Nutrients in hydroponics, because of the absence of soil, must be provided by the grower. In order to do this, it is important to understand how to properly mix and balance your nutrient solution so that proper nutrient exchange can occur. Nutrient exchange in a soil garden is regulated based on the cation exchange capacity (CEC), or the ability to transfer nutrients between soil particles. The soil particles have a high buffering capacity, meaning they have a higher resistance to change. In hydroponics, there is no soil, and the growing mediums used in hydroponics have little buffering capacity meaning there can be more fluctuations in measurements of the pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC). pH is the measure of acidity in the solution, or how many positively charged hydrogen ions are in the solution compared to negatively charged hydroxide ions. The pH can affect how well your system will be able to transfer nutrients between the nutrient solution and the plants’ roots. Electrical Conductivity is the measurement of dissolved ions inside your nutrient solution. While the EC gives you a reading of the total amount of ions present, it does not show you specifically what type of nutrients are present.  While this may sound a little overwhelming, in practice, managing the pH and EC can be easily done through electrical readers or pH drip kits, and then equalized through pH up/down solutions or increasing or decreasing your rate of nutrient input.