, then chances are you’ve experienced the frustration of not being able to keep a consistent EC level in your water. It can be difficult to monitor when there are so many other things to worry about (like nutrient levels, pH, and temperature). Fortunately, Growee is here to help make EC management easy! Growee is a cloud-based hydroponic system management platform that provides growers with:
- A single dashboard for all their grow data
- An easy way to track their plants’ progress
- An affordable way to control and monitor their systems
Click here and see how Growee can add a turbo boost your Hydroponic setup.
FAQ
What is the ideal EC for hydroponics?
The ideal EC (electrical conductivity) for hydroponics is between 1.0 and 2.5,above base line EC with most plants doing well in a range of 1.5 to 2.0. Some plants like tomatoes, eggplant and cucumber thrive at lower EC levels while others like lettuce and celery prefer higher levels of fertilizer salts.
So what’s the right level of nutrients for your plants? Each plant has its own unique requirements based on its species, age, light intensity and other factors such as temperature that determine how much moisture each plant can tolerate before it will wilt or die from being over-fertilized.
Is EC Impacted by the Quality of Water Used in Hydroponics?
Water quality is very important to the success of a hydroponics operation. Not only do you need to use clean water, but it also needs to have a certain pH level in order to promote healthy growth. If the pH level is too high or too low, then your plants will suffer from nutrient deficiencies or toxicity due to inability to use the available nutrients.
What happens if EC is too high in hydroponics?
A high EC level can be detrimental to a plant’s health and growth. Some tell-tale signs that EC levels are too high include:
- Leaves start curling downward
- Leaves become yellow and brown on the edges
- Leaves become mottled or spotted with yellow/white
- Plants are slow to grow, even when plants are in their vegetative stage and should be growing quickly.
- Plants seem stunted or aren’t growing at all
These are symptoms of your plant’s roots not being unable to absorb nutrients because of high EC levels, which means you will have to lower your EC level.
Is EC important in Hydroponics
EC is an important measurement for both your hydroponic system and the health of your plants. It not only helps you keep track of the nutrients needed by your plants, but also allows you to adjust them based on their needs. This will ensure that your garden is running smoothly at all times, giving you better results