This area is where you will find important information for the health of your plants. While these are ony broad guidlines you will find them to be very helpful.
   Electro-conductivity (EC) or Conductivety Factor (cF) can be expressed as either millisiemens (mS), cF or parts pre million (ppm). 1 mS = 10 cF = 700 ppm.
   The pH and electro-conductivity values specified here are given as a broad range. It shoulf be noted that specific plant requirements will vary according to regional climactic conditions and from season to season within that region.
   As a general rule, plants will have a higher nutrient requirement during the cooler months and lower requirement in the hottest months. Therefore, a stronger nutrient solution should be maintained during the winter with a weaker solution during summer when plants take up and transpire more water than nutrients.
   KNOW YOUR CROP! Plant EC or cF may vary according to the stage of growth. For example, cucumber prefer cF 20 when establishing and cF 25 after the first harvest. Between 3 and 7 weeks after the first harvest the optimum cF is 17.
   For easy growing reference, plants that share broad groupings of low, medium and high can be grown together using the same nutrient electro-conductivity providing a middle ground cF is adopted.
   The nutrient solution should be discarded at regular intervals. Should there be a requirement to flush the growing bed the system should be flushed with fresh nutrients (run-to-waste) rather than water to avoid starving or stressing plants.