Root Rot in Hydroponics: Pythium in NFT and DWC
By the G&N commercial engineering team · First published: September 2026 · Reviewed for field accuracy Pythium root rot is the single most expensive disease in commercial hydroponic lettuce and herb production. It does not arrive from outside the greenhouse the way an aphid outbreak does — it lives in the system, in the biofilm, […]
How to Control Algae in NFT and Ebb & Flow Systems
Algae in NFT and ebb and flow hydroponic systems is the most common avoidable failure on a commercial farm. It is not just an aesthetic problem — algae compete with crops for nutrients, host pythium and other pathogens, and form biofilm that clogs drip emitters, channel outlets, and pump filters. On a commercial NFT channel line, the […]
Smart Hydroponics: IoT and Remote Monitoring
A smart hydroponics system is not a single product; it is a layered stack of sensors, gateways, dashboards, and — at the highest tier — automated dosing and climate responses. For a commercial farm the question is rarely “should we go smart” but “which sensors pay back in the first season, and which ones look […]
Auto-Dosing Systems for Hydroponics: When and What to Buy
Manual dosing works for a hobby and a single 200-litre reservoir; it stops working the moment a farm runs ten or more buckets, two reservoirs, and two crops that need different recipes on the same day. An auto-dosing system replaces the operator’s hand on the dosing bottle with a controller, a probe pair, and a […]
EC, pH, and PPM in Hydroponics: A Grower’s Guide
Two numbers decide whether a hydroponic crop thrives or stalls: EC and pH. Read them right, and the nutrient recipe is balanced to the plant’s actual uptake; read them wrong, and even an expensive A/B mix produces weak roots or tip burn. PPM is the third term you see on every meter and on every […]
Mixing Hydroponic Nutrient Solution: A and B Tanks
A commercial hydroponic farm does not measure each of the thirteen mineral nutrients individually. It mixes two concentrates — A and B — at a measured ratio into a stock tank, then dilutes that into the working reservoir at a target electrical conductivity (EC) and pH. The two-tank system exists for one reason: some nutrients, […]
High Tunnel vs Greenhouse vs Polytunnel for Hydroponics
A new commercial hydroponic project almost always starts with the same question: which structure do we build it under? The four options buyers weigh are a glass greenhouse, a multi-span arch house, a high tunnel, and a simple polytunnel. They are not interchangeable — each sets a different ceiling on climate control, capital cost, and […]
CO2 for Hydroponics: How Much Do Plants Need?
Atmospheric CO2 sits near 420 ppm, but the photosynthesis curve in dense hydroponic canopies flattens well above that. A closed greenhouse in mid-summer can pull ambient below 250 ppm inside the leaf zone — the opposite of what most growers assume — and only active CO2 enrichment lifts it back. Done right, CO2 enrichment for […]
Greenhouse Lighting: LED vs HPS, PPFD, and DLI
Greenhouse supplemental lighting is the second-largest electricity line item after HVAC in a northern-latitude hydroponic project, and the decision between LED and HPS sets the operating cost for the next decade. The right answer is rarely “buy the cheapest fixture” or “buy the most efficient,” because the crop matters, the climate matters, and the metric […]
Greenhouse Ventilation Design: Vents and HAF Fans
Greenhouse ventilation is the silent backbone of every hydroponic greenhouse. It controls temperature, humidity, CO₂ recovery, and disease pressure — four variables that decide whether a crop finishes strong or breaks down mid-cycle. A common mistake is to treat ventilation as “an open window when it gets hot,” but a real design means choosing vent […]