Four Ways Beneficial Microbes Can Protect Your Hydroponics Garden

Plants grown hydroponically have the potential to provide bigger yields than anything you can grow in a soil medium, but they are also somewhat fragile. Like all plants, if provided the incorrect nutrients or given inadequate light, they grow slowly or weakly. Even if you are extra careful and adjust every environmental factor there still remains the possibility that your plants might become infected with a bacterial of viral disease. That is why gardeners who want to protect their investment purchase and use beneficial microbes. These microbes, which are almost always present in gardening soil, have a symbiotic relationship your plants, and can provide them with nutrients and conditions that can help accelerate their growth. Here are the primary ways beneficial microbes protect your plants from harm.

Resistance to Extreme Conditions - When your plants are healthier, they are more likely to thrive even when conditions are less than ideal. It is not uncommon for hydroponics grow room or system to suffer a sudden and unexpected change in temperature or humidity. Perhaps a certain region suffers an extreme cold snap, which even permeates the inside of homes. Or the pH of your nutrient solution lingers outside of the optimal range for a long time before you able to sufficiently adjust it. Or worst of all, you suffer a brief power outage, thereby rendering your lights and pumps useless. Beneficial microbes can make these unfortunate situations a minor problem instead of a major disaster. With your plants receiving more nutrients, they become stronger, and more likely to thrive in conditions that might seriously wound weaker plants.

Resistance to Infectious Disease - Like all other living things, bacteria consume resources in order to survive and there is always a limited supply of these resources. When you introduce beneficial bacteria into your hydroponics system, this makes it less likely for harmful bacteria to invade your root zone because the beneficial microbes have already consumed a lot of these resources. These bacteria can also help germinate helpful fungi which can it make it more difficult for harmful fungi to establish a presence. With your plants enjoying superior nutrient uptake, they become healthier and their immunity boosts.

Increase Photosynthetic Capacity - Every gardener dreads the onset of chlorosis, a plant disease characterized by lack of chlorophyll. Without chlorophyll, your plants will not be able to photosynthesize properly and they will slowly but surely grow weaker and might even die. The presence of beneficial microbes, especially those that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, increases your plants ability to produce chlorophyll and by extension, the carbohydrates that it need to grow and thrive.

Decrease Instances of Nutrient Deficiency - The number one cause of small yields in hydroponics systems the world over is lack of proper nutrients. Even if your nutrient solution is well balanced, it doesn't ensure that uptake will be sufficient to allow your plants to grow to their full ability. Beneficial microbes can help reduce the odds of nutrient deficiency by breaking down the nutrients that are unavailable to your plant and make them that much more useful.