Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions
for Strawberries and Lettuce

by Glyn Lewis
(Zacatecas Mexico)

I have a 500sqmtr poly tunnel in Mexico, I'm growing hydroponic lettuce (NFT) and strawberries in coco fiber bags. At the moment things are going very well, but; I have had to change my nutrient. The only one I can get here in Zacatecas is Hakaphos red which is 18.18.18+1.1 this seems to have all the right quantity of nutrients, but I'm not sure. I've asked the people here, but they know next to nothing about hydroponics. Do you know anybody who has used Hakaphos red, its made by Compo.

many thanks, Glyn

Answer: Glyn- I have done a little research on the fertilizer you are using. It is made for use in professional hydroponics systems, therefore it should contain all of the secondary nutrients and micro-nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth. In fact, one website I came across provided much information.....Hakaphos fertilizers have very low salinity, have a supply of fully water soluble Magnesium and Sulphur (two important secondary nutrients), and have a relatively complete list of fully chelated (available to plants) micro-nutrients. The micro-nutrients listed in the guaranteed analysis are Sulfur, Magnesium, Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybedenum, and Zinc.

I believe this fertilizer will pose no problems with growing lettuce. However, I am concerned about the strawberries. All of the information I came across recommend using a balanced fertilizer for strawberries. You should have no problems with the basic Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium levels in the fertilizer you are using.

Overall, the fertilizer you are using seems very complete and should be fine to grow healthy and abundant strawberries. My only concern would be Calcium....Calcium is an important secondary nutrient, especially in the development of fruits. I could not find Calcium in the guaranteed analysis of Hakaphos red, and therefor I am not sure if the fertilizer contains any Calcium or not.

I have found a few articles online where Hakaphos red was used to grow chili peppers with very good results. This would indicate the presence of some Calcium in the mix, though I have not found any direct evidence of this. If you plan to use this fertilizer, you should look closely for any signs nutrient deficiency. Calcium helps other nutrients, like nitrogen, move from older parts of the plant to the growing tips. A lack of Calcium could mimic a Nitrogen deficiency, with very pale colored new growth or deformed new growth.

If you see any signs of this, you may need to add a supplement to your nutrients (like Cal-Mag, a Calcium and Magnesium supplement). A liquid seaweed supplement, like Maxi-crop, may also work to correct this problem. There is also a good chance you will have no problems using this fertilizer.

In doing my research to answer your question, I came across a couple of websites with information you may find very useful. A college in Florida was doing research on commercial strawberry farming, and found several ways to cut costs and increase productivity. Their report can be found here.

The other report has some similar information on cost reduction and increased productivity, as well as some specific information on the fertilizer program they followed (fertilizer strength and frequency). That report can be found here. I hope this helps!