Hydroponic Plants

The Troubles that High Temps Can Have on your Hydroponic Plants

High temperatures in your hydroponics system can cause many problems for the plants being grown. The temperature within your hydroponic system should be maintained at a level where plants are able to survive. A high nutrient temperature can cause your plants many problems. If the temperature becomes too high, it`s advisable to use an extractor fan to reduce them, but it`s not a good idea to rapidly cool the environment. Plants don`t like fluctuations in temperature, and practices such as this could kill plants. The extractor can be linked to a thermostat to ensure that the room never reaches the high temperatures again. High temperatures can have a negative growth affect on many of your plants.

Temperature of the nutrient solution should be in the range of 65 to 80 degrees. If you`re going to add water to your reservoir, then it`s a good idea to allow the water to come to the same temperature as the water in your reservoir. Rapid temperature changes will cause greater problems for the plant, when they occur in the root zone. High temperatures can cause your plants ability to evaporate water to slow down. The evaporation of water through the leaves keeps the plant hydraulically pumped, and causes a temperature drop in the plant. When evaporation slows the plants temperature can get too high and will destroy the plant quickly, because the temperature will already be at the upper limit.

High temperatures can also cause oxygen starvation within your hydroponic plants, as the temperature of your nutrient solution increases its ability to hold dissolved oxygen decreases. At high temperatures there is less dissolved oxygen available for your plants root system to absorb, than at temperatures below 85 Fahrenheit. Also, the requirement of the plants root system for oxygen at hotter temperatures is much greater than at cooler temperatures due to an increased rate of root respiration. High temperatures mean a high oxygen requirement from the plants roots, but nutrients can only hold a limited amount of dissolved oxygen at saturation.

High temperatures can also root disease pathogens. When experiencing high temperatures plant roots can become highly stressed. Your plants root stress can slow the development of new roots, resulting in reserves inside the root tissue to be burned up during respiration faster than they are accumulated. The plant stress also makes the plants root system more susceptible to disease attack. Nutrient temperature should be monitored regularly, and it is vital to ensure that air machines are not blasting hot air into the solution and cooking your plants roots.

High temperatures cause oxygen starvation, which causes plant stress and plant wilting. Injury from oxygen starvation in the root zone can take many forms and the injuries will differ in severity between species. When the temperature is high and the plant is oxygen starved, wilting will occur. Wilting is the first sign of oxygen starvation. Oxygen starvation reduces the permeability of your plants roots to water and causes accumulation of toxins. Therefore water and minerals cannot be absorbed in sufficient quantities to support plant growth, particularly in stress conditions. The wilting is accompanied by slow rates of photosynthesis and carbohydrate transfer, so plant growth is slowed and yields will decrease. If oxygen starvation continues, mineral deficiencies will begin to show, roots will die, and plants growth will be stunted. If high temperature conditions continue, then root deterioration will occur, and pathogens such as Pythium will take hold and rapidly destroy the plants. It is important to control your plants temperature, by monitoring the temperature of the plants environment and the temperature of your nutrient solution.